Posts made in June 2022

Stranger Things Meets FREAKS

The final two episodes of “Stranger Things 4” premiere on July 1st, with Vecna revealed, Eleven on the verge of getting her powers back, and new gates opening between Hawkins and the Upside Down, Stranger Things is nearing not only the conclusion of its fourth season, but its series end.

Have no fear – Stranger Things fans can read the new series FREAKS by Brett Riley. Critically acclaimed science fiction and horror writer Brett Riley is also back with TRAVELERS [Imbrifex Books, ISBN: 9781945501470], the second installment in his young adult superhero series, due out August 2, 2022. Riley, an American literature professor and award-winning screenwriter, is known for exceptional storytelling, which The Wall Street Journal sums up as “knowing how to keep the action rolling.”

In TRAVELERS, the self-dubbed “Freaks” are now high school sophomores and back in class in quiet Quapaw City, Arkansas. They grapple with the ordinary challenges of everyday teen life: cliques, cars, and crushes. While everything appears normal on the surface, looks have rarely been more deceiving. A secret government taskforce—fully aware of the unusual powers the Freaks have acquired—is determined to capture them. Even as the mysterious Baltar Sterne shares ancient wisdom and offers hope, a new menace silently emerges in the woods outside of town. Clever, inexorable, and far more lethal than the Freaks’ first superhuman foe, this traveler from another world possesses powers that can only be described as godlike. The Freaks and their town will be tested in horrific ways they are powerless to predict or even imagine.

Fans of Stranger Things and X-Men will enjoy both FREAKS and TRAVELERS, fast-paced action novels thick with suspense and teenage drama. TRAVELERS is also a tale of gaining self-awareness, learning the true meaning of friendship, and avoiding the unexpected pitfalls of possessing superpowers.

Bubblegoose Ballers NFT

Carl Jones (@iamcarljones) – an outspoken voice in animation, the creator behind ground-breaking Black Dynamite + executive producer of The Boondocks – sends his geese into flight with the launch of Bubblegoose Ballers.

You may be asking yourself, what in the tarnation is a Bubblegoose, and why are they ballers?

Well, firstly you got it backward, the geese were born ballers, their bold bubble goose down jacket is a symbol of their status as one. A reference to the early days of the animator and executive producer growing up in Fayetteville, North Carolina – known as “Fayettenam.”

At the height of the crack epidemic, the town felt like a warzone, sending Jones to Los Angeles in search of a better potential. An idea that stuck with him for his entire career, and was pitched to network executives often, the symbolic geese never found air and became a disappointing causality of censorship seen by black creators.

With the help of the dynamic team at WAGMI BEACH (@WAGMIbeach), a Web3 studio with original IP living on the Solana blockchain led by entertainment industry powerhouses, Jones (The Boondocks, Black Dynamite), under his animation studio Martian Blueberry (@wearemartianb) co-founded with Love Barnett (@lovebarnett), with graphic artist and illustrator Moko Ko, are launching Bubblegoose Ballers as an NFT collection dropping on MAGIC EDEN – the leading NFT marketplace on Solana. The flagship launch of what Jones and Love envision as “a new type of media company” – the next Pixar but on their terms, built on community engagement.

The mint also serves as the first beta test of ETH (Ethereum) purchasability of an NFT on the SOL (Solana) blockchain through the innovation of MAGIC EDEN.

Even before one jacket-clad bird heads into a wallet, Jones and Love are humbled by the Web3 community. An incredible access point for broader audiences to come into the NFT space, we look forward to a robust roadmap with an exciting animated series already in development, high wattage collaborations, and exciting events set to fill the skies.

IP PARIS PRESENTS A WORKSHOP

Institut Polytechnique de Paris (IP Paris), a major player in French innovation, will present 21 high technological value start-ups at the 6^th edition of VivaTech, taking place from June 15 to 18, 2022. On Friday, June 17^th from 10:30 to 11:45 am (French time), IP Paris will present a workshop “Tech the challenge for society,” highlighting the latest game-changing research projects conducted within its existing interdisciplinary centres (E4C on Energy and Climate, and Hi! PARIS on AI and Data Analysis) and upcoming ones (in Arts, Science and Society and Bioengineering). The programme of this workshop can be found HERE.

