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Entertainment Headline News

NBC Universal Recruiting Future Creative Programming Execs

By Rick DeMott | Wednesday, November 9, 2005 at 12:00am

The NBC Universal Entertainment Associate Program is now accepting new candidates for the 2006 class that offers career development opportunities for external and internal applicants interested in creative entertainment programming.

Jeff Zucker, president, NBC Universal Television Group, said, "We are extremely proud of the Entertainment Associate Program and the top creative executives it has produced throughout the years and we look forward to recruiting talented future programmers for our 2006 class of Entertainment Associates."

Brickyard Headline News

Brickyard VFX Launches CG Animation Division

Artist-owned-and-operated Brickyard VFX announced the launch of a CG division, extending the companys on-site visual effects capabilities to include character modeling, animation and rendering in full 3D. The move, which includes the hiring of industry talents Jay Lichtman, Robert Sethi and Yafei Wu, is already allowing the bi-coastal effects studio to complete more and different types of client work.

Headline News

SPE Creates Corporate Alliances Department To Unite Sony Groups

Sony Pictures Ent. (SPE) has created a new department, Corporate Alliances, to maximize collaboration with other Sony groups.

Toshino Yuhaku has been named vp, Corporate Alliances. Yuhaku is an 11-year Sony vet with experience in Sony offices in Japan and America. Yuhaku will report to Beth Berke, evp/cao for SPE, who announced the departments creation.

The move reflects SPEs support of the initiative recently presented by Sir Howard Stringer, Sony Corp. chairman/ceo, called Sony United.

Entertainment Headline News

IDT Ent. Shops Down Under to Acquire Imagine Ent.

IDT Ent. today (Nov. 3, 2005) agreed to acquire a major Australian-based independent distributor of theatrical, video and DVD product, Imagine Ent. This increases Imagines offerings with the assets of IDT Ent.s home entertainment subsidiary, Anchor Bay, an established leader in the field that boasts an expansive selection of theatrical films, television series and childrens and fitness titles.

Headline News

Warner Bros. Lays Off 400

Faced with a revenue slowdown and budget tightening, Warner Bros. Ent. plans to layoff 400 employees companywide in Burbank, 250 of which were notified on Wednesday, VARIETY reports. There are currently 4,550 employed at the Burbank studio.

Each of the studios four divisions is affected: Warner Bros. Pictures, Warner Bros. Home Ent. Group, Warner Bros. Television Group and Warner Bros. Consumer Products in addition to the studios new specialty division, Warner Independent Pictures, which was slashed by 10%, including production head Michael Andreen.

Universal Headline News

Universal Joins Christie/AIX Digital Alliance

Universal Pictures became the third major movie studio to support digital distribution with Christie/AIX, following similar agreements with Twentieth Century Fox and The Walt Disney Co.s Buena Vista Pictures.

Universal will make its future feature films available to the DCI-compliant digital projection systems deployed by Christie/AIX, the subsidiary of Access Integrated Technologies Inc. (AccessIT), which is launching a nationwide rollout of 4,000 systems. Christie/AIX expects to install the first 150 systems in multiple exhibitor locations by Dec. 31.

Animation Headline News

Asian Ministers Meet To Promote Films, Animation

Leaders from Asian countries gathered for a high-level seminar which opened Oct. 28, 2005, in Tokyo to enhance Asia-wide cooperation to produce animated movies, games and other cultural products, reports KYODO NEWS. Ministers from Japan, China, South Korea, India and the 10 members of the Assoc. of Southeast Asian Nations are gathered to recognize the importance of movies and animation produced and widely circulated in the region.

Headline News

Comcast Buys Susquehanna Communications

Susquehanna Pfaltzgraff Co. and Comcast Corp. announced that they have signed a definitive agreement to sell Susquehanna Communications (SusCom), the cable television and broadband services division of Susquehanna Pfaltzgraff, to Comcast. Susquehanna Pfaltzgraff announced earlier this year that it would sell the business, citing changes in corporate and family circumstances.

