New media collective and production company Artists And Derelicts (AND) has signed director Armen Djerrahian. With a talent for photography and film rooted in the urban underground cultures of Paris, Djerrahian brought his passion for writing and directing to New York. Since making the move, Djerrahian has had the opportunity to work with some of the industry’s most iconic artists and brands, including a Vibe Magazine shoot with Usher, a series of short films he wrote and directed for Van Cleef & Arpels and ELLE, and an ad campaign he worked on with Spike Lee, among others. In 2010 he was nominated for a BET “Best Video of the Year” Award for directing R&B artist Melanie Fiona’s video “It Kills Me”…Julia Pepe has joined global editorial company Cutters as a producer in its NY office. Pepe comes over from mcgarrybowen’s Chicago office, where she was an associate broadcast producer. During her nearly three years with the agency, she produced high-profile, cross-media commercial and branded content projects for Cars.com, Disney, Kraft, and Sears. Pepe is also a filmmaker in her own right, having written, produced and directed independent films focused on a wounded Marine and other soldiers returning home from Afghanistan. Her background also includes stints working for various PBS productions, and serving as a reporter in the local NPR newsroom in Washington, D.C….
Robert Duvall, “Godfather” Mainstay and Oscar-Winning Actor For “Tender Mercies,” Dies At 95
Robert Duvall, the Oscar-winning actor of matchless versatility and dedication whose classic roles included the intrepid consigliere of the first two "Godfather" movies and the over-the-hill country music singer in "Tender Mercies," has died at age 95. Duvall died "peacefully" at his home Sunday in Middleburg, Virginia, according to an announcement from his publicist and from a statement posted on his Facebook page by his wife, Luciana Duvall. "To the world, he was an Academy Award-winning actor, a director, a storyteller. To me, he was simply everything," Luciana Duvall wrote. "His passion for his craft was matched only by his deep love for characters, a great meal, and holding court. For each of his many roles, Bob gave everything to his characters and to the truth of the human spirit they represented." The bald, wiry Duvall didn't have leading man looks, but few "character actors" enjoyed such a long, rewarding and unpredictable career, in leading and supporting roles, from an itinerant preacher to Josef Stalin. Beginning with his 1962 film debut as Boo Radley, the reclusive neighbor in "To Kill a Mockingbird," Duvall created a gallery of unforgettable portrayals. They earned him seven Academy Award nominations and the best actor prize for "Tender Mercies," which came out in 1983. He also won four Golden Globes, including one for playing the philosophical cattle-drive boss in the 1989 miniseries "Lonesome Dove," a role he often cited as his favorite. In 2005, Duvall was awarded a National Medal of Arts. He had been acting for some 20 years when "The Godfather," released in 1972, established him as one of the most in-demand performers of Hollywood. He had made a previous film, "The Rain People," with Francis Coppola, and the director chose him to... Read More