Latest news with #Stapleview
Yahoo
09-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
At Banff, Media Leaders Debate AI as Job Killer
Bing Chen, executive chairman and CEO of Gold House, issued a dire warning on Monday about artificial intelligence: the emerging digital technology stands to eliminate entry-level entertainment industry jobs. 'The notion of replacing entry-level jobs for our children, we have yet to have a solution. Because this is no longer about upscaling. This is about full replacement of you when you were 22, 27 or 28,' Chen told the Banff World Media Festival. More from The Hollywood Reporter Banff: Taye Diggs, Jennifer Whalen to Lead 'New Spanish' Live Script Read (Exclusive) 'Stranger Things' Music Supervisor Nora Felder Joins Banff World Media Festival Board (Exclusive) Chuck Lorre to Keynote Banff World Media Festival But Kevin Johnson, CEO of WPP Media Canada and president and WPP Media, countered the jury was still out on whether AI will cut a swathe through the economy and take over jobs, never to be replaced, or instead could create new opportunities and reshape the workspace. 'I think it's way to early for us to press the button and say our kids are not going to have a job anymore, or worrying about what I feel was the same when computers came in,' Johnson argued during a panel moderated by The Hollywood Reporter's Mikey O'Connell. The panel was held against the background of escalating industry disruption, which includes advertising woes and licensing declines and movie theater uncertainty and a shake-up in streaming. That left global media executives in Banff to unpack the forces transforming the industry, and how they were responding. John Morayniss, CEO of Blink49 Studios, said content creators these days were forced to work with more collaborators and go for increased creative finesse. 'The business of making traditional content is getting harder and harder, and it requires way more partnerships and way more creative ways,' Morayniss said. He pointed to Blink49 Studios making an investment in Stapleview, the Los Angeles-based digital-first comedy producer launched in 2022. 'They have direct relationships with their audience, they understand their audience and they're marketing to their audience,' Morayniss said of Stapleview getting closer to the coal face to mine new viewers for content exploitation. That was a theme picked up by Prentiss Fraser, president of Fox Entertainment Global, who argued having more distribution channels for content at her major studio had helped discover more ways to monetize content in turbulent times. 'There's just a lot of ways to exploit content in our ecosystem that's been created, and then pairing that with the opportunity to build a distribution infrastructure that has the ability to finance projects just seemed like a recipe for great success,' Fraser said. Whether escalating tech innovation, including YouTube and artificial intelligence, industry consolidation, Wall Street market gyrations or just general belt-tightening among content consumers and creators, such economic headwinds and challenges were on the mind of media leaders on stage in Banff. But Gold House's Chen cautioned Banff delegates about getting too caught up in the current debate about whether YouTube can outlast Netflix as the most popular streaming platform amid continuing industry consolidation. We've been here before, he urged. 'Life is so cyclical. It contracts and expands. It contracts and expands, and narratively we are in a similar phase where we were literally a decade ago in 2014, where everyone thinks YouTube is the new hot thing because of time spent,' Chen remarked. Best of The Hollywood Reporter How the Warner Brothers Got Their Film Business Started Meet the World Builders: Hollywood's Top Physical Production Executives of 2023 Men in Blazers, Hollywood's Favorite Soccer Podcast, Aims for a Global Empire
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Digital Comedy Producer Stapleview Fuels North American Expansion With Investment From Blink49, Hires Jackie Sosa & Robbie Ezratty In Key Roles
