Latest news with #Leonhardt
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
The Making of ‘Beast Games': Behind the scenes of Prime Video's record-breaking competition series
"What if we brought together more contestants than any competition show ever, offered the largest cash prize in history, designed the craziest games imaginable, and built it all on the most massive sets ever seen?" That was the spark behind Beast Games, according to host, cocreator, and executive producer Jimmy "MrBeast" Donaldson. The record-breaking Prime Video competition series assembled an astonishing 1,000 contestants to face off in intense physical and mental challenges — all for a jaw-dropping $10 million grand prize. More from GoldDerby How 'Rebel Ridge' became the Emmy frontrunner for Best TV Movie TV Documentary panel: 'Brats,' 'Chef's Table,' and 'Road Diary: Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band' 'Road Diary' director Thom Zimny reflects on 25 years with Bruce Springsteen and capturing fans as 'music hits their soul' "I've always wondered why $1 million was the artificial ceiling [for winning a competition series]," Donaldson says. "Shows get paid a lot more than that." However, the creator admits Beast Games lost money. "My goal with Season 1 wasn't to make money, it was honestly just to make the greatest competition possible. We went a little overkill." One of the show's most significant expenses was the construction of an entire custom-built city, designed by production designer Stephen Leonhardt. SEE'Beast Games' production designer Stephen Leonhardt on redefining reality TV with the most complex sets in TV history "Nobody's done anything like it — and that's what was both so exciting and terrifying about it," says Leonhardt. "We had the same amount of time you have to put together a set for a regular television show, except instead of trying to set up an existing house for a reality cast of 30, we had 500. Just the logistics — how are we going to deal with people going to the bathroom — were overwhelming and only comparable to huge events. It was the mix of a TV set and a full Coachella festival." Leonhardt also notes that much of the industry is geared toward cutting costs. "Every call you get is about doing the same show for less than you did it before. Suddenly, we have these guys who just want to swing for the fences. How can you not get excited about being a part of that? They said, 'We're going to have the highest-budget sets in the history of television.' At first I wondered if I was being taken for a ride, but when I realized they were serious it was thrilling!" For over 20 straight days during preproduction, the set design team had a role call of over 1,000 employees. "They may not be the biggest sets ever made, but they were definitely the biggest sets ever made in that timeframe," Leonhardt says. With 380 million-plus subscribers and more than 2 billion monthly views, MrBeast is the most-subscribed YouTube channel in the world. Beast Games cocreator and executive producer Sean Klitzner credits Donaldson's understanding of digital audience engagement for the show's success "It's learning and understanding what Jimmy has spent tens of thousands of hours studying – the psychological connection an audience member will have with a piece of content," Klitzner explains. "It takes years to understand that. Once you get into that realm, you're able to ask, 'How do we translate your style and your vision of creating content to television?'" Casting 1,000 contestants to compete on the show was a massive undertaking for casting director Katy Wallin. "We put together a strategic plan to go out and find 1,000 amazing people — diverse, all ages, all types — and in my three decades of casting, it was one of the best experiences of my career. It was so challenging in the most positive way." Wallin says she sought out people who were "unforgettable, passionate, and interesting": "This is not a scripted show, so we're not releasing a breakdown and putting actors in roles. These are real people competing in a contest on the biggest show in the history of television. They have to have a really good 'Why?' If we use Jeffrey Allen as an example, who won the show, he had such heart and positivity about him. It wasn't really about [the money], it was about changing the course of his son's life by finding a cure for something. We look for those layered people who are unfiltered and really open to sharing the experiences of their life that will transcend on a show like this." SEE'Beast Games' editor Mack Hopkins on the scene that was inspired by 'Dunkirk' Meanwhile, the enormity of production posed challenges even in post-production. Co-creator and editor Mack Hopkins refers to the show as "the most advanced edit mankind has ever attempted." With 1,000 contestants and more than 1,100 cameras capturing footage, watching every moment was impossible. Yet, serendipity played a role in shaping the story. "The contestants who got first and second place in this show happened to — by an actual miracle — be standing next to each other in Episode 1. We were given — by the grace of God — dialogue exchanges between first and second place in Episode 1! As a person who was trying to tell a story through this whole process, it was unbelievable and I could not believe that happened." In the full panel video above, watch the team behind Beast Games discuss in more detail their favorite episodes, the most memorable contestants, biggest challenges, and jaw-dropping moments. This article and video are presented by Prime Video. Best of GoldDerby 'The Better Sister': Jessica Biel and Elizabeth Banks on their 'fun partnership' and the 'satisfying' killer reveal TV Documentary panel: 'Brats,' 'Chef's Table,' and 'Road Diary: Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band' 'Road Diary' director Thom Zimny reflects on 25 years with Bruce Springsteen and capturing fans as 'music hits their soul' Click here to read the full article.
