James Murdoch Latest Celebrity News & Gossip

Elsa Keslassy International CorrespondentBrut, an official media partner of the Cannes Film Festival, is breaking new ground by partnering with Emily Yang, a celebrated digital artist known as Pplpleasr, to release 75 Cannes-themed non-fungible tokens (NFTs) on May 2. The proceeds will benefit the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative.The values-driven digital startup, whose backers include James Murdoch and François-Henri Pinault, is building the operation, named “75 Producer Pass NFTs,” to help make the film industry more inclusive to young female creators.“After teaming with the global video game franchise Fortnite to put Cannes in the metaverse, we’re excited to have the Cannes Film Festival brand activated for greater good and launch this pioneering NFT-fundraiser with Pplpleaser who share the same values as us,” said Guillaume Lacroix, who co-founded Brut with veteran producer Renaud le Van Kim in 2016.

Naman Ramachandran India’s Reliance and Viacom18 have entered a strategic partnership with Bodhi Tree Systems, a platform of James Murdoch’s Lupa Systems and former Disney president Uday Shankar, to form a giant TV and digital streaming company in India.Bodhi Tree is fundraising with a consortium of investors to invest $1.78 billion in Viacom18, to “jointly build India’s leading entertainment platform and pioneer the Indian media landscape’s transformation to a ‘streaming-first’ approach,” the companies said in a statement. Viacom 18 is a joint venture of Network 18, the media group controlled by billionaire Mukesh Ambani, and U.S.

Manori Ravindran International EditorFremantle has struck a strategic development deal with AWA Studios, the film and television division of AWA (Artists, Writers & Artisans).The deal will allow Fremantle and AWA Studios to collaborate and co-develop a slate of TV projects based on AWA’s expanding IP library. The graphic fiction publisher and entertainment studio was founded in 2018 by Marvel alumni Bill Jemas and Axel Alonso, and Jon Miller.Under the pact, the two companies will collaborate closely on “all aspects” of the partnership, with Fremantle leading on raising production finance and funding the development of projects.

American Gods producer Fremantle has struck a strategic development deal with the film and TV arm of graphic fiction company AWA, whose backers include James Murdoch’s Lupa Systems and his sibling Elisabeth’s production firm Sister.

Elsa Keslassy International CorrespondentBrut, the rising digital media startup whose backers include James Murdoch and François-Henri Pinault, is set to bring the Cannes Film Festival into Epic Games’ Fortnite, as well as grow its global presence and creator economy platform.The Fortnite operation is one of the many young adult-skewing initiatives spearheaded by Brut as part of its new media partnership with the Cannes Film Festival.Brut is also planning to host a House of Creators at Cannes and will bring about 100 creators from across the world to the Croisette where they’ll meet high-profile filmmakers, actors and agents in small groups.Guillaume Lacroix, who co-founded Brut with veteran producer Renaud le Van Kim in 2016, said the idea behind the House of Creators was to “bridge the gap between the film and digital-native industries and allow these talented young creators to grow and upscale in the long term.” “Creators [on social media] have often been opposed to traditional content creators, but the truth is that if filmmakers who are now in their 40s and 50s had had smart phone like the ones we have today back when they started out, they would have all jumped on the opportunity to create content instead of using old VHS tapes,” said Lacroix.Brut is also developing blockchain tools to put creators in direct touch with their fans and allow them to maximize their revenue.

Elsa Keslassy International CorrespondentBrut, the rising digital media startup whose backers include James Murdoch and François-Henri Pinault, is set to bring the Cannes Film Festival into Epic Games’ Fortnight, as well as grow its global presence and creator economy platform.The Fortnight operation is one of the many young adult-skewing initiatives spearheaded by Brut as part of its new media partnership with the Cannes Film Festival.Brut is also planning to host a House of Creators at Cannes and will bring about 100 creators from across the world to the Croisette where they’ll meet high-profile filmmakers, actors and agents in small groups.Guillaume Lacroix, who co-founded Brut with veteran producer Renaud le Van Kim in 2016, said the idea behind the House of Creators was to “bridge the gap between the film and digital-native industries and allow these talented young creators to grow and upscale in the long term.” “Creators (on social media) have often been opposed to traditional content creators, but the truth is that if filmmakers who are now in their forties and fifties had had smart phone like the ones we have today back when they started out, they would have all jumped on the opportunity to create content instead of using old VHS tapes,” said Lacroix.Brut is also developing blockchain tools to put creators in direct touch with their fans and allow them to maximize their revenue.

Naman Ramachandran James Murdoch and Uday Shankar have formed Bodhi Tree, an investment platform financially supported by the Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) designed to invest in media and consumer technology opportunities in Southeast Asia, with a particular focus on India. Murdoch set up Lupa Systems as a private holding company in 2019 following his departure as CEO of 21st Century Fox, Sky plc, and Star. He subsequently quit as a director of News Corp.

EXCLUSIVE: Artists, Writers and Artisans (AWA), the creator-owned graphic novel publisher and studio, has named Matthew Anderson, an investor of James Murdoch’s Lupa Systems and former Roku CMO, to its board and tapped, Bob Cohen — former longtime legal chief of the former 20th Century Fox — as EVP and General Counsel.

Elsa Keslassy International CorrespondentBrut., the leading digital news publisher in Europe, recently launched a millennials-skewing streaming service, BrutX, and has just raised $75 million from James Murdoch’s Lupa Systems, François-Henri Pinault’s Artemis, Orange Ventures and Tikehau Capital. Guillaume Lacroix, the well-respected French producer and visionary co-founder and CEO of Brut.

Artists, Writers and Artisans (AWA), the creator-owned graphic fiction publisher, has launched AWA Studios and named Zach Studin as president, starting a new chapter for the group in Hollywood.

