Movie industry coverage
Christian Sylt and Caroline Reid have been covering the film industry since 2012 for leading international publications including the Daily Telegraph, the Guardian, the Daily Mail, the Independent, the London Evening Standard and Forbes. They have interviewed A List actors including Kurt Russell and Michael Douglas as well as studio executives such as Disney's former chief executive Michael Eisner. Their news coverage focuses on the cost of making movies, product placement deals in them, the amount of tax payers' money that is invested in them and the benefits they bring to the country where they are filmed. Some highlights of this are below.
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STUDIO EXECUTIVE AND TALENT INTERVIEWS
Michael Eisner interview: You can't beat the magic of the movies! Streaming boom is hitting hard, but former Disney chief insists there's life in the cinema yet Daily Mail 24 February 2023
Michael Eisner Reveals The Magic Touch That Gave A Glow to Disneyland Paris Forbes 9 September 2019
Disney’s Ex-Boss Reveals Magic Formula For Getting Into Soccer’s Premier League Forbes 3 August 2019
Ex-Disney mogul Michael Eisner tells how giants of television are lining up for an astronomically expensive battle with Netflix in...TV Star Wars Mail on Sunday 28 July 2019
Michael Douglas On A Lifetime As A Racing Fan Forbes 5 July 2018
Kurt Russell's wine brand GoGi spreads its wings as he secures a deal with $16.5bn drinks titan Southern Glazer's Mail on Sunday 26 May 2018
Disney's Lost Plans For a Domed City Forbes 3 May 2018
How Kurt Russell Has Grown His Legacy Forbes 28 April 2018
John Lasseter's Magic Formula for Creativity Forbes 7 August 2017
How genius John Lasseter gave Disney back its happy ending Mail on Sunday 22 July 2017
Putting A New Spin On Planet Hollywood Forbes 20 July 2017
Hitting the High Notes Etihad Inflight January 2011
What's the score? Metro 22 June 2005
INDUSTRY OVERVIEWS
Framestore's visuals bear fruit Sunday Express 7 January 2024
$2.1 Billion Job Creation Subsidy In The Spotlight As Movie Studios Sack Crews Forbes 30 September 2023
How British Taxpayers Have Saved Movie Studios $5.8 Billion Forbes 12 March 2023
LUCASFILM FINANCES
Disney's Star Wars Box Office Profits Fail To Cover Cost Of Lucasfilm Forbes 14 April 2024
Indiana Jones Whips Up $130 Million Loss For Disney Forbes 31 March 2024
Revealed: The Star Wars Movie With The Highest Salaries Forbes 25 August 2023
Revealed: The Abandoned Streaming Series That Cost Disney $100 Million Forbes 15 August 2023
Disney Spends $49 Million On Star Wars Spinoff The Acolyte Forbes 24 July 2023
Revealed: Disney's Most Profitable Star Wars Movie Forbes 1 March 2023
Star Wars: The Force Awakens Becomes The Most Expensive Movie Ever Made Forbes 26 February 2023
Disney's $300 Million Bet To Tempt Back Cinemagoers Forbes 8 February 2023
Returns of the Jedi Sunday Times 5 February 2023
Tax relief whip round for new Jones film Sunday Express 6 November 2022
AV is the real star of The Mandalorian AV Magazine February 2021
Disney's spending a force for good in UK Sunday Express 3 May 2020
£1.5bn Star Wars bill for Disney's UK subsidiaries Daily Telegraph 1 January 2020
UK feels the force of £265.4m economy boost Sunday Express 24 February 2019
Disney Recoups A Quarter of $4 Billion Star Wars Purchase Price Forbes 4 June 2018
Disney ploughs £200m into new frontier for Solo: A Star Wars Story Evening Standard 25 May 2018
Star Wars Is A Billion-Dollar Blockbuster For Britain Forbes 4 January 2018
Star Wars a positive force for UK Sunday Express 24 December 2017
Britain feels the full force of Star Wars success Sunday Express 27 March 2016
Star Wars brings £150m economic boost to Britain Daily Telegraph 13 September 2015
