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☆ 'Entourage' star Adrian Grenier traded Hollywood for a Texas ranch. Read the 21-page deck that helped him launch a production company and inspire others to embrace sustainable living.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-12 | by ( Reed Alexander | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Adrian Grenier, star of HBO's hit series "Entourage," now lives at Kintsugi, a ranch outside Austin. He's taking viewers into his sustainable lifestyle with a new production company, Earth Speed Media. "Entourage" star Adrian Grenier went from La La Land — to working the land. Named Kintsugi, a Japanese word for a traditional art of repairing pottery, the ranch is a far cry from life in Hollywood. To coincide with Earth Speed Media's launch, the company shared the deck that helped it raise more than $150,000 in pre-seed funding last year.

From start to finish, Tuesday's 80th annual Golden Globe Awards was a very queer affair. Here are some of the evening's queerest (and gay Twitter meme-worthy) moments. Jerrod Carmichael apologizes to Jennifer Coolidge 'on behalf of all the gays'Jerrod Carmichael hosted the 80th annual Golden Globe Awards on Tuesday. The 26-year-old actor, who already has two Emmy awards for the same role, was not present to accept her Golden Globe. The Burnett award was started in 2019, with its namesake, comedian Carol Burnett, being its first honoree.

☆ At CES 2023, Sony's 'Gran Turismo' flags new entertainment strategy
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-04 | by ( Dawn Chmielewski | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

It also represents a significant bridging of the divides between Sony Pictures Entertainment, Sony PlayStation and Sony Music, according to a dozen current and former senior executives interviewed by Reuters. “I defined our identity as a creative entertainment company with a solid foundation on technology,” Sony chief executive Kenichiro Yoshida said. Sony’s “creative entertainment” company approach extends beyond content. A Sony-Honda electric vehicle, scheduled to reach consumers by 2026, is being framed as a rolling showcase of Sony’s entertainment, gaming and camera sensor prowess. This August will bring another test of Sony’s strategy when “Gran Turismo” hits theaters after languishing for 12 years.

☆ HBO's 'The Last of Us' creators promise it won't have the same issue as 'Game of Thrones': 'We have no plans to tell any stories beyond adapting the games'
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-04 | by ( Travis Clark | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

"We won't run into the same issue as 'Game of Thrones,'" co-creator Neil Druckmann told The Hollywood Reporter. "Game of Thrones" ran out of source material after catching up with the unfinished book series. Neil Druckmann, the show's co-creator who also developed the game, told The Hollywood Reporter that the series won't stray from the source material. "We have no plans to tell any stories beyond adapting the games," Druckmann said in the interview. "We won't run into the same issue as 'Game of Thrones' since 'Part II' doesn't end on a cliffhanger," he added, referring to the game's sequel, "The Last of Us Part II."

☆ 'Game of Thrones' star Kit Harington recalls getting his big break at 21: 'What do I do now?'
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-27 | by ( Nicolas Vega | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Kit Harington had only recently graduated from drama school and starred in his first play when he was cast as Jon Snow in HBO's "Game of Thrones" at the age of 21. In an appearance at the first official "Game of Thrones" fan convention this month the 35-year-old credited his friends for keeping him humble. "I kept a really solid group of friends around me who took the piss out of me all the time," he said during a Q&A recorded for "The Official Game of Thrones Podcast". Harington said that he learned to stay away from internet comments and stopped reading what people wrote about him. He protected himself and his confidence by reminding himself that "Game of Thrones" was "just a TV show."

☆ 'It’s corn!,' 'Dark Brandon' and 'girl explaining': A look at the most notable memes of 2022
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-23 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Kahlan-Rosenblatt.Jpg | Kalhan Rosenblatt | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +8 min

Here's NBC News' roundup of the 10 most notable memes of 2022. 'Dark Brandon'The meme, which started on Twitter in early 2022, depicts President Joe Biden as a laser-eyed edge-lord. 'Girl explaining'The "girl explaining" meme actually began going viral in 2019 in Spanish-speaking circles, according to Know Your Meme. Whether it's explaining what the Inflation Reduction Act is or why the Brooklyn Library is "fine free," the most shouty memes of 2022 were conveyed through the "girl explaining." That's because the corn kid, a 7-year-old named Tariq, became one of the year's most viral memes.

