Latest news with #Sebastian
Perth Now
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Perth Now
Swift tour at heart of Guy's manager's trial
Guy Sebastian's former manager is alleged to have embezzled $187,000 earnt by the pop star for supporting Taylor Swift, leaving the Australian Idol winner to take home $23,000 from the tour, a court has been told. Titus Emanuel Day is standing trial in the NSW District Court where he has denied embezzling hundreds of thousands in royalties and performance fees from the pop star. The court has been told that Mr Day was Mr Sebastian's long-time manager – through his 6 Degrees agency – and friend before they had a bitter falling out in 2017. The Crown alleges that Mr Day failed to remit performance fees and royalties that were collected on Mr Sebastian's behalf by Mr Day. Mr Day has pleaded not guilty to 34 counts of embezzlement as a clerk or servant and one count of attempting to dishonestly obtain financial advantage by deception. On day two of his trial on Friday, his lawyers told the jury that Mr Day denied doing anything dishonest or fraudulent. One of the charges relates to an allegation that Mr Day failed to remit $187,000 to Mr Sebastian for performance fees as a support act for Swift on her 2013 tour of Australia. Titus Day is standing trial in the NSW District Court. NewsWire / John Appleyard. Credit: News Corp Australia Crown prosecutor Brett Hatfield SC told the court that the booking agent paid $494,000 – in the form of four payments of about $123,000 – into a 6 Degrees trust account following the four arena performances. According to the Crown case, Mr Day was entitled to a commission of $59,000 and Mr Sebastian should have been paid $435,000 according to the 80-20 split in his contract with 6 Degrees. However, Mr Hatfield told the jury, Mr Sebastian was only paid $247,500, leaving $187,500 unpaid. Mr Sebastian paid $179,000 to his band and for other expenses for the tour. 'You'll see effectively when you look at it that Mr Sebastian, of the $247,000 paid to him, he had already paid out of his own pocket $179,000,' Mr Hatfield said. 'Effectively he cleared $68,000 out of which he also had to pay GST of $45,000. 'So effectively he made about $23,000 for those four performances, while the accused retained about $246,000, whereas he should have been paid $59,000 as his commission.' Guy Sebastian claims he was short-changed while performing as a support act to Taylor Swift. NewsWire/Gaye Gerard Credit: News Corp Australia It's alleged that Mr Sebastian was also not paid for corporate gigs, performances at the Opera House, a Big Bash game and Dreamworld and for singing at weddings in Italy and Sydney. The court was told that in 2018 he filed proceedings against Mr Day in the Federal Court that prompted his former manager and 6 Degrees to file a counterclaim Mr Sebastian took the stand before the lunch adjournment on Friday afternoon. He told the court that he first met Mr Day through the manager's wife, Courtney, whom he met via his record label. And three years after he won the inaugural Australian Idol, he agreed to join Mr Day, who was working at the 22 Management agency at the time. 'I was signed to Sony Music and one of the employees that I had a lot to do with on the recording side was Courtney Day,' Mr Sebastian told the court on Friday. 'And Courtney Day is married to Titus. And Courtney was recommending her husband as a manager.' The court has been told that in 2009, Mr Sebastian agreed to follow Mr Day when he opened his own agency, 6 Degrees. Taylor Swift toured with Mr Sebastian in 2013. NewsWire/Richard Dobson. Credit: NCA NewsWire Mr Day's barrister Thomas Woods, in his opening remarks to the jury on Friday morning, said his client firmly denied doing anything criminal. 'There will be no dispute that on some occasions money did come into that account which my client should have transferred onto Mr Sebastian but did not,' Mr Woods said. 'For many of the charges, the real question is not going to be whether my client failed to transfer the money to Mr Sebastian but whether his failure to do that was criminal.' He said there was a 'major dispute' in the case about whether there was any fraud or dishonesty in Mr Day's actions. 'The background is the breakdown of a personal relationship … and a commercial relationship between the two men that went on for many years,' Mr Woods said. 'What was once a close friendship and business relationship turned sour. Both men claimed that the other owed him money.' The trial before Judge Alister Abadee continues.
