News

Today, Luminate, the global entertainment data and insights provider, has been named to Fast Company’s prestigious list of the World’s Most Innovative Companies of 2024.

This year’s list shines a spotlight on businesses that are shaping industry and culture through their innovations. These organizations are setting new standards and achieving remarkable milestones in all sectors of the economy. Alongside the World's 50 Most Innovative Companies, Fast Company recognizes 606 organizations across 58 sectors and regions.

Speaking on the news, Luminate CEO Rob Jonas said, “Over the past twelve months, Luminate has achieved a myriad of wins as we continue to grow and evolve our capabilities as the most trusted data and insights provider for the entertainment industry. The Beta launch of our new platform in the spring unveiled an intuitive new user experience that provides customers with the ability to extract more in-depth, expert-level insights than ever before. It marked a new chapter in our mission of building a reliable, centralized data hub across music, film, television, SVOD and more. That launch was followed by the introduction of key new offerings, including the Streaming Viewership (M) product, which measures minutes watched of original streaming TV series and films and our global music streaming data, inclusive of music engagement metrics from 50 different countries. Most recently, we acquired Quansic, a disruptive provider of music metadata solutions to improve our capabilities in this area. I am grateful to Fast Company for recognizing the exceptional work of the entire Luminate team.”

Luminate exists at the intersection of technology, media and culture, and serves as the entertainment industry's most trusted data partner. The company provides authoritative global data and insights across music, film and TV, managing more than 20 trillion data points that come verified from over 500 data partners. In addition to compiling the iconic Billboard Charts each week and confronting problems of data asymmetry in the film & TV SVOD industry, the company maintains an expansive set of diversity, equity, inclusion and sustainability metadata for Hollywood and provides audience research insights internationally.

The World's Most Innovative Companies stands as Fast Company's hallmark franchise and one of its most anticipated editorial efforts of the year.

Fast Company's editors and writers identified the companies driving progress around the world and across industries, evaluating thousands of submissions through a competitive application process. The result is a globe-spanning guide to innovation today, from early-stage startups to some of the most valuable companies in the world. Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies package is available online, as well as in-app form via iTunes, and on newsstands beginning March 26. The hashtag is #FCMostInnovative.

“Our list of the Most Innovative Companies is both a comprehensive look at the innovation economy and a snapshot of the business trends that defined the year,” said Fast Company editor-in-chief Brendan Vaughan. “We saw extraordinary innovation across the board in 2023, but we also saw a handful of clear patterns: the growing footprint and impact of AI, the triumphant return of live events, and great leaps forward in climate tech. We face daunting challenges on many fronts, but the solutions we celebrate in MIC give me plenty of hope about the future.”

Fast Company will host the Most Innovative Companies Summit and Gala on May 16. The summit features a morning and afternoon of inspiring content, followed by a creative black-tie gala including networking, a seated dinner, and an honoree presentation. This event celebrates the Most Innovative Companies honorees and provides an inside look at cutting-edge business trends and what it takes to innovate in 2024.

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ABOUT LUMINATE

Luminate is the preeminent entertainment data and insights company, unleashing access to the most essential, objective, and trustworthy information across music, film and television, with data compiled from hundreds of verified sources. Today, the company maintains its more than 30-year legacy of accurate storytelling by powering the iconic Billboard music charts, while also acting as the premiere database for the television and film industries. Working closely with record labels, artists, studios, production companies, networks, tech companies, and more, Luminate offers the most valued source of comprehensive, independent, and foundational entertainment data that drives industry forward. Luminate is an independently operated company and a subsidiary of PME TopCo., a joint venture between Penske Media Corporation and Eldridge.

ABOUT FAST COMPANY

Fast Company is the only media brand fully dedicated to the vital intersection of business, innovation, and design, engaging the most influential leaders, companies, and thinkers on the future of business. Headquartered in New York City, Fast Company is published by Mansueto Ventures LLC, along with our sister publication Inc., and can be found online at www.fastcompany.com.

