Melissa Ortiz

If an industry has had decades of technological innovation that are not reflected in the market, because the structure of the market locks in this anti-innovation kind of oligarchy, if you can break it, it’s huge. That’s what we set out to do when we started Iconic Arts. We’re taking down the concrete, gated walls of Hollywood and Gaming, brick by brick. It hasn’t been easy. But one of the key factors of why we’ve been successful in our first year so far is because of a multi-disciplinary team that has been assembled through a unified vision to take on the entertainment industry - a true Silicon Valley approach to IP ownership, development, production and distribution. There will be many AI companies attempting to do this. Most of them will fail. Why? Because technology alone is not the answer. But if you can create a holistic team under one roof of the best storytellers, film-makers, game designers, show-runners, toy makers, artists, live experience producers and brand strategists with world-class technologists and engineers, real magic happens. This is how Iconic Arts has positioned itself in the market. And we’ve only just begun. Can’t wait to share with you all what this epic team is working on.

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Runway's Gen-3 Alpha is more than just a powerful tool for video transformation—it could redefine how we approach LUT creation and color workflows in post-production. Having worked with various DIT workflows, I can see how this AI could open up new ways to create dynamic LUTs, even allowing for real-time adjustments based on lighting and environmental changes captured within footage. Imagine being able to generate custom LUTs for each scene with just a prompt, seamlessly integrating them into the editing process. This tech could potentially streamline color grading in ways we haven’t seen before! #PostProduction #VideoEditing #ColorGrading #DIT #LUTs #AI #CreativeTech #VideoToVideo #TechInnovation #Gen3AI

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DULCEDO Management bought Node App for $13M. This marks Dulcedo’s 5th acquisition since 2016. Let's break it down... ---SELLER: Node--- • AI-powered influencer marketing platform • Mission = bridge gap between small businesses and micro-influencers • Founded 2019 by Armin Faraji, Mackenzie Dérival ✌🏾 • Initially focused on restaurants, expanded to ecom brands • Focuses on Instagram, TikTok campaigns • 2021 raised $1M seed round from Techstars, Alchemist, strategic angels ---TECH OVERVIEW: Node App--- • In 2022 selected for Google for Startups Accelerator program • Pioneered a machine-learning technology to revolutionize agency workflows by improving influencer discovery and data reporting • “Creators can participate in brand campaigns in 3 clicks via Node, as opposed to pitching/negotiating with brands” • “Brands can create a campaign and begin interacting with influencers within 5-10 min of landing on Node's website” ---PERFORMANCE HIGHLIGHTS: Node App--- • Over 2,000 clients across North America • Generated “tens of millions of social media impressions” • Clients incl Kraft, Samsonite, Jarritos, St-Regis, Marriott • Has activated 5,000+ content creators in campaigns • Creators include A-list models, elite athletes, actors, social influencers • During pandemic scaled from 30 to 800 brands five months ---BUYER: Dulcedo Group--- • Global talent mgmt and digital marketing agency • 4 divisions – Models, Sports, Gaming, Influencer • Offices in Montreal and Toronto • Founded 2008 by CEO Karim Leduc • 3 co-owners incl founder • 70+ team members ---M&A HISTORY: Dulcedo Group--- • 2022 acquired C4G, a startup esports marketing agency • 2016 acquired 4249, an influencer relations agency • 2023 acquired Influence + All Management • 2023 acquired Sundae Creative Agency • 2024 acquired Node ---DEAL DETAILS--- • $13M purchase price • No other details were disclosed ---DEAL VALUE PROP--- • Give Node added funding, resources for growth • Access to Dulcedo's 300M network following  • Access to Dulcedo’s diverse creator roster to support IM campaigns across various industries • Accelerate development of AI-enabled tools to enhance the IM campaign lifecycle ---POST DEAL OPS--- • Dulcedo CEO will serve as interim Node CEO • Node co-founder Armin Faraji moves to COO • Node co-founder Mackenzie Dérival remains as CPO ---WHAT ELSE I FIND INTERESTING--- I'll write more about the deal in my Friday newsletter. I'll estimate Node's revenue and EBITDA, and discuss valuation multiples and likely deal structure. Signup link in comments below 👇 -- I'm the founder of RockWater Industries. We do M&A and strategy advisory for media, agencies, and creator economy. My DMs are open.

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from THR: YouTube is growing at a double digit pace in a quarter when linear TV companies are reporting continued year-over-year declines in their ad revenue, a sign of the shifting dynamics of video #advertising. On the subscriptions front, the “Google subscriptions, platforms, and devices” line item grew to $8.7 billion in the quarter, with executives citing YouTube as a big reason. #google #videoadvertising

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How AI is Transforming the Role of Producers in Film

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