Storytelling Showbiz and Celebrity Breaking News

The Marvel Cinematic Universe has revolved around a core group of character for years now. However, Disney’s CEO Bob Iger is suggesting that will change in the coming years.

wcinkala pmc-editorial-manager Rapper, singer and actor Tobe Nwigwe will participate in a panel about his installment of Audible’s latest original music storytelling podcast and Audible Original, “Origins,” which debuted in the fall and is currently available. The panel, titled “Variety’s Music Storytelling Panel presented by Audible,” will be moderated by Variety’s Selome Hailu and will include Audible’s executive producer of original music-storytelling, Preston Copley. The conversation will explore Nwigwe’s music career, while highlighting the inspiration for “Origins,” the Audible Original series featuring eight groundbreaking artists who answer the question: “Where are you from?” In the series, Nwigwe speaks about his influences and journey breaking into the music industry, and during the SXSW panel Nwigwe will dive deeper into his unique story. The panel will also discuss the creation of the Audible Original, innovating in audio and the unique storytelling opportunities available through this exciting entertainment medium. The panel will take place at the Audible Sound Studio located at the Sunset Room on Saturday, March 11, from 12 – 1 p.m. CT.

Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent Prominent Arab journalist Nakhle Elhage, who ran the Al Arabiya news network for 16 years, is launching a digital startup called Blinx to produce news and short form storytelling content targeting Gen Z and millennials in the Middle East and beyond. Headquartered in a high-tech Dubai Media City studio, Blinx is being dubbed as the first digital native storytelling hub in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). It “will soon launch on multiple platforms,” according to a statement. The digital startup, which is financed by unspecified UAE-based investors, is offering a “more story, less noise approach,” the statement said, with content made by young people “delivering relatable content to a young audience in a way the MENA region has yet to see,” it added.

Netflix’s The Tinder Swindler director Felicity Morris has said the documentary market is going to contract and warned filmmakers against “chasing the next viral story that everyone is talking about.”

Nick Holdsworth Breaking into the world of filmmaking is never an easy prospect.   And when you are a queer filmmaker who wants to focus on LGBTQ subjects, and lives in a traditional, Catholic, former Soviet Eastern European country, the bar to success is set pretty high.  Romas Zabarauskas’ career proves that with grit, determination — and, as he says, “no bitterness” — it is possible to create your own path on the international stage.  The 32-year-old producer and director — currently in production of his first English-language feature, “The Writer,” the second in a trilogy of films examining gay relationships — says being in the public spotlight as a queer filmmaker is a “complex issue.” 

EXCLUSIVE: The three recipients of the 2023 NRDC Climate Storytelling Fellowship have been chosen and they have some heavy hitters in their corners as mentors.

Proud of her workplace. Nikki DeLoach praised Hallmark Channel for their storytelling after Candace Cameron Bure‘s controversial comments in support of Great American Media’s programming.

Controversial comedian Bill Cosby is hoping to put his legal troubles aside and get back on the road next year, he revealed today in a radio interview.

Coca-Cola, Imagine Entertainment and Amazon have partnered in Christmas Always Finds Its Way, a trilogy of short films that will launch today on Amazon Prime and promoted heavily through the holiday season.

In the semi-documentary film Eami, a word that tellingly means both “forest” and “world” to the indigenous Ayoreo Totobiegosode people of Paraguay, the native’s increasingly shrinking landscape, due to deforestation, serves as a grounded but dreamlike backdrop for a story that blends elements of fiction and nonfiction storytelling.

Lin-Manuel Miranda, Jamie Foxx, Mel Brooks, Viola Davis and Questlove have received nominations for the Best Audio Book, Narration and Storytelling Recording at the 65th Grammy Awards, which were announced this morning.

Disney CEO Bob Chapek called Disney+ a “lifestyle portal for Disney fandom” and streaming the nexus of a “reengineered” company that would never have survived and thrived for a century if it didn’t take bold swings.  

William Earl A new study from nonprofit environmental firm Good Energy and the USC Norman Lear Center found few references to climate change and environmental crises in a survey of more than 37,000 scripts from 2016 to 2020. The study aimed to track the level of “climate change representation” in mainstream scripted entertainment. The data showed that only 2.8% of 37,453 scripts analyzed used any “climate change keywords,” while only 0.6% featured the words “climate change.” Only 10% of stories that depicted “extreme weather events” tied the occurance to any form of climate change, while a mere 12% of those tied the problem to the use of fossil fuels.

