Exclusive: A pair of UK execs are unveiling a plan to bring TV commissioning and brands closer together, as they launch London-based content agency and production firm House of Oddities (Hoo).
Sachini Imbuldeniya and Darren Smith have teamed to open Hoo, which launches this morning.
Imbuldeniya has exited Argonon-owned branded content company Nemorin and will be CEO of the new venture, while her creative partner Smith is Chief Creative Officer. He joins from fintech firm APLYiD, but also previously worked at Nemorin.
Prior to Argonon, which counts The Masked Singer producer Bandicoot and Leopard Pictures among its ranks, the pair led News UK’s Bridge Studio and have worked with numerous networks, streamers and production companies.
They are joined at Hoo by co-founders Juan Leon, a filmmaker who will be executive producer, and Juliette Otterburn-Hall, who is non-executive director.
The company is being billed as a “full-service content agency,...
Sachini Imbuldeniya and Darren Smith have teamed to open Hoo, which launches this morning.
Imbuldeniya has exited Argonon-owned branded content company Nemorin and will be CEO of the new venture, while her creative partner Smith is Chief Creative Officer. He joins from fintech firm APLYiD, but also previously worked at Nemorin.
Prior to Argonon, which counts The Masked Singer producer Bandicoot and Leopard Pictures among its ranks, the pair led News UK’s Bridge Studio and have worked with numerous networks, streamers and production companies.
They are joined at Hoo by co-founders Juan Leon, a filmmaker who will be executive producer, and Juliette Otterburn-Hall, who is non-executive director.
The company is being billed as a “full-service content agency,...
- 1/15/2024
- by Jesse Whittock
- Deadline Film + TV
For years now, the buccal fat removal trend has been dominating plastic surgery speculation among Hollywood.
You may have been hearing a lot about the plastic surgery procedure on TikTok and other platforms over the past few years.
According to the American Society of Plastic Surgery, “The goal of buccal fat removal is to thin the cheeks, specifically in the area of the cheek hollows.”
The look gives a more defined cheek bone structure vs. having a rounder face.
Ellen Gendler, a dermatologist in New York, cautioned about the procedure, “When you take out an underlying structure in a permanent procedure and you age around it, you don’t know how it’s going to look.”
Darren Smith, a New York-based plastic surgeon, told CNN, “The big danger with buccal fat pad excision is prematurely aging the face. Something we know from a long time ago is that volume is what,...
You may have been hearing a lot about the plastic surgery procedure on TikTok and other platforms over the past few years.
According to the American Society of Plastic Surgery, “The goal of buccal fat removal is to thin the cheeks, specifically in the area of the cheek hollows.”
The look gives a more defined cheek bone structure vs. having a rounder face.
Ellen Gendler, a dermatologist in New York, cautioned about the procedure, “When you take out an underlying structure in a permanent procedure and you age around it, you don’t know how it’s going to look.”
Darren Smith, a New York-based plastic surgeon, told CNN, “The big danger with buccal fat pad excision is prematurely aging the face. Something we know from a long time ago is that volume is what,...
- 10/12/2023
- by Just Jared
- Just Jared
A new episode of our The Black Sheep video series has just been released, and with this one we’re looking back at director Darren Lynn Bousman‘s 2008 rock opera horror film Repo! The Genetic Opera (watch it Here). To find out what we had to say about this horror musical, check out the video embedded above.
Based on the stage show (originally known as The Necromerchant’s Debt) by Terrance Zdunich and Darren Smith, Repo! The Genetic Opera was scripted by Zdunich and Bousman. The film has the following synopsis: In the mid-21st century, an epidemic of organ failures leads to the rise of GeneCo., a company providing transplants at a great price. Those who miss their payments become targets of GeneCo. mercenaries, who repossess the organs. In a world of drug addiction and legalized murder, a sheltered youth seeks a cure for her rare disease as well...
