Shows
Ankler AgendaThe Clock Strikes Midnight for Warner Bros.How long before Warner Bros. becomes another studio swallowed up by David Ellison? With final bids for WBD due this week, all eyes remain on Paramount Skydance — despite the Comcast and Netflix red herrings. Elaine Low, Sean McNulty and Natalie Jarvey break down why a Paramount–Warners mash-up now feels less like speculation and more like destiny. Then Richard Rushfield reveals the whispers starting to circulate within the creative community about Ellison’s cozy ties to Donald Trump and how it might push back. Plus: As Disney becomes a luxury brand and even monthly streaming bills seem like an extravagance, has the m...
2025-11-2034 min
Ankler AgendaAI Warning Signs — and How Hollywood Invited the Enemy InsideHollywood had its eyes on Web Summit Lisbon this week — where Tilly Norwood creator Eline van der Velden joined Ankler Media EIC Janice Min to showcase her AI “actress.” But Wild Sheep Content CEO Erik Barmack, our Reel AI columnist, tells Elaine Low, Sean McNulty and Natalie Jarvey that the fixation on Tilly misses the far more consequential story: the unmistakable warning signs of AI’s encroachment and the decades of strategic drift that have left Hollywood uniquely exposed to Big Tech’s ambitions. Which jobs remain genuinely AI-proof? Which ones are already dissolving beneath us? And what does it mean for a creative e...
2025-11-1336 min
Organized MoneyCan Hollywood Survive?This week, the film giant Warner Bros. announced plans to split into two separate companies: one for its flagship brand HBO and its growing streaming service, HBO Max; the other for its declining linear TV assets, like CNN and TNT. It’s a sharp reversal—just a few years ago, Warner Bros. merged with Discovery under CEO David Zaslav, forming the very partnership they're now unwinding. Today on the show, Matt and David welcome the editorial director and columnist for The Ankler, Richard Rushfield, to talk through the WB de-merger, the gloomy state of the Hollywood business, and why the...
2025-06-2044 min
Ankler AgendaTV Tales: 'Penis, Penis, Penis, Me' — Comedy Legend Nell Scovell Tells AllIn this week’s Hollywood Stories, Richard Rushfield sits down with TV comedy legend Nell Scovell — creator of Sabrina the Teenage Witch and writer for everything from The Simpsons to Late Night with David Letterman.Before breaking into TV, Scovell sharpened her voice at Spy and Vanity Fair, where editors Kurt Andersen and Graydon Carter taught her to “be funnier, go harder, be meaner.” She shares how she defied her agent to leave Vanity Fair and dive into the boys’ club of TV writers rooms, a dynamic she was still battling decades later — even on The Muppets in the 2010s.She also opens...
2025-06-1139 min
Prestige JunkieThe Final Word on the 2025 OscarsWith the 97th Academy Awards finally in the rearview, Katey gathers a murderers' row of former guests to share their final takeaway from this topsy turvy season. Answering the question "What did you learn from this year's Oscars?" are Esther Zuckerman, Jordan Hoffman, Richard Rushfield, Tyler Coates, Michael Shulman, Sam Adams, Rebecca Ford, Shirley Li, Matt Patches, David Canfield, Chris Murphy, Sean Fennessey, Alison Brower, and Chris Feil. Join us, and then you never have to think about this year's Oscars again.Subscribe to the Prestige Junkie newsletter. Follow Katey on X and Le...
2025-03-111h 17Ankler AgendaTrump 2.0: Why Ari Wins, Studios LoseHollywood usually loves a sequel. Trump’s reelection? Not so much. His forthcoming second term has the town feeling “resigned,” says Richard Rushfield (even if James Carville thinks he won’t survive all four years). But M&A-obsessed CEOs aren’t so downtrodden. Elaine Low, Sean McNulty, Richard and David Lidsky break down potential winners and losers, and deal scenarios — including a pro-con debate over Big Tech buying studios — and why the industry needs to learn the value of authenticity.Transcript here. For more entertainment news, subscribe to The Ankler or apply to The Ladder, a new members-only hub fo...
2024-11-0845 minAnkler AgendaCNN Stars Brace for ImpactAn unprecedented election, two wars, deadly hurricanes. Yet CNN’s average primetime TV audience dropped to just 853,000 total viewers during September. Ankler contributor Lachlan Cartwright joins Sean McNulty, Richard Rushfield and David Lidsky to discuss his scoop-filled blockbuster about sweeping changes coming to CNN, chief Mark Thompson’s pay cut on the table for Chris Wallace, star salary “beheadings” and a digital makeover inspired by . . . Vice?! Plus: WBD fills its NBA-sized hole with every random league under the sun.Transcript here. For more entertainment news, subscribe to The Ankler. Learn more about your ad choices...