Forbes
14-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
Noblesse Oblige From ‘Armored Core 4' Will Be Getting An Epic Toy
Noblesse Oblige as shown in the 2005 'Project Force' trailer. Following the release of the Decoction Models Supplice toy a while back, Kotobukiya is planning on making a similar toy for Noblesse Oblige. Yes, I know it's called a 'Decoction Models' but these are in fact very high-end toys, with a great deal of die-cast used in their construction. I picked up the Supplice toy and it is an astonishing piece, with an impeccable sculpt and very fine detailing. Not to mention a wide array of articulation and light gimmicks. While Supplice was literally used on the cover art for Armored Core 4, the origins of Noblesse Oblige go back even further. In fact, before Armored Core 4 was even announced, the mecha appeared in a trailer for a game called Project Force (shown below). FEATURED | Frase ByForbes™ Unscramble The Anagram To Reveal The Phrase Pinpoint By Linkedin Guess The Category Queens By Linkedin Crown Each Region Crossclimb By Linkedin Unlock A Trivia Ladder This eventually became known as Armored Core 4, but Noblesse Oblige was the iconic mecha used in those trailers, along with its wing-like EC-O307AB laser cannons. In the original Armored Core 4, Noblesse Oblige was piloted by Leonhardt, but in Armored Core For Answer, the mecha was piloted by Gerald Gendlin. The latter version from Armored Core For Answer (shown below) handled and played a bit differently over its Armored Core 4 counterpart, not least because the laser cannons fired orange beams rather than white ones. In any case, the fact that Kotobukiya has picked another major design from both Armored Core 4 and Armored Core For Answer is great news, but the price point will likely be pretty high. Follow me on X, Facebook and YouTube. I also manage Mecha Damashii and am currently featured in the Giant Robots exhibition currently touring Japan.
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Yahoo
Three Horry County police officers facing disciplinary action in Spivey case, chief says
HORRY COUNTY, S.C. (WBTW) — Three Horry County police officers are facing disciplinary action after an internal affairs investigation turned up several mislabeled videos tied to the 2023 road rage death of Scott Spivey, the agency's chief said Wednesday. Chief Kris Leonhardt said the footage — seven videos in all — came from dashcams that were rolling the night of Sep. 9, 2023 when officers responded to Camp Swamp Road near Loris following a shootout between Spivey, North Myrtle Beach businessman Weldon Boyd and Boyd's friend Kenneth Williams. 'Since I've been chief, I've taken every action that I can to personally get the case reviewed, to look at it internally. I can tell you in the community, they have faith in our department,' Leonhardt said at a news conference. 'Folks that can't meet our standard won't work here.' Leonhardt, who was named police chief in October, said a three-person internal affairs unit is working on the Spivey case daily to review 'any type of misconduct or policy violations that we may find on the part of the Horry County Police Department.' Horry County investigators gathered more than 650 photos along with DNA and ballistics evidence over the course of a multi-day probe following the deadly shootout near Loris. It was just after 6:30 p.m. on Sept. 9, 2023 at the intersection of Camp Swamp Road and Highway 9 in Loris, and the 33-year-old Tabor City resident was slumped over deceased in his truck. Less than an hour earlier, he was at a North Myrtle Beach bar. By 11 p.m. on the night of the shooting, police had a search warrant for Spivey's black 2021 Chevy Silverado pickup truck. Two days later, an Horry County detective had access to a white 2022 Dodge Ram belonging to North Myrtle Beach businessman Weldon Boyd — who by that point had admitted to killing Spivey in self-defense. Boyd at the time was traveling with his friend Kenneth Williams. By Sept. 10 at 2:10 a.m. and only hours after the shooting, investigators had already determined via multiple witness interviews, accident reconstruction and 911 calls that Boyd had acted reasonably. Between Sept. 9 and Sept. 13, officials took more than 650 photos at the scene or at the Horry County police impound lot and forensics laboratory along with DNA samples, tire track imprints and ballistic analysis. Spivey's sister Jennifer Foley and members of Horry County's legislative delegation on Tuesday urged Gov. Henry McMaster to appoint a special prosecutor over her brother's case. Leonhardt on Tuesday wouldn't disclose what the missing dashcam footage captured, but said he acted quickly once officials learned it was misidentified. 