ICYMI: Gaming God Goes H'wood; Netflix Films' Mayday May; Reality TV Market Intel
Catch up on our recent best
Twenty years ago, I’d just started a new job and my editor was convinced that a cover story was going to have members of the U.S. Congress waving our magazine on the floor of the House demanding change. Alas, that didn’t happen, but imagine my delight on Friday in seeing U.S. Representative Joaquin Castro doing the 2024 equivalent in sharing Richard Rushfield’s brilliant piece on Hollywood’s $18 billion blindspot (don’t miss how Latin audience made up 40 percent of opening day for Inside Out 2):
Also, did you watch The Bear or the debate on Thursday? Listen to Katey Rich tell Morning Edition’s Susanne Whatley how she chooses what to watch, what she thinks you should be watching, the summer Emmys race and . . . she’s already talking Oscars:
And in case you missed it, the rest of our can’t miss lineup:
Gaming Legend Behind GTA Tackles Hollywood IP
Peter Kiefer’s profile of gaming god Dan Houser’s new Santa Monica-based Hollywood IP factory had gaming press abuzz. In his first in-depth interview about the venture, Houser, who rejected film adaptations of cinematic games Grand Theft Auto and Red Dead Redepmtion, explains he’s now ready to world-build hand-in-hand with Hollywood:
How to Sell a Reality Show Today
Last summer’s strikes didn’t lead to the anticipated reality boom, but as Elaine Low reports in Series Business (paid subscribers only), unscripted producers are adapting — from co-productions to brand integrations — and even feeling good (seriously) about basic cable:
'Unfrosted', JLo and Netflix Film’s Mayday May
Everyone panicked about The Fall Guy and Furiosa flopping, but on streaming, Entertainment Strategy Guy details it was also bombs away in May. Come for the embarrassing comps, stay for the insight into what Netflix in particular can do about its Netflix’s spend-to-hits ratio on its original films:
Ask Your Kid If They’re Thinking About Ozempic
Peter was back on the L.A. private-school beat, this time with a dispatch about the rising interest in GLP-1 weight-loss drugs among teens:
Rushfield’s Ruthless Truths
Richard tackled the topic of media monopolist Jay Penske, this time, through his SXSW festival’s virtually unprecedented move of rejecting the U.S. Army’s longtime sponsorship as protestors fumed over America’s role in Israel’s war in Gaza. Of course, all this while trying to keep the controversy miles away from its parent company (and trades). Join for a hilarious deconstruction:
Films featuring above-the-line Latin talent out-perform non-Latin films by a full 58 percent. So what has Hollywood done to prioritize this lucrative, underserved demographic? Nada. But this can be fixed:
AI is About to Radically Change Streaming Ads
As every streaming player emphasizes its ad tier, Erik Barmack dissects (for paid subscribers-only) the role AI is inevitably going to play and how streaming is about to feel a whole lot more like scrolling social media:
Prestige Junkie: Staying In for Summer
Summer movies and TV are now in full swing, and awards editor Katey Rich has her eyes on potential future prizewinners, from Jake Gyllenhaal’s juicy legal thriller Presumed Innocent to such auteurs as Yorgos Lanthimos and Annie Baker counterprogramming the multiplex:
📸From Kindness to Cocaine
This week’s Todd on the Town takes you all over the red carpet map:
A TV Report From the Upside Down
Manori Ravindran reports from NATPE Budapest on linear TV’s death-grip hold on Central and Eastern Europe and what the U.S. can learn:
THE WAKEUP
Start your day right with Sean McNulty’s expert daily analyses and roundups. This week, Sean broke down the big A24 fundraising news and why Shrek’s back:
🎧 PODCASTS
THE ANKLER
Hollywood, A24 and Prestige’s Next Phase Hollywood's two darlings are undergoing makeovers:
MARTINI SHOT
Forgiving and Forgetting Rob Long on TV’s winning formula
👓 THE OPTIONIST
FINAL HOUSEKEEPING!
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