Podcast
Ankler Agenda
Hosted by TheAnkler.com · EN
"Ankler Agenda" breaks down the headlines, trends and creativity shaping the evolution of Hollywood, the creator economy and entertainment.
The show is hosted by Elaine Low, author of Ankler Media’s popular “Series Business” Substack newsletter, who is joined weekly by her colleagues Sean McNulty (“The Wakeup”) and Natalie Jarvey (“Like & Subscribe”) -- in addition to Richard Rushfield, the Ankler himself. Episodes will also be available every Thursday on YouTube.
36episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Can L.A.’s Next Mayor Save Hollywood?
6d ago00:32:51Tap to summarizeAngelenos are on the clock. The Los Angeles mayoral election is set for June 2, and even those who don’t live in SoCal should pay close attention to the outcome. Hollywood is taking center stage in a way it rarely has before as local production plummets, jobs shrink and frustration ripples through the city. Has Mayor Karen Bass done enough? Could City Councilmember Nithya Raman or former reality TV villain Spencer Pratt (and his surprising donor list) shake things up? Richard Rushfield joins Elaine Low and Natalie Jarvey to break down what each major candidate has said about the film and TV industry and whether anyone at City Hall can save L.A. production. Come for the voters’ guide, stay for Richard’s tale about interning for Mayor Tom Bradley. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Spidey, Nolan, Spielberg — Hot Movie Summer Is Here
2w ago00:30:29Tap to summarizeThe summer box office is already popping, with The Devil Wears Prada 2 and Michael raking in millions before Memorial Day — and with new movies coming from Christopher Nolan, Steven Spielberg, Marvel, Pixar and A24’s youngest director ever, it feels like the industry might have its best summer since 2019. (Even if The Mandalorian and Grogu fails to launch.) Elaine Low, Sean McNulty and Natalie Jarvey make their picks for the season’s biggest hits in Ankler Agenda‘s first-ever summer box office draft (fantasy football-style), as they predict the next top performers of the summer. Plus: With President Trump voicing support for The Hills alum Spencer Pratt in his run for mayor of Los Angeles — “I’d like to see him do well” — and Pratt gaining ground among the Hollywood elite, the town gets closer to seeing the reality show president push the reality show mayoral candidate to the top (or is it bottom?) of the food chain. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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BONUS EP: Markiplier, M3GAN and the Scary-Smart Business of Horror
2w ago00:41:45Tap to summarizePeople still want to be scared out of their minds together, and Atomic Monster president Michael Clear, M3GAN writer Akela Cooper and YouTuber-turned-filmmaker Mark Fischbach (aka Markiplier) are all in the business of giving audiences those thrills. Their conversation, which was moderated by Like & Subscribe’s Natalie Jarvey on the Ankler’s Business of Media and Entertainment Stage at NAB Show in April, also highlights how horror is opening new doors into Hollywood. Fischbach details how fan demand helped boost his self-distributed film, Iron Lung, to $50 million at the global box office, while Clear points to more YouTube creators like Backrooms filmmaker Kane Parsons disrupting Hollywood's horror pipeline. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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TV’s YouTube Era Wags the Upfronts’ Dog
3w ago00:37:05Tap to summarizeIt’s the end of Upfronts week, better known as Hollywood’s annual pilgrimage to woo Madison Ave. Formerly about broadcast TV schedules, Upfronts has become a showcase for a much stranger, fragmented TV future: creators, podcasts, live sports, live events, movies, dog shows and, yes, lots of AI, the cringe buzzword of the week (and jeez, sorry, scripted). Elaine Low, Sean McNulty and Natalie Jarvey break down the major themes from Disney, Netflix, WBD and others, including top living room streamer YouTube, whose competing Brandcast cast a long shadow over the festivities — and the choices highlighted on rivals’ stages. The gang also crowns the best and worst celeb cameos (Anne Hathaway, Mia Hamm and Matthew Stafford), musical performances (Olivia Rodrigo, Maren Morris and Kacey Musgraves) and, of course, ad pitches. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Disney's Super App Era Arrives. What Does It Mean?
