Ryan Kavanaugh and Proxima Media Launch New Banner Production Company ‘The Quad’ in Partnership With Amy Kim and Jaime Burke of Lifeboat Productions

The Quad will produce 3-5 films per year with a self-funded budget of $3M – $12M each, and will star a top influencer paired with a world-renowned director and actor

LOS ANGELES, Oct. 04, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Ryan Kavanaugh, in tandem with Proxima Media and Lifeboat Productions’ Amy Kim and Jaime Burke, proudly announces their new banner production company called The Quad. Matt Weaver and Jason Barhydt will also serve as producers with the company, which specializes in feature-length films focused on horror, thriller, American comedies, and love stories. Their annual slate will consist of 3-5 films and will have a self-funded budget of $3M – $12M per picture. The Quad will utilize Kavanaugh’s deep relationships with the top influencers and surround them with world-renowned actors and directors. The Quad has already secured deals with top talent, including Charlie D’Amelio, Bryce Hall, and King Bach.

The Quad has its next four movies slated back-to-back on the heels of wrapping SKILL HOUSE over the next 12 months.

“The Quad intends to break the boundary between social media culture and what we know as Hollywood today,” said Partner Ryan Kavanaugh. “We are thrilled to be bringing Charlie D’Amelio, Bryce Hall, and now King Bach’s acting chops to the big screen. Their talent has no boundaries, and their digital footprint will help bring audiences back into theaters. I couldn’t be more excited to bring this new company to life with award-winning producers and powerhouses Amy Kim and Jaime Burke alongside veteran producer and entertainment exec Matt Weaver.”

“We are excited to be on this journey with a veteran producer like Ryan. He has a love of filmmaking that is infectious and a constant desire to create new space in the entertainment industry. The people assembled to make these movies add a depth of experience that will ensure quality projects aimed at talents’ strengths to bring top-quality entertainment to all film fans,” adds Amy Kim and Jaime Burke.

Previously Weaver and Kavanaugh together produced the Grammy-nominated documentary, I’LL SLEEP WHEN IM DEAD about Steve Aoki for Netflix, documentary THE FIRST MONDAY IN MAY, about the Met Ball that was produced in conjunction with Anna Wintour for Magnolia Pictures, and the Tony Nominated Broadway Musical ROCK OF AGES which Weaver was the Lead Producer and General Partner and Kavanaugh a producer and many other television shows and content.

In addition, Triller’s Jason Barhydt will produce with The Quad. Barhydt previously worked with Kavanaugh on some of his biggest hits, including IMMORTALS, LIMITLESS, DEAR JOHN, ACT OF VALOR, SAFE HAVEN, and THE FIGHTER.

The Quad’s third project, MILES RYDER, slated to begin production later this year, starring King Bach, comedian and actor, is a JOHN WICK meets DOCTOR STRANGE style thriller with The Quad.

King Bach first entered the scene as Vine’s most followed social media user on their platform, with over 11 million followers. Bachelor parlayed his Vine success into major followings on platforms including YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram, with nearly 23M followers on the latter alone. He most recently appeared in Ric Roman Waugh’s sports drama NATIONAL CHAMPIONS as well as 20th Century Studio and Broken Road Productions’ hit comedy VACATION FRIENDS for Hulu. Bachelor has also appeared in series including THE MINDY PROJECT, HOUSE OF LIES, BLACK JESUS, and KEY & PEELE, and in such films as FIFTY SHADES OF BLACK, THE BABYSITTER, and TO ALL THE BOYS I’VE LOVED BEFORE. He ventured into acting with over a dozen roles from NATIONAL CHAMPIONS, VACATION FRIENDS, FIFTY SHADES OF BLACK, TO ALL THE BOYS I LOVED BEFORE, and the Adult Swim series “Black Jesus.”

The Quad is currently in post-production on SKILL HOUSE, the first installment in the R-rated horror film franchise starring social media phenomenon and TikTok star Bryce Hall, in co-production with global hip hop icon Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson’s G-Unit Film & Television. The film stars Hall alongside veteran actors Neal McDonough (Yellowstone, The Arrow, The Flash) and Leah Pipes (The Originals, SORORITY ROW).

Pre-production is underway from The Quad for the highly anticipated Charli D’Amelio supernatural thriller HOME SCHOOL, written by Casey Giltner. SVP of Production at Proxima, Daniel Herther, who shepherded the development of Home School, will be producing alongside Kavanaugh, Barhydt, Burke, and Kim with Kavanaugh’s partner Bobby Sarnevesht. Marc, Heidi, and Dixie D’Amelio will serve as executive producers.

