Exclusive: Former Wayfarer COO/CFO Labid Aziz is launching LA-based film and TV company PoC Studios with a slate of projects including Tokyo-set TV series Tokyo Undernight, written by Oscar-winner Ron Bass (Rain Man)
Aziz, who is in Cannes this week to help launch the company, has founded the firm with sovereign wealth fund advisor and college basketball player V. Marbue Dennis II. Both men will serve as Co-Chief Executive Officers with comic book creator, writer and producer Andrew Cosby, known for co-creating TV series Eureka and producing action movie Two Guns, joining as Chief Creative Officer.
The new company says it will provide support from development through production and distribution. It is aiming to work on projects with a diverse bent and commercial and global appeal.
PoC has already agreed to collaborate with companies including Rogue Wave Entertainment, 62 Brands, Northstar Thailand Studio and Jeff Gomez’s Starlight Runner Entertainment...
Aziz, who is in Cannes this week to help launch the company, has founded the firm with sovereign wealth fund advisor and college basketball player V. Marbue Dennis II. Both men will serve as Co-Chief Executive Officers with comic book creator, writer and producer Andrew Cosby, known for co-creating TV series Eureka and producing action movie Two Guns, joining as Chief Creative Officer.
The new company says it will provide support from development through production and distribution. It is aiming to work on projects with a diverse bent and commercial and global appeal.
PoC has already agreed to collaborate with companies including Rogue Wave Entertainment, 62 Brands, Northstar Thailand Studio and Jeff Gomez’s Starlight Runner Entertainment...
- 7/9/2021
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
Marvel is about to get even more larger than life. In the continuing quest to expand Ultraman into the west, franchise owner Tsuburaya Productions has teamed up with Marvel Comics to release all-new stories based on the classic Ultraman series. Marvel’s Ultraman comic will be titled The Rise of Ultraman and the first issue will be hitting later this year! Along with the title it was also announced that Kyle Higgins (Mighty Morphin Power Rangers) and Matt Groom (Self/Made) will be writing the series and art will be done by Francesco Manna.
All of the talent attached to this is spectacular but the most noteworthy for fans of the genre is Higgins, since he was a driving force behind the Power Rangers comic for Boom! Studios. The first writer on the title, Higgins helped establish the comic and made huge contributions to the “Shattered Grid” event. He has...
All of the talent attached to this is spectacular but the most noteworthy for fans of the genre is Higgins, since he was a driving force behind the Power Rangers comic for Boom! Studios. The first writer on the title, Higgins helped establish the comic and made huge contributions to the “Shattered Grid” event. He has...
- 3/3/2020
- by Mike Cecchini
- Den of Geek
Jeff Gomez, co-founder and CEO of Starlight Runner Entertainment in New York, has been a key player in shaping the digital future of entertainment for decades. He helped push the Producers Guild of America to recognize a new credit for “transmedia producer” in 2010, and since founding his company in 2000 has helped major franchises — including “Halo,” “Men in Black,” “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,” “Sesame Street,” “Transformers” and “Avatar” — grapple with telling stories across multiple platforms. Stories and characters — once siloed in films, television or comic books — now have lives and narratives that extend across all platforms, including video games and social. While 20 years ago this sort of storytelling was tertiary to tentpole films, it’s increasingly the starting point for major franchises, such as Star Wars, The Avengers and X-Men, as well as smaller properties ranging from Angry Birds to Magic: The Gathering. Gomez has been intensely focused on this sort...
- 1/9/2020
- by Benjamin Reeves
- The Wrap
Shamus Kelley Aug 6, 2019
The creator of Evangelion and co-director of Shin Godzilla is taking on a live-action Ultraman movie!
Get in the Ultraman, Shinji! With Evangelion in the news recently thanks to it streaming on Netflix, it's a delightful time to hear that Hideaki Anno (the creator of Evangelion) will be working on a new entry in the Ultraman franchise. Shin Ultraman will be based on the classic 1966 tokusatsu series that featured the titular Ultraman fighting against giant space monsters.
Anno will be joined by Shinji Higuchi, who along with Anno were co-directors of the 2016 film Shin Godzilla. Anna will serve as writer and Higuchi will head up production. Masami Nagasawa, Hidetoshi Nishijima and Takumi Saito have signed to star. The release is set for 2021, with Tsuburaya Production, Toho and Khara producing. Thanks to Variety for their report on this one.
Anna is currently working on his long awaited Evangelion 4.0 Final film,...
The creator of Evangelion and co-director of Shin Godzilla is taking on a live-action Ultraman movie!
Get in the Ultraman, Shinji! With Evangelion in the news recently thanks to it streaming on Netflix, it's a delightful time to hear that Hideaki Anno (the creator of Evangelion) will be working on a new entry in the Ultraman franchise. Shin Ultraman will be based on the classic 1966 tokusatsu series that featured the titular Ultraman fighting against giant space monsters.
Anno will be joined by Shinji Higuchi, who along with Anno were co-directors of the 2016 film Shin Godzilla. Anna will serve as writer and Higuchi will head up production. Masami Nagasawa, Hidetoshi Nishijima and Takumi Saito have signed to star. The release is set for 2021, with Tsuburaya Production, Toho and Khara producing. Thanks to Variety for their report on this one.
Anna is currently working on his long awaited Evangelion 4.0 Final film,...
- 8/6/2019
- Den of Geek
Shamus Kelley Jul 11, 2019
50 years, over 1100 episodes, and 20 years of Ultraman will finally be released in North America.
If you’re an Ultraman fan, it’s been slim pickings when it comes to home media. While a few seasons have been released in the past, including the original Ultraman, Ultraseven, and Ultraman Tiga it’s been hard to get a hold of the huge back catalog of Ultraman series in physical media form. That’s all about to change thanks to Mill Creek Entertainment, Indigo Entertainment, and Tsuburarya Porductions.
Mill Creek will be taking the lead on bringing “almost everything produced throughout the last 50 years” of Ultraman’s history, according to the press release. They’ll be starting with limited edition SteelBook complete series releases of Ultra Q and Ultraman, releasing on October 15, 2019 for Blu-ray. Standard packaging will also be available for a slightly lower price.
These releases will include the...
