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☆ Meet the real-life manager of the luxury hotel in Sicily where 'The White Lotus' was filmed, with rooms starting at $2,000 a night
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-09 | by ( Hannah Towey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Lorenzo Maraviglia is the general manager of the hotel where "The White Lotus" Season 2 was filmed. He told Insider what the show gets right about his job and where it embellishes reality. That's because the renovated 14th-century convent overlooking the Ionian Sea was the central filming location of the hit-TV drama — and it's all hotel guests want to talk about. "It's funny because in "The White Lotus," Jennifer Coolidge gets killed on the cruise — so I don't know how inspiring that can be." Sabrina Impacciatore plays the hotel manager Valentina in "The White Lotus" season 2.

☆ Blockbuster pushed HBO to start investing in original content, cable giant's ex-chief says
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( Alex Sherman | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

What's less known is it was also the catalyst for HBO's pivot toward original programming, according to former HBO and Time Warner CEO Jeff Bewkes. HBO, at the time led by Michael Fuchs, decided the answer was original programming. Source: HBO | YouTubeEven after "The Sopranos" debuted, HBO still faced a dilemma over how much to invest in original shows. HBO's TV schedule was always shifting, based on the length of feature films. Had HBO's early investments in original programming not hit, Bewkes acknowledged he's not sure what HBO would have done to fight off Blockbuster.

☆ Rupert Murdoch's engagement to former model and conservative radio host is called off just two weeks after he announced it
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-04 | by ( Samantha Delouya | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Rupert Murdoch is no longer engaged to former model and conservative radio host Ann Lesley Smith. Murdoch, who owns Fox News and The Wall Street Journal, has been married four times in the past. Rupert Murdoch, the 92-year-old media mogul whose portfolio includes Fox News, The Wall Street Journal, and the New York Post, is no longer engaged to Ann Lesley Smith. Murdoch and Smith, a 66-year-old former model and conservative radio talk show host, had announced their plans to wed just two weeks ago. I'm happy," Murdoch told the New York Post about their engagement last month.

☆ I advise real-life 'Logan Roys' — here's where the 'Succession' CEO went wrong and the game plan I would've given him instead
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-02 | by ( Daniel Scott | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

The series highlights how a prenuptial agreement and succession plan can protect your company. You absolutely need a succession plan for your businessOkay, if there were a succession plan, then there probably wouldn't be a show. A succession plan ensures a smooth transition upon a CEO's resignation, death, or incapacity and helps avoid the risks of lost revenue, decreased productivity, or a damaged reputation. Money does not buy happinessI don't know about you, but I do not desire to be a member of the Roy family. We don't know why Logan Roy created Waystar Royco or what the company's mission is.

☆ Banks' internship and analyst programs could be in flux, and that might spell bad news for senior dealmakers
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-27 | by ( Dan Defrancesco | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

But before we get started, First Citizens BancShares has agreed to buy Silicon Valley Bank, according to a statement from the FDIC. Some of the ripples from the fall of Silicon Valley Bank have felt particularly significant (Credit Suisse bankers nod ominously). Some banks had to even break a cardinal rule of Wall Street: Turn away business. Click here to read more about how college students are feeling on edge about their upcoming Wall Street jobs and internships. You don't necessarily need seven-figures in assets to call it quits, per The Wall Street Journal.

☆ The notion of 'fake work' or coasting in the tech industry has a long history, but experts say it's just an 'excuse for bad management'
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-26 | by ( Grace Kay | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Tech workers have been accused of "coasting," as well as "resting and vesting" in the past. Experts said the notion of fake work is part of a larger issue in the industry and often an excuse. People have long accused tech workers of failing to pull their weight — they've just had different names for it over the years. These claims are shedding light on larger management issues and internal problems within major tech companies, experts told Insider. And while some experts say a certain level of "fake work" is a natural part of the boom-and-bust cycle in tech, not all agree.

