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☆ Why Hollywood actors and writers are on strike and how the WGA and SAG-AFTRA walkouts are changing the entertainment industry
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-21 | by ( Reed Alexander | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

The Hollywood writers' strike got a boost when actors joined the picket lines in July. Together, the SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes have upended development and promotion of new content. Read more about the issues and demands driving the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes:When will the SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes end? Some are predicting that the writers' strike appears to be on course to outlast the previous the 100-day WGA strike of 2007-8, which cost the California economy roughly $2 billion. Read more about how Hollywood companies prepared for the strikes:Getting a job in Hollywood right now: Is anyone still hiring?

Persons: AFTRA, Oppenheimer, Abbott, Fran Drescher, it's, Read, Adam Conover, Ted Sarandos, David Zaslav, picketers, showdowns, Hollywood's, Reed Alexander, Lucia Moses Organizations: Hollywood, SAG, WGA, Writers Guild of America, Alliance, Television Producers, Netflix, Warner Bros, Discovery, Employees, Wall, Big Tech Locations: Los Angeles and New York City, California, Hollywood

☆ The best ways to support members of SAG-AFTRA and the WGA on strike, as actors and writers exit film and TV productions to hit the picket lines
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-20 | by ( Grace Eliza Goodwin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The SAG-AFTRA actors' union went on strike Friday, joining the ongoing WGA writers' strike. You can support actors and writers on strike by donating to the hardship funds that help entertainment workers. "Any non-member seeking future membership in SAG-AFTRA who performs covered services for a struck company during the strike will not be admitted into membership in SAG-AFTRA," the union's strike notice outlines. While the writers' strike largely shut down development and production, especially in Los Angeles and New York, some film and TV shoots were able to continue. Others have said the sides are so far apart that this work stoppage could outlast the 100-day WGA strike of 2007-8, which cost the California economy roughly $2 billion.

Persons: Adam Conover, AFTRA, who've, Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling, Oppenheimer, thay Organizations: SAG, WGA, Morning, Alliance, Television Producers, Hollywood, Financial, Disaster Relief Fund, Welfare Emergency, The Entertainment, Washington Post, Mattel Locations: Hollywood, Los Angeles and New York, California

☆ A Netflix assistant launched a newsletter for young Hollywood because 'there is no blueprint' to break in, and she's enlisting help from workers at Disney, Showtime, and more
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-18 | by ( Reed Alexander | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

A Hollywood assistant role has long been a launching point for a career in entertainment. But "there is no blueprint" for how to get such a job, said Cathy Campo, a creative assistant at Netflix. Campo launched The Hollywood Assistant, a monthly newsletter aimed at industry hopefuls, to change that. In February, Campo launched The Hollywood Assistant, a free newsletter that recently released its sixth edition. It's difficult to make ends meet on those salaries in the costly cities where the entertainment industry is most heavily concentrated: Los Angeles and New York.

Persons: Cathy Campo, Campo, she's, —, Matthew Belloni, Nick Lachey, She's, Emma Weiss, Jonathan Groff, Alyssa Tumale, Drew Barrymore, Brown, Jimmy Fallon, Michelle Greene, Don Rutledge, Natalie Lifson, Buchwald, Allison Leffingwell, Rutledge, Puck, Reed Alexander Organizations: Netflix, Hollywood, Brown University grad, NBCUniversal, CBS, Disney Entertainment, CAA, Chautauqua Ordway, Campo, Universal, Showtime, Media, Universal Filmed Entertainment Locations: Stillwater, Hollywood, Los Angeles and New York

☆ Inside the actors' strike: Why Netflix, Max, and Paramount+ series stars are bringing their 'war' over pay and AI to Hollywood companies that are 'trying to kill our industry'
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-18 | by ( Reed Alexander | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +12 min

With both writers and actors on strike, Hollywood hasn't faced this situation in more than 60 years. SAG-AFTRA union members on Friday hit the picket lines alongside Hollywood writers, who've been striking for nearly three months. Any other use requires the background actor's consent and bargaining for the use, subject to a minimum payment," the spokesperson said in a statement. Union members were quick to decry his remarks as incendiary and out of touch. The 25-year-old has been there since May, when the writers' strike all but paralyzed production in Los Angeles and New York this spring.

