Innholdsfortegnelse for October 9, 2024 i The Hollywood Reporter

Succession might as well have been a documentary. The HBO series, about ruthless media mogul Logan Roy and the children who may or may not be equipped to inherit his empire, captivated audiences for four seasons. It may be over now, but the entertainment industry is still going through its own succession dramas, in some cases with a reality that is stranger than fiction. Sony’s recent CEO transition from Tony Vinciquerra to Ravi Ahuja seems to have gone off without a hitch. But that is the exception, as THR editor-at-large Kim Masters and media and business writer Alex Weprin break down what could happen next. Alex Weprin Hi, Kim — Vinciquerra’s surprisingly seamless Sony succession to Ahuja has us thinking about the poor track record that the industry has when…

John Murdy, creative director at Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios Hollywood, recalls the moment when he realized how prevalent the annual after-hours event had become. “When my first daughter was born, I was going to get diapers and had somebody come up to me and go, ‘Can I take a picture?’ I’m like, ‘Can I put the diapers down?’” says Murdy, who has built a fan following on social media and appears on TV and at the Hollywood event’s red carpets. “Now it’s everywhere, in a movie star kind of way, which is really bizarre because I do something in a theme park.” Murdy’s experience speaks to theme parks’ growing share of the $12 billion Halloween industry. Headliner attractions this year include Universal’s A Quiet Place house, which features…

OCT. 10 Creators A-List Party THR and iHeartRadio host a Creators A-List soiree for the inaugural content creators issue, presented by Meta and Coca-Cola, with a live performance by rising multihyphenate star Huddy. Project Healthy Minds events In celebration of World Mental Health Day, Project Healthy Minds holds its third annual World Mental Health Day Festival in NYC, featuring Demi Lovato (above) and Carson Daly. At night, the nonprofit will host its World Mental Health Day Gala, honoring Chance the Rapper. OCT. 11 - OCT. 13 Black Love Summit The seventh annual gathering, which celebrates and amplifies Black love in culture and storytelling, returns to L.A. with a starry lineup that includes Kerry Washington, Wayne Brady and husband-and-wife Sterling K. Brown and Ryan Michelle Bathe. OCT. 15 Victoria’s Secret Fashion…

On Aug. 23, food content creator Kevin Noparvar (known by his handle @how.kev.eats) posted a review of the newly opened Danny Boy’s Pizza in Westwood, chowing down on cheese and pepperoni slices in his car while calling it “some of the best pizza I’ve had in L.A.” The video racked up (as of press time) 2.1 million views on TikTok and another 1 million on Instagram. Cut to two weeks later, Noparvar says, “and the owner [chef Daniel Holzman] was like, ‘Dude, I had to hire more people. I could not keep up; there isn’t enough space to make as many pizzas as the orders we’re getting in.’” The creator adds, “I have story upon story upon story of these.” Food influencers are changing the way Hollywood eats, determining the…

In January, Enitza Templeton, a 41-year-old content creator and nursing assistant, was waiting in line at a food stamps center near Denver, thinking about how exactly she got there. The story had started as a fairy tale: Back in 2009, Templeton, who is Puerto Rican, married a man who shared her evangelical Christian faith and her passion for traditional gender roles in marriage. He earned the cash, she raised four kids and performed all the domestic labor. It was an arrangement she’d signed up for, one she wanted. But over time, a darker reality set in, and in 2019, she filed for divorce. She left, she says, because she was tired of feeling invisible in her own home. “I wanted to be the mom I dreamed of instead of the…

Victoria posts several times a week on TikTok, YouTube and Instagram, documenting her daily life. She vlogs her Target runs, films her hair-care routine, creates baking videos and more, all while never showing her face. “I feel like a lot of content creators who show their face have this pressure and judgment over their looks or identity,” says Victoria (@elysian.living), a woman in her 20s in New York City who asked to be referred to by her first name only to protect her identity. “I never really wanted to put my face out there.” Since launching her account in January 2023, she has amassed an audience of more than 1.9 million followers on TikTok and 2.2 million on YouTube. One of her most popular videos on YouTube, which shows herself…

In May, videos went viral from the Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes premiere in L.A. — but maybe not in the way 20th Century expected. The studio invited influencer Easton Simpson to do red carpet interviews, creating content with the film’s stars, including Owen Teague and Freya Allan. Simpson has more than 400,000 TikTok followers, which he’s largely gained from a bit where midway through his interviews, he starts mumbling, pranking his subjects who can’t understand what he’s asking. He did this with the cast, and the videos quickly blew up — more than 25 million combined views on Instagram and more than 30 million on TikTok. Backlash quickly followed. “I had more people who thought the videos were hilarious than critics who thought that it was disrespectful,”…

