Latest news with #Philippe
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Moments Lab Secures $24M To Transform Hollywood Video Production With Agentic AI For Amazon Ads, Hearst And Warner Bros. Discovery
Moments Lab, a Paris-based AI startup focused on revolutionizing video production, announced on June 3 that it raised $24 million in Series B funding to expand its technology that automates Hollywood editing workflows for companies like Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN), Hearst, and Warner Bros. Discovery (NASDAQ:WBD). The fresh capital injection brings the company's total funding to $37.4 million, Business Insider reports. According to Moments Lab, the round was led by Oxx, with additional support from Orange Ventures, Kadmos, Supernova Invest, and Elaia Partners. Founded in 2016 by twin brothers Philippe and Fred Petitpont, Moments Lab helps entertainment companies accelerate video production using its patented AI technologies. Don't Miss: Maker of the $60,000 foldable home has 3 factory buildings, 600+ houses built, and big plans to solve housing — Deloitte's fastest-growing software company partners with Amazon, Walmart & Target – Many are rushing to Moments Lab's flagship product, MXT-2, uses multimodal AI to instantly break videos into meaningful scenes by identifying who appears, what is happening, and where it's taking place. The company says it also extracts the most relevant soundbites from interviews, speeches, and press conferences with greater efficiency and precision than human editors. Its latest development, an agentic AI tool, turns raw video footage into rough cuts using simple prompts, dramatically cutting down manual editing time. According to Business Insider, this new tool is currently being tested by Hearst, and executives say its most promising application is in the fast-paced world of reality TV. Philippe Petitpont told Business Insider that media companies are under pressure to meet content demands from streamers like Netflix (NASDAQ:NFLX), Amazon Prime Video, and Peacock, while reducing production costs at the same time. Moments Lab's solution helps them meet those demands without compromising output. Trending: Invest where it hurts — and help millions heal:. 'The demand from Netflix, Amazon's Prime Video, Peacock, is so strong that production companies need to produce more content than ever before, and they don't have more money to produce a show,' Petitpont told Business Insider. 'Being able to produce at lower cost is more important than ever. That's where they're interested in using new approaches.' The company's AI model has been trained on 1.5 billion assets, including open-source data and content from participating partners in its research consortium, Business Insider says. According to Petitpont, clients have doubled their social media revenue by using the platform to repurpose archival footage. Moments Lab aims to empower brands to extract more value from their content libraries through AI-generated trailers, highlight reels, and even full-length documentaries. According to Business Insider, one financial media client reportedly plans to reduce the number of human editors as a result of the automation capabilities provided by the company operates in a sector that remains cautious about copyright and labor rights. One of the biggest challenges in client onboarding, Petitpont told Business Insider, is convincing legal teams that their intellectual property will not be used to train the AI model. Moments Lab ensures all training data comes from legally cleared sources, including media companies involved in its research partnership program. Moments Lab says that it plans to invest the fresh capital into expanding its U.S. operations and further developing its agentic AI suite. While the company has not made predictions about industry-wide trends, it says that its tools address the rising demand for efficiency across video production workflows. Read Next: Here's what Americans think you need to be considered wealthy. Peter Thiel turned $1,700 into $5 billion—now accredited investors are eyeing this software company with similar breakout potential. Learn how you can Image: Shutterstock Up Next: Transform your trading with Benzinga Edge's one-of-a-kind market trade ideas and tools. Click now to access unique insights that can set you ahead in today's competitive market. Get the latest stock analysis from Benzinga? APPLE (AAPL): Free Stock Analysis Report TESLA (TSLA): Free Stock Analysis Report This article Moments Lab Secures $24M To Transform Hollywood Video Production With Agentic AI For Amazon Ads, Hearst And Warner Bros. Discovery originally appeared on © 2025 Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved. Sign in to access your portfolio
Mint
11-06-2025
- Politics
- Mint
The return of a mask stolen by Belgium is stoking violence in Congo
