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"It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop."-Confucious "Never discourage anyone who continually makes progress, no matter how slow." - Plato Last May the Writers Guild of America (WGA) was the first of several Media & Entertainment industry unions to go on strike, followed in July by the Screen Actors Guild (SAG). Of the many grievances both unions listed in their justifications for grinding the industry to a halt for over half a year, was the concern about the use of #AI generated content by the member studios of the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) without proper attribution or licensing royalties to the original creators. Based on multiple independent studies, the combined strikes are estimated to have cost the Media & Entertainment industry between $5-$6.5 billion in lost revenue, which does not take into account their impact and influence on the reduction of new production starts this year, the decrease in valuation of the studios in the financial markets, or the subsequent mass layoffs at many of the studios they were striking against. Last month Lionsgate announced a deal with Runway to license their entire library of images and likenesses, who are owned by the studio, not the actors. Yesterday Hearst announced a similar deal with OpenAI to do the same. Not only did the strikes not stop them, they've barely slowed them down. #theonlyconstantischange #hindsight https://lnkd.in/dHWA8Jcc

❓What does it look like for a video editor to be a great STORYTELLER? I've been writing these daily posts for over a week now about what it looks like for an editor to be great at various aspects of the job. I've saved storytelling for last this week because I think it's a pretty obvious topic. Some people may say that editors are just "button pushers." But those people are embarrassing themselves. 😬 ⭐ Here are a few things editors should know in order to be a great storyteller: ▶ Understanding arcs 🔎 What happened before this moment and what comes next? These are not just questions for the showrunner to ask. Having a clear handle on the story we're all trying to tell is essential. A good editor understands the scene arc. But a GREAT editor has a handle on the episode arc, the act arcs, the scene arc, the character arcs, and hopefully a general idea of the season arc. ▶ What are the stakes? ⚡ Stories without stakes are boring. Adding tension and conflict that makes sense (and doesn't feel fake or forced) and ultimately resolving it, is the key to a great story. ▶ Excellent pacing 🏃♀️ Great stories have ups and downs, fast moments and slow moments. Knowing when, where and how to pace the story can make or break moments like landing a joke, selling an idea, or living in the inner turmoil of a character. Pacing is a key tool in an editor's toolbox. 🔧 ▶ Being a creative collaborator ✂ The main goal of the television editor is to help the vision of the showrunner and EP's come alive! But that doesn't mean we don't have creative cups to fill. We can and should make creative story choices in the edit that align with the showrunner's vision. Being a creative collaborator with your producers prevents burnout and allows an editor to feel like they're a valued member of the team. 🙋♀️ One of my favorite personal examples of this was when I was supposed to cut this serious scene for a show. As I watched the string out, I thought the reactions of one of the characters was HILARIOUS. I thought to myself... I wonder how this scene would be as a FUNNY scene? So I gave it a try! The Supervising Story Producer laughed so hard watching it down and couldn't believe I was able to squeeze comedy out of the content. We ended up sending it to the network and they essentially said, "I want all the scenes to be more like that." The lesson I learned was to give things a try and let my creativity soar, and usually it pays off. 🤩 👋 Are you looking for a creative collaborator who understands how to effectively tell a story? Fantastic, then click on my website below, watch my reel, and connect with me on Linkedin! I'd love to share what I can bring to the table on your next project. ⬇

Drew Cummins, owner of Screenland Creative, shares his journey from assistant editor to agency owner, highlighting the role of problem-solving and work ethic in his success. He reflects on his experiences in editing, producing, and creative directing, the importance of strong relationships, and his team's support in launching ScreenLand. Drew also discusses his favorite campaigns, the evolving theatrical marketing industry, and how his small company navigates challenges like tight deadlines, budgets, and technology, while offering insights on the future of the field. Episode Outline and Highlights [02:50] Career Growth: From Assistant Editor to Agency Owner [07:54] The Importance of Problem-Solving and Work Ethic [12:54] Building Lasting Relationships and Working with a Great Team [18:51] Starting ScreenLand Creative: Challenges and Successes [23:02] Favorite Campaigns and the Satisfaction of Winning [26:52] Adapting to a Changing Industry: Challenges and Opportunities [29:22] Finding Balance and Positive Aspects [32:16] Challenges of Managing Budgets [36:51] The Role of Technology and Collaboration [41:48] Adapting to the Future Drew on LinkedIn -  https://lnkd.in/gwmjpX9C ScreenLand Creative website link - screenlandcreative.com/ ScreenLand Creative on Facebook - https://lnkd.in/gUSBYWDB --------- Connect with Justin Levinson Justin on LinkedIn - https://lnkd.in/g2iH36k2 Subscribe to Agency Side Podcast Youtube: https://lnkd.in/guTXkg_b Buzzsprout: https://lnkd.in/gEQQhwNt Spotify:  https://lnkd.in/gXvEY8pk #AgencyOwner #CareerJourney #TheatricalMarketing #CreativeAgency #ProblemSolving #WorkEthic #Teamwork #CampaignSuccess #IndustryEvolution #TechInMarketing #SmallBusiness #CreativeDirection #MarketingChallenges #agencyside