Influencing is serious business. The creator economy is valued at an estimated $250 billion, and this figure is projected to double in the next few years. It also has become one of the most sought-after occupations for young people and beyond. More than half of Gen Z aspires to become influencers, and 54 percent of Americans ages 18 to 60 have stated they would quit their jobs if they could make a living as a full-time influencer. Given the growing demand, higher education institutions are stepping up, from high-profile guest lecturers — e.g., MrBeast sharing the workings of his business empire with Harvard Business School students — to a more comprehensive approach. Universities from Penn State to Duke and UCLA to the University of Alabama are introducing courses, clubs and…

They’re more than financial advisers. THR’s Power Business Managers often act as confidants, fixers and, yes, therapists for their über-successful, mega-famous clients. “It’s a family relationship,” says Platinum Financial Management CEO Michael Ullman, who often starts working with clients like Margot Robbie long before they hit it big. Nearly all of the folks we spoke with for the list — compiled through a mix of research and reporting to uncover those working with the biggest names in entertainment — say they’ve been counseling clients on how to weather the unprecedented financial storm post-strikes. “Everyone’s working harder for less,” says NKSFB founding partner Michael Karlin. They’re also helping clients answer thorny questions like how to buy a house while interest rates remain high, and what the presidential election will mean for…

Chris Sanders The writer-director’s The Wild Robot cracks $100 million and counting at the global box office, marking a victory for Universal and DreamWorks Animation. Charlie Covell Despite appearing on Netflix’s top English-language charts in each of its first four weeks, the creator’s Jeff Goldblum series, Kaos, gets canceled after a single season. Colleen Hoover The best-selling It Ends With Us author sells rights to her novel Reminders of Him to Universal, which is planning an adaptation co-written by Hoover and Lauren Levine. Tony Dokoupil After a heated interview with Ta-Nehisi Coates on the Israel-Hamas war, CBS News reprimands the anchor and tells staff the exchange did not meet its editorial standards. Showbiz Stocks $592.89 (+3.1%) META (META) The social giant keeps up its stock momentum after it reveals an…

DISNEY WHAT’S NEW More villain sightings, new characters Bruno Madrigal, Dr. Heinz Doofenshmirtz and Hades, Descendants-themed DescenDANCE Party in the Magic Kingdom, and Mickey and Minnie in neon spiderweb attire. ITS EDGE Smaller park crowds, family-friendly activities and event times (for little ones’ bedtimes) add to the themed trick-or-treat trails and candy stations gifting a decent number of treats. UNIVERSAL WHAT’S NEW Late Night With Chucky live talk show, Blumhouse scare zones and terror tram experience, and an all-new slate of houses including Insidious and A Quiet Place, which feature life-size creature animatronics. ITS EDGE Leads in-house production quality and design, boasts celebrity partnerships and appearances (John Carpenter walked the carpet this year) and a diversity of ticket options to customize the experience for a more adult crowd. SIX FLAGS WHAT’S…

The Donald Trump origin movie, The Apprentice, almost didn’t make it to theaters in time for the U.S. election. The Ali Abbasi-directed film received rave reviews after its Cannes premiere in May. Simultaneously, though, reports emerged that the film’s principal financier, Kinematics — founded by producer Mark Rapaport, son-in-law of billionaire and known Trump donor Dan Snyder — had objections to a pivotal scene in the movie where a young Donald rapes his then-wife Ivana Trump. Days later, Trump’s real-life lawyers filed a cease and desist letter threatening to sue the producers and any future distributors. The only domestic distributor to step in with an offer to release the movie was Tom Ortenberg’s maverick indie outfit Briarcliff Entertainment. But Kinematics held the contractual right of approval over any distribution deal,…

Back in Hollywood’s heyday — you know, the 2000s — the town’s eateries were almost as famous as their A-list patrons. Places like Spago, The Polo Lounge and Dan Tana’s drew throngs of stars who dodged hordes of paparazzi to slip into their packed dining rooms. Not anymore. Today’s celebrities — the kind you’ll find on TikTok, Instagram and YouTube — prefer stealthier, low-key establishments. Some aren’t even restaurants at all but high-end grocery stores, gyms and coffee shops. THR talked to more than a dozen influencers and social media experts to curate this up-to-the-minute map of where tastemakers gather in 2024, not just to eat and drink but to shoot their latest posts. What we learned is that the menus matter less than a venue’s lighting and camera-ready ambiance.…

