Laika, the Portland-based animation studio behind movies such as Coraline and Kubo and the Two Strings, has hired Jeremy Kipp Walker and Chaz Salembier as part of a push into live-action filmmaking.
Walker becomes executive vp, live-action production after serving as head of production for Netflix’s independent film division. His credits include The Big Sick, Half Nelson, Table 19, Mississippi Grind and It’s Kind of a Funny Story.
Salembier, a veteran of Walt Disney Studios, becomes creative vp, live-action film at Laika, charged with identifying and developing stories for the indie studio’s live-action film slate, starting at the Cannes Film Festival.
Both Laika hires will report to Matt Levin, president of live-action film and series, who joined the indie studio in the new role in February after a long tenure at Netflix.
Besides production on its sixth animated movie Wildwood, directed by Laika founder Travis Knight, the studio...
Walker becomes executive vp, live-action production after serving as head of production for Netflix’s independent film division. His credits include The Big Sick, Half Nelson, Table 19, Mississippi Grind and It’s Kind of a Funny Story.
Salembier, a veteran of Walt Disney Studios, becomes creative vp, live-action film at Laika, charged with identifying and developing stories for the indie studio’s live-action film slate, starting at the Cannes Film Festival.
Both Laika hires will report to Matt Levin, president of live-action film and series, who joined the indie studio in the new role in February after a long tenure at Netflix.
Besides production on its sixth animated movie Wildwood, directed by Laika founder Travis Knight, the studio...
- 5/25/2023
- by Etan Vlessing
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation (Etaf) announced on Tuesday that NBA Hall of Famer Earvin “Magic” Johnson and entrepreneur Cookie Johnson will be commemorated at this year’s Elizabeth Taylor Ball to End AIDS on Sept. 21 at the Beverly Hills Hotel. Both Magic and Cookie Johnson will be presented with the Elizabeth Taylor Commitment to End AIDS Award at the ball.
Paris Jackson and Christine Chiu serve as this year’s gala’s co-chairs. The event will sport a number of 270 guests entertained by a live auction in partnership with Chiu presenting a number of art/luxury experiences, a live performance and an exclusive look at items from The Elizabeth Taylor Archive.
“We loved Elizabeth Taylor’s passion, activism and the work we did together in the fight against HIV and AIDS,” said Magic and Cookie Johnson. “Since beginning this journey in the early ’90s, we’ve dedicated our lives...
Paris Jackson and Christine Chiu serve as this year’s gala’s co-chairs. The event will sport a number of 270 guests entertained by a live auction in partnership with Chiu presenting a number of art/luxury experiences, a live performance and an exclusive look at items from The Elizabeth Taylor Archive.
“We loved Elizabeth Taylor’s passion, activism and the work we did together in the fight against HIV and AIDS,” said Magic and Cookie Johnson. “Since beginning this journey in the early ’90s, we’ve dedicated our lives...
- 5/23/2023
- by Jazz Tangcay, McKinley Franklin and Sophia Scorziello
- Variety Film + TV
The excitement around Coachella often revolves around gigantic stars pulling out all the stops during major performances, and this year was no exception. Headliners Bad Bunny and Blackpink both made history — Bad Bunny as the first Latino artist and Blackpink as the first female K-pop band to hit the mainstage during the festival’s most coveted time slots. Frank Ocean’s set, meanwhile, built up plenty of anticipation and drama, especially after his chaotic show the first weekend and once news hit that he was dropping out of the second weekend.
- 4/24/2023
- by Julyssa Lopez, Sage Anderson and Tomás Mier
- Rollingstone.com
Noted animation company is in development in first live-action title.
The noted independent animation powerhouse Laika is bolstering its expansion into live-action and has hired longtime Netflix executive Matt Levin as president, live-action film & series.
The studio is in production on its sixth animated feature Wildwood and is developing its first live-action project based on screenwriter John Brownlow’s action thriller novel Seventeen
Levin served as director, original independent film at Netflix from 2014 to 2022 where he co-founded the Original Independent Film department.
During his stint at the streamer he oversaw the development and production of 25 films including the upcoming Gareth...
The noted independent animation powerhouse Laika is bolstering its expansion into live-action and has hired longtime Netflix executive Matt Levin as president, live-action film & series.