With 3 incubators, 82 start-ups incubated in 2021, including 44 new ones, 1,400 million raised by start-ups founded by IP Paris alumni in 2021, 35% of Next40 start-ups and nearly 25% of French Tech 120 start-ups founded/managed by alumni or from its incubators, 30 laboratories and a community of nearly 1,000 researchers, 50 patents and software applications filed this year, Institut Polytechnique de Paris is asserting its position as a key player in technological innovation in France and internationally.

For this sixth edition of VivaTech, 21 start-ups from IP Paris’ ecosystem will take turns to present their innovations to professionals and the general public within the framework of the six major themes established by VivaTech: innovations related to the fight against global warming and the energy transition, tomorrow’s mobility, future of work, diversity, decoding Web3 and the promotion of the European tech ecosystem.

How can we meet the needs of maritime players, reduce production errors in industry with microchips, contribute to the rehabilitation of children with specific learning disabilities, benefit from an evolving work environment, help merchants to grasp the entry into the world of Blockchain and Web3, or reduce the vulnerability of companies via cybersecurity?

For four days, they will be taking turns on booth C48 to present their products and/or services. As a must-attend event, VivaTech will represent a significant opportunity for them, accelerating their contact and business prospects and it will allow IP Paris to present both its start-ups acceleration and incubation programmes.

Representatives of the Drahi-X Novation Center and the Télécom Paris Novation Center will also be present on the booth to introduce their incubators, accelerators, prototyping spaces, investors’ clubs and VCs, as well as their international support.

On Friday, June 17 from 10:30 to 11:45 am (French time), IP Paris will present a unique workshop in English, “Tech the challenge for society”, also live on Linkedin, highlighting the innovative research projects carried out by Institut Polytechnique de Paris, within its interdisciplinary centres, on Satellites for Solar Energy Consumption, Next Generation of Machine Learning for BioMedical Imaging, Preserving the World Heritage in the Metaverse and Creative AI: Combining Knowledge, Learning and Control.

2023 COACHELLA PRE-SALE

America’s most anticipated music festival is back, and advanced. Coachella has released an opportunity to be the first to lock down your 2023 Coachella ticket.

Register now to get your first chance at passes for both weekends. The advance sale begins Friday, June 17 at 10 am PT. There are payment plans available at check out which allow you to pay for your order in increments.

Official hotel packages will also be available exclusively through Valley Music Travel. Hotel packages will include GA or VIP festival passes plus local resort accommodations and Any Line Shuttle service.

The new ticketing platform is now powered by AXS. Be sure to set up your Coachella AXS Fan account ahead of time to ensure your access to the advance sale.

For more information about festival passes, onsite camping options, the payment plan, and more visit Coachella.

MTV TEEN MOM

Listen to Dr. Cheyenne Bryant, Ashley Jones chat w/ Vaughn Lowery on 360 MAG Podcast HERE.

Teen Mom has become a mental health pitstop for adolescent parents. Dr. Bryant attended Teen Mom Family Reunion, where she helped her fellow mothers, who are primarily people who had a child at the age of 15 or 16 and had lost their sense of self, navigate their trauma and troubles by directing them on a determined journey of finding who they are both internally and externally.

Dr. Cheyenne Bryant,who is renowned for reviving MTV’s Teen Mom, is a life Coach and esteemed author of the acclaimed Mental Detox, a book helping people detox their minds and find their sense of self. By describing everyone’s life as a garden, in which people plant and nurture everything by themselves following their own choices, she has redefined her field of psychology with newfound confidence and non-traditional garb.

At the forefront of confrontation, Ashley Jones in Teen Mom 2’s explains how her baby father/husband Bar decided to seek help for their codependency issues. In addition, she asserts that her family disowned and kicked her out of the house once they discovered she was having a baby out of wedlock with a person whose social status was not recognized by her family at that time. As a kid growing up in a wealthy family and community with great education opportunities, being homeless with no job or financial support is a chord that struck inside of her. After going through the mud together, Ashley and Bar have learned how to fully lean each other healthily. The special and unique relationship between them is where they both get their love, strength, and motivation from.