4w ago00:29:58Tap to summarizeQuarterly earnings season isn’t just MBA word salad. Earnings calls are where Hollywood’s biggest companies tell Wall Street what matters most — and where employees often learn what’s really happening inside their own studios. This week, Disney, Warner Bros. Discovery and Paramount reported earnings, and Elaine Low, Sean McNulty and Natalie Jarvey break down what the companies are signaling about the future of Hollywood: Disney’s “super app” ambitions, the industry’s AI push, vertical video and what the looming Warner-Paramount merger could mean for the business. Plus: What did new Disney CEO Josh D'Amaro reveal in his first earnings call from the C-suite? And what does Warners have planned as it exits the stage? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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The Fight For Wasserman Intensifies
Apr 3000:31:14Tap to summarizeThe agency formerly known as Wasserman — made infamous in recent months by founder Casey Wasserman’s flirtatious emails with Jeffrey Epstein accomplice, Ghislaine Maxwell — is up for sale. So who wants it? Elaine Low, Sean McNulty and Ashley Cullins break down the bidders, the stakes for the representation business and what the multibillion-dollar price tag reveals about the industry — and who has the juice. Plus, Kimmelgate 2.0: The FCC goes after Disney, and Paramount discloses just how foreign-funded a combined Paramount-WBD could be. (Hint: a lot!) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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L.A.’s Mayoral Race Becomes a Fight for Hollywood Jobs
Apr 2300:33:13Tap to summarizeThe entertainment industry’s economic and existential tailspin is playing out on the political stage, as Los Angeles’ mayoral candidates curry favor with the Hollywood set before the June 2 primary. Incumbent Karen Bass, city council member Nithya Raman and former The Hills star Spencer Pratt aren’t wooing the A-list, but the rank-and-file of an industry being squeezed by runaway production. Elaine Low, Sean McNulty and Ashley Cullins break down the crisis and — finally! — the growing bidding war between California, New York, New Jersey and beyond as states fight to keep film and TV projects in the U.S. Plus, Natalie Jarvey gives us the NAB Show recap, and the crew contemplates what comes next for WarnerMount. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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BONUS EP: The TV Chiefs Who See Microdramas As the Future
Apr 2000:50:54Tap to summarizeEveryone talks about taking big swings again, but few Hollywood execs feel like they’re actually in a position to do it — without fearing for their jobs. But former Showtime head Jana Winograde and ex-Warner Bros. Television pres Susan Rovner are greenlighting shows from the backseats of cars and searching for new talent right out of film school, after making the leap from legacy TV to microdramas with aTwist (nee MicroCo), a vertical series app backed by Chris McGurk-led Cineverse and former WME chair Lloyd Braun. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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The Merger Drama That Won’t Stay in Vegas
Apr 1600:34:16Tap to summarizeDuring Warner Bros.’ supersized CinemaCon presentation in Las Vegas, the studio’s sale to Paramount went unmentioned — even as it touted a theatrical slate stretching into 2028. But the contentious merger was impossible to ignore, dominating chatter across the convention floor and even inadvertently pulling The Ankler into the mix thanks to what’s now being dubbed “pin-gate.” Elaine Low, Sean McNulty and Natalie Jarvey break down the drama, along with the biggest takeaways from this year’s theatrical showcase. Plus, the trio is joined by special guest John August — Big Fish and Corpse Bride screenwriter and co-chair of the WGA West negotiating committee — to go inside the guild’s surprisingly swift deal with the studios. He unpacks the WGA’s divisive bargaining agreement now up for a vote, including major changes to the healthcare plan, and addresses the criticism head-on. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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The WGA’s Surprise Deal — SAG and DGA, You’re Up
Apr 900:31:35Tap to summarizeThe tentative deal between the Writers Guild and Hollywood’s major studios has quelled fears of another strike — all while shaking up the major guilds’ contract cycle. Elaine Low, Sean McNulty and Natalie Jarvey break down the key terms, including a $321 million infusion into the WGA health plan (alongside higher deductibles and premiums) and a shift to a four-year bargaining agreement rather than the usual three. The deal — and its limited movement on AI — will shape not just the upcoming SAG and DGA negotiations, but the industry’s broader trajectory. Plus, the trio looks at a rare bright spot: box office ticket sales are up 23 percent year over year, fueled by hits like Super Mario Galaxy Movie, Project Hail Mary and other family-friendly fare. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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