Latest news with #Iconoclast
Business Insider
16-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Business Insider
Malia Obama's Nike ad echoes my short film. It's part of a bigger problem.
This as-told-to essay is based on a transcribed conversation with Natalie Jasmine Harris, a 27-year-old filmmaker. It has been edited for length and clarity. Reps for Malia Obama, Nike, the ad agency Wieden+Kennedy, and the production company Iconoclast didn't respond to requests for comment. Earlier this month, at the Denver airport on the way home from a TV directing mentorship program, I was scrolling on Instagram when Malia Obama's Nike ad with the basketball star A'ja Wilson appeared on my feed. At first, I was confused, wondering whether it was real. It featured two people playing pat-a-cake in a way that echoed an early scene from my 14-minute short film " Grace," which is a Black Southern Gothic short about a girl who's being baptized and questioning her feelings for her best friend. I'd met Malia at Sundance in 2024, when "Grace" and her short film " The Heart" were both in competition. We saw each other at the director's brunch and a couple other events. Initially, I was disappointed and hurt — not just for myself but for my entire team. I sent the commercial to friends who had the same reaction I did. One put together a shot-by-shot photo comparison. Since posting about the issue online, there have been a lot of people who don't understand my disappointment. They're like, "You didn't invent pat-a-cake." And that's very true. But it's not about the game, it's about the cinematic tools used to depict it. My cinematographer, Tehillah De Castro, noted a lot of similarities from a technical perspective, from the camera angles to the shots to the framing composition and the color palette. Over time, I've moved through that initial shock into a deeper frustration around how instances like this are very common — and need to change. It speaks to a larger issue of brands not supporting independent artists and opting for folks who already have name recognition, which doesn't breed innovative films or original storytelling. If they wanted these shots that were similar to my shots, why not hire me to direct? The route that used to work for the Spike Lees and Steven Spielbergs of the world feels less viable today. If we're continuously overlooked, how is the next generation of filmmakers going to exist? Despite early success, being a young director has been a struggle I knew I wanted to be a director from a young age. I started making documentaries in high school about social justice during the Black Lives Matter movement. A lot of my work centers joy in coming-of-age experiences, black women, and queer stories — things that are personal to me. Despite graduating from New York University in 2020 at the height of the pandemic, I've had a lot of success so far. My thesis film, " Pure," ended up getting bought by HBO shortly after I graduated, and it won the DGA Student Film Award. I also won a contest to direct a commercial for Hyundai and did a commercial for Verizon. In addition to going to Sundance in 2024, "Grace" is also a Vimeo Staff Pick and will be on Criterion in June. Still, being a young director has been a struggle. Festivals are great, but they don't pay the bills. I've taken on other full-time and freelance jobs. Right now, I'm working on my first feature, which I've spent the last several years writing and pitching. But I've often run into roadblocks with production companies and financiers saying, in so many words, that no one wants to be the first person to bet on me — coupled with the fact that I'm young and don't have an established name. I would like there to be some acknowledgment I haven't heard from Malia Obama or Nike since speaking out, but I would like for there to be some acknowledgment. I was initially hesitant to speak out, since it involves a former president's daughter and a beloved brand like Nike. Criticizing something involving the WNBA was also hard because it means a lot to me personally, and it already gets such a lack of a spotlight. But I've poured too much into my work to just sit by and watch. Sometimes it can feel like filmmaking is something that's supposed to be a hobby for the wealthy rather than something that can actually be a career. But I don't want to give up. I have a beautiful community of friends and family and colleagues fighting the same fight, and there's hope in that. I still have a lot of stories I want to tell. And I want to be a name someday, too.
