DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ How brands like Ally and H&R Block are making reality TV-style shows to grab viewers
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-04 | by ( Lucia Moses | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Advertisement"It felt like it was more authentic," Andrea Brimmer, chief marketing and PR officer of Ally Financial, parent of Ally Bank, said of the decision to use the reality format. In another recent example, H&R Block in February dropped "Responsibility Island," a limited series reality spoof based on the popular British reality dating show "Too Hot to Handle." "It is the perfect escape; reality TV is a genre that just delights them." Other brands like Neutrogena have lately co-opted the reality TV format for social media series. Advertisement"To do a purely entertainment reality series is something you don't see every day," said Zoe Fairbourn, head of strategic partnerships and branded entertainment at Hello Sunshine.

Persons: —, Emma Grede, Ashley Graham, Ally, Reese Witherspoon's, Andrea Brimmer, Andrew Brimmer, We've, it's, Jill Cress, Cress, Shopify, Zoe Fairbourn, Rick Parkhill, Block, Brimmer, Jill Kargman, Lara Spotts, It'll Organizations: Service, Ally Bank, Business, Ally Bank Brands, Procter, Gamble, Gen, National Geographic, Samsung, YouTube, Galaxy, Disney, Brand, Brands

☆ Hollywood insiders are bracing for M&A activity to make a comeback, as 10 experts reveal the deals they're predicting
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-17 | by ( Reed Alexander | Lucia Moses | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +12 min

"The unknown is hard to transact in," Sam Powers, the global head of technology, media, and telecommunications for Bank of America, told Insider. Microsoft's $69 billion acquisition of Activision , which was completed Thursday, has also put media and tech M&A back in the spotlight. "People have been holding their breath in nervous anticipation" about the idea of tech buying big media , one investor told Insider. Private-equity bets on media and Hollywood have seen mixed resultsPrivate-equity firms may have the cash to finance major media acquisitions, but they're reckoning with market volatility. Are you a Hollywood insider?

Persons: Hollywood dealmakers, Jonathan Handel, Sam Powers, Bob Iger, —, Byron Allen, Greg Doherty, Iger, Disney's, Byron Allen —, Allen, Disney, it's, Handel, It's, you've, Reese Witherspoon, Dave Kotinsky, Moonbug, Reese Witherspoon's, Jeff Zucker, Abu, Tom Staggs, Kevin Mayer, Lucia Moses, Reed Alexander Organizations: Hollywood, Puck News, Bank of America, SAG, Writers Guild of America, Disney, ESPN, Activision, Byron Allen The Weather, Wall Street shareholders, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Hulu, ABC, Nexstar Media Group, Allen Media Group, Weather, Lionsgate, Starz, Paramount, BET, Warner Bros, Games, Disney Digital Network, Maker Studios, Observers, Comcast, Paramount Global, Tech, MGM, Microsoft, Netflix, Apple, RedBird Capital Partners, RedBird IMI, Private, SP, G Global Market Intelligence, Bloomberg, Media, Apollo Global Management, Yahoo Locations: Hollywood, Blackstone, Abu Dhabi, lmoses@insider.com, ralexander@insider.com

☆ This top Procter & Gamble exec is showing Hollywood how brands can make prestige films and be 'power-up' partners for studios and streamers
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-25 | by ( Lucia Moses | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

P&G Studios head Kimberly Doebereiner argues that great entertainment can come from brands. Procter & Gamble is at the forefront of the growing brand film space — with its own in-house shingle, P&G Studios, actively pursuing entertainment projects that look nothing like ads. "The first thing I'd love is for the distributors to see that great content can come from anybody, and even if it's from a brand, that doesn't mean it's brand content," she told Insider in an interview. "We have great marketing, we have great brands, we can help bring in viewers, right? "We'd love to have our content be able to show up in the retailer with our brands and create better awareness for that content," Doebereiner said.

Persons: Kimberly Doebereiner, Doebereiner, Gamble, Ron Howard, Brian Grazer's, Michael Sugar's Sugar23, Reese Witherspoon's, Barbie, we've, Brand, Queen Latifah Organizations: G Studios, Procter, Gamble, HBO, Hulu, Brands, Hollywood, Advertising, Tide, Gillette, Tribeca Studios, Walmart, Blue Fox Entertainment Locations: Hollywood

☆ It's not just 'Barbie' — as Hollywood goes through upheaval, brands from Nike to John Deere are becoming the new financiers of film and TV
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-20 | by ( Lucia Moses | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

As studios cut spending and strikes shut down production, Hollywood can take some solace — brands are coming to the rescue. Brand Storytelling is an organization that's held a festival for brand content alongside the Sundance Film Festival for the past seven years. Brand film submissions have almost tripled to 160 in the past three years, according to Rick Parkhill, director and co-founder of Brand Storytelling. "Film directors need the work," said Marcus Peterzell, who left ad giant Omnicom to found Passion Point Collective, a brand film studio, in 2019. He's since made some 36 film projects for brands.

