Steven Paul, one of the minds behind a proposal from Hollywood ambassador Jon Voight to boost filming in the U.S., has acquired a small studio in Van Nuys, with plans to use the facility as a new shooting base for his production company. As Voights manager, Paul helped construct a sweeping proposal centered around a federal film incentive program and...

Sofi Manassyan, dancer, actress and digital content creator, has signed with CAA. She will be represented by the Hollywood talent agencys digital media department, which helps social media-first creators expand business opportunities. Manassyan, 17, has built up a massive social media following across YouTube, Instagram and TikTok with digital content that blends dance, lifestyle and viral challenges. Her ability to...

SAG-AFTRA has filed an unfair labor practice charge against Fortnites production company, alleging that its use of an AI-powered James Earl Jones Darth Vader voice infringes on the unions right to negotiate major changes to its collective bargaining agreement. The union claimed that a signatory to its collective bargaining agreement, Llama Productions, made unilateral changes to terms and conditions of...

In 2023, SAG-AFTRA film and television performers stayed out on strike for a grueling 118 days in no small part due to AI. With DALL-E and ChatGPT still a relatively recent phenomenon but the tech rapidly encroaching on Hollywood, the pressure was on, and the union eventually struck a deal that left some members pleased and others dismayed, fearing the...

Regal Cinemas has added another four Imax theaters. The second-largest movie theater chain in the U.S. has expanded its partnership with the wide-screen exhibitor for new laser projection screen locations in Los Angeles, Houston and Washington, D.C. Expanding its longstanding partnership with Imax signals Regal is back spending on upgrades to its domestic circuit after parent Regal Cineworld emerged from...

Family offices have long been part of Hollywoods DNA, quietly shaping its most iconic moments and technological progress. Paramount Pictures was one of Hollywoods first family-controlled studios under business titan Adolph Zukor, who developed the vertical integration approach, ensuring that ambitious films like Wings (1927), the first Oscar winner, got the resources and distribution they needed to succeed. The recent...

Streaming continued its upward trajectory in April, but linear TV platforms also saw an increase in their share of viewing time. Nielsens monthly Gauge report shows streaming taking up 44.3 percent of all TV use in the United States, up from 43.8 percent in March. The April period (which ran from March 31-April 27 in Nielsens books) is the third...

Lets get this out of the way first: I love really like New Jersey. I was born there and raised there, and lived a year or so in Los Angeles before deciding to return there. I got married there (but engaged in L.A.) and am raising my kids there. Its a great place to be, even if currently a horror...

In 2024, the Anita Hill-led Hollywood Commission launched a first-of-its-kind workplace misconduct reporting tool tailored to the entertainment industry that was quickly adopted by unions and select studios. Now, one aspect of the MyConnext platform is being opened up to all industry workers: its ombuds program, which offers human advisers for workers faced with tricky situations on the job. The...

As it prepares for its future spun off from Comcast, the new leaders of MSNBC have made a key hire to build up its political reporting infrastructure. Sudeep Reddy was enlisted away from Politico to join the cable news TV brand as it establishes its own presence in Washington, D.C. apart from NBC News and creates its own beltway bureau....

Mike Richards, the veteran TV producer who briefly succeeded Alex Trebek as the host of the quiz show Jeopardy!, has landed a big job in conservative media. Richards has joined The Daily Wire as its next president of Daily Wire entertainment and chief content officer, leading all the entertainment operations of the conservative media company founded by Ben Shapiro. Richards...

Visual effects professionals who help realize the often fantastical worlds of the Marvel, Disney and Avatar films have ratified their first union contracts. Unionized staffers have overwhelmingly voted to ratify two labor contracts covering work on these projects, the crew union IATSE announced on Friday, without offering a specific tally. One agreement covers work on Marvel Studios and Walt Disney...

Live Nations move to appoint Trump ally Richard Grenell to its board of directors caused a stir in the live music business this week, as several music executives who spoke to The Hollywood Reporter slammed the pick as a transactional move in the companys attempt to squash the monopoly lawsuit Live Nation faces against the Department of Justice. Grenell is...