Paramount is getting back into the business of books, nearly three years after previous ownership sold Simon Schuster for more than $1.6 billion. The David Ellison-led entertainment company says that it will launch Paramount Global Publishing this year, a new imprint that will both leverage Paramounts library of characters, stories and intellectual property, and support the development of new original...

Lawyers at CAA were alarmed by the leaks, which could bring far more pain than bad publicity. It was January, days after news spilled that it had lost a legal battle over the high-profile exits of four agents Jack Whigham,Dave Bugliari,Michael Cooper andMick Sullivanwho left to help Peter Micelli start management firm Range Media Partners in 2020. By all appearances,...

Less than a year into the job, and with a mega merger looming, Paramount president Jeff Shell is exiting the company. The executive is set to leave the company imminently, according to multiple sources familiar with the matter. Shell had been facing an internal investigation after a notorious gambler and whistleblower alleged that he disclosed non-public information about the company....

As Fanatics pushes further into media, entertainment and experiences, the sports-focused company led by Michael Rubin is beginning to ink major sponsorship deals. The company, which officially entered the space last year (former Netflix and Snap ads chief Jeremi Gorman is spearheading the division), said Wednesday that it has inked a wide-ranging sponsorhip deal with ATT. That will include brand...

Juilliard Dean Evan Yionoulis has been named the new dean of the David Geffen School of Drama at Yale. Yionoulis, who has been dean and director of The Juilliard Schools drama division since 2018, will take over the post at Yale starting July 1. She succeeds James Bundy, who has been in the role for close to 25 years and...

Industry grosses are rising as Proof, Schmigadoon and more began previews last week, and Harry Potter extended Tom Felton into the fall. Harry Potter and the Cursed Child has been at the top of the grosses chart for weeks, thanks to the casting of Tom Felton, who starred in the film series, and appears poised to continue, as the production...

Meow Wolf, the immersive, experiential entertainment company building fantastical storytelling-led installations in cities across the U.S., has found a new CEO after a nearly year-long search. Matthew Henick, most recently senior VP at The Trade Desk and a veteran of Deep Voodoo, Meta, Epic Games, and BuzzFeed, will lead the company, which is behind installations like Omega Mart in Las...

Howard Sterns former executive assistant is threatening to publicize her experiences working for the SiriusXM host and his wife. The assistant, Leslie Kuhn, filed a lawsuit in New York state court on Sunday looking to void her nondisclosure agreement. She accuses the SiriusXM host of fostering a hostile work environment, which was allegedly created by an irresponsible and untenable animal...

Sony Pictures Entertainment is laying off hundreds of employees across its film studio, TV studios and corporate, as CEO Ravi Ahuja refocuses the entertainment company on certain core growth areas while pulling back in other places. A source describes the move as being about strategy, not cost-cutting. This organizational shift is about reorienting to thrive in a changing industry, Ahuja...

CNN is launching a new business interview series, with a twist: The subjects will interview each other. The cable news channel is launching what it is calling The 1 on 1 with CNN, in which business leaders sit down with each other for what it hopes will be illuminating conversations. The 1 on 1 will launch today on CNNs subscription...

With an eye on improving how it servessports fans, Disney on Tuesday unveiled thelaunchofESPN on Disney+inEurope andselectAsia-Pacific (APAC) marketsimmediately, making theserviceavailable to subscribers in 53 countries and territoriesacross the regions.The Asian territories that are getting the new offering includeJapan, Korea and Hong Kong. With this expansion, ESPN now reaches fans through Disney+inapproximately100markets around the world, the company highlighted.While theinitialESPN sports...

Paramount Skydance has confirmed speculation that Middle East money is, in part, backing its acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery. More specifically, the capital is coming from Saudi Arabias PIF (public investment fund), LImad, an Abu Dhabi sovereign wealth fund, and QIA, a Qatar Investment Authority fund. The Ellison family, RedBird Capital and LionTree Investment Fund are also among the equity...

Blink49 Studios has hired former Fifth Season exec Yogita Puri as executive vp, head of business legal affairs. Puri will help build out the global business at Blink49 Studios, the Toronto-based banner led by CEO John Morayniss. She joins the indie studio from Fifth Season, the indie film and TV studio behind His Hers and Severance. At Fifth Season, Puri...