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☆ US tech groups back TikTok in challenge to Montana state ban
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-08 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Mike Blake/File PhotoWASHINGTON, Aug 7 (Reuters) - Two tech groups on Monday backed TikTok in its lawsuit seeking to block enforcement of a Montana state ban on use of the short video sharing app before it takes effect on Jan. 1. TikTok, which is owned by Chinese tech giant ByteDance, filed a suit in May seeking to block the first-of-its-kind U.S. state ban, arguing it violates the First Amendment free speech rights of the company and users. TikTok says it "has not shared, and would not share, U.S. user data with the Chinese government, and has taken substantial measures to protect the privacy and security of TikTok users." The law does not impose penalties on individual TikTok users. TikTok estimates 380,000 people in Montana use the video service, or more than a third of the state's 1.1 million people.

Persons: Mike Blake, TikTok, Donald Trump, David Shepardson, Muralikumar Anantharaman, Edwina Gibbs Organizations: REUTERS, Thomson Locations: U.S, Culver City , California, Montana

☆ $1.4 Million Homes in California
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-24 | by ( Angela Serratore | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The property is a few blocks from a branch of Roscoe’s House of Chicken and Waffles, a beloved Southern California chain restaurant, and from a bookstore that sells Spanish-language children’s literature. Culver City is 15 minutes away by bus. The University of Southern California campus is a 15-minute drive. Los Angeles International Airport is about a half-hour away. Size: 2,312 square feetPrice per square foot: $605Indoors: A paved path leads from the sidewalk to the covered front porch, which is wrapped in ivy and private enough to use as an outdoor sitting room.

Organizations: Culver City, The University of Southern, Los Angeles International Locations: Los Angeles, Spanish, Mid City, West Adams, Koreatown, Southern California, Culver, The University of Southern California, Saltillo

☆ They don’t act or write, but the Hollywood strikes are putting them out of work
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-22 | by ( Natasha Chen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Elyea, and other small business owners have told CNN about the various ways they’re getting through the dry spell: cutting hours, laying off staff, or temporarily closing their doors. And you know, don’t be buying cars having to make big car payments, and don’t be making big plans with money you don’t have,” she told them. “I know I can get through it, but it takes years to recover,” Levelle told CNN in early July. Natalia Lopez told CNN in June that without her $20.74 per hour wage, she had shifted her grocery list to just basics, like rice and beans. Cendejas told CNN the studios should recognize the people essential at every level to get the work done.

Persons: Los Angeles CNN —, Milken, Remy De La Mora, Patrick Gallagher, Oppenheimer, Pam, Pam Elyea, she’s, ” Elyea, don’t, Pam Elyea Elyea, She’s, “, Elyea’s, Corri Levelle, Sandy Rose Floral, Natasha Chen, CNN Corri Levelle, ” Levelle, ”, Natalia Lopez, Lopez, Yolanda Cendejas, Cendejas, ” Yolanda Cendejas, CNN Cendejas, ” Cendejas, Chester Massetti, Victor Jr’s, you’re, ” Massetti, Massetti, Rosie Blosser, ” Blosser, Blosser Organizations: Los Angeles CNN, Hollywood, Writers Guild of America, SAG, Global, Hire, CNN, WGA, Sandy, SEIU United Service Workers, SEIU, Sony Studios, Amazon Studios, Paramount Studios, Culver City, Warner Bros, Washington, Apple, Warner Bros . Locations: North Hollywood, Los Angeles, Culver City, Culver, Burbank , CA

☆ A Year of Upheaval on Abortion’s Front Lines
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-20 | by ( Kate Kelly | Marisa Schwartz Taylor | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +14 min

Erica’s pilots that day were volunteers with Elevated Access, a nonprofit set up last year to help people obtain abortions, often across state lines. In North Carolina, an anti-abortion, church-backed pregnancy center called Mountain Area Pregnancy Services confronted a harassment incident. Before Dobbs, the group’s abortion services operated on a budget of $20,000 per month. But the dearth of pharmacies willing to offer abortion medication meant that Honeybee soon became the main provider of the online-ordered, home-delivered pills. Abortion medication — which now accounts for more than half of abortions in the United States — produces roughly 40 percent of Honeybee’s revenue.

