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Thursday, Mar 28, 2024

Auto Supplier Upgrades With McLaren Models

North Hollywood’s Cinema Vehicle Services, which rents vehicles to entertainment productions, has formed a partnership with British sports car maker McLaren Automotive to get the luxury brand roles in feature films and TV shows. The North Hollywood company has already placed the McLaren 650S two-door supercar in two projects. “We deal with the transportation coordinators and they are asking for the new stuff,” said Matthew Dean, director of marketing at Cinema Vehicle. “Having the latest hottest cars is a plus for us.” The 650S has been placed in the new CBS series “Rush Hour,” debuting in March, and in a five-minute trailer for EA Sports’ “Madden NFL 16” video game. McLaren has produced cars since 2010, starting with the 12C and the 12C Spider. The 650S debuted in 2014. New co-owners took over Cinema Vehicle in April and set about to expand the company’s reach, especially in relation to higher-end partners. The new co-owners had an existing relationship with McLaren through a creative agency they had owned, Dean said. Cinema Vehicle is already one of the top suppliers for rental and fabrication of production cars and trucks, he added, but growing the business requires new partnerships such as the McLaren deal. “They do have unique vehicles and a lot of movies are looking for the ones that other people don’t have,” Dean said. Cinema Vehicle was founded in 1975 by Ray Claridge, who grew a collection of 30 cars into more than 1,000. Its vehicles have been seen in TV’s “The Dukes of Hazzard” as well as “The Terminator” and “Die Hard” films. For the 2000 “Gone in 60 Seconds” remake, the company made 11 different versions of the film’s signature black and gray Mustang, which was nicknamed Eleanor. Claridge still remains active with the business but primarily in a consulting position, Dean said. TV Filming Surge Television production accounted for more than half the filming activity in Santa Clarita last year as the number of permits issued hit an all-time high. The city reported 565 permits for 1,372 location filming days during 2015. That is an increase of 13 percent compared with the 502 permits issued the previous year. Filming days increased 2 percent. “We continue to stay committed to making Santa Clarita a top choice for filming,” said Mayor Bob Kellar in a statement. “This is evidenced by the increasing number of permits and the number of locally based shows here in Santa Clarita.” Television series brought in most of the filming activity during the year, including series such as “Modern Family,” “Silicon Valley” and “NCIS.” Feature films made in the city include “Behold My Heart,” “The Circle,” “La La Land” and “Pee-Wee’s Big Holiday.” PR Promotion Barry Ziehl has been named senior vice president of public affairs and strategic initiatives for Warner Bros. Entertainment. In his new role, Ziehl will oversee the public affairs team and further integrate philanthropy and sustainability initiatives into the Burbank studio’s corporate values and business interests. He replaces Lisa Rawlins, who retired at the end of last year. Ziehl had previously been head of worldwide public relations and marketing for Warner Bros. Consumer Products. Dee Dee Myers, head of worldwide corporate communications and public affairs and the executive Ziehl will report to, called him a terrific manager and seasoned executive. “He brings an invaluable mix of public relations, marketing and strategic planning skills, as well as experience working across divisions at Warner Bros.,” Myers said in a statement. Digital Revenue Carol Hanley has been hired as chief revenue officer for Deluxe Entertainment Services Group Inc. Hanley will be responsible in this newly created role at the Burbank digital media firm for creating and executing corporate sales strategy that will drive revenue and improve client value. She will work in tandem with the sales team and report to Chief Executive John Wallace. “Innovations in technology and the convergence of digital integration in the entertainment world make this an exciting time to join the already outstanding team at Deluxe,” Hanley said in a statement. Prior to joining Deluxe, Hanley was executive vice president and chief sales and marketing officer with Nielsen Audio, formerly known as Arbitron. Deluxe, owned by New York private investment firm MacAndrews & Forbes Inc., provides production, postproduction, distribution and archiving services for film and television studios. It operates multiple locations in Burbank and Valencia. Staff Reporter Mark R. Madler can be reached at (818) 316-3126 or [email protected].

Mark Madler
Mark Madler
Mark R. Madler covers aviation & aerospace, manufacturing, technology, automotive & transportation, media & entertainment and the Antelope Valley. He joined the company in February 2006. Madler previously worked as a reporter for the Burbank Leader. Before that, he was a reporter for the City News Bureau of Chicago and several daily newspapers in the suburban Chicago area. He has a bachelor’s of science degree in journalism from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.

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