US media giant Disney handed £8m tax break by HMRC to make next Star Wars film in Britain Mail on Sunday 20 September 2014
MARVEL STUDIOS FINANCES
'Ant-Man And The Wasp: Quantumania' Set To Blow Its Budget As Costs Surge To Nearly $330 Million Forbes 19 April 2024
Revealed: The Marvel Movies That Failed To Cover Their Production Costs At The Box Office Forbes 3 October 2023
Magic Touch As Marvel's 'Moon Knight' Comes In On Budget Forbes 30 September 2023
Disney Reveals $270 Million Bill For ‘The Marvels’ Forbes 20 September 2023
Taika Waititi's Comments Reveal What Is Wrong With Marvel's Movies Forbes 2 September 2023
Revealed: The Two Avengers Movies That Made $1.4 Billion Of Profit For Disney Forbes 1 September 2023
Marvel’s ‘Black Widow’ Made Disney $67 Million. Here’s Why Forbes 31 August 2023
Loki 2 Packs A Punch With $140 Million Budget Forbes 2 August 2023
Disney Shells Out $212 Million On Secret Invasion Forbes 8 July 2023
Disney's Marvel-lous £32m UK handout Sunday Express 2 July 2023
Disney Reveals Doctor Strange 2 Cost $100 Million More Than Its Estimated Budget Forbes 1 July 2023
Disney’s Bill For ‘The Marvels’ Came To $130 Million Two Years Ago Forbes 11 April 2023
Disney Reveals $200 Million Spending On Ant-Man And The Wasp: Quantumania Forbes 2 April 2023
Disney receives £30m tax break from Treasury for making 'flop' superhero movie Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania in the UK Daily Mail 13 March 2023
Eternals Was Over Budget Says Marvel Forbes 13 February 2023
How Marvel Saved $40 Million On Its Biggest Movie Of 2022 Forbes 28 January 2023
Disney spent $90m making Moon Knight Arabian Business 14 December 2022
UK gives £20.6m for Disney to Marvel at Sunday Express 4 September 2022
Disney banks on its blockbuster Marvels Sunday Express 26 July 2020
Pow! Final instalment of the Avengers superhero film franchise set to be the most expensive movie ever made with £430million spent on the blockbuster Mail on Sunday 10 February 2019
Disney Reveals Avengers: Infinity War's Financial Muscle Forbes 28 April 2018
Disney shells out £1.3bn to make Marvel films in the UK Daily Telegraph 9 April 2018
Disney Reveals Guardians Of The Galaxy Was Over Budget At $232 Million Forbes 27 January 2015
Disney lands £32 million tax credit as it plans to film next Avengers in the UK Evening Standard 9 October 2014
Disney handed record £31m tax credit for filming in UK The Independent 8 October 2014
Heroic £5.6m tax break for film maker Disney Sunday Express 20 July 2014
Government paid a record £22.4m towards the production of Thor: The Dark World, in a deal to encourage movie-making in the UK The Independent 7 July 2014
HMRC gives Disney £16m tax credits for superhero movies Daily Telegraph 29 Sep 2013
Captain America given £18.8m in tax credits after being classed as British film Mail on Sunday 1 December 2012
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WALT DISNEY STUDIOS FINANCES
The Real Reason For Disney's $11 Billion Streaming Losses Forbes 7 April 2024
Revealed: How Disney's Financial Wizardry Boosted Its Return On Investment Forbes 3 April 2024
Disney Sinks $300 Million Into “Over Budget” ‘Little Mermaid’ Movie Forbes 2 October 2023
£46m sting in Little Mermaid's tale for UK Sunday Express 24 September 2023
Why Disney's 'Snow White' Remake Needs To Gross $340 Million Forbes 21 September 2023
Disney receives £30m in tax relief from the Government for making live-action Snow White remake at Pinewood Studios and on location across Britain Daily Mail 19 September 2023
Disney Made A $241 Million Profit On ‘Aladdin’. Here’s How Forbes 13 September 2023
Who Is Really To Blame For Disney's Woes? Forbes 30 August 2023
The Four Flops Of 2023 That Cost Disney $1 Billion Forbes 4 August 2023
Disney's £133m Artemis Fowl adventure is boon for UK film industry Daily Telegraph 15 June 2020
