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☆ British tycoon plans to launch an electric airline that will serve plant-based food
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-18 | by ( Anmar Frangoul | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

"The question of how to create sustainable air travel has plagued the green movement for decades," said Dale Vince, founder of British energy firm Ecotricity. Ryan Hiscott | Getty Images Sport | Getty ImagesBritish entrepreneur Dale Vince on Monday announced plans to launch an electric airline that will be powered using renewable energy — and those behind the project hope it will mark the start of a new era in air travel. Vince, who is the founder of British energy firm Ecotricity, was bullish about Ecojet's prospects. "The question of how to create sustainable air travel has plagued the green movement for decades," he said. He went on to describe Ecojet as "by far the most significant step towards a solution to date."

Persons: Dale Vince, Ryan Hiscott, Ecojet, Vince Organizations: Getty, Getty Images, Monday, Civil Aviation Authority, CAA Locations: Ecojet, Europe

☆ Russian forces are running out of the critical radars they need to defeat Ukraine's artillery, UK intel says
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-17 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Britain's defense ministry said Russian forces likely only have a few key systems remaining. For ground troops to surmount these obstacles means navigating through a slow and deadly process, and Ukrainian forces lack air superiority. "Russian ground forces survivability relies on effectively detecting Ukrainian artillery and striking against it, often with its force's own artillery," Britain's defense ministry said in a Monday intelligence update. According to an analysis by the open-source intelligence site Oryx, at least 38 Russian radars have been destroyed, damaged, or captured in Ukraine. "The priority Popov apparently gave to this problem highlights the continued centrality of artillery in the war," Britain's defense ministry said.

Persons: SERGEY SHESTAK, Ivan Popov, Popov, Caesar, Biden, Jake Sullivan Organizations: Service, High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, Getty, Arms Army, CAA, Separate Artillery Brigade, REUTERS, West, Oryx, NATO, National Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Wall, Silicon, Bakhmut, Donetsk, AFP, Ukrainian, Avdiivka, Donetsk region

[1/2] Cars are shown lined up at the valet parking area outside the Creative Artists Agency building in Los Angeles, California, September 24, 2012. REUTERS/Jonathan AlcornJuly 14 (Reuters) - Creative Artists Agency (CAA) is in advanced talks to sell a majority stake to French billionaire Francois-Henri Pinault in a deal that could value the Hollywood talent agency at over $7 billion, according to a person familiar with the matter. CAA did not immediately respond to a request for comment, and spokespeople for Pinault and for TPG declined to comment. In 2021, CAA announced a deal to buy major Hollywood rival ICM Partners. Bloomberg first reported the talks between Pinault and CAA.

Persons: Jonathan Alcorn, Francois, Henri Pinault, Pinault, Kering, Salma Hayek, Tom Hanks, Zendaya, Steven Spielberg, Ariana Grande, Beyonce, Gursimran Kaur, Jyoti Narayan, Rishabh, Muralikumar Anantharaman, John Stonestreet Organizations: Creative Artists Agency, REUTERS, Hollywood, Gucci, TPG, CAA, ICM Partners, Bloomberg, Thomson Locations: Los Angeles , California, Los Angeles, Pinault, Bengaluru

☆ Inside the buzzy newsletter a Netflix assistant launched to create a ‘blueprint’ for breaking into Hollywood — featuring tea from workers at Disney, CBS, and more
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-11 | by ( Reed Alexander | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

A Hollywood assistant role has long been a launching point for a career in entertainment. But "there is no blueprint" for how to get such a job, said Cathy Campo, a creative assistant at Netflix. Campo launched The Hollywood Assistant, a monthly newsletter aimed at industry hopefuls, to change that. In February, Campo launched The Hollywood Assistant, a free newsletter that recently released its sixth edition. It's difficult to make ends meet on those salaries in the costly cities where the entertainment industry is most heavily concentrated: Los Angeles and New York.