Persons: Hollywood hasn't, Laci Mosley, Mosley, Mosley —, Lopez, —, Conan O'Brien's, Coco —, Fran Drescher, Drescher, We've, who've, CHRIS DELMAS, We're, they're, Rather, AFTRA, Duncan Crabtree, Sam Russell, Russell, Oppenheimer, Christopher Nolan, Matt Damon, Emily Blunt, Rami Malek, we've, AFTRA who's, Bobby Quillard, Bob Iger, Iger, Bob — they're, Iger's, Jonathan Handel, Puck, you've, Carson Rowland —, it's, Rowland, Carson Rowland, Maria, Rodin, WireImage Rowland, he's, Reed Alexander Organizations: SAG, Hollywood, Paramount, Sirius XM, Writers Guild of America, Alliance, Television Producers, WGA, Getty, Disney, CNBC, Union, Atlas Financial Advisors, Television Locations: Los Angeles, Los Angeles and New York, Sun Valley , Idaho, South Florida, Boca Raton, LA

☆ Actors on strike over pay and the threat of AI are ready for 'war' and vowing to outlast Hollywood execs in 'ivory towers': 'They've already been starving us'
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-15 | by ( Reed Alexander | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

Persons: Hollywood hasn't, Laci Mosley, Mosley, Mosley —, Lopez, —, Conan O'Brien's, Coco —, Fran Drescher, Drescher, We've, who've, CHRIS DELMAS, We're, they're, Rather, AFTRA, Duncan Crabtree, Sam Russell, Russell, Oppenheimer, Christopher Nolan, Matt Damon, Emily Blunt, Rami Malek, we've, AFTRA who's, Bobby Quillard, Bob Iger, Iger, Bob — they're, Iger's, Jonathan Handel, Puck, you've, Carson Rowland —, it's, Rowland, Carson Rowland, Maria, Rodin, WireImage Rowland, he's, Reed Alexander Organizations: SAG, Hollywood, Paramount, Sirius XM, Writers Guild of America, Alliance, Television Producers, WGA, Getty, AMPTP, Disney, CNBC, Union, Netflix, Atlas Financial Advisors Locations: Los Angeles, Los Angeles and New York, Sun Valley , Idaho, South Florida, Boca Raton, LA

☆ Actors set to hit picket lines Friday in largest US strike in 26 years
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-14 | by ( Chris Isidore | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

New York CNN —Actors are set to hit picket lines Friday morning in their first strike against film and TV productions since 1980 and the nation’s largest strike since 1997. This is the largest number of union members to be on strike since 180,000 Teamsters walked out on UPS in 1997. The Teamsters, who have 340,000 members at UPS, are threatening to strike the parcel delivery giant on August 1 without a new contract. The actors also join more than 11,000 member of the Writers Guild of America who have been on strike against the same studios and streaming services since May 2. Actors are due on picket lines in Los Angeles and New York at 9 am PDT and noon EDT Friday.

Persons: It’s, Ronald Reagan, ”, “, Duncan Crabtree, Fran Drescher, –, Natasha Chen Organizations: New, New York CNN, SAG, Teamsters, UPS, Writers Guild of America, Screen Actors, Management, Alliance, Television Producers, ” Locations: New York, Southern California, Los Angeles and New York, Ireland

☆ Banana Republic Wants to Outfit Your Home, Too
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-13 | by ( Jordyn Holman | More About Jordyn Holman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Inside Banana Republic’s design studio in San Francisco, Sandra Stangl, the company’s chief executive, pointed to an item that had been creating buzz in stores. Instead, Ms. Stangl walked toward a king-size bed with a parchment-colored backboard. The company has started putting these bed frames, which sell for around $5,000, near the front of its stores in Los Angeles and New York. Enough shoppers have asked if they were for sale — the answer: Not yet, but Ms. Stangl and her team are taking a limited number of pre-orders for the fall. Shoppers usually think about outfitting themselves, not their homes, when they walk into Banana Republic.

