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New Projects - Election Effect - COVID Update - Netflix Expanding?

By Sean Gregory, November 10, 2020

I think it's fair to say that everyone has taken a collective sigh of relief over the last few days after what has undoubtedly been one of the most tumultuous election cycles of our time. Mother Nature seemed to toss us a bit of a reward here in NYC this past weekend with summer-like weather, and being able to lay out in the sun away from endlessly watching John King explain the importance of collar counties in Pennsylvania and Georgia on CNN was exactly what a lot of us needed. I sincerely hope that this election marks a turning point in American politics, and while our work towards a better country has only just begun, I'm taking some time this week to give thanks to all of the poll workers and election officials across the country, as well as praising the vital roles of voting rights activists like Stacey Abrams and Nse Ufot in Georgia for their tireless devotion to making this country a more free and fair place to live.

We have our first event coming up this weekend with Acting & Voice Studios and we couldn't be more excited! We will be presenting our popular SEEKING REPRESENTATION 101 workshop via Zoom on Saturday, November 14th from 2:00PM-4:00PM EST / 11:00AM-1:00PM PST. Annie and Abi will be discussing their tried-and-true methods of preparing to meet agents and managers, step-by-step guides for approaching everyone on your target list, and how to get the most out of your representation once you land a partnership! Registration is FREE - Sign up here!

Just a reminder, the folks at Acting & Voice Studios have generously provided us with a 10% discount code for Up-To-Date Actor members who are new to Acting & Voice Studios. Look for their events listed on the Up-To-Date Actor. Enjoy!

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The entertainment news cycle was a bit lighter this week since, you know, democracy was happening and all, but there were still a handful of great stories that cropped up over the past few days. So let's talk news!

Coalition of At-Risk Industries Organize for COVID Insurance

More than two dozen companies have banded together to form the Business Continuity Coalition, in a unified effort to pursue tangible change in the fight for COVID insurance. Sony Pictures, ViacomCBS, Independent Film & Television Alliance, and a growing group of organizations in the entertainment, restaurant, retail, and gaming industries are calling for sweeping change that would help protect their businesses both during the current COVID climate as well as any future pandemics, hoping that insurance companies will eventually come to the table to help protect the millions of workers in these groups nationwide.

"The American film, television, and streaming industry is a strong contributor to the U.S. economy, supporting more than 2.5 million jobs in all 50 states," Patrick Kilcur, executive vice president, U.S. Government Affairs, Motion Picture Association said in a recent interview. "COVID-19 has caused enormous uncertainties and challenges for our industry. We look forward to working with the BCC on a public-private insurance solution which will be essential as we navigate returning to production." A hearing in front of the House Subcommittee on Housing, Community Development, and Insurance is scheduled to be held on November 19th to propel conversations on the BCC's proposed next steps.

Election Week in America

As the tidal wave that was the 2020 Election finally reached its peak, many in the entertainment world took to social media to congratulate Joe Biden and Kamala Harris on their victory in a hard-fought presidential campaign. I think I speak for a lot of people when I say I've been waiting for four years to say it: Mr. Trump, You're Fired. 🔥

Entertainment Industry Tax Effects

Jersey City, NJ approved a measure to create a tax plan that would set aside between $1 and $2 million each year of levied taxes for live performance venues and art galleries in the city, becoming the first municipality in the state that would set aside funds to support the arts. First proposed in 2018, the measure received a new wave of attention from organizers during the pandemic, worrying that without the plan, many arts groups in the country would be forced to shutter in the next year. The legislation must clear its final hurdle and be approved by the city council before going into effect in 2021.

While Georgia garnered much of the election coverage last week for its hotly contested Electoral College votes, and will undoubtedly continue to receive attention for its upcoming double runoff votes for both Senate seats in January, some companies currently eyeing production in the state were left wondering how the outcome of the elections may affect the state's robust tax incentive programs. Luckily for studios and companies looking to shoot in Georgia, candidates on both sides of the isle regarded the program as an overall positive for the state, with Republican Rep. Ed Setzler going so far as to write on his campaign website that the program "transformed Georgia into the number one producer of feature films in the world – ahead of California and New York, creating literally thousands of well-paying jobs in the movie industry." Sounds just peachy to me 🍑

COVID Updates

Filmmakers and Movie Theatres Make Their Frustrations Known

It's no secret that streaming and VOD has exploded over the past eight months, and many in the now-virtual film market are feeling the pinch of an ever-shifting buyers' landscape. "Who are we buying these movies for?" one notable European buyer remarked. "Are we buying movies simply for PVOD and SVOD deals now? If so, those partners have very different needs and sensibilities, which we’re still trying to work out."

The virtual American Film Market kicks off this week with nearly 1,500 buyers from 66 countries, all vying for around 450 films from 562 exhibitors, a record for the seller landscape. As the growing list of streaming giants continues to snap up project after project, many indie film buyers are growing concerned that they will be forced to shutter if they are not given the opportunity to bid for projects in a traditional setting. "We can’t compete with the overbidding of the streamers after our revenues have been depressed for so many months due to the pandemic," another buyer wrote. "But we have invested in these movies for years. We get these movies made. If a movie is sold to a streamer after we have bought it and that streamer insists on a domestic VOD release first then our international value takes a massive hit."

