Shawna Kidman

Associate Professor of Communication at UCSD. Author of Comic Books Incorporated. Teacher and writer of media industries and pop culture history.

[Shawna Kidman @ShawnaKidman]

@BedoyaUSA AND the terms on rentals and film catalogs will be unenforceable too because independents theaters (everyone but AMC and regal basically) historically can’t lodge legal complaints against the big studios. They can’t afford legal fees and they face retaliation.

[Shawna Kidman @ShawnaKidman]

@BedoyaUSA In practice, wide releases today are 3,000-4,000 screens, but this agreement defines it as 2,000, and only 20 films need to be released at that level, the other ten can go to 600 screens, which is quite narrow.

[Shawna Kidman @ShawnaKidman]

@BedoyaUSA Marketing and budget requirements demand a “spend consistent for similar films” but they’ve already set the bar low, and that’s a weak and unenforceable requirement to begin with. And there’s nothing in here about the length of a run or the distribution rollout.

[Shawna Kidman @ShawnaKidman]

@BedoyaUSA It’s actually worse than that, because the rules regarding release size and budget allow for much smaller films than they’ve been producing. The wording, especially on theatrical windows, also allows leaves a lot of room for loopholes,

[Erin Hill @ErinHill2]

Spoke with @rachel_treisman @NPR about the WGA-SAG strike and the history of playing catch-up to new technologies https://t.co/oggBxeROhZ

Advance plug for forthcoming Hollywood Unions anthology (eds: @kfortmueller, @lucimarz) - I have one chapter amid a fantastic lineup

[Shawna Kidman @ShawnaKidman]

@_mesk @Felantron @acafanmom @msteinbrg @geek_worlds I haven't seen anything on theaters as platforms. I agree w/ Felan though about the "portals", but I'd be more inclined to call Netflix an exhibitor than vice versa. The UI does what theaters have long done, highlight a particular set of offerings & provide consumers w/ content.

[Shawna Kidman @ShawnaKidman]

@kfortmueller Congrats!! Such great news! (And obviously very well deserved) 🥂

[Shawna Kidman @ShawnaKidman]

So disappointing. A favorite in my house lately, especially with my 6 year old. A part of media history and way more entertaining than so much of the kids' content on Netflix and YouTube. 🫤

[ToonHive @ToonHive]

HBO Max has removed Seasons 16 through 31 of the classic LOONEY TUNES shorts, removing 256 from the previously 511 shorts.

[Matt Pearce 🦅🇺🇸 @mattdpearce]

Twitter is the ad-dependent print newspaper bought out by private equity that now needs to service its debt, and the first order of business is to sell off the real estate, lay off staff, hike subscription costs and hope the core customer base doesn’t notice everything is worse.

[Shawna Kidman @ShawnaKidman]

Spread the word and join the MACRO Lab! And please reach out to me or @dewaard if you have any questions.

[The Design Lab @DesignLabUCSD]

The MACRO Lab at @UCSDComm is seeking a research assistant with skills in web & graphic design, and data visualization. To apply, send your resume, design portfolio, and references to @dewaard ([email protected]) and @ShawnaKidman ([email protected])

[Matt Stoller @matthewstoller]

1. Ok, there aren't that many real conspiracies in politics, but the secret plan hatched in 1980 to unleash monopoly power is a real honest-to-goodness plot that worked. And you can actually help reverse it! Please spread this thread around. It matters. 🧵 https://t.co/TJ9TRtvRUL

[Shawna Kidman @ShawnaKidman]

@HoytEric @ucpress Congrats! Can't wait to read it!

[Andrew deWaard @dewaard]

here's a short article I wrote with @astrobri & @brianfauteux : "Artists' Spotify criticisms point to larger ways musicians lose with streaming — here’s 3 changes to help in Canada" https://t.co/7ZhwF4xE1F via @ConversationCA

[Shawna Kidman @ShawnaKidman]

If you need a diversion from international catastrophe next week, I'm giving 2 talks! Comic book history through an industrial lens for Will Eisner Week, Tue @ 4 PM. https://t.co/s91UAZ51w0
And financing, franchises & superheroes at NYU, Fri @ 6 PM. https://t.co/GkModmve1o

[(((Evan Shapiro))) @eshap]

So much has shifted since the start of 2022, I didn't just update my Media Universe Map, I redrew it.

@meta lost prime real estate to @nvidia, @NFL's been added, and @Netflix has been pushed aside for @Disney.

All the changes and why are mapped out here:
https://t.co/CV7Qu51kTD

[OSU Cartoon Library @CartoonLibrary]

Join us via Zoom on March 1 to celebrate @WillEisner Week 2022 with a comics scholarship symposium! Featuring special guest @ShawnaKidman, and OSU scholars @guttergeek, @MorganPodraza, @romancecomicbks and Rolando Rubalcava. Registration required: https://t.co/L0mF7yY5iM

[Eric Klinenberg @EricKlinenberg]

The great sociologist and public intellectual Todd Gitlin has died. Todd was a massive influence on scholar-activists and also one of my mentors and heroes. If you don't know his work already, reading it is the best way to appreciate his life. RIP.
https://t.co/qDR6nLy09l

[aj @mediadataequity]

The next phase of “diversity” in Hollywood is not “can we be seen?” but “for how long, how much and in what stories?” So many great shows canceled after 1-2 seasons. Is diversity just for superheroes and pre-existing IP? Can we have NEW ORIGINAL narratives? We need them!

[Eric Hoyt @HoytEric]

My new book, INK-STAINED HOLLYWOOD, drops next month from @ucpress. It emerged from my work on @mediahistorydl, but grew into a history of Hollywood's trade papers. Hope it is an interesting read & useful source. Available in paperback & free OA edition.
https://t.co/BSJBsMWBur

[Andrew deWaard @dewaard]

I have a new open-access article, co-written with @brianfauteux and @astrobri, called “Independent Canadian Music in the Streaming Age: The Sound from Above (Critical Political Economy) and Below (Ethnography of Musicians)." Here’s the link: https://t.co/DGGckTAl52