🎬 Indie TV's Moment

👋 Good morning! Hollywood's rallying around its hometown in a big way this week. A "Stay in L.A." petition has already gathered 15,000+ signatures (including Keanu Reeves, Patty Jenkins, and Rian Johnson) calling for uncapped tax incentives and more local production commitments from studios. With other states dangling 40% tax credits while California sits at 25%, organizers say it's time to keep the cameras—and jobs—where they belong.

Welcome aboard the Dailies. As you sip your morning brew, we’ll get you caught up with the fast-paced world of Hollywood—no need to chase down a newsstand, we’ve got everything you need right here.

🎞 Here’s what’s on the reel today:

• Indie TV’s Having Its Moment

• Range Fires Back at CAA

• Last Looks: 👀 Bite-sized scoops on developing stories/projects

• Video Village: The latest trailers

• Martini Shot 🍸

CLOSEUP
📺 Indie TV’s having its moment…

Remember when Mark Duplass self-financed all eight episodes of ‘Penelope’ before bringing it to Sundance last year? After Netflix snatched it up in a heated bidding war, industry whispers started: could indie TV be the next big thing? The latest: Cooper Raiff just premiered ‘Hal & Harper’ (starring Lili Reinhart and Mark Ruffalo) at Sundance, joining a wave of creators ditching the traditional TV development path. The trend is picking up steam:

• Duplass Brothers are doubling down, self-funding multiple series using ‘Morning Show’ earnings.

• Ex-Amazon chief Joe Lewis is making shows for pocket change—$500K to $1.5M per episode. For context—traditional network shows burn through at least $3M just to get started.

• Creators get sweeter deals—Raiff's ‘Hal & Harper’ keeps 100% of backend after sales fees.

• Production companies are going global to keep budgets lean. This allows indie creators to match network-level production value on bootstrap budgets.

So why’s this happening now? Simple: the old system is breaking. Consolidation is seeing studios merging left and right, leaving fewer buyers at the table. Meanwhile, risk-averse networks are playing it safe, passing on most original ideas that come their way. Shows that do get picked up have slow development times, and creators are tired of network notes gutting their vision.

The catch? Unlike indie film's established marketplace, TV doesn't have a clear path for these projects. As Raiff puts it, pitching a completed show to development execs feels like "asking to cut the line." The problem? These execs have spent months, sometimes years, nurturing their own projects up the corporate ladder. When someone shows up with a finished series, it threatens to bypass this entire ecosystem—and potentially their own roles in the process. Some worry that if buying completed shows becomes the norm, traditional development jobs could become obsolete.

The bigger picture: It’s feeling like the ‘90’s indie film revolution all over again—but for TV. For creators, it's a shot at creative freedom and bigger paydays. For studios? It's a sign they might need dedicated acquisition teams—and fast—as more talent finds ways around their gatekeeping.

CLOSEUP
🏢 Range just fired back at CAA…

Range Media Partners launched a major counterattack Monday against CAA’s attempt to shut down their operation. The dispute pulls back the curtain on a bigger industry shift: star agents are increasingly finding new power by switching sides to management companies, where they face fewer restrictions. Here’s what you need to know:

• CAA claims Range (founded by their former TV head) is operating as an unlicensed talent agency

• Range's new filing argues only the California Labor Commission—not CAA—can bring such complaints, and questions why CAA waited so long to sue

• The central question: While agencies must follow strict rules about how they make money, can their former agents dodge these restrictions by rebranding as managers?

Why's this battle brewing now? The agency business got hit with a one-two punch. First, a 2019 battle with the Writers Guild forced agencies to abandon packaging fees—their lucrative practice of collecting ongoing payments from studios for bundling talent on projects. Then came consolidation: CAA's $750M purchase of ICM in 2022 shrunk Hollywood's "Big Four" agencies to three, making the traditional agency business less appealing for top dealmakers.

