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New Projects - Emmy Noms - Tax Incentives & Film/TV Production Boost - Industry Intel

By Sean Gregory, July 20, 2021

Another week trekking through the dog days of summer ☀️ The industry seems to be stagnating a bit here through July, which is typically the case as theaters are reshuffling everything to gear up for their fall seasons, and film & TV schedules continue to shape up for the months ahead. Last week's Emmy nominations were an exciting injection into the entertainment landscape, especially considering just how diverse the field has proven to be this year. Plenty of work that still needs to be done, but it's incredibly encouraging to see folks getting the recognition they deserve.

How has everyone been feeling? I recently completed my first Vision Board after talking about doing it for entirely too long and never following through, and I absolutely love having it next to my desk as a sign of inspiration (and a reminder to get my butt in gear from time to time!). For anyone that might be feeling a bit low on energy about where things are at these days, definitely consider charting out your own Vision Board; I promise it just might bring back that spark you've been looking for. Feel free to reach out to me on Instagram if you're looking for any help or suggestions!

Peace & Love ✌️

Emmy Nominations 🏆

The 2021-2022 award season officially kicked off last week with the announcement of the 2021 Primetime Emmy Nominations, which made it clear from the drop that it would be hosting the most diverse field of nominees that we've ever seen in the show's 73-year history. HBO and HBO Max edged out Netflix for the top slot - 130 nominations over Netflix' 129 - with Disney+ racking up 71 in only its second year of eligibility.

Overall, a record 49 nominations in the acting and reality hosting categories went to individuals of diverse backgrounds, topping the previous highwater mark of 36 from 2020 and 2018. HBO's LOVECRAFT COUNTRY raked in 18 nominations, five of which going to Black actors, including Jonathan Majors, Jurnee Smollett, and Michael K. Williams, who picked up his fifth career Emmy nod this year. Williams spoke about his acting journey as Montrose on LOVECRAFT and how, even though the show was not renewed for a second season (I literally still don't know how that's possible...), he hopes the story will serve a testament to the changing TV landscape: 

Montrose as well as the other members of his family, they are the epitome of the Black experience. As Black Americans, we live such levels of trauma and oppression from the outside world and from each other. For Montrose’s experiences, his storylines to be recognized, it makes me as a Black man feel seen. It makes me feel like someone is acknowledging the fact that there is a lot of pain in my community and in the experience of just being Black. Hopefully, we get some healing out of this in a weird way.

Other notable nominations: Mj Rodriguez became the first trans actress to receive a nod in a major acting category (Lead Actress - Drama) for her work in FX' POSE, which also received nominations for Outstanding Drama Series and Lead Actor - Drama for Billy Porter. Rosie Perez's nomination in the supporting comedy actress category made her just the third Latina to receive a nod; Bowen Yang (SNL) and Phillipa Soo (HAMILTON) became the first actor and actress of Asian descent to be nominated in their respective categories as well. Behind the camera, four out of the six drama directing nominations went to female/non-white directors - another historic milestone for the awards show.

Check out the full list of nominees here! 📺

Film & TV Production Boosts

Netflix's newest studio is set to open in Brooklyn this September, providing another stake in the ground for the streamer's ever-growing network of production hubs around the world. The massive 170,000 square foot facility will be home to meeting rooms, editing labs and six sound stages, with enough capacity to film two TV shows at once, or one major movie project. Given that the number of projects filmed in New York has more than doubled since 2015 thanks to the state's increasing tax incentives, both entertainment and political stakeholders see the move from Netflix as an exciting next step in an already bustling industry. Lights up, Bushwick. 🎬

California isn't quite ready to give up the torch as the country's leading film & TV producer: The state's Assembly and Senate unanimously voted to pass a new bill that will inject $330 million in production incentives for projects that decide to film in the state, along with another $150 million to fund new and renovated sound stages. "By investing in the expansion and modernization of studio infrastructure, we can ensure that another generation of entertainment careers will be created in California," author of the bill Sen. Anthony Portantino said. The bill was spurred on by an unexpected surplus in the state's 2021-2022 budget passed last week, which also earmarked $50 million for immediate relief for small theaters in the state struggling to reopen in the aftermath of pandemic closures.

