Octagon First Call
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About First Call

Our team helps brands, their agencies and nonprofit organizations by assessing the business value of celebrities, negotiating smart partnerships and activating each program. We provide fast and accurate information and recommend talent based on many factors including their relevance, points of differentiation and cost. The results of our work are seen as television commercials, webisodes, publicity programs, YouTube posts, celebrity seeding, social media » Read More

The Blog

Faces To Watch at the Spring 2012 Upfronts, Part 2

Yesterday we spoke about a few promising personalities that have potential to seamlessly crossover, or continue, work in the brand world. Here are a few more interesting picks to look out for.
 
 Lucy Liu
The Asian-American actress best known for her roles on the television drama Ally McBeal and the film franchises Charlie’s Angels, Kill Bill (Vol. 1 and 2), and Kung Fu Panda returns to the small screen this fall after successful stint in Southland.  This time around, she will appear in new CBS drama Elementary, a modern American take on Sherlock Holmes, in which Liu will jump over gender expectations to play Watson.
Liu’s most recent brand work includes serving as spokesperson for the Heinz Micronutrient Campaign in 2010. Additionally, she has done work for UNICEF and Nestea. 
 
 
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May 17, 2012 | Comments: 0

Faces To Watch at the Spring 2012 Upfronts, Part 1

As Upfronts continue and TV networks reveal their 2012 plans, we say hello to new faces and goodbye to others. With each new series comes opportunity for new or familiar names to break through and place themselves firmly on brand's short lists. 
 
Upfronts season began with a  shockwave that Twitter collectively determined could only be a rumor: 30 Rock and Community will enter their last season next year, putting to end the platforms that have irreversibly transformed Tina Fey (Garnier, American Express) and Joel McHale (Nintendo) into comedy powerhouses, and rejuvenated the careers of Alec Baldwin (Capital One, Wegman's), Tracy Morgan ( Wheat Thins), and Chevy Chase  - as well as breathing life into a slew of new talent like Donald Glover (aka rapper Childish Gambino), Jack McBrayer, Danny Pudi (T-Mobile), Judah Friedlander (MiO Energy).  The grim 30 Rock rumors are indeed true. Community’s fate is uncertain as no formal declaration has been made, but the show has been moved to a Friday night time slot, often seen as a last ditch effort for shows. 
 
FOX enlisted New Girl's Zooey Deschanel (Apple, Cotton) to introduce Office writer/actress Mindy Kaling (Healthy Choice)  and her new series The Mindy Project, which paints the Indian-American and real-life gynecologist’s daughter as a ditzy doctor.  Reactions to the TV show has been lukewarm from ad buyers, but between a best-selling book and her many hats on The Office, Mindy is painting herself to be a Tina-Fey spawn – a designation with which Kaling hates to associate.
 
 
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May 16, 2012 | Comments: 0

This Week on Talk Shows: May 13-19

Chances are, your favorite shows’ season finales are this week (see: Gossip Girl, How I Met Your Mother, Make It or Break It, Two and a Half Men, Hart of Dixie, Mike & Molly, Hawaii Five-O, Smash, 90210, NCIS: LA, Fashion Star, Private Practice, Suburgatory, Interior Therapy, Criminal Minds, Missing, Rules of Engagement, Grey’s Anatomy, Person of Interest, The Mentalist, Scandal, Shark Tank, Nikita, Supernatural, Grimm, and Whale Wars) freeing up a little space on the DVR for a new flavor of must-see-TV. So this week we recommend catching the season premiere of America’s Got Talent at 8pm on NBC. With series newcomer Howard Stern headlining the marketing efforts and amicable judges Sharron Osbourne and Howie Mandel holding the audience regulars, the show is expected to draw big crowds and interest in Sern’s highly-anticipated primetime gig.

Check out the full talk show listings after the jump—

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May 13, 2012 | Comments: 0

2012 James Beard Food Awards Re-Cap

The James Beard Food Awards, often referred to as the “Oscars of the Food World,” are held the first week of May and honor the finest chefs, restaurants, wine professionals, journalists, cookbook authors and food professionals. Votes are cast by more than 600 culinary professionals and recipients receive a coveted bronze medallion etched with an image of the late James Beard. The medal is one of the few recognized – and desired - accolades granted to chefs and other food professionals across America. Here are last night's winners:
 
NATIONAL AWARD WINNERS
Best new restaurant:
Next – Chicago, IL
 
Outstanding chef:
Daniel Humm of Eleven Madison Park – New York, NY
 
Outstanding pastry chef:
Mindy Segal (@MindySegal) of Mindy’s Hot Chocolate – Chicago, IL
 
Outstanding restaurant:
Boulevard – San Francisco, CA
 
Outstanding restaurateur:
Tom Douglas (@TomDouglasCo) of Tom Douglas Restaurants – Seattle, WA
 
Outstanding service:
Le Grenouille – New York, NY
 
Outstanding wine and spirits professional:
Paul Grieco (@Spitpaul) of Terroir (@terroirNY) – New York, NY
 
Outstanding wine program:
No 9. Park – Boston, MA
 
Outstanding bar program:
PDT – New York, NY
 
Rising star chef of the year:
Christina Tosi of Momofuku Milk Bar (@momomilkbar) – New York, NY
 
Additional winners and analysis after the jump!
 
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May 8, 2012 | Comments: 0
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