Shows
Ankler AgendaThe Rapid-Fire News Out of NetflixNetflix’s head of film, Scott Stuber, stepped down from his post after seven years in a perfect ankling (meaning, it was unclear who left whom and why). That shocker was followed by one bombshell after another: a massive 10-year, $5 billion deal for WWE Raw in its first move into live sports, the most Oscar nominations out of any studio, and a record subscriber count reported on its earnings call. All of it portends a different Netflix than the one we’ve known. “Who else is making giant moves like this right now?” asks Richard Rushfield, who earlier examined the Stuber d...
2024-01-2646 minAnkler AgendaAri Golds of a New HollywoodInside the gleaming towers of marble and modern art containing Hollywood’s storied agencies lays the beehive of Hollywood: 10 percenters rolling calls and doing deals (that close slowly), and fresh faces filing the mailroom. But agencies aren’t immune to industry upheaval. Consolidation is just one reason more agents are leaving for management(resulting in a new class of manager superstars) as the team dives into our weeklong series about the representation business. Also: Elaine Low returns from TV conference NATPE, and Richard Rushfield and Peter Kiefer check in from Sundance.For more entertainment news, subscribe to The Ankler....
2024-01-1935 minAnkler AgendaPain in the New Year: Amazon Layoffs, Paramount PerilToast the New Year with RC Cola? It’s the kind of subpar beverage apropos to the first days of 2024, where a dreary Golden Globes (the RC Cola of Awards Shows) was celebrated for not being the lowest-rated in history; one of the most valuable companies in the world (Amazon) laid off hundreds in Hollywood, and one of the most storied studios (Paramount) has perched a semi-permanent “For Sale” sign out front. “It’s not a great way to start off the year,” says Elaine Low, who’s joins Sean McNulty and Richard Rushfield to survey the worsening landscape that — surprise! — may yet...
2024-01-1240 minAnkler Agenda'It's Like California in the 1920s'Five years ago, Hollywood rose up in protest over Saudi Arabian dissident Jamal Khashoggi’s murder, which U.S. intelligence found was approved by the country’s leader, Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman. Now, with Hollywood in lean times and in need of new markets, the Kingdom and its $776 billion sovereign wealth fund appear back in favor, reports Claire Atkinson, with one movie producer likening it to "California in the 1920s." Meanwhile, political waters also are churning around the Golden Globes, where a ribbon-wearing campaign for Israeli hostages being held captive by Hamas may or may not bear out, explains ...
2024-01-0538 minAnkler AgendaThe Most Blunder-ful Time of the Year!From mass layoffs to major strikes to multiplex disasters, the entertainment industry isn’t likely to forget 2023. Richard Rushfield runs through his annual Ankler 100, Hollywood’s most miserable moments of the year, as 2024 looms with even more possible disruption as a Warner Bros. Discovery-Paramount merger raises myriad questions: Would a hypothetical deal even pass DoJ and FTC muster? What would HBO/Showtime and CNN/CBS News combos look like? And will any of these efforts even matter against Big Tech? Says Claire Atkinson, who joins Sean McNulty and Elaine Low: “It feels to me like they need to do these huge acquisi...
2023-12-221h 00Ankler AgendaA Peek Under Netflix's Secretive HoodHollywood officially entered the upside-down this week: streamers flexed like it was 2019 again with a flurry of new deals; Disney about-faced by licensing shows to one-time nemesis Netflix; and then Netflix, in the never-say-never category, dumped 10,000 pages of viewership data onto reporters. With Richard Rushfield and Sean McNulty breaking down the press call with Ted Sarandos, the team talks takeaways, good and bad, and why Netflix did it. Also: Penske Media’s conflict(s) of interest with the Golden Globe, and Narcos and upcoming Hotel Cocaine creator Chris Brancato joins Claire Atkinson to discuss how to responsibly make shows involving drugs: “...
2023-12-1548 min
Art & Crafts from The AnklerA Scientist, One Hat, 100+ LocationsWhile Oppenheimer production designer Ruth De Jong and director Christopher Nolan were location scouting in New Mexico, site of the world’s first nuclear test, they heard that Russia had invaded Ukraine. “It was at the beginning when everyone was like, well, is this going to be World War III?” recalls De Jong, who “felt a responsibility” given the gravity of the film’s subject matter and Russia’s real-time threats to use nuclear weapons. That commitment to portraying the physical reality of physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer was also put into practice by costume designer Ellen Mirojnick, who joins De Jong in a conversati...
2023-12-0949 minAnkler AgendaWhat the Heck is 'Undeniable' TV?The passing of Norman Lear coincides with a new TV era where, quite likely, not a single one of the legendary producer’s famous sitcoms would pass muster in a pitch meeting of today. While Elaine Low talks specifics about what’s selling and who’s buying in the contracted post-strike TV market, Martini Shot host Rob Long pays homage to Lear’s immense legacy (“his shows were’t about politics, they were about characters”). Also: Janice Min shares her scorcher of a live interview with Andrew Cuomo’s former top advisor Melissa DeRosa, who declares that President Biden should dump Kamala Harris, zing...
2023-12-0854 minAnkler AgendaWhat Movie Audiences Want for the HolidaysAs Hollywood reels from a string of high-budget box office flops, Kevin Goetz, says, sure, contraction is coming. But, “every movie — if made and marketed for the right price — should make money,” says the CEO of Screen Engine/ASI, long considered a top expert on audience. Goetz joins to talk about recent changes he’s seeing in theater-going, what’s working (and not), and what films can learn from TV. Also: Sean McNulty, Peter Kiefer and Elaine Low talk Elon Musk’s F-U; Bob Iger’s flip-flop on Disney’s linear TV assets; and Israel-Gaza and the worrisome WhatsApp wars of Hollywood.For...
