The UK news industry is becoming really confusing.

As one UK newspaper — the Independent — announced it will end its print edition, another newspaper — Trinity Mirror's the New Day— was born weeks later. While just months after The Sun tore down its online paywall to gain a larger audience, the Guardian admitted that, in spite of its own huge online following of 158 million browsers, it needs to cut costs by 20%.

Amid the uncertainty, there are few figures in a better position to explain the trends in UK media than The Sun's editor, Tony Gallagher, and Katharine Viner, editor of the Guardian. The Sun is the most popular newspaper in the UK, with an average daily circulation of more than 1.78 million, according to its latest ABC report, while The Guardian posted 266 million global visitors in January, according to SimilarWeb.

Both journalists were speaking at newspaper marketing agency Newsworks' Shift 2016 conference in London on Tuesday and shared their views on the future of newspapers.

Here's what we learned:

How to make money online

Neither Viner nor Gallagher believe that their publications can be sustained through advertising revenue alone. Viner explained that the Guardian hopes to re-energize its membership scheme to generate more revenue from its most loyal readers. Guardian membership currently gives access to exclusive, live events featuring journalists and cultural figures. The cost ranges from £5 ($6.96) to £60 ($83.52) a month.

But The Guardian isn't looking at an online paywall. She said (emphasis ours):

"What we’re looking at is how you can get ... readers to become more loyal and turn them from being loyal readers into members. One of things i’ve found, particularly since I’ve got the job, is that people say to me all the time 'How can I give you money? I feel guilty that I read you so much, I use you so much, I watch your videos all day, but I don’t pay you any money.' So we want to help them out with that desire ... We will not be introducing a paywall, no. So it’s about a deeper relationship and getting them to pay …"

Recently free-to-access-online, The Sun is looking towards other money making ventures that fit with its brand. It already makes profit from Dream Team, a fantasy football game, and soon The Sun will become a bookmaker, with Sun Bets expected to launch this year. Gallagher said:

"One of the biggest things we’ll be doing this year, the company has high hopes for launching Sun Bets, which is hoping to go live around the time of the launch of the new Premier League season in August. There are 14 million people that bet in the UK — about 55% of them are regular Sun readers — we think that’s very good for us, it’s one of the areas we’re keen to expand in. Look, I think the future for news brands is going to be a variety of revenue streams and it’s not just going to be cover price any more than it’s going to be advertising and … as Katherine Viner highlighted, we all need to look to our strengths to see that there are areas that we can play in to be successful for a long time in a sustainable future."

Print vs online

It's a question people have been asking ever since the internet became mainstream, but it's nevertheless still being asked: Is print media dying for good?

"Hmm, I don't know," responded Viner when she was asked that question on stage. "I mean, I think that, you know, anything we put out with The Guardian’s name on it should be really good. I think we should be producing really good newspapers. You know The Guardian and The Observer should be as good as we can make them. I think the future is digital and definitely we should be investing in innovation and digital. But they’re still different sorts of readers."

She later added: "Last year, the revenue we got from print readers actually went up." The Guardian Media Group's total revenues rose 3% to £214.6m ($298 million) in the year to March 29, 2015, with the company saying in its annual report "increases in digital and new product revenue more than offsetting declines in print revenue."

Gallagher, whose print business is the key to The Sun newspaper's success, was more confident when discussing the relative merits of print journalism compared to online journalism:

"I’m not sure that I see it as a binary choice: how much time do I spend thinking about print journalism, or how much time do I spend thinking about digital journalism. The model I think for most newsrooms has to be to think about both instinctively ... Although we have all these new brands arriving, the reliance on traditional media is as important as ever. And I think it’s beyond dispute that newspapers continue to drive the national conversation."

Social media

Both Viner and Gallagher agreed that the industry has moved far beyond the question of whether social media could ever replace traditional media. Viner described social media as leading us to a "dark ages of false information," with "everything flying." She added:

"I feel that there has been a move back towards brands that people trust to verify and sort of separate through the speculation and the rumor and the falsity."

Gallagher talked about the changing relationships with established social media sites like Facebook and Twitter. He said Facebook was clearly the most important in terms of driving traffic to The Sun website, but noticed changes in the uses of Twitter. He said:

"Most reporters are on Twitter in some format or other. Although I’ve noticed myself over the last couple of years that it’s probably changed from being a driver of traffic, to essentially a keen competitor for the likes of the [news wire service] Press Association. People now use it as a news source, but I’m not sure it’s a massive traffic driver unless you’re the likes of Jeremy Clarkson or Piers Morgan. And, if anything, I think there’s a tendency for some social media forms, particularly Twitter more than others, to become a bit of an echo-chamber, with a group-think system of everybody deciding something’s terrible or something’s wonderful and it’s led to a loss of thought amongst journalists."

