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EXCLUSIVE : Activist Artists Management has signed award-winning Mongolian filmmaker Lkhagvadulam Purev-Ochir . She’ll be represented at the full-service music and talent management firm by Bernie Cahill and Jon Kanak. Purev-Ochir has generated buzz around town after winning Best Short Film Prizes from both the Venice and Toronto Film Festivals in 2022, for her sophomore effort, Snow in September . She’s been celebrated for exploring the contradictions of modern-day Mongolia, having previously seen her debut short, Mountain Cat , win the Sonje Award for Best Asian Short Film at the 25th Busan Film Festival, also screening in the short films competition at Cannes 2020. Purev-Ochir is currently in post-production on her debut feature, ZE , set in the Yurt districts of her hometown of Ulaanbaatar. The coming-of-age film, starring Tergel Bold-Erdene and Nomin-Erdene Ariunbyamba, examines shamanism and sexual awakening between two teens as they attempt to navigate … [Read more...] about Activist Artists Management Signs Venice & Toronto Prize-Winner Lkhagvadulam Purev-Ochir

There’s change afoot at Love Island seller ITV Studios. Current ITV Studios Managing Director of Global Distribution Ruth Berry has been upped to lead a unified global commercial division. This will comprise her Global Distribution arm and ITV Studios Global Entertainment. Arjan Pomper, currently Managing Director of formats division ITV Studios Global Entertainment, is stepping down. ITV Studios says uniting the units under single leadership “will enable ITV Studios to align more closely with buyers and reflects the evolution of the global market with the growth of the streaming platforms, on-going market consolidation and the adoption by many buyers of a single buying approach across all genres.” In effect, this means formats such as Love Island , My Mum Your Dad and The Voice will sit alongside finished series such as Line of Duty and LItvinenko . The catalog will comprise 90,000 hours and 285 unique formats. Dedicated format and finished programming … [Read more...] about ‘Love Island’ Seller ITV Studios Unites Distribution Under Ruth Berry, With Arjan Pomper To Exit

EXCLUSIVE : StudioCanal is returning to the UK television production investment scene as it finalizes a deal with an outfit co-founded by a Vigil and Downton Abbey director. The French production group will back Strong Film & Television, which was co-founded by BAFTA-winner James Strong and Matt Tombs, a former BBC and Paramount executive. Strong Film & Television was established in late 2020 and appears to have added Loretta Preece to its ranks. Preece was most recently the series producer on Casualty , the long-running, BAFTA-winning BBC continuing drama. StudioCanal is close to finalizing an announcement for the investment, which would mark one of its first notable television deals in the UK for years. In 2016, the Canal+ Group company took stakes in Urban Myth Films , producer of Fox’s ​​War of the Worlds , and SunnyMarch , co-founded by Benedict Cumberbatch. StudioCanal has not been inactive in the acquisitions space but has focused on … [Read more...] about StudioCanal Returns To UK Production Investment By Backing ‘Vigil’ Director

Joe Cornish ’s teen ghosthunter drama Lockwood and Co. launches on Netflix globally today. The show, the streamer’s latest young-adult scripted series from the UK, stars Ruby Stokes ( Bridgerton ) and newcomers Cameron Chapman and Ali Hadji-Heshmati as a teen trio who run an independent ghost fighting agency in London while competing with adult-run corporate rivals. The eight-part series, from Cornish’s Complete Fiction banner, is based on Jonathan Stroud’s books about an alternate modern world in which murderous ghosts have been attacking people since the 1960s, and only teenagers have the ability to see and repeal them. Netflix ordered it as one of seven British originals announced in December 2020. Several of these have been canned but anticipation around Lockwood has grown and reviews this week have been sparkling. “We have these brilliant books to draw on,” said Cornish in an interview with Deadline this week. “The challenge is to get it on screen with the … [Read more...] about Joe Cornish Talks Netflix Ghost Hunter Series ‘Lockwood & Co’ & Updates On ‘Attack The Block 2’

HBO ’s high-profile drama The Last of Us will be back for a second season. Just two episodes in, the premium cabler said today that it has renewed the video game-based series from Chernobyl c reator Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann. The Last of Us this month scored the second-largest premiere after House of the Dragon since Boardwalk Empire’s launch in 2010. Episode 1 has surpassed 22 million viewers domestically, up nearly five times from its premiere-night audience on January 15. Episode 2 drew 5.7 million viewers across HBO Max and linear telecasts in the U.S. Sunday night. That’s about a million more than the audience that tuned in for the premiere episode and it marks the largest Week 2 audience growth for any HBO Original drama series. The series also is strong on social media, trending No. 1 both in the U.S. and worldwide on Twitter during its series debut. “Craig and Neil, alongside EP Carolyn Strauss, and the rest of our phenomenal cast and crew, … [Read more...] about ‘The Last of Us’ Renewed For Season 2 At HBO

