The Ankler

The Ankler Hollywood's insider newsletter. Don't eat lunch in this town without it.

The Ankler is the flagship brand within Ankler Media, a new company formed in December 2021 helmed by Janice Min, CEO and editor in chief, and Richard Rushfield, editorial director and The Ankler’s Chief Columnist. One of Fast Company’s “10 Newsletters That Make You Smarter,” The Ankler newsletter launched in 2017 and quickly became the most buzzed-about voice in coverage of the entertainment indu

stry. Created by veteran reporter Richard Rushfield as a sharp-edged alternative to traditional trade reporting, The Ankler quickly became a much-passed-around open secret in the industry, greeted with relief by those who wanted to see someone asking the questions that were being swept under the rug – and doing it with wit and elan. Since its launch, Hollywood has been roiled by a series of crises – the Harvey Weinstein revelations and the reckoning that followed, the upheaval and dislocations of the streaming war, dramatic struggles about representation of people of color in the executive ranks and the COVID shutdown to name just a few. At each of these, The Ankler has proven an indispensable voice – speaking plainly about injustice and foolishness on all sides of the debate. On issue after issue, The Ankler's perspective has set the terms of the debate that has followed.

10/25/2025

The unbreakable connection between family members, no matter the circumstance, is foundational to UnBroken. Beth Lane’s documentary tells the story of her own family, and how seven siblings (including Lane’s mother) survived the Holocaust with the help of German citizens, and then weren’t reunited until four decades later.
At The Ankler and Pure Nonfiction's Documentary Spotlight, Beth gave advice on translating family stories to documentaries. Full conversation: https://anklerenjoy.com/events/unbroken-the-weber-family-arts-foundation-the-ankler-pure-nonfiction-documentary-spotlight/

10/24/2025

"I want artists to make and tell the stories that they want to tell." The Black List founder and CEO Franklin Leonard returns to The Rushfield Lunch with talk about creative freedom, corporate responsibility, and the role of art in shaping how we see the world https://theankler.com/p/rushfield-lunch-franklin-leonard

10/21/2025

Zoey Deutch reunites with Richard Linklater nearly a decade after 'Everybody Wants Some!!', this time as Jean Seberg in 'Nouvelle Vague.' At The Middleburg Film Festival, Deutch tells Katey Rich why she feels like she's starting fresh after 17 years in the business https://theankler.com/p/zoey-deutch-on-playing-jean-seberg

Warner Bros. Discovery is up for sale, marking what Richard Rushfield calls the "end of an era."⁠⁠After years of mergers...
10/21/2025

Warner Bros. Discovery is up for sale, marking what Richard Rushfield calls the "end of an era."⁠
⁠
After years of mergers, layoffs, and strategic “synergies,” one of Hollywood’s oldest studios is on the auction block again. Paramount has reportedly made an offer, while tech companies, AI companies, and even international bidders are circling.⁠
⁠
In his flagship column, Richard ponders who’s even left to root for in Hollywood and what this sale means for creators, competition, and the future of filmmaking⁠ https://theankler.com/p/zazpocalypse-now-warner-bros-up-for-sale

Tension between art and commerce has always existed in Hollywood, but as the number of productions shrink, brands are fi...
10/20/2025

Tension between art and commerce has always existed in Hollywood, but as the number of productions shrink, brands are finding a more welcome place in creative suites, reports Elaine Low.

“The thing we’re always going to bump up against is: Creative trumps everything out of the gate,” says one senior-level agent. “But I think as money is getting harder to find and spend, the conversation is becoming more real.”

In her latest Series Business column, Low explains the new playbook, including what percentage of budget brands have to invest to earn creative input, how producers are preserving integrity, and what happens if things get messy

https://theankler.com/p/ad-money-enters-the-pitch-room-its

Angel Studios’ $1.6B S**C valuation and A24’s $3.5B raise both looked sky-high. Now, with Angel’s losses mounting and A2...
10/16/2025

Angel Studios’ $1.6B S**C valuation and A24’s $3.5B raise both looked sky-high. Now, with Angel’s losses mounting and A24’s films underperforming, Entertainment Strategy Guy runs the numbers and the math doesn’t add up https://theankler.com/p/a24-angel-studios-and-the-art-of

10/16/2025

In a twist worthy of The Traitors, America is in love with reality TV again. Elaine Low, Sean McNulty and Natalie Jarvey break down why the genre is thriving, from speedy production to casting creators who produce an ecosystem of promo content https://theankler.com/p/the-shocking-revenge-of-reality-tv

Ankler Media’s Janice Min and Web Summit executive vice president Casey Lau toasted on Wednesday at Santa Monica's Pal...
10/16/2025

Ankler Media’s Janice Min and Web Summit executive vice president Casey Lau toasted on Wednesday at Santa Monica's Palma.
Albert Cheng, head of AI Studios at Amazon MGM Studios; Vermillio's Kathleen Grace, WME's Chris Jacquemin and Courtney Braun; CAA's Alexandra Shannon, and more players from OpenAI, Netflix, and ByteDance turned out for cocktails and conversation. The big topics? AI, Sora 2 and where all this is heading. Photos by Matt Petit

NBC is benching three hours of scripted TV a week for NBA games that cost $2.45 billion a year. Lesley Goldberg crunches...
10/15/2025

NBC is benching three hours of scripted TV a week for NBA games that cost $2.45 billion a year. Lesley Goldberg crunches the numbers on which play makes better business sense: live sports or profitable Dick Wolf dramas. https://theankler.com/p/the-battle-for-nbcs-soul-dick-wolf

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