Mornin! This is Sean McNulty (connect with me on LINKEDIN here if ya like or email me at seanmcnultynyc@gmail.com), and here’s the Hollywood + Media news to know on Tuesday, June 23, 2026.

Where how is over a year from now for a NEXSTAR / TEGNA anti-trust trial start date? Good for everyone?

Eh, merging the companies before 2028 based on a deal that closed in March 2026 is overrated anyway. Good thing there’s no quarterly ticking fee involved in this one.

AND: ABC is now airing messages on its O&O stations on-air urging viewers to contact the FCC in the public comment period about the renewal of DISNEY’s local station TV licenses.

PLUS: OPENAI and GETTY IMAGES set a licensing deal whereby GETTY’s pics will appear in OPENAI search and ChatGPT. No word on the 💰 or deal duration.

HUH: And you wonder why most Americans aren’t “feeling” the highs of the AI-fueled mid-2020s stock market . . .

YEAH: Storming out of a deposition after being asked about Jeffrey Epstein is never a great look — even if the lawyer interrogating Mike Ovitz in his court-ordered appearance in the Julia Ormond / CAA / Weinstein lawsuit was rather persistent with Epstein questions that seemingly had no direct ties to Ovitz’s relationship with Harvey Weinstein. We’ll see if Ovitz returns to finish his court-ordered appearance.

ALSO: Olivia Rodrigo is launching a Daisy Chain Fields music festival on Aug. 29 with Chappell Roan, Stevie Nicks and many others to benefit several nonprofit groups including Baby2Baby, Planned Parenthood, the Center for Reproductive Rights and the National Domestic Workers Alliance.

• Ticket presale begins tomorrow at 10 a.m. ET.

REST IN PEACE: Goes out music industry legend Clive Davis, who died yesterday at the age of 94.

THANKS: To the readers who reminded my Gen X brain on Sunday that Fast & Furious is actually 2001, not 1999 as the Limp Bizkit-driven trailer really wants it to be in my head. Thus, the only original ’90s IP still going strong in the 2020s is Toy Story.

Others brought up Jurassic Park, which certainly gets points for ’90s IP remaining relevant into the 2020s — but that’s not an original property, as it was based on a very popular book by Michael Crichton.

• And yes, I know F&F has magazine article source material — but it’s not based on actual people, etc., so with all due respect to Vibe magazine in 1998, I don’t count that.

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💼 Get A Job

If you’re looking to hire someone — drop me a note to be included here! seanmcnultynyc@gmail.com or connect with me on LINKEDIN here.

• INSTAGRAM/THREADS — Global Head of Marketing ($296k to $356k)
• OPENAI — Content Marketing Lead ($266k to $295k)
• AMC GLOBAL — VP, Scripted ($175k to $200k)
• TIME — VP Production Studios ($175k to $190k)
• MPTF — Head of Marketing/Comms ($152k to $198k)
• NETFLIX — Sr. Manager, TV Series Biz Affairs ($325k to $580k)
• BETCHES MEDIA — VP, Production ($170k to $200k)
• ALCON — TV Development Exec (no salary listed)
• FORTUNE — Executive Producer (up to $190k)
• CNN — Sr. Manager, VOD & Streaming ($110k to $204k)
• A24 — TV Financial Analyst ($110k to $135k)
• DISNEY — Comms Manager, D2C ($115k to $154k)
• SPOTIFY — Associate Director, Podcasting ($181k to $259k)
• TIKTOK — Entertainment Creator Partnerships & Ops Mgr ($93k to $220k)
• UTA — Marketing, Entertainment & Culture Marketing ($110k to $120k)
• NY RANGERS — Director, Comms ($160k to $175k)
• FULWELL 73 — Senior Manager, Social ($100k to $110k)
• SIRIUSXM — Producer, Talk Radio ($57k to $75k)
• BLACK BEAR — Publicity Coordinator($70k to $80k)
• UFC — Entertainment Coordinator (no salary listed)
• NETFLIX — Assistant, Product Mktg, Games ($38 to $71/hr)
• LIONSGATE — Assistant, TV Distro ($45k to $50k)
• CLYDE STAFFING GIGS — email clyde@clydestaffing.com, mention you saw it in The Wakeup.
  • Assistant to CEO of music management firm, L.A.
  • Social Media Manager to Actress, L.A.

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💻 The Media Biz

GOOGLE makes A24 investment as 2nd tier media dealmaking 🔥 continues

For an industry where all of “the big ones” are now spoken for in Hollywood dealmaking — summer 2026 sure is shaping up like a memorable one for investment bankers. NETFLIX wasn’t the only one whose M&A muscles were flexed by the WBD auction.

First, we had IMAX sale talks come to light (and are still out there), then a SIRIUSXM / IHEART exploration (though ultimately not pursued), followed by ROKU selling to FOX. Now, we get more money going into A24.

Yes, LIONSGATE, the investment bankers see you and your Michael money over there too. 👋

But this new A24 deal is really not about the money involved — take note that a new 💰 valuation # for A24 was not part of the announcement — but rather about what each company gains from the arrangement.

Here’s what’s afoot — and what this deal indicates about the larger, rather robust media & entertainment dealmaking sector right now (even AMC THEATRES is using the movie biz buzz to make a move that . . . is plunging its stock today).