Persons: Sandra Stangl, Stangl, ” Ms Organizations: Shoppers Locations: San Francisco, Los Angeles and New York, Republic

☆ Actors are joining writers on strike against the Hollywood companies, and they're driven by a fear plaguing workers everywhere: Robots are coming for our jobs.
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-13 | by ( Reed Alexander | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Hollywood writers are entering their third month on strike. Film and TV writers say they're among those who have fared the worst as their industry has been remade, even as others reap the rewards. These Hollywood storytellers share something in common with workers in every industry: Everyone is afraid that the robots are coming for their jobs, Terminator-style. Now, they're some of the dominant forces controlling new content development in the entertainment industry. Recently, I reported on how the Hollywood writers' strike is dispiriting industry hopefuls at the outset of their careers — you can read it here.

Persons: Everything's, Fran Drescher, Adam Conover, Ted Sarandos, Bob Iger, Goldman Sachs, You've, We've, Jonathan Handel, Puck, they'll, Zayd Dohrn, —, Dohrn, Reed Alexander Organizations: Morning, NBC, Nickelodeon, Disney, Hollywood, Netflix, Wall, ., Writers Guild of America, Alliance, Television Producers, SAG, Apple, Big Tech, WGA, Northwestern University Locations: Hollywood, West Hollywood, Los Angeles and New York, Chicago

☆ Inside the buzzy newsletter a Netflix assistant launched to create a ‘blueprint’ for breaking into Hollywood — featuring tea from workers at Disney, CBS, and more
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-11 | by ( Reed Alexander | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

☆ The fear driving Hollywood writers to strike — and soon, maybe actors too — is the same one roiling every industry: Robots are coming for our jobs
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-08 | by ( Reed Alexander | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Hollywood writers are entering their third month on strike. Film and TV writers say they're among those who have fared the worst as their industry has been remade, even as others reap the rewards. Either way, the bottom line is this: Everyone in Hollywood is afraid that the robots are coming for their jobs, Terminator-style. Now, they're some of the dominant forces controlling new content development in the entertainment industry. Recently, I reported on how the Hollywood writers' strike is dispiriting industry hopefuls at the outset of their careers — you can read it here.

Persons: Everything's, Adam Conover, Ted Sarandos, Bob Iger, Goldman Sachs, You've, We've, Jonathan Handel, Puck, they'll, Zayd Dohrn, —, Dohrn, Reed Alexander Organizations: Morning, NBC, Nickelodeon, Disney, Hollywood, Netflix, Wall, ., Writers Guild of America, Alliance, Television Producers, WGA, Apple, Big Tech, Northwestern University Locations: Hollywood, West Hollywood, Los Angeles and New York, Chicago

☆ Home price declines may be over, S&P Case-Shiller says
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-30 | by ( Diana Olick | In Dianaolick | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Nationally, home prices in March were 0.7% higher than March 2022, S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller Indices said Tuesday. "The modest increases in home prices we saw a month ago accelerated in March 2023," said Craig J. Lazzara, managing director at S&P DJI, in a release. Before seasonal adjustment, prices rose in all 20 cities in March (versus in 12 in February), and in all 20 price gains accelerated between February and March. Miami, Tampa, Florida, and Charlotte, North Carolina, saw the highest year-over-year gains among the 20 cities in March. Compared with a year ago, 19 of 20 cities reported lower prices with only Chicago showing an increase at 0.4%.

☆ JPMorgan lays off 15% of First Republic employees, or about 1,000 workers
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-25 | by ( Emmalyse Brownstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

JPMorgan is laying off roughly 1,000 employees of First Republic Bank, which it acquired on May 1. On Monday JPMorgan said it will also be closing some First Republic bank branches. JPMorgan has notified roughly 1,000 employees of First Republic Bank, which it acquired earlier this month, that they won't be staying on with the bank. "The vast majority of First Republic employees will be offered employment at JPMorgan Chase – either through a transition period, or in many cases full-time," a JPMorgan spokesperson said in a statement. JPMorgan agreed to buy First Republic Bank after the FDIC seized control on May 1.