EXCLUSIVE: Stapleview, the digital comedy production outfit founded by Sam Grey, is expanding its North American footprint with a strategic investment from Blink49 Studios as well as two key hires. The capital raise from Blink49 Studios, a Fifth Season-backed company, will fuel the growth of Stapleview's production and management divisions, particularly helping to scale the company's slate of scripted and unscripted comedy for a broader North American audience. More from Deadline Korea's Barunson E&A Unveils International Remake Deal With Indonesian Studio Imajinari Gold House Unveils This Year's A100 List Honoring Most Impactful Asian Pacific Leaders Blink49 Studios Adapting Debut Novel Of Eliza Reid, Former First Lady Of Iceland, As TV Crime Drama In particular, Stapleview and Blink49 will focus on co-producing long-form adaptations of Stapleview's digital comedy series and formats for the U.S. and Canadian markets. Stapleview will also launch a Canadian content hub to manage Canadian talent and develop original series and formats with the Canadian creative community. Stapleview, which launched in March of 2022, has already had an eye on expansion in the last year with the hire of co-founder and COO Daniel Lantsman. The company has been focused on growing the following for its online comedy shows Bareback Acres, Ad World, The Method, Clear the Air, and Beautiful Questions. 'This strategic investment is a formidable vote of confidence in our model and our company. Our team has shown an incredible ability to discover the next generation of comedic talent and showcase these emerging stars through a slate of truly hilarious series,' Lantsman said in a statement. 'This new round of capital is going to allow us to double down on our core competencies, grow our management business, create more original series, and expand our studio initiatives. We're excited about the future and look forward to solidifying our spot in the comedy ecosystem alongside John, Nelson, and the rest of the Blink49 team.' As part of the deal, Blink49 co-founder John Morayniss will assume a seat on Stapleview's board of directors. Blink49 joins an investor and advisor base that includes FirstGen Content, Guggenheim Brothers Media, Kate Capshaw, Joe Drake, Nick Meyer, Peter Schlessel, and Steven Spielberg, as well as newly appointed advisors Steve Mosko and Doug Herzog. 'We are thrilled to partner with Sam, Daniel, and their entire team as we continue expanding into the comedy space,' adds Morayniss. 'This collaboration opens up significant opportunities, from supporting Stapleview through Blink49's creative and production resources in both scripted and unscripted, to helping grow their bold slate through our Brand Studio and formats division. We're also excited about introducing the Canadian 'secret sauce' into the Stapleview strategy. Comedy has always been a standout strength in Canada, with the talent here consistently punching above its weight. With series like The Trades, Late Bloomer, and Run the Burbs already on our roster, this partnership further cements our commitment to the genre.' Additionally, Stapleview has announced two new hires to aid with this expansion. Jackie Sosa will be joining Stapleview as vice president, Head of Development and Production, and Robbie Ezratty will join as a talent and literary manager. In her role, Sosa will oversee Stapleview's broad programming slate, including scripted and unscripted originals, formats, sketch comedy, and podcasts. Most recently, she was the VP of Development for Chelsea Handler Productions, where she packaged and sold projects to FX and Peacock. She joined CHP after a seven-year tenure on the Talent & Development team at Comedy Central. Ezratty spent the last three years at Artists First, where he managed a stable of predominantly multi-hyphenate comedy clients. He began his career at ICM and Brillstein, the latter of which represented Fish Ladder, an AMC Networks based production company where he later served as creative executive. Several clients are expected to follow Ezratty to Stapleview. 'Welcoming Jackie and Robbie into the Stapleview family is a monumental step in our mission to elevate the next generation of comedic voices. They join us with a strong vision and proven track record of nurturing comedic voices and uplifting artists to be discovered,' Grey said in a statement. 'When Stapleview was relaunched, we knew that success would be built over time by following our creative partners' visions. By joining the team, Jackie and Robbie will not only allow us to expand on the creative goals across our digital-first strategy, but also more broadly across the entertainment and comedy landscape.' Best of Deadline 2025 TV Series Renewals: Photo Gallery 2025 TV Cancellations: Photo Gallery 2025-26 Awards Season Calendar: Dates For Tonys, Emmys, Oscars & More
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
WWII Drama ‘The Ghost And The Gun' Unveils Cast, Set To Begin Production In Bali In June
