Spotter, a startup that pays YouTube creators cash up front for monetization rights to their video libraries, has hired digital media veteran Damon Berger as executive VP of business development and operations. Berger most recently was chief marketing officer at kids and family entertainment company WildBrain. Prior to that, he served as VP, head of
Feature documentary “The Wild One,” which looks at the life of Jack Garfein, Holocaust survivor, Broadway director, Actors Studio West co-founder, and controversial filmmaker, has debuted its trailer. Tessa Louise-Salomé’s film, which is narrated by Willem Dafoe, will have its world premiere on Saturday at Tribeca Film Festival. The Party Film Sales is handling sales.
The Disney+ series “The Muppets Mayhem” has cast both Anders Holm and Saara Chaudry, Variety has learned. The duo are the latest (human) cast members announced for the series, joining previously announced stars Lilly Singh and Tahj Mowry. The comedy series follows The Electric Mayhem Band — Dr. Teeth on vocals and keyboards, Animal on drums,
Apple has formally ordered the drama series “Sugar” starring Colin Farrell to series, Variety has learned. It was first reported in December 2021 that Apple had won the rights to the series in a competitive situation, though it had not officially been ordered to series at that time. Exact plot details for the show remain under
Welcome to Variety’s Writer Family Tree. In this series, we take an established showrunner and look back on some of the shows they have created and the writers that have worked for them. Many of those writers have since gone on to successful careers of their own and have carried lessons from those early days in
In 2008, after eight seasons in her breakout role as the star of “Girlfriends,” what Tracee Ellis Ross really wanted was to do it all over again. Fourteen years later, she has — and with more freedom than ever. As the 2022 Emmy campaigns ramp up, Ross reflected on the legacy of “Black-ish,” the ABC
‘The Summer I Turned Pretty’ Author Jenny Han on Becoming a Showrunner for the First Time: ‘It Was a Baptism by Fire’ With the June 17 debut of “The Summer I Turned Pretty,” Jenny Han’s career has taken another big leap forward. The bestselling YA author of “To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before” had
MotorTrend Group, a Warner Bros. Discovery company, has given a greenlight to “Super Turbo Story Time,” an all-new adult animated series telling larger than life, untold and (mostly) true stories from the automative world, it announced Thursday. The eight-episode series, the first adult animated title in the history of MotorTrend, will be produced with legendary
In 1993, audiences were charmed by Robin Williams in “Mrs. Doubtfire,” emotionally stirred by horror and heroism in “Schindler’s List” and reassured that true love exists after checking out “Sleepless in Seattle.” But there’s no denying that the movie of the year, at least in terms of sheer box office impact, was “Jurassic Park,” Steven
The Tribeca Film Festival kicked off on Wednesday night (June 8) with Jennifer Lopez’s new Netflix documentary “Halftime,” which sees the singer reflect on her evolution as an artist and her myriad professional accomplishments. On the heels of the doc’s premiere, Lopez has unveiled a new partnership with Grameen America, a microfinance organization, to advance
Jeff Beck and Johnny Depp have announced a joint album that’s on the way, after Beck unofficially put word of it out to a concert audience last week, and the pair are heralding it with a video that was released Thursday, for a Depp-penned original song, “This Is a Song for Miss Hedy Lamarr.” The
Jennifer Aniston has starred in her fair share of rom-coms over the years, from “The Break Up” to “Just Go With It” and “He’s Just Not That Into You.” Now, she may have discovered her newest rom-com co-lead in Sebastian Stan. The two joined forced for Variety’s “Actors on Actors” series, presented by Apple TV+.
