Business of Entertainment

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Hollywood is fascinating, a stronghold of American culture.

I have long been curious about the show business, entertainment, and the feeling of putting on a show is something that resonates with me.

Actors, entertainers, all seem to have dream careers, getting to play characters to write their checks, and get to have an audience. That same audience is responsible for showing up, giving their time and money to get to see a once-in-a-lifetime entertainment experience, and the experience? Electricity, a feeling and bond shared between the two, an actor acts, sharing their emotions and getting the crowd to feel the very same heart beating inside of them.

Emotions run wild, audiences run wild, and the memory that is shared will never be forgotten.

I choose to write about the business of entertainment because the feelings that a showman has before performing to a crowd are what I felt prior to my interview, and now ongoing foray into entertainment. I have always been one to be funny, to have people laugh either with or at me, and I wanted to have the opportunity to not only share but bring joy to others, and entertainment is the bridge connecting the two.

Entertainment is an extension of media, and content, brands have long since tried to capture audiences through humor, most being unsuccessful, pitiful attempts at relating to a customer, but some brands do it correctly. Where were you when Mr. Peanut died?

Characters provide an emotional bond between you and the company. Ronald McDonald is representative of a global restaurant conglomerate, yet to you, he’s a funny clown. Grimace is our favorite unassuming purple ghost, whom we watch advertisements of long after they have run their course, but don’t mention his controversial moon-shaped associate.

Mickey Mouse has become the face of a billion-dollar empire. When you see his face, you think of Disney; when you see Mario, you think of Nintendo.

Mascots are interesting creatures, being created for the sole purpose of humanizing a monetized company, yet we can’t seem to get enough of them. Football mascots run wild and do crazy shit for crowds, and games in stadiums give you a sense of wonder as they get heated and make memories for those in attendance.

Running a show, entertainment value is always a great thing to have; however, leaving an audience satisfied isn’t always the main goal or purpose of content. Sometimes, it’s best to leave your audience thinking long after they have experienced your film. Summer Blockbuster Avengers: Infinity War didn’t want to send you home happy, Marvel & the Russo Brothers wanted you to keep their cinematic universe in mind, so you can buy tickets and give them even more cash for the cathartic ending of Endgame.

Perhaps it’s worth mentioning horror films, where you pay to experience negative emotion, yet it just keeps you so attached, doesn’t it?

Not to ramble on about many different topics, yet entertainment is a widely encompassing field that will only continue to become more relevant as we shift at a societal level to having higher screen time & being even more attached to entertainment. Personal brands rely on this connection, and so do the largest companies.

I’d like to mention a specific case study, and one of my longest-running interests in the form of the art & sport of professional wrestling.

WWE has become a household name and one of the leading and longest-running sources of entertainment. Their business model is consistent, running weekly shows and monthly premium live events, then distributing through TV, paid outlets, social media, and short-form content. Every large moment presents another opportunity for growth, keeping current audiences vested in the product and newer audiences interested in whatever the **** is happening, maybe it’s yet another Electrifying return from the Final Boss Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, or maybe it’s something more controversial, like the return of the Beast Brock Lesnar, but keeping quiet about his ongoing ligitations.

Controversy becomes currency in entertainment, getting an audience talking is most important, and manufacturing conversation becomes paramount. Talking points and headlines become the main focus of the writers, and the quality simply falls. Why is it that newer movies or newer films or TV shows just don’t hit the same? Not to say that we haven’t received any recent excellent media, however, why can I go through classics and be left with the feeling that something is off in our newer age? Shouldn’t we be progressing? Tools and CGI have only gotten better, right?

With the rise of social media and further advancement of capitalistic values in our cinema, shocking headlines are what matter more to company executives, and we as an audience are left with content that looks good if not great, but lacks soul, passion, and the heart that we used to crave in our older films. I attribute the new lack of soul to a shift in focus to cash; the box office is what counts, not whatever random critics have to say on the internet. It is much more valuable to have a popular film than a great one understood by few, as culture has adapted to where we are used to rapid-fire acceleration of releases, every single day, now we get another attempt at a “groundbreaking” release or yet ANOTHER collab, and brands have become landing points for crossover and love.

I welcome the new era of entertainment, more than ever, random funny people get the chance to show their talents, and go viral. In the older times, it was unheard of for someone to amass a following from their bedroom; perhaps writers or priests did, but not some random teenager like Speed. Streaming is another modern form of content, and one that brings awful consequences, parasocial relationships where people think they're the streamer’s best friend because they have admittedly spent hours together, but the streamer doesn’t even know their name. Stans, fanboys, and fangirls are not a new phenomenon; Elvis & MJ had people fall to their knees when they entered a room. I, however, choose not to live vicariously through others’ success and charisma; I’d like to showcase what makes me unique through my lived experience and ability to share that experience.