The hottest Entertainment industry Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
Category
Top Culture Topics

‘One Battle After Another’ Is Irredeemable

Common Sense with Bari Weiss • 1377 implied HN points • 13 Mar 26
🎭️ Culture Entertainment industry
  1. The movie is presented as another sign that Hollywood has fallen into moral, artistic, and creative ruin.
  2. The industry’s diversity and inclusion mandates are depicted as politicized rules that undermine artistic freedom and provoke deep resentment among filmmakers.
  3. A top auteur is imagined retaliating by staging a big prank or satirical stunt to expose and mock the petty politicking in modern Hollywood.

Miyazaki's Sherlock

Animation Obsessive • 32560 implied HN points • 12 Jan 26
🎭️ Culture Entertainment industry
  1. Miyazaki took the Sherlock Hound job during a career lull and treated it as serious creative work. He reshaped the premise into richly realized, three-dimensional worlds full of flying machines, emotional characters, and old-fashioned slapstick energy.
  2. Sherlock Hound was an Italian–Japanese co-production that ran into constant creative clashes and funding problems. Italians wanted a flatter, more commercial style while Miyazaki pushed for cinematic quality, and production stalled after a funding delay leading to his departure.
  3. Even though the series was partly shelved, the episodes Miyazaki and his team made are high-quality and influential. The project became a training ground for young talent who later worked at Studio Ghibli and helped Miyazaki grow as a filmmaker.

The War Against Indie Creators Is Now Getting Dirty

The Honest Broker • 14628 implied HN points • 11 Nov 24
🎭️ Culture Entertainment industry
  1. Apple is taking a big chunk of money from indie creators by charging them a 30% fee on subscriptions through their app. This is making it really tough for artists and freelancers to keep making a living.
  2. Google changed its search rules, harming many indie publishers and websites while favoring larger companies. This has made it hard for these smaller sites to get noticed, leading to fewer visitors and loss of income.
  3. Podcasting is becoming super popular and important for media and politics. As traditional news outlets lose influence, more people are turning to alternative media like podcasts for information.

How To Save The Movie Theater

The Discourse Lounge • 455 implied HN points • 31 Dec 25
🎭️ Culture Entertainment industry
  1. Movie theaters are disappearing because streaming and tough economics make traditional cinema business models hard to sustain, even though people still seek out big, communal movie experiences.
  2. Local governments should proactively support at least one local theater with tools like low-interest loans, bond measures, or modest taxes so a nonprofit or small operator can buy and run it.
  3. Independently run or nonprofit cinemas can succeed as community hubs that show diverse programming, draw people to nearby businesses, and justify public investment.

Do content creators need managers?

Taylor Lorenz's Newsletter • 1164 implied HN points • 23 Jul 25
💼 Business Entertainment industry
  1. Content creators are questioning the need for managers. Some creators, like MrBeast and Charli D'Amelio, have chosen to handle their business operations themselves instead of relying on management companies.
  2. A manager named Zack Honarvar believes creators should work with creative partners instead of traditional managers. His new company aims to help creators pitch ideas and collaborate in building their brands.
  3. YouTube is becoming more like traditional TV, with more viewers watching it on bigger screens. This means creators need to think about their channels as networks with various series they can pitch to brands.
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DeepSeek Turns the Cold War Hot

Common Sense with Bari Weiss • 1993 implied HN points • 28 Jan 25
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Entertainment industry
  1. A Chinese AI start-up named DeepSeek has unexpectedly affected the U.S. stock market, outpacing the popular app ChatGPT with a cheaper and potentially better product.
  2. Trump has made significant changes by repealing long-standing diversity and affirmative action programs, which has stirred much debate about the impact of these policies.
  3. A movement called MAHA is emerging, led by influencers focused on health and wellness, which represents a shift in how people approach health and nutrition in America.

Dune 2: A Denied Catharsis

Trantor Publishing • 559 implied HN points • 04 Mar 24
🎭️ Culture Entertainment industry
  1. The movie Dune 2 is seen as a standout in modern entertainment, receiving high acclaim for being one of the 'good' movies Hollywood still makes.
  2. Dune 2 stands out for taking organized religion seriously in a way rarely seen in cinema, particularly with its Islamic aesthetic portrayal.
  3. The author expresses frustration at the lack of representation of Christian themes in movies like Dune 2, highlighting the absence of Christian prophets and examples of martial virtue in popular films.

Shake-up at the Netflix Film Corral

The Ankler • 550 implied HN points • 23 Jan 24
💼 Business Entertainment industry
  1. Netflix's film strategy is unclear, making it difficult to assess success or failure.
  2. The departure of Scott Stuber from Netflix may signal a shift in corporate priorities or leadership perspectives.
  3. The role of Head of Film at Netflix is a significant one, with implications for industry impact and decision-making power.

Hollywood's Real Estate Romance is Over

The Ankler • 923 implied HN points • 07 Jul 23
🎭️ Culture Entertainment industry
  1. The Hollywood industry's writers are facing uncertainty about future work, impacting their ability to invest in real estate.
  2. The soaring real estate market prices in L.A. are making homeownership increasingly unattainable for writers and other entertainment professionals.
  3. The writer strike, combined with other factors like interest rates and taxes, is contributing to a slowdown in real estate transactions across Los Angeles.