The $180 Million Cost Of Disney’s Live Action Remakes Forbes 16 September 2019
Britain laps up the lion's share of live action remakes Sunday Express 25 August 2019
UK cashes in on Disney's Aladdin Daily Telegraph 2 June 2019
Disney spent £100m making the new Mary Poppins in the UK The Guardian 6 January 2019
Disney's new Nutcracker movie is sweet news for UK film with the media giant splashing more than £85m on its production in Britain Mail on Sunday 28 October 2018
The $255 Million Spell That Disney Cast On Britain Forbes 8 June 2018
Revealed: Disney's Only Loss-making British Movie Forbes 10 February 2015
Disney rides off with £215m tax boost for its UK movies Mail on Sunday 7 February 2015
Disney Spends Record $580 Million Making Movies In Britain Forbes 13 November 2014
Revealed: The $307 Million Cost of Disney's John Carter Forbes 22 October 2014
Rags to riches: Disney earns £170m in tax breaks as UK film industry grows The Guardian 1 October 2014
Fourth Pirates Of The Caribbean Is Most Expensive Movie Ever With Costs Of $410 Million Forbes 22 July 2014
Disney chose the UK for blockbuster starring Angelina Jolie after pocketing a £13.6m tax break Daily Mail 20 May 2013
PIXAR FINANCES
Revealed: The Country Where ‘Elemental’ Is Pixar’s Highest-Grossing Non-Sequel Forbes 11 September 2023
Why The Real Success Of Pixar's Elemental May Be Too Subtle To See Forbes 24 June 2023
WARNER BROS. FINANCES
The $50 Million Profits Driving Nintendo's Latest Movie Franchise Forbes 25 June 2023
Warner's UK Studios Report Record Revenue Forbes 28 January 2023
Leavesden film studios no 'muggles' as profits soar The Telegraph 20 October 2019
Warner Bros buys the London Film Museum, home of the iconic Bond cars Sunday Express 22 September 2019
Detective Pikachu boosts London visual effects firms Mail on Sunday 19 May 2019
UNIVERSAL STUDIOS FINANCES
Universal Reveals 'Over Budget' Fast X Cost Nearly Half A Billion Dollars Forbes 17 April 2024
Films make Fast buck with £161m tax aid Sunday Express 31 March 2024
How Much Money Did Dolittle Really Lose? Forbes 13 July 2023
Revealed: Two Latest ‘Jurassic World’ Movies Cost $845 Million Forbes 14 April 2023
Best of both worlds when the credits roll Sunday Express 9 April 2023
Dolittle's £21m tax boost for studio Mail on Sunday 9 February 2020
Tax scheme is roaring success for Universal Mail on Sunday 10 June 2018
Revenue & Customs gives Universal Pictures £8.4m in tax credit in return for filming Les Miserables in Britain Mail on Sunday 8 June 2013
PARAMOUNT FINANCES
Mission possible as Paramount Pictures wins £57m Covid payout Sunday Times 10 September 2023
Taxpayers' £85m makes Tom Cruise's missions possible Mail on Sunday 9 July 2023
Taxman helps make it possible for Cruise’s Mission Sunday Express 29 July 2018
NETFLIX FINANCES
How Disney Could Save Millions By Returning To Its Roots Forbes 17 August 2023
Netflix Equips The Witcher With $319 Million Budget Forbes 2 June 2023
Sony Spends A Record $140 Million On The Crown Forbes 28 January 2023
£21m taxpayers' jewel in Sony's Crown Sunday Express 22 January 2023
Makers of Netflix hit The Crown have benefitted from £60m worth of tax breaks from Government, accounts show Daily Mail 30 October 2022
MISCELLANEOUS STUDIOS
Revealed: The $40 Million Reason Amazon Is Making A Tomb Raider Streaming Series Forbes 2 February 2023
Giving the Game Away AV Magazine 7 July 2022
License to Bill: No Time To Die has become the most expensive James Bond film ever – at a cost of £200 million The Sun 16 May 2020
French firm gets its paws on £22m tax break Mail on Sunday 26 August 2018
Disney's Lost Plans For A Domed City Forbes 3 May 2018
Rupert Murdoch’s Fox gets £7 million tax break for making thriller 24 in London Evening Standard 23 July 2015
Having a laugh at £3.9 million expense to the taypayer Sunday Express 28 July 2013
