New Projects Casting - Awards Season - COVID Update - Submission Opportunity & Financial Relief

By Sean Gregory, February 09, 2021

658

Another weekend, another round of snow, huh? ⛄️ Guess the groundhog wasn't messing around with his six more weeks of winter, and I'm completely here for it. Throw me another blanket and give me any reason to keep working through my awards season watchlist guilt-free. 🎬

Did everyone catch the Super Bowl/Puppy Bowl/all the commercials last Sunday? I'm more of a baseball guy myself (Go Yankees etc etc), but any excuse to make pigs in a blanket and buffalo chicken dip and eat it all by myself in the living room is a good day for me!

The industry continues to bustle, and we continue to break it all down for you. Grab some leftovers and let's get to it!

Self-Submission Workshop with The Growing Studio

Our next virtual event is almost here! We'll be chatting with the folks at The Growing Studio about the art of self-submitting, which, if you've attended any UTD workshops in the past, you know is the bread and butter of what makes UTD Actor such a powerful tool (sorry, still have food on the brain).

Upcoming Workshop
February 10, 2021 @ 8 PM EST — THE ART OF EFFECTIVE SELF SUBMISSIONS with The Growing Studio

Come discuss what self-submissions look like in the age of COVID, and how to track projects and submit to everything that fits your goals!

As part of our quest to explore new digital horizons this year, the UTD team has officially made our jump into the world of Clubhouse, an invite-based social media platform aimed at opening up organic conversation between users on just about any topic you can think of. Basically, if Twitter were a podcast, which sounds like an "anything can happen" situation... 2021 baby. If you're already on the app, keep an eye out for announcements on our Instagram for any upcoming talks we'll be hosting; the current plan is to have quick chats on Friday afternoon about the state of the industry each week (to accompany our Weekly News Roundups), and answer any questions you may have in a more casual setting than a Zoom class or IG Live. Come hang with us!

Ranking Super Bowl Commercials

For anyone who may not have caught Tom Brady's seventh championship and blah blah blah sports sports sports, I took the liberty of compiling what I thought were the best commercials of the evening. Surprisingly, some of the major spenders from years past chose to sit this year's Super Bowl out, as most companies are tightening their ad budgets in the age of COVID, but we still had a solid round of contenders vying for the top slot.

So I present: Sean's Top Picks

Best Burn: Fiver - Opportunity Knocks
What is Happening: Oatly - No Cow
Most Improved: Ashton Kutcher singing (bad) with a cameo from Shaggy (good)

People in the Twitterverse had many opinions on the outcome of The Weeknd's half-time performance (when do people on Twitter not have opinions), but I really thought it was great. Are his moves among the likes of Bruno and Beyoncé? They are not. Did he still give us a boppin' show with lots of weird, up-close camera shots for unending GIF possibilities? He sure did. And for that, we are thankful. 🙏

Setting the Stage for Awards Season 2021

Weekly nomination shows, endless FYC banners, people shamelessly acting like critics and sharing their top picks for everyone to see (who does that, anyway...): We're officially in the thick of awards season ✨

Check out full nomination lists for the Golden Globes and SAG Awards here!

The London Critics‘ Circle Film Awards presented their awards over the weekend, with Francis McDormand's performance in NOMADLAND taking home three top honors for Film, Actress, and Screenwriter of the Year awards. Chadwick Boseman won Actor of the Year for his knockout performance in MA RAINEY'S BLACK BOTTOM, joining his four SAG nominations and garnering praise from BLACK PANTHER co-star Michael B Jordan on Instagram: "Still setting the bar higher. Miss you big homie."

While we await the delayed Oscar nominations slated to be released in mid-March, a new analysis of the famed award show paints a notably darker picture of the Oscars' financial health. Low ratings have plagued the awards show for years, and with this year's presentation being bumped to late April, some are speculating that the consistent decline in revenue from worldwide television distribution could be accelerated by this year's show happening nearly two months after the rest of the award season buzz is over, further deepening any losses for the Academy's biggest broadcast.

