Monthly Digest - October 2019
By Rebecca Green
This is coming to you really late so I’m going to just kick this out the door for you so I can get caught up and move on to November’s Digest.
I realize in my last post, Thanks for Nothing, I said to take some time off this week and now I’m sending you homework… Just flag this for next week and enjoy your holiday.
Keep Going,
Rebecca
HOMEWORK
Studio Chief Summit: All 7 Top Film Executives, One Room, Nothing Off-Limits (and No Easy Answers)
For the first time, Warner Bros.’ Toby Emmerich, Paramount’s Jim Gianopulos, Disney’s Alan Horn, Universal’s Donna Langley, Sony’s Tom Rothman, Amazon’s Jennifer Salke and Netflix’s Scott Stuber gather to debate streaming service ratings, movie star value, China censorship, onscreen violence and the future of a fraught movie business.
Netflix to Raise Another $2 Billion Through Debt to Fund Massive Content Spending
Netflix, burning boatloads of cash with a projected $15 billion content budget for 2019, is adding to its debt load once again.
Redbox Forms Division to Fund and Acquire Original Content, Led by Ex-Lionsgate Exec Marc Danon
Redbox, the DVD-kiosk and digital on-demand network, is opening its checkbook to acquire and produce original TV shows and movies.
AMC Theaters Now Offers VOD Rentals Once Movies Leave Its Screens, Plus Free Popcorn
AMC Theaters announced Tuesday that it’s entering the very crowded digital movie rental market. The chain hopes by bundling the service with its existing Stubs loyalty program that offers perks like free popcorn refills, the nation’s largest exhibitor can take a piece of the at-home viewing pie and establish itself as a go-to destination for all things cinematic.
Landmark Theatres President Ted Mundorff: The Exit Interview
The independent film and theatrical space was shaken up Thursday night when Deadline broke news that Landmark Theatres president Ted Mundorff was exiting.
Disney+ Boss Ricky Strauss on Streamer’s Nonfiction Content, Opting Out of Binge Model
At a Disney+ showcase event Friday for its upcoming unscripted projects, the streamer’s execs spoke about their content and strategy ahead of the Nov. 12 launch.
Inside Apple’s Long, Bumpy Road to Hollywood
After a few false starts and a little offscreen drama, AppleTV+ finally makes its big debut with a slate of shows, Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon and a billion potential customers ready to see what original programming looks like from the world’s largest company, led by CEO Tim Cook.
Netflix To Bargain With IATSE For First Companywide Film & TV Contract
Netflix has agreed to negotiate a first companywide contract with IATSE, the union representing the industry’s below-the-line workers.
A Conversation With Christine Vachon
The producer behind “Boys Don’t Cry” and “Hedwig and the Angry Inch” will earn the Indie Woman of the Year award at this year’s BendFilm
What Do ‘Joker’ and Fox News Movie ‘Bombshell’ Have in Common? This Red-Hot Producer
Aaron L. Gilbert, CEO of Bron Media Corp., opens up about embracing controversy, how streaming has changed his investment strategy and why he’s getting into the ‘Ghostbusters’ business.
“People Can Be Exploited”: How Below-the-Radar Film Festivals Prey on Struggling Moviemakers
Beyond the glamour of Cannes and Sundance, a network of international events promises to boost the careers of nascent filmmakers, but those opportunities often come with hefty price tags — and plenty of disappointment.
Entertainment Biz Comes Under Fire for Assistants’ Low Wages, Working Conditions
It’s no secret that many assistants in Hollywood bear heavy workloads for low pay. But the entertainment industry’s labor practices when it comes to those workers have now become the subject of intense social-media scrutiny.
Disney Is Quietly Placing Classic Fox Movies Into Its Vault, and That’s Worrying
It is, among other things, bad news for movie theaters that depend on repertory screenings to shore up increasingly shaky bottom lines.
EXTRA CREDIT
The Women Who Helped Build Hollywood
One of the stranger things about the history of moviemaking is that women have been there all along, periodically exercising real power behind the camera, yet their names and contributions keep disappearing, as though security had been called, again and again, to escort them from the set.
Inside the House From Bong Joon Ho’s Parasite
Without spoiling the film’s shocking twist, AD chats with the director along with production designer Lee Ha Jun about creating those amazing sets.
Critic’s Notebook: Why Robert Evans Was Hollywood’s “Last Tycoon”
The legendary producer, who died Monday, presided over some of the most successful and esteemed movies in the late 1960s into the 1970s, but still managed to discover emerging filmmakers decades later.
LLC Dissolution – A guide to dissolving a film production LLC (limited liability company)
With respect to the single-purpose film limited liability company (“LLC”), that time comes when the opportunity for further monetary returns and the usefulness of the LLC has expired. It is at this time that the film producer asks the question, “Now what?”