Persons: Wade, Health “, ”, Maren Hurley, Hey Jane, Jenice Fountain, Julia Rendleman, The New York Times Erica, ” Erica, Erica, Andy, “, Gabriela Bhaskar, Dobbs, Kelsea McLain, Roe, —, McLain, Yellowhammer, Fountain, Mike Belleme, Court’s Dobbs, Jeff Porter, Porter, ” Michelle Fenton, Ms, Fenton, Sharon Chischilly, Paddy, Rachael Lorenzo, Tracy Nguyen, Honeybee, Jessica Nouhavandi, Nouhavandi Organizations: Jackson, Health, Private, Yellowhammer Fund, The New York Times, Maryland —, D.C, Cessna, Fund, Birmingham, Pregnancy Services, The New York, Services, The New York Times Indigenous, Roe, Los Angeles Locations: Dobbs v, North Carolina, Hurley’s, Alabama, Louisiana, America, Minnesota, Twin Cities, Illinois, Maryland, Washington, Wisconsin, Birmingham, Ala, Asheville, N.C, Waynesville, New Mexico, Oklahoma , Texas, North Dakota, South Dakota, Culver City, Calif, Roe United States, United States

☆ TikTok is offering creators $1,000 cash incentives and other rewards as it looks to bolster its e-commerce program
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-20 | by ( Dan Whateley | Marta Biino | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

TikTok is offering a slew of cash bonuses and rewards to creators that use its new shopping feature. The conversation centered around how to formalize the role of "TikTok Shop creator" as a new category of influencer, akin to a sports or food personality, Jayy said. "I'm thinking about marketing myself as a TikTok Shop creator," she said. In another instance, they were offered $1,000 in cash for generating at least $3,000 in Shop sales via a video. "Most of the people don't have the support or the knowledge to even be these TikTok Shop creators that TikTok wants them to be."

Persons: Sharon Jayy, Jayy, it's, TikTok, influencers, It's, Ross Hawthorne, Nadia Lynn Garcia, Maryam Malik, Lissette, Shayna Farnan, she's, Malik, Lauren Mabra, Mabra, Pinterest, Farnan Organizations: TikTok, Real Quick Media, Meta, Facebook, YouTube, Financial Times, TikTok Shop Locations: Culver City , California, China, London

☆ TikTok is luring creators into its Shop program with office visits, private chat groups, and cold hard cash
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-19 | by ( Dan Whateley | Marta Biino | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

The conversation centered around how to formalize the role of "TikTok Shop creator" as a new category of influencer, akin to a sports or food personality, Jayy said. "I'm thinking about marketing myself as a TikTok Shop creator," she said. In another instance, they were offered $1,000 in cash for generating at least $3,000 in Shop sales via a video. On the right, a screenshot of what a creator sees on the backend when using TikTok Shop as an affiliate. "Most of the people don't have the support or the knowledge to even be these TikTok Shop creators that TikTok wants them to be."

☆ Amazon’s Freevee Embraces the Judy-Verse
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-16 | by ( Brooks Barnes | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

In 2021, Judge Judith Sheindlin, the razor-tongued court show star, decamped from the dying medium of daytime broadcast syndication and joined Amazon for a streaming-era experiment. Fewer people were watching traditional daytime television, including programs like “Judge Judy.” Was it because they were tired of the content? To find out, the company hired Judge Sheindlin to produce and star in a new court show, “Judy Justice,” and made it available on Freevee, a little-known, free streaming service supported by advertising. “It was a risk,” Judge Sheindlin recalled over lunch this month, “but one that intrigued me.”“Judy Justice” quickly became Freevee’s No. As she builds a mini empire at Amazon, Judge Sheindlin is also adding to what has become known as the Nepo-Verse.

