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Hiring season. With Labor Day in the books and sweater weather on the horizon, now may be the perfect time to pursue that dream job you’ve been thinking about. That’s because September kicks off the unofficial start to the fall hiring season (aka when recruitment really ramps up). Who knew cool weather and post-vacay vibes could help land a new gig?
Speaking of dream jobs, check out this week’s top listings below. Your future self will thank us.
In other news… Rotten Tomatoes manipulates Hollywood, CAA has a new work daddy, and TikTok-style feeds take over music streamers.
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ENTERTAINMENT
Splat spat // Illustration by Kate Walker
Rotten Tomatoes allowed some stinky score manipulation
The Future. An investigation by Vulture writer Lane Brown found one film publicity company was regularly trying to manipulate scores on Rotten Tomatoes in favor of the movies it was promoting. While that may seem like small tomatoes, it shows how powerful (and maybe destructive) a force the review aggregation site can be to audiences. As has already begun, expect studio greenlight committees to routinely hire data firms to predict what scores a potential movie or show could receive before putting in any financing.
Fresh fakery
Rotten Tomatoes may have a certified problem.
Brown found film publicity company Bunker 15 routinely paid critics verified by Rotten Tomatoes to write favorable reviews or bury bad ones.
The goal was to boost scores for movies it worked for, such as 2018’s Daisy Ridley-starring Ophelia, which had mostly negative reviews out of Sundance but still wound up “fresh,” helping the movie score US distribution.
Bunker 15 founder Daniel Harlow refutes those allegations, saying “a small handful [of critics] have set up a specific system where filmmakers can sponsor or pay to have them review a film” (as close a confession as you’ll get).
Rotten Tomatoes has since removed several movies associated with the company from its site and sent a warning to critics.
As the influence of individual critics has faded, Rotten Tomatoes has become the go-to arbiter for the common moviegoer — a simplistic score that aggregates reviews from 3,500 critics, who run the gamut from professional critics to bloggers with a few dozen followers… and all carry the same weight.
While studies can’t reach a consensus on whether RT scores make or break a movie (USC says no; The Ringer says yes), a third of US adults do at least check the site before going to the theaters. That’s definitely enough incentive for studios and production companies to put their thumbs on the scale, like pooling together favorable critics for an early look at a franchise movie in an effort to debut the RT score at a high number and juice ticket pre-sales.
None of this is illegal, of course… but it’s good to wipe the tomato from our eyes and see things for how they really are.
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ENTERTAINMENT
CAA’s HQ under new ownership // Illustration by Kate Walker
Kering wraps up CAA
The Future. French billionaire Francois-Henri Pinault (who’s married to CAA-repped actress Salma Hayek) and CAA have agreed to terms for a majority buyout of the Hollywood talent agency. While Endeavor-backed WME has pushed for scale on the public markets, CAA has opted to stay private and double down on an aura of exclusivity. While CAA already has a strong international presence, expect the agency to expand even more in billing itself as the purveyor of global artists.
Star luxury
CAA is getting a luxury look.
Artémis, the Pinault family’s investment company, has confirmed its plan to purchase 50 to 60% of CAA from TPG, which is reportedly valued around $7 billion.
When the transaction is completed later this year, CAA will stay private, with agency leaders Bryan Lourd, Kevin Huvane, and Richard Lovett re-upping as Co-Chairmen.
Additionally, Lourd is expected to be crowned CEO, while Jim Burston will remain President.
With the acquisition, Artémis expands from the luxury goods and art industries into premium talent representation… who are exactly the type of people that Pinault would love to see repping brands like Gucci, Saint Laurent, and Bottega Veneta on the daily. Synergy is in the air.
Meanwhile, the deal aligns CAA with the high culture of French luxury fashion, which has immense global reach. And with Saint Laurent opening a full-fledged production company, we may soon see more rich partnerships between film and fashion.
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Data, data, data
Data is da king. But what does it even mean? Chartr will tell you in its free newsletter.
It’s not just any newsletter, though. It’s filled with pretty little charts and easy-to-digest insights that break down the numbers behind business, tech, and entertainment news. And it only takes five minutes to read.
450,000+ professionals already subscribe to Chartr. So, you probably should, too.