2023-12-0155 minAnkler AgendaIn Conversation: Judy Blume & Kelly Fremon Craig‘Oh Judy, baby.’ That’s Judy Blume impersonating the many male producers who had approached her decades ago to bring her legendary book about a girl traversing puberty, family and friends to the big screen. She wasn’t having it and followed advice from her son: Wait for the girls who grew up with the book to be in power. Enter director Kelly Fremon Craig. In a poignant, fun and revealing conversation, the two women tell the story of how they met, what happened after, and the power of “small” stories, as part of The Ankler’s In Conversation series, hosted...
2023-11-2550 minAnkler Agenda72 Hours with Netflix in VegasBack from the golf-F1 mashup Netflix Cup, Richard Rushfield joins Sean McNulty and Elaine Low to reveal that what happened in Vegas doesn't stay in Vegas as the team talks Ted-spotting, celebrity entourages, and what it all has to do with the sports-ification of today's entertainment. Also how the streamer may be the only one left to take big swings (no pun intended).Also: the Globes have a TV partner after a year of brutal rejection; Peter Kiefer reveals who's battling for Britney Spears' book rights; and SAG's new rules around "synthetic" performers. Transcript here...
2023-11-1747 minAnkler AgendaActors and Their Digital Replicas: Hollywood’s New RealityHollywood’s dystopian-sounding future is here, with AI the overriding issue for actors as they negotiated their new deal with the studios. Today, two actors on that SAG negotiating committee, Picard’s Michelle Hurd and actor Kevin E. West, walk host Elaine Low through new guardrails around “synthetic” performances, and how an actor can still get paid even when their replica is the one at work. The pair also unpack the new streaming residual “fund”, new intimacy coordinator rules, and what hair and makeup provisions mean for performers of color. As for criticism of the deal by some as it goes to a vote...
2023-11-1644 minAnkler AgendaFran Drescher Q&A: How AI Brought Hollywood CEOs to the Brink“None of the workers in this industry are going to let themselves be dictated to anymore by big companies,” says SAG-AFTRA president Fran Drescher, who sat down, along with chief negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, with Elaine Low on Nov. 10, in the wake of a new contract with the AMPTP. They detail the drama around AI that took talks to the “last minute, literally the last day.” Drescher says the studios first said of proposed AI guardrails, “You'll have to trust us, but we’re not going to put it in writing… come on, do I look like I was born yesterday?’” And wh...
2023-11-1117 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 03Ankler AgendaAlex Cooper and the Bold Future of ‘Call Her Daddy’Swifties follow their favorite pop star from stadiums to theaters, even to NFL games. Now, Call Her Daddy podcast host Alex Cooper — founder of new multimedia company, Trending, with producer-fiancé Matthew Kaplan — hopes her fan army (known as the “Daddy Gang”) does the same. With her $60 million Spotify deal expiring soon, and plans to further activate her fanbase through a tour, an Alex Cooper multiverse of other shows, and, as the pair exclusively reveals, a detour into music with Unwell Music, the duo talk details of their budding media empire (which recently produced Netflix hit Love at First Sight) in clips shared b...
2023-11-0347 minAnkler AgendaIsrael, Gaza and the Maha BrouhahaThe dramatic story of how high-flying CAA agent-to-the-stars Maha Dakhil ended up grounded as who-said-what about conflict in the Middle East inflames Hollywood.Also; real-life Hollywood horror stories, Peacock’s losses peak, and Ralph Nader’s apocalyptic AI warning to Hollywood. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
2023-10-2741 min
Ankler AgendaStreaming's Next 'Tooth and Nail' FightThe pivot into advertising is off to a rough start: Journalist Sahil Patel on the shuffle inside Netflix as it misses first-year ad goals by half. For more entertainment industry news, subscribe to The Ankler at theankler.com/subscribe. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit theankler.com/subscribe Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
2023-10-201h 00
Ankler Agenda'A Culture of Dystopia and Nihilism'The world has no shortage of villains, and according to Jonathan Taplin, author of The End of Reality, Hollywood is currently up against four: Silicon Valley billionaires Peter Thiel, Mark Zuckerberg, Marc Andreessen and Elon Musk. “We have right now a culture of dystopia and nihilism,” says Taplin, who argues that ‘The Four’ are wreaking havoc yes, on politics and economics, but also popular culture by creating their own model of escapism, a role once filled by Hollywood. For more news about the entertainment business, subscribe to our daily newsletters at TheAnkler.com/subscribe.
2023-10-131h 00
Ankler AgendaHollywood Greenlights Get HarderPost-strike, writers have returned to a vastly changed industry. “A big theme I’m hearing from a lot of studio people is that the bar for a greenlight has just gotten much, much higher in the last few months,” says Richard Rushfield, who joins Sean McNulty and Elaine Low to evaluate the worrisome post-strike landscape. For more news about the entertainment business, subscribe to our daily newsletters at TheAnkler.com/subscribe. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit theankler.com/subs...
2023-10-0628 min
Ankler AgendaAn Agency's Golden Handcuff QuandaryFor years, CAA agents were promised a pot of gold. Now as the behemoth sells, the 10 percent crew cries foul over its own 10 percent.This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit theankler.com/subscribe Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
2023-09-2932 min
Ankler AgendaFive Days in SeptemberWhat went on during those last five crucial days of negotiations between the WGA and Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers? Showrunner and WGA negotiating committee member Adam Conover (Adam Ruins Everything) takes us behind-the-scenes of the talks.This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit theankler.com/subscribe Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
2023-09-2839 min
Ankler AgendaA Town Holds its BreathLooking for signals and signs that the end is near for the WGA strike. Plus, Peter Kiefer talks about one of the other casualties of the shutdown — Democratic political fundraising — as President Joe Biden faces the fight of his career. To subscribe to The Ankler, go to theankler.com/subscribe This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit theankler.com/subscribe Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
2023-09-2322 min
Ankler AgendaLies, Whispers, Rumors: a Strike StruckSince the last round of talks between the WGA and AMPTP on Aug. 22, the deafening silence that fell over Hollywood kicked the rumor mill into overdrive. “This is a function of this stage of the strike where there's a vacuum of information… coupled with a deep sense of distress and desperation to try and figure this thing out,” says Peter Kiefer, who, together with Elaine Low, unraveled the real story of a proposed meeting between showrunners Kenya Barris, Noah Hawley and WGA leadership — and the agent-led whisper campaign behind it. Also: Richard Rushfield calls both sides to task for squabbli...
