The Writers Guild reached a deal with the AMPTP that was surprisingly swift and less dramatic than last time. Co-chair of the WGA West negotiating committee and acclaimed screenwriter @johnaugust.bsky.social tells @elainelow.bsky.social and @natjarv.bsky.social how the deal got done mrf.lu/vyy4

“Welcome to the real world.” That’s how one WGA member sums up the new deal’s healthcare changes. @elainelow.bsky.social digs into the tradeoffs, from higher costs to AI standstill and pressure on SAG-AFTRA’s next move theankler.com/p/the-wga-de...

Taylor Frankie Paul’s past domestic violence case was already public. Then new footage emerged. Days later, ABC pulled ‘The Bachelorette’ and a Hulu hit halted production. @elainelow.bsky.social explains what happened next theankler.com/p/taylor-fra...

The fight over Paramount–Warners is now shifting from Hollywood boardrooms to regulators, union leaders and politicians — and the outcome could determine what the next version of the studio system looks like. @elainelow.bsky.social has more on the merger cagematch: theankler.com/p/paramount-...

In Series Business @elainelow.bsky.social gathers candid predictions for Hollywood in 2026, including fears about AI, frustration with consolidation, and hard-earned advice for surviving a reshaped industry theankler.com/p/hollywood-...

SCOOP: United Talent Agency has dropped intimacy coordinators from its roster, @elainelow.bsky.social reports. Former clients say the move comes as less intimacy is being written into TV and film, even as the role gains new union protections. Read more: theankler.com/p/uta-united...

SCOOP: UTA Drops Intimacy Coordinator, Choreographer, Dancer Clients

As Hollywood reduces sex onscreen (Gen Z’s not interested, thanks), one worker tells me ‘less intimacy is being written’

theankler.com

Hollywood is changing faster than film schools can update their syllabi. @elainelow.bsky.social reports on professors rewriting courses around AI, vertical storytelling, and the creator economy as traditional career paths collapse theankler.com/p/hollywoods...

If you work in TV development, what’ve you been most concerned about?

The Ankler@theankler.bsky.social · 8mo ago

A Netflix–WBD tie-up has agents bracing for a new ice age in development. @elainelow.bsky.social gathered what reps are telling clients, where they see risk, and where they see opportunity theankler.com/p/not-good-a...

Adult animation is one of the few parts of TV with real buyer interest. @elainelow.bsky.social speaks with agents and insiders about Netflix’s global push, Warner Bros.’ aggressive DC plans, Amazon’s expanding slate, and Fox’s search for a longer format series theankler.com/p/adult-anim...

What was once “icky” is now essential. @elainelow.bsky.social reports how producers from Hello Sunshine to Hartbeat are using brand dollars to get shows made and how buyers’ attitudes have shifted “night and day” theankler.com/p/ad-money-e...

Hulu wants more “MomTok” chaos. Fox is reviving Fear Factor. Netflix is making Monopoly a game show. @elainelow.bsky.social charts the strange, crowded new era of unscripted TV and why agents say it’s all about who can yell the loudest theankler.com/p/outpitch-o...

“Why would anyone want that job?” Amazon insiders call the studio “miserable.” But with Peter Friedlander now leading TV, Hollywood is watching to see if the Netflix veteran can overhaul its bureaucracy and win back talent. @elainelow.bsky.social reports: theankler.com/p/how-og-net...

Disney execs are meeting with Jimmy Kimmel this week, but his crew has been told not to report to work until further notice as comedy writers and WGA leadership erupt at what they call appeasement. @snoodit.bsky.social and @elainelow.bsky.social report: theankler.com/p/hour-to-ho...

The fall TV market is moving again, but buyers want sharper pitches and fewer misses. Agents and execs tell @elainelow.bsky.social what's working at Netflix, Disney, Apple, HBO, Amazon and Peacock, and how to land deals theankler.com/p/tv-shows-s...

Netflix spends $18 billion a year on content and buys more shows than anyone else. @elainelow.bsky.social breaks down what it’s looking for now: sci-fi to fill the Stranger Things void, episodic horror, and “big funny” comedy. Plus, which execs hold greenlight power: theankler.com/p/the-tv-sho...

