Latest news with #100Zeros'
Time of India
06-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Google enters film and TV production with new "100 Zeros" initiative
Google has reportedly launched a new film and television production wing signalling the company's entrance into entertainment industry. As reported by Business Insider, the initiative named '100 Zeros' will focus on the funding and co-producing a variety of film and TV projects. Google has entered into a multiyear partnership with Range Media Partners , a well-established talent firm and production company known for its involvement in films such as "A Complete Unknown" and "Longlegs."As per the report with 100 Zeros, Google's goal is to encourage the creative community to adopt its latest technology products and services, including Immersive View (which enables 3D viewing) and other spatial tools. The report further adds that last year, 100 Zeros quietly backed the marketing of the indie horror film 'Cuckoo', and two upcoming films—'Sweetwater' and 'LUCID'—are set to release later this year. These projects aim to highlight AI's role in storytelling and immersive experiences."Through our continued partnership with Range, we aim to collaborate with the Hollywood creative community in a thoughtful and productive way, upkeeping our ongoing commitment to responsibly support creative expression and explore thepossibilities of technology through storytelling," a Google spokesperson told Business report also identifies key personnel involved in 100 Zeros, including Penny Lin, a film producer at Range, and development executives Casey Durant and Tony Nguyen. Rachel Douglas, a partner and manager at Range, oversees the relationship with Google. On the Google side, Jonathan Zepp, the managing director of emerging content experiences, is the primary contact."This initiative is different in that it's staffed by full- time people who come out of Hollywood and are housed at and supported by Range," Douglas of 100 Zeros told Business Google's ownership of YouTube, the company is not using the platform as the primary distribution channel for 100 Zeros. Instead, the goal is to sell projects to traditional studios and streaming platforms like Netflix.
Hindustan Times
06-05-2025
- Business
- Hindustan Times
Google launches film, TV production initiative amid cost struggles in Hollywood: Report
Alphabet-owned Google has launched a new film and TV production initiative to scout for potential projects to fund or co-produce amid challenges of rising production costs, Business Insider reported on Monday. Google's '100 Zeros' initiative will be a multi-year partnership with Range Media Partners, a talent firm and production company known for projects like 'A Complete Unknown' and 'Longlegs.' Through the initiative, Google is looking to increase the adoption of its Artificial Intelligence (AI) and spatial computing tools to blend the physical and virtual worlds, the report said. Also read | Google accidentally leaks Android's next big redesign, here's what's coming '100 Zeros' backed the marketing of indie horror film 'Cuckoo' as it was also one of the co-producers of the last year's project. Google's initiative is expected to help the Hollywood grappling with higher production costs following the 2023 strike by actors and writers. US President Donald Trump's announcement of 100% tariff on foreign made films is also expected to disrupt the industry. Two films, "Sweetwater" and 'LUCID', are expected to release later this year as the result of the search engine giant's partnership with Range Media. The deal will result in the two companies working over the next 18 months to commission films about AI, the report said. Google's products like the Gemini AI is expected to benefit using the cultural appeal of Hollywood films and gain a chance to compete with rivals like OpenAI's ChatGPT. Also read | Google outlines ambitious future for AI assistant Gemini ahead of I/O 2025 According to the report, the companies are not looking at YouTube as a primary distribution platform for 100 Zeros' work and instead are looking to sell to traditional studios and streaming platforms like Netflix. 'YouTube Originals' was Google's venture into original programming in 2016. The project was shuttered in 2022 as it pivoted back to its core focus on user-generated videos and focused on its TikTok-style short-form offering, Shorts.
Business Insider
05-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Business Insider
Google has quietly entered the movie and TV business. Here's why.