2024-10-1839 minAnkler AgendaJoker 2, Flops and Why Everyone Should Calm DownNobody is arguing Joker: Folie à Deux was a success. But it took a ballsy, director-led swing, followed up on a rare R-rated smash hit and — oh yeah — fought to shoot in L.A. Does it really deserve the pile-on? Elaine Low, Richard Rushfield and David Lidsky break down why cinema’s sudden “Flop Era” is actually a positive (seriously), and what it has to do with a new report that reveals how drastically production is down, particularly in L.A. Plus: Manori Ravindran surveys brand-funded series beyond Chick-fil-A, and Richard dives into his exposé of the Golden Globes’ questionable under-the-radar Shar...
2024-10-1142 minAnkler AgendaA Hollywood ‘Depression’ the Strike Couldn’t FixSept. 27 marked the first anniversary of the end of the writers strike and while pay bumps and streaming bonuses (for two blockbuster shows) are great, the business remains in a world of hurt. Elaine Low, Richard Rushfield and David Lidsky explore the seismic production pullback, newly instated minimums as maximums — and why Richard wants negotiators from both sides in a penalty box for three years. Plus: John Malone’s master plan for WBD, and the gang tries to make a movie using AI.Transcript here. For more entertainment news, subscribe to The Ankler. Learn mo...
2024-09-2737 minAnkler AgendaAn HBO Earthquake Rocks HollywoodDavid Zaslav, on a break from sitting courtside at elite sporting events, has a new idea to help save WBD: Give HBO away for free to Charter cable subscribers. Sean McNulty, Elaine Low and Richard Rushfield analyze why and what it means amid growing warnings of “chaos” and industry consolidation from leaders including Sony CEO Tony Vinciquerra and Ari Emanuel. Plus: Katey Rich previews the Emmys and early Oscar buzz, and Matthew Frank tips everyone to Hollywood’s new Wild West: legal gambling on movies.Transcript here. For more entertainment news, subscribe to The Ankler. Learn mo...
2024-09-1344 minAnkler AgendaInside Kamala Harris’ HollywoodEntertainment execs are paid to find tomorrow’s stars today — and that applies to politics too. Matthew Frank joins Sean McNulty, Elaine Low and Richard Rushfield to name names of who identified Kamala Harris’ talent early — from Disney’s Dana Walden to legend Sherry Lansing — and what her win could mean for Hollywood. Plus: David Lidsky breaks down the implications of the new NBA rights deal on scripted TV and the business prospects of Peacock and Warner Bros. Discovery, and we preview Deadpool & Wolverine.Transcript here. For more entertainment news, subscribe to The Ankler. Learn more about...
2024-07-2650 minAnkler AgendaWBD Woes and an Uncertain FutureParamount isn’t the only legacy studio struggling with tough choices and crushing debt these days. Warner Bros. Discovery, after laying off 2,000 people over the last year, will now be cutting another 1,000 jobs. All while Wall Street tells David Zaslav that WBD isn’t working and he should explore a breakup of the company. Sean McNulty, Richard Rushfield and Elaine Low analyze the latest job cuts and where WBD and other studios actually are still hiring. Plus: Peter Kiefer joins to discuss the reboot epidemic; the divide between what’s selling today and what gets Emmy noms; and a tribut...
2024-07-1942 minAnkler AgendaParamount: New Boss, Same ProblemsThe (seeming) finale of the Paramount sale drama brings closure to some questions but raises more. How is David Ellison’s promise of a rejiggered tech stack going to stem linear TV losses? Where is the additional $3 billion in revenue he is projecting coming from? And wait, is that Jeff Shell? Sean McNulty, Richard Rushfield and Elaine Low break down the next phase of the drama to come. Also: how people are vacationing right now (if at all), and the reinvigorated summer box office.For more entertainment news, subscribe to The Ankler here. Learn more about...
2024-07-1248 min
David Reads The TradesDavid Reads The Trades (14)Mostly stories outside of the trades today, from the Paramount archive shutdowns that The Penskes don’t seem to want you to know to Richard Rushfield’s rip on Penske’s SXSW shutting out the US Army because it is not anti-Israel enough, to Starbucks opening a “studio,” and CNBC on the mighty force that is YouTube, then on to Kinky Friedman, meaningless twaddle about the IA deal, lots of Bear and Quiet Place chatter, The FRIENDS Experience, and Studio 54 on Broadway. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with...
2024-06-2716 minAnkler AgendaThe Paramount Soap OperaThere’s plenty of worry about AI writing scripts . . . but let’s see AI come up with a story about two billionaire families negotiating a complex sale of an iconic, troubled entertainment conglomerate — and wreaking havoc in their wake. Sean McNulty and David Lidsky weigh just what David Ellison’s buying, why every shareholder not named Shari Redstone is mad and what AI has to do with it. Speaking of, Sean welcomes producer Erik Barmack to discuss his new Reel AI newsletter for The Ankler and how the technology can be a “cheat code” in script coverage. Also: Elaine Low on laid-off execs sta...