Carole Horst From “The Shrink Next Door” to “We Crashed” to “Slow Burn,” the stock of podcasts as IP have soared over the past several years, with the most popular making the transition from audio stories to on-screen smash hits. But where podcast source material can and does serve as creative inspiration for successful TV and film adaptations —Amanda Seyfried nabbed an Emmy for her lead turn as Theranos CEO Elizabeth Holmes in Hulu’s “The Dropout,” which was based on a podcast — there remains intrinsic educational, artistic and pop-cultural value in podcasts for podcasts’ sake.  At Boston-based audio-first media company Double Elvis, run by chairman and CCO Jake Brennan and co-founder and CEO Brady Sadler, chairman and CCO and co-founder and CEO, respectively, of Double Elvis — “Disgraceland,” “Blood on the Tracks” and “Badlands” are among its popular podcasts centered on the bad behavior of rock stars and Hollywood denizens — podcasts are not just a means to an end, but a vessel through which to relay compelling, nuanced, entertaining tales about humanity. 

Rebecca Souw Korean film and TV story-telling has expanded and adapted under the influence of both COVID and streaming video. As a result, screenwriting today may be more in touch with audience needs, media executives in Busan heard. A panel discussion on Saturday, organized by the Busan Story Market, a new wing of the Asian Contents & Film Market (ACFM) sought to define Korean story telling and analyze why it is currently so successful. One explanation offered by Hwang Hyejung, chief content officer at Korean streamer TVing, was that writers have broadened their outlook to include more current and realistic topics. Romantic comedies and melodramas are no longer the defining genres.

GLAAD has hired Julian J. Walker as associate director, Communities of Color & Media.

Jennie Punter As Toronto director Clement Virgo and the cast of “Brother” took the stage at the Princess of Wales Theatre on the night of Sept. 9 to soak in the hometown standing ovation after film’s world premiere, a delegation of Black producers from across Canada was settling in for a week of networking ops curated by the Black Screen Office (BSO).   This year has seen Black-led CBC and BET+ historical drama series “The Porter” (recently renewed for Season two) connect with audiences and critical kudos beyond Canada; Black talent empowerment and training organizations extend their reach; and the BSO forge platforms and alliances to strengthen and amplify its advocacy, research and funding development work. 

Children were treated to a special storytelling session at Polkemmet Country Park in Whitburn from lovable Road Safety Scotland character Ziggy.

Cherien Dabis When I was offered the opportunity to direct the “Only Murders in the Building” episode “The Boy From 6B,” which focuses on the story of a deaf character, I knew instantly that I had to do it. It was precisely the kind of story that excites me, a story told from a point of view we rarely get to see, portraying a character from a community that’s underrepresented and misrepresented. I’ve built my career upon telling stories about marginalized communities, and by doing so, I’ve attempted to push us all out of the margins and into the center.

It’s been nine months since then-head of TriStar Television Kathryn Busby was named President Of Original Programming for Starz. In her first nine months on the job, Busby has embraced and expanded the network’s existing programming commitment to narratives by, about and for women and underrepresented audiences as well as its #TakeTheLead Initiative to amplify diverse voices.

Whitney Friedlander While saltier reality shows including Bravo’s “Real Housewives” franchise and HBO Max’s “FBoy Island” are still very much a thing — and very popular — there has also been a bumper crop of “nice” reality programming infiltrating the arena.And, it turns out, Television Academy voters are fans. A look at the reality categories in this year’s Emmys race include Netflix’s A-for-effort baking competition series “Nailed It!,” the long-running, pride-focused VH1 series “RuPaul’s Drag Race” and both NBC’s mentorship musician series “The Voice” and its goofysweet crafts program “Making It.” Even the vibe of perennial Emmy nominee, Bravo’s “Top Chef,” comes with a message of respect for the artistry of cooking.

Cynthia Littleton Business EditorWhen he was fresh out of USC’s School of Dramatic Arts in the mid-1990s, Danny Strong’s goals were modest. The future multihyphenate just wanted to be able to pay his rent with his earnings as an actor.It took about 18 months, but he got there.

explore further some of the many great minds who have pondered its wider and deeper meanings. The role I’m singing is the old knight Gurnemanz. Bizarrely, despite being the longest role of the opera by a clear hour, in terms of notes sung, he is not one of the main characters of the story.

Johnny Lin I work in the film industry, so storytelling is in my nature. There is an invaluable power to storytelling; stories are what allow us to connect. They are a tool that can be used to inspire others and provide them with an entirely different perspective — an ability that has always been critical, and this has become even more apparent in today’s social climate.

MTV Entertainment Studios today announced that USC’s Annenberg Inclusion Initiative will become the long-term home of the Mental Health Storytelling Initiative. The effort was spearheaded last year by MTVE, who brought together a coalition of over 60 entertainment media companies and mental health expert organizations to raise awareness and change the narrative on mental health.

Peter Bart and Mike Fleming Jr. worked together for two decades at Daily Variety. In this occasional column, two old friends get together and grind their axes, mostly on the movie business.

For a brand that touts its genius at “storytelling,” the Magic Kingdom faces ever-growing problems in telling its own story.