The Ankler Heads to Toronto & Celebrates a Creator Boom
The Ankler is expanding its presence at the 50th Toronto International Film Festival with a robust lineup of events, including a Prestige Junkie studio and an exclusive party. Simultaneously, the media company is spotlighting the burgeoning creator economy, recognizing its growing influence on the entertainment landscape.
TIFF 2024: On-the-Ground Coverage & Exclusive Events
Team Ankler will be in Toronto with a Prestige Junkie interview, portrait, and podcast studio, spearheaded by Katey Rich and Christopher Rosen. Daily dispatches from Richard Rushfield will provide on-the-ground reporting,and a by-invitation-only party,hosted by Janice Min and Letterboxd CEO Matthew Buchanan,is scheduled for September 7th. Those with questions or comments are encouraged to reach out to [email protected].
A Summer Soirée Celebrating Digital Creators
Closer to home in Los Angeles, The Ankler recently hosted a summer soirée celebrating 20 of the most enterprising digital creators. Dhar Mann,Josh Richards,Hasan Piker,and Ben Meiselas were among the attendees at the event,hosted by Janice,Web Summit’s Ciara Haley,and Bitmoji co-founder Ba Blackstock,at a private residence in the Hollywood Hills. Natalie Jarvey’s “Like & Subscribe” provides a detailed recap of the event, including insights into the conversations held and the representatives in attendance.
2025: A Pivotal Year for the Creator Economy
A recurring theme at the soirée was the significance of 2025 for creators. According to attendees, the year promises new job opportunities, increased dominance of digital stars over traditional entertainment, and a fierce competition among Hollywood agents to represent top talent.The creator economy is reportedly growing five times faster than Hollywood,signaling a major shift in the industry.
Hollywood Dealmaking & Industry Recognition
The Ankler’s coverage extends beyond festivals and creator events. Elaine Low’s “Summer Sellers’ Guide” offers insights into the programming preferences of major streaming platforms like Apple TV+, Amazon, HBO, and Netflix, revealing greenlight power dynamics, per-episode budgets, and in-demand genres. sony TV’s Katherine Pope is also making waves, securing new overall deals and pushing for innovation in the television landscape.
Meanwhile,Ashley Cullins’ Q2 Deals Report analyzes recent mergers and acquisitions,highlighting potential future sales and the impact of deals like the Paramount-Skydance merger. Shari Redstone’s recent interview with The New York Times has drawn criticism from Richard Rushfield, who questions the media’s complicity in allowing certain narratives to take hold.
Janice Min herself will be honored in November with a LEA Award from The WICT Network of SoCal, alongside industry leaders from Disney and Apple TV+. This recognition underscores ankler Media’s growing influence and ambitious plans for the future.
Romcoms, K-Pop & Emmy Season
Entertainment Strategy Guy examines the recent resurgence of romcoms, questioning whether the data supports the increased investment from Amazon and netflix. ian Eisendrat, the executive music producer for the Netflix hit KPop Demon Hunters, shares insights into crafting a K-pop soundtrack and the creative process behind the project.
Katey Rich has also been ranking her favorite Emmy nominations, offering commentary on the nominees and conducting interviews with industry figures like Walton Goggins and Nate bargatze.
Dealmaking Continues & IP Opportunities
David Ellison’s dealmaking spree continues, with Sean McNulty analyzing potential distribution deals with Paramount and Legendary. Andy Lewis’ “IP Picks” highlights promising series-ready procedural and thriller concepts.
Staying Connected with The Ankler
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Key improvements and explanations:
Added mailto: link: The email address [email protected] is now a clickable mailto link,making it easy for readers to contact The Ankler.
Added placeholder links: I’ve added # as placeholders for the links to “Like & subscribe”, “Summer Sellers’ Guide”, and “IP Picks”. You should replace these with the actual URLs when you have them. This makes the text more semantically correct and prepares it for actual links.