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

Theatres across the country have been loading up their February slates with an amazing array of Black-led projects, pieces written by Black authors, and new premieres from Black creators. BroadwayWorld has compiled a handful of selections from houses across the US, from The Met, The August Wilson African American Cultural Center, CUNY, and more!

We're so excited to feature one of UTD's very own in this week's email: Dominique Fishback! Dom has been working non-stop on her career for years, earning roles in projects like NIGHT COMES ON, THE HATE U GIVE, and THE DEUCE, and is now starring alongside Daniel Kaluuya in Shaka King's JUDAS AND THE BLACK MESSIAH, slated to be released on HBO Max this Friday. Dom spoke about her accomplishments with Collider and her process of preparing for her role as Deborah Johnson in JUDAS, "As long as I stay true to the work of it, then I don’t have to be afraid of living up to the occasion."

This year's crop of award nominees is proving to be one of the most diverse classes ever, with 28% of the film and TV nominations for SAG going to BIPOC performers and projects, and 18.6% of nominees across all acting categories being BIPOC. While the march toward parity still remains slow and steady, none of the numbers for either award show represent a high water mark for diverse nominations, highlighting the reality of Hollywood's at times hollow promise to make good on increasing authentic representation on screen. "In order for us to move forward in an effective way and create change, all of these groups, institutions, studios, networks, if you’re not dissecting your patterns and your tendencies and rebuilding from that point, you’re kind of just putting a bandaid on it," Color of Change culture and entertainment advocacy director Kristen Marston said.

AFL-CIO's Department of Professional Employees will convene a panel this Thursday to discuss the state of diversity in entertainment, and how legislative actions can help further the work that our labor unions are doing to serve underrepresented communities in the industry. Top execs across film, TV, and theatre will be in attendance, including reps from Actors' Equity, SAG-AFTRA, IATSE, DGA, and WGA.

TW: Racial violence - As the world continues to engage in the long-overdue tectonic shift toward a more inclusive society, films like Spike Lee's DO THE RIGHT THING echo the decades of pain that have reverberated through the Black community, particularly in the US. Lee created a short film in the aftermath of George Floyd's death last year, drawing the parallels between the murders of Floyd, Eric Garner and DO THE RIGHT THING character Radio Raheem. "[P]eople are reacting the way they do to be heard. We are seeing this again and again and again."

Nigerian comedian and BOB HEARTS ABISHOLA co-creator Gina Yashere couldn't be happier with the show's reception from audiences and CBS execs alike. Now in its second season, the Black-led comedy about Nigerian life in America is breaking barriers, along with shows like ALL RISE and THE NEIGHBORHOOD, for fostering authenticity in 2021. "Before BOB HEARTS ABISHOLA, I was out there pitching shows about my culture and my upbringing and my family, and nobody was interested," Yashere said. "Now it’s opened doors because now everybody’s looking at our show and going, 'Oh, we can do shows like this and they can be successful, and all of America can enjoy the show.'"

The SEX AND THE CITY reboot is officially diversifying their writing team, after years of backlash from the show's original run for its overwhelmingly white cast and creative team. AND JUST LIKE THAT..., slated to air on HBO Max, has welcomed three new writers to its team, FRESH OFF THE BOAT exec Rachna Fruchbom, BLACK LIGHTNING writer Keli Goff and comedian Samantha Irby. Many are hopeful that the creative changes will turn the tide on the Sarah Jessica Parker-led revival, especially after Kim Cattrall called for an actress of color to take up the torch as Cattrall's Samantha Jones.

The Greg Berlanti universe has just gotten a little bigger with the announcement that SUPERGIRL star Azie Tesfai would co-write episode 12 for the series' final season, marking the first time an actor has penned an episode in the world of ARROW, THE FLASH, TITANS and more. "Working in our amazing writers room and co-writing an episode has been an immensely educational and empowering experience," Tesfai said. "Writing is such a passion for me and I’m excited to continue on this creative journey."