Whenever a Belgian king takes an interest in the Congo, history looms large. In the late 19th century King Leopold II turned the territory into a giant slave plantation, murdering, raping and slicing off limbs in a ruthless bid to profit from its resources. So when Philippe, Belgium's current king, visited the Democratic Republic of Congo in June 2022, he did so in the spirit of atonement. He wanted to open a 'new chapter" in the two countries' relations, he said, and handed over a precious wooden carving known as the Kakungu mask, one of thousands of cultural artefacts looted from Congo that Belgium has promised to give back. Alas, violence seems to have followed Philippe into the Congo like Leopold's ghost. In the same month that he visited, ethnic conflict broke out in Kwamouth, a district just north of Kinshasa, the capital. It pitted the local Teke people against their neighbours, the Yaka and the Suku. The Kakungu mask is venerated by both the Suku and Yaka as an ancestral symbol of war. They believe it confers magical powers on their fighters, making them invulnerable to bullets and giving them the ability to disappear. These attributes had helped their ancestors resist colonisation. According to the UN Group of Experts on the Congo, the return of the Kakungu mask has emboldened Suku and Yaka militias, who call themselves 'Mobondo", to carry out vicious attacks on Teke communities. At least 300 people have been killed and some 160,000 have been forced to flee. The true death toll is probably far higher, though no one knows for sure because the Congolese army has sealed off the worst-affected areas. Humanitarian groups cite unconfirmed figures of more than 3,000 deaths. 'Wait a few years and we'll start finding mass graves," says a journalist based in Kinshasa. Although the return of the Kakungu mask may well have inflamed the violence, the conflict has deeper roots. It began with a disagreement over land rights. The Yaka and Suku had for years paid taxes to Teke customary chiefs in return for permission to farm the land. An attempt by those chiefs to increase the customary tax in early 2022 was the trigger for the initial clashes, which have spiralled into something verging on ethnic cleansing. The Mobondo appear to be trying to drive out the Teke from Kwamouth and nearby areas. The Congolese government has made things worse. It appointed a 'pacification commission" to defuse the conflict in September 2022, led by a member of the Suku royal family, Fabrice Kavabioko, who is also known as King Mini-Kongo. But, according to a UN report, Mr Kavabioko is one of the figureheads of the Mobondo and 'was accused of having been an instigator of the conflict". Many Teke thus felt that the government had sided with their rivals. Mr Kavabioko has reportedly said he was 'entrusted with the restoring peace" and that he had done so. Nearly 300 suspected Mobondo fighters have since been detained, according to Human Rights Watch, an international monitor. Yet over 1,000 more faced no punishment at all. Instead, under a deal apparently brokered by Mr Kavabioko, some were drafted into the Congolese army and sent to fight against M23, a Rwanda-backed rebel group active in the country's far east. 'The lack of accountability for alleged perpetrators deepens mistrust among communities," says Thomas Fessy, a Congo researcher at Human Rights Watch. Congo's army may have also been heavy-handed with Yaka and Suku communities suspected of harbouring Mobondo militants. Five soldiers have been convicted of rape or extrajudicial killings. Some reckon the government is blocking journalists and aid workers from entering Kwamouth for fear they will unearth evidence of further abuses by the armed forces. The Mobondo, meanwhile, continue to attack soldiers and civilians alike. Sign up to the Analysing Africa, a weekly newsletter that keeps you in the loop about the world's youngest—and least understood—continent.
Yahoo
10-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Heidenheim miss out on Bayern Munich's Gabriel Vidovic
Sport Bild reports that Bayern Munich striker Gabriel Vidovic will end up transferring to Dinamo Zagreb after all. FC Heidenheim were linked with a late swoop for the 21-year-old, but it appears as if Vidovic is destined to depart the Bundesliga. The initially reported upon deal with the Croatian League runners-up will end up going through. Heidenheim now turn their focus to other players. Kicker reports that FCH management are now attempting to hold onto Bayern talent Paul Wanner via a new loan deal. Heidenheim seek to outpace Swabian rivals Stuttgart in this matter. Stuttgart are known to wish to serve as Wanner's next loan destination. Advertisement Sky Germany, meanwhile, claims Heidenheim have expressed interest in French striker Rayan Philippe of Eintracht Braunschweig. The 24-year-old looks to make the step up to the German top division. The Lower Saxon Löwen seek a transfer fee in the €2.5-3m range. Philippe recently came close to joining Mainz 05 before the deal ended up falling through late. Werder Bremen and Union Berlin are also thought to be interested in Philippe, as are both newly promoted Bundesliga clubs Hamburg and Köln. GGFN | Peter Weis
The Guardian
03-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
End of season mailbag special
Rate, review, share on Apple Podcasts, Soundcloud, Audioboom, Mixcloud, Acast and Stitcher, and join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter and email. On the podcast today; Philippe begins with a little PSG and then the panel pick their moment of the season before moving on to transfer news including Liam Delap to Chelsea and the possibility of Bryan Mbuemo at Manchester United. Elsewhere there's the Club World Cup and whether footballers, and more importantly, football podcasters will ever get some time off. Plus, pedants corner, favourite parks and your questions answered. Support the Guardian here. You can also find Football Weekly on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube.