Persons: Judith Sheindlin, Judy, ”, Judge Sheindlin, “ Judy Justice, ” “ Judy Justice ”, Sheindlin Organizations: Amazon, Amazon Studios, Marvel, New York Locations: Culver City, Calif, Amazon, Hollywood

☆ Janitors who lost jobs during WGA strike join picket line
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-15 | by ( Natasha Chen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Several hundred janitors marched to join writers on the picket line outside Sony Pictures and Amazon Studios Thursday, as some custodial staff have lost their jobs while productions are halted. The union did not have an estimate for impacts on custodial workers in other major filming hubs like Georgia and New York. “Several businesses anecdotally already started cutting staff,” Klowden said. “Then does it become permanent?”Klowden noted the dry cleaners, caterers, “Star Wagons,” restaurants, and custodial staff. The Motion Picture Association told CNN that in 2021, the film and TV industry supported 822,000 direct jobs, while supporting a total of 2.4 million jobs.

Persons: Natalia Lopez, “, We’re, ” Lopez, it’s, ”, David Huerta, Rebekah Kohler, they’ve, aren’t, Stagehand Amanda Winter, “ Janitors, they’re, ” Winter, Kevin Klowden, Klowden, ” Klowden Organizations: CNN, Sony Pictures, Amazon Studios, SEIU United Service Workers, Paramount Studios, SAG, SEIU, Netflix, Warner Brothers Discovery, WGA, Milken Institute, Association Locations: Los Angeles, Georgia, New York, Culver City, Hollywood, California

It’s called “For a 30-Year-Old Virgin, It’s Now or Never.”The candles were lit. As we looked over the menu, he mentioned that he didn’t know what a poached egg was. And I didn’t want to die a virgin. Given how things turned out, am I upset that I lost my virginity in a rush to a guy who didn’t matter? Being a 30-year-old virgin is not normal.

Persons: I’ve, I’m Anna Martin, ” Clare Almand, hadn’t, Here’s Clare, It’s, “ I’ve, ”, gaunt, Missy Elliott’s, bloomer, it’s, pining, OkCupid, cardiologists, oregano, who’s Organizations: New York Times Locations: Los Angeles, Culver City, Brussels

☆ TikTok Bans Are Crimping State Travel Marketers
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Patrick Coffee | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The TikTok office building in Culver City, Calif. TikTok has become a major player in travel marketing, but restrictions are limiting its use among state tourism agencies. Photo: MIKE BLAKE/REUTERSTikTok, the wildly popular ByteDance-owned short-video app, became a major conduit for travel and tourism marketing during the pandemic as more people began using it to plan long-postponed vacations. But a wave of state-level orders and bills banning TikTok on government-issued devices because of national-security concerns—along with the Biden administration’s threat to pass a nationwide ban—has clouded the plans of many so-called destination marketing organizations that have come to rely on it.

☆ 'Hey Netflix! You broke it — now fix it': On the picket lines with Hollywood writers as they bring signs, slogans, and sunscreen to their fight against the studios for 'as long as it takes'
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( Reed Alexander | Alison Brower | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +12 min

A writers' strike has been underway since overnight Monday. Thousands of Hollywood writers have fanned out across the streets of Los Angeles since early Tuesday afternoon, waving signs and chanting to demonstrate their resolve. Insider spoke with eight WGA members who are picketing or contributing to the work stoppage in other ways. Are you a member of the Writers Guild of America or do you work in the entertainment industry? How is the writers' strike impacting you?

☆ Whole Foods suddenly closed a San Francisco store just a year after opening it
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-11 | by ( Alex Bitter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Whole Foods is closing its flagship store in San Francisco just over a year after it opened. Retailers like Walgreens have previously cited increased crime for stores closing in the city. The grocery store's last day open was Monday, The San Francisco Standard reported. Other retailers have cited crime as the reason for closing locations in San Francisco. Downtown San Francisco also hasn't been as busy since the start of the pandemic, the Standard reported.

