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Co-CEO and Founder of Candle Media. Co-Founder, Executive Chairman, and Managing Partner…
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Kevin Mayer shared thisThis is a really meaningful step for us at Smash Capital. I’ve known and worked with David J. Urban for years and this combination is going to really drive innovative and important investment opportunities as it already has. Welcome aboard David!Kevin Mayer shared thisWe are excited to announce that David J. Urban has joined Smash Capital as an Operating Partner. David has spent more than 40 years across politics, law, technology, and media, advising senior leaders at some of the world's largest institutions. In this new role, he'll work with our investment team and portfolio companies on strategic positioning, business development, and market expansion in sectors including defense tech, media rights, and consumer tech. Good to have him with us. Full announcement here: https://lnkd.in/gAMYWtADDavid Urban Joins Growth Equity Firm Smash Capital as Operating PartnerDavid Urban Joins Growth Equity Firm Smash Capital as Operating Partner
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Kevin Mayer shared thisLove this!Kevin Mayer shared thisThe entertainment industry just got its iPhone moment. Today, we're introducing Inkitt Ironblood, the world's first AI-native streaming platform built exclusively for Action, Superhero, and Sci-Fi. This is not an experiment, this is the next chapter. Watch the video below and then let me tell you what you just saw. Every frame of this is AI-generated video. No sets. No studios. No $200M production budget. We've spent years perfecting an AI-driven content pipeline with Inkitt, Galatea, and CandyJar. 50+ million users. 1M+ paid subscribers. A new novel hitting $1M in sales every seven days. We built the operating system for storytelling, and it works. Now we're bringing it to the most commercially powerful genres in entertainment history. Action & Adventure holds the #1 spot in all-time global box office revenue, and no one has built a dedicated streaming platform for these fans. Soon, we’ll be making them 30 movies per month, all based on stories from Inkitt. Thank you to my amazing team who has worked so hard to make this happen - we’re changing the future of entertainment. The first four trailers are live today. The app launches July 15. Sign up for early access at www.ironblood.com
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Kevin Mayer shared thisLove this guy!!! Well done Asad!! And Disney!!!❤️💪🏼👏Kevin Mayer shared thisThe Walt Disney Company announced that it is creating a new enterprise marketing and brand organization to be led by Asad Ayaz. The executive has also been named the company’s first chief marketing and brand officer. In his new position, Ayaz will report to CEO Bob Iger and to the four business segment chairs while overseeing marketing and branding efforts across Disney Entertainment, Disney Experiences, and ESPN. “Over more than two decades at the company—and as Disney’s first-ever chief brand officer—Asad has helped bring the magic of Disney to life for millions through his exceptional leadership,” Iger said in a statement. “As our businesses evolved, it’s clear that we need a company-wide role that ensures brand consistency and allows consumers today to seamlessly interact with our wonderful products and experiences.” Read more: https://bit.ly/3Zi9DxW
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Kevin Mayer shared thisI am deeply saddened by Diego’s passing. I worked alongside him for decades as he redefined how a large multifacted media company should be optimally managed in local regions. He was a brilliant strategist and tactician and he loved Disney as much as anyone I know. Most importantly he was a very close friend and an amazing human who always did the right thing. He leaves behind a beautiful wife and kids who are devastated. God bless you Diego and we all miss you terribly.Diego Lerner, long-term president of Disney Lat Am, diesDiego Lerner, long-term president of Disney Lat Am, dies
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Kevin Mayer reposted thisKevin Mayer reposted thisMorning of Day 1 at APOS 2025 kicked off with powerful insights and bold perspectives on the future of the entertainment. From the opening address from Vivek Couto to thought-provoking sessions with Sanjay Gupta, Don Kang, Kevin Mayer, Hernan Lopez, Sanjog Gupta, and Patrick Delany — conversations today spotlighted the next wave of regional growth, streaming strategy, and market reinvention.
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Kevin Mayer shared thisPaul Szurek seems to be on to something big here!!!!💪🏼💪🏼💪🏼Kevin Mayer shared thisRedo is redefining customer experience standards across online retail and pushing the e-commerce market into a higher level of operating efficiency. We are proud backers of this team and this mission. It's rare to see such a big vision that is also being built hand-in-hand with customers. They listen to merchants, and they ship real solutions to real problems. Fast. Today's new platform launch includes seventy five (75!) product updates from the last few months: https://lnkd.in/edbciZ-p. 💪
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Kevin Mayer reposted thisKevin Mayer reposted thisEarlier we kicked off Day 1 of SportsPro New York with a powerful conversation featuring industry titans from Two Circles, CANDLE MEDIA℠, and Horizon Sports & Experiences. On stage, Laura Andriani, David Levy, and Kevin Mayer shared their insights on the future of sports media, discussing the challenges and opportunities facing broadcasters and sports properties. #SPNYC25 #SPAIUSA25
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Kevin Mayer reposted thisKevin Mayer reposted thisWe just won an Emmy. That's right. Well Versed, ATTN:'s modern-day "Schoolhouse Rock" series, just won the prestigious Emmy award for Best Public Service Initiative. Created in partnership with Nickelodeon and iCivics, it's a 12-episode mini-series that teaches civics to children through short-form music videos. We're honored, and extremely grateful to our team, partners, and everyone who helped make this happen. We're proud to share this incredible award with each of you.