50 years, over 1100 episodes, and 20 years of Ultraman will finally be released in North America.
If you’re an Ultraman fan, it’s been slim pickings when it comes to home media. While a few seasons have been released in the past, including the original Ultraman, Ultraseven, and Ultraman Tiga it’s been hard to get a hold of the huge back catalog of Ultraman series in physical media form. That’s all about to change thanks to Mill Creek Entertainment, Indigo Entertainment, and Tsuburarya Porductions.
Mill Creek will be taking the lead on bringing “almost everything produced throughout the last 50 years” of Ultraman’s history, according to the press release. They’ll be starting with limited edition SteelBook complete series releases of Ultra Q and Ultraman, releasing on October 15, 2019 for Blu-ray. Standard packaging will also be available for a slightly lower price.
These releases will include the...
- 7/10/2019
- Den of Geek
Shamus Kelley Mar 19, 2019
Ultraman is big in Japan but has had a tough time finding success in America. Jeff Gomez is working to change that.
The Ultraman franchise is a cultural juggernaut in Japan. Beginning in the 1960s, the giant hero has spawned tons of TV series, movies, action figures, a theme park, and much much more. The Ultraman characters stand toe to toe with other big superhero franchises there like Sentai (which became Power Rangers in America) and Kamen Rider.
In the west however Ultraman never quite took off in the same way. It still enjoys some cultural cache, since the original series was aired across American TV stations in the '60s and '70s. It’s still fondly remembered and the character was even featured in a couch gag on the Simpsons. Still, it hasn’t been able to reach the level of popularity it enjoys in Japan.
Ultraman is big in Japan but has had a tough time finding success in America. Jeff Gomez is working to change that.
The Ultraman franchise is a cultural juggernaut in Japan. Beginning in the 1960s, the giant hero has spawned tons of TV series, movies, action figures, a theme park, and much much more. The Ultraman characters stand toe to toe with other big superhero franchises there like Sentai (which became Power Rangers in America) and Kamen Rider.
In the west however Ultraman never quite took off in the same way. It still enjoys some cultural cache, since the original series was aired across American TV stations in the '60s and '70s. It’s still fondly remembered and the character was even featured in a couch gag on the Simpsons. Still, it hasn’t been able to reach the level of popularity it enjoys in Japan.
- 3/13/2019
- Den of Geek
Michael Ahr Shamus Kelley Mar 1, 2019
We spoke with Starlight Runner Entertainment CEO Jeff Gomez about plans to build a franchise for classic Japanese hero, Ultraman.
Jeff Gomez has a dream job that simply had to be discussed on The Fourth Wall, a podcast dedicated to allowing creative people behind the scenes of entertainment to talk directly to our audience. His company is tasked with taking an intellectual property like the classic Japanese hero Ultraman, and building a mythology and a consistent universe across many media beyond even the animated Netflix project for that established story. Our resident Tokusatsu expert, Shamus Kelley, spoke with Gomez about every geek’s fantasy playground.
Imagine being able to decide the rules of how the world of Men in Black works or what place Spider-Man has in the rapidly expanding Spiderverse. Starlight Runner got to go full-out on those and other projects before taking on Ultraman.
We spoke with Starlight Runner Entertainment CEO Jeff Gomez about plans to build a franchise for classic Japanese hero, Ultraman.
Jeff Gomez has a dream job that simply had to be discussed on The Fourth Wall, a podcast dedicated to allowing creative people behind the scenes of entertainment to talk directly to our audience. His company is tasked with taking an intellectual property like the classic Japanese hero Ultraman, and building a mythology and a consistent universe across many media beyond even the animated Netflix project for that established story. Our resident Tokusatsu expert, Shamus Kelley, spoke with Gomez about every geek’s fantasy playground.
Imagine being able to decide the rules of how the world of Men in Black works or what place Spider-Man has in the rapidly expanding Spiderverse. Starlight Runner got to go full-out on those and other projects before taking on Ultraman.
- 2/28/2019
- Den of Geek
Ultraman goes to America!
As revealed by Hollywood Reporter, Tsuburaya Productions — the Tokyo company founded by Eiji Tsuburaya — has partnered with Jeff Gomez’s Starlight Runner Entertainment to give the popular franchise a western reboot and expand Ultraman Universe outside Japan. A whole new Ultraman mythology and possibly a live-action streaming TV series are to be expected on multiple platforms for years to come.
Jeff Gomez of Starlight Runner Entertainment has admitted in a statement to be a huge fan of Ultraman since childhood and to be honored to bring the Ultraman legacy back to the world stage.
Ultraman premiered as a Japanese live action series in 1966, created by special-effects director Eiji Tsuburaya (first Godzilla) also founder of Tsuburaya Productions, and soon became a tokusatsu classic.
It has since been one of the longer-running Japanese productions, including 34 shows, nine original video animation specials, 30 movies and over 50 video game appearances. Still as popular as ever,...
As revealed by Hollywood Reporter, Tsuburaya Productions — the Tokyo company founded by Eiji Tsuburaya — has partnered with Jeff Gomez’s Starlight Runner Entertainment to give the popular franchise a western reboot and expand Ultraman Universe outside Japan. A whole new Ultraman mythology and possibly a live-action streaming TV series are to be expected on multiple platforms for years to come.
Jeff Gomez of Starlight Runner Entertainment has admitted in a statement to be a huge fan of Ultraman since childhood and to be honored to bring the Ultraman legacy back to the world stage.
Ultraman premiered as a Japanese live action series in 1966, created by special-effects director Eiji Tsuburaya (first Godzilla) also founder of Tsuburaya Productions, and soon became a tokusatsu classic.
It has since been one of the longer-running Japanese productions, including 34 shows, nine original video animation specials, 30 movies and over 50 video game appearances. Still as popular as ever,...
- 12/19/2018
- by Adriana Rosati
- AsianMoviePulse
Japan’s classic sci-fi superhero series Ultraman is going to be rebooted for American audiences. Ultraman was created by Eiji Tsuburava and was introduced to Japanese audiences in 1966.
The story revolved around a high-tech police force and their powerful superhero Ultraman battling to save the Earth from invading aliens and giant monsters.
