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☆ Critical Role's 8 co-founders say this is how they turned their 'Dungeons & Dragons' home game into an Amazon hit
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-25 | by ( Cheryl Teh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

'The Legend of Vox Machina' season 3's final batch of episodes dropped on Thursday. "The Legend of Vox Machina" has had three seasons of 12 episodes apiece so far. But it was based on a 115-episode-long "D&D" campaign, where each livestreamed episode clocked runtimes of three to four hours. "The Legend of Vox Machina" Prime Video animated series was based on Critical Role's first "D&D" campaign. Riegel told BI ahead of the third season's launch that the crew still has more stories to tell.

Persons: Vox, Sam Riegel, —, Matthew Mercer, Liam O'Brien, Marisha Ray, Travis Willingham —, Mercer, Vax'ildan, O'Brien, Ray, Percival de Rolo, Taliesin Jaffe, Jaffe, Riegel, Anna Webber, CR's, Ronin Willingham, Travis Willingham's, Willingham, Jon Kopaloff, Amazon Studios Riegel, Percival, " O'Brien, CR, hasn't, we're Organizations: Service, Business, CR, Getty, Amazon Studios, Prime Locations: Whitestone —

☆ Nerdworld powerhouse Critical Role's 8 cofounders are taking their show on the road for a multi-city international tour
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-21 | by ( Cheryl Teh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Critical Role is set to embark on a multi-city tour across the US and Australia in 2025. Ten years later, the crew behind "Critical Role" and the nerdworld business of the same name are taking their show on the road — for a multi-city tour. In 2023, they filled London's Wembley Arena and followed up with two other live shows in Los Angeles. "Embarking on a global journey to bring 'Critical Role' to the stage in brand new cities with our ragtag group of adventurers is nothing short of a dream," said Marisha Ray, cofounder and creative director at Critical Role. AdvertisementThe cast of Critical Role got famous playing "D&D" on Twitch, and now they're hitting the road for a multi-city tour.

Persons: —, Vox, Marisha Ray, Lavorre, CR's, Brennan Lee Mulligan, They'll, Travis Willingham, Willingham, Liam O'Brien, we've Organizations: Radio City Music Hall, Service, CR, Wembley, Chicago, Indianapolis, Gen Con, New York Comic Con, Hollywood Bowl, MGM, Garden Locations: Australia, Los Angeles, Chicago, Fishers, Indianapolis, Sydney, Melbourne, New York, New Jersey, York, Seattle, Las Vegas, South America, Singapore

☆ Critical Role CEO Travis Willingham says the crew's got an international wishlist of places to take their nerdworld business
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-10 | by ( Cheryl Teh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Advertisement"All of us know how important stories — and other people's stories — have been to us, personally," O'Brien told BI. In this week's release, Vox Machina battles a dragon (voiced by O'Brien) and contends with the demon Zerxus Ilerez. "Vex and Percy's relationship is one of my favorite things about Campaign One," Bailey told BI. AdvertisementEphraim Chua, 32, told BI he's excited to see how CR has adapted its main campaigns for the animated series. Willingham told BI that when it comes to CR's content, "there's a seat for everybody at the table."

Persons: Vox, CR's, Travis Willingham, —, Liam O'Brien, Marisha Ray, Ashley Johnson, O'Brien, we've, Willingham, they've, Brennan Lee Mulligan, Farez Najid, Farez, Matthew Mercer —, Laura Bailey, Taliesin, Vex'ahlia, Percy, Bailey, Ephraim Chua, Bhavna Vasnani, ✨, AlQnlSPC3C, Cheryl Teh, CR's Johnson Organizations: Service, they're, BI, London's Wembley, CR, playgroups, Prime Locations: Los Angeles, Singapore, South America, Australia, Madison, New York

☆ Amazon's big bet — Critical Role's breakout nerdworld animated series — is back for another wild season
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-01 | by ( Cheryl Teh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Amazon made a big bet on nerdworld when it decided to back Critical Role's animated series. The "Critical Role" fandom gave the crew more than $11.3 million to get to work, and they later secured Amazon's backing to take their pitch on at the Prime Video streaming platform. According to the sneak peek fans have gotten of the season, this season will also show how Keyleth falls deeper in love with O'Brien's Vax'ildan. There's more Amazon-backed animation work in the pipeline, CR's cofounders sayThe cast of Critical Role. Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images for Amazon StudiosCritical Role is also working on "Mighty Nein," another Amazon-backed animated series based on the team's second long-running "D&D" campaign.

