Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Toho International, an offshoot of the storied Japanese film and TV giant Toho, is to launch twin e-commerce sites serving the growing legion of North American fans of Japanese pop culture. One platform is specific to the Godzilla brand. The other, iiZO, will cater to a wider range of anime fans who will be served with original Japanese merchandize. The moves are being headed by Kristin Parcell GM at Toho International, and her U.S.-based team who joined the firm from Crunchyroll at the end of last year. They foresee the twin initiatives as a business with $100 million of revenue within a few years. Their in-house operation comprises anime and “Godzilla” brand experts, and also includes specialist in merchandizing, buying and fashion. The sites go live at unspecified dates this summer.
Jim Osborne on APA’s Evolution Into Independent Artist Group: ‘We’re Not Anywhere Near Done Yet’
21.06.2023 - 19:39 / variety.com
Cynthia Littleton Business Editor Jim Osborne is a product of the mailroom. The veteran talent agent, who has been named CEO of the newly christened Independent Artist Group, got his start in the representation field the old-fashioned way — by working his way of out of the ICM mailroom and assistant pool. Osborne has spent the past dozen years at APA, rising to partner in 2015 and to president in 2020. As of today, he advances to the top post, as APA combines into a new entity with Dennis Arfa’s music touring powerhouse Artist Group International. The deal brings such superstars into the fold as Billy Joel, Metallica, Smashing Pumpkins, Linkin Park and the Strokes, and was orchestrated in part by investor Ron Burkle and his Yucaipa Co. (which owned Artist Intl. and invested in APA in 2020).
RELATED: APA Merges With Touring Powerhouse Artist Group Intl., Rebrands as Independent Artist Group Osborne takes the baton from longtime APA leader Jim Gosnell, who will now serve as one of three board members of the agency, alongside Osborne and Arfa. It’s a fraught time to be leading a tenpercentery in Hollywood, with the writers strike raging on and SAG-AFTRA possibly to follow, layoffs hitting most of the major media giants and the general unease over the disruption spurred by the industry’s transition from linear TV to on-demand streaming platforms. As Osborne moves into the CEO seat, he spoke with Variety about the vision for the enlarged agency, what he’s telling writer clients these days, why he’s encouraged by Hollywood’s post-pandemic competitive landscape and the key lessons he learned (and item he saved) from working on the desk of the legendary Ed Limato. APA has been in business with Ron Burkle for a while. What was
K-pop group Enhypen announce 6-show ‘Fate’ World Tour: Get tickets now
Enhypen just announced that they’ll be playing six huge arena shows in the U.S. as part of their upcoming ‘Fate World Tour.’That includes back-to-back concerts at Newark, NJ’s Prudential Center on Wednesday, Oct.
Scottish Government independence spending to be investigated by UK officials
The Scottish Government is set to be investigated by UK officials over concerns it has been spending public money on matters not within its remit, Parliament has heard.
TikTok Launches Music-Streaming Service in Brazil and Indonesia
Jem Aswad Executive Editor, Music After months of speculation, TikTok is finally launching its own “social music streaming service,” initially in Indonesia and Brazil, the company announced Thursday, with licensing from all three major music companies. The service, hich is premium-only, will allow users to synch with their existing accounts and also share and download the tracks they discover on TikTok. The service is now available in both countries with a one-month free trial, according to The new service will replace the company’s existing streaming service, Resso, on Sept. 5. The transition began in May, which TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, announced that Resso would become a premium-only service.
‘Independence Day: Resurgence’ wasn’t a “success” without Will Smith, says star
Independence Day: Resurgence star Vivica A. Fox has said that she thinks the film needed Will Smith to be a successful sequel.The 2016 sci-fi film, released 20 years after Independence Day, bombed in the US with a domestic box-office figure of $102million but recouped its $165million budget following a better showing worldwide (globally, it took $389million).
Jim Caviezel Anti-Child-Trafficking Thriller ‘Sound Of Freedom’ Notches $10M Presales Before July 4th Opening – Updated Box Office
UPDATED EXCLUSIVE: Angel Studios’ thriller Sound of Freedom starring Jim Caviezel has seen its presales spike to $10M. This is before the pic’s opening tomorrow, July 4, in north of 2,600 locations. Many rivals are tracking this semi-faith-based, based-on-a-true-story title about about former Homeland Security agent Tim Ballard who took rescuing abducted children around the globe into his own hands; they’re spotting a 6-day $20M start which is extremely impressive for a non-major studio adult thriller. We’ll see how this plays out. Currently over a million tickets have been snapped up for Sound of Freedom.
Vivica A. Fox Says ‘Independence Day 2’ “Missed Out” & Didn’t “Live Up To The First One” Due As Will Smith Didn’t Return
Vivica A. Fox is getting real about the Independence Day sequel she starred in and expressing how she really felt about the film.
New raga-inspired Vampire Weekend album “close to being done”
Vampire Weekend‘s new album is inspired by raga and “close to being done” according to drummer Chris Tomson.The band last released an album with 2019’s ‘Father of the Bride’ and recently announced a new vinyl-only live album series.In a newsletter revealing the news, Thomson shared what frontman Ezra Koenig has been up to since the band’s ‘Father Of The Bride’ tour finished, and what it could mean for the new material.“Ezra [Koenig] took a raga singing lesson with Terry Riley in rural Japan and wrote what he considers to be 7 of his all-time top 10 best songs,” he added.Discussing how the band were then able “to connect, jawbone, and jam” together, Thomson said: “I personally found an immense peace and pleasure from creating with the guys like we had in the Ruggles days. The vibe was strong.”He added that the album is “close to done,” with Thomson promising updates before the end of the year and saying: “I feel like it just might be our best yet.
