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New funding has been raised to help movie fans benefit from the entertainment industry. MoviePass On May 1, 2025, tech platform MoviePass — with the help of its partner, the C3 Foundation — announced the launch of Mogul, a “daily fantasy entertainment platform” for Hollywood, according to a press release. The platform, which is the first of its kind, allows fans to participate in fantasy-style tournaments, head-to-head matchups, and solo challenges where they can apply their insights to predict audience attendance, critic scores, award winners, and more. “You basically create your own studio by picking real movies, real actors, real directors and the way those projects behave in the real world, and your ability to pick and predict what might happen, impacts your scoring,” explained Stacy Spikes, co-founder and CEO of MoviePass, via an exclusive from Variety. Furthermore, fans can receive incentives such as blockchain -based digital rewards, including new avatar images and artwork,...
Acclaimed filmmaker Ryan Coogler, best known for writing and directing such smash hits as “ Black Panther ,” “Creed” and “Fruitvale Station,” has been making waves recently with his new movie “Sinners.” For those who don’t know, “Sinners” has already garnered over $70 million at the box office , despite having just released on Apr. 18. The film also had a very modest marketing push and very little studio support, making its success even more impressive. While “Sinners” has been drawing plenty of eyes from the general public, the behind-the-scenes story of Coogler’s Warner Bros deal has also enraptured creators, filmmakers and Hollywood film buffs alike. In fact, financial analysts have predicted that the “Sinners” deal could be worth millions for generations to come, while some studio insiders have expressed concern that the deal will destabilize the future of the industry if other filmmakers attempt to replicate it. In order to understand exactly what terms are established by Ryan...
Will Packer knows a thing or two about spotting a good story. With films like “Ride Along,” “Think Like a Man,” and “Stomp the Yard,” he’s turned everyday moments into box-office gold, built characters we root for, and created cultural blueprints that stick. But when the call came offering a confidential shot at owning a piece of an NFL team — no details, no guarantees — this wasn’t a plot twist in a film. This was real life. And it didn’t come with a pitch deck or press release. It came with a non-disclosure agreement and the vaguest of possibilities. “I said, NFL? National Food League?” Packer joked. “Because I know the NFL doesn’t just let people in.” The terms? Mysterious. The team? Unknown. The risk? High. But Packer signed the NDA anyway. That moment — unflashy, uncertain, but undeniably bold — set off a chain of events that would lead him not just into the NFL ownership circle but into a growing movement to rewrite what power and equity look like in professional sports. Fast...
Issa Rae proudly represents her home state as a powerhouse actress, producer, and entrepreneur. The Los Angeles, CA, native, well known for her rise from “ Awkward Black Girl” to “Insecure” continues to stretch herself in new ways. “ One of Them Days,” featuring SZA and Keke Palme r, made its way to the big screen in 2025, marking Rae’s first feature film released under her production company, Hoorae. According to Variety and Collider, the film made $22.2 million after its first two weekends, including the extended Martin Luther King Jr. holiday. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Issa Rae (@issarae) Just a few months earlier, Rae made a new dent in the hospitality space, opening Somerville in South Los Angeles, a restaurant offering a “progressive American dining experience.” This marked her second food and drinks venture, as she had expanded Hilltop Coffee + Kitchen to the city in 2023, per Forbes. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Issa Rae (@issarae) Rae has...
Jaden Smith, the son of Hollywood icons Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith , has built his own legacy as an actor, musician, and entrepreneur. While he balked at the idea of public schooling previously, that hasn’t stopped him from making a name for himself both in his family’s industry of entertainment, and in his own business ventures. Currently, he’s using his entrepreneur’s spirit to improve the world as he sees it, painting himself as a philanthropist as well. However, as a businessman, philanthropist and actor at the young age of 26 (and while having famous parents and a just-as-famous sister ), what is Jaden Smith’s net worth? Acting Career Smith made his acting debut alongside his father in the critically acclaimed film, The Pursuit of Happyness in 2006. His role as Christopher Gardner Jr., the son of a struggling salesman, garnered widespread recognition for his acting abilities at a young age. This performance opened doors to other significant acting roles, such as the...