Persons: —, Vox, They’ve, Vox Machina, Liam O'Brien, O'Brien, Keyleth —, Marisha Ray —, O'Brien's, It's, Ray, Jon Kopaloff, Matthew Mercer, Mercer — who's, We'll, Mercer, Laura Bailey, " Bailey Organizations: Amazon, Kickstarter, Service, CR, Business, Amazon Studios, Vox Locations: Los Angeles, Exandria

☆ Here's your first look at Critical Role's 'Moonward' — the nerdworld crew's big expansion into the podcasting business
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-24 | by ( Cheryl Teh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

"Moonward" will see CR's Marisha Ray and Liam O'Brien, embarking on a new adventure to a wrecked moon. "Moonward" is part of CR's renewed push into the world of podcasting and audio dramas. AdvertisementCritical Role's new expansion into the podcasting business is nearly here, accompanied by a brand-new trailer. As Business Insider reported on July 11, CR is bringing not one but two of its cofounders to this fresh storytelling venture, "Moonward." This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers.

Persons: Ray, Liam O'Brien, —, Marisha Ray Organizations: Service, Business, CR

☆ Critical Role is branching out further into the podcasting business and putting 2 heavyweight cast members on a new, experimental show
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-11 | by ( Cheryl Teh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

"Moonward" also stars two heavyweight CR cast members, in a renewed push into the podcasting business. download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . Now, they're looking to sink their teeth further into the podcasting business. Critical Role creative director Marisha Ray announced the miniseries on a livestream on Wednesday evening. Titled "Moonward," the four-part, stand-alone series is set in the world of "Midst," an experimental audio drama that Critical Role acquired in 2023.

Persons: —, Marisha Ray Organizations: Service, Business

☆ This overlooked obesity-drug stock has 80% upside, JPMorgan says
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-21 | by ( Matthew Fox | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Structure Therapeutics is an overlooked stock that could surge on the GLP-1 weight loss craze. "Meaningful upside from even a small piece of unprecedentedly large GLP-1 market," JPMorgan said. AdvertisementStructure Therapeutics is developing the drug candidate dubbed "1290," which is a "pure-play option" for the GLP-1 weight loss market, according to JPMorgan. JPMorgan said early results suggest the drug candidate offers "on par" weight loss results for patients with "no major concerns on safety." Advertisement"We think GPCR's market share in the oral market can approach 5% over time in an unprecedentedly large market.

Persons: —, Eli Lilly, Eli, orforglipron, Eli Lilly's Organizations: Therapeutics, JPMorgan, Service, Novo Nordisk, GLPP, Nasdaq

☆ Columbia's student radio station was the main source of information for the protests. Here's why that matters.
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-01 | by ( Katie Notopoulos | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Other press couldn't go on campus, so the student radio station was the only source of on-the-ground reporting. WKCR 89.9 FM, Columbia's student radio station, was broadcasting live from inside the campus about what was happening as the NYPD arrived. (I left messages for the radio station but didn't hear back — likely because the students are taking a well-deserved break, which they referenced in an X post . AdvertisementStudents at UChicago encampment gather in silence around a speaker for radio broadcast of WKCR 89.9, Columbia’s student station. The actual events on the Columbia campus on Tuesday night are, of course, more important than the fact that its radio station went viral.

Persons: —, z59RvDd0OV, alex, @w_o_t_m_8_, George Floyd, g7MEe2ehVA — Madeleine, @madeleinedupre, Hasan Piker, Elon Organizations: NYPD, Columbia University, Service, Columbia Daily Spectator, Twitter, Tech, Columbia Locations: Ferguson , Missouri, Columbia

☆ Biden administration investigating Change Healthcare cyberattack as disruptions continue
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-13 | by ( Ashley Capoot | In | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

The OCR enforces the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act's security, privacy and breach notification rules, which most health plans, providers and clearinghouses such as Change Healthcare are required to follow to protect health information. "OCR's investigation of Change Healthcare and UHG will focus on whether a breach of protected health information occurred and Change Healthcare's and UHG's compliance with the HIPAA Rules," the department said. Change Healthcare offers electronic prescription software and tools for payment and revenue cycle management. Parent company UnitedHealth discovered that a cyber threat actor breached part of the unit's information technology network on Feb. 21, according to a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. In late February, Change Healthcare said that ransomware group Blackcat was behind the attack.