Perth Now
2 days ago
- Business
- Perth Now
Pop star to take stand in fraud trial
Guy Sebastian is expected to take the stand in a Sydney court in the coming days as his former manager battles allegations he embezzled hundreds of thousands of dollars from the Aussie pop star. Titus Emanuel Day is standing trial in the NSW District Court where he has denied he embezzled hundreds of thousands in royalties and performance fees owed to the superstar musician. On day one of Mr Day's trial on Thursday, Crown prosecutor Brett Hatfield SC told the jury that the inaugural Australian Idol winner had an arrangement with Mr Day and his company 6 Degrees to manage his career and affairs. Mr Hatfield told the court that Mr Sebastian placed a 'significant trust' in his manager and that he 'abused' that by embezzling his money. 'Through his role as Mr Sebastian's manager, and his capacity of collecting his money on behalf of Mr Sebastian, the accused is alleged to have embezzled Mr Sebastian's money and he's done that by collecting Mr Sebastian's money and failing to remit it in accordance with his agreement,' Mr Hatfield said. Guys Sebastian's former manager Titus Day is facing trial in the NSW District Court. NewsWire / John Appleyard. Credit: News Corp Australia Mr Day has pleaded not guilty to 34 counts of embezzlement as a clerk or servant and one count of attempting to dishonestly obtain financial advantage by deception. Mr Sebastian is expected to be called to give evidence in the coming days. The court was told on Thursday afternoon that Mr Sebastian was previously managed by the 22 Management agency, where he first worked with Mr Day. He then agreed to join Mr Day's 6 Degrees company as a marquee client when Mr Day broke away and formed his own company in 2009. The court heard that their relationship began to deteriorate over time after he found what he alleged were irregularities in his financial records. The court heard that Mr Day worked on a commission of 20 per cent of Mr Sebastian's income after costs. It's alleged by the Crown that Mr Day failed to remit performance fees and royalties which were collected on Mr Sebastian's behalf. Titus Day and Guy Sebastian before their split. Supplied Credit: News Corp Australia The court was told that one of the charges related to an allegation that Mr Day failed to remit $187,000 to Mr Sebastian for performance fees as a support act for Taylor Swift on her 2013 tour of Australia. The court was told that in 2018 Mr Sebastian filed proceedings in the Federal Court, which prompted Mr Day and 6 Degrees to file a counterclaim. 'Mr Sebastian will tell you that this agreement reposed significant trust in the accused and the Crown case is that the accused abused this trust by dishonestly embezzling Mr Sebastian's money,' Mr Hatfield said. The trial before Judge Alister Abadee will continue with Mr Hatfield's opening submissions on Friday before Mr Day's barrister Thomas Woods will give his opening to the jury.
Business Insider
2 days ago
- Business
- Business Insider
‘Don't Overlook the Innovation Story,' Says Colin Sebastian About Alphabet Stock
Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOGL) has long been the undisputed leader in internet search, but the rise of generative AI is beginning to raise questions about its continued dominance in the field. Confident Investing Starts Here: Against this backdrop, Baird's Colin Sebastian, an analyst ranked in the top 4% of Wall Street stock experts, attended the company's Google Marketing Live event and came away convinced that Alphabet is taking decisive steps to stay ahead of the curve. 'While there were 'breadcrumbs' that foreshadowed key announcements at Google Marketing Live, it's encouraging to witness the company innovating quickly in search, showing a commitment to monetization, and even taking aim at competitors in new ways,' the 5-star analyst said. 'While competition in search is intensifying, Google presented, in our view, a compelling suite of new ad products and agentic capabilities that can expand monetization and contribute incrementally to revenues.' Google announced a deeper integration of AI into its core search advertising platform, including the expansion of ad placements within AI Overviews (AIO). This means that both search and shopping ads will now appear directly in AI-generated summaries on desktop browsers in the U.S. Additionally, the company is introducing ad formats specifically designed for AI Mode, tailored to fit the more conversational and context-aware nature of AI-powered search experiences. 'Importantly,' adds Sebastian, 'these newer formats should help expand search advertising and reach into middle- and upper-funnel consumer journeys, directly contradicting the bearish view that new AI formats will simply disintermediate core search.' Sebastian thinks that advertisers will be quick to adopt these new ad formats, especially as Google has indicated that monetization tests are performing similarly to traditional search ads. Over time, the analyst believes these formats could lead to higher conversion rates for commerce and retail advertisers. In addition, advertisers running Performance Max and shopping campaigns will be able to access the new formats effortlessly. For users, the key will be Google's ability to match relevant ads with the context of longer, more detailed search queries, allowing users to find answers, including ad content, directly within the AI search experience without needing to scroll to traditional website links. As is typical for Google, the company is also introducing enhanced measurement and analytics tools, including new agentic capabilities to help marketers streamline and automate tasks. 'While many investors remain skeptical in our conversations,' notes Sebastian, 'Google also continues to report growth in queries where AI Overviews are shown, and Gen-Zers are the most active search cohorts.' So, what's the bottom line for investors? Sebastian is backing Alphabet shares with an Outperform (i.e., Buy) rating and a $190 price target, implying a potential upside of 10% over the next year. (To watch Sebastian's track record, click here) Wall Street at large is also bullish. GOOGL carries a Strong Buy consensus rating, based on 29 Buy recommendations and 9 Holds. The average price target stands slightly higher at $199.14, suggesting the stock could climb ~15% in the coming months. (See GOOGL stock forecast) To find good ideas for stocks trading at attractive valuations, visit TipRanks' Best Stocks to Buy, a tool that unites all of TipRanks' equity insights.
