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Photography: Jorge Alcala Goded Aarón Díaz has always possessed a magnetic screen presence, but his current chapter reveals a creator stepping fully into his own light. Known globally for his engaging performances, Díaz has gracefully transitioned from a celebrated hands-on producer, actor, and philanthropist . Photography: Jorge Alcala Goded Today, from his new creative base in Dallas, he is building an ambitious slate of original series designed to captivate a worldwide audience. These upcoming films blend cinematic scale with genuine emotional depth, proving that his time in front of the camera has deeply informed his growing influence behind it. Photography: Jorge Alcala Goded This shift reflects a fierce commitment to creative independence. Díaz takes an active role in his films from their earliest concepts, molding stories that cross cultural and linguistic boundaries. His goal is clear: deliver meaningful entertainment that pairs a strong visual identity with profound human connection. Beyond the screen, his work is rooted in collaboration and positive impact, as he continues to expand his footprint as an artist and philanthropist dedicated to cultural exchange. Photography: Jorge Alcala Goded Yet, his vision extends far beyond television and film. Díaz is channeling for hospitality - a field he formally studied - into physical spaces. In San Miguel de Allende, a UNESCO World Heritage site recognized as one of Mexico’s most admired cities, his hospitality concepts are taking root. He is designing environments that unify nature, wellbeing, and high-end design, offering guests a physical space tailored for refreshment. Photography: Jorge Alcala Goded The centerpiece of this hospitality venture is the soon-to-launch Pegaso Retreats, a signature destination created alongside artist and performer Lola Ponce. Pegaso Retreats is not just a place to stay; it is an immersive invitation to reconnect with the earth's natural beauty and experience meaningful human interaction. It offers a rare space to pause, breathe, and find inspiration in an extraordinary setting. Photography: Jorge Alcala Goded Whether he is developing a new international series or welcoming guests to a sanctuary in central Mexico, Aarón Díaz is driven by a singular purpose: creating beautiful, lasting experiences that resonate deeply, both on screen and his routine.

From "Portobello" to Parliament to international cultural management: how has your definition of a meaningful career shifted, and what core passion has remained unchanged? "When I was that young woman next to Enzo Tortora on "Portobello," a meaningful career meant connecting with millions of Italians through a screen, giving voice to ordinary people and their stories," Carlucci recalled. "Today, it means building bridges between countries through culture." She explained that while the scale shifted from national TV to international diplomacy, the core passion remains unchanged: storytelling as a public service. "Whether I’m hosting Sanremo, writing the "Carlucci Law" for tax credits in cinema, or producing "Social Suite" on Amazon Prime, the goal is the same — create platforms where art, heritage, and talent can be seen, valued, and protected," she added. "Culture is development, culture is progress. That belief has guided me from RAI to the Chamber of Deputies to Belgrade and Mallorca." The 10th Italian-Serbian Film Festival: What drew you to Serbian culture, and how does film heal and unify? "What drew me to Serbia was recognizing a twin soul," she observed. "Italy and Serbia share a Mediterranean temperament, a respect for history, and a resilience shaped by intense pasts. I saw it first at Expo 2015 with the Serbian Pavilion, and again with "Arts in Motion" alongside Montenegro." Carlucci emphasized the power of cinema: "Film is the fastest language we have. It doesn’t need translation when the emotion is real." The Italian-Serbian Film Festival, she stated, was born to give value to new voices and let two traditions sit in the same dark room and recognize each other. "When a Serbian director’s story moves an Italian audience, or vice versa, you’ve already started the healing," she continued. "You’ve replaced stereotypes with faces. That’s unification: not politics, but empathy." The Modigliani co-production: What aspect of him did the world need to see right now? "Modigliani was not just a painter of long necks," Carlucci clarified. "He was an immigrant, a poor artist in Paris, an Italian Jew who never betrayed his roots while absorbing the world." She stressed that the public needs to see Modigliani the bridge right now. "He lived between cultures, between poverty and genius, between tradition and modernity." Addressing current times, she said, "In a time of walls, his life reminds us that identity isn’t lost through contamination — it’s enriched." The film, according to Carlucci, presents Amedeo not as a tragic cliché, but as a man who "estimated" beauty in everyone, especially outsiders. "That’s urgent today," she concluded. Introducing the Italian Tourism Awards before the Oscars: How do you convey Italy’s soul to Hollywood? "Hollywood has seen everything, except what can’t be copied: authenticity born from centuries," she asserted. "I don’t sell Italy with postcards. I tell them: Italy is the only place where a film set is already there — you just have to turn the camera on." She painted a picture of the country's offerings: "The light in Puglia, the silence of a restored abbey, the craft of a costume tailor in Rome who learned from his grandfather. That’s our tax credit: 2,000 years of art direction." To creators and investors, her message is clear. "You can shoot anywhere, but only in Italy does every stone have a story that makes your story better. We don’t compete on budget. We compete on soul," Carlucci stated firmly. "And soul is irreplaceable." "Vanille Mon Amour": What story were you capturing, and how does perfume compare to producing a film? ""Vanille Mon Amour" was born from a memory: the warmth of Italian salons, vanilla pods in a grandmother’s drawer, the elegance that doesn’t shout," she reflected. "I wanted a scent that felt like an embrace after a premiere — intimate, lingering, personal." When drawing parallels to her other work, she said, "Creating a perfume is like producing a film in 30 seconds: you have top notes, heart notes, base notes. It’s storytelling without images, only emotion." Carlucci elaborated on the distinction: "A film takes you on a journey for two hours. A fragrance takes you home in one breath. Both are about curating memory. Both ask: what do you want people to feel when the lights come up, or when you leave the room?" "Social Suite" on Amazon Prime: How do we connect now vs. the TV days, and what’s the message? "Television was a campfire: one program, millions of people, same time, same emotion," she observed. "Today we’re alone together — each with a screen, algorithm-driven, infinite choice." Regarding her Amazon Prime project, she noted, ""Social Suite" examines that shift. The risk is losing the ritual of sharing. The opportunity is choosing consciously." Carlucci wants viewers to take away a simple truth: "Technology changed the tool, not the need." She emphasized, "We still crave stories that make us feel less alone. So curate your time. Choose content that values you, not just distracts you. The gathering place moved from the living room to the cloud, but the human need to connect through art is unchanged." Throughout your demanding global schedule, you have your husband Marco and your son Matteo. How do they ground you when international diplomacy pulls you in so many directions, and how does their love shape the art you choose? "They are my home port and my true north," Carlucci shared warmly. "Diplomacy, festivals, red carpets — it’s all wind. When cultural diplomacy takes me from Rome to Palma, from Los Angeles to Belgrade, they are the home I carry with me." She spoke of her husband's steadying presence: "Marco, with his legal mind and clear-sightedness as a man far from the spotlight, reminds me every day that politics passes, but values remain. He reminds me that every project needs structure to fly." Regarding her son, born in 1996, she noted he grew up between sets and parliaments. "Matteo, with the eyes of the young on life, forces me to ask: 'Will what I’m doing serve his future?' He taught me to see culture through the eyes of a new generation: faster, but hungry for meaning." This foundation directly impacts her professional decisions. "Their love has changed the way I choose art," she explained. "I used to look for the perfect work. Today I look for the