May 26, 2021
This week’s big merger news was… nope, not Jeff Bond (Amazon buying MGM soon), but rather… wait for it… KinoLorber buying Artsploitation. I’ve been predicting the coming merger-palooza for quite some time, even before covid hit, but it’s taken awhile among the indie crowd. Kudos to Richard Lorber for being smart enough to think like Zaslav (Discovery) and apply scale to the arthouse sector, because we need more of that thinking, and he did it without wearing a sweater vest, as Richard’s too hip to be caught dead in one of those.
Seriously though, as I said last week, we need a lot more of this big-picture thinking, because I fear we’re fighting many important battles, but not realizing we’re in a bigger war. Look, I’m all for a producer’s union (and I’m part of it because I believe in it), and I know we need more diversity at PBS, and behind the camera, and we need to talk about gatekeepers, and we need credit guidelines for doc producers, and so on and so forth. And yes, I get the idea of needing more small businesses and the value of a (little d) diversity of voices in production, distribution, exhibition and platforms for film. And these battles need to be fought and I will support them every day. And I also realize that it’s a privilege to be able to think about the “big picture” because I’m not just fighting to be recognized, to keep my org’s doors open, or to survive. But…
If you step back, take the 30K ft view or whatever, the war we’re in the middle of here is one for attention, and mattering at all in the culture as it changes to one that is much more participatory, audience and fan driven, and in general more focused on anything and everything NOT a film or a show. As the larger audience shifts their attention to things like gaming, TikTok, Roblox, getting back with friends and family, and maybe a Marvel film here and there. And as the streamers chase subscribers – increasingly outside of the US and Europe mind you (and that’s also good in many ways), and focus on episodic, blockbusters and “reality,” and for our interests here – less on acquisitions of anything not at Sundance/Cannes/Telluride. And as even the mid-tier distributors shift to pre-buys and buying global rights. And all of this meaning a death of the equity model that has supported this sector. And as the conglomerates merge – because they’re also facing this mess – and start to wonder why they would support anything that doesn’t bring in $100M or more. And as the executives at all the gems within the conglomerates get the f- out of town (see Gary Knell, or Gilula/Utley, or even Ted Hope, and… well, there are some people I could name, but they’d be pissed for me mentioning them, so… and so on), and the new suits start to wonder why they were funding these award-winning films if no one watches awards. And… you should get the point by now.
We need to come together. Right now. And figure out how the F- we get folks to give a damn about anything we’re making, and get to keep making it into the future. And that probably means a lot more collaboration, and big ideas, and even mergers, in a sector that is so independent that we’ve split the audience into a thousand little fiefdoms instead of aggregating them into the kinds of eyeball farms we need. This kind of collaboration is anathema to almost everyone in the business, except maybe the documentary sector, which has been so abused for so long that they’ve been collaborating more for awhile. But we need something bigger.
We have some great coalitions already – the Arthouse Convergence, the Film Festival Alliance, BGDM, the Doc Producers Alliance, the Producer’s Union. These are all great and should continue. But we probably need a bigger tent, and a place to come together to look at the bigger picture and solve for the future. This is happening in the business world around climate change, where you have exciting new initiatives like The Climate Pledge. (full disclosure, they are a client) There, you have a lot of very competitive companies putting aside that part of their DNA, and are collaborating for change, because it’s too late to do anything less. The world is at stake.
We need a similar coalition in the film world that focuses on working together to save the films and film jobs we (presumably) all love. The issues that are forcing Discovery to buy Warner (but somehow aren’t forcing Stankey to lose job, sorry, but I can’t let this go) are also hitting the entire film sector – from Hollywood down to IndieWood down to Low/No-Budg, over to arthouse and “foreign” and “specialized” and every which way to Sunday. In this environment, we need to join together – while still fighting those other battles, and figure out whether any of us get to keep doing any of this much longer, and if so, how?
I think there are lots of great stories still waiting to be told – hopefully, by a more diverse set of creators. And there is an audience that wants to see them on some sized-screen. And thanks to modern technology, we can aggregate these audiences across time zones, curate what they want and even let them become more directly engaged in what gets made, seen and talked about. But we need new business models, and we need more transparency into what works, and more collaboration or outright merging. I’d like to read a hundred more headlines like the one this week about KinoLorber’s acquisition of Artsploitation, and be part of a dozen more conversations about ways we can work together towards some bigger goals. And if we can get around to doing this, it might just make for a great story, and ensure that others continue to get told.
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Film
Public Media Must Center BIPOC Filmmakers and Stories to Stay Relevant: A must-watch panel focused on the ongoing debate about the lack of diversity in management, programming and stories at PBS. From the organizers: Last Thursday, May 20th, Firelight Media and the Center for Asian American Media (CAAM) presented a special edition of the Beyond Resilience Series at CAAMFest 2021 – “More Than One Lens.”
Emmett Till. Grace Lee Boggs. Roberto Clemente. Miles Davis. Rashida Tlaib. These names and their stories were brought to public media audiences by Grace Lee, Stanley Nelson, Cameo George, and Bernardo Ruiz, who combined have directed and produced more than 50 documentary films that reflect the breadth, diversity, and visions of BIPOC communities, movements, and masters. This panel discussion brings together acclaimed documentary filmmakers and public media executives for a discussion about the necessity of “more than one lens” – how independent filmmakers like Lee, Nelson, and Ruiz have built their careers within public media; why public media must center BIPOC filmmakers and stories in order to stay relevant; and how BIPOC leadership is shaping the future of public media.