Over the years there have been several TV series, movies, video games, and other spinoff content. Some of the more recent projects include 2016’s Ultraman X the Movie, last year there was Ultraman Orb the Movie, and this year there’s Ultraman Geed the Movie. Then there’s also the new anime series coming to Netflix.
Now the Tokyo-based production company Tsuburaya Productions is looking to build out the Ultraman mythology outside of Japan and in America. U.S. transmedia producer Starlight Runner Entertainment will be helping out with this.
According to THR, “Starlight Runner will team with...
The story revolved around a high-tech police force and their powerful superhero Ultraman battling to save the Earth from invading aliens and giant monsters.
Over the years there have been several TV series, movies, video games, and other spinoff content. Some of the more recent projects include 2016’s Ultraman X the Movie, last year there was Ultraman Orb the Movie, and this year there’s Ultraman Geed the Movie. Then there’s also the new anime series coming to Netflix.
Now the Tokyo-based production company Tsuburaya Productions is looking to build out the Ultraman mythology outside of Japan and in America. U.S. transmedia producer Starlight Runner Entertainment will be helping out with this.
According to THR, “Starlight Runner will team with...
- 12/11/2018
- by Joey Paur
- GeekTyrant
From Katniss Everdeen to Lisbeth Salander, today's film heroines kick butt. But are violent on-screen women empowering or oppressive?
Katniss Everdeen's triumphs extend beyond the Quarter Quell and the global box office: she has guaranteed the future of the female action hero. Not that this was in much doubt, even before The Hunger Games: Catching Fire swept all before it. On the big screen, women have been successfully kicking butt for some time now.
As our current millennium dawned, the testosterone-fuelled derring-do of Stallone, Willis, Schwarzenegger and their ilk had lost its edge. The protagonists of Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Kill Bill brought welcome spin to their genre.
Since then, a new clutch of male heroes has fallen prey to self-doubt. This has left the likes of dragon-tattooed Lisbeth Salander, teen assassin Hanna and Kick-Ass's Hit-Girl to steal much of their thunder. Female toughies...
Katniss Everdeen's triumphs extend beyond the Quarter Quell and the global box office: she has guaranteed the future of the female action hero. Not that this was in much doubt, even before The Hunger Games: Catching Fire swept all before it. On the big screen, women have been successfully kicking butt for some time now.
As our current millennium dawned, the testosterone-fuelled derring-do of Stallone, Willis, Schwarzenegger and their ilk had lost its edge. The protagonists of Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Kill Bill brought welcome spin to their genre.
Since then, a new clutch of male heroes has fallen prey to self-doubt. This has left the likes of dragon-tattooed Lisbeth Salander, teen assassin Hanna and Kick-Ass's Hit-Girl to steal much of their thunder. Female toughies...
- 12/13/2013
- by David Cox
- The Guardian - Film News
1. Transmedia Storytelling: Jeff Gomez, president and CEO of Starlight Runner Entertainment, has impressive transmedia storytelling credits, having worked on projects such as "Avatar," "Pirates of the Caribbean," and "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles." Gomez will be conducting a one-day master class on "Creating Blockbuster Transmedia Story Worlds & Brands" at the new Made in NY Media Center by Ifp on December 11. Indiewire recently talked to him about the rules of transmedia storytelling and why even low-budget independent filmmakers need to incorporate transmedia into their story worlds. Read Gomez's rules of transmedia storytelling here. 2. Buying a Digital Cinema Camera: Before you buy that digital cinema camera, read these tips from Craft Truck about what you need to know. 3. House of Cards: Alison Willmore reports that season two of "House of Cards" will premiere on February 14th, 2014 -- Valentine's Day. Netflix announced the return date of its...
- 12/4/2013
- by Paula Bernstein
- Indiewire
Jeff Gomez, president and CEO of Starlight Runner Entertainment, a transmedia storytelling firm, has impressive transmedia storytelling credits, having worked on projects such as "Avatar," "Pirates of the Caribbean," and "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles." Gomez, who served on the jury for the Bombay Sapphire Award for Transmedia at this year's Tribeca Film Festival, will be conducting a one-day master class on "Creating Blockbuster Transmedia Story Worlds & Brands" at the new Made in NY Media Center by Ifp on December 11. Indiewire recently talked to him about the rules of transmedia storytelling and why even low-budget independent filmmakers need to incorporate transmedia into their story worlds. Transmedia is such a buzz word these days, but very few people seem to really understand what it means. What is your cocktail party definition of transmedia? Jeff Gomez: Transmedia really in and of itself doesn't mean all that much. It's about being able to communicate across.
- 12/3/2013
- by Paula Bernstein
- Indiewire
As a continuation of Filmmaker‘s coverage on upcoming courses at the Miny Media Center by Ifp, Starlight Runner CEO Jeff Gomez opted to share a few of his thoughts on why transmedia is no mere trend. “At the turn of the century,” notes Gomez, “our entire communications system went into hyperdrive, and has only been picking up speed. At the same time, our three network, three newspaper, three neighborhood movie theater world has been blown to a million pieces.” How one capitalizes on the wealth of new media is exactly what Gomez aims to instruct in his masterclass, “Creating Blockbuster […]...
- 12/2/2013
- by Sarah Salovaara
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
As a continuation of Filmmaker‘s coverage on upcoming courses at the Miny Media Center by Ifp, Starlight Runner CEO Jeff Gomez opted to share a few of his thoughts on why transmedia is no mere trend. “At the turn of the century,” notes Gomez, “our entire communications system went into hyperdrive, and has only been picking up speed. At the same time, our three network, three newspaper, three neighborhood movie theater world has been blown to a million pieces.” How one capitalizes on the wealth of new media is exactly what Gomez aims to instruct in his masterclass, “Creating Blockbuster […]...
- 12/2/2013
- by Sarah Salovaara
- Filmmaker Magazine-Director Interviews
Sony Pictures Entertainment Co-Chairman Amy Pascal hinted last week that the studio has big plans for its “Spider-Man” franchise that might include launching a series of spin-off films based on the comic book’s other characters. To help the studio better understand Spidey’s world of superheroes and super-villains and to market its upcoming “The Amazing Spider-Man 2,” Sony has tapped Starlight Runner. The company specializes in transmedia storytelling, an approach that weaves a narrative across multiple media platforms, spanning movies, television shows and social media outlets. Starlight Runner and co-founder and CEO Jeff Gomez have been poring over decades of storylines from.