Weddings Kevin Smith, senior publicity director at HarperCollins Focus, married James Kostek, a doctor, in a New York rooftop wedding at Bryant Park Grill on Sept. 7. The wedding was officiated by a friend of the couple, actress Jane Krakowski. Births Brendan Nahmias, a senior talent manager at Whalar, and Michelle Nahmias, a TV awards consultant, welcomed Claire Belle Nahmias on July 23. Congrats Ravi Ahuja will take over as president and CEO of Sony Pictures Entertainment, replacing Tony Vinciquerra, in 2025. Fremantle’s Original Productions hired Alison Dammann as head of development and moved Jeff Bumgarner to senior vp new business development Oct. 2. James Cameron joined the board of directors of Stability AI on Sept. 24. Jonder Ho was promoted to senior vp business affairs for Universal Studio Group on…

What does it feel like to take a punch to the face from a legit boxer? Since turning his attention full time to the sport in 2020, Jake Paul, 27, has absorbed his share of them — first from fellow YouTubers, then pro athletes, then MMA fighters and now from actual boxers. “Eighty-five percent of the hits you don’t really feel — but then there’s that other 15 percent,” Jake says, munching on an omelet and a bowl of berries on the poolside terrace of his compound in Puerto Rico. The island has been home to Jake and his older brother, 29-year-old YouTuber turned WWE wrestler Logan Paul, since late 2020. Many assume it’s to avoid paying federal taxes on passive income, which the territory’s Act 60 allows as a…

Your 15 minutes are up.” That infamous comment plagues social media accounts every time someone goes unexpectedly viral and then attempts to extend the moment into a full-fledged career. Many have flamed out trying. But there’s a path to spinning virality into longevity, according to experts and influencers who have made the leap. Lindsey Gamble, an influencer marketing consultant, recommends that creators consider broadening their presence to other platforms, notably with longform content: “YouTube has the best monetization for most creators, and podcasting, too, where you can talk directly to your audience, share more about your personality, work with brands or get set up for subscriptions.” Case in point: Brittany Broski, who went viral on TikTok in 2019 with a video of her trying kombucha for the first time. Five…

It’s not often I find myself wondering if someone’s life could’ve actually been improved by spending time among the cannibalistic girl gangs of Yellowjackets. But Sweetpea protagonist Rhiannon Lewis, played by none other than Yellowjackets alum Ella Purnell, might be a rare exception. Maybe then, she would have had the chance to confront her teenage angst head-on, rather than letting it gradually metastasize to the point that serial killing starts to seem like the only release valve potent enough for her all-consuming rage. In Rhiannon’s defense, the Starz drama does make it look fun — to a point. Her path of destruction often plays as a wish-fulfillment fantasy for anyone who’s ever dreamed of getting back at a childhood tormenter, a rude stranger, an obnoxious co-worker. (Note to my THR…

Jay Hunt Creative director of worldwide video, Europe, Apple (U.K.) For one of the most influential, respected and, yes, powerful executives in international TV, Jay Hunt keeps a remarkably low profile, rarely giving interviews and keeping public appearances to a minimum. When she does, she makes them count. Few attendees to the 2016 Edinburgh Television Festival will forget her onstage evisceration of Vice Media’s Shane Smith. Mostly, though, Hunt lets her achievements speak for themselves. The Australia-born, Brit-educated exec can boast of being the only person to have run three terrestrial broadcasters in the U.K. — as director of programs at Channel 5 from 2007 to 2008, controller of flagship public channel BBC One from 2008 to 2010 and chief creative officer at Channel 4 from 2011 to 2017. At…

New York Yankees superstar and Fox Sports analyst Derek Jeter is trading in his cleats for a clapboard. The Hall of Fame shortstop has quietly launched a production company, Cap 2 Productions (a reference to his uniform number and role as Yankees captain), which he hopes will take full advantage of the burgeoning interest in sports-related content from TV channels and streaming services. “It’s not just some random company that was started because we said, ‘Hey, we want to get into production now.’ This is an extension of what has been built over the past 10 years,” Jeter tells THR in his first interview to discuss Cap 2. Jeter frames Cap 2 as an expansion of what he did with The Players’ Tribune, the athlete-focused digital publication he co-founded with…