Years later, with the guidance of Dr. Bryant, Ashley acknowledges that her negative curve of self-neglect with the inability to love herself fully is the result of her childhood trauma which comes from being torn between two extreme living circumstances. The inconsistent values brought by two completely different living environments had made Ashley lose herself. For trying to constantly appease everyone, Dr. Bryant labeled the situation as a hybrid of someone co-existing in between a living street life and high society.

Now, after years of experiencing internal struggle with raising a child, Ashley has figured out where her real passion is. As an emerging entrepreneur, Ashley continues to study nursing on a collegiate level and owns a thriving salon, Aries Beauty Studio. At the same time, she is also starting a non-profit organization that is aimed to provide young pregnant girls who are disowned or confused with housing and other resources. This past October, Ashley shared a post on her Instagram page announcing that she and her friend got their long-awaited company sign on the front of the business: “WE DID IT JOE!!! Seeing the sign go up makes this feel official,” Ashley wrote as her caption. In the near future, she plans on providing a med spa service as an aesthetic doctor for women of color. She relays, “It’s a niche market that’s been overlooked.”

Lastly, Ashley and her friend Jessica T. record daily podcasts in which they talk about society and culture. I Need Wine explores everything from relationships, sex, parenting, trauma and careers. As Ashely and Jessica state: ‘Two women, talking over wine and being raw and honest about things that women go through and how we manage to stay sane (or not) through it all!’

Article:

Andrea Esteban, Vaughn Lowery

Resources:

Teen Mom on Wikipedia

Session w/ Dr. Cheyenne Bryant

Beauty Salon

I Need Wine w/ Ashley & Jessica

Follow Ash:

Instagram|Podcast

Follow Dr. Bryant:

Instagram|Website|Twitter | Facebook

Dr. Cheyenne Bryant via Dr. Cheyenne Bryant by 360 Magazine

*Photos courtesy of MTV

UTA × Curtis Brown Group

United Talent Agency (UTA), a global leader in talent, entertainment and sports, announced it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Curtis Brown Group, one of the UK’s largest and most prestigious literary and talent groups.

This alliance makes Curtis Brown Group the first prominent UK literary and talent representation group to join with a major global talent agency. For UTA, the deal significantly expands its global footprint in one of the world’s most important and thriving creative markets. Under the terms of the deal London-based Curtis Brown Group, founded in 1899, will continue to operate under its current name and highly regarded management, including CEO Jonny Geller. This structure will allow both Curtis Brown Group and UTA to continue their fruitful and longstanding relationships with other agency partners in the UK and US.

The union is driven by a shared desire to ensure greater opportunities for clients across an increasingly global entertainment and culture landscape, in which traditional buyers and distributors such as studios and streaming services are expanding far beyond their home markets. The alliance provides Curtis Brown Group with resources to continue to build out its business, and the benefit of UTA’s expertise across a wide range of capabilities in such areas as brands, podcasts, digital talent, endorsements, media rights, data analytics and more.

While the great majority of Curtis Brown Group’s business is serving UK clients in their home market, UTA and companies in the Curtis Brown Group have collaborated successfully together for many years, in some cases working with talent such as Damian Lewis, Lily James, Alicia Vikander, Bel Powley, as well as rising star Ncuti Gatwa, who the BBC just named the next Dr. Who. The two ventures also share representation of screenwriters such as David Farr (The Night Manager, Hanna), Georgia Pritchett (Succession, Veep and The Shrink Next Door), and Tony Roche (Succession, The Thick of It).

For more than a century, Curtis Brown Group has been well known for its internationally recognized authors (including Margaret Atwood, Jojo Moyes, Lucy Foley, Lisa Jewell, Matt Haig, Nigella Lawson, and Ben Macintyre) and literary estates (including Ian Fleming, John le Carré, Daphne du Maurier, A.A. Milne, and John Steinbeck). Curtis Brown Group has grown and diversified over the last ten years, emerging as the UK’s top talent agency with a string of acquisitions of other leading UK talent companies, including Markham Froggatt & Irwin in 2020, Tavistock Wood in 2018, Ed Victor in 2017 and C&W in 2013. Curtis Brown is also home to the world’s first creative writing course run by an agency.