☆ How athletes are cashing in on 'the Netflix effect' as sports documentaries boom at Apple TV+, Amazon, and more streamers
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-22 | by ( Elaine Low | Ashley Rodriguez | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A boom in sports documentaries has offered athletes more ways to be on screen and build their brands. Players and their agents are looking for hits like Netflix Formula 1 doc series "Drive to Survive." Apple TV+, HBO, and Amazon are all competing for sports docs that bring viewers into athletes' lives. Being featured in a sports doc can dramatically raise an athlete's profile, giving them more fans and more branding power. Netflix's "Drive to Survive" was credited with doing wonders for F1 fandom, particularly stateside, where American interest has historically been scarce.

☆ Warner Bros. Discovery salaries revealed: Pay data shows how much the company recently offered for jobs at HBO and more, despite waves of layoffs and cuts
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-20 | by ( Ashley Rodriguez | Elaine Low | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +19 min

Insider analyzed new pay data from the entertainment companies, now merged as Warner Bros. Recent salaries ranged from $55 an hour to $300,000 a year for jobs at HBO and other units. The salaries ranged from $55 per hour to $300,000 per year, with a median annual salary of $143,000 to $170,000. For example, Discovery offered an ad sales account manager between $131,458 and $149,000 per year, according to the data. Associate Manager, Brand Marketing/Publishing: $92,518 to $130,011WarnerMedia DirectData Architect: $162,400 to $200,150 median; ranging from $159,800 to $205,000WarnerMedia Services

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Shaquille O'Neal wants to make one thing clear: He doesn't believe in crypto, if he ever did. That's after being named in a class-action lawsuit against now-bankrupt cryptocurrency exchange FTX last month, for promoting the company in a June commercial. "A lot of people think I'm involved, but I was just a paid spokesperson for a commercial," O'Neal says. Customers have been unable to withdraw funds from FTX since the company declared bankruptcy last month. Texas is now separately investigating some celebrity FTX endorsers for potentially violating state securities laws, according to Bloomberg.

☆ Warner Bros. Discovery is planning to run ads on HBO originals on HBO Max, a move that could be controversial in Hollywood
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( Lucia Moses | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Discovery is exploring running ads on HBO originals like "Game of Thrones." HBO Max launched its ad-supported tier in June 2021 for $10 a month versus the streamer's $15 ad-free version. HBO Max capped ads at four minutes per hour, limited how often users would see the same ad, and said no ads would run on original HBO programming. Since then, HBO Max parent WarnerMedia has been acquired by Discovery, and under new CEO David Zaslav, the merged entity Warner Bros. It's also unclear whether WBD will charge a premium for ads appearing in HBO originals — and if so, how much.

☆ HBO's 'White Lotus' season 2 was filmed at a real hotel in Italy. Here's what it's like.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-10 | by ( Travis Clark | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

"The White Lotus" season two was filmed at the San Domenico Palace hotel in Taormina, Italy. The season was filmed at the San Domenico Palace Four Seasons luxury hotel in Taormina, a town in the Sicily region of Italy. Getty Images"It has so much personality," "White Lotus" executive producer David Bernad told People Magazine last month. HBOBut if you can get past the alleged hauntings, the San Domenico Palace sounds like a beautiful place experience. Here's how it's described on the website: "Perched on a rocky promontory high above the Ionian Sea, the iconic San Domenico Palace welcomes you to a 14th-century convent reimagined.

☆ Brad Pitt sells 60% of his Plan B production company to French media conglomerate Mediawan, sources say
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( Alex Sherman | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Brad Pitt is selling 60% of his production company, Plan B Entertainment, to French media conglomerate Mediawan in a deal that's set to be announced this weekend, according to people familiar with the matter. Neither Plan B nor Mediawan responded to requests for comment. For TV, Plan B's productions have included HBO's 2014 adaptation of "The Normal Heart," directed by Ryan Murphy, and Amazon Prime Video's 2021 miniseries "The Underground Railroad." Candle Media also acquired a minority stake in Westbrook Inc. — the production company founded by Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith – earlier this year. The boutique investment bank Moelis led the sale for Plan B.