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Today, Variety, Hollywood’s leading provider of entertainment business news, today announced that Dayna Wolpa, Emmy award-winning producer and Managing Director, Programming and Distribution, has been promoted to VP Talent & Programming. In this role, Wolpa will manage talent and programming for such successful Variety franchises as Power of Women, Power of Young Hollywood, Hitmakers, plus many more.

She currently oversees all of the talent programming for Variety’s studio at the Sundance Film Festival and the Toronto International Film Festival. Wolpa, who has been with Variety for over ten years, has booked talent for numerous events including Women of Reality TV Dinner, 10 Directors to Watch & Creative Impact Awards, the Variety/Chanel Female Filmmakers Dinner, the Variety/Golden Globes Breakthrough Artists Awards, Business of Broadway, and the upcoming SXSW Variety Power of Comedy.

“Dayna Wolpa has a well-deserved reputation as someone who can problem solve and get things done,” said Dea Lawrence, Chief Operating and Marketing Officer of Variety. “She takes on challenges in a thoughtful, creative manner with a precise eye for detail, characteristics that make her an outstanding executive.”

For years she has been the Associate Producer of Emmy award-winning “Actors on Actors,” and this past December won a Daytime Emmy for producing “Power of Women: Changemakers” for A&E. Wolpa also curates the coveted Power of Women gift bag and oversees all Variety guest lists for their exclusive events.

"I am grateful to have spent the last ten years at Variety," said Wolpa. "I look forward to continuing to collaborate with the best team in the business and am excited to be a part of Variety's ongoing expansion."

She will report to Lawrence and will continue to be based out of the Los Angeles office.

About Variety:

Variety is the #1 entertainment news brand. Now celebrating 119 years of award-winning breaking news reporting, insightful award-season coverage, must-read feature spotlights, and intelligent analysis of the industry’s most prominent players, Variety remains the most trusted source for the business of global entertainment. Read by a highly engaged audience of industry insiders, executive level professionals and decision makers, Variety’s multi-platform content coverage expands across digital, mobile, social, print, as well as podcasts, branded content, data, events and summits. Variety is the vital read in every entertainment capital. *Comscore Media Metrix Top 100 Ent News, October 2022. Variety is a subsidiary of PME TopCo., a joint venture between Penske Media Corporation and Eldridge.For more information, please visit www.variety.com.

Today, SHE Media announces the appointment of Galina Espinoza to Editor-in-Chief of its proprietary women’s health brand, Flow Space. In this role, Espinoza will lead the editorial strategy in the next phase of growth for Flow Space, which marks its one-year anniversary this month. The digital platform, which officially launched at SXSW in 2023, covers topics including ovarian health, cancer, brain health, prevention, access to healthcare and equity, infertility, maternal healthcare, heart health and more. Espinoza will be based in New York and report to Cristina Velocci, Chief Content Officer, SHE Media, and work under the strategic direction of Samantha Skey, CEO, SHE Media. 

 “I am honored and excited to step into the role as Editor-in-Chief of Flow Space, which has laid the foundation for important conversations and information-sharing touching every aspect of women’s health,” said Espinoza. “This is a pivotal time to start new and open discussions around women’s whole-life health, rooted in accuracy, cutting-edge research, and trust. This opportunity is about more than delivering content; it’s about fostering a community where women feel heard, supported, informed, and empowered.”

“After a year of development and learning how deeply resonant this content is to SHE Media’s audience, we are thrilled to bring Galina on board as Editor-in-Chief to continue to build this incredibly meaningful platform” said Samantha Skey, CEO of SHE Media. “With a background in equity and social impact, and deep knowledge of digital media operations, Galina is an ideal leader to helm this effort. Creating a space for women to easily access information about their most pressing health questions is a mission we remain committed to and passionate about.”

Espinoza will kick off her new role in conjunction with the SHE Media Co-Lab at SXSW  taking place March 9, 10 and 11. This year’s program features an all-star lineup of women's health advocates including Brooke Shields, Katie Couric, Dr. Sharon Malone, Lori Gottlieb, and Gabby Reece. 

To celebrate the one-year anniversary of Flow Space, the platform has debuted a new dedicated site, theflowspace.com, offering greater access and visibility for exclusive stories, special features, and resources in service of women’s whole life health. 

