If you don’t know the name Marshall Cohen, but you’ve ever loved anything to come out of anything related to MTV, you should. Marshall was one of the unsung heroes of the now 40-year-old pop culture institution and was one of the many outstanding research executives who gave credence, insight and monetization to some of … Read more
The answer, of course, is no. With hundreds of networks and dozens of streaming services to choose from, even when factoring in the staggering reality that approximately 330 million of us lived in the US today the odds of anyone sharing a viewing experience at the same time on the same channel is really, really … Read more
When I was fortunate enough to be amidst the most beautiful and creative people I had ever known at a time when they actually sort of liked me, I marveled at the dedication and diligence they put into producing audition videos. A group of professional actors who had been friends for years, sometimes even more … Read more
When virtually every other media story these days seems to be about people losing their livelihoods and institutional businesses being reimagined by economic necessity (farewell, Headline News) , any sort of story that doesn’t yet involve either is one that catches my attention. So when several celebrity news sites and, of course, Page Six devoted … Read more
We learned earlier this week what else hundreds of millions of people were doing over the Thanksgiving weekend when they weren’t watching sports or finding new ways to stretch a costly turkey into a record number of leftover meals. They were reconnecting with a little girl that they first met generations ago who has apparently … Read more
Yet another announcement of a CEO leaving a media company and a series of impending layoffs dominated my entertainment news media feed yesterday, and this one was deemed by many observers to be particularly surprising. AMC Networks CEO Christina Spade is leaving her post effective immediately, and chairman James Dolan accompanied this news in an … Read more
As a producer, particularly in the realm of reality television competitions, few have been as successful and impactful as Mark Burnett has been. For more than a quarter-century, he has created, nurtured and developed unique, emotionally charged series with life-changing stakes and a flair to cast competitors who audiences can develop attachments to over the … Read more
You may have noticed that lately things have not been going very well for me in the real world, and I haven’t been able to avoid seeing connections to bigger picture events beyond my private Idaho that somehow make me feel that somehow it’s all connected. The growing number of silent protests in China that … Read more
When I once had a falling out with my spouse, I was desperate for a suggestion for a makeup gift to get back in her good graces. Her bestie strongly suggested that I indulge in a gift I wouldn’t be able to enjoy as an act of contrition, and strongly suggested a Balenciaga handbag. She … Read more
When one experiences rejection, particularly with the frequency as I have of late, it’s often much easier to try and blame “extenuating circumstances” for one’s woes. There’s some sort of comfort in being able to reassure yourself that “it’s not your fault”. I’ve seen that behavior exhibited in plenty of recent quarterly reports and media … Read more