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Atomic Entertainment, the award-winning studio behind Nat Geo’s Brain Games and Netflix’s Brainchild, announces that its flagship educational podcast Who Smarted? has surpassed 25 million downloads. This milestone highlights the show’s extraordinary growth and its impact on families and classrooms worldwide.

Who Smarted? was designed to be the funniest educational podcast for kids and families and is enjoyed worldwide by children as young as five and as old as early teens. It's a go-to resource for parents and teachers/educators seeking highly entertaining, fact-filled audio storytelling that will leave everyone laughing and learning. The show's global success reflects the rising demand for high-quality, screen-free, educational content. For over four years now, Who Smarted? has been captivating and educating a large and still growing audience!

“We created Who Smarted? as a way to sneak learning into kids’ brains while they were too busy laughing to notice—and to make...

It was both an emotional and exhilarating moment when Akira Toriyama’s last original work, Dragon Ball Daima was released. With a flurry of fans anticipating to watch the latest installment in the iconic series, their excitement was later turned into disappointment owing to a bold and somewhat controversial decision by the production house, Toei Animation.

Goku and Vegeta from Dragon Ball Daima. [Credit: Toei Animation]

The Japanese animation studio previously decided to delay the English dub of Dragon Ball Daima, and their decision was met with criticism from international audiences who only got to experience the Japanese release first. However, this controversial move has now somehow turned into one of the biggest advantages as it has already built up a lot of buzz for the anime series.

Dragon Ball Daima’s delayed dub has only added to the anticipation levels of fans

The English dubbed version of the latter episodes of the...

Dragon Ball Daima may have been an enjoyable watch for many, but it left too many questions unanswered for me. When an installment is completed, it needs to tie up all the loose ends and be conclusively done.

Kid Goku in a still from Daima | Credit: Toei Animation

While the animation was fluid, exceptionally vibrant, and attractive, with action sequences that were exciting, the story itself felt incomplete and lacking for me. Certain plot points were barely explored, leaving room for a second season, but only if the plotholes are going to be addressed.

Daima left too many unanswered questions

We need to remember that Daima is canon and occurs before Dragon Ball Super, this means that anything that is revealed in Daima should already have been common knowledge in Super. That is why the Super Saiyan forms of Goku and Vegeta are such difficult reveals to reconcile.

SSJ4 Goku...

Days will go on, and time will pass by, but true fans will never forget the legend that is Akira Toriyama. For all the late 90s and early 2000s kids, Toriyama’s Dragon Ball series was nothing short of a magical experience, and that fascination will never die, even though Toriyama-san isn’t with us anymore.

Creator of the Dragon Ball Franchise | Akira Toriyama

Although we as kids got to experience this masterpiece leisurely sitting in our homes, Toriyama, however, didn’t have it that easy. And perhaps it’s the perfect time to recall those hardships that he had to get through while bringing Dragon Ball to life. Like any success, it also came from great struggle. Toriyama himself admitted that he faced constant setbacks as he was aiming to make a career in this field.

Toriyama was in an extremely poor financial state when he was just starting out!

Anime adaptations ino live-action films are not a new thing, more often than not, live-action films get mixed reviews. The fantastical and the magical cannot be accurately portrayed, not to mention the physiques, fight scenes, pacing issues, and more. But a good example would be Netflix’s One Piece Live Action.

Dragonball Evolution (2009) | Credits: 20th Century Fox

That is why some of the adapted movies are bad, and then there’s Dragon Ball Evolution. I have shivers when I think about it. This is a film so terrible that even its own screenwriter apologized for writing it. This is the film that prompted Akira Toriyama to return from his retirement and start writing Dragon Ball Super.

Why it’s still one of the worst adaptations ever

I rewatched this movie recently, and it just refreshed my memory about why this movie is just terrible. Just by virtue of its existence,...

Restless teenager Annabeth discovers that an otherworldly tree from her family's past could be the portal to a modern-day fairy tale in Frank Miller's Pandora (Book 1). Co-written by Anthony Maranville and Chris Silvestri, created by Frank Miller, and featuring artwork by Emma Kubert, Frank Miller's Pandora (Book 1) collects the first six issues of the series and is now available in bookstores and comic shops from Frank Miller Presents and Abrams ComicArts, and as a special treat for Daily Dead readers, we have an exclusive look at an excerpt from the new hardcover edition!