“I forgot how much I loved the art of making movies. Going back to my roots where I was hands-on in the creative process for projects like BROTHERS, THE BANK JOB, LIMITLESS, IMMORTALS, DEAR JOHN, THE FIGHTER and many others, it’s reminded me of what I loved about making movies. For the first time, I have the best of the best partners in Amy, Jaime, and Matt to make sure we execute and deliver with an A+ standard and quality. This time we are doing it our way!” Kavanaugh continued.

About Proxima Media and Ryan Kavanaugh
Founder of Proxima Media, the controlling shareholder of Triller, Ryan Kavanaugh, is one of the most accomplished, prolific, and honored executives in entertainment industry history. Using an intelligent model of film finance, he was dubbed the creator of “Moneyball for movies.” He produced, distributed, and/or structured financing for more than 200 films, generating more than $20 billion in worldwide box office revenue and earning 60 Oscar nominations. He is the 25th highest-grossing film producer of all time. His productions include Fast and Furious 2-6, 300, Social Network, Limitless, Fighter, Talladega Nights, Step Brothers, and Mama Mia! Kavanaugh and Proxima pioneered an innovative finance deal for post-bankruptcy Marvel, making the studio and finance structure that led to Marvel Cinematic Universe. He built the SVOD (streaming) category with Netflix, which boosted that company’s market capitalization from $2 to $10 billion. Kavanaugh is the co-founder of Triller, one of the three fastest-growing social media apps. He recently led the acquisition, merger, and re-launch of the social media and music app.

He also created the powerhouse television company, now known as Critical Content, producing hit shows like Catfish on MTV and Limitless on CBS, which he sold for $200M. The company had 40 television series across 19 networks before its sale. Kavanaugh has earned several achievements and awards, from Variety’s Producer of the Year Award to The Hollywood Reporter’s Leadership Award, from Fortune’s 40 Under 40 Most Influential People in Business to Forbes’ Fortune 400, Billion-Dollar Producer by the Daily Variety and the 100 Most Influential People in the World by Vanity Fair. Proxima and Kavanaugh are repped by Neil Sacker.

Given his passion for animals, Kavanaugh is also active in the pet food brand Dog for Dog, which donates dog food to local and national shelters for each product purchased to save dogs from being euthanized. He also served on the boards of several charitable foundations, including the Sheriff’s Youth Foundation and Cedars-Sinai’s Board of Governors, and served as the Chairman of Art of Elysian for
almost eight years, amongst others.

About Lifeboat Productions
Amy Kim and Jaime Burke are award-winning producers with over 20 years of diverse experience. They have produced original content for all the leading streamers and studios with their most recent credits, including the Apple+ series Surfside Girls and Amazon’s Undone. Kim got her producing starts with the Academy Award Winning short film, WEST BANK STORY, while Burke worked for 20th Century Fox and produced indie features prior to forming Lifeboat Productions. Lifeboat will continue to produce its slate of projects as well as collaborate with current and future partners in addition to The Quad.

About Matt Weaver
Matthew Weaver will be producing projects for the company. Previously Weaver and Kavanaugh produced the Grammy-nominated documentary, I’LL SLEEP WHEN IM DEAD, about Steve Aoki for Netflix. They also produced the documentary THE FIRST MONDAY IN MAY, about the Met Ball that was produced in conjunction with Anna Wintour for Magnolia Pictures. Kavanaugh was also a producer on the Tony Nominated Broadway Musical ROCK OF AGES, on which Weaver was the Lead Producer and General Partner on.

Media Contact
Michelle Vieyra
(202) 415-7714
michelle@jiveprdigital.com
www.jiveprdigital.com

Customertimes Hires Maksym Matiash as Senior VP of Sales for EMEA 

NEW YORK, Oct. 4, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — Customertimes, a global innovator in product development and systems integration, announced today that veteran technology and software sales leader Maksym Matiash has joined the company as Senior VP of Sales for the EMEA region.

Mr. Matiash formerly served as Managing Director for SAP and as Regional Director of Business Applications Sales at Oracle, where he created and managed highly successful regional and global sales teams in numerous markets, including former CIS and much of Eastern Europe.

At Customertimes, Mr. Matiash will help the company’s EMEA sales team trailblaze transformative digital journeys for clients through the implementation of leading technology platforms integrated with Customertimes’ world-class proprietary software, bespoke development capabilities, and stellar customer support services.