necessary work. I only say yes to projects that I’d be proud to explain at our dinner table. If it doesn’t create value, beauty, or dialogue, it’s not worth the distance. I prefer projects that speak of roots and bridges: films that unite generations, restorations that return beauty to the suburbs, laws that allow a kid from the South to make cinema without having to emigrate." She reflected affectionately on their impact: "Marco taught me the courage of pragmatism, Matteo the courage of hope. Without them, my agenda would be full of events. With them, it is full of meaning. They keep me rooted in what’s real, and the real is always personal." The Estimar Italo-Spanish Film Festival in Palma de Mallorca is another jewel in your cultural work. What is it about the shared Mediterranean spirit between Italy and Spain that makes their cinematic dialogue so rich, and what has been your proudest moment from this international film festival? "Italy and Spain are two sisters gazing into the same sea," she reflected. "We have the same sun on our skin, the same drama in our hearts, the same irony to survive." Carlucci believes their cinematic dialogue is rich because it requires no translation. "Almodóvar’s mother and Tornatore’s mother weep in the same language. We share the cult of family, the sense of the sacred and the profane, and beauty as resistance to pain," she added. Recalling her proudest moment at Estimar, she described a specific screening: "We screened an Italian film subtitled in Spanish and a Spanish film subtitled in Italian, on the same night, in a square in Palma filled with young people. At the end they all stood up, Italians and Spaniards alike, singing "Volare."" That moment crystallized her mission. "That’s when I understood: we weren’t running a festival. We were reminding two peoples that they share the same blood. When culture is real, it doesn’t need a passport." You fought hard to introduce tax credits for cinema in Italy, co-authoring the reform of entertainment. Seeing international productions flock to Italy today, what thoughts arise knowing your political efforts directly paved the way for this artistic boom, and what is the next frontier for supporting artists? "When I see Cinecittà filled with American crews, or Basilicata chosen for a blockbuster, I feel two things: gratitude and unease," she admitted. "Gratitude because that tax credit law, which I fought for in Parliament, now provides work for 60,000 people and has put Italy back at the center of world cinema. We stopped being just a picture-postcard set and became an industry again." However, she cautioned that a boom is not a cultural policy. Carlucci outlined her vision for the future, which is threefold. "First: training. We need film craft academies in every Region, because tax credits without Italian crews are cultural colonialism," she stated. "Second: protecting authors. The algorithm cannot replace the director. We need a European law on copyright in the current climate of AI. Third: bringing cinema where it doesn’t exist. Every village without a theater is a piece of Italy going dark." Her next dream is a concept she calls "Diffused Cinema," held in squares, deconsecrated churches, and schools. "If we won the battle to produce, now we must win the battle to educate the gaze," she declared. You hold degrees in Foreign Languages and Art History, and you have literally written the laws that protect the arts. When you envision the next ten years, what is the single artistic dream you still wish to bring into reality, and how do you hope the world remembers the name Gabriella Carlucci? "My degrees taught me to read the world. The laws I wrote taught me to change it," she stated gracefully. "But there is one dream that still keeps me awake: the "Mediterranean House of the Arts."" She envisions this not as a static museum, but as a living place in Rome where a young Tunisian director, a Greek poet, a Lebanese restorer, and a Spanish musician can create together, supported by a permanent European fund that moves beyond grants and bureaucracy. "A Bauhaus of the Mediterranean, where beauty becomes a common language against nationalism," Carlucci added. When asked about her legacy, her response was clear. "How do I want to be remembered? Not as the politician who "made the laws for cinema." But as the woman who believed that culture was not a luxury for peacetime, but the only weapon to achieve it." She concluded with a profound sentiment: "If ten years from now a girl in Sicily decides to become a screenwriter because she sees that you can make a living from art in your own country, then the name Gabriella Carlucci will have meant something. The rest is plaques. And I have always preferred people to marble."

She is a talent defined by perpetual forward motion, radiating a cinematic magnetism that commands attention. With an arresting presence bridging global fashion and the emotional depth of film, Lee Levi possesses a quiet intensity that draws audiences close. Whether stepping onto an international set or anchoring a major beauty campaign, she moves with absolute grace and fierce intent. The camera finds Lee Levi in motion. It always has. Long before she took the screen by storm in AppleTV's HOOD, she was just fifteen when she walked away from the familiar, trading her Danish roots for a map that stretched across the globe. Cambridge, Los Angeles, Stockholm, and Sydney became her training grounds. She did not just travel; she absorbed. That early hunger for the world forged an actor who refuses to stay in one lane, building an internal library of human experiences she would later pour into her characters. For an extended period, her face has been a fixture in high fashion. When houses like Chopard, Moschino, Givenchy, Veuve Clicquot, and Clinique seek a defining image, they look to her. Yet, the flash of the runway and the quiet intensity of the print campaign were only a prologue. Her acting education in Los Angeles at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts & the Lee Strasberg Institute was a silent promise that she would eventually return to the moving image, finding her voice in spaces where silence was no longer required. That promise took shape in American Night which was her first acting role. Standing shoulder to shoulder with Jeremy Piven, Emile Hirsch, and Jonathan Rhys Meyers, she carved out her space with absolute certainty. It was the spark that sent her to Italy, a country she now considers a second home. The Italian sun watched her shift from the atmospheric Sicilian Holidays to taking the lead in The Years of the Father. Directed by Stefano Veneruso, it marks her first female leading role abroad, an emotional anchor that proves she holds the screen with a rare gravity. But the truest test of an actor often lies in returning home. Copenhagen called her back in 2023. The Danish film industry tested her edge. It began with the massive television series The Sommerdahl Murders and crested with HOOD. Directed by Lina Csillag, and produced and created by Brian Sean Tange, her now-fiancé. HOOD is now streaming on AppleTV and ViaPlay. As Clara, Levi was a revelation. It was her very first lead role, and critics did not just praise her; they declared she carried the entire film on her back, delivering a performance of intense, localized power. She has not paused for breath since. Following her descent into the shadows for the horror film BEAST, she is currently on set shooting two massive back-to-back features. MONSTER pushes her limits, while THE VIKING WARRIOR - the highly anticipated biopic of world champion boxer Mikkel Kessler, directed by her partner Brian Sean Tange - places her right at the center of Danish cultural history. All the while, she continues to serve as the face for premium brands like OPATRA LONDON and ZO Skincare. Lee also serves as the ambassador and face of Dial 7 car & limousine services for some years now. She say it is the best car services company in NYC and very proud to be their ambassador. Check more: www.offers.dial7.com From shooting THE VIKING WARRIOR, it led to another massive step in her journey. Now, she is taking control of the camera itself. Alongside her partner Brian Sean Tange and Nicolai Afseus, they have launched Northstar Studios, a Danish based film production company. They are building a slate of films meant to challenge the senses, second after THE VIKING WARRIOR, a psychological dark thriller titled Mirror Walker, with Levi in the lead under Tange's direction, and a super cast (soon to be revealed) it signals a fresh chapter. She is no longer just the face on the billboard or the star interpreting someone else's script. She is the creator mapping the journey.

