Side of the Rhode: Who’s Hot and Who’s Not? - August 3, 2018

HOT

AMC Series in RI

As GoLocalProv broke on Thursday, AMC is set to film 'NOS4A2,' a horror drama based on Joe Hill's book, in Rhode Island. 

GoLocal obtained a letter sent by location scouts confirming the shooting, which is slated to start in the fall. 

The series is set to debut in 2019 and be ten episodes long. 

It will be produced by AMC Studios in along Michael Eisner’s Tornante Television, and created by Fear The Walking Dead's Jami O’Brien, who will serve as showrunner.

It was one of three drama projects that AMC opened writers rooms for last summer

"We'll be making an official announcement with AMC shortly, when the cast is finalized," said Steve Feinberg with the RI Film & Television office when reached on Thursday.

HOT

That's Right, We Are!

GoLocal, one of the fastest growing digital news organizations in New England, is adding five new staffers and contributors.

The expansion provides a greater depth in the management of the company, a new reporter, two new hosts on GoLocal LIVE, and an additional columnist.

“We continue to see tremendous growth in viewership and readership on all business matrix. In a time when most local media Is contracting, we are growing,” said Josh Fenton, CEO and Co-Founder of GoLocalProv.com.

New to GoLocal are:

Report/Host: Rachel Nunes

Host: Laura Afonso

Host: Chelsea Guay

Chief Operating Officer: Rodrigo Zetina-Yglesias

MINDSETTER™: Joseph Molina Flynn

HOT

BIF SUMMIT

Forbes picked 5 super cool meetings on Thursday that will “Expand Your Mind (And Your Network)" and RI's own made the list.

Forbes wrote:

Business Innovation Factory (BIF) Summit

At the BIF Summit, “innovation junkies” share 15-minute stories about personal growth, overcoming hardships, and laying the groundwork for future opportunities. Founder Saul Kaplan has specifically designed BIF to facilitate connections and knowledge in the most optimal way possible. Speakers—or storytellers as they are called at the BIF Summit—have included everyone from Reinventing You author Dorie Clark to PTSD treatment innovator Ken Falke to one-time convict, present-day fitness entrepreneur Coss Marte. Attendees to the BIF Summit come away with a stack of new connections, a spate of new ideas, and a heart that has grown a couple of sizes bigger.

HOT

Apple

From a company that was near bankruptcy 20 years ago — to the world’s first $1 trillion valuations.

HOT

Mim Runey 

Johnson & Wales University Providence campus President Mim Runey has been named the next chancellor of Johnson & Wales University.

She will succeed John Bowen, who announced his retirement earlier this year.

“I am honored to have been chosen to lead this institution dedicated to students’ intellectual and personal growth during this time of rapid change in higher education. Johnson & Wales has evolved from a world leader in culinary and hospitality education to a university that has built upon that excellence to provide students with opportunities in a wide breadth of industry-relevant disciplines,” said Runey.

Runey will take over the chancellor position on October 1.

HOT

Girl Power

The Cranston Budlong softball team has made RI proud in their run in the Little League Juniors World Series in Kirkland, Washington.

While the Little League boys are featured on ESPN and local TV stations covering them like the Patriots in the Super Bowl, the girls just go and play and make Rhode Islanders proud.

NOT

GateHouse Media

Profits are up at the Providence Journal’s parent company, but that hasn't stopped the company from cutting, slashing and buyout the newsroom. 

Veteran Providence Journal reporter -- and President of the Guild -- John Hill is taking GateHouse's latest buyout offer. 

"The offer was the best it had been in the past, and I didn't know what the next one would be," said Hill, who noted that he had heard of two other reporters and two advertising executives who had requested buyouts.

On Monday afternoon, Executive Editor Alan Rosenberg confirmed Hill, Christine Dunn, John Gillooly, and night editor Gary Zebrun took buyouts. 

Hill, who had been with the paper for 29 years, was Secretary of the Guild for five years, and President for fifteen. He said as of Monday at 1 p.m. he had not been notified that GateHouse had offered official buyouts to those four employees. 

Hill said he will remain on with the Guild for the remainder of the year. 

"There's still stuff I want to get done before I sign off," said Hill. "I gave a third of my life [to the Guild]."

"Legacy media are in a generational tailspin. No one under the age of 40 is reading newsprint anymore and traditional newsrooms including The Providence Journal and The Boston Globe have failed at presenting news online... and the results are apparent," said Roger Williams Journalism Professor Michael Scully. 

NOT

Gina Raimondo

Raimondo’s Administration’s UHIP costs have now ballooned to more than $647M.

The controversial technology system for the state’s safety net for the most in need continued to hemorrhage costs. The latest documents submitted by the Raimondo administration to federal officials show that the tech project is now another $150 million over the last submitted budget.

Governor Gina Raimondo has repeatedly refused to fire Deloitte — the state’s vendor. One portion of UHIP is now being overseen by a federally appointed special master. Improvements to the system under federal court review — food stamps — continues to miss self-imposed technology and system improvements.

NOT

David Salvatore

Now that Councilman David Salvatore has had his meltdown after GoLocal raised questions about his dual role as a lobbyist for the RI Association of Realtors and as City Council President, can he answer the question — does he support or oppose the proposed Fane Tower project?

It is the largest proposed private investment in the City — an estimated $250M to $300M — since the development of the Providence Place Mall in the 1990’s.  

Salvatore seemed to take even greater umbrage when GoLocal asked if he had sought an advisory opinion from the Ethics Commission on this issue two weeks ago.

NOT

Revolution Soccer Stadium

The New England Revolution are yet again entangled in rumors about building their own stadium – the newest location is on a parcel near the Boston Garden.

After sharing a home with the Patriots in Foxboro for over 20 years, there appears to be some momentum that the Revs might finally get a stadium of their own.

However, these could be just the latest rumors about a project that has been stagnant for years.

RI Hopes Fading

Hopes that Providence or Rhode Island could get in the mix appears to be fading and Governor Gina Raimondo’s office confirmed that she has not had any conversations with the Kraft family about the potential for a Rhode Island-based stadium in the past three months. Rhode Island officials have spent nearly three years in negotiations with the owners of the Pawtucket Red Sox.

Jonathan Kraft had told GoLocal in January that they were "open to anything in Rhode Island" with the Revolution, but Massachusets is squarely now in focus. 

According to The Boston Globe, “Jorge Mas, co-owner of Miami’s new Major League Soccer franchise, said New England Revolution owner Robert Kraft will soon build a long-planned stadium ‘near, or next to, Boston Garden.’”

“They’re in,” is what Mas said to the Miami Herald.