Persons: Cathy Campo, Campo, she's, —, Matthew Belloni, Nick Lachey, She's, Emma Weiss, Jonathan Groff, Alyssa Tumale, Drew Barrymore, Brown, Jimmy Fallon, Michelle Greene, Don Rutledge, Natalie Lifson, Buchwald, Allison Leffingwell, Rutledge, Puck, Reed Alexander Organizations: Netflix, Hollywood, Brown University grad, NBCUniversal, CBS, Disney Entertainment, CAA, Chautauqua Ordway, Campo, Universal, Showtime, Media, Universal Filmed Entertainment Locations: Stillwater, Hollywood, Los Angeles and New York

☆ A consumer group is calling for stronger action against airlines who cancel flights and fail to give refunds, saying no UK airline has been fined in 20 years
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-30 | by ( Sawdah Bhaimiya | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

UK airlines should face stricter rules over cancellations and giving refunds, a consumer group says. says 2.3 million people in the UK weren't refunded for flights they couldn't take in the pandemic. But the US just fined British Airways $1.1 million for delaying refunds since the pandemic. is calling for stricter regulation of airlines operating in the UK and stronger fines against them, saying airlines have engaged in 'unlawful' behavior for 20 years. However, in the US BA was fined $1.1 million for unpaid refunds during the pandemic after its Transportation Department received 1,200 complaints about BA delaying refunds, per the release.

Persons: fining, Rocio Concha, Concha Organizations: British Airways, Civil Aviation Authority, CAA, Transportation Department, UK's Department, Transport Locations: EasyJet

☆ Brands like Sony and Chipotle want to make Hollywood-style content for film and TV, and these advertising pioneers have built a startup to get their messages out
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-11 | by ( Lucia Moses | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

That belief has taken him from famed ad agency Wieden + Kennedy to talent agency CAA, where he set up its first marketing consultancy. The firm pitches itself as part management consultancy, part brand entertainment production company, and part consumer brand accelerator. "If a great sports movie happens to come from Nike, it's still great entertainment," Goodman said. "If a great sports movie happens to come from Nike, it's still great entertainment," Goodman said. One thing Goodman and Kaplan are not trying to do is compete with brands' ad agency budgets.

Persons: Jae Goodman, John Kaplan, It's, Gibson, Kennedy, Goodman, Chipotle, Stephanie Perdue, Jay, Kaplan, —, Michael Kassan's, Anheuser, it's, Superconnector, it'll Organizations: Superconnector Studios, Sony, CAA, Observatory, Entertainment, Hollywood, HBO Max, Netflix, Procter & Gamble, Imagine Entertainment, Delirio Studios, MTV Documentary, Paramount, HBO, Apple, Management, Sony Pictures Television, McKinsey, Accenture —, Anheuser Busch, InBev, Gibson, Nike, Talent Locations: LA

☆ Apple's Vision Pro isn't just a 'headset,' stupid — it represents the next big frontier of spatial computing
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-09 | by ( Peter Csathy | Fearless Media | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

He writes that Apple's latest $3,500 gadget is not just a VR "headset," but a bigger tech opportunity: spatial computing. Apple at long last revealed its long-anticipated "next big thing" — its Vision Pro — two days ago at its annual WWDC. "Minority Report" come to lifeViewed with the broader lens it deserves, however, Apple's Vision Pro represents so much more. It represents the dawn of an entirely new mass market and transformational tech opportunity of so-called "spatial computing." Spatial computing is essentially the film "Minority Report" come to life, three-dimensional computing divorced from the confines of physical screens.

Persons: Peter Csathy, Nanea Reeves, Tim Cook, Ralph Lauren, Joanna Popper, Bob Cooney, Evan Helda, Pierre, Stuart Rostain, Amy Allison, Tripp, Mark Zuckerberg, Apple's, Steve Jobs, Cook, Bob Iger, Jobs, Iger, Read Organizations: Creative Media, Morning, Fearless Media, Apple, CAA, Barnum, Amazon, Spatial Computing, European VRDays Foundation, Women, Disney, Pixar, Creativie Media Locations: Malibu, Netherlands

All six advisers on the panel voted in favor of Leqembi for treatment of the mind-wasting illness. That approval would also make Leqembi the first disease-modifying drug ever to achieve the regulatory milestone. Leqembi won accelerated approval by the FDA in January based on its ability to remove sticky amyloid plaques from the brain. Most U.S. Alzheimer's patients are Medicare-eligible. “We are in full agreement with the FDA Advisory Committee that Leqembi provides clinical benefit and that this benefit outweighs the risks."