 Hosted by: Marcia Smith, President, Firelight Media; Moderator: Donald Young, Director of Programs, Center for Asian American Media (CAAM); Panelists:
- Stanley Nelson, Filmmaker, Co-founder, Firelight Media & Firelight Films
- Grace Lee, Filmmaker
- Bernardo Ruiz, Filmmaker
- Cameo George, Executive Producer, American Experience
Kinema Launches: This just in as I was writing this newsletter, but Kinema has finally launched to the public. Kinema was founded by Christie Marchese, who was one of the founders of PictureMotion, which has been a leader in the impact screenings sector. Kinema helps to enable more community and nontheatrical screenings, both online and offline - think everything from a bar hosting a screening to a zoo - literally, and creating a network of alternative venues and new ways for audiences to connect to films. Or just read their press release, turned into this article in the Hollywood Reporter. Apologies for the snark, because I like Kinema, but the original article even had formatting issues from the cutting and pasting that were pretty funny. And I say finally because this has been in a semi-public beta for awhile. Kudos to the team.
Movie Posters Still Matter: According to a nice piece in Mediapost by Les Luther titled, "Posters Still Drive Movie Marketing: An Appreciation." Massey Rafani, Warner Bro’s executive vice president, remarked in an online discussion that movie poster designers are “an anonymous and underappreciated group in advertising.” The takeaway according to Sub-Genre's Gabriel Schillinger-Hyman: "In a world governed by the visual, when looking to disseminate content, filmmakers and other creators should turn to some of the most iconic, game changing movie posters for answers."
What WarnerMedia-Discovery's Merger Means For HBO Max and Discovery+ - Bottom line - expect a bundle. nalysts expect WarnerMedia-Discovery to be ready to go to market with a bundle within the first year of closing the merger deal in mid 2022. “The game here is going to be all about bundling,” Tuna Amobi, a media and entertainment analyst at the firm CFRA Research, told Adweek. “The value proposition is going to be to figure out a way to offer a comprehensive bundling package for consumers that allows them to subscribe at a reduced cost than if they had to subscribe separately.” Adweek has the news.
But more importantly, HBOMax/Warner/Discovery is Already for Sale: This thread says it all:
Post in Black Podcast: My friend Eric Johnson of Trailblazer Studios alerted me to this podcast they're helping with - Post in Black, which "celebrates Black excellence behind the lens" in roles other than director/producer. As he pointed out, many people of color entering the business aren't aware of the myriad roles that might be available to them because they don't see themselves represented at film fests, awards shows, trade shows, etc. The podcast aims to showcase talent in these other roles, such as editing, color, sound, and other positions. Check it out.
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Branded Content
Disney Calls For Every Upfront Deal To Have Multicultural Commitments: Disney came out with a big announcement in support of diversity. They'll be requiring more diversity at their agencies/prodcos, and have other diversity measurement solutions. One solution is called the Disney Culture Index, “which measures cultural resonance in branded content and advertising. It will score and optimize based on inclusive casting, cultural relevance and business outcomes, among other qualifiers.”Other solutions include the Onyx Collective, “a content brand for creators of color on Hulu” and Voices of Change, “an entertainment, sports and news hub centered on diverse life in America.” Adage has the news.
HBO Max’s Ad-Supported Tier Will Debut in Early June at $9.99 a Month, which is $5 less than their ad-free tier. Adweek has the news, but that they don't cover is what everyone has been talking about behind the scenes - that this will open up the gates for more brand content deals - sponsored shows/series/films without ads, or less of them, brought to you by brand X. It's also a sign that the streamers - other than Netflix - know that a lot of audiences are getting tired of paying too much for their "new tv."
What Buyers Want From Content Marketing: A new Contently report shows that "Branded content has gone mainstream.” A survey of 1,072 Americans across all demographic markers reveal a high level of engagement with and trust in brands. “74% of respondents are more likely to buy something from a brand after reading a story about the positive impact they’re having on the world” and “63% of the public trusts brands more than media companies or traditional news outlets.” “A clear majority of U.S. adults (63 percent) now trust brands more than traditional media outlets. In isolation, this is good news for marketers. But it also may be bad news for the civic health of the country.” In other findings: “80% of people read, watched, or listened to a piece of content from a brand in the last year; .. Video (30%) is the content format people enjoy the most, followed by visual content, such as memes and photography (28%), and then text (25%); and only 26% of respondents trust influencer marketing.” Teicher says, “Invest in influencer marketing at your own risk.”
How Bank of the West Is Rewriting the Finserv Content Playbook With Sustainability Storytelling: In a great piece for Contently, Joe Lazauskas covers how Bank of the West is approaching storytelling, and I think it has lessons for many brands, not just finance companies. Bank of the West runs a website called Means and Matters (https://meansandmatters.bankofthewest.com) that harnesses long-form narrative content on environmental sustainability, food insecurity, and other meaningful topics. Their objective? “[To inspire] conscious consumers to think about where they put their money, and why using Bank of the West would help align their finances with their values.” Takeaway: The audience that Means and Matters has grown over time provides an example of the value of original storytelling for brands.
Condé Nast and Verizon Media Are Swapping Content for Ad Tech: Adweek reports: “Condé Nast brands, including Glamour and Vanity Fair will soon create video content for the Life and Entertainment verticals of Yahoo’s digital properties, allowing Condé Nast to reach more people and providing Yahoo with a much needed online video inventory…. In return, Verizon Media's ad-tech unit will build products to further Conde Nast's monetization efforts. This deal will see video and native ad inventory from Condé Nast sites available within Verizon Media’s supply-side platform.”
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Miscellany:
NFT Tease: Early Majority's new newsletter recounts their mixed experiences in launching their first NFT experiment, which was the cool gif above from Stefan Kjartansson, a well known graphic designer who I've worked with in the past.
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