James Murdoch is joining the special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) rush in America, seeking to raise $345 million for his new media and tech venture with Uday Shankar, the former president of The Walt Disney Company Asia Pacific and chairman, Star & Disney India.

Media scion James Murdoch gave his current assessment of the state of play in the global entertainment business Tuesday during an opening keynote discussion at APOS, Asia's leading media summit.

Naman Ramachandran James Murdoch, former CEO of 21st Century Fox, and founder and CEO of Lupa Systems, is heralding a future that spotlights creator-led franchises.Delivering the opening keynote speech at the annual APOS conference, Murdoch said that the emergence of massive conglomerates meant that “there is less room for truly original work (and) lots more derivative work,” but with higher budgets, whether it’s in films or series.

With virtual concerts in online video gameFortnite and gaming destination Roblox drawing big audiences, Authentic Artists, a start-up whose investors include James Murdoch’s Lupa Systems, on Wednesday unveiled the launch of an artificial intelligence-powered virtual artist platform for music, gaming and streaming applications.

James Murdoch’s Lupa Systems has invested in Authentic Artists, a seed-stage startup that Wednesday launched a new AI-powered virtual artist platform for music, gaming and streaming applications.

Todd Spangler NY Digital EditorThe worlds of music and gaming are being pureed together by Authentic Artists, a startup touting an AI-powered virtual artist platform whose backers include James Murdoch’s Lupa Systems and Linkin Park cofounder Mike Shinoda.The San Francisco-based seed-stage company has created prototypes of 12 “supernatural” virtual-artist avatars, which it describes as ranging from a “lo-fi loving cyborg” to a “high-octane, half-iguana DJ.” Viewers are able to give those

James Murdoch,Kevin Mayerand Bela Bajaria,Netflix's vp global television, are among the top executives joining the speaker lineup at APOS, Asia's influential media and entertainment industry conference. Run by regional consultancy Media Partners Asia, APOS is usually held at a high-end resort in Bali, Indonesia, but the event has pivoted over the past year to a series of online gatherings better suited to the restrictions of the pandemic era.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefJames Murdoch, Kevin Mayer and Bela Bajaria are among the prominent executives lining up to speak at the upcoming APOS conference on Asian media affairs.The conference is operated by consultancy Media Partners Asia and has for several years been held as an in-person event in Bali, Indonesia.

After mid-2000s success building the Star TV empire into one of India’s top broadcasters and the dominant local streaming service, James Murdoch and Uday Shankar are back with a new project. Murdoch and Shankar, Disney’s former president in Asia Pacific, unveiled an ambitious new partnership Jan.

James Murdoch,who split from his family's media empire last year,has criticized "media property owners" over election fraud and denialism claims that led to violent riots in the nation's capital. "The sacking of the Capitol is proof positive that what we thought was dangerous is indeed very, very much so.

Ellise Shafer administratorJames Murdoch, the son of Fox News owner Rupert Murdoch, has spoken out against “media property owners” that spread disinformation leading up to the Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol.In an interview with the Financial Times on Friday, Murdoch said that the attack on the Capitol is a consequence of the election disinformation championed by President Donald Trump and circulated by media outlets.“The damage is profound,” Murdoch told the Financial Times.

James Murdoch, the renegade son of Murdoch family dynasty who broke with the empire last summer, has publicly denounced “media property owners” whose election denialism helped lead to the violent storming of the U.S. Capitol last week that resulted in five death.

James Murdoch and Uday Shankar, the former CEO of Star India and president of Disney in Asia Pacific, said Thursday that they are partnering to form a new venture that will explore technology and media opportunities in emerging markets. Murdoch, who no longer holds a role in his family's media empire, is teaming up with Shankar via Lupa Systems, theNew York and Mumbai-based investment firm he established in 2019.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefUday Shankar, who recently stood down as head of Disney in Asia, has set up an new venture with James Murdoch and his Lupa Systems company. The unnamed venture will explore technology and media opportunities in emerging markets.Murdoch set up Lupa as a private holding company in 2019 following his departure as CEO of 21st Century Fox, Sky plc, and STAR.

Six months after quitting the News Corp. board, James Murdoch is embarking on a new media and tech venture in India alongside Uday Shankar, the former president of The Walt Disney Company Asia Pacific and chairman, Star & Disney India.

Ellise Shafer editorJames Murdoch doesn’t want to start another dynasty.After leaving News Corp — the mass media company his father, Rupert Murdoch, founded in 1980 that is now sister companies with Fox Corporation — Murdoch is looking to be a force of good in the world, helping to combat the disinformation that many of News Corps’ outlets are often accused of proliferating.

Days after resigning from News Corp.'s board of directors, James Murdoch has been approved to join the board of the owner of Art Basel as his firm takes a stake in the company. MCH Group, the owner ofthe global art fair platform, disclosed Monday that its board of directors had voted to approve Murdoch's firm, Lupa Systems, to invest in the company and voted to add the mogul to its board.

Former 21st Century Fox CEO James Murdoch has resigned from the board of News Corp., the parent company of the Wall Street Journal. In a letter of resignation filed Friday afternoon, Murdoch wrote: "My resignation is due to disagreements over certain editorial content published by the Company’s news outlets and certain other strategic decisions." James Murdoch had been on News Corp.'s board of directors since 2013.

Australia and the U.K. and owns the HarperCollins book publisher.

Jill Goldsmith Co-Business EditorNews Corp. said Friday that James Murdoch, the son of founder Rupert Murdoch, is exiting the board of directors due to unspecified differences over editors content, the latest in periodic bouts of family drama around the media dynasty.