Animation Headline News

Lucasfilm Animation Singapore Opens and Preps Clone Wars

Lucasfilm Ltd. officially opened the doors of Lucasfilm Animation Singapore, a digital animation studio designed to produce movies and television for global audiences. The studio was created through a consortium that includes Lucasfilm Ltd., EDB Investments and Creative Technology Ltd.

Animation Headline News

Vinton Studios Commercial Division Now LAIKA/house

Vinton Studios Commercial Division will be known as LAIKA/house, effective immediately, a change to complete the transition started in July of this year after LAIKA absorbing Vinton Studios, a leading producer of character animation in all formats for over 30 years in Portland, Oregon.

Digital Headline News

New Warner Bros. Home Ent. Group Headed by Kevin Tsujihara

Warner Bros. Entertainment has realigned its businesses involved in the digital delivery of entertainment content to consumers to create the Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group, to be headed by Kevin Tsujihara as president. The new group will oversee home video, online, wireless, games, anti-piracy and emerging technologies operations.

In his new post, Tsujihara reports directly to Barry M. Meyer, chairman/ceo, Warner Bros. and Alan F. Horn, president/coo, Warner Bros.

Disney Headline News

2005 DVD Screeners From Disney to Feature Latest Cinea Anti-Piracy Protection

Launching an aggressive new effort to combat piracy, The Walt Disney Studios will utilize state-of-the-art encryption technology from Cinea, a subsidiary of Dolby Laboratories, for 2005 DVD awards screeners. The agreement marks a milestone in the search for an industry-wide solution to deter movie piracy.

Among the likely contenders for DVD awards screeners are CHICKEN LITTLE, HOWLS MOVING CASTLE, THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: THE LION, THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE, SHOPGIRL AND CASANOVA.

Headline News

Weinstein Co. Completes Initial Funding; Hookwinked! to Open Christmas Day

The Weinstein Co., the media enterprise launched this month by Bob and Harvey Weinstein, announced that it has completed a $490 million private placement of equity. TWC has a significant number of well-known strategic, financial and individual investors among its equity holders, including affiliates of GLG Partners, Goldman, Sachs & Co., Perry Capital, Quinta Communications S.A., Softbank Corp., TF1 S.A., WPP, a Mark Cuban investment company, and Vivi Nevo, among others. The Weinstein brothers are the founders of Miramax Films.

Film Headline News

SEBI Bars Pentamedia from Capital Market

The Securities and Exchange Board of India Oct. 4 barred Pentamedia Graphics Ltd., from issuing any new shares or dealing in securities, considered a punishment for issuing fake shares reports India-West (www.indiawest.com).

According to the SEBI, Pentamedia had issued a duplicate set of its own shares pledged with one bank and used the shares to borrow money from another lender, through an associate.

Disney Headline News

DIC Goes Public in the U.K.

DIC Ent. has gone public on London's AIM market under the symbol DEKEq.L. The stock became available on Oct. 14, 2005, and by closing was up 3% at 255-1/2 pence, giving DIC a market capitalization of about 108 million pounds ($188.8 million). DIC raised 17.4 million pounds as part of the listing and shareholders saw a further 13 million by selling down their stakes. Bridgewell serves as an adviser and broker to DIC.

Digital Headline News

Fox Commits to Digital Cinema with Christie/AIX

In its first long-term commitment to digital cinema, 20th Century Fox has reached an agreement to supply its feature films to digital cinema projection systems deployed by Christie/AIX, a unit of Access Integrated Technologies (AccessIT). For Fox, this will include an increasing number of feature films from 20th Century Fox, Fox 2000 Pictures, 20th Century Fox Animation and Fox Searchlight Pictures production units.

Brand Headline News

MTV Buys IFILM

MTV Networks announced that it has acquired IFILM, the leading, Internet provider of short films and news and other video clips, for $49 million, reports REUTERS. As part of the deal, IFILM will remain under the control of its current ceo, Blair Harrison, and will retain its editorial independence.

MTV plans to grow IFILM's current reach to more than 10 million users a month and boost advertising revenues by cross-promoting IFILM on other MTV-owned websites and offering MTV content on IFILM.

