New Projects - Election Day - Q3 Numbers - Political Updates
By Abigail Hardin, November 08, 2022
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Happy Tuesday, UTD!
Today is election day! If you haven't already, please get out and vote. If you're not sure where your polling site is, Vote.org is here to help! Read more below for how the race in L.A. directly effects the Film/TV industry.
Also, today is UTD Founder and career coach extraordinaire Annie Chadwick's birthday! 🥳 Join me in wishing her a HAPPY BIRTHDAY!! 💙
Create a great week! ☮️
Actors on Acting
Tom Felton, Evan Peters, and Ethan Hawke Share Their Stories
I loved this story from Tom Felton this week - known to many, of course, as Draco Malfoy in the HARRY POTTER franchise. Felton spoke candidly about a rough audition experience he had with none other than acting royalty Anthony Hopkins, in which Felton shared that not only had he not quite prepared fully for the experience, but he also didn't believe he was right for the part to begin with. One botched scene of improv surrounding Hitchcock's famed movie PSYCHO later, and Felton said he "tucked [his] tail and walked out." We've all been there!
Speaking of Harry Potter - you probably need to watch Daniel Ratcliffe's take on Weird Al in THE AL YANKOVICH STORY, streaming for free on Roku. Trust us, it's the strangest worlds collide moment that you definitely must see 😎
For anyone who's sat through Evan Peters rendition of the ick-inducing Jeffrey Dahmer in Netflix' THE JEFFREY DAHMER STORY and there's more where that came from, apparently), it's no surprise that Peters took months to work on Dahmer's mannerisms, characterization, and persona: "It was an exhaustive search, trying to find private moments, times where he didn't seem self-conscious, so you could get a glimpse into how he behaved prior to these interviews and being in prison." Peters nailed the part so precisely that his dialect coach began praying for him near the end of the process, saying that "when you stay in it, and you're tethered to the material, like bone to marrow, your soul is troubled at some point." Mental health is so important when taking on difficult roles as an actor; we always encourage folks taking on demanding roles to set aside time to establish a winding-down process that works for you in the early stages of a project, as something to rely on through performing. Take care of yourselves out there!
Ethan Hawke has become the latest Hollywood star to throw his hat in the ring of the ongoing Method acting debate, saying at a recent PGA panel that the desire to live truthfully under imaginary circumstances can be very difficult, but invites actors to push the limits of their creative mind "in a very powerful way." Jeremy Strong, Brian Cox, Sally Field, and more have all weighed in on the media buzz surrounding Stanislavsky's approach in the last few months, but Hawke took more of a neutral stance on the matter: "I know that ordinary effort creates ordinary results, and the longevity and genius of Daniel Day-Lewis' career proves that there's method to his madness. I don't sit in judgment."
Studios Share Q3 Numbers
Companies have slowly begun releasing their Q3 metrics over the last few weeks, as a mixed bag of peaks and valleys continued across the linear and streaming landscape:
- Lionsgate announced a rise in global subscribers to 37.8 worldwide at the end of September, a notable gain for the company as it continues to actively pursue spinning off the Starz platform sometime in 2023
- AMC had its own ups and downs in Q3, enjoying a high-water mark of 11.1 million subscribers while seeing a 10% drop in ad sales in the US
- Paramount is planning to rely heavily on its diversifying portfolio to pull up lagging global shares after reporting a drop in net income and ad revenue due to increased spending on streaming content
- After announcing its desire to dig into more franchises in the coming years (new HARRY POTTER, perhaps?), Warner Bros Discovery also reported a decrease in ad dollars in Q3, accompanied by a year-over-year decrease in total revenue
Netflix officially launched their ad-supported plans last Thursday, bringing a long-awaited new dimension to the streamer's offerings that will allow users to select plans ranging from $6.99 to $15.49 per month. There's a new kid on the ad-tier streaming block!
Political Updates
Election Day Arrives
It's Election Day! Please get out and vote if you haven't already! There are so many big races coming up throughout the country, and the results have the potential to shape so many different pieces of our industry and beyond. For one, LA City Council hopeful Traci Park spoke about the importance of supporting production in her district, where 17.5% of LA-based series dramas were filmed last quarter. Park also spoke about her support for entertainment unions, particularly, IATSE, of which her partner is a member. Meanwhile, LA mayoral candidate Rick Caruso is in hot water with developer The Grove, which claims Caruso opposed the creation of Grove's $1.25 billion Television City studio development project, while the Caruso continues to tout his broad support for the entertainment industry. So much is on the line in this one - if you haven't found your polling place today yet, Vote.org is here to help!