2023-09-1523 min
Ankler AgendaInside the Era of Bob Iger 2.0CNBC's Alex Sherman goes behind the scenes of Disney's succession plan disaster and the 'disintegration' of his inner circle.To subscribe to The Ankler and The Wakeup newsletters, please go to theankler.com/subscribe. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit theankler.com/subscribe Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
2023-09-1532 min
Ankler AgendaNightmare Scenario of January 2024Why a next-year end to the strike looks possible, what the Charter-Disney debacle has to do with it, and Richard Rushfield's TIFF report. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit theankler.com/subscribe Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
2023-09-0836 min
Ankler AgendaThe Ankler x Wakeup Summer Box Office FinaleAfter making bold summer box office predictions at Memorial Day, Sean McNulty, Elaine Low and Richard Rushfield return to talk about the titles that took in $4 billion stateside, and crown one winning workhorse studio with the highest return on summer movie investments. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit theankler.com/subscribe Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
2023-09-0724 min
Ankler AgendaMyth of the Hollywood Dream JobLabor contagion keeps spreading as union actions across the country catch fire. That's no coincidence, says labor journalist and Work Won’t Love You Back author Sarah Jaffe, who joins Elaine Low to discuss what disparate industries, from teaching to health care to Hollywood, have in common, but also what’s unique to creative people in entertainment and the arts. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit theankler.com/subscribe Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adc...
2023-09-0651 min
Ankler AgendaHow to Quit HollywoodFormer hotshot TV writer Patty Lin, who quit Hollywood in 2009 when industry toxicity overwhelmed her, discusses her dishy new memoir, 'End Credits'. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit theankler.com/subscribe Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
2023-09-0139 min
Ankler Agenda'My Year is Gone Career-Wise'Before the strike, actress Addie Weyrich had an FX pilot. Today, she is waiting tables. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit theankler.com/subscribe Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
2023-08-2539 min
Ankler AgendaLeaks, Meetings & Calls. Oh My!After months of silence, studio heads seem newly committed to reaching an agreement with the WGA. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit theankler.com/subscribe Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
2023-08-1831 min
Ankler AgendaLina Khan Q&A: Hollywood 'Red Flags', 'Doom Loop' & the Future of M&AFTC Chair Lina Khan on the agency’s views on the various crises roiling entertainment. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit theankler.com/subscribe Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
2023-08-1635 min
Ankler Agenda'It Will Surprise Us How Fast it Can Disappear'Dickinson creator Alena Smith joins to discuss the destructive effects of streaming and the corporatization of entertainment. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit theankler.com/subscribe Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
2023-08-1139 min
Ankler AgendaWBD and the Struggle of Legacy StudiosThree earnings calls on the same day reveal how entertainment companies are no longer playing the same game. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit theankler.com/subscribe Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
2023-08-0435 min
Ankler AgendaStudios, Strikers and a Tense Game of ChickenThe WGA accuses the studios of being in a ‘mutual suicide pact.’ This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit theankler.com/subscribe Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
2023-07-2846 min
Ankler AgendaDuncan Crabtree-Ireland: 'It Takes Two to Tango...the Companies Aren't Stepping Up'As Week 1 of the actors strike draws to a close, an interview with SAG-AFTRA chief negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland on Wall Street’s impact on the impasse, the stickiest issues on the table and more. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit theankler.com/subscribe Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
2023-07-2214 min
Ankler AgendaThe Raw Deal Point Roiling HollywoodEntertainment Strategy Guy joins to discuss perhaps the most existential of issues at the heart of the current SAG-studio impasse: profit sharing. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit theankler.com/subscribe Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
2023-07-2249 min
Ankler AgendaIger, Ire, Actors: Apocalypse NowFor the first time in over 60 years, Hollywood is in the throes of a double strike. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit theankler.com/subscribe Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
2023-07-1443 min
Ankler AgendaThe Murky Definition of a Hit ShowAs streamers remove series and unions fight over residuals, agreeing on metrics is near impossible. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit theankler.com/subscribe Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
2023-06-3051 min
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 AgendaInside Bob Iger's Ticking TimelineThe most-watched entertainment company in the world, Disney lately is roiled by major exec changes, an animation eclipse from other studios, layoffs and a CEO racing to both name a successor and right the ship at the same time. CNBC media reporter Alex Sherman joins Sean McNulty and Elaine Low to talk the perfect storm facing the company with less than 18 months left in Iger’s second term. Also: the PGA-LIV anti-trust problem (2:27), latest on the strike, and what’s next on the Sun Valley agenda (43:52).Full transcript here. This is a publ...
2023-06-1653 min
Ankler AgendaThe Agency Titans ShowdownTurning Tiffany into Walmart: that’s how Ari Emanuel recently described Bryan Lourd’s stewardship of CAA, putting some harsh, eyebrow-raising words behind the heated rivalry between the Endeavor and CAA chiefs. Peter Kiefer joins Sean McNulty, Elaine Low and Richard Rushfield to discuss his juicy profile of the war between the two agenting titans (21:26)— and why it explains Hollywood’s dilemmas of the moment. “We’re in the era of Ari and Bryan… and they really don’t like each other very much,” says Kiefer. Also: the PGA’s questionable decision to merge with the Saudi-backed LIV (4...