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Nike's A'ja Wilson Ads Are an Ode to Girlhood and Community
Nike champions the singular talent of Las Vegas Aces basketball star A'ja Wilson, as the brand amps up its athlete-focused storytelling amid a turnaround plan. The campaign, created by agency Wieden+Kennedy Portland, promotes Wilson's first signature shoe drop, the Nike A'One, which went on sale yesterday (May 6) and reportedly sold out in less than five minutes after release. Nike's films spotlight Wilson as well as the community rooting for her. The first ad, "One of A\Kind," is a love letter to girlhood and illustrates how Wilson's greatness and legacy extend beyond the court. Her fans and wider community break into a rhyme honoring the player. Jenn Nkiru directed the spot through production company Iconoclast. In "Teaching the Pro," a girl teaches Wilson a hand clapping game that will be familiar to children past and present. Though the game typically follows the rhyme Miss Mary Mack, Wilson and the girl clap to lyrics about the athlete's greatness: "A'ja Wilson's on top, top, top / Can't take her spot, spot, spot." Malia Ann Obama, daughter of former President Barack Obama, directed the film through Iconoclast. A third spot, "A'One from Day One," which interviews people from Wilson's hometown of Columbia, South Carolina, will air on May 9. A push to win again Nike's campaign starring Wilson comes as it executes its "Win Now" turnaround plan to return its brand portfolio to relevance, double down on storytelling, and reverse years of sluggish sales. The company's overall quarterly revenue declined by 9% year-over-year to $11.3 billion. This week, Nike shook up its leadership team, with Heidi O'Neill, president of consumer, product, and brand, set to leave the business after 26 years. It also made several promotions, including CMO Nicole Hubbard Graham taking on the additional role of evp. CEO Elliott Hill, who returned to Nike to take the top job in October, said in the company's Q3 earnings call that Nike is "on the right path" and "made an impact this quarter leading with sport–through athlete storytelling, performance products, and big sports moments." That focus on athlete storytelling was evident in Nike's highly-lauded return to the Super Bowl in February after a 27-year hiatus. "So Win" put women athletes center stage and also featured Wilson, among others. Nike has also recently announced partnerships with Kim Kardashian's Skims and beverage brand Kool-Aid. Last week, it sparked backlash for London Marathon billboards that used the phrase "Never again," which is associated with Holocaust remembrance. The ads continued its "Winning Isn't Comfortable" campaign that began during the Paris 2024 Olympics.
New York Post
04-05-2025
- Politics
- New York Post
The suicide of the press, media double-denial on Joe's decline and other commentary
Iconoclast: The Suicide of the Press President Trump's move 'to restrict public funds to NPR and PBS' is 'is a moment the media should use for long-overdue self-reflection,' explains Jonathan Turley at The Hill. 'The damage done to the press in the last decade' is 'almost entirely self-inflicted,' as it dropped 'the touchstones of neutrality and objectivity' to become an 'echo chamber that amplifies liberal and often partisan Democratic talking points.' Now 'readers and viewers have left mainstream media in an exodus,' yet 'editors and reporters continue to saw at the branch upon which they are sitting.' Advertisement NPR, unworried 'that its shrinking audience was overwhelmingly white, liberal and affluent,' assumed 'it could make the vast majority of the country, which does not listen to its programming, help pay for its programming.' Now, like the rest of the media, it must 'choose between sustaining its bias or expanding its audience.' Libertarian: Media Double-Denial on Joe's Decline As some in the press admit 'mainstream media's failure to swiftly cover former President Joe Biden's cognitive decline,' notes Reason's Robby Soave, former NBC host Chuck Todd still insists 'this stupid premise' is 'a manufactured right-wing premise to stain the media,' arguing that the pundits who 'carried water for Joe Biden' were 'not journalists,' but 'former strategists.' Advertisement Soave pushes back: 'Mainstream media didn't just ignore the story: They adopted the framing of Biden's defenders and pushed the idea that conservatives were making it all up.' 