Persons: Eisai, Leqembi, Tanya Simuni, Robert Alexander, Joanne Pike, Leroy Leo, Khushi, Julie Steenhuysen, Bill Berkrot Organizations: Food and Drug Administration, Alzheimer's Association, FDA, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Banner Alzheimer's Institute, CAA, Medicare, Wall Street, Analysts, Alzheimer's, Thomson Locations: Leqembi, U.S, Bengaluru, Chicago

☆ Hollywood's next big fight is over how actors will get paid for work by their AI 'digital doubles'
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-05 | by ( Nathan Mcalone | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Hollywood actors want to get paid for work done by their AI "digital doubles." SAG-AFTRA starts negotiations this week for a new contract with Hollywood studios, and AI is a hot topic. Hollywood is gearing up for another union battle this week, and a big topic will be how actors are paid for work done by their "digital doubles" created using artificial intelligence. Crabtree-Ireland told the FT that the starting point for negotiations would be getting union-scale payments for work using digital doubles. And while the use of AI might scare some actors, others in Hollywood are embracing the potential paydays the tech could bring.

Persons: Duncan Crabtree, Keanu Reeves, Tom Cruise, Indiana Jones, Harrison Ford, James Earl Jones, Darth Vader, Crabtree, AMPTP negotiaotors, Hilary Krane Organizations: Hollywood, SAG, Morning, Financial Times, Alliance, Television Producers, Reuters, Guild of America, Saturday, CAA Locations: Ireland, Crabtree, Hollywood

☆ WME signs author and speaker Ed Mylett, whose top business podcast adds to the agency's growing audio roster alongside clients like Malcolm Gladwell and Jay Shetty
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-31 | by ( Reed Alexander | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Hollywood talent agency WME has signed Ed Mylett, an author, public speaker, and entrepreneur. His podcast, "The Ed Mylett Show," has landed guests including Tony Robbins, Barbara Corcoran, and more. "I need the best people to help manage the growth of 'The Ed Mylett Show' podcast," Mylett told Insider via email. Among business podcasts, "The Ed Mylett Show" currently sits at No. His podcast, "The Ed Mylett Show," has seen a bevy of other guests including Barbara Corcoran, Martin Luther King III, David Goggins, and Tony Robbins.

Persons: WME, Ed Mylett, Tony Robbins, Barbara Corcoran, Vervante, He's, Mylett, Michael B, Jordan, Dwayne Johnson, Miley Cyrus, Dan Fogelman, Jay Shetty's, Stephen Dubner's, Malcolm Gladwell's, he's, Maria Shriver, Matthew McConaughey, Martin Luther King III, David Goggins Organizations: Hollywood, Wiley, Apple, Spotify, CAA, UTA, WME, Pushkin Industries, YouTube, Forbes

☆ An airline founder is facing a fine after he let an influencer take a selfie in the cockpit
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( Sawdah Bhaimiya | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

An airline founder faces a fine after allowing an influencer into the cockpit. Influencer Sam Chui posted a selfie with Starlux Airlines founder Chang Kuo-wei on Instagram. The founder of a Taiwanese airline is facing a $2,000 fine after letting an influencer take a selfie in the cockpit, according to various reports including the Independent and local news outlets Liberty Times Net and Taiwan News. Kuo-wei invited internet influencer Sam Chui into the cockpit for a photo without first getting approval from the Civil Aviation Administration (CAA). Kuo-wei recently flew to Tokyo Narita Airport in Japan to personally apologize to passengers the morning after a Starlux flight was canceled.

