NBCUniversal Shake-Up: How Will Donna Langley Promotion & Susan Rovner Exit Impact Studio’s Television Business

Sophia Scorziello editor Exceptional Minds, the California-based non-profit training academy that works to bring young adults on the autism spectrum into digital arts roles, has promoted internal leaders Mike Schmueck and Steff Farrar to helm their in-house studios. Schmueck and Farrar were promoted to director of studio programs in VFX and animation, respectively. Together, they will manage the graduate artists of Exceptional Minds who provide production and post-production services.

It’s will.i.am and Britney Spears, b**ch! The duo has come together again for another hit.

will.i.am and Britney Spears, b**ch! The duo has come together again for another hit.The Black Eyed Peas frontman and Spears released their latest collaboration, «Mind Your Business,» late Thursday evening, to the delight of fans.The pop-synth dance track pulsates with a hypnotic beat and a unique energy, as both Spears and will.i.am offer up vocals for the electronica-steeped musical offering, which also benefits from a stuck-in-your-head-for-days hook.When the track was first announced, will.i.am dropped a visual via social media that began with a snippet of their track, «Scream & Shout,» from will.i.am's 2013 album, The song then cuts to a different upbeat techno beat where Spears is heard saying, «Mind your business, b**ch.»As the video comes to an end, the text «will.i.am x BRITNEY TOMORROW» appears on the screen.He also shared the same video on Instagram with the caption, «Uh oh!!! This summer is about to be hot!!!»UH OH!!! You are now NOW rocking with https://t.co/9h25DLRAUu and @britneyspears…

Gisele Bündchen is up to something extraordinary for her birthday bash this year! No flashy red carpets or paparazzi-filled events for this iconic beauty. The dazzling supermodel has decided to keep it refreshingly “low-key for her birthday this year,” as informed by a close source.The insider told People that Gisele prefers to stroll down the vibrant streets of Brazil with none other than her fabulous twin sister, Patricia.

Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith, after calling for the latter to take “more accountability” for the Oscars slap.The actor, best known for roles in Kill Bill and Independence Day, previously responded on The Wendy Williams Show to Pinkett Smith’s first statement after her husband, Will Smith, slapped Chris Rock at the Oscars.When asked what she thought of her comments in June last year, Fox said: “I have love for the Smiths. I know their children.

Manori Ravindran Executive Editor of International A new documentary about Richard Williams, the father of tennis greats Serena and Venus Williams, has sold into major markets. “On the Line: The Richard Williams Story,” which had its U.K. premiere at Sheffield Doc/Fest in June, has been sold into Sky (U.K. and Italy), Canal+ (France), MNET (South Africa), Paramount+ (Australia) and TVNZ (New Zealand). The film paints a complex portrait of the life, career and impact of Williams — the family patriarch and tennis coach to Venus and Serena Williams, who was also portrayed by Will Smith in the 2022 movie “King Richard.”

Thousands of actors have been walking the picket lines across LA and New York today and it’s clear that the SAG-AFTRA strike against the studios is going to continue to wreak havoc on scripted television.

BravoCon tickets are almost here! The fan convention for all things Bravo returns to Las Vegas this November — and ET has all the details of what fans can expect (so far), plus how to get their hands on tickets.BravoCon’s star-studded events, exclusive panels and interactive experiences kick off on Friday, Nov. 3, at the Caesars Forum, running through Sunday, Nov. 5.

Will Ferrell‘s sons are all grown up!

Donna Langley elevated to NBCUniversal Studio Group chairman and chief content officer, overseeing the company’s film and television studios. “We’re excited to evolve our partnership with Steven and cement our creative legacy together that has resulted in so many iconic Universal films over the last half-century,” Langley said in a statement.

As the Writers Guild-AMTPT standoff hits double digits, Deadline’s Strike Talk podcast host Billy Ray focuses on a topic as important as his masterful recent conversation with AI. Writers rooms are the pipelines of talent that turn rookies into showrunners, the ones that make billions for studios and networks with hit shows.

The news Thursday about Universal Filmed Entertainment Group chairman Donna Langley’s ascent to bring TV content under her domain doesn’t just speak to the greater NBCUniversal plan to have a more unified strategy across theatrical, TV and streaming.

EXCLUSIVE: Susan Rovner has praised her colleagues and acknowledged the tough decision to leave after NBCUniversal’s latest restructure was unveiled.

Donna Langley is a dame in waiting no more. The veteran movie executive, with deep ties to Hollywood filmmakers and a knack for shepherding blockbusters to the screen, ascended to NBCUniversal’s content throne on Thursday, one of the big winners in a sweeping reorganization made by company CEO Mike Cavanagh. In her new role as chief content officer, Langley won’t just be overseeing Universal’s slate of films. She will also take ownership of its TV and streaming creative strategy. It’s an elevation that many industry players saw as inevitable – after all, how much longer could the company keep the in-demand executive without expanding her portfolio?

Anyone looking for a sign of Comcast President Mike Cavanagh’s strategy as the recently installed overseer of NBCUniversal got a bright one Thursday.

Angelique Jackson The fourth season of the Emmy-winning comedy series “A Black Lady Sketch Show” will be its last, Variety has learned exclusively. “Thank you to all the immensely talented cast members, guest stars, writers, directors, editors and crew members who have made ‘A Black Lady Sketch Show’ an Emmy-winning success,” series creator and star Robin Thede said in a statement about the decision to end the show. “I especially want to recognize the Black women and other women of color who excelled in every department at ‘ABLSS,'” Thede added. “I am also eternally grateful for the support of Issa Rae and Jax Media, Amy Gravitt, Casey Bloys and the entire team at HBO, Max and Warner Bros. Discovery.”

NBCUniversal is going through another restructure.

Daniel D'Addario Chief TV Critic What’s NBC nowadays? Even before the ongoing writers strike scrambled the network’s fall schedule, its identity — historically quite strong as a place for chewy, grown-up dramas and chic, cerebral sitcoms — had seemed hazy. Promising comedies, the sort that might have grown to fulfill the role recently played by “30 Rock” or “Superstore,” got unceremoniously booted from the air after barely a chance to thrive; new dramas, from “Ordinary Joe” to “The Thing About Pam,” seemed painfully undistinguished.  It’s been a tough few years. And as much as the departure of former NBCUniversal chairman Susan Rovner, a career TV executive previously known for her work at Warner Bros. Television, is just latest bit of media industry consolidation, it’s also a moment to observe that the legacy network and its corporate siblings have struggled to find a way forward. (Rovner’s replacement, Donna Langley, will oversee both film and television for the company.) In the years since Rovner came into the job in 2020, there have been limited bright spots — the “Night Court” revival on NBC, “Poker Face” on streamer Peacock. But there’s been a general tone of a lack of faith in the core of what NBC is and does, one that makes today’s news feel like less of a surprise than it otherwise might.

ousted from the company in April. Cavanagh noted in the memo that he would continue to lead NBCU and that a new CEO would not be named.

Donna Langley is set to take control of content and creative ops across NBCUniversal’s portfolio of brands, as TV chief Susan Rovner exits the company. The shakeup in leadership is the first major restructuring move made by Mike Cavanagh since he took over ousted Jeff Shell’s position atop the Comcast-owned media company. In a memo to staff Thursday, Cavanagh announced NBCUniversal will be reorganized into four key units: NBCUniversal Studio Group, led by Langley, NBCUniversal Media Group, run by chairman of TV and streaming Mark Lazarus, NBCU News Group, run by existing news boss Cesar Conde, and the Universal Destinations and Experiences Group headed up by parks boss Mark Woodbury.