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Chicago Made brings film and TV production opportunities to residents

Chicago is continuing to boom as a center for film and television production. Last summer alone, some 15 productions added nearly $700 million to the city’s local economy. This was due to filmmakers, studios, and networks taking advantage of tax incentives making it cost-effective to shoot in the area. But with the uptick in productions, […]

For Chicago Fire stylist Steykine Wills, the main job is about helping to build characters

Chicagoan Steykine Wills, a hair stylist who works full-time for the locally-produced television drama Chicago Fire, sees helping to create characters as a central part of her job. “Depending on if a character appears disheveled, for example, we have to make them appear that way,” Wills explained. “We have to read the script and make […]

Nina Escobedo: Bringing a passion for costumes to Chicago’s TV and film industry

Nina Escobedo credits her grandmother for sparking the childhood interests that ultimately led to her becoming a professional costumer working in Chicago. “My grandmother taught me to sew at the age of four,” recalled Escobedo. “It started with buttons and embroidery. Once I had legs long enough to reach a sewing machine pedal, she taught […]

Alex Diamond learns from Chicago P.D. work for filmmaking future

Assistant Director Alex Diamond jokes that his professional abbreviation, “A.D.,” should really stand for “Anxious Director.” “We always have to think of what could go wrong, and what could be an issue,” explained Diamond, a graduate of Columbia College and a veteran of several local independent productions. A resident of Chicago’s West Side, he is […]

Posted inMusic

The Reader’s guide to Chicago in Tune

The Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events originally planned to celebrate the Year of Chicago Music in 2020. Then the pandemic diminished those festivities to the point that the city declared 2021 the Year of Chicago Music too.  The ongoing surge of the Delta variant means the U.S. won’t be rid of the pandemic […]

Posted inMusic

How DCASE helped Chicago music survive the pandemic shutdown

When COVID-19 swept the country, music venues were among the first to shutter, throwing tens of thousands of live entertainment professionals out of work and sidelining artists who depend on touring income. The National Independent Venue Association formed in April 2020 and currently represents more than 3,000 performance halls, promoters, and festivals; it’s done much […]