The AvA Connection

🐝 The Weekly Buzz

1) WME opts out of OpenAI’s Sora 2 video generator for all clients, regardless of what the Studios are doing with their IP

What does that mean? The name, image and likeness for all WME clients now cannot be used to make videos on the app.

We took a poll and 96% of our audience thought this was the right move. The other 4%? Probably Sam Altman bots.

Below is an excerpt from a company-wide memo sent by WME’s Chief of Digital Strategy, Chris Jacquemin.

A.I. is here whether we like it or not. I will continue to use this platform to fight against Generative AI that steals the work of creatives. But more than that we have been building something behind the scenes to help protect the jobs of assistants and young professionals, working against many of the tools looking to replace them. Some info here and a lot more soon.

2) The Entertainment Economy in LA is in full blown mayhem right now, according to the WSJ and many inside the Industry.

• At the end of 2024, around 100,000 people were employed in the motion picture industry in LA county. Just 2 years earlier there were 142,000.

• TV series production was also on a constant uphill as companies were trying to capitalize on streaming’s emergence, but in 2022 investors saw that initial streaming growth was slowing down and they began to focus more on profitability.

• This led to dramatic cuts in spending from entertainment companies.

• Fast forward to this year, and nearly 30% fewer movies and TV shows with budgets of at least $40 million began shooting in the U.S. in 2024 than in 2022. The first three-quarters of this year were down another 13%.

• The graph below showing a heavy drop in earnings for writers across the board

• While California passed their $750 million tax incentive to help bring filming back to the state, producers believe this won’t bridge the gap since it doesn’t include A-list salaries and other “above the line” costs.

Here is my optimistic take: 

• So much of this narrative is through the lens of very legacy model/L.A.-centric viewpoint. Look at the rise of creator-led studios in Burbank (Good Mythical & Dhar Mann etc.) and many productions having moved to more tax-friendly places like Georgia and the UK.

• How about the uhhh entire creator economy? For those looking to “break-into” the industry, there is so much opportunity in the world of Creators and digital. The barrier to entry to work in Entertainment has never been lower, you just need to have an open mind on what the definition of “Entertainment” is now.

3) Taylor Swift has a No. 1 album and No. 1 movie on the same weekend a first ever according to Dedline. Not even Prince accomplished that with the release of "Purple Rain" in 1984. How good is the actual album? Ehhh..

4) It’s really happening?!

The Free Press (a Substack started by Bari Weiss) is being acquired for $150M by… you guessed it! Paramount

• Weiss will now be the editor in chief of CBS (home of 60 Min). No I will not be going anywhere political with this…other than to say one thing: is it possible that independent media is now mainstream media? Ok fine, I hate this move for many reasons.

• This is one of the many examples of the convergence of the two though… Digital is the new mainstream…much opportunity ahead though for those looking to monetize their audiences.

🏃 Industry Move

1. Another major move at Spotify as they part ways with their lead executive for music and audiobook business, David Kaefer. This decision could be a product of the public perception of Spotify shifting, a natural end to a 7-year partnership, or of a new CEO taking Daniel Ek’s place. Either way, it’s a big move.

💼 AvA Job Board

Our new job board features 115+ early career roles in Entertainment:

Some standouts:

💼 Senior Manager of Digital Operations - Secretly Distribution - Apply Here

💼 Music Touring Agent Program (Summer 2026) - UTA - Apply Here

💼 Account Executive - Fallen Media - Apply Here

💼 Business Affairs Assistant Music - CAA - Apply Here

💼 Artist Development Assistant - Sony Music - Apply Here

💼 Assistant, Talent Strategy - Fox Entertainment - Apply Here

💼 Production Manager - Live Nation - Apply Here

💼 Creative Producer (WB Games) - Warner Bros. Discovery - Apply Here

💼 Marketing & Brand Partnerships Training Program (Summer 2026) - UTA - Apply Here

💼 Marketing Coordinator - Concord - Apply Here

💼 Executive Assistant (Partnerships & Business Dev.) - The Recording Academy - Apply Here

💼 Comedy Touring Agent Program (Summer 2026) - UTA - Apply Here

🎒 Spring 2026 Internship - Big Loud - Apply Here

📚 AvA Recs 🎧

A weekly series from Dominik, who leads our Strategy, Growth and Product

This weekend I learned that billionaire art dealer Gagosian, the largest-scale, most iconic gallerist, was the assistant at William Morris to none other than Michael Ovitz!

When asked Michael Ovitiz said: “I tried to get him to stay!” Ovitz recalled, adding that he thinks Gagosian could have made a formidable agent….The vocations are similar. You’re buying and selling.”

Check out this amazing New Yorker profile on Gagosian here.

The Gagosian playbook does have many parallels to Hollywood (now no surprise). Gagosian understood early that attention and curation were both powerful levers to increase the perceived value of a painting.

In today’s digital era these ring even more true, having something you stand for in and of self can be a mechanism for value creation in a busy internet made up of millions of niches.

👋 See you back here on Wednesday

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This newsletter is written by Warner Bailey and edited by Riley Furey and Dominik Sansevere.

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