Pandora's Box, page 44
6. “an alarm bell”: Natalie Jarvey, “Disney over the Top: Bob Iger Bets the Company (and Hollywood’s Future) on Streaming,” Hollywood Reporter, October 16, 2019, https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-features/bob-iger-bets-company-hollywood-s-future-streaming-1247663.
7. “You don’t really have a choice”: Kara Swisher, “Disney’s Former C.E.O. Gave Me the Exit Interview I Asked For,” Sway, podcast, New York Times, December 27, 2022, https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/27/opinion/sway-kara-swisher-bob-iger.html.
8. “I woke up one day and thought”: Ibid.
9. “The Pixar deal gave Iger”: Confidential source, in discussion with the author.
10. “Thank God that Disney bought us”: Josef Adalian, “‘We Had to Learn Everything Over Again’: How FX Survived the Streaming Wars,” Vulture, January 12, 2023, https://www.vulture.com/article/fx-john-landgraf-interview-streaming-evolution.html.
11. “Nobody expected Bob Iger”: Maureen Dowd, “The Slow-Burning Success of Disney’s Bob Iger,” New York Times, September 22, 2019, https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/22/style/disney-bob-iger-book.html.
12. Disney’s Dumbo-size chunk: Ibid.
13. AT&T employees referred to Stephenson: James B. Stewart, “Was This $100 Billion Deal the Worst Merger Ever?,” New York Times, November 19, 2022, https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/19/business/media/att-time-warner-deal.html.
14. “fit together very well”: Felix Gillette and John Koblin, It’s Not TV: The Spectacular Rise, Revolution, and Future of HBO (New York: Viking, 2022), 296.
15. “a Chinese wall between the creative”: John Koblin, “Media’s Odd Couple: Proudly Freewheeling HBO and Buttoned-Up AT&T,” New York Times, October 30, 2016, https://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/31/business/media/new-media-odd-couple-hbo-att.html.
16. “We don’t have the tech platform”: Cecilia Kang, “Time Warner C.E.O. Testifies That AT&T Merger Is Needed to Battle Silicon Valley,” New York Times, April 18, 2018, https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/18/business/time-warner-att-merger.html.
17. “a superlative businessman”: “WarnerMedia New York Town Hall at HBO,” conversation between Richard Plepler and John Stankey, HBO, June 27, 2018, YouTube, video, https://youtu.be/pA68mz7qUhk.
18. “It’s going to be a tough year”: Edmund Lee and John Koblin, “HBO Must Get Bigger and Broader, Says Its New Overseer,” New York Times, July 8, 2018, https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/08/business/media/hbo-att-merger.html.
19. “Are our jobs secure?”: Ibid.
20. “I’m sick of hearing this!”: Alexandra Steigrad, “HBO Staffers Clash with Division Chief over Streaming Plans: Sources,” New York Post, August 18, 2019, https://nypost.com/2019/08/18/execs-style-puts-hbo-streaming-plan-in-peril-critics.
21. “We do that,” Stankey retorted: Edmund Lee and John Koblin, “HBO Must Get Bigger and Broader, Says Its New Overseer,” New York Times, July 8, 2018, https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/08/business/media/hbo-att-merger.html.
22. “direct-to-consumer platforms”: Todd Spangler, “AT&T CEO: Game of Thrones Episodes May Be Better Cut Down to 20 Minutes for Mobile,” Variety, May 23, 2017, https://variety.com/2017/digital/news/game-of-thrones-mobile-episodes-att-time-warner-merger-1202441208.
23. “bits in pipes”: Elaine Low, “Drop the ‘HBO.’ Just ‘Max.’ It’s Cleaner (Wait—Is It?),” Ankler, April 12, 2023, https://theankler.com/p/drop-the-hbo-just-max-its-cleaner#details.
24. “AT&T understands that we have”: Richard Plepler, in discussion with the author, July 20, 2018.
25. “absolutely determined not to turn”: Maureen Dowd, “The Slow-Burning Success of Disney’s Bob Iger,” New York Times, September 22, 2019, https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/22/style/disney-bob-iger-book.html.
26. “The Disney version becomes”: Aisha Harris, “Rewriting the Past Won’t Make Disney More Progressive,” New York Times, May 27, 2019, https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/27/movies/aladdin-disney-diversity.html.
