Editor Mark Jepsen, most recently an editor/partner at Machete Edit & Design, Chicago, has joined Cutters, the editorial house headed by owner Tim McGuire, and which maintains bases of operation in Chicago and Santa Monica.
Jepsen’s work skews toward the comedic with credits that include DiGiorno’s “Tippy” for FCB Chicago, Kraft Foods’ Easy Mac Cups’ “Cottage Cheese” via Draft FCB Chicago, and adidas/Footlocker’s “Privileged” out of Burrell, Chicago.
While his spots go beyond humor to also encompass such disciplines as heavily stylized visual effects, Jepsen acknowledged, “I’ve been told I have a knack for finding the funny.” That has been true from his career’s inception when the Illinois native graduated from Columbia College, Chicago, and shortly thereafter cut an ad for local hot spot Ditka’s Restaurant. Featuring local celebs, the :30 was a hit and led to a steady stream of commercial work, which greatly pleased Jepsen.
“As a kid, I always loved the commercials more than general programs,” he recalled, “so I knew I was on the right track.”
Jepsen later returned to Columbia College as an instructor, a position he held concurrently with his editorial career. “When I was in school, I loved that most of my instructors were out there working in the biz, and I wanted to carry that tradition forward,” he said.
Jepsen also worked extensively as a senior editor in on air sports promotion at Sports Channel, Chicago (now FOX Sports Net), and then became a staffer at Chicago editorial house Swell in 1998 before shifting over to Machete in ’03. During his tenures at those two edit shops, Jepsen cut work that garnered several awards, including a pair of Gold Effies (bestowed for campaign effectiveness in the marketplace) for Taco Bell’s “I’m Full” campaign.
This year, Jepsen participated in the The Chicago 48 Hour Film Festival, a competition in which teams are challenged to conceive, shoot and wrap a short film in a tight 48-hour turnaround time. The project, Booked, allowed Jepsen to be involved in every aspect of production and post. With a narrative that explores a day in the life of a husband and wife–he’s a jaded, hard-boiled police detective, she’s a librarian–Booked won the awards for best screenplay, best use of character and best actress, while also taking home the Audience Choice Award.
“I’ve known Tim McGuire for many years and when the time came to plot my next move, he was the first person I thought of,” Jepsen related. “Cutters’ outstanding reputation in the marketplace and its management team’s understanding of the business make this an extremely exciting step for me.”
“I was ecstatic when Mark expressed an interest in joining Cutters,” said McGuire. “He’s got a wicked sense of comedic timing.”
Jepsen’s recent work includes work for the Campaign Against Aggressive Driving.
Jepsen now comes aboard a Cutters editors’ roster comprised of Chris Claeys, Kathryn Hempel, John Dingfield, Ruth Efrati Epstein, Christopher Gotschall, Nadav Kurtz, Joel Marcus, Jessica Simmon, Steve Stein, Peter Tarter and Fernando Villena.
Duane “Keffe D” Davis’ Murder Trial Heads To Closing In Tupac Shakur’s 1996 Killing
The murder trial of Duane "Keffe D" Davis in the 1996 killing of Tupac Shakur is headed to closing arguments after the defense rested Thursday following testimony from three former Las Vegas police officers.
Jurors are scheduled to return Monday for closing arguments before beginning deliberations in the only prosecution brought in the killing of the hip-hop icon. The presentation of evidence ended after nine days of testimony.
Davis, 63, did not take the stand.
Shakur was riding in a BMW on Sept. 7, 1996, when a white Cadillac pulled up next to it at a red light near the Las Vegas Strip and gunfire erupted. Shakur was shot multiple times and died six days later. The driver of the BMW, Marion "Suge" Knight, survived.
Years later, Davis would say he procured the gun and his nephew, who has since died, fired the shots. Prosecutors say Davis orchestrated the killing, and he faces life in prison if convicted of murder with a deadly weapon with the intent to promote, further or assist a criminal gang. He has pleaded not guilty.
Defense attorney Michael Sanft has argued that Davis fabricated or embellished his accounts of the killing for money and notoriety and that investigators failed to independently corroborate his claims.
Retired Las Vegas homicide detective Dan Long, the defense's final witness, testified that he tried unsuccessfully to verify several details Davis provided during a 2009 police interview.
Davis told Long that his nephew, Orlando "Baby Lane" Anderson, had gone to a Las Vegas hospital after being beaten by Shakur and others in a casino brawl hours before the rapper was fatally shot. Long said he was unable to find hospital records confirming Anderson was treated there.
Long also tried... Read More
