Executive director of sales

Podcast content creators at Crooked Media , complaining about the “degradation of our working conditions,” have unionized with the WGA East . According to the guild, an “overwhelming majority” of the podcast company’s 55 content creators have signed cards to unionize and are calling on management to voluntarily recognize the guild as their collective bargaining representative. Founded in 2017 by former President Barack Obama staffers Jon Favreau, Jon Lovett and Tommy Vietor, Crooked Media produces podcasts including Pod Save America , What a Day , Hall of Shame and Lovett It or Leave It . “As audiences and creative opportunities expand for podcast storytelling, the guild is proud to work with the storytellers to gain a voice on the job and to improve conditions in this vital sector,” said WGA East Executive Director Lowell Peterson. In a letter delivered today to management, the company’s 55-member bargaining unit said they’re organizing because “Crooked has … [Read more...] about Podcast Content Creators At Crooked Media Unionize With WGA East

The next generation of creative voices from underrepresented communities has been named to join Nickelodeon ’s annual Writing and Artist Programs. This year’s programs are back in person at the Nickelodeon Animation Studio in Burbank for the first time since 2020. Group members will develop their skills with hands-on work as the Writing Program enters its 23rd year, with 2023 marking the 12 th year for the Artist Program. Both are overseen by the Paramount Office of Global Inclusion and aligned with the company’s “Content for Change” initiative. “We are thrilled to welcome the new participants and future storytellers to the Nickelodeon Writing and Artist Programs,” said Marva Smalls, Paramount’s EVP, Global Head of Inclusion. “For over 20 years, this program has been a catalyst for many people in the creative community to learn and develop the tools needed to launch their careers. Programs like these continue our commitment to an inclusive talent pipeline and diverse … [Read more...] about Nickelodeon’s Annual Writing and Artist Programs Announce 12 New Participants

EXCLUSIVE: Following the global success of Netflix original series D.P. and Hellbound , and the Netflix original film Jung-E , South Korea’s Climax Studio is developing filmmaker Jason Kim ’s The Monster Tale along with Andy Serkis and Jonathan Cavendish’s Imaginarium Productions. Serkis and Cavendish will serve as executive producers on the project alongside Climax’s Byun Seung-Min. The Monster Tale brings together a warring group of three infamous East Asian monsters, an unlikely team of enemies who must unite to defeat a menacing invasion by a monster from across the seas in Europe. Kim, who has the upcoming Netflix original series Bloodhounds , is alsoknown for his Korean box office hit Midnight Runners , will write and direct The Monster Tale . “Bringing brilliant, flawed and complex characters to the screen is at the heart of what we do at the Imaginarium and we cannot wait to work with Climax Studio and their talented team to develop this … [Read more...] about Andy Serkis’ Imaginarium Teams With South Korea’s Climax Studio To Develop Jason Kim’s ‘The Monster Tale’

David Pecker , the longtime publisher of the tabloid National Enquirer , is leaving the role as part of a deal unveiled Friday in which the paper’s parent company American Media LLC said it was merging with Accelerate , a national wholesale distribution company. Pecker, the longtime, often controversial president and CEO of Enquirer parent American Media, will become an executive adviser to the new combined company, which will be known as A360. Chris Scardino, previously EVP and Group Publisher and an 18-year veteran of American Media, becomes president. “This is a transformative event that significantly reshapes Accelerate and American Media into a new type of media and marketing company with an unprecedented reach all the way to the sales floor,” Accelerate CEO David Parry said in a release announcing the news. This move comes over a year after it was announced the scandal hobbled Enquirer was to be sold to a new company headed by Hudson News boss James Cohen … [Read more...] about David Pecker Out Atop National Enquirer Owner American Media After Merger

Actor-turned-filmmaker Alex Winter ( Showbiz Kids ) has set the murder mystery The Adults , starring Evan Rachel Wood ( Westworld ), Josh Gad ( Avenue 5 ) and Anthony Carrigan ( Barry ), as his next project behind the camera, with plans to also act in the pic. The film penned by novelist Michael M.B. Galvin — who has previously adapted his own works Fat Kid Rules the World and Freak Talks About Sex for the big screen — follows siblings Megan (Wood) and Nathan (Gad), who are barely hanging on in present-day America, like all of us. Their lives are completely upended when they discover a dead body, long buried in their parent’s basement, sending them down a rabbit hole of crime and murder. Winter will produce alongside Scott Kroopf of Many Rivers Productions ( Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure , Limitless ) and Russell Hollander ( Intrusion , Valentine’s Day ), with Connie Tavel ( Confess, Fletch , Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey ) serving … [Read more...] about Evan Rachel Wood, Josh Gad & Anthony Carrigan Set For Murder Mystery ‘The Adults’ From Filmmaker Alex Winter – EFM

