NEW YORK, NY - October 28, 2009.
The New York-based film and talent management firm Creative Entertainment Connections (CEC), founded by Laura Siegel, is celebrating its fifth anniversary and the rapidly budding achievements of its year-old development division.
“This company is, quite simply, exploding with content and talent,” said Siegel. “A lot of the credit,” she added, “goes to the talent, energy and vision of Will Rowbotham, our new development director who comes to us from the Weinstein Company. He's really put together an awesome slate of projects involving some amazing producing talent.”
That “amazing” producing talent that CEC works with includes Academy Award winner James Moll and Academy Award nominees David Friendly (Little Miss Sunshine) and Nick Morton (Ray). Other name producers on their project roster include Sid Ganis and Lynda Obst (The Invention of Lying).
Among others developing projects at the company are music video producers Burner Media (Madonna, Eminem), who are branching off and creating Docu-Reality series for cable (Little Boat Big Fish, It's Good To Be King), and director Alex Moors, whose music videos for Bjork and The Chemical Brothers have paved the way for his first feature film, Echo Station.
“We are excited,” Siegel went on, “to be working with some incredible talent on some very original properties. We expect to be revealing more details shortly but, for now, I don't want to give it all away.”
Asked how CEC's young development division has reeled in such Grade A talent, Siegel credits Rowbotham's determination, ability and connections, as well as her company's now well-established ability to package projects from top to bottom.
“Before we even started working with these great producers, writers and directors,” she noted, “we had assembled a wonderful roster of below-the-line talent that we've been handling for half a decade now. From the creative side of the project to the technology side, we can pull projects together very efficiently. ”
And, to that point, CEC's below-the-line representation continues to thrive with the company booking its clients on major motion pictures and TV series at the studio level. They have clients on projects such as The Other Guys (starring Will Ferrell), Starz Networks' series Gravity (starring Krysten Ritter), The Big Bang (starring Antonio Banderas), Damages (starring Glenn Close), Gossip Girls and Ugly Betty (starring America Ferrera).
Other films the company is currently involved in packaging include Paper Boy, The Island Chronicles and the remake of Brewster's Millions.
While CEC is not restricted to New York-based films, Siegel points out that the company is particularly well set up for East Coast moviemaking. “We know this region like the back of our hands,” she said, “and can pull talent and location together better than anyone.” Recently on a New York feature, CEC packaged six key crew members, stunt team, camera gear and crew van rentals.
The company's continued success has also put it in a position to assist film makers with financing and many other production resources.
All in all, while CEC has certainly had a successful first five years, Laura Siegel sees even brighter times ahead.
“We are a company on the move!” she declared to her team at the company's stylish Manhattan office. “With our team of agents, mangers and newly formed business development division, we have the confidence, dedication and ability to take CEC to new heights.”
And, the evidence suggests, she may just be right.