Tag: Entertainment – Variety

Megan Thee Stallion has announced a new partnership with Interscope Records, which will handle the global distribution of her music, among other strategic support.

As part of the newly inked deal, the rapper will continue on as an independent artist in complete control and ownership of her masters and publishing. Interscope will provide global distribution and strategic support for her upcoming releases through her own entertainment shingle, Hot Girl Productions.

“I’ve always wanted to create music on my terms while building a legacy that extends beyond the industry,” said Megan in a statement. “This distribution partnership with Interscope allows me to stay true to my creative vision while also increasing my global reach. I’m excited for this next chapter of growth and the expansion of my Hot Girl Productions empire.”

“From the moment Megan emerged, it was clear she was a singular artist with an unmistakable voice and an extraordinary ability to shape culture on her own terms,” adds Steve Berman, vice chairman of Interscope Capitol. “She has consistently redefined what it means to be a global superstar—combining creative excellence, entrepreneurial vision and an uncompromising authenticity. We’re honored to welcome Megan to the Interscope family and excited to partner with Roc Nation as we support her next chapter.”

“Megan has always approached her career with a focus on ownership, creative freedom and long-term impact,” says Roc Nation CEO Desiree Perez. “The ability to maintain her independence and own her masters is a testament to the vision that has guided her career from the beginning. We look forward to working together with Interscope’s team and tapping into their global resources to further elevate this new era of her career.”

Megan had previously signed a deal with Warner Music Group in February 2024 to release music through her Hot Girl Productions shingle. Much like her agreement with Interscope, the Warner deal allowed for her to remain an indie artist while being able to access the company’s promotional resources.

+ 1916 Enterprises has signed Grammy-nominated artist-songwriter-producer MNEK for management, the company has announced. The partnership comes in advance of MNEK forthcoming album “Bulldozer!!,” due September 18, and a headline U.K. and European tour this fall. He also recently inked a new publishing deal with Sony Music.

Over the past decade MNEK (born Uzoechi Emenike) has developed a formidable catalog as a hit songwriter, with tracks for Beyoncé (“Hold Up” and “Sorry”), Dua Lipa (“IDGAF”), Selena Gomez (“A Sweeter Place”) and Zara Larsson (“Never Forget You” and “Ain’t My Fault”). 

“We’re so excited to welcome MNEK to 1916,” said Ruchir Mohan, Partner at 1916 Enterprises. “He’s a creative force whose influence on pop music is undeniable, but what really excites us is where he’s headed next. We truly believe this next era has the potential to be his biggest yet and we’re honored to be part of that journey.”

+ The independent distribution platform UnitedMasters, which has enjoyed hits with Brent Faiyaz, BigXthaPlug, FloyyMenor and more, has appointed Todd L. Perry II as VP and head of artist and label marketing, Luca Zanello as head of brand & sync, Goldie Harris as head of commerce and Jason Peerless as VP of artist & label operations.

Perry II joins from Warner Records, where he served as VP / head of artist and label marketing; Zanello was previously with the Orchard, Roc Nation, and MSM Group; Peerless joins after 12 years at Universal Music Group, including 10 years at Def Jam Recordings.

“We’re excited to welcome this exceptional group to UnitedMasters as we continue redefining what independence looks like,” said CEO Steve Stoute. “These hires reflect our continued investment in the infrastructure, partnerships, and talent needed to help artists build sustainable careers on their own terms, especially this year as we are achieving milestones within the global music sector of the business.”

+ Seeker Music, the creator-led music rights, publishing and record company led by songwriter-executive Evan Bogart, is relaunching its record label imprint Music Is Fun as what it describes as the industry’s first-ever label built entirely around catalog flips. Its inaugural release, “Vacation” by Flo Rida featuring Sage the Gemini, is out today. The new track reimagines the Go-Go’s classic of the same name co-written by Charlotte Caffey, whose catalog is represented by Seeker, as are songs by Joan Jett, Christopher Cross, Run the Jewels, Jay Sean, Jon Bellion, and more.

