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TV Outside the Box

TV Outside the Box

by Neil Landau
Publisher: Focal Press
Release Date: December 2015
ISBN: 9781317439714
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Book Description

TV Outside the Box: Trailblazing in the Digital Television Revolution explores the new and exploding universe of on-demand, OTT (Over the Top) networks: Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, Crackle, CW Seed, Vimeo, AwesomenessTV, and many more. Featuring in-depth conversations with game-changing content creators, industry mavericks, and leading cultural influencers, TV Outside the Box is essential reading for anyone interested in the dynamics of a global media revolution – while it’s happening. Readers will discover:

    • How the new "disruptors" of traditional television models are shaping the future of the television and feature film business. You’ll hear directly from the visionaries behind it all – from concept genesis to predictions for the future of streaming platforms; their strategies for acquisitions and development of new original content; and how the revolution is providing unprecedented opportunities for both established and emerging talent.

    • What’s different about storytelling for the progressive, risk-taking networks who are delivering provocative, groundbreaking, binge-worthy content, without the restraints of the traditional, advertiser-supported programming model. Through interviews with the showrunners, content creators, and producers of dozens of trailblazing series – including Orange Is the New Black, House of Cards, Transparent, and many more – you’ll learn how and why the best and the brightest TV content creators and filmmakers are defining the new digital entertainment age – and how you can, too.