27. When Toy Story 2 was released: Jazz Tangcay, “Disney Plus Censors Casting Couch Joke in Toy Story 2 and Other Subtle Edits,” Variety, April 16, 2020, https://variety.com/2020/artisans/news/disney-plus-censors-toy-story-2-1234582535.
28. “The prevailing wisdom was that”: Chris Nee, in discussion with the author, April 22, 2021.
29. “The level of malpractice”: James B. Stewart, “Was This $100 Billion Deal the Worst Merger Ever?,” New York Times, November 19, 2022, https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/19/business/media/att-time-warner-deal.html.
30. “No strategic thinker”: Bob Greenblatt, in discussion with the author, July 15, 2021.
31. “took out a huge chunk”: Confidential source, in discussion with the author.
32. “Executives get more credit”: Richard Plepler, in discussion with the author, February 16, 2023.
33. “I also have to protect”: Aubrey Carlson, Maya Salam, et al., “#MeToo Brought Down 201 Powerful Men. Nearly Half of Their Replacements Are Women.,” New York Times, October 29, 2018, https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/10/23/us/metoo-replacements.html; Anna Nicolaou, “Culture Clash Takes Richard Plepler out of the Picture at HBO,” Financial Times, March 2, 2019, https://www.ft.com/content/bba1791e-3c66-11e9-b72b-2c7f526ca5d0.
34. “the ultimate white guy”: Confidential source, in discussion with the author.
35. “dismissive, borderline offensive”: Ibid.
36. Many screens were sited in “zombie malls”: Brooks Barnes, “Movie Theaters Had a Great Summer. But There’s a Plot Twist,” New York Times, September 4, 2022, https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/04/business/movie-theaters-closing-bankruptcy.html.
37. “under the bus”: A. O. Scott, “Steven Spielberg Gets Personal,” New York Times, November 9, 2022, https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/09/movies/steven-spielberg-the-fabelmans.html.
38. “Without question, Kilar”: Kim Masters, “Kim Masters on Hollywood’s Year of Wishful Thinking,” Hollywood Reporter, December 20, 2022, https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/kim-masters-hollywoods-2022-year-1235282889.
39. “Ricky’s expertise, outside of marketing”: Confidential source, in discussion with the author.
40. “To be successful in making content”: Brooks Barnes, “Disney’s Streaming Service Starts to Come Into Focus,” New York Times, August 5, 2018, https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/05/business/media/disney-streaming-service-ricky-strauss.html.
41. “Everything had to bubble up to Ricky”: Confidential source, in discussion with the author.
42. “Disney is filled with people”: Nancy Kanter, in discussion with the author, January 18, 2021.
43. Terri Minsky wrote the pilot: Terri Minsky, in discussion with the author, January 5, 2021; Julia Boorstin, “Disney’s ’Tween Machine How the Disney Channel Became Must-See TV—and the Company’s Unlikely Cash Cow,” Fortune, September 29, 2003, CNN Money, https://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune_archive/2003/09/29/349896/index.htm.
44. “There was never any discussion”: Confidential source, in discussion with the author.
45. “There were literally three rows”: Ellie Woodward, “The Cast of Lizzie McGuire Spoke Out About Disney’s ‘Ridiculous’ Decision to Cancel the Reboot and It’s Pretty Shady,” BuzzFeedNews, January 15, 2021, https://www.buzzfeed.com/elliewoodward/lizzie-mcguire-cast-spoke-out-disney-decision-cancel-reboot.
46. “You don’t give notes”: Confidential source, in discussion with the author.
47. “What Netflix is doing is making”: Maureen Dowd, “The Slow-Burning Success of Disney’s Bob Iger,” New York Times, September 22, 2019, https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/22/style/disney-bob-iger-book.html.
48. “I was ready to play outside”: Nancy Kanter, in discussion with the author, January 18, 2021.
49. “To get a same-sex family”: Chris Nee, in discussion with the author, April 22, 2021.
50. “didn’t require you to make a show”: Josef Adalian, “Shonda Rhimes on Moving to Netflix: ‘We Know a Large Amount of What We’re Going to Be Making,’” Vulture, June 11, 2018, https://www.vulture.com/2018/06/shonda-rhimes-netflix-unscripted-tv.html.
51. “For the most part I found the Netflix”: Chris Nee, in discussion with the author, April 22, 2021.
52. “so it’s ‘so far so good’”: Ibid.
53. “There was one creator there”: Confidential source, in discussion with the author.
54. “No. I would consider that”: Ibid.