Persons: Greta Gerwig, Kyra Sedgwick, John Deere, Kimberly Doebereiner, Chris Paul, Mattel's Robbie Brenner, There's, Jill Lubochinski, Holly Fraser, WePresent, Ron Howard, Brian Grazer's, Reese Witherspoon's, Michael Sugar's Sugar23, we've, Marc Gilbar, Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Gilbar, that's, Rick Parkhill, Riz Ahmed, WeTransfer, Vicky Grout, Parkill, Saint Laurent, Pedro Almodóvar, David Cronenberg, They're, Marcus Peterzell, Peterzell Organizations: Hollywood, Mattel, Nike, HBO, Procter & Gamble, Tide, Gillette, G Studios, Warner Bros, Discovery, PepsiCo, REI, Dallas Buyers, Sundance, Brand, Brands Locations: —, HBO's, Hollywood

☆ TikTok and Candle Media strike deal to co-create content
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

June 20 (Reuters) - TikTok and Blackstone-backed Candle Media will co-create content and branded entertainment as part of a broad strategic partnership in the United States, the companies said on Tuesday. A key piece of the partnership will be Hello Sunshine, Reese Witherspoon's company that Candle acquired in 2021. TikTok, owned by China's ByteDance, will also allow advertisers purchase advertisements directly adjacent to Candle content and share that ad revenue as part of the tie-up. Candle Media was founded by former top Walt Disney (DIS.N) executives Kevin Mayer and Tom Staggs. Reporting by Jaspreet Singh in Bengaluru; Editing by Krishna Chandra EluriOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Reese Witherspoon's, TikTok, HBO's, hashtag, China's ByteDance, Kevin Mayer, Tom Staggs, Jaspreet Singh, Krishna Chandra Organizations: Blackstone, Media, Walt Disney, Thomson Locations: United States, Bengaluru

☆ Anheuser-Busch is launching an entertainment division with help from Oscar-winning producer Michael Sugar in a push to reach consumers who don't watch ads
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-22 | by ( Lucia Moses | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Anheuser-Busch is building an entertainment division, Insider has learned, the latest big marketer to turn to Hollywood to reach consumers who are increasingly glued to ad-free streaming services. The AB InBev effort is under a new, unannounced entity called draftLine Entertainment, a part of its internal ad agency, draftLine. DraftLine Entertainment is being run by AB InBev marketer Lauren Denowitz as global studio head, reporting to VP Fábio Baracho. The world's biggest brewer, AB InBev is well known for its marketing. In the case of AB InBev, entertainment is a way to promote the beer category at large over any individual brand.

☆ Sony's movie chief talks China censorship, upcoming game adaptation 'Gran Turismo,' and how his studio is preparing for a potential Hollywood writers' strike
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-16 | by ( Claire Atkinson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +13 min

It was a long-term deal so I don't think we have to confront that yet, but it's gone terrifically for us, actually. If you don't want to compete, don't come in. Can you talk about the synergy with the Whitney Houston movie — she was a Sony Music artist — or "Gran Turismo," a Playstation game? Do you wish HBO Max's "The Last of Us," which is also based on a Sony Playstation game, had been a movie? A lot of big movies come out of it.

☆ 12 media executives anonymously predict 2023's biggest deals, trends and changes
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-18 | by ( Alex Sherman | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Candle Media has acquired intellectual property assets including Reese Witherspoon's Hello Sunshine production company and Moonbug, which owns the animated kids series "CoComelon." Executive 3: Iger extends his contract There's been lots of speculation over who Iger will choose as his successor. History suggests he has a hard time leaving the role of Disney CEO. Christine M. McCarthy, Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer The Walt Disney Company. "I love Shari [Redstone], but ViacomCBS is not long for this world as it stands today," said a media executive last year.

☆ 21 production companies that are acquisition targets as streamers race to get profitable and private equity bets big on Hollywood content
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-12 | by ( Lucia Moses | Elaine Low | Claire Atkinson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The streaming wars have fueled a wave of deal-making for Hollywood production companies. Private equity is leading the charge, with firms like Apollo and Blackstone spending big on content. Insider identified 21 top production companies that could attract buyers or investors in 2023. Media companies need fresh content to win and keep subscribers who have more options than ever to choose from. Insider spoke with five industry dealmakers, consultants, and other experts who named 20 companies that could be hot acquisition targets as the drive for content continues.

☆ Kevin Hart sold a $100 million stake in his media company to private equity firm Abry. Here are 10 more Hollywood production shops that are hot M&A targets.
▼ + stars: | 2022-05-19 | by ( Natalie Jarvey | Elaine Low | Madeline Berg | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +12 min

Abry Partners' $100 million stake in Kevin Hart's company HartBeat is the latest big M&A move in Hollywood. Dealmakers said production companies are valuable amid the streaming wars and demand for content. The M&A activity had top Hollywood dealmakers telling Insider in early 2022 that practically every independent production company is a target. Many production companies make work-for-hire or don't control the rights to a project once it is sold off to a studio distributor. Based on January interviews with five entertainment industry experts and insiders, Insider identified a list of 10 production companies that could be compelling acquisition targets as M&A activity continues.

Search resuls for: "Reese Witherspoon's"

10 mentions found