☆ Gen Zers are basing their travel plans on where TV shows like 'The White Lotus' are set
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-24 | by ( Grace Dean | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Gen Zers and millennials are turning to movies and TV shows for travel inspiration in a trend dubbed set-jetting. This includes a boom in bookings for the hotels in Hawaii and Italy "The White Lotus" was filmed at. In particular, travelers have been scrambling to visit the resorts where the first two seasons of HBO's hit "The White Lotus" were set. When season one was broadcast, web traffic to the Four Seasons Maui resort increased 425% year-over-year, Four Seasons told Bloomberg. To visit the Taormina hotel for a week in July, many of the lower-priced options have already sold out and two-person rooms start at around $3,500 per night.

☆ How HBO's content chief plans to grow the audience for Warner Bros. Discovery's new mega-streamer with DC and Warner Bros. shows
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-01 | by ( Lucia Moses | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

HBO's Casey Bloys revealed his content strategy on "The Watch" podcast and in a talk with Parrot Analytics. Bloys also shared what's ahead for HBO Max once it combines with Warner Bros. Despite economic pressures on streaming, he's not worried that HBO content will suffer. "Euphoria" is second only to "Game of Thrones" in most-viewed HBO shows, but Bloys was hesitant at first to develop its hit 2022 prequel "House of the Dragon," he told "The Watch." And he pointed to more Batman spinoffs like "The Penguin" that's coming to HBO Max and will star Colin Farrell.

☆ The bright orange Aperol spritz cocktail mystified some Redditors after appearing on 'The White Lotus.' Now the maker of Aperol says the show has boosted US sales.
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-23 | by ( Mary Hanbury | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The Italian cocktail, Aperol Spritz, appeared multiple times on HBO's "White Lotus" series. According to Campari, the maker of Aperol, the apéritif is gaining market share in the US, in part because of its repeated appearances in "The White Lotus." Aperol Spritz has often been seen as a divisive drink. Aperol sales, which account for 22% of Campari's total portfolio, grew by nearly 50% in the US in 2022. Campari isn't the only business to see a boost from what has been dubbed as "The White Lotus" effect.

☆ 'The Last of Us' is based on real science: A fungus pandemic is unlikely, but not impossible
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-16 | by ( Morgan Mcfall-Johnsen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

"The Last of Us" on HBO Max depicts a zombie apocalypse caused by a fungus pandemic. Here's the science fact and fiction behind the show, and the possibility of a fungal pandemic. The new scenario, first realized in the video game that the show is based on, is making viewers wonder whether a fungus pandemic can happen in real life. "A fungal pandemic is definitely possible," Norman Van Rhijn, a mycologist researching fungal infections at the University of Manchester, told Insider in an email. Still, fungal infections are on the rise worldwide, and researchers are concerned that more and more people are at risk.

☆ 'Ant-Man and the Wasp in Quantumania' reviews: The villain is good, but the movie is bad
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-15 | by ( Sarah Whitten | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

DisneyAre the pint-sized heroes of Disney's "Ant-Man and the Wasp in Quantumania" enough to take on the newest — and baddest — villain of the Marvel Cinematic Universe? Marvel Studios' "Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania." "Ant-Man and the Wasp in Quantumania" held a 53% "rotten" rating from 148 reviews, as of Wednesday afternoon. "Sometimes the weight of all this responsibility causes 'Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania' ... to buckle at the knees," O'Sullivan wrote. Hope Van Dyne (Evangeline Lilly) and Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) in "Ant-Man and The Wasp in Quantumania."

☆ HBO's content chief reveals plans to build audiences for HBO Max and Warner Bros. Discovery's new mega-streamer with DC and Warner Bros. shows
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-14 | by ( Lucia Moses | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

HBO's Casey Bloys revealed his content strategy on "The Watch" podcast and in a talk with Parrot Analytics. Bloys also shared what's ahead for HBO Max once it combines with Warner Bros. Despite economic pressures on streaming, he's not worried that HBO content will suffer. And even after Bloys took on oversight of HBO Max Originals in 2020, "The idea is to do things that are not necessarily for HBO," he told "The Watch." And he pointed to more Batman spinoffs like "The Penguin" that's coming to HBO Max and will star Colin Farrell.

