Co-founders of Xclusive (a BREAKTHROUGH company) — International Celebrity Booking Agency, Fabian Martin and Elena Solina shine a light on working with celebrities and how A-listers are coping with Covid-19. When did you start BREAKTHROUGH Xclusive? We started BREAKTHROUGH as a company back in 2014, the Xclusive brand came out in 2018. We are always on the lookout for further business advancement and Xclusive has been our fastest growing venture so far. Why did you choose Celebrity Booking? Celebrity Booking chose us in fact, we started to notice a lot of requests coming in to book celebrities for private events from various parts of the world. This made us realize the sizeable market opportunity in this area, so we decided to package it into a separate brand — Xclusive, that has become our core business now. What sets you apart from similar companies in this business? Our clients are UHNW individuals, who indulge in premium services and exclusive experiences. Xclusive stands by its pledge of excellence while delivering the highest quality standard to the most influential and reputed families and brands globally. We work only with A-list celebrities across all sectors (music, movies, sports, social media and more). It’s an extremely secretive circle, but we have always wanted to work in this niche only — to be the best you need to work with the best! Being a proudly independent agency, one of our other strong points is building relationships across the Hollywood spectrum, which allows for our uncapped ability to book any artist our client chooses. How does the booking process work? First of all let me say that having a Celebrity at your event is an exceptional idea, this elevates the status of your gathering exceedingly. It does require a lot of planning and patience, however the benefits are unparalleled. There is a huge difference between booking a Celebrity and a professional Entertainer. Working with a professional entertainer assumes certain levels of flexibility from the performer’s side, however a Celebrity is bound by contractual agreements only. Some key details we require on all celebrity booking journeys are budget, event date, location, number of attendees and type of celebrity engagement — this is the bare minimum for a discussion starter. What is the biggest challenge of being a Celebrity Booking Agency? Budget expectations are very different in this industry. We are quite transparent from the beginning that this is an expensive pleasure, at the same time what is just expensive for one person can be an unimaginable amount for another. Secondly we often get calls requesting for a price list, while this is a legitimate question for many other industries, it does not exist in the celebrity booking business. Fees are derived from many aspects, primarily current popularity and their demand at the moment of inquiry. What are some of the most interesting requests you have received ? Wow, where do we start? Ok, the requests that stand out mostly are: getting a personal whatsapp video message from the #1 Tiktok star for a recovering family member in hospital, a secret New Year’s eve performance by a grammy nominated singer for a group of close friends only. The prize though goes to the bride who wanted to replicate the video of “Sugar” by Maroon 5 — unfortunately the band was not available on the date :) How did the pandemic effect the industry? The negative impact that Covid-19 had on live entertainment has been a blessing to the virtual engagements. We have noticed the rise of popularity for actors and social media stars as everyone has their eyes glued to their devices nowadays. Another interesting aspect is that a lot of the A-listers like Will Smith, Jason Derulo and The Rock have turned to vlogging in order to stay in touch with their audience — hence an even higher popularity growth. From our side we have also focused on expanding Xclusive by extending our offering to the corporate world — brands which are looking to benefit from A-listers online popularity and grow their recognition globally.
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Democratic vice presidential nominee Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA), rated the most far-left senator last year, made numerous false or misleading statements during the debate last night against Vice President Mike Pence. The 90-minute debate in Salt Lake City came after President Donald Trump and Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden squared off in their first debate last week. The debate between Pence and Harris was significantly more civil with fewer interruptions from both candidates and less interference from the moderator. Many of the “fact-checks” that were published after the debate focused almost exclusively on comments that Pence made and most ignored comments that Harris made. For example, ABC News published a fact-check report that evaluated 12 statements made by Pence, but only one statement made by Harris. CBS News evaluated six statements made by Pence and only three made by Harris. Other fact checks that were available online were done in a similar way. However, Harris made dozens of false or misleading statements during the debate—the Trump campaign, for example, counted at least 24. The following are five false or misleading statements that were made by Harris during the debate: 1. HARRIS: “The president said [coronavirus] was a hoax.” This is is not true and it has repeatedly been debunked by The Washington Post, The Associated Press, CNN, PolitiFact, FactCheck.org, and Check Your Fact. 2. HARRIS: “The American people know that Joe Biden will not ban fracking. That is a fact. That is a fact.” Biden, and Harris, have both repeatedly expressed support for getting rid of fracking. Biden has said that there would be “no” place in his administration for fossil fuels in his administration and he would make sure they are “eliminated.” Biden also is on video saying, “I guarantee you we’re going to end fossil fuels.” Harris, on the other hand, said during a CNN town hall that “there’s no question I’m in favor of banning fracking.” 