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘The Party's Over' Review: South of France-Set Satire Follows an Escalating Class Conflict
'The Party's Over' is a mostly entertaining satire that follows the escalating conflict between an entitled rich couple, the Trousselards, and the Azizis, the husband and wife they employ (off the books and at less than market rates) to look after their luxurious holiday home. Both families have young adult daughters, near in age, albeit not in circumstance. Compared to a similarly-themed film such as 'Parasite,' it lacks the sharpness of plot and empathetic characters that would make it truly memorable. Nonetheless, the piece has a number of things going for it: top actors obviously relishing their roles, some amusing dialogue, a lovely villa location in the south of France and an attractive musical score by Clémence Ducreux that sounds both serious and mocking. Festivals and screening platforms rep the most likely venues outside of French-speaking countries to host the 'Party.' Snobbish, self-important Philippe (Laurent Lafitte, suitably obnoxious), a lawyer given to throwing obscure Latin locutions into his everyday speech, and his former actress wife Laurence (the elegant Élodie Bouchez) welcome young law graduate Mehdi (Sami Outabali, the most sympathetic character), the latest boyfriend of their wannabe actress daughter Garance (Noée Abita). That Mehdi comes from a different – and lower– social class is immediately obvious. Not only has he worked his way through school as a waiter and delivery boy, but he lacks the social graces of his hosts. From their point of view, everything he does is slightly off, from his clothing choices to his hostess gift to his conversation. More from Variety Neon Takes North America on Jafar Panahi's 'It Was Just an Accident' Mubi Buys Jafar Panahi's 'It Was Just an Accident' for Multiple International Territories (EXCLUSIVE) Lu Chuan on U.S.-China Tensions, New Projects 'Puffer Fish Girl' and 'You Are My Daughter,' Plus 'Qinghai-Tibet Plateau Wildlife Park' Doc (EXCLUSIVE) For the Trousselards, cushioned as they are by their money, seem to feel that those in service to them should be at their beck and call. Thus, Philippe feels justified in interrupting the Azizi's birthday dinner celebration for their daughter Marylou (Mahia Zrouki) to get Tony (Ramzy Bedia) to fix a clogged sink. And Laurence feels free to tell Tony to refrain from going about his chores shirtless and to ask his wife Nadine (Laure Calamy, delightful) to be careful of smears when she cleans their windows. The Trousselards don't hesitate to dispense unsolicited advice to Mehdi, too. Laurence explains that the reason that Philippe's firm hires sons of lawyers as interns is because they have confidence and know the milieu of the clients. She tells Mehdi that he is too polite and apologetic. When Philippe's condescending manner finally provokes Tony, who likes a drink or two, into an attack that Philippe considers unforgivable, he decides to dismiss the Azizis. But Tony and Nadine prove resistant. As tensions rise, Mehdi offers himself for the dangerous role of go-between, to negotiate a settlement between the warring sides. Along the way, the screenplay aptly skewers Philippe's type, the sort of man who delights in cooking the produce of his organic garden, pairing expensive wines with his meals, yet doesn't know the correct temperature at which to wash a load of whites. The acting profession also comes in for a few jabs. Laurence launched her career as a skimpily-clad ingenue. When Mehdi tells her the name of his father's favorite film, she notes wryly, 'That film captured the male imagination. But don't worry, I've made some with clothes on too.' To prepare for her first role, Garance tries and fails to summon tears, but by the film's end, she finds that she can make them flow all too easily when recounting a fiction of supreme importance to her family. Helmer Cordier assembles an ace ensemble, whose acting choices are always fun to watch. A particular standout scene comes when Calamy insists that Bouchez (who also lounges by a pool in a swimsuit in the Directors' Fortnight opener 'Enzo') join her in a hot tub. 'Party' marks Cordier's fourth feature. It screens in the Directors' Fortnight 20 years after his feature debut, 'Cold Showers.' Best of Variety The Best Albums of the Decade