Innovation: From branded apps to Snapchat

As well as talking about finding new ways to drive traffic to their websites, the two editors were keen to talk about other brand building innovations. Viner explained a new product:

"We launched this new product, which I’d love everyone to sign for. It’s called 'The Minute' and you can sign up for it in the Guardian app and it takes you one minute to read. It’s very visual. It’s built for smart phones and it tells you what happened in the election campaign today in one minute. It’s quite jokey, quite fun, as I say, very visual. So we’re kind of pushing on all fronts. It’s been very interesting and newsy and you know, we’re trying to be innovative at the same time."

Later, Gallagher talked excitedly about The Sun's launch on Snapchat Discover: "We think that the irreverence that we bring to the party will be perfect for Snapchat Discover."

However, as with The Sun's paywall, Gallagher recognized that new projects can fail and if that happens again with other projects, it is important to abandon them, before wasting too much time and resources on them.

He said of the venture into Snapchat Discover: "If it’s not working I would advise binning it in a couple of years, not persisting with something. We think it will work, but if any of these things don’t work, don’t persist with them for years."

SEE ALSO: The Guardian is going to cut costs by 20% and job losses look inevitable

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We know that Kanye West's fans love downloading torrents that violate copyright law: 500,000 of them illegally downloaded his album in the first 24 hours.

But now it seems that Kanye West himself uses the notorious torrent site The Pirate Bay, the very institution he was reportedly considering legal action against.

On Tuesday, Kanye tweeted a photo of his laptop with the YouTube page of the Sufjan Stevens song, "Death with Dignity," open on his web browser. But many astute people on Twitter noticed something more interesting in the background — an open tab on The Pirate Bay.

What torrent was Kanye looking for?

The Verge points out that the open tab appears to be a search for Serum, a synthesizer plug-in for music-making software that goes for around $200.

Producer deadmau5 has already called out Kanye, asking why he can't afford Serum.

To be fair, Kanye has claimed he's $53 million in debt, and $200 is almost two years worth of a Tidal subscription (Jay Z's streaming service which is currently the exclusive location for Kanye's album). Maybe he's trying to be more frugal.

SEE ALSO: Kanye West's new album has already gone pirate 'gold' with 500,000 illegal downloads in a single day

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The Olsen twins have a second chance at returning for Netflix's "Full House" spin-off. The streaming giant just announced a season-two renewal for "Fuller House."

Netflix tweeted out the renewal news early on Wednesday, writing, "Your list will get even fuller."

Created by Jeff Franklin, the comedy stars Candace Cameron-Bure as D.J. Tanner-Fuller, who is left alone with her three young sons after her husband dies. Moving back in to her childhood home, D.J. is joined by her sister Stephanie (Jodie Sweetin) and her best friend, Kimmy Gibbler (Andrea Barber), who move in to help D.J. raise her sons.

John Stamos, Bob Saget, Dave Coulier, and Lori Loughlin guest-starred on several episodes. Stamos is also an executive producer for the comedy.

After the news broke, the creator and several cast members celebrated on social media. Franklin thanked Netflix's chief content officer, Ted Sarandos, and the fans for their support.

Sweetin, who earlier on Wednesday confirmed she was joining the next season of ABC's "Dancing with the Stars," celebrated "even more exciting news" and called it "a great day" on Instagram.

Wow!!! Even MORE exciting news!!! Our official announcement for Season 2 of #fullerhouse is out today as well!!! It's a great day!! DWTS @dancingabc and @fullerhouse ?! Woo hoo!!!! Thank you for ALL the love and support!! Season 2 wouldn't be happening without the fans!!

A photo posted by Jodie Sweetin (@jodiesweetin) on Mar 2, 2016 at 6:24am PST

 

 

And Stamos hinted at the renewal on Tuesday evening.

SEE ALSO: One favorite 'Full House' character is played by a new actor in the Netflix spin-off

SEE ALSO: 'Fuller House' creator says he pitched the spin-off just about everywhere before landing at Netflix

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Richard Thompson's talent agency, M&C Saatchi Merlin, manages the careers of British celebrities like models David Gandy and Jodie Kidd, Jamiroquai lead singer Jay Kay, and "Lord of the Dance" Michael Flatley. He also chairs the panel for Debrett's annual People of Today book, which calls itself "the ultimate biographical study of the UK's most successful and influential people."

Thompson has one key piece of advice that can be applied to business people, as well as celebrities. It involves neuro-linguistic programming (NLP), which he described as the "basis of hypnosis."

NLP is a term coined by self-help author Richard Brandler. Though there is no universally accepted definition of NLP, its is known as the science of understanding what causes particular behaviors and conscious mental states, and then influencing how the brain responds to different stimuli using this understanding. NLP often uses hypnosis and self-hypnosis to achieve these changes.

Thompson told Business Insider that ever since he left school at 16-years-old, he's used NLP to "get inside people's heads" and advance his own career. He said: "You have to be able to read people. You have to gauge what’s in their mind."

NLP has been particularly useful in managing high profile celebrities, Thompson said: "It gives you great tools and methods to communicate. One of the attributes you probably need in this world is a high EQ (emotional quotient.) If you haven't got high emotional intelligence —empathy — you can’t read signals, you’re going to fall out with talent. Talent tends to be quite highly strung, they’re difficult, because these people have got different qualities. You know emotional intelligence is very important."