☆ Once valued at nearly $6 billion, Vice files for bankruptcy
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( Claire Atkinson | Cheryl Teh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Vice filed for bankruptcy, wiping out equity holders who poured in hundreds of millions, including TPG and James Murdoch. The company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on Monday in New York's Southern District Court. The company's filing listed assets and liabilities in the range of $500 million to $1 billion. Vice had run multiple sales processes with a range of different banks but never received an offer palatable to its owners. The bankruptcy filing reveals just how many companies and investors pinned their hopes on Smith's hype about the potential growth trajectory of the TV and online venture.

☆ AI is disrupting Hollywood, and one investor sees huge potential in startups harnessing data to identify valuable IP for TV and film
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Reed Alexander | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

A private credit investor explains why Wall Street sees the potential for big returns from the tech. "What we're interested in right now are companies that are creating a more automated way of identifying valuable IP," Aria Vossoughi of Serengeti Asset Management told Insider. To be sure, Hollywood has been taking steps toward fusing data, algorithms, and creative content for years. Michael Blank, head of consumer investing at CAA, previously told Insider that investments in this arena are "blowing up right now." It supplements it more than replacing it," he told Insider of AI tech.

☆ Inside the Wild World of Celebrity Keynote Speakers: Drugs, Alcohol
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-23 | by ( David Kushner | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +31 min

"I never saw myself as a speaker, let alone a motivational speaker," Leonard tells me while his assistant irons his jeans. 'When I ramble," Hunter told me, "hit me in the leg!" Every plane had been grounded, including the one stuck on the tarmac with an increasingly inebriated Hunter Thompson trapped inside. But by far the most all-consuming task was booking gigs for Hunter Thompson. Just before a debate with G. Gordon Liddy at Brown University, Hunter demanded that Betsy Berg, whom I now worked alongside at GTN, score him some crystal meth.

☆ Golden Knight scores hat-trick as US stun Canada at worlds
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-17 | by ( Steve Keating | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] Apr 16, 2023; Brampton, Ontario, CAN; USA forward Hilary Knight (21) shoots the puck against Canada in the second period at CAA Center. After Caroline Harvey had pulled the U.S. level at 3-3 early in the third, captain Knight scored twice to complete her hat-trick having also netted in the second period. "It's hard to beat Canada. It's harder to beat Canada in Canada." "Maybe teams aren’t ready to beat Canada and the U.S. yet, but it’s getting there.

☆ 9 startups bringing AI tech to Netflix, Lucasfilm, Marvel, and more Hollywood studios — and attracting millions in VC funding
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-14 | by ( Lucia Moses | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

VCs and private equity have poured millions into startups bringing AI tech to film and TV production. AI startups disrupting Hollywood include MARZ and Wonder Dynamics, cofounded by "X Men" star Tye Sheridan. Investment in AI startups for entertainment is "blowing up right now," said Michael Blank, head of consumer investing at CAA. There are already AI tools that can write full scripts. Vendors and investors told Insider that over time, AI tools will change jobs, not replace them.

April 4 (Reuters) - Private equity firm TPG Inc (TPG.O) said on Tuesday it has agreed to buy a majority stake in Elite, a vendor of business management software for law firms, from information provider Thomson Reuters Corp (TRI.TO) at a valuation of $500 million. Thomson Reuters will keep a minority stake and board representation in Elite and continue to support it with its legal information products, the companies said. Paul Fischer, president of Thomson Reuters' legal professionals division, said that Elite will continue to share many of Thomson Reuters' clients as a standalone company. Elite offers software that helps law firms run their finance and accounting operations, including billing, invoicing and payments. TPG partner Tim Millikin said that the data and automation that Elite offers are in demand among legal professionals.

☆ UFC merger beefs up WWE's leverage in media rights negotiations
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-03 | by ( Lillian Rizzo | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Networks and streaming services need to get ready for a media rights smackdown. UFC should also benefit ahead of 2025, when its U.S. media rights deals come up, including with Disney's ESPN. "I think everything is up for grabs with these media rights deals. During his time with CAA, he had formed a relationship with McMahon during a recent round of TV rights negotiations for WWE. It will also work for UFC negotiations, he noted.

