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Chris Rock reveals how much money he missed out on with the film “Shrek.” Rock is a South Carolina native raised in Brooklyn, New York. He dropped out of high school, earned a GED, studied broadcast journalism for a year at a community college, and worked various jobs to sustain himself, including as a busboy at Red Lobster, according to Oprah. He held on to his aspirations for a career in comedy. “By the time I was 7 or 8, I wanted to be a comedy writer. When I’d see the credits roll after a comedy show, I’d say to myself, ‘I’m going to write for one of these shows one day,'” he said, per Oprah. While in line for a ticket to comedian Eddie Murphy’s stand-up show at Radio City Music Hall in 1985, he stumbled upon a newspaper ad promoting an open-mic session at comedy club Catch a Rising Star. He auditioned and performed there as part of his entry into comedy. Rock credited Murphy as the first to inspire him “to be in front of the camera as a comedian” during a conversation with...
Kevin Hart’s deal with Authentic Brands Group (ABG) has impacted his media company Hartbeat. As previously reported by AFROTECH™, the multi-platform media company released projects across TV, film, digital, and audio, and had a $650 million valuation in 2022. This coincided with the merger of Laugh Out Loud and HartBeat Productions, bringing both companies under the HartBeat banner, as well as a $100 million investment from Abry Partners. As for where the venture stands today, film and television projects have declined, and new podcasts that were pitched have not been produced, according to Bloomberg. Hart, who was appointed CEO of Hartbeat in 2025, is no longer playing a significant role in the company. A small group of executives is now managing the day-to-day responsibilities of Hartbeat. Additionally, there have been shifts in the workforce. Hartbeat laid off around a dozen employees in December 2025. Eric Eddings and Lesley Gwam were among the staff laid off by the company....
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences says it will establish guidelines around AI for the upcoming 99th Oscars. According to a press release, the Academy’s Board of Governors has approved new protocols following a global response from the filmmaking community. The Academy has considered the feedback and has made changes to its eligibility rules for the awards, NPR reports. The organization stated in its acting category, “only roles credited in the film’s legal billing and demonstrably performed by humans with their consent will be considered eligible,” per the press release. It also stated for writing categories, “the rules codify that screenplays must be human-authored to be eligible.” The move comes as AI-generated performers continue to emerge in the industry, including Tilly Norwood, an AI character created by comedian and actor Eline Van der Velden, who owns the talent studio Xicoia and production company Particle6, as AFROTECH™ previously reported. Van der Velden...
Paramount subscribers have filed a lawsuit following the approval of a merger. As AFROTECH™ previously reported, Warner Bros. Discovery was exploring a merger with either Paramount Skydance or Netflix. Paramount emerged as the primary contender, with Netflix later dropping its bid. In April, Warner Bros. Discovery shareholders approved a merger agreement with Paramount, which requires certification from the company’s independent inspector of elections and will be filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The deal is valued at $110 billion. “We appreciate the support and confidence our stockholders have placed in us to unlock the full value of our world-class entertainment portfolio,” said Samuel A. Di Piazza Jr., chair of the Warner Bros. Discovery Board of Directors, in the press release. “With Paramount, we look forward to creating an exceptional combined company that will expand consumer choice and benefit the global creative talent community.” David Zaslav,...
Independence was always the goal for Grammy-nominated producer Jaasu Mallory. Growing A Passion For Music Jaasu, a name meaning builder and creator in Hebrew, would manifest in his day-to-day life as a producer and songwriter. The Harlem, New York, native attended Columbia Prep, a K-12 private school, and was involved in music programs. His mother supported his aspirations by purchasing him a $1,000 MacBook and a Pioneer controller, a decision he says was “one of the best investments she’s made.” Ultimately, it was DJing that paved the way for his interest in becoming a producer. He began DJing at bar mitzvahs, making $500 a year by age 12 or 13, he recalled. His turning point, when he realized he could have a career in the music industry, came in high school. Not only were people enjoying the songs he produced, but a few records he produced for Famous Dex and Rich the Kid became popular and earned millions of YouTube plays. The summer before starting college at the University of...