The serial networker also gave three other useful pieces of career advice:

1. Keep up with sports as an adult.

On top of his other commitments, Thompson is also chairman of Surrey County Cricket Club.

He thinks that his involvement with the sport has actually been key to growing his own professional, as well as social, network.

"I think the best networks I've seen come via your personal interests because they’re very authentic and you get to meet everybody from every walk of life. Cricket is very sociable. You’re with people all day. And I think cricket in particular has thrown up an amazing network for me. As a player, and ... as chairman."

2. Go out as much as possible, and research who is attending each event

Thompson recommends going out lots to grow your professional network.

He said: "I'm at lots of dinners and functions and I make a point of going out a lot. It’s easy to look and go 'I just cant be arsed, I don't want to go.' But actually, you could have met somebody quite interesting."

However, the veteran talent agent does not go to events unprepared. He admitted that he researches the people attending beforehand, to work out who is worth speaking to:

"Have a look online to find out what they look like, because they haven’t always got a name badge on. It’s always the person who looks the most unassuming who’s the most interesting. So I’d memorize what they look like."

3. When you make a mistake, compartmentalize it and move on

When celebrities make mistakes, there is nowhere for them to hide.

Much of Thompson's job involves telling them how to move on when they screw up. This is his advice:

"Put it in perspective. Because its you know, compartmentalizing things is a good way of managing anybody's life, whatever you do ... isolate it. Find a way, understand why you f----- up, or why what happened happened, get all the lessons you can from it, then draw a line. Put it back in that box, turn the key, throw the key away, incinerate the box."

SEE ALSO: 15 commonly misused words that make smart people look foolish

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Disgraced sports icon Lance Armstrong has blasted the US Anti-Doping Agency, calling it "one of the most ineffective and inefficient organizations in the world" and claiming its CEO, Travis Tygart, went after him only because he and USADA needed a case and a story.

Armstrong was talking to students in a wide-ranging discussion at the University of Colorado Boulder on Tuesday, Daily Camera reported. The fallen cycling star had been invited to speak in a class taught by Professor Roger Pielke Jr. called Introduction to Sports Governance.

Pielke told Business Insider by phone on Tuesday that in his class, which has about 90 students, everyone is involved in discussions about "the thorny, difficult issues in sports, like doping and FIFA and NCAA."

Tygart was the guest speaker the week before Armstrong.

"We wanted the students to hear from USADA and one of the most famous athletes in the world who got caught doping," Pielke said.

When addressing the class, Armstrong spoke at length about the supposed failures of the antidoping agency that took him down.

"I have a lot of thoughts about USADA," Armstrong said. "I think the organization is absolutely necessary.

"I think they are probably one of the most ineffective and inefficient organizations in the world for the amount of money — and I'm not criticizing. It just is what it is — I'm not criticizing Travis or the organization.

"But if you consider a budget of $10 or $15 or $20 million a year, and then you lay that out over the testing results, which come back at ... 0.2% ... 0.7% come back as positive, we know that is not a realistic number. I don't know what the number is, whether it's 10 or 20 or 50, I don't know. But that tells you that that system is broken, too.

"It's probably the reason that Travis and USADA needed something — they needed a case, they needed a story. And again, I was that story, I was that case, it is what it is ... but they needed something to show that they were effective. And they did, and it worked.

"And now the world views him and them and the organization and all of their peers, and any other antidoping agency, as truly effective, when they're really not."

He went on to say, referring to USADA again: "If you have an organization that's struggling for credibility — and believe me, I was the complete dumb-ass who made it totally easy for them to do this, right? So this is my fault. I did what I did. Our culture and our era did what we did, but I took it so much farther. And that's really the lesson."

A representative at USADA told Business Insider on Tuesday that it would not comment on Armstrong's latest criticisms.

Armstrong in academia

Pielke said he gave credit to both Tygart and Armstrong for taking all his students' questions, including some "hard" ones from students who "are not shy." He said he hoped the students learned that when it comes to doping in sports "there are no simple, easy answers."

Pielke added that during their recent visits both Tygart and Armstrong each expressed that they would like to appear together at some point in the future, if possible. The two men each knew the other would be appearing in the class on the separate dates listed in the course syllabus, Pielke said.

Armstrong himself does not hold a college degree. Tufts University in Massachusetts, which had bestowed on Armstrong an honorary degree in 2006, rescinded that in 2012. He did attend Plano East High School, in Texas, where he struggled and saw life as "unfair," according to "Cycle of Lies" author Juliet Macur. The school wouldn't let him graduate because he had too many absences — days he took off to do triathlons and train for bike racing — so his mother made him switch schools, Macur writes, and enrolled him in a nontraditional private school, one that didn't have a problem with his poor attendance, and it eventually graduated him.

'Wicked problems'

"One of the things I guess I want the students to appreciate is this idea of what are called 'wicked problems' — they don't have any solutions. We can do better or worse. And doping is certainly a 'wicked problem,'" Pielke told Business Insider.