'We're going to hold our officers to a high standard. If they do not follow policies and procedures, that will be addressed,' Leonhardt said. 'And I think we've shown that in a short amount of time that we've reviewed this case. Several folks are no longer employed here.' Leonhardt on March 13 asked the FBI and the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division to review evidence in the death of Spivey, who was shot and killed by North Myrtle Beach businessman Weldon Boyd in the Camp Swamp Road area. Authorities said Paul Damon Vescovi was terminated for conduct unbecoming of an officer and 'a violation of general Horry County employee conduct guidelines.' His firing came about seven weeks after Brandon Strickland, then a deputy chief, resigned amid SLED's alleged misconduct in the Spivey investigation. He had been with the department since 2005. Mark Tinsley, Foley's attorney, told News13 in a statement Thursday that journalist Beth Braden noticed a notepad in a video from Vescovi's body camera that read 'act like a victim camera' and gave it to Tinsley who then passed it on to SLED. Police reports indicate that Spivey tried to run Boyd and his passenger off Highway 9 in Loris, and brake-checked the two several times. That led to a shootout once they turned onto Camp Swamp Road. It was later determined that Boyd shot Spivey in self-defense, and he was not charged. Leonhardt said he's not spoken to Spivey's family and was never involved in the criminal investigation. 'I'll talk to any citizen that has concerns, absolutely,' he said of a potential meeting with his relatives. ' * * * Adam Benson joined the News13 digital team in January 2024. He is a veteran South Carolina reporter with previous stops at the Greenwood Index-Journal, Post & Courier and The Sun News in Myrtle Beach. Adam is a Boston native and University of Utah graduate. Follow Adam on X, formerly Twitter, at @AdamNewshound12. See more of his work here. * * * Skylar Musick is a multimedia journalist at News13. Skylar is originally from Long Island, New York. She joined the News13 team in June 2024 after graduating from Villanova University in May 2024. Follow Skylar on X, formerly Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram, and read more of her work here. This is a developing story. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WBTW.
Yahoo
16-04-2025
- Yahoo
Update: Minnesota Highway 42 reopens following semi, pickup truck crash near Plainview
Apr. 15—HIGHLAND TOWNSHIP, Minn. — One person was injured in a semi, pickup truck crash on Minnesota Highway 42 near Plainview on Tuesday, April 15, 2025. The driver of a 2020 Dodge Ram 1500 was traveling east on Wabasha County Road 14 and a 2010 Peterbilt 384 semi tractor-trailer was traveling north on Highway 42 when the vehicles collided in the intersection around 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, according to a Minnesota State Patrol crash report. The driver of the semi, 46-year-old Jeremiah Otto Leonhardt, of Kellogg, had non-life threatening injuries. He was transported to Mayo Clinic Hospital-Saint Marys. Leonhardt was not wearing a seat belt, the report said. The driver of the Ram, 33-year-old Timothy David Vanbrunt of Theilman, Minnesota, was not injured in the crash, according to the report. Minnesota Highway 42 was closed in both directions as emergency crews worked on the scene. The highway from 590th Street to County Road 14 reopened around 4:15 p.m. Tuesday, according to the Minnesota Department of Transportation. The Minnesota State Patrol, Wabasha County Sheriff's Office, Plainview Police Department, Wabasha Police Department, Plainview Fire Department and Mayo Clinic Ambulance Service responded to the crash.