☆ Savvy Games to acquire gaming company Scopely for $4.9 bln
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

April 5 (Reuters) - Savvy Games Group, wholly owned by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF), has agreed to acquire Scopely, a maker of mobile games based in Culver City, California, for $4.9 billion, the companies said on Wednesday. Scopely, founded in 2011, will become an autonomous operation under the Savvy umbrella, they said in a statement, noting the deal will "strengthen Savvy's global position" and enable Scopely to accelerate growth. Last year, state news agency SPA said Savvy would invest 142 billion riyals ($37.85 billion) in initiatives aimed at making the kingdom a global hub for gaming. In February, Savvy bought a $265 million stake in the Chinese E-sports company VSPO backed by Tencent Holdings Ltd (0700.HK). ($1 = 3.7513 riyals)Reporting by Rishabh Jaiswal in Bengaluru; Editing by Richard ChangOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ TikTok's potential U.S. ban presents host of questions for app stores, internet companies and the government
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-17 | by ( Lauren Feiner | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

The TikTok logo is displayed outside TikTok social media app company offices in Culver City, California, on March 16, 2023. related investing news What a potential TikTok ban could mean for Club holding Meta Platforms It's not an issue yet, as there are still some ways a TikTok ban could be avoided or accessed legally in the U.S. Should the U.S. ban TikTok, the mechanics on what happens from there get murky. And the app stores controlled by Apple and Google are the primary places for consumers to download the TikTok app. Under Chinese law, companies can be required to hand over internal information to the government for supposed national security purposes.

☆ U.S. Threatens to Ban TikTok if Chinese Founder Doesn’t Sell Ownership Stake
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-16 | by ( John D. Mckinnon | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

TikTok, which has an office in Culver City, Calif., says its $1.5 billion security plan would essentially wall off its U.S. operations, with all data being stored in the U.S.WASHINGTON—The Biden administration is demanding that TikTok’s Chinese owners sell their stakes in the video-sharing app or face a possible U.S. ban of the app, according to people familiar with the matter. The move represents a major shift in policy on the part of the administration, which has been under fire from some Republicans who say it hasn’t taken a tough enough stance to address the perceived security threat from TikTok, owned by Beijing-based ByteDance Ltd.

☆ Some School Districts Are Eliminating Honors Classes. Many Parents Aren’t Happy.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-14 | by ( Sara Randazzo | Photographs Lauren Justice For The Wall Street Journal | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Since the start of this school year, freshmen and sophomores in Culver City have only been able to select one level of English class, known as College Prep, rather than the previous system in which anyone could opt into the honors class. Elena Frigola is an 11th-grade student in Culver City, Calif.

Police officers involved in the deaths have become an intense focus of investigation, protest, and media coverage. Despite being at the heart of some of the most defining incidents in modern policing, most of the officers involved continue to live their lives under the radar. Insider's review of 72 cops involved in two dozen of the most notorious police killings of the past 30 years shows the many different paths officers have taken. There's no nationwide view into what happens to officers involved in egregious incidents of violence. In rare cases, cops involved in these killings have tried to publicly rehabilitate their image rather than seek out anonymity.

☆ To Increase Equity, School Districts Eliminate Honors Classes
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-17 | by ( Sara Randazzo | Photographs Lauren Justice For The Wall Street Journal | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

CULVER CITY, Calif.—A group of parents stepped to the lectern Tuesday night at a school board meeting in this middle-class, Los Angeles-area city to push back against a racial-equity initiative. The high school, they argued, should reinstate honors English classes that were eliminated because they didn’t enroll enough Black and Latino students. The district earlier this school year replaced the honors classes at Culver City High School with uniform courses that officials say will ensure students of all races receive an equal, rigorous education.

☆ 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.