2023-06-0950 min
Ankler AgendaHollywood Execs' Summer BummerIn-between the writers and studio/streaming chiefs are Hollywood’s day-to-day working executives, who find themselves in a rare slowdown — and assorted existential crises. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit theankler.com/subscribe Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
2023-06-0233 min
Ankler AgendaSummer's High Stakes Movie ShowdownThe box office drought is over. But there are only so many slots for winners.For a transcript, click here. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit theankler.com/subscribe Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
2023-05-2635 min
Ankler AgendaHollywood's Disappearing ATM MachineWhat the death of cable TV has to do with the writers strike. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit theankler.com/subscribe Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
2023-05-1936 min
Ankler AgendaHow Writers are Winning the Strike NarrativeHow writers have leveraged themes around the gig economy, CEO pay and suspicions about Silicon Valley to their benefit. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit theankler.com/subscribe Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
2023-05-1247 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 AgendaOn the Ground with the WGA PicketersIn a special Strikegeist episode, Elaine Low and Richard Rushfield join Sean McNulty to report back what they are seeing and hearing (and the who’s who) at the picket lines across town. “Upbeat but not combative,” says Rushfield, who took in the scene outside Paramount. Also: why a short-term resolution doesn’t seem likely (10:36); takeaways from Elaine’s interview with WGA lead negotiator Ellen Stutzman (11:24); awkwardness surrounding FYC events (22:18); and why AI has more than just writers worried (13:21). For by-the-minute coverage of the WGA strike, please subscribe to our free Strikegeist newsletter. And if you enj...
2023-05-0325 min
Ankler AgendaWhat Really Happened in VegasIf the theme of last year’s CinemaCon was “movies are back,” then this year’s is “movies are really back.” Richard Rushfield and Elaine Low join Sean McNulty to report what they saw during their three dizzying days at the Vegas pep rally. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit theankler.com/subscribe Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
2023-04-2845 min
Ankler AgendaThe Dark Underbelly of 'Love is Blind'As Hollywood braces for a writers strike, one genre of television will remain unscathed: unscripted. But reality has its own pitfalls: recently Netflix juggernaut Love is Blind whiffed in its attempt to livestream its reunion episode. Today, Sean McNulty, Elaine Low and Richard Rushfield are joined by Insider’s Katie Warren, whose recent piece exposed horrifying work conditions on the show for contestants — a reminder of how inexpensive costs and inexperience make unscripted so budget-friendly to make. Also on tap: how the DGA is entangled in WGA negotiations (1:22), the migration of entertainment execs to the gaming world, as reported by Low...
2023-04-2144 min
Ankler AgendaNetflix Earnings: What We LearnedSean McNulty and Elaine Low analyze what the co-CEOs said (and didn’t) in its Q1 earnings report about the strike, subscribers, the ad tier and passwords. For a full transcript, click here. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit theankler.com/subscribe Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
2023-04-1921 min
Ankler AgendaDr. Pimple Popper Meets Harry PotterFor the first time in 13 years, the iconic HBO moniker will not headline a platform as HBO Max becomes Max. Was the brand that snobby? This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit theankler.com/subscribe Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
2023-04-1441 min
Ankler AgendaDrop the ‘HBO.’ Just ‘Max.’ It’s Cleaner (Wait - Is It?)Elaine Low and Sean McNulty discuss the implications of HBO Max's rebrand. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit theankler.com/subscribe Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
2023-04-1323 min
Ankler AgendaHollywood's New Grey CeilingEntertainment was once dominated by brash young executives (Barry Diller, Sherry Lansing, Dawn Steel and Robert Evans all ascended in their thirties). Now? Nearly every top job in town belongs to someone with decades (and decades) of experience. “When there’s a storm, you turn to the steady captain who’s been at the helm before,” says Peter Kiefer, whose piece about Hollywood’s Grey Ceiling — frustrating to those waiting their turns at top — got the town talking (15:11). Also: Endeavor’s potential for middle America domination with its WWE-UFC merger (5:48), confusion around Amazon’s streaming strategy (11:04), and the surprising...
2023-04-0843 min
Ankler AgendaStrikes, Firings and the (Possible) Mother of All MergersHollywood’s tectonic plates are continuing their steady shift, this time with Netflix’s decision to part ways with longtime film execs Lisa Nishimura and Ian Bricke. The move raises the broader question of what other senior-level anklings are coming, an issue Elaine Low hit on in her reporting on Hollywood’s new workplace culture: “It's making people question, ‘what am I doing with my career?’” (32:25) Also: Martini Shot host and OG WGA member Rob Long explains why he flip-flopped and now supports the Guild’s demands (1:08); how a strike could affect release strategies and content creation pipelines (17:54), Richard Rushfield’s apocal...
2023-03-3155 min
Ankler AgendaTom Ryan: The Future of FASTs in StreamingThis is last in a series of conversations from NXStream Global, the March 8 summit from Advertising Week and The Ankler at UTA. The first three were with Tony Vinciquerra, Jeremy Zimmer and Rich Paul.When Tom Ryan launched free, ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) service Pluto TV in 2013, he defied the widely held belief that the future lay in on-demand, ad-free paid subscription services such as Netflix. Then, in 2019, he sold Pluto TV to Viacom for $340 million, becoming part of Paramount Global. “We've got the broadest possible content offering, and the broadest possible business model,” says...
2023-03-2724 min
Ankler AgendaA Showdown Over Streaming EconomicsWith a strike looming, will Apple, Amazon and Netflix decide to make real concessions. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit theankler.com/subscribe Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
2023-03-2440 min
Ankler AgendaIs it Worth Working in Hollywood Anymore?Amid a looming writers strike, cutbacks across the board, price increases and layoffs, Hollywood is at an inflection point, both in terms of how Wall Street sees it and how Hollywood sees itself. New Ankler reporter Elaine Low joins Richard Rushfield and Sean McNulty to dissect the existential crisis around town, as people wonder, what does it even mean to work here anymore? “This year you're really gonna have both creatives and studio execs taking a good hard look at themselves,” says Low. (5:52 The trio also discuss what the average entertainment consumer wants and expects (22:50), whether Apple and Amazon will quit s...