“The label will bring together contemporary artists, songwriters and producers to sample, interpolate, remix and reinvent songs across the portfolio, with Seeker identifying concepts, assembling collaborators and releasing the resulting music from start to finish,” the announcement states.

Bogart said: “At Seeker, we believe celebrating great music isn’t just about preserving legacy. It’s about extending it by introducing the songs we love to new generations. In the six years since we formed the company, we’ve shown through hits with Shaboozey, Pop Smoke, Coco Jones, Drake, and more, that we know how to successfully take an incredible song and re-invent it.”

+ AEG Presents has entered into a strategic partnership with Creativeman Productions, a leading Japanese concert promotion and live events company. The two companies will work together to create new opportunities for artists to connect with audiences throughout Japan. In addition, this partnership provides a platform for expansion across the region for AXS, AEG Presents’ ticketing company.

Founded in 1990, Creativeman Productions promotes concerts, tours, and destination events under the leadership of CEO Naoki Shimizu. In addition to concert promotion, Creativeman owns and operates a diverse portfolio of festivals that span multiple genres, including its signature festival Summer Sonic, which launched in 2000 and has featured Radiohead, Oasis, Metallica, Linkin Park, Daft Punk, and the Red Hot Chili Peppers along with top Japanese acts.

“Over the past 37 years, Creativeman has grown from a company with just 2 staff members to become the largest independent music promoter in Asia,” commented Shimizu. “This strategic partnership with AEG Presents will propel our growth as we expand our festivals and artists from Japan to Asia and the rest of the world.”

Shawn Trell, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of AEG Presents, added, “Creativeman is an important presence in Japan and across the region. The company’s vision and business strategy align perfectly with ours, and we’re thrilled to be entering into this partnership together.”

+ Warner Chappell Music has signed Kurdish rapper Fat Papi and New Zealand-born producer Prodshushy to worldwide publishing deals. The two agreements will encompass the two artists’ entire catalogue and future works, including their hit “Fraked Out.”

Fat Papi shares: “I’m excited to join Warner Chappell Music, home to so many legends and icons. I’m also really proud to represent both my Kurdish and New Zealand people with my music on the international stage”. prodshushy continues: “It’s a privilege and an honour to be represented by Warner Chappell Music for publishing. I’m looking forward to working with the team and building connections with their fantastic roster of writers.”

Warner Chappell’s Nashville division has also partnered with Twelve6 Entertainment for a global publishing deal with rising singer-songwriter Lucas Ball. The signing comes on the heels of his breakout single, “You Only Call When It’s Raining.”

Ball shared: “I’m so happy to be a part of the fantastic Warner Chappell and Twelve6 teams. I never thought I’d be in this position in life. Everyone has been so welcoming to me, and I’m excited to see where this road leads. God Bless Country Music.”

+ Influence Media Partners has announced a strategic investment supporting the launch of IPNation as the first investment platform dedicated exclusively to Arabic music catalogs and entertainment intellectual property. With a target investment size of $100 million, IPNation will focus on acquiring, developing and growing iconic music and entertainment intellectual property across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.

The company was founded by Eddy Maroun, co-founder of Anghami, and Jose Maria Dot, former Chief Investment Officer of Multiply Group (now 2PointZero) and Managing Director at FTI Capital Advisors. Backed by Influence Media Partners, IPNation aims to build and grow a portfolio of iconic Arabic music and entertainment IP.

Headquartered in the UAE, IPNation invests in music masters and publishing rights, artist brands, Name, Image and Likeness, and entertainment intellectual property originating from the Arab world. Beyond acquisitions, the company will actively develop acquired intellectual property into multi-format entertainment franchises spanning immersive experiences, live shows, film, documentaries, merchandise, gaming, licensing, AI-powered derivatives, and next-generation fan engagement.

+ Make Wake Artists has announced a partnership with One Twenty One Management, founded by Adam Hale and home to Muscadine Bloodline, Ben Chapman and Josh Weathers. Joining Hale in the partnership is Ivan “Churro” Haro, who serves as Day-To-Day manager for Muscadine Bloodline, Josh Weathers and Ben Chapman.

