NewsReel 27/03/09

Jacobs and Hussey Rokkit to the top

Luke Jacobs (former Head of Production at Rokkit) and Nick Hussey (fresh from running The Ebeling Group in London) are now MD and Executive Producer of Rokkit respectively.

Jacobs said "Nick is very connected and well regarded. He's always done sales, but in an innovative way for London. He builds trust through being knowledgeable and understanding what agencies need. He hates the pushy sales thing. What you see is what you get, I really wanted that for us. And he has the experience for us to share the workload."

“We're a production company that you go to with solutions. That agencies and media folk can get advice from, and we have the directors and production skills for all solutions. It's a new world out there and whilst many are concerned, we feel optimistic and comfortable".

Hussey, getting stuck in to the big love-in, said "Rokkit have an awesome roster. The most exciting set of directors I can think of. I would say that, but that’s why I'm here.

“I'd always eyed those guys jealously. I thought there was such enormous potential there. We reckon that with Luke's production and management experience and me concentrating on the sales/marketing/relationship stuff, we compliment each other perfectly. I'd heard that Luke and the guys are good, down-to-earth people, and when you couple that with the most vibrant directors in Europe, it's the best combination I can think of in London."

Hussey will work with Director’s Rep Oli Hammerton in getting the message out.
"I've been watching Oli and it's great to be working with him. He's a self-taught, genuine and clued-up rep. He cares about the directors and the work, and isn't just party party. But he can drink two G&Ts without slipping into a coma, unlike me" said a slightly jealous Hussey.

We can’t wait for the wunder-team to get up to speed. In the meantime, check out the company's impressive roster here – www.rokkit.tv.

Getting Skimmer for summer

Are your Twitters in a clutter? Your Facebook lost its place? Your Blogger bungled up? Well fear not, ‘cause Fallon have created something to get your social networks … er … networked. Skimmer is a new lifestreaming tool that serves as a dashboard for a person’s social networks. The ap saves users the time and hassle of manually checking Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, YouTube, and Blogger by consolidating the feeds into a single stream of relevant content on the desktop. And it looks well pretty. And it’s free. Result!

We love the idea of brands/agencies/companies providing clever solutions like this, so keep it up bods and boddesses. Grab your copy here - http://www.fallon.com/skimmer.

Calling all Dwarfers


Remember Red Dwarf? Funny sci-fi sitcom. Had the fella off Corrie, the bloke from Scrapheap Challenge, Gordon Brittas and the singing voice of one of the Fireys from Labyrinth. Six good series and two shonky ones. Used the word smeg a lot. Mostly liked by teenage boys, but we knew a girl who liked it too. Her name was Kelly.

Yeah you know it.

Anyway, it’s back on the UK TV station Dave this Easter and Red Bee Media have created a clever little ARG (Alternate Reality Game) for it. Acting like a story-telling treasure, users control their Cat Nav (see what they did there) to reveal the location of the crew’s long-awaited re-union whist hunting for clues and hidden links that will slowly reveal exclusive content online.

Aimed mostly at nerdstroms like us (as most ARGs are), the campaign manages to balance some of the excessively complex puzzle based elements that consign most ARGs to the deepest darkest forums with simple tasks that reveal genuinely interesting content. Whilst we’re not sure the show will actually be any good (going to Coronation Street … really!?!), the online game and footage is certainly engaging enough for a visit.

http://www.listerscominghome.co.uk

Film Friends FOREVER!!!

God we love films here at The Reel. Sure, they can’t all be Back To The Future, Big Trouble In Little China or The Expendables, but all movies, long or short, usually manage to find a cosy space in our hearts. Because of this we love film events, especially ones that say they’ll be our friends forever – so we bloody love www.filmfriendsforever.com and their marvellous attitude towards the flicks.

Here are a couple of their upcoming events, including one featuring Reel fave Eran Creevy:

Film Friends Forever / 1st April 2009
As Obama vowed to restore Science to its rightful place in his historic inauguration speech, Film Friends Forever will be exploring the role of science in short films with a selection based on science and science fiction. We will delight and surprise you with wars taking place in the future, visualisations of invisible fields, animal behaviour and more!
http://www.filmfriendsforever.com/events/shorts-promos-evening-science-1st-april-2009

Preview Screening / Shifty / 17th April 2009
Shifty, the portrait of a drug dealer is based on Eran Creevy's teenage experiences, and boasting convincing performances from a cast of rising stars, the film was funded by Film London's Microwave scheme, and delivered after a shooting schedule of just 18 days.
http://www.filmfriendsforever.com/events/shifty

See you there!

And finally…

If, like us, you were left green with envy at the lucky party goers who got to hang out with Run DMC, Becks and the Ting Tings (the TING TINGS!!) for adidas’ Originals campaign, be prepared to go yellow with envy at this smart Simpson’s parody. Using footage from the series’ 20+ year history, the spot is a viral favourite created by SKY to celebrate the platinum anniversary of show and station. Enjoy.