Change your words change your world

EXCLUSIVE : As Trevor Noah puts The Daily Show behind him, his production company has made a number of executive changes on the television side. Noah’s Day Zero Productions has hired Chloe Ifshin as VP of Scripted Television and Eugene Han as Head of Unscripted Development. It comes after the departures of Devon Quinn and Ashley Dizon and as its television slate is ramping up with projects such as The Turning Point for MSNBC, For All Humankind for Discovery+, and Kid of the Year for Nickelodeon. The company is also developing a scripted series adaptation of Kiese Laymon’s novel Long Division. Quinn, a former Marvel TV exec, was previously SVP, Television, overseeing live-action and animated TV development and production. Deadline understands that he has joined Amazon and is believed to be working on global spy drama Citadel . Dizon was formerly VP, Development at the company. She is joining Universal Television as a director of development and will … [Read more...] about Trevor Noah’s Day Zero Productions Hires Chloe Ifshin & Eugene Han As Devon Quinn & Ashley Dizon Exit

EXCLUSIVE: The Russo Brothers ’ AGBO has named Ian Unterreiner president and partner of virtual production studio VisualCreatures , which the company recently acquired. A specialist in real-time applications in visual effects and animation , the outfit has opened a studio equipped with a motion-capture-enabled sound stage at AGBO’s downtown LA campus. The appointment of Unterreiner, who spent 13 years at Zoic Studios, will advance the virtual production efforts at AGBO, whose recent projects include 2022 Netflix feature The Gray Man . Unterreiner will report to AGBO and team with VisualCreatures co-founders Ryan McNeely and John Cranston on a range of initiatives. “Ian joins our team with an abundance of thoughtful leadership and vision. His passion for forward thinking perfectly aligns with VC & AGBO’s common goal of making the very best work with the very best people. He will be an incredible partner on our continued path towards creating innovating … [Read more...] about AGBO’s VisualCreatures Names Ian Unterreiner President And Partner Of Russo Bros’ Effects And Animation Operation

“In hindsight, I got a little carried away and over-invested relative to the uncertainty I saw in the market,” Spotify CEO Daniel Ek said this morning as the company reported a jump in users but wider losses, a week after announcing a reorganization of top management and hundreds of layoffs. The music streaming giant announced 489 million monthly active users in the fourth quarter of 2022 (up 20%, its largest ever quarterly bump), with 205 premium subscribers (up 14%). Both numbers beat forecasts. However, losses widened on investments in podcasting and other costs. Spotify last week laid off about 600 staffers amid a shuffle at the top that saw Dawn Ostroff exit as chief content officer and advertising business officer. The exec, a former president of entertainment at The CW, and Condé Nast Entertainment had been a key architect of Spotify’s strategy around podcasts, which have grown rapidly to about 5 million on the service, led by deals for The Joe Rogan Experience … [Read more...] about Spotify CEO Daniel Ek On “Over-Investing”, Corporate Reorg As Q4 Sees Big Jump In Users But More Red Ink

NBCUniversal ’s advertising and partnerships group has formalized a new executive structure reflecting its recent moves to streamline efforts in broadcast, cable, sports and streaming. In a blog post, Linda Yaccarino , chairman of global advertising and partnerships, said the new setup aims to “continue mirroring how our customers use One Platform,” the company’s system for advertisers. The changes come as the company is looking to fortify its resources in data, distribution, ad tech, commercial innovation and measurement. NBCU is getting set to host its annual developer conference, One23, next month ahead of NewFronts and upfront presentations in May. While the blog post does not cite any departures from the ranks, some contraction has rippled through the total NBCU workforce in recent months, including in sales, amid an overall downturn in ad spending. Yaccarino’s longtime deputy, Laura Molen, recently announced plans to exit by the end of March. At the same … [Read more...] about NBCUniversal Ad Group Formalizes New Exec Structure, Streamlining Efforts Across Broadcast, Sports, Cable & Streaming

FBI will host a global crossover event with its two spinoff series, FBI: International and FBI: Most Wanted via CBS and streaming on Paramount+ on April 4 beginning at 8 p.m. ET/PT. Details regarding the high-stakes bicontinental case will be announced in the following weeks. This marks CBS’ second crossover event for the three FBI s. The first, which aired Sept. 21, 2021, kicked off the fourth season of FBI , the third season of FBI: Most Wanted , and the series premiere of FBI: International . It will be the first crossover since the addition of Dylan McDermott and Edwin Hodge to FBI: Most Wanted , and Eva-Jane Willis on FBI: International . “As the FBIs continue to dominate on Tuesday nights, we are excited to reward our devoted fans with this special three-hour global crossover event that will bring these three heroic – and popular – teams together for a second time,” said Eric Kim, executive vice president of current programs for CBS … [Read more...] about CBS Sets Global ‘FBI’ Crossover With ‘Most Wanted’ And ‘International’ Spinoffs

