TV & film
Blueprint
Hollywood is being rebuilt from the inside out. Blueprint tracks the structural forces reshaping the entertainment industry: studio consolidation, AI's collision with creative labor, the streaming profitability crunch, guild contract fights, and the global decentralization of production.
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Episodes
The archive
18 episodes, newest first.
- Blueprint #38: The Bonta-Paramount Sit-DownA federal magistrate has ordered Paramount Skydance and the 12-state AG coalition into two straight days of settlement talks in late October, the first real meeting since Bonta canceled the previous one over leak accusations. Reid and Grant dig into whether a court-ordered process counts as a breakthrough, what Bonta's 'structural remedies' demand actually requires, and whether Ellison's own account of the fight's real motive changes how seriously to take any of it. They also debate whether Paramount's $1.9 billion bond request is prep for good-faith talks or a pressure tactic. Week of September 15, 2026. Takeaway: until one side moves off its actual legal position, a court-mandated meeting is a calendar entry, not a deal.
- Blueprint #37: The Andersen Jury Timeline MessWeek of September 8, 2026. Blueprint picks up where episode 36 left off: reporting says the Andersen v. Stability AI jury trial moved to opening statements this week in San Francisco, testing the 'model-as-copy' theory Judge Orrick allowed to proceed in 2024. But a January 2026 case management filing lists the trial date as April 5, 2027 with a planned 14-day run — a discrepancy Reid and Grant dig into on air rather than paper over. They argue about what a plaintiff win would mean for every case built on the same theory against Midjourney, Runway, and studio AI vendors, whether the ByteDance MOU from Blueprint 34 actually protects anyone, and how a UK ruling rejecting the same theory complicates the global picture. Takeaway: don't treat any single 'trial started' headline as settled until you've checked the docket yourself.
- Blueprint 36: The First AI Copyright Jury TrialA federal jury in San Francisco is about to decide whether training image models on copyrighted art is fair use, while the studios keep signing handshake deals that settle nothing. Reid and Grant break down Andersen v. Stability AI, the Midjourney discovery fight, and who actually gets paid.
- Blueprint #35: Bonta's Settlement Meeting BlowupParamount and California AG Rob Bonta's office were reported to be planning a Monday meeting to settle the 12-state antitrust suit blocking the $110 billion Warner Bros. Discovery deal — then Bonta scrapped it hours before it was supposed to happen, accusing Paramount of leaking details and a 'lack of good faith.' Reid and Grant dig into what actually collapsed: was the real sticking point David Ellison's threat to pull Paramount out of California, or Bonta's refusal to accept anything short of 'real, robust structural remedies'? They argue over what Bonta would actually have to extract — divestitures, separate studios, real teeth — to justify walking away from a case he's staked his office on, and what Paramount signals about its own trial odds just by asking for a deal. One concrete takeaway: watch whether the reported divestiture ask (selling off WBD cable channels, keeping the studios separate) survives contact with Ellison, because that's the real test of whether this settles before the clock runs out. Week of August 24, 2026.
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- Blueprint 34: Hollywood's AI Truce with ByteDanceThe MPA signed its first formal AI agreement with a generative video company, and it settled almost nothing about training data. Reid and Grant break down what the ByteDance memorandum of understanding actually buys the studios.
- Blueprint 33: The $1.9 Billion Merger ClockA judge set the Paramount-Warner antitrust trial for March 2-19, 2027, locking in a ticking fee that starts at $7 million a day. Reid and Grant read the math, the UK's surprise assist to the state AGs, and who absorbs the cost.
- Blueprint 32: The Merger Trial Date FightParamount wants its antitrust trial November 4. Twelve state AGs and the WGA want April 5, 2027. Reid and Grant read the scheduling fight as the real leverage battle, with a $7 million-a-day meter about to start running.
- Blueprint 31: Paramount's Path to Merger TrialParamount scrapped the August 3 injunction hearing and agreed not to close the Warner Bros. Discovery deal until a trial verdict or June 1, 2027. Reid and Grant test whether calling an 11-month delay a win is strategy or spin.
- Blueprint 29: Inside the TRO That Froze ParaBrosA federal judge just did what three rounds of legal threats couldn't: she actually stopped the Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery merger. Reid and Grant break down the TRO, the WGA's own antitrust lawsuit, and what happens before the August 3 injunction hearing.
- Blueprint 28: California vs. the ParaBros MergerRob Bonta just hired a marquee antitrust litigator, and Reid and Grant argue about what that means for the September closing deadline. They revisit the DOJ clearance that staff lawyers reportedly opposed and dig into the LA County jobs report now fueling a state lawsuit.
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What the show is
Each week, two hosts break down one major shift in how movies and TV get financed, made, and sold. Built for entertainment industry professionals, media investors, and anyone who wants to understand why the business behind your favorite shows looks nothing like it did five years ago.
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