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Home » Creative Studio BLOCK & TACKLE Readies for a Busy Summer with Four Key Talent Additions

Creative Studio BLOCK & TACKLE Readies for a Busy Summer with Four Key Talent Additions

Partners and Creative Directors Adam Gault and Ted Kotsaftis of NYC-based creative studio BLOCK & TACKLE are pleased to announce several key appointments to their growing team. The new additions include Producer Dorian Carli-Jones, Designer/Animators Mike Russo and Alex Winakor, and Intern Katelyn Costello.

“As our clients seek more interesting ways to stand out, we always have to deliver for them in unexpected ways,” Adam began. “Technical proficiency and impeccable design are essential, but not enough. Our core strength is in our conceptual thinking, and new talent in the studio brings new ideas. It keeps us fresh.”

“As BLOCK & TACKLE continues to grow and evolve, Adam and I are more dedicated than ever to fostering an environment where collaboration is encouraged and creativity flourishes,” Ted added. “We encourage our team and our clients to be forward-thinking and willing to take risks.”

A veteran of countless film and television productions, Dorian was most recently a producer for Brand New School, where he rose through the ranks and produced commercial and branded content projects for many high-profile brands, including Google, JetBlue and Procter & Gamble. He has written, directed and/or produced many narrative and documentary short films which have screened at prominent film festivals around the world. Dorian earned his BFA from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts.

“I was attracted to BLOCK & TACKLE’s boutique outlook, where the staff is treated as one big family,” he explained, “as well as its calm and professional work environment, where happy employees lead to quality work.”

Designer/Animator Mike joins B&T from Forbes, where he spent two years leading design and animation for all of the brand’s video content, ultimately earning a New York Emmy Award for the Forbes “30 Under 30” documentary series. That post followed a stint as Animator/Designer for Thrillist, where his assignments included pioneering the brand’s Snapchat channel. Mike graduated from Full Sail University with a BS in Digital Media and Design.

“In life, I believe you eventually reach a point where you have to pick between two paths… one of which truly scares you, challenging every ounce of your energy to learn things outside your comfort zone,” Mike said. “That’s the path I’ve chosen to take with the amazing team at BLOCK & TACKLE. Here’s to the next chapter.”

Designer/Animator Alex was a junior at Boston’s Emmanuel College last year when he applied as B&T’s summer intern. Based on his energy and resourcefulness – and his strong skills in photography, cartooning and filmmaking – he got the gig, and proceeded to make himself indispensable. Completing his BFA in Design and Animation this spring, B&T is thrilled to welcome him full-time.

“What I enjoy most about BLOCK & TACKLE is that I am never forced to pigeonhole myself as a creator,” he said. “The studio has an all-hands-on-deck mentality, so my role across projects is usually pretty fluid.”

Last but not least, Intern Katelyn is a “class of 2020” student animation filmmaker at the Massachusetts College of Art and Design (MassArt). Along with several MassArt screenings, her original short films have appeared in prominent regional film festivals over the past two years. Her latest film entitled “Francis” is an official selection of the 2019 Boston Short Film Festival, running July 8-12.

“I was really drawn to how BLOCK & TACKLE handles design and animation in a way that brings each medium to the next level,” she said. “One enhances the other in such a unique, engaging way that always keeps viewers on their toes.”

Explore B&T’s studio and its latest developments at http://www.blockandtackle.tv.

About BLOCK & TACKLE
BLOCK & TACKLE is a creative studio focused on conceptual design and visual storytelling. Launched in NYC in 2014, B&T has been named among The New York Times’ “The Selects” group, honoring the world’s top creative talent. Passionate about providing its forward-thinking clientele highly original solutions from concept through delivery, B&T is built to move – with artistry that is earnest, considered, and a little mischievous. Learn more: http://www.blockandtackle.tv.

Community & Partner Links

How Sony’s New Virtual Sound Technology Can Change How We Hear Films

Kami Asgar and Jessica Parks are post-production heavyweights who work with major studios, namely Sony. As a sound designer (Asgar) and as a post executive (Parks), their collective resume touches on everything from Apocalypto to Grandma’s Boy to Venom.

