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What to expect
The L.A. Times’ The Wide Shot is a newsletter for people who care about the business of entertainment in the industry’s hometown of Los Angeles and everywhere Hollywood magic is made across the U.S. and around the world.
In a fast-changing, global business, we’ll distill the news and what it means for the future and you — whether you’re a camera operator looking for your next job, a marketing professional keeping tabs on the competition, a studio executive navigating a changed distribution landscape or just a casual observer of entertainment goings-on.
Inside the business of entertainment
The Wide Shot brings you news, analysis and insights on everything from streaming wars to production — and what it all means for the future.
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We’ll deliver weekly insights on the top stories and trends, including the competition between Netflix and Disney+, the tug of war for filmmaking talent, the state of influencer culture on TikTok and the recovery of production from COVID-19 shutdowns. We’ll highlight the best and most awkward marketing tie-ins and the most plausible and implausible explanations for the latest flop. We’ll take you through the nuts and bolts of the biggest stories from our Company Town team, including our investigations, scoops, profiles and analyses.
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Your host
I’m Ryan Faughnder, an entertainment business reporter on The Times’ Company Town team. I’ve spent my whole life in Southern California, growing up in San Diego before making my way to the entertainment capital.
For seven years, I’ve written about the film industry, focusing on the movie studios and their parent companies, including the Walt Disney Co. I’ve covered some of the most significant stories of the last few years, including the 2014 hack of Sony Pictures Entertainment and the rise of Netflix as a film industry superpower.
I’m a lifelong movie fan, with a special love for horror (“Let the Right One In†and “The Witch†are favorite re-watches). Though I’m a business reporter by trade, I care deeply about the arts of film, TV and music. When I’m not doing journalism, watching movies or bingeing podcasts, I’m probably practicing a metal guitar solo from the ‘80s or ‘90s.
If you’ve got some good gossip or thoughts on the future of entertainment, I’d love to hear from you. Email me at [email protected], or get in touch on Twitter.
Latest Wide Shot Newsletters
Once in a while, the box office needs a jump start, and it got one over the weekend with the combined appeal of “Wicked†and “Gladiator II,†two movies aimed at vastly different audiences.
It took billions of dollars in losses, a company-wide overhaul, cost-cutting and price hikes to get there, but Bob Iger and Walt Disney Co. appear to have reached a long-awaited turning point in the streaming business.
Much of the reaction among show business and tech chief executives has been either explicitly supportive or generally hopeful that the new Republican administration will be more business-friendly.
Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Trump’s conversations with the likes of Charlamagne tha God, Alex Cooper, Theo Von and Joe Rogan are an indication of how the media ecosystem has fragmented.
Gov. Gavin Newsom’s new tax credit proposal signals a significant — albeit belated — attempt to address one of the key factors that has driven much of Hollywood production to other regions.
For decades, scary movies have been one of Hollywood’s most reliably lucrative genres and a mainstay of the independent film business.
Once China’s richest man, Wanda’s Wang Jianlin wanted to own Hollywood. Now the firm has exited two of its marquee investments in American entertainment.
Anyone can see how disruptive streaming has been for TV distributors. But it’s a different story for other players like Netflix, even as the industry faces continued challenges.
No one thought Francis Ford Coppola’s ‘Megalopolis’ would be a box office triumph. For other films, capturing the difficult-to-define zeitgeist is make-or-break.
“Rebel Ridge†writer-director talks civil asset forfeiture, the pain points of the indie film market and how punk rock and metal inspire his writing.
