World Screen

CULVER CITY: Lisa and Ben Donovan, siblings who were co-founders of Maker Studios, have left the company. Their departure comes just three months after Disney purchased the company. The pair established the MCN, which provides production and marketing services for more than 55,000 YouTube creators, along with Danny Zappin in …

SEATTLE: Five different titles from an assortment of creators are due to premiere August 28 as part of Amazon Instant Video’s third pilot season in the U.S. and the U.K. Those pilots include three half-hour comedies and two hour-long thrillers, which will all be available for customers to watch, rate …

NEW YORK: The Zimmer Children’s Museum is honoring Dick Lippin, the chairman, CEO and founder of the PR agency The Lippin Group, with the first-ever Icon Award. The award will be presented during the Zimmer Children’s Museum’s annual gala, to be held November 13 at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel. The …

LOS ANGELES: MarVista Entertainment has picked up the North American distribution rights for Sex Ed, a romantic comedy film starring Haley Joel Osment that is slated for theatrical and VOD release in the fall. Written by Bill Kennedy (House of Cards), Sex Ed is about a new teacher who decides …

ATLANTA: The male-skewed Grit network is set to launch in the U.S. on August 18 with the classic High Noon, while the female-focused Escape channel premieres with Body Heat. Both channels, positioned as the country's first-ever male- and female-centric over-the-air broadcast networks, debut on Monday, August 18, at 12 p.m. …

LOS ANGELES: Ryan Seacrest Productions (RSP) has signed a two-year overall deal with CBS Television Studios for the development of scripted programming. The pact sees RSP developing projects for broadcast and cable outlets, as well as video streaming services and other emerging distributors. The company's scripted division is led by …

NEW YORK: Comedy Central has ordered a second season of Funny or Die's @midnight, hosted by Chris Hardwick. The show has been commissioned for a new 40-week season that will air throughout 2015. The show airs Monday through Thursday on Comedy Central. It sees a range of comedians battling to …

LOS ANGELES: Mary Carole McDonnell is leaving her post as executive VP of programming for Raycom Media in September, planning to focus her attention instead on Bellum Entertainment, the TV production company that she launched in 2005. During her time at Raycom Media, McDonnell has overseen all programming for the …

NEW YORK: David Madden, the president of Fox Television Studios, has been appointed president of entertainment for Fox Broadcasting Company (FOX), while Joe Earley has been elevated to chief operating officer for Fox Television Group (FTG). As president of entertainment for FOX, Madden will be responsible for scripted programming and …

LOS ANGELES: California's Senate Appropriations Committee has passed a bill to expand the state's tax-credit program for film and TV productions, making $400 million available annually. The committee approved the proposal on a 5-0 vote. The move, which still must be approved by the full Senate and be signed by …