Parks has recently shifted her focus from supervisor to hands-on sound design, and we talk about how it’s never too late to pivot on your career path and find the thing you love doing wherever you are in life.

Click on this link to read the rest of the article on No Film School’s site.

NJ – Governor Murphy signs $14B Incentive Program Bill – the NJ Economic Recovery Act of 2020

 Film tax credits — amending existing programs to include provisions for so-called New Jersey film partners and New Jersey film-lease partners and allowing an additional $200 million of tax credits annually over 13 years.

Click this link if you want to read the full article on the Lexology site. http://bit.ly/35NtDx6

Film Commish announces date for production restart

In her December 18, 2020 news update, MOME Commissioner Anne del Castillo announced that the Film Office is now accepting permit applications for production activity that begins on July 27th.

She also announced awards now (Awkwafina) and more. To read all of the Film Commish’s bloggy sort of news column, click here.

Stimulus Offers $15 Billion in Relief for Struggling Arts Venues

The coronavirus relief package that Congressional leaders agreed to this week includes grant money that many small proprietors described as a last hope for survival.

For the music venue owners, theater producers and cultural institutions that have suffered through the pandemic with no business, the coronavirus relief package that Congress passed on Monday night offers the prospect of aid at last.

To read the full article on The New York Times’ site, click here.

If you want to start production, here’s the latest news from the Mayor’s Office

Phase 4 production guidance is available on the Film Permit website. All production activity, whether it requires a Film Permit or not, must comply with New York Forward Industry Guidance.

For more information see, please refer to the State Department of Health’s Interim Guidance for Media Production During the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency. Please review the guidelines and FAQ before submitting permit applications. The Film Office is operating remotely, so please allow additional time for Film Permit processing.

The above paragraphs contain links to the various FAQ – just mouse over the relevant words.

Nikon to Stop Making Cameras in Japan

Nikon has fallen on hard times as of late as its camera sales have cratered, and now there’s a new indicator of how dire its financial situation is: the company is reportedly pulling the plug on making cameras in Japan after over 70 years of doing so.

To read the full article on Petapixel’s site, click here.

NVIDIA Uses AI to Slash Bandwidth on Video Calls

NVIDIA Research has invented a way to use AI to dramatically reduce video call bandwidth while simultaneously improving quality

What the researchers have achieved has remarkable results: by replacing the traditional h.264 video codec with a neural network, they have managed to reduce the required bandwidth for a video call by an order of magnitude. In one example, the required data rate fell from 97.28 KB/frame to a measly 0.1165 KB/frame – a reduction to 0.1% of required bandwidth.

To read the rest of this article on Petapixel, click this link.

 

 

 

Union Health Plan Dodges Film Workers’ Suit Over Virus Relief

Law360 (October 9, 2020, 5:22 PM EDT) — The Motion Picture Industry Health Plan’s board can’t be sued under ERISA for allegedly flouting its duties when it relaxed plan rules in response to COVID-19, a California federal judge has ruled, nixing a proposed class action filed by two cinematographers who still couldn’t qualify for benefits.

In an order entered Thursday, U.S. District Judge R. Gary Klausner granted the board of directors’ motion to dismiss Greg Endries and Dee Nichols’ Employee Retirement Income Security Act suit accusing board members of breaching their duty to treat all plan participants fairly.

Endries and Nichols, members of Local 600 of the International Cinematographers Guild, said in July that the board left them and others “out in the cold” in its attempts to address the problems COVID-19 caused for plan participants.

But Judge Klausner agreed with the board’s contention that the case, which alleged a fiduciary breach, should be tossed because plan administrators don’t act as fiduciaries when they amend health care plans.

Read the full article on the Law360 site by clicking here.

Russo Brothers Received Close to $50 Million From Saudi Bank

Anthony Russo and Joseph Russo photographed at the PMC Studio in Los Angeles for the Variety Playback Podcast.

The Russo brothers, directors of the all-time top grossing film “Avengers: Endgame,” quietly secured a roughly $50 million cash infusion for their production company AGBO from Saudi Arabia earlier this year, multiple sources tell Variety.

In a deal brokered and closed at the beginning of the pandemic, the Russos received the investment from an undisclosed Saudi bank in exchange for a minority stake in the brothers’ Los Angeles-based shop.

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