3. HARRIS: “Joe Biden is the one who, during the Great Recession, was responsible for the Recovery Act that brought America back. And now, the Trump-Pence Administration wants to take credit when they rode the coattails of Joe Biden’s success for the economy that they had at the beginning of their term. Of course, now the economy is a complete disaster, but Joe Biden on the one hand did that. On the other hand, you have Donald Trump who has reigned over a recession that is being compared to the Great Depression.” It is true that the economy was generally trending the right way under the Obama administration after the administration had the slowest economic recovery since World War II. However, when Biden claimed in the first debate that the Obama administration left the Trump administration a “booming economy” and Trump “caused the recession,” The New York Times rated the statement as “false.” The New York Times reported: The economy was not “booming” in the final year of Mr. Biden’s time as vice president, and Mr. Trump did not “cause” the pandemic recession. When President Barack Obama and Mr. Biden left office, the economy was healthy, though growth had dipped below 2 percent in 2016 in part because of a contraction in business investment stemming in part from a plunge in oil prices rippling through America’s energy industry. Unemployment had fallen steadily. Under Mr. Trump, economic growth accelerated from 2016, spurred by the fiscal stimulus of tax cuts and increased government spending and continued monetary stimulus from the Federal Reserve. The first three years of Mr. Trump’s presidency were similar, in terms of economic and job growth, to the first three years of Mr. Obama’s second term. The coronavirus pandemic plunged the United States into recession this spring. Mr. Biden and others have criticized Mr. Trump’s response to it, blaming him for deaths from the virus and a contraction in economic activity. But there is no evidence Mr. Trump’s actions caused the recession: every major wealthy country in the world has experienced a sharp economic contraction along with its outbreak of the virus. 4. HARRIS: “[The Obama-Biden Administration] created within the White House an office that basically was responsible for monitoring pandemics. [The Trump-Pence Administration] got rid of it.” This is misleading. USA Today noted that the notion that Trump got rid of the whole thing is not accurate. “The Directorate of Global Health Security and Biodefense was disbanded under Trump’s then-national security adviser John Bolton,” the newspaper reported. “But Trump didn’t fire its members. Some resigned, and others moved to different units on the National Security Council.” 5. HARRIS: “And on the other side, there were neo-Nazis carrying Tiki torches, shouting racial epithets, anti-Semitic slurs. And Donald Trump when asked about it said, ‘There were fine people on both sides.'” This is a lie that has repeatedly been debunked. Trump specifically condemned “neo-Nazis and white nationalists,” saying, “they should be condemned totally.” Eddie Van Halen, the legendary guitarist and co-founder of Van Halen has died after a long battle with throat cancer. He died at St. John's Hospital in Santa Monica Tuesday. His wife, Janie , was by his side, along with his son, Wolfgang, and Alex, Eddie's brother and drummer. Eddie has been battling cancer for well over a decade. Our sources say he's been in and out of the hospital over the past year including last November for intestinal issues and recently underwent a round of chemo. Last year Eddie was flying between the US and Germany for 5 years to get radiation treatment. Though he was a heavy smoker for years, he believes he developed throat cancer from a metal guitar pick he used to frequently hold in his mouth more than 20 years ago. Of course, Eddie himself was considered one of the best and most influential guitarists of all time who first made a name for himself with his solo on Van Halen's "Eruption." Eddie formed the classic rock group in Pasadena in 1972 with his brother, Alex, on drums, Michael Anthony on bass and David Lee Roth singing. Eddie served as the main songwriter on their self-titled debut album in 1978 which launched the group into rock superstardom in the '80s. They went on to pump out hit after hit, including "Runnin' with the Devil," "Unchained," "Hot for Teacher," "Panama" and "Jump" and continued their success with Sammy Hagar on lead vocals after the departure of Roth in 1985. While the band had already achieved hard rock superstardom, Eddie became a pop culture icon with the 1983 release of Michael Jackson's "Beat It" which featured Eddie's iconic guitar solo. Though some members of Van Halen have changed, Eddie and Alex were the constants in the band with Eddie's acclaimed guitar work being the focal point of their legacy. Van Halen was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2007, and Eddie is widely considered one the greatest guitar players of all time. He is survived by his wife Janie and his son. U.S. President Donald Trump said on Friday that he and his wife Melania had tested positive for COVID-19 and were going into quarantine, upending the race for the White House.