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PRODUCT PLACEMENT ANALYSIS
How Marvel Fuels Profits For Audi Forbes 27 May 2019
The Marvellous Marketing Vehicle For The New Lexus Forbes 26 February 2018
How Hyundai Is Using Superheroes To Rev Up Its New Model Forbes 23 February 2018
Inside the big business of car product placement in films Daily Telegraph 19 February 2018
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STUDIO EXECUTIVE AND TALENT INTERVIEWS
Michael Eisner interview: You can't beat the magic of the movies! Streaming boom is hitting hard, but former Disney chief insists there's life in the cinema yet Daily Mail 24 February 2023
Michael Eisner Reveals The Magic Touch That Gave A Glow to Disneyland Paris Forbes 9 September 2019
Disney’s Ex-Boss Reveals Magic Formula For Getting Into Soccer’s Premier League Forbes 3 August 2019
Ex-Disney mogul Michael Eisner tells how giants of television are lining up for an astronomically expensive battle with Netflix in...TV Star Wars Mail on Sunday 28 July 2019
Michael Douglas On A Lifetime As A Racing Fan Forbes 5 July 2018
Kurt Russell's wine brand GoGi spreads its wings as he secures a deal with $16.5bn drinks titan Southern Glazer's Mail on Sunday 26 May 2018
Disney's Lost Plans For a Domed City Forbes 3 May 2018
How Kurt Russell Has Grown His Legacy Forbes 28 April 2018
John Lasseter's Magic Formula for Creativity Forbes 7 August 2017
How genius John Lasseter gave Disney back its happy ending Mail on Sunday 22 July 2017
Putting A New Spin On Planet Hollywood Forbes 20 July 2017
Hitting the High Notes Etihad Inflight January 2011
What's the score? Metro 22 June 2005
INDUSTRY OVERVIEWS
Framestore's visuals bear fruit Sunday Express 7 January 2024
$2.1 Billion Job Creation Subsidy In The Spotlight As Movie Studios Sack Crews Forbes 30 September 2023
How British Taxpayers Have Saved Movie Studios $5.8 Billion Forbes 12 March 2023
LUCASFILM FINANCES
Disney's Star Wars Box Office Profits Fail To Cover Cost Of Lucasfilm Forbes 14 April 2024
Indiana Jones Whips Up $130 Million Loss For Disney Forbes 31 March 2024
Revealed: The Star Wars Movie With The Highest Salaries Forbes 25 August 2023
Revealed: The Abandoned Streaming Series That Cost Disney $100 Million Forbes 15 August 2023
Disney Spends $49 Million On Star Wars Spinoff The Acolyte Forbes 24 July 2023
Revealed: Disney's Most Profitable Star Wars Movie Forbes 1 March 2023
Star Wars: The Force Awakens Becomes The Most Expensive Movie Ever Made Forbes 26 February 2023
Disney's $300 Million Bet To Tempt Back Cinemagoers Forbes 8 February 2023
Returns of the Jedi Sunday Times 5 February 2023
Tax relief whip round for new Jones film Sunday Express 6 November 2022
AV is the real star of The Mandalorian AV Magazine February 2021
Disney's spending a force for good in UK Sunday Express 3 May 2020
£1.5bn Star Wars bill for Disney's UK subsidiaries Daily Telegraph 1 January 2020
UK feels the force of £265.4m economy boost Sunday Express 24 February 2019
Disney Recoups A Quarter of $4 Billion Star Wars Purchase Price Forbes 4 June 2018
Disney ploughs £200m into new frontier for Solo: A Star Wars Story Evening Standard 25 May 2018
Star Wars Is A Billion-Dollar Blockbuster For Britain Forbes 4 January 2018
Star Wars a positive force for UK Sunday Express 24 December 2017
Britain feels the full force of Star Wars success Sunday Express 27 March 2016
Star Wars brings £150m economic boost to Britain Daily Telegraph 13 September 2015
US media giant Disney handed £8m tax break by HMRC to make next Star Wars film in Britain Mail on Sunday 20 September 2014
MARVEL STUDIOS FINANCES
'Ant-Man And The Wasp: Quantumania' Set To Blow Its Budget As Costs Surge To Nearly $330 Million Forbes 19 April 2024
Revealed: The Marvel Movies That Failed To Cover Their Production Costs At The Box Office Forbes 3 October 2023