"They got to be up close and personal with really two of the protagonists in the biggest doping scandal in history," he said. "For the students I think it was a pretty special experience."

When asked if he would be putting anything on the course's final exam about Armstrong or Tygart, Pielke told Business Insider that a good short-answer question would ask the students to articulate the difference of opinion between Tygart and Armstrong based on their visits.

Armstrong won the Tour de France a record seven times, from 1999 to 2005. But USADA, led by Tygart, stripped the brash Texan of all his titles in 2012.

USADA found the Armstrong-led US Postal Service team had run "the most sophisticated, professionalized and successful doping program that sport has ever seen."

After years of denial, cover-ups, and ruthlessly attacking and intimidating his many critics, Armstrong finally confessed to doping during all his Tour victories on "The Oprah Winfrey Show" in 2013.

Many argue there is a lack of contrition in Armstrong, as raised in a BBC interview in 2015.

Armstrong is still fighting a $100 million whistleblower lawsuit brought by former friend and teammate Floyd Landis and later joined by the US government. Armstrong has said he likes his defense team's chances in the case.

He still owns multimillion-dollar properties in Aspen, Colorado, and Austin, Texas. Last year in Aspen, Armstrong crashed his SUV into two parked cars, fled the scene, and tried to make his girlfriend take the blame.

Armstrong still claims he is a seven-time Tour champion. He did not return an email request from Business Insider for a comment or an interview.

Watch two videos from the class discussion with Armstrong below, via Daily Camera:

Read more at Daily Camera >>

SEE ALSO: Inside the war over the Tour de France, and how it may change pro cycling forever

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Tina Fey felt slammed by the many charitable causes that her entertainment cohorts promoted during Sunday's Oscars.

"Halfway through [the Oscars], I was like, 'This is some Hollywood bulls--t,' Fey said on Howard Stern's radio show Tuesday. "Everyone's telling me what to do, people yelling at me about rape, and corporate greed, but really it's climate change. Guys, pick a lane."

She then added, "You're all rich. Why are you yelling at me about corporate greed?"

If Fey wanted to avoid hearing about causes on Oscar night, the deck was stacked against her. Several stars boycotted the show over a lack of diversity in the major acting categories, Lady Gaga was nominated for a song dedicated to sexual-assault survivors, and DiCaprio used his first Oscar win to speak on corporate greed and how oil, coal, and gas companies are contributing to climate change.

Luckily for DiCaprio, Fey didn't mind the "Revenant" star's delivery.

"I always am psyched when someone is articulate with those things," the comedian and "30 Rock" star and creator explained. "Let's face it: Actors are very stupid. But he's so smart and his speech was so cogent."

In fact, it seems like DiCaprio can do no wrong in Fey's eyes. When Stern mentioned that he has a problem reconciling the socially conscious DiCaprio with the playboy DiCaprio, Fey didn't see the issue.

"I don't think those fight each other," she responded. "It doesn't affect the green footprint, no matter how many women you f--k."

Listen to the discussion below:

SEE ALSO: The top 10 Oscar moments that dominated the internet

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NOW WATCH: This is why Tina Fey and Amy Poehler never want to star in a TV show together

March brings a staggering 16 new Netflix originals to the streaming service, including a documentary and the return of "House of Cards." 

The month also means the debut of Netflix's "Flaked," starring Will Arnett as a self-help guru, and sketch series "The Characters." 

Also hitting the service are classic films such as "Scarface," "Groundhog Day," and the first "Star Trek" film, "Star Trek: The Motion Picture." 

Here's everything you should check out in March, with our highlights at the top: 

SEE ALSO: Here's everything leaving Netflix in March

TV

"House of Cards" — Season 4 (NETFLIX ORIGINAL) — Available 03/04/16
The ruthless politician Frank Underwood is back for an election year. But as the relationship with his strong and ambitious wife, Claire, falters, "the biggest threat they face is contending with each other." New cast members include Ellen Burstyn and Ciciely Tyson.  

"Marvel's Daredevil" — Season 2 (NETFLIX ORIGINAL) — Available 03/18/16
Matt Murdock finds himself at odds against the Punisher, making his small-screen debut, in the second season of "Daredevil." Murdock's ex-girlfriend, Elektra Natchios, will also be introduced. 

Movies

"Scarface" — Available 03/01/16
Say hello to Al Pacino's Tony Montana when Brian De Palma's crime drama arrives on Netflix in early March. Tracking the rise of Montana from refugee to drug lord, the film also stars Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, Steven Bauer, and Michelle Pfeiffer. 

"Good Burger" — Available 03/01/16
Netflix is bringing the '90s back by offering Nickelodeon's "Good Burger." Starring Kel Mitchell and Kenan Thompson (before he was on "Saturday Night Live") as fast-food employees, the film evolved from a sketch that was featured on Nickelodeon's "All That." 

