Tech

Apple has pledged to donate $100 million to organizations furthering racial equity and justice, joining other media and tech companies backing social-justice causes. CEO Tim Cook announced the initiative Thursday on Twitter, a move that comes amid nationwide protests demanding criminal-justice reform after the police killing of George Floyd. “The unfinished work of racial justice

Matt Duckor, Condé Nast’s head of lifestyle video programming, is no longer with the media company. His exit comes after staffers claimed that Condé Nast failed to feature people of color in videos and did not pay them for appearances, and after a series of Duckor’s old tweets with racist and homophobic comments were recirculated

Comedy horror movie “Inner Fire” has been released in Russia to subscribers on iTunes, Google Play and OKKO HD, a subscription service offering movies and TV series. The film recently scooped awards at the Idyllwild Intl. Festival of Cinema in California and the WorldFest-Houston Intl. Film Festival. At Idyllwild, “Inner Fire” received the festival director’s

Three weeks after Jason Derulo came under fire for sampling a piece of music by rising New Zealand musician Joshua Stylah (aka Jawsh 685) without official clearance, the singer has been given the green-light to use “Laxed (Siren Beat),” one of TikTok’s most explosive viral tracks, as the basis for his new single “Savage Love.”

The critics, so far, have a unanimous verdict: “The Last Days of American Crime,” Netflix’s new sci-fi/heist mashup that features scenes of police brutality and other gratuitous violence, is one of the worst films… ever. The movie, released on Netflix June 5, has a 0% Tomatometer score on Rotten Tomatoes, which means none of the

Even with Garth Brooks as the honoree, the National Music Publishers Association’s annual meeting wasn’t the splashy presentation-then-dinner-and-drinks confab that the industry has grown accustomed to — but in 2020, what is? Led by president and CEO David Israelite, the organization powered through its first-ever virtual annual meeting, with interviews with songwriter Ross Golan, RIAA

Scooter Braun, for one, thinks there’s a market for virtual concerts in which fans see their favorite artists performing as digital avatars. L.A.-based startup Wave announced $30 million in funding, with participation from investors including Braun, ex-Yankee ballplayer Alex Rodriguez, Superfly co-founder Rick Farman, and Twitch co-founder Kevin Lin. The new funding will “elevate Wave’s

Following George Floyd’s death at the hands of Minneapolis police officers, many entertainment companies have made statements and pledged donations as well as internal initiatives to insure that the future of entertainment reflects all American voices. President and COO of Skydance Media Jesse Sisgold pointed out during the latest episode of the Variety Streaming Room’s

Netflix is promoting a new “Black Lives Matter” collection to U.S. subscribers, featuring over 45 titles about racial injustice and the experience of Black Americans. Movies, TV shows and documentaries in the Black Lives Matter collection include Spike Lee’s “Da 5 Bloods” (releasing Friday, June 12); Ava DuVernay’s “13th” and “When They See Us”; “Mudbound”;

Though international film and TV production is currently halted due the pandemic, Russia is becoming more attractive for prospective partnerships once lockdown restrictions lift. That was the takeaway of a panel held during the Key Buyers Event: Digital Edition organized by Russian promotional entity Roskino moderated by Variety’s Leo Barraclough who chatted with Marc Lorber,

Reddit announced the appointment of Michael Seibel, a venture-capital investor, adviser and entrepreneur, to its board of directors. The news comes less than a week after co-founder Alexis Ohanian said he was resigning from the company’s board and urged Reddit to select a Black candidate to replace him. Seibel is a partner at early-stage VC

The Wrap’s editor-in-chief Sharon Waxman and executive editor Thom Geier have apologized for a controversial guest blog about the filming of the widely spread George Floyd video. “Due to a failure in editing, this post fell short of TheWrap’s standards. It lacked focus and context, and missed the mark in its stated aim: to celebrate

Jack Dorsey, CEO of both Twitter and Square, said the companies have set Juneteenth as official holidays in the U.S. “forevermore.” “A day for celebration, education, and connection,” Dorsey wrote in a Twitter thread Tuesday. “Countries and regions around the world have their own days to celebrate emancipation, and we will do the work to

On Wednesday, Academy-award winning actresses, best-selling authors, activists, fashion designers, olympic athletes, politicians and executives are all uniting to give up control of their Instagram accounts to black women in order to magnify their voices. Kourtney Kardashian, Gwyneth Paltrow, Julia Roberts, Ashley Graham, Hilary Swank, Alex Morgan and Diane von Furstenberg are just a few

Instagram has a new marketing boss: Melissa Waters, a veteran of Lyft and Pandora, was hired by the Facebook-owned photo and video service as global head of marketing. Waters replaces Gedioen Aloula, who joined Instagram a year ago from HP. Aloula is no longer with Instagram, a rep confirmed. As Instagram’s head of marketing, Waters