Table of Contents

  1. Cover
  2. Title
  3. Copyright
  4. Dedication
  5. Contents
  6. Foreword
  7. Part I The New Disruptors
    1. 1 Gamechangers
      1. Tom Fontana
        1. The Man in the HAZMAT Suit
      2. Netflix
        1. Ted Sarandos: The Ambassador
      3. Amazon Studios
        1. Roy Price: The Wild Card
      4. Hulu
        1. Beatrice Springborn: The Vanguard
      5. Sony Crackle
        1. Andy Kaplan: The Nimble Pragmatist
      6. CW Seed
        1. Rick Haskins: The Marketing Guru
      7. Pivot
        1. Jennie Morris: The Social Advocate
      8. SEESO
        1. Evan Shapiro: The Strategic Humorist
      9. Sidebar—YouTube: Broadcast Yourself
      10. Vimeo
        1. Sam Toles: The Streaming Curator
      11. Sidebar—Vice TV: Everything “News” is New Again
      12. AwesomenessTV
        1. Brian Robbins: The Forecaster
      13. Geek & Sundry
        1. Felicia Day: The Entrepreneur
      14. Assembling the Dream Team
    2. 2 New Business Models and Platforms
      1. Then …
      2. Glossary of Anachronisms
      3. Sidebar—What’s in an Algorithm?
      4. … And Now
      5. Acronyms in the New Age of TV
      6. Peter Tortorici vs The Glossary of Anachronisms
      7. Sidebar—Aggregating Viewers and the New Cultural Influencers
      8. Finding Talent with a Built-in Fan Base
      9. Varied Perspectives on New Business Models
        1. Caryn Mandabach on the New Bi-Continental Co-Production Model
        2. Blumhouse Productions’ Jessica Rhoades on the New Micro-Budget TV Series (It’s Not What You’re Thinking)
        3. The WGAW’s Charles B. Slocum on the New Syndication
    3. 3 Comparing the Brands
      1. Before the Revolution
      2. After the Revolution
        1. (subject to change at any minute)
        2. From Here to Ubiquity
      3. Current Mandates (and Demographics) at the Top Digital Networks
        1. (subject to change any minute)
        2. Amazon Studios: A Peek into Special Worlds
        3. Crackle (aka Sony Crackle): Premium Cable Style, Globally Minded
        4. Hulu: Young and Fresh Provocative Programming
        5. Netflix: Exclusivity and Variety
        6. Vimeo: A Curated, Self-Uploading Storefront for Creators
  8. Part II Trailblazing Content Creators
    1. 4 Niche Is the New Mainstream
      1. Specialized Worlds and Different Kinds of Families
        1. Political Animals
          1. Alpha House on Amazon
          2. House of Cards on Netflix—Beau Willimon: Executive Producer/Showrunner
        2. Ladies with Attitude
          1. Orange Is the New Black on Netflix—Jenji Kohan: Creator/Showrunner/Executive Producer
          2. Transparent on Amazon—Andrea Sperling: Executive Producer
          3. Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt on Netflix—Robert Carlock: Executive Producer/Co-Creator/Showrunner
          4. Orphan Black on BBC America and Amazon Prime Instant Video—Web interview
        3. Musical Chairs and Artful Dodgers
          1. Mozart in the Jungle on Amazon—John J. Strauss: Executive Producer/Co-Showrunner, Season 1
          2. The Art of More on Crackle—Chuck Rose: Creator/Executive Producer
        4. Warring Families and Wrestling Demons
          1. Peaky Blinders on Netflix—Steven Knight: Creator/Writer/Director/Executive Producer/Showrunner
          2. Kingdom on Amazon Prime and DirecTV—Web interview
    2. 5 Breaking Down Barriers
      1. The New Diversity in the Digital Television Revolution
        1. Norman Lear: Just Another Version of You
      2. Authenticity, Unfiltered: Transcending Stereotypes
        1. East Los High on Hulu—Carlos Portugal: Co-Creator/Head Writer/Director/Executive Producer/Showrunner
      3. Sidebar—A View From Katie Elmore Mota: Co-President Wise Entertainment
        1. The Mis-Adventures of Awkward Black Girl on YouTube and I Am OTHER—Issa Rae: Creator/Head Writer/Showrunner/Director/Star
        2. Run on Hulu—Web interview
      4. Getting On: Exploring the Lives of Senior Citizens
        1. Derek on Netflix—Ricky Gervais: Creator/Head Writer/Director/Showrunner/Executive Producer/Star
        2. Grace and Frankie on Netflix—Marta Kauffman: Co-Creator/Executive Producer/Showrunner
      5. Sidebar—Last Tango in Halifax on BBC 1, PBS and Netflix
      6. Crossing Borders
        1. Transcending Language Barriers
        2. Lilyhammer on Netflix
        3. Anne Bjørnstad and Eilif Skodvin—Web interview
    3. 6 A New Spin on Established Genres
      1. Existential Detectives …
        1. True Detective, Luther, Broadchurch, The Fall and the Razor’s Edge
      2. … And the Monsters They Hunt
      3. Bosch on Amazon
        1. Eric Overmyer: Co-Creator/Executive Producer/Showrunner
        2. Broadchurch and The Fall on Netflix and Amazon—Web interviews
      4. Happy Valley on Netflix
        1. Sally Wainwright: Creator/Writer/Director/Executive Producer/Showrunner
        2. The New Anthology: The Twilight Zone on Digital Crack
      5. Black Mirror on Netflix
        1. Charlie Brooker: Writer/Creator/Showrunner/Executive Producer and Annabel Jones: Showrunner/Executive Producer
      6. Alternative and Extraordinary Histories
        1. The Man in the High Castle on Amazon—Frank Spotnitz: Executive Producer/Showrunner/Creator/Developer
        2. 11/22/63 on Hulu—Bridget Carpenter: Executive Producer/Showrunner
        3. Marco Polo on Netflix—Web interview
        4. Borgia on Netflix—Web interview
      7. Trouble in Paradise: Sunshine Can Be Murder
        1. Bloodline on Netflix—Todd Kessler, Daniel Zelman and Glenn Kessler: Creators/Showrunners/Executive Producers
      8. Mad Dogs on Amazon
        1. Shawn Ryan: Showrunner/Executive Producer
    4. 7 The Next Iteration of Adult Animation
      1. Id Gone Wild
        1. The Awesomes on Hulu
      2. Digging Deeper
        1. BoJack Horseman on Netflix—Raphael Bob-Waksberg: Creator/Head Writer/Executive Producer/Showrunner
    5. 8 Life after Broadcast
      1. Community on Yahoo!—Dan Harmon: Creator/Showrunner/Executive Producer
      2. Evolution Is Integral to Revolution
        1. Are We Living in a “Content Bubble”?
        2. The Bottom Line
    6. 9 Webisodes
      1. Commercials That Tell a Story
        1. High Maintenance on Vimeo—Katja Blichfeld and Ben Sinclair: Creators/Executive Producers/Showrunners/Director/Actor
        2. Aim High on Crackle—Heath Corson and Richie Keen: Writers/Creators
        3. Aim High with Heath Corson and Richie Keen—Web interview
    7. 10 Talk Is Cheap
      1. A Moveable Talkfest: The Time-Shifting Late Night Talk Show
        1. Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee on Crackle
      2. From on the Road to on the …
        1. Park Bench with Steve Buscemi on AOL Originals
    8. 11 Beyond MTV, Food as Art, Digital Magazines
      1. HitRecord on TV with Joseph Gordon-Levitt on Pivot
      2. Revolt TV
      3. Playing It Forward on Crackle
        1. Food as Art
      4. Chef’s Table on Netflix
        1. Conde Nast Magazines Go Streaming
      5. Digital Vogue, Wired, GQ, Vanity Fair
        1. Michael L. Klein: Conde Nast Entertainment Group (CNEG)
  9. Part III (R)Evolution
    1. 12 The Impact of Digital Television on Cinema
      1. The Slow Burn
      2. The More Things Change, the More They Stay the Same
      3. Netflix and the Marvel Universe
      4. Marvel’s Daredevil on Netflix
        1. Steven S. DeKnight: Executive Producer/Showrunner
      5. The De-stigmatization of Digital Television
      6. Never Underestimate the Emotional Tug of Nostalgia
    2. 13 Emerging Voices in the Digital Realm (and beyond)
      1. Amazon Studios’ Open Submissions Policy
        1. Gortimer Gibbon’s Life on Normal Street on Amazon—David Anaxagoras: Creator/Co-Executive Producer
      2. Casual on Hulu—Zander Lehmann: Creator/Executive Producer
      3. Writers on the Rise in the Streaming Stratosphere
    3. 14 (Foregone) Conclusions
      1. Side Effects and the Challenges Ahead
        1. The Downside/Upside of Digital, Streaming Television
      2. A New Digital Darwinism
  10. Acknowledgments
  11. About the Author
  12. About the Editors
  13. Index