How David Ellison Became a Hollywood High Flier – “At a time of entertainment industry upheaval, Mr. Ellison has transformed Skydance into the rarest of Hollywood businesses — a thriving, built-from-scratch, all-audiences, independent studio. Nobody (insider or outsider) has accomplished that feat in decades, certainly not on the scale Mr. Ellison is attempting. He wants to be Legendary, the “Godzilla vs. Kong” studio that was founded in 2000 and sold for $3.5 billion in 2016. And he also wants to be Pixar, which was started in 1986 and sold for $7.4 billion in 2006.” [NY Times]
Ellison’s Skydance dropped a new trailer for SnakeEyes today. –
KNXV’s ‘Full Disclosure’ investigation wins prestigious Peabody Award – KNXV, a Phoenix-based television station owned by The E.W. Scripps Company, has won a prestigious Peabody Award for its 2020 investigative series, “Full Disclosure.”
The investigation – a series of two dozen reports and a pair of documentary specials – exposed widespread and systemic problems with Arizona’s so-called “Brady” lists, which are supposed to track police officers in the state with documented histories of dishonesty, false arrests, crimes and integrity concerns.
Facebook will post its slowest US user growth ever in 2021 – In 2021, the number of monthly Facebook users in the US will increase by less than 1% year over year, the platform’s lowest annual growth rate to date.
Much of this deceleration is due to last year’s faster-than-expected growth of 3.3%, which was driven by changes in media habits during the pandemic. That helped to push future accelerations forward, and as a result, Facebook will see slower user growth for the rest of our forecast period, which ends in 2025. [eMarketer]
When the Local Gannett Owned Paper Shrank, These Journalists Started an Alternative – An ambitious news site, The New Bedford Light, has sprung up in an old New England whaling town to fill a void in coverage.
With its newsroom still under construction, in a refurbished textile mill, the publication went online June 7.
“There’s a crying need in a complex city like New Bedford for in-depth, contextual, explanatory investigative journalism,” Barbara Roessner, The Light’s editor and the former managing editor of The Hartford Courant, said in an interview. [NY Times]
RiffTrax and Fathom Events celebrate 11 years of RiffTrax Live with Hobgoblins and Amityville 4: The Evil Escapes – After a year off, RiffTrax’s Michael J. Nelson, Kevin Murphy, and Bill Corbett (of Mystery Science Theater 3000® fame) are back in theaters nationwide with two all-new riffs on 80’s B-movie classics: MST3K favorite “Hobgoblins” and the made-for-television supernatural horror film “Amityville Horror: The Evil Escapes.”
Tickets for the two “RiffTrax Live” titles can be purchased at www.FathomEvents.com and participating theater box offices. For a complete list of theater locations, visit the Fathom Events website (participating theaters are subject to change).
Michelle Edgar Joins LiveXLive As Head Of Strategic Partnerships – LiveXLive Media – (“LiveXLive”), a global platform for livestream and on-demand audio, video, and podcast/vodcast content in music, comedy, and pop culture, and owner of PodcastOne, Slacker Radio, React Presents and Custom Personalization Solutions, announced today the hiring of music industry innovator and deal maker Michelle Edgar. In this role, Michelle will focus on developing and expanding relationships with artists and labels, global consumer brands, and creating unique partnerships that amplify and align with LiveXLive’s flywheel – listen, watch, attend, engage and transact – through music, pop culture, arts, sports, lifestyle and exceptional content and tech across all platforms.
Additionally, Michelle will bring her wealth of experience empowering and inspiring women leaders to LiveXLive, as well as specific initiatives and projects focused on women’s empowerment and diversity and inclusion in the industry from artists to clients.
The American Influencer Awards Opens Nominations for the Fourth Awards Show and Adds New Categories – The American Influencer Awards, which honors contributors and talent on social media, in partnership with USA TODAY NETWORK Ventures, today opened nominations for the fourth annual American Influencer Awards. The awards have honored talented and emerging content creators in the beauty category and this year is expanding to also recognize influencers in fashion, fitness, and lifestyle.
The 2021 American Influencer Awards show will celebrate the influencer community with over 75 distinct awards honoring creators who share their personalities, knowledge, and expertise with their communities on social media. A few of the 2021 awards include:
- Breakout Influencer of the Year
- Celebrity Fitness Trainer of the Year
- Home Fitness Influencer of the Year
- Home Design Influencer of the Year
- Podcaster of the Year
- Emerging Designer of the Year
- International Stylist of the Year
- LGBTQ+ Influencer of the Year
- Tech Influencer of the Year
- Beauty Icon of the Year
- Hair Influencer of the Year
Nominations can be submitted by visiting https://www.aiaawards.com/nominate/. Following the nomination period, the award winners will be selected through a public voting process and the American Influencer Awards Advisory Board of industry experts.
Dunkin’ today announced the appointment of marketing veteran Rafael Acevedo, 46, to the position of Dunkin’ U.S. Chief Marketing Officer (CMO), effective immediately. – Mr. Acevedo is a brand marketing leader with deep expertise in spearheading disruptive innovation and leading high-performing teams to deliver transformational growth for the world’s leading beverages. Acevedo will report directly to Scott Murphy, Head of the Inspire Beverage-Snack Category and President of Dunkin’, and will serve on the Dunkin’ leadership team.
As Dunkin’ U.S. CMO, Acevedo will lead marketing, product innovation, field marketing, advertising, as well as the brand’s digital marketing initiatives. He will be responsible for developing and executing strategies that build Dunkin’s position as a leading coffee and beverage brand for today’s, on-the-go consumer, and will partner closely with the operations team to drive sales.
TikTok Jump: Enriching the TikTok experience with new integrations – Built by third-party providers, Jumps are mini-programs and services that creators can link to within their videos. Users around the world can click these links to explore recipes, take quizzes, discover useful learning tools and much more, creating more dynamic and practical experiences for our community.
TikTok Jump wouldn’t be possible without the creativity and innovation of early beta collaborators. Whisk, Breathwrk, Wikipedia, Quizlet, StatMuse, and Tabelog have each created convenient and informative Jumps that have empowered creators to share mouthwatering recipes, calming breathing exercises, Spanish and French vocab flashcards, interesting sports stats, and more. [TikTok]