Vivica A. Fox Talks Will Smith's Absence in 'Independence Day 2' - Here's Why He Wasn't In It
Vivica A. Fox was feeling Will Smith‘s absence in the sequel to their 1996 hit movie Independence Day, and she thinks everyone else was, too.
Independent Artist Group Names Jarred Arfa EVP, Head Of Global Music
Shortly after being named CEO of Independent Artist Group, the full-service agency resulting from the merger of APA and music touring agency Artist Group International, Jim Osborne has named Jarred Arfa, Executive Vice-President, Head of Global Music.
Human Remains Discovered Near California Mountain Area Where Actor Julian Sands Disappeared 5 Months Ago
There potentially has been an update on the heartbreaking case of missing actor Julian Sands.
KC Global Media Sells Animax Korea, Linear Kids Channel, to Aniplus
Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief KC Global Media, a leading multi-territory operator of linear TV channels in Asia, has sold Animax Korea to Aniplus, an Asian multinational television channel and anime distributor based in Singapore and South Korea. The deal “aims to elevate Animax Korea’s offerings while focusing on horizontally integrating its content across Aniplus’ platform and reach,” the companies said. The deal was agreed in April, but was subject to regulatory approvals. These have now been obtained. Deal terms were not disclosed. But sources close to the transaction suggest that it was valued at some KRW46 billion ($35.5 million).
John Waddington, post-punk The Pop Group guitarist, dead at 63
on Twitter, though a cause was not mentioned. “An influential musician, and an integral member of the group, John contributed to some of the band’s most iconic recordings,” the band tweeted.
APA & AGI Agencies Merge To Create Independent Artist Group With APA’s Jim Osborne As CEO
The consolidation in the talent representation space continues. Agency for the Performing Arts and music touring agency Artist Group International (AGI) are merging, with the combined full-service agency rebranded as Independent Artist Group (IAG). APA President Jim Osborne is being named CEO of IAG, with Dennis Arfa, founder and CEO of AGI, as Chairman of the Music Division of IAG. Former longtime APA CEO Jim Gosnell will serve on the board of AGI alongside Osborne and Arfa.
APA Merges With Touring Powerhouse Artist Group Intl., Rebrands as Independent Artist Group
APA has taken a big step to fortify its future as a full-service talent agency by combining with touring powerhouse Artist Group Intl. to create the newly named Independent Artist Group, led by APA president Jim Osborne. Osborne will become CEO of Independent Artist Group (IAG), taking over day-to-day management of the firm. Jim Gosnell, APA’s longtime leader, segues into board member role with a mandate to evaluate growth and acquisition opportunities for the new venture. Dennis Arfa, co-founder of Artist Group Intl., will serve as chairman of IAG’s Music division. Artist Intl. Group president Marsha Vlasic becomes vice chairman of music.
APA and AGI Merge Agencies, Rebrand as Independent Artist Group
Agency for the Performing Arts and Artist Group International, the premier independent music touring agency, have joined forces to create a more powerful full-service agency with one of the top music divisions in the industry. The two agencies have merged and will rebrand as Independent Artist Group, the companies said Wednesday.Jim Osborne, current president of APA is being named CEO of IAG, while Dennis Arfa, founder and CEO of AGI, is being named chairman of the music division of IAG, effective immediately.The board of IAG will consist of Osborne, Arfa and former longtime APA CEO Jim Gosnell, who will spearhead vertical growth opportunities for IAG while passing the baton of running the day-to-day operations of the agency to Osborne.
‘The First Slam Dunk’ To Open New York’s Japan Cuts; Ryuichi Sakamoto Remembered, Yuya Yagira To Receive Award
EXCLUSIVE: Blockbuster animated feature The First Slam Dunk will open Japan Cuts, a festival of Japanese cinema in New York, which will also feature a special tribute to late Oscar-winning composer Ryuichi Sakamoto.
'Disgusted' Sky News viewers slam woman spotted dancing in background of report on Nottingham murders
Sky News viewers were horrified when they watched a woman waving her arms about while she stood in full view of a live broadcast from the scene of the Nottingham murders.
Urgent warning to gardeners over plant 'more troublesome' than Japanese Knotweed
Gardeners are being warned to be aware of a "troublesome" plant that can damage your home - and it's deceptively pretty.
Disney to Close Remaining Linear TV Channels in Southeast Asia and Korea
Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Disney is to close its six remaining linear TV channels in Southeast Asia, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Korea as the conglomerate puts a greater emphasis on direct-to-consumer streaming. The channels concerned are National Geographic, National Geographic Wild, Star Chinese Movies, Star Chinese Channel, Star Movies and Star World. Linear services will end from September in Southeast Asia, Hong Kong and Korea, and by December in Taiwan. The group expects to retain a streamlined television portfolio with channels in Japan, China, Australia and New Zealand for the time being.