Apple landed the first big deal of the Sundance festival, spending over $25 million on the worldwide rights to coming-of-age drama Coda.
Jamie Erlicht
Apple TV+ Execs Talk About the Service in Interview
Apple TV+ executives talk about the service in an interview. Jamie Erlicht and Zack Van Amburg, former Sony employees, talk shop.
One of the first things they had to wrap their heads around was that they were no longer working for a Hollywood studio. The traditional factors that had defined their options as studio chiefs for so long — budget deficits, international sales, syndication potential, et al. — no longer applied. Now, the guiding principle was to build a service worthy of the Apple brand that also harnessed the power of digital media. The result is a collaboration between many departments.
Oprah, Prince Harry, and JJ Abrams on Apple TV+, Ming-Chi Kuo's Mac Predictions, with Charlotte Henry - ACM 509
Queen Oprah and the UK’s Prince Harry are doing a docu-series on mental health for Apple TV+, and Bryan Chaffin is joined by Charlotte Henry to talk about what that says about Apple’s video efforts. Charlotte also brings some across-the-pond context about Prince Harry and the royal family and how this news was greeted in England. They also talk about JJ Abrams saying that working on Apple TV+ was like the Wild West. They cap the show by discussing Ming-Chi Kuo’s most recent Mac predictions.
Apple and Content, Marzipan, and the Executive Shuffle, with Charlotte Henry - ACM 502
Where is Apple going with its content drive? Bryan Chaffin is joined by guest-host Charlotte Henry to dive deep into original shows, services, publishing, news, and Apple’s other content ambitions. They also talk about the promise (and potential drawbacks) of Marzipan, and what Apple’s recent executive shuffling might portend.
Using iPad, Apple Original TV Shows, and Macs with Jim Dalrymple: ACM 490
Bryan Chaffin and guest-host Jim Dalrymple talk about how they use their iPads, and it turns out they’re pretty different use cases. They try to talk about where Apple TV might go but venture into a much deeper conversation about Apple’s original TV shows and videos. Spoiler: one of them is a pessimist. They close the show by examining the state of the Mac. Another spoiler: one of them is a pessimist!
Apple Hires Development Exec Layne Eskridge from Netflix
Ms. Eskridge joins Apple with the title Creative Executive reporting to Matt Cherniss, Head of Development for Worldwide Video.
Apple Signs M. Night Shyamalan Series (Spoiler: It Will Have a Surprise Ending)
Apple ordered 10 episodes of the 30 minute drama from writer Tony Basgallop, and mum’s the word on the plot.
Apple Hires Another Veteran TV Executive - Carol Trussell Will Be Head of Production
Deadline reported that Ms. Trussell will start in March, and will oversee production issues for Apple’s original shows.
Apple and Ron Howard Developing Series Based on NBA Superstar Kevin Durant's Early Career
According to Variety, the show will be titled Swagger, and it will be produced by Brian Grazer and Ron Howard’s Imagine Television along with Durant’s Thirty Five Media.
Can Social Media Be Humane, Smartwatch Diabetes Detection, and Nice Apple Content - ACM 448
Can social media be “humane,” or is the push for addictive platforms just par for the course? Bryan Chaffin and Jeff Gamet discuss The Center for Humane Technology’s push for reform. They also talk about Cardiogram’s ability to detect diabetes from Apple Watch activity data, and they talk about Apple’s penchant for avoiding dark and edgy content.