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Introducing inFocus: Go Up Close and Centerstage With Industry Insiders
Get to know the many talents in the entertainment industry with Cast & Crew’s all-new inFocus series. Spotlighting employees from all sectors of the business in a fresh, new light, inFocus promises to be an entertaining series that showcases the people who work tirelessly behind the scenes to make production happen.
Business
Up Stream: ViacomCBS Goes All In on Streaming With Its New Paramont+
On Wednesday, the media giant provided the first details of its streaming plans for Paramount+ (a rebrand of its current service, CBS All Access), which launches March 4. Bob Bakish, president and CEO of Viacom, said at an event that Paramount+ will lean heavily into scripted dramas, reality TV, and children's programming. That includes reboots and spinoffs (such as Frasier and a new Beavis and Butt-Head movie), and 36 original series debuts over its first year.
TV
Leap Frog: Frogger Arcade Game Hops Into TV With Competition Series Ordered at Peacock
Frogger, the '80s video arcade game, is being turned into a physical competition series, featuring 12 obstacle courses—or crossings–where you will see contestants dodge traffic, leap over snapping gators, and hop over hungry hippos to conquer courses and win a cash prize. The NBC platform has ordered 13 episodes of the format from Holey Moley producer, Eureka Productions, marking the platform’s biggest non-scripted deal to date.
Music
Females First: GRAMMY Week To Kick Off With “Women in the Mix” Event Featuring Cyndi Lauper, Ingrid Andress, Sheila E., More
GRAMMY Week 2021 will launch its new "Women in the Mix" event, which aims to hit a high note with the voices of female producers, engineers, artists, and executives in the music industry. According to this week's announcement, the event hopes to “champion women who set the tone for their own communities and work to close gender gaps on and offstage.”
Film
Pandemic Production: Kyle Newacheck’s Sci-Fi Dramedy I’m Totally Fine Came Together in 10 Days During Covid
According to Deadline, producer Kyle Newacheck has teamed with music video vet Brandon Dermer for the sci-fi dramedy I’m Totally Fine. A metaphor about the “powerless” year that was 2020, the indie film stars Jillian Bell and Natalie Morales. The Murder Mystery director, who self-financed the micro-budget pic, was conceived in 10 days amidst SoCal’s pandemic surge thanks to strict adherence to pandemic protocols. Like other creatives, Newacheck said he didn’t want 2020 to pass without taking on a new project.
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