Based on the stage show (originally known as The Necromerchant’s Debt) by Terrance Zdunich and Darren Smith, Repo! The Genetic Opera was scripted by Zdunich and Bousman. The film has the following synopsis: In the mid-21st century, an epidemic of organ failures leads to the rise of GeneCo., a company providing transplants at a great price. Those who miss their payments become targets of GeneCo. mercenaries, who repossess the organs. In a world of drug addiction and legalized murder, a sheltered youth seeks a cure for her rare disease as well...
- 5/4/2023
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
Mbc Readies Arab ‘Million Dollar Island’
Saudi Arabi-based broadcaster Mbc is launched Ard Al-Million (Million Dollar Land), am Arab remake of Dutch format Million Dollar Island. Mbc Group will produce the show from Neom, the Saudi smart city, in partnership with Blue Engine Studios. The “high-stakes social experiment” will see 100 Arab contestants compete for $1M through a series of mental and physical challenges. Each is given a bracelet worth $10,000, which can be won or lost on various tasks. Actor and host Mohamed El Shehri will present and the show will go out on MBC1 and Mbc Iraq. A U.S. version of the show was shelved last year ahead of production for budgetary reasons. The format comes from John de Mol’s Talpa.
ITV Reapplies For Psb Channel License
Uk network ITV has applied to renew its channel licenses following the publication of the UK’s draft Media Bill. The...
Saudi Arabi-based broadcaster Mbc is launched Ard Al-Million (Million Dollar Land), am Arab remake of Dutch format Million Dollar Island. Mbc Group will produce the show from Neom, the Saudi smart city, in partnership with Blue Engine Studios. The “high-stakes social experiment” will see 100 Arab contestants compete for $1M through a series of mental and physical challenges. Each is given a bracelet worth $10,000, which can be won or lost on various tasks. Actor and host Mohamed El Shehri will present and the show will go out on MBC1 and Mbc Iraq. A U.S. version of the show was shelved last year ahead of production for budgetary reasons. The format comes from John de Mol’s Talpa.
ITV Reapplies For Psb Channel License
Uk network ITV has applied to renew its channel licenses following the publication of the UK’s draft Media Bill. The...
- 5/4/2023
- by Jesse Whittock and Max Goldbart
- Deadline Film + TV
Fund
Content company Catalyst has partnered with intimate apparel company Knix to launch a documentary fund.
The Knix Fund Catalyst Docs for Change Project is set to launch at Banff World Media Festival, which kicks off on June 11.
Catalyst founder Julie Bristow and Knix founder Joanna Griffiths will appear at the festival in a moderated conversation on June 14 to outline the fund’s objectives. The fund will open to submissions around the same time, with Catalyst and Knix green lighting the most promising entry.
“The values of Knix and the thought-leadership that Joanna has provided on so many women’s issues align perfectly with Catalyst’s mission to open eyes, minds, and hearts with unapologetically brilliant storytelling by and about women,” said Bristow. “To achieve a more inclusive world, we need more stories led by women creators. Sometimes the only way to catalyse change is to challenge legacy business models by investing in new paradigms.
Content company Catalyst has partnered with intimate apparel company Knix to launch a documentary fund.
The Knix Fund Catalyst Docs for Change Project is set to launch at Banff World Media Festival, which kicks off on June 11.
Catalyst founder Julie Bristow and Knix founder Joanna Griffiths will appear at the festival in a moderated conversation on June 14 to outline the fund’s objectives. The fund will open to submissions around the same time, with Catalyst and Knix green lighting the most promising entry.
“The values of Knix and the thought-leadership that Joanna has provided on so many women’s issues align perfectly with Catalyst’s mission to open eyes, minds, and hearts with unapologetically brilliant storytelling by and about women,” said Bristow. “To achieve a more inclusive world, we need more stories led by women creators. Sometimes the only way to catalyse change is to challenge legacy business models by investing in new paradigms.
- 5/4/2023
- by K.J. Yossman
- Variety Film + TV
Pedro Almodovar’s “The Human Voice” sets U.K. release; Rainmaker hires; new outfit Gag Reflex Productions launched; Kidscreen Summit goes online; and Goldfinch and Stakhanov strike first look deal.
