Investor relations

" Southland " star C. Thomas Howell concocted an elaborate scheme to swindle $220,000 from a film investor -- using fake bank accounts and forged documents -- this according to a new lawsuit ... but Thomas tells TMZ he's a victim too. Blackacre Entertainment filed the suit in L.A. Monday, claiming Howell and two other defendants asked them to invest $220,000 for a film called "Bite" ... money which Howell said was necessary to shake loose $11 MILLION in funding for the flick. BE claims Howell assured them it was legit and the $$$ would be returned in 30 days ... plus $66,000 for the trouble. But BE says they never saw a dime ... and it was all a giant scam. BE claims Howell tricked them with forged docs, a fake bank account (which showed an $11 mil balance), and phony conference calls between BE and phantom Bank of America managers. BE is suing for $286,000 plus punitive damages. Howell tells TMZ ... he has filed his own lawsuits regarding the case -- … [Read more...] about ‘Southland’ Star C. Thomas Howell Accused of DEFRAUDING Movie Investor

EXCLUSIVE : Aaron Kaplan’s Kapital Entertainment , Crazy Rich Asians producer SK Global , Jeff Sagansky and Florence Sloan have teamed to launch Jaya Entertainment , a content company focused on developing, producing and financing premium international series. Top TV producer Kaplan, prominent media investor Sagansky, Sloan and SK Global (via Ivanhoe Pictures) previously partnered in a Mumbai-based venture that produces the hit Hindi-language Netflix series Delhi Crime , which won the International Emmy for Best Drama Series and returns for a second season on the streamer later this year. Kilian Kerwin, formerly EVP International Production at SK Global, will helm the day-to-day operations of Jaya, which will initially focus its efforts in India and Israel. In the burgeoning Indian market, where the players already have a foothold, the company has six to seven projects in very active development, with four writers rooms up and running. In most cases, Jaya … [Read more...] about Kapital Entertainment, SK Global, Jeff Sagansky & Florence Sloan Launch Global Content Company Jaya Entertainment

Opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not reflect the views of Rolling Stone editors or publishers. We’ve all been there — you pitch a journalist, you wait with bated breath and then nothing happens. You follow up, but still nothing. Then you move on to the next outlet because there’s no point waiting around any longer. But what if your story went viral or at least got picked up by another publication? I have good news: Your press pitching could be the problem, not the journalist. As a media personality and media relations agent, I know firsthand that pitching to the press requires some forethought. Based on my experience in both traditional and digital outlets, such as TV networks, radio stations and streaming services, I’d like to share why your media pitching likely isn’t working and how to fix it so that you can start getting better results faster. Deliver news. If it isn’t new, it isn’t news. In order to pitch successfully, it’s important to … [Read more...] about Struggling to Get Press? My Tips for the Press-Pitching Process

Before Inigo Philbrick became known as the art world’s “ mini-Madoff ,” he cultivated a reputation as a wunderkind gallerist. A bon vivant with boyish good looks and even better connections, Philbrick opened two of his own art galleries by his early 30s. Philbrick had enjoyed the backing of a top gallerist and the trust of seasoned collectors. He boasted a comely girlfriend and had ingratiated himself with her family. Philbrick, as it would turn out, was a scammer. He pleaded guilty on Nov. 18, 2021 to one count of wire fraud. At the time, the then 34-year-old Philbrick admitted in court that between 2016 and 2019, he “knowingly engaged” in a scheme to rake in cash using “material representations and omissions” in his business deals, including shady tactics like peddling more shares in an artwork than actually existed. He will be sentenced Monday afternoon for the $86 million fraud. Papers submitted in advance of his sentencing paint a comprehensive, and complicated, … [Read more...] about The Art World’s ‘Mini Madoff’ Faces Sentencing for His $86 Million Fraud

Brett Morgen vividly remembers the first time he met David Bowie . When the Thin White Duke insults your work, it tends to burn deep into your memory. It was 2007, at which point Morgen had been a filmmaker for over a decade and had made documentaries on boxers ( On the Ropes ), Black music in America (the Say It Loud series), legendary Hollywood producer Robert Evans ( The Kid Stays in the Picture ) and the Chicago 10 ( Chicago 10 ). He had this idea for a collaboration with Bowie on what he called “a sort-of hybrid experimental film.” A lifelong fan, he was beyond excited when the rock star agreed to a meeting. And then, Morgen recalls over a Zoom call from his home in Los Angeles, the sit-down with Bowie and his associates started getting “a little contentious. He went from dismissive to just ripping into one of my movies. I felt like I was being tested. Right after he laid into me, someone asked, ‘What’s your favorite Bowie album, Brett?’ I said, ‘Well, to be quite … [Read more...] about ‘When You Eliminate the Wikipedia, You Arrive at the Personal’: Inside the Making of ‘Moonage Daydream’

Shares of Snapchat parent Snap are more than 30% in late trading after the company said second quarter financials will disappoint Wall Street “as the macroeconomic environment has deteriorated further and faster than anticipated.” In an SEC filing Monday afternoon after market close, Snap said revenue and adjusted EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization) will come in “below the low end” of the range it guided investors to in April with its first quarter numbers. “We remain excited about the long-term opportunity to grow our business. Our community continues to grow, and we continue to see strong engagement across Snapchat, and continue to see significant opportunities to grow our average revenue per user over the long term,” the company said. On April 21, Snap reported daily active users jumped 18% to 332 million in the first quarter, beating Wall Street targets. But the advertising-dependent Santa Monica-based company also noted … [Read more...] about Snap Shares Plunge 30% In Late Trade As It Cuts Q2 Outlook On “Faster Than Anticipated” Decline In Economic Climate

“I actually related to the character in a lot of ways, from her way of making new friends in unconventional places, and feeling a little isolated and not understood sometimes,” Selena Gomez tells Deadline’s Crew Call about what drew her to the part of Mabel Mora in Hulu’s Only Murders in the Building . “On top of that, I’m obsessed with true crime,” she adds. Listen to our conversation with the star, EP of the show and co-creator John Hoffman : Says Hoffman on landing Gomez as the straight-comedy woman to Steve Martin and Martin Short’s goofy Charles Haden-Savage and Oliver Putnam, “the show is built on classic meets modern.” From the onset in the first read through, “she was driving her own natural comedic flair, and that’s well honed,” Hoffman adds. “She’s got her own there, she’s got a style and a way in which she lands a line, and lands a joke,” he continues, “There’s not a dishonest bone in her body. She’s pure comic gold.” Hoffman tells us how … [Read more...] about Selena Gomez & John Hoffman Tease 1970s Serial Killer Season 2 Of ‘Only Murders In The Building’ – Crew Call Podcast

A fresh outbreak of monkeypox in Europe and the United States in recent weeks isn’t just a threat to public health. It’s also a warning sign. More and more dangerous viruses, having evolved in animal populations, are jumping to the human population. Bird flu. MERS. SARS-CoV-1. And of course SARS-CoV-2, which has killed 6.3 million people since the very first infection in Wuhan, China, 30 months ago. It’s not hard to see why these animal-to-human “zoonotic” viral outbreaks are getting more severe and more frequent. We’re chopping down more of the forests where animals live, exposing them to us and us to them. Climate change and the illicit wildlife trade only make the problem worse. As deforestation surges, so does the risk of viral outbreaks. “The combination of climate change, population density and urban expansion is worrisome because I think we will continue to see novel viruses with the capacity to cause human disease,” said Stephanie James, the head of … [Read more...] about Is Monkeypox Just the Beginning?