Disney execs are meeting with Jimmy Kimmel this week, but his crew has been told not to report to work until further notice as comedy writers and WGA leadership erupt at what they call appeasement. @snoodit.bsky.social and @elainelow.bsky.social report: theankler.com/p/hour-to-ho...

The fall TV market is moving again, but buyers want sharper pitches and fewer misses. Agents and execs tell @elainelow.bsky.social what's working at Netflix, Disney, Apple, HBO, Amazon and Peacock, and how to land deals theankler.com/p/tv-shows-s...

Netflix spends $18 billion a year on content and buys more shows than anyone else. @elainelow.bsky.social breaks down what it’s looking for now: sci-fi to fill the Stranger Things void, episodic horror, and “big funny” comedy. Plus, which execs hold greenlight power: theankler.com/p/the-tv-sho...

While The Ankler staff puts “Golden” on repeat, @elainelow.bsky.social, @seanmcnulty.bsky.social, and @natjarv.bsky.social get into why KPop Demon Hunters was such a monster hit for Netflix theankler.com/p/wbd-divorc...

And we are indeed hustling. This article is about Hollywood but I’m sure it’s applicable to other industries. Things are scary right now. But we have each other. Thank you to @theankler.com and @elainelow.bsky.social for highlighting the often-overlooked generation.

🙏 thanks for your support!

My hottest take on #AndJustLikeThat is that there should be more AJLT recappers and reviewers who are actually closer in age to Carrie et al. Feels like a lot of 20-somethings who’re just like, “guess parenting and middle aging are tough sometimes? but anyway”

"Hollywood, as a community, as an industry, is built on the shoulders of immigrants." @elainelow.bsky.social appeared on KCAL News to discuss how the ICE raids are affecting Hollywood's workforce. Full conversation: www.youtube.com/watch?v=iril...

SCOOP: Paul Feig has donated $100K to the National Immigration Law Center, calling immigrant persecution “unconscionable and unacceptable”. Plus, @elainelow.bsky.social on what Apple TV+'s buying now including star-driven high-end adult shows and less edgy comedies theankler.com/p/the-shows-...

Nick DiGiovanni has the #1 arts podcast on Spotify. But he doesn’t have a podcast. It’s content from YouTube. And it’s part of Spotify’s strategy to grow ad revenue by poaching creators. More from @natjarv.bsky.social @elainelow.bsky.social & @seanmcnulty.bsky.social : theankler.com/p/ankler-pod...

ICE raids in L.A. are sending shockwaves through Hollywood’s immigrant workforce. Even workers with legal status are afraid to show up to set. @elainelow.bsky.social reports on disrupted shoots, union silence, and a city on edge: theankler.com/p/afraid-ice...

The buzzword heard up and down the Croisette: authenticity. From Cannes Lions, Janice Min and @likensubscribenews.bsky.social' @natjarv.bsky.social join @elainelow.bsky.social to consider if creators’ drive to be true to themselves will protect them from AI theankler.com/p/youtube-vs...

Is Hollywood too top-heavy to innovate? @elainelow.bsky.social talks to an anonymous veteran rep about the execs stuck in place, the ones rising fast, and why TV is “sputtering” even as new deals take shape theankler.com/p/private-th...

Actors making $40K/month. Writers pulling six figures. No studio. No union. Just vertical microdramas. @natjarv.bsky.social and @elainelow.bsky.social explore the creator economy's next gold rush, where the window to get involved is closing fast: likeandsubscribenews.substack.com/p/microdrama...

SCOOP: ReelShort tells The Ankler it’s made The Adjuster, a microdrama based on Luigi Mangione's case. @elainelow.bsky.social and @natjarv.bsky.social explore the $5B microdrama market, where actors earn big bucks, and viewers are addicted to paywalled cliffhangers theankler.com/p/microdrama...

L.A.’s sound stages are emptier than they’ve been in years. With episodic TV in decline, studios are pivoting, from live boxing to bat mitzvahs. @elainelow.bsky.social investigates what’s next for Hollywood’s once-busiest lots theankler.com/p/la-sound-s...

The Mannings did musical theater. Netflix brought out NFL commish Roger Goodell in a Santa suit. ESPN announced a new streaming service. This year’s Upfronts proclaimed: If you’re not pivoting to sports, ads, or AI, your job might be, says @elainelow.bsky.social theankler.com/p/what-upfro...

they're calling it hbo max again and what i want more than anything is a recording of whatever soundproofed closet casey bloys went to scream inside when the decision was made

I mean, at least they have a sense of humor about it

Trump's international film tariffs have gotten wheels turning about how to make more TV and movies in LA, but TV execs tell @elainelow.bsky.social there are quite a few logistical hurdles to make that goal a reality theankler.com/p/the-week-t...

Little scoop for you all this Monday after my trip to Denver for SeriesFest

I read somewhere that if you google a made-up expression its AI gives you a made-up response so I tried it and that……. checks out 🙃

While it's almost impossible to get a "traditional" doc made, investigative docuseries focusing around influencers, child stars, and celebrities like Diddy are booming. @elainelow.bsky.social investigates the genre’s surging popularity theankler.com/p/pop-cultur...

