Emotions ran high at a gathering of Hollywood workers, union officials and a current FCC commissioner opposed to the planned merger between Paramount Skydance and Warner Bros. on Saturday, with some arguing that the mega-merger combined with other recent challenges in the business would mean the “death of Hollywood.”
Writers, actors, crew members and small business owners made dire predictions for the proposed $111 billion deal at a “Main St. vs. The Merger” town hall at the Lumiere Cinema in Beverly Hills. Some expressed feelings of helplessness at the prospect of one landmark studio being swallowed up by another, a deal approved by Warner Bros. shareholders. In late April. Others, including mediator, former Federal Trade Commission commissioner and current US economic libertarian senior advisor Alvaro Bedoya, urged that the deal is not yet done and called for hope.
Reuters reported on Friday that the attorneys general of California, New York and other state attorneys general are preparing a lawsuit to block the merger after California Attorney General Rob Bonta previously promised to look into the deal.
However, many in the room did not seem to count on stopping this deal. One person identified as a producer, but who, like many of the town hall speakers, did not give her name, described the Paramount-Warner Bros. deal. In existential terms. “One domino fell during the pandemic. Another domino fell during the writers’ strike. If Paramount merges with Warner Bros., it could be the final domino that topples everything,” she said.
The fear is that a Hollywood mega-merger could lay off thousands of workers, remove a major buyer in the market for projects, and reduce work for those already facing the downstream effects of the industry’s downturn and previous consolidation. One TV writer who spoke at the meeting said he had a project in development with CBS Studios that slowed down once the Paramount-Warner Bros. merger was announced. He had to make a career pivot this year. “If this merger happens, it will be the death of our industry, I think,” he added.
In a joint statement with Hollywood ReporterA Paramount-Skydance spokesperson said, “Opposing this deal means opposing expanded consumer choice, new opportunities for creators and workers, and greater competition throughout the creative ecosystem — the opposite of what antitrust law is intended to achieve. It also means giving entrenched companies like Netflix an undeserved advantage. We will continue to fight against any attempt to derail a deal that clearly benefits consumers, creators, and the industry as a whole.”
The mood in the room was tense as the audience wondered how to make an impact. “As someone who tries hard to keep people positive and motivated and inspired and empowered, and ‘let’s keep going, let’s keep doing this,’ I’m starting to feel… you know what I mean? Hard. It is difficult for me to keep others inspired. “I don’t like it,” the self-described actress and comedian said in her voice.
Some have expressed frustration that more elected officials and labor unions have not stepped forward to challenge the merger, with the performers union SAG-AFTRA particularly under fire.
A panel of speakers including Writers Guild of America West President Michelle Mulroney and board member Adam Conover, as well as current FCC Commissioner Ana Gomez and International Documentary Association and Future Film Coalition representative Marjane Safinia, did not dismiss the pessimism. (“It’s the death of a great American industry,” Conover said in his opening remarks.) But they proposed practical items, such as telling personal stories on social media, inviting political representatives and joining larger groups to push to stop the deal.
Bedoya also remained optimistic about the potential lawsuit by public defenders. “This merger He can “I have to say that there is every reason not only to believe that Attorney General Rob Bonta will intervene with other state attorneys general to block this merger, there is every reason to believe that they will win,” he said in his opening remarks.
In addition, Bedoya said, a challenge to the merger could come in the form of a lawsuit from a private citizen or labor union, legislation, an EU review of the deal, or financing from projects in the Middle East that falter amid the war in Iran.
The City Council arrived just days after Ellison’s Paramount Skydance was embroiled in a new scandal at CBS News. In the process of comprehensive reform 60 minutesmanagement fired executive producer Tanya Simon and reporters Cecilia Vega and Sharyn Alfonsi, and hired columnist and film director Nick Bilton to lead the popular news magazine. A long time ago 60 minutes Reporter Scott Pelley was subsequently fired after he attacked management at a meeting on Monday, claiming CBS News president Barry Weiss was “killing.” 60 minutes.“
Although speculation is mounting about whether other reporters will follow Bailey out the door, Lesley Stahl, Bill Whitaker and John Wertheim said Friday they will stay because “we don’t want to see.” 60 minutes He dies.”
Back at the Lumiere Theater, Gomez, the only remaining Democrat on the FCC, addressed the frustration in the room with a call to action. She said the public backlash over ABC pulling Jimmy Kimmel off the air last year brought the late-night host back to his role and demonstrated the power of everyday voices.
“I know it’s stressful, and I’m exhausted,” she said. “Every day I speak out about some new horror this administration is doing, particularly regarding the First Amendment. I’m exhausted. But this is not the time to be tired. It’s time to get inspired because your voices really matter.”
June 6, 7:51 p.m Updated to correct Bedoya work experience. He is a former commissioner of the Federal Trade Commission, not the Federal Communications Commission.