- 11/27/2013
- by Brent Lang
- The Wrap
Tribeca’s 12th annual festival, running from April 17-28, recently announced that their festival awards, including the top juried world competitions going to The Rocket, The Kill Team, Whitewash and Oxyana. See below for the official press release.
2013 Tribeca Film Festival Announces Awards
* * *
The Rocket, The Kill Team, Whitewash And Oxyana
Win Top Awards In Juried World Competitions
* * *
Sandy Storylines Wins First-ever Bombay Sapphire Award For Transmedia
* * *
Festival Awards $155,000 In Cash Prizes
[April 25, 2013 – New York, NY] – The 12th annual Tribeca Film Festival, co-founded by Robert De Niro, Jane Rosenthal and Craig Hatkoff, and presented by founding sponsor American Express, announced the winners of its competition categories tonight at a ceremony hosted at the Conrad New York in New York City. The Festival runs through April 28, 2013.
The world competition winners for narrative and documentary films were chosen from 12 narrative and 12 documentary features from 14 countries. Best New Director prizes were awarded to a first-time director for both narrative and documentary films,...
2013 Tribeca Film Festival Announces Awards
* * *
The Rocket, The Kill Team, Whitewash And Oxyana
Win Top Awards In Juried World Competitions
* * *
Sandy Storylines Wins First-ever Bombay Sapphire Award For Transmedia
* * *
Festival Awards $155,000 In Cash Prizes
[April 25, 2013 – New York, NY] – The 12th annual Tribeca Film Festival, co-founded by Robert De Niro, Jane Rosenthal and Craig Hatkoff, and presented by founding sponsor American Express, announced the winners of its competition categories tonight at a ceremony hosted at the Conrad New York in New York City. The Festival runs through April 28, 2013.
The world competition winners for narrative and documentary films were chosen from 12 narrative and 12 documentary features from 14 countries. Best New Director prizes were awarded to a first-time director for both narrative and documentary films,...
- 4/26/2013
- by Christopher Clemente
- SoundOnSight
Now that the National Film Board of Canada is not the only big player in the game of transmedia storytelling (outside of the branding world, of course), the Tribeca Film Institute, Mozilla and more are eager to put their money and support behind transmedia storytelling. Jeff Gomez, of Starlight Runner Entertainment, a transmedia storytelling firm, has worked on the transmedia storytelling of "Avatar," "Pirates of the Caribbean," and "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles." Gomez is on the jury for the Bombay Sapphire Award for Transmedia at this year's Tribeca Film Festival. As someone who has hung in there and advocated the use of transmedia techniques to tell compelling stories in the age of pervasive media, I’m thrilled that it seems we’ve gone beyond arguing about the meaning of the word and started celebrating works of transmedia storytelling. At this year’s Tribeca Film Festival, for example, we have seen...
- 4/18/2013
- by Jeff Gomez
- Indiewire
The Force.net are running more bad news, as it appears that Disney has continued to hack away at the Star Wars property. This lastest news was announced a few hours ago by a tweet from Stacy Arnold-Strider, a former Product Development Manager at LucasFilm:
“Hatchet day at #Lucasfilm and #LucasLicensing. Bad news: I got laid off. Good news: I got laid off! Look out, world, here I come!”
No comments have yet been made by LucasFilm. This continues the stream of bad news that has plagued everything Star Wars since the Disney buyout in late 2012. The LucasArts shutdown affected “some 150 workers,” according to Kotaku News, who lost their jobs. And with the closure of LucasArts, also came the death of the highly awaited projects, Battlefront III and Star Wars 1313. The Business Insider got the following quote from Jeff Gomez, CEO of Starlight Runner Entertainment about the layoffs at LucasArts.
“Hatchet day at #Lucasfilm and #LucasLicensing. Bad news: I got laid off. Good news: I got laid off! Look out, world, here I come!”
No comments have yet been made by LucasFilm. This continues the stream of bad news that has plagued everything Star Wars since the Disney buyout in late 2012. The LucasArts shutdown affected “some 150 workers,” according to Kotaku News, who lost their jobs. And with the closure of LucasArts, also came the death of the highly awaited projects, Battlefront III and Star Wars 1313. The Business Insider got the following quote from Jeff Gomez, CEO of Starlight Runner Entertainment about the layoffs at LucasArts.
- 4/17/2013
- by Darragh O'Connor
- Obsessed with Film
The Tribeca Film Festival have announced the juries for each category of competition. A host of actors, directors and journalists have been selected that include Evan Rachel Wood, Paul Haggis, Josh Radnor, Eva Longoria and Bryce Dallas Howard.
The members selected will be judging the films that fall within their respective categories, and you can check out the list below. Make sure to check back with us for all the latest from Tribeca including reviews, interviews and more! The festival runs from April 17th – April 28th in New York City.
World Competition Categories
The jurors for the 2013 World Narrative Competition are:
Kenny Lonergan: Academy Award®-nominated playwright, filmmaker and screenwriter. Credits include You Can Count On Me,Gangs of New York, and Margaret. His stage credits include Lobby Hero, The Waverly Gallery and This is Our Youth. He is a member of the Naked Angels Theater Company in New York.
The members selected will be judging the films that fall within their respective categories, and you can check out the list below. Make sure to check back with us for all the latest from Tribeca including reviews, interviews and more! The festival runs from April 17th – April 28th in New York City.
World Competition Categories
The jurors for the 2013 World Narrative Competition are:
Kenny Lonergan: Academy Award®-nominated playwright, filmmaker and screenwriter. Credits include You Can Count On Me,Gangs of New York, and Margaret. His stage credits include Lobby Hero, The Waverly Gallery and This is Our Youth. He is a member of the Naked Angels Theater Company in New York.
- 4/15/2013
- by Damen Norton
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
The Tribeca Film Festival announced today that it has selected 42 jurors for this year’s festival. The jurors include members of the filmmaking community — including Bryce Dallas Howard, Whoopi Goldberg, Paul Haggis, Taraji P. Henson, Kenneth Lonergan, Eva Longoria, Josh Radnor, and Evan Rachel Wood — as well as policy makers and entertainment business leaders.
