Showbiz Sandbox 491: Coronavirus Is Taking Theme Parks For A Wild Ride
April 30, 2020
As the global entertainment industry looks to reopen in the wake of the COVID-19 shutdown there are some sectors that may not be able to welcome customers back until next year. Theme parks, for instance are designed for cramming as many people as possible into lines and onto rides. As such, the ongoing pandemic is forcing most amusement parks to delay opening until at least 2021 or even later?
Claudia Nunn is a senior project manager at The Producers Group, a leading provider of production and design services for destination attractions worldwide. In other words, they help to create theme park rides and immersive environments for everyone from Disney and Universal Studios to resorts, casinos and museums all over the globe. She joins us to discuss how theme parks are dealing with the coronavirus closures, how and when they might reopen, as well as some of her past stories in developing amusement parks.
Of course we also cover some of the week’s top entertainment headlines including Apple Music continues to grow, Sinclair lets freelancers fend for themselves and a court ruling means literacy may become a constitutional right.
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Showbiz Sandbox 490: The Future of Journalism After the Coronavirus
April 21, 2020
Long before the coronavirus pandemic, independent journalism was on life support, especially at the local level. After businesses around the world shut down advertising revenue at media outlets completely disappeared and may never fully return. This is especially true at newspapers and industry trade publications, which have begun cutting staff.
In a wide-ranging interview, Kelly McBride, a senior vice president at the Poynter Institute gives us her take on what journalism will look like after the pandemic. She also discusses her new role as the public editor of National Public Radio, as well as her work advising the Hollywood Reporter.
Of course we also cover some of the week’s top entertainment headlines including when we all might be able to attend a live event again, the latest on the Writers Guild contract negotiations and Netflix hits a new high.
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Showbiz Sandbox 489: Despite Coronavirus Closures, Broadway Finds A Way For The Show To Go On(line)
April 15, 2020
When Broadway houses went dark in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, nobody was certain when they might reopen. With the theatres shuttered until at least early June, commercial productions around the world are thrust into unchartered waters. Which shows will actually come back? Which upcoming productions will get delayed? Will audiences come back to theatres?
Tony winning theatre producer Ken Davenport remains optimistic. He tells us that, while there will be some inevitable shuffling of staged and touring productions, the shutdown gives live theatre a chance to return smarter, stronger and more prepared for a new reality. The industry however, must act now to get ahead.
Of course we also cover some of the week’s top entertainment headlines including why France is upset with Google, the straight to VOD release of “Trolls” may have been a success and the launch of the new streaming service Quibi.
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Showbiz Sandbox 488: The Hollywood Reporter Falls Into A Parent Trap
April 8, 2020
In a move that took the entertainment industry by surprise, Matthew Belloni, the Executive Editor of The Hollywood Reporter, announced he would be stepping down from the publication after 14 years. Within minutes competitors such as Variety and The Wrap revealed that Belloni’s departure was over editorial independence.
Valence Media’s leadership allegedly wanted to block unfavorable stories about their friends and affiliated companies. As well, the sought additional coverage of subsidiaries such as Dick Clark Productions. The situation has angered the editorial staff at the Reporter leaving many to wonder who might be next to depart the world’s most widely read entertainment news outlet.
Of course we also cover some of the week’s top entertainment headlines including why a partner at one leading talent agency is suing the firm for wrongful termination, Activision wins a lawsuit allowing it to use Humvees in “Call of Duty” and the latest on how the coronavirus pandemic is affecting the global entertainment business.
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Showbiz Sandbox 487: For Performing Arts, the Show Must Go On
April 2, 2020
Impresario Evans Haile has decades of experience as a producer, artistic director and performer of live theater and opera, yet nothing could have prepared him for how the coronavirus pandemic would disrupt the industry.
As the executive director of the York Theatre Company in New York, the executive director of Opera North in New Hampshire and the producing director of the Gainesville Symphony in Florida, Haile gives us his unique perspective on the impact COVID-19 is having on arts institutions from Broadway to Off Broadway and even regional theaters.
In China, the few cinemas that began to open back up are now re-shuttered for fear of another coronavirus outbreak. This means that 94% of commercial movie theaters around the world are now closed.
Of course we also cover some of the week’s top entertainment headlines including the historic audio recordings that the Library of Congress has entered into its registry this year.
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Showbiz Sandbox 486: Box Office In the Age of the Coronavirus
March 24, 2020
For the first time in history a majority of movie theaters around the world have been closed due to the coronavirus pandemic. That means there is no theatrical box office to collect and analyze. Paul Dergarabedian, a senior media analyst at Comscore, is one of the most widely recognized box office pundits in the world. He joins us to explain not only how the industry is coping without grosses to measure their success and failure, but also what it’s like to sleep in on Sunday morning for the first time in 30 years.