Magic Touch As Marvel's 'Moon Knight' Comes In On Budget Forbes 30 September 2023
Disney Reveals $270 Million Bill For ‘The Marvels’ Forbes 20 September 2023
Taika Waititi's Comments Reveal What Is Wrong With Marvel's Movies Forbes 2 September 2023
Revealed: The Two Avengers Movies That Made $1.4 Billion Of Profit For Disney Forbes 1 September 2023
Marvel’s ‘Black Widow’ Made Disney $67 Million. Here’s Why Forbes 31 August 2023
Loki 2 Packs A Punch With $140 Million Budget Forbes 2 August 2023
Disney Shells Out $212 Million On Secret Invasion Forbes 8 July 2023
Disney's Marvel-lous £32m UK handout Sunday Express 2 July 2023
Disney Reveals Doctor Strange 2 Cost $100 Million More Than Its Estimated Budget Forbes 1 July 2023
Disney’s Bill For ‘The Marvels’ Came To $130 Million Two Years Ago Forbes 11 April 2023
Disney Reveals $200 Million Spending On Ant-Man And The Wasp: Quantumania Forbes 2 April 2023
Disney receives £30m tax break from Treasury for making 'flop' superhero movie Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania in the UK Daily Mail 13 March 2023
Eternals Was Over Budget Says Marvel Forbes 13 February 2023
How Marvel Saved $40 Million On Its Biggest Movie Of 2022 Forbes 28 January 2023
Disney spent $90m making Moon Knight Arabian Business 14 December 2022
UK gives £20.6m for Disney to Marvel at Sunday Express 4 September 2022
Disney banks on its blockbuster Marvels Sunday Express 26 July 2020
Pow! Final instalment of the Avengers superhero film franchise set to be the most expensive movie ever made with £430million spent on the blockbuster Mail on Sunday 10 February 2019
Disney Reveals Avengers: Infinity War's Financial Muscle Forbes 28 April 2018
Disney shells out £1.3bn to make Marvel films in the UK Daily Telegraph 9 April 2018
Disney Reveals Guardians Of The Galaxy Was Over Budget At $232 Million Forbes 27 January 2015
Disney lands £32 million tax credit as it plans to film next Avengers in the UK Evening Standard 9 October 2014
Disney handed record £31m tax credit for filming in UK The Independent 8 October 2014
Heroic £5.6m tax break for film maker Disney Sunday Express 20 July 2014
Government paid a record £22.4m towards the production of Thor: The Dark World, in a deal to encourage movie-making in the UK The Independent 7 July 2014
HMRC gives Disney £16m tax credits for superhero movies Daily Telegraph 29 Sep 2013
Captain America given £18.8m in tax credits after being classed as British film Mail on Sunday 1 December 2012
.
WALT DISNEY STUDIOS FINANCES
The Real Reason For Disney's $11 Billion Streaming Losses Forbes 7 April 2024
Revealed: How Disney's Financial Wizardry Boosted Its Return On Investment Forbes 3 April 2024
Disney Sinks $300 Million Into “Over Budget” ‘Little Mermaid’ Movie Forbes 2 October 2023
£46m sting in Little Mermaid's tale for UK Sunday Express 24 September 2023
Why Disney's 'Snow White' Remake Needs To Gross $340 Million Forbes 21 September 2023
Disney receives £30m in tax relief from the Government for making live-action Snow White remake at Pinewood Studios and on location across Britain Daily Mail 19 September 2023
Disney Made A $241 Million Profit On ‘Aladdin’. Here’s How Forbes 13 September 2023
Who Is Really To Blame For Disney's Woes? Forbes 30 August 2023
The Four Flops Of 2023 That Cost Disney $1 Billion Forbes 4 August 2023
Disney's £133m Artemis Fowl adventure is boon for UK film industry Daily Telegraph 15 June 2020
The $180 Million Cost Of Disney’s Live Action Remakes Forbes 16 September 2019
Britain laps up the lion's share of live action remakes Sunday Express 25 August 2019
UK cashes in on Disney's Aladdin Daily Telegraph 2 June 2019
Disney spent £100m making the new Mary Poppins in the UK The Guardian 6 January 2019