2023-03-1748 min
Ankler AgendaRich Paul: 'Don't Get Comfortable Having a Lot of Money'Sports agent Rich Paul shares his strategy for keeping clients like LeBron James and Jalen Hurts in the money. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit theankler.com/subscribe Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
2023-03-1623 min
Ankler Agenda'It Was a Great Show': Bruce Vilanch Unpacks the OscarsBruce Vilanch spent 14 of his 24 years on the Academy Awards as the show’s head writer (2000-2014), collaborating with hosts Whoopi Goldberg, Billy Crystal, David Letterman and Steve Martin. Today, he breaks down why this year’s Oscars worked — from the use of live TV producers, to heartfelt speeches, to Jimmy Kimmel’s jokes. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit theankler.com/subscribe Learn more about your ad choices. V...
2023-03-1430 min
Ankler AgendaJeremy Zimmer: I'm Siding With the WGAWith the entertainment business in chaos, and a potential WGA strike looming, UTA CEO Jeremy Zimmer comes out swinging in support of better economics for writers, and delivers sometimes scathing opinions about the unprofitable state of streaming, the great un-ordering of series, and stardom (including Leonardo Di Caprio's advice to Timotheé Chalamet). This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit theankler.com/subscribe Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
2023-03-1134 min
Ankler AgendaStreaming's Reckoning: Industry Titans Speak UpAs the one-year anniversary of the Great Netflix Correction approaches, the town’s streaming future sure looks a lot more uncertain as Bob Iger, Jeremy Zimmer, UTA CEO, and Sony Pictures Entertainment CEO Tony Vinciquerra make pointed remarks about the un-sustainability of the current streaming economy. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit theankler.com/subscribe Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
2023-03-1141 min
Ankler AgendaTony Vinciquerra: Will Smith, the 'Woman King' Snub & Spider-Man's FutureSony Pictures Chairman and CEO Tony Vinciquerra talks to Janice Min about The Woman King’s Oscars snub; PlayStation and The Last of Us; the decision to work with Will Smith again, and Spider-Man and Kevin Feige. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit theankler.com/subscribe Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
2023-03-1039 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 AgendaWhat's Eating Hollywood Execs?“It’s a terrible place to make creative decisions when fear seeps into the process,” Peter Kiefer tells our hosts, as he explains what he learned from interviews with a dozen of the town’s senior executives (13:39). Some culprits? Underwater stock options, a top-down obsession with optics, the ruthless demands of Wall Street and private equity, and a relentless mining of old IP. Oh yeah, and the constant threat of layoffs. Also: our IRL Oscar week streaming summit (1:00), the new nepo-ex atop AMC Networks (4:13), Don Lemon’s bad behavior (11:06), and Richard Rushfield’s advice (34:43) for Jenna Ortega and all stars. ...
2023-02-1748 min
Ankler AgendaHow Hollywood AI Will Make 'Every Creative Job Look Different'Few technological disruptors to the entertainment industry have appeared quite as fast, or as existentially forebodingly, as artificial intelligence. After ChatGPT, DALL-E and other new AI technologies became publicly available in recent months, Cornell Law professor James Grimmelmann says, “I could feel the ground shifting.” Today, he walks our hosts through samples of AI music, script-writing and visual effects, and the ways in which the industry may be forced to evolve. “I don’t think Hollywood should be afraid. But every person should be thinking how every creative job… is going to look different as a result of this.” Also on tap: w...
2023-02-1150 min
Ankler AgendaActors' New Job Anxiety: 'Everyone's Afraid'In what Mark Zuckerberg has deemed the “year of efficiency” — corporate-speak for layoffs and cost-cutting — economic pressures are being felt across Hollywood, from writers to producers to below-the-line workers and, of course, actors. Joining today, seasoned actress Rebecca Metz (Better Things, Shameless) reveals how unique circumstances for performers (shorter seasons, exclusivity windows, the disappearance of residuals) have taken a toll, even for those on hit series. As actors, making less now, leave L.A. (“I have a lot of friends who have left town”), Metz puts forth a straightforward career goal for the streaming era: to “like my life while being able t...
2023-02-0443 min
Ankler AgendaWhat to Know About Netflix's New Co-CEOIt's certainly not the soap opera that went down at Disney, but Netflix’s new succession plan might turn out to be just as earth-shaking. Prior to the streamer’s Q4 earnings call, Netflix co-CEO Reed Hastings announced Greg Peters, current COO and CPO, as his replacement. Insider’s Elaine Low joins hosts Sean McNulty and Janice Min to discuss her reporting on the little-known Peters, breaking down who he is (physics and astrophysics major at Yale, foodie), how he complements co-CEO Ted Sarandos (Peters is unaffected by Hollywood glamour), and what it portends for the world’s biggest streamer.
2023-01-2037 min
Ankler AgendaWhy it Worked: The 'Otto' SurpriseHost Sean McNulty sits with Josh Greenstein, president of Sony’s Motion Picture Group, to break down the studio’s latest theatrical success, Tom Hanks’ A Man Called Otto (a $15 million opening weekend). The two dig into Greenstein’s out-of-the-box marketing campaigns that reached Otto’s broad demographic — from AARP screenings, to an advent calendar, to Hanks’ TikTok debut. Greenstein also talks the studio’s new deal with Legendary, the upcoming Spider-man movie and CEO Tom Rothman’s strategy for making movies. Says Greenstein, “We’re really trying to bring all audiences into the tent.” This...