☆ Fungal infections are becoming more common. Why isn't there a vaccine?
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-10 | by ( Berkeley Lovelace Jr. | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Ritesh Shukla | Getty ImagesFungal infections are becoming more common in the United States, but unlike illnesses caused by bacteria or viruses, there's no vaccine to protect against a fungal threat. Fungi cause a wide range of illnesses in people, from irritating athlete's foot to life-threatening bloodstream infections. In the U.S., fungal infections are responsible for more than 75,000 hospitalizations and nearly 9 million outpatient visits each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Despite the growing threat, there are currently no licensed vaccines — in the U.S. or abroad — to prevent fungal infections. Fatal fungal infectionsNorris said that the ultimate goal would be to develop a single vaccine that protects against all fungal infections.

☆ 'The Last of Us' is a critically acclaimed show based on the hit video game series — here's how to stream new episodes of the HBO drama
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-09 | by ( Jordan Williams | Freelance Writer | Read More | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

"The Last of Us" premiered January 15 exclusively on HBO and HBO Max. The series is an adaptation of the 2013 post-apocalyptic video game of the same name. The series is based on the critically acclaimed post-apocalyptic video game series of the same name. How to watch 'The Last of Us'You can watch "The Last of Us" exclusively on HBO and HBO Max. Critics praise the HBO series' deep dive into the game's story, the cast's performances, and the writing.

☆ How the end of Netflix password sharing will change the way families watch, especially the ones with college-age children
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-04 | by ( Tim Mullaney | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Back in 2014, allowing people to share passwords was a "terrific marketing vehicle for the next generation of viewers," Plepler once told BuzzFeed. And yes, it looks like the crackdown may include families who share passwords with kids who are away at college. Even two analysts who follow Netflix acknowledged that their college-aged children are piggybacking on the family Netflix account for now. The company's terms of use require people to live at the same location to share a password. The company's terms of use already require customers to agree to Netflix tracking this information in order to deliver the service.

☆ The response to HBO's 'The Last of Us' shows homophobia is still a major issue in gaming
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-04 | by ( Travis Clark | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Homophobia has long been an issue in the gaming community and larger fandoms. HBO's series is based on the 2013 video game of the same name and is set 20 years after a fungal pandemic leaves the world in ruins. Sunday's episode, titled "Long, Long Time," depicts a gay romance between Bill, played by Nick Offerman, and Frank, played by Murray Bartlett. Echoes of "gamergate" could be seen in criticism against "The Last of Us Part II," the 2020 video game sequel, in which Ellie's sexuality is further explored. On Metacritic, it has a 5.8 user score, while the first game received a 9.2 user rating.

☆ HBO's 'The Last of Us' co-creator Craig Mazin on adapting the video game for hit series
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-03 | by ( Teddy Farkas | Fahiemah Al-Ali | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailHBO's 'The Last of Us' co-creator Craig Mazin on adapting the video game for hit seriesCNBC's Carl Quintanilla sits down with 'The Last of Us' Craig Mazin – the showrunner, co-creator, executive producer, writer, and director behind the HBO hit-series. The two discuss the challenges of adapting a beloved video game into a primetime TV show and how Mazin's experience building HBO's Emmy-award winning 'Chernobyl' and passion for the game itself sparked a partnership with co-creator Neil Druckmann. They also discuss preparing the star-studded cast for their roles, developing content to appeal to both an existing fan base of gamers and new audiences alike, and why Mazin says he never creates for virality.

☆ How the boom in sports documentaries on streaming is opening up a new path for athletes as content creators
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-02 | by ( Elaine Low | Ashley Rodriguez | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 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." 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. "These people can go on the air and broadcast their own content and they can capture and keep their own content," said Octagon VP of content and development Jason Weichelt.