Chlöe Bailey, Tosin Cole , Olivia Colman and Woody Harrelson are set to star in Girl From the North Country , adapted from the Tony Award-winning Broadway show of the same name inspired by the songs of Bob Dylan. The movie adaptation is written and directed by Conor McPherson, the playwright behind the original Broadway musical. Graham Broadbent and Pete Czerninare produce under the banner of their award-winning Blueprint Pictures ( The Banshees of Inisherin , Lady Chatterley’s Lover and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri). CAA Media Finance will represent the film’s domestic sales with Rocket Science launching international sales at the upcoming European Film Market during the Berlin Film Festival. The original Broadway show reimagines 20 legendary Bob Dylan songs including “Forever Young,” “All Along the Watchtower,” “Hurricane,” “Slow Train Coming,” “Make You Feel My Love” and “Like a Rolling Stone.” Set in 1934 against the backdrop of … [Read more...] about Chlöe Bailey, Tosin Cole, Olivia Colman & Woody Harrelson To Star In Bob Dylan-Inspired ‘Girl From The North Country’

EXCLUSIVE: Paris-based genre specialist has boarded sales on Belgian black comedy Krump about a down-on-his-luck ex-porn actor who embarks on a seemingly hopeless mission to raise 50,000 euros when his daughter is kidnapped. The film is the debut feature of French-born, long-time Brussels resident director Cédric Bourgeois after a raft of half a dozen shorts including Laura and Dreamcatchers . Veteran Belgian actor Jean-Benoit Ugeux stars as the titular Krump who turns to his former acquaintances in the porn world to raise the ransom money in a race against time in the underbelly of Brussels nightlife. Other cast members include Jean-Jacques Rausin ( Death By Death ), Babetida Sadjo ( Ritueel, Attraction ), stunt woman and actress Barbara Hellemans  ( Corsage, Dumbo ) and Ingrid Heiderscheidt ( Employee Of The Month ). Bourgeois and Ugeux, and director Xavier Seron co-wrote the screenplay taking inspiration from the figure of President Donald Trump … [Read more...] about Reel Suspects Boards Belgian Donald Trump-Inspired Dark Comedy ‘Krump’ – EFM

President Joe Biden is set to deliver his second State of the Union speech before a joint session of Congress on Tuesday. White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said on Monday: “The president will underscore the progress we have made during one of the most challenging times…in history.” The speech will be carried live at 9 p.m. ET by every major broadcast and most cable news outlets. It can also be livestreamed via the player embedded below. The Republican response to Biden’s address, delivered directly after, will also be available via the player. This is Biden’s first address to a divided Congress and Kevin McCarthy’s first State of the Union as Speaker of the House. NETWORK COVERAGE PLANS ON TV & ONLINE ABC News will have special coverage of the 2023 State of the Union and the Republican response from 9 p.m.-11 p.m. ET on ABC, and streaming on ABC News Live. World News Tonight anchor David Muir will lead primetime coverage from Washington, … [Read more...] about State Of The Union Speech: How To Watch Biden’s Address To Congress On TV & Online

EXCLUSIVE: Picture Tree Int’l (PTI) has boarded sales on German Sophie Scholls – The Final Days Oscar-nominee and hitmaker Marc Rothemund ’s heart-warming family drama Weekend Rebels , inspired by the true story of a father who forged a special bond with his autistic son through the search for a perfect soccer club. The film, currently in post-production, is produced by Justyna Muesch, Quirin Berg and Max Wiedemann. Their Oscar-winning banner Wiedemann & Berg Film company has delivered a slew of award-winning pictures over the years including The Lives Of Others , Never Look Away and Who Am I . SevenPictures Film co-produces. Leonine Studios is also on board and will release the film in Germany on September 28, 2023. Florian David Fitz ( Welcome to Germany , Vincent Wants To Sea ) leads the German cast as a father who gets closer to his 10-year-old autistic son through a quest to find a soccer club they can support together, in return for the boy … [Read more...] about Picture Tree Int’l To Launch Marc Rothemund’s Father & Son, Autism, Soccer Club Comedy-Drama ‘Weekend Rebels’ At EFM; Unveils First Image

The furor over a Chinese spy balloon that flew over U.S. airspace has further chilled D.C.-Beijing tensions, but the entertainment industry already has been swept up in the heightened atmosphere of American hawkishness. Hollywood studios and producers are poised to get a new level of scrutiny over their dealings with China — reflecting a bipartisan hardline toward Beijing and escalating concerns over its influence. A little publicized provision of a recently passed defense bill restricts the U.S. government from spending funds on movies that, to gain entry into the Chinese marketplace, are altered in the face of Chinese government dictates. The provision in the National Defense Authorization Act , approved in a bipartisan vote of Congress and signed by President Joe Biden in December, is the latest example of an increased focus on China’s role, not just in the entertainment industry but also in sports and social media. While Republicans have led attacks on … [Read more...] about Hollywood’s China Predicament: New Law Restricts U.S. Cooperation On Projects Modified To Appease Beijing