Drew Barrymore , the original Firestarter from the 1984 film of that name is burning mad over the Razzie nomination (now withdrawn) of the new Firestarter, 12-year-old Ryan Kiera Armstrong . Speaking out on both her own program, The Drew Barrymore Show , as well as CBS Mornings , Barrymore said her “blood boiled” after learning that the young actress was nominated for a worst actress Razzie Award. On CBS Mornings she called the Razzie nomination of a child “bullying.” On her own show – watch both clips below – Barrymore said, “Listen, I get poking fun at ourselves. I mean come on, fair game, bring it on, but Ryan is 12 years old.” The original Firestarter continued, “Razzie co-founder John Wilson has since apologized and removed her from the category and said they’re implementing a new rule precluding anyone 18 years or younger.” Barrymore said on CBS Mornings that she was hearted by the overwhelmingly supportive social media response for Armstrong. “I’m glad … [Read more...] about One Firestarter Defends Another: Drew Barrymore Slams Razzies For Nomination Of 12-Year-Old Ryan Kiera Armstrong

T.J. Holmes and Amy Robach are poised to depart GMA3 : What You Need To Know , after the two anchors were taken off the air following public revelations of a romantic relationship between the two news figures. Last month, ABC News President Kim Godwin told staffers that Holmes and Robach were being taken off the air pending an internal investigation. A contentious mediation session was held on Thursday, with the result being that they would be departing, a source said. An official announcement has not yet been made. The final details are still being worked out on their exit, but was expected soon, according to a source familiar with the plans. TMZ first reported on their departure. Godwin had told staffers that the relationship between the two anchors had become an “internal and external distraction” in deciding to pull them off the air, as their relationship had been the subject of tabloid headlines. The show has featured fill-in hosts since then. Holmes and … [Read more...] about T.J. Holmes And Amy Robach Poised To Exit ‘GMA3’

EXCLUSIVE: Talent and Literary focused A3 Artists Agency has promoted four employees. Adam Loria and Samantha Schmidt rise from agents to senior agents, and Stephanie Nolan and Sydnie Rowland were upped from coordinators to agents within the Alternative Programming, Digital Media, Licensing & Branding division. Their new roles are effective immediately. All four have are part of a division which has grown from just two people in 2014 and now boasts 50 team members, representing over 300 creators Each will primarily focus on digital creators and the monetization of the talents’ platforms, as well as the expansion of their businesses off-platform and into traditional entertainment. Adam Loria has been with the agency since 2017, initially serving as an assistant before making the leap to agent in 2020. Loria’s clients include Lance Bass, Rod Thill, Hunter Woodall, Tara Davis-Woodall and others, for whom he manages brand partnership deals and crossover to traditional … [Read more...] about A3 Artists Agency Promotes Four, Moves Adam Loria and Samantha Schmidt To Senior Agents

UPDATE: Amy Robach and T.J. Holmes remain off the air as the network conducts an internal review of the situation following the revelation of a romantic relationship between the two news figures. ABC News President Kim Godwin confirmed in a memo the network was conducting an internal review as they remain off the air, according to a source. CNN first reported on the memo. Last week, Godwin told staffers that the relationship between the two anchors had become an “internal and external distraction” in deciding to pull them off the air. Godwin said on the staff call last week that “I want to say that while the relationship is not a violation of company policy, I really have taken the last few days to think about and work through what I think is best for the ABC News organization.” But later in the week, Semafor reported that an internal review was being conducted. Robach and Holmes have not commented. Although the relationship may not violate company policy, … [Read more...] about Amy Robach and T.J. Holmes Remain Off Air From ‘GMA3’ As Network Conducts Internal Review — Update

Audrina Patridge, maybe known best for her starring role on MTV reality series The Hills and reboot The Hills: New Beginnings, has signed with A3 Artists Agency for representation. TV personality, podcast host and author Patridge rose to fame on The Hills which chronicled the lives of several young men and women living in Los Angeles. It aired for six seasons on MTV from 2006-2010. It was followed by reboot The Hills: New Beginnings which aired for two seasons from 2019-2021. Patridge currently co-hosts popular podcast Was it Real? The Hills Rewatch , with former co-stars Brody Jenner, Frankie Delgado and Heidi Montag. Each week, they break down a particular episode, and give fans the real lowdown behind-the-scenes on what was actually real and what was fake. This past May, Patridge released her memoir, Choices , that gave fans the inside scoop on life in Hollywood in the early 2000s, as well as the highs and lows of her personal relationships. Other … [Read more...] about ‘The Hills’ Alumna Audrina Patridge Signs With A3 Artists Agency