Nat Rubio-Licht
Stories by Nat
ArcLight, Pacific Theatres Are Closing Permanently
Can the Cinerama Dome be saved?
Cleared to Open, Many Indoor Venues Take Slow Approach
Indoor entertainment and sports venues in Los Angeles County may have a green light from the state to reopen to the public on April 15, but it could be a while before many building owners and operators welcome fans back.
LL Cool J's Rock the Bells Raises $8 Million
Rock the Bells Inc., a Larchmont-based content and commerce brand created by rapper and actor LL Cool J raised $8 million in Series A funding.
ArtCenter President Lorne Buchman to Retire in 2022
Lorne Buchman, who has served as president of the ArtCenter College of Design in Pasadena since 2009, will retire from his position in June 2022.
HYBE Acquires Scooter Braun's Ithaca Holdings for $1 Billion
HYBE will purchase 100% of Ithaca Holdings through its wholly owned subsidiary, HYBE America, for $1.05 billion.
Worldwide Facilities Acquired by Amwins Group
Downtown-based insurance broker Worldwide Facilities has been acquired by Charlotte, N.C.-based specialty insurance provider Amwins Group, Inc.
Lionsgate Sells Spanish-Language Streaming Service for $124 Million
Lions Gate Entertainment Corp. sold its stake in streaming service Pantaya to Hemisphere Media Group, a Fla.-based Spanish-language media company, for $124 million.
Endeavor Revives Plans for IPO
The latest IPO filing reveals that Ari Emanuel's entertainment conglomerate recorded $625.3 million in net losses in 2020.
Movie Theaters Can Double Capacity on April 5
Movie theaters in Los Angeles County can bump their capacity to 50% starting April 5.
Universal Studios Hollywood to Reopen April 16
After a year of theme park closures caused by the pandemic, Universal Studios Hollywood is scheduled to reopen April 16.
Live Audio App Locker Room Acquired by Spotify
Betty Labs Inc., the mid-Wilshire-based creator of live audio app Locker Room, has been acquired by Spotify.
A Guide to Organizations Working to Diversify Hollywood
Here are a few influential Los Angeles-based organizations that are empowering people of color and calling out racial bias in the entertainment industry.
News Corp. to Pay $275 Million for Investor’s Business Daily
Playa Vista-based Investor’s Business Daily will be acquired by media giant News Corp. for $275 million.
Disney Plus to Hike Prices for US Customers
Walt Disney Co. is upping the cost of its hit streaming service starting March 26.
Gores Guggenheim Goes Public With $750 Million IPO
Gores Guggenheim Inc., a special purpose acquisition company formed by affiliates of The Gores Group and Guggenheim Capital, has priced its initial public offering at $750 million.
Lionsgate to Sell $1 Billion in Notes to Pay Down Debt
Lions Gate Entertainment Corp. is looking to raise $1 billion by offering senior notes in a private placement.
Sunbit Brings Buy Now, Pay Later Approach to Necessities
Arad Levertov came up with the idea for Sunbit Inc. when he was shopping at a Costco in Chicago in 2010.
As Covid Restrictions Ease in LA, Most Businesses Take Things Slow
Restaurants in Los Angeles County may have the green light to reopen indoor dining rooms at limited capacity.
Wasserman to Buy Paradigm's Music Division
Casey Wasserman's management and marketing company has agreed to acquire Paradigm Talent Agency's North American music division.
XPrize Awards $6 Million to Covid-19 Rapid Test Developers
The XPrize Foundation awarded a total of $6 million to five groups for developing affordable Covid-19 rapid tests.
SAG-AFTRA Executive Morden Kichaven to Retire
Serena Kung, the L.A. local associate executive director, will take over for Morden Kichaven in an interim capacity.
Disney Plus Reaches 100 Million Subscribers
Walt Disney Co.’s streaming platform, Disney Plus, has reached 100 million subscribers globally, the Burbank-based entertainment giant announced at its annual shareholders meeting on March 9.
LA County Movie Theaters to Reopen This Week
The continued decline of Covid-19 cases in Los Angeles prompted the County Department of Health to give the go-ahead for movie theaters to open at 25% capacity as early as March 15.
Podcast Marketplace Podcorn Acquired by Entercom
Beverly Hills-based Podcorn Media, Inc., a podcast marketplace for brands, has been acquired by Entercom.