“Mr. Matiash’s mastery of enterprise software and his service to some of the world’s most progressive companies make him the ideal fit for us in the EMEA market,” says Roman Khudyakov, Chief Revenue Officer at Customertimes. “His commitment to growth-oriented customer service will have an immediate and positive impact, and his connection to the people of Ukraine closely aligns with our mission of standing resolutely with our many colleagues who are impacted by the war.”

Mr. Matiash observes he is looking forward to contributing to the dramatic growth Customertimes has experienced in recent years.

“Customertimes has an impressive roster of leading international enterprise clients,” he says. “This company is truly unique. We have a deep bench in consulting, development, and product expertise, and our leadership within the Salesforce ecosystem is a key differentiator. There is tremendous demand for the skills and services that Customertimes offers, and I am committed to helping our customers maximize – and profit from – their technology investments.”

To learn more:

About Customertimes

Customertimes Corp. is a global SI and ISV partner dedicated to making the top IT technologies accessible to customers. With more than 4000 projects completed and 1600+ highly skilled experts, our solutions are engineered to help clients realize true business transformation and achieve maximum value from their technology investments. An early entrant into the Salesforce consulting and implementation space in Eastern Europe and an award-winning product development organization, Customertimes Corp. has headquarters in New York City, with regional offices in London, Paris, Toronto, Kyiv, Poznan, Riga, and Podgorica. For more information, visit www.customertimes.com.

Media Contact:

Meriel Sikora

Customertimes

212-520-0059

meriel.sikora@customertimes.com 

Automox Expands Functionality and Reach with Remote Control and New Global Partnership

Product and distribution momentum set to fuel international growth

Boulder, Colo, Oct. 04, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Automox®, the cloud-native IT operations provider, today announced general availability of its remote control feature, offering global IT teams advanced troubleshooting capabilities from a single cloud-native console.

Remote control is a powerful tool for IT teams everywhere. IT administrators often face a mountain of device-related issues daily, ranging from email account errors, password resets, and devices that won’t update, to processes that drain device resources. Without the ability to perform an in-depth investigation directly on the device, providing a fix generally requires significant time from IT teams and multiple tools.

With remote control, IT admins can gain immediate access to end-user devices to troubleshoot issues directly. The functionality was developed in-house by Automox’s product team to help IT teams quickly address a wide array of common endpoint issues.

“While our customers usually just set up Automox and let it run, we found that many of our customers occasionally need more hands-on capability with their endpoints to help with troubleshooting or user assistance.  It was a straightforward and natural step to add in remote control capabilities,” said Corey Bodzin, Senior Vice President of Product.  “Our customers can now use a single intuitive console to manage and troubleshoot all of their endpoints.”

Automox’s in-console remote control gives IT operations teams two major advantages:

  • Teams can quickly and easily access and troubleshoot remote devices for employees anywhere in the world to provide quick fixes to update issues, configuration problems, and more.
  • Teams can consolidate their toolset for simplicity and cost savings by combining patching, configuration, and troubleshooting into a single easy-to-use platform.

On the heels of its remote control release, Automox also announced further momentum into international markets with its inclusion in Orchestra, an IT channel sales distribution partnership led by QBS Software and global investor Insight Partners. Automox is one of five hypergrowth software companies to be included in the international launch, which focuses its preliminary distribution in the UK and Germany.

“This is an exciting opportunity for Automox, along with some of our fast-growing peers in the software industry, to continue to build on our international community of customers,” said Stefan Schweizer, Vice President of International Sales. “With new added functionality in our platform, our positioning is better than ever to empower fast and easy IT operations anywhere in the world.”

To learn more about Orchestra, visit here.

To learn more about remote control and troubleshooting with Automox, visit here.

About Automox

Automox is the cloud-native IT operations platform for modern organizations. It makes it easy to keep every endpoint automatically configured, patched, and secured – anywhere in the world. With the push of a button, IT admins can fix critical vulnerabilities faster, slash cost and complexity, and win back hours in their day. Join thousands of companies transforming IT operations into a strategic business driver with Automox. Learn more at : www.automox.com or follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, or Instagram.

© 2022 Automox Inc. All rights reserved. Automox, Automox Worklet, and the Automox logo are registered or unregistered trademarks of Automox Inc.

Justin Talerico
Automox
(561) 870-5957
press@automox.com

Moore Nanotechnology Systems Opens Global Training and Process Development Center in Charlotte, North Carolina

SWANZEY, N.H., Oct. 04, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Moore Nanotechnology Systems (“Nanotech”), a leading global supplier of ultra-precision machining systems, announces the grand opening of their Global Training and Process Development Center in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Mark Boomgarden, President and CEO of Nanotech shared, “Nanotech is very excited to announce the grand opening of our Global Training and Process Development Center in Charlotte, North Carolina. Although the initial focus of this facility is to provide customer-specific training and industry-leading process development, it also provides Nanotech incremental production capacity to meet the demands of a rapidly growing market.”