Fifteen days after George Floyd’s death, a private memorial service is set to take place on Tuesday at the Fountain of Praise Church in Houston at 12 p.m. ET. Those seeking to watch the service can tune in to BET’s live coverage airing and streaming on BET, BET Her, BET.com and BET’s YouTube channel and

Paul Pastor, a former Disney ABC Television Group and Discovery exec, has joined Firstlight Media as chief business officer. In the business-development, sales, and marketing role, Pastor is seeking to strike partnerships between the over-the-top video services company and telecom providers and TV broadcasters. Pastor, a member of Disney/ABC’s original Hulu investment team, most recently

Adam Rapoport, after nearly 10 years at the editorial helm of Bon Appetit magazine, has resigned after controversy erupted over the editor-in-chief’s treatment of staff members of color and his insensitivity to racial issues — including the emergence of an old photo of him in brown face. Rapoport posted news of his resignation from the

Adam Rapoport, editor-in-chief of Bon Appetit, came under fire Monday with calls for him to resign or be fired after an allegation that the Condé Nast food title pays white editors — but not people of color — for video appearances. The charge came after a photo of Rapoport in brown face was posted on

Is Donald Trump actually a fan of Issa Rae’s comedy “Insecure” on HBO? Or is something else going on? Sometime late Sunday night, Trump’s Twitter account liked a tweet about the HBO show that said, “This is how I wanted tonight’s episode of insecure to end…Damn Molly,” referencing the character played by Yvonne Orji, who

After criticism over Refinery29’s lack of racial diversity and allegations of racial discrimination, Christene Barberich, co-founder and global editor-in-chief of the women-focused media brand, announced that she is stepping down from the EIC role. Refinery29 is part of Vice Media Group, which acquired the digital-media company last fall. Barberich’s move to relinquish the top editorial

The Key Buyers Event: Digital Edition, a market showcase for the Russian film and TV industry, launched Monday with a welcome video from actress Anya Chipovskaya, the event’s ambassador, sent to its 400 international participants, including buyers, commissioners and producers from 55 countries. In the video Chipovskaya appears as an A.I. guide, explaining how to

Former U.S. President Barack Obama was one of many celebrities to speak at YouTube’s “Dear Class of 2020” virtual graduation ceremony on Sunday, and his speech included calls to action for the graduating class. He told graduates how they are “graduating into a world that faces more profound challenges than any generation in decades.” “The

GoFundMe has suspended conservative political commentator Candace Owens’s fundraiser for an Alabama cafe whose co-owner criticized the George Floyd protests. Owens also came under fire for controversial comments about Floyd while speaking with Glenn Beck. Owens raised more than $200,000 for Birmingham’s Parkside Cafe, whose co-owner Michael Dykes said Floyd was a “thug” and protesters

Beyoncé Knowles-Carter made a powerful statement on the Black Lives Matter movement and sexism in the music industry during YouTube’s “Dear Class of 2020” virtual graduation on Saturday. The singer started by congratulating the high school seniors who persevered through an unprecedented time in the country. “Congratulations to the class of 2020, you have arrived

New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees has called out President Trump in an Instagram post, telling him that NFL players kneeling during the national anthem has nothing to do with the American flag itself, but with issues of racial injustice. “Through my ongoing conversations with friends, teammates, and leaders in the black community, I realize

Mark Zuckerberg has addressed Facebook employees who were disappointed in the CEO’s decision to not flag or take down Donald Trump’s post that suggested the Minneapolis protesters be shot at. In the memo shared publicly on Friday, Zuckerberg acknowledged the backlash and listed seven specific policies that he would be reviewing more carefully, one of

Facebook, like Twitter, has pulled down videos centered on the killing of George Floyd uploaded by Donald Trump’s 2020 re-election campaign, after Facebook received a copyright-infringement claim on content in the segment. The social-media giant removed the campaign video — in which Trump condemns both Floyd’s death and the resulting protests and rioting across the

Co-founder of Reddit Alexis Ohanian Sr. is stepping down and urging the rest of the board to fill his seat with a Black candidate. “Fifteen years ago I co-founded Reddit to find community and a sense of belonging, it’s long overdue to do the right thing,” Ohanian said via his personal Twitter account. “I’m saying

YouTube’s star-studded pomp and circumstance will be streaming 24 hours later than originally scheduled. The video giant’s “Dear Class of 2020” — a four-plus-hour commencement event bringing together more than 70 celebrities, influencers, music artists including BTS and Beyoncé, and leaders including President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama — will now kick off on Sunday,