Friedlander’s Amazon Woes; Millennial Meltdown; Indie Film Pricing Shake-Up
Plus: Who could replace Jeff Shell? And Chernin execs on their creator strategy
Happy Easter and Passover — and it looks like there’s one more thing to celebrate this weekend as the WGA and AMPTP reach a tentative four-year agreement. The deal, struck after just three weeks of negotiations, still needs guild approval and member ratification, but the relief across Hollywood is palpable — a rare bit of good news after a brutal stretch for the workforce.
That strain was front and center in one of our biggest stories of the week. Elaine Low’s millennials edition of her Disappearing Ladder series struck a nerve with subscribers — and sparked a heated debate on our Instagram (@theankler). Gen X, you’re next! Reach out to Elaine if you’ve got insights.
Lesley Goldberg also made a splash this week with her sharp take on Peter Friedlander’s quiet — too quiet? — tenure as Amazon’s global head of TV. Six months in, the respected exec has yet to signal a strategy and the “mystified” town is getting restless. See also: Lesley’s scoops on The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power and a RoboCop series greenlight.
The week’s other big talker? Gen Z “hipsters” are on the town puffing cigarettes. Degen Pener hit the clubs to understand what’s happening:
Reminder: The Ankler is at NAB Show (April 19–20) in Vegas with exclusive programming in the Media and Entertainment Theater that includes MS NOW anchors Jen Psaki and Ari Melber with top exec Marcus Mabry; JB Smoove; YouTuber and Iron Lung filmmaker Mark Fischbach (aka Markiplier), Akela Cooper and Atomic Monster’s Michael Clear; CEOs from Funko, MicroCo and Asteria; and showrunner Eric Robles. Stay tuned for more big names. Bonus: Ankler readers get $60 off a show pass with code ANKLER26.
Now, ICYMI: even more stories that had the industry buzzing — and subscribing — this week:
Dealmakers: Indie Film Intel
Ashley Cullins talks to CAA’s Roeg Sutherland, UTA’s Rena Ronson, Gersh’s Jessica Lacy, Bleecker Street CEO Kent Sanderson and more about 2026 budgets, buyers — and an unexpected opportunity:
Series Business: U.K. Streaming Wars, Pitt Ills
As streaming’s Battleground Britain welcomes a new entrant, Manori Ravindran takes you inside WBD’s bet that mass IP can outperform local storytelling — while Netflix, Amazon and Disney double down on local:
Plus, Lesley weighs Supriya Ganesh’s exit from The Pitt and why it sent fans into code red, along with April’s Emmy-contender pile-up:
Arsenio’s Battle Over Blackness
With an exclusive excerpt from Arsenio Hall’s memoir, The Optionist’s Andy Lewis recounts how the late night host was squeezed in the early ’90s by Paramount, Black stars and the NAACP — each demanding the “right” amount of Blackness on his pioneering talk show:
Prestige Junkie: 2027 Oscar Buzz
On her Prestige Junkie podcast, Katey Rich gauges next year’s Oscar hopefuls. Two among them: The Odyssey and Dune: Part Three, both of which star Robert Pattinson and Zendaya — who find themselves in a never-ending promo cycle with this weekend’s A24 rom-com The Drama:
The Wakeup: Who Could Replace Jeff Shell?
Sean McNulty names some familiar names as the beleaguered Paramount president appears headed for the exit:
📱 LIKE & SUBSCRIBE BY NATALIE JARVEY
Natalie’s revealing interview with Chernin Group partners Greg Bettinelli and Maureen Sullivan revealed what drives their bets on creator-led businesses and where they see the next opportunities:
🎧 PODCASTS
ANKLER AGENDA
Elaine and Sean debate which generation really has it worst in today’s business — and whether boomers are to blame:
Mike Judge and Alec Berg join Elaine to dissect how their iconic 2010s HBO comedy, Silicon Valley, nailed its prescient takes on AI and Big Tech:
📹 Ankler Shows
Monday Morning Quarterbacks: It was a good run for Warner Bros., but Sean and Christopher Rosen analyze how — following a dismal debut for The Bride! and last weekend’s flop They Will Kill You, the heater is over:
👓 THE OPTIONIST BY ANDY LEWIS
FINAL HOUSEKEEPING!
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