Books
IDC Hosts Inaugural Intimacy Professional Summit in Minneapolis, MN
This premier event will gather Intimacy Professionals, Directors, Producers, and other Entertainment Professionals from around the globe to advance the way the TV/film and live performance industries handle intimate stories.
Who/What:
Intimacy Directors and Coordinators (IDC) is hosting its inaugural Intimacy Professional Summit, gathering experts and leaders from the TV, film, and theatre industries. Supported by Hennepin Theatre Arts, this will be the largest U.S. event focused on advancing how the entertainment industry handles intimate stories.
Since Tarana Burke’s #MeToo movement sparked global change, the entertainment industry has rapidly embraced the role of Intimacy Professionals — now one of the fastest-growing roles. Despite its recent emergence, this role is now considered an industry standard, ensuring that intimate scenes are handled safely and respectfully. On the heels of Intimacy Coordinators working to unionize with SAG-AFTRA, the Intimacy Professional Summit is a pivotal moment for the industry to deeply engage with this critical shift, offering the much-needed space to advance the production of intimate scenes.
The Summit features interactive workshops, expert panels, product demos, and networking opportunities to foster a community of changemakers. Speakers include Alicia Rodis, Head of Intimacy Coordination at HBO; Claire Warden, Broadway’s First Intimacy Director; and Dr. Jessica Steinrock, Intimacy Coordination Influencer with over 1.3M followers.
Prior to the Summit, IDC will be hosting a Certification Intensive, where the next generation of industry leaders will become certified as Intimacy Professionals.
Intimacy Directors and Coordinators (IDC) is the leading and largest organization training and certifying intimacy professionals worldwide. Our community members have impacted every level of the industry, including HBO, Hulu, Amazon Prime, Netflix, and Broadway.
Intimacy Professionals are choreographers, actor advocates, and liaisons between actors and production for scenes that involve nudity/hyper-exposed work, simulated sex acts, and intimate/sexualized physical contact in TV, film, and live performance.
Why:
The entertainment industry has long grappled with issues of sexual harassment, which were thrust into the spotlight during the Harvey Weinstein trials. As Tarana Burke’s #MeToo movement went viral, Hollywood responded with its own #TimesUp movement, focusing on the industry-specific challenges of sexual misconduct. The industry’s response drove a necessary reckoning regarding intimate scenes, creating the demand for Intimacy Coordinators, a role dedicated to safeguarding and supporting actors during these vulnerable moments.
The role of the Intimacy Coordinator has rapidly become one of the fastest-growing
professions in the entertainment industry. Hit shows like Bridgerton have demonstrated the value of this role in creating groundbreaking storytelling that captivates audiences. Actors and Actresses like Nicola Coughlan, Ewan McGregor, and Kate Winslet, among others, have praised the role as essential. As giants in the industry, major networks such as HBO continue to lead by mandating the presence of intimacy coordinators on any set involving intimate scenes, and Intimacy professionals are now utilized in live performances from Broadaway to the West End.
Intimacy Professionals represent a significant leap forward in addressing one of the
entertainment industry’s biggest challenges: preventing sexual misconduct while giving actors autonomy during high-risk, intimate scenes.
The Intimacy Professional Summit provides an unprecedented opportunity for intimacy professionals and entertainment professionals from around the world and across all levels of the industry to connect, inspire, and learn from one another. This event aims to cultivate an unstoppable force for positive change within the entertainment industry, ensuring safe, consensual, and dynamic intimacy choreography in live performance, film, and television.
Media Coverage:
We invite members of the media to cover this impactful event. Our team will be available for interviews and to provide further insights into the global significance of this event in advancing the entertainment industry. Press passes will be available at a later date.
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Books
Author Releases Novel About First Responder’s Life After 9/11 at No Cost
Balle Balle Radio™ Entertainment Desk
Author Erin Strong is offering her novel "She Never Left Ground Zero: A Novel of Courage, Love, and the Hidden Cost of 9/11" as a free download through September 30, according to the announcement. No registration, email address, purchase, subscription, or review is required, and coincides with the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks.