MUSIC
Scrolling through some bops
Music streamers turn to TikTok-style feeds to fuel discovery
The Future. To continue attracting the youths, music streaming services are rolling out their versions of TikTok’s “For You” page, hoping a mix of music discovery and social features can boost engagement. While it feels like a race to see whose copycat feature will reign supreme, it’s the race toward sociability that could be groundbreaking. So, don’t be surprised if a company cracks the code on a platform that’s Spotify-meets-Letterboxd.
Endless listen
Everyone is trying to copy TikTok before TikTok Music is unleashed on the masses.
SoundCloud just dropped a discovery feed to all its users, which features static images and 30-second clips of songs.
YouTube Music released its “Samples” feed last month and recently added a commenting feature.
Spotify updated its mobile app in March to include a vertical video discovery feed.
And, of course, TikTok Music has recreated the endless scroll experience of its classic app… but it’s still only available in five countries.
The rush to create actionable, discoverable, vertical feeds is because “younger consumers are more interested in having a more social streaming experience,” says MIDiA Research analyst Tatiana Cirisano. Last year, the firm found over half of users between the ages of 25 and 34 wanted features like profile pages and the ability to message on their streaming apps.
Could we soon get Spotify DMs? It sounds like a sure bet to us.
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E-bike your heart out 🚴♂️💨
If you’re looking for a bike, you’re gonna want a certified e-bike. Here’s why:
Less intense peddling up huge hills
They’re cool
Planet-friendly vibes
Okay, great. Glad you want one. Now, just take Upway's quick three-question quiz and find the perfect e-bike for you. Every Upway e-bike has been inspected, tuned up, and certified by top-tier mechanics and includes a one-year warranty. So, you’re good.
And RN, you can snag up to $1,000 off selected bikes on sale until the end of the week. You can also use the code TFP for an extra $150 off on all their e-bikes.
Highlights
The best curated daily stories from around the web
Media, Music, & Entertainment
Last week’s Electric Zoo Festival was a logistics disaster — a canceled opening day due to permit issues, hours-long queues to pick up tickets that were never mailed, and fans jumping over fences to get in on Sunday when the festival mysteriously reached capacity. Read more → billboard
The new rockstar trend is bringing your kids onstage to show off their talent, as evidenced by recent shows from Beyoncé and Foo Fighters. Read more → wsj
Tom Brady is coaching Delta employees as part of his role as the airline’s new “strategic advisor.” Read more → fastcompany
Fashion & E-Commerce
Men’s skincare is taking over retail aisles thanks to brands like Idris Elba’s S’ABLE Labs and Pharrell’s Humanrace. Read more → hypebeast
eBay wants to take all the work out of selling with a new tool that generates complete product listings from a single photo. Read more → techcrunch
As cars become computers, they also become paywalled subscription platforms for connected features. Read more → axios
Tech, Web3, & AI
The EU has minted which platforms it considers “gatekeepers” that’ll need to stop combining user data across multiple services or push users toward their own services starting next March. Read more → theinformation
Apple’s stock is taking a hit after Chinese tech firm Huawei debuted a rival smartphone, and Beijing has ordered some government workers to stop using iPhones. Read more → wsj
Toyota and FuelCell Energy have developed a system that turns methane gas waste into electricity, hydrogen, and water, which will be used to power the automaker’s logistics facility in Long Beach for 20+ years. Read more → forbes
Creator Economy
A trend called “bottle wars” has people at clubs pouring very expensive drinks all over the floor as a flex. Read more → insider
Food service staff are really over creators pulling dumb pranks for online clicks. Read more → wsj
Some influencers are trying to rebrand normal things like “going for a walk without distractions” as groundbreaking new trends. Read more → insider
JOBBY LOBBY
Explore a weekly curated list of the latest and greatest job opportunities in business, tech, and entertainment. For more listings, check out the complete job board.
Manager, Corporate Strategy & Development - Integration & Acceleration
PlayStation
San Mateo, CA
Accounts Payable Specialist
Tri Star Sports & Entertainment Group
Nashville, TN
Field Property Claim Representative Trainee
The Travelers Companies
Salt Lake City, UT
Solutions Architect - Advanced Analytics (Pre-Sales)
eClerx
San Francisco, CA
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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.