'Biden staffers, strategists, and Democratic Party leaders' may have led the cover-up, but 'much of the media went along for the ride.' Veteran: Hooray! Military Recruitment's Up The US 'military is seeing its biggest recruitment surge in more than a decade,' cheers Rob Maness at the Association of Mature American Citizens, 'and it's no mystery why': After Team Biden spent years turning 'our armed forces into a woke Marxist social experiment,' President Trump's 'bold, unapologetic America First vision is inspiring the country's young patriots to step up.' The Army has a 'groundswell of young people eager to join.' Advertisement They want to 'fight for the United States,' not attend 'diversity seminars' or 'learn how to use 'preferred pronouns.'' They 'crave meaning — something bigger than themselves. The military offers that.' And they're 'inspired by a president who projects strength.' As someone who's served, he writes, 'I've never been prouder.' Get opinions and commentary from our columnists Subscribe to our daily Post Opinion newsletter! Thanks for signing up! Enter your email address Please provide a valid email address. By clicking above you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Never miss a story. Check out more newsletters Politics beat: Dems' Empty Agenda Advertisement The Democratic Party 'is still floundering to find its way in a second Trump term,' snarks Ingrid Jacques at USA Today. The lameness isn't just Tim 'Walz's 'code talk' messaging and [Kamala] Harris' elephant-circling strategy.' Dems have 'failed to present any credible alternatives on the pressing issues that the president is tackling — including border security, trade and the deficit.' Thus a poll asking voters 'whom they think is doing a better job handling the country's main problems,' '40% said Trump. Just 32% said congressional Democrats.' Yet 2028 hopeful Gov. JB Pritzker (D-Ill.) just 'called for a 'bold' agenda' but 'his recommendations left a lot to be desired,' with no more than a call for 'for mass protests, for mobilization, for disruption.' No: 'Raging against Trump and his supporters has repeatedly failed for Democrats. And it will again.' From the right: Homeless Sex-Offender Horrors A new report shows that 'sex offenders account for more than 20% of the unsheltered homeless population in 20 states, and more than 10% in 32 states,' notes Devon Kurtz at City Journal — and the median share is 20% nationwide. Advertisement Keep in mind, 'States' registries consist primarily of people who have committed serious offenses like rape or the sexual abuse of a child' and sex offenders commit new sex crimes after prison release at two to four times the rate of other offenders. Yet 'the US Department of Housing and Urban Development allows publicly funded programs' to keep sex offenders in facilities that help women and children, even as 'academics reject the connection, insisting that the homeless pose no elevated crime threat.' — Compiled by The Post Editorial Board
Yahoo
25-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Alexandra Billings & Devin Way Set For Julia Eringer's Directorial Debut ‘Paring'
EXCLUSIVE: Julia Eringer's feature directorial debut Paring has found its cast. Written by Eringer and Heather McCallum, the pair stars in their psychedelic romantic-comedy alongside Alexandra Billings (Transparent, Never Have I Ever, The Conners), Devin Way (Queer as Folk, Grey's Anatomy, Sistas) and Scott Turner Schofield (The Idol, The Blacklist). More from Deadline 'Halloween Store': Lindy Booth, Sydney Park, Grace Van Dien, Jorge Lendeborg Jr. & Drew Ray Tanner Round Out Cast Sadie Soverall & Havana Rose Liu To Star In Fantasy Thriller 'I Am A Monster' For Iconoclast, Film4, Madants & Mid March; AGC & CAA Media Finance Launch For Cannes 'Transparent' Actress Alexandra Billings To Star And Executive Produce Trans Revolutionary Indie Feature 'Queen Tut' Paring stars Eringer and McCallum as a married couple who visits an old friend for the weekend to meet her fiancé, who feels uncannily familiar. The four drink a little—or a lot—of psilocybin tea in a ceremony intended to unite them, but as secrets unravel, the foursome spirals, tumbling into wounds of the past until everyone is laid bare. 'I wanted to make a film about the wild, tender chaos of love,' said Eringer in a statement. 'About marriage, partnership and loving people through transitions. Paring is a personal narrative I've been working on with co-writer Heather McCallum for over a decade — the script evolved along with us through marriages, the births of four children and many sessions of couples therapy, some of them 'alternative.' 'With my roots in indie film acting, stepping behind the camera for this intimate story felt inevitable. Paring isn't just my feature debut, it's a love letter to the complexity of partnership and the strange, beautiful alchemy of staying when everything inside tells you to run,' she added. McCallum called the film 'our passion project and my North Star for over 10 years,' adding: 'The script has been a living, breathing thing, growing and expanding as Julia and I have grown as women, become mothers and navigated the complexities of relationships and friendships. 'At the core, it is a story about loving each other through the beautiful and heartbreaking realities of being human, the patterns we fall into, the battles within ourselves and the societal expectations of gender roles,' added McCallum. 'To have it become a reality with this incredible cast and crew along with my dear friend Mary Rohlich is beyond a dream come true. And to tell this story at this moment in time feels more important than ever.' Eringer, McCallum, Rohlich and Schofield serve as producers on the film, with co-producers Brienne Rose and Cookie Walukas, as well as executive producers Way, Susan Moulton, Mary Pat Bentel and Jett Garrison. Best of Deadline Everything We Know About The 'Hunger Games: Sunrise On The Reaping' Movie So Far Everything We Know About 'Emily In Paris' Season 5 So Far Everything We Know About The 'We Were Liars' Show So Far