According to a press release, the seven juries will award $180,000 in cash and prizes during the Festival (April 17-28). Tribeca All Access (Taa) Creative Promise Awards will award an additional $20,000 — $10,000 for narrative and $10,000 for documentary. All winners will also receive a work of original art by...
According to a press release, the seven juries will award $180,000 in cash and prizes during the Festival (April 17-28). Tribeca All Access (Taa) Creative Promise Awards will award an additional $20,000 — $10,000 for narrative and $10,000 for documentary. All winners will also receive a work of original art by...
- 4/10/2013
- by Lanford Beard
- EW - Inside Movies
In fall 2009, movie producer Nina Jacobson was faced with a classic Hollywood dilemma -- to pitch or not to pitch.
Jacobson's colleague, Bryan Unkeless, had recently recommended a young adult novel he thought would make a good movie. Jacobson told The Huffington Post that she loved the book and "couldn't put it down, couldn't stop thinking about it."
She said that although she knew the movie would be expensive to make, it would be difficult to sell to the studios for another reason -- it was an action movie starring a female protagonist.
"She's 16-years-old in the book, and she's not defined by her romantic interest -- it's not a love story, though there is a romantic subplot. So in terms of the movie marketplace, it breaks a lot of the conventional wisdom about what works," Jacobson said.
But Jacobson won the approval of the book's author and sold the package to Lionsgate,...
Jacobson's colleague, Bryan Unkeless, had recently recommended a young adult novel he thought would make a good movie. Jacobson told The Huffington Post that she loved the book and "couldn't put it down, couldn't stop thinking about it."
She said that although she knew the movie would be expensive to make, it would be difficult to sell to the studios for another reason -- it was an action movie starring a female protagonist.
"She's 16-years-old in the book, and she's not defined by her romantic interest -- it's not a love story, though there is a romantic subplot. So in terms of the movie marketplace, it breaks a lot of the conventional wisdom about what works," Jacobson said.
But Jacobson won the approval of the book's author and sold the package to Lionsgate,...
- 7/2/2012
- by Joe Satran
- Huffington Post
Comic-Con and the Business of Pop Culture
By Rob Salkowitz
McGraw-Hill, 304 pages, $27.00
Comic book fandom was a natural outgrowth of science fiction fandom, splintering off in 1961 as the revival of superhero comics was clearly here to stay. In that year, sci-fi fan and future author Richard Lupoff published Xero, the first comics-only fanzine. Just a few years later, in 1965, the first comic convention occurred in New York City, birthplace of the first science fiction con back in 1939. The success of the zine and the con inspired others to produce their own tributes to the comics of their youth and comics fandom spread rapidly, fueled by the nationwide furor ignited by ABC’s Batman in 1966.
Interestingly, the first to write about comic conventions and its attendees was Fredric Wertham, the very man pilloried for almost single-handedly destroying the field with his poorly researched Seduction of the Innocent. Since then, fans and...
By Rob Salkowitz
McGraw-Hill, 304 pages, $27.00
Comic book fandom was a natural outgrowth of science fiction fandom, splintering off in 1961 as the revival of superhero comics was clearly here to stay. In that year, sci-fi fan and future author Richard Lupoff published Xero, the first comics-only fanzine. Just a few years later, in 1965, the first comic convention occurred in New York City, birthplace of the first science fiction con back in 1939. The success of the zine and the con inspired others to produce their own tributes to the comics of their youth and comics fandom spread rapidly, fueled by the nationwide furor ignited by ABC’s Batman in 1966.
Interestingly, the first to write about comic conventions and its attendees was Fredric Wertham, the very man pilloried for almost single-handedly destroying the field with his poorly researched Seduction of the Innocent. Since then, fans and...
- 5/27/2012
- by Robert Greenberger
- Comicmix.com
Men In Black: Alien Crisis will be released on the same date Men In Black 3 hits theaters: May 25, 2012. Game developer Activision has released some major details concerning its upcoming title, including the revelation of the Top Shot Elite gameplay mechanic that will allow for movement controls on all three console versions of the game.
Read on for more details, and don't worry; this won't require a Neuralyzer induced memory wipe once you've gained this newfound knowledge!
From the Official Press Release
In Men In Black: Alien Crisis (for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Nintendo Wii), players take on the role as Peter Delacoeur, a Mib Agent in training, assigned to unearth enemy aliens who are planning to destroy planet Earth. With hidden surveillance and stealthy guards on the prowl, players must ambush confidential alien intelligence and stop all alien attacks. Men In Black: Alien Crisis brings exciting, realistic Mib Agent movements as players shoot,...
Read on for more details, and don't worry; this won't require a Neuralyzer induced memory wipe once you've gained this newfound knowledge!
From the Official Press Release
In Men In Black: Alien Crisis (for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Nintendo Wii), players take on the role as Peter Delacoeur, a Mib Agent in training, assigned to unearth enemy aliens who are planning to destroy planet Earth. With hidden surveillance and stealthy guards on the prowl, players must ambush confidential alien intelligence and stop all alien attacks. Men In Black: Alien Crisis brings exciting, realistic Mib Agent movements as players shoot,...
- 4/4/2012
- by Amanda Dyar
- DreadCentral.com
For more than two years, Tfi has been working with the Ford Foundation to support filmmakers and artists as they explore and create non-fiction social media projects that take audiences beyond standard screens. From video games to innovative websites, the Tfi New Media Fund makes possible innovative and exciting projects that integrate film and content across multi-media platforms. The Tfi Sandbox encourages artists to work on transmedia projects that combine elements of narrative, technology and design and inspire audiences and fellow artists. This new online tool enables filmmakers to share experiences and gather resources as they enter the exciting world of interactive digital storytelling. What can be gained by participating in Tfi Sandbox, you ask? Plenty. Along with guidance from transmedia experts like Tfi's Ingrid Kopp and Starlight Runner Entertainment's Jeff Gomez, aspiring artists will find information about funding opportunities, festivals, and upcoming labs right at their fingertips. Additionally,...