Enter the management company loophole. Unlike heavily regulated agencies, managers can structure creative deals—like trading their usual 10% commission for producer credits, something agencies are now banned from doing.

The trend is clear: This flexibility is proving irresistible for many former agents and talent alike. Beyond Range, other heavyweight agents from WME like Theresa Kang and Phil Sun have launched management companies. Even megastars like Jennifer Lawrence and Leonardo DiCaprio have ditched traditional agents entirely, working solely with managers.

Looking ahead: If Range wins this court battle, expect the floodgates to open—more agents could jump to management to escape agency restrictions. The real winners might be the stars themselves, who suddenly have more options for how their deals get structured and who gets to make them.

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LAST LOOKS
Development 🗒️

• Australian newcomer Jack Patten lands the title role in MGM+’s modern reimagining of ‘Robin Hood,’ marking his first major TV lead. (more)

• Kevin Hart’s childhood inspires BET+’s first adult animated comedy ‘Lil Kev,’ co-starring Wanda Sykes and Deon Cole. (more)

• MGM+ greenlights ‘American Classic,’ a comedy starring Kevin Kline and Jon Tenney. (more)

• Kate Mara joins Elisabeth Moss and Kerry Washington in Apple’s limited series ‘Imperfect Women,’ based on Araminta Hall’s novel. (more)

• Kevin Costner hosts Fox Nation’s ‘Yellowstone to Yosemite,’ exploring Teddy Roosevelt’s 1903 expedition and National Park history. (more)

• Rebecca Hall reunites with Adam Wingard and Dan Stevens for A24’s action thriller ‘Onslaught,’ now in production and led by Adria Arjona. (more)

• ‘1923’ star Brandon Sklenar joins Skydance’s modern-day western ‘The Rescue,’ directed by Old Henry’s Potsy Ponciroli. (more)

• Jennifer Garner will star in and executive produce Peacock’s ‘The Five-Star Weekend,’ a series adaptation of Elin Hilderbrand’s novel. (more)

• Elliot Page’s Pageboy Productions partners with Bell Media to develop original scripted TV series amplifying diverse voices for CTV and Crave. (more)

• Jeremy Allen White will star in and executive produce Netflix’s adaptation of André Aciman’s ‘Enigma Variations.’ (more)

• The Jonas Brothers will star in and produce a Disney+ Christmas comedy, set for 2025, about their holiday journey from London to New York. (more)

Business 🤝

• Chris Culvenor and Paul Franklin launch Eureka Studios with a new three-year Fremantle deal. (more)

• Amazon Ads launches Brand+ to help marketers target likely buyers across shopping, browsing, and streaming platforms. (more)

• Eurosport will be replaced by TNT in the UK as Warner Bros. Discovery consolidates its sports portfolio. (more)

• Jim Acosta announces his departure from CNN after nearly 18 years. (more)

Executive Moves 👩‍💼👨‍💼

• Sony Pictures Television appoints Disney veteran Jennifer Rogers Doyle as EVP of Franchise Management. (more)

• Ted Lim joins Warner Bros as Chief Business Officer to expand global operations after his tenure at Amazon MGM Studios. (more)

• Bonnie Bernstein departs CAA to join Gersh as a senior partner, bringing a star-studded client roster to the agency’s expanding New York office. (more)

Other News 🚨

• Utopia’s Robert Schwartzman and Cole Harper launch PowerFlix, a new platform empowering filmmakers to self-distribute their films globally. (more)

• WGA East members ratify a new three-year deal with ABC News, securing AI protections, financial gains, and layoff safeguards. (more)

• ‘The Big Bang Theory’ claimed the title of 2024’s “most-binged” streaming series, with viewers on Max averaging 265.5 episodes each. (more)

• Overwhelmed by biased news? Cut through the clutter and get straight facts with your daily 1440 digest. From politics to sports, join millions who start their day informed. (more)*

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VIDEO VILLAGE
📺 Latest trailers

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MARTINI SHOT
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