These are veeeeeeery interesting times in the entertainment industry. Everything is in flux. And there is some SERIOUS talent-poaching going on. Netflix and Amazon, the twin titans of streaming content (not to mention their rivals at Hulu, Disney, etc.) are on a mission to lure and hoard creatives. Watch out legacy media: no one is safe. Here are 3 big recent moves re-shaping the industry.
#3: ROBERT KIRKMAN
It’s not just zombies unleashing a bloodletting over at AMC. Uber-creator Kirkman (The Walking Dead, Fear The Walking Dead, Robert Kirkman’s Secret History of Comics) is jumping ship to Amazon. Well, sorta. (Don’t freak out yet, fans.) Kirkman will still helm all his shows at AMC but has signed an exclusive 2-year agreement with Amazon Prime to develop new shows.
Hmmm, might the fact that Kirkman is suing AMC for profits from his shows prompted his desire to look elsewhere for opportunity? You know what they say about penny wise, pound foolish…
#2: SHONDA RHIMES
Forget Wonder Woman, TV’s kick-ass superheroine is Shonda-Woman! (sad-trombone.gif)
Rhimes’ shows have minted massive money for ABC (owned by Disney) for over a decade. But this powerhouse creator has decided to move on from her longtime partner to seek opportunity at Netflix. Here’s what she said about her new massive deal:
“Shondaland’s move to Netflix is the result of a shared plan Ted Sarandos and I built based on my vision for myself as a storyteller and for the evolution of my company. Ted provides a clear, fearless space for creators at Netflix. He understood what I was looking for — the opportunity to build a vibrant new storytelling home for writers with the unique creative freedom and instantaneous global reach provided by Netflix’s singular sense of innovation. The future of Shondaland at Netflix has limitless possibilities.â€
Let’s run that through the RealTalk translator, shall we….
#1: David Letterman
Now, technically, luring the mighty Letterman out of retirement isn’t poaching him from anyone. But it’s still a hella big coup for Netflix to sign him to a new 6-episode talk show to debut in 2018. We don’t see NBC or CBS ponying up the dough or the creative platform. And while, sure, these days he looks like he should be roaming Middle Earth…
…he’s still a premium talent who further cements the new streaming services as the hip and happening platforms on the block.
And there is certainly more of this to come.