Raina Falcon has been named VP, HBO Max Publicity. She will report to Jori Arancio, EVP Communications, HBO Max, TNT, TBS and truTV. With this promotion, Falcon will oversee a team of publicists and spearhead the publicity effort for HBO Max’s Originals and expansive acquisitions and library content.
Falcon has further proven her strength as a leader as her team prepares for the May 27 launch of the HBO Max platform, working remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic. Her quick-thinking and ability to motivate and inspire her team has allowed them to continue their work from home, pivoting to new, creative strategies and innovative digital ideas. Empowered by Falcon’s collaborative spirit and support, the group continues to execute strategic, impactful, and uplifting campaigns during this ever-changing time.
Falcon joined Turner Networks in 2017 as sr. director of publicity, helping to reshape the networks’ brands and overseeing publicity campaigns for original programming. During her tenure at TBS, Falcon oversaw the launches of The Last O.G. and Miracle Workers, both of which premiered as the #1 cable comedy on television. At TNT, Falcon helmed the debut of All Elite Wrestling’s hugely popular AEW: Dynamite, which premiered on the network as the night’s #1 wrestling show.
Prior to Turner, Falcon was sr. director, talent & television at BWR Public Relations. In her 10 years at the agency, Falcon handled clients such as Rachel Bloom, Tatiana Maslany, Anthony Anderson, Maura Tierney, and Sir Ben Kingsley. Falcon also handled BWR accounts Showtime, IFC, TBS and TNT, Broadway Video and Adult Swim and represented the Upright Citizen’s Brigade Theaters in Los Angeles and New York.
Upcoming Max Originals available at launch include Love Life starring Anna Kendrick; Sundance 2020 Official Selection feature documentary On the Record; underground ballroom dance competition series Legendary; Craftopia, hosted by YouTube sensation LaurDIY; the all-new Looney Tunes Cartoons, from Warner Bros. Animation; and Sesame Workshop’s The Not Too Late Show with Elmo. HBO Max will also be home to beloved library classics from the expansive WarnerMedia portfolio such as Friends, presented with the new cast reunion special; Sesame Street; The Big Bang Theory; Gossip Girl; and the CNN catalog of Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown. Falcon’s purview will also include features from the wide-ranging portfolio including The Wizard of Oz, The Goonies, Wonder Woman, and Lord of the Rings, and fan favorite acquisitions such as the South Park library and the entire Studio Ghibli film collection.
Karla SofÃa Gascón Could Make Trans History For Role In “Emilia Pérez”
Karla SofÃa Gascón's performance in "Emilia Pérez" as a Mexican drug lord who undergoes gender affirmation surgery to become a woman has brought her global acclaim and set Gascón on a path that may make her the first openly transgender actor ever nominated for an Oscar. But on this morning, she's feeling contemplative. "I woke up with such a philosophical streak," Gascón says, smiling. "In life, everything can be good or bad. We are a mix of so many things. There are things that make you happy and instead they make you sad, or the other way around." The dichotomies of life are a fitting subject for Jacques Audiard's "Emilia Pérez," a film that puts just about every genre — musical, crime thriller, melodrama — into a grandiose mixer, and, by sheer nerve, manages to coalesce into one of the year's most memorable movie experiences. "Emilia Pérez," which began streaming Wednesday on Netflix, is widely expected to be a best picture nominee. At the center of the "Emilia Pérez" phenomenon – which began with a barn-storming premiere at the Cannes Film Festival — is Gascón who plays both the menacing cartel kingpin Manitas and the woman who emerges after Manitas fakes his own death, Emilia Pérez. Years later, Emilia contacts the lawyer who facilitated her transition (Zoe Saldaña) to her reunite with her wife (Selena Gomez) and their children. The wild swings of "Emilia Pérez" – a movie that has earned comparisons to both "Sicario" and "Mrs. Doubtfire" – wouldn't be possible without Gascón. In Cannes, she and her co-stars shared in the best actress prize, which Gascón accepted. "We've been insulted, denigrated, subjected to a lot of violence without even knowing why," Gascón said that evening. "I think this is award is so much more... Read More