From Italian cinema to Julian Schnabel’s In the Hand of Dante, artist and production designer Paki Meduri explores worlds built from color, sound and atmosphere. The best of all possible worlds may not exist, but cinema and Paki lets us move through them all. He moves through sets listening for sounds, shaping colors, searching for the precise atmosphere that can draw an audience in. For Paki Meduri, one of the most distinctive production designers working across contemporary Italian and international film and television, space is never just a backdrop. It is memory, wound, desire, unease. It is a character breathing alongside the actors. An architect by training and a painter by instinct, Paki has built a visual language defined by contrast: the dirty, sensual baroque of Gomorrah ; the criminal geographies of Suburra; the visual tension of ZeroZeroZero; the moral landscapes of Adagio; and the almost organic darkness of Il Mostro. He has worked across Italian and international productions, from The Old Guard to Django, always carrying the same conviction: a set should not merely contain a story. It should begin telling it before anyone speaks. His latest, outstanding work is In the Hand of Dante, Julian Schnabel’s new film starring Oscar Isaac, Gal Gadot, Gerard Butler, John Malkovich, Al Pacino, Martin Scorsese, Jason Momoa and Sabrina Impacciatore. Presented in the official selection at the Tribeca Festival and arriving on Netflix on June 24, the film moves across eras, languages and visions: the Middle Ages and the present, black and white and color, Dante and Nick Tosches, the materiality of painting and the grammar of cinema. In this conversation, Paki reflects on how he builds worlds: the search for locations, his collaboration with Schnabel, Benjamin Clementine’s music as an emotional compass, the handmade craft of the sets, his obsession with detail, and the delicate threshold where architecture stops being space and becomes storytelling. In his cinema, space can become perfection, the image can turn into desire, and a place can become a dream in which we learn how to listen, and how to breathe. Your work moves across architecture, production design, writing and art. When did you realize that building spaces wasn’t enough, and that those spaces needed a narrative life of their own? I have always been a curious explorer of the arts. I learned to paint when I was 10, and I have never really stopped. I played in three post-rock bands, writing lyrics and music; I write poetry and short stories; and, at the same time, I trained as an architect. I think of myself as an architect with the mind of a painter. My first experiences in theater made that need very clear. The spaces I was designing had to carry a story; they had to mean something. For me, production design is subtext. It is not simply the place where the action happens. It is a character in its own right. And like a character, it speaks, dresses, changes. Most of all, it creates feeling. You have worked on both Italian and international productions, from The Old Guard and Django to ZeroZeroZero and Lasciarsi un giorno a Roma. What really changes between those two worlds, and where do you feel it most on set? My approach to the work is basically the same. What changes is the budget. The instinct is the same: to create worlds and draw the audience into a visual journey made of places, atmospheres and colors. International productions usually come with a more complex production structure, and the challenge is often to keep the project focused, without overloading it or getting seduced by unnecessary flourishes, especially when a larger budget gives you more room to move. With Italian films, where budgets are often more limited, the challenge is to make up for that with invention and creativity. Very often, a more handmade approach brings you closer to something real. It allows you to go deeper into the soul of a place. Paki Meduri on the set of In the Hand of Dante with Oscar Isaac and Martin Scorsese I have always thought of you as a production designer of contrasts: from the almost baroque world of Gomorrah to exterior locations that convey poverty, emptiness and oppression. I’m thinking not only of Gomorrah, but also of Il Mostro, Adagio and Suburra. What kind of work did you do on Il Mostro, where the spaces and the light seem to give physical shape to the protagonist’s unease? A production designer can have a personal style, but every project forces you to deal with different themes, different periods, different scripts and, above all, different directors. Every project has its own key. Every project has a world that has to be found. I like to push the accelerator all the way down, to reach the bone of the story through atmosphere. On Il Mostro, I wanted to bring out all the disgust and unease that had grown inside me, day after day, during the research phase. The more I read about the real events, the darker, starker, rawer and more mold-stained the world I imagined for the series became. So I built sets that had to resemble the characters and their states of mind. The places themselves had to become characters. The most beautiful part is seeing the finished series and realizing that every department felt the same need I did, bringing that same emotion into the visual design of the show and creating an extraordinary kind of magic. In the Hand of Dante, with an extraordinary cast, premiered at the 82nd Venice Film Festival and will soon be released on Netflix. From the set builders crafting furniture for the medieval world to the painters working on textures and patinas, the production has a deeply handmade quality. What did Julian Schnabel ask of you in building those sets, and what is it like to work with him? The film had a long, layered prep process. There was an enormous amount of study and a very long search for the right visual language. We were telling a story that moves across different eras and places that are very far apart from one another. My approach to the project was profoundly shaped by Julian. Julian is, first and foremost, an artist. Every directorial choice he makes is filtered through his imagination, his instinct and his poetic sensibility. It does not always have to be explained or justified. I wanted to follow his inspiration. That meant changing the way I thought about production design. I had to feel the story we were telling. It was an incredible experiment: rethinking every certainty I had in this field, allowing myself to let go as an artist, not only as a technician. When you work with a master like Julian, you have to trust his vision, try to understand it and embrace it. We often built sets from scratch, and a great deal of the furniture was designed and made specifically for the film. As you said, it was a vast exercise in Italian craftsmanship. Painting, textures and patinas were a crucial part of the work. They are always important to me, but never more than when you are making a film with a painter. Sharing a set with Julian was a unique experience. It made me rethink my own work, opened my field of vision even wider, and taught me how to bring a little of my own madness into production design. In Schnabel’s film, black and white often alternates with the colors and atmosphere of the past: Dante feels vividly present, while Nick Tosches seems to exist in a suspended dimension, almost anchored to another time. How did you contribute to the character played by Oscar Isaac, and how did the world around him shape the storytelling? As you said, in our film the past is vivid and alive, while the present feels like a story that has already happened, already been written. I brought that idea into the locations, the builds, the furniture and, above all, the atmosphere. In the scenes where Oscar plays Dante, my sets become tangible, realistic, present. When Oscar plays Tosches, everything becomes smoky, rarefied, changeable, unpredictable, like a dream being dreamed by the protagonist. For an actor, it matters that the production design around him speaks to the character. When a character feels at home inside a designed space, then that space is right. Oscar Isaac, Gerard Butler, Louis Cancelmi, and John Malkovich on the set of In the Hand of Dante Did Benjamin Clementine’s music become a kind of parallel design tool for you during the process, or did it enter the film only after the visual world had already been defined? Often, during location scouts or in our meetings, Julian would take out his phone, play a track and look me straight in the eye, waiting for my reaction. Once I got past the initial embarrassment, I would close my eyes and let my imagination start working. That was exactly what he wanted: to transmit images through sound. Music absolutely became a filter, but also a kind of connective tissue. We were all listening to the same music, all moving in the same direction. There was no need for words or explanations. We just had to follow the sensations, the mood. If you close your eyes for a moment, what is the first memory that comes to mind from your working life, and why? The first image that comes to mind is tied to travel, to my constant search for locations, to meeting new people and discovering new places. My work constantly pushes me to explore, to study distant worlds, to find inspiration. So the image that flashes before me is one of my classics: me on a plane, looking out the window, with a sketchbook on my lap, music in my earphones and an architect’s pencil between my fingers. In your work, space is never neutral. It is almost always a psychological extension of the characters. Do you ever begin with the emotion you want to create in the viewer, rather than with a purely aesthetic idea? Yes. When I read a screenplay, I automatically begin to imagine the places it describes. Sometimes my mind changes them, or completely transforms their nature. Instinctively, a process begins that leads to the creation of an imaginary location. For me, it is essential to express the emotions of the individual characters through the places that contain them. What has been the hardest part of finding a film’s identity? And what kind of work do you do when you translate a screenplay into physical space? When I read a screenplay, I cannot rest until I have found the meaning of the film I am about to make. I ask myself where it should be set, in what season, what colors the story gives me as I read it. The thing I love doing most, which is also the most complicated, is creating the world: the arena, the physical and geographical identity of the places that, one after another, tell the story. I always begin with research driven by suggestion. I let myself be drawn toward the different paths my mind instinctively opens up, and then I gradually narrow the possibilities. Once I have chosen the road, I go straight ahead and try never to step off it. Oscar Isaac, Gerard Butler, Franco Nero on the set of In the Hand of Dante What is something you still want to create, something you have not yet had the chance to build? And what are your next projects? A film I care about very much should be coming out soon: a remake of the original Cliffhanger. I spent seven months between the Austrian Dolomites and the studios in Munich, where I rebuilt a luxury resort and, above all, a mountain ridge, a tunnel and several breathtaking passages where we shot many of the film’s action sequences. Right now, I am working on the second season of Il Mostro di Firenze. I love making period films. They force you to stay within certain boundaries, dictated by the architecture and fashions of the historical period, but at the same time they give you a great deal of freedom. Sometimes, depending on the film, you take poetic license, shuffle the deck, and recreate a past that never existed: places without time and without geography. Above all, period films are a precious vessel into which I can pour my obsession with detail. To answer your question, I have not yet had the chance to take on a science-fiction film. I would love to design worlds that do not yet exist. I would lose myself imagining a possible future, or even life on other planets. It is a dream I have always had. Humility is a precious virtue for a human being. But it is not a virtue for someone who makes cinema.