The studio is in production on its sixth animated feature Wildwood and is developing its first live-action project based on screenwriter John Brownlow’s action thriller novel Seventeen
Levin served as director, original independent film at Netflix from 2014 to 2022 where he co-founded the Original Independent Film department.
During his stint at the streamer he oversaw the development and production of 25 films including the upcoming Gareth...
- 2/7/2023
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Laika, the Oregon-based stop-motion animation studio behind modern classics “Coraline” and “ParaNorman,” is getting serious about entering the live-action space. The studio just named longtime Netflix executive Matt Levin as President, Live-Action Film & Series, a new role at the company. The first live-action project is a film based on John Brownlow’s thriller novel “Seventeen.”
Levin served as Director, Original Independent Film at Netflix from 2014 to 2022. He co-founded the Original Independent Film department growing it into a full-scale mini-major with 20+ executives. Levin oversaw projects like Macon Blair’s “I Don’t Feel At Home in the World Anymore,” underrated Elizabeth Winstead-led action movie “Kate,” and Charlie Kaufman’s puzzling “I’m Thinking of Ending Things.” Levin also worked on Tom Hardy’s upcoming “Havoc” from director Gareth Evans (due out sometime later this year).
Levin reports directly to President and CEO Travis Knight (director of Laika’s “Kubo and the Two Strings...
Levin served as Director, Original Independent Film at Netflix from 2014 to 2022. He co-founded the Original Independent Film department growing it into a full-scale mini-major with 20+ executives. Levin oversaw projects like Macon Blair’s “I Don’t Feel At Home in the World Anymore,” underrated Elizabeth Winstead-led action movie “Kate,” and Charlie Kaufman’s puzzling “I’m Thinking of Ending Things.” Levin also worked on Tom Hardy’s upcoming “Havoc” from director Gareth Evans (due out sometime later this year).
Levin reports directly to President and CEO Travis Knight (director of Laika’s “Kubo and the Two Strings...
- 2/7/2023
- by Drew Taylor
- The Wrap
Lionsgate has released the first image for Adele Lim’s “Joy Ride,” a comedy feature starring Oscar nominee Stephanie Hsu, Ashley Park, Sherry Cola and Sabrina Wu.
The film is set to release in theaters June 23.
“Joy Ride” tells the raunchy story of how four unlikely friends embark on a once-in-a-lifetime international adventure. After Audrey’s (Park) business trip to Asia goes doesn’t go according to plan, she recruits her childhood best friend, Lolo (Cola), her college friend turned Chinese soap star, Kat (Hsu) and Lolo’s eccentric cousin and Deadeye (Wu). “The four friends’ epic experience becomes a journey of bonding, friendship, belonging, and wild debauchery, ultimately revealing the universal truth of what it means to know and love who you are.
“Joy Ride” was written by Cherry Chevapravatdumrong and Teresa Hsiao. The film was produced by director Adele Lim, writers Chevapravatdumrong and Hsiao, and Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg,...
The film is set to release in theaters June 23.
“Joy Ride” tells the raunchy story of how four unlikely friends embark on a once-in-a-lifetime international adventure. After Audrey’s (Park) business trip to Asia goes doesn’t go according to plan, she recruits her childhood best friend, Lolo (Cola), her college friend turned Chinese soap star, Kat (Hsu) and Lolo’s eccentric cousin and Deadeye (Wu). “The four friends’ epic experience becomes a journey of bonding, friendship, belonging, and wild debauchery, ultimately revealing the universal truth of what it means to know and love who you are.
“Joy Ride” was written by Cherry Chevapravatdumrong and Teresa Hsiao. The film was produced by director Adele Lim, writers Chevapravatdumrong and Hsiao, and Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg,...
- 2/7/2023
- by Jazz Tangcay, Charna Flam and Julia MacCary
- Variety Film + TV
Laika, the Portland-based animation studio behind movies such as Coraline and Kubo and the Two Strings, is expanding its live-action moviemaking plans with the hiring of Matt Levin in the newly-created position of president, live-action film and series.