EXCLUSIVE: Set to begin filming in June, Indonesia-Singapore-UK co-production The Ghost and the Gun will star Malaysian actors Gambit Saifullah (Alter-Naratif) and Fabian Loo (One Cent Thief), Indonesian actress Asmara Abigail (Stone Turtle) and American actor Brett Tutor (Black Doves). The film is set in 1948 and follows a pair of soldiers abandoned by the British in Malaysia after the war. Both soldiers soon find themselves having to defend a village from rebel warlords. More from Deadline Digital Comedy Producer Stapleview Fuels North American Expansion With Investment From Blink49, Hires Jackie Sosa & Robbie Ezratty In Key Roles Korea's Barunson E&A Unveils International Remake Deal With Indonesian Studio Imajinari Gold House Unveils This Year's A100 List Honoring Most Impactful Asian Pacific Leaders Filming will commence in Bali, Indonesia at the newly-built Viking Sunset Studios. The Malay-and English- language film will be the third feature film from Anshul Tiwari (Netflix's Before Life After Death). The Ghost and the Gun producers include Debasmita Dasgupta (Films Positive), Mikail Mahmud Chowdhury (LDNO Productions) and Tim Willrich (Limbo Pictures). Misfit Productions co-founder Jessie White will serve as the film's executive producer, with The Ghost and the Gun marking the company's first narrative feature film involvement. 'Rarely have we seen the aftermath of WWII in Asia,' said director Tiwari. 'That's what drew me to this project, a chance to show a period in history that is often forgotten. The backdrop is the British withdrawal from Southeast Asia, but the heart of the film is these characters suffering from trauma and guilt. External scars of war may heal but the emotional damage never goes away.' Dasgupta added: 'To make a film with such complex characters and emotions requires a remarkable calibre of cast, and we are fortunate to have that calibre onboard.' Bo Holmgreen, founder of Viking Sunset Studios, said: 'We are thrilled to bring this magnificent movie to Bali. We combine state of the art facilities and the largest enclosed soundstage right on the beach alongside a huge range of locations with jungle, rivers and palm trees next to our backlots so we can concentrate sets close to the studio with minimal crew movement.' White said: 'Ghost and the Gun is exactly the kind of story Misfit was built for — fierce, untold, and deeply human. These are the films that matter. Stories that push into overlooked histories and show us new sides of conflict and connection. We couldn't be more excited to help bring this urgent and powerful story to life.' Best of Deadline 'Poker Face' Season 2 Release Schedule: When Do New Episodes Arrive On Peacock? Everything We Know About Celine Song's 'Materialists' So Far 2025 TV Series Renewals: Photo Gallery
Yahoo
08-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
The Laugh Factory and Stapleview Connect to Elevate The Future of Comedy
The Laugh Factory, a comedy cornerstone on Sunset Boulevard for four decades, has partnered with digital production company Stapleview to produce "The Method," starring Joey venue, which launched careers of Eddie Murphy, George Lopez, Kathy Griffin, and Jim Carrey, still draws packed houses - as seen at their 7:45 p.m. show last Friday. Now, they're stepping into digital comedy through their collaboration with in 2022 by Sam Grey, Stapleview relaunched in fall 2024 with Grey and Daniel Lantsman at the helm. The company creates long-format internet sketch comedy shows for YouTube, TikTok, and venture has attracted notable investors including Kate Capshaw, Joe Drake, Guggenheim Brothers (GB) Media - led by Dillon Lawson-Johnson and Criswell Fiordalis - Nick Myer, Peter Schlessel, and Steven Spielberg. Meyer, Schlessel, Kristie Macosko Krieger, and Matt Lichtenberg serve on the advisory board."The Method," starring Joey Dardano and co-produced with The Laugh Factory, marks one of Stapleview's first releases since the relaunch. Dardano promoted the show during his set at the Factory last Friday. Jamie Masada, CEO and Owner of The Laugh Factory, said in a statement, "Working with Stapleview on 'The Method' was pure joy. Sam and Daniel have an incredible eye and bring a level of innovation and energy that's rare in comedy these days. They're not just creating content—they're redefining how we discover and engage with talent. I'm excited to continue working with them and build a future where digital-first comedy meets broader entertainment in groundbreaking ways."Stapleview's first partnership success came with "Important Things of Great Importance," co-produced with L.A. public radio station KCRW. The show's second season, hosted by Concordia Shawarma McGraw (Katherine Ellis), releases new episodes Wednesdays at 10 AM on company's influence extends beyond digital platforms - Jane Wickline, who gained recognition through Stapleview's TikTok comedy sketches, joined SNL's cast in September up with "The Method" and other Stapleview comedy shows on YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram.