55. The magnitude of the layoffs caused: Meredith Woerner, “Abigail Disney Calls Bob Iger’s $65 Million Compensation ‘Insane,’” Variety, April 21, 2019, https://variety.com/2019/biz/news/abigail-disney-bob-iger-salary-insane-1203194159.
56. “Let’s not pretend”: Alex Welprin, “Disney ‘Needs to Be Saved From Itself,’ Says Abigail Disney,” Hollywood Reporter, December 18, 2020, https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/disney-needs-to-be-saved-from-itself-says-abigail-disney-4107369.
57. “forage for food”: Shannon Liao, “Abigail Disney Visited Disneyland. She Is ‘Livid’ About What She Saw,” CNN Business, July 17, 2019, https://www.cnn.com/2019/07/16/media/abigail-disney-disneyland-undercover/index.html; Jordan Valinsky, “Abigail Disney on Disney Furloughs: ‘What the Actual F—?,’” CNN Business, July 22, 2020, https://www.cnn.com/2020/04/22/business/abigail-disney-furloughs-bonus-pay-coronavirus-trnd/index.html.
58. “Top filmmakers are dying”: Matthew Belloni, “It’s Time to Take Star Wars Movies Away from Kathy Kennedy,” Puck, November 14, 2021, https://puck.news/its-time-to-take-star-wars-movies-away-from-kathy-kennedy.
59. “borderline corporate negligence”: Matthew Belloni, “The Next Star Wars Movie Terrifies Lucasfilm,” Puck, October 23, 2022, https://puck.news/the-next-star-wars-movie-terrifies-lucasfilm.
60. recommended rewatching five films: Sarah Bahr, “What to Know Before Seeing Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness,” New York Times, May 4, 2022, https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/04/movies/doctor-strange-multiverse-of-madness-preview.html.
61. “pixel-fucked” by the studio’s: Chris Lee, “I’m a VFX Artist and I’m Tired of Getting ‘Pixel-F—ked’ by Marvel,” Vulture, July 26, 2022, https://www.vulture.com/article/a-vfx-artist-on-what-its-like-working-for-marvel.html.
62. “Sundance to spandex”: Ann Hornaday, “Comic Books Have Taken Over the Movies. Must They Take Our Indie Auteurs, Too?,” Washington Post, July 8, 2021, https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/black-widow-auteur-director/2021/07/07/aff5a978-de67-11eb-9f54-7eee10b5fcd2_story.html.
63. “Things had been quite good”: Kara Swisher, “Disney’s Former C.E.O. Gave Me the Exit Interview I Asked For,” Sway, podcast, New York Times, December 27, 2022, https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/27/opinion/sway-kara-swisher-bob-iger.html.
64. “a person who never held”: Alex Weprin, “Disney ‘Needs to Be Saved From Itself,’ Says Abigail Disney,” Hollywood Reporter, December 18, 2020, https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/disney-needs-to-be-saved-from-itself-says-abigail-disney-4107369.
65. “Historically, it has been easier for CEOs”: Rick Rosen, in discussion with the author, September 1, 2022.
66. “essentially abandoned the middle class”: Hannah Sampson, “Disney Parks Are Raising Prices Again,” Washington Post, October 12, 2022, https://www.washingtonpost.com/travel/2022/10/12/disney-world-genie-plus-price.
67. “sad and distressing in its callous disregard”: Brooks Barnes and Nicole Sperling, “Scarlett Johansson Sues Disney over Black Widow Release,” New York Times, July 29, 2021, https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/29/business/media/scarlett-johansson-black-widow-disney-lawsuit.html.
68. “it seemed like Iger wouldn’t”: Meg James, “Behind the Stunning Exit of Disney CEO Bob Chapek,” Los Angeles Times, November 21, 2022, https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/business/story/2022-11-21/bob-chapek-disney-ouster-bog-iger.
Chapter 12: Can WBD’s Kid Stay in the Picture?
1. “the worst media strategist”: Seung Lee, “The Cold War Between Yahoo and Kara Swisher,” Newsweek, November 9, 2015, https://www.newsweek.com/yahoo-kara-swisher-392206; Kara Swisher, “AT&T’s Sorry Retreat from Digital Media,” New York Times, May 21, 2021, https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/21/opinion/att-discover-merger.html.