2023-01-1728 min
Ankler AgendaThe Disney Drama Continues!This week, the Disney soap opera took even more twists with a board shake-up and vocal misgivings from today’s Hollywood bogeyman: the activist investor. Sean McNulty and Richard Rushfield unpack the welts from Nelson Peltz (which include a finger wag for the $71 billion purchase of Fox), and why Disney attracts so much drama. Also: Richard shares his view from the inside of the Golden Globes, its predictable ratings collapse, and what it augers for awards season. Lastly, with Richard jetting off to the Sundance Film Festival, the team talks about the indie sector’s theatrical wing all but in c...
2023-01-1343 min
Ankler AgendaWhy it Worked: Jason Blum and James Wan on 'M3GAN'Host Sean McNulty wanted to start the New Year with stories of success in a new Ankler podcast series, Why it Worked. First up: horror’s top hitmakers, Blumhouse’s Jason Blum and Atomic Monster’s James Wan, the powerhouses behind low-budget smash M3GAN. The two talk the viral TikTok dance trend, what made the movie and campaign work, how they look at tracking (or don’t), and why the studios and streamers struggle to produce their own low-budget, high-margin hits. Will there be a M3GAN sequel? The duo answer, as well as questions around how they work tog...
2023-01-1228 min
Ankler AgendaThe NFL vs. Awards ShowsWhen Buffalo Bill Daram Hamlin awoke in the hospital following his dramatic medical crisis during Monday Night Football, his first words in the hospital were “Did we win?” On today’s pod, Sean McNulty, Richard Rushfield and Janice Min, joined by The Bulwark’s Sonny Bunch, contrast the NFL’s high-stakes dramas to the deterioration of the public’s interest in Hollywood’s own competitions: awards shows (of the top 100 most-watched TV broadcasts in 2022, 82 were NFL games; the Oscars were 77th on the list). With the Golden Globes just days away (and likely programmed on Tuesday to no go opposite footb...
2023-01-0653 min
Ankler Agenda2022: The Best (But Mostly Worst) of TimesIn the final pod of the year, The Ankler looks back on Hollywood’s tumultuous 12 months and what lies ahead in 2023. Hosts Sean McNulty and Richard Rushfield are joined by Jason Hirschhorn, CEO of digital content and curation company REDEF, for a probing discussion around the state of Hollywood and the Streaming Wars. Hirschhorn discusses hard choices facing media giants as they pivot from customer acquisition to retention, and what the implications are for programming (12:42). The trio also talks which companies are best positioned for next year (28:36), the changes ads bring (15:25) and whether anyone will ever be ab...
2022-12-231h 11
Ankler AgendaThe DC Universe Soap OperaIs anything more dramatic than the DC Universe (16:19)? With a history that includes off-screen ups and downs around Henry Cavill, Zack Snyder, Joss Whedon, Christopher Nolan, Ben Affleck and Amber Heard, “it’s like a soap opera in its 11th season,” says Richard Rushfield, who joins hosts Sean McNulty and Tatiana Siegel. The group unpacks the controversial decisions from new chiefs James Gunn and Peter Safran, as well as Warner Bros. Discovery’s adjacent HBO Max library purge (23:52). Also: Ankler contributor Nicole LaPorte discusses her buzzy grim story about the new hustle life for Hollywood writers, and if Bob Iger was the h...
2022-12-1641 min
Ankler AgendaThe Talented Ms. FinchIn recent years, Hollywood embraced the “authorship” principle — the belief that writers and filmmakers best share the “lived experience” of their subjects to be authentic. As relayed by Peter Kiefer, the Ankler contributor whose bombshell Elisabeth Finch interview has rocked the town, the producers of medical soap opera Grey’s Anatomy, Shondaland, wholly embraced this belief system. Kiefer explains to hosts Sean McNulty, Janice Min and Tatiana Siegel not only how he ended up with Finch’s confessions, but how the current climate may have aided and abetted her staggering series of lies. In five hours of taped interviews, Finch confesses...
2022-12-0944 min
Ankler AgendaRearranging the Deck ChairsThree months into the job as AMC Networks, CEO Christina Spade was shown the door — a shorter tenure than even ousted Disney CEO Bob Chapek’s (26:42). “Not even a word from her. It was literally an announcement in a SEC filing,” notes host Sean McNulty. “Then, the next day they announced 20 percent of the staff is being let go.” This comes on the heels of a week of stunning reorgs at CNN, Paramount and Amazon. McNulty, joined by Richard Rushfield, Tatiana Siegel and Ankler contributor Nicole LaPorte also discussed the increasingly bleak outlook for producers (14:59) and the curious case of the Emancipation red...
2022-12-0238 min
Ankler AgendaThe Week the Floor Fell Out — AgainWatching the fiasco consuming Twitter, Hollywood might think it’s above the madness. But the mood of workers in entertainment feels more like the spiraling social media platform than anyone wants to believe. Amazon is laying off 10,000 people, Roku is cutting 200, John Malone said streaming economics have lead to “blood running down the gutters” and Vice Media seeks to cut 15 percent of its budget — which won’t come from “saving paper clips,” says Janice Min, joined by host Sean McNulty. Also: the role of tech-driven economics on Hollywood chaos (10:28), Twitter’s Elon Musk-fueled descent (13:46), the future of crypto stories...
2022-11-1843 min
Ankler AgendaThe Last Movie Stars in HollywoodJennifer Aniston declared the movie star dead. Now hosts Sean McNulty, Richard Rushfield and Tatiana Siegel, joined by Rob Long, offer their condolences as Hollywood scatters the ashes of its once-mighty creation (21:02), destroyed by self-inflicted wounds (and names of those who still endure). The group also talks agents and managers (7:32), and how streaming makes them — for better or worse — more valuable. “Streamers are so besieged with 2,000 shows in production that they demand any project [have] everybody attached,” says Rushfield. “They need a whole package ready to go.” Also: Early returns on The Ankler’s ruthless Agents, Managers and Attor...
