Hello! The concept of being a “multi-platform” value’s driven production company is omnipresent, yet alludes. Stand for something. For those who don’t, nothingness begets pollution. Or worse, oxygen thievery. Satisfactory prevails in the content age, for both consumers and creators.
Let’s rejoice in strong first principles. Simple really, what do you care about, and why.
Build your brand around it, beyond just matters of taste.. everyone thinks they have it.
When most people think of value, they jump to a financial metric – that’s the sole motive. We’ve designated it as such. But it should mean so much more, the soul motive (sorry).
In an idealized ‘post-capital’ society, value capture/creation happens across many through-lines: cultural, social, emotional, ethical, aesthetical, reputational, relational, educational, spiritual, political, organizational, familial, ideological, environmental, communal… I can go on.
In the arts & culture industry, we tend to view projects through the lens of their commercial, critical, and/or creative appeals… a project’s potentiality. Or by the vanity of its perpetrator(s); which is just industry itself. The latter triumphs. We are subjected to their (our) sinful whims and desires.
Your credits are your currency. Notional value.
Frankly, after taking a few steps away from dutifully servicing the industry on the daily, the commercial aspects of it are staring me down in grimace – the returns & terms of today’s film/tv business are dogshit across the board; and when you assess viewership data, at least what’s publicly available anyway, the numbers are bleak.
Value(s) be looking like red candlesticks; paint the town with ‘em.
All-time lows, for another year in a row.
Fade to black.
I can get more cynical, but that’d be woefully unattractive. And honestly, this news is rather bracing and motivating. The tides are turning, there’s so much opportunity to be had. All the best stories are yet to be told.
Martyrs are lost to the mayhem, the madness… “chaos is a ladder”
A dawn of reciprocal media.
Reverberate resonance. The 90-9-1 Rule (wiki): 90% are lurkers, 9% contributors, 1% creators. If you can make a guild out of that last 10%, you’re golden (my goal for NewCo). This likely throttles out at Dunbar’s Number (wiki), the amount of active relationships one can maintain (~150).
This rang too true the last few issues when I said I was giving away some digital objects that held some sense of monetary value, and that I’m developing a grants-based fantasy writer + worlder fellowship. I’ve been blatantly begging for replies since my return in issue 236. And the 90/9/1 numbers have been almost exact. Maybe it’s just desperate experimentation.
The 1% are the whales. The addicts. They drive the vast majority (~80%) of revenue back to game publishers. Pareto Principle (wiki). The vital few. Offset risk with them, early. There are new industries with “healthy” economic activity to do just that. I’m adamantly anti-volatility.
Now, I only look for scalable, inhabitable, stories where the creators generally want to go direct to community and appeal to their potential whales… and the masses. Chase upside; align incentives, together. Live performance-based entertainment does this quite well, and creatives get a real-time feedback cycle.
I think the town is going to get fractalized to smithereens. More next week. Agree, disagree? Write me back. Prove the 1% Rule wrong. If you want, you can join my private Telegram group. We can talk in there too. I dare you.
Remember, this is all supposed to be fun :)
That’s all for now. Thanks for reading. People need purpose. See ya next week. 9 left.
Tech
Spawning, identify if your art has been stolen for AI training MDtwtr
ReelTime helps you track your viewing data TC
Arpeggi, web3 music creation software, raised $5m TC
Rephrase, synthetic media production platform, raised $10.5m TC
Clear Motion, in-car entertainment, raised $39m (lol I had this idea as a joke in issue 56) TC
Flavr, shoppable video app raised $7m Forbes
Myna Swap, sports cards collectibles, raised $6m SCD
Podimo, podcast platform, raised $60m TFN
Allocations, helps with syndicates, raised $5m TC
Prompt injection attacks against AI SWblog
Emerson backs projects for civil, civil convos Info
Thirdwave, blockchain user data intel, raised $7m TIA
Iger joins Thrive as a partner (eyes on the prize) WSJ
Roblox wants to mature with its audience Verge
Jenkins Valet shares NFT IP licensing agreements JVT
Media
Disney hints at all in one streaming app post Hulu WSJ
Comcast declares it’d be interested in Hulu Var
Streamer churn and burn is real WSJ
Twitter dominates for media publishers Axios
Apple plans new ad placement spots CNBC
ESPN launching creator network focused on TikTok Adage
Apple Amzn pass on LIV golf rights WSJ
TikTok creators consider union Insider
Discord is home to new fandoms PF
Telcos sued to stop movie pirating (uhmm) THR
Chapek on Disney’s strat, bring it all together Dead
New syndicate around OneTeam Partners, athlete licensing NFLPA
Entertainment
Sofia Coppola and A24 team on Priscilla Presley biopic THR
Bautista first look w FilmNation Infrared Dead
Blade Runner limited series 2099 a go at Amzn (love Bautista in that short too) THR
Rege-Jean Page and Glen Powell to star in Butch & Sundance series at Amzn with Russos Var
Neon, Double Agent commit to Kapadia doc thriller 2073 Var
Constantine sequel in the works w Keanu, Bad Robot Var
Amzn Macro multiyear first look deal THR
Cosmo Media Labs, backed by Sandbox, new prod co by Cinelytic founders Wrap
Neon acq How To Blow up a Pipeline (this is what I call airport book title cover bait) THR
Lionsgate and Bell Media strike series co-dev deal (LG has always taken that Canadian money) Dead
Mubi strategy from founder Efe Var
Sony Karate Kid movie in the works Var
Coalition of API entertainment leaders Dead
McConaughey soccer movie Dallas Sting scrapped by Skydance THR
Neon’s boutique label Super takes US rights to Saint Omer THR
Joy Gorman newco, first look Endeavor Dead
Apple figuring out what to do with Emancipation NYT
Emmy ratings all time low (bleak) THR
Collaborative
Netflix on creating media with ML (import) NflxMed
White paper on how AI might impact innovation PDF
Blockchain as a medium RCS
Interview w the legend Todd Bryant Immerse
Maxime Eyraud deep dive on Betaworks Recreations
Podcasts pivot to video (there’s no money in any of it) Vulture
The future of blockbusters MattBall
New info on CC0 NFTs CC
Map hunt with Death Cab’s geotagged singles Wired
Powers laws in the creator economy ARtwtr
The Pope has an AI advisor NewSci
No Tiananmen Sq in Baidu AI MIT
Monitoring student’s online classroom activities CDT
Art in the age of Nflx (old, good h/t BJ) Baffler
Niche media biz building Boot
Maxxxine promo YT
AI tools for web3 storytellers Med
Paul Tudor Jones NFL analytics WSJ
Lincoln Michel on the publishing industry (it is actually terrible) CC
Climate tipping points Science
Capitalism in the singularity BrettKing
Pharrell launches creative agency Mighty Dream LBB
MIT OpDoc worlder lab and new fellows MIT
Zwirner selling sci-fi graphic novels DZ
A look into copy editing NYT
Generating electricity with waves CNET
Surfing in Dumbo YT
Seven years around the globe in a row boat NewYorker
Listen: Protecting your data YT
Read: Toby Shorin on life after lifestyle Subpixel
Watch: Sagans Coherence AI music vid (watch it) YT