Looking forward to teaching my NYU summer course “Strong Female Lead.”
The course will analyze recent US-UK entertainment industry changes alongside the rise of women creatives, women-centric content, and the powerful role women are playing in the ‘streaming wars.’
Filed under Blog
Stoked to be teaching my HBO course at NYU in the fall. [taught fall ’18, and ’19]
Over the past few decades the premium cable and satellite network, Home Box Office Inc. has developed American audience tastes and raised expectations for quality television programming. A long-term proponent of the “prestige show,” HBO repeatedly made the case that premium television was worth its monthly subscription fee; in doing so HBO laid the foundations for subscription streaming services such as Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon, all of which now also produce their own exclusive, original content. Responding recently to the growing competition from these sites, HBO restated its familiar rhetoric announcing it would focus even more on quality and exercise a greater selective content strategy.
What is a HBO show? And, why have HBO’s shows mattered so much in American cultural life? This course asserts that HBO produces a distinctive and recognizable brand. Beyond the boasted high production value evident in their often auteur controlled aesthetic, HBO’s shows share specific thematic concerns, narratives, and philosophy as they build a complex picture of US life, telling in long-form serials, stories from America’s past and present. Screenings will include some of the network’s most popular shows from a variety of genres, such as: The Wire, Girls, Entourage, Westworld, Game of Thrones, and Last Week Tonight. The class will also address the company’s changing corporate model and operating structure, along with its position in the global media market.
Filed under Movies