Espinoza most recently served as the president and editor-in-chief of the nonprofit, multimedia outlet Rewire News Group, where she led the nation’s only newsroom dedicated to the coverage of reproductive and sexual health, rights, and justice. Prior to Rewire, Espinoza was a Senior Director on NBCUniversal’s Digital Enterprises team, where she launched new digital IP, including the women’s sports-focused Instagram brand “On Her Turf” (in partnership with Refinery29) and the millennial parenting Facebook franchise “Playfull” (in partnership with BuzzFeed). 

Espinoza has also been President and Editorial Director of Latina Media Ventures, where she created and produced the brand’s first-ever television special, “15 Latinas We Love,” which aired in syndication with Access Hollywood; and a Senior Editor at People, where she oversaw multiple special issues, including the annual “World’s Most Beautiful” list. 

An alumna of the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, Espinoza’s personal essays have appeared in the “Modern Love” column of The New York Times, as well as Marie Claire and USA Today. She has also appeared on virtually every major morning show and news network, including Today and CNN, in addition to panels at SXSW and the New York International Latino Film Festival. 

About SHE Media:

As a top 10 lifestyle media company reaching 74+ million monthly visitors, SHE Media focuses on the power of content and community to move our culture forward. SHE Media believes that media companies can and should be a force for good in the world. The company’s rich editorial ranges from health, food, and family to career and entertainment.

SHE Media’s flagship brands, SheKnows, Flow Space, StyleCaster, Soaps and TVLine, produce award-winning lifestyle content and events that reflect the passion and purpose of the company. In addition to the flagship brands, the SHE Media Collective supports thousands of independent publishers and content creators with technology, education, and monetization opportunities to grow their businesses.  

SHE Media has a longstanding commitment to the advancement of equity and inclusion through media. In 2021, SHE Media launched Meaningful Marketplaces enabling advertisers to buy media at scale from a community of women and minority-owned publishers, ensuring that independent media receives the economic support to thrive.  SHE Media is also dedicated to advancing women’s health. In 2023, SHE Media launched Flow Space, an all-new digital and live media platform providing content, community, and commerce in service of women’s whole life health. 

Part of Penske Media Corporation (PMC), SHE Media is based in New York, with offices in Los Angeles. Follow SHE Media on LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.

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February 27, 2024, Los Angeles, CA: Penske Media Corporation (PMC) announced two promotions inside of its expanding technology team. Nicola Catton has been elevated to Senior Vice President of Product Delivery, effective immediately. Catton will continue to manage PMC’s technical roadmap, supporting all 25 of PMC’s publishing brands, with complete oversight of the product management, portfolio prioritization, process improvements, and digital design teams.

“Nici is the glue that holds a complex product portfolio together and moving forward,” said Jenny Connelly, EVP of Product & Technology at PMC. “As a world-class process improvement expert, she has driven efficiency not just inside the tech team, but across sales, marketing, subscriptions and print teams across the company.”

Gabriel Koen has also been promoted to Senior Vice President of Technology, effective immediately. Koen will continue to manage PMC’s technical teams including web and mobile software development, data science and data engineering, privacy, security and AI.  Koen is a publishing tech expert and well-respected leader in the WordPress engineering community.  

“Gabriel is the undisputed thought leader of PMC’s technology systems,” said Jenny Connelly, EVP of Product & Technology at PMC. “He represents both its past and future—his legacy knowledge keeps our websites running daily and he pushes us to continually evolve as a modern media company."

Both Catton and Koen are based in Los Angeles and can be emailed at ncatton@pmc.com and gkoen@pmc.com respectively.

Austin, Texas —February 13, 2024: Today, Penske Media Corporation’s (PMC) iconic brands announced a slate of activations taking place at this year’s South by Southwest® (SXSW®) Conference and Festival in Austin, TX, March 8 – 16, 2024. Brands hosting unforgettable experiences, panel discussions, fireside chats, concerts, and more include Variety, Robb Report, Deadline, The American Pavillion (AmPav), The Hollywood Reporter (THR), WWD, Footwear News, Beauty Inc, Rivet, SHE Media, Sportico, Rolling Stone and Billboard.