Nanotech purchased and recently completed the upfit of a 50,000 ft2 building located in the Northpark Corporate Park – Charlotte, NC.

Nanotech’s core technology and employee base is in Swanzey, New Hampshire, and this foundation is fundamental to the products and services in which they provide. But as the organization continues to grow, Nanotech needed to find an ecosystem to help foster and accelerate this growth, and the Charlotte region allows Nanotech access to a world-class university, an international airport, and a city with the infrastructure to support a global footprint.

Robert Keynton, Dean of Engineering at UNC Charlotte added, “One of the advantages of having Nanotech expand their facilities here in Charlotte is that it strengthens our collaborations and our relationship, to include the hiring of our students.” Keynton continued, “But it also enables them access to the cutting-edge research our faculty are doing and to incorporate that knowledge into their systems.”

Nanotech continues to see significant growth as the requirements for optical systems become more and more complex and evolve from both real to virtual applications. The knowledge and process development required to support the manufacturing of these systems has also dramatically increased.

Scott Gerhart, Vice President Nanotech Sales and Service commented “Training and application support are fundamental to our product and service offerings, and in today’s markets, are expected by our customers.” Gerhart continued, “Because of this, our business depends on hiring the top talent available in the ultra-precision machining world. The students that are coming out of the Precision Manufacturing and Metrology Programs at UNC Charlotte are extremely well-prepared for the kind of roles we need to be successful at Nanotech.”

Paul Vermette, Vice President of Engineering stated, “As our customer’s continue to advance their in-house capabilities to meet the industry’s demanding product requirements, Nanotech continues to stay 1 to 2 generations ahead of the curve.” Vermette continued, “Our 5-year product & technology roadmap is built with customer input, which when combined with our internal investments, provides Nanotech the required strategic direction to achieve these goals.”

This new Nanotech facility is located at 6510 Northpark Blvd in Charlotte – fifteen minutes from both Uptown and Charlotte Douglas International Airport. The facility was renovated in 2022, to include the buildout of Class 10k cleanrooms, sitting on 24-inches of concrete isolation pads, and temperature control to +/- 0.1 degrees C. Additionally, the facility was upgraded to include temperature controlled high-bay manufacturing space, and a state-of-the-art training complex to support customer engagement.

Moore Nanotechnology Systems (Nanotech) was founded in Keene, New Hampshire in 1997 as a stand-alone subsidiary of the Moore Tool Company. In 2010, the company relocated into a modern, purpose-built facility in Swanzey, New Hampshire and in 2020 opened a facility in Concord, North Carolina. For over 25 years, Nanotech has been a world leader in the design, development and manufacture of state-of-the-art ultra-precision machine tools and associated processes (single point diamond turning, micro-milling, micro-grinding and glass press molding) for the production of advanced optical components in consumer electronics, space, defense, aerospace, lighting, medical and automotive sectors. Moore Tool, founded in 1924 and located in Bridgeport, Connecticut, has a long history in the precision and ultra-precision machine tool markets. Today, Moore Tool provides a complete line of high-performance CNC jig grinders, along with contract precision-manufacturing services certified to both ISO 9001:2015 and AS9100D. Moore Nanotechnology Systems and Moore Tool are vertically integrated under the PMT Group.

Moore Nanotechnology Systems: www.nanotechsys.com
Moore Tool, Inc: www.mooretool.com

For further information, please contact: sales@nanotechsys.com

AI and Cities: UN-Habitat and Mila launch a collaborative White Paper on the use and potential challenges of AI to support the development of people-centered sustainable cities and settlements

TORONTO, Oct. 4, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — UN-Habitat, the United Nations organization working for sustainable urbanization in over 90 countries, and Mila, the world’s largest academic deep learning research centre, announce the launch of their collaborative White Paper offering insights and recommendations on how Artificial Intelligence (AI) systems could be harnessed to support the development of socially and environmentally sustainable cities and human settlements.

Mila & UN-Habitat logo

Aimed at supporting both urban managers and practitioners, the White Paper, part of UN-Habitat’s strategy to promote a people-centered approach to digital transformation, outlines the current value add and challenges of AI in cities and provides a set of practical recommendations to improve the way in which AI is used and promotes sustainable cities and inclusive inclusive communities.