2022-11-1151 min
Ankler AgendaSecond Inning of Hollywood HellWarner Bros. Discovery, Paramount, Roku, Lionsgate. Third-quarter earnings reports are all variations on a theme: things are bad. Layoffs are hitting every corner, and streaming “clearly [is] not making money yet and will not for another two years if it even gets to that point for some of these companies,” says host Sean McNulty (30:31), joined by Janice Min, Richard Rushfield and Tatiana Siegel, as the team lays out likely scenarios coming (including the “twin apocalypse” of a recession and a writers guild strike). Ankler contributor Peter Kiefer also joins to dissect Tuesday’s election, including a town divided over...
2022-11-0439 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 AgendaNetflix is Growing. Just Not in the U.S.Netflix took a victory lap on Tuesday with its Q3 earnings report that revealed — surprise! —the company beat its revenue forecast (or, as host Sean McNulty likes to say, Netflix underpromised and overdelivered). In a special episode recorded at Advertising Week in New York, McNulty, Janice Min and Richard Rushfield break down the ad tier (9:00); the streamer’s 2.4 million subscriber growth stagnating in the U.S., but exploding in Asia (1:09); the company’s not-so-subtle roasting of its money-losing competition (5:35); the comeback of Ryan Murphy with Dahmer (6:52) and its dunk on House of the Dragon and The Rings of Power; the streame...
2022-10-1930 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 AgendaAwards Shows' Last StandViewership for Hollywood awards shows is plummeting. Hosts Janice Min, Tatiana Siegel and Sean McNulty survey the rocky terrain that’s led to the Golden Globes’s shaky one-year NBC deal (far less than its once-$60 million a year license fee), and prompted the Academy’s new Hail Mary efforts to remake the Oscars (and red carpet) for ABC. “There’s no way now they’re getting $100 million a year [today],” McNulty says. In a season where Avatar 2, Steven Spielberg, Top Gun: Maverick and Elvis are in the mix, the shows are throwing everything against the wall to remain culturally relevant...
2022-09-2345 min
Ankler AgendaP.R. vs. Journos: the Toronto ChillHosts Janice Min, Richard Rushfield, Tatiana Siegel and Sean McNulty take stock of a new phenomenon on the festival circuit fest: the ever-shrinking and choreographed press conference (20:34). High-profile press conferences — from Steven Spielberg’s autobiographical The Fabelmans to Harry Styles’ period gay drama The Policeman — featured questions vetted in advance (likely a result of Venice’s Don’t Worry Darling debacle), with Styles answering just one question at the My Policeman post-premiere Q&A. “It’s an erosion of the ability to report at a festival,” says Siegel. Also on tap, the hosts tackle the arrival of Thursday Night...
2022-09-1635 min
Ankler AgendaEmmys' Brutal HangoverOof — well, that’s an Emmys down. Today, hosts Sean McNulty and Richard Rushfield dissect the Emmys, and what it says about the streaming giants who stage their annual showdown over bragging rights with increasingly little meaning to the larger audience. Who comes out of this show stronger Diminished? And would all the streamers just be better off ignoring the Emmys altogether? The hosts also throw around some wild ideas on how to fix this awards show and others, and what lies before us on the next road to Oscar. (Curious minds can click here...
2022-09-1331 min
Ankler AgendaThe Forgotten AudienceWhat does America really want to watch? In recent years, Hollywood has become obsessed with prestige content — the kind, as host Richard Rushfield puts it, that entertainment executives can talk about green-lighting to impress people at dinner parties. Richard, Janice Min, Tatiana Siegel, and The Wakeup’s Sean McNulty break down surprising stats that reveal how and why Hollywood became out of touch with so much potential audience (the subject of Entertainment Strategy Guy’s “The American Viewer” series), a topic with new urgency as streaming growth in the U.S. plateaus (28:19). Also, Richard and Tatiana check in from the...
2022-09-0949 min
Ankler AgendaStreaming 2.0: Let's Make a Deal!For the price of just a few coffee runs, you can access the entire Peacock catalogue – Sunday Night Football, Love Island, and all – for a full calendar year right now. That deep-cut offer ($20 for 12 months) might signal red flags unique to the no-growth Comcast streamer, but drastic lever-pulling is engulfing the entire streaming marketplace (16:20) — from price slashing (Peacock, HBO Max, Paramount+/Showtime bundling) to ad tiers (Netflix and Disney+). Hosts Janice Min, Richard Rushfield, and The Wakeup’s Sean McNulty also talk House of the Dragon vs. Rings of Power (10:24), the return of monoculture (41:15), and the decline of marketing-sculpted movie st...
2022-09-0258 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
Ankler AgendaHave We Reached Peak Anxiety?The town may finally be acknowledging the undeniable pressures unique to this industry. This week, Jonah Hill, Tom Holland and Ezra Miller all said they are modifying their behavior to protect their mental health. Hill is stepping away from promoting his movies and making public appearances due to panic attacks; Holland announced he has abandoned social media to help stay emotionally balanced; and Ezra Miller is seeking treatment for a complex mental health issue. Hosts Janice Min, Richard Rushfield, Tatiana Siegel and Sean McNulty survey Hollywood’s littered emotional landscape and how an industry whose very bu...
2022-08-1948 min
Ankler AgendaEmmys Live TV Virtuoso Tells AllThere’s nothing more stressful or exhilarating than the high-wire act of live television. The Ankler Hot Seat podcast host Tatiana Siegel welcomes one of the best in the genre: Hamish Hamilton, director of the upcoming 74th Primetime Emmy Awards on Sept. 12. Londoner Hamilton has helmed some of the most memorable moments of live TV including this year’s Super Bowl halftime extravaganza, Kanye West’s interruption of Taylor Swift’s VMA win, and the London Olympics Opening Ceremony when Queen Elizabeth jumped out of a helicopter (yes, she rehearsed that move 5-6 times!). Ha...