Photography: Alex Shevchik, Makeup: Kateryna Lovina From viral comedy tracks to launching her own production company, Ksenia applies sharp humor to dismantle stereotypes and champion female independence. In this candid conversation, the Russian-born creator opens up about finding her authentic voice and the resilience required to succeed on her own terms. You boldly transformed a digital setback into a beautiful opportunity for a fresh start. What empowering emotional shift inspired you to confidently build a brand-new, thriving platform from the ground up? "Losing my platform honestly forced me to realize that social media numbers are not the same thing as identity," Ksenia shared, reflecting on the weight of the experience. "At first it felt devastating because you attach so much emotion, work, memories, and validation to it. But then I realized if I built it once, I can build it again." Starting over, she explained, actually made her more fearless. "I stopped creating for approval and started creating from a more authentic place. It reminded me that I am the brand, not the app." Your single FAKE calls out industry superficiality. Was there a specific moment in Hollywood that broke your patience and forced you to write it? "There wasn’t one dramatic moment, it was more like years of seeing fake energy everywhere," she observed. "Fake support, fake friendships, fake promises, fake ‘let’s work together’ conversations." Hollywood can feel very performative sometimes, Ksenia noted. "'FAKE' came from being emotionally exhausted by people pretending to be genuine while constantly calculating something behind the scenes. I just wanted to say it directly instead of sugarcoating it." With tracks like split the bill, you teach women to embrace financial independence and never settle. What was the uplifting realization that helped you elevate your own standards and fully celebrate your worth? "I realized that standards are not arrogance, they’re self-respect," she stated firmly. "For a long time women are taught to feel guilty for wanting effort, consistency, honesty, or ambition from people. But once I really started valuing myself, my time, and my energy, everything changed." While the track carries a comedic tone, the foundation is serious. "'Split the Bill' is funny, but underneath it is a message about knowing your worth and not settling for crumbs just because society tells women to be grateful for bare minimum behavior," she added. Your confidence is undeniable, yet you have openly admitted that turning failures into jokes is your primary defense mechanism. Was there a moment recently where the humor temporarily failed you before you finally found the punchline? "Definitely," Ksenia admitted with a moment of reflection. "I think people assume comedians are always laughing through everything, but sometimes things hurt before they become funny. There were moments where I felt rejected, overwhelmed, emotionally drained, or genuinely lost, and humor didn’t immediately save me." But those low points, she pointed out, eventually serve a purpose. "Later those experiences usually become the best material because comedy is really just pain with perspective. Sometimes you need time before you can find the punchline." During your acclaimed stage show Ready for Hollywood, you share your incredible journey from a small Russian village to Los Angeles. What has been the most joyful and rewarding part of creating your own Hollywood story and sharing that triumph with a live audience? "Honestly, the most rewarding part is realizing that the little girl from a small Russian town actually made it to Los Angeles and created her own lane," she smiled, acknowledging the surreal nature of her path. "That still feels surreal to me sometimes." The audience connection, however, is the true prize. "Beyond that, hearing people connect emotionally to my story means everything. When audience members come up after shows and say they feel inspired to go after their dreams or stop hiding who they are, that’s the best feeling in the world." Embracing your roots took a completely different sonic turn with your new comedy rap track, girl from the forest. How does turning your Russian background into a hip-hop flex permanently silence your imposter syndrome? "For a long time I thought I had to soften parts of myself to fit in better," she confessed. "But with 'Girl from the Forest,' I did the opposite — I leaned fully into my roots, my accent, my energy, my humor, my perspective." The result was a personal and artistic breakthrough. "And ironically, that’s when I felt the most confident creatively. I realized the things that make me different are actually the most valuable part of my identity as an artist," she explained. While writing your new comedy special, The White Russian, what has been the most surprising personal discovery about the woman this incredible journey has shaped you into? "The biggest discovery has probably been realizing how resilient I actually am," Ksenia reflected. "I used to think confidence meant never doubting yourself, but now I understand that real confidence is moving forward while still having doubts. This journey has pushed me to become more emotionally strong, independent, and honest with myself. I care a lot less about being universally liked and more about staying authentic." She then quickly clarified an update to the project's direction. "Also, just a quick note," she added, "the title of the special has changed from The White Russian to Big Problems, which honestly feels like a better fit for where I’m at with the material and the tone of the show." You are actively building structural power through Pretty Good Productions. How does running your own production company heal the younger version of you who was told her voice was too much for mass consumption? "Starting Pretty Good Productions healed something in me because for years I felt like I needed permission to fully express myself creatively," she expressed passionately. "People would say I was 'too loud,' 'too much,' 'too weird,' or 'too emotional.'" Taking the reins changed the narrative. "Creating my own production company means I no longer wait for someone else to decide whether my voice deserves space. I just create the space myself," she affirmed. This executive control naturally extends to your scripted projects, like Bride To Be. Why is it so vital for you to hijack stereotypes, like the Russian mail-order bride, and inject them with sharp humor and complex control? "Because stereotypes are lazy, and comedy is one of the best ways to destroy them," Ksenia declared. "I love taking assumptions people have about Russian women or Eastern European women and flipping them upside down. Humor gives me the ability to challenge people while still entertaining them." She believes the audience craves depth. "I think audiences connect more deeply when characters are funny and emotionally complex instead of just one-dimensional clichés," she noted. What is the central takeaway you intend for those experiencing your art? "I want people to walk away from my work feeling more confident about being fully themselves," she concluded. "Whether it’s through music, comedy, acting, or storytelling, the message underneath everything I create is really about authenticity, resilience, self-worth, and freedom. I think so many people spend their lives trying to make themselves smaller to fit into expectations, and my art is about doing the opposite." You can follow Ksenia on Instagram and Spotify.

Olga Kurylenko at Filming Italy Sardegna Festival. The 9th edition of the Filming Italy Sardegna Festival, conceived and directed by Tiziana Rocca, successfully concluded. The event brings together cinema and television through screenings, premieres, meetings, and presentations of films and television series. It involved leading film distributors and production companies alongside major television and VOD entertainment platforms. The festival was organized in collaboration with APA (Italian Audiovisual Producers Association), under the patronage of the Autonomous Region of Sardinia, the City of Cagliari, the Costa Smeralda Consortium, and in collaboration with Forte Village. Tiziana Rocca, General Director of the Filming Italy Sardegna Festival, stated: "Another edition of the Filming Italy Sardegna Festival comes to a close, once again representing the result of an enormous amount of work built on dedication, passion, and months of continuous commitment. Behind every screening, every meeting, every special session, and every Italian and international guest lies the tireless effort of an entire team, united by the goal of offering audiences a cultural experience of the highest quality. She Added: Our Festival continues to pursue a mission that I deeply believe in: encouraging audiences to return to movie theaters during the summer season and demonstrating that cinema is a place of emotion, sharing, and human connection that can be experienced all year round. Seeing packed theaters, enthusiastic audiences, and such meaningful dialogue between artists and spectators is our greatest reward." James Franco at Filming Italy Sardegna Festival. Festival Leadership & Honorees • Honorary President: Harvey Keitel served as the Festival's Honorary President, receiving the Filming Italy International Award for his indelible mark on the history of contemporary cinema. • Festival Ambassador: Micaela Ramazzotti served as the Festival Ambassador. • Festival Godmother: Clara served as the Godmother of the 9th edition, receiving the Filming Italy Women Power Award. The Short Film Competition French César Award-winning actress Elsa Zylberstein served as President of the jury for the short film competition. Joining her were James Franco, Samuel Arnold, Rosa Diletta Rossi, Ilenia Pastorelli, Professors Massimo Arcangeli, Stefano Arduini, Andrea Minuz, Christian Uva, and Tiziana Rocca. • Winning Short Film: Vorrei incontrarti tra 10 anni, directed by Andrea Castoldi. • Broadcast & Distribution: The film will be broadcast on Rai Cinema Channel, streamed on MyMovies, and presented to American audiences during the next edition of Filming Italy - Los Angeles. Special Awards & Recognitions • Enel Special Award: Presented to Flora degli Alberi, produced by IIS Ovidio of Sulmona (AQ). • Festina Award: Won by Parole per domani - La Voce della Scuola, directed by Diego Palma, for recognizing a work that translates time into storytelling, emotion, and reflection. • Women in Film, Television & Media Italia Award: Won by Fiori Cadono, directed by Ludovica Galletta. It will be honored at the Filming Italy Venice Award during the 82nd Venice International Film Festival this September. Other featured shorts included Blu Silenzio, L'Estraneo, and Emy Nails. • Filming Italy Nanni Loy Award: Presented to Roberto Andò and Agostina Belli (Achievement Award). • Pietro Coccia