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What to expect

The L.A. Times’ The Wide Shot is a newsletter for people who care about the business of entertainment in the industry’s hometown of Los Angeles and everywhere Hollywood magic is made across the U.S. and around the world.

In a fast-changing, global business, we’ll distill the news and what it means for the future and you — whether you’re a camera operator looking for your next job, a marketing professional keeping tabs on the competition, a studio executive navigating a changed distribution landscape or just a casual observer of entertainment goings-on.

We’ll deliver weekly insights on the top stories and trends, including the competition between Netflix and Disney+, the tug of war for filmmaking talent, the state of influencer culture on TikTok and the recovery of production from COVID-19 shutdowns. We’ll highlight the best and most awkward marketing tie-ins and the most plausible and implausible explanations for the latest flop. We’ll take you through the nuts and bolts of the biggest stories from our Company Town team, including our investigations, scoops, profiles and analyses.

Sign up on this page or at our newsletters center.

Your host

I’m Ryan Faughnder, an entertainment business reporter on The Times’ Company Town team. I’ve spent my whole life in Southern California, growing up in San Diego before making my way to the entertainment capital.

For seven years, I’ve written about the film industry, focusing on the movie studios and their parent companies, including the Walt Disney Co. I’ve covered some of the most significant stories of the last few years, including the 2014 hack of Sony Pictures Entertainment and the rise of Netflix as a film industry superpower.

I’m a lifelong movie fan, with a special love for horror (“Let the Right One In” and “The Witch” are favorite re-watches). Though I’m a business reporter by trade, I care deeply about the arts of film, TV and music. When I’m not doing journalism, watching movies or bingeing podcasts, I’m probably practicing a metal guitar solo from the ‘80s or ‘90s.

If you’ve got some good gossip or thoughts on the future of entertainment, I’d love to hear from you. Email me at ryan.faughnder@latimes.com, or get in touch on Twitter.

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