Available 03/01/16

"Aldnoah.Zero" (Season 2) 
"Fresh Meat" (Season 2) 
"Midsomer Murders" (Season 17) 
"Adult Beginners" 
"Ahora o Nunca" 
"El Desconocido" 
"Good Burger" 
"Scarface" 
"Star Trek: The Motion Picture" 
"Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan"
"American Pie Presents: Beta House" 
"American Pie Presents: The Naked Mile"
"Before We Go" 
"Blue Mountain State: The Rise of Thadland" 
"Frog Kingdom" 
"Groundhog Day" 
"Heaven Knows What" 
"Hot Sugar's Cold World" 
"Narcopolis" 
"Road Trip: Beer Pong" 
"Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves" 
"The Young Kieslowski" 

Available 03/02/16

"For Grace" 

Available 03/04/16

"House of Cards"  — Season 4 (NETFLIX ORIGINAL) 
"LEGO Bionicle: The Journey to One" — Season 1 (NETFLIX ORIGINAL) 
"LEGO Friends: The Power of Friendship — Season 1 (NETFLIX ORIGINAL) 
"Louie" (Season 5) 
"Lab Rats" (Season 4) 

Available 03/05/16

"Hell & Back" 

Available 03/07/16

"Cuckoo" — Seasons 1 & 2 (NETFLIX ORIGINAL)
"Halo: The Fall of Reach" 
"Sin Filtro" 

Available 03/08/16

"Digimon Fusion" (Season 2) 

Available 03/09/16

"The Returned" (Season 1) 

Available 03/10/16

"Comedy Bang! Bang!" (Season 4, part 3) 
"Hateship Loveship" 

Available 03/11/16

"Netflix Presents: The Characters" — Season 1 (NETFLIX ORIGINAL) 
"Flaked" — Season 1 (NETFLIX ORIGINAL) 
"Dinotrux" — Season 2 (NETFLIX ORIGINAL) 
"Popples" — Season 2 (NETFLIX ORIGINAL) 

Available 03/12/16

"Shelter" 

Available 03/15/16

"Power Rangers Dino Charge" (Season 1, part 2) 
"Finders Keepers" 
"10,000 Saints" 
"4Got10" 
"The Falling"
"Final Girl"
"War Pigs" 

Available 03/16/11

"Happy Valley" — Season 2 (NETFLIX ORIGINAL) 
"Are You Here" 
"Charlie St. Cloud"
"Gridiron Gang" 
"Larry Crowne" 
"Promised Land" 

Available 03/18/16

"Marvel's Daredevil" — Season 2 (NETFLIX ORIGINAL) 
"Jimmy Carr: Funny Business" (NETFLIX ORIGINAL)
"My Beautiful Broken Brain" (NETFLIX ORIGINAL)  
"Pee-Wee's Big Holiday" (NETFLIX ORIGINAL) 
"The Mr. Peabody and Sherman Show" — Season 2 (NETFLIX ORIGINAL) 
"He Never Died" 

Available 03/22/16

"The Art of Organized Noize" 
"The Ouija Experiment 2: Theatre of Death" 

Available 03/24/16

"The Forbidden Kingdom"
"A Promise" 

Available 03/25/16

"Veggietales in the House" — Season 3 (NETFLIX ORIGINAL) 

Available 03/28/16

"Trailer Park Boys" — Season 10 (NETFLIX ORIGINAL) 

Available 03/31/16

"Bachelor Party 2: The Last Temptation"
"Fright Night 2" 
"Murder Rap: Inside the Biggie and Tupac Murders"
"Sunshine Superman"
"Yu-Gi-Oh! Bonds Beyond Time" 
"Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal" (Seasons 1 & 2)

Business Insider is hiring an associate video producer for INSIDER, a new publication that delivers stories to readers across digital platforms.

The role includes editing short and insightful videos across a range of subjects, including viral news, human interest, pop culture, food, travel, design, and more.

Video producers work closely with INSIDER's reporters and editors to produce stories for a wide, general audience. They also pitch, report, and produce their own videos, developing their skills as a storyteller and journalist.

The ideal candidate loves telling stories. He or she can create stylish and concise videos within a relatively short turnaround time. He or she thrives in a team environment and a startup atmosphere.

Mastery of After Effects and Premiere, among other programs in the Adobe Suite, is a must. Candidates should also be adept at Photoshop, and have experience with motion graphics in both 2D and 3D space. 

At INSIDER, our motto is "Life is an adventure." We tell stories for, about, and by people who seize life. That means they love to travel, try new foods, listen new music, fight for what’s right, and admire people who do the same. INSIDER is distributed across social media, including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, and YouTube, as well as on the web.

Business Insider offers competitive compensation packages complete with benefits. This is a full-time position based in our NYC office.

If this sounds like the perfect job for you APPLY HERE and include a resume and cover letter.

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NOW WATCH: A Chinese artist paints portraits so realistic they look like photographs — watch him paint Obama

J.J. Abrams has made a decision to increase diversity on and off the screen with a new policy change for his production company, Bad Robot, and those that provide it talent.