“We will begin our quarantine and recovery process immediately. We will get through this TOGETHER!” the president said in a late night tweet. TikTok, the video-sharing social network, has seen rapid growth in the United States. But with tensions between Washington and Beijing mounting amid the pandemic, analysts and officials have become increasingly concerned that the app, which is owned by the Beijing-based company ByteDance, could give the Chinese government access to a wide range of user data. The United States is not alone. Here are some other countries that have raised alarm over TikTok. India Before India banned TikTok this summer, it was available in 14 languages and had an estimated 200 million users in the country — its largest market outside of China. The move came after 20 Indian soldiers were killed in a border clash with Chinese troops in the Himalayas on June 16. Tensions spiked between the two countries, and India imposed bans on more than 50 Chinese apps, including TikTok and messaging app WeChat. The European Union TikTok announced a new “extraordinary achievement”: more than 100 million active users across Europe. While the app’s popularity soared in countries including France, Spain and Britain, tensions between European governments and China have mounted, with Wang Yi, China’s foreign minister, facing a frosty reception when he arrived in Europe for a week-long tour earlier this month. Italy and France piled on pressure, asking Wang about diminishing freedoms in Hong Kong and Beijing’s treatment of the Muslim-minority Uighurs. In Berlin, the German foreign minister accused him of making threatening comments toward European officials. The E.U. hasn’t issued any formal ban of TikTok, but the app has come under scrutiny from data protection watchdogs, who launched a probe into its privacy policies in July. The concern from one of the strictest international bodies on data protection echoed those of other countries who were investigating how the app utilizes user information. Japan A team of lawmakers in Japan is reportedly building a case to take to the Japanese government this month to urge officials to examine Chinese apps in the country and their handling of user data. Japanese lawmakers from the country’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party say personal information must be protected, and they are seeking to restrict the use of TikTok and other Chinese-owned apps, despite their growing popularity. “Not only President Trump but also other countries such as the U.K. and India, are gradually becoming aware of the risks,” Akira Amari, a ruling Liberal Democratic Party lawmaker, said on Fuji Television Network over the weekend, Bloomberg reported. “Since there’re so many countries pointing out the risks, Japan cannot just stand by and watch.” Australia Australia’s government is conducting investigations into the app, according to media reports. The Australian Broadcasting Corp. reported that Trump ally Prime Minister Scott Morrison has instructed the country’s intelligence agencies and its Department of Home Affairs to investigate the app’s potential security threat and its data and privacy policies. Last week, Morrison joined the growing chorus of voices demanding that the app remove a video of an American man taking his own life on the platform. Morrison said it was TikTok’s responsibility to stop exposing young people to “horrifying content.” “My government will be making sure that we do everything to hold you to account,” Morrison warned. Turkey President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has long sought to tighten his grip on social media, with parliament recently passing legislation that effectively bans Facebook, Twitter and YouTube from operating unless they comply with government plans to regulate key platforms. From October, all major social media platforms must have a responsive local representative in the country who can comply with court orders and block or take down posts deemed problematic by the government. Anadolu Agency, Turkey’s state-run news company, announced in July that the country’s Personal Data Protection Authority had began an investigation into TikTok and how the platform handles personal data. Indonesia Privacy and geopolitical tension with China are not the only reasons TikTok has run afoul of governments. Indonesia temporarily banned the app in 2018, citing concerns including “pornography, inappropriate content and blasphemy.” The ban was lifted less than a week later after the app agreed to censor some of its content. Pakistan Pakistan’s government issued a “final warning” to TikTok in July over concerns similar to those of Indonesia, saying the app would be blocked in the country if it did not remove “immoral, obscene, and vulgar content” from the platform. The country, which maintains close ties with China, said its telecommunications authority had issued a previous warning but found unsatisfactory results. “Searches for VPNs, side-loading apps and other technical workarounds to beat the ban will rocket as users try to figure out ways to feed their TikTok cravings,” he said. Stranger Things is returning for a fourth season on Netflix at some point in 2021. Production on season 4 has begun ramping up and there’s a tonne we already know about season 4 of Stranger Things. Here’s everything you need to know about season 4 of Stranger Things so far including production updates, what to expect and anything else related.
The Duffer Brothers and all the cast and crew involved have done an incredible job making Stranger Things the flagship show on Netflix. Since the series debut in July 2016, the show has gone from strength to strength and is now embodied in pop culture. So, let’s get to it. Here’s everything you need to know on Stranger Things season 4 last updated in September 2020. BREAKTHROUGH Xclusive, co-founded by Fabian Martin and Elena Solina is a celebrity booking agency based in the beautiful city of Dubai, they have published a comprehensive list of the Highest Paid Actors of 2020.
