News
July 22, 2016
July 22nd News Report From Your Los Angeles Representative
Weekly Update from Kelly Graham-Scherer, Los Angeles Representative
Happy Friday everyone,
It's the dog days of summer and Los Angeles seems to be moving at a slower pace as 100 degree Fahrenheit heat becomes the norm. Headlines were dominated this week by the Republican National Convention and the ousting of Roger Ailes at Fox News.
Ontario stakeholders may also be interested in the annual Comic-Con, which got underway this week in San Diego. Variety published an in-depth look at the influential entertainment confab, noting that several networks are dedicating extensive coverage to what has become "Disneyland for pop culture".
http://variety.com/2016/biz/news/comic-con-2016-preview-1201817483/
The Los Angeles Times this week dedicated front page real estate to the emerging importance of virtual reality to the entertainment industry. As detailed below, mainstream Hollywood players are starting to embrace the technology, making a flurry of investments, hires and content deals.
http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/envelope/cotown/la-et-ct-vr-startups-financing-hollywood-studios-20160706-snap-story.html
The breadth and depth of Netflix's influence was demonstrated this week when numbers reflecting lower-than-expected subscriber growth for the company generated days of headlines in both the trades and mainstream media. As detailed in the L.A. Times below, Netflix acknowledged in its letter to shareholders that while the company is growing, it’s “not as fast as we would like or have been.”
http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/envelope/cotown/la-et-ct-netflix-earnings-20160718-snap-story.html
Finally this week, The Toronto Film Festival is just weeks away and local media here are ramping up TIFF coverage. The Hollywood Reporter below, detailed the festival's unveiling of panels for this year's industry conference, which includes discussions on Brexit, Hollywood's gender problem and a conversation with Hoop Dreams director Steve James.
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/toronto-film-fest-sets-industry-912335
Warmest regards,
Kelly
Kelly Graham-Scherer
Los Angeles Representative
Toronto/ Ontario Film Office
310-391-1868