Google wants to use Hollywood to upgrade its cool factor. The tech giant has quietly launched a new film and TV production initiative, Business Insider has learned. The effort, called 100 Zeros, is a multiyear partnership with Range Media Partners, the talent firm and production company whose notable films include "A Complete Unknown" and "Longlegs." It's tasked with identifying projects that Google can help fund or produce. The goal is to get behind an array of scripted and unscripted films and TV shows. (The companies wouldn't comment on a number or timeframe.) Google has a few goals with 100 Zeros. The company sees it as a way to get the creative community to adopt its newer tech products and services, like its Immersive View feature that lets you see things in 3D, spatial tools that blend the physical and virtual worlds, and AI. Google also wants to promote a positive view of its products — and tech generally — through entertainment to young audiences by helping shape pop culture. Last year, 100 Zeros quietly dipped a toe in the water, putting some marketing dollars behind an indie horror film from Neon, "Cuckoo." In exchange, 100 Zeros' logo was prominently shown in the opening credits. Google didn't seek any publicity for the move, but it was indicative of the alignments it wants: A celebrated indie studio ("Parasite," "Anora") and a movie aimed at Gen Z and starring Hunter Schafer, known for "Euphoria" and the "Hunger Games" franchise. In another step in that direction, Google and Range announced a partnership this spring called "AI On Screen" to commission short films about AI, with the goal of making two into feature films. Here's how it described one of the shorts, "Sweetwater": "When the son of a late celebrity visits his childhood home, a piece of fan mail reveals a startling AI, forcing him to reconcile his mother's legacy." "Through our continued partnership with Range, we aim to collaborate with the Hollywood creative community in a thoughtful and productive way, upkeeping our ongoing commitment to responsibly support creative expression and explore the possibilities of technology through storytelling," a Google spokesperson said in a statement. Google wants to make Android cool In projects where Google is involved early on, the company wouldn't mind if characters clutched Android phones instead of iPhones and used its features like "Circle to Search." That's provided the integration isn't forced. Product placement isn't 100 Zeros' main focus, however. Google has a separate effort with United Talent Agency for marketing partnerships like its recent ones with "The White Lotus" and "Wicked" to promote the Pixel. One of the ways Google will judge the success of the initiative is how it impacts popular sentiment around the company's products and services. Google dominates the global mobile phone market, but is outsold by Apple in the US. Apple has gained a strong following with Gen Z with its luxury image and blue text bubbles that can make Android users feel left out. Its phones have become entrenched in pop culture, appearing in buzzy titles like "Succession" and "Knives Out." Piper Sandler's spring survey found 88% of US teens owned an iPhone. Beyond Android, Google search is losing its hold on young people, who are increasingly going to AI or other platforms like Amazon and TikTok for answers to their questions. Google isn't looking at YouTube as a distributor Consumer brands are increasingly using Hollywood-style entertainment to spread their messages, as it's gotten harder to get people's attention with traditional ads. The interest is welcome in cash-strapped Hollywood. A common approach by brands is to lean on established filmmakers and agencies to develop or produce projects. A handful of brands like Procter & Gamble and WeTransfer have gone further and hired in-house expertise. Google's efforts are similar to those of Waffle Iron Entertainment, a studio Nike set up to make original entertainment that aligns with the company's goals while operating at arm's length. 100 Zeros has a small dedicated staff: Penny Lin, a film producer at Range, and development execs Casey Durant and Tony Nguyen. Rachel Douglas, partner and manager at Range, oversees the relationship with Google. On the Google side, the point person is Jonathan Zepp, the managing director of emerging content experiences. "This initiative is different in that it's staffed by full-time people who come out of Hollywood and are housed at and supported by Range," Douglas said of 100 Zeros. Consumer brands' flirtation with films isn't guaranteed to last. Some have been halting or slowing film projects amid President Donald Trump's tariffs and attacks on DEI. Even before the tariff news hit, some corporations that had made commitments to the space — including Starbucks, Marriott, and Southwest Airlines — laid off marketers who worked in filmed entertainment as a part of larger corporate cuts, a reminder of the tenuous nature of the work. One aspect of 100 Zeros that people might find surprising is that it's not looking to leverage YouTube as a primary distribution platform. YouTube has become a TV juggernaut and has been working to make itself a home for premium programming. But 100 Zeros isn't trying to recreate YouTube Originals, the platform's onetime stab at making original shows, or even use YouTube as the first stop for these projects. Instead, the goal is to sell projects to traditional studios and streamers like Netflix.