“Kappy and I first met years ago in the UK while I was tour managing Kip Moore and he was helping build Luke Combs’ career,” Hale says. “I’ve admired how he’s grown Make Wake with a fan-first mindset, and I believe that philosophy pairs naturally with my artist-first approach built on integrity, communication and execution. On top of that, Jarrod Holley has been one of my closest friends for more than 20 years. We talk every single day, bouncing ideas off each other and helping each other navigate this business, so at some point it just made sense to be working under the same roof.”

“I’ve always believed that the best partnerships are built on shared values before shared success,” adds Chris Kappy, Founder of Make Wake Artists. “Adam Hale and the Muscadine Bloodline team have built something authentic by staying true to who they are, and that’s exactly the kind of artist and people we want to be in business with.”

+ Virgin Music Group has appointed Syaheed MSBI to the position of Vice President of the AMEA region at the company. Syaheed will oversee the company’s activities in Africa, Middle East, and Asia (AMEA). He joins Virgin after more than 13 years at Believe, where he was most recently Global Artist Success & International Director. He was also instrumental in building out the company’s team and offices in Singapore and Malaysia. He got his start by establishing his own independent music company, Bedsty, in 2002.

“Syaheed has built his reputation as a fierce advocate for artists first as a founder of his own independent music company and later as a seasoned exec building a robust business in support of independent labels and artists,” said Michael Roe, Virgin Music Group’s Managing Director of AMEA. “With his deep connections on the ground across AMEA, we’re looking forward to having him come in to lead and inspire our great team.”

+ Merlin, the global digital music licensing partner for the world’s leading independent labels and distributors, has named Jon Glass as General Counsel.

Based in New York, Glass joins Merlin following nearly two decades in senior business & legal affairs leadership roles across the global recorded music business, most recently serving as Senior Vice President, Head of Digital Legal Affairs at Warner Music Group. Prior to Warner, he worked in digital business & legal affairs at Sony Music Entertainment and practiced law at several firms, including Morrison & Foerster LLP.

Glass will report to Merlin CEO Charlie Lexton and will lead Merlin’s Business & Legal Affairs function while also assuming responsibility for the organization’s partnerships team.

Lexton said, “Jon is one of the most respected legal executives in the digital music business. He brings an exceptional combination of legal expertise and commercial judgement with a highly developed understanding of the opportunities and complexities facing Merlin. As the digital playing field continues to evolve, we need to ensure we are coordinated in the way we think about the relationships we build with our partners. Bringing our Business & Legal Affairs and Partnerships teams together under Jon’s leadership is designed to do exactly that and will help us deliver even greater value for our members.”

+ Independent publishing company Tape Room Music has promoted Caroline Hodson to vice president of A&R. A graduate of Belmont University, Hodson joined Tape Room as an intern in 2020 and has advanced through the company’s A&R department.

“Caroline is one of the best young executives in our business,” shares Tape Room Music COO and President, Business Affairs Blain Rhodes. “She is a fierce champion of songwriters and the ultimate teammate. She has been vital in the success of our writers and entirely deserving of this promotion.”

Indie distributor Cinema Guild has acquired North American distribution rights for documentary “For The Moon” (“Car la Lune”), directed by Éric Baudelaire, that will premiere in the Currents section of the upcoming New York Film Festival.

The film is a collaborative work created with five visually impaired students at the National Institute for the Young Blind in Paris. 

Shot at the institute, “For the Moon” “moves between observational cinema and collective invention, questioning the very notion of the gaze and the construction of images when our perception of the world relies on senses other than sight,” according to the synopsis.

The doc, created in collaboration with Mèï Jendoubi, Jade Ebara Ossebi, Iris Fontanella, Crystal Lau Chang, and Kadiatou Diakite, “gradually unfolds an expanded experience of perception and redefines the idea of the visible through those who do not ‘see,’ yet teach us how to see anew,” the synopsis points out. 