☆ Is AI coming for Hollywood? A Wall Street investor breaks down why he's bullish about a growing class of startups harnessing data to identify the next big blockbuster.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-30 | by ( Reed Alexander | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

As the influencer industry continues to grow, so does the demand for talent managers and agents. Managers and agents help creators make money and choose which business opportunities to pursue. Like traditional stars, creators have built up teams with managers and agents to help them expand and run their businesses, and those supporting players have raced to sign the next generation of stars. "I felt that most brands were not seeing the value of diverse creators and the audiences they serve. Some influencers have both a talent manager and an agent.

☆ UK regulator tells Heathrow to cut fees in win for airlines
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-08 | by ( Sarah Young | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] A worker sanitises a barrier at the International arrivals area of Terminal 5 in London's Heathrow Airport, Britain, August 2, 2021. The lower fees will boost airlines such as IAG's (ICAG.L) British Airways and Virgin Atlantic, two of Heathrow's biggest, making the airport cheaper for them. They have long complained that fees at Heathrow, the busiest airport in western Europe, are the highest in the world. The strong bounceback in travel since the lows of the pandemic prompted the CAA to reduce the fees Heathrow can charge in the coming years. Improved forecasts for passenger numbers this year and next year mean Heathrow will be able to generate higher revenue, said the CAA, which uses passenger numbers to calculate the charges.

☆ These 8 startups are bringing AI technology to Netflix, Lucasfilm, Marvel Studios, and more — and attracting millions in VC funding
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-07 | by ( Lucia Moses | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

VCs and private equity have poured millions into AI startups seeking to disrupt film and TV production. Startups making waves in Hollywood AI include MARZ and Deep Voodoo, founded by the creators of "South Park." Generative AI has spawned a raft of tools with real-life applications to Hollywood — and VCs are getting in on the action. There are already AI tools that can write full scripts. Vendors and investors told Insider that over time, AI tools will change jobs, not replace them.

BOSTON, March 1 (Reuters) - Massachusetts U.S. Attorney Rachael Rollins has hired a former Justice Department inspector general to defend her in a widening ethics investigation into her appearance at a political fundraiser and her travel. The controversy has threatened to undermine Attorney General Merrick Garland’s vow to protect the Justice Department from partisan influence and efforts to extend progressive criminal justice policies championed by Rollins to the federal level. It is unclear what the inspector general's probe will find or when it will be completed. James Borghesani, a spokesman for Hayden, said they have received no inquiries from the inspector general's office. Investigators are also looking at Rollins' use of a personal cellphone, rather than her government-issued one, for Justice Department business, said two other people familiar with the matter.

☆ Oman opens airspace, joining Saudi in Israeli airline corridor
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

DUBAI, Feb 23 (Reuters) - Oman's Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) on Thursday said the Gulf Arab state's airspace will be open for all civilian carriers, a move that would enable Israeli airlines to utilise a Saudi-Oman corridor to cut flight times to Asia. Saudi Arabia, which like Oman does not have formal ties with Israel, last summer said it would open its airspace to all air carriers, but Israeli officials had said the corridor could not be implemented until Oman consented. Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen on Thursday thanked Oman's ruler Sultan Haitham bin Tariq al-Said and described it as a "historic decision that will shorten the route to Asia, lower costs for Israelis and help Israeli airlines be more competitive". Israeli flag carrier El Al (ELAL.TA) said that beyond shortening current flight times, it would now examine opening new routes to Australia and restarting flights to India. Israel's foreign ministry said the corridor would shorten the flight route by more than two hours to some Asian destinations.

☆ Meet Maye Musk, the Sports Illustrated cover model and the glamorous mother of one of the richest men in the world
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-04 | by ( Grace Kay | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +13 min

Despite her support for her children, Maye Musk has been a celebrity in her own right for decades. Maye Musk Maye Musk attended the Met gala with Elon Musk last year. "They followed their passions, and they all went in different directions," Maye Musk told Insider in a 2020 interview. Elon Musk, in particular, had tried his hardest in school, but only in the subjects he liked, Maye Musk said. Even at 14 years old, Maye Musk said Elon Musk had shown a passion for investing.

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