Spectator
2 days ago
- Sport
- Spectator
31 May 2025
Everyone has moments of tiredness during bridge tournaments. But it's a merciless game. Taking your eye off the ball for a second – even missing something as small as a spot-card – can lead to disaster. At the recent Spring Fours in Bristol, on a team with Sebastian Atisen, Alice Coptcoat and Ollie Burgess, I found myself defending this hand: Sitting North, I led a spade to dummy's ♠️10. Sebastian (South) played low, and declarer overtook with the ♠️Q. Next, he led a low diamond. I played the ♦️Q, he ducked, I pondered dummy, turned the trick over and – disaster! I couldn't recall which diamond Sebastian had played. The ♦️6 maybe? The ♦️4? It would have been a suit-preference signal – this was no time for count – and now I had to guess. West had a weak NT and had shown up with six points (♠️AQ). If he held the ♥️K, along with the ♣️A or ♣️K, I should play a club – partner could knock out West's honour, removing the entry to his hand before he could unblock his spades. If West held the ♥️K(xx) and ♣️KQ, Sebastian could win the ♣️A and push a heart through. But what if West held the ♣️AK or ♣️AQ? I should play a top heart, hoping partner had ♥️KJxx or ♥️Kxxxx. I closed my eyes (for the second time) and played the ♥️A. Wrong! When I apologised to Sebastian later, he asked, as kindly as he could, 'Would you have remembered if I'd played the ♦️10?' Yes, I replied. So then you know I played a low diamond. Declarer can't have the ♦️10 or he wouldn't have ducked your ♦️Q (I might have ♦️Kxx). So I must have the ♦️10 – and if I'd wanted a heart, I'd have played it'. Aaargh, ever felt like a double-dummy?
Rhyl Journal
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Rhyl Journal
Cuddle a puppy this May half-term at Manorafon Farm!
The up close animal encounters are part of the 'New Life on the Farm' event at the Abergele attraction. The seasonal celebration, which runs until June 1, also features 'a pig race'. Competitors have names such as Pork Patrol, Harry Trotter and Spider Pig. Puppy Playtime (Image: Suzanne Kendrick / Newsquest) We took our two boys to the event on Bank Holiday Monday (May 26). Sophie at Manorafon Farm Park with two fluffy chicks! (Image: Suzanne Kendrick / Newsquest) One of the highlights was definitely having a cuddle with a six-week-old chocolate coloured puppy, although mine had far too much energy to sit still for long! Manorafon Farm Park leaflet (Image: Suzanne Kendrick / Newsquest) We sadly missed out visiting the bunnies but did get the chance to gently stroke fluffy baby chicks (so cute!) Our three-year-old was especially taken with the indoor soft play area and the farm's Tiny Town - a play space full of imaginative role-play which is perfectly sized for toddlers. Up close with the baby chicks (Image: Suzanne Kendrick / Newsquest) We also fed the friendly farm animals including the playful and cheeky looking Alpacas. Alpacas! (Image: Suzanne Kendrick / Newsquest) RELATED STORIES 'Exciting' new attraction coming to Manorafon Farm Park We brought a picnic to enjoy in one of the undercover areas. Sebastian loved playing in the digger zone and in the Play Village. Sebastian in the Digger Zone (Image: Suzanne Kendrick / Newsquest) We finished the day with a visit to the ice cream stand. Sebastian chose strawberry, while I went for a classic mint chocolate chip. The event is a wonderful way for little ones to experience the excitement of new life and the magic of spring. Head to the Manorafon Farm Park website to book.