CBS News
02-04-2025
- Entertainment
- CBS News
Tony Bennett's daughters file new lawsuit against their brother over the singer's estate
Tony Bennett 's two daughters have filed a new lawsuit against their brother, alleging he illegally enriched himself at their expense against their father's wishes both before and after the legendary singer's death in 2023 . Antonia and Johanna Bennett filed the lawsuit Monday in New York against D'Andrea "Danny" Bennett, who was their father's manager and heads their family trust. "Since Tony's death, Johanna and Antonia have discovered that Danny exercised complete and unchecked control over Tony and his financial affairs prior to and following his death through multiple fiduciary and other roles of authority that Danny has abused, and continues to abuse, for his own significant financial gain," the suit alleges. It says Danny Bennett took advantage of his father's diminished capacity late in life due to Alzheimer's disease to make deals to make millions for himself and his company, including the sale shortly before his death of Tony Bennett's catalog and his name, likeness and image rights to the brand development firm Iconoclast. The sisters previously sued their brother in June seeking an accounting of their father's assets, and alleging Danny Bennett had mishandled them. The new suit alleges he has breached his fiduciary duty and seeks to remove him as head of the family trust. "This lawsuit is yet another baseless attempt to distort the public and the court's understanding of Tony Bennett's clearly stated wishes," a spokesperson for Danny Bennett said in a statement. "Danny has followed his father's plans with integrity and care, and it is disappointing that those Tony supported throughout his life — and continues to support through his estate — are now challenging Danny's integrity with unsubstantiated and unfounded claims." Danny Bennett was his father's personal and professional manager with power of attorney, was manager of his company Benedetto Arts, and is the trustee of the family trust, the suit says. Danny Bennett came up with the idea for the late singer to hold two big concerts at the Radio City Music Hall in New York City with Lady Gaga, he told CBS News in 2022. They were his final performances. "The pandemic was a big ... it was a big thing for me. Like, ending his career on that note," Danny Bennett told "60 Minutes." "(It) couldn't end that way. After all that he did." The new lawsuit accuses Danny Bennett of benefiting from "self-interested and conflicted transactions, excessive and unearned commissions," and "substantial loans and gifts to himself and his children" that have diminished assets that Tony Bennett's will calls for his four children to split equally. Another brother, Daegal "Dae" Bennett, and Tony's widow, Susan Bennett, were also named as defendants in the lawsuit. Susan and Tony had been together for more than 30 years. She was also his full-time caregiver. The first lawsuit noted Daegal and Susan were named solely because of their capacity as a beneficiary of the Family Trust "in anticipation that one or more parties, or the Court, may deem her to be a necessary party to this action." The new suit says the sisters have received a "single modest distribution" of $245,000 apiece that is "nowhere close to what they believe they are entitled to receive." The sisters also allege their brother has gotten rid of items of great sentimental value to them in a "malicious and retaliatory manner" after their attempts to get an accounting through the previous lawsuit. Bennett's piano, which Antonia says was promised to her, was in "terrible condition" when they were allowed to see it in a tour of the singer's apartment, where they say they were denied access to much of his property, the lawsuit says. The lawsuit seeks damages to be determined at trial. Tony Bennett, a legendary interpreter of classic American songs who created new standards including "I Left My Heart In San Francisco," died in 2023 at age 96. There was no specific cause, but he had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's in 2016. Bennett released more than 70 albums. The last was released with Lady Gaga in 2021 — after his Alzheimer's disease had already progressed. He won 19 Grammy Awards, including two for that album, and a Grammy lifetime achievement award. "Tony and Danny's record of unprecedented success speaks for itself," the defense statement said, "and Danny remains committed to honoring and preserving his father's memory and legacy."
