Day: April 14, 2022

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Ryan Kavanaugh’s Proxima Studios Announces Start of Production of Skill House Starring Bryce Hall, Directed and Written by Josh Stolberg – Writer of Jigsaw and Spiral – of the Saw Franchise

Ryan Kavanaugh

Ryan Kavanaugh

First-of-its-kind film to be “listed” on the entertainment stock exchange allowing fans to participate and invest in the film via ESX.io

LOS ANGELES, April 13, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Based on an original idea by EGOT Megaproducer (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony) Nominee Ryan Kavanaugh, Skill House is the first of a franchise and is slated to start principal production in June 2022 with an expected early 2023 release date. It is financed and controlled by Proxima Studios and written and directed by horror film legend Josh Stolberg, co-writer of horror films such as Spiral: From the Book of Saw (starring Chris Rock and Samuel L. Jackson), Jigsaw, Piranha 3D, Sorority Row, as well as the next Saw film (tentatively titled Saw X) and starring social media phenomenon Bryce Hall, who is one of the world’s most-followed Social Media Stars with over 50 Million Followers across his social media channels.

Skill House will be the first film to be “listed” on the entertainment stock exchange (“ESX“), a first-of-its-kind platform allowing users to invest in the film and trade in or out of the film and its upside.

Starring social media personality Bryce Hall, Skill House takes a stab at social media influencers and will be an unflinching take on fame and what new celebrities are willing to do to attain it. It will be shot in the Sway House, a mansion in Bel Air, made famous by many of Tik Tok’s biggest stars. It will skewer the landscape of young celebrities who will do anything for a “click.”

“I’ve worked with some of Hollywood’s biggest stars, including Chris Rock and Sam Jackson, Carrie Fisher and Dwayne Johnson… but my kids are more excited about this project than any other I’ve worked on,” said Stolberg. “Working with Bryce Hall and Ryan Kavanaugh, this is sure to be a first of a new horror genre. These social media personalities are the new Hollywood, and they are reinventing what it means to be a star. When a young kid from Maryland, like Bryce, with nothing but a cell phone and a ring light, can attract tens of millions of followers on Tik Tok and Instagram, it evens the playing field for everyone. But there’s a dark side to this new entertainment landscape, and I’m excited to flip that rock over.”

Bryce Hall

Bryce Hall

“The film will be a “hard R” horror film and will have a gritty approach to what it takes to succeed in a business that relies on fans “liking you.” Stolberg added, “there’s nothing I love more than writing a watercooler kill scene… and we’re already over budget with the amount of blood we’re going to use. While this concept could play for parody, I’ll be taking a more serious approach and leaning into scares and horror over humor. I’m not pulling punches. I’ve been given the green light to go for it. And I can’t wait!”

Kavanaugh, the 24th highest-grossing producer of all time, has produced and or financed over 200 films such as Fast and Furious 3,4,5,6, Social Network, 300, Mamma Mia!, Limitless, Fighter, Zombieland, and many more. Kavanaugh also previously owned Rogue Pictures, which launched over 60 horror movies, including Strangers, The Unborn, and My Soul to Take.

“This film intends to break the boundary between the short-form social media phenomenon and long-form content,” said Kavanaugh. “Bryce is one of the most recognized and polarizing influencers with over 50 million followers and will certainly be a crossover star. The film digs deep into the human psyche and the new generation’s thirst for stardom, asking how far they would go? It will be bloody, it will be dark, and it will certainly be talked about.”

Daniel Herther, who oversees production and creative development at Proxima, will serve as executive producer. Before joining Proxima, Herther produced the Nic Cage thriller Inconceivable and held executive roles at Relativity Media and WB’s Hollywood Gang (300).

This will be the first time fans can actually invest into a feature film and participate in the upside of the film via ESX.

Bryce Hall is repped by Brad Baskin of Panther Management and Ryan Kavanaugh and Proxima are repped by Neil Sacker.

About Proxima and Ryan Kavanaugh

Founder of Proxima Media, co-founder of Triller, Ryan Kavanaugh is one of the most accomplished, prolific, and honored executives in entertainment industry history. Using an intelligent financial model of film finance, he was dubbed the creator of “Moneyball for movies.” He produced, distributed, and/or structured financing for more than 200 films, generating more than $20 billion in worldwide box office revenue and earning 60 Oscar nominations. He is the 25th highest-grossing film producer of all time. His productions include Fast and Furious 3-6, 300, Social Network, Limitless, Fighter, Talladega Nights, Step Brothers, and Mamma Mia! Kavanaugh and Proxima pioneered an innovative finance deal for post-bankruptcy Marvel, making the studio and finance structure that led to Marvel Cinematic Universe. He built the SVOD (streaming) category with Netflix, which boosted that company’s market capitalization from $2 to $10 billion. Kavanaugh is the co-founder of Triller, one of the three fastest-growing social media apps. He recently led the acquisition, merger, and re-launch of the social media and music app.