☆ TikTok’s Transparency Campaign Echoes Effort by Huawei to Ease Security Concerns
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-02 | by ( Georgia Wells | Stu Woo | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

CULVER CITY, Calif.—TikTok is trying to win Washington’s trust with a playbook recalling the unsuccessful strategy that another Chinese-owned company, Huawei Technologies Co., took in the U.S. and swaths of Europe. As part of its push to demonstrate openness to U.S. authorities, TikTok this week gave journalists a tour of what it calls its Transparency and Accountability Center. In an office park in this city next to Los Angeles, screens explained how TikTok moderates and recommends the short-form videos on its app.

☆ Bed Bath & Beyond just missed another debt payment. See the full list of stores it will close, including Harmon and Buybuy Baby locations.
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-02 | by ( Avery Hartmans | Dominick Reuter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +20 min

In addition to 87 more Bed Bath & Beyond stores, the company now says it will close all of its remaining Harmon health and beauty stores, and five Buybuy Baby stores. San Leandro: 15555 East 14th St., Suite 24015555 East 14th St., Suite 240 Burbank: 201 East Magnolia Blvd. Marina: 117 General Stilwell Drive117 General Stilwell Drive Vallejo: 105 Plaza Drive, Suite 107105 Plaza Drive, Suite 107 * Palm Desert: 72459 Highway 11172459 Highway 111 * Visalia: 3125 South Mooney Blvd. Arterial * Coralville: 2515 Corridor Way Suite 5Kansas:Lawrence: 3106 S. Iowa St., Suite 2153106 S. Iowa St., Suite 215 Manhattan: 425 3rd Place425 3rd Place * Olathe: 15335 W. 119th St.Kentucky:Elizabethtown: 1998 N. Dixie Ave.1998 N. Dixie Ave. New Hartford: 4805 Commercial Drive4805 Commercial Drive Kingston: 1187 Ulster Ave.1187 Ulster Ave. Plattsburgh: 73 Centre Drive, Suite 10073 Centre Drive, Suite 100 Farmingdale: 251 Airport Plaza Blvd.

LOS ANGELES, Jan 25 (Reuters) - "Naatu Naatu", the standout song in the Indian period film "RRR," has won a Golden Globe and a Critics Choice Award, garnered hundreds of millions of views on YouTube and spawned a TikTok challenge. Keeravani, songwriter of ''Naatu Naatu'' from the movie ''RRR'', which is nominated for best original song at the Oscars, poses for a portrait at the Reuters office in Culver City, California, U.S. January 13, 2023. "Naatu Naatu" and Keeravani are competing with some big household names in the best song category, including Lady Gaga's "Hold My Hand" from "Top Gun: Maverick" and Rihanna's "Lift Me Up" from "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever". In the action-Bollywood epic directed by S.S. Rajamouli, "Naatu Naatu" begins when the two leads, played by Ram Charan and N.T. Rahman won the Oscar for the Hindi song “Jai-Ho,” but that was for the U.S.-British production of “Slumdog Millionaire,” which was set in India.

To identify the most important VCs in LA, Insider surveyed more than 75 local investors. Nearly 4,000 venture-backed startups hoping to be the next household-name company called LA home in 2022, according to Telstra Ventures. VCs closed 1,311 deals in LA worth $23 billion in 2022, trailing only the Bay Area and New York, according to PitchBook. To identify the most important VCs in LA, Insider surveyed more than 75 local investors and sought input from its editorial team. Here are 2023's most important VCs in LA, organized alphabetically by the investor's first name.

☆ Tesla breaks into America's bestselling cars list for 2022, but trucks still dominate
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-07 | by ( Michael Wayland | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

A Tesla Model Y on display inside a Tesla store at the Westfield Culver City shopping mall in Culver City, California, U.S., on Thursday, April 14, 2022. Tesla does not report regional or individual vehicle sales, so the data is estimated. Overall, Tesla reported delivering about 1.25 million Model Y and Model 3 vehicles globally in 2022. "The brand, despite all the news and stuff, still dominates the EV market and it dominates the luxury market. A lot of that strength comes from the Model Y."

☆ 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.

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