→ You can now listen to all Ankler stories in the Substack app. Just hit the “play” arrow at the top right of the screen. Hollywood’s Breaking Faster Than Film Schools Can Teach It. Inside the Scramble to Keep UpProfessors are rewriting syllabi on the fly as studios melt, algorithms rule and screens go vertical: ‘Entertainment changes at the speed of light. Universities do not’
I write about TV and host Ankler Agenda with Elaine Low. I reported on agents’ concerns about a market chill amid the war for Warner Bros., covered the hot adult animation market and wrote about sports doc fatigue. Something you want to hear about on Ankler Agenda — Warner Bros. tea, what’s next in the creator economy, box office 2026? Email me at elaine@theankler.com, and your mailbag question might be featured on a holiday episode!
Hollywood can’t agree on what it’s becoming — only that it’s changing fast. In just the past week, Netflix and Paramount plunged into a bruising tug-of-war over Warner Bros. that will permanently reshape the studio business (I got top agents’ take on a potential deal, and Lesley Goldberg spoke to C-suite studio execs about their concerns), while Disney quietly signed a $1 billion pact with OpenAI that opens the door for AI-generated videos starring Mickey Mouse, Cinderella, Lilo and Stitch, Marvel heroes, and Star Wars icons. Even the people running the industry can’t say with confidence what the job landscape will look like a year from now. Now imagine trying to teach it. Across the country, film schools and drama programs are scrambling to prepare students for an entertainment business that no longer runs on pilots, or even horizontal screens. In a world where TV shows are watched entirely on phones, and AI threatens to become as integral a part of the movie-making process as knowing how to light a set or operate a camera, cinematic arts and drama schools aren’t always equipped to move nimbly. “There’s an innate tension between academia and innovation,” says Stephen Galloway, dean of Chapman University’s Dodge College of Film and Media Arts. “The entertainment industry changes at the speed of light. Universities do not.” That tension is now turning into a full-blown identity crisis at some of the nation’s top film and drama schools — one that has professors rewriting syllabi on the fly, students (and parents) questioning what they’re paying for, and schools quietly asking a troubling question: Are we training artists for a Hollywood that no longer exists? For today I spoke to Galloway, University of Cincinnati acting and voice professor D’Arcy Smith, who is going all in on teaching microdrama acting, and University of Southern California Prof. Tomm Polos, who’s bringing creator-economy ideas and tactics to drama students. What you’ll find out:
This column is for paid subscribers only. Interested in a group sub for your team or company? Click here. For full access and to continue reading all Ankler content, paid subscribers can click here.
Got a tip or story pitch? Email tips@theankler.com ICYMI from The AnklerThe Wakeup Disney’s McCay MIA, Freddy’s big dip Rob Reiner and a Terrible Weekend The shocking deaths of the director and his wife, Michele Singer Reiner, cap two days that reveal a world stripped of humanity, writes Richard Rushfield A Writer’s Guide to Loving the Netflix–Warner Bros. Deal Joel Stein wonders, what’s the worst that could happen? SCOOP: Netflix and iHeart Near Podcast Deal; Videos to Be Pulled From YouTube Natalie Jarvey reports that about 20 shows are covered in the agreement TV in 3: HBO’s Horny Hockey Hunks Go Viral; CBS Showrunner Scramble Plus: Starz’s Shohei Ohtani home run Ellison’s Warner Bros. Bid: A One-Man Toxic Spill Our newest studio chief’s debut keeps getting worse, Richard writes When Mickey Met Sam Altman — and What It Means for Every Other Studio Now Scorched by the Streaming Wars, Bob Iger won’t let Mickey Mouse be steamrolled by Big Tech again, writes Erik Barmack 12 C-Suite Execs on the ‘Existential’ Fallout of a Warners Deal and the ‘Least Bad’ Outcome Lesley Goldberg reports on why the acquisition could be as destabilizing for the buyer as it is for the rest of Hollywood Small-Town Theaters vs. Studios: ‘It Doesn’t Feel Like the Industry Wants Us to Survive’ Cinema owners tell Matthew Frank the two-week mandatory run for movies is crushing them The 9 Most Fearless Creative Decisions in Hollywood 2025 Introducing Richard’s Boldness Awards! Plenty of people had guts this year, if you knew where to look Jordan Chiles + Noah Beck Reveal the New Playbook for Sports, Stardom & Social Natalie talked with the TikTok and Tubi star and the Dancing With the Stars Olympian (who slips she has a big Nike announcement coming) Rob Reiner, Hollywood Mensch; Emily Blunt on the Emotional Toll of The Smashing Machine The Oscar nominee also tells Katey Rich about the great note she got from Christopher Nolan Delroy Lindo on the Sinners Note Ryan Coogler Gave Him That Changed Everything Plus: Dreaming of Sundance and next year’s contenders (already) Voices, Chants, Pain: Amanda Seyfried & Daniel Blumberg on The Testament of Ann Lee ‘I made sounds I’d never heard in a film,’ the actress tells Rob LeDonne regarding her collab with the Oscar-winning composer 🎬 New from Ankler Studio! Joel Edgerton Had Twins. Train Dreams Channeled His Emotions About Parenthood Main Character, our new video series about the best lead performances in film and TV, debuts with the Australian actor 🎬 ‘Make Movies Better’: Roger Deakins & James Ellis Deakins’ Blunt Words for the Industry The married couple and Team Deakins podcast hosts talk with Richard about the future of the cinematic experience 🎧 Tick, Tick: The 10-Day Siege of Warner Bros. Begins The hostile bid from the Saudis, Kushner & Ellison has a deadline on it. But it likely won’t end there. Plus: Katey on awards season 🎧 Charlie Hunnam: ‘Purpose is Derived From Doing Something Very, Very Difficult’ The Monster star earned rave reviews — and award noms — for playing serial killer Ed Gein. But he tells Katey he’s got his eye on a next act 🎧 Jeremy Allen White ‘Went Crazy’ to Play Bruce Springsteen. It Paid Off The actor, a freshly minted Golden Globe nominee, talks to Katey about playing The Boss and why sometimes it’s good to meet your heroes More from Ankler Media
New from Natalie Jarvey’s creator economy newsletter: Patreon’s CEO on Poaching Substack Stars — and Why Meta Feeds Are Headed for Full AI Netflix’s Pod Pitch Lands Flat; Fox Comes for YouTube; Yeezy Alum Drops New App
Andy Lewis’ latest IP picks: A Beef-Like Revenge Thriller & The Secret History meets Alice in Wonderland Granny vs. Goliath, a Real-Life Reacher and Blade Runner for the VR Era
|