Why are Ms. Rachel episodes performing so well on Netflix when they’re repackaged YouTube videos? @natjarv.bsky.social and @elainelow.bsky.social note Netflix’s algorithm and platform help kids avoid YouTube rabbit holes and parents to find more shows kids might like theankler.com/p/netflix-cr...

. @elainelow.bsky.social examines the amorphous and endangered species of creative execs: what they really do, how hard it is to land one of those jobs, red flags to avoid in the hiring process, and how to nail the job once you have it theankler.com/p/creative-e...

Dispatch from Vegas

Prime Video’s programming has varied wildly from “guy with a gun” dramas to Phoebe Waller Bridge-helmed prestige shows, leaving creators confused about what a Prime show should be, explain @natjarv.bsky.social , @elainelow.bsky.social and @snoodit.bsky.social theankler.com/p/amazon-del...

. @elainelow.bsky.social explores how some artists and startups in animation are embracing machine learning and protecting human workers’ primacy in the process. Plus, exclusive good news about CBS’s strong viewership theankler.com/p/tv-animati...

Thanks for the shout! In very fine company here

You may roll your eyes when you see the umpteenth TV show based on a book or podcast but in a time of safe bets, IP-driven shows often make way for creative storytelling. Full conversation with Series Business authors @elainelow.bsky.social and @manori-r.bsky.social: theankler.com/p/white-lotu...

HIVEMIND: If you could ask a top AI entertainment exec anything about the current and future use of AI in Hollywood, what would you want to know?

ICYMI, I got a scoop on the streaming performance bonuses that the WGA and SAG-AFTRA fought for during the strikes: the list of the first five TV series that qualified for that payday — and what that means open.substack.com/pub/theankle...

Gen Z’s entertainment workers navigated many unprecedented obstacles to find their careers today. @elainelow.bsky.social spoke to 20 Gen Z agents, publicists, writers and a barista, who share four hard truths about making Hollywood careers work theankler.com/p/gen-z-holl...

Earthquake bluesky > earthquake Twitter?

Year-round outdoor tennis is a worthy tradeoff, I suppose, for not being able to look cute in a long wool coat. Still, 80 degrees in February? Come on

It's been a very weird few years to be an up-and-comer in the professional world, especially in Hollywood, which has been through mini booms and busts at alarming speed. If you're a 20-something, I want to know what that experience has been like for you

Our Salary Confessions series continues with a Gen Z exec who is extremely candid about everything, from how he and his peers share pay data to his age group’s calcifying resentment and disdain toward senior execs. More from @elainelow.bsky.social: theankler.com/p/salary-con...

help I’ve been murdered by a paragraph open.substack.com/pub/tolstoya...

I really didn’t think I’d say this but four seasons of Billions prepared me for the current moment. The Hochul/Adams fight. The MTA. And the megalomaniac billies who think they can be Caesar. It’s freaking me out.

Pitch meetings have been almost entirely virtual the past five years, and while this has led to some bad exec behavior, there are online pitching bright spots. @elainelow.bsky.social tells you how to capture everyone’s fractured attention and make a pitch undeniable theankler.com/p/art-virtua...

congrats to the writers who got my “where to watch puppy bowl streaming” click. I’ve worked in the SEO content mines, I feel you

Amid massive job losses, @elainelow.bsky.social takes us inside the broadly-supported #StayInLA campaign, which aims to uncap the tax incentives for productions shooting in L.A. County and have studios commit to 10% more L.A. production over the next three years theankler.com/p/stayinla-d...

getting the band back together 🎉

TV seasons should be 22 episodes long with no commercials, made by cable auteurs who get network money but work reasonable hours & there should be a legally obligated Halloween episode with a sexy misunderstanding

Jeff is a friend and a great guy. We spoke the day everything started and he was just minutes into crisis mode, already on the ground helping our friends, The Nickels. We all worked together on Legacies and I would literally and physically trust Jeff with my life. If you need his intel, use it!

In an effort to bring you a little emotional relief and hard-earned joy in a time when we desperately need both, thanks to very generous support from our friends at NEON, we invite you to join us for expanded FREE programming in our beautiful Eagle Theatre. 🎟️: bit.ly/4hem70H

The prolific TV director Jeffrey Hunt lost his home to the 2018 Woolsey fire. Now he’s consulted over 90 people whose homes were destroyed in this year's fires. Hunt shares his wisdom with @elainelow.bsky.social on what to do and what not to do in this time of crisis theankler.com/p/los-angele...

Had a feeling Meghan Markle’s series would be postponed. Optics of a feel-good lifestyle show set in her Montecito home going out this week, when fires are still raging, aren’t great. It’s rare Netflix delays a high-profile launch (+ by almost 2 months), though, so imagine this took some convincing.

For anyone who is evacuating or preparing to evacuate, here’s a guide from Cal Fire on how to protect your house while you’re away, plus a go-bag checklist. I found this really useful: readyforwildfire.org/prepare-for-...

Shoutout to the Los Angeles Times reporters who are doing essential journalism under very difficult circumstances. They’ve dropped their paywall, but their ongoing coverage is a good reminder of why local newsrooms need support — and what we lose when those outlets are hollowed out.