Abrams, who was already receiving accolades for the diverse cast in "Star Wars: The Force Awakens," says the #OscarsSoWhite controversy was a "wake-up call" and led him to make the change.

He has partnered with the agency CAA and his studio partners, Warner Bros. and Paramount, to require that women and minorities are considered for writing, directing, and acting jobs at Bad Robot in a way that's proportional to their representation in the U.S. population.

"We're working to find a rich pool of representative, kick-ass talent and give them the opportunity they deserve and we can all benefit from," Abrams told the Hollywood Reporter. "It’s good for audiences and it’s good for the bottom line."

The writer, director, and producer previously said of diversity at Comic-Con in 2015: "I think it's important people see themselves represented in film. I think it's not a small thing."

There is evidence to back up Abrams' statement that diverse productions make money. A recent UCLA study found that movies and TV shows that reflect realistic diversity do better than their less-diverse competition.

Policies similar to Bad Robot's are now being adopted all over Hollywood. 

"There's definitely a big conversation taking place right now in our business," Management 360 partner Darin Friedman told THR. "From both the filmmaker side and the buyer side, there's a push for more diverse stories. It's happening in a genuine way: an understanding that the cast or the directors who get hired should reflect the way the world looks."

Diverse stories already in the pipeline this year include a movie about President Obama and Michelle Obama's first date, and Disney's "Dr. Q," about a Mexican immigrant.

SEE ALSO: Tina Fey calls out this year's Oscars: 'This is some Hollywood bulls--t'

SEE ALSO: Tracy Morgan was in a hilarious Oscars sketch imagining nominated movies with black actors

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: George Clooney nails Hollywood's diversity problem

Adam Savage, co-host of Mythbusters, revealed the weird myth he never got to bust.

The "Mythbusters" series finale event airs at 8 p.m. on March 6th on Science Channel.

Story by Jacob Shamsian and editing by Stephen Parkhurst

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After nearly a decade of scrapped film and TV plans, Stephen King's "The Dark Tower" series is officially hitting the big screen.

In a tweet Tuesday, King confirmed that Idris Elba would be playing the gunslinger and Matthew McConaughey will portray his foe, the man in black. 

King began the fantasy/sci-fi series as a senior in college and published the first novel, "The Gunsligner," in 1982. 

Thirty-four years later, the beloved series consists of eight novels and spans a number of comic books and short stories, not to mention many fans the world over. And its dark, Western-ish atmosphere sounds like a perfect fit for McConaughey and Elba's on-screen cool.

The series follows gunslinger Roland Deschain on his mission to save a dying world (and other realms) from the threat of the man in black, a sorcerer who often goes by other names including Walter Padick or Walter O'Dim. 

Nikolaj Arcel will serve as the director for the film adaptation (for now it's just one film), which is slated for January 13, 2017.

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Idris Elba ("Luther," "Beasts of No Nation") was cast as the gunslinger, Roland Deschain.

His mystical nemesis, often referred to as "the man in black," will be portrayed by Matthew McConaughey.

The movie will begin filming in South Africa in mid-April.

Source: Entertainment Weekly

Since 2007, London-based Mubi has quietly built a reputation as a stellar streaming service for serious film lovers.

While Netflix has grabbed the headlines, Mubi has survived and thrived, snagging a recent valuation of $125 million and sweeping into China ahead of its much-larger rival.

Last year, Paul Thomas Anderson, the Oscar-nominated filmmaker and indie heavyweight, chose to give Mubi the exclusive streaming rights to his new film, "Junun." For reference, Mubi has 100,000 subscribers, while Netflix has 75 million.

So how has Mubi found success in a Netflix world? In part, it's because Mubi thinks of films as something distinct from "video" or "content," CEO Efe Cakarel tells Business Insider.

"We used to have this all-you-can-eat buffet, similar to Netflix but for independent films," Cakarel says.

But a few years ago, Cakarel realized that people don't consume movies the same way they do TV shows. Searching Netflix for a new show might be annoying, but once you've found it, you can settle into hours of binge-watching before you go back into research. With movies, it's more painful, since you have to start that search again every two hours. In other words, too much choice can be a burden.

That's when Cakarel decided to shift Mubi's $4.99-per-month service to a heavily curated model.

"We have the rights to thousands of films per country," he says.

But as a Mubi subscriber, each country's curatorial team picks 30 films every month that you can watch — one is added and one removed every day. This makes the process of picking easier, he says.

You trust that you'll enjoy any of the 30, though you have to enjoy movies of a particular type — indie, no Michael Bay.

Into China

But limiting selection doesn't mean Mubi doesn't have expansive ambition. It has teamed up with local partner Huanxi Media Group to launch in China. The two have a joint venture, Mubi China, but Huanxi has also invested $10 million in Mubi directly, valuing the company at $125 million.

The Chinese film market is exploding, Cakarel says, and a niche service like Mubi is better positioned to take advantage of it than Netflix in the short term. Because of the onerous process of getting foreign movies approved in China, Mubi's task of getting a few dozen by the government is feasible, while Netflix's task of getting thousands vetted is nigh impossible without rule changes. Mubi will also have 70% local Chinese films, with only 30% foreign imports.

