‘New Paramount’ Org Chart; What Amazon TV is Buying Post-Salke
Plus: 2025 creator report: big deals & where the money is
Now what? As Paramount Global’s $16 million settlement with Donald Trump clears a path at last for David Ellison’s Skydance to acquire the storied but struggling studio, Hollywood’s thoughts are turning to how “New Paramount” will operate. And Team Ankler cut through the confusion with two enterprising, incisive reports that had the town abuzz. First, Lesley Goldberg asked Paramount insiders and partners what they know, are expecting and hoping for when Cindy Holland — already quietly advising Ellison on his future TV portfolio — moves into a big role post-merger. Then Ashley Cullins tapped reps, attorneys and company sources to map out who’ll top the org chart (and who’ll be cut) plus spin-off scenarios as “mausoleum” malaise paralyzes the existing rank and file. Don’t miss this essential intel on Hollywood’s next big player:
For more crucial keeping-up-on-your-industry knowledge, check out Natalie Jarvey’s comprehensive mid-year Like & Subscribe report on the creator economy, which has seen dozens of high-impact deals and deepening ties to Hollywood in 2025. It’s everything you need to know about the lucrative arena whose booming growth offers crucial lessons for legacy media (and some smart new career lanes for entertainment workers):
Plus: Do not miss Richard’s scorchingly hilarious take on Sun Valley.
His proposed mogul “workshops” at the conference include:
The Names: A reading of the names of all the people laid off by attendees at the conference since the last gathering.
Pikes, Guillotines and Bonfires: A tour through history of some of the classic moments when populations decided they had had enough of their elites, and what that has historically looked like.
Trust Exercises: We select 20 employees from each mogul at random. The moguls take turns jumping off a building to be caught by their beloved team members (they hope).
Read for the full list… plus a rather deliciously wicked account of PMC’s exhaustive, hard-hitting coverage of Amazon’s Prime Day:
Now, without further ado, ICYMI, the rest of our best of the week:
Series Business: Amazon Wish List; Sports Doc Hustle
For her Summer Sellers’ Guide, Elaine Low first dove into Apple; this week it was Amazon’s turn. Elaine reveals the genre Amazon always wants to buy; who actually has power to greenlight on Vernon Sanders’ team; and the kinds of budgets to expect in 2025:
As leagues and teams take their storytelling in-house, indie producers show Manori Ravindran their jukes to get projects sold, including innovative finance models and workarounds for dwindling access:
Richard Rushfield: A Box Office Proposal
Amid summer returns with confusing metrics, Richard details a new way to evaluate success at the multiplex — and why value of the vault is key:
Notable: An Update on Billy Joel’s Health
Steve Cohen works with Billy Joel as a producer, designer and creative director for his stage shows. He tells Rob LeDonne about their 51 years of friendship, newsy details about Joel’s health and their recent lunch, and how the legend reacted to the HBO doc about his dramatic life:
Prestige Junkie: Final Predictions Before Noms
Which “filmed in L.A.” campaign will resonate the most? How will The Bear’s third season fare? Can a multi-cam comedy sneak in? With Emmy noms due Tuesday, Katey Rich lays out 10 key themes to look out for:
The Wakeup:
Now halfway through 2025, Sean McNulty gives the first-half box office a detailed wellness check, and chronicles the moves at HBO, ABC and UA:
Weekly Shows
Monday Morning QBs: This week, in our live show with Richard & Sean about what just happened at the weekend box office, the duo broke down the enduring appeal of the Jurassic franchise, but also why theaters subsisting only on tentpoles is bad for business:
The Rushfield Lunch: Black List founder and CEO Franklin Leonard joins this week to explain why Hollywood is a town “allergic” to innovation — and how that can be a good thing for ambitious types. Plus: Stick till the end for Franklin’s barn-burner of a nine-week course for Hollywood:
🎧 PODCASTS
THE ANKLER
Meet the ‘New Paramount’: Cindy, Crumbling Cable & Chaos What to expect as the Ellison era brings both excitement and dread:
Subscribe on Apple Podcasts
MARTINI SHOT
Never Talk Down to Your Audience — Even When They Have Terrible Taste Rob Long on how to treat a man whose favorite Star Wars movie is The Phantom Menace:
📱 LIKE & SUBSCRIBE FROM NATALIE JARVEY
👓 THE OPTIONIST BY ANDY LEWIS
FINAL HOUSEKEEPING!
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