☆ Millions of HBO Max users who subscribed through Amazon can do so again, a year after they were booted from the platform
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-06 | by ( Travis Clark | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

"It's important for us to own the customer," the former head of HBO Max, Andy Forssell, told Bloomberg in August 2021. HBO Max will cost $14.99 a month through Channels, the same price at which it is available to consumers via other distribution platforms. HBO and HBO Max had 67.5 million combined subscribers, as of a July 2021 earnings report. Discovery said during its most recent earnings report last month that HBO, HBO Max, and Discovery+ had a combined 95 million subscribers, but didn't break out the numbers by service. The company plans to merge HBO Max and Discovery+ into one streaming platform next year.

Discovery logo is displayed on a smartphone screen and in the background, the HBO Max and Discovery Plus logos. Warner Bros. Discovery executives are close to formalizing a new name and platform for its soon-to-be launched streaming service that will combine the preexisting HBO Max and Discovery+ services. HBO, Discovery, DC Comics and Warner Bros. will be among the landing hubs on the platform, the people added. The pricing of the combined streaming service is still being discussed, the people said.

☆ HBO layoffs, cuts, and 'ill will' over show cancellations have damaged its reputation among TV creators
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-29 | by ( Elaine Low | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

"I'm super, super nervous, because HBO has always been my favorite place to do business," said one TV agent. But concerns about new corporate leadership, layoffs, budget cuts, and the future of HBO Max — the streaming home of HBO — kept bubbling to the top. "I'm super, super nervous, because HBO has always been my favorite place to do business," one TV agent said. Aside from the 70 or so layoffs at HBO and HBO Max over the summer amid broader restructuring at WBD, creatives were troubled by the company's decision to pull existing TV shows and films from HBO Max. Read all of Insider's 2022 report here: 14 TV insiders rank the streamers where they want to sell shows: HBO is No.

☆ Bob Iger needs to fix Disney's 'Star Wars' problem
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-22 | by ( Travis Clark | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

He said then that a movie-a-year strategy for "Star Wars" was "too much, too fast." But Disney might have slammed on the brakes a little too hard: The only "Star Wars" movie to be released since then has been "Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker," in 2019. And now, there isn't a "Star Wars" film on the theatrical release calendar until 2025. It's unclear if Iger foresaw a six-year wait, at least, when he said back in 2018 that "Star Wars" movie output would slow. But Lucasfilm hasn't made any public commitment to any of them as the next stage of "Star Wars" on the big screen.

☆ HBO star Issa Rae recalls 'crippling' experience with credit card debt: 'I was their ideal target'
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-18 | by ( Nicolas Vega | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Issa Rae may have an eight-figure TV deal with WarnerMedia and a successful career in showbusiness, but as a college student she fell into credit card debt like so many Americans. "I was targeted by credit card companies when I was in college because I was their ideal target. "I got really, really wrapped up in credit card debt early on and it felt like it weighed on me. For Rae, the wake up call moment came after her aunt died, leaving behind an inheritance for her nieces and nephews. "It was meant to invest in our futures," Rae explains, "and it broke my heart, but I used that to get myself out of credit card debt."

☆ Self-made millionaire Barbara Corcoran shows off 'the best thing' in her closet—and it cost less than a penny
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-15 | by ( Tom Huddleston Jr. | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Hanging in my closet," Corcoran wrote in the caption for her Instagram post, quoting HBO's "Sex and the City." Real estate broker Barbara Corcoran may be a self-made millionaire , but that doesn't mean she can pass up a good deal. "The best thing" in her closet, Corcoran said in the video, is also the least expensive: a paper necklace bearing fake emeralds that cost her "two Lira" in Italy. It's unsurprising that a custom job would cost Corcoran even more. In her recent Instagram video, Corcoran didn't offer up the number of times she's worn the Lhuillier gown — but judging by her past criteria, it's safe to assume she plans to keep it in use.

