☀️ What YOUTUBE's New AI Tools Mean for JOBS
PAR adds AI exec to Board / Summer 2026 loses a pic / New NETFLIX rom-com gets so-so start
Mornin! This is Sean McNulty (connect with me on LINKEDIN here if ya like or email me at seanmcnultynyc@gmail.com), and here’s the Hollywood + Media news to know on Wednesday, September 17, 2025.
Where good news for those PARAMOUNT folk returning to Times Square 5 days a week in January — assuming you still get coffee breaks, you can now take them at Central Perk!
Yes, after Boston got a location in 2023 for . . . some reason — America’s playground for unlicensed costuming for profit is getting a permanent Central Perk this fall at 47th and 7th.
Ya know, that NYC neighborhood where the characters totally hung out all the time!
THEN: Look, I know OPENAI’s AI-generated heart is . . . well, in the vicinity of coming from a good place — but call me skeptical that CHATGPT for Teens is gonna take off. Eh, I’m sure they totally won’t figure out ways around it — I mean, you know how inept teens are at tech.
PLUS: OPENAI is adding a function whereby it will attempt to contact the parents of under-18 users if they’re sharing thoughts of suicide, or contact authorities if it detects an imminent harm.
Remember, if you or someone you know needs help — a human can be reached by dialing 988 or at other resources here anytime.
AND: The WSJ reports that ORACLE, WME-owner SILVER LAKE and ANDREESSEN HOROWITZ would lead a U.S. investor consortium controlling about 80% of TIKTOK as part of the deal with the Chinese government, which would maintain a 20% stake.
Users would/will also have to start using a new app, but thankfully, the MAX / HBO MAX back and forth has gotten folks up to speed already.
The TIKTOK board would be “U.S. dominated” — including one member to be designated by the U.S. Government, which I think is now a condition of all business deals going forward. #SocialismRulez
Oh, right, the TIKTOK ban! 😂 Well, that already-passed U.S. law that has just been . . . arbitrarily ignored through non-challenged EOs for about 9 months, just got another EO pushing the matter til Dec. 16.
THEN: WBD, DISNEY and NBCU are suing their next AI company, this time a Chinese one called MINIMAX, which apparently also means WBD needs to go back to the drawing board on its new kids SVOD service name.
HUZZAH: Add AMAZON to the list of folks announcing plans to have AI bots generate ad campaigns for advertisers as part of making an ad buy on their platform, alongside similar plans from NBCU and META. #AdBuyersAreTheNewCreativeDirectors
AH: Add the NY TIMES to the folks adding to the great 2026 “Back to work, mofos!” chorus, upping the in-office mandate to 4 days a week as of November, up from 3 (Friday is still choose your own adventure), per Breaker.
AHA: CONDE has subleased a significant 192k sq. ft. in its One World Trade footprint to BANK OF NEW YORK.
YAH: U.S. retail sales rose YoY for the 3rd straight month in August . . . but again, keep in mind the stat I shared yesterday that the 10% most wealthy Americans make up 49% of spending. Some people are doing very well in this economy — and could be masking what’s really going on with most Americans.
OH: Maybe GOOGLE’s new “Agent Payment Protocol” will help those retail sales further (or at least give you a totally legit excuse the next time your spouse mentions a heavier volume of online spending on the ol’ credit card bill) — yes, GOOGLE AI bots will spon be empowered to make online purchases for you without asking (after giving it specific permissions — buy something when it hits a given price, is back in stock etc).
FINALLY: This was a #goodread from the NY Times this week on the growing long-term unemployment problem (26 weeks+) for folks with college degrees, which has gone in this direction:
2015: About 20% of long-term unemployed had a college degree
2025: That’s about 33%
The DOGE purge of U.S. gov’t employees has a bit to do with the numbers — but there’s a lot more afoot as I’m sure anyone in the midst of a job search knows very well.
🎥 THE SILVER TV 📺
