Kevin Mayer & Tom Staggs’ Blackstone-Backed Firm Acquires ‘CoComelon’ Production Company Moonbug For $3B

EXCLUSIVE: The UK’s National Film and Television School and local production company Popcorn Group have teamed up to launch a new writers prize for “stories with strong identities which look to shape the conversation around social and political issues in a thought-provoking way”.

Elsa Keslassy International CorrespondentFremantle has forged a ground-breaking three-year partnership agreement with a creative alliance of nine leading independent production companies to help them develop and fund high-quality international dramas series and films.Called The Creatives, the alliance spans eight countries and has been spearheaded by France’s Haut Et Court, the production and distribution banner behind “The Returned” and “Possessions.”Along with Haut et Court, the partnership

K.J.

K.J. Yossman Federation Entertainment is expanding its global presence with a new management and production company, Animal Federation.The new outfit will be led by producers Juan Solá (“Extinction”) and Nacho Manubens (“La Casa de Papel”) and talent manager Adil Chamakh.

Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, and Ernie Hudson reunited to talk about the new “Ghostbusters: Afterlife” movie on Monday’s “Tonight Show”.

EXCLUSIVE: Major European indie Federation Entertainment is getting into the American market by launching a Los Angeles-based management and production company with a trio of top-tier executives.

Jesse Metcalfe and Chad Michael Murray have teamed up for an action cyber-thriller that is being released next month!

Joe Otterson TV ReporterRichard T. Jones is launching an independent production company dubbed Prophecy Pictures Entertainment, Variety has learned exclusively.Jones is starting the company with producing partners Jeremy Loethen and Kristy Horiuchi.

EXCLUSIVE: Harrison Land is leaving In Pursuit with John Walsh producer Jupiter Entertainment to set up his own production company.

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media ReporterKaufman Astoria Studios, the New York-based film and production hub, has been purchased by venture capital firms Hackman Capital Partners and Square Mile Capital Management.Built in 1920, Kaufman Astoria Studios was the original home of Paramount Pictures and served as the backdrop to more than 100 silent films.

EXCLUSIVE: Story Syndicate, the New York-based film and television production company founded by Oscar- and Emmy-winning filmmaking couple Dan Cogan and Liz Garbus, has added four executives to its growing ranks.

Jamie Lang Longtime colleagues and college friends Gabriel Govela (“Dark Rain”), Irma Deschamps (“Champs”) and Juan Carlos Montes have reunited to launch TresTresTres Films, a young, fresh independent production house based out of Mexico City.The trio are currently participating in the Sanfic Industria Morbido Lab for feature genre projects with Govela’s hardcore horror project “Zarzal.” It’s one of six projects pitching to prospective investors, co-producers, sales agents and festival and

Kevin Mayer and Tom Staggs’ Blackstone-backed company has bought Moonbug Entertainment, producer of he popular Netflix children’s program “CoComelon,” it was announced Thursday.

Ellise Shafer administratorMoonbug Entertainment, the company behind the wildly popular children’s show “CoComelon,” has been acquired by Kevin Mayer and Tom Staggs’ unnamed media venture. Though the terms of the deal were not made public, Bloomberg reports that the pricetag was $3 billion.This marks the second acquisition for the former Disney execs’ company, which is backed by private equity firm Blackstone Group Inc.

Dwayne Johnson spoke out about the tragic “Rust” shooting during Wednesday’s “Red Notice” premiere in Los Angeles.

announced in August. “We really think that there’s the opportunity to pull together a really forward-looking independent content, technology and social commerce company that is built for where the marketplace is, and is going.

EXCLUSIVE: Amy Aniobi is preparing for life after Insecure.

Drew Barrymore and Tom Green met on the set of Charlie‘s Angels and began dating in 1999. While their relationship and marriage were short-lived, they are still one of the most memorably weird couples of the early 00s.

Renowned comedian Kevin Hart is peeling back the layers in Netflix’s “True Story” trailer with co-star Wesley Snipes.