The novel is fiction but draws on the real experience of an NYPD officer, per the announcement. It centers on Sofia Vega, an NYPD officer whose work amid the smoke and debris in the aftermath leads to lasting consequences she and her family must face. Strong has said she wanted to write about what happened to first responders and their families after press coverage of the attacks faded — a theme that echoes a broader body of anniversary-year 9/11 literature, including nonfiction essay collections and survivor accounts published or reissued around the same milestone.
According to Strong, "I wanted to tell a deeply personal story about what happened after the television cameras moved on." "Many first responders and their families continued living with the consequences of September 11 for years. This novel honors their courage, their sacrifices, and the people who loved them through it all."
The free download is available at sheneverleftgroundzero.com. The book will also remain for sale on Amazon and other retailers after the promotional window closes. Strong’s team can be reached through the same website or by phone.
Studio CarryOnHarry Perspective
At Studio CarryOnHarry, we see Strong’s September timing as a textbook example of anniversary marketing strategy. Major commemorative dates like the 25th anniversary of 9/11 generate enormous search volume and media attention—precisely when potential readers are already thinking about the subject matter. By anchoring a free promotion to this peak-interest window, authors capture visibility they’d need to spend significantly on advertising to achieve otherwise. The counterintuitive logic: giving away the book for free during high-traffic periods can actually drive more long-term sales than traditional paid campaigns, because it builds audience reach, generates word-of-mouth momentum, and establishes the title in readers’ minds before the promotional window closes. When the book returns to paid status in October, those who downloaded it free become natural candidates for follow-up engagement—reviews, recommendations, and future purchases. It’s a calculated play on consumer psychology and search behavior that extends the book’s commercial lifespan well beyond September.
Read more People’s Choice stories on Studio CarryOnHarry. Reporting via Live News Vault.
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Books
New Fantasy Novel Explores Orphan’s Journey Through Magic and Danger
Balle Balle Radio™ Entertainment Desk
Author C. A. Ballard has released a debut fantasy novel, "The Lost Legacy," following a young orphan protagonist drawn into a battle against a malevolent force seeking to strip the world of its magical power, according to the publisher’s announcement.
The book comes from Newman Springs Publishing, a New Jersey-based author-services publisher that works with writers across genres to produce and distribute their books; the company is handling both publication and promotion for the title. The novel is available in stores and through major digital retailers, including Amazon, Apple, Google Play and Barnes & Noble.
According to the publisher, Zara must safeguard her sibling while partnering with an ensemble of fantastical beings including fae warriors, mythical creatures, and magical beings to combat darkness — against an antagonist seeking to strip the world of its magic.
Ballard, described in the release as a wife, mother and grandmother with a background in accounting and medical billing, said medical challenges led her to pursue creative endeavors. "I wanted to craft deeply engaging stories about everyday individuals finding remarkable capabilities within themselves," Ballard said in a statement. "Zara’s story is about finding your tribe, embracing your power, and refusing to surrender to darkness." The publisher’s announcement notes additional projects from Ballard are already in development.
There is no independent review coverage of "The Lost Legacy" available yet; retail listings confirm the book’s publication details but do not offer critical assessment. Readers interested in the book can find purchase links through the publisher’s website or major retailers.
Studio CarryOnHarry Perspective
At Studio CarryOnHarry, we recognize that Ballard’s ensemble approach—layering fae warriors, mythical creatures, and magical beings alongside a resourceful orphan protagonist—speaks directly to a defining shift in contemporary fantasy publishing. Today’s YA and new-adult readers expect worldbuilding that extends beyond a single chosen one; they crave diverse supernatural allies and complex team dynamics that reflect both traditional mythology and modern storytelling sensibilities. Zara’s "finding your tribe" arc taps into this broader cultural moment where belonging and chosen family rival the hero’s individual journey. As the fantasy market continues to reward narratives emphasizing collective strength over solitary heroism, Ballard’s decision to populate her world with multiple fantastical perspectives positions "The Lost Legacy" within reader expectations that have reshaped the genre over the past five years. This matters because debut authors who understand—and authentically execute—these ensemble-driven narratives are better positioned to build engaged readerships from launch.
Read more People’s Choice stories on Studio CarryOnHarry. Reporting via Live News Vault.
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