entertainment

The biggest headline coming out of the annual ball drop party in Times Square is easily the debacle surrounding Mariah Carey’s performance … or lack thereof. Where you land on this story depends entirely on what version of the story you’ve read. Maybe you heard that she was lip syncing and when the track was off, she just gave up. Maybe you heard that her monitors were not working properly and she couldn’t hear the backing track over the crowd. Maybe you’re with the camp who scoffs at any performer who lip syncs at a major show … or maybe... Read More >

It wasn’t that long ago that cable brands like MTV and Comedy Central ruled the airwaves with a certain demographic. The channels were by-words in teen and young adult culture, both reflecting and defining trends and defining cool and funny. Things have changed. YouTube and streaming media have captured the attention of the key target demographics for these stations, and that has the top brass searching for answers. Some are looking for them in other jobs. Veteran leader Doug Herzog, who heads MTV and Comedy Central, has announced plans to exit the company soon. This is a big change for... Read More >

Product integration allows marketers to have more control over how their placements work within television shows or movies. Instead of the product simply being shown on a table, or even being used or eaten, it is integrated into the script. It’s part of the storyline, characters talk about it, and it becomes linked in the minds of audience members. That way it’s related to a particular character or characters. If viewers want to emulate them, they should purchase and use the same products. Another way advertisers ensure control over how their product, or indeed their overall brand, is perceived is... Read More >

As mergers and takeovers go, this is a big one … on at least two continents. Sky and 21st Century Fox have agreed on a takeover deal that will see Fox pay more than $13 billion for the majority stake in Sky the company doesn’t already own. According to the BBC, current Sky shareholders will receive about $13 in cash for each owned share, which puts the company value at about $22 billion. The purchase gives Fox News many more resources with which to work both nationally and internationally, but it also raises concerns that Rupert Murdoch, who owns 21st... Read More >

Financially, the numbers at SeaWorld theme parks continue to fall. Attendance really hasn’t picked up much either. This has led to a recent announcement that the company will be eliminating more than 300 jobs across 12 parks nationwide, as well as its corporate headquarters in Orlando. The company says this will be a combination of layoffs and the “elimination of vacant positions” … though how many of which was not provided to media sources. While the layoffs only represent about three percent of the company’s permanent workforce – many workers are temporary or seasonal in the parks – this is... Read More >

Israel’s Strong Public Relations Ambassador For a young woman, Yityish “Titi” Aynaw (pronounced Ya-Teesh I-now) has accomplished some amazing things. She was born in Ethiopia in 1991. Her father died when she was only a few years old, followed after her tenth birthday by her mother’s passing. At the age of 12, she and her brother moved to Israel to live with their grandparents. Before long, Titi had learned to speak Hebrew and during high school she served as student body president, participated in track and field, and won a national film competition for students. After that, she served as... Read More >

5WPR CEO Ronn Torossian comments on the future of Streaming Live Events. The continued success of streaming video content has many traditional TV networks trying to figure out how to jump on the bandwagon without destroying their current, profitable business model. The NFL recently announced a deal to stream Thursday Night Football on Twitter, and many NCAA games are available to watch on ESPN3. Meanwhile, many new popular shows are only available through streaming services. Netflix and Amazon are fighting tooth and nail against each other and against traditional networks for recognition. And it looks like, this year, they will... Read More >

Mike Heller is a former entertainment attorney who decided in the mid-2000s to change careers, starting his own company when he recognized the power of celebrity endorsements in boosting brand recognition. Celebrity endorsements are not new. They have been around since the 1760s when a pottery and chinaware company called “Wedgwood” used the endorsements of English royalty for marketing purposes. The company still exists today. Heller began noticing that there was a keen interest from the public in knowing what brands of products certain celebrities were using. A few examples of superstar celebrities Heller has worked with include the Kardashian... Read More >

Wendi Shapiro joins MWWPR as Sr. VP Western Region Consumer Practice Leader in Los Angeles Wendi Shapiro left her Sr. VP job with Murphy O’Brien PR to start as a Sr. VP at MWWPR. In the new position, she will oversee the consumer practice division for the Western region working out of their Los Angeles office. In addition to the consumer practice and communication strategies with clients including those in industries such as wine and spirits, restaurant, and travel, she’ll also be in charge of business development for potential consumer clients. While at Murphy O’Brien, Shapiro provided account management and... Read More >

Healthcare Firm Rabin Martin Acquired by Omnicom PR Group Rabin Martin, headquartered in New York, with additional offices in Los Angeles, London, and Geneva has been acquired by Omnicom– the first acquisition since Karen Van Bergen stepped in as CEO at Omnicom. RM becomes Omnicom PR’s 11th agency brand bringing their global public healthcare expertise to Omnicom’s already impressive list of credentials. Jeffrey Sturchio, CEO and President of RM, will continue in his position and report to Van Bergen. He said, “You have an enormous marketplace for public health in emerging markets… our main focus is on building partnerships that... Read More >