Across the pond, officials at UK media group Ofcom are hoping to court Netlfix into investing more in local public service programming by expanding the country's TV tax incentives. The system has already ensured Netflix enjoyed its time in the UK, given that the streamer has spent over $1 billion on shows there since first setting up shop. British media is currently undergoing a revitalization effort, led by Ofcom, that would set up protections for public broadcast networks like BBC from being completely undercut by digital offerings in the years ahead.

Movie Theaters Vying for Space in Growing Virtual Landscape

COVID-era movie releases aren't getting any less complicated, and if the growing discord among theaters is any indication, it's very possible that we're in for a long battle between when and where we'll be watching films in the months and years ago. The National Association of Theatre Owners spoke out over the weekend of the startling drop in box office numbers for Marvel's BLACK WIDOW, which many believe was the result of Disney's day-and-date release model, splitting time between theatrical releases and Disney+.

Warner Bros made headlines earlier in 2021 for announcing that HBO Max would house all of the studio's slate for the coming year, and it seems that Disney is trying their best to make themselves look like the good guy in sending BLACK WIDOW to theatres and streaming simultaneously, but not everyone is convinced. "Despite assertions that this pandemic-era improvised release strategy was a success for Disney and the simultaneous release model, it demonstrates that an exclusive theatrical release means more revenue for all stakeholders in every cycle of the movie’s life," NATO wrote in a press release, arguing that Disney needs to review its release strategies to not only spread the wealth among those who created the movie but to also combat the increasing loss of revenue from piracy.

Industry Intel

The 2021 Cannes Film Festival is officially behind us, after a star-studded week that included appearances by some of Hollywood's biggest names (keep the FRENCH DISPATCH memes coming, please), and lots of exciting up-and-coming projects to note. As one of the most high-profile festivals to feature what might be the highest in-person attendance since the pandemic began, organizers and industry analysts were keen to watch what the film landscape may look like for projects that dealt with COVID protocols in some form or another, and what it might mean for upcoming award shows later in the year and into early 2022.

The fallout for the Hollywood Foreign Press Association continued last week with the news that the owner of Golden Globes' producer Dick Clark productions - Eldridge Industries - proposed a complete restructuring of the HFPA that would prioritize transparency and inclusion moving forward. While most of the details of the reorganization remain under wraps, some HFPA members have already expressed their displeasure with the provisions, calling the plan a "total non-starter" and hinting that an eventual vote - through which a restructuring of this magnitude would need to be agreed to - would not gain enough favor to pass in its current form.

Fans of Quentin Tarantino's early work RESERVOIR DOGS may still have something to look forward to, after news that an all-Black reboot of the 90's film would not be moving forward. Tarantino is apparently considering a stage adaptation of the story, along with an already-written live version of ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD. "[I]f it’s a strong piece of material, it would work doing it any time," Tarantino said on a recent podcast interview. "It does seem timeless. And then just with a new group of actors, that would have a new life."

A sixth Dorothy dress from Judy Garland's turn in WIZARD OF OZ has been discovered at Catholic University, decades after being gifted to the school by Oscar-winner Mercedes McCambridge. The former artist-in-residence donated the dress to the school's drama department, believing it would serve as "a source of hope, strength, and courage to the students." Guess it's really not in Kansas anymore 🌈

25 tons of sand are being carted into Brooklyn Academy of Music for the U.S. premiere of SUN & SEA, an immerse new opera tackling the effects that climate change can have on a simple day at the beach. Audiences will be treated to a panoramic look at the characters' lives as they navigate conversations about the threats posed to the planet in 2021 and sand. Lots of sand. The show will run September 15-26th at BAM!

A handful of top Broadway names will headline a new musical theatre training program in NYC's Bryant Park this August. Partnering with BroadwayEvolved, BroadwayBound will provide an opportunity for emerging MT artists to work with names like Kelli O'Hara, Denée Benton, and George Salazar both in-person and virtually on the Bryant Park stage, as a way of encouraging early-career singers that have been affected by the pandemic. Theatre finds a way! 🎭

For anyone who's watched TED LASSO, you know just how charming, loveable, and endearingly honest the characters feel. Annie has become a particular fan of the show and felt that this article from Casting Networks did a wonderful job of addressing where our industry currently stands, and why the lessons from season one of TED LASSO can serve as a reminder of how far accountability, honesty and forgiveness can take us. Spoilers ahead!