Streaming, Subscription Revenue Boost UMG in 2020
Santa Monica-based Universal Music Group’s streaming and subscription revenue boomed in 2020, the corporation’s parent company, Vivendi, reported on March 3.
Lions Gate, Summit Give Starz Priority Access to Films
Lions Gate Entertainment Corp. and Starz have struck a deal to give the subscription platform priority access to films from Lionsgate and Summit Entertainment.
Disney to Shutter 60 Retail Stores
Walt Disney Co. plans to close 60 retail locations to focus on ecommerce.
UTA Buys Echo Location Talent Agency
Beverly Hills-based United Talent Agency acquired London-based music agency Echo Location Talent Agency.
Producers Guild Executive to Depart
Vance Van Petten, national executive director of the Producers Guild of America, will step down in mid-2021.
Film Commission Allocates $87 Million to Projects
Nearly two dozen movie projects filming in California received tax credits from the California Film Commission
Live Nation Revenue Tumbles But Stock Soars
Live Nation Entertainment Inc., the music industry’s largest live events promoter, closed out the year with another major drop in revenue, but Wall Street was unphased.
DirecTV to Spin Off From AT&T
AT&T Inc. is selling a minority stake in struggling DirecTV, which will become a standalone company.
Paramount to Slash Window for Film Releases
Paramount Pictures is changing its movie release strategy ahead of the launch of streaming service Paramount Plus.
Tech Startup First Resonance Raises $3.5 Million
First Resonance, Inc., a downtown-based manufacturing technology start-up, raised $3.5 million in Series A funding.
Farm Tech Startup Future Acres Launches
Future Acres, Inc., a Santa Monica-based food technology company, launched on Feb. 23 with the goal of raising $3 million in a seed funding round.
Disney Plus Launches New Streaming Platform Abroad
Walt Disney Co. launched its latest streaming platform, Star, in several countries outside the U.S.
Universal Music IPO Set by Year-End
Santa Monica-based music giant Universal Music Group will go public by the end of 2021.
BBA Advocates for Black-Owned Businesses
Black Entrepreneurs Month Special Report
Bianca Vobecky had been running her construction logistics business, Glendora-based Vobecky Enterprises Inc., for about a year when she heard about the Black Business Association.
Celeb-Backed Startup Jinx Delivers Healthy Dog Food
Terri Rockovich’s dog, Blitz, has a picky palate.
Mobile Gaming Developer Artie Raises $10 Million
Silverlake-based Artie, which creates technology that allows for app-free game development, raised a $10 million seed round.
TikTok Parent Walks Away From Oracle, Walmart Deal
ByteDance has reportedly abandoned plans to sell TikTok's U.S. operations to Oracle and Walmart.
MedMen Revenue Falls 23%
Culver City-based MedMen attributed its revenue slowdown to pandemic-driven retail restrictions.
LA Urban League Aims for Black Economic Empowerment
Black Entrepreneurs Month Special Report
Linda Stewart’s South Central-based apparel business, Multi-Level Apparel T-Shirt Spot, was thriving.
LA Sentinel Gives a Voice to Black Community
Black Entrepreneurs Month Special Report
With a career in real estate development and civil rights activism, Danny Bakewell Sr. didn’t expect to go into the newspaper business.
Disney Tops Earnings Expectations Thanks to Streaming
Walt Disney Co.’s shift to a streaming-first approach provided a much-needed lift for the company’s fiscal first quarter.
Larry Flynt, Founder of Hustler Magazine, Dies at 78
Larry Flynt, who parlayed his Hustler magazine success into a media and business empire, has died at age 78.
WME, WGA Reach Deal to End 22-Month Standoff
WME agreed to a deal with the Writer's Guild of America that will allow the talent agency to once again represent guild writers.
Small Business Development Center Steps Up During Pandemic
Black Entrepreneurs Month Special Report
Pat Nye, director of the Los Angeles Regional Small Business Development Center Network, said he used to joke that the organization was a hidden gem.
Lions Gate Reaches 14.6 Million Streaming Subscribers
Lions Gate added 900,000 subscribers to reach 14.6 million streaming customers in the company's fiscal third quarter.
Halogen Ventures Closes $21 Million Fund
Santa Monica-based Halogen Ventures will continue to invest in early-stage, women-founded startups.
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