Services Headline News

R!OT Atlanta Completes Major Expansion

Responding to increased demands for its services and the continuing growth of the broadcast and advertising industries in the southeast, R!OT Atlanta has completed a major expansion and reconstruction effort. The work has resulted in a complete makeover of the facility, providing clients and staff with an enhanced creative working environment.

Moonscoop Headline News

MoonScoop Acquires Majority Stake In Mike Young Prods./Taffy Ent.

By Rick DeMott | Wednesday, October 12, 2005 at 12:00am

MoonScoop has acquired 51% of independent animation studio Mike Young Prods. (MYP) and its distribution arm Taffy Ent. The combined unit brings together titles such as MoonScoops CODE LYOKO, TITEUF, THE FANTASTIC FOUR, FUNKY COPS, DR. DOG and LITTLE VAMPIRE and Mike Youngs TODDWORLD, DIVE OLLY DIVE and PET ALIEN. MoonScoop plans to invest funds into Mike Young Prods./Taffy Ent. The two distribution teams will manage a combined catalogue of 2,400 half-hour episodes.

Studios Headline News

Tartakovsky Adopts New Orphanage Animation Studios

SAMURAI JACK and DEXTERS LABORATORY creator Genndy Tartakovsky has joined the newly formed Orphanage Animation Studios. He will help the new studios develop a slate of five feature projects each in the $50 million-$75 million budget range. The company launches with a multi-million dollar development fund raised through private equity and is actively developing a slate of soon-to-be-announced CG feature projects. Orphanage, best known for its visual effects work, hopes to have its first animated feature ready by late 2007 or early 2008.

Headline News

Aardman Animation Ravaged by Fire

This past weekend was a bittersweet one for Aardman Animation. WALLACE & GROMIT: THE CURSE OF THE WERE-RABBIT finished #1 at the U.S. box office and a fire destroyed Aardman warehouse, which contained its entire history, reports CNN. The blaze broke out at approximately 5:30 am, with flames reaching 100 feet. The roof and three interior walls of the building in Bristol collapsed after the fire ravished the Victorian building. The cause of the blaze was being investigated.

Music Headline News

mtvU Launches MTV Networks' First Broadband Distributed Channel

mtvU, MTV's 24-hour college network, today (Oct. 10, 2005) unveiled MTV Networks' first channel distributed entirely over broadband, "mtvU Uber" (www.mtvu.com). "mtvU Uber" is available everywhere, through both non-stop streaming and a unique on-demand capability, enabling viewers to customize their experience.

The channel offers mtvU's on-air programming available to everyone, and will also showcase a powerful lineup of original programming driven by new music, short-form series, as well as student-produced short films, music videos, animation, webisodes and more.

Animation Headline News

Ittina Launches Animation Studio, Academy In Bangalore

The Ittina Group, a leading name in property development, announced the launch of an animation studio and academy Ittina Studios and Takshaa, respectively in Bangalore. Both will be housed in a six-story building in Whitefield. Ittina plans to invest about $5 million in the new venture over the next year.

Headline News

EA Settles Overtime Lawsuit

Electronic Arts announced it will pay $15.6 million and re-classify some salaried employees as hourly workers to settle a class-action lawsuit brought by workers over overtime pay.

Entry-level computer graphic artists in the U.S. will start earning overtime pay and will receive a one-time ownership grant of restricted company stock. However, they will no longer receive stock options or bonuses. The settlement, which is waiting approval by the San Mateo County Superior Court, is expected to take five months.

Digital Headline News

PlasterCITY Unveils Its Non-linear 10-bit 4:4:4 RGB Facility At Open House

PlasterCITY, an all-new nonlinear high-definition post house in Hollywood, recently showcased seven new HD edit suites, a 4GB HD Fibre SAN network, an HD Digital Intermediate workflow and a complete HD theater/screening room. At an open house on Oct. 6, 2005, PlasterCITY introduced its advanced non-linear 10-bit 4:4:4 RGB studio networking, enabling clients to edit, color-correct and perform all other picture post-production processes at the highest quality rate, including uncompressed codecs, for theatrical and broadcast projects.

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