Apple TV+ has renewed the bilingual comedy series Acapulco for a 10-episode third season. Production is set to begin this spring. In Season 3 of the series inspired by the 3Pas Studios and Pantelion Films’ feature How to Be A Latin Lover , it’s a time of reconciling past mistakes and exciting new beginnings. In the present story, older Maximo ( Eugenio Derbez ) finds himself returning to a Las Colinas he no longer recognizes. While in 1985, younger Maximo continues his climb up the ladder of success while potentially jeopardizing all the relationships he’s worked so hard to build… “We at 3Pas Studios are thankful to Apple TV+, the perfect home for Acapulco , along with our production partner Lionsgate, filmmakers, and cast and crew,” said star and executive producer Eugenio Derbez . “We have always believed that the stories we tell about our communities and cultures can resonate with global audiences, so crank up the AC, it’s about to get a lot hotter at Las … [Read more...] about ‘Acapulco’ Renewed For Season 3 At Apple

EXCLUSIVE: The truth is out there – and it’s headed to History in the UK and AMC Network’s European channels. The pair are among buyers of Alien Files: Reopened , an eight-part doc series from Top Secret UFO Projects Declassified maker Big Media about extra-terrestrial encounters and UFO sightings. AMC Networks International’s deal covers Spain, Portugal, Poland and Romania. Also on board are NTV in Germany, Slovakia TV and Czech TV. With the pre-buyers in place, production set to begin to Slovakia. The series will take viewers inside the process of how UFO sightings and reported encounters are analyzed by scientists, government intelligence and military experts, and then investigated to answer if any real threats are posed to national security. “ For Alien Files: Reopened we are using the same investigative techniques developed and utilized by top experts in science and military intelligence,” said Danny Wilk, President of New York-based Big Media … [Read more...] about ‘Alien Files: Reopened’: Next Series From ‘Top Secret UFO Projects Declassified’ Producer Set For History And AMC In Europe

EXCLUSIVE: Nickelodeon has unveiled the nominees and hosts for its 2023 Kids’ Choice Awards . CBS Mornings co-host and CBS Sports Analyst Nate Burleson and social media star Charli D’Amelio , who also is nominated in the Favorite Female Creator category, will share hosting duties for the slime show covering film, television, music, sports and more, The news was revealed today on CBS Mornings. The awards show will air live on Saturday, March 4 at 7 pm ET/PT from L.A.’s Microsoft Theater. “Hosting NFL Slimetime is always a blast, and I can’t wait to bring that same energy and slime as co-host of the iconic Kids’ Choice Awards!,” said Burleson. “I grew up on Nickelodeon and my kids still love watching, so we’re all ready for the stunts, surprises and superstars that await us at this year’s show.” Said D’Amelio, “I got slimed at the KCA’s in 2021, saw my sister get slimed at last year’s show and now, no one is safe with me as co-host! Nate and I will make sure this … [Read more...] about Nate Burleson & Charli D’Amelio To Host Nickelodeon’s Kids‘ Choice Awards; ’Stranger Things’ Leads 2023 Nominations — Full List

EXCLUSIVE: Video Solutions, the European media house behind the WeDoTV brand, has entered into a joint venture with international non-scripted studio Big Media to launch FAST (Free Ad-Supported Television) channels globally. The JV launches through Wedo Big Docs , a channel that will launch this Fall on Zattoo in Germany, Switzerland and Austria, Waipu TV in Germany, and on Netgem TV in the UK. It will feature Big Media doc series such as Wild Ones , Fight to Survive and Desperate Hours , with new series added monthly. The launch comes as ever more companies push into the FAST channels space to squeeze out revenue from their library content. Video Solutions and Big Media will look to develop more channels based on Big Media’s catalogue of non-fiction programs in coming months, and will create exclusive content as the business expands globally. “This joint venture combines the years of experience Big Media has in documentary and factual entertainment content … [Read more...] about WeDoTV Parent Video Solutions And Big Media Form FAST Channels Joint Venture