You can see Annabeth's grandpa warn her about how a magical tree in the woods led to the vanishing of her grandmother in our exclusive preview below.

We also have the official press release with additional details, and to learn more about Frank Miller's Pandora, visit Abrams ComicArts and Frank Miller Presents.

Press Release: From Frank Miller...

The gaming industry has seen significant changes in recent years. Joe Tung, an experienced producer who has worked on popular franchises such as Destiny, Halo, and League of Legends, shared his perspective on the industry’s evolution.

The traditional model of selling games as standalone products is facing competition from the games-as-a-service approach, which emphasizes regular content updates and additional revenue streams. Tung, an industry veteran, recently explained why he prefers this approach.

A New Lens from a Gaming Industry Vet

League of Legends is a Joe Tung-produced live-service game that has become a worldwide phenomenon. Image credit: Riot Games

Tung, a former Bungie employee who played key roles in developing Halo 2 and Destiny, recently shared his perspective on the evolving game development models.

Now leading Theorycraft Games, Tung believes the live service model offers advantages over the traditional model.

I always felt like in the $60 boxed product model that...

Atomic Entertainment is excited to announce the addition of Nick Castner as our new Director of Marketing. With a robust background in helping independent creators grow and monetize their audiences, Nick brings a wealth of experience and a fresh perspective to the Atomic Entertainment team.

Nick joined Atomic Entertainment after five successful years in the industry, where he made significant contributions to the growth and success of independent creators. His previous roles include serving as the Director of Marketing at Glassbox Media and Hurrdat Media, where he played a pivotal role in developing and implementing effective marketing strategies to produce profitable podcasts.

“We are thrilled to have Nick Castner join our team,” said Jerry Kolber, CEO of Atomic Entertainment. “His track record of success monetizing and growing audio makes him the perfect fit as Atomic continues to expand our independent audio portfolio.”

Nick Castner shared his enthusiasm about joining Atomic...

Pharrell Williams is bringing his life story to the big screen through Lego animation in an unconventional biopic titled Piece by Piece. Directed by Morgan Neville, the film captures the magic and brilliance of Williams' creative genius. Williams' career spans music, film, and fashion, earning him numerous awards and international recognition.

Pharrell Williams is bringing his life to the big screen through an unconventional biopic titled Piece by Piece. Rather than the typical documentary style biopics audiences are accustomed to seeing, the talented multi-hyphenate will tell his story through Lego animation. The Focus Features film, which lands in theaters on October 11, is described as "an unparalleled motion picture experience that captures the magic and brilliance of Pharrell Williams’ creative genius, one Lego brick at a time."

Williams shared news of the upcoming film via his Instagram:

View this post on Instagram A post shared by...

Atomic Entertainment, the Emmy-nominated team behind acclaimed projects such as Nat Geo’s hit series Brain Games, Netflix’s live-action science series Brainchild, and the hit family podcast Who Smarted?, is thrilled to announce the launch of their latest venture into podcasting with the release of Slaycation. This gripping and darkly comedic true crime podcast takes listeners on a twisted journey through the chilling world of murders and mysterious deaths that take place on vacation.

Hosted by a true crime enthusiast, her comedy writer husband, and a seasoned TV producer, Slaycation offers a refreshing twist on the true crime genre by blending comedy, twisty turny storytelling, a husband & wife dynamic and respect for the victims and survivors involved, while focusing exclusively on cases of murder and suspicious deaths that happened while the victims were on vacation! Listeners can expect to be both captivated and entertained as they delve into the...

Audacy today announced that global kids content superstars "Vlad & Niki'' are moving into audio content with their new preschooler-focused podcast series Vlad & Niki Podcast Adventures, produced by Atomic Entertainment, distributed by Audacy, and presented by Flintstones™ Vitamins, the #1 Pediatrician recommended children's vitamin brand.

The new series will launch on August 29, 2023, on the Audacy app and everywhere podcasts are available. Listen and follow the show here.

The new podcast is inspired by the "Vlad & Niki'' live-action preschool series on YouTube that showcases the everyday antics of young brothers Vlad, Niki, and Christian Vashtekov. With more than 96 million subscribers on their English-language channel and 330 million subscribers worldwide, "Vlad & Niki'' is localized on 21 channels and translated into 18 languages with 180 billion views across all channels. The "Vlad & Niki'' series also streams on Max's Cartoonito channel.