☆ ‘Movie Theaters Are the Marketplace of Free Ideas’
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( Nicole Sperling | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

It was not a big surprise to us that the “Super Mario Bros. Movie” was going to do an extraordinary amount of business. Is there an awareness that there are issues with going to the movie theater? Now that the business is coming back, the theater owners have already started to continue to innovate and improve the experience so that it’s always better than the home. In both Los Angeles and New York, quite a few prime theaters that catered to independent film have shut down. One company, Pacific Theaters, which ran the ArcLight, is the only company in the country who filed Chapter Seven bankruptcy.

☆ Uber announces a bunch of new features, including one that lets you book rides without the app
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( Ashley Capoot | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Uber announced several new features on Wednesday during the company's annual Go-Get product showcase. The new options include the ability to reserve a ride with a car seat, to call an Uber without the app, and to add teens to a family profile, among others. 1-833-USE-UBERUber has introduced a phone number people can call to book a ride without using the Uber app. The company said this will help people who might struggle with navigating smartphones or apps access the same "effortless" Uber experience. People in the U.S. can request a ride by speaking English or Spanish at 1-833-USE-UBER, or 1-833-873-8237.

☆ ‘Picket’: Once a Military Barrier, Now a Tool of Protest
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( Ben Zimmer | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Linguist and lexicographer Ben Zimmer analyzes the origins of words in the news. Read previous columns here. Since May 2, when the Writers Guild of America called for a strike after contract talks fell through with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, WGA union members have joined picket lines in Los Angeles and New York City. Picketers have gathered every day in front of the offices of major studios, streaming services and networks, showing their solidarity with chants and creative signs.

☆ Why Alaska is getting rid of several dozen jets in high demand by airlines after only flying them for roughly 5 years
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-13 | by ( Taylor Rains | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Alaska Airlines is retiring its 10 remaining Airbus A321neo aircraft on September 30. Alaska Airlines is on track to be an all-Boeing operator by year's end. In a recent earnings call, the Seattle-based carrier said the remaining 10 planes in its Airbus A321neo fleet will be retired by fall 2023. Alaska once had 72 Airbus aircraft after merging with Virgin America in 2018 and has already gotten rid of its A319 and A320ceo aircraft as of January 2023. With all of the Airbus planes gone, Alaska will only operate Boeing 737 jets in its mainline fleet.

☆ Late-Night Shows Go Dark Amid Writers Strike
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( Joe Flint | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Photo: J. David Ake/Associated PressMajor late-night shows including ABC’s “ Jimmy Kimmel Live” and CBS ’s “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” went dark Tuesday after the union representing movie and television writers announced it would go on strike. On Tuesday, members of the Writers Guild of America picketed outside the gates and entrances of entertainment companies in Los Angeles and New York. “We must now exert the maximum leverage possible to get a fair contract by withholding our labor,” the WGA said.

☆ Late-Night Shows to Go Dark Amid Writers Strike
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( Joe Flint | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Photo: J. David Ake/Associated PressMajor late-night shows including ABC’s “ Jimmy Kimmel Live” and CBS ’s “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” are expected to go dark Tuesday after the union representing movie and television writers announced it would go on strike. On Tuesday, members of the Writers Guild of America picketed outside the gates and entrances of entertainment companies in Los Angeles and New York. “We must now exert the maximum leverage possible to get a fair contract by withholding our labor,” the WGA said.

☆ Don't let the patriotic talk fool you. Here are 5 ways JPMorgan stands to win from buying First Republic Bank.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-01 | by ( Emmalyse Brownstein | Carter Johnson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

JPMorgan on Monday morning emerged as the white-knight buyer of First Republic Bank. More wealth advisors for high-net-worth clientsJPMorgan's wealth management ambitions will also get a boost from its purchase of First Republic. The smaller bank has about 150 high-end advisors who will join JPMorgan's brokerage business unit, JPMorgan Advisors. "If they can retain the wealth advisors and not lose too many more, I think it will be very advantageous. "This helps bring the bank crisis phase to the home stretch in our view," wrote Wells Fargo's Mayo.

