Talent

Buzz Watch: Jim Kosek and Weather on the Web

Authored by Jay Baage on April 7, 2008 - 5:59am.

Is having a "crazy Jim" the key to success in a cluttered media world? From CNBC's Jim Cramer to AccuWeather.com's Jim Kosek (above), overly energetic presentations have (literally) shaken up the way traditionally "boring" subjects like financial news and weather are covered. Love it or hate it, I think that the crazy Jims are perfect examples that personality matters - no matter if you are an on air talent or a consumer brand, as DMW contributor and author Rohit Bhargava points out in his just released book.

GarageBand.com Contest to Air Unsigned Artists on FM Radio

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on October 30, 2006 - 3:13pm.

San Francisco - GarageBand.com, an online community for aspiring artists and fans of independent music, on Monday announced the launch of a talent contest that will give unsigned artists radio airplay on U.S. FM stations. Sponsored by Cingular Wireless, the GarageBand Faceoff will air clips of the most popular entries on a four-minute weekday afternoon radio show heard on stations including WFNY, KITS, WYSP and WKRK. Listeners will be able to vote for the better of two bands via SMS and Web voting, with the winner to return the next day to face another challenger. A recording contract with Capitol Records will be awarded to the grand prize winner on Dec. 18.

U.K. Record Producer Debuts Talent Discovery Site IShouldBeSoLucky.com

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on October 27, 2006 - 2:38pm.

Amersham, England - A new talent discovery website founded by songwriter and record producer Mike Stock (Stock, Aitken & Waterman) will offer five artists each month a session at a recording studio and a possible recording contract. Stock claims credit for introducing the world to Kylie Minogue, Jason Donovan and Bananarama, among others. IShouldBeSoLucky.com will offer promising aspiring artists who submit their tracks on the site consultation with Stock and an A&R team, while visitors to the site will be able to vote for their favorite submissions.

EMI's Parlophone Label Debuts Online Demo Submissions

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on October 24, 2006 - 2:11pm.

London - Major record label EMI Group's Parlophone label announced on Tuesday the creation of an online service where aspiring musicians can upload their demo recordings and publicity photos for consideration. Written by a former musician, the software tracks which recordings have been reviewed and rated by Parlophone -- and also relays this information to musicians. "One of our top priorities is to keep our talent spotting process as efficient and up to date as possible," Nigel Coxon, head of Parlophone's artist and repertoire team, told AP. Coxon added that the label, which is home to artists including Paul McCartney and Radiohead, hopes to transition all demo submissions to the online service in the coming months.

VH1 Launches Online Content to Discover Hip-Hop Talent

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on July 19, 2006 - 12:40pm.

New York - VH1 announced on Wednesday an online content to find undiscovered hip-hop talent.

tags: Video | TV | Music | VH1 | Hip-Hop | Rap | Talent | UGC | Freestyle 59 |

Sega Signs Michael Madsen, Mark Hamill to Voice "Yakuza" Game

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on June 19, 2006 - 1:47pm.

San Francisco - Japanese video game developer Sega announced that it has signed actors including Michael Madsen, Mark Hamill, Michael Rosenbaum, Eliza Dushku and Rachel Leigh Cook to provide voice talent for its upcoming "Yakuza" title.

Warner Bros. Signs Eastwood, Hackman, Fishburne for "Dirty Harry" Game

Authored by dmw on May 11, 2006 - 12:31pm.

Los Angeles - Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment announced at the Electronic Entertainment Expo that it has signed actors Clint Eastwood, Gene Hackman and Laurence Fishburne to provide their voices and likenesses to its upcoming video game based on the "Dirty Harry" film franchise. Warner and Eastwood's Malpaso and The Tehama Companies are overseeing development of the game for next-generation consoles, which is being developed by The Collective and will be released alongside a "Dirty Harry" DVD collection in 2007.