2024-04-1252 minAnkler AgendaUTA vs. the Talented Mr. KassanHollywood is filled with, er, colorful personalities. The one of the moment: Michael Kassan, the former MediaLink connector-in-chief now in dueling lawsuits with UTA. David Lidsky joins to reveal The Ankler’s investigative reporting into Kassan’s curious legal and financial history, including a $3.3m IRS tax lien taken out on his Beverly Hills home the week before he went to war with UTA. Also: Elaine Low on TV workers’ struggles as unemployment outpaces series cutbacks, and Richard Rushfield on the current studio merger landscape.Transcript here. For more entertainment news, subscribe to The Ankler here. Learn mor...
2024-03-2938 minAnkler AgendaFilm Shakeup at Netflix and DisneyThis week featured two huge film jobs finding their man: Netflix and Disney. Over at Netflix, seasoned producer Dan Lin is set to replace Scott Stuber, and Disney promoted David Greenbaum from Searchlight head to Disney Studios head. Do these moves mean a return to more original fare? “There’s reason for hope,” says Richard Rushfield. “I mean, normally when you get these kinds of announcements, it’s like, ‘Ok, well, another person like that to a different person like that.’ But these are people you’re genuinely excited to see what they might do, so go figure.” Also: the crew discusses...
2024-03-0134 minAnkler AgendaWarner Bros.' Wobbly FutureAs Warner Bros. Discovery chief David Zaslav pours money into reconstructing Robert Evans’ legendary estate, a far more daunting reconstruction awaits: his company. On Friday, WBD had its Q4 earnings report, and it wasn’t pretty. Zaslav’s company missed on both earnings and revenue, and the stock went down roughly 12 percent. The crew looks at what WBD’s head honcho's plan to remedy the disaster. Also: Richard Rushfield breaks down his five-part field guide for how to navigate Hollywood types, and Elaine Low gives an update on the upcoming IATSE negotiations.For more entertainment news, subscribe to The Ankler.
2024-02-2338 minAnkler AgendaJoy, Worry and 'Very Tired Tears'The longest actors strike in history is over, but a scarred landscape of reduced spending, fewer shows and a shrinking job market now awaits. Sean McNulty, Elaine Low and Richard Rushfield reveal what executives are privately saying, and how to interpret those messages coming from Disney’s Bob Iger to WBD’s David Zaslav. To top it off, labor discontent is still afoot: Elaine interviews former Love is Blind alums Nick Thompson and Jeremy Hartwell, who detail “inhumane” treatment on the show as advocates for reality TV’s unionization; and, on a lighter note, the team offer a round of winter box-office predic...
2023-11-101h 03
Ankler AgendaIger, Zaslav and the Hollywood CEO CrisisWho had the worst week in Hollywood? Was it Bob Iger, whose Disney headaches keep mounting? Or The Flash hype man David Zaslav, who watched his superhero film sputter just days before Steven Spielberg and Martin Scorsese scolded him? Hard to say, yet both CEOs face the same conundrum: “It starts with stopping the bleeding, to the best they can,” says Richard Rushfield, who joins Elaine Low and Sean McNulty. Also: how Taylor Sheridan became writers’ public enemy this week; Ryan Murphy’s decision to boomerang back to Disney; and why, with one week left in contract talks, it’s impossib...
2023-06-2347 min
Ankler AgendaWarning Signs from Week One of the StrikeWith an impasse over everything from quotas to AI, the first week of the strike has revealed an entirely different playing field than the one from 2007-2008. Richard Rushfield and Elaine Low join Sean McNulty to talk what they’ve seen on the pickets, the particular ire at Netflix, the AI arguments, and the tenuous, shifting solidarity from the other guilds. And, the how and when this possibly ends. Also: David Zaslav’s optimistic earnings call and its impact on the strike (1:37), and the upcoming DGA negotiations (23:25). This is a public episode. If you’d lik...
2023-05-0553 min
Ankler AgendaHollywood at War: Now and ThenFor decades, the prevailing narrative around Gone With the Wind has been that it romanticized slavery and the antebellum south. But, as David Vincent Kimel learned when he discovered one of the film's few remaining shooting scripts, it almost did the exact opposite. The Yale grad student joins the podcast to talk about his groundbreaking story, which exposes the film's warring screenwriters and deleted scenes depicting the horrors of slavery (23:48). “It really is shocking how gritty and uncompromising that early material was,” he says. Also: Richard Rushfield's dire takeaways from talking with 20+ writers against the backdrop of a looming WGA strike...
