The 11th Hour Dispatch — Friday, September 7, 2018
BINGE WATCH
Toy maker Mattel has announced its own film division. Mattel Films will be led by Academy Award-nominated producer Robbie Brenner of Dallas Buyers Club and Mirror Mirror and will create stories around Mattel’s brands, which include household names like Barbie, American Girl, Fisher Price, and Hot Wheels. This is likely an effort for Mattel to try to claw its way up against the almighty Hasbro, which has a market cap of nearly double that of Mattel, but if Barbie’s recent vlogging career has been any indication of potential success, this could be an incredibly smart move.
YOUNG MONEY
While Elon Musk was toking up with Joe Rogan, Tesla’s chief accounting officer Dave Morton and chief people officer Gaby Toledano left the company. Morton joined Tesla only one month ago. Toledano joined in May of last year after a decade at Electronic Arts. In a regulatory statement to the SEC, Morton said, “Since I joined Tesla on August 6th, the level of public attention placed on the company, as well as the pace within the company, have exceeded my expectations. As a result, this caused me to reconsider my future. I want to be clear that I believe strongly in Tesla, its mission, and its future prospects, and I have no disagreements with Tesla’s leadership or its financial reporting.” Poor thing joined just a day before Musk sent that infamous tweet.
BIG BUSINESS
Digital media company Fullscreen’s founder and CEO George Strompolos is leaving his company after AT&T’s complete buyout of Otter Media. He will remain on as an advisor to both Fullscreen and parent company Otter Media. COO Andy Forssell will fill the vacant CEO position. Strompolos founded the company in 2011 as a talent-led multi-channel network (MCN), but it has expanded far past its beginnings into a now defunct streaming service and a full-fledged digital entertainment production house. Back in 2014, Fullscreen sold a majority stake to Otter Media, which was at that point a joint venture between AT&T and Chernin Group, making it a subsidiary of the company.
In a staff memo, Strompolos wrote:
“Building Fullscreen has been one of the most rewarding experiences in my life. We knew early on that online video, the smartphone and social media would change the world. Together we built a first-of-its-kind company that empowers a diverse spectrum of creative voices and redefines how brands approach their marketing in the modern era.”
NOTHIN’ BUT ‘NET
There’s a Danish apartment complex that requires you have a dog to move in, so I’ll see ya later, h8rs!
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