In China, a few cinemas have begun opening back up, though very few people are going. Still this may provide a glimpse of where the rest of the world will be within six months after COVID-19 is under control.
Of course we also cover the week’s top entertainment headlines including how much the entertainment industry (sort of) earned last year and Woody Allen finds a publisher for his memoir.
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Showbiz Sandbox 485: Coronavirus Is Trolling the Film Industry
March 16, 2020
The ongoing coronavirus pandemic is causing the biggest disruption the global entertainment industry has had to contend with in the modern era. In the movie business alone it has shut down cinemas, delayed film releases and halted productions in all corners of the world.
Andrew Wallenstein, co-editor-in-chief of Variety, proposed that now might be an opportune time for studios to finally reach an agreement with movie theaters on release windows. No sooner had the virtual ink dried on his piece Universal Pictures announced it would be distributing some of its current and future theatrical films via premium video on demand. It would, he suggests, be the entertainment industry equivalent of peace in the Middle East.
Wallenstein joins us to discuss this fast moving story and what the future may hold for cinemas and the film industry at large.
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Showbiz Sandbox 484: How the Coronavirus Is Roiling the Entertainment Industry
March 9, 2020
Like everyone around the globe, the entertainment industry has been consumed by the coronavirus. The ongoing health issue has pushed back the release date of the latest James Bond film, canceled the SXSW conference and is postponing music festivals. We cover more of the ripple effects of the pandemic including its effect on the worldwide box office.
Not all business has been halted in Hollywood however. The Directors Guild of America reached a tentative agreement with the AMPTP which represents producers and studios. This paves the way for the Writers Guild of America to step in and negotiate their own deal, provided they can ever settle with talent agencies.
Meanwhile, the music industry is finally making serious money again thanks to streaming. In fact, there’s a brand new streaming service in India. Music lovers in Japan though still prefer their compact discs.
Of course we also cover the week’s top entertainment headlines including why Woody Allen lost the publisher of his memoir, the PGA gets a new television deal for all its golf tournaments and Led Zeppelin wins another copyright court case.
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Showbiz Sandbox 483: China Presents Hollywood With A Trillion Dollar Dilemma
March 2, 2020
Between intellectual property theft, forced joint ventures and strict government regulation, the entertainment industry has come to learn that doing business in China is difficult at best, complicated at worst. Chris Fenton, the CEO of Media Capital Technologies, knows a thing or two about doing film industry business in China, having worked in the Middle Kingdom on various project for decades. He joins us to explain the dilemma facing Hollywood in China as well as his upcoming memoir “Feeding the Dragon.”
China is, in fact, where the coronavirus originated before it spread to other countries throughout the world. Now, movie theaters in Italy and South Korea are joining their Chinese counterparts in shutting down, hoping to prevent further spread of the virus, and leading to what could be billions in box office losses.
Meanwhile, the CEO of Disney, Bob Iger, decided to suddenly step down last week and instead take on the role of Chairman. Disney theme park head Bob Chapek will be the company’s new CEO. We cover all the reasons for the executive shuffle.
Of course we also cover the week’s top entertainment headlines including the winners of this year’s Berlin Film Festival, Placido Domingo apologizes for past behavior (sort of) and why YouTube can’t censor content.
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Showbiz Sandbox 482: Entertainment Industry Facing Coronavirus Challenge
February 24, 2020
For the past four weeks the Chinese government has mandated that all of its cinemas remain closed in hopes of preventing further spread of the Coronavirus, also known as COVID-19. Not that anyone would actually show up even if movie theaters were open since a majority of China’s population are avoiding public venues and gatherings. Having the second largest movie market in the world out of business for so long will surely affect the global box office, not to mention release dates.
As the Coronavirus reaches other countries and turns into a full-blown pandemic, cinemas in Northern Italy are shutting their doors in the wake of infestations and the popular Korean boy band BTS moved a press conference for its upcoming album to an online only event, rather than meet journalists in-person.
In the United States, the popular indie-cinema chain Alamo Drafthouse launched its own long-awaited subscription plan. We debate the merits of Alamo’s new program and what theater operators need to consider when adopting such a scheme.
Of course we also cover the week’s top entertainment headlines including soaring occupancy rates for Broadway productions, the United Kingdom embraces streaming in earnest and HBO Max will launch with a reunion of “Friends.”
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