Ryan Coogler was swimming in student loan debt while pursuing filmmaking. Today, he has a multi-million-dollar net worth and a collection of coveted awards. Filmmaking initially was not on the table for the Oakland, CA native. As a child, he wanted to be an NFL player, with a backup plan to become a doctor, according to Sports Illustrated. He played football while at St. Mary’s College High School in Berkeley, CA. He then went on to attend St. Mary’s College of California for undergrad, where he earned a football scholarship. There , he took a creative writing course taught by Rosemary Graham, which planted a seed that would shift Coogler’s career expectations. “She read something that I wrote and told me I should write screenplays … She sat me down, ‘I think you should go to Hollywood and write screenplays.’ So I had that in the back of my head. Started thinking about it. Started writing on my own a little bit,” Coogler said on the “WTF with Marc Maron” podcast. When t he college’s...
Sherrese Clark has attached herself to another acquisition of a legendary artist. As AFROTECH™ previously told you, Clark, former CEO of Tempo Music, launched HarbourView Equity Partners to invest in “ evergreen intellectual property. ” In 2025, the firm received $500 million in debt financing from KKR to scale its portfolio of music, media, and sports-related intellectual property. To date, HarbourView Equity Partners’ portfolio includes more than 70 music catalogs and more than 35,000 songs, including master recordings and publishing income streams, Music Business Worldwide reports. The portfolio includes artists such as Wiz Khalifa, Nelly, and T-Pain. Now joining the list is the late Quincy Jones. HarbourView Equity Partners has acquired Jones’ “select music and non-music assets” from the Estate of Quincy Jones, per the outlet. The deal includes his participation in Michael Jackson’s albums “Off The Wall, “Thriller,” and “Bad,” which he produced, and also his stake in “The Fresh...
Tyler Perry’s minority stake in BET+ has been acquired. Perry launched his first series with BET in 2019 and, in connection with the streaming platform, has produced more than 700 episodes, Deadline reports. His most recent deal was valued at nine figures with BET Media Group and is slated to conclude by 2028 and encompasses producing new and existing series for both BET and BET+, according to a separate article from Deadline. Perry was a minority shareholder in BET+, with his stake estimated at 25%, which would amount to tens of millions of dollars, Deadline reports. Now, Perry’s stake is being acquired by Paramount. In June, BET+ will no longer exist as a standalone streaming service, and its more than 1,000 hours of content, spanning originals, movies, and specials, will move to Paramount+ . “We share the same ambition to expand the reach of BET content, and Tyler will continue to be a valued and important partner through his overall programming agreement,” a Paramount...
A portion of Tina Turner’s historic catalog has been acquired by Pophouse Entertainment. The late singer, who died in 2023 at 83, is widely recognized as the “Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll,” according to Variety. She was also a 12-time Grammy winner and was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame twice. Two years before her passing, she decided to sell her recordings, music publishing, and name and likeness rights to BMG. The deal was reportedly valued at $50 million, according to Variety. BMG CEO Hartwig Masuch called the acquisition both an honor and a responsibility that he vowed to take seriously. “Tina Turner’s musical journey has inspired hundreds of millions of people around the world and continues to reach new audiences … She is truly and simply the best,” he said at the time, according to Music Week. At the time of the deal, Turner commented: “Like any artist, the protection of my life’s work, my musical inheritance, is something personal. I am confident that with BMG and...
Artist Trevor Jackson is getting real about money. The Indianapolis native’s foray in the entertainment industry was inspired by Gregory Hines, an actor, singer, and dancer, he acknowledged on the “Can We Talk RNB” podcast . Jackson began tap dancing at age 3, and by the time he was 8 years old, he was touring as Young Simba in Broadway’s “The Lion King.” He continued in the role until he was 11 years old, performing in various cities across the country, he shared on the podcast. Then he moved to Los Angeles, where he continued to pursue acting, music, and dance. He auditioned for commercials and met with various music labels, including Epic Records, Interscope Records, and Motown Records. Today, he is currently signed with UnitedMasters, he shared on the podcast. Still taking inspiration from Hines’s career, Jackson incorporates dance into his music, with his most recent album being “I Love You, Goodbye.” He has also continued to pursue acting, earning roles in “Let It Shine,”...