Persons: UnitedHealth, Blackcat Organizations: U.S . Department of Health, Human Services, UnitedHealth Group, Healthcare, U.S, HHS, Civil Rights, Change Healthcare, U.S . Securities, Exchange Commission, CNBC, SEC, Department of Justice

☆ One New Yorker won $150,000 when she found out her landlord had been overcharging her. Now a bunch more tenants are using stabilization laws to get money back and pay cheaper rent.
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-28 | by ( Juliana Kaplan | Eliza Relman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +13 min

AdvertisementAs TikTok becomes the new town square for all things economic transparency, the latest target of populist ire is New York City landlords. Several videos that have recently gone viral show viewers how to look into their rent histories and call out examples of potentially illegal hikes. Wait times for rent histories are now at 20 business days, up from 10 in late January, as a result of "social media activity." Klenkar has made TikToks about her old apartment and rent histories and has had "lots" of people reach out with their own rent histories. More may be on their way as New Yorkers seem to be requesting their rent histories en masse.

Persons: they've, —, Danielle —, Danielle, TikTok, it's, There's, they're, Allia Mohamed, She's, Mohamed, They've, he's, Carla —, Carla, Thomas Trutschel, Anna Klenkar, Klenkar, I've, Gothamist, DHCR, overcharge, Esteban Girón, shouldn't, It's Organizations: New York, Tenants, Service, Business, BI, Yorkers, New, US, Division, Housing, Community, Rent Administration, Rent, New York State Homes, Community Renewal, Tenant Union, Tenants PAC, Directors Locations: New York State, Cobble Hill, Brooklyn , New York, York City, New York, New York City, New, Washington Heights, Manhattan, Long Island City, Lower, Side, backpay

☆ Ad industry veteran John Nardone and PE firm GTCR are hunting for acquisitions to build the next big adtech rollup
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-12 | by ( Lara O'Reilly | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A little over two years after selling adtech company Flashtalking to Mediaocean for $500 million , John Nardone is on the hunt for his next big adtech exit, he confirmed to Business Insider. Private equity firm GTCR is poised to be the financial sponsor on such a deal. Nardone intends to become CEO of the roll-up company and expects to bring on his own management team. Days before the agreement closed, "Vista swooped in and stole the deal," Nardone said. Before Flashtalking, Nardone sold the adtech company [x+1] to fellow adtech firm Rocket Fuel for around $230 million , and he helped take the digital marketing and research company Modem Media public.

Persons: John Nardone, Mediaocean, GTCR, Nardone, Innovid, — Innovid, Stephen Master, GTCR's Organizations: Business, Vista Equity Partners, Media Locations: Mediaocean, —

☆ Deportation drive sparks 'sense of panic' among Afghan refugees in Pakistan: UNHCR
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Islamabad last month announced it would expel over a million undocumented refugees, mostly Afghans, amid a row with Kabul over charges it harbours anti-Pakistan militants. Pakistan says documented refugees are exempt, but the U.N. High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) said even those with the right documents were being targeted. She reiterated that the return of Afghans should be voluntary and that Pakistan should identify vulnerable individuals who need international protection. Pakistan says harassment of documented refugees is rare and it is taking action against perpetrators. "With over six million people already internally displaced throughout the country, Afghans returning from Pakistan face a precarious, uncertain future," IOM said.

Persons: Philippa Candler, Philippa Candler's, Gibran Peshimam, Akhtar Soomro, Nick Macfie Organizations: National Database, Commission, Refugees, Organization for Migration, Thomson Locations: Karachi, Pakistan, KARACHI, Islamabad, Kabul, Geneva, Afghanistan, U.S

☆ Hispanic inclusion in corporate America lagged in 2022, new survey finds
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-09 | by ( Brandon Gomez | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Hispanic inclusion in corporate America lagged last year, particularly in three key areas — C-suite representation, talent development and supplier procurement — according to the Hispanic Association on Corporate Responsibility's 2023 Corporate Inclusion Index. The corporate advocacy group's annual report, which measures Hispanic inclusion in employment, procurement, governance and philanthropy, was provided exclusively to CNBC ahead of its wider release. While all companies that participated in the survey reported offering internship programs, only 13% of interns in 2022 identified as Hispanic. "One way of combatting issues related to Hispanic inclusion in corporate America is investments in internship programs as a way of attracting new employees," HACR noted in its report. While Hispanic inclusion lagged, HACR noted survey participation was up 12%, offering hope for future improvement.

