Hello from Janice Min
Hi! It’s been a little crazed here this week around The Ankler. For the first time in a really long time, Richard and I are in school, this time four hours a day through Y Combinator. One of my three kids is in a so-called “modified quarantine” after being exposed to Covid at school (trying to understand the protocol is like an SAT math problem I would have skipped). And on top of that, we are trying to give you the best version of The Ankler we can, as fast as we can.
This week, we got some things done we liked that you may have caught (or will spend a few minutes sampling if you haven’t had the chance ). We recorded episode two of our fun and informative (we hope) weekly podcast hosted by me, Richard, and Tatiana Siegel; and brought in coverage from new writers and contributors about Broadway’s crisis, the failure of musicals on streaming, and a few more topics that say something about the state of entertainment. We also have a Twitter account we hope you follow.
Recently I promised spin-offs in our Ankler universe to help you work and play.
To that end, I wanted to introduce you to The Optionist, a new newsletter about available intellectual property for the entertainment community that will debut on Friday, January 21. Written by Andy Lewis, The Optionist aims to do some of your reading for you by highlighting the best material with rights still available from the worlds of book publishing, journalism and podcasts (names of reps will be attached to each property when applicable). As anyone who works in this industry knows, the publishing-to-Hollywood superhighway has only expanded in the streaming age, yet the hours in the day have not. We hope this newsletter helps makes your work life just a little bit more productive through our legwork.
A quick intro to Andy: A PhD in American history, and author of several books around race and civil rights, he also was books editor at The Hollywood Reporter for eight years, where he originated the “rights available” column. He has served as a secret reader of material for several writers. Ever-curious, with a range of interests (fun fact: he was a Division 1 fencer at University of Pennsylvania), he has a rare fluency in the highbrow and low, serious fiction and fan fiction, the academic and esoteric, sports and celebrity, chick lit and comic books. He also has a keen sense of current events, trends and commercial tastes. I have no doubt the material he highlights will end up turning into great future film, TV and documentaries.
The Ankler audience can sample The Optionist for free for a few weeks. We ask in return only that you let us know what you think. Please sign up here to start receiving The Optionist every week in its beta phase. I suggest you contact andy@theoptionist.community to say hi, and share with him your feedback and ideas on how we can build just the right product to help you on the job.
Lastly, some recent work from The Ankler to catch up on over your three-day weekend:
Broadway’s Crisis: It’s ‘Las Vegas on the Hudson’ As Broadway suffers its lowest attendance in a decade, omicron wreaking havoc, and audiences rejecting one new production after another, longtime entertainment critic and journalist Frank Scheck writes about Broadway’s risk of becoming Vegas-on-the-Hudson, a place defined only by longstanding mega-hits: "If the producing doesn't get smarter, the gap between the blandly commercial and artistically pretentious flops will continue to widen"
ESG Report: Uh-oh, Streaming Musicals Keep Bombing: Netflix’s Tick, Tick...Boom! from Lin-Manuel Miranda was NOT another Hamilton — and the problems kept mounting from there for the category
Richard Rushfield on Paramount's 'Yellowstone' debacle, pique Pixar under Bob II, and...a 100 percent unverified rumor too good not to share
The Ankler Hot Seat Podcast: Every Sensitive Topic: James Franco, the Globes, #MeToo and representation in Hollywood. Please follow us on Apple Podcasts
Jeff Sneider on James Franco’s Would-Be Comeback: Execs react!
The Sound of No Globes Clapping: Richard Rushfield on the non-Globes and what it says about the future of an industry’s self-celebration
Also on this long weekend, one more recommendation: the podcast from The Daily ICYMI about Sidney Poitier, one of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s staunchest supporters. It is an utter delight, and testament to the power of Hollywood’s casting, acting and writing at its best.
Feel free to let me know what you’re thinking so far about what The Ankler is producing, and what we could do to make your subscription more valuable, at janice@anklermedia.com — we are aiming to provide our audience with the best possible experience possible and couldn’t do it without you. Thanks for being part of the Ankler experience.
Best,
Janice @janicemin
If you are interested in advertising on The Ankler, please contact Kymber Allen at kymber@anklermedia.com.
Can’t afford The Ankler right now? If you’re an assistant, student, or getting your foot in the door of this industry, and want help navigating the craziness of this business but don’t have the money to spare right now, drop me a line at richard@theankler.com and we’ll work it out. No mogul or mogul-to-be left behind here at The Ankler.
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