I’m no fan of Richard Rushfield’s, and I suspect if he even gave a rat’s ass about any opinion other than his own he’d feel even less positively about moi. Having been an executive, in his book that doubly qualifies me as a schmuck.
Rushfield is a co-founder and effective editor emeritus of THE ANKLER, an upstart competitor to Penske-dominated trade media that he and other aggrieved and stifled ex-HOLLYWOOD REPORTER contributors founded several years ago. They have come together with the help of some significant VC money to produce a publication that heavily caters to creatives, and not merely in its coverage of their projects and releases. Since the publication came of age during the dual strikes of 2023 they have dealt virtually non-stop with the changing economic tides of Hollywood–none of it particularly positive to be sure. But while his younger colleagues spend more of their time championing the accomplishments of the creator generation and giving voice to those who can’t seem to find a way to pivot into that from the entry-level gigs many had been gifted by personal connection and/or diveristy initiatives, Rushfield occupies the role of resident curmedgeon, forever pining for a golden era of Hollywood where awards ceremonies mattered and those involved in them actually took the chance to talk about their works rather than their ideologies. He’s basically Carl from UP, but he’s yet to have had the revelations from his younger colleagues that led to his own personal cleansing.
And yesterday we learned that as a byproduct of the sort of coverage he’s personally authored about L’Affaire Warnermount he’s now costing those colleagues access to information and revenue that actually can allow them not to join the ranks of those they are profiling that are now being reduced to menial jobs. Naturally, one of THE ANKLER’s equally pugnacious fellow Penske-loathers, THE WRAP, took particular glee in reporting it. Here’s Corbin Bolies’ log on this pyre:
Paramount has pulled its advertising from The Ankler after its editorial director and chief columnist, Richard Rushfield, was seen at CinemaCon on Monday with a bag of “Block the Merger” buttons. Rushfield had a picture of the buttons on his Instagram as he landed in Las Vegas for the convention. He told TheWrap that he was delivering the buttons to fellow members of the organization Future Film Coalition once he arrived at CinemaCon.
The sighting led to a conference call between Paramount representatives, Rushfield and CEO Janice Min. On the call, Rushfield said he wasn’t handing the buttons out, but was bringing them to someone else. …During the call, Rushfield maintained that he’s a columnist, though Paramount pushed back, given he also holds the title of editorial director, while Min emphasized that The Ankler is not against Paramount’s merger with Warner Bros. Discovery. Nevertheless, Paramount decided to pull advertising from The Ankler. Its employees have also been directed not to cooperate with the entertainment industry outlet until further notice.
Earlier yesterday Boiles’ colleague Adam Chitwood amplified the output of quite a few more creatives which were the apparent intended recipients of Rushfield’s trinkets:
Prominent Hollywood entertainers including Pedro Pascal, Florence Pugh and Edward Norton signed Monday’s open letter denouncing the Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery merger on Tuesday, ballooning support for the Democracy Defenders Fund effort to over 2,000 signatures in just 24 hours…”We are deeply concerned by indications of support for this merger that prioritize the interests of a small group of powerful stakeholders over the broader public good,” the letter reads. “The integrity, independence, and diversity of our industry would be grievously compromised. Competition is essential for a healthy economy and a healthy democracy. So is thoughtful regulation and enforcement.”
They are, of course, not wrong. There have been plenty such business deals and internal decisions in the past few years that have contributed to this hellscape we seem to be attempting to exist in. There will undoubtedly be more. But you don’t need to have the creative chops of these fine folks–not to mention the likes of J.J. Abrams, David Fincher, Jason Bateman, Kristen Stewart, Emma Thompson, Ben Stiller and Lin-Manuel Miranda that an earlier iteration of Chitwood’s reporting rattled off–to connect the dots as to why this particular pending transaction is in their minds a bridge too far.
Certainly, the Paramount reaction conjures up imagery of how the White House seems to deal with anyone who dare criticize anything and everything they choose to do. Rushfield all but confessed that to Boiles when he was directly asked about why he was taking a side hustle as a courier while flying on his company dime to attend a business conference:
Rushfield told TheWrap, “If it isn’t censorship, what is it? You tell me a better word. This is an issue of intense public debate. People have strong feelings. My views I have aired very publicly. What does it mean when we have town halls on this issue? Where’s the line? I’m not doing anything that is at odds with what I’ve written publicly. I’m not organizing people, I’m not directing people. I’m on the board of the Future Film Coalition.”