On a union "get out the Vote" note, SAG-AFTRA has teamed up with the NFL Players Association for the launch of Actors & Athletes: Unions for Democracy, a partnership centered on protecting the right to vote in every state, as well as encouraging every American to register to vote. The coalition team, SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher, and NFLPA Executive Director DeMaurice Smith, rolled out the "Your Voice. Your Vote." platform, the centerpiece of which reconfirms support for the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act. Other strategies were discussed that can guide the next steps among the cohort of actors and athletes who stand united to effect change.
Investors Keep Bird's Eye on Twitter
In the virtual world, the last two weeks on Twitter have been…. Really something. Elon Musk's reign as CEO has already showcased just how mismanaged the site is quickly becoming, so much so that advertising groups are recommending many companies pause their Twitter budgets until a clearer path forward has been established. And who can blame them? We'll be interested to see how Musk responds to these heavy-hitting questions in the coming weeks, as firms like Interpublic Group lie in wait for the mogul to ease their fears of his "organization capability."
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
Pay Equity Questioned
Film and Broadway star Sienna Miller opened up about her difficulties with attaining equal pay during an undisclosed Broadway run several years ago, remarking that she had initially approached the show's producers after learning that she was making "less than half" of her male co-star's weekly salary, to which the producers simply replied, "Well, f*ck off then." Miller shared that while she felt "terrible" and "embarrassed" at first, she has since come to terms with the flagrant misogyny at a time when the industry is going through changes that will hopefully never allow for these conversations to happen again.
McNally Foundation Launches
The Terrence McNally Foundation celebrated its official launch last week, commemorating the late playwright's 84th birthday by promising support and opportunities for LGBTQ+ initiatives around the country. One of the group's first undertakings will be its New Works Incubator, a joint venture with Rattlestick Theater in NYC that will provide mentorship and financial support to three up-and-coming playwrights. "The Foundation looks forward to supporting playwrights and activists who are risk takers," Broadway producer and McNally's husband Tom Kirdahy said in a statement.
Shake-Ups at The CW
After The CW's sale to Nexstar was finalized, the Texas-based group was quick to begin cost-cutting measures to revive the ailing network, which included a round of layoffs for over 30 employees, including several director-level and above positions, making room for a new Nexstar-approved round of exec hirings. Investors are hoping that the new guard will be able to turn the ship around, having already been fed the typical lines of low-cost, high-profit strategy, along with more aggressive content restructuring that could include dropping series orders from nearly $2M/episode to closer to $1M.
Newly installed President of Entertainment Brad Schwartz remains optimistic about the group's trajectory, saying that reconfiguring license fees to be more in line with their competitors "can work depending on how much they deliver." Part of this shifting financial mindset will also be apparent at the marketing level, as newfound communications chief Beth Feldman shared her optimism for bringing "a sense of excitement and enthusiasm" to how the network approaches viewers and investors.
Industry Intel
Movie Theatres See Rise
Some encouraging news came out of the movie theater market last week with Cinemark reporting a 50% jump in viewership numbers in Q3. "We see studios leaning more heavily back into theatrical," CEO Sean Gamble said, speaking to the strength of the box office over the last several months thanks to a strong theatrical slate from both traditional studios and streamers embracing a hybrid model. The global exhibitor brought in $650 million in Q3, pushing down its debt and increasing its stock price through the week after the earnings call. Theaters are where it's at this fall and winter!
Broadway Welcomes New Theater Name
Leadership Update: Kendra Ekelund Is New Managing Director at Hudson Valley Shakes
The Great White Way has a new tenant! The former Brooks Atkinson Theatre is now the Lena Horne Theatre, marking the first Broadway house to be named in honor of a Black woman. "We are proud to take this moment to rename one of our theatres in honor of the great civil rights activist, actress, and entertainer Lena Horne," Nederlander Organization President James L. Nederlander said in a statement. The Lena Horne is currently playing host to blockbuster SIX - all the more reason to see the ladies once again! 💅