While The Ankler staff puts “Golden” on repeat, @elainelow.bsky.social, @seanmcnulty.bsky.social, and @natjarv.bsky.social get into why KPop Demon Hunters was such a monster hit for Netflix theankler.com/p/wbd-divorc...

And we are indeed hustling. This article is about Hollywood but I’m sure it’s applicable to other industries. Things are scary right now. But we have each other. Thank you to @theankler.com and @elainelow.bsky.social for highlighting the often-overlooked generation.

Gen X is Being Forced to Hustle. This Time with a New Career Plan

Inside their fight to keep rising as immovable boomers and contraction stand in their way: ‘Most people I know out of work are in their 50s’

theankler.com

🙏 thanks for your support!

@jorgecoolreyes.bsky.social · last yr.

I pay for two newsletters: @elainelow.bsky.social's Series Business and Rick's Too Much TV. Both are incredibly informative, especially for industry professionals--and independent of the Penske trade monopoly. I highly recommend subscribing.

My hottest take on #AndJustLikeThat is that there should be more AJLT recappers and reviewers who are actually closer in age to Carrie et al. Feels like a lot of 20-somethings who’re just like, “guess parenting and middle aging are tough sometimes? but anyway”

"Hollywood, as a community, as an industry, is built on the shoulders of immigrants." @elainelow.bsky.social appeared on KCAL News to discuss how the ICE raids are affecting Hollywood's workforce. Full conversation: www.youtube.com/watch?v=iril...

SCOOP: Paul Feig has donated $100K to the National Immigration Law Center, calling immigrant persecution “unconscionable and unacceptable”. Plus, @elainelow.bsky.social on what Apple TV+'s buying now including star-driven high-end adult shows and less edgy comedies theankler.com/p/the-shows-...

Nick DiGiovanni has the #1 arts podcast on Spotify. But he doesn’t have a podcast. It’s content from YouTube. And it’s part of Spotify’s strategy to grow ad revenue by poaching creators. More from @natjarv.bsky.social @elainelow.bsky.social & @seanmcnulty.bsky.social : theankler.com/p/ankler-pod...

ICE raids in L.A. are sending shockwaves through Hollywood’s immigrant workforce. Even workers with legal status are afraid to show up to set. @elainelow.bsky.social reports on disrupted shoots, union silence, and a city on edge: theankler.com/p/afraid-ice...

The buzzword heard up and down the Croisette: authenticity. From Cannes Lions, Janice Min and @likensubscribenews.bsky.social' @natjarv.bsky.social join @elainelow.bsky.social to consider if creators’ drive to be true to themselves will protect them from AI theankler.com/p/youtube-vs...

Is Hollywood too top-heavy to innovate? @elainelow.bsky.social talks to an anonymous veteran rep about the execs stuck in place, the ones rising fast, and why TV is “sputtering” even as new deals take shape theankler.com/p/private-th...

Actors making $40K/month. Writers pulling six figures. No studio. No union. Just vertical microdramas. @natjarv.bsky.social and @elainelow.bsky.social explore the creator economy's next gold rush, where the window to get involved is closing fast: likeandsubscribenews.substack.com/p/microdrama...

SCOOP: ReelShort tells The Ankler it’s made The Adjuster, a microdrama based on Luigi Mangione's case. @elainelow.bsky.social and @natjarv.bsky.social explore the $5B microdrama market, where actors earn big bucks, and viewers are addicted to paywalled cliffhangers theankler.com/p/microdrama...

L.A.’s sound stages are emptier than they’ve been in years. With episodic TV in decline, studios are pivoting, from live boxing to bat mitzvahs. @elainelow.bsky.social investigates what’s next for Hollywood’s once-busiest lots theankler.com/p/la-sound-s...

The Mannings did musical theater. Netflix brought out NFL commish Roger Goodell in a Santa suit. ESPN announced a new streaming service. This year’s Upfronts proclaimed: If you’re not pivoting to sports, ads, or AI, your job might be, says @elainelow.bsky.social theankler.com/p/what-upfro...

they're calling it hbo max again and what i want more than anything is a recording of whatever soundproofed closet casey bloys went to scream inside when the decision was made