Epic Games, creator of the popular game Fortnite, is laying off 830 of its employees.   "While 'Fortnite' is starting to grow again, the growth is driven primarily by creator content with significant revenue sharing, and this is a lower margin business than we had when 'Fortnite Battle Royale' took off," CEO Tim Sweeney said in an email to employees. He stated that two-thirds of those employees were outside of core development teams and that the aim of the layoffs [...]

Meet Federico Francioni, the Head of the Digital Ecosystem for Meta, the powerhouse behind Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and, more recently, Quest devices and Threads.   Born in Arezzo in 1982, Federico has an impressive background in telecommunication engineering. He is a graduate of the prestigious University of Florence. He clinched victory in the Philip Morris International Challenge in 2005 and completed his academic journey in Oulu, Finland.  Since 2013, Federico has made California his home, working for PwC, Microsoft, and, [...]

However, it could be weeks or months until production returns to where it was before the work stoppage.   In a historic Hollywood labor battle, the 148-day writers' strike, the second longest Writers Guild of America (WGA) history, concluded at 12:01 a.m. PT Wednesday, September 27. This decision follows a vote from guild leadership authorizing approximately 11,500 members to return to work. Tasks previously prohibited by strike rules, such as pitching, selling scripts, meetings, and responding to notes, will now [...]

"Io Capitano" already won Best Director Silver Lion and the Best New Actor prize, in Venice.   Italy has chosen Matteo Garrone's powerful emigration drama, "Io Capitano," as its official submission for the Best International Film category at the 2024 Academy Awards. Io Capitano is a gripping and poignant emigration drama following the harrowing journey of two Senegalese teenagers from Dakar to Italy, battling through the Sahara desert and treacherous Mediterranean waters. "Io Capitano" premiered at the Venice Film Festival, [...]

The move won't start a strike right away, but it strengthens the bargaining position.   More strikes are looming in the entertainment industry. If contract negotiations fail, SAG-AFTRA members have voted overwhelmingly to strike against video game companies. This strategic move won't start a strike immediately but strengthens their bargaining power and brings them closer to a potential work stoppage, causing more disruptions. Even if the WGA strike is over, this development is part of a larger wave of unrest [...]

Broadcast TV took a hit as streaming became more popular, but with Hollywood's double strike, reruns of popular shows are rising to the top of the viewing charts.   According to the Samba TV Weekly Wrap Report for the week of September 11 - 17, 2023, Yellowstone is the most-watched linear program, sitting at number one as the only scripted show on the list. America's Got Talent was number 2 this week, after 8 weeks in a row at number [...]