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WTF-35. Dude, where’s my $100 million fighter jet? That’s pretty much what the US military was thinking over the weekend. Apparently, one of its stealth aircraft went missing after its pilot was forced to eject due to an in-flight “mishap.” Although some debris was found, there may be more out there… so it might be a perfect time to break out that old metal detector from the garage. Finders keepers, right?
In other news… Pirated movies take over TikTok, Wasserman shakes up Hollywood, and celebrity ghostwriting enters the spotlight.
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ENTERTAINMENT
Barbie on the small screen // Illustration by Kate Walker
TikTok is becoming the marquee platform for movie and TV piracy
The Future. A growing number of TikTok accounts are posting movies and shows in short clips that, through some digging, can be added up to a whole pirated title. Considering TikTok’s popularity and importance for marketing a movie, that’s a major headache for studios. But why people turn to TikTok for watching big-budget films and TV (no need to find something to watch, social engagement) may lead studios to program shuffle-play features and social profiles on their streaming platforms.
Swiped clips
TikTok has a piracy problem.
Anonymous accounts are posting movies and shows in two-to-three-minute clips, typically intermixed with other types of videos to avoid getting caught.
The clips, which don’t have the name of the movie or show in their descriptions, don’t carry ads and aren’t sponsored posts, but the hosting accounts have amassed thousands of followers and a ton of engagement.
Even though most followers are bots, the engagement has made the clips pop up on people’s For You pages, directing more users to check out the pirated content.
Despite many of these accounts not even finishing the pirated movie or episode, they have found fans in young, choice-saturated users who are scrolling through TikTok anyway. Users who frequently watch content on their phones report they like the algorithmic recommendations for what to watch (instead of having to choose something) and enjoy the social aspect of discussing them in the comments.
Those are interesting insights for studios that hope to turn TikTok into another distribution platform (as NBCUniversal is experimenting with using episodes of Killing It and Love Island USA). So, studios may just swallow the copyright violations as users get used to watching big movies on the small screen of TikTok.
Call it Social Pandora’s Box.
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ENTERTAINMENT
Casey Wasserman // Illustration by Kate Walker
Wasserman signs Brillstein Entertainment Partners
The Future. Sports and music agency Wasserman is adding film and TV to its repertoire, thanks to the acquisition of Brillstein Entertainment Partners. With several other management companies also looking for buyers and strategic partners, the management company may be low-key undergoing the same scale-up as the agency world — with far less oversight — to balance the power between creatives and the studios that hire them.
Grandpa’s footsteps
Wasserman’s acquisition of Brillstein is a microcosm of the consolidation happening all across the Hollywood talent management ecosystem.
First, the deal: the acquisition of the storied management company (clients like Brad Pitt, Adam Sandler, and Scott Derrickson) won’t lead to any layoffs, and personnel won’t have to move offices.
But, for Brillstein, it gives the firm scale and resources to grow into a future-focused shingle — one where managers help stars gain a foothold in a variety of mediums and routinely become entrepreneurs.
And for Wasserman, it gives the company an entrance into Hollywood, especially its production division, which CEO Casey Wasserman notes has become a vital addition to his work with athletes, musicians, and brands.
Brillstein’s wrap-up is another high-profile move in the management space, such as the link-ups of Range Media Partners and Automatik and Lionsgate and 3Arts. It’s all about the collaboration between talent and production — the very thing agencies like CAA, WME, and UTA were barred from doing during the WGA’s recent campaign.
But, in the meantime, Casey Wasserman gets his chance at becoming a Hollywood mogul like his grandfather, the legendary Lew Wasserman… before he, too, had to choose between being a seller and a buyer.
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ENTERTAINMENT
Millie Bobby Brown & Kathleen McGurl // Courtesy of Brown via Instagram
Millie Bobby Brown’s novel puts ghostwriters in the spotlight
The Future. Ghostwriting has been around forever, but the release of Stranger Things actress Millie Bobby Brown’s debut novel is re-questioning the practice. While the criticism toward Brown may be steeped in much more than just her use of a ghostwriter, the conversation could push more celebrities to be open about it (as Brown was) and credit them in some official way.
Authenticity credentials
Millie Bobby Brown’s Nineteen Steps is stirring up some complicated feelings about ghostwriting.
The novel was written by author Kathleen McGurl, who was provided research from Millie and sent notes over the course of several drafts (essentially, the work of an editor).
Brown has been open about her use of a ghostwriter, but the novel only being credited to her stoked some passionate criticism, with readers saying ghostwriters should now also have their names on the cover.
Brown has plenty of defenders who say the criticism seems only to pop up when it’s a young, famous woman’s face on the book. For example, Prince Harry’s best-selling memoir, Spare, was ghostwritten by JR Moehringer, and no one really seemed to mind.
The difference, as unfair as it might be, is our contemporary influencer culture puts a premium on authenticity (especially with women). And using a ghostwriter and taking sole credit may no longer be compatible with that.
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Give your brain something good
The next time you’re doom-scrolling or watching cat videos, take some time back and read The Hustle. You’ll be glad you did.
The Hustle is a cool little newsletter that gives you the best tech, startup, and business news stories — all in five minutes. (So you can get back to watching cat videos.)
Why is The Hustle so legit?
They break down big ideas and make them easily digestible
No frickin’ paywalls
It’s perfectly witty and informative
One last thing before we get back to doom-scrolling: they also have an equally sick podcast if commuting is part of your life again (sorry).
Highlights
The best curated daily stories from around the web
Media, Music, & Entertainment
After an avalanche of criticism, The Drew Barrymore Show, The Talk, and Real Time With Bill Maher have reversed their decisions to restart production. Read more → thr
Disney may open the floodgates to a major broadcast and cable sell-off if it really does sell ABC to Nexstar. Read more → cnbc
Katy Perry sold her music catalog to Litmus Music in a $255 million deal. Read more → variety
Fashion & E-Commerce
Thanks to flash mob robberies, losses from retail crime have hit a $100 billion high this year. Read more → bof
Yes, there is actually a best time to score concert tickets on the resale market. Read more → bloomberg
The big winners of Instacart’s IPO today will be the grocery store chains that the delivery service made secret partnerships with. Read more → theinformation
Tech, Web3, & AI
The US government and ByteDance are back to negotiating about what to do about TikTok — the ultimate will they/won’t they in tech. Read more → wapo
OpenSea’s decision to stop enforcing royalty payments for artists to regain ground from rival Blur has backfired. Read more → forbes
Revo Foods is selling 3D-printed salmon (yes, this is real). Read more → hypebeast
Creator Economy
TikTok’s Creativity Program, a monetization fund to kickstart long-form videos on the platform, is expanding globally. Read more → tubefilter
The Steve Jobs Archive announced its first cohort of “young creators” that it’s supporting as part of its newly-announced fellowship program. Read more → theverge
Wiz Khalifa launched a DTC mushroom-growing brand (the PG-rated shrooms) dubbed “Mistercap’s.” Read more → fastcompany
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Today’s email was written by David Vendrell.
Edited by Nick Comney. Copy edited by Kait Cunniff.
Published by Darline Salazar.