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David Zaslav Jack Donaghys his way through managing Cartoon Network

Warning: I make multiple 30 Rock references in this newsletter

October 14, 2022

Programming Note

I got my Covid booster this week, and the side effects kept me up ALL night Wednesday. As much fun as a sleep-deprived newsletter might have been, I decided to hold off and send this thing out on Friday. But it occurred to me, “perhaps Friday is a better day for folks?” So…

Platform Updates

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The Rest of Meta 

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Google 

Microsoft 

Snap 

Reddit

Culture Movers 

Film & TV

Creator Economy 

The Demise May or May Not Be Exaggerated 

Let me start by explaining this comic. Earlier this week, Twitter account and animation news outlet Cartoon Brew posted this story: 

Which turned out to be a bit, let's say, overblown in its framing.

This kind of thing happens all the time online, especially on Twitter. 280 characters and a link preview card is just not a lot of space to convey information, even if you aren’t trying to elicit an emotional reaction with questionable reporting (which is also a thing that happens a lot on Twitter). So while the chaos of hot takes and rage tweets that followed each layer of this story is not surprising, I think it’s worth stepping back from the specifics of this studio announcement to understand why everyone was so ready to believe this version of the story, why so many people are scared about the future of the entertainment industry right now. 

The expansion and contraction cycle of this industry is at an inflection point. We’re exiting the era of new streaming services popping up and funding a range of projects to see what sticks. Big players like Netflix are hitting market saturation and need another story to tell about the health of their business besides user growth. Queue lockdowns on password sharing, expansion into different models (ad-support), experiments in new industries (gaming), and budget cuts. All of this is, for better or worse, a natural part of a market. And while much of it sucks by itself, it probably wouldn’t feel like the existential crisis you see some folks treating this moment as. The X factor here is that people really don’t trust the suits. 

This distrust isn’t exactly new either (go watch 30 Rock Season 2 Episode 4 featuring Carrie Fisher), but there’s a definite feeling when you look at entertainment news conversations that folks don’t trust today’s studio and streaming platform exces to get even the basics of this industry. And I don’t think they are wrong. Take, for example, Warner Brothers Discovery’s decision to cut, then quickly reverse course, their writing and directing workshops. These kinds of workshop programs are an important part of how studios find and nurture emerging talent, especially from historically marginalized communities. They are also required by certain union agreements. Announcing you’ll axe this kind of program only to quickly reverse course after a not-so-gentle nudge from a critical industry union reeks of inexperience in the space. 

David Zaslav, the head of Warner Brothers Discover (which owns Cartoon Network), is an especially dubious character if you are worried about soulless suits making short-sighted money moves that crippled long-term creative and financial output. He’s notorious for not really liking scripted content. Since acquiring Warner Brothers and grafting into the Frankenstein-hydra that is Warner Brothers Discovery, there has been a slew of show cancelations and staffing cuts.

So back to the webcomic. Are folks overreacting to every minor change at beloved animation studios and jumping to the worst possible conclusions? Yea. Is there a good reason to be worried about the powers that be at heavily consolidated entertainment industry firms wrecking the new toys they just acquired? Probably. Again, the 1,000-foot view of these dynamics isn’t new. You could argue that 30 Rock is primarily a reaction to GE doing this same thing to NBC a… (I refuse to do the math on how long ago the 30 Rock premier was now that I’m in my mid-30s) ago. For the people who love and make the art that goes into these shows and movies, that just isn’t very comforting. No one wants to watch Sheinhardt Wig Company originals or work on them either.

Leg Lies

I can not get over the hype around Meta’s VR chat room finally getting legs, followed by the reveal that the legs aren’t actually ready yet. I’m worried about if there’s enough to do in the metaverse to justify buying one of these things. Or if wearing it for very long will make me motion sick or give me neck pain. But legs.