- 2/26/2012
- TribecaFilm.com
Last Friday’s second annual UCLA / USC Transmedia Hollywood Symposium capped off an extremely vibrant month of confabs and overall reporting from the transmedia trenches. Almost a year to the date from the Producer’s Guild of America officially ratifying the “Transmedia Producer” credit, the media industry at large are realizing they can no longer ignore how multi-platform storytelling continues to evolve in our digital age- no matter how much the actual definition of the word “transmedia” remains debated. The Transmedia Hollywood event notably rounded out weeks of buzz surrounding the topic that included countless panel discussions at Miptv in Cannes to an intimate Transmedia Los Angeles Meetup hosting industry luminary Jeff Gomez. Moving from USC to UCLA’s James Bridges Theater this year, event Co-Directors Denise Mann and Henry Jenkins moderated four distinct panels that resulted in a marathon day of shared insights from some of the top creative...
- 4/11/2011
- by Guest Author
- Tubefilter.com
During a session at the New York Comic-Con, Starlight head Jeff Gomez showed a slide that detailed the future of the "Halo" franchise. It stated: "Halo: two new trilogies starting in 2012/2013 with a major motion picture set for release by 2014." This news comes after we just learned that Steven Spielberg and DreamWorks are working with Microsoft to develop a "Halo" movie, based on the novelizations of the video game. After hearing about the presentation, Microsoft immediately released a statement, saying: "We worked with Starlight in the past, but the info isn't an accurate representation of our plans for the 'Halo' franchise." Gomez then wrote on his Twitter account: "Guys, it was Not a 'Halo' roadmap. That was a chart illustrating how games can arc to movies. Not real." So, did the release year leak too soon or is it actually incorrect information? Stay tuned. Click here to read more about "Halo.
- 10/11/2010
- WorstPreviews.com
According to Us transmedia expert Jeff Gomez, Australians are more ready to embrace ethnic and culturally diverse projects than many Americans, but the media must first eradicate the sense of “otherness” they attribute to certain groups.
“The properties that we choose to work with tend to have international casts and universal themes, but it seems to my highly untrained eye that the Australian media’s default is to seal ethnics and natives in an envelope of otherness,” Gomez told Encore.
Gomez is the CEO of Starlight Runner Entertainment, an animation and live-action film company. He’s transformed intellectual properties (Pirates of the Caribbean, Prince of Persia, Tron, Halo, Avatar, Transformers, Hot Wheels, etc) into successful transmedia franchises, extending toys, animation or videogame titles across multiple platforms, evolving them into narratives and therefore, multiple revenue streams.
Recently in Melbourne for XMediaLab: Film Extended, Gomez said that diversity can make Australian stories more distinct,...
“The properties that we choose to work with tend to have international casts and universal themes, but it seems to my highly untrained eye that the Australian media’s default is to seal ethnics and natives in an envelope of otherness,” Gomez told Encore.
Gomez is the CEO of Starlight Runner Entertainment, an animation and live-action film company. He’s transformed intellectual properties (Pirates of the Caribbean, Prince of Persia, Tron, Halo, Avatar, Transformers, Hot Wheels, etc) into successful transmedia franchises, extending toys, animation or videogame titles across multiple platforms, evolving them into narratives and therefore, multiple revenue streams.
Recently in Melbourne for XMediaLab: Film Extended, Gomez said that diversity can make Australian stories more distinct,...
- 8/10/2010
- by Miguel Gonzalez
- Encore Magazine
Here are the movie and TV highlights
The San Diego Comic-Con has posted the schedule for Saturday, July 24. You can view the full schedule here, but below are the movie and TV events that ComingSoon.net/SuperHeroHype/ShockTillYouDrop.com will be concentrating on.
Saturday, July 24
10:00-11:00 Writing Animated Feature Films— The Writers Guild of America's Animation Writers Caucus once again sponsors a panel on writing for animation. Some of the most successful films of the last decade have been animated. But how different are they to write from live-action features? From television scripts? And what about direct-to-dvd animated features? The writers of some of the top animated features will talk about the process of creating those films, their interactions with the artists and the studios, and how they came to be involved with their project. Panelists tentatively scheduled include Alan Burnett (Green Lantern: First Flight), Darren Lemke (Shrek Forever After...
The San Diego Comic-Con has posted the schedule for Saturday, July 24. You can view the full schedule here, but below are the movie and TV events that ComingSoon.net/SuperHeroHype/ShockTillYouDrop.com will be concentrating on.
Saturday, July 24
10:00-11:00 Writing Animated Feature Films— The Writers Guild of America's Animation Writers Caucus once again sponsors a panel on writing for animation. Some of the most successful films of the last decade have been animated. But how different are they to write from live-action features? From television scripts? And what about direct-to-dvd animated features? The writers of some of the top animated features will talk about the process of creating those films, their interactions with the artists and the studios, and how they came to be involved with their project. Panelists tentatively scheduled include Alan Burnett (Green Lantern: First Flight), Darren Lemke (Shrek Forever After...
- 7/10/2010
- by editor@comingsoon.net (SuperHeroHype)
- Superherohype
"Transmedia Elegance", "Distant Mountains", "The Spine of the Mythos", "Keiretsu": these were just some of the terms and concepts being explained to a room packed full of rapt professionals as they listened to Transmedia visionary Jeff Gomez speak for eight hours plus (he went long but no one minded one bit) on June 2nd at the Fairmont Miramar in Santa Monica, CA. People had traveled from as far as Italy, Mexico, and Canada to attend and participate in this rare opportunity to gain valuable insight into Gomez's process when creating a Transmedia property: from mapping out every aspect of your franchise to production of materials across platforms to whether to keep your I.P. ownership or allow fans to extend your universes (Gomez always leaned towards giving fans as much creative ownership as possible in order to extend the chances of longevity). Organized by KidScreen, a leading international trade...
- 6/4/2010
- by Jenni Powell
- Tubefilter.com
The Producers Guild of America reports that 40 of the entertainment industry’s most powerful producers, representing over 100 of Hollywood’s biggest blockbusters, will speak at the second annual Produced By Conference (Pbc) June 4-6, 2010 at 20th Century Fox Studios in La.
"...Reaching across film, television and new media industries, Pbc is a rare educational forum with dozens of conference sessions designed to provide all producers with valuable career tools and insights necessary in today’s competitive marketplace..."