Mubi's basic theory is that it has developed a distinct and attractive way to structure a streaming service — specifically for indie films. Now the company has the chance to make headway in the Chinese market before the Netflix juggernaut rolls into town.

But Cakarel says that he also has his sights set on markets where Netflix is under-serving film buffs, like in the US. Even with Netflix's recent spree of buying original films, Cakarel thinks that many Americans who aren't yet familiar with Mubi might simply prefer the way his company does business.

Mubi grew up with Netflix as a big brother, Cakarel says. "You instinctively develop a sense of 'How can I grow with that, how can I differentiate myself?'"

Cakarel's bet is that the Netflix for indie-film lovers should actually look nothing like Netflix at all.

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Trevor Noah, the host of Comedy Central's "The Daily Show," ripped Republican frontrunner Donald Trump in a Wednesday-afternoon tweetstorm.

Noah contended that Trump is indeed a fascist, based on a list of the defining features of fascism — like "fear of outsiders," and "resentment of national humiliation" — sourced from The New York Times.

Noah further used Trump's own words to prove his point.

Here's Noah's tweetstorm:

SEE ALSO: HARRY REID: 'Donald Trump is the Republican Party's Frankenstein'

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With six awards, "Mad Max: Fury Road" dominated this year's Oscars without even winning Best Picture. It swept the technical categories, including wins for editing, costumes, and production design (though "Ex Machina" took home Best Visual Effects). After watching behind-the-scenes footage, you'll understand why voters fell in love with it.

Story by Ian Phillips and editing by Stephen Parkhurst

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HBO will launch its cable-free service in Brazil and Argentina later this year, kicking its international expansion into high gear.

HBO Now, the company’s “over-the-top” streaming service, lets you pay $15 a month to get HBO a la carte. It has so far struggled to keep pace with analyst expectations, and only had 800,000 paying subscribers so far as of January.

But HBO seems to be taking a page out of Netflix’s playbook and looking to new countries to boost subscriber numbers. While Netflix's domestic subscriber growth has been sluggish, internationally it has crushed analyst expectations.

HBO Now is currently available in 9 countries worldwide, including the United States, Mexico, and throughout Scandinavia. But this move represents a significant expansion of the service, as does the previously announced impending launch in Spain.

Netflix, by contrast, is now available in over 190 countries, and every major market except China.

HBO CEO Richard Plepler said that he believes there are about 12 million to 15 million “persuadable homes” for HBO Now, and that these don't overlap with current HBO subscribers, according to Variety. HBO has said that only 1% of HBO Now subscribers previously had HBO.

International expansion is just one piece HBO seems to be taking out of the Netflix playbook. The company is also ramping up content production by 50% this year, according to Plepler, and beefing up its library of children’s content with the addition of Sesame Street.

And expect to see HBO pumping up its standalone service. “We have not turbo-charged the direct marketing as much as we will in the coming months,” Plepler said.

SEE ALSO: A big theater chain has reversed its ban on Netflix movies — as a 'favor'

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Ben Affleck is the latest actor to take on the role of the Caped Crusader, playing Batman in the upcoming "Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice." In anticipation for the new movie, in theaters on March 25th, Affleck teamed up with Omaze to surprise unsuspecting fans who thought they were just going to see the Batmobile at Warner Brothers in Hollywood.

Story by Ian Phillips and editing by Kristen Griffin

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Ariadna Gutierrez's worst nightmare came true when she had the Miss Universe crown taken off her head after Steve Harvey announced the wrong winner at the pageant in December.

She called it "humiliating" at the time, but now her career is on the upswing, as the 22-year-old landed her first Hollywood acting role this week.

Story by Tony Manfred and editing by Carl Mueller

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With high-profile clients, divorce attorney Laura Wasser has special methods to keep clients out of the press.

In an interview with Bloomberg Businessweek, the 47-year-old partner at Wasser, Cooperman & Mandlesis, a Los Angeles family law firm started by her father, discussed how she helps her A-list celebrity clients privately divorce.

She's worked with the likes of Britney Spears, Angelina Jolie, Stevie Wonder (two times), and at least three Kardashians. 

She said that in the past, Friday afternoon was a good time to file a divorce petition, but now, before a holiday weekend is best to keep things quiet.

And as for location: "She files in branch offices when she can ('Santa Barbara is great'), because, she says, their clerks leak fewer documents," Businessweek writes.

She also tries to file multiple high-profile divorce petitions at a time to take pressure off of the clients from publications seeking out stories to write about.

“I’ll tell my clients, ‘I have someone else, I can’t say who, but you should really wait and file at the same time,’ ” she told Businessweek.

Hiring private judges and negotiating outside of legal documentation can also help the clients avoid unwanted attention.

"[Hiring private judges] is similar to arbitration, although the decisions ultimately become public and can be appealed," the article explains. "The main benefit is that no one knows about the details of the split except the two people going through it."  