Memorial Award: Presented to Elisabetta Pellini. • Filming Italy Special Award: Presented to cultural journalist Valerio Cappelli. • Elena Mirò Award: Presented to Micaela Ramazzotti to celebrate artistic independence and the uniqueness of every woman. Franco Nero, Tiziana Rocca, and Harvey Keitel at Filming Italy Sardegna Festival. International & Italian Guests The event welcomed an outstanding lineup of internationally acclaimed actors, filmmakers, and artists. International Honorees: • Filming Italy International Award: Katherine McNamara, Jeremy Piven, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Alanah Bloor, Elsa Zylberstein, Marina Foïs, Olga Kurylenko, Ronn Moss, and Sam Levinson. • Filming Italy Women Power Award: Erin Moriarty. • Filming Italy Creativity Award: James Franco. • Special Memorial Award: Christian Madsen, in memory of his father, Michael Madsen. Italian Honorees: • Filming Italy Achievement Award: Franco Nero. • Filming Italy Women Power Award: Sveva Alviti, Barbara De Rossi, Cristina Chiabotto, Cristina Marino, Natasha Stefanenko, and Nina Zilli (Music). • Filming Italy Creativity Award: Chiara Francini and Antonio Catania. • Filming Italy Award: Matteo Paolillo, Peppe Iodice, Letizia Toni, Tea Falco, Roberto Lipari, Giorgia Palmas (Promotion of the Territory), Chiara Galiazzo (Music), Jalisse (Music), and Massimo Di Cataldo (Music). • Filming Italy Best Actor Award: Giuseppe Ignazio Loi. • Filming Italy Achievement Music Award: Romina Power. Romina Power at Filming Italy Sardegna Festival. Panels & Educational Initiatives • Nuovo IMAIE Session: Irene Giancontieri and Beatrice Savignani participated in a special session with leading cinema figures and received the Filming Italy Spotlight Award. • Superheroines: The Lesson of Ginger Rogers: A panel moderated by Luca Dini and Tiziana Rocca discussing the evolving role of women in contemporary cinema and television. • Rai Cinema University Short Film Award: A national platform for short films produced by students from Italian universities, introduced in collaboration with Rai Cinema. • Institutional Panel: "Cinema and Audiovisual: Italy Tells Its Story" examined the present and future of the Italian audiovisual sector and its international impact. Marg Helgenberger at Filming Italy Sardegna Festival. International & Italian Premieres Supporting the summer reopening of Italian movie theaters, the event presented more than fifty premieres. International Highlights: • Toy Story 5 (Opening Film), Supergirl, Between Love and Lies, Misdirection, The Mummy, Song Sung Blue, Hamnet, Mortal Kombat II, The Third Floor Murder, Epic - Elvis Presley in Concert, The Life List, Super Mario Galaxy - The Movie, C'était mieux demain, Wuthering Heights, Michael, Other Side of Fame, They Will Kill You, Tex McKenzie - My Horse Is the Only Person I Trust, The Bride!, Reminders of Him, and A War on Women. The first episode of Walker: Independence was also screened. Italian Highlights: • Benvenuti in Campagna, Gli Occhi degli Altri, A Se Stesso, Alla Festa della Rivoluzione, Il Mestiere di Vivere, Innamorarsi e altre pessime idee, Il Nibbio, ...Che Dio Perdona a Tutti, Nel Tepore del Ballo, Duse - The Greatest, Antartica - Quasi una Fiaba, Notte prima degli esami 3.0, Agnus Dei, Le cose non dette, Illusione, La Terza Volta, Mi Batte il Corazon, Dacia, Vita Mia - Dialoghi Giapponesi, Il Dio dell'Amore, and La Sobrietà. Katherine McNamara at Filming Italy Sardegna Festival. Partnerships & Collaborations • Intesa Sanpaolo: Supported the event through its Media & Culture Desk to promote the international development of Italy's audiovisual industry. • Gerardo Sacco: Created the exclusive awards presented throughout the event. • Italy for Movies: Renewed its partnership to provide comprehensive information on filming locations and production incentives. • Sustainability: Partnered with FareAmbiente to strengthen environmental commitments. • ICA - International Cinema Academy: Offered professional acting program lessons to the winners of the short film competition. • Event Partners: Main partners included Intesa Sanpaolo, Enel, Festina, Elena Mirò, Gerardo Sacco, and Montegrappa. Cotril served as the Official Partner, alongside numerous Technical and Media Partners. The event was held under the patronage of the Ministry of Enterprises and Made in Italy, Ministry of Tourism, Autonomous Region of Sardinia, City of Cagliari, and Municipality of Pula.

A broken-down car on an Idaho highway could easily ruin a morning, but Nathan Apodaca simply grabbed his longboard. He glided down the asphalt, cranberry juice in hand, lip-syncing to Fleetwood Mac's "Dreams." There was no lighting crew and no script, just an unmistakable feeling of freedom. In a moment clouded by global anxiety, this father offered the internet exactly what it craved: pure, uncomplicated joy. The world stopped scrolling and breathed. The original viral video introduced him to the world, generating tens of millions of views and inspiring the worldwide “Dreams Challenge.” Mick Fleetwood recreated it, Stevie Nicks joined the trend, and celebrities, families, executives, and fans around the world created their own versions. Warner Music reported that “Dreams” was heard more than 230 million times across streaming platforms, social media, and United States radio during the two weeks following the video’s viral success. Apodaca directly influenced music consumption, introducing a song released more than four decades earlier to an entirely new generation. Ocean Spray acknowledged his cultural footprint by surprising him with a cranberry red pickup truck filled with juice. The gift was particularly meaningful because trouble with his own vehicle had led him to grab his longboard and create the original video in the first place. Doggface with Snoop Dogg While the internet routinely cycles through fleeting personalities, the man known as Doggface is quietly building a lasting footprint in the entertainment industry. He is an actor, creator, and recording artist with established television credits, major music collaborations, national advertising campaigns, and a global digital audience. He brings his signature authenticity to the TMZ After Dark Tour tommorrow. Riding the party bus through Sunset and Santa Monica Boulevards, stepping directly into the Hollywood spotlight is a fitting stage for an entertainer whose appeal has always been rooted in spontaneity. Put him in an unpredictable environment, surround him with music and people, and his natural charisma takes over. His presence there represents far more than a celebrity hosting engagement. It places him back at the center of Hollywood culture. Short-form video introduced the world to him in a matter of seconds, but live streaming gives audiences the opportunity to spend real time with the person behind the viral phenomenon. He has officially joined Kick under the handle @Doggface. This move into live streaming is part of a wider strategy to expand his presence across entertainment, television, music, appearances, and lifestyle partnerships. Viewers will experience the unexpected encounters, music, travel, and comedy that cannot always be contained within a brief social media clip. He already possesses a massive digital presence, maintaining approximately seven million followers on TikTok and more than two million followers on Instagram, giving him a combined core social media audience of more than nine million followers. His wider influence extends far beyond his direct follower count through original content, reposts, celebrity recreations, television appearances, music releases, brand campaigns, and international media coverage. His greatest strength is his rare ability to make audiences feel as though they are sitting right beside him. He is holding his own on critically praised television series, proving that the original clip did not define the limits of his talent. He joined the cast of FX’s Reservation Dogs, portraying Uncle Charley across five episodes. This substantial recurring role was celebrated for placing Indigenous performers at the center of contemporary television. He later appeared in NBC’s Lopez vs. Lopez, demonstrating that his natural on-camera comfort successfully translates into scripted comedy. At the center of his identity is a deep pride in his Northern Arapaho and Mexican heritage. His mother is Northern Arapaho, and his family has roots connected to Wyoming’s Wind River Reservation. The feather tattoo on the side of his head incorporates the Northern Arapaho flag and serves as a visible tribute to his Native American identity. This is an important part of his story, driving his commitment to encouraging Indigenous creators to believe in their ideas and make their voices heard. His journey has shown that cultural identity and mainstream entertainment do not need to exist separately. Music is another deep passion where he is actively creating within the industry rather than simply appearing around established entertainers. In 2022, Doggface collaborated with Snoop Dogg, the legendary band War, and Grammy-nominated producer, artist, and songwriter KLYPSO on “Low Rider No Lighter,” a contemporary adaptation of War’s classic anthem “Low Rider.” The accompanying music video featured Doggface, Snoop Dogg, War, George Lopez, and Cheech and Chong. His partnership with Snoop Dogg later expanded when Doggface and Snoop Dogg appeared together as the “Guard Doggs” in a national advertising campaign for Vivint Smart Home. His wider commercial career has also included campaigns and partnerships connected with major brands, establishing that his appeal has successfully translated into substantial national opportunities. He talks to people rather than performing at them, a quality that makes him relatable and genuine. Doggface and his team are actively developing opportunities across live streaming, television, music, personal appearances, branded products, and major lifestyle partnerships. The strongest collaborations will be those that preserve the authenticity that made him successful in the first place. The commercial opportunity lies in celebrating his real personality rather than attempting to reshape him into a conventional celebrity. Five years after one longboard ride made the world smile, Doggface is no longer waiting for another viral moment to find him. With his move into live streaming, an expanding television and music career, new products and major brand opportunities, he is building the next chapter himself. This time, audiences will not simply witness one unforgettable moment. They will be able to come along for the entire ride. Doggface is represented by The Beverly Hills Agency & Beverly Hills Press Agency. For all press and publicity opportunities, interviews, bookings, personal appearances and any television opportunities, please contact: media@beverlyhillspressagency.com.