Pathé has set a Nov. 7 U.K. release date for Pedro Almodovar‘s short film “The Human Voice,” starring Tilda Swinton. The film will be launched at a special event screening in cinemas across the U.K. and will be followed by a pre-recorded Q&a with Almodovar and Swinton.
The film, Almodovar’s English-language debut, was shot over nine days in Madrid in July and premiered to critical acclaim at the Venice Film Festival. It is a re-imagination of Jean Cocteau’s short play for an era in which isolation has become a way of life. Tilda Swinton’s unnamed woman paces and panics in a Technicolor apartment where décor offers a window into her state of mind.
Appointments
Rainmaker Content,...
Pathé has set a Nov. 7 U.K. release date for Pedro Almodovar‘s short film “The Human Voice,” starring Tilda Swinton. The film will be launched at a special event screening in cinemas across the U.K. and will be followed by a pre-recorded Q&a with Almodovar and Swinton.
The film, Almodovar’s English-language debut, was shot over nine days in Madrid in July and premiered to critical acclaim at the Venice Film Festival. It is a re-imagination of Jean Cocteau’s short play for an era in which isolation has become a way of life. Tilda Swinton’s unnamed woman paces and panics in a Technicolor apartment where décor offers a window into her state of mind.
Appointments
Rainmaker Content,...
- 10/15/2020
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
London and New York-based producer and distributor Dlt Entertainment has launched a new podcast division, which has made its debut with two new comedy series, “When No One’s Watching” and “National Treasures with Laura Lexx & Will Duggan.”
Heading up the new arm of the business is comedy writing duo, Ben Hillyar and David Mayes, whose credits include “Your Face or Mine” and Citv’s “Scrambled!” They are producing both series, which launch today via podcast platform, Acast.
Hillyar and Mayes report in to Dlt creative director Darren Smith with a brief to develop and produce comedy content in podcast format as a testing ground for ideas and talent that have the potential to be adapted for other mediums.
“When No One’s Watching” is hosted by comedian and former Virgin Radio presenter Matt Richardson, whose credits include “The Xtra Factor” and “Celebrity Haunted Mansion,” and Busted band member Matt Willis.
Heading up the new arm of the business is comedy writing duo, Ben Hillyar and David Mayes, whose credits include “Your Face or Mine” and Citv’s “Scrambled!” They are producing both series, which launch today via podcast platform, Acast.
Hillyar and Mayes report in to Dlt creative director Darren Smith with a brief to develop and produce comedy content in podcast format as a testing ground for ideas and talent that have the potential to be adapted for other mediums.
“When No One’s Watching” is hosted by comedian and former Virgin Radio presenter Matt Richardson, whose credits include “The Xtra Factor” and “Celebrity Haunted Mansion,” and Busted band member Matt Willis.
- 5/13/2020
- by Tim Dams
- Variety Film + TV
The day before the day before Christmas is winding down, and Santa's helpers just dropped off a special present for us to share with our Dread Central readers: the online premiere of Staci Layne Wilson's second short film, The Night Plays Tricks, accompanied by the first look at its poster art.
The Night Plays Tricks is a haunting romantic thriller about a man lost in time between the apparitions of women representing his past and his future.
Synopsis:
Influenced by the lyrics of Bob Dylan's 1966 song "Visions of Johanna", the surreal paintings of Rene Magritte, and the ever-elusive concept of living in the now, The Night Plays Tricks is both eerie and enchanting.
Written and directed by Staci Layne Wilson, The Night Plays Tricks stars Oraniz Nivor, Emma Julia Jacobs, Diane Ayala Goldner, and Michael Shane Armes. Color cinematography is by Justin Cruse, and black and white cinematography is by Elric Kane.
The Night Plays Tricks is a haunting romantic thriller about a man lost in time between the apparitions of women representing his past and his future.