U.S.-born Éric Baudelaire is an artist and filmmaker based in Paris whose previous features comprise “The Anabasis of May and Fusako Shigenobu, Masao Adachi and 27 Years Without Images” (2011);  “Letters to Max” (2014); and “A Flower in the Mouth” (2022). His works have circulated widely on the film festival circuit including at Locarno, Toronto, New York, and Rotterdam. 

“Eric and his collaborators once again beautifully capture the joy of filmmaking in all its forms,” said Cinema Guild President Peter Kelly, in a statement. “We are honored to bring this work to theaters and beyond.” 

Cinema Guild’s upcoming releases include Hong Sangsoo’s “The Day She Returns” and “Nowhere to Lay My Eyes.” Recent releases include several Otar Iosseliani restorations, Kamal Aljafari’s “With Hasan in Gaza,” and Aleksandre Koberidze’s “Dry Leaf.”

Never tell Ryan Kalil or Blake Griffin to stay in their lanes.

Since moving on from their playing days in the NFL and NBA to running the production company Mortal Media, they’re about to add a few more jobs to their resumes: co-owners of a Mexican-league football team and co-stars of a new unscripted series that follows the team. “We Are Osos” began Aug. 3 on YouTube.

Kalil, who played for the Carolina Panthers, credits their retirements as pro athletes with a renewed focus they’re bringing to their second acts as TV producers. “Us being able to now be done with our respective sports careers, we’ve been able to kind of sit down and build more structure and road map out” the future of Mortal, he said on the latest episode of Variety‘s “Strictly Business” podcast.

In January 2025, Griffin and Kalil announced they were joining a group of other former NFL vets including Christian McCaffrey and George Kittle in taking control of the Monterrey Osos, a football team in Mexico’s Liga de Fútbol Americano Profesional (LFA). The “Osos” series documents not only their new adventures in ownership but the lives of the players on and off the field.

Listen to the full podcast:

“It doesn’t feel like you’re watching football in a different country with a different culture,” said Griffin, who currently has yet another job as an on-air analyst with Prime Video’s NBA coverage after playing pro basketball for 14 years.

As if they weren’t busy enough running Mortal Media, which also produced scripted series including Apple TV’s “Hello Tomorrow” and the Hulu reboot of “White Men Can’t Jump,” the “Osos” production marked their foray into self-distribution.

“We have a ton of stuff that we’ve set up at major studios and networks and streamers, but this one it’s been kind of a beast, but it’s been really fun,” said Kalil. “We do feel like this going to be the future moving forward.”

Kalil and Griffin previously appeared on “Strictly Business” in 2023.

“Strictly Business” is Variety’s weekly podcast featuring conversations with industry leaders about the business of media and entertainment. (Please click here to subscribe to our free newsletter.) New episodes debut every Wednesday and can be downloaded at Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Spotify, Google Play, SoundCloud and more.

Not everyone wants to climb aboard the Hogwarts Express, it transpires.

Top TV director Ally Pankiw has posted on Instagram a screenshot from a text exchange with a rep in which she scoffed at the notion that she would consider enrolling with HBO’s forthcoming series adaptation of J.K. Rowling‘s “Harry Potter” novels.

The reason? Rowling’s views on trans persons’ rights, which many have alleged are transphobic.

The Canadian filmmaker, who’s helmed multiple episodes of “Black Mirror” and “The Great,” and was a writer on “Schitt’s Creek,” commented on the post, “It simply is this easy to say no to funding transphobia!,” adding, “Also this was for directing, not acting… obviously lol.”

In the screenshot of the text messages, a representative for Pankiw (who is repped by talent agency WME), asks: “I have an instinct on the answer but I feel compelled to ask ‘Harry Potter? Hard no?’”

Pankiw shoots back, “Absolutely f—ing not! Lol.” And she adds, politely, “But thank you for asking.”

The representative responds, “Of course 🙂 I assumed as much (And agree).”

Another leading TV director, Kate Herron, whose credits include Marvel Studios’ “Loki” and Netflix’s “Sex Education,” shared that she had a similar experience.

