ICYMI: TV Market Under Trump; Stars' AI Studio Deals; Red State Audience
Plus: Only Ari is driving a Cybertruck in Hollywood
Our CEO Janice Min took Web Summit’s center stage in Lisbon this week to talk media — rapid changes in what’s connecting with audiences, the death of scaled advertising, the power of email distribution vs. social media — and the rise of insurgent media against (tired) incumbents. In a separate fireside chat at Web Summit with Adweek’s Lucinda Southern, Janice garnered attention when she told her, “This year was an infection point where advertisers realized that they would rather reach 100,000 amazing people than spray [their message] out to the universe.” The same applies to editorial as well: “If we try to be all things to all people, then are we diluting what makes it work.”
As we stay clear on our mission, we never forget that it’s all in service of the entertainment industry and you. Knowing our audience and understanding who you need to reach inspired our coverage this week, from Elaine Low’s look at the future of TV in the second Trump administration to an encore of our Opportunity Audiences series, first unpacking bicultural Latinos and the heartland, two pivot audiences big enough to have moved an election (and could move your business). We have more planned this week for paid subscribers, so stay tuned.
Thank you to all who came out to the ASC Clubhouse on Nov. 12 for our latest Art & Crafts Live event! A great crowd enjoyed exploring the work that helped make Blitz, Emilia Pérez, Wicked and The Wild Robot special. We’re excited to share these conversations with you starting this coming week so keep an eye out for them.
Coming up next, our latest Ankler x Pure Nonfiction Documentary Spotlight hits London next week with Thom Powers on Nov. 22. Join us for a keynote conversation with Brian Eno and panels with the filmmakers behind Invisible Nation, Mediha, The Commandant’s Shadow, The Remarkable Life of Ibelin and Skywalkers: A Love Story. Request your invitation here:
Finally, for those just getting started in the business, please don’t forget to apply to join The Ladder, our invitation-only program for those in the first decade of their entertainment industry career, where Richard Rushfield will be hosting an AMA about the industry at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT on Nov. 19 for members only. Apply here.
Now, with no further ado, ICYMI:
The AI Studio That Has Signed Up Natasha Lyonne
Animated films are some of Hollywood’s biggest winners but they’re prohibitively expensive and take years to develop. In this edition of Dealmakers (for paid subscribers only), Ashley Cullins profiles the startup Asteria Film, which deploys AI to collapse a years-long process to months and offers creatives a bold profit-participation model. Learn how an AI-based studio model could soon become the norm and why dealmakers say Hollywood’s attitudes about AI are changing:
Series Business: A New Era of Trump TV
In the latest Series Business (for paid subscribers only), Elaine Low details the “conservative creep” likely coming in content; the potential impact on the volume of shows bought; and the secret sauce that could be the way to program to every part of the country:
Hollywood and the MAGA Mobiles
As Elon Musk has become a villain to blue L.A., even Hollywood execs who love tooling around town in a statement vehicle can’t embrace the bulky, brutish Cybertruck. Nicole LaPorte reveals why Ari Emanuel is the exception and the ambivalence for many still driving a Tesla:
Prestige Junkie: How Oscar Will Respond to the Election
Katey Rich asks what the election results might mean for this year’s Oscars, trades lists of movies to give you hope with Richard Rushfield and breaks down how Gladiator II and Wicked are pre-release jockeying:
THE WAKEUP
If all you saw about Disney’s Q3 earnings from the trades was Iger’s hot mic moment, you need to read Sean McNulty’s expert analysis on how Disney really turned that profit, and the figures and trends you need to know:
🎧 PODCASTS
THE ANKLER
The New Disney Magic The Mouse House has a winning formula:
AI in Hollywood: More Intern Than God
In this bonus episode recorded live at the Montclair Film Festival, Ashley Cullins leads a discussion with director Michaela Ternasky-Holland, GK Digital Ventures CEO Greg Kahn, Cornell Law professor James Grimmelmann and Eric Kohn, head of development & strategy at Harmony Korine’s startup Edglrd to unpack AI’s creative possibilities and limitations the megadeals it’s driving and the legal implications for artists and IP.
State of Film: ‘Roll With the Punches’
In another bonus episode recorded live at the Montclair Film Festival, Sean McNulty leads a discussion with NEON’s Dan O’Meara, WME partner Maggie Pisacane and AMC NETS film head Scott Shooman about how to reach audiences to changes in dealmaking to the broader consumer behavior shifts and cultural trends disrupting filmed entertainment.
MARTINI SHOT
Should You Write TV With Friends or Strangers? Rob Long on the right alchemy for a writers room:
👓 THE OPTIONIST
FINAL HOUSEKEEPING!
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