"We’re thrilled that this year’s Pbc program will feature some of the top producers from the film business," said film producers Gale Anne Hurd and Rachel Klein, Pbc event co-chairs. "They will candidly be exploring both the challenges and opportunities in today’s marketplace, no matter if you are interested in producing blockbusters, documentaries or indies."
The list of speakers for 2010 Pbc includes Bonnie Arnold (“How to Train Your Dragon,” “The Last Station,...
"...Reaching across film, television and new media industries, Pbc is a rare educational forum with dozens of conference sessions designed to provide all producers with valuable career tools and insights necessary in today’s competitive marketplace..."
"We’re thrilled that this year’s Pbc program will feature some of the top producers from the film business," said film producers Gale Anne Hurd and Rachel Klein, Pbc event co-chairs. "They will candidly be exploring both the challenges and opportunities in today’s marketplace, no matter if you are interested in producing blockbusters, documentaries or indies."
The list of speakers for 2010 Pbc includes Bonnie Arnold (“How to Train Your Dragon,” “The Last Station,...
- 5/27/2010
- by Michael Stevens
- SneakPeek
Several weeks ago the Producers Guild of America officially sanctioned the credit "Transmedia Producer", the first time they had ever added a new credit in the Guild's history. The move was widely celebrated by the transmedia community but still brought up a great deal of debate, one of the issues being whether this would have more benefit for huge Hollywood-backed brands vs. independent transmedia producers creating original IP. With the announcement of a partnership between Starlight Runner Entertainment, a leading creator, producer, and consultant on a number of highly successful transmedia franchises, and Curious Pictures, an award-winning diversified production and entertainment company that produces animation, live-action, video games, commercials and digital media content, it seems a step in the right direction for creators hoping to create original worlds. Starlight Runner and Curious Pictures initially will package and produce four transmedia projects with an option to extend the partnership after that.
- 4/21/2010
- by Jenni Powell
- Tubefilter.com
Nikki Finke, Founder and Editor in Chief of Deadline Hollywood, announced on her site this week that for the first time in the history of the Producer's Guild of America, a new credit was voted on and ratified -- that of the Transmedia Producer. The PGA's New Media Council Transmedia Producer was co-authored and spearheaded by legendary transmedia scholar and producer Jeff Gomez. Gomez is President and CEO of Starlight Runner Entertainment, member of the PGA East, and has designed transmedia campaigns for projects including James Cameron's Avatar, Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean, Prince of Persia and Tron, and Microsoft’s Halo. Gomez describes this accomplishment as "one of the most thrilling moments in my career" and in an e-mail correspondence with Tubefilter, went on to explain what he views this will mean for transmedia as a whole: "This credit will help move transmedia storytelling from methodology to artform,...
- 4/6/2010
- by Jenni Powell
- Tubefilter.com
By Robert W. Welkos
It’s official: the Producers Guild of America, acknowledging that the entertainment media landscape is rapidly changing, has approved the addition of “Transmedia Producer” to the guild’s Producer Code of Credits.
“As technology evolves it’s no longer adequate to think of a project as simply a television show or a movie; we now understand that the audience will want to experience that content across several platforms – online, mobile, VOD, Blu-ray and now iPad?often with different or additional material,” PGA President Marshall
Herskovitz said in a written statement accompanying the announcement. “It’s the producer who oversee the complex and creative process that allows that to happen.”
The guild explained that a “transmedia narrative project or franchise consists of three (or more) narrative storylines existing within the same fictional universe on any of the following platforms: film, television, short film, broadband, publishing, comics, animation,...
It’s official: the Producers Guild of America, acknowledging that the entertainment media landscape is rapidly changing, has approved the addition of “Transmedia Producer” to the guild’s Producer Code of Credits.
“As technology evolves it’s no longer adequate to think of a project as simply a television show or a movie; we now understand that the audience will want to experience that content across several platforms – online, mobile, VOD, Blu-ray and now iPad?often with different or additional material,” PGA President Marshall
Herskovitz said in a written statement accompanying the announcement. “It’s the producer who oversee the complex and creative process that allows that to happen.”
The guild explained that a “transmedia narrative project or franchise consists of three (or more) narrative storylines existing within the same fictional universe on any of the following platforms: film, television, short film, broadband, publishing, comics, animation,...
- 4/6/2010
- by Robert W. Welkos
- Hollywoodnews.com
Okay, I guess it’s official now. As Deadline Hollywood is reporting, the Producer’s Guild of America has officially created a new category for the “transmedia producer.” From Nikki Finke’s piece: I’ve learned that a significant All-Boards meeting for the Producers Guild of America took place tonight. Sources tell me that the members voted on a series of amendments that qualify individuals as professional producers. More importantly, for the first time in the guild’s history, they voted on and ratified a new credit — that of the Transmedia Producer — which had been shepherded by such Hollywood names as Mark Gordon, Gael Anne Hurd, Jeff Gomez, Alison Savage, and Chris Pfaff. Jeff Gomez,...
- 4/6/2010
- by Scott Macaulay
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
Exclusive: I've learned that a significant All-Boards meeting for the Producers Guild of America took place tonight. Sources tell me that the members voted on a series of amendments that qualify individuals as professional producers. More importantly, for the first time in the guild’s history, they voted on and ratified a new credit -- that of the Transmedia Producer -- which had been shepherded by such Hollywood names as Mark Gordon, Gael Anne Hurd, Jeff Gomez, Alison Savage, and Chris Pfaff. This Guild-wide adoption is unprecedented as it will allow executives who expand storylines of franchises onto multiple platforms to receive official credit on [...]...
- 4/6/2010
- by Nikki Finke
- Deadline Hollywood
By now, anyone reading this site is well aware of all the stories we've posted about toys and games being turned into movies. And we've made no bones about our [mostly] scornful outlook on this burgeoning syndrome. But what does it mean when toy companies begin specifically designing new toys for the express purpose of turning them into movies and other forms of entertainment (i.e. games, etc.)? Is it any worse? Probably not, but it does seem to indicate that the trend is proliferating and likely here to stay awhile.
The latest example of toy-to-movie fever rising in temperature comes from Mattel, who recently challenged their designers to come up with a new toy line that could simultaneously be turned into a TV show, feature film and game.