Commenting on Pankiw’s Instagram post, preceded by three hearts, the British filmmaker says, “Yeah thank you exactly! Respect and love to you Ally. They’ve asked me twice and I’ve had to explain my answer is never gonna change from a no.”

That said, the roll call of actors joining the show grows ever longer. This week Nicholas Hoult signed on to play Gilderoy Lockhart.

Other cast members include John Lithgow, who plays Hogwarts headmaster Dumbledore, Janet McTeer, who is Professor McGonagall, Paapa Essiedu plays Snape, Bel Powley is Aunt Petunia, and Nick Frost has been cast as Rubeus Hagrid.

Powley, for her part, recently spoke of her disagreement with Rowling’s views on trans rights. “I strongly disagree with J.K. Rowling’s views on gender,” Powley told The Telegraph. “I think that the trans community deserve safety and dignity and respect and total acceptance.”

The series is due to debut on Dec. 25 on HBO and HBO Max, with the first season adapting the first book in the novel series, “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone.” The show has already been renewed for a second season, which will be based on “Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.”

Variety reached out to reps for Rowling, who declined to comment, Pankiw and Herron, as well as HBO.

Phoebe Bridgers tends to stand out in a crowd, and not just because of her celebrity or natural star quality, but because of the hair; other women around L.A. may go for the platinum blonde look, but not quite that platinum. So it was fairly easy to pick her out for the entirety of the 10 minutes or so she spent skating with her fans Tuesday night at the Moonlight Rollerway in Glendale, California. But she was easy to spot, in this instance, from head to toe, as she was the only skater on the floor in brightly strobing light-up skates… an equipment option that the Moonlight was not able to offer any of the couple hundred fans who joined her. At this very action-packed listening party for her. The beaming Bridgers had earned the right to wear skates that special; this was not her first rodeo, clearly, when it came to making dozens of laps around a rink and outpacing a crowd.

As one fan commented on Reddit after the YouTube-sponsored event: “She was skating right with everyone, and if you could match her speed then you could say hello, but she is FAST so it may have been a bit difficult.”

Of all the albums that could be previewed with an evening out at an old-school roller rink, “Lost Weekend,” the singer’s long-awaited third solo album, would not jump out as the most obvious candidate… even if Bridgers is hell on wheels, as it turns out. The 16-track record has as many hushed passages as you’d expect from a Bridgers album, and it does not sound at all designed to inspire extended bouts of cardiovascular activity. And Bridgers did use the word “weird” in characterizing the juxtaposition when she spoke about her reasons for hosting the event there in a brief Q&A she did with fans at the event after the skating wound down. Yet, for her, it was an aspiration being realized.

“I’ve had this idea forever” she said to the crowd of about 200 sitting on the rink’s floor. “I always thought it would be cool to do like a Grouper Moonlight night… You always kind of skate to ABBA or something. I thought it would be interesting to listen to sad and slow songs and skate.”

She’s had the same impulse at amusement parks, she pointed out. “I always thought about that at Six Flags,” she said saying that, while waiting in line for rides, she’d wished she could take the typical revved-up theme-park soundtrack and “catapult it somewhere” and replace it with music that was “30 bpm or something.” To her mind, slowcore and Tatsu might be the perfect fit.

Anyway, Bridgers’ promotional campaign for “Lost Weekend” has been unusual enough that a rollerskating listening party almost — almost — doesn’t stand out as that unusual. ,The singer-songwriter first began teasing “Lost Weekend” a few months ago with a series of pop-up gigs in small towns and middle American cities, places like Roswell, New Mexico, before the album was announced or even widely known to be in production. WIth the moment of release finally at hand, her team booked planetariums across the country and even in Europe for Spotify-sponsored listening parties where fans could experience the album for the first time this week with trippy visuals, if sore necks — a way of getting “Lost” in space, sort of. (And no phones allowed, as with virtually every pre-release event for the record.)