Levin served as director of original independent film at Netflix from 2014 to 2022. During that time, he oversaw development and production of 25 films including the upcoming Gareth Evans’ actioner Havoc starring Tom Hardy, Forest Whitaker and Timothy Olyphant; Charlie Kaufman’s I’m Thinking of Ending Things starring Jesse Plemons, Jessie Buckley and Toni Collette; and the 2017 Sundance Grand Jury Prize-winning I Don’t Feel at Home in This World Anymore from writer/director Macon Blair. Levin brought in overall deals with Gareth Evans and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II.
At Laika, Levin will report to president and CEO Travis Knight. “[Levin’s] exceptional leadership skills, creative sensitivity, and sharp storytelling mind will guide our studio to the next phase of its evolution,...
Levin served as director of original independent film at Netflix from 2014 to 2022. During that time, he oversaw development and production of 25 films including the upcoming Gareth Evans’ actioner Havoc starring Tom Hardy, Forest Whitaker and Timothy Olyphant; Charlie Kaufman’s I’m Thinking of Ending Things starring Jesse Plemons, Jessie Buckley and Toni Collette; and the 2017 Sundance Grand Jury Prize-winning I Don’t Feel at Home in This World Anymore from writer/director Macon Blair. Levin brought in overall deals with Gareth Evans and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II.
At Laika, Levin will report to president and CEO Travis Knight. “[Levin’s] exceptional leadership skills, creative sensitivity, and sharp storytelling mind will guide our studio to the next phase of its evolution,...
- 2/7/2023
- by Carolyn Giardina
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Donut Media, the cars-are-for-everyone digital content company driving 60 million views per month on YouTube, has been acquired by Popular Science and The Drive owner Recurrent Ventures. Donut cofounder and CEO Matt Levin tells Tubefilter a core aspect of the deal is “bringing Donut’s expertise in YouTube and other digital video platforms across the Recurrent […]
Visit Tubefilter for more great stories.
Visit Tubefilter for more great stories.
- 11/9/2021
- by James Hale
- Tubefilter.com
The coronavirus has thrown countless industries into turmoil, and created widespread fears about the economy as a whole, with joblessness claims rising to 3.3 million in just one week, and concern from politicians that a $2 trillion stimulus package may not be enough. But one career path that appears to be in relatively stable shape today -- given its remote and self-determinative nature, as more and more quarantined citizens consume online content from the claustrophobic comfort of home -- is that of the digital creator.
While it’s still early days in terms of how the pandemic will bear down on YouTube ad revenues, we spoke to several players in the space who expressed a relatively buoyed perspective on how creators could fare through the crisis..
Matt Levin, the co-founder and CEO of auto-focused YouTube channel Donut Media -- which counts 3.2 million subscribers and has recently been clocking upwards of 30 million monthly...
While it’s still early days in terms of how the pandemic will bear down on YouTube ad revenues, we spoke to several players in the space who expressed a relatively buoyed perspective on how creators could fare through the crisis..
Matt Levin, the co-founder and CEO of auto-focused YouTube channel Donut Media -- which counts 3.2 million subscribers and has recently been clocking upwards of 30 million monthly...
- 3/27/2020
- by Geoff Weiss
- Tubefilter.com
Like many other car-focused channels on YouTube, Donut Media’s has no shortage of gorgeous cars. The company, which revealed earlier this year that its channel pulled in a seven-figure revenue in 2016, then doubled those earnings in 2017, regularly uploads videos populated with supercharged racecars, handfuls of sleek Lamborghinis, the raw muscle of vintage hot rods, and much, much more.
But the team behind Donut Media — including co-founder and CEO Matt Levin, a former product head at AwesomenessTV, creative director Jesse Wood, and one of the channel’s hosts as well as its head writer, James Pumphrey — also has a mission many other channels don’t: providing a thorough education about cars, inside and out, for anyone and everyone who wants to enjoy them. And that mission is what’s garnered Donut a dedicated audience, crowning the company a YouTube Millionaire in just two years.
In recent months, Donut Media’s...
But the team behind Donut Media — including co-founder and CEO Matt Levin, a former product head at AwesomenessTV, creative director Jesse Wood, and one of the channel’s hosts as well as its head writer, James Pumphrey — also has a mission many other channels don’t: providing a thorough education about cars, inside and out, for anyone and everyone who wants to enjoy them. And that mission is what’s garnered Donut a dedicated audience, crowning the company a YouTube Millionaire in just two years.