☀️SPOTIFY Crosses 600M Users, Still Loses Money

The Ankler • 353 implied HN points • 06 Feb 24
💼 Business Entertainment industry
  1. Spotify has over 600 million users but is still facing financial losses.
  2. The NFL's expansion for the 2024 season includes a Friday game from Sao Paulo, Brazil, which is a creative move to utilize a calendar loophole.
  3. Apple TV+ is releasing a lineup of 16 scripted and documentary series within a 16-week timeframe, similar to HBO's strategies over three years.

Why I'm on strike

Read Max • 2502 implied HN points • 03 May 23
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Entertainment industry
  1. The author is on strike from their writing work due to concerns about changing compensation structures and exploitation in the entertainment industry.
  2. The strike aims to protect writers from exploitation by studios and streaming platforms, ensuring fair compensation and job stability.
  3. The Writers Guild of America is specifically addressing the potential impact of artificial intelligence on the writing profession during the negotiations.

Working for the 'King of Clubs’: My time at Stringfellow’s

London in Bits • 196 implied HN points • 22 May 23
🎭️ Culture Entertainment industry
  1. The working environment at Stringfellow's strip club was filled with intense competition and unethical practices among staff.
  2. The job entailed exploiting clients for money through various means like charging high prices for private dances and manipulating drink orders.
  3. Despite the allure of easy money, the work at the strip club led to a loss of self-identity and trust, highlighting the damaging effects of such environments.

Everybody Hates Cocomelon

Off-Topic • 558 implied HN points • 02 Feb 24
🎭️ Culture Entertainment industry
  1. Cocomelon is a massively popular children's program on YouTube with millions of subscribers and views.
  2. There is concern and controversy around the potential negative effects of Cocomelon on children's development.
  3. Cocomelon's success is driven by intentional strategies to captivate young viewers and generate profit.

Disney's ~$4B Acquisition That (Probably) Saved The Company

SatPost by Trung Phan • 79 implied HN points • 25 Jan 25
💼 Business Entertainment industry
  1. Disney made a smart $4 billion purchase of BAMTech to help launch Disney+ and compete with Netflix. This move was key for its success in the streaming market.
  2. BAMTech was originally part of MLB and became a leader in streaming technology, proving essential for Disney's various streaming services like ESPN+ and Hulu.
  3. Disney's pivot to streaming was risky but necessary, as it allowed the company to adapt to changing media trends and focus on digital content, which is now vital for its growth.

What Does Bill Ackman Want With Universal Music Group?

The Seat of Loss • 5 implied HN points • 20 Oct 25
💼 Business Entertainment industry
  1. Bill Ackman is an activist investor who believes in taking an active role to improve the companies he invests in. He aims to unlock value in investments, especially with his significant stake in Universal Music Group.
  2. Ackman's past experience with Herbalife shows how he can mix personal beliefs with investment strategies, often making headlines with his controversial methods. His desire for a strong narrative can overshadow the practical side of investing.
  3. Despite his optimism about UMG's potential, the stock performance has been disappointing since its IPO. Ackman is now trying new strategies and even adjusting his political ties to improve his investment results.

Why the UK’s Decision to Block the Microsoft-Activision Acquisition Could Hamper Future Entertainment Industry Mergers

The Entertainment Strategy Guy • 0 implied HN points • 04 May 23
💼 Business Entertainment industry
  1. The UK's decision to block the Microsoft-Activision merger could impact future entertainment industry mergers.
  2. There is a bipartisan push for stronger antitrust laws to prevent monopolies and improve competition in all industries.
  3. Antitrust considerations are becoming crucial in evaluating potential mega-mergers in the entertainment business.

Four Big TV Shows End Their Runs, Plus Avatar: The Way of Water Opens Big

The Entertainment Strategy Guy • 0 implied HN points • 07 Jul 23
🎭️ Culture Entertainment industry
  1. The Streaming Ratings Report covers popular streaming TV shows and movies from 29th May to 11th June 2023.
  2. The success of theatrical releases like 'Avatar: The Way of Water' on streaming platforms shows the impact of cinema releases on viewership.
  3. Several major TV series, including 'Succession' and 'Ted Lasso,' ended their runs in May 2023.

Back to the Holodeck

Homo Ludens • 0 implied HN points • 04 May 24
🎭️ Culture Entertainment industry
  1. The future of storytelling is about creating immersive, rich, and accessible stories that involve collaboration among various individuals and technologies.
  2. Storytelling is evolving into a collaborative world-building experience, where stories no longer belong to single creators but to a group of stakeholders with diverse backgrounds.
  3. The future of storytelling involves embracing immersive, collaborative-driven universes where fans become co-creators and stakeholders, allowing for exploration and ownership within beloved fictional worlds.

Over 140 of the Biggest TV Show Flops, Bombs and Misses for the Second Half of 2022

The Entertainment Strategy Guy • 0 implied HN points • 15 Feb 23
🎭️ Culture Entertainment industry
  1. The post lists over 140 TV show flops, bombs, and misses for the second half of 2022.
  2. The analysis covers multiple streaming platforms, highlighting notable failures and disappointments.
  3. Shows from various networks like HBO Max, Disney+, Paramount+, Netflix, Hulu, and Apple TV+ are mentioned for their underperformance.