Bondit Co-Founders Believe Funding Can Be as Creative As Storytelling

Kelly Clarkson’s upcoming 10th studio album Chemistry features a collaboration with Steve Martin.

Actress and musician Samantha Weinstein has died aged 28.

EXCLUSIVE: The biggest deal thrashed out so far at this year’s Cannes market is nearing completion with Amazon Prime Video set to pre-buy international rights — excluding Germany — to Liam Neeson action sequel Ice Road 2: Road To The Sky in a pact pegged around $17M.

Jenelle Riley Deputy Awards and Features Editor This article first appeared as part of Jenelle Riley’s Acting Up newsletter – to subscribe for early content and weekly updates on all things acting, visit the Acting Up signup page. Yellow Dot Studios wants to save the Earth — and entertain you along the way. Oscar winner Adam McKay has launched the non-profit studio with the intent of creating videos and other materials that will raise awareness of climate change and other issues, often told with comedy. It’s a high-wire act McKay has become adept at, having previously tackled material like the 2007-08 financial crisis (“The Big Short”), politics (“Vice”) and climate change (“Don’t Look Up”).

EXCLUSIVE: Quiver Distribution has boarded recently wrapped holiday film Christmas Actually, starring Malin Akerman (Billions), Ryan Hansen (Party Down) and Amy Smart (Stargirl).

EXCLUSIVE: Sony Pictures has snapped up U.S., Canada and key international for Studiocanal and Heyday Films’ threequel Paddington in Peru.

Naman Ramachandran XYZ Films has unveiled the first clip from Cannes Directors’ Fortnight selection “In Flames,” a Pakistani-Canadian horror film directed by Zarrar Kahn. The film, produced by Anam Abbas and executive produced by Shant Joshi, Todd Brown and Maxime Cottray, is part of XYZ’s New Visions slate. As revealed by Variety, XYZ had boarded the title last year. In the Karachi-set film, after the death of the family patriarch, a mother and daughter’s precarious existence is ripped apart by figures from their past – both real and phantasmal. They must find strength in each other if they are to survive the malevolent forces that threaten to engulf them.

Making herself clear. Khloé Kardashian has no plans to rekindle her romance with Tristan Thompson — but appreciates the support Kim Kardashian has shown her ex.  

EXCLUSIVE: Here’s your first look at Samuel L. Jackson (Pulp Fiction) and Vincent Cassel (La Haine) in action-thriller Damaged, which wrapped this spring in Scotland.

Manori Ravindran Executive Editor of International Florence Pugh and Andrew Garfield-led romantic drama “We Live in Time” has sold into Canada’s Sphere Films. The Montreal- and Toronto-based company has picked up Canadian rights to the drama directed by “Brooklyn” helmer John Crowley, who also directed Garfield in his breakout role in “Boy A.” The film is currently in production in London and specific plot details are being kept closely under wraps. All that’s known so far is that the pic is an immersive love story. “We Live in Time” is scripted by playwright and screenwriter Nick Payne with Benedict Cumberbatch on board as executive producer. The project is developed and produced by Studiocanal with partners at SunnyMarch including Leah Clarke, Adam Ackland and Guy Heeley. It is co-financed by Film4 and Studiocanal. International sales are handled by Studiocanal while the U.S. distribution rights have been acquired by A24.

Even his co-stars are on the Jack Harlow thirst train.

Jack Harlow is opening up about his exhilarating experience on the set of his first film, “White Men Can’t Jump”.

Seth Rogen certainly sees no issue between men and women being friends.

Michael J. Fox is giving his wife all the credit.

Tricia and Cathie have been crowned BBC's Race Across The World winners. The eight-episode TV series saw five pairs take part in a literal race across the world as they travelled through various countries.The contestants were pushed to their absolute limits as they made their way through extraordinary terrain whilst on a limited budget. The pairs are given a GPS tracker, a world map, a travel guide and a money belt of cash, but they are not allowed to catch a flight as a mode of transport.The pairs travelled over 16,000 kilometres from Vancouver, Canada, on the Pacific Coast to St John's on the island of Newfoundland.

Naman Ramachandran Principal photography has commenced on Adam MacDonald’s survival thriller “Out Come the Wolves.” The feral feature, which will be shot on location in Dundas, Ontario throughout May, follows the story of a woman who takes her fiancé to a secluded cabin to meet her best male friend, before things take a dark turn during a hunting trip. The film is represented for international by Altitude Film Sales, who will be discussing the film with buyers at the upcoming Cannes Film Market. MacDonald’s credits include “Backcountry”, which had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival and “Pyewacket”, which also debuted at TIFF. He also directed the third and fourth seasons of “Slasher” and the upcoming season five for AMC’s Shudder. Most recently, he completed directing the first virtual reality horror movie experience for Meta entitled “Be Mine.”

Todd Longwell Back in 2017, Kevin King was looking to retire from ABS Payroll, the company he founded in 1985 to service independent productions, and hand the business off to his son Kris. He invited BondIt Media Capital co-founders Matthew Helderman (above, left) and Luke Taylor (above, right) to lunch. Their production company Buffalo8 had been an ABS client, and when the duo launched BondIt in 2013, the King family participated in its first round of financing. Now, King was offering BondIt the opportunity to return the favor and invest in ABS. “Kris was running the day-to-day, and his father wanted him to be surrounded with executive-level or MBA-minded support, as opposed to a scenario where he hired an investment bank and sold the business, and his son would likely be pushed out,” says Helderman.

Todd Longwell By the mid-2010s, BondIt Media Capital was thriving, funding 50 projects a year, as well as producing its own slate through its Buffalo8 division. But its post-production pipeline was a chaotic tangle, employing an uncoordinated mix of talent working at facilities spread across the map. Simply put, “it was unsustainable,” says BondIt CEO and co-founder Matthew Helderman. Then, in 2017, an opportunity presented itself: a post-production house was exiting its lease on a 10,000-square-foot space in Hollywood, leaving both the building and an impressive amount of equipment and personnel up for grabs. Helderman and BondIt COO and co-founder Luke Taylor stepped in and Buffalo8 Post Production was born.

McKinley Franklin editor Larry Poland, the founder of Mastermedia International, died on May 3 in Illinois after suffering a stroke. He was 83. Poland founded Mastermedia to serve as “a trusted voice of faith to the mainstream media leaders.” Mastermedia teams in Hollywood and New York cultivate relationships with industry pioneers through conversation, consulting and support. The organization provides research and consulting on reaching America’s Christian market, working with executives from major networks and movie studios. Poland grew up in Ohio and devoted his life to Christian service through obtaining a higher education, international volunteer service and pursuing consulting with entertainment industry leaders. He graduated from Wheaton College with a Bachelors in sociology, and was a was a previous director of the Agape Movement, an international volunteer service organization under Campus Crusade for Christ, Intl.

VIVIZ, ONEUS and more are set to perform at Kimchi Festival Canada next month.Over the weekend, Kimchi Festival Canada announced its first line-up of artists on its official Instagram page. The upcoming festival will feature appearances by girl group VIVIZ, boyband ONEUS, ex-Wonder Girls member Sunye, rapper Cheetah, duo 6band and DJ Flash Finger.Kimchi Festival Canada will be held at the SaskTel Centre in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan from June 23 to 24.