The AvA Connection

🐝 The Weekly Buzz

1) Agencies are “circling” the next big actress in Hollywood. Problem is, she isn’t human.

• AI Actress Tilly Norwood is allegedly being courted by major agencies, an announcement that set off backlash inside the acting community and around the Industry. Full story here. I don’t buy it, and I definitely hate it.

2) Zach Bryan took over “The Big House” at the University of Michigan and set two records:

• The largest ticketed concert in the US history (112,408 tickets)

• The merchandise sales record reaching ($5 million in a single night)

3) Gaming company Electronic Arts is going private again in a $55 Billion deal, the biggest take-private deal ever.

• EA is behind iconic franchises like Madden, Battlefield, The Sims, FIFA etc.

• Who is dropping $55 Billion?

  • The Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), Silver Lake (They just took Endeavor private in a $25 Billion deal), and Jared Kushner’s firm

• Why would EA, or any company, go private?

  • Defensive play from industry volatility, and freedom from short-term Wall Street pressure & investors breathing down their backs.

  • They can take more risks with access to massive, and patient capital.

  • EA has shifted its business model away from one-off game sales to recurring revenue like subscriptions and in-game transactions. This feels “safer” from an investor standpoint.

  • Globalization through the PIF.

4) Bad Bunny is headlining the Super Bowl halftime show, after the star said performing in the states was “unnecessary.” Here is why you’re wrong if you disagree with his decision:

• He decided to skip the US on his recent Debí Tirar Más Fotos tour as he feared for the safety of his Latinx fans at a time when ICE.

• The Super Bowl’s audience is a completely different demo.

• He now gets the biggest platform possible to send a message. I’m sure Lord Voltemort you know who won’t have anything negative to say after the entire show is in Spanish.

• Awesome choice by JAY-Z & the Roc Nation team (who book the halftime show).

💼 AvA Job Board

Have a bad boss? Get a new one.

Our new job board features 100+ early career roles in Entertainment:

Some standouts:

💼 Junior Talent Agent - Prysm - Apply Here

💼 Agent, Branding & Digital Content - Buchwald - Apply Here

💼 Corporate Communications Manager - Buchwald - Apply Here

💼 Studio Coordinator (Disney Imagineering) - Disney - Apply Here

💼 International Marketing Manager - Universal Music Group - Apply Here

💼 Media Strategy Manager - AMC - Apply Here

💼 Video Coordinator - NBA - Apply Here

💼 Franchise Management Coordinator - Sony Pictures - Apply Here

💼 Music Assistant (Adult Contemporary) - Wasserman - Apply Here

💼 Creative Coordinator (Temp) - Tubi - Apply Here

💼 Executive Assistant - NBCUniversal - Apply Here

🎒 Marketing Internship Summer 2026 (Adult) - Penguin Random House - Apply Here

CRAZIEST THING I’VE EVER SEEN ON A JOB POST:

📚 AvA Recs 🎧

A weekly series from Dominik, who leads our Strategy, Growth and Product

Last week Barry Diller sat down with Invest Like The Best and gave an amazing interview ranging from his time at WME to ChatGPT.

Barry early in his career worked at CBS (after a file room heavy stint at WME) there he pushed for one key new idea. CBS should produce films and air them every week called Movie of the Week.

This was crazy innovative, like no one else would risk their reputation to back the idea risky. In today’s fragmented media landscape there’s huge opportunity in redefining how mediums are created and delivered. We all need to find our Movie of the Week, so to speak.

Also check out Barry Diller's fantastic memoir here.

👋 See you back here on Wednesday

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