Verve Launched In A Recession & Turned 10 In Covid Pandemic; Founders Ponder A Future Staying Independent When Other Agencies Emphasize Growth & Acquisitions

Jessica Kiang With eternal respect to Virginia Woolf, whose “A Room of One’s Own” clearly inspires the title of Ioseb ‘Soso’ Bliadze’s beautifully articulate miniature, even before a woman needs money and her own space to be able to pursue self-fulfillment, she needs to know she needs those things. Bliadze’s superbly performed, remarkably immersive Karlovy Vary competition entry is one such story of tentative, interior emancipation, described in the tiniest arcs of change: the width of a smile, the warmth of an embrace, the directness of a gaze.

The CW announced its fall premiere dates that includes the debut of new legal drama Family Law, the Walker prequel titled Walker Independence, and the Supernatural prequel The Winchesters. 

With the summer holidays coming and people spending more time away from home, it's the perfect time to consider a smart doorbell and Amazon has launched a special £50 deal with everything you need to get started.

Elsa Keslassy International CorrespondentCanal Plus’ longtime drama commissioner Fabrice de la Patellière has joined forces with Studiocanal to set up his production banner, 2e Bureau. De la Patellière, who stepped down from his position at Canal Plus in January, will be producing premium series and mini-series for French and international channels and platforms.

Celebrities including Kim Kardashian and Madonna have protested against Independence Day in the wake of the Supreme Court overturning Roe v Wade and another mass shooting. Ukraine war: Britons charged with being mercenaries by RussiaCovid Hospital Admissions Likely To Rise Further, Says Health ChiefFire At St Marks Square, BromleyPm ‘Didn’t Know Specific Claims’ About Chris Pincher Before Giving Him Whips JobHundreds show love and support at vigil for Londoner Zara AleenaKeir Starmer And Angela Rayner Take Part In London's Pride ParadeEuropean Movement Vice President AnnouncementWar in Ukraine: The latest headlinesThousands of holidaymakers are continuing to face travel chaos at airportsPrince Harry speaks of Diana’s ‘legacy’ in his children at award ceremonyTrue Impacts Of Ukraine War To Spike Food Prices At The End Of 2022, Industry WarnsUK: Passengers Queue Up At Heathrow Airport After More Flight Cancellations 2Rihanna and ASAP Rocky spotted in south London barber shopFDA Recommends Updating COVID Boosters to Fight OmicronFarne Islands to close to visitors due to impact of avian influenzaZara Aleena’s maternal aunt remembers her 'independent' nieceThe 4th of July celebrations were also marred by a shooting during a parade in Highland Park, which killed six people.

Aitch has launched a new scheme in a bid to help young music fans travel to and from festivals and other live events this summer.The Manchester rapper has teamed up with Relentless Energy to set up ‘Aitch-S2’, which offers “free travel to under 25s, so they can attend festivals, concerts, cultural events, all of that. We’ve got you covered this summer!”Set to run from today (July 5) until August 26, the scheme will give people aged between 18 and 25 the chance to win vouchers worth either £25, £50 or £100 to use on any train on the LNER rail service, per the FAQs.They can be used across National Rail but not on the London Underground network.Those eligible to enter can do so here, with vouchers set to be drawn at random.

Katy Perry, Bette Midler and Jessica Chastain were just a few of the many Hollywood stars engaging in social media protests against Independence Day in the wake of the Supreme Court ruling that overturned Roe v. Wade more than one week ago.

A decision to open temporary court rooms in cinemas during the pandemic has cost taxpayers almost £30million, it can be revealed. The Odeon chain has raked in £26,166,092 over the last two years while Vue was paid £1,882,356 by the Scottish Courts service, figures ­uncovered by the Record show.

Heyday Television President Tom Winchester has launched a production company backed by Power of the Dog producer See-Saw Films and talent agency Hamilton Hodell.

Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit organization behind the iconic kids show “Sesame Street,” shared a new PSA on Twitter and Youtube.The now-viral campaign comes after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention expanded the use of the COVID-19 vaccine to children 5-years-old and younger earlier this month.“It’s okay to have questions about COVID-19 vaccines for children!” the tweet is captioned. “Elmo’s dad Louie talked to their pediatrician, and learned that Elmo getting vaccinated is the best way to keep him and his whole neighborhood safe and healthy!”It's okay to have questions about COVID-19 vaccines for children! Elmo's dad Louie talked to their pediatrician, and learned that Elmo getting vaccinated is the best way to keep him and his whole neighborhood safe and healthy! #CaringForEachOther pic.twitter.com/aWkCfysJPEThe now-viral PSA shows the eternal 3-year-old describing the jab as “a little pinch” to his father Louie who questioned the safeness of the vaccine.

EXCLUSIVE: Verve has upped coordinators Jessica Zou and Noah Liebmiller to Agents in the Motion Picture Literary Team.

The existing system for training showrunners cannot keep up with the demand, and John Wells has stepped in to help. The seasoned showrunner of shows such as ER, The West Wing and Shameless and former two-time WGAW President has launched The Showrunner’s Corner, a section of his company John Wells Productions’ web site dedicated to giving up-and-coming writers the basics they need in order to successfully make the transition to showrunners.

EXCLUSIVE: Greg Lauritano (Big Gold Brick) today announced the launch of his Brooklyn-based production company, Black Magic, at the same time offering details as to its upcoming slate.

Peaky Blinders and Cobra producer Joe Donaldson has set an indie, Magic Hour Television, and signed a first-look deal with All3Media International and All3Media-owned drama house New Pictures. Donaldson will develop a slate, funded by All3 and its international arm, and partner with New Pictures co-founder and CEO Willow Grylls to produce scripted TV.

Naman Ramachandran Joe Donaldson, producer of “Peaky Blinders” and “Cobra,” has launched new production company Magic Hour Television and signed a first look deal with All3Media and New Pictures.Donaldson will develop a slate, funded by All3Media and All3Media International, and partner with New Pictures co-founder and CEO Willow Grylls, to produce new scripted television content. He will also serve as executive producer for New Pictures on the upcoming third series ‘Cobra: Rebellion’ for Sky Max, which is due to start filming later this year.Magic Hour is set up to produce human stories about life in Britain and beyond, tapping into U.K.

Children and adults with Long Covid yesterday bravely told of their pain and suffering as they demanded urgent action from the Scottish Government.

EXCLUSIVE: Ryan Guzman (9-1-1) has taken over Ross Butler’s role in the family comedy The Present, from director Christian Ditter (How to Be Single). The reasons for Butler’s departure haven’t been disclosed, but Guzman is now set to star alongside Isla Fisher, Greg Kinnear, Easton Rocket Sweda, Shay Rudolph and Mason Shea Joyce.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefWith a mission to bring Japanese independent cinema to a world audience, todoiF launched Friday as a new specialist streaming platform.The service is privately backed and operated by Kawano Koichi, a San Francisco State University alumnus who worked as a talent agent in Japan for two decades, before becoming involved between 2019-21 in the start-up of another Japanese specialty streamer Cinema Discoveries.The new venture will start very small, possibly as few as eight carefully-curated titles, and make them available on a transactional-VOD only basis. New titles will be uploaded monthly and will typically be available for a year before rotating off the service.