Disney's new Nutcracker movie is sweet news for UK film with the media giant splashing more than £85m on its production in Britain Mail on Sunday 28 October 2018
The $255 Million Spell That Disney Cast On Britain Forbes 8 June 2018
Revealed: Disney's Only Loss-making British Movie Forbes 10 February 2015
Disney rides off with £215m tax boost for its UK movies Mail on Sunday 7 February 2015
Disney Spends Record $580 Million Making Movies In Britain Forbes 13 November 2014
Revealed: The $307 Million Cost of Disney's John Carter Forbes 22 October 2014
Rags to riches: Disney earns £170m in tax breaks as UK film industry grows The Guardian 1 October 2014
Fourth Pirates Of The Caribbean Is Most Expensive Movie Ever With Costs Of $410 Million Forbes 22 July 2014
Disney chose the UK for blockbuster starring Angelina Jolie after pocketing a £13.6m tax break Daily Mail 20 May 2013
PIXAR FINANCES
Revealed: The Country Where ‘Elemental’ Is Pixar’s Highest-Grossing Non-Sequel Forbes 11 September 2023
Why The Real Success Of Pixar's Elemental May Be Too Subtle To See Forbes 24 June 2023
WARNER BROS. FINANCES
The $50 Million Profits Driving Nintendo's Latest Movie Franchise Forbes 25 June 2023
Warner's UK Studios Report Record Revenue Forbes 28 January 2023
Leavesden film studios no 'muggles' as profits soar The Telegraph 20 October 2019
Warner Bros buys the London Film Museum, home of the iconic Bond cars Sunday Express 22 September 2019
Detective Pikachu boosts London visual effects firms Mail on Sunday 19 May 2019
UNIVERSAL STUDIOS FINANCES
Universal Reveals 'Over Budget' Fast X Cost Nearly Half A Billion Dollars Forbes 17 April 2024
Films make Fast buck with £161m tax aid Sunday Express 31 March 2024
How Much Money Did Dolittle Really Lose? Forbes 13 July 2023
Revealed: Two Latest ‘Jurassic World’ Movies Cost $845 Million Forbes 14 April 2023
Best of both worlds when the credits roll Sunday Express 9 April 2023
Dolittle's £21m tax boost for studio Mail on Sunday 9 February 2020
Tax scheme is roaring success for Universal Mail on Sunday 10 June 2018
Revenue & Customs gives Universal Pictures £8.4m in tax credit in return for filming Les Miserables in Britain Mail on Sunday 8 June 2013
PARAMOUNT FINANCES
Mission possible as Paramount Pictures wins £57m Covid payout Sunday Times 10 September 2023
Taxpayers' £85m makes Tom Cruise's missions possible Mail on Sunday 9 July 2023
Taxman helps make it possible for Cruise’s Mission Sunday Express 29 July 2018
NETFLIX FINANCES
How Disney Could Save Millions By Returning To Its Roots Forbes 17 August 2023
Netflix Equips The Witcher With $319 Million Budget Forbes 2 June 2023
Sony Spends A Record $140 Million On The Crown Forbes 28 January 2023
£21m taxpayers' jewel in Sony's Crown Sunday Express 22 January 2023
Makers of Netflix hit The Crown have benefitted from £60m worth of tax breaks from Government, accounts show Daily Mail 30 October 2022
MISCELLANEOUS STUDIOS
Revealed: The $40 Million Reason Amazon Is Making A Tomb Raider Streaming Series Forbes 2 February 2023
Giving the Game Away AV Magazine 7 July 2022
License to Bill: No Time To Die has become the most expensive James Bond film ever – at a cost of £200 million The Sun 16 May 2020
French firm gets its paws on £22m tax break Mail on Sunday 26 August 2018
Disney's Lost Plans For A Domed City Forbes 3 May 2018
Rupert Murdoch’s Fox gets £7 million tax break for making thriller 24 in London Evening Standard 23 July 2015
Having a laugh at £3.9 million expense to the taypayer Sunday Express 28 July 2013
.
PRODUCT PLACEMENT ANALYSIS
How Marvel Fuels Profits For Audi Forbes 27 May 2019
The Marvellous Marketing Vehicle For The New Lexus Forbes 26 February 2018
How Hyundai Is Using Superheroes To Rev Up Its New Model Forbes 23 February 2018
Inside the big business of car product placement in films Daily Telegraph 19 February 2018