Variety's signature Power of Comedy event returns in partnership with the SXSW Comedy Festival for opening night Friday, March 8, at ACL Live at The Moody Theater in Austin. Honoring some of the biggest names in comedy, the evening will consist of stand-up acts and honoree speeches in celebration of the year in comedy.

Robb Report brings its signature style to the SXSW experience, presenting an immersive luxury destination: House of Robb, March 8 – 10, at The Walter Tips Building, located at 712 Congress Avenue. This elevated oasis within the SXSW campus combines the best of the best under one roof. Attendees will experience intimate live talks around the theme of high performance featuring, athlete and entrepreneur Gabby Reece, longevity guru Dave Asprey and psychedelics expert Dr. Dave Rabin, as well as world-class culinary and mixology adventures, VIP gatherings—and a first look at “The Vault,” Robb Report’s brand new ultra-luxury shopping platform offering one-of-a-kind products and experiences from the world’s finest brands, exclusively created for Robb Report.

Deadline will host the Deadline Studio at SXSW March 8-11 at the Thompson Hotel, with select talent from premiering projects in its signature studio for exclusive on-camera video interviews and solo and group portraits.

The American Pavilion’s (AmPav) esteemed Worldwide Student Program has introduced thousands of entertainment industry students to festivals and events worldwide, from Hollywood to Cannes to Venice. This year, for the first time, AmPav will launch an expansion of its student program at SXSW, with a 5-day program, March 8-12. Twenty-five students will attend the best SXSW has to offer including industry events with thought leaders and expert discussions from the worlds of film, tech, and music.

The Hollywood Reporter (THR) will celebrate the 25th Anniversary of "Office Space” on Saturday, March 9, hosting a rousing panel and reunion in the same town where it was filmed with select cast members on SXSW’s mainstage.

The Wear House, a cross-brand activation with WWD, Footwear News, Beauty Inc, and Rivet returns to Austin, at 800 Congress on March 9 – 10, 10:30 am – 6 pm, as the ultimate fashion and beauty innovation destination of SXSW 2024. This year’s theme, “Innovation, Insights & Influence: The Art of Storytelling in Fashion and Beauty” will engage the SXSW audience in first-person success stories from thought leaders, entrepreneurs, designers and influencers, including Remi Bader, Lo Bosworth, and Gabby Thomas. Conversations will cover how leveraging consumer data, AI, influencers, authenticity, and core cultural trends helps brands more effectively communicate with their audience, scale and succeed in a crowded marketplace. More speakers to be announced; for updates click here.

The SHE Media Co-Lab returns to SXSW for three packed days, March 9, 10 and 11, at 206 E 4th St in Austin, with an all-star lineup of women's health advocates including Brooke Shields, Katie Couric, Dr. Sharon Malone, Lori Gottlieb, and Gabby Reece. The Co-Lab at SXSW also marks SHE Media’s one-year anniversary launching its proprietary brand, Flow Space, a digital and live media platform providing content, community, and commerce in service of women’s health. The SHE Media Co-Lab at SXSW will once again gather innovators and changemakers in conversation about women’s whole health, bringing diverse voices and perspectives that will pave the way for future advancement. For more information and updates, click here.

Sportico returns to the Four Seasons Austin as the official Sports Track at SXSW, March 9 – 11. Attendees can expect three days of unrivaled programming on the Sportico Podcast Stage in the picturesque East Lawn. Guests will hear from industry players including six-time NBA All Star Blake Griffin, three-time WNBA MVP and four-time Olympic gold medalist Lisa Leslie, former NBA Center and LGBT Advocate Jason Collins, Buffalo Bills Safety Damar Hamlin, and two-time Olympic gold medalist Aly Wagner.

Quickly established as a marquee showcase of SXSW’s music festival, Rolling Stone returns to Austin with its second-annual Future of Music programming, taking place March 12 – 15 at ACL Live at The Moody Theater. Inspired by the spirit of SXSW, this four-night concert series celebrates the sounds of today and tomorrow, spanning all genres. The Future of Music showcase will be open to all SXSW badge holders and the public. Please note that badge holders will receive priority admission, and the public is on a first-come, first-served basis. For more information click here.

