Chicago-based Luminair Media has tapped TicTock Studios topper Hopwood DePree XIV as its new president as part of a new partnership between the two Midwestern production companies.

The pact aims to give Luminair more of a presence in Los Angeles and drive more business to Michigan-based TicTock.
DePree, who recently produced Dustin Lance Black’s semi-autobiographical feature “Virginia,” will spend most of his time in Los Angeles scouting projects and financing for the two companies. Luminair and TicTock are eyeing a small handful of television and film projects, and could finance pictures with budgets up to $10 million. The pair also hope to come on board larger-budgeted fair with third parties to help with financing and production.

“We’re both Midwestern-based companies but functioning in L.A.,” DePree said. “It just makes sense to (work together) and try to bring more production to the Midwest.”

DePree is actively tied to Michigan’s film industry, which has struggled from cuts to the state’s generous tax incentives in recent years. Those incentives had boosted the local infrastructure and encouraged a number of production companies to base themselves in the state.

DePree, who will split his time between Los Angeles and Chicago as part of the new venture with Luminair, also serves as an adviser to the Governor’s office to help build the state’s film industry.

DePree’s other credits include producing “Tug” starring Sam Huntington and Haylie Duff, and “The Last Big Attraction,” which he directed and starred in. With more than 30 years of production experience, Luminair is highly active in the branded content space for a number of Chicago-based companies. Clients include Starz, Disney and PBS, according to the company’s website.

Variety page (http://bit.ly/ZbkG7Y):

Together, we are going to create more entertaining, relavent video content for the New Generation Latino, who are often misunderstood and misrepresented in current media, although they are an ever-growing and engaged community across all social media platforms. Check out Picaro’s website. And here is an additional taste of what’s to come:

Last week, we were excited to hear that our head creative and favorite director, Scott Dummler, has been nominated for an Emmy for his work on Mexico: One Plate at a Time with Rick Bayless.  The show, which is filmed in Mexico and Chicago, has aired for eight seasons and has received several awards, including Silver Tellys, Communicator awards, multiple Tasty awards, and Silver Hugos.

This is the first Emmy nomination for both Scott Dummler and host Rick Bayless, who is nominated for best host in the Lifestyle/Culinary genre.  So stay tuned Sunday, June 17 and keep your fingers crossed for the Luminair and Frontera teams!

No one killed the electric car.  Because it’s not dead.  Our head creative, Scott, has recently become one of a few people in Chiagoloand to own the new, 100% electric Nissan Leaf.  Back in April 2010, when the Leaf was announced, Scott jumped onto the top of the waiting list.  And we’ve been hearing about this car ever since.

If you’re familiar with any Hybrid, the Leaf doesn’t feel so surprising, even when it silently creeps up behind you as you’re trying to cross the street.  It has all the electronic standards we expect: keyless entry, a power button instead of an ignition, and a rear-facing camera for backing-up.

The main surprise comes at “the pump.”  At about $1.15 a fill-up, plus a lot less guilt regarding carbon footprints, we kind of want one now, too.  Check back and see if we don’t all have one in another 20 months.

This seems to be the theme that resonates throughout our offices lately. After saying goodbye to our long-time owner and producer, George Elder, it seems like the turning over of the year should also coincide with turning over a new page in our company’s history. A lot of things will stay the same here. We still place a lot of value in our relationships, both with our clients and with the industry professionals with whom we collaborate. And we’re still excited to work with George as a freelance producer and director on some of our newest projects.

In this new era of our company, we decided to keep the 30 year legacy of Luminair alive and not change the name, but simply to add one word that defines our focus, Media. At Luminair Media, we plan to expand more into branded entertainment and develop interesting video integration across all media platforms, including television, the web, and mobile devices. Our new logo and our new website represent a fresh look for us and the new direction we’re headed starting in 2012. We’re excited to welcome and share the New Year with you, as it represents the beginning of great and exciting moments we have yet to discover.

Wishing you the best in 2012,
The Luminair Team