Tubi Launches ‘Stubios’ to Fund and Stream Fan-Greenlit Creative Projects, Taps Issa Rae to Mentor Aspiring Filmmakers

Christopher Vourlias The Intl. Emerging Film Talent Foundation (IEFTF), a new Athens-based venture established to provide support for unheard and unseen talent, launches May 18 at the Cannes Film Festival during the ceremony for the Arab Cinema Center film awards at the Plage des Palmes.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor The joint venture of Disney/ESPN, Fox Corp. and Warner Bros. Discovery to package together a sports streaming bundle has a name — Venu Sports.

Naman Ramachandran Glasgow-based Momentum Films, led by producer Rakasree Basu (“Iqbal and the Jewel of India”), has officially launched at the Cannes Film Festival‘s market. The company is focusing on developing original stories by converging the Scottish and the South Asian cinematic landscapes across feature films, high end television and narrative documentaries. Momentum has an under-production film “Adrift,” which was shot in Tamil Nadu, southern India, and is currently in post-production.

Marc Malkin Senior Editor, Culture and Events Jay Marcus has been working in film and television for more than a decade, but he also has no problem boasting that he is a “theater nerd.” “I could talk about theater more than anything else in the world,” says Marcus, head of scripted film and television at RuPaul’s production company RuCo. “I get giddy about it.” So much so that, in August, he launched The Hollywood Theatre Club. In the first of a now bimonthly newsletter written and distributed by Marcus, he described the club as a “collective of film & TV executives, producers, agents/managers, casting directors and other industry types who come together once a month to see professional theater in L.A.” “I have a lot of hope for theater in L.A., not necessarily as a commercial endeavor but for the key non-profits that are doing great work,” Marcus says.

Amanda Holden has taken to her Instagram with a sweet family snap after spending an 'amazing' night with her youngest daughter. The Britain's Got Talent judge is currently back on screen alongside Simon Cowell, Bruno Tonioli and Alesha Dixon as the hit ITV talent show returns for its 17th series.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Tubi hired Mike Bidgoli, a six-year veteran of internet giant Meta, as chief product and technology officer for the Fox-owned free streaming service. Bidgoli, who reports to CEO Anjali Sud, will be responsible for leading the product and engineering teams overseeing the product experience and innovation strategy for Tubi.

Jamie Lang Uruguay’s José Ignacio International Film Festival (JIIFF) has launched the Pfeffer del Sur Fund, a $50,000 fund dedicated to supporting Ibero-American film projects. The Pfeffer Del Sur Fund, established by JIIFF’s primary benefactors, María and John Pfeffer, will be launched in January 2025 as part of the festival’s 15th anniversary edition. It will be awarded to one of the projects selected from the JIIFF Lab, part of the Working JIIFF industry program.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor CAA has turned to technology vendor Veritone to help build and operate the talent agency’s early-stage database housing replicas of its clients’ digital likenesses. In September 2023, CAA launched The CAA Vault, an in-house service based in Burbank, Calif., that can scan, capture and securely store clients’ digital likenesses (face and body) and voice. The point is to give talent ownership, control and permission over their digital identities to address issues of consent, credit and compensation related to AI usage.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Roku has landed exclusive multiyear rights for Major League Baseball‘s Sunday Leadoff live games, a package previously with NBCUniversal’s Peacock. Starting May 19, Roku will stream Sunday MLB games for free on the Roku Channel. The company also will launch a new MLB Zone to help baseball fans find live and upcoming games, nightly recaps, highlights, a fully programmed MLB free, ad-supported streaming TV channel, and other content across the Roku platform.

EXCLUSIVE: Iranian-American multidisciplinary producer James Shani launches creative studio, RICH SPIRIT, which will partner with BIPOC artists and filmmakers to produce a wide range of original projects from narrative films to documentaries, music videos, donate its services to nonprofits, execute commissioned work for brands, and fund early-stage founders in the technology and media space.

Queer Eye star Antoni Porowski has assembled a star-studded lineup of celebrity friends who will accompany him on a global culinary adventure in his upcoming Nat Geo docuseries No Taste Like Home. Awkwafina (A Real Bug’s Life), Henry Golding(The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare), James Marsden (Jury Duty),Florence Pugh (Oppenheimer), Issa Rae(Insecure) and Justin Theroux (The Leftovers) take a journey toward cultural and personal discovery with Porowski as their gastronomic guide in the docuseries produced by Gordon Ramsay’s Studio Global Ramsay. No Taste Like Home with Antoni Porowski is slated to premiere in spring 2025.

is a rom com, and it’s not strictly mom-themed. But, Anne Hathaway’s character is a mom in it, and there are some cute mother / daughter moments. The movie follows Solène Marchand (Hathaway), a divorced single mom in her 40s who gets into a relationship with Hayes Campbell (Nicholas Galitzine), a 24-year-old boy band star.

Peter Andre's loyal fanbase came out in full force after a troll made a harsh comment on a photo with his adorable newborn daughter. The Mysterious Girl hitmaker and his wife Emily recently welcomed their third child, a baby girl named Arabella Rose Andrea, joining seven year old Theo, ten year old Amelia, and Peter's older children Junior, 18, and Princess, 16, from his previous marriage to Katie Price.

Former Toei producer Muneyuki Kim has launched K2 Pictures, which will work with major directors such as Hirokazu Kore-eda and aim to create a new funding ecosystem for Japanese animated and live-action features.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Netflix used to say its goal was to become HBO faster than HBO could become Netflix. Well, Netflix succeeded on that front. Now Warner Bros.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Disney and Warner Bros. Discovery — ordinarily rivals for consumers’ time and money — are teaming up for a triple-play bundle of Disney+, Hulu and Max. The companies announced a new streaming bundle comprising Disney+, Hulu and Max will be available this summer in the U.S.

Can television have its own New Hollywood moment?

EXCLUSIVE: AGBO, the Russo Brothers‘ media company, has launched an innovation department, expanding its physical and virtual production capabilities under the guidance of a seasoned executive team.

Peter Andre has finally announced the name of his newborn daughter after sharing that he and wife Emily were undecided on the infant's name. In a sweet Instagram post, Emily shared the news, as she wrote: "It's taken a while but after lots of deliberation we've finally decided. Arabella Rose Andrea." Peter also shared the news on his own Instagram page, and fans were quick to react to the chosen name.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Jessica Casano-Antonellis is exiting SiriusXM to join the new Disney, Fox Corp. and Warner Bros. Discovery sports-streaming venture as head of communications.