In recent months, Donut Media’s...
- 10/4/2018
- by James Loke Hale
- Tubefilter.com
The most popular video on Donut Media’s burgeoning YouTube channel sees two giggly grandmothers -- Audrey and Peggy -- taking a 650 Hp Lamborghini for a spin around Los Angeles. Passersby gawk at the adorable duo as they honk and wave, and even pick up a date in the supermarket parking lot along the way.
While two-year-old Donut is aiming to be the premiere millennial publisher for car enthusiasts -- a relatively niche category on YouTube today -- Two Grannies, One Lamborghini (6.1 million views) illustrates its prospective appeal beyond die-hard gearheads. “Ultimately, we don’t want to be known as a big car channel on YouTube,” co-founder and CEO Matt Levin tells Tubefilter, “but a big YouTube channel that happens to be about cars."
Donut’s broader ambitions are evident with just a cursory glance at its YouTube channel, which features many snackable formats that millennial viewers have come to...
While two-year-old Donut is aiming to be the premiere millennial publisher for car enthusiasts -- a relatively niche category on YouTube today -- Two Grannies, One Lamborghini (6.1 million views) illustrates its prospective appeal beyond die-hard gearheads. “Ultimately, we don’t want to be known as a big car channel on YouTube,” co-founder and CEO Matt Levin tells Tubefilter, “but a big YouTube channel that happens to be about cars."
Donut’s broader ambitions are evident with just a cursory glance at its YouTube channel, which features many snackable formats that millennial viewers have come to...
- 3/28/2018
- by Geoff Weiss
- Tubefilter.com
On opening night of Sundance 2018, writer-director Tamara Jenkins premiered her new film “Private Life” to rave reviews. The New York drama was headed for derailment when she submitted it to Netflix Indie Content directors of content Ian Bricke and his lieutenant Matt Levin; they loved her script about an infertile middle-aged couple (Paul Giamatti and Kathryn Hahn) desperately trying to have a child by any means necessary. The drama turned out so well that Netflix is holding it for the fall festival circuit.
Among those in Eccles Theater seeing “Private Life” for the first time was Netflix chief content officer Ted Sarandos. That’s because if a film is budgeted under $10 million, he delegates full greenlight authority to Bricke, who pushed the $9 million “Private Life” into production and approved the last-minute casting of unknown actress Kayli Carter.
Netflix’s Indie Content film team is also bringing (if not to a...
Among those in Eccles Theater seeing “Private Life” for the first time was Netflix chief content officer Ted Sarandos. That’s because if a film is budgeted under $10 million, he delegates full greenlight authority to Bricke, who pushed the $9 million “Private Life” into production and approved the last-minute casting of unknown actress Kayli Carter.
Netflix’s Indie Content film team is also bringing (if not to a...
- 1/28/2018
- by Anne Thompson
- Thompson on Hollywood
On opening night of Sundance 2018, writer-director Tamara Jenkins premiered her new film “Private Life” to rave reviews. The New York drama was headed for derailment when she submitted it to Netflix Indie Content directors of content Ian Bricke and his lieutenant Matt Levin; they loved her script about an infertile middle-aged couple (Paul Giamatti and Kathryn Hahn) desperately trying to have a child by any means necessary. The drama turned out so well that Netflix is holding it for the fall festival circuit.
Read More:a Decade After ‘The Savages,’ Tamara Jenkins Returns to Sundance With a Personal Netflix Film
Among those in Eccles Theater seeing “Private Life” for the first time was Netflix chief content officer Ted Sarandos. That’s because if a film is budgeted under $10 million, he delegates full greenlight authority to Bricke, who pushed the $9 million “Private Life” into production and approved the last-minute casting of unknown actress Kayli Carter.
Read More:a Decade After ‘The Savages,’ Tamara Jenkins Returns to Sundance With a Personal Netflix Film
Among those in Eccles Theater seeing “Private Life” for the first time was Netflix chief content officer Ted Sarandos. That’s because if a film is budgeted under $10 million, he delegates full greenlight authority to Bricke, who pushed the $9 million “Private Life” into production and approved the last-minute casting of unknown actress Kayli Carter.
- 1/28/2018
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.