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“Divergent” franchise producer Pouya Shahbazian has revealed the investors and the first productions planned for his recently-founded Staircase Studios AI, a film, television, and gaming studio centered on an AI workflow. The venture aims to produce more than 30 projects in the next 3-4 years at budgets under $500,000.

The key members of the team include partner and lead investor Kenneth Lerer, who co-founded The Huffington Post and is managing director emeritus of the venture capital firm Lerer Hippeau. Additional investors are Aryeh Bourkoff, CEO of Liontree; Robert Pittman; Tad Haley of Rafiki Ventures; and venture capital firm Red Sea Ventures.

Producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura (“Transformers”) is an advisor to Staircase Studios.

“After packaging and selling 150 projects into the studio system over the past 15 years, I’ve borne witness to far too much inefficiency to continue the status quo,” said Shahbazian, Staircase’s CEO. “The past year, I’ve dedicated myself to...

Slamdance has announced the winners of its annual screenplay competition, with Mike Ackerman’s feature-length script “This End Up” winning the grand prize.

Slamdance announced the awards — recognizing writers across the categories of feature film, horror/thriller, TV pilot, short film and a special mentorship award — during a ceremony held at Los Angeles’s Westwood Landmark Theater on Wednesday night. In total, the organization gave out more than $18,000 in prizes and industry services.

Per the official synopsis of “This End Up,” Ackerman’s winning screenplay follows “a sheltered man who lives his life quite literally, and physically, upside-down. When he finally meets a woman who accepts him as he is, her closed-minded family plants doubt as to whether his condition will stand in the way of her dream of an adventurous lifestyle.”

Anna Lee Lawson, the film festival and screenplay competition manager, commented on Ackerman’s work, saying, “Mike’s...

Two audience members were kicked out of The Drew Barrymore Show after one of them was spotted wearing a pin in support of the WGA strike. Drew Barrymore's decision to continue with her talk show despite the strike drew criticism from the WGA, and writers have been picketing outside the studio. The WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes are the first time the organizations have gone on strike together since 1960, with disagreements over residual payments and the use of AI representing major issues.

Two audience members at a taping of The Drew Barrymore Show were reportedly kicked out due to a showing of support for the ongoing WGA strike. Best known as an actor in movies like Scream, Charlie's Angels, and Donnie Darko, Barrymore began hosting a popular daytime talk show in 2020. Barrymore recently announced her controversial decision to move forward with season 4 of her show in a way that...

The 2012 San Diego Comic-Con programming wraps up with an abbreviated Sunday on July 15th. For the full list, check out the Con’s website. I collected the exciting panels and such for your perusal, from Fringe, Buffy The Vampire Slayer, World War Z, Supernatural and Dr. Who, below:

10:00-11:00 Stunted Fools, Scary-Ass Clowns, Enlightened Orangutans, and Other Devilish Charmers: Humor in Science Fiction and Fantasy— ”The pen is mightier than the sword if the sword is very short, and the pen is very sharp.” And these authors’ pens are…very sharp. But, as The Hitchhiker’s Guide so sagely advises, Don’T Panic. Humor is everywhere you look in science fiction and fantasy. So wrap your towel around your head to ward off noxious fumes, and join in for an irreverent hour celebrating sly wit and unholy humor with some of the most devilish quipsters, wisecrackers, and satirists writing today.

Sunday July 15th is the last day of Comic-Con 2012, and most of us will be completely worn out looking like Spider-Man in the image above. Chances are he's asleep under that mask. Sunday has always been a cool down day for us, we kind of just try to relax a little bit more and enjoy it. That doesn't mean their isn't anything to see or do though!

We've got a Fringe screening and Q&A, Doctor Who, Buffy the Vampire Slayer 20th Anniversary, Sons of Anarchy, the annual Buffy the Vampire Slayer musical screening, and more! I've always wanted to go the Buffy musical sing-a-long, but am usually trying to leave San Diego before it starts.

Just a little reminder, we will be having our annual GeekTyrant meet up this year to meet our readers, which is something we always enjoy doing! That will take place on Wednesday night, and...

The organizers of San Diego Comic-Con have released the official schedule of events for Sunday, July 15 which you can now view below.

San Diego Comic-Con – Sunday, July 15

10:00-11:00 Comic-Con How-to: Publishing Industry: From Manuscript to Industry — So you have the desire to write a book and get it published, but what does that really mean? Agents, editors, publishers, reviewers, self-publishing, traditional publishing, print on demand, ebooks, foreign language-the list goes on. What does it mean to “write for profit,” and what are the pitfalls to watch out for? Award-winning author Maxwell Alexander Drake gives you some insights into the real world that is the Publishing Industry. Warning: this seminar is not for the weak of spirit. Room 2

10:00-11:00 Spotlight on Jason Shiga — Comic-Con special guest Jason Shiga is best known for his interactive comics, including Meanwhile and Knock Knock. He will present a career retrospective detailing...

Comic-Con Sundays are typically light on horror, and this year is no exception although once again our favorite panel, "Supernatural", is heading to Hall H. Here are the genre highlights as well as info on the 36th annual Robert A. Heinlein Blood Drive.

One thing we can't stress enough is to keep checking the Sdcc website for updates as nothing's set in stone until the event actually starts happening.

10:00-11:00 Emily the Strange— Be a part of the Emily the Strange panel experience, where you have the chance to prove your knowledge of Strange and win prizes, learn what's new in Emily's oddball universe (including a sneak peek at the new Emily and the Strangers comic book series), and Q&A with Emily's creator Rob Reger, artist Buzz Parker, and writer Jessica Gruner. Did we mention you will get some cool stuff just for showing up and being Strange?...