Well, the challenge was answered and a new toy line determined. The as yet unnamed line will revolve around an alien civilization...
The latest example of toy-to-movie fever rising in temperature comes from Mattel, who recently challenged their designers to come up with a new toy line that could simultaneously be turned into a TV show, feature film and game.
Well, the challenge was answered and a new toy line determined. The as yet unnamed line will revolve around an alien civilization...
- 3/26/2010
- CinemaSpy
Toy-maker Mattel recently challenged its designers to come up with a new toy line that could simultaneously be turned into a TV show, feature film and game. And just recently, the company picked the winner of the challenge. The yet-unnamed toy line will be an alien civilization that's been living in the depths of Earth's oceans. "It's actually a great idea, with the caveat that they need to coordinate the story and have it all make sense well beforehand," said Jeff Gomez CEO of Starlight Runner Entertainment. "Yes, there's brand equity in the name Hot Wheels. But it's the characters [in Battle Force 5] that young boys are identifying with, and that are driving TV ratings and the sales of the Hot Wheels DVDs. And that's likely what.s influencing Mattel's decision-making on further transmedia implementations." At this point, Mattel has already partnered with producer Neal Moritz (Fast and Furious, I Am Legend), who...
- 3/25/2010
- WorstPreviews.com
The Producers Guild of America will hold its second annual Produced By Conference from June 4-6 at 20th Century Fox.
The weekend event will feature more than 30 conference sessions.
The list of featured speakers includes Darla Anderson and a producing team from Pixar, Mark Cuban, Tracey Edmonds, Gary Goetzman, Jeff Gomez, Mark Gordon, Brian Grazer, Charlie Haykel, Marshall Herskovitz, Grant Heslov, Charlotte Huggins, Gale Anne Hurd, the producing team from "The Simpsons," Mark Johnson, Hawk Koch, Gary Lucchesi, Don Mischer, David V. Picker, Charles Roven, Stephanie Sperber, Paula Wagner, Matthew Weiner, Richard Zanuck and John Ziffren.
"The Produced By Conference has quickly established itself as a preeminent industry event, as well as an important initiative for the guild, as it brings together our amazing producer community in one place, at one time, creating a host of learning opportunities for all of us," PGA president Marshall Herskovitz said.
The weekend event will feature more than 30 conference sessions.
The list of featured speakers includes Darla Anderson and a producing team from Pixar, Mark Cuban, Tracey Edmonds, Gary Goetzman, Jeff Gomez, Mark Gordon, Brian Grazer, Charlie Haykel, Marshall Herskovitz, Grant Heslov, Charlotte Huggins, Gale Anne Hurd, the producing team from "The Simpsons," Mark Johnson, Hawk Koch, Gary Lucchesi, Don Mischer, David V. Picker, Charles Roven, Stephanie Sperber, Paula Wagner, Matthew Weiner, Richard Zanuck and John Ziffren.
"The Produced By Conference has quickly established itself as a preeminent industry event, as well as an important initiative for the guild, as it brings together our amazing producer community in one place, at one time, creating a host of learning opportunities for all of us," PGA president Marshall Herskovitz said.
- 2/25/2010
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Paris -- International producers will be in the spotlight at this year's upcoming Miptv market when a new two-day Producers' Forum focusing on project development, financing and new business models launches on April 12, organizers Reed Midem said Tuesday.
The Forum, organized in association with World Screen, will feature a series of producer-friendly events including discussion panels, co-production workshops, an entertainment master class and pitching tips from the "Pitch Doctor," Paul Boross.
"Avatar" franchise consultant and CEO of Starlight Runner Entertainment Jeff Gomez will join "Lost" multiplatform campaign creator and Hoodlum co-founder and Cco Nathan Mayfield for a creative course focusing on developing successful cross-media storytelling and content.
Networking meetings will also be held during the Forum to facilitate global business deals for the international producers participating.
"We are launching the Producers' Forum as an effective and focused learning and networking solution to help producers keep abreast of the current co-production...
The Forum, organized in association with World Screen, will feature a series of producer-friendly events including discussion panels, co-production workshops, an entertainment master class and pitching tips from the "Pitch Doctor," Paul Boross.
"Avatar" franchise consultant and CEO of Starlight Runner Entertainment Jeff Gomez will join "Lost" multiplatform campaign creator and Hoodlum co-founder and Cco Nathan Mayfield for a creative course focusing on developing successful cross-media storytelling and content.
Networking meetings will also be held during the Forum to facilitate global business deals for the international producers participating.
"We are launching the Producers' Forum as an effective and focused learning and networking solution to help producers keep abreast of the current co-production...
- 2/16/2010
- by By Rebecca Leffler
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Fango's own Pam Koller checked in from the West Coast last night with a little update about a pre-Comic-Con event that budding media creators might want to attend.
Taking place on Wednesday, July 22nd at the San Diego Marriott (next to the Convention Center) from 1-5pm (just prior to preview night), ICv2's Comics & media Conference is for building connections between Comics and Film, TV, and Gaming.
Full details below. From ICv2's website:
San Diego Comic-Con International has become the place where the worlds of comics, film, TV and videogames all meet. Now there’s a ticketed conference, held in conjunction with Comic-Con, where the business and creative leaders from comics and media can gather to find ways to build stronger, more successful connections.
The ICv2 Comics and Media Conference, held Wednesday afternoon just before Comic-Con Preview Night, is a ticketed half-day event with programming and networking opportunities...
Taking place on Wednesday, July 22nd at the San Diego Marriott (next to the Convention Center) from 1-5pm (just prior to preview night), ICv2's Comics & media Conference is for building connections between Comics and Film, TV, and Gaming.
Full details below. From ICv2's website:
San Diego Comic-Con International has become the place where the worlds of comics, film, TV and videogames all meet. Now there’s a ticketed conference, held in conjunction with Comic-Con, where the business and creative leaders from comics and media can gather to find ways to build stronger, more successful connections.
The ICv2 Comics and Media Conference, held Wednesday afternoon just before Comic-Con Preview Night, is a ticketed half-day event with programming and networking opportunities...
- 7/20/2009
- by no-reply@fangoria.com (James Zahn)
- Fangoria
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