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For the Love of the Theatre

In the conversations of blockbuster projects from Disney, HBO, Netflix, and the like, it's easy to forget the rich history of regional theatres throughout the US that have served as the bedrock for communities big and small over the last 100+ years. An apples-to-oranges comparison perhaps, but as someone who grew up in a small town and had access to exactly one regional theatre, it's not lost on me how important these institutions, particularly groups operating in rep, can be in the earlier years of an artist's development. My family's yearly pilgrimage to Bloomsburg Theatre Ensemble to see their Christmas show - typically in the vein of CHRISTMAS STORY, CHRISTMAS CAROL, or some other piece of classic yuletide storytelling - would leave me mesmerized by how wonderful it must be to go up on stage and do what you love every night.

An international director hailing from Ireland recently shared his love for the American regional theatre, saying that the US rep framework "epitomizes all that is best in the American theatre and offers me, as a director, actors who prepare meticulously for every role, are fully focused, highly skilled, and, once they trust the director in question, fully committed to delivering on their vision for the play in rehearsal." Ben Barnes is no stranger to the stage - he recently helmed a full symphonic production for Ireland's national broadcaster RTÉ and works frequently around the world. The result is his unique perspective: US regional theatre simply does not get its fair due.

What can be done about this lack of acknowledgment in the face of commercial institutions like Broadway, I can't say. But whenever folks are doing great work, I believe they need to be acknowledged, and this article gave me some hope that with so many theaters looking inward and making necessary changes to reflect the world we live in today, a new theatrical renaissance may very well be on the horizon. To everyone who has yet to step inside a regional theatre, I defer to Mr. Barnes' parting words: "The loss, I would argue, is theirs."

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

Producer Bruna Papandrea doesn't have time for the industry's double standards. The skyrocketing producer behind top-end projects like GONE GIRL, BIG LITTLE LIES and THE UNDOING recently chatted with Deadline about her upcoming slate of shows and movies that she has continued to breathe life into throughout the pandemic, and her desire to continue optioning female-led content in a world where some studios still see it as a box to check rather than a paradigm shift. "But as much as there’s been a groundswell for female stories, it’s still hard," Papandrea remarked. "I don’t care what anyone says, it’s still harder to sell a period piece with a woman at the center than it is with a man at the center. Apparently, men can still do anything they want!" Talk about it. 👏

There have not been any transgender characters in movies released by major studios in the last four years, a new report from GLAAD has found. Narratives involving depictions of HIV or disabilities of any kind have also been all but ignored completely, underscoring a large symptom of neglecting certain storylines all-together in Hollywood's biggest releases. "This is a critical time of transformation for Hollywood – challenged to redefine business lines and practices during a global pandemic, driven by an increased demand from consumers hungry for new content, and rocked by the rightful reckoning and pressure for these studios to create more meaningful substantive change in representing and investing in marginalized communities,\”  Sarah Kate Ellis, GLAAD president and CEO said.

UK broadcaster ITV published its own diversity report last week, originally designed as a progress report for the studio's promises made during the spike of the Black Lives Matter movement last summer. The studio is now casting diverse talent in 26% of all of the largest roles in its TV series and is featuring writers from underrepresented communities in 29% of writers room jobs. Keep the numbers moving up! 📈

Industry darling Josh Gad spoke with Variety about what viewers can expect in the upcoming BEAUTY AND THE BEAST prequel series currently in the works at Disney+. The project, centers around the early days of Gaston and LeFou's friendship. Addressing whether or not we would be receiving a coming-out story for LeFou - who was confirmed as a gay character in the 2017 live-action reboot - Gad mused, "You’re going to have to tune in when this show airs to see what we’re working up... I think that we have origin stories here that are unbelievably exciting because they’re unexpected. And I think ‘expect the unexpected’ is all I can really say." Stay tuned 🏳️‍🌈

Watch, Read & Listen

Check out American Theatre Magazine's interview with Yale School of Drama's chair of acting Tamilla Woodward and NYU Tisch's chair of grad acting Carl Cofield as they discuss their unique approaches to helming two of the world's best-known acting institutions, and how they see their positions as an opportunity to shape the next generation of theatre.

A new musical theatre festival is launching next year in Milan, Italy, and the announcement video absolutely has me in my feels. Featuring an intro by Whoopi Goldberg, artists from across the world came together to perform Magic to Do, headlined by none other than Ben Vereen. Join us in this pool of emotions, I promise it's worth it 🎩

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