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Exclusive: The Laugh Factory is venturing into feature film production with the launch of Laugh Factory Entertainment; their first project being Adam Rifkin’s stoner comedy, Toad, which Deadline first told you about.

The new division will be led by new Laugh Factory President David Fuhrer, Head of Entertainment John Weiser and Laugh Factory founder Jamie Masada who are expanding the iconic brand beyond the comedy clubs into film, television, podcasts, digital content, and live events.

James Paxton

Directed by Rifkin and co-written by the filmmaker with Piers Ashworth, Toad, follows the wild story of two naive slackers, Sam (James Paxton of Twisters) and Alex (Oliver Wyman of Feeling Randy), who are hired by a crime boss to transport a box of contraband psychedelic toads from LA to Vegas. When the desert heat causes the toads to suffer heatstroke, the two are inadvertently dosed when they give the toads CPR...

The 2023 Clio Entertainment Awards, recognizing creative excellence in entertainment marketing, were handed out Thursday night in Hollywood, with Barbie, Tár, Wednesday and Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story among the big winners.

During the ceremony, Netflix was announced as network of the year, Activision/ Blizzard as game publisher of the year, Universal Pictures as studio of the year and Av Squad as agency of the year.

“In a year that brought whiplash to the industry — with a summer where entertainment marketing captivated the popular culture and had Barbenheimer audiences flocking to theaters, only to be mostly shut down by two strikes — creativity was the key to converting consumers into fans,” Ashley Falls, executive director of Clio Entertainment, said in a statement. “It’s no surprise that the Barbie integrated campaign by Warner Bros. Pictures took home top honors in the form of a Grand Clio Entertainment Award, but our...

Creative agency Aspect’s Throwback Thursday Facebook postings of its past work offer a fascinating historical document. They not only showcase highlights from the company’s 40 years in the movie-trailer business such as “Men in Black,” “Misery” and “Wayne’s World,” they’re also a reminder of how much the medium has changed since the days when the sonorous and instantly recognizable voice of narrator Don Lafontaine graced thousands of trailers, promos and ads.

Then and now, Aspect reigns as one of the top trailer houses in Hollywood. Back in the old days, it had a reputation as the go-to place for comedies. But, today, it prides itself on its ability to work on projects of any genre, from “Ready Player One,” “Hell Fest” and HBO’s “Westworld” to “Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again,” as well as every platform, from the big screen to smartphones.

Aspect’s reel can be seen here: https://wdrv.