In support of the “Vlad and Niki Podcast Adventures” launch, a holistic advertising campaign, in partnership with Flintstones™ Vitamins,...

Industry-leading podcast platform for top content creators and hit shows, Glassbox Media, has announced its most recent acquisition of the educational podcast called Who Smarted?. The podcast is co-created by Emmy Nominated producers Adam “Tex” Davis and Jerry Kolber, who also hosts the show as ‘The Trusty Narrator’. Davis, the show’s head writer is best known for screenwriting the cult classic film ‘Just Friends’ starring Ryan Reynolds, while Kolber was a producer on the original Queer Eye For the Straight Guy. Together, Kolber and Davis launched the Emmy Nominated show Brain Games for National Geographic and Netflix’s hit kids science show, Brainchild. Using their experience making quality edutainment, they’ve helped Who Smarted? climb the charts to become one of the top ranked, most downloaded and highest rated Kids & Family and Education for Kids’ shows in the world!

Airing three times a week, the podcast is the funniest audio-only and comedy-driven kids’ show,...

Exclusive: Paradigm has signed Filipino American actor Kian Talan.

Talan currently appears in the CBS series NCIS: Hawai’i which follows the life of Special Agent in Charge of NCIS Pearl Harbor, Jane Tennant (Vanessa Lachey). He portrays Jane’s eldest son Alex, a moody and exasperating teen who is struggling to cope with his parents’ split and father’s new family.

He previously appeared in the educational series produced by Pharrell Williams titled Brainchild, and the critically acclaimed short film from HBO Max, Shadows.

Talan is an advocate for Asian American representation in Hollywood and supports various initiatives including Search to Involve Filipino Americans’ (Sipa) Los Angeles Chapter and Filipino American Charity Trust (Fact) out of New Hampshire, the latter of which played a role in his understanding of the misrepresentation around him as a child.

As his career continues to grow, he hopes to represent stories he never saw...

Exclusive: Tori Anderson (No Tomorrow) and Kian Talan (Brainchild) are set as series regulars opposite Vanessa Lachey in the upcoming CBS drama series NCIS: Hawai’i, the first installment in the NCIS franchise with a female character at the center.

Created/executive produced by NCIS: New Orleans executive producers/showrunner Christopher Silber and Jan Nash as well as Seal Team writer-producer Matt Bosack, NCIS: Hawai’i is set in the Aloha State. It follows Jane Tennant (Lachey) the first female Special Agent in Charge of NCIS Pearl Harbor and her team as they balance duty to family and country, investigating high-stakes crimes involving military personnel, national security and the mysteries of the island itself.

Anderson will play Kate Whistler, an ambitious agent of the Defense Intelligence Agency intent on climbing the professional ladder. She excels at her work and the politics involved in getting ahead. But despite appearances, Whistler runs deep.

President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama’s production company Higher Ground Productions is getting into the kids’ TV business with an animated preschool series from Doc McStuffins creator Chris Nee and Netflix.

The streamer has ordered 40, 12-minute episodes of Ada Twist, Scientist, which is based on the book series by author Andrea Beaty and illustrator David Roberts.

The series, which will launch in 2021, follows Ada Twist, a young Black scientist who will explore helping people through scientific discovery, collaboration and friendship.

Kerri Grant, a writer on Mira, Royal Detective and Nella the Princess Knight, will serve as showrunner. Wonder Worldwide, the company behind Netflix’s The Christmas Chronicles, also is a producing partner on the project, which is the first series under Netflix’s overall deal with Nee and her production company Laughing Wild.

Eight-year old Ada Twist is a pint-size scientist with a giant-size curiosity who aspires to discover the truth about absolutely everything.

Pharrell Williams may best be known as a Grammy-winning musician, but the 45-year-old is singing a different tune these days as the executive producer of “Brainchild,” a new Netflix series that teaches kids about science, technology, and current events.

Co-created by Atomic Entertainment, the show is a spinoff of the New York-based production company’s “Brain Games,” which ran for seven seasons on National Geographic Channel and earned its team a Primetime Emmy nod for informational series or special in 2013.

For Williams, who shared his enthusiasm for the show in a post on Instagram last fall, “Brainchild” is a way to both educate and entertain young viewers, to spark an enthusiasm for learning. The show uses interactive games, experiments, and skits to push the core concepts and principles of Steam to its viewers at home. “I got involved with ‘Brainchild’ because there is a desperate need to raise awareness about...