Academy Award Winner Fisher Stevens Launches Production Company Highly Flammable

Back in 2012, Liam Scholey and Andres Budnik, assistants at WME and Creative Partners Group respectively, met by chance at Laurel Hardware, a vibey bar-restaurant in West Hollywood. Scholey, who grew up in Panama, overheard the Chilean Budnik speaking Spanish, and the two got to talking.

EXCLUSIVE: MrBallen, otherwise known as John Allen, the former Navy SEAL turned breakout podcaster behind Strange, Dark and Mysterious Stories, has launched his own management company.

Harry Styles were among the stars honoured at this year's Ivor Novello Awards, however both acts failed to attend the ceremony in London on Thursday. Rhian Teasdale and Hester Chambers, the duo behind Wet Leg, weren't at the awards to pick up their Songwriter of the Year award. Grammy award-winning artist Harry, 29, who beat out his competition in the Most Performed Work category for his song As It Was, also failed to attend the event which was hosted at Grosvenor House in person.

EXCLUSIVE: Mandalay Pictures (Air) Yale Entertainment, and Post Film have partnered to produce a new thriller titled Barron’s Cove, starring Garrett Hedlund (Mudbound), Stephen Lang (Avatar), Brittany Snow (Pitch Perfect, X), and Hamish Linklater (The Big Short).

Addie Morfoot Contributor Stacey Offman, Jigsaw Production’s exec VP of development and production, is exiting the company to work as an independent producer, Variety has confirmed. Longtime Jigsaw producer Erin Edeiken to serve as head of production for Alex Gibney’s shingle going forward. Offman, who is exiting on May 19, joined Jigsaw Productions in 2012. In her 11-year tenure at the documentary production company, Offman was part of the team that launched Jigsaw’s television branch as well as the creation of a vertical of non-fiction series and documentaries for an array of studios and broadcast partners. Offman’s recent projects include Jigsaw’s “Dirty Money,” a six-part investigative series which exposed corruption and financial malfeasance in some of the most influential companies and industries. The series began streaming on Netflix in January 2018. In addition, Offman developed “Salt, Fat, Acid Heat,” a 2018 four-part Netflix culinary travel series based on Samin Nosrat’s book by the same name, which won a James Beard Media Award. Offman also spearheaded notable political projects including Showtime’s Emmy winning “Kingdom of Silence” (2019) and Apple TV’s Emmy nominated series “The Line” (2021).

Prince Edward paid a moving tribute to his late father as he met Gold Award winners from Prince Philip's Duke of Edinburgh's Award scheme. The 59 year old Royal became patron of the personal challenge programme in March — around the time he inherited the Duke of Edinburgh title from Philip.

Leo Barraclough International Features Editor Berlin-based sales agency M-Appeal has released the trailer (below) for Swiss director Maxime Rappaz’s debut feature “Let Me Go,” which will open the Cannes ACID sidebar on Wednesday. Set in a remote town in the Swiss mountains, the film features French actress Jeanne Balibar in the lead role. She plays the character of Claudine, a mother who has devoted her life to taking care of her son, sacrificing her own needs and desires. An unexpected love affair causes Claudine’s carefully controlled world to unravel, “reviving in her an intense thirst for freedom and, at the same time, a painful questioning about her future,” Rappaz says.

EXCLUSIVE: Tye Sheridan is launching his new production company, Dogwood Pictures with its debut film, Black Flies, is set to play in competition at the 76th Annual Cannes Film Festival. Directed by Jean-Stéphane Sauvaire, the pic reunites Sheridan with Sean Penn after over a decade since Malick’s The Tree of Life. Sheridan first became involved with the film in 2018 and continued on throughout the film’s execution and release.

Kiss rocker Gene Simmons and Gary Hamilton, Chairman of sales and production company Arclight Films, have launched a new production company called Simmons/Hamilton Productions.

Manori Ravindran Executive Editor of International Kiss frontman Gene Simmons and Gary Hamilton, chairman of Arclight Films, have launched Simmons/Hamilton Prods. to develop, finance and produce feature films. The standalone banner will produce 25 movies over an initial five-year period, with a focus on action, thriller and genre titles with global franchise potential. The company is backed by a multi-billion dollar fund manager that is providing slate financing through a revolving finance facility. Arclight Films’ CFO Brian Beckmann was responsible for closing the slate funding deal. All films created under the new company — which was first discussed five years ago, and recently firmed up — will be produced by Simmons and Hamilton, both of whom are in Cannes for the festival. The focus is to build a feature film production company, targeting original theatrical product that can be developed into franchise properties.

Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent Emmy Award-winning director Adam Bernstein (“30 Rock,” “Fargo,” “Better Call Saul”) is set to helm new Prime Video Italy original “Costiera,” an English-language action drama set on Italy’s iconic Amalfi Coast. The high-end show is being co-produced by Amazon Studios and Luca Bernabei for Lux Vide, the prominent Italian company behind financial thriller “Devils” that is owned by Fremantle. Though production on “Costiera” is set to start on location this summer, the international cast is being kept under wraps. Under a highly innovative deal structure, Fremantle will handle global sales on “Costiera” in all territories outside of Italy, France, Spain and Portugal where Amazon is holding on to full exclusive rights.

The BAFTA TV Awards, the biggest ceremony in the British TV calendar, is taking place at London’s Royal Festival Hall this afternoon, May 14.

Outstanding Film – Streaming/TV“Fire Island” (Hulu) and “Anything’s Possible” (Prime Video)Outstanding Reality Series“We’re Here” (HBO)Outstanding Variety or Talk Show Episode“The Problem With Jon Stewart” (Apple TV+)Outstanding Online Journalism – Video or Multimedia“Logo’s Trans Youth Town Hall” (Logo)Outstanding Kids & Family Programming- Live Action“Heartstopper” (Netflix)Outstanding Kids & Family Programming- Animated“Dead End: Paranormal Park” (Netflix)Outstanding Breakthrough Music ArtistDove Cameron (Columbia Records)Outstanding Broadway Production“A Strange Loop”Outstanding Video Game“Apex Legends” (Respawn Entertainment/Electronic Arts)Outstanding TV Journalism Segment“HIV in the Deep South” In Real Life (Scripps News)Outstanding TV Journalism – Long-Form“PRIDE | To Be Seen” Soul of a Nation (ABC)Outstanding Live TV Journalism – Segment or Special“The Last Thing Before We Go: Stephanie Ruhle Talks Spirit Day” The 11th Hour (MSNBC)Outstanding Print Article“Pediatricians Who Serve Trans Youth Face Increasing Harassment. Lifesaving Care Could Be on the Line” by Madeleine Carlisle (Time)Outstanding Online Journalism Article“Alabama Is Trying to Raise the Legal Driving Age for Trans People to 19” by Nico Lang (TheDailyBeast.com)Outstanding BlogMombianOutstanding PodcastTransLash Podcast With Imara Jones (TransLash Media) and Sibling Rivalry (Studio71) (Tie)Outstanding Spanish-Language Online Journalism Article“Proyectos de ley anti LGBTQ+ en Florida son una ‘licencia para discriminar’ y reviven el dolor de Pulse, dicen grupos locales” por Jennifer A.

Sophia Scorziello editor Children’s book author Mo Willems, who is known for his stories like “Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!” and “Don’t Let the Pigeon Stay Up Late!” has partnered with Stampede Ventures and RedBird Capital Partners to launch Hidden Pigeon Company. The entertainment company will bring Willem’s storytelling to children and families through television programming, gaming, location-based experiences and other platforms. “The Hidden Pigeon Company takes its name from how kids and former kids delight in finding The Pigeon hidden in every one of my books,” said Willems. “It is my hope to create a similar bit of surprise and delight in the fabric of everything we make or do. I am thrilled to have found wonderful collaborative partners to make that hope a reality.”

Mo Willems is stepping further into the multimedia entertainment world. The globally best-selling and award-winning children’s book author will team with Stampede Ventures and RedBird Capital to form Hidden Pigeon Company.

Apple’s comedy series Bad Sisters and Martin McDonagh’s latest feature, The Banshees of Inisherin, took the top honors at this year’s Irish Film & TV Awards (IFTAs). Scroll down for the complete list of winners.

Pema Tseden, a Tibetan filmmaker of Chinese citizenship whose films regularly played at Venice film festival, has died aged 53. His death was reported by Chinese media today. No cause of death was given. 

The 2023 MTV Movie & TV Awards went on with a pretaped ceremony amid the writers strike and talent pulling out in support of the movement.

As one of the members of the Royal family, Prince Edward’s net worth is one of a royal feat. He’s the youngest child of Queen Elizabeth and the youngest sibling of King Charles. He was later marked Duke of Edinburgh after his father, Prince Phillip’s death.

Mark Hamill and Billy Lourd paid an emotional tribute to the late Carrie Fisher as her Hollywood Walk of Fame star was unveiled on Star Wars Day (May 4).Before the Princess Leia star’s daughter, Lourd, delivered a moving speech, Hamill opened the ceremony with some words of his own about Fisher.“Carrie was one of a kind who belonged to us all, whether we liked it or not,” Hamill said. “She was our princess, dammit, and the actress who played her blurred into one gorgeous, fearlessly independent, ferociously funny, take charge woman who took our collective breath away.