New week, new media developments!
The week is in full swing, and the entertainment industry comes in with a number of newsworthy pieces. Besides the star-studded Emmy Awards which took place Sunday, September 14th, and the in-depth analysis of the nominees, speeches and glamorous outfits circulating the web right now, the media & production scene is nothing short of busy.
From business ventures taking place one after the other and long-time executives stepping down (or actually climbing the corporate ladder), there are many newsworthy titles to check out.
Here are some of the latest news you might have missed:
Possible Acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery by Paramount
The newly-merged entity of Paramount & Skydance is now exploring an acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery. Just a few weeks ago, at the end of August, chairman and co-founder of Oracle, Larry Ellison led a $8.4 billion deal between Skydance Media and Paramount Global, which is now under full control of his son, David Ellison.
However, the billionaire is now looking into Warner Bros., which has, allegedly, been one of his interests for some time. Although the focus of Warner Bros. Studios is currently to separate from the company's global cable and linear television, that doesn't stop Ellison from inquiring about possible business talks.
Google and Meta Alum Dane Glasgow is the New Chief Product Officer at Paramount
And since we mentioned David Ellison, here goes his first major act as CEO: hiring long-term tech exec Dane Glasgow as Chief of Product Officer. With previous experience at Google and Meta, Glasgow is set to oversee and manage the upgrade of users' and advertisers' experience on Paramount+.
This task is a key theme on the CEO's action plan, which is only one of the many things Ellison wants to reform at Paramount+. Prior to the merger, many had doubts that Paramount could elevate their streaming services and bring it to a top-tier level, speculating the high change of a merger or acquisition, which was thought-of at that time as the only way to improve the streaming service.
With Glasgow now on board to oversee product vision and strategy, effective implementation of AI services, advertising and immersive storytelling, Ellison is sure that the future of the platform is set to reach higher grounds.
Former CNN Exec Thomas Evans Named Editor-in-Chief at NPR
Congratulations are in order for former CNN exec Thomas Evans, as he was named Editor-in-Chief at NPR earlier this month. After leaving CNN, Evans acted as managing editor at the editorial review at NPR, which he joined only last year. Before joining NPR, he worked at CNN, where was VP and chief of the London bureau for eight consecutive years.
As he will now be in charge of overseeing the global newsroom, he declares in a statement that NPR's "value is built on the finest journalists in the nation, and I am proud to have been asked to lead this newsroom at this crucial time as we continue to serve our listeners and the pursuit of truth".
Eunice Kim, Netflix's Chief of Product, Set to Exit
Eunice Kim, who until recently was the Chief-of-Product at Netflix, is set to exit the company, after a four-year run. She has previously been working at YouTube and Google Play, and joined Netflix to oversee the consumer product innovation team.
As the company's user interface was newly-updated, Kim reflects on her time at Netflix, mentioning she was “grateful for the opportunity to have worked with such a talented team [at Netflix]. Over the past five years, we grew the business together from 200M to over 300M members by successfully launching and scaling many major growth initiatives, including the ads plan. We also redesigned the product experience, expanding beyond VOD to support a much broader entertainment offering –including live events, ads, and games. I’m proud of what we built, and I’m excited to see what’s next for the company.”
There have been no mentions as to why the decision to leave was made or any potential successors for the role.
Season 2 of "Beast Games" to Film in North Carolina Following $15M Incentive
YouTube's favorite creator, Mr. Beast, by his real name Jimmy Donaldson, has been granted a $15M incentive from North Carolina's film & entertainment program, in order to film the second season of his reality show "Beast Games".
Having previously filmed the first season of his show in Las Vegas, Nevada, and later on moving to Toronto, Ontario, Canada, the Youtube tycoon is now receiving an investment from his home state, North Carolina, to bring production to Pitt and New Hanover Counties, just outside his childhood town of Greenville.
Josh Stein, governor of North Carolina, made an offer 6X higher than Nevada's, having ultimately own the bid. The news come in shortly after another $2.5M incentive was made for the production of "Top Chef"'s latest season to also be filmed in the Tar Heel State. Stein declares that NC has a "booming TV and film industry, and it's only getting stronger".
"Beast Games" are produced by Donaldson in partnership with Amazon MGM studios and can be streamed on Prime.
Three Production Giants Sue Chinese AI firm over copyright
Disney, Universal and Warner Bros. Discovery joined forces and filed a federal lawsuit against MiniMax, Chinese AI firm, over copyright infringement. The AI-generating company is responsible for unlawful 1-on-1 replication of the studios' characters, such as Darth Vader or Wonder Woman. The production tycoons are requesting no less than $150,000 compensations per infringed work, i.e. every generated image of their characters, as well as attorney fees and costs, published the LA Times.
Marc Weinstock Exits Paramount in Favor of Josh Goldstine
The now David Ellison-led Paramount is in final talks with ex-Warner Bros. exec Josh Goldstine, to take a role as global marketing distribution boss. The news comes seconds after the announcement that longstanding head of marketing & distribution Marc Weinstock, is set to leave the company in favor of Goldstine. Sources mention that talks regarding the onboarding of Goldstine date back to the Oscars weekend, however, no actual contract drawing could be done, as it was pre Paramount & Skydance merger.
That's all for now! Tune in next week for more On The Record summaries covering the media and production scene.