The document covers urban applications of AI across a wide range of sectors (Energy, Mobility, Public Safety, Healthcare, etc.), and covers important themes including the trad-offs and risks of AI, the specific approaches and applications of urban AI in urban governance.

The paper will be unveiled during a panel discussion at the 2022 Urban Economy Forum (UEF) in Toronto.

“AI, like any other technology, can be a force that widens or reduces social gaps depending on how it is applied. We have a collective responsibility to appropriately use and integrate AI solutions and ensure that there are no unintended consequences.” says Maimunah Mohd Sharif, Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director at UN-Habitat.

The goal of the White Paper is to provide local authorities with the necessary guidance they need to weigh up the pros and cons of AI in fostering sustainable local communities. Local authorities regularly make decisions about AI that impact people’s lives, and need the tools to assess where and for whom AI brings added value and whether it is appropriate in a given context. The paper serves as a knowledge resource to help guide decision making with respect to the positive engagement with and use of AI  for smart and people centered sustainable cities and human settlements.

“Like any other transformative opportunity, integrating AI into urban environments comes with challenges and risks that must be taken and tackled seriously for AI to benefit societies,” says Valérie Pisano, President and CEO of Mila. “This White Paper could be a very useful tool for local authorities who, like UN-Habitat and Mila, are committed to the responsible development of AI.”

Visit https://unhabitat.org/ to access the full White Paper.

White Paper main authors: 

  • Jean-Louis Denis, Full Professor (UdeM)
  • Golnoosh Farnadi, Assistant Professor (HEC Montréal), Core Academic Member (Mila), Canada CIFAR AI Chair
  • Shaz Jameson, PhD student (Tilburg Institute of Law and Technology, UdeM, Mila)
  • Shin Koseki, Assistant Professor (UdeM), Director (UNESCO Chair in Urban Landscape)
  • Catherine Régis, Full Professor (UdeM), Associate Academic Member (Mila)
  • Davild Rolnick, Assistant Professor (McGill University), Core Academic Member (Mila), Canada CIFAR AI Chair

More details on the Launch event: 

  • Event: Panel on the launch of the “AI and Cities: Risks Applications and Governance” Report by UN-Habitat and Mila at the 4th Urban Economy Forum (UEF4) on Sustainable Urban Finance. UEF4 will start with the opening session on Monday October 3 at 9:00 a.m. (EDT).
  • Location: Toronto, Canada World Urban Pavilion (WUP) at Regent Park Powered by Daniels  and virtually. Free registration link : https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/uef4-tickets-344374632797?discount=COMPLIMENTARY100
  • Time of the Launch: Tuesday, October 4, 2022 at 4:45 p.m. (EDT)
  • Speakers:
    • Anna Jahn (moderator), Director of Public Policy and Learning, AI for Humanity (Mila)
    • Golnoosh Farnadi, Assistant Professor (HEC Montréal), Core Academic Member (Mila), Canada CIFAR AI Chair
    • Shaz Jameson, PhD student (Tilburg Institute of Law and Technology, UdeM, Mila)
    • Davild Rolnick, Assistant Professor (McGill University), Core Academic Member (Mila), Canada CIFAR AI Chair
  • More information about UEF4: https://www.ueforum.org/uef4
About UN-Habitat 

UN-Habitat is the United Nations programme working towards a better urban future. Its mission is to promote socially and environmentally sustainable human settlements development and the achievement of adequate housing for all. It works in over 90 countries to promote transformative change in cities and human settlements through knowledge, policy advice, technical assistance and collaborative action. It works with partners to build inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable cities and communities while promoting urbanization as a positive transformative force for people and communities, reducing inequality, discrimination and poverty. For more information, visit UN-Habitat – A Better Urban Future | UN-Habitat (unhabitat.org)

About Mila

Founded by Professor Yoshua Bengio of the University of Montreal, Mila is an artificial intelligence research institute that brings together over 1,000 researchers specializing in machine learning. Based in Montreal, Mila’s mission is to be a global hub for scientific advances that inspire innovation and development of AI for the benefit of all. Mila is a non-profit organization recognized worldwide for its significant contributions to the field of deep learning, particularly in language modeling, machine translation, object recognition, and generative models. For more information, visit mila.quebec

Media contacts: Katerina Bezgachina (UN-Habitat), ekaterina.bezgachina@un.org; Eric Aach (NATIONAL Public Relations for Mila), eaach@national.ca

Photo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1913491/Mila___Quebec_AI_Institute_AI_and_Cities__UN_Habitat_and_Mila_la.jpg