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Kevin Mayer reposted thisKevin Mayer reposted thisFamilies everywhere have been jamming out to #CoComelon this year, and we couldn't be happier to be the soundtrack to your singalongs, dance-offs, and bedtime routines! 💤 💫 Thanks for making us a part of your world. What’s your most-played Moonbug jam this year? Drop it below! 👇
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Kevin Mayer liked thisKevin Mayer liked thisWe are excited to announce that David J. Urban has joined Smash Capital as an Operating Partner. David has spent more than 40 years across politics, law, technology, and media, advising senior leaders at some of the world's largest institutions. In this new role, he'll work with our investment team and portfolio companies on strategic positioning, business development, and market expansion in sectors including defense tech, media rights, and consumer tech. Good to have him with us. Full announcement here: https://lnkd.in/gAMYWtADDavid Urban Joins Growth Equity Firm Smash Capital as Operating PartnerDavid Urban Joins Growth Equity Firm Smash Capital as Operating Partner
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Kevin Mayer liked thisKevin Mayer liked thisAn update on Emily! “Yesterday she had her second chemotherapy and at the moment she is stable, with some reactions from chemotherapy but these are things that have to happen🙏🏼” Emily is making original art in the hospital where her dad tries to visit her every chance he gets. She can’t come home until the necessary upgrades to her room and HVAC are made. Because of your kindness and generosity, we have exceeded 70% of the goal. Y’all are doing something really monumental and I wish you could see the gratitude from Norma who hugs me tighter than I can hug back. Those hugs are meant for me to give to you.
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Kevin Mayer liked thisKevin Mayer liked thisWhy are Big Tech and Hollywood Going Vertical? We've assembled four companies that sit across the entire ecosystem to answer that question. On June 3 in LA at the *sold-out* Vertical Media Summit, Google, YouTube, NBCUniversal, and CAA will be on stage discussing vertical together for the first time. The speakers: → Juanjo Duran (Google): Global Head, Media & Entertainment Partnerships. How Google thinks about vertical drama, including in the living room. → Fede Goldenberg (YouTube): Global Head, TV & Film Partnerships. What YouTube learned from Shorts becoming both a discovery and monetization format for entertainment companies. → Zoë Friend (NBCUniversal): EVP, Consumer Insights. NBCU was the first US major streamer to add vertical dramas, commission vertical reality, and broadcast vertical NBA. → Greg Siegel (CAA): Agent & Head of Digital Media Advisory. The Hollywood lens on how talent and studios think about platform choice, distribution and economics, including the Dhar Mann-Fox deal that put 40+ microdramas on MyDrama. Thank you for your enthusiasm. We are sold out, and have opened a waitlist while we try to secure additional capacity: link in comments. June 3, W Hollywood
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Kevin Mayer liked thisKevin Mayer liked thisI spent a week on a private jet with Jeff Bezos, flying city to city, trying to convince investors to back Amazon through $1.5 Billion of high-yield bonds. The first internet-related junk bond deal. That week rewired what I think operating discipline looks like under pressure. Especially when the numbers don't back you up and the room is waiting to be convinced. In early 1999, while at Morgan Stanley, I helped manage Amazon's first high-yield financing. No unprofitable internet company had ever done one - hence the "junk" nature of the bond. At 6 years without a profit, every meeting felt like the same question: "Will this company survive another year?" And remember the crash was only several months away. We ground through the work for months, preparing the docs, investors and Jeff... until a few of us were pulled in to spend a week on the road with him. Jeff led every meeting. He was extraordinary, but still had a lot to prove in 1999. He was just the operator in the room with the most to lose. I was the youngest person on the plane. I spent most of the week trying not to say anything stupid. Jeff made one thing clear on every plane-ride debrief: he had a high bar for execution, and he led it by example. - Exacting speech: Jeff never took 3 sentences to say what 1 could. - Tight framing: Every meeting opened the same way. Same first sentence. Same first slide. Same first beat. He had decided how Amazon's story was told and would not let any of us drift from it. - Strategic clocks: Pitches were timed to the minute. If a meeting ran long, the schedule moved, not the content. - Zero tolerance for sloppiness: A wrong number in a deck got the person who put it there pulled aside on the plane. My week with him set the leadership standard I still carry at MVP Ventures: hold a bar for execution so high that it makes the team just a little uncomfortable, including yourself. With every founder I've backed since, I look for some version of what I saw on that plane.