With movie theaters shut down over the last 5 months, the world became an even smaller place as entertainment was reduced to the 6.9inch display of a smart phone forcing us to bid adieu to mixed popcorn tubs & soda slashes and, tucked into our favorite couches, to binge on Netflix, Amazon or Apple TV. Netflix’s secret is not in the box office results but in the monthly subscriptions it can sign up and retain. This includes the number of times a film is streamed and repeat viewings, the actor’s social media following also helps to push these numbers forward. Amazon Prime is in 2nd place and chasing hard, however, Netflix manages to stay one up on the competition and have issued $140.5 million worth of checks to six of the top ten actors in the list. 1. Dwayne Johnson ( $87.5M ) Better known as The Rock from his WWE Days, Dwayne Johnson is the world’s highest-paid actor with massive payouts coming in for his forthcoming films “Black Adam” and “Red Notice”. His Under Armor line Project Rock is quite successful selling clothing, shoes and headphones. 2. Ryan Reynolds ( $71.5M ) Ryan Reynolds made more than $20 million per movie on Six Underground and Red Notice. In July, the streaming giant announced it was shelling out for a third Reynolds film, which will undoubtedly mean another eight-figure payday making him Netflix’s current golden boy. 3. Mark Wahlberg ( $58M ) Marky Mark is back thanks to a couple of eight-figure checks from Netflix for “Spenser Confidential” and upcoming sci-fi film, “Infinite”. The movie star has also been busy behind camera, producing “McMillions” for HBO as well as the Quibi docuseries “Run This City”. He is quite the investor and holds stakes in his family’s burger chain Wahlburgers. 4. Ben Affleck ( $55M ) Affleck returned to the big screen this year, starring in “The Way Back” and Netflix’s “The Last Thing He Wanted”. He’s collected eight-figure salaries for upcoming films Medieval thriller “The Last Duel” and action film “Hypnotic”. 5. Vin Diesel ( $54M ) The Fast and Furious franchise is a goldmine for Diesel, who earned nearly $20 million upfront for the upcoming “F9”, he missed out though on the chance to collect a massive back-end payday this year after the film’s release was pushed to April 2021. He kept the franchise embers burning by acting as producer on the animated Netflix series “Fast & Furious Spy Racers”. The pandemic also affected his action flick “Bloodshot” which was pushed to video on demand platforms only 11 days after being released in theaters. 6. Akshay Kumar ( $48.5M ) Bollywood star Akshay Kumar is working on his first television series “The End” for Amazon Prime. He commands up to $13 million upfront for films like the upcoming “Bachan Pandey” and “Bell Bottom”. Most of his money, though, comes from endorsement deals. He is also one of India’s most philanthropic celebrities, donated $4.5 million to coronavirus relief in the country. 7. Lin-Manuel Miranda ( $45.5M ) Creator of the hit musical “Hamilton”, he made his inaugural appearance on the 2020 Celebrity 100 as Disney acquired worldwide movie rights for the movie to the tune of $75 million. Miranda helped create a $1 million emergency relief fund to benefit artists impacted by COVID-19 in Puerto Rico. 8. Will Smith ( $44.5M ) Smith began a new approach to social media in 2017 and now collects millions through Instagram, YouTube and TikTok, but the Fresh Prince can still earn big checks in Hollywood for lead parts, such as his upcoming role in King Richard where he portrays Richard Williams — father of tennis greats Serena and Venus. His next project is Netflix’s “Bright 2”, which reportedly comes with one of streaming’s highest paychecks ever. 9. Adam Sandler ( $41M ) The comedian has found his home at Netflix. In January, he signed a deal to create four more movies for the platform after his film “Murder Mystery” became one of the streamer’s most-popular films of all time. While his dramatic role in “Uncut Gems” gained critical attention, it’s his his eight-figure paydays from Netflix that pays the bills. He still does stand up and grosses more than $400,000 per show. 10. Jackie Chan ( $40M ) Six decades into his career, Chan is still starring in action flicks like “The Mystery of Dragon Seal: Journey to China” and “Project X-Traction”. His films have grossed more than $2.6 billion at the worldwide box office. He pads his film income with millions from endorsement and licensing deals. 11. Kevin Hart ( $39M ) Although the funnyman took a break from touring, in 2019 he released his latest special “Kevin Hart: Irresponsible” on Netflix. He appeared in two “Jumanji” remakes that made a combined $1.8 billion at the box office. Hart also has a number of lucrative sponsorships with companies including Fabletics and Chase. Source: https://breakthroughdxb.com/news/celebrity-booking/top-11-highest-paid-actors-2020/ |
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