Persons: Lisette Garcia, Garcia, isn't, HACR Organizations: America, Hispanic Association, Corporate, Bureau of Labor Statistics, CNBC, Fortune, Latinas, Companies, Comcast Locations: America, United States

That bill would have cut spending and imposed immigration and border security restrictions, Republican priorities that had little chance of passing the Democratic-majority Senate. "It's not the end yet; I've got other ideas," Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy told reporters following the defeat of a bill he had backed. Social Security payments themselves would continue. Lawmakers are not considering cuts to popular benefit programs such as Social Security and Medicare. Several hardliners have threatened to oust McCarthy from his leadership role if he passes a spending bill that requires any Democratic votes to pass, an outcome almost guaranteed given that any successful House bill must also pass the Senate, controlled by Democrats 51-49.

Persons: Kevin McCarthy, Jonathan Ernst, It's, I've, Joe Biden, Janet Yellen, creditworthiness, Biden, Mark Milley's, McCarthy, Hakeem Jeffries, Donald Trump, Biden's, Dan Crenshaw, Richard Neal, Moira Warburton, David Morgan, Scott Malone, Alistair Bell, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: Capitol, REUTERS, Rights, Republicans, U.S . House, Democratic, Republican, National Park Service, Securities and Exchange, Treasury, Social, Social Security, Democrats, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Washington , U.S, U.S, Mexico

☆ Congress is gearing up for a budget showdown. From funding for student-loan repayment to Social Security benefits, here's what's at stake.
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-05 | by ( Ayelet Sheffey | Juliana Kaplan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Already, President Joe Biden has asked for short-term funding to help keep key programs running and head off a potential federal closure. Well, the federal budget year closes out on September 30. AdvertisementAdvertisementRepublicans already have conditionsHouse Speaker Kevin McCarthy has reportedly told his party members that he believes it'll be necessary to pass some sort of short-term funding measure, according to MSNBC. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer similarly told MSNBC that he has met with McCarthy and the duo agreed to try and move forward with short-term funding. While the benefits would still flow, Americans relying on those programs would likely see processing delays and limited customer service.

Persons: Joe Biden, Kevin McCarthy, it'll, Chuck Schumer, McCarthy, GOPers, Donald Trump, Trump Organizations: Service, MSNBC, Republican, Justice Department, FBI, Social Security, SNAP, Management, Department of Agriculture, Assistance, Child Nutrition, Women, Children, Congressional Locations: Wall, Silicon, pare, Ukraine, Washington

☆ Security firm ADT's commercial unit to be taken private by GTCR for $1.6 bln
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

A security sign for ADT is seen outside a home in Port Washington, New York, September 30, 2014. REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton/File PhotoAug 8 (Reuters) - Home and small business security firm ADT (ADT.N) said on Tuesday it will sell its commercial security, fire and life safety unit to private equity firm GTCR for $1.6 billion. ADT expects to use the net proceeds of about $1.5 billion from the deal to cut debt. "This transaction is mutually beneficial for ADT and ADT Commercial, which will benefit from GTCR's support and expertise," ADT CEO Jim DeVries said. Reporting by Aishwarya Jain; Editing by Savio D'Souza and Arun KoyyurOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Shannon Stapleton, Jim DeVries, Aishwarya Jain, Savio D'Souza, Arun Koyyur Organizations: REUTERS, ADT, Thomson Locations: Port Washington , New York

☆ This under-the-radar Nvidia derivative play is up nearly 60% this week
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-27 | by ( Samantha Subin | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Investors on the hunt for under-the-radar ways to play the booming artificial intelligence theme may want to take a look at this Nvidia derivative play up nearly 60% this week. The company also shared above consensus third-quarter expectations and said it anticipates a recovery in bookings. While Craig-Hallum and Needham both said they believe Nvidia is the AI platform in question, Vicor CEO Patrizio Vinciarelli simply referred to the project as a "new generation" for an "existing customer" during an earnings call Tuesday. Needham also believes that the Vicor remarks may signal a relationship with Nvidia. It called company the "supplier of choice" for AI accelerator power management.

Persons: Craig, Hallum, Needham, Patrizio Vinciarelli, Richard Shannon, Vicor, — CNBC's Michael Bloom Organizations: Nvidia, Vicor Corporation, CNBC

☆ Payments processor FIS to sell stake in merchant unit to GTCR for $11.7 bln
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

July 6 (Reuters) - Fidelity National Information Services (FIS.N) is selling a majority stake in its merchant business to private equity firm GTCR, the payments processor said on Thursday, in a deal that will fetch $11.7 billion. The company built its merchant business through a $43-billion purchase of Worldpay in 2019. As part of the deal, the private equity has committed an additional investment of up to $1.25 billion in Worldpay. Reuters had earlier this week reported that GTCR was in advanced talks for a majority stake in the merchant business. Charles Drucker, former CEO of Worldpay, will lead the merchant business after the spinoff, FIS said.