Synopsis:
Influenced by the lyrics of Bob Dylan's 1966 song "Visions of Johanna", the surreal paintings of Rene Magritte, and the ever-elusive concept of living in the now, The Night Plays Tricks is both eerie and enchanting.
Written and directed by Staci Layne Wilson, The Night Plays Tricks stars Oraniz Nivor, Emma Julia Jacobs, Diane Ayala Goldner, and Michael Shane Armes. Color cinematography is by Justin Cruse, and black and white cinematography is by Elric Kane.
- 12/24/2011
- by The Woman In Black
- DreadCentral.com
Staci Layne Wilson has another short film in the works entitled The Night Plays Tricks, and she's sent over the teaser trailer for us to debut here on Dread Central. It is a haunting romantic thriller about a man lost in time between the apparitions of women representing his past and his future.
Synopsis:
Influenced by the lyrics of Bob Dylan's 1966 song "Visions of Johanna", the surreal paintings of Rene Magritte, and the ever-elusive concept of living in the now, The Night Plays Tricks is both eerie and enchanting.
Written, directed, and edited by Staci Layne Wilson, The Night Plays Tricks stars Oraniz Nivor, Emma Julia Jacobs, Diane Ayala Goldner, and Michael Shane Armes. Color cinematography is by Justin Cruse, and black and white cinematography is by Elric Kane. Music is by Darren Smith (Repo! The Genetic Opera).
Staci tells us the actual film is projected to be six...
Synopsis:
Influenced by the lyrics of Bob Dylan's 1966 song "Visions of Johanna", the surreal paintings of Rene Magritte, and the ever-elusive concept of living in the now, The Night Plays Tricks is both eerie and enchanting.
Written, directed, and edited by Staci Layne Wilson, The Night Plays Tricks stars Oraniz Nivor, Emma Julia Jacobs, Diane Ayala Goldner, and Michael Shane Armes. Color cinematography is by Justin Cruse, and black and white cinematography is by Elric Kane. Music is by Darren Smith (Repo! The Genetic Opera).
Staci tells us the actual film is projected to be six...
- 11/8/2011
- by The Woman In Black
- DreadCentral.com
by Ed Sum
Director: Darren Lynn Bousman.
Writer: Darren Smith (screenplay) and Terrance Zdunich.
Rating: 3.5/5.
From the director of the Saw movie saga comes an imaginative tale of splatter-punk. Originally a stage play, the film adaptation of Repo! The Genetic Opera takes viewers onto a roller-coaster ride in what is simply one huge music video. Forget about the 2010 reworking of the tale in Repo Men. Here, one can delve into a film with a darker edge, set in a post-apocalyptic future.
In the year 2056, an epidemic is killing people and organ transplants can stop this disease for a price. A mega-corporation, GeneCo, emerges as an organization that mortgages out body parts for those people intent on living. But when a client misses a payment or can't pay the bills, the Repoman will come to claim what is owed. Nobody knows who this person is, but Rotti Largo (Paul Sorvino) does.
Director: Darren Lynn Bousman.
Writer: Darren Smith (screenplay) and Terrance Zdunich.
Rating: 3.5/5.
From the director of the Saw movie saga comes an imaginative tale of splatter-punk. Originally a stage play, the film adaptation of Repo! The Genetic Opera takes viewers onto a roller-coaster ride in what is simply one huge music video. Forget about the 2010 reworking of the tale in Repo Men. Here, one can delve into a film with a darker edge, set in a post-apocalyptic future.
In the year 2056, an epidemic is killing people and organ transplants can stop this disease for a price. A mega-corporation, GeneCo, emerges as an organization that mortgages out body parts for those people intent on living. But when a client misses a payment or can't pay the bills, the Repoman will come to claim what is owed. Nobody knows who this person is, but Rotti Largo (Paul Sorvino) does.
- 11/23/2010
- by 28DaysLaterAnalysis@gmail.com (Michael Allen)
- 28 Days Later Analysis
If you've never seen Repo! The Genetic Opera screened with a shadowcast, then you've been missing out. But if you're in or around the La area, tonight you have a chance to not only see it with one of the best shadowcasts around, "Addicted to the Knife", but also watch it with Paul Sorvino (who's never attended a shadowcast performance before) and several other members of the film's cast and crew.
