In our last blog post, “Streaming Has Created a Showrunner Problem,” we discussed how the streaming of motion picture content and the binge-watching model of dropping all series episodes at once has not only changed the way Hollywood writers typically create. It has also negatively impacted other workers in the entertainment and media industries. Among…
Streaming services overall tend to demonstrate a preference for animation over live-action productions, especially when it comes to children’s content, primarily because of lower production costs. Without production and sets, the cost difference is wide enough to appeal to streamers. Among shows for children, animation makes up about 62% of streaming service content, versus 32%…
The COVID-19 pandemic is bringing epic shake-ups to various aspects of our lives, changes that are rapidly making their presence known in every corner of almost every industry. The world of TV production has not been spared, of course, and one of these changes may affect—even end—a storied institution: pilots. Pilot season typically runs throughout…
During the final months of 2015 and first half of 2016, Netflix made a bold move by hiring Tara Flynn and Marcos Waltenberg, two employees who were both working at the executive level for Fox at the time. Both executive employees were in the middle of two-year contracts with Fox, and the contracts gave the…
If you’re following the motion picture and television industry drama surrounding Netflix and its adopted practice of theatrically releasing potential award-winning feature films within a short release window—too short for many theater owners and creative contributors–then you know that Scott Stuber has recently been sharing his thoughts publicly with the industry trade press and other…
Variety recently published a story highlighting an oftentimes confusing, expensive, and damaging issue that can impact any film production if tax credits and accounting issues aren’t properly managed: tax credit fraud. In this specific case, a whistleblower drew attention to alleged misuse of tax credits on the Warner Brothers film “Sully”, starring Tom Hanks and…
The world of filmmaking and film production is loaded with longstanding myths, many of them holdovers from the earliest days of the industry. Some of the most stubborn beliefs revolve around a single question: What does it take to grab the attention and interest you need to procure a wide theatrical release? Most producers will…
On June 19th, via a 16-minute video posted to the WGA’s website, the Guild president announced an official end to the negotiation process between the WGA and the association of talent agencies that represent its writer members, the ATA. (Here’s the video if you haven’t seen it.) Earlier this spring, talks became tense and an…
The current conflict between Writers Guild of America (WGA) members and their agents, represented by the Association of Talent Agents (ATA), exposes tensions that have been simmering for a long time. According to the WGA (and many individual writers), writers have traditionally been under served by the nature of the relationship, since agents have been…
After an hour-long negotiation session on Friday between the WGA and the talent agencies that represent its writer members (The Association of Talent Agents), progress broke down. The WGA’s decision to implement a new Code of Conduct that regulates the actions of the talent agencies took place formally on the same day (Friday), which left…