ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION – Actor Timothee Chalamet’s recent statements about ballet and opera have caused a stir online, and some Atlanta arts institutions are responding to the controversy.
During a Feb. 24 Variety and CNN Town Hall, Chalamet and actor Matthew McConaughey discussed audiences’ attention spans and the effort of keeping movie theaters alive.
“I don’t want to be working in ballet, or opera, or you know things where it’s like ‘keep this thing alive,’ even though it’s like, no one cares about this anymore, all respect to the ballet and opera people out there,” Chalamet said.
The Atlanta Ballet, a 96-year-old institution and the longest continuously operating ballet company in the United States, had something to say about it.
In a recent social media post directed toward Chalamet, the Atlanta Ballet wrote: “Timothee — as if you could … Ballet has survived: Empires, wars, revolutions, technological shifts, and every ‘new entertainment trend’ that followed. Over 400 years and counting.”
The post also invited Chalamet to take a class with the ballet company.
As design director at Cookerly, Tim serves as the creative lead in the development of branding campaigns, print collateral and digital media for clients across a broad range of industries, including consumer, professional services, healthcare and technology.
As a senior vice president at Cookerly, Mike Rieman is a strategic communications leader specializing in media relations and reputation management. With a proven track record of securing high-profile placements in top-tier outlets such as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, CNN and USA Today, he excels at crafting compelling narratives that resonate across print, broadcast and digital platforms.
Mike Touhill is vice president at Cookerly Public Relations, where he helps lead traditional, social and digital media programs for B2B and B2C clients in packaging, telecommunications and technology, among other industries. As a communication leader, he develops and executes public relations strategy, provides proactive and reactive counsel to C-level executives and secures earned media coverage for client initiatives and product.
Andrew Agan is a vice president at Cookerly Public Relations, overseeing the agency’s internship program and leading media relations, content strategy and social media initiatives. He provides counsel and executes campaigns for clients across various sectors, including finance, healthcare, hospitality, technology, automotive and many others. Andrew excels at crafting compelling stories and building media relationships, resulting in clients being featured in notable outlets such as CNBC, Associated Press, Business Insider, Fox Business, HBO, Inc. Magazine, Sirius XM, The Wall Street Journal and USA Today, among others.
As vice president of Cookerly, Sheryl Sellaway uses her extensive corporate communications background to lead consumer PR efforts, deliver strategy for marketing programs and share expertise about community initiatives.