2023-03-0352 min
Ankler AgendaRichard Rushfield's Star Prom DateToday, Richard Rushfield dives deeper into his high school classmates growing up in L.A. (names include Matthew Greenfield, Jay Sures, Brett Morgen, Jason Blumenthal, Maya Rudolph and Jack Black), part of the many revelations from his profile in the Hollywood issue of Vanity Fair. Get ready to learn what car Sures drove, who carpooled with his sister, and which of the names above was his prom date (albeit group date). Also: the forces driving a near inevitable writers strike (19:02), how to interpret David Zaslav’s earnings call (10:11), and more on our IRL Oscar week streaming summit (39:04).
2023-02-2443 min
Ankler AgendaIt's Not Just You. Things are GloomyRecession. Ad declines. Subscriber plateaus. The tides continue to shift since the Great Streaming Bubble’s implosion of 2022. In the wake of a pessimistic Q3 earnings season, hosts Sean McNulty, Janice Min and Richard Rushfield are joined by CNBC media reporter Alex Sherman to break down the town’s latest thoughts around David Zaslav (1:35); if Comcast should give up on Peacock (16:30); why Apple didn’t discuss Apple TV+ on its earnings call (spoiler: there was likely no good news, 14:59); and if it make sense for Microsoft to acquire Netflix (16:30). Lastly, Sherman hits on Wall Street’s confusion around it all: “Wall S...
2022-10-2849 min
Ankler AgendaNetflix: Where Quantity is Job 1Netflix has released more than 45 films(!) so far in 2022, the majority of which are neither loved by critics nor audience, according to Rotten Tomatoes (and as analyzed film-by-film by host Sean McNulty). Not a single one of the other streamers and studios has reached the same average level of disapproval (for the record, everyone else combined have released a total of 86 films in the same time frame). McNulty, Janice Min and Richard Rushfield discuss the quantity vs. quality debate, and if it matters for Netflix, whose Q3 earnings showed subscriber growth. The trio discuss the opposite strategy in play by D...
2022-10-2141 min
Ankler Agenda'The Writers Guild Wants a Time Machine'With a potential WGA strike on the horizon, can the chasm between studios and angry writers be bridged? Hosts Sean McNulty, Richard Rushfield and Tatiana Siegel are joined by Martini Shot host (and WGA member) Rob Long to unpack the impending doom. “The Writers Guild continually strikes for a time machine and to go back and change the way [deals] were written,” notes Long. “‘If only I could go back and’ as we always say, kill Hitler.” The foursome also talk Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power’s questionable victory lap (38:55), David O. Russell’s very odd on-se...
2022-10-0748 min
Ankler AgendaMad at ZazRarely does an entertainment CEO become a trending topic on Twitter, but that’s exactly where Warner Bros. Discovery chief David Zaslav found himself this week as heat increases over his company’s layoffs, DEI handling, the removal of library content including hundreds of Sesame Street episodes from HBO Max, and those so-called ‘funeral screenings.’ Hosts Janice Min, Richard Rushfield, and The Wakeup’s Sean McNulty hone in on what’s happening behind closed doors and why as mounting debt puts increasing pressure on the company. Also on today’s episode, the trio play producer Dan Lin’s prophetic remarks...
2022-08-2652 min
The FilmcastEp. 589 - The Trial of the Chicago 7The Slashfilmcast is launching a Patreon! Support us at http://patreon.com/filmpodcast.
David, Devindra, and Jeff review the Netflix movie The Trial of the Chicago 7. The film, written and directed by Aaron Sorkin, tells the story of the uprising at the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago.
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2020-10-201h 48
Culturally Relevant with David ChenThe End of The Modern Hollywood Era (with Richard Rushfield)David chats with Richard Rushfield from The Ankler about starting an independent newsletter that provides an alternate perspective on Hollywood, and what it's like to chronicle the end of the modern Hollywood studio era as we know it. Support me on Patreon!Links:Subscribe to The Ankler! Weekly Recommendations:What are we so afraid of?The Audiobook for Oliver Stone's memoir Let me know your feedback for the podcast by emailing culturallyrelevantshow(AT)gmail(DOT)com.Follow the show on Twitter.Find every episode of the show at CulturallyRelevantShow.com.This episode was produced and...
2020-10-1646 min
Behind the Book CoverAfterPartyPod: Richard RushfieldJournalist, author and editor Richard Rushfield is a man of many hats and even more opinions—most of them about relationships. A contributor to Vanity Fair, author of three books and former editor at The LA Times, Gawker, Buzzfeed, Yahoo and more, Rushfield is now the Editor-in-Chief of HitFix.
As AfterPartyPod veers into a direction of focusing not just on recovery from addiction but also on developing healthier relationships, Rushfield came in to school me (and you) on how to both find and then maintain romance. He claims that he comes by this knowledge by having worked on the...
2015-05-141h 08