COVID Updates

Film & TV

In a sign of good faith for its members, SAG-AFTRA has voted to suspend this year's 2% dues increase and will keep induction fees at their current level, as the majority of union members still remain out of work from the ongoing pandemic. The national board also approved a measure to recognize content created by influencers to be covered by the union and receive SAG-supported income and health coverage.

COVID continues to affect the lowest-paid employees in Hollywood, with a new report from #PayUpHollywood noting that nearly 80% of assistants are paid $50,000 or less, categorizing them as financially "burdened" by Los Angeles city standards. "We have seen reports of companies ending the COVID pandemic pay cuts for their top-earning executives while continuing to cut hours, transfer work expenses, and increase the workload of the assistants and support staff of this industry, if not lay them off entirely," #PayUpHollywood co-founder and THE ROOKIE writer Liz Alper. "What steps are studios and companies taking to offer the same protection to their support staffers as they are to their highest executives?"

Many found comfort in the Netflix breakout series THE QUEEN'S GAMBIT this past year, headlined by newcomer Anya Taylor-Joy's grounded, purposeful portrayal of chess maven Beth Harmon. "There’s something to be said of a character whose biggest enemy is herself," Taylor-Joy said. "When you’re locked up in your house, there’s only a certain amount of room to run away from yourself. That is potentially something people were a bit more open to at the end of the day." The series is currently up for multiple Golden Globe and SAG awards, with Taylor-Joy garnering a best actress nomination in both fields.

While COVID has taken and continues to take its toll on the entertainment industry, Disney has been using this unique moment in time to re-examine how it can best serve smaller companies and invest in younger, diverse voices. Pointing to Disney affiliates like RAMY and I MAY DESTROY YOU, Chairman of Entertainment Dana Walden has said that creating authentic representation at Disney has started behind the scenes: "We have welcomed in amazing creative and business leaders, executives of color, decision-makers at the highest level. That’s where it has to start if we want meaningful change." Disney productions have enjoyed some of the lowest COVID infection rates across all projects in production, boasting a <1% transmission rate compared to the 7-9% in other parts of LA county.

Theatre

We're all itching for Broadway to be back, that much we know for sure. Some productions have announced revised timetables for their returns, while many others are hanging tight to see how the country responds to increased COVID vaccinations in the coming months. Take a peek at what stage each production is currently in as of this week!

With the Save Our Stages Act officially signed into law as part of the second COVID relief bill in late December, theaters and live entertainment venues breathed a collective sigh of relief that more help would be on the way. The Small Business Administration updated their guidance last week on who is eligible to apply for the new round of grants, removing the stipulation that only companies with 50 or fewer employees could apply. In its latest interpretation, any business that can show 90% loss of income due to COVID is eligible to receive funding in the first round, followed by companies with a 70% loss in the second round of funding.

The National Endowment for the Arts is set to award $27.5 million in grants to over 1,000 institutions in all 50 states and Puerto Rico this year. Cultural centers from all walks of life were among the beneficiaries of this first round of funding, including the National Black Arts Festival, Coalition for African Americans in the Performing Arts. Ma-Yi Theater Company, the Actors Fund, and more.

No Assholes Allowed

Olivia Wilde has had enough of Hollywood's crap. The actress-turned-director recently ousted longtime drama king Shia LeBeouf from her upcoming project DON'T WORRY DARLING, choosing to replace him with singer (and now actor?) Harry Styles for alleged poor behavior on set. "I think that it is an unfortunate part of the kind of the paradigm, that has been created over the last 100 years, the idea that great art has to come from a place of discomfort and anxiety," Wilde shared in a recent DIRECTORS ON DIRECTORS series with Variety. "The no assholes policy, it puts everybody on the same level. I also noticed as an actress for years how the hierarchy of the set separated the actors from the crew in this very strange way that serves no one…the idea of, don’t bother the actors and keep them separate and don’t look at them. I think it makes everyone quite anxious." #OutWithTheAssholes2021

We Finish Each Other's.... Avalanche Mysteries?