Business Insider
05-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Business Insider
Google is heading to Hollywood to upgrade its star power
Google wants to use Hollywood to upgrade its cool factor. The tech giant has quietly launched a new film and TV production initiative, Business Insider has learned. The effort, called 100 Zeros, is a multiyear partnership with Range Media Partners, the talent firm and production company whose notable films include "A Complete Unknown" and "Longlegs." It's tasked with identifying projects that Google can help fund or produce. The goal is to get behind an array of scripted and unscripted films and TV shows. (The companies wouldn't comment on a number or timeframe.) Google has a few goals with 100 Zeros. The company sees it as a way to get the creative community to adopt its newer tech products and services, like its Immersive View feature that lets you see things in 3D, spatial tools that blend the physical and virtual worlds, and AI. Google also wants to promote a positive view of its products — and tech generally — through entertainment to young audiences by helping shape pop culture. Last year, 100 Zeros quietly dipped a toe in the water, putting some marketing dollars behind an indie horror film from Neon, "Cuckoo." In exchange, 100 Zeros' logo was prominently shown in the opening credits. Google didn't seek any publicity for the move, but it was indicative of the alignments it wants: A celebrated indie studio ("Parasite," "Anora") and a movie aimed at Gen Z and starring Hunter Schafer, known for "Euphoria" and the "Hunger Games" franchise. In another step in that direction, Google and Range announced a partnership this spring called "AI On Screen" to commission short films about AI, with the goal of making two into feature films. Here's how it described one of the shorts, "Sweetwater": "When the son of a late celebrity visits his childhood home, a piece of fan mail reveals a startling AI, forcing him to reconcile his mother's legacy." "Through our continued partnership with Range, we aim to collaborate with the Hollywood creative community in a thoughtful and productive way, upkeeping our ongoing commitment to responsibly support creative expression and explore the possibilities of technology through storytelling," a Google spokesperson said in a statement. Google wants to make Android cool In projects where Google is involved early on, the company wouldn't mind if characters clutched Android phones instead of iPhones and used its features like "Circle to Search." That's provided the integration isn't forced. Product placement isn't 100 Zeros' main focus, however. Google has a separate effort with United Talent Agency for marketing partnerships like its recent ones with "The White Lotus" and "Wicked" to promote the Pixel. One of the ways Google will judge the success of the initiative is how it impacts popular sentiment around the company's products and services. Google dominates the global mobile phone market, but is outsold by Apple in the US. Apple has gained a strong following with Gen Z with its luxury image and blue text bubbles that can make Android users feel left out. Its phones have become entrenched in pop culture, appearing in buzzy titles like "Succession" and "Knives Out." Piper Sandler's spring survey found 88% of US teens owned an iPhone. Beyond Android, Google search is losing its hold on young people, who are increasingly going to AI or other platforms like Amazon and TikTok for answers to their questions. Google isn't looking at YouTube as a distributor Consumer brands are increasingly using Hollywood-style entertainment to spread their messages, as it's gotten harder to get people's attention with traditional ads. The interest is welcome in cash-strapped Hollywood. A common approach by brands is to lean on established filmmakers and agencies to develop or produce projects. A handful of brands like Procter & Gamble and WeTransfer have gone further and hired in-house expertise. Google's efforts are similar to those of Waffle Iron Entertainment, a studio Nike set up to make original entertainment that aligns with the company's goals while operating at arm's length. 100 Zeros has a small dedicated staff: Penny Lin, a film producer at Range, and development execs Casey Durant and Tony Nguyen. Rachel Douglas, partner and manager at Range, oversees the relationship with Google. On the Google side, the point person is Jonathan Zepp, the managing director of emerging content experiences. "This initiative is different in that it's staffed by full-time people who come out of Hollywood and are housed at and supported by Range," Douglas said of 100 Zeros. Consumer brands' flirtation with films isn't guaranteed to last. Some have been halting or slowing film projects amid President Donald Trump's tariffs and attacks on DEI. Even before the tariff news hit, some corporations that had made commitments to the space — including Starbucks, Marriott, and Southwest Airlines — laid off marketers who worked in filmed entertainment as a part of larger corporate cuts, a reminder of the tenuous nature of the work. One aspect of 100 Zeros that people might find surprising is that it's not looking to leverage YouTube as a primary distribution platform. YouTube has become a TV juggernaut and has been working to make itself a home for premium programming. But 100 Zeros isn't trying to recreate YouTube Originals, the platform's onetime stab at making original shows, or even use YouTube as the first stop for these projects. Instead, the goal is to sell projects to traditional studios and streamers like Netflix.