Rumors surrounding Cynthia Erivo’s and Ariana Grande’s compensation have been addressed. T he two actresses star in “ Wicked ,” directed by Jon M. Chu. The film impressed with a stellar opening weekend, earning $162.5 million globally, according to Deadline. Based on the Broadway adaptation, it was produced on a budget ranging from $145 million to $150 million, per Screen Rant. Grande plays Glinda the Good Witch while Erivo plays Elphaba, The Wicked Witch of the West. Speaking on their roles, Grande commented to Blavity’s Shadow and Act, “I think it’s such an incredible honor and privilege to be trusted with the responsibility of playing Glinda, a role that I’ve loved since I was 10. And it does in a way, feel like a reintroduction. I feel like for both of us [Cynthia and I], this baby of ours has been a secret for such a long time. And I know it’s coming fast, and it’s loud, and it’s everywhere, but it’s been such an intimate part of our lives for the past three and a half years...
Dwayne Johnson decided to fire his agents because he saw the bigger picture. Johnson first put his name on the map as a professional wrestler, inspired by his father, Rocky Johnson, who had a legendary resume within the sport and was honored as a WWE Hall of Famer. “I think I’m going to like professional wrestling,” Johnson remembered, according to a conversation with GQ. “So we fought. [My dad] didn’t want me to get into it. And then I wound up having the career that I had. And he was proud. But he also wrestled with a lot of my success, and I know that as his son.” Johnson would later find a commonality between wrestling and acting. He revealed to GQ that he pivoted attention towards Hollywood, understanding that he could still reach the masses as an actor. “When I got into the business of Hollywood and moviemaking, it’s like, ‘Okay, well, what kind of movies do I want to make? I want to make movies that hopefully are good, that don’t suck. But also reach as many people as...
Kevin Hart is giving credit to film producer Will Packer for his position in business and his career. Where It All Started The comedian turned actor first met Packer in 2007 at the Los Angeles airport, according to the Chicago Sun Times. Hart remained on Packer’s radar, and he eventually called the actor to work on their first movie together, “Think Like A Man.” At the time, Hart was booking mostly cameos which included “Scary Movie 3” (2003), “Soul Plane” (2004), and “The 40-Year-Old Virgin” (2005). Learning Packer Was “The Real Deal” While On Set When it came to landing more screen time, Hart had become accustomed to empty promises. Landing the gig and working with Packer was all the proof Hart needed to ensure the Will Packer Productions founder was “the real deal.” “When I first met Packer and ‘Think Like A Man’ was [brought] up, he came to me first and said, ‘Listen man, I’m going to make this movie happen, but I’m not going to go forward and pursue, if I don’t know that I have...
Samyr Laine took a page from Roc Nation’s investment book and is now helping other startups. Laine, a Harvard graduate who roomed with Facebook Founder Mark Zuckerberg, is behind Freedom Trail Capital, an investment firm backing “fully functioning, well operated, effectively managed and revenue generating businesses,” its website mentions. The firm was established in 2023 alongside his wife, Ayanna Alexander-Laine. The couple-turned-founders also share history in the sports world as former track and field Olympians, with him representing Haiti and she, Trinidad and Tobago. “I love people and connecting with people,” Alexander-Laine told TechCrunch. “We know how to merge talent and business and found that athletes are good in these spaces. We also have the stamina to conquer other things and other entities outside of sports.” Freedom Trail Capital, featuring Ivan Lopez as a third general partner, has funded seven startups, including Issa Rae’s Sienna Naturals and Ciara’s Ten to One...
Caleb Williams, rookie quarterback for the Chicago Bears, is scaling his interest in the investment space. While in college at the University of Southern California, Williams was among the first athletes to leverage name, image, and likeness (NIL) deals. He became a part- owner of the male grooming company Faculty in 2022, as AFROTECH™ previously reported. He was also the No. 1 draft pick in the 2024 NFL Draf t and was picked by the Chicago Bears . Now, Williams is scaling his interest in the investment arena by launching his own investment firm. Williams has established 888 Midas, which will “capitalize on select alternative investments in private equity, venture capital, and real estate,” according to a press release. His partners and advisors will support the firm. They include: Sherif Guirgis, former managing director of Main Street Advisors Ross Walker, co-founder and managing partner of Hawkins Way Capital, a multi-billion-dollar real estate enterprise John Terzian, co-founder...