Movie theaters are not going down without a fight, however. Cinemark CEO Mark Zoradi has already proclaimed that the cinema giant will be taking a "dynamic" approach to landing new films for its audiences, shifting the company from its previous overall multi-year deal with studios to pursuing negotiations on a film-by-film basis for the time being. 90% of Cinemark's theaters have reopened nationwide, bolstering the company's Q3 earnings and setting the stage for a strong holiday viewing season. "There is a light at the end of this tunnel," Zoradi said. "Theatrical moviegoing will rebound strongly."

London Returns to the Stage, and a Virtual PHANTOM Rehearses Half A World Away

With the UK re-entering a new lockdown until at least December 2nd, London productions breathed a collective sigh of relief after secretary of state for digital, culture, media and sport Oliver Dowden tweeted that arts venues would be permitted to rehearse and perform in person, though without audience members in attendance. Shows like THE COMEBACK and SIX are still planning to move forward with their projected opening dates in early December, but are remaining flexible to the possibility of a lockdown extension.

The show must go on in Japan, as organizers of the country's newest production of PHANTOM OF THE OPERA have been receiving direction from longtime international director Arthur Masella in New York. The show, which began performances on October 24th, enjoyed the fruits of Japan's extensive test-and-trace protocols, which have allowed for a fairly consistent string of theatrical productions to continue on during the pandemic. Masella points to his frequent collaboration with historic director Harold Prince as the through-line for how he approaches the show's latest rehearsal schedule via Zoom. "No matter how huge the task, how strange or untenable the situation seemed, [Harold] was always the person who woke up the next day and said, 'I have an idea, let’s try it."

Netflix Expanding in Brooklyn?

Bushwick may be playing host to another Netflix production facility, as news broke this week that investment firm Steel Equities snapped up another property in the Brooklyn neighborhood, just across the street from the site Netflix pledged to build six new soundstages last year. Both sites will join an already robust new film scene in the borough after juggernaut Steiner Studios announced plans to build a 500,000 square foot studio in Sunset Park. No official word from the streaming giant on the acquisition as of yet, but I gotta admit, the idea of having a new Netflix facility just down the street from my place does sound p r e t t y cool 😎

Jeremy O. Harris Makes the Most of HBO Partnership

SLAVE PLAY writer Jeremy O. Harris is no stranger to the industry's biggest stages, and is already making waves using his newly-inked deals with HBO. This doesn't mean Harris will be leaving the stage for screen; quite the contrary in fact. Part of his overall deal with the streaming giant includes provisions for experimental theatre, as well as funneling cash to some of his newest theatre-away-from-theatre Zoom works. "[A]fter seeing how soul-sucking [the film & TV] system was, I realized I didn’t really want that. All I wanted to do was theater. And the minute I started doing theater, all those people started knocking at my door again," Harris told Vulture.

Harris sees a new world of opportunity on the big screen and its many potential uses. His recent screenwriting endeavor ZOLA garnered much buzz ahead of its release, and Harris is eyeing more virtual projects that toe the line between the theatre and the screen:

This is actually a great opportunity for drastic shifts in what we think theater is and how we can make it accessible. People think about accessibility, and they think I’m only talking about Black people or young people, but no, there are literally people who physically can’t be in a theater with other people because normal theater people say that they’re an inconvenience to them, right? So it’s like, how can we make it okay for someone who has seizures? Or is a paraplegic? Or has three kids? How do we make it possible for them to see theater all the time?

I'll Take the GOAT for $1000, Alex

As with all things in 2020, we can't enjoy more than 24 hours of joy without the news turning against us. On Sunday morning, longtime JEOPARDY host Alex Trebek passed away at 80, after a nearly two year battle with pancreatic cancer. The news came as a shock to many that were previously encouraged by his continued run on the show, where he delivered periodic updates that his condition was, at the time, improving. Many past show contestants took to social media to share memories of their time with Trebek, including longtime audience favorite Ken Jennings, writing that "Alex wasn’t just the best ever at what he did. He was also a lovely and deeply decent man, and I’m grateful for every minute I got to spend with him." ABC News ran a one-hour primetime special chronicling Trebek's life and body of work on Sunday evening, now available to stream through ABC's site. Rest in Peace, Alex 💛

Sister, Sister Star Speaks Out

Tia Mowry, best known for her role with her twin sister Tamera on ABC/WB's SISTER SISTER, recently sat down with Deadline to discuss her negative experiences as a biracial actress in the 90's sitcom. "It was very evident to me when I would walk on sets and see how certain stars or actors would be treated who weren’t of ethnicity — better dressing room, better trailer," Mowry said of her early experiences in the entertainment business. "I remember once [Sister, Sister] became a hit, it’s very normal for you to ask for a raise. That’s what happens, right? People get raises. But it was always so hard for my sister and I to get what we felt like we deserved and our paycheck never equaled our counterparts’ that weren’t of diversity; and that was frustrating. Very, very frustrating."

What to Watch & Read

• Skill-Adjacent Income Ideas for Actors
• HAUNTING OF BLY MANOR and EMILY IN PARIS Hit Nielsen’s Streaming Top 10 List
• Western Stage Artistic Director Jon Selover to Retire
• Pixar’s SOUL Will Help the World Recover From the Bitter Pill of 2020
• Fiona Shaw-Led RICHARD II Begins Streaming November 9
• Eva Noblezada to Headline SELENA: A LIVE DRIVE-IN EXPERIENCE in NYC
• Sondheim Surprises Composer With Dementia After His Song Goes Viral

That's all for now, folks! Go out and enjoy some of that sweet sunshine this week ☀️

Peace and love ✌️