Here are the details:
Special Guests Confirmed: Paul Sorvino (Rotti Largo), Terrance Zdunich (Graverobber, co-creator, The Tutor), Darren Lynn Bousman (director), Joe Bishara (music producer), Shem Byron (director of The Tutor), and Joe White (Repo! Dp). Others possibly attending are Alexa Vega (Shilo) and Darren Smith (co-creator).
Don't miss the shenanigans! Prop kits! Zydrate! Sexy cast! Repo Army clothing!
Tickets are just $10.50 (cash and credit/debit accepted) available at the door only:
The Vista
4473 Sunset Drive
Los Angeles, CA...
Here are the details:
Special Guests Confirmed: Paul Sorvino (Rotti Largo), Terrance Zdunich (Graverobber, co-creator, The Tutor), Darren Lynn Bousman (director), Joe Bishara (music producer), Shem Byron (director of The Tutor), and Joe White (Repo! Dp). Others possibly attending are Alexa Vega (Shilo) and Darren Smith (co-creator).
Don't miss the shenanigans! Prop kits! Zydrate! Sexy cast! Repo Army clothing!
Tickets are just $10.50 (cash and credit/debit accepted) available at the door only:
The Vista
4473 Sunset Drive
Los Angeles, CA...
- 7/30/2010
- by Uncle Creepy
- DreadCentral.com
Repo Men (Blu-Ray)Universal Home Entertainment2010/Rated R & Unrated/120 minsList Price $39.98 – Available July 27, 2010Repo Men is one of those films you watch and think, “hey this isn't as bad as I thought it was” until something occurs out of left field that screws up the rest of the picture. I won't reveal what that something is, because even though it didn't work for me, it may not have the same effect on you. Then again, there are many faults within this picture, but another viewer could just as easily see them as some of the movie's strengths. If the film's title or premise of assassins sent to repossess past due body parts from recipients sounds familiar, then you may be thinking of director Darren Lynn Bousman's 2008 adaptation of the underground live show Repo !The Generic Opera. To be fair, the premise of both films may appear to be identical,...
- 7/27/2010
- LRMonline.com
Cult favorite Repo! The Genetic Opera returns to the San Diego Comic-Con with a late night showing on Saturday, July 24th, along with a new never-before-seen lesson from "The Tutor", Terrance Zdunich (GraveRobber from Repo!)'s online serial killer art course.
Here's a little history on "The Tutor":
Zdunich, who co-wrote with Darren Smith the original Repo! stage play and the script on which Darren Bousman's film is based, recently launched a new project. "Painting a Still Life with Terrance Zdunich" is a series of online how-to videos, a seemingly innocent collection of art lessons. Pupils will notice, however, that their instructor's methods are ... less than traditional and, like the lives of his characters, deceptively darker than imagined.
For those of you who’ve been skipping class, "The Tutor"'s first six lessons have been conveniently compiled into one six-minute YouTube clip. Watch it below, and learn how to paint a straight line,...
Here's a little history on "The Tutor":
Zdunich, who co-wrote with Darren Smith the original Repo! stage play and the script on which Darren Bousman's film is based, recently launched a new project. "Painting a Still Life with Terrance Zdunich" is a series of online how-to videos, a seemingly innocent collection of art lessons. Pupils will notice, however, that their instructor's methods are ... less than traditional and, like the lives of his characters, deceptively darker than imagined.
For those of you who’ve been skipping class, "The Tutor"'s first six lessons have been conveniently compiled into one six-minute YouTube clip. Watch it below, and learn how to paint a straight line,...
- 7/17/2010
- by Uncle Creepy
- DreadCentral.com
Been a while since there's been any Repo! news, yes? Well if you're in the NYC area and looking for something to do this Saturday, July 10th, why not dress up and take in a musical?