In addition to its eminence in publishing, Curtis Brown Group’s many other industry-leading divisions include its global talent practice (representing actors, presenters, comedians, and other performers), and a prestigious theatre, film and television department (representing leading screenwriters, directors, producers, playwrights, and production arts talent).

For UTA, founded in 1991, the move further accelerates the company’s momentum as it brings together ideas, opportunities and talent. This includes significant growth in its talent representation business as well as recent investments across entertainment, sports and marketing in leading ventures that continue to operate under their own names with ready access and close alignment to UTA’s global platform and capabilities. This ongoing strategic expansion has included taking a significant stake in 2019 in Klutch Sports Group, which represents top U.S. athletes, and the 2021 acquisition of MediaLink, a leading strategic advisory and marketing firm that serves the world’s leading brands.

David Kramer, Co-President of UTA, said: “This move is about the vanishing borders of the global entertainment business and our united determination to ensure artists and creators remain at the heart of the opportunities ahead. UTA and Curtis Brown Group have known each other and worked together for years, and we couldn’t be more excited to be taking this step together at a time when the UK’s creative industries are thriving. For UTA, this was driven by the profound respect we have for the Curtis Brown leadership, their deep roots in the UK, the team they’ve assembled, and their company culture. We’re coming together in a way that is designed to ensure Curtis Brown’s business and team – and their way of doing business in the markets they know best – continues to flourish and grow.”

Said Jonny Geller, CEO of Curtis Brown Group: “We have long admired UTA under the leadership of David Kramer and its CEO, Jeremy Zimmer. Curtis Brown’s deep understanding of the European market combined with their culture of collaboration and innovation offers our company and our clients many great opportunities. This partnership will allow Curtis Brown to grow and to respond to the demands of an increasingly globalised world. We have always prided ourselves on our ability to nurture new talent across all our departments and provide an open and inclusive culture, and we are excited to begin a new chapter in this wonderful company’s 123-year-old history.”

Jeremy Zimmer, Co-Founder and CEO of UTA, said: “The brand of Curtis Brown has been synonymous with great storytelling and rigorous artist representation for more than a century. We are thrilled to align with such a great team. As the world of media grows and contorts, UTA is looking for great partnerships to drive our growth. In Curtis Brown, we believe we have found just such a partnership.”

Curtis Brown has more than 240 employees and is expected to continue to grow as a result of this deal. No staffing reductions are anticipated due to this transaction. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

About UTA

UTA unites ideas, opportunities and talent. The company represents some of the world’s most iconic, barrier-breaking artists, creators and changemakers—from actors, athletes and musicians to writers, gamers and digital influencers. One of the most influential companies in global entertainment, UTA’s business spans talent representation, content production, as well as strategic advisory and marketing work with some of the world’s biggest brands. Affiliated companies include Digital Brand Architects, Klutch Sports Group and MediaLink. UTA is headquartered in Los Angeles with offices in Atlanta, Chicago, Nashville, New York and London. More information can be found HERE.

About Curtis Brown

Founded in 1899 by Albert Curtis Brown, the company has a long and distinguished history as a world-renowned literary agency representing many famous writers, including Margaret Atwood, John le Carré, Anthony Horowitz, Bonnie Garmus, Winston Churchill Estate, Adam Kay, Bono, Elif Shafak, David Mitchell and David Nicholls.

Today, Curtis Brown also houses many other industry-leading divisions including a global Talent agency (representing actors, presenters, comedians, performers and below the line talent), and a prestigious Theatre, Film and Television department (representing leading screen writers, directors, producers, playwrights, and writer-performers).

The Curtis Brown Group is now home to over 240 members of staff and a vibrant ecosystem of companies that span the arts and culture sector. The Curtis Brown Group includes boutique literary agencies C&W (formerly Conville & Walsh) and Ed Victor Ltd, our in-house writing school Curtis Brown Creative, talent agencies Tavistock Wood and Markham Froggatt & Irwin and production companies Cuba Pictures and Open Book Productions.

Jonny Geller is CEO of The Curtis Brown Group.

