04/23/21

THIS WEEK: OSCARS, DOCUSERIES, AND CUSTOMERS AT THE WAWA

TRENDS THIS WEEK
 

☞ Youtube Earth Day 2021 Doodle

☞ Letterboxd NOBODY

☞ TikTok #EarthDay

☞ Spotify Lil Nas X - MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name)

☞ Netflix THE CIRCLE

☞ Twitter #EarthDay

PS WEEKLY ツ

LIFE & CULTURE

It seems like Apple finally got tired of being outspent and seeing their market share in podcasting get gobbled up by competitors. Enter: a new way for podcasters to make bank. The company is calling it Apple Podcast Subscriptions, “a global marketplace for listeners to discover premium subscriptions offered by their favorite creators alongside millions of free shows on Apple Podcasts.” Starting in May, podcast creators will be able to set pricing for podcast subscriptions, with monthly or annual billing options, along with the tools to offer free trials and sample episodes. Apple is reportedly keeping 30% of podcast subscription fees in subscribers’ first year, and then 15% in years after that. 

In other Apple versus Spotify news, Apple released information about its royalties breakdown for the first time, in a letter to artists. The biggest takeaway? It paid artists an average of one cent per stream for individual paid plans last year. This is apparently about double what Spotify pays artists, which is one-third to one-half penny per stream. All I know is that all still pales in comparison to the $0.50 to $0.55 artists used to get from every CD sale. 

Choreographer JaQuel Knight is making the phrase “dance credit” a thing. He just launched a company with ambitions of copyrighting dance moves. You’ve probably seen his work, from Beyonce’s instantly recognizable “Single Ladies” dance, to Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion’s “WAP” video. According to Variety, the company “will operate in the same way a music publisher does where it will broker licensing deals and protect IP, except rather than copyright music Knight Choreography & Music Publishing will oversee the rights to Knight’s dance moves.” Pretty cool, if the USPTO is down.

Currently, the sound “I am hopeful, yes I am, hopeful for today” is stuck in my head on a never ending loop thanks to TikTok’s latest trend. The videos poke fun at the “where are they now?” character updates that we often see in movies based on a true story, with the song “Hope” by Twista (the song played over exactly such a scene at the end of COACH CARTER) playing in the background. And, unsurprisingly, TikTok creators have absolutely hilarious takes on the song. Creator DL Lee truly kicked off the trend, with this video, which is worth watching for the grandma character alone. And this rendition legitimately made my jaw drop. I will leave you with this group of puppies taking on the trend, and urge you to browse through the TikTok sound if you’re looking to waste 20-40 minutes of your day laughing. 

Besides this trend, and specifically the hot dog video, my favorite ‘Toks of the week were this seamless loop that feels like a whole short film, and this compilation of strangers teaching strangers their favorite dance moves. What a week in content, guys. 

—Darlene Kenney, Digital Strategist 

In the world of soccer (or football, if you came of age in Europe post-1970), a weirdly cinematic tale of greed, super-secret plans, and rich corporations trying to squash the little guy but being smacked down by the people unfolded over the course of 48 hours this week. I'm of course talking about the Super League. You can read the whole sordid tale here, and I'll look forward to watching the inevitable mini doc in a few months.

Also, on the great "do you need a mask outside debate" the New York Times comes through with a useful 2/3 rule.

—Neha Gandhi, EVP Digital & Strategy 
 

FILM

IT’S OSCAR WEEKEND BAYBEEEE! TBH I’m a little bummed that we won’t get to see everyone’s Zoom backgrounds like we have for the previous awards shows, but I’m looking forward to seeing the nominees gathered together. And don’t forget to tune into the preshow so that you can hear HUSAVIK performed in all its glory… 

—Julia Hammer, Creative Executive

Editor's Note: In case you, like me, don’t have cable and won’t be watching live, all is not lost. We’ll be tweeting, IG storying, and TikToking the highlights of the show in real time, on @picturestart. Follow along if you’re into that sort of thing. 
 

TV

I spent the night of 420 binging the new docuseries on Hulu, SASQUATCH, which premiered this past Tuesday. Hailing from director Joshua Rofe (LORENA), this thrilling, mysterious and sensationalistic three-parter follows investigative journalist David Holthouse as he tries to uncover the truth behind a triple homicide that may or may not have happened in 1993 — and may or may not involve the mythical creature Sasquatch, a.k.a. Bigfoot, on a marijuanna farm in Northern California’s Emerald Triangle. What starts off as a potential hunt for this mythical creature quickly turns into an investigation into some more mundane and darker violence surrounding one of the most impenetrable parts of the country—a lucrative hub for marijuanna cultivation and distribution, and a place full of violence, lawlessness and racism. What especially gripped me was the way the creators dive in with an open mind, not knowing if they will ever uncover an answer. Does Sasquatch really exist, and what really happened on these marijuanna farms? (Some) answers lay ahead...

—Mimi Li, Development Assistant

This weekend, I’m looking forward to starting HBO’s new limited series, MARE OF EASTTOWN. The first episode premiered last Sunday, and while many are (rightfully) fixating on Kate Winslet’s stirring performance as a small-town Pennsylvania detective investigating a murder, Twitter is in a frenzy over the inspiration for the costumes on the show. Executive producer and series director Craig Zobel told Philly Voice, "Our costume designer [Meghan Kasperlik] would constantly be texting me pictures from the Wawa convenience store, just of people in the line.” The show’s stellar reviews have placed a particular emphasis on its moody atmosphere and distinct setting, so let this be a lesson in authenticity and world-building to all of us: Anything short of an ethnographic field study in the Wawa check-out line simply will not cut it.

—Neal Mulani, Development Assistant


THEATER

This week’s latest offering from National Theatre At Home truly feels like it was made in a petri dish for me: a new production of Romeo & Juliet starring Josh O’Connor and Jessie Buckley. I’ve already set aside my Friday night to watch this filmed production—which manages to clock in at under 90 minutes, by the way (a true feat, since the play is usually 3 hours long.) The stills I’ve seen boast a rave-like masquerade ball, Jessie Buckley singing, and a sneaker-clad Romeo. A true dream!! 

—Julia Hammer, Creative Executive 

BOOK

Since I’ve already written about every book Patrick Radden Keefe has published, I can’t NOT mention his latest, EMPIRE OF PAIN: THE SECRET HISTORY OF THE SACKLER DYNASTY. Lots of ink has already been spilled discussing the greed and misdeeds of the Sackler family and their company Purdue Pharma. What makes Keefe’s book different from the others that have come before it is his access to the court documents that have become public in the last couple of years, revealing just how unwilling the family is to take any meaningful responsibility for the opioid crisis. As the New York Times said in its review, “this book will make your blood boil.” 

—Julia Hammer, Creative Executive

PODCAST

This morning, a friend recommended Apple’s new podcast, The Line (also available on Spotify)...and as of this evening, I have already finished the four episodes currently out. This podcast tells the story of former Navy SEAL Eddie Gallagher, who was charged with war crimes in 2018 after being accused by his fellow SEALs. From never-before-heard interviews with Gallagher to the trial itself, this series prompts a fascinating conversation about the psychology of heroism as well as how our society understands morality. 

—Lucy Putnam, Creative Executive