☆ Writers, Seeking Pay Change for the Streaming Era, Prepare to Strike
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-30 | by ( Brooks Barnes | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

When the most recent Hollywood strike took place — 16 years ago — the internet had not yet transformed the television and movie businesses. The superhero boom had begun for movie studios, and DVDs generated $16 billion in annual sales. Movie studios, stung by poor ticket sales for dramas and comedies, have retreated almost entirely to franchise spectacles. It’s a streaming world now. The formulas that studios use to pay television and movie creators, setting the stage for another strike.

☆ Some travel is 'off the charts' expensive, experts say. Here are 3 ways to cut some costs
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-17 | by ( Greg Iacurci | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

D3sign | Moment | Getty ImagesInternational travel costs have hit record highsThe Eiffel Tower and Seine River at sunrise in Paris. The so-called "revenge travel" dynamic has helped to push up prices, perhaps most acutely for travel abroad. These are record-high prices, Berg said. People should be prepared not just for a busy travel season, but an expensive travel season. Sally French travel expert at NerdWalletThis summer is expected to be the busiest on record for international travel, the U.S. State Department said in March.

☆ I'm a celebrity photographer. I captured the true nightlife-energy of famous people and refused to sell photos to paparazzi.
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-15 | by ( Costa B. Pappas | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Mark Hunter is a celebrity photographer who started uploading nightlife-photos to his blog in 2003. My approach to nightlife photography was very forward thinking. After every party I'd post the photos on my blog. I've learned nightlife photography is all about your reputation, working hard, and networkingI feel like I'm just as in demand now, if not more than I was back in the day. Becoming a nightlife photographer is going to be challenging because there's no formula like at a corporate job.

☆ Fentanyl Fuels Surge in Deaths Among Those Who Are Homeless
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-27 | by ( Jon Kamp | Dan Frosch | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The nation’s drug-overdose crisis is taking a heavy toll on homeless people, with data from hard-hit places such as Los Angeles and New York showing a surge in deaths, especially since the Covid-19 pandemic. The potent synthetic opioid fentanyl is a major factor, heightening the overdose risk among homeless drug users who researchers say are often disconnected from treatment and other health services. New national data also show that overall deaths among homeless people, who have for years suffered a higher mortality risk than the broader population, climbed markedly during the pandemic.

☆ Hate crimes in US surged 11.6% in 2021, fueled by race, ethnic bias
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-13 | by ( Sarah N. Lynch | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, March 13 (Reuters) - Hate crimes in the United States surged 11.6% in 2021 from 2020, with the most frequent ones fueled by racial, ethnic and ancestral bias, the FBI said on Monday. The FBI in a new report said reported hate crime incidents rose to 9,065 in 2021 from 8,120 in 2020. Attorney General Merrick Garland has made enforcement against hate crimes a top priority for the Justice Department. "Hate crimes and the devastation they cause communities have no place in this country. Officials said the top five hate crime categories reported for 2021 were anti-Black, anti-white, anti-gay male, anti-Jewish and anti-Asian.

☆ Facebook and Google are handing over user data to help police prosecute abortion seekers
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-05 | by ( Katherine Tangalakis-Lippert | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Police make requests for social media user data to aid prosecution after a crime has been committed. ProPublica found similar web trackers that capture user data on the sites of at least nine online pharmacies that offer abortion pills by mail, including Abortion Ease, BestAbortionPill.com, PrivacyPillRX, PillsOnlineRX, Secure Abortion Pills, AbortionRx, Generic Abortion Pills, Abortion Privacy, and Online Abortion Pill Rx. Private content by users — such as location data or messages — requires law enforcement to obtain a warrant before it can be turned over. She said because the platforms themselves are unlikely to prioritize user privacy, the burden to do so falls on the individual user. "All the angst directed social media services for being a pawn in law enforcement's game seems misdirected to me.

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