SOURCE: United Talent Agency

INSIDE OUT TOKYO

June marks the beginning of Japan’s rainy season. Mid-June’s daily rain and high humidity are unpleasant, fortunately Tokyo has lot’s of underground malls to explore while waiting out the rain. These subterranean shopping meccas or Chikagai, reside beneath major stations such as the Tokyo Station, Ikebukuro Station, and Shinjuku Station. The Tokyo Station has the Yaesu Shopping Mall, First Avenue Tokyo Station, and Gransta beneath its busy atmosphere.

The Yaesu Shopping Mall (commonly known as Yaechika) is home to about 180 stores. It is a popular stop for workers from nearby offices and business travelers. First Avenue Tokyo Station provides a notable collection of character such as Tokyo Character Street and a ramen zone. Ramen Zone, other wise known as “Tokyo Ramen Street,” is home to eight ramen restaurants that serve traditional and specialty menus. Located on the 1st and B1 floors of Tokyo Station, Gransta is one of Tokyo’s largest in-station shopping and dining areas. With stores both inside and outside the station gates, you can shop for gifts, souvenirs, cosmetics, clothing, and then end the shopping spree with a bite at one of the various restaurants through out the mall.

Umbrellas have always been a pin-pointed fashion statement in japan, as japan is famous for it’s rainy seasons. There are plenty of shops to find your perfect umbrella. Waterfront, a four-floor store in the Jiyugaoka neighborhood, is an umbrella lover’s wonderland with more than 500 umbrellas styles to explore. Tokyo Noble offers a unique umbrella-customization experience. With four different umbrella types, 77 different fabrics, and a variety of colorful tassels and handles, this is your opportunity to create your one-of-a-kind umbrella. Komiya Shoten, open since 1930, sells umbrellas made using traditional crafting methods and high-grade materials. Their fabric and hands-on technique turn the sound of raindrops into a romantic symphony.

MARVEL HALLOWEEN

MARVEL HALLOWEEN COMIC BOOK EXTRAVAGANZA is back! On October 29, visit your local participating comic shop to celebrate Halloween with a thrilling trip to the Marvel Universe! The popular retailer event gives fans a chance to pick up copies of best-selling comics starring some of Marvel’s hottest characters and storylines, including perfect entry points for newcomers!

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #88 is one of the most thrilling entries in the recently acclaimed Beyond era! The action-packed issue marks the debut of QUEEN GOBLIN, the latest addition to Spidey’s iconic rogue’s gallery who will soon be heating things up in a major storyline in Zeb Wells and John Romita Jr.’s current run of AMAZING SPIDER-MAN.

MOON GIRL AND DEVIL DINOSAUR #1 presents the first appearance of Lunella Lafayette, the preteen super genius who took the Marvel Universe by storm with this critically-acclaimed series. Moon Girl’s adventures are perfect for all ages and the breakout hero is set to star in Marvel’s Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur on the Disney Channel later this year!

STAR WARS: DOCTOR APHRA #1, the start of Doctor Aphra’s latest run by writer Alyssa Wong and artist Marika Cresta. With a new crew and new treasure to hunt down, the rogue archaeologist continues to captivate both Star Wars and Marvel Comics fans and is celebrated as the first Star Wars character created for comics to headline their solo series!

STRANGE ACADEMY #3 opens the doors of the Marvel Universe’s first school for sorcerers to new readers! In this hit series by Skottie Young and Humberto Ramos, Doctor Strange, the Scarlet Witch, Magik, and all your favorite Marvel mages establish an academy for the mystic arts where young magic users from around the world are brought together to study. This hit issue spotlights one of the breakout students of the spellbinding cast of new characters– DOYLE DORMAMMU!

After the success of Free Comic Book Day 2022’s SPIDEY AND HIS AMAZING FRIENDS comic, this year’s MARVEL HALLOWEEN COMIC BOOK EXTRAVAGANZA will also give young readers a chance to enjoy a new collection of Spidey adventures! Stay tuned for more details!

Be sure to check with your local comic shop to see if they’ll be participating in this year’s MARVEL HALLOWEEN COMIC BOOK EXTRAVAGANZA! For more information, visit Marvel.