She became one of the most recognisable women in the world, but Erika Eleniak is no longer interested in being frozen in time. At 56, the actress, mother and original Baywatch star is returning to the screen on her own terms: tattooed, transformed, unapologetic and more authentically herself than ever before. There was a time when Erika Eleniak’s face seemed to be everywhere. She was the fresh-faced young actress who appeared in Steven Spielberg’s E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, the original Baywatch beauty running across the beaches of Southern California as Shauni McClain, and the Hollywood leading lady appearing in films including The Blob, Under Siege, The Beverly Hillbillies, Chasers, A Pyromaniac’s Love Story and Tales from the Crypt Presents: Bordello of Blood. Her career placed her at the centre of one of the most memorable periods in American popular culture, but behind the photographs, the red swimsuit and the movie premieres was a young woman living under the extraordinary pressure of being presented to the world as a symbol of beauty. More than three decades later, some people still appear determined to keep her there. They remember the 23-year-old Erika and expect the 56-year-old woman to look exactly the same. They compare photographs separated by more than 30 years, scrutinise her body and comment on her tattoos, her weight, her clothes and every visible sign that she has lived a real life. Erika has even faced cruel online remarks describing her as “unrecognisable” and, in some cases, “disgusting.” But Erika Eleniak is not 23 years old anymore. She is not pretending to be, and she should never have to apologise for that. Erika helped establish the heart of the original Baywatch. Her character, Shauni McClain, was never simply a woman in a red swimsuit. She was vulnerable, compassionate and determined, a young woman learning to believe in herself while becoming part of a close-knit team responsible for protecting the lives of others. During Erika’s time on the series, Baywatch had already become a worldwide phenomenon, captivating audiences across the globe throughout its first and second seasons. For millions of viewers, Erika was not merely part of the franchise’s early history; she was one of the original stars who helped define its identity, international appeal and enduring cultural legacy. Her departure from the series opened another significant chapter in her career. She moved into major motion pictures, appearing opposite Steven Seagal in the blockbuster action film Under Siege before taking on the much-loved role of Elly May Clampett in the big-screen adaptation of The Beverly Hillbillies. Roles in Chasers, A Pyromaniac’s Love Story, Bordello of Blood and numerous independent films and television projects followed. Yet the entertainment industry has a habit of reducing women to the moment in which the public first decided they were beautiful, and for Erika, that moment became a permanent reference point. Erika may have spent several years away from the centre of the Hollywood spotlight, but she did not disappear. She was raising her incredible daughter, Indy, whom she speaks about with unmistakable pride and love. Motherhood became one of the most meaningful roles of her life, and Erika made the conscious decision to be present for it. While the entertainment press was no longer documenting her every move, she was working, teaching and building a life beyond celebrity. Erika became an acting teacher, sharing the knowledge she had gained across decades in film and television with aspiring performers of different ages. She also served as a director within an acting studio and worked with individuals facing substance abuse and behavioural challenges, using acting, performance and creative expression as a form of therapy. Through this work, she helped people reconnect with themselves, discover confidence, communicate more openly and find a sense of purpose during some of the most difficult periods of their lives. It is a side of Erika the public has rarely been shown. The woman once celebrated almost exclusively for how she looked has spent years helping other people discover who they are. Those who know Erika speak not only about her beauty or accomplishments, but about her kindness. She is warm, emotionally intuitive, compassionate and incredibly generous with her time. Her experiences have not hardened her. Instead, they have given her a deeper understanding of people who feel overlooked, judged or trapped by the circumstances of their lives. There may be no red carpet attached to that work and no box-office totals, magazine covers or applause, but it may be among the most important work she has ever done. Erika has also lived through periods of stress, depression, loss and heartache. At different moments, her body changed. She gained weight. She was photographed walking her dogs or simply going about her ordinary life without professional lighting, a wardrobe team or the careful preparation expected at a Hollywood premiere. Somehow, this became news. But gaining weight during a period of depression, emotional difficulty or stress is not a moral failure. Looking different after having a child and living through several decades is not a scandal. Being photographed while walking a dog should not become an invitation for strangers to publicly dismantle a woman’s appearance. Most people have experienced times when they did not feel their strongest. Most have gained or lost weight, changed their hair, struggled emotionally, grieved, withdrawn or simply tried to get through the day. Let us not pretend that most of us have not comforted ourselves with food, neglected the gym, hidden away or allowed life to overwhelm us at some point. The difference is that most people do not have photographs of their most difficult periods distributed around the world beside images of themselves at 23. Women in Hollywood are repeatedly given an impossible instruction: grow older, but never appear to age. They are expected to preserve the face, body and energy they had in their twenties while simultaneously demonstrating maturity, wisdom and experience. When they use cosmetic procedures, they are criticised for looking artificial. When they choose to age naturally, they are accused of letting themselves go. There is seemingly no acceptable way for a famous woman to grow older. Erika’s return challenges that hypocrisy. She is not asking the public to pretend she has not aged. She is asking why ageing should be treated as something shameful in the first place. She is 56 years old, not the 23-year-old Baywatch babe some people still expect her to be, and she is not trying to recreate that woman. She has grown, changed and evolved, as every woman and every person does. Erika’s tattoos have become another source of fascination and, at times, hostility. For some viewers, they disrupt the carefully preserved image of the blonde, clean-cut Shauni McClain they remember. But Erika is not a television still from 1991. She is a woman who has continued to discover herself long after the cameras stopped filming. Her tattoos carry personal meaning and represent people, experiences and different chapters of her life. They are not evidence that the old Erika has disappeared. They are part of the story of how she became the woman she is now. The tattoos reveal something audiences were rarely permitted to see during the height of her fame: Erika has always had a rock-and-roll spirit. There is an edge beneath the softness, individuality beneath the famous image and a woman who no longer wants every interesting part of herself airbrushed away to make other people comfortable. Her tattoos are not a rejection of her past. They are evidence that she has a present. In January 2027, Baywatch returns to television in a new FOX series, and Erika Eleniak will return with it. She has already filmed a special cameo appearance reprising the role that helped make her internationally famous, but this is not the Shauni McClain audiences last saw more than three decades ago. Shauni is no longer patrolling the beach as a young lifeguard. She has grown, developed a career and become a Santa Monica councilwoman. The choice feels beautifully appropriate. Just as Erika has evolved, so has Shauni. The character has not been forced back into the red swimsuit to pretend that no time has passed. She is returning as a woman with authority, history and a life beyond the beach. She is still recognisably Shauni, but she is also something more. For Erika, the appearance represents far more than nostalgia. It is a homecoming and a declaration that women do not lose their place in entertainment simply because they are no longer the age they were when the world first noticed them. With new management and publicity representation behind her, Erika is entering this next chapter with a renewed sense of purpose. The aim is not to erase her extraordinary past. It is to expand the public’s understanding of her. She will always be part of Baywatch history. She will always be remembered for E.T., Under Siege, The Beverly Hillbillies and the many other projects that established her career. Those achievements deserve to be celebrated, but Erika’s future should not be confined by them. Today, she is a 56-year-old actress with decades of experience. She is a devoted mother. She is a teacher, director and mentor. She is a woman who has worked with vulnerable people and used her craft to help others find confidence, expression and hope. She has endured depression, stress, personal change and the public cruelty that so often accompanies being a woman who first became famous for her appearance. She has scars. She has tattoos. She has stories. She has lived. Erika is now embracing her natural appearance rather than chasing an impossible recreation of her younger self. She is proud of her age, proud of her individuality and increasingly comfortable showing the rock chick who was always there beneath the polished Hollywood image. She remains beautiful, but her beauty no longer needs to be defined by whether she resembles a photograph taken more than 30 years ago. There is beauty in survival. There is beauty in motherhood. There is beauty in compassion, reinvention and the courage to return after the world has spent years telling you how it thinks you should look. Erika Eleniak is not attempting to become the woman she was. She is finally ready to introduce the world to the woman she has become, and this time, she is doing it entirely on her own terms. Erika Eleniak is represented by The Beverly Hills Agency & Beverly Hills Press Agency. For all press and publicity opportunities, interviews, bookings, personal appearances and any television opportunities, please contact: media@beverlyhillspressagency.com.