Back by popular demand, Billboard's THE STAGE @ SXSW returns to Austin's Moody Amphitheater at Waterloo Park with a lineup of A-list talent across today's biggest genres. These must-see sets will take place March 14-16 during the SXSW Music Festival and are open to badge holders as well as general ticket buyers.

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About Penske Media

Penske Media Corporation (PMC) is a leading global media and information services company whose award-winning content attracts a passionate audience. Since 2004, PMC has been a pioneer in digital media and a platform innovator, reaching viewers on all screens across its ever-growing constellation of iconic brands, which includes Variety, Rolling Stone, The Hollywood Reporter, Billboard, Dick Clark Productions, WWD, SHE Media, Robb Report, Deadline, Sportico, BGR, ARTnews, Fairchild Media, Vibe, IndieWire, TVLine, Artforum, Gold Derby, Spy.com and Luminate, the premier data and analytics company. PMC’s journalists and content creators deliver daily the most comprehensive news and information in their industries and areas of coverage, unequaled in ambition, depth, and courage. In addition, PMC owns several vital cultural events such as SXSW, LA3C, Life is Beautiful, Latin Music Week and ATX Television Festival. Headquartered in New York and Los Angeles with additional offices in 14 countries worldwide, PMC believes companies should not only be profitable but also forces for good www.pmc.com.

Entertainment Data Giant Luminate Acquires Quansic, Leader in Global Music Artist Identification Services

The Deal Fuels Luminate’s Mission to Unify Data within the Music Industry across Streaming, Publishing and Artist Services

LOS ANGELES, CA – FEBRUARY 6, 2024 – Today, Luminate, the entertainment industry's most essential data partner, announced its acquisition of Quansic, a leader in global music artist identification services. Quansic, an international company operating out of France, maintains the world’s largest artist identification database which includes over 2.5 million ISNIs (artist identifiers) and 200 million asset identifiers. The deal was made as part of Luminate’s continued efforts to unify data for the entertainment industry, and more specifically due to Quansic’s expertise in the harmonization of metadata across record labels, streaming platforms, song publishers, and artist services within the music ecosystem.

Effective immediately, Quansic’s team will join Luminate, remaining under founder and chief scientist FX Nuttall. Nuttall, who has 20+ years of success constructing solutions to metadata discrepancies within music, most recently at YouTube, will report directly to Luminate CEO Rob Jonas.

Speaking on the announcement, Jonas said, “Quansic has earned the trust of many key leaders in the music data space, which is no surprise given the quality of the product and service FX and his team have built. We warmly welcome them into the Luminate family and look forward to collaborating and taking our music data offerings to the next level, especially as we close the gap between the disparate data that labels and publishers have historically relied on to drive their businesses forward.”

Nuttall added, “We are grateful to Rob and the Luminate team for seeing the value in what we’ve created at Quansic. Combining our unique data quality with Luminate’s scale, capabilities and influence is essential for advancing our vision to unify data within the music industry. We are eager to scale that work with Luminate and look forward to bringing unprecedented value to the music industry.”

Within Luminate, Quansic will continue operating its data enhancement services, which include improving the quality of identifiers within recording artists’ discographies and simplifying the process of claiming earned song royalties. Quansic’s clients will have the option to access Luminate’s industry-leading streaming and sales data. In addition to standalone products and services, Quansic’s data will be incorporated into Luminate’s new data platform, announced last year. The new platform is being launched in several phases over the coming months and currently serves record labels, artist management, music publishers and many other clients within and beyond the global music industry.

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ABOUT LUMINATE

Luminate is the preeminent entertainment data and insights company, unleashing access to the most essential, objective, and trustworthy information across music, film and television, with data compiled from hundreds of verified sources. Today, the company maintains its more than 30-year legacy of accurate storytelling by powering the iconic Billboard music charts, while also acting as the premiere database for the television and film industries. Working closely with record labels, artists, studios, production companies, networks, tech companies, and more, Luminate offers the most valued source of comprehensive, independent, and foundational entertainment data that drives industry forward. Luminate is an independently operated company and a subsidiary of PME TopCo., a joint venture between Penske Media Corporation and Eldridge.