ICYMI: TV's Overall Deal Chaos; Paramount Peril; Agents' Brand Plays
Catch up on our recent best
I worked at Fast Company for 20 years, and the most popular piece in the magazine’s history is “The Brand Called You.” In it, the management consultant and writer Tom Peters posited way back in 1997 that “in the Age of the Individual, you have to be your own brand.” Twenty-seven years later, you can see the results of this prescient observation in stories we published this week.
Writers who are known by just part of their name — JJ, Berlanti, Shonda — can still command mega overall deals, but for everyone else, it’s first-looks and hoping for a what’s-old-is-new-again backend home run as Apple and Amazon reconsider how they pay talent. Every agency in town is building out a celebrity ventures arm to try to monetize celebrity’s social media followings with consumer products, taking equity stakes in the hopes of a Ryan Reynolds-style windfall. The bizarro-world version of this trend can then be seen with products starring in their own movies, the latest being Jerry Seinfeld’s Pop-Tarts origin story, Unfrosted. Brands. . . they’re just like us?
In our world, The Ankler brand, of course, is strong, as is Screen International, based in London, the preeminent global outlet covering entertainment. Two great tastes that go together, we have joined forces for a joint daily newsletter out of the Cannes Film Festival. Our own Gregg Kilday will be on the ground representing:
Speaking of partnerships, don’t miss our next installment of The Ankler x Backstage Screening Series, with the Prime Video limited series Expats. Director Lulu Wang and stars Sarayu Blue and Ji-young Yoo will chat with our new awards editor Katey Rich.
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Now, check out our best of the week, ICYMI:
TV Tumult: Lawyers, Agents and Writers
In our new Dealmakers newsletter for paid subscribers, Ashley Cullins dives into the state of the overall deal, while also revealing her news that Apple and Amazon are meeting with lawyers and agents proposing — gasp — terms that sound a lot like the old-fashioned back-end:
This idea of betting only on “sure things” means writers too. Elaine Low reports on current woes getting work while she also solicits good advice for what to do during this down cycle:
Paramount Agonistes
Seven years ago, Richard Rushfield asked, “Is Paramount cursed?” With Bob Bakish out, and a sale hanging in the balance, a history of how our storied studio got to this messy moment:
Agents, A-Listers and Brands
Packaging has been dead for nearly two years. In its place, Peter Kiefer posits: equity. Peter looks back on the history of celebrity entrepreneurs, agents’ slice of the pie — and the potential for a celeb-equity bubble:
U.K.’s Documentary Headache
Hassan Akkad fled Syria in heroic fashion, engrossing viewers in the acclaimed Exodus on BBC. Now Manori Ravindran explores Akkad’s claim that the producers never paid nor credited him for his contributions. What the entire incident reveals about the state of docs and diversity in U.K. TV:
Todd on the Town
In this week’s edition, our roving photog takes you everywhere from a Monk event to this year’s Entertainment Community Fund Gala:
Memo to Hollywood: Brands Are Lousy IP
Netflix’s new Pop-Tarts movie Unfrosted inspires a Darren Franich rant about the recent, depressing surge in movies where product is the star:
☀️THE WAKEUP
Paramount drama dominated headlines, and Sean McNulty sorted through the details of its finances on Tuesday and what its eventual buyer is actually purchasing. Also, don’t miss his breakdown of the summer film showdown between Netflix and the traditional studios:
🎧 PODCASTS
THE ANKLER
TV Deal Turmoil 2024 Overalls eroded, employment upended and Amazon, Apple bring back the backend:
MARTINI SHOT
Paramount: Buy, Sell, Fight Rob Long on the studio's contentious legacy of suitors:
👓 THE OPTIONIST
FINAL HOUSEKEEPING!
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