Another fairy unusual element of the promo campaign: no interviews. She hasn’t done a single one for “Lost Weekend,” so the roughly six minutes she spent answering fan questions at the Moonlight Rollerway may have constituted as much talking about the record as she plans to do, at least right away. Bridgers didn’t exactly talk anyone’s ear off in her quick, friendly response to the fan queries, but the answers still offered glimpses of insight as to where she’s coming from with this album and its attendant cycle of events and touring.

One of the first hands that went up from the crowd was to ask whether she’d been inspired by any other artistic media while making the record. “Well, there’s a movie called ‘Lost Weekend’ that’s about alcoholics’ kind of fugue state,” she said, referencing the harrowing 1945 Billy Wilder drama that some of her younger fans might not know. “That probably goes well (with the album), unfortunately.” She hesitated while trying to think of another example, then did come up with a musical reference point. “Do you guys know ‘The Lemon of Pink’ by the Books?” (Not everyone did — the Books are not exactly a household name — but some murmured their assent for the 2003 album, which has a strong following as a seminal indie-oughts cult record.)

Someone else wondered: Why the small-town pop-up tour? And what was her takeaway from what seemed like it might be an experiment? “I just wanted everything with this album to feel like it’s happening in real life,” she explained. “Like, I didn’t live through a time where I didn’t find out about something on the internet. Even cool pop-up shows and stuff, it was all kind of phone-based. So I just liked the idea of plastering a small town (with flyers)… It was so fun.” Her answer to the second part of the question: “The biggest takeaway was like, yeah, the internet’s not real. It’s all a fake,” she said, to laughter.

Another question: How did she decide it was time to come back? — the unspoken assumption being that six years between albums counts as a lot, even if there was a monumental Boygenius album and tour in between that came to feel like a very viable separate career.

“I mean, I didn’t love all parts of being away,” she said, with a chuckle, noting that while she knew she needed to pull away for a bit, it wasn’t necessarily a plan to wait this long. “I kept booking studio time and then putting it off… and booking studio time and putting it off, and putting it off… I really wanted to be making something,” she allowed, but the album was not yet ready to take shape. “So I just started going in and then taking six months off and then going (back). So this album took forever. Which is great!,” she added, harboring no regrets about leaving anyone in suspense.

After those and a few other questions, it was time for her to sign the big stack of posters commemorating the event. Prior to the Q&A, meanwhile, Bridgers premiered a rough cut of the second video for the album, for the song “I Can’t Wait,” which she said was nearly done, except for some drone footage that was shot during this very event that will be folded in.

There was a no-phones policy, but there were also no NDAs, so fans freely shared their experiences on Reddit and other forums after the event… including their impressions about Phoebe Bridgers being as good at skating as at music.

“I ate shit 3 times out there and got a sore ass today,” wrote one fan. “It was even more embarrassing because she was shredding around the rink.”

Others spoke of approaching Bo Burnham or Bridgers’ mother, Jamie Bridgers, for off-rink convos. But when it came to meeting the star attraction, some found her intimidating, despite her best efforts to be a fairly unassuming skatergrl. Some agonized afterward about not having found the right words when they made it to the front of the signing line. One spoke of becoming tongue-tied, but “I was towards the end of the line and it had been almost 2 hours at that point. She probably did appreciate our efficiency lol!!” Another wrote, “I just said ‘Yo this album fucking rips,’ and she laughed and said thanks.” One person who admitted being unable to do anything but blurt out their name said that as they left the signing table, Bridgers politely called out, “It was nice to meet you.”

What will she do for an encore? That’s obvious: do sold-out two- and three-nighters at the nation’s biggest arenas, like the three-night stand she has upcoming at the Intuit Dome Oct. 30-31 and Nov. 1. Between now and then, there is much parsing of the 16-track album’s rich content to be done, with millions of words of formal and informal think-pieces to come. (Read Variety‘s own take on the album here.)

While fans who didn’t make it to the Moonlight Rollerway may have a lingering case of FOMO, it may still be possible to replicate the feel that Bridgers was going for, as she’s longed to marry slow sounds with frenetic action. You could go to Magic Mountain and do X2 while listening to “Lost Weekend” on earbuds; we can now be certain the author would approve.