☆ From FTX to Adani Group, Fraud Allegations Are Going to Rise
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-31 | by ( Kaja Whitehouse | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Then there's the Adani Group, which lost a jaw-dropping $72 billion in market value after short-seller firm Hindenburg Research last week accused it of "brazen" market manipulation and accounting fraud. Adani Group, whose founder's net worth recently approached Elon Musk's, has vehemently denied the allegations. Could Wall Street get hit by the Adani Group fiasco? But Wall Street is placing its bets on a California chipmaker, helping its founder get richer to the tune of $5 billion. From Madonna to Tom Brady, many celebrities who shilled for crypto or NFTs are either being sued civilly or facing regulatory scrutiny, according to the Wall Street Journal.

☆ Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos agree on at least one thing: They love HBO's 'The Last of Us'
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-31 | by ( Travis Clark | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos both love HBO's video-game TV series "The Last of Us." Bezos tweeted that Sunday's episode was "unbelievably good story telling," and Musk responded in agreement. "The Last of Us" is an adaptation of the 2013 video game of the same name. Bezos' Amazon has dabbled in making video games, with largely underwhelming results, including the online multiplayer game "New World." The agreement on "The Last of Us" is a rare break in the rivalry between Bezos and Musk.

☆ Don't make this common career mistake in your 20s, says the CEO of Hilton
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-31 | by ( Megan Sauer | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

The job taught Nassetta, the 60-year-old CEO of Hilton Worldwide — a multinational hospitality company with a $38.86 billion market capitalization, as of Tuesday morning — more than just how hotels operate, he says. "Young people have so much access and information to knowledge, but you don't want to confuse that with experience." In contrast, some of his friends spent their 20s and 30s rising through the career ranks to powerful positions — and quickly flaming out, he says. On finding help in unexpected places: 'To this day ... you just don't know what you don't know'I like to think I work hard, I'm well educated, I'm reasonably smart. But even to this day, and certainly when I was in my 20s and 30s trying to figure things out, you just don't know what you don't know.

“It was gorgeous, and I was so not expecting it,” said Darion Lowenstein, 41, a video game consultant, who is gay. Though Bill’s role in the game is small, and his mention of being gay brief, it did not go unnoticed by LGBTQ gamers like Bonatsakis. Roughly 10% of gamers are LGBTQ, according to a 2020 survey by Nielsen. And for many of these queer gamers, Durkee said, video games are a lifeline. She said character customization in games such as “The Sims” and “World of Warcraft” can empower queer gamers to express their identity in ways that traditional media cannot.

☆ 'The Last of Us' made a major change to a game character. The showrunners explain why it was important to expand on Bill and his love story.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-30 | by ( Kirsten Acuna | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Sunday's episode expands greatly on a minor survivor from the video game, Bill (Nick Offerman). The showrunners told Insider why it was important to show Bill's love story with Frank. In the game, Joel and Ellie seek out Bill, shown as a paranoid loner who speaks to himself, to help them fix up a vehicle and carry on across the country. Frank, also his partner in the game, is only seen dead, hanging after committing suicide some time ago after the infected bit him. Bill tells Joel to keep his partner, Tess, safe in the same way he protected Frank for years.

☆ 11 details you may have missed on Sunday's heartbreaking episode of 'The Last of Us'
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-30 | by ( Kirsten Acuna | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Bill dies on Sunday's episode, but he's still alive in the game. Frank and Bill get to play out their lives differently on "TLOU" series. HBOSunday's episode is a complete expansion on Bill and Frank's game characters. "There's this lovely thread that indicated this hint of a relationship between Bill and Frank in the game," Mazin said. You can watch our conversation with the showrunners on Sunday's episode here.

☆ HBO's 'The Last of Us' is really good. That doesn't mean other video-game TV shows will be.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-29 | by ( Travis Clark | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

From "Fallout" to "God of War," a slew of other video-game TV shows are in the works. The second episode was watched by 5.7 million viewers on Sunday, a 22% increase from the premiere's first night, HBO said this week. But just because "The Last of Us" creators, Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann, managed to bring the game to TV in a satisfying way, doesn't mean other video-game shows will have the same fate. That's not to say that they don't feature compelling narratives, and they could still be great TV shows. The "Assassin's Creed" and "God of War" games feature a bevy of side missions that could convolute an adaptation.

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