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Kevin Mayer liked thisKevin Mayer liked thisAt Cannes Next 2026, Eros Innovation brought together some of the most influential voices across film, AI, infrastructure, VFX, blockchain, and cultural technology for AI in Asia - a landmark summit at the Marché du Film - Festival de Cannes exploring the future of sovereign AI, AI-native storytelling, and next-generation film financing. Held at the Village Innovation, Pantiero, the three-panel programme and industry reception convened over 200 global leaders from studios, sovereign funds, governments, AI companies, and the international press for a critical conversation on who builds the AI shaping global culture. The programme opened with a keynote by Kishore Lulla, Founder of Eros Innovation, followed by a fireside conversation with Joerg Bachmaier, CEO of Studio Babelsberg AG, examining how AI is reshaping large-scale film production and where human creativity remains irreplaceable. The first panel, Sovereign AI vs Platform AI - Who Owns Culture?, moderated by Anssi Komulainen, featured: • Paul Trillo, Senior Creative Director & Strategic Partner, Asteria • Alex Serdiuk, CEO & Co-Founder, Respeecher • Ridhima L., Co-Founder & Co-President, Eros Innovation The discussion explored rights-aware AI infrastructure, consent-based identity systems, cultural ownership, and the future of sovereign AI beyond dominant platform ecosystems. The second panel, AI-Native Storytelling - Not Assisted. Not Enhanced. Native., moderated by Mikael Windelin, brought together: • Christina Caspers-Röhmer, Managing Director, TRIXTER (Cinesite Group) • chul shin, Festival Director & Producer, BIFAN • Ridhima L., Co-Founder & Co-President, Eros Innovation • Martin Madsen, VFX Supervisor The session examined how AI-native narratives, character persistence, cultural fidelity, and next-generation VFX workflows are redefining storytelling itself. The final panel, The Future of Film Financing in the AI Era, moderated by Piyush Bhatia, CMO of Eros Innovation, featured: • Marc Iserlis, Head of Films, Republic • Miguel Faus, Director & Producer, Calladita The conversation focused on blockchain-native financing, AI-driven cost compression, new securitisation models, and how emerging technologies are changing how films are funded, distributed, and owned. The evening concluded with The Founders Room of AI Culture reception, welcoming studio executives, AI founders, policymakers, investors, and international media. As AI becomes foundational to the future of entertainment, AI in Asia positions culture, sovereignty, and creator rights at the centre of the global conversation. #ErosInnovation #Cannes2026 #CannesNext #AIInAsia #ArtificialIntelligence #FilmIndustry #EntertainmentTechnology #SovereignAI #AINative #FutureOfStorytelling #Blockchain #Cinema #MarchéDuFilm
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Paul Pastor
What’s one way to know your prediction hits the mark? When @faultline’s @ Tommy Flanagan writes “we wholeheartedly agree.” In his latest issue, Tommy ponders an important question about the growth of short-form content: will its adoption go behind tier-1 broadcasters to niches streamers? I’d argue AI-driven shorts are a necessity for niche and tier-1s alike who want to compete (and win) against the creator economy. The reality is, viewers need more reasons to stay engaged within broadcasters’ ecosystems. AI-driven shorts give them the velocity and intelligence needed to break viewers’ habits of scrolling through their TikTok feed, and instead staying within their O&O platforms. Simply put, the conversation has moved beyond how to participate in the creator economy to where that economy lives. In 2026, the streaming wars will pivot from a battle over library depth to a fight for the discovery funnel. What do you think?
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Steve Sayer
Music Education is severely lacking in the UK. Investment has been declining for years and with limited Govt focus it’s important for all stakeholders in music to play their part in ensuring that music education is available to all young people. That’s why The O2 has developed a new music education programme, which is designed to empower young people through music, providing more opportunities that support learning, development and social inclusion. Having funded a successful pilot earlier this year, AEG Global Partnerships - International is now looking for a brand partner to invest and help shape the direction of this programme. Find out more below ⬇️ #TheO2 #Partnerships #MusicEducation #Brands
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🗝 Emilio García
#AI #WMG #UMG “Robert Kyncl has published a letter to Warner Music Group shareholders that pushes back against any under-appreciation of WMG’s value in the financial market, while talking up AI’s potential to drive that value higher. Recent context is important: despite healthy commercial momentum, both WMG and Universal Music Group shares are currently trading significantly below their 52-week peaks. Last Tuesday (February 24), a telling analyst note from Rothschild & Co Redburn argued that music rightsholders are particularly “exposed” to threats from AI-generated content….” “He writes: “With #Deezer reporting that more than 60,000 AI tracks are uploaded to its platform daily and with seven million #tracks generated per day on #Suno alone, [AI music’s] abundance has prompted understandable concern about oversupply, dilution, and the long-term value of recorded music….” Read the article for more: #WarnerMusicGroup #RecordedMusic #UniversalMusicGroup #MusicRoyalties #Music #MusicBusiness #Musica #MusicIndustry #Musique #Musik #MusicBiz #CreatorEconomy #CreatorsRights #RightHolders #MusicRights #MusicIncome #SongRights #RecordingRights #GenerativeAI #AIGeneratedContent #ArtificialIntelligence #InteligenciaArtificial #IA #InteligenciaArtificialGenerativa #IntelligenceArtificielle #KünstlicheIntelligenz #GeAi #AIGovernance #AIModels
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