ICYMI: Exec Salary Stress; Kids TV Winners/Losers; Paramount Options
Catch up on our recent best
Happy Father’s Day! By the time this hits your inbox, I’ll be taking my family out for breakfast, and if I’m lucky, my daughter will try to embarrass me by telling our server that I “work in Hollywood.” If you’re also fortunate enough to celebrate today, giving or receiving, I hope your day is fantastic.
Of course, every day at The Ankler is its own kind of madcap fun, and while I hope you didn’t miss anything we did this week, well, that’s why we recap everything here together on Sundays. Let’s go!
Salary Confession: The EP Living Off Savings
Having to sell a second home isn’t exactly the most sympathetic plight, but, in this case of the successful EP who spoke to Series Business’ Elaine Low, it reveals even high-level pain in the industry, whose current state has them unemployed for the first time since they were 19:
Honey, I Oversaturated the Kids
Children are our future, but maybe not necessarily everyone in Hollywood’s. With Disney’s Inside Out 2 bringing a much-needed win to the space this weekend, Entertainment Strategy Guy assesses who should keep making and/or distributing content — and who should not:
Rushfield’s Bull in a Bear Market
Marcus Theatres CEO Greg Marcus is holding out hope for the box office’s future, telling Richard Rushfield where studio outputs have faltered, what movies can learn from MLB — and why theaters will still exist:
Misery on Paramount Mountain
A vital Hollywood is as essential to a healthy America as banks and automakers. In terms of jobs and economic impact, I argue that Paramount (as well as our other legacy studios) are also too big to fail. So, I ask, why isn’t the government stepping in?:
Richard weighs the implications of the Paramount-Skydance deal implosion, and critiques the media’s patronizing characterization of Shari Redstone:
Prestige Junkie: Fallout Star, Baby Reindeer Breakout
Emmy ballots are in, and Katey Rich has her first take. Plus, catch her all-star interviews with Fallout’s Ella Purnell, Murdaugh Murders’ Bill Pullman and, on her Prestige Junkie podcast, Baby Reindeer’s Jessica Gunning:
THE WAKEUP
Another week, another crop of ace explainers from Sean McNulty, identifying 2024’s percolating overall and first-look activity (at least for certain proven talent) and assessing what’s next in the Paramount sale saga:
One Fun Interview
Check out Janice Min’s dishy conversation with Ed Zwick (Glory, Thirtysomething, Legends of the Fall) about making movies — even when Julia Roberts, Matthew Broderick and studio bigwigs get in the way. Plus read what he says about Hollywood’s future and its risk of becoming ‘opera’:
🎧 PODCASTS
THE ANKLER
A TV Deal Flurry. For Some Who's suddenly getting paid (or squeezed) and how much:
MARTINI SHOT
No Place for Thinkers Rob Long on why logic and reason don’t apply to comedy:
👓 THE OPTIONIST
FINAL HOUSEKEEPING!
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