The worlds of tech, investors andcreators convened at Web Summit Vancouver this past week, where Janice Min led a centre stage panel on the future of marketing, and Natalie Jarvey, author of our sharp creator economy newsletter Like & Subscribe, drew a massive crowd for her talk with superstar gaming streamer Valkyrae (Rachel Hoftstetter). If you missed Natalie’s breakdown about how creator money is growing 5x faster that of Hollywood’s, well, the intimate VIP dinner that Janice, Valkyrae and Web Summit’s Casey Lau hosted that night brought to life this new entertainment reality: Guests included Arcana Labs co-founders Jonathan Yunger and Hank Hoffman,Silicon Valley legend Alfred Chuang, The Young Turks’ online indie progressive Cenk Uygur and now-investor Metta World Peace. (Thanks to our partners Stikeman Elliott & Methuselah Advisors.) And if you have no idea who the people are I mentioned above, get on board and subscribe to Natalie’s newsletter.
VAN CITY SLICKERS 1. Valkyrae, on Web Summit’s centre stage with Natalie, spoke about creating for Twitch and YouTube. 2. Janice Min, center, with Sylvain CEO Joey Camire and Health-Ade CMO Charlotte Mostead. 3. The Ankler and Web Summit’s dinner, “Powering the Creative Future: Content + Capital,” at Glowbal. (Vaughn Ridley/Web Summit via Sportsfile; Ramsey Cardy/Web Summit via Sportsfile; The Ankler).
Meanwhile, our partnership with Netflix on its two-week FYSEE LA showcase continued with two more packed events at the streamer’s Tudum Theater: Elaine Low moderated a panel with Squid Game creator-director Hwang Dong-hyuk and five of season two’s cast, and Katey Rich presided over an Ankler & Letterboxd “Audience First” screening of the powerful limited series Adolescence, opening with a Q&A with co-creators Stephen Graham (who also stars) and Jack Thorne.
SHOW & TELL 1. Katey Rich onstage with Adolescence co-creators Jack Thorne, right, and Stephen Graham. 2. Thorne and Graham, who also stars. 3. Squid Game star Park Sung-hoon. 4. Letterboxd correspondent Annie Lyons. 5. From left, Squid Game creator Hwang Dong-hyuk and actors Lee Jung-jae and Lee Byung-hun. 6. Elaine Low, left, on stage with the Squid Game gang and interpreters. (Squid Game: JC Olivera/Getty Images for SAG-AFTRA Foundation; Adolescence: Gregg DeGuire for The Ankler)
Two more quick invitations:
Tomorrow night in L.A., Katey leads a Q&A with the creators and stars of High Potential. Request to attend here:
Next Sunday, June 8, The Ankler & Pure Nonfiction Documentary Spotlight Series returns to L.A. at the Meryl Streep Center for Performing Artists — join us for creative exchange, complimentary portraits and a celebratory reception. Thom Powers will speak to the filmmakers behind Music by John Williams, Social Studies, Chimp Crazy, Martha and Chef's Table, following a special keynote conversation with Harper Steele of Will & Harper. Request to attend here.
Now, without further ado, ICYMI, our best of the week:
For all the chatter about a “muted market,” Cannes underscored dealmakers’ new optimism. Ashley Cullins reveals (paid subscribers only) what Mubi’s $24M Jennifer Lawrence play signals about confidence and capital to agents; what buyers actually want now; and the genre gold rush agents are whispering about:
Piers Morgan, Jim Acosta and Substack’s head of news and politics, Catherine Valentine, tell Claire Atkinson about the new reality for news talent on platformssuch as Substack, YouTube and Noosphere — and the irritated agents desperate to put the kibosh on it all and regain control:
Richard is generally reluctant to dive into sweeping Hollywood/DC metaphors, but in the wake of Jake Tapper and Alex Thompson’s new book on the Joe Biden “coverup,” the selfish and befuddled leadership in both arenas was too overwhelming to ignore. Plus: The worst of the week, and a chat with comedy maestro Bruce Vilanch about his storied career:
Bruce Vilanch and the Wild World of 1970s Variety TV Spectaculars
Series Business: Downton Duo on How to Sell Prestige TV
Gareth Neame & Nigel Marchant — the duo behind Downton Abbey and Peacock’s The Day of the Jackal — tell Manori Ravindran (paid subscribers only) about how Carnival Films’ next series All Her Fault became a case study in selling prestige amid a funding crunch; their blueprint for shows that look pricier than they are; and how to get global dramas greenlit:
Katey Rich exclusively scoops details of Hacks’ 30 Emmy submissions, from Jean Smart and Dance Mom to the below-the-line artisans. Plus, check out Katey’s chats with Severance creator Dan Erickson and star Britt Lower as well as Sly Lives! director Questlove:
All the Oscar Buzz From Cannes, Plus Britt Lower and Dan Erickson on Their Severance Bond
Prestige Junkie
59:43
Questlove Hears Things in Classic Songs That No One Else Does — Now He's Asking Questions About it
Gustavo Santaolalla doesn’t read or write music, but he’s a two-time Oscar winner for his haunting scores. The Argentinian composer tells Rob LeDonne about his work on The Last of Us (the original game and the series) and how his music “plays the role of a character” on the show:
Sean McNultytakes a couple looks at the box office, assessing Marvel’s new status quo and what’s next for the theatrical goliath, and the power of family-friendly PG movies — saving studio slates one chummy pic at a time:
Don’t missournew live show with Richard & Sean on Monday mornings PT time to review what just happened with weekend box office. This week our QBs discussed Lilo & Stitch, Tom Cruise’s final reckoning and takeaways from the biggest Memorial Day weekend in box office history:
The Rushfield Lunch
This week, Richard was joined by Tom Segura and Jeremy Konner to talk about their raunchy (to put it mildly) Netflix series, Bad Thoughts, the state of R-rated theatrical comedy and how audiences have shifted:
‘The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives’ — which follows members of the influencer supergroup MomTok — topped the Hulu charts yet again, and I talk to EP Lisa Filipelli about the rogue production choice that blew up the influencer reality playbook and how long the circus can keep swinging…
This week’s edition of juicy optionable IP features a ‘Sliding Doors’ love affair, a wild true crypto-crime story and an odd-couple procedural where an influencer and a cop team up to solve a murder…
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