Marrakech does something to light that cameras love. With over 300 days of annual sunshine, step outside at golden hour anywhere in the medina - a doorway, a rooftop terrace, the tiled courtyard of a riad - and you are looking at a photograph. That is not a coincidence. It is geography, eleven centuries of history, and a particular quality of North African sun that cinematographers return to constantly. The Marrakech Film Commission was created to make sure they keep coming back. We are not a tourism board. We are a production-focused organization that exists to solve problems before they become problems-permits in place before the location scout has finished the first walk-through, access to sites that would normally take months of negotiation delivered in days, a crew base that has worked with studios from Warner Bros. to Netflix and knows the difference between a first-unit camera truck and a second-unit one. What we offer Hollywood is range without compromise. Within an hour of the city, a production company has access to the ancient medina, a UNESCO World Heritage Site that is still breathing-the pre-Saharan desert, the Atlas Mountains, palm-lined valleys, and a fully modern infrastructure. Just down the road lies Ouarzazate, known as the "Hollywood of Africa," which houses the largest film studio complex in the world. Reliable studio facilities, well-maintained roads, and an international airport with direct connections to Los Angeles, London, and Paris mean most productions shooting in Marrakech never need to move their base. The financial case is equally serious. Morocco’s incentive program returns an uncapped 30% cash rebate on qualifying local expenditure for productions that spend at least $1 million and shoot for 18 days. Not a tax credit buried in paperwork, but a genuine rebate that changes what a budget can accomplish. The Commission works directly with each production to structure their spend and ensure they get the highest return. But ask any producer who has shot here what they remember, and they will not start with the rebate. They will tell you about the morning light on the Koutoubia Minaret. The quiet of a riad courtyard at five in the morning before the city wakes up. An extras call for two hundred people that produced two hundred people who showed up, in costume, on time. The kind of production experience that does not happen everywhere. Marrakech has already served as the backdrop for films and series that between them have grossed billions at the global box office. Whether it is Tom Cruise racing motorcycles in Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation, the intense combat of John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum, the mind-bending dreamscapes of Inception, or sweeping historical epics like Gladiator and Game of Thrones, they all came to Morocco. No other place on earth offers this combination of visual scale, cultural depth, and professional reliability. We are proud of that history. We are more interested in what we have not yet made. The Marrakech Film Commission website

Larry Namer Was Never Supposed to Change Hollywood. He Did Anyway. Larry Namer was making $90 a week. He was not supposed to rewrite the rules of Hollywood. But beneath the streets of New York City, deep inside the underground cable tunnels, Namer was learning the physical wiring of a medium that would soon change the world. He became Vice Chairman of the Cable Television Division of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers before rising through the ranks of Manhattan Cable Television, eventually serving as Director of Operations while overseeing more than 300 employees. Sales and Marketing were later added to his responsibilities before he moved into Corporate Development, where he focused on identifying new commercial applications for cable television. He understood the infrastructure. Soon, he would understand the audience. When Namer relocated to Los Angeles as Vice President and General Manager of Valley Cable Television, he noticed something that nobody else seemed to question. Hollywood studios were spending millions producing movie trailers, only to confine them to cinema screens after audiences had already purchased a ticket. At the same time, MTV had proven that viewers would happily spend hours watching three-minute music videos. The logic seemed obvious. If audiences would watch three-minute songs all day, why wouldn't they watch three-minute movie trailers? He partnered with longtime friend Alan Mruvka and began knocking on doors. For more than three years, the response was relentless. Industry executives insisted ordinary people didn't start television networks. Financial backers claimed they would need as much as $100 million simply to launch. Instead, they secured just $2.5 million. Armed with a team of only 11 employees and 31 interns, they launched Movietime. The gamble paid off. Almost immediately, Namer recognised something even bigger. Viewers weren't simply interested in movie trailers—they wanted access to Hollywood itself. They wanted the celebrities, the premieres, the stories behind the stories and the velvet rope pulled back. Movietime evolved into E! Entertainment Television. What began as an ambitious startup grew into one of the world's most recognisable entertainment brands, broadcasting into more than 140 countries and helping redefine celebrity journalism for a global audience. Through groundbreaking programming including E! News, Talk Soup, Fashion Police, Live from the Red Carpet, E! True Hollywood Story, Keeping Up with the Kardashians and countless other iconic series, the network transformed the way audiences experienced Hollywood and helped launch the careers of some of entertainment's biggest personalities. Most entrepreneurs would have stopped there. Larry Namer never has. Following the success of E!, he turned his attention to international markets, building media businesses in Russia through Comspan Communications before becoming Co-Founder of Metan Global Entertainment Group in China. Long before global media expansion became common practice, Namer was building partnerships between East and West while producing original programming for entirely new audiences. Today, he believes the future of entertainment is every bit as transformative as the birth of cable television. As Chairman of the World Film Institute and a Board Member of Kwaai, Larry is helping shape conversations around artificial intelligence, creator empowerment and the future of storytelling. He sees AI not as a replacement for creativity, but as a tool capable of lowering production costs, accelerating development and giving independent creators opportunities that once belonged only to major studios. He is also actively involved in the rapidly expanding world of vertical storytelling—premium, mobile-first dramas designed specifically for smartphone audiences. To Larry, the rise of vertical content feels remarkably similar to the early days of cable television. Once again, audience behaviour is changing faster than the traditional industry can respond. And once again, he intends to be part of what comes next. Beyond media, Larry continues to develop projects with a strong social impact, including Financial Wellness for Millennials, Conscious Parenting and Natasha After Dark, while advising emerging technology companies and serving as Executive Producer of Empress, a major limited television series telling the story of Wu Zetian, the only woman in history to rule China as Emperor. He also serves on the Board of Kwaai, helping champion the responsible democratisation of personal artificial intelligence. He advises FireFoX, a company developing next-generation firefighting technologies, and is a Founding Member of the Academy of Arts, Culture & Sports, supporting initiatives that recognise excellence while encouraging collaboration across the creative industries. Looking ahead, Larry is also Co-Founder of The Beverly Hills Awards™, a new annual awards ceremony set to launch during the 2027 awards season. Conceived in partnership with The Beverly Hills Agency, which represents Larry across the entertainment industry, and Ashleigh Cahn, Publisher of Beverly Hills Living Magazine, the Awards were created with a shared vision of celebrating the very best of Beverly Hills while bringing together entertainment, business, philanthropy and the local community. Set to be developed in collaboration with the City of Beverly Hills, the Mayor's Office and the Beverly Hills Chamber of Commerce, the event is envisioned as a premier live-streamed awards celebration recognising excellence across entertainment, business, philanthropy, innovation and the creative industries, while honouring the people, businesses and organisations that have helped shape the legacy of Beverly Hills. Plans for the inaugural event include celebrity hosts, internationally recognised presenters, global music performances, special guest appearances, world-renowned speakers, influential business leaders, philanthropists and some of the biggest names in entertainment, creating a spectacular celebration worthy of one of the world's most iconic cities. The Beverly Hills Awards™ is set to become one of the defining new events of the international awards season and the new hottest ticket in town, bringing together global stars, world-class entertainment and the very best of Beverly Hills while further elevating the city's international profile, prestige and cultural influence. With plans for a premium televised and streamed production and a broader calendar of community-focused experiences, The Beverly Hills Awards™ is set to become one of the city's most anticipated events, and one of the hottest tickets in town. Every generation believes it has discovered the final form of media, Larry knows better. The future is always moving. He explores that philosophy throughout his memoir, OffScript: My Journey Through the Media Maze, chronicling his journey from a $90-a-week cable splicer to Co-Founder of E! Entertainment Television. His forthcoming second book, Two Minute Television, shifts the focus from his past to the future of the industry, exploring how artificial intelligence, vertical storytelling and mobile-first content are transforming the way the world creates, distributes and consumes entertainment. It's a fitting next chapter for someone who has spent more than five decades staying one step ahead of where media is going next. Today, Larry shares those lessons with audiences around the world through fireside conversations, keynote presentations, conferences, corporate events, film festivals, universities and executive leadership forums. Practical, candid and shaped by more than five decades at the forefront of global entertainment, his talks offer a rare perspective from someone who didn't simply witness the evolution of modern media—he helped build it. Larry Namer is represented by the Beverly Hills Press Agency. For all media and interview requests, he can be reached directly at Media@BeverlyHillsPressAgency.com.