☆ Warner Bros. Discovery layoffs, cuts, and 'ill will' over canceled shows have tarnished HBO with TV creators
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-14 | by ( Elaine Low | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

"I'm super, super nervous, because HBO has always been my favorite place to do business," said one TV agent. But concerns about new corporate leadership, layoffs, budget cuts, and the future of HBO Max — the streaming home of HBO — kept bubbling to the top. "I'm super, super nervous, because HBO has always been my favorite place to do business," one TV agent said. Even original series created just for the streamer, such as "Little Ellen," "Summer Camp Island," and "My Dinner with Hervé," were pulled. Read all of Insider's 2022 report here: 14 TV insiders rank the streamers where they want to sell shows: HBO is No.

Democratic US Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto is running against Republican Adam Laxalt in Nevada. Senate Chevron icon It indicates an expandable section or menu, or sometimes previous / next navigation options. RenoNorth Las Vegas MayorDemocratic Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto is locked in one of the nation's closest-watched Senate races in Nevada against Republican Adam Laxalt, a former state attorney general. If Cortez Masto manages to hold on, the GOP's path to 51 seats becomes even more perilous and Democrats' odds of retaining power in the Senate improve. The money raceAccording to OpenSecrets, Cortez Masto has raised $44 million, spent $39.1 million, and has roughly $5.1 million on hand, as of September 30.

☆ Before 'Succession,' Jeremy Strong spent years watching close friends like Jessica Chastain land starring roles while crashing in his grandpa's basement: 'I'd be lying if I said it wasn't difficult'
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-07 | by ( Eboni Boykin-Patterson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Jeremy Strong is the award-winning actor who plays Kendall Roy in HBO's 'Succession.' In an interview with The Times, Strong opened up about why he never gave up on acting. Now at age 43, Strong has had a successful turn as Kendall Roy on "Succession," earning him an Emmy — but his success was hard-won. In a recent interview with The Times, Strong said that in 2010, he was struggling to find work in LA. "I'd be lying if I said it wasn't difficult to see people I was close to getting work," Strong told The Times.

Warner Bros. Pictures, film subsidiary of Warner Bros. "We're spending more money this year than we've ever spent historically," Warner Bros Chief Executive David Zaslav told a conference call. Warner Bros posted a third-quarter loss of $2.3 billion, or 95 cents a share, which includes $1.5 billion in pre-tax restructuring charges. Warner Bros Discovery, home to hit franchises such as "Batman" and "Euphoria," added 2.8 million new streaming subscribers in the third quarter, bringing its total to 94.9 million. A merger of HBO Max and Discovery+ will debut on an accelerated timetable, in spring of 2023.

☆ Netflix CEO once handed out army berets to his execs in response to an insult from the former Time Warner boss, and it shows the rivalry between Netflix and HBO stretches over a decade
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-01 | by ( Travis Clark | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Former Time Warner CEO Jeffrey Bewkes implied Netflix was overrated in a 2010 interview. A new book about HBO reveals that Netflix CEO Reed Hastings took the comments in stride. "We didn't have the financial flexibility to make that commitment," former HBO CEO Richard Plepler told the book's authors, Gillette and Koblin. In other words, Netflix wanted to be more like HBO and HBO's corporate overlords wanted it to be more like Netflix. HBO's content chief, Casey Bloys, was recently elevated to CEO of HBO, HBO Max, and HBO Content.

☆ Amazon has been suspiciously quiet about 'The Rings of Power' viewership in the 2 weeks since the first season concluded
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-27 | by ( Steven Tweedie | Travis Clark | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Amazon has yet to share viewership numbers on its "Rings of Power" finale, weeks later. The show has yet to cross the vague 100 million viewers milestone it teased three weeks ago. Payne and Patrick McKay later noted that 12.6 million viewers watched the premiere in the US in the first four days. Still, Amazon said "Rings of Power" in its first two months has driven "more Prime signs-up globally than any other Amazon original." HBO said this week that "House of the Dragon" was averaging 29 million viewers per episode.

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