Persons: GTCR, Charles Drucker, Niket Nishant, Manya, Arun Koyyur Organizations: Fidelity National Information Services, FIS, GTCR, Reuters, Manya Saini, Thomson Locations: Worldpay, Bengaluru

Worldpay comprises the bulk of the FIS merchant business, which processes payments for companies. GTCR's offer prevailed over Advent International, another buyout firm that was also vying for the business, the sources said. If the negotiations conclude successfully in the coming days, FIS plans to keep a minority stake in the business, the sources said. FIS, which started in 1968 and serves big financial services corporations, has cut thousands of jobs since the review began. Chicago-based GTCR manages more than $35 billion in assets and invests across sectors, including financial services.

Persons: GTCR, Johnson, Kellogg, Shaw, Jana, Anirban Sen, David French, Milana, Greg Roumeliotis, Richard Chang Organizations: YORK, GTCR, Fidelity National Information Services, FIS, International, Financial Times, General Electric Co, Toshiba Corp, Jana Partners, Reuters, Black Knight Inc, Global, Service, Thomson Locations: Worldpay, Jacksonville , Florida, Chicago, New York

[1/3] Smoke rises above buildings after an aerial bombardment, during clashes between the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces and the army in Khartoum North, Sudan, May 1, 2023. "It's been four days without electricity and our situation is difficult," said 48-year-old Othman Hassan from the southern outskirts of the city. Despite multiple ceasefire declarations, the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) appeared to be fighting for territory ahead of proposed talks. The army and RSF, which had shared power after a coup in 2021, have accused each other of breaching a string of truces. The U.N. has pressed the warring sides to guarantee safe passage of aid after six of its trucks were looted.

☆ Young Afghan women train as midwives for out-of-reach villages
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-07 | by ( Jeremy Schultz | ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

A mother holds her child as she rests in her arms, while women line up outside of a doctor's room, at a hospital in Bamiyan, Afghanistan. "When the roads are blocked of course there are no means of transportation, people even use donkeys to move the...moreA mother holds her child as she rests in her arms, while women line up outside of a doctor's room, at a hospital in Bamiyan, Afghanistan. "These students can help in each village, in each district with deliveries." Picture taken March 2, 2023. REUTERS/Ali KharaClose

☆ Aurizon to sell ECR unit for $285 mln to ease competition concerns
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Dec 16 (Reuters) - Aurizon Holdings (AZJ.AX), Australia's largest rail freight operator, said on Friday it will sell its East Coast Rail (ECR) business to Magnetic Rail Group for A$425 million ($284.71 million) in cash. The ORA deal is expected to help Aurizon diversify from coal and add bulk capacity, aiding its transition to greener energy. "The (ECR) sale provides the best outcome for Aurizon and its shareholders, delivering a strong sale price and certainty in completing the divestment," said Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer Andrew Harding. In October, a consortium including private equity firms Oaktree Capital Management and Brookfield bid for Aurizon's ECR operations. read moreSales proceeds from the ECR deal will be used to reduce Aurizon's debt, while Magnetic Rail Group will assume ECR's existing debt.

☆ Morgan Stanley downgrades payments company NCR, says investors need clarity after split announcement
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-19 | by ( Sarah Min | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Investors should stay on the sidelines for now when it comes to payments company NCR , according to Morgan Stanley. "Our analysis of past spin-offs shows little-to-no outperformance is realized during the period from spin announcement to the separation date, and in many cases, spin-offs have failed to create value long-term post-spin," Woodring wrote. We are less convinced on this front," the analyst wrote. The analyst cut his price target to $27 from $38. The new price target represents about 16.4% upside from Friday's closing price of $23.20 per share.

☆ Stocks making the biggest moves midday: FedEx, Adobe, Boeing and more
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-16 | by ( Alex Harring | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

FedEx received its first five of an order of 500 electric Light Commercial Vehicles (eLCVs) from BrightDrop. Snowflake - Shares of the cloud computing company dropped more than 6% as growth stocks led Friday's sell-off. The decline came even as Needham initiated coverage of Snowflake with a buy rating, as the Wall Street firm sees potential new uses for its platform. Adobe – Adobe's stock built on Thursday's declines, sinking just over 3% after a slew of downgrades from Wall Street analysts. Bank of America downgraded the technology stock to neutral as it awaits further clarity on Adobe's Figma acquisition.

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