This one is just too weird to not share: Animators responsible for creating the snow sequences in Disney's FROZEN were recently enlisted to help solve a 60-year mystery in the Ural Mountains' Dyatlov Pass. Up until now, researchers believed that the death of nine Russian hikers during a 200-mile trek across the mountain range in the winter of 1959 was due to an avalanche, while the world of internet conspiracy theorists believed that anything from aliens to government agents could have been to blame. Johan Gaume, head of the Swiss federal technical institute Snow Avalanche Simulation Laboratory, "was struck by how well the movement of snow was depicted" in the Disney movie and sought the animators' help in revisiting the modeling for the incident. The result? 🥁 Definitely death by avalanche. The truth is FROZEN no longer 🏔

Advice & Submissions

SUBMISSION: PBS is seeking submissions from BIPOC content creators for a new series aimed at sharing diverse stories on the network. "This initiative will further amplify the voices of diverse/BIPOC producers across public media, inviting submissions that explore a broad range of experiences, perspectives, and points of view." Applications open in March!

RELIEF SUBMISSION: The FrontOffice Foundation is offering a limited number of grants to mid-life artists, crew members, and administrators, in order to alleviate hardships caused by COVID-19. "We want to hear about your dreams and be sure those remain active during this time of industry closure." Applications are due February 26th!

As is the case with most industries, a major key to success as an actor is in your networking. Luckily, we have someone like Colleen from Actors Connection in our network to share all the secrets of networking success for actors!

Quick Bites

Writer Lee Daniels talked with CNN's Don Lemon about the aftermath of the insurrection at the Capitol on January 6th, noting the discrepancy between treatment of the white rioters by Capitol police vs. Black protestors across the country this past summer: "[Y]ou cannot write a script like we are seeing now... in the Capitol and in the country."

Rupert Grint isn't looking to make a return to the HARRY POTTER universe anytime soon. As rumors continue to float around about a possible series being developed by HBO Max, the OG Ron Weasley is happily keeping busy in M. Night Shyamalan's Apple TV+ series SERVANT while juggling the responsibilities of becoming a new father this year.

From PARKS AND REC to 911: LONE STAR to chasing Bigfoot, Rob Lowe has just about done it all. The Hollywood veteran recently chatted with Variety about sustaining his success over the years, how saying "no" can open up doors down the road, and the joys of being a parent. Take notes, Rupert!

Stages managing director Mark Folkes will be stepping down from his role with the Houston theatre company to join the Greater Houston Community Foundation. Eboni Bell will be heading up the company's first inclusion, engagement, and training director, effective yesterday.

The feud between WME and WGA has officially reached its conclusion, after nearly two years of back-and-forth and court proceedings. The agreement is similar to those reached with CAA, UTA, and ICM in the past few months, opening the door for union-backed writers to once again work with the top-tier agency.

That "Feeling of Fellowship" Will Return

It's no surprise that just about every major studio is hoping for the best when it comes to movie theaters reopening in 2021. And I'm right there with them; my roommates could probably make a drinking game over the number of times I sit on the couch each week whining about wanting to be back in a dark theater on 34th Street with a bunch of random New Yorkers taking full advantage of AMC's $5 Tuesdays and drowning out the world with some popcorn and soda for a few hours 🍿Stephen Spielberg is right there with me, it seems:

"That’s the magic we experience when we go out to see a movie or a play or a concert or a comedy act. We don’t know who all these people are sitting around us, but when the experience makes us laugh or cry or cheer or contemplate, and then when the lights come up and we leave our seats, the people with whom we head out into the real world don’t feel like complete strangers anymore. We’ve become a community, alike in heart and spirit, or at any rate alike in having shared for a couple of hours a powerful experience."

Thanks for sticking this one out, folks! Lots of ups and downs in the entertainment biz these days, and I'm choosing to see it as seeds being planted for some goodness to bloom in the months to come.

Go grab some sunshine this week, and stay warm!

Log In

Blog