The Wings Theatre Company will be hosting Repo: The Genetic Opera for a special one-night only screening and shadowcast performance by the Zydrate Enthusiasts Network (Zen). This event is in celebration of the anniversary of Repo's NYC premiere as a stage play, held at this very same theatre, five year ago. Before the screening a pre-show celebration will feature a live presentation of The Necromerchants beginning at 11pm with Repo! beginning at midnight. Zen welcomes stage and screen Repo! alumni Cj DeAngelus as well as actor Tony Perry, who appeared as The Repo Man in the NYC stage production held at Wings Theatre in 2005.
Pre-show: The Necromerchants Debt is a ten-minute opera which was...
The Wings Theatre Company will be hosting Repo: The Genetic Opera for a special one-night only screening and shadowcast performance by the Zydrate Enthusiasts Network (Zen). This event is in celebration of the anniversary of Repo's NYC premiere as a stage play, held at this very same theatre, five year ago. Before the screening a pre-show celebration will feature a live presentation of The Necromerchants beginning at 11pm with Repo! beginning at midnight. Zen welcomes stage and screen Repo! alumni Cj DeAngelus as well as actor Tony Perry, who appeared as The Repo Man in the NYC stage production held at Wings Theatre in 2005.
Pre-show: The Necromerchants Debt is a ten-minute opera which was...
- 7/7/2010
- by Masked Slasher
- DreadCentral.com
Alice Braga and Jude Law in Repo Men
Photo: Universal Pictures Repo Men began as Repossession Mambo and it's been charged with stealing the premise of the Darren Smith and Terrance Zdunich play, which was adapted into Repo! The Genetic Opera in 2008. While the premise of the two is very much the same, the direction they follow to their conclusions is just as much different. However, fans of the play or even the operatic feature film shouldn't be too worried, as much as this film is a rip-off of those two projects there are a lot more pieces of film history to be found in director Miguel Sapochnik's bloody feature. One word you will hear often when this film is discussed is "derivative" and it's not far off base, but as much as this film bites off other features I must admit I wasn't overly disturbed watching it.
Conjuring...
Photo: Universal Pictures Repo Men began as Repossession Mambo and it's been charged with stealing the premise of the Darren Smith and Terrance Zdunich play, which was adapted into Repo! The Genetic Opera in 2008. While the premise of the two is very much the same, the direction they follow to their conclusions is just as much different. However, fans of the play or even the operatic feature film shouldn't be too worried, as much as this film is a rip-off of those two projects there are a lot more pieces of film history to be found in director Miguel Sapochnik's bloody feature. One word you will hear often when this film is discussed is "derivative" and it's not far off base, but as much as this film bites off other features I must admit I wasn't overly disturbed watching it.
Conjuring...
- 3/19/2010
- by Brad Brevet
- Rope of Silicon
Fact: Terrance Zdunich is multitalented. Having co-written Repo! The Genetic Opera with Darren Smith, acted, sang and created animation for the film version and even directed a stage production, he has seemingly done it all in the short span of time he has been in the public eye. Zdunich is now turning his attention to comic books with The Molting, a 12-issue series he’s writing, illustrating and self-publishing.
The Molting focuses on a girl named Susie whose life is shattered by the death of her parents. Sent with her brother to live with an abusive, absolutely despicable aunt and uncle, Susie is driven to murder—and that’s just the beginning. The first thing you might notice about the series (whose first issue, “Guilty Susie,” can be ordered now from its official website) is that its young female protagonist is much like Repo!’s heroine Shilo, lost in a...
The Molting focuses on a girl named Susie whose life is shattered by the death of her parents. Sent with her brother to live with an abusive, absolutely despicable aunt and uncle, Susie is driven to murder—and that’s just the beginning. The first thing you might notice about the series (whose first issue, “Guilty Susie,” can be ordered now from its official website) is that its young female protagonist is much like Repo!’s heroine Shilo, lost in a...
- 10/6/2009
- by no-reply@fangoria.com (Samuel Zimmerman)
- Fangoria
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