2. “Laid-Off HBO Max Execs”: Adam Manno, “Laid-Off HBO Max Execs Reveal Warner Bros. Discovery Is Killing Off Diversity and Courting ‘Middle America,’” Daily Beast, August 25, 2022, https://www.thedailybeast.com/laid-off-hbo-max-execs-reveal-warner-bros-discovery-is-killing-off-diversity-and-courting-middle-america.
3. “I think Zaslav sees”: Confidential source, in discussion with the author.
4. “He’s really, really tough”: Kim Masters, “As David Zaslav Takes Deal Crown, How Will He Rule His Discovery-WarnerMedia Empire?,” Hollywood Reporter, May 18, 2021, https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/david-zaslav-discovery-warnermedia-plans-1234955316.
5. “a revolving door”: Confidential source, in discussion with the author.
6. “Right away I thought”: David Zaslav, in discussion with the author, January 18, 2021.
7. “How a Golf Tournament”: Kenneth Li and Krystal Hu, “How a Golf Tournament Led to the Merger of Discovery, WarnerMedia,” Reuters, May 17, 2021, https://www.reuters.com/technology/how-canceled-golf-tournament-led-merger-discovery-warnermedia-2021-05-17.
8. “You don’t buy a company”: David Zaslav, in discussion with the author, January 18, 2021.
9. “Netflix and Disney seem to be running”: Ibid.
10. “If you were in Sun Valley”: Michael Fuchs, in discussion with the author, May 8, 2022.
11. According to the New York Times, Zaz: Benjamin Mullin, “‘Cable Cowboy’ John Malone Sees More Streaming Bundles Ahead,” New York Times, August 21, 2022, https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/21/business/media/john-malone-streaming-bundles-cable.html.
12. “You opened up the closet”: Jill Goldsmith, “David Zaslav on DC Rising, Ad Market Tanking, HBO’s Losses & WBD’s New Streaming Playbook,” Deadline, November 15, 2022, https://deadline.com/2022/11/dc-david-zaslav-warner-bros-discovery-hbo-max-1235172584.
13. was “fucked up”: Ryan Faughnder, “DC Studios Slate Unveiled: James Gunn and Peter Safran’s Plan to Unify the Comic Book Empire,” Los Angeles Times, January 31, 2023, https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/business/story/2023-01-31/dc-warner-bros-presentation-boctatman-superman-james-gunn.
14. “Zaslav is like a joke”: Michael Fuchs, in discussion with the author, December 8, 2022.
15. “will not overspend to drive”: Jennifer Maas, “David Zaslav Vows Warner Bros. Discovery ‘Will Not Overspend to Drive Subscriber Growth,’” Variety, April 26, 2022, https://variety.com/2022/tv/news/warner-bros-discovery-not-overspend-streaming-david-zaslav-1235240905.
16. “‘the top of the funnel’”: Claudia Eller and Cynthia Littleton, “How David Zaslav Plans to Combine Discovery and WarnerMedia to Unleash ‘Shock and Awe’ on the Streaming Wars,” Variety, December 8, 2021, https://variety.com/2021/biz/entertainment-industry/david-zaslav-warner-bros-discovery-1235127820.
17. “If they are old Discovery”: Confidential source, in discussion with the author.
18. “Home to the World’s Best Storytellers”: “Warner Bros. Discovery,” careers webpage, Warner Bros. Discovery, accessed March 1, 2023, https://careers.wbd.com/global/en.
19. “There was a time when”: Ryan Faughnder, “As Streaming Services Get Frugal, Programming Changes Throw Hollywood Creators for a Loop,” Los Angeles Times, August 16, 2022, https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/business/newsletter/2022-08-16/streaming-services-programming-changes-wide-shot-newsletter-the-wide-shot.
20. “Hi there, new business daddy”: Savannah Walsh, “John Oliver Takes Shots at ‘New Business Daddy’ Warner Bros. Discovery,” Vanity Fair, August 8, 2022, https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2022/08/john-oliver-takes-shots-at-new-business-daddy-warner-bros-discovery.
21. “A recession is coming”: Brooks Barnes, “After #MeToo Reckoning, a Fear Hollywood Is Regressing,” New York Times, October 24, 2022, https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/24/business/media/hollywood-metoo.html.
22. “doesn’t know what he doesn’t know”: Kim Masters, “Megabanter 2022: Wall St. ditches streaming, Disney undergoes a shakeup,” KCRW, December 23, 2022, https://www.kcrw.com/culture/shows/the-business/mega-banter-2022-wall-street-ditches-streaming-disney-suffers-major-shakeup.