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Jimmy Fallon unpacked his hilarious Donald Trump impression again and basically checked off the boxes in a scathing review of the scene from Super Tuesday.

Clearly, Fallon captured Trump's overwhelming confidence, especially in light of winning seven states during the election's biggest primary day.

Everything is coming up roses for Trump, even if they really aren't.

"Now, I'll admit I didn't win every state. I only got 27% of the vote in Texas. But remember, everything is bigger in Texas. So 27% is more like 60%, so basically I won Texas," Fallon's Trump says.

He then dismisses a cardboard cutout of recent endorser Chris Christie, the New Jersey governor, whose sad demeanor while standing behind Trump during his Super Tuesday speech didn't go unnoticed by the internet.

"Of course, I want to thank Gov. Chris Christie for his unblinking support," Fallon's Trump said, pointing to the cutout. "He's like my mini-me, except bigger. He's my mega-me."

Going into Super Tuesday, Trump was embroiled in controversy over failing to disavow supporters from white-supremacist groups, including former KKK leader David Duke. Fallon adds a twist in his sketch.

"Look, first of all, I love the KKK: Kim, Khloe, Kourtney," he says, referring to the Kardashian sisters. "They're fantastic people. I've known them a long time."

And what about David Duke? Fallon captures Trump's talent for bending the truth: "As for David Duke, I've already disavowed that. I disavowed that like five times. But, everyone is still, 'Damn, Donald, back at it again with the white supremacists.' Next question."

As for how the Republican presidential candidate would handle support from the Nazi Party? "Look, I support people who cannot see."

After dismissing Marco Rubio's refusal to drop out of the race, Fallon's Trump explains that his real competition at this point is Hillary Clinton. In fact, he has a very clear message for her.

"I called Hillary earlier. I said, 'Here's the deal. In 2008, you lost to a black man. But in 2016, you're going to lose to an orange man.' That's right: Orange is the new black," he joked.

Watch Fallon's funny Trump impression below:

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Walt Disney Animation Studios has been doing very well recently flexing its muscles alongside the other animation house Disney distributes, and the generally agreed-upon favorite: Pixar.

“Frozen” showed it can bring in the crowds like Pixar’s “Toy Story” franchise, and now Disney Studio’s newest release, “Zootopia,” proves it can also make a family-friendly tale with a strong message, like Pixar’s “WALL-E” or “Inside Out.”

Animated movies have always had deep-seated morals behind them, whether overcoming fears or learning to be yourself. But recently the messages have been louder and more relevant to contemporary society. There’s the commentary on caring for the environment in “WALL-E” and now “Zootopia" takes on issues of identity and race.

“Zootopia” is set in a world where both prey and predator live in harmony. And not just that, the animals have evolved to have human characteristics and live in a metropolis, called Zootopia. But from the start, you can tell that directors Byron Howard (“Tangled”), Rich Moore (“Wreck-It Ralph”), and co-director Jared Bush are going to be driving home thoughts on our own world.

We get to know a bunny named Judy Hopps (Ginnifer Goodwin) as a youngster who has big ambitions to be a “bunny cop.” Though her parents try to make her understand that having big dreams is not healthy and that she should concentrate on staying home on the farm.

This makes sense when Judy tries to help out a few small animals being bullied by a large fox, and gets beaten up by the fox.

Yes, this is a Disney movie.

Fast-forward 15 years, and we see Judy training to be a cop, a small bunny among large tigers and elephants. She graduates top in her class and is stationed at the epicenter of Zootopia, a melting pot of species large and small.

But before Judy heads off to the big city, her father gives her fox repellent. After offering “fatherly advice” about why foxes can’t be trusted, she reluctantly takes the spray and heads off.

The moment seems meaningless and silly. But in fact, it’s the basis of the whole movie.

“Zootopia” is as much a commentary on race and bigotry as it is a fun romp through an imaginary world.

As the story evolves, finding Judy in search of a missing otter with the help of a shifty fox named Nick (Jason Bateman), this topical exploration bubbles to the surface.

First a tiger cop says Judy is so cute, and Judy retorts that only bunnies can call other bunnies that. Then Judy explains to the media that the reason a handful of predators have gone “savage” is due to what’s in their DNA. In essence, because their ancestors were killers, it’s safe to assume they must be as well.

This dive into the topic of stereotypes and the harm they cause is a triumph by Disney that hopefully encourages parents and their children to have discussions while heading back home from the theater. (Parents will certainly have to engage in a talk about Nick’s flashback scene.)

Yes, movies should be escapism, and “Zootopia” is filled with incredible computer animation, very funny jokes, and wonderful characters. But it also helps young people today to have some reality seep into the content they endlessly consume.

What’s great is that “Zootopia” isn’t scared to raise issues, even highly sensitive ones. Hopefully we all keep away from knee-jerk reactions concerning "why" a cartoon is doing this and instead absorb it and educate.

If you haven’t noticed, your dad’s Disney cartoons are long gone.

“Zootopia” opens March 4.

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