Netflix has withdrawn its reported $83 billion bid for Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) after months of competing for the company, clearing the path for a rival offer backed by media executive David Ellison. In a joint statement released Thursday, Feb. 26, 2026, Netflix co-CEOs Ted Sarandos and Greg Peters said the company would not increase its bid to counter a competing offer from Paramount Skydance. While praising WBD as a “world-class organization,” the executives said the deal was “no longer financially attractive.” “We believe we would have been strong stewards of Warner Bros.’ iconic brands, and that our deal would have strengthened the entertainment industry and preserved and created more production jobs in the U.S.,” the co-CEOs said. “But this transaction was always a ‘nice to have’ at the right price, not a ‘must have’ at any price.” Inside The Netflix And Paramount Fight For WBD As AFROTECH™ previously reported, Netflix reached an agreement in December 2025 to acquire a...
Actor Mike Colter, known for portraying Luke Cage in Marvel shows like “Luke Cage” and “Jessica Jones,” has launched a haircare venture inspired by his children. While traveling in Europe with his wife, Iva, they were scouring the area for products for their daughters who have mixed-textured hair. After running into the issue time and again with no luck, one of their daughters suggested they create their own products. For Colter, the idea didn’t feel far-fetched, especially considering the expertise of his wife, whom he describes as having “business acumen” in a conversation with Forbes’ senior writer Jabari Young. Iva previously served as Netflix’s vice president of talent acquisition and is now chief people officer for the Wonder Project, according to information on her LinkedIn. “She thought, ‘Let’s try it. Let’s see first can we engineer and find the right products that we can actually stand behind that are sustainable, that are paraben-free, that are vegan , that don’t have any...
Zoe Saldaña is approaching a milestone that few actors in film history have reached, and the moment is arriving with both statistical weight and cultural resonance. According to USA Today, the Afro-Dominican actress has officially surpassed Samuel L. Jackson to become the second-highest-grossing actor of all time, with her films earning approximately $15 billion worldwide. She now trails only Scarlett Johansson, whose box office total stands at roughly $15.4 billion. With “Avatar: Fire and Ash” continuing to perform well, that gap is narrowing fast. The Road To No. 1 The latest installment in the blockbuster franchise she’s been a part of from the beginning has been a key driver of that momentum, opening up to $88 million domestically and quickly surpassing $760 million worldwide. As with previous installments, the film’s global staying power has positioned Saldaña to continue climbing the all-time rankings in the weeks ahead. Currently, the top-grossing spot belongs to Scarlett...
Warner Bros. Discovery Inc. has turned down Paramount’s $108 billion bid. As AFROTECH™ previously told you, Netflix agreed to acquire Warner Bros in a deal with a total enterprise value of approximately $82.7 billion (equity value of $72.0 billion). The boards of directors for both Warner Bros and Netflix are in favor of the deal. Netflix states the agreement would position it to define the “ next century of storytelling.” “For more than a century, Warner Bros. has thrilled audiences, captured the world’s attention, and shaped our culture. By coming together with Netflix, we will ensure people everywhere will continue to enjoy the world’s most resonant stories for generations to come,” President and CEO of Warner Bros. Discovery Inc., David Zaslav, commented in a Dec. 5 press release. Days later, Paramount entered the race for Warner Bros. Discovery Inc., making a rival bid of $30.00 per share, for an overall enterprise value of $108.4 billion, per a separate AFROTECH™ article....
Paramount has placed an all-cash bid for Warner Bros. Discovery Inc. (WBD). As AFROTECH™ previously reported, WBD had reached an agreement with Netflix to be acquired for a total enterprise value of $82.7 billion ( equity value of $72.0 billion). The deal would include Warner Bros.’ film and television studios, HBO Max, and HBO, but not Discovery or its cable networks such as CNN and TNT, per NBC News. The deal was approved unanimously by both companies’ board of directors. However, for the acquisition to be finalized, it would require approval from the Justice Department’s antitrust division and, likely, the European Commission and other governments globally, notes NBC News. President Donald Trump has shared his thoughts on the matter, per the outlet, stating, “Well, that’s got to go through a process, and we’ll see what happens. They have a very big market share. When they have Warner Bros., that share goes up a lot.” Paramount has now also placed a bid to purchase WBD. According...