2022-08-1348 min
Ankler AgendaDisney Subscriber Victory? Not So FastFollowing Disney’s Q2 earnings call, many headlines declared the company’s victory over Netflix as Disney+ subscribers reached 221 million — squeaking ahead of Netflix (at 220.67 million). But in this episode, The Wakeup’s Sean McNulty tells Janice Min and Richard Rushfield that, in this case, the numbers don’t reveal the whole story (think India, domestic stagnation and revenue per subscriber). The trio also discuss the town’s curious changing narrative around Disney chief Bob Chapek, the company's declared break-even point for streaming, and the date the company has circled in its calendar to stop losing money on streaming. All this, plus...
2022-08-1135 min
Ankler Agenda'At What Point Do You Make a Profit?'On this episode, hosts Janice Min, Tatiana Siegel and The Wakeup’s Sean McNulty take quick measure of entertainment’s giants after another day of wild Q2 earnings calls all about streaming that included Warner Bros. Discovery, Paramount and Lionsgate. Some quantified(ish) what success looks like down the road; others stayed vague. WBD CEO David Zaslav said that HBO Max and Discovery+, which boast a total of 92 million combined subscribers worldwide, will break even as a united service when it adds another 40 million, likely in 2024 or 2025, as $3 billion in “efficiencies” (ouch), start to unroll. Paramount CEO Bob Bakish called t...
2022-08-0551 min
Ankler AgendaWill Peacock Exist in a Year?As recession fears mount, Comcast becomes the latest to deliver a bleak earnings picture, with its streaming service Peacock stuck firm on 13 million subscribers, despite spending over $2 billion a year on content. Hosts Janice Min, Tatiana Siegel and Sean McNulty discuss what that might mean for its future and what to expect next on the earnings front (Warner Bros. Discovery, Paramount and Lionsgate will report their results in the coming days, and the New York Times and BuzzFeed are on deck amid the ever-shrinking digital ad spend). Also on today’s episode, Ne...
2022-07-2928 min
Ankler AgendaMartini Shot: Agents are People TooThis week, Rob Long has a confession to make: he likes agents—they’re “the friendly bacteria in the lower intestine of the dirty business we call entertainment,” he says. In defense of this controversial point of view (well, for a writer, anyway), Rob offers a cautionary tale about a past-his-prime agent who, along with his assistant, saves the career of a struggling writer with a spec sale of an old script. In the process, he reinvigorates his own career and gets the assistant promoted to agent, too. All’s well that ends well, right? But that’s not the end of the...
2022-07-2711 min
Ankler AgendaStreaming's New Bad OmenEarnings season is underway, and everyone should be taking notice of Snapchat’s dismal performance (and Twitter’s that followed). The tech company’s stock took a 27 percent nosedive immediately after reporting shocking ad sales declines. That portends a bleak near future for every ad-dependent entity — including Netflix and the streaming services increasingly pivoting to advertising to save the day. Is the chill temporary or is a new ice age afoot? Janice Min, Tatiana Siegel and The Wakeup’s Sean McNulty break it down. Also: Yellowstone is TV’s biggest hit, but Hollywood isn't rushing to replicate it...
2022-07-2249 min
Ankler AgendaNetflix Saved by 'Stranger Things'The Netflix Q2 2022 subscriber numbers are in! And… huh. No splat. What does the lack of a collapse — but not exactly successful April through June quarter — indicate about the state of the streaming business at the midway mark of 2022?Hosts Janice Min and Richard Rushfield are joined by Ankler contributor Sean McNulty, writer of the daily morning newsletter The Wakeup to dive into the numbers beneath the headlines, including increasing clouds on the U.S. horizon, what the picture looks like in Q3, and what to expect from the rest of the streaming service subscriber reports to come in the weeks ahe...
2022-07-2054 min
Ankler AgendaEMMYS! 'Yellowjackets' > 'Yellowstone' 🏆The Emmy noms are in. After months of posturing, positioning and the biggest glut of prestige entertainment the world has ever seen, the votes have been tallied and the final sprint towards the big night is off and running. Besides the usual snubs and surprises, this year’s crop was a barometer on the state of the streaming wars and television in general. To sift through the results, host Richard Rushfield is joined by L.A. Times Pulitzer Prize winner and longtime TV critic Mary McNamara, television writer and Martini Shot host Rob Long, and Sean McNulty, author of The...
2022-07-1343 min
Ankler AgendaPod: Married to the BobToday’s Ankler Hot Seat podcast dissects this week’s move by the Disney board to extend CEO Bob Chapek’s contract for three more years. Hosts Richard Rushfield and Tatiana Siegel are joined by Ankler contributing editor Peter Kiefer to discuss why the Twitter mob — hailing from both the right and the left of the political divide — tried (and failed) to topple the P.R.-challenged chief from his top perch. The trio also breaks down Disney employees’ internal anger over the company’s exclusion of Planned Parenthood from its corporate matching gift program (which supports many pro-life crisis pregnan...
2022-07-0148 min
Ankler AgendaPod: The King Is Dead?Follow us (and like us!) at Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts, and on Twitter. Also please subscribe at TheAnkler.com for more podcasts and stories about the entertainment industry.Today’s Ankler Hot Seat podcast tackles this weekend’s big studio opening, the oft-challenged biopic Elvis. Hosts Tatiana Siegel and Richard Rushfield are joined by The Wakeup writer Sean McNulty to discuss the $85 million Warner Bros. film that endured a lengthy production shutdown back in March 2020 when Tom Hanks became the first celebrity to land in the hos...
2022-06-2447 min