He also created the powerhouse television company, now known as Critical Content, producing hit shows like Catfish on MTV and Limitless on CBS, which he sold for $200M. The company had 40 television series across 19 networks before its sale. Kavanaugh has earned several achievements and awards, from Variety’s Producer of the Year Award to The Hollywood Reporter’s Leadership Award, from Fortune’s 40 Under 40 Most Influential People in Business to Forbes’ Fortune 400, Billion-Dollar Producer by the Daily Variety and the 100 Most Influential People in the World by Vanity Fair.

About Entertainment Stock Exchange (“ESX”)

Entertainment Stock X (ESX), a first-of-its-kind platform allowing users and fans to invest in film and entertainment projects via the Jobs Act, is an innovative platform for financing entertainment. The company fills the need for new and more efficient financing for filmmakers. ESX allows filmmakers to generate a valuable direct marketing relationship with fans and will enable fans to invest in film for the first time. More information is available on ESX.io

Photos accompanying this announcement are available at
https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/57bc3ab2-7d4e-4601-a463-9cfb7d99e918

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/1b498c69-6617-4ef7-af25-e5dda90f3d34

Media Contact

Michelle Vieyra
Jive PR + Digital
202-415-7714
michelle@jiveprdigital.com
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Presidential Office strengthens coordination with Supreme People’s Court, Supreme People’s Procuracy

The Presidential Office signed new regulations on its coordination with the Supreme People’s Court and the Supreme People’s Procuracy on April 14.

The new regulations replace previous regulations issued on January 11, 2012.

Addressing the signing ceremony, President Nguyen Xuan Phuc acknowledged the close coordination between the Presidential Office and the two judicial agencies, which he said contributed to the effective operation of each agency, as well as to the consultancy serving the President in performing his functions and duties as prescribed in the Constitution and assigned by the Politburo.

The President also urged for more effective coordination among the Party Central Committee’s Commission for Internal Affairs, the Supreme People’s Court, the Supreme People’s Procuracy, the Ministry of Public Security, the National Assembly’s Legal Committee and the Presidential Office, so as to better perform the advisory role to the President in performing his duties in judicial affairs.

He required the three agencies to evaluate the implementation of their coordination regulations annually and report to the President.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

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COVID-19: Over 23,000 new cases recorded on April 14

A total 223,012 new cases of COVID-19 were recorded in the past 24 hours from 4pm April 13 to 4pm April 14, according to the Ministry of Health.

Hanoi continued to report the highest number of infections on the day with 1,677 cases, followed by Phu Tho with 1,279 and Nghe An with 976.

The national tally reached 10,320,599.

A total 85,633 COVID-19 patients were given the all clear on April 14, bringing the number of recoveries so far to 8,856,627.

There are 1,161 patients in critical conditions, while an additional 23 deaths were recorded in the past 24 hours, taking the total fatalities to 42,901, equal to 0.4 percent of the total caseload.

By April 13, the country had injected 208,967,215 doses of COVID-19 vaccines.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

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Ex-officials of Khanh Hoa jailed for land management violations

The People’s Court of the south-central province of Khanh Hoa on April 13 sentenced seven former provincial officials to between 30 and 66 months in prison for violating land management regulations after a six-day trial.

They are Nguyen Chien Thang and Le Duc Vinh, former Chairmen of the provincial People’s Committee; Dao Cong Thien, former Vice Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee; Le Mong Diep and Vo Tan Thai, former Directors of the Department of Natural Resources and Environment; Le Van De, former Director of the Department of Construction; and Tran Van Hung, former head of the land management division at the Department of Natural Resources and Environment.

Former Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Nguyen Chien Thang got the highest punishment with a sentence of five years and six months in prison.

From 2012 to 2015, the defendants, who were then leaders of the provincial People’s Committee and the departments, illegally handed over land, changed land use purposes, and granted land use right certificates in connection with Cuu Long Son Tu ecological and spiritual tourism project and Vinh Trung villa project in the province’s Nha Trang city, according to the indictment issued by the provincial People’s Procuracy.