Yahoo
09-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
‘Fighting That Fish Was Like Kicking a Yellowjacket Nest.' Anglers Land Swordfish Bigger Than Florida Record
Two photos of big swordfish side by side. When Capt. Charlie Kinman ran his 38-foot Luhr's fishing boat through Jupiter Inlet in Southeast Florida on March 25, the weather was a little iffy. He and mates Alex Leonhardt and George Maib were headed offshore for an overnight swordfish trip. Advertisement 'The weather was a bit sketchy, but using radar we were able to wiggle between the bad storm patches,' 29-year-old Leonhardt tells Outdoor Life. 'The weather got worse and worse through the day and night. It got real rough, real quick. If we'd known how bad it was gonna get, we probably wouldn't have gone that day.' But the trip would be worth the hassle. Eventually the men reached flat-water, about 30 miles offshore from Leonhardt's hometown of Stuart. The men put out baited rigs in 1,500 feet, using dorado bellies as bait and fishing them with glow-light sticks just 100 feet off bottom. Then, at 4:30 p.m., something hit one of the baits. 'The fish took the bait and swam right to the surface,' said Leonhardt. 'We knew it was a good fish right away, and most of the time he was close to the boat.' Related: I Fought an 11-Foot Swordfish Solo from My 17-Foot Boat Advertisement Capt. Kinman handled the heavy rod with 130-pound test braided line, a wide Shimano reel, and a 150-foot heavy wind-on leader. 'Fighting that fish was like kicking a yellowjacket nest,' Leonhardt says. 'He was pissed, coming to the boat looking to hurt something. It always charged the boat motors. So handling the boat to keep the fish away from the prop, and the line tight, takes a lot of teamwork.' About 15 minutes into the fight the swordfish came near their boat and Leonhardt plunged a harpoon behind the sword's gill plate. At the tip of the harpoon is a heavy, barbed metal dart that's about 4 inches long and looks like a giant arrowhead. The harpoon handle is designed to detach from the dart once it hits home, and it connects back to the boat. The dart set-up is much like a flying gaff used by many offshore anglers. With Kinman fighting the fish with heavy tackle, and Leonhardt holding the rope to the dart, the anglers had two lines to battle the giant swordfish – which still took 90 minutes to subdue. Advertisement 'I've fought other swordfish longer, but never a fish like this one,' said Leonhardt. 'The fish never jumped. It was just relentless in rushing the boat. We'd turn the boat, and it would zip on by. Then it would turn around in the blink of an eye and come back to our motor. It was something else – it'd move 50 feet to the opposite side of the boat in just a second.' The swordfish had unbelievable power and endurance, and Leonhardt says they nearly lost it three times. At one point, the fish spun around once near the boat causing Kinman's fishing rod to smashed into his head. 'That rod hit Charlie so hard I though it just exploded apart in pieces,' Leonhardt explained. 'Folks know this was an amazing fight. But unless they were on board that boat, they have no idea what it was really like. The fish was so powerful.' After a 90 minute a battle they'll never forget, the anglers drew the swordfish close and were able to get another gaff into it. Great boat handling, says Leonhardt, is the reason they eventually landed it. Advertisement 'We had to make sure the fish was dead before handling it,' Leonhardt said. 'Then we put a heavy rope through its gills and then we had to figure out how to get it in the boat. We worked to get it through the stern tuna door. It wouldn't fit, so we had to cut off its dorsal fin. It took all three of us pulling with everything we had to get it on deck.' The anglers, who have commercial licenses, next cut off the fish's head, tail and removed its entrails so they could properly cool the meat for the market. 'The fish was missing half its broadbill,' Leonhardt noted. 'It had been broken a long time, and how it broke is anyone's guess.' He says that even with half its bill gone the fish measured 15 feet long. It had 175 pounds of head, fins and entrails. It was bigger than any of the 500 or so swordfish that Leonhardt has caught during his commercial fishing career. Advertisement 'The core weight [meat] of the fish was 668 pounds,' Leonhardt said. 'Adding 175 pounds to that total and the swordfish we estimate weighed at least 850 pounds.' The anglers wrapped the swordfish meat in a tarp, covered it in ice, and fished through the night. They returned to Stuart the next day. Read Next: The Best Saltwater Rods, Tested and Reviewed The current Florida record swordfish is 612.75 pounds, caught in 1978 by Stephen Stanford off Key Largo. Just the cut core meat of Leonhardt's swordfish would have topped the Florida record. The IGFA all-tackle swordfish weighed 1,182 pounds and was caught in 1953 off the coast of Chile. This swordfish wouldn't have been eligible for a record because the crew used a harpoon, which is not allowed by the IGFA, but it's still remarkable they caught a swordfish of this size on rod and reel. 'We're not looking for any kind of special cognition for catching this fish,' Leonhardt explained. 'We were just doing our job. We were privileged to catch a giant of a swordfish, and experience what powerful and remarkable fish they are.'
