Songwriter-producer-entrepreneur Swizz Beatz and showrunner Chris Brancato (“Narcos,” “Godfather of Harlem”) will be developing new ideas for podcasts, television and film in a newly formalized partnership between the two.
Beatz produced the theme songs for “Godfather” and the Brancato show “Hotel Cocaine” and is a consulting producer on another Brancato project, “The Westies.”
“We’ve found a creative rhythm that feels rare,” Brancato said in a statement on the partnership.
The 46-year-old Swizz Beatz, born Kasseem Dean, is the veteran producer of rap hits like “Ruff Ryders Anthem” and the Grammy-winning “On to the Next One.” Beatz and fellow producer Timbaland launched the successful rap battle brand Verzuz during 2020, eventually selling it to Triller before reacquiring it and, last year, striking a distribution partnership with Elon Musk’s social media network X. He also has become a serious camel-racing fan and investor (not a joke).
“Moving into producing and creating new shows with [Brancato] felt incredibly natural and organic,” Beatz said in a statement. “That’s our vibe, our inclusive chemistry, fueling and driving each other to spark fresh creative ideas.”
+ The female/non-binary-leaning All Things Go festival has announced its expansion to Toronto with a new two-day festival set for Oct. 4-5. Lineups have not been announced yet, although it will take place just a few days after this year’s New York installment, which features Doechii, Clairo and Lucy Dacus.
The move is the latest for the festival, which was launched in Washington, D.C. in 2014 and expanded to New York last year; this year both of those festivals will expand from two days to three.
For its Toronto debut, All Things Go has partnered with Live Nation Women.
+ Create Music Group has announced a joint venture with Ty Dolla $ign and Shawn Barron’s EZMNY Records, extending a partnership that began over a decade ago when Barron signed Ty Dolla $ign to Atlantic Records.
Since co-founding EZMNY, the pair has signed artists like Leon Thomas as well as newcomers Bizzy Crook and rjtheweirdo.
“The Create Music Group deal serves as a new chapter for EZMNY Records,” said Barron in a statement. “Partnering with the Create team is a natural extension of the artist-first vision Ty and I have already built with the success of EZMNY.”
+ A new agency called All& founded by Jennifer Breithaupt and Suzanne Powers has been launched, offering brand strategy, organizational design and campaign management services.
“Everything we do is intentional, value-driven, and tailored to each brand’s unique challenges,” Breithaupt said in a statement.
Breithaupt, formerly Global Consumer CMO at Citi, and Powers, previously Global President and Chief Product Officer at McCann Worldgroup, say the agency was created to address the disconnect between brands’ activity and clarity around their messaging.
Read the full article here