In a shocking turn of events, Peter Rice has been ousted as head of TV content for Disney, to be replaced by his top lieutenant, Dana Walden. The move enhances Walden’s stature as one of the most powerful and prominent executives in the content business. Within Disney, it elevates Walden over her longtime peer John
Billy Eichner and Mae Martin have called out Netflix’s support of Dave Chappelle’s jokes about queer and trans people — in a comedy special released by Netflix itself. Both comedians appear in “Stand Out: An LGBTQ Celebration,” which debuted on June 9 after being taped at Netflix Is a Joke Fest in May. The event,
Hulu has ordered four new food series from David Chang’s Majordomo Media and Vox Media Studios, including a drag queen-themed dinner party competition from Neil Patrick Harris and David Burtka, “Drag Me to Dinner,” as well as the shows “Secret Chef,” “Burning Men,” and “Chefs vs. Wild.” These shows join Hulu’s other shows produced under
Thursday morning’s announcement of several new Grammy Awards, particularly the long-overdue Songwriter of the Year honor, has already gotten a strong response from the music community. It also reflects an Academy that has been increasingly and more immediately responsive to calls from the community — while the Songwriter of the Year has been a glaring and
Clara Stern’s debut feature “Breaking the Ice,” a drama about the blossoming love between ice-hockey player Mira and her new teammate Theresa, has debuted its trailer. The film will have its world premiere Saturday in the Viewpoints section of the Tribeca Film Festival. Julien Razafindranaly at Films Boutique is handling world sales. The Austrian film
Sundance Film Festival director Tabitha Jackson appeared in person at the London outpost of the festival on Thursday, just two days after confirming she’s stepping down from her role. When asked by Variety what she plans to do next, Jackson, who has worked at Sundance since 2013 and took on the festival director role in
Check out the Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank Official Trailer starring Michael Cera and Samuel L. Jackson! ► Sign up for a Fandango FanALERT for Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank: https://www.fandango.com/paws-of-fury-the-legend-of-hank-2022-227578/movie-overview?cmp=MCYT_YouTube_Desc Want to be notified of all the latest movie trailers? Subscribe to the channel and click the bell icon to
Nobody doubts the financial acuity of Chloe Cherry. Nobody expects to see her in the office, either. Enter Donatella Versace, who recruited the porn-starlet-turned-Euphoria breakout actress for her newest fashion spread: a SSENSE exclusive starring Cherry in double-breasted power suits, seal-the-deal stilettos, and crisp white oxfords with bustiers busting out at the seams. (Think: Superman’s
Warner Chappell Music and Kevin Hart’s global multi-platform media company, Hartbeat, have announced an exclusive music publishing partnership. Under the deal – a first of its kind for Hartbeat – WCM will administer all of Hartbeat’s music composition copyrights, covering future programming as well as past works from shows like “Die Hart” and “Hart to Heart.” WCM will also help build the company’s music catalog
“It’s a little surreal, seeing my best friend’s face blown up so big,” says multimedia artist Laurie Anderson, gesturing to a giant photo of her late husband, Lou Reed’s, at the beginning of a media tour of the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts’ stunning exhibit on the legendary singer, songwriter and Velvet
Ashley Calhoun has been promoted to president of PULSE Music Group, adding to her role of head of creative. PULSE Music Group currently has credits on the top three songs in the U.S. — Harry Styles’ “As It Was” (via Tyler Johnson), Jack Harlow’s “First Class” (via Angel Lopez) and Future’s “Wait For U Ft.
In the run up to Annecy festival, Netflix has unveiled a powerful slate of talent-driven animated films and series, including “That Christmas” based on BAFTA winner Richard Curtis’s children’s books, and “Ember,” Sergio Pablos’ follow-up to the Oscar-nominated “Klaus.” Netflix’s roster of animated features also boasts the musical “Scrooge: A Christmas Carol” which features songs
Buckle up: 2022 has been a bumpy ride so far for global equities markets. Experts may be debating how long the bear market will last or when a full-fledged recession could hit, but this much is clear: The good times are over. There’s no shortage of factors driving the downturn: Rising inflation, interest-rate hikes, supply
The Recording Academy has announced several new awards and rule changes for the Grammy Awards, including Songwriter of the Year (Non-Classical), along with Best Score Soundtrack for Video Games and Other Interactive Media, and a Special Merit Award for Best Song for Social Change. Other amendments include changes to the Grammys entry and voting processes
TV’s streaming wars aren’t just about TV. Microsoft’s Xbox will bring cloud gaming to Samsung 2022 smart TVs starting June 30 — in a bid to bring videogaming to a broader audience, who won’t have to rely on a console — and eke out share in the battle for consumer attention on the connected TV
Cate Blanchett (“Carol”) and Terrence Malick (“The Tree of Life”) have reteamed on “Evolver,” a VR free-roaming, music-filled interactive and transcendental experience which is world premiering at the Tribeca Film Festival. Produced by the artist collective Marshmallow Laser Feast (“We Live in an Ocean of Air”) in the U.K., Atlas V (“Spheres”) in France and
Universal Pictures released the final trailer for “Nope,” Jordan Peele’s third feature film. It teases much of the movie’s previously-unknown plot, in which Keke Palmer and Daniel Kaluuya star as the duo behind a horse training ranch for Hollywood productions, who, thanks to the aliens hovering over their property, hatch a scheme to capture and
Odeon Cinemas Group, the U.K.-based European subsidiary of AMC Theatres, currently ranks as Europe’s largest exhibition circuit in terms of number of screens, followed by by Cineworld (U.K.), Vue International (U.K.), and Les Cinémas Pathé Gaumont (France). Such are the findings of a study conducted by trade body The International Union of Cinemas (UNIC), which