Adam Fogelson Leaving STX for Lionsgate Motion Picture Group Role

Brent Lang Executive Editor of Film and MediaVerve has promoted Melissa Darman to partner.Darman, who joined Verve in 2014, started her career at ICM before pivoting to the studio system to work in comedy development at ABC Network. She then moved onto Lionsgate before joining Verve, where she has continued to focus on comedy during her time as an agent on the TV literary team.“Working at Verve continues to be rewarding on a daily basis,” Darman said in a statement.

At the start of the month, the Atlanta-based festival Music Midtown announced it would not be going forward in September. A reason for the cancellation was not given, though Billboard reported that Georgia's gun laws, which would have permitted firearms to be brought onto the festival grounds, led to organizers nixing the show. In a new interview with Billboard, Phillip Evans, the gun activist and blogger who threatened the lawsuit against Music Midtown, says he wants to "challenge" Live Nation's weapons policy banning guns inside Georgia amphitheaters.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorLamont Dozier, one-third of the legenday “Holland-Dozier-Holland” songwriting and production trio who wrote many of Motown Records’ biggest hits for the Supremes, the Four Tops, Marvin Gaye, Martha and the Vandellas and others, has died at the age of 81. The news was confirmed by his son Lamont Dozier Jr on social media; no cause of death has been released as yet.Hits written and produced by Dozier with siblings Brian and Eddie Holland read like a greatest-hits of Motown’s early years: “Where Did Our Love Go,” “Baby I Need Your Loving,” “Stop! in the Name of Love,” “How Sweet It Is (to Be Loved by You),” “Baby Love,” “Reach Out I’ll Be There,” “You Keep Me Hanging On” and many others.

Tuesday Instagram post by his son Lamont Dozier Jr.“Rest in Heavenly Peace, Dad!” Dozier’s bereaved progeny wrote in the post along with a picture of himself and his late father, who’s cause of death is not known at this time. Born 1941 in Detroit Michigan, the pioneering songwriter first gained acclaim after joining the legendary Motown Records in 1962 along with songwriting brothers Brian and Eddie Holland.

Brent Lang Executive Editor of Film and MediaSubscriber growth at Starz lifted shares of Lionsgate in after-hours trading, giving investors optimism that the media company will be able to demand top dollar when it finalizes plans to sell off its cable and streaming arm. Streaming subscribers jumped to 26.3 million worldwide, a 57% year-over-year increase.On an earnings call, Lionsgate CEO Jon Feltheimer said that potential buyers are also interested in the company’s film studio, suggesting that Amazon’s $8.5 billion purchase of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer had made Lionsgate a more attractive target.“Our library is newer, fresher than the MGM library,” Feltheimer said.His remarks came as Lionsgate saw a dip in revenue for the most recent fiscal quarter, dropping from $901.2 million to $893.9 million.

Lionsgate Sound, with a show hosted by 50 Cent about drug lord El Chapo among the inaugural programs. The motion picture group also is planning to bring aboard STX chairman Adam Fogelson as the film studio’s vice chair, an announcement that preceded a report that said Lionsgate was in discussions with STX about a strategic partnership involving theatrical distribution.

Brent Lang Executive Editor of Film and MediaAMC Theatres is rewarding the retail investors who rallied to support the exhibition giant when it was laboring under debt and COVID closures, lifting its share price at a critical juncture.On Thursday, the company announced that it will give a special dividend to investors of one AMC preferred equity unit for each of AMC Class A common stock. With a nod and wink, the company plans to list these units on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “APE,” the preferred moniker of the shareholders who embraced the AMC cause when it teetered on insolvency.The announcement came as AMC recorded a narrower than expected quarterly loss on Thursday as summer blockbusters like “Top Gun: Maverick” and “Jurassic World Dominion” lifted earnings.

EXCLUSIVE: WME has upped Liam Buckley to agent in the motion picture literary department in the agency’s Beverly Hills office.

Producer Janet Yang has been elected president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences by the organization’s Board of Governors at a meeting held today.

Brent Lang Executive Editor of Film and Media“Cha Cha Real Smooth” director Cooper Raiff and former Black Bear Pictures development executive Clementine Quittner are teaming up to launch a new production company, Small Ideas, with a goal of developing and producing independent film and television projects.The duo are joining forces to make projects from emerging filmmakers and creators, as well as projects written and directed by Raiff. Their first endeavor will be an undisclosed television series which Raiff will write, direct, and produce, and which Quittner will produce.Raiff’s most recent film, “Cha Cha Real Smooth,” won the Audience Award at this year’s Sundance Film Festival and was acquired by Apple for $15 million.

was canceled “due to circumstances beyond our control.”“We were looking forward to reuniting in September and hope we can all get back to enjoying the festival together again soon,” they wrote on Twitter. My Chemical Romance, Future, Jack White and Fall Out Boy were among the “diverse lineup of over 30 artists across four stages” expected to play at the festival, according to its website.

Jack White, Future, My Chemical Romance, and Fall Out Boy headlining.Today (August 1), Live Nation announced that the festival was cancelled, stating that “Due to circumstances beyond our control, Music Midtown will no longer be taking place this year. We were looking forward to reuniting in September and hope we can get back to enjoying the festival together again soon.”The statement added: “Refunds will be processed automatically within the next 24 hours to the original method of payment.

Pledis Entertainment has announced that Jang Gyu-ri will leave fromis_9 following the expiration of her contract.Earlier today (July 28), South Korean music label Pledis Entertainment took to fromis_9’s official Twitter page to announce Jang’s departure from the K-pop girl group at the end of the month following the expiry of her exclusive contract with the group’s previous agency.“fromis_9 will become an eight-member group starting from this coming August and will meet their fans in their upcoming Japanese activities and other various activities scheduled for the second half of this year,” wrote Pledis.“fromis_9’s fifth EP ‘from our Memento Box’ will be the last promotional activity of Jang Gyu-ri as she wraps up her time as a member of fromis_9. She will conclude her contract earlier with us as of July 31 to embark on a new journey.”With Jang’s departure, fromis_9 will consist of Lee Sae-rom, Song Ha-young, Park Ji-won, Roh Ji-sun, Lee Seo-yeon, Lee Chae-young, Lee Na-gyung and Baek Ji-heon.Pledis Entertainment said the remaining members of fromis_9 had opted to sign new exclusive contracts with the company after the group transferred to Pledis from WAKEONE in August 2021, and Jang was the only member who did not do so.[공지] 프로미스나인 향후 활동 안내Read: https://t.co/6r7wJ2minB— fromis_9 [프로미스나인] (@realfromis_9) July 28, 2022“Jang Gyu-ri maintained the conditions of the original contract with her former agency and Pledis has been in charge of tasks including the management of her team and individual activities,” the label continued.

EXCLUSIVE: We hear that STX and Lionsgate are down the road on a new strategic deal that will see the latter distributing and marketing the former’s upcoming theatrical releases. STX’s upcoming slate includes such titles as Guy Ritchie’s Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre, Michael Mann’s Ferrari, Greenland: Migration, and Neil Burger’s The Marsh King’s Daughter starring Daisy Ridley, Garrett Hedlund and Ben Mendelsohn, among movies.