Khanh Hoa police started an investigation into the projects on June 8, 2021 and later started legal proceedings and detained the former officials.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

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Vietnam’s largest auto show to return in October

The Vietnam Motor Show (VMS), the largest of its kind in Vietnam, will return this October following two years of postponement due to the COVID-19 impact.

The show will get underway at the Saigon Exhibition and Convention Center (SECC) in Ho Chi Minh City on October 26 – 30.

At least 11 automakers, including Audi, Honda, Jeep, Mercedes-Benz, Lexus, Mitsubishi, MG, Subaru, Toyota, Volkswagen, and Volvo, have registered to participate in the show, according to the organisers.

In addition to members of the Vietnam Automobile Manufacturers Association (VAMA) and the Vietnam Car Importers Association (VIVA), the event will see the participation of several manufacturers and importers of motorcycles, along with a number of businesses in the supporting industry.

Workshops and conferences will also be held on the sidelines of the event, including one to discuss the global trend of electrified vehicles and the future development of the Vietnamese automobile industry.

The national motor show had previously been postponed in 2020 and 2021.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

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Sciences Po students learn about Vietnam-France relations

A seminar entitled Vietnam-France relations and Vietnam-European Union (EU) relations was held on April 13 by the Vietnamese Embassy in Paris, in coordination with the Society for East Asian Affairs (SEAA), drawing the participation of students from the Paris Institute of Political Studies, commonly referred to as Sciences Po.

Addressing the event, Vietnamese Ambassador to France Dinh Toan Thang highlighted the importance of Vietnam-France and Vietnam-EU relations in the country’s foreign policy in general as well as its doi moi (renewal) process and international integration.

France is not only a strategic partner but also one of Vietnam’s most important partners in Europe as well as in the international area, Thang said.

The relations between Vietnam and France have obtained many important achievements in all fields from politics, diplomacy, trade, investment, development cooperation, education and training, to science and technology, he said. The two countries have also cooperated to address global and regional challenges, such as climate change response and COVID-19 pandemic fight.

Regarding Vietnam-EU relations, the ambassador said the EU is an important partner of Vietnam. The two sides have collaborated on regional and international issues and signed many important agreements, laying the foundation for their partnership, including the EU-Vietnam Comprehensive Partnership and Cooperation Agreement, and most recently the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA).

During the discussion, participating students raised questions on regional and international political issues, ranging from the East Sea to specific topics such as cooperation mechanisms between Vietnam and France as well as Vietnam and the EU.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

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Phu Tho prepares for Vietnam-RoK football friendly

The Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of northern Phu Tho province held a meeting with the Vietnam Football Federation on April 13 to discuss the organisation of a football friendly between the men’s U23 team of Vietnam and the U20 team of the Republic of Korea (RoK).

The organising board reported on the preparations for the game, which are being made to ensure professional factors and COVID-19 safety.

It also called on press agencies to increase the coverage of this match, scheduled to take place at Viet Tri Stadium at 7pm on April 19, so as to attract public attention.

The match will give fans nationwide a chance to enjoy the performance of Vietnam’s U23 team, who are gearing up themselves for defending their gold medal at the 31st Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games), to be hosted by Vietnam this May.

It will also give Phu Tho an opportunity to affirm its prestige and sense of responsibility towards organising major sports events, including matches in Group A and a semifinal of the men’s football of the 31st SEA Games at its Viet Tri Stadium.

The two teams are set to arrive in Phu Tho on late April 15. They will undergo training at the province’s sports complex and Tam Nong district’s stadium before coming to Viet Tri Stadium for familiarisation on April 18.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

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Bac Ninh works to successfully host Boxing, Kickboxing at SEA Games 31

The northern province of Bac Ninh is carefully checking infrastructure and facilities and giving the finishing touches to the works to ensure the successful organisation of Boxing and Kickboxing events of the upcoming 31st Southeast Asian (SEA) Games.

The two sports will be held at the province’s multi-purpose gymnasium from May 6-22.

SEA Games 31 will be held in Hanoi and 11 provinces and centrally-run cities from May 6-23. It will feature 40 sports with 526 events, attracting around 10,000 participants.

The biennial event was initially slated for late 2021 but delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact.

At the 30th SEA Games in 2019, the Vietnamese sports delegation finished second in the overall medal tally, with 98 golds, 85 silvers and 105 bronzes, just behind the host Philippines.

Source: Vietnam News Agency