From creating viral comedy content and movie parodies online to managing international tours for one of the greatest icons in music history. This is the extraordinary journey of Ludovico Aldasio, the Italian professional who today works as Head of Communications and Tour Manager for Gloria Gaynor, the legendary voice behind I Will Survive, one of the most iconic songs ever recorded. Aldasio’s role goes far beyond the traditional responsibilities of a tour manager. He works on the global communication strategy surrounding Gloria Gaynor’s brand, developing digital campaigns and social media strategies designed to strengthen the connection with longtime fans while introducing the legendary artist to new generations around the world. At the same time, as Tour Manager, Aldasio plays a key role in coordinating international performances, working alongside promoters, organizers, and industry professionals to bring Gloria Gaynor’s to audiences across different countries. Among the most significant recent success are Gloria Gaynor’s Italian shows in Milan on June bringing the Queen of Dance Music back to Italy for two special events. These performances are part of an international journey that has taken the legendary artist across countries including Spain, France, Morocco, the US, and the UK. Behind this international career is a story that began far away from traditional entertainment management. Before entering the world of artist relations and global communication, Ludovico Aldasio built his name through social media, first with comedy videos and later with movie parody content that gained international attention and reached millions of viewers. His creativity, unique style, and ability to connect with audiences online opened unexpected doors. One of the turning points in his career came when Academy Award-winning actor Jamie Foxx discovered his work, followed him on social media, and personally reached out to him from the United States. That moment became an important step toward a new chapter, introducing Aldasio to an American entertainment environment full of opportunities and international connections. After living between the United States and the United Kingdom, Aldasio continued developing his expertise in communication, branding, and entertainment. Today, based in Italy while maintaining a global professional network, he works with major international projects, including his role as Artist PR Manager for Warner in the United States, while also managing communications for various companies, artists, and organizations. “Working with Gloria Gaynor is an incredible privilege,” says Ludovico Aldasio. “Being the Tour Manager of an artist who has shaped the history of worldwide music is something truly unique. Gloria became a legend in a time when TikTok, Instagram, and social media did not exist. Her success was built on pure talent, dedication, determination, and an authentic connection with people. Even today, after turning 80, her energy, discipline, and passion remain extraordinary. She continues to inspire everyone around her.” The legacy of I Will Survive continues to cross generations, making Gloria Gaynor not only a symbol of disco music but a true global cultural icon. Her ability to remain relevant decades after her first success is a testament to her artistry, resilience, and vision. Today, Aldasio’s mission is to help preserve that legacy while creating new opportunities for the future. Through communication strategies, digital storytelling, and international tour management, he contributes to bringing Gloria Gaynor’s music and message to audiences worldwide. The journey is far from over. While the summer tour approaches its final dates, preparations are already underway for the upcoming winter tour, alongside new musical projects that will introduce another chapter in Gloria Gaynor’s extraordinary career. For Ludovico Aldasio, this represents another milestone in a path built on creativity, international vision, and the ability to transform opportunities into achievements. From viral videos on social media to standing beside one of the greatest legends in music history, his story reflects how innovation, passion, and determination can open the doors to the global entertainment industry.

Markos Papadatos spoke with 10-year-old Greek-American singer Maria Tagaris. She sat down and chatted about her love for performing, and singing “Athina Mou” for Greek pop superstar Konstantinos Argiros, and it went viral. Margaret Mead once said: “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; it’s the only thing that ever has.” This quote applies to Maria Tagaris. On performing for Konstantinos Argiros at the Holy Resurrection Greek Orthodox Church in Brookville, Maria shared, “That felt really amazing! I really couldn’t believe that I was standing next to Konstantinos singing.” Maria is drawn to Argiros’ music to several reasons. “I love his voice. I love his style and I really like his dances,” she said. Maria went on to list “Athina Mou” and “KABANES” as her two personal favorite songs of his. Speaking of Konstantinos Argiros, she listed him as her dream duet choice in music. “Konstantinos was probably one of the first singers who introduced me to music,” she said. Not only was her vocal performance well-received, her video went viral, touching Greeks and fans all over the globe. Regarding her future plans, Maria shared, “I will probably try to become a professional singer and follow my dreams in music.” Maria admitted that it “feels really good” to be a part of the Greek-American community in the United States. “I think without Greek music, I wouldn’t be here doing this,” she noted. Maria defined the word success as follows: “Success means accomplishing a goal and moving on with my life and being proud of myself.” She opened up about her Greek heritage. “My father is from Peloponnese, which is from my Papou’s side. Then, my yiayia is from Athens, and my mom is Bulgarian.” For her new fans and supporters, Maria expressed, “I would like to say thank you for supporting me. I hope one day I get to become a huge star, and I hope you guys are still watching me sing. Thank you!” To learn more about Greek-American singer Maria Tagaris, follow her on Instagram. Review of her performance 10-year-old Greek-American singer Maria Tagaris recently performed for Greek pop superstar Konstantinos Argiros at the Holy Resurrection Greek Orthodox Church in Brookville on Long Island. She left everyone in total awe of her talent. This event was a part of Argiros’ pop-up events in New York, which were in support of his latest studio album “KABANES.” Maria sang a few verses of his signature song “Athina Mou” a cappella, and in doing so, she was able to blow everyone away, including Konstantinos Argiros himself, the fans at the actual event, this journalist, and the viewers who were tuning in from home (because the video clip has gone viral, and rightfully so. Maria Tagaris absolutely stole the spotlight with her incredible singing performance for Konstantinos Argiros. She sang in Greek, which is impressive in and of itself, and she maintained great control over her crisp, crystalline voice. She brought so much passion and emotion to Argiros’ signature song, and it was neat to hear it sung from a young female perspective. Maria did not appear nervous at all, and she was completely in her element. Despite being in the presence of a Greek pop mega-star (such as Argiros), she held her own with confidence and grace as she displayed her immense talent and powerful vocal range. This was such a heartwarming moment where Maria Tagaris was able to put smiles on people’s faces and leave everybody in goosebumps. In this day and age, smiles, levity, and positivity are desperately needed. Overall, the people might have gone to the Holy Resurrection Greek Orthodox Church as fans of Konstantinos Argiros, but they also left as fans of Maria Tagaris as well. “Thank you everyone. This was an amazing experience for me,” Maria Tagaris exclaimed in a post on social media. Hopefully, this is a harbinger of more great things to come from Maria Tagaris in the future. Her future in the music and entertainment industry ought to be bright and promising because she has the natural talent, warmth and charisma to make it big. Maria proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that she is a rising star to watch, and her captivating vocal performance left everyone wanting to hear more. Her performance at the Holy Resurrection Greek Orthodox Church garnered two giant thumbs up. She deserves to become the next Areti Ketime in music, and she should be commended for making all us Greek-Americans proud of our heritage.