On Sept. 26, with former teen star turned activist Demi Lovato by his side, California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Senate Bill 764, also known as the Child Content Creator Rights Act, into law. Authored by state Sen. Steve Padilla (D-San Diego), the bill is part of a growing effort to protect children in “family vlogs” by making sure they are financially compensated for their appearances. Washington State-based activist Chris McCarty, executive director of advocacy organization Quit Clicking Kids, has been pushing for the rights of child content creators since his high school senior year in 2022, when the notorious case of influencer Myka Stauffer sparked his interest. Stauffer heavily featured her adopted son on her monetized YouTube channels before “rehoming” the toddler, or placing him with another family. Although he…

Shazam! Star Commits ‘Career Suicide’ — Or Does He? When Zachary Levi stood onstage at a Sept. 28 rally in Michigan and endorsed Donald Trump, he declared it an act of “career suicide” that would end his chances of working again in “very, very liberal” Hollywood. The crowd ate it up, applauding the 44-year-old Shazam! star for his sacrifice to the MAGA cause. But in L.A., there was more than a little head-scratching. Not because Levi was endorsing a convicted felon and adjudicated sex offender — the anti-vaxxer actor has done weirder things than that, like supporting Robert Kennedy Jr. for president — but because lots of folks here had assumed Levi’s mainstream career already was all but dead. His latest big-screen venture, Harold and the Purple Crayon, was one…

Sketch comedy aficionado Druski has built a brand around the notion of “could have.” There’s Coulda Been Records, the parody talent-scouting show he started on Instagram Live during the pandemic; the Coulda Been House YouTube reality web series it spawned — which premiered in February with guest stars Snoop Dogg and Chris Brown; and Coulda Fest, his 17,000-person sold-out comedy and music festival held at State Farm Arena in Atlanta in September. But in real life, the comedian, born Drew Desbordes, doesn’t believe in what could have been. “Nothing is a mistake,” says Druski. “Everything happens for a reason. My whole life is like that.” Such has been the case for the 30-year-old who has amassed a following of more than 15 million across TikTok and Instagram with his hilariously…

Somewhere in the Frankenstein-like laboratories where computer scientists bring to life the latest marvels of AI technology, programmers are hard at work cobbling together a whole new species of social media influencer. Mightier than any human creator, able to cut through internet clutter and engage users like never before, it could turn out to be the most powerful marketing innovation in the history of online advertising. And it’ll look just like … you. In recent weeks, Meta and Snapchat have each unveiled functions that turn users’ selfies into AI-generated avatars. This itself isn’t particularly groundbreaking — there already are plenty of stand-alone sites that transform uploaded photographs into computer-generated renderings. And neither Meta (which calls its AI avatar feature “Imagined for You”) nor Snapchat (which calls its product “My Selfie”)…

With Apple TV+’s Pachinko and HBO’s My Brilliant Friend reigning as TV’s best current scripted shows, this has already been a big fall for non-English originals. La Máquina, dubbed Hulu’s first Spanish-language original series, doesn’t quite hit those creative heights. But the genre-defying underdog sports conspiracy/melodramatic comic thriller could find a bigger audience with its mostly zippy pace and array of reasonably unexpected twists — as well as its always-welcome reunion of longtime friends, collaborators and production partners Gael García Bernal and Diego Luna. Their combined star wattage easily carries this six-episode limited series. Bernal plays Esteban “La Máquina” Osuna, a Mexican boxing legend nearing the end of a decorated career after an abrupt first-round knockout. Feeling the neurological toll from more than 70 pro bouts, Esteban is looking forward…

As THR unveils its annual list of the 31 most powerful women in international television, the global industry finds itself at a crossroads. It’s been a rough year. Layoffs at nearly every studio and major production company have highlighted the overall contraction in the market and signal a broad shift in priorities away from growth at all costs to a laser focus on the bottom line. Against this backdrop, the executives on this list have had to find ways to do more with less, to restructure their business operations, question long-established practices, and create new ways forward — all without abandoning the core principles of equity and inclusion that got them this far. As the global entertainment industry continues to evolve, the leadership of these powerful women, and their vision,…

Angela Patton and Natalie Rae’s first documentary started with a Ted Talk. In 2013, Patton, who runs the organization Girls for a Change, gave a viral speech about a program she launched called Date With Dad, in which daughters and their incarcerated fathers are allowed to spend an evening together at a dance. Rae found herself moved by the story and cold-emailed Patton. “I reached out and said, ‘This would be so amazing as a documentary,’ and she wrote back and said there were quite a few people interested. I was like, ‘Oh, of course. I need to get in line.’ But I decided to just put my vision forward to her and see what happens.” That vision resulted in the documentary Daughters, which follows the fathers as they embark…