Over time “you get this tiered work force of prestige workers and lesser workers” — fewer officers, more grunts. The writers’ experience shows how destabilizing that change can be. - The New York Times
It’s not, ultimately, technology that’s at the root of the problem. It’s that the studio executives both new and old have embraced the powerful — and ultimately disastrous — magical thinking pumped out by Silicon Valley for the last 10 years. - LA Times (MSN)
"My experience working in Hollywood has led me to believe that if studios are smart, they will understand that their interests are aligned with those of writers, directors, and all creative people. Silicon Valley is coming for their profit margin." - Wired
The YouTube era of children’s programming represents a marked shift in what and how young kids watch video. For decades, children’s television was appointment viewing on a handful of broadcast networks. - Wired
"The decline of the linear TV business model has been apparent for years. But even so, the idea that ABC — not to mention well-known cable brands like Disney Channel, National Geographic and FX — are no longer vital assets to Disney marks a step toward a bleak future for legacy television." - TheWrap
“I’m angry, you know? Building this bond with the writers over the last six months has been great, realizing that writers fight every day for their livelihood, that we collectively have these issues.” - Vanity Fair
"(In the beginning), there was no real reason for (public radio stations) to pick us up. So …we basically looked for what the stations wanted. And what they wanted and needed, but didn't have, were pledge-drive materials that would bring in money and be entertaining to listen to." - Vulture
The streaming company added 5.9 million new paid subscribers during the second quarter of 2023, the first period after instituting what it calls its "paid sharing" strategy. - The Hollywood Reporter
Writer and actor strikes in the US show that selling out is not just a question of personal ethics, but an industry-wide concern. A director’s decision to align themselves with Goliaths of entertainment has consequences; money for the big guy in opposition to an industry where smaller films and creators have more opportunities. - The Guardian
"The idea and technology of a situation deepfake are the same as any other deepfake, but with a bolder ambition: to manipulate a real event or invent one from thin air. Examples include depictions of Donald Trump's perp walk and Trump hugging Anthony Fauci, neither of which happened." - The Conversation
Moody’s debt analyst Neil Begley wrote in a July 17 report, “we believe this standstill could be a relatively long strike, with the stakes being larger than they have been in many years” and estimated the potential cost of the new contracts. - The Hollywood Reporter
"SAG-AFTRA has granted approval to 39 independent productions to shoot during the strike, after confirming that they are not tied to AMPTP companies. The list includes two projects from A24, the independent production company." - Variety
Under pressure to deliver to Wall Street, too many CEOs have lost the plot of their own movie. They are not running companies to profitably deliver a good product, such as a book or a cup of coffee or, in this case, a movie or TV show. They are running companies to deliver good profit. The quality of their...
After the sudden exits of top diversity and inclusion executives at Warner Bros. Discovery, Disney, Netflix and the Motion Picture Academy in the past month — all of them Black women — alarm bells have been raised for many who care about Hollywood’s commitment to gender and racial equity. - The Wrap
Director Aril Folman's 2013 film The Congress, starring Robin Wright, "foresaw problems including actors' loss of control over their images, the specific difficulties of contract negotiations over AI use, and the ripple effect of AI duplicating real people, … with astonishing clarity and detail." - BBC
