SSN ORIGINALS
From Pixar to Indies: Filmmaker Carlos Baena Shares Lessons on Crafting an Animated Horror Film Outside of the Studio System
Filmmaker Carlos Baena’s resume has the companies that many animators dream of working with including Laika, ILM/Lucasfilms and Pixar. Those companies are known for their unique visions of spectacular art come to life that grace theater screens. So what made this animator leave Pixar, a place replete with creative pros at the top of their game and break out of the fold? A vision of his own. (SSN)
Film & TV Deals for 11/4/15: Adam Goodman Launches Dichotomy with New Model of Film Financing, Jon Stewart Inks Deal with HBO, SyFy Starts Film Division
Along with that news, McG has signed a deal with ABC Family/Freeform, Andrew Kreisberg has inked an overall deal with WBTV, and The Chernin Group has partnered with private-equity firm KKR to invest in media and entertainment companies across Asia. (SSN)
Rep Moves for 11/4/15: Multi-Hyphenate Teen Star Jordyn Jones Signs with CAA, Thelma & Louise Screenwriter & Nashville Creator Callie Khouri Shifts from CAA to UTA
Singer, actress, dancer and model Jordyn Jones has signed with CAA, the social media powerhouse has more than 74 million views on YouTube and 1.4 million Instagram followers. Breaking Bad‘s RJ Mitte has signed with Vanguard Management Group. (SSN)
OTHER HEADLINES
Late Night TV Hosting Proving Hazardous to One’s Health as Trevor Noah Undergoes Emergency Surgery
Trevor Noah, the host of The Daily Show, underwent an emergency appendectomy Wednesday morning which will cause him to miss Wednesday night’s broadcast, according to Comedy Central. (CNN)
Behind the Scenes Shakeup on ABC’s The Muppets as Showrunner Exits Stage Left
There is a behind the scenes shakeup on ABC’s freshman comedy series The Muppets. Gone is co-creator, executive producer and showrunner Bob Kushell. Kristin Newman (Galavant) is in negotiations to succeed him as new showrunner under her overall deal at ABC Studios. (DL)
Will the Tarantino Controversy Rattle The Hateful Eight’s Box Office?
Quentin Tarantino is no stranger to controversy, but nothing has prepared him for the firestorm he’s unleashed over the last few days. His words may be divisive but will they doom The Hateful Eight at the box office? (VAR)
Furious 7‘s Luke Evans On-board for Key Role in DreamWorks’ The Girl on the Train
The Girl on the Train, DreamWorks’ adaptation of the hit book, is adding Luke Evans to the cast. The actor has stepped into the shoes that were to be worn by Jared Leto, whose deal never took due to a scheduling issue. (THR)
On the Road to Oscars, Listen to Me Marlin and Amy Are Nominated for IDA Documentary Awards
The International Documentary Association announced nominations and creative recognition awards for the 31st annual IDA Documentary Awards to be held on Dec. 5. Best feature nominees include Amy about the life of singer Amy Winehouse, The Black Panthers: Vanguard of a Revolution and Listen to Me Marlin which leveraged hundreds of hours of Marlon Brando’s personal audio recordings and more. (VAR)
Kal Penn Reunites with Harold & Kumar Writers on Fair and Balanced TV Series Set at ABC
Harold & Kumar star Kal Penn is reuniting with the writers of the hit feature franchise, Hayden Schlossberg and Jon Hurwitz, for Fair And Balanced, a single-camera comedy, which has been set up at ABC about an aspiring NPR reporter who is swayed to work at a Fox News-type channel. (DL)
The Top 30 YouTube Influencers Prove Engagement Trumps Subscribers
Marketing giant Ogilvy & Mather believes that subscriber numbers mean a lot less than a creator’s ability to build a community. So Ogilvy has put together a list of the 30 online stars with the most-engaged fans as part of a larger paper on the new social contract. (THR)