FARRAH FAWCETT TEX-MEX FIESTA

The Farrah Fawcett Foundation (FFF) has announced that this year’s 4th biennial Tex-Mex Fiesta benefit will be held in Dallas at The Rustic on October 20, 2022. President and CEO of the FFF and Farrah’s long-time friend, Alana Stewart, will be co-hosting along with Farrah’s former Charlie’s Angels co-star, Jaclyn Smith. Honorees include Linda Gray, (of TV’s Dallas) and a special acknowledgment to Ryan O’Neal for his continued support of the FFF.

“For the first time, we are celebrating the legacy of Farrah in her home state by bringing our Tex-Mex event to Dallas, instead of the traditional location in Beverly Hills. “Farrah was a Texas girl so this would have meant so much to her,” said Alana Stewart.

In 2016, the FFF supported efforts in Dallas In the American Cancer Society’s Gene and Jerry Jones Family Hope Lodge, naming a suite in Farrah’s honor. These fundraising efforts were spearheaded by long-time Dallas local and FFF supporter John Terlingo, of Terlingo Cycle. The facility, located on Baylor University Medical Center’s campus through collaboration with Baylor Scott & White Health, provides a safe and peaceful place for patients and their caregivers to stay during treatment at any local treatment center.

The FFF is excited to continue its partnership with the American Cancer Society and Dallas Cattle Baron’s Ball. Proceeds from the event will benefit the important work of this facility, which strives to provide 18,000 nights of free lodging each year. Funds raised will also benefit the FFF’s collaboration with Stand Up To Cancer, which funds HPV-related cancer research. The biennial Tex-Mex Fiesta was first held in 2015 and has raised almost $3 million for the cause.

The host committee for the 2022 FFF Tex-Mex Fiesta includes Sami Abboud, Jenny Anchondo, Heath Oakes, Gonzalo Beuno, Lindsey Billingsley, Jamie Jo Bolougne, Tori Gonzales Bradburry, Alesia Coffman, Dame Joan Collins, Julie, and Dayton Conklin, Jessica Jade Courvell, Claire and Dwight Emanuelson, Morgan Fairchild, Lea Fisher, George Hamilton, Marjon Henderson, Lindsay Jacamon, Hilary Kennedy, Courtney Kerr, Kara, and John Kratzer, Muffin and John Lemak, Michael McCray, Donna Mills, Niven Morgan, Juliette, and Mark Moussa, Jonika Nix, Kyle Noonan, Michael Nouri, Lisa, and Bill Ogle, Brittanie Buchanan Oleniczak, Ryan O’Neal, Lisa Pinero, Dr. Lawrence Piro, Melissa, and Brian Ramos, Nancy Rogers, Devin Savage, Stephanie Seay, Melissa Spencer, Chuck Steelman, John Terlingo, Amy Vanderoef, Shelby Wagner, Natalie Westbrooke, Kameron, and Court Westcott, Samantha Whortley, Tia Wynne and Mark Zunino.

JOHN LEGEND – DOPE

Multi-platinum, 12-time GRAMMY Award-winner John Legend, today released the video for “Dope,” the first song from his forthcoming new album. The Christian Breslauer-directed video takes place at a soulful, eclectic retro house party, where Legend performs and parties with friends – including rapper J.I.D who is also featured on the track — into the wee hours of the morning. Watch the video for “Dope,” HERE. Listen to the song HERE.

Described by Rolling Stone as a “summery, feel-good track,” “Dope” was produced by Ian Kirkpatrick and Ryan Tedder. Legend co-wrote the track with Charlie Puth, Tedder, and J.I.D.

The EGOT artist first shared part of “Dope” at the iHeart Awards, where he did a special fan-favorite dueling piano performance with the song’s co-writer, Charlie Puth. The track is the first release from Legend’s forthcoming album, his first with new label partner Republic Records, following the release of his latest GRAMMY Award winner for Best R&B Album, Bigger Love.

Legend has been teasing “Dope” during his critically acclaimed, sold-out first run of his new Vegas Residency, “Love in Las Vegas.” Billboard raved about the show, saying “…Legend held the full house in his hands as they danced, screamed and aah-ed their way through a generous set encompassing the multiple Grammy winner’s seven-album catalogs of hits and fan faves.” Upcoming dates of the residency are August 5-20 and October 14-29 and you can get tickets HERE.