ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY NEWS AUDIO EDITION – 04/09/2020

by Bob Tinsley

Why should you as a visitor to TVWriter™ be interested in making audio fiction? Why should you be interested in making podcasts? Discoverability, that’s why.

The meaning of the word podcast is evolving to include any episodic, audio-only production whether nonfiction or fiction. Agents and major studios have started trawling through podcasts and their creators for new content and talent.  read article

How coronavirus is changing podcast listening

The article below fascinates us because of the way it waves and wiggles and uses language in a most effective way to make the stats, erm, come alive.

Genius. Sheer genius.

read article

‘Cabaret’ in London from 1993

Gotta love all the great new video freebies we’re all getting while we’re hard at the social distancing thing. And for some of us it is indeed hard work to adjust to living each moment of our lives to the fullest without being nagged about the right-or-wrongness of being nonproductive.

This production of Cabaret is an awesome distraction from potentially terminal self-awareness. It was shot life, onstage, as a TV movie directed by the great Sam Mendes and featuring the original cast of the West End production, including Alan Cumming as the Master of Ceremonies, and even if you hate the show or its music (although how could you?) you should watch for Alan Cumming alone.

Let’s all enjoy this gift together. read article

All the H’wood Films Pushed Back by the C Plague

Business as usual has been a major victim of Covid-19, and that applies to the Hollywood Film Industry as well. Here’s the latest report.

You all know who this is, yeah?

by Ineye Komonibo

If you thought the worldwide panic about the latest coronavirus was only complicating your love life and your plans to inspire FOMO at Coachella next month, think again. The anxiety around COVID-19 is further reaching than many initially thought, and its repercussions are playing out on a global scale.

Hollywood is taking an especially huge hit because of the pandemic. COVID-19, which is spread through respiratory droplets or touching contaminated objects, has film companies rethinking their springtime rollouts. The logic is simple: if people are scared of catching coronavirus, they’ll try to limit their time in large crowds — which includes opting out of movie premieres at their local theaters. read article

How WGAW is Continuing to Help Its Members During Covid-19

Speaking of the pandemic, looks like the Writers Guild of America West is on the job. Do I sound facetious? If so, I apologize. As far as I can see the two articles below are very helpful services indeed.

When It Comes to Writing Left Behind, Just Say No

In the fall of 2018, the WGAW launched an outreach and social media #NoWritingLeftBehind campaign to educate members on what to do when asked to leave written materials behind after a pitch meeting. The answer remains simple, then and now: Don’t do it. read article