Amazon’s TV Mess; AI-Ghibli DEFCON; Ankler + A-List Execs in Vegas
April 7, 2025
Our team crushed itthis week, from Lesley Goldberg’s spicy and substantive report on Jen Salke’s removal at Amazon and the Prime Video mess left behind to Erik Barmack’s clarion call to Hollywood about OpenAI’s brazen IP theft now producing knockoff versions of everything from The Simpsons to Studio Ghibli. And it was cool to see several top studio execs hop onto Richard Rushfield and Sean McNulty’s fun and smart Substack Live after CinemaCon’s final presentation. And! For the third year, we’re nominated for a Webby Award for independent publishers. If you like independent media, and reject the hot breaking broken news garbage being produced by corporatized media, vote here.
Team Ankler alsois in Vegas right now for our first-ever, all-star Business of Entertainment program in partnership with NAB Show. It kicks off today with Katey Rich’s fireside chat with Kenya Barris, plus a panel about the boom in broadcast procedurals moderated by Elaine Low (Fire Country and Sheriff Country co-creators Tony Phelan and Joan Rater are joined by CBS’ Yelena Chak and Bryan Seabury), and ends on Wednesday with Sean McNulty in conversation with WWE president Nick Khan and chief content officer Paul “Triple H” Levesque.
The blockbuster lineup also features Kevin Mayer and Tom Staggs, Jody Gerson, Jane Rosenthal, Lesli Linka Glatter and David S. Goyer as well as sessions with some of the top producers in unscripted TV and the exec team leading IP goldmine Webtoon. See the full lineup here.
Just a few hours before our L.A. team headed to Sin City, we stuck the landing on our smash Series Business Showcase FYC event, hosted by Elaine and Katey, on April 4 at NeueHouse Hollywood. The dazzling lineup included Yellowjackets star Christina Ricci with creators, showrunners, writers and executive producers Ashley Lyle and Bart Nickerson and showrunner, writer and EP Jonathan Lisco to discuss the hit Paramount+ with Showtime series; and Peter Berg, director and EP of Netflix’s American Primeval, with his scene-stealing dog Eso, who graciously accepted pats from all. The SRO crowd also heard from Dying for Sex co-creators Elizabeth Meriwether and Kim Rosenstock before catching its premiere on FX later that evening; as well as the star of AMC’s Anne Rice’s Interview with a VampireSam Reid and executive producer Mark Johnson, and the star plus the showrunner and EP of the NBC comedy St. Denis Medical, Wendi McLendon-Covey and Eric Ledgin, respectively. Stay tuned for coming coverage of the event.
Katey sent me this post-event dispatch:
There was an undeniable lifting of spirits in the room as each panelist took the time to answer the question of what was making them feel optimistic about the industry these days. Most of these shows endured some kind of delay due to the pandemic or strikes, and all the creators seemed buoyed that their shows made it to the air at all. All of them represent bold, big ideas about what television can be. Hollywood may have challenges, but it’s also a world where shows about teen cannibals, vampires, violent settlers, messy doctors and a BDSM-loving cancer patient can all become hits. How could you not want to celebrate that?
Now, with no further ado, ICYMI, our best of the week:
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As Jen Salke exits and TV chief Vernon Sanders goes from foot soldier to general, Lesley Goldberg talks to writers, showrunners, execs and agents who spill tea on the mess that’s been left at Amazon; what needs to change; how people want Sanders to lead; and why they hope that the company’s efforts to accelerate decisions extends to TV:
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As making animated TV becomes “way more demanding” and “more expensive,” Elaine Low talks to Animation Guild president Jeanette Moreno King and artists about their growing curiosity in AI tools; why pros can’t wait to try Toon Boom Animation’s new AI features; and the implications of shows being made in half the time. Plus: Elaine scoops how well procedurals are performing for CBS and Paramount+:
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OpenAI’snew image generator spawned a wave of people converting family snapshots and historic photographs into iconic film and TV styles, from Pixar to Lego to Studio Ghibli. Erik Barmack explains (paid subscribers only) why this should be a “Sputnik moment” for Hollywood — and the four things the industry must do now to fight back:
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Amid four daysliving inside Caesars Palace on a diet of passed hors d’oeuvres and movie candy, Richard assesses the major themes and unanswered questions of theater owners’ annual confab. Don’t miss a recording of Richard’s special Substack Live as he and Sean pick through both the scores of studio trailers and Richard’s epic goody bag:
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Given eight-episode seasons, slow renewals and exclusivity clauses, how do talent reps keep their clients working? Ashley Cullins reveals (paid subscribers only) how they’re getting around exclusivity; the often-overlooked deal point that matters more than ever; and the creative approaches lawyers deploy to use the leverage talent has:
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Katey Rich surveys the packed field in the comedy series Emmy race, and also chats with The Friend feature film directors David Siegel and Scott McGehee about their Bill Murray–Naomi Watts starrer. Plus: Before tonight’s White Lotus finale, don’t miss Katey’s chat with Southern influencer Landon Bryant on Parker Posey’s dead-on accent:
Live from his first CinemaCon, Sean McNulty offered his distinct perspective on every studio’s announcements, all while not missing a beat on the news you need to know across the rest of media and entertainment:
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