Subscribe on Apple PodcastsRob Long once walked into a packed table read for a Paramount show airing on CBS, only to learn that Paramount had announced it was buying the network that very morning. Suddenly, every exec who feared for their job materialized, bringing tension, chaos and definitely not enough doughnuts. It’s hard not to picture a similar scene at Warner Bros. right now as Netflix scrambles to outmaneuver Paramount. But while bosses barricade themselves in conference rooms and pray for synergies that never happen, creatives shouldn’t wait for rescue. In the worst possible moment to be in this business, the best move is the simplest one: Make something. Go to YouTube, Instagram, wherever your work can live today. Because Hollywood isn’t coming to save you. You’re going to have to save yourself. Transcript here. Got a tip or story pitch? Email tips@theankler.com ICYMI from The AnklerThe Wakeup Minka Kelly Xmas, Norwegian trolls rule Netflix films 12 C-Suite Execs on the ‘Existential’ Fallout of a Warners Deal and the ‘Least Bad’ Outcome Private whispers about 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 Rushfield’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 Jarvey talked with the TikTok and Tubi star, and the Dancing With the Stars Olympian (who slips she has a big Nike announcement coming) WORLD WAR WARNER BROS.! People like Netflix, writes Richard. But they can’t have this (and neither can Paramount) ‘NOT GOOD’: Agents’ Alarm as Netflix-WBD Stokes Panic, Fears of a Market Pause Reps talk to Elaine about what they’re telling clients, mounting questions and even a bright side: ‘Where there’s chaos, there’s opportunity’ ‘It Can Be Stopped’: Fighting Back Against the ‘Bad Faith’ Netflix-Warner Bros. Deal Richard, monopoly expert Matt Stoller and former FTC commissioner Alvaro Bedoya break down what’s really driving the merger bid 5 Burning Qs: What The Netflix-Warners Bombshell Means for Creatives, Execs & Shows The deal would put showrunners, revered execs & piles of priceless IP under one roof. It’s going to be messy, Lesley Goldberg reports The WBD Deal Puts Hollywood, and Democracy, at Risk EXCLUSIVE: In a special op-ed, Jane Fonda writes that the proposed Warner Bros. sale should terrify anyone who cares about a free society 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 5 Globes Takeaways: Wicked Woes, Neon Lights & Netflix Mysteries Katey Rich on the Golden Globe nominations; plus Nicholas Britell talks Jay Kelly 5 Trends from Award Season’s Busiest Week Yet One Battle rules, Train Dreams keeps chugging and who could still come from behind. Plus: Katey talks to Will Arnett & John Bishop about Is This Thing On? 🎬 WGA Prez’ Dire Warning on Netflix-WB: ‘We Know How This Movie Ends’ Michele Mulroney tells Elaine Low about the inevitable ‘self-dealing,’ the ‘distressing’ time for guild members and what writers can do now 🎬 Freddy’s 2 Leads Box Office to Record Heights — Hollywood is Fine! Special guest Roy Price joins Richard and Sean McNulty to talk the good (Freddy’s, Zootopia 2) and bad (everything else) as WBD hangs in the balance 🎬 Rushfield Lunch: Winnie Holzman’s Wish for a Less Wicked World The acclaimed film, TV and stage writer is ‘devastated’ that the hit musical’s depiction of a nation under despotism feels so ‘relevant’ to current headlines 🎬 Netflix-WBD Panic & Chaos in a Hollywood ‘Looking for Some Answers’ The dominant streamer’s $83B acquisition of Warner Bros. studio and streaming assets would heap new burdens on entertainment workers 🎬 How F1 Captured Brad Pitt Driving 200 MPH in a Formula 1 Racer Oscar-winning cinematographer Claudio Miranda explains the challenges of shooting the Apple racing drama: ‘We had to make cameras’ 🎧 Jeremy Allen White ‘Went Crazy’ to Play Bruce Springsteen. It Paid Off The actor, a freshly minted Golden Globe nominee, on playing The Boss and why sometimes it’s good to meet your heroes 🎧 Wagner Moura Believes ‘Empathy’ Always Beats Tyranny The Secret Agent star, a top best actor contender, tells Katey about knocking away stereotypes and waiting out Brazil’s Bolsonaro More from Ankler MediaNew 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: Granny vs. Goliath, a Real-Life Reacher and Blade Runner for the VR Era |