Yo Gotti did not pay his property taxes for years due to a lack of information. During an interview with podcast “Earn Your Leisure,” the rapper revealed he was unaware he had to pay back taxes to the government. He viewed taxes as a celebration as he recalled the gifts he would receive from his mother around tax season. He didn’t know these gifts were likely coming because she had received a tax refund. “I grew up thinking, when you heard of taxes, my mama and ’em got tax money. That’s when we got new Jordans. We got new outfits… It was a celebration when it was tax time,” he said. “We was waiting on tax time. It was better than Christmas. So, I didn’t know… even in my early stages of getting money, I didn’t know we had to pay. I didn’t know because of a lack of information; they didn’t teach me that in school.” Lack of financial literacy carried over into how Yo Gotti did business too. As an investor in real estate early on, he purchased 10 to 15 homes with cash. However, he...
Will Smith and Martin Lawrence are making waves at the box office. The on-screen duo are back for the latest installment of their hit “Bad Boys” franchise. Released on June 7, 2024, “Bad Boys: Ride or Die,” produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and directed by Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah, takes fans on the journey of characters Mike Lowrey (Smith) and Marcus Burnett (Lawrence), who are tasked with resolving a mounting case against their late police captain Conrad Howard (Joe Pantoliano). “Bad Boys: Ride or Die” maintains the franchise’s balance of action and comedy as fans watch the cop duo navigate a new story. “This movie, in really beautiful ways, is the culmination of all three,” Smith said during an interview with Hot 97. “For fans who have been down from the first one, I promise you there’s a moment in this movie where you stand up out of your seat and throw your hands in the air with the level of perfection of the call-back that we have. It’s as good as it’s ever been done… It is...
When the trailer for Jordan Peele’s directorial debut, “Get Out,” was released, it became one of the most highly anticipated films of 2017. Starring Daniel Kaluuya, the psychological thriller became a box-office hit and grossed over $256 million worldwide, according to IMDb. What’s more, the film won an Academy Award in 2018 for “Best Original Screenplay,” making Peele the first Black writer to win in the category, and was the catalyst for Kaluuya’s career in Hollywood. Another “Get Out” breakout star was Lil Rel Howery, who played TSA agent Rod Williams. In an interview on Shannon Sharpe’s “Club Shay Shay” podcast, the comedian and actor revealed what he earned from the film. “‘Get Out’ was on a Tubi budget,” Howery said jokingly to Sharpe. “I did that for the minimum [per the Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists].” According to “Club Shay Shay,” Howery earned less than $3,000 per week during filming. Nonetheless, it was Howery’s first...
Nearly five decades ago, Ernie Hudson first made his entrance into Hollywood. Out of the veteran actor’s countless film and TV appearances, one of his most widely known roles is Winston Zeddemore in the “Ghostbusters” franchise. According to IMDb, the first installment of the “Ghostbusters” films alone made over $297 million worldwide. What’s more, among the later installments, “Ghostbusters II” grossed over $215 million, and “Ghostbusters: Afterlife” grossed over $204 million — all starring Hudson. Before being a part of box office smashes, Hudson experienced his fair share of receiving low pay. During the promo run for 2024’s “Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire,” he revealed to The Root what he earned from his first big payday as a Hollywood actor. “[My] first big check was $10,000 for one day’s work,” Hudson shared in the interview. “I was behind on rent and I told my landlord that I was waiting for the check to come.” However, Hudson was unaware of just how much of his check was going...
The legacy of the late Bob Marley remains prevalent. Bob’s musical influence extends globally, with Rolling Stone recognizing “Exodus,” his ninth studio album with the Wailers, as No. 48 on its list of “The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time” in December 2023. What’s more, his story is currently being told in a biopic across movie theaters. “Bob Marley: One Love” has earned $71.1 million domestically and $120.5 globally, according to Entertainment Weekly and Comscore (at the time of this writing). Though his life was cut short at 36, following a battle with malignant melanoma, t he Marley family continues to carry the torch of their father while also carving their own paths. At the time of his death, Bob did not have a will, and his inheritance was given to his wife, Rita, and 11 children. As AFROTECH previously told you, with that financial investment in each of his children, many have built on that foundation with net worths now reportedly set in the multi-millions. This includes...