The Cultural Algorithm

How DEI brings out the best and worst of peopleThe late comedian Robin Williams was fond of reminding people that "No movie is real" whenever someone questioned whether something in the film was plausible or not. Williams' warning is good counsel for those upset about People of Color (POC) casting decisions and recently released movies.

The global reach of OTT/FAST means that those platforms are fighting a continuous battle to bring new and successful content into more and more markets.

Picking your battles is key to box office success in Q3, 2022The end of another calendar quarter is nearly upon us. It's that time to look at the titles that have performed the best at the box office despite being forced to make content changes or being banned altogether. What's different about Q3 is that each of the top three titles fell victim to censorship. We've been saying for a while that everyone should expect more regulation and censorship, and so far, we haven't seen much to persuade us otherwise.

An event where time was well spent.There's an old sports adage: competition breeds success. And that was assuredly on display at this year's OTT.X conference.

Yeah, there are standards, but necessity is the mother of invention and change.Content is the fuel that powers M&E industry growth. To compete in an ever-evolving and expanding marketplace, writers, producers, directors, and distributors must find ways to differentiate themselves across audiences and markets.

Creativity happens typically without the oversight of laws, regulations, and guidelines. That is unless you live in a country where government officials look over your shoulder (they do exist). For most writers, however, you can write whatever story you want, up to a point.

Have the economy and increased regulation created content's "perfect storm?"Despite optimistic Q2/Q3 reports from studios and platforms and indications of no mid-year budget cuts, a real possibility remains that unless the economy recovers to where revenues are more stable, the next fiscal year could see reduced content budgets and fewer purchased titles.

Culture is the combination of language, music, geography, history, religion, and cuisine that describes people in different world regions. Culture permeates our identity; it is our societal fingerprint.

It's a challenging but manageable process if you know howImagine this scenario. You're a small production company, and you've just spent the last couple of years developing a series you're confident has international reach. Produced in the US in English, the story is an engaging drama, although a little edgy, with serious and comedic moments. The cast includes a broad mix of characters that reflect modern communities. Your lead character is a bisexual woman of color played by an up-and-coming actress who isn't yet a household name. The rest of the characters are a mix of adults, seniors, and children spanning many ages, races, identities, and religions. In each episode, renowned actors and actresses are cast as protagonists to attract viewers. Cultures typically portrayed as "the bad guys" are depicted positively.