This Changes Everything #20: The Show Must Go On in Post-Pandemic Hollywood

California Groundbreakers

This pandemic has created a major upheaval in Los Angeles, the global hub of entertainment. We’re now used to streaming movies and TV shows whenever we want, and we’re finding new types of entertainment in places like YouTube, Twitch and TikTok. So what does the future hold for movie theaters, streaming services, film and TV studios, and the people who work for all of them, when this pandemic ends? Listen to two experts in entertainment and pop culture who tell us what types of things we’ll be watching in the future, how we’ll be watching then, and what that all means for one of California’s biggest economic forces, the entertainment industry. GUESTS * Gene Del Vecchio, adjunct professor of marketing at USC's Marshall School of Business, marketing consultant for the entertainment industry, and author of business books like "Creating Blockbusters" - https://www.marshall.usc.edu/personnel/gene-del-vecchio * Henry Jenkins, Provost Professor of Communication, Journalism, Cinematic Arts and Education at USC, writer/editor of 20 books about media and popular culture, and co-host of the podcast "How Do You Like It So Far?" - https://annenberg.usc.edu/faculty/henry-jenkins PODCAST PLAY-BY-PLAY * 0 to 6:15 min - Intro to California Groundbreakers, and this episode * 6:15 min - The biggest changes that Del Vecchio and Jenkins made in their entertainment consumption during this pandemic * 10:30 min - Are movie theaters going to survive? * 17:40 min - How the movie experience, and types of movies, will change as more of us stop going to the movies * 23:10 min - What's the relevance of movie stars these days, and will Scarlett Johansson's "Black Widow" lawsuit against Disney change the way they're paid? * 31:25 min - How the rise of streaming video is changing TV production and the traditional TV and cable networks * 42:05 min - How GenZ's tastes in entertainment are changing the way Hollywood makes entertainment * 48:20 min - How social movements are hitting Hollywood (i.e., MeToo, PayUpHollywood, cancel culture), and are they causing significant change? * 57:25 min - Will Los Angeles remain the epicenter of entertainment, and will Hollywood still be "Hollywood?" * 1 hr, 30 sec - Del Vecchio and Jenkins' recommendations for what to watch this summer