This week, we kick off the interview portion of The Recruiting Rodeo’s “storytelling” series by going 1:1, straight “From the Horse’s Mouth,” with one of my favorite content/editorial candidates of all time, Jason Adams, Head of News Content Strategy for T-Mobile🥳. I met (have been recruiting 😊— that is my day job and content/editorial positions are one of my core SME areas) Jason in the early to mid-aughts when he was the Executive Editor of what once was the dominant pop culture bible of its day, Entertainment Weekly, one of the many "titles" (magazines, digital media properties) under the Time Inc. umbrella. Time Inc. was acquired by Meredith Corp. in 2018. How does a "journalist" go from working as a writer and editor for a magazine and digital media "brand" to a career overseeing content marketing and strategy for a major corporation/"brand"? Find out by riding along in this week's The Recruiting Rodeo 🐎and its ongoing "storytelling" series. I skip my narration this week to include an audio clip of Jason explaining how he likes to tell a story. I was a journalism (broadcast) major once upon a time and wish I had had access to this type of content to plot my course. I went into PR/communications right out of college instead of pursuing one of my dreams — working at a sexy NYC magazine. Then, in my late ‘20s, I transitioned my first career, Communications, to a career in executive search. No regrets, but it would have been nice at the undergraduate level to have heard from people working in the field to better understand my "choices." Fortunately, today's creative writing, English lit, communications, marketing, and journalism majors have a lot more career options in addition to the media industry including social media platforms, social media and influencer marketing and digital agencies, and the “brands” and companies themselves, that want to become their own publishing platforms and don’t know how to push and pull all the levers to get there. The latter is what many former journalists like Jason are doing with their liberal arts degrees and writing and editing skills. Jason's "story" of his career is behind a paywall BUT is accessible if you sign up for a free subscription to my substack and choose to redeem your "single-use unlock" on this paywalled content. I’ll be interviewing many more talented content leaders in the weeks TK to find out how they “came up” in their careers and define “storytelling.” Until then, enjoy the ride🐎, and I hope to see you out on the trails! #content #storytelling #editorial #jobsearch #careeradvisory #recruiting #hiring #resumes #resumedevelopment #journalism #contentmarketing

Journalism has evolved into a multi-platform field. Mastering skills like video, photography, and social media strategy can help you produce content that resonates on various platforms, reaching audiences everywhere. #journalism #broadcasting #media

SO nice to see Crashed: $800m Festival Fail went out again last month on BBC3—a proud reminder of all the work that goes on behind the scenes to get a project of this scale out the door! Developing and producing a documentary of this kind is so much more than just pressing record; it’s about earning contributors’ trust, uncovering fresh journalism, and creating a compelling story that stays true to the facts. From the initial seed of a story to writing a treatment, filming, editing, and right up until TX, you have to spin multiple plates—it’s a complex, layered (and fun!) process. Here’s a teenie tiny snapshot of what it involves: 💡 Research-Driven Storytelling: We spend months immersing ourselves in every detail, with extensive calls to contributors, sifting through mountains of evidence, and thinking about the story from all angles to ensure impartiality. Then, we distill these complex cases into accessible and entertaining stories without sacrificing on facts or accuracy. 🧩 Creative Problem-Solving: Documentary-making isn’t always plain sailing—contributors get cold feet, locations fall through, and archive material might suddenly be off-limits. Flexibility is key (even if it means a few more hours tweaking shoot schedules or changing things in the edit). Storytelling is an evolving process, but when the film goes out, you’re proud of the hard. ruddy. work. 🤝 Building Relationships: I’m a people person, and I love, love, love this part of my job. So much of a producer’s work relies on the trust we build with contributors (both on and off screen) and of course, our colleagues. Without them, we can’t tell the story, so we aim to be professional, friendly, and—crucially—impartial, so they can trust us to tell their stories with integrity (I know gossiping is fun, but save it for the pub with your mates mmmkay?). ANYWAY—in summary, I’m so grateful to have worked on projects like this throughout my career. A little bit of challenge, a little bit of growth, and a lot of fun make me a happy producer. #DocumentaryProduction #StoryDevelopment #BehindTheScenes #TrueStories #CreativeChallenges #ContentCreation #BBC3

We believe in the transformative power of storytelling. Every project is a blend of creativity, passion, and technical excellence, bringing dreams to life one frame at a time. Whether it's film, music, or digital content, our mission is to craft experiences that captivate and inspire audiences around the world. Join us as we explore the boundless world of arts and entertainment. 🎥✨ #ArtOfEntertainment #ProductionMagic #Storytelling"

On social media: Content = You You = Content It's how people get to know you It's how people learn what you do It's how people understand your personality You don't exist without your content & your content doesn't exist without you. Don't forget it 👌🏻 #whoareyou #introduceyourself #content

We thrive on variety. From promos, sizzles, and internal tapes to commercials and brand films 🤯. Curious how we balance such a diverse range of content? Well, we share (most of) our secrets in this article! https://lnkd.in/e5qr7MXc Tommy Shull Deborah Gar Reichman #promos #commercials #sizzles #brandfilms #brandedcontent

Having fun creating Cinemagraphs at the Awakened Studios today. This kind of short form video content is a great way to jazz up headshots on a new website build or redevelopment. In particular, cinemagraphs can be helpful for service industry businesses in New Jersey. People buy from people - and developing warm leads from casual prospects is a key component of the sales process. Join the fun. Show a little creativity. Stand out from the competition. And most of all, you be you. #youbeyou #videoproductionnj #njfilm #adagencies #websitedevelopment #newjerseybusiness #morristownnj #productionlife #advertising #smallbusinesstips