Executive Producer Research Articles

Introduction: women’s authorship and adaptation in contemporary television

ABSTRACT This special dossier examines issues in women’s authorship and adaptation in contemporary television. Recently, in the television streaming era, there have been a number of significant television shows adapted from an original woman-authored source text that have a prominent woman in a production role, such as showrunner, writer, director, or executive producer. This invites attention in the period of ‘quality’ television, where the figure of the television ‘auteur’, often in the form of the showrunner, has emerged. This dossier complicates this figure: firstly, by focusing on women authors, who are often excluded from notions of auteurism; secondly, by insisting on the collaborative nature of television authorship; and thirdly, by examining adaptations, which have proven to be productive sites for feminist explorations of women’s authorship. As the contributors in this dossier reveal, women’s authorship in adapted television is one of multiplicity, collectivity, and collaboration – but also competition, antagonism and struggle. Making evident the rich but complex landscape of women’s television authorship today, this dossier intervenes in discussions around women’s authorial agency and authority, while also evidencing women’s continued limitations in the contemporary television industry.

Asian American transnationalism: queer diasporic critique on Netflix’s Bling Empire

ABSTRACT This essay interrogates Asian American representations in the Netflix’s reality TV series Bling Empire (Jenkins, J., Panaligan, B., Weintraub, R., Chung, E., Eisele, B., & Li, K. M. (Executive Producers) (2021, January 15; 2022, May 13). Bling Empire [TV Series]). We deploy queer diaspora as an analytic tool to read how Bling Empire represents the politics of Asian American transnationalism, through contestations of family tradition, kinship, and racialization rooted in cisheteronormativity. By transnationalism, we mean global (dis)connections of power, identity, labor, and capital built upon the nationalist politics. The following themes emerge from our analysis of the foci above: Representational Privileges of Masculinity, Transnational Kinship Making, and Diasporic Exceptionalism. By disordering the structure of cisheterosexuality, we problematize how Bling Empire works with the Asian American transnationalism supporting the configuration of diaspora, migration, and citizenship.

Trans*(gressive) Failures: Cis-heteronormative Gaze in OTT Media

This study offers a critical textual analysis of trans* representation in two popular Hindi web series Sacred Games (Luegenbiehl & Motwane (Executive Producers), 2018–2019, Sacred Games [TV series]) and Paatal Lok (Sharma et al. (Executive Producers), 2020–Present, Paatal Lok [TV series]). We probe how trans* representations function to maintain normative agendas in a heteropatriarchal nation-state. Further, we examine their potential to reify dominant stereotypes in popular media. Our analysis reveals discourses surrounding hegemonic heterosexuality (Yep, 2003, Journal of Homosexuality, 45(2–4), 11–59), transnormativisation (Puar, 2015, Social Text, 33(3 (124)), 45–73) and homohindunationalism (Upadhyay, 2020, Interventions, 22(4), 464–480) based on two trans* characters—Kukkoo and Cheeni. We argue that the characters are conceptualised through a cis-heteropatriarchal imagination in a right-wing nation-state achieved through gendered and racialised othering. We uncover several mediated failures. First, how persistent male gaze functions to centre cis-heteronormative tropes that marginalise trans*ness and the trans* characters. Second, the dual pressures of Puar’s theorisation of ‘passing’ and ‘piecing’ create normativised trans* bodies that are unable to break out of the gender binary. Lastly, we argue that the Hindu-nationalist state works to co-opt and nullify progressive portrayals of trans* characters through its legal and biopolitical machinery.

The Burial. Directed by Maggie Betts. Executive Producers, Jamie Foxx, Bobby Shriver, Datari Turner, Trudie Styler, Jenette Kahn, Celine Rattray, Adam Richman. Running Time, 2 h and 6 min

The Burial. Directed by Maggie Betts. Executive Producers, Jamie Foxx, Bobby Shriver, Datari Turner, Trudie Styler, Jenette Kahn, Celine Rattray, Adam Richman. Running Time, 2 h and 6 min

Interview: Juliette Larthe

Juliette Larthe cofounded Prettybird in London with Kerstin Emhoff and Paul Hunter. As an executive producer she brought a multidisciplinary working manifesto and culture to the start-up. Larthe works as a producer and executive across not just screen advertising but feature films, multimedia brand content, immersive, experiential art works, music content, short- and long-form content, live installations and fashion shows. Juliette’s work has earned her numerous awards across the globe, including Grammys, British Arrows, UKMVAs, MTV, Clios, Cannes Lions, Kinsale Sharks and D&AD awards. Juliette campaigns for equality and diversity in the creative industries, supporting mentorships with ELAM, Creative Equals and also works with the charity End Youth Homelessness. She has been Head of the Jury, Jury President or Jury Member for the British Arrows, UKMVAs, Kinsale Sharks, D&AD and Ciclope. Prettybird’s London roster includes directors Ashley Armitage, Tom Beard, Bradley & Pablo, Jason Bock, Margo Bowman, Calmatic, Daniels, Jora Frantzis, Nisha Ganatra, Isabel Garrett, Rami Hachache, Paul Hunter, Jodeb, Eloise King, Jess Kohl, Matt Lambert, Salomen Ligthelm, Tom Noakes, Max Malkin, Melina Matsoukas, Rafaela Carvalho, Sophie Muller, Matt Piedmont, Ian Schwartz, Tim & Eric, Joseph Wilson, Vellas and Yousef.

"Alternate Presents": An Interview with Daryl Gregory

"Alternate Presents":An Interview with Daryl Gregory Christina Connor (bio) and Daryl Gregory (bio) Daryl Gregory's publishing history includes a long list of awards and recognition that any writer of the fantastic would be thrilled to possess. Trained in the Clarion Writer's Workshop, Gregory has garnered acclaim since the publication of his debut novel, Pandemonium (2008), which won the Crawford award and was a finalist for the World Fantasy award. His bio is staggering: His novel Spoonbenders was a Nebula, Locus, and World Fantasy Award finalist. His novella We Are All Completely Fine won the World Fantasy and the Shirley Jackson awards, and was a finalist for the Nebula, Sturgeon, and Locus awards. He's an executive producer and writer for several of his novels being adapted for TV. The SF novel Afterparty was an NPR and Kirkus Best Fiction book of 2014, and a finalist for the Campbell and the Lambda Literary awards. His other novels are YA horror novel Harrison Squared, The Devil's Alphabet (a Philip K. Dick award finalist), and Raising Stony Mayhall (a Library Journal best SF book of the year). His short stories have been nominated for the Hugo and other awards. Many of them are collected in Unpossible and Other Stories, which was named one of the best books of the year by Publishers Weekly. He has also written for video games and comics. We are grateful to him for sitting down to discuss craft in this special issue of Studies in the Fantastic devoted to fiction. During our interview, I discovered that the key to his success is a devotion to continued professional growth. In this interview, Gregory explains his thoughts on the "big ideas" of the fantastic genre and shares [End Page 95] advice for writers, both those seeking to start their careers and experienced writers hoping to sharpen their skills. He discusses his own path to getting published, muses upon how writers can train, and shares his views on what part of professionalism matters the most in a writing career. (Spoiler alert: It's not social media!) The following interview was edited for length and form. Christina Connor: Why did you become a writer? Daryl Gregory: Growing up, I would read books and desperately want to do the same thing. I didn't realize that you couldn't be a writer, so I began writing my own stories. In fourth grade, I wrote my first novel; it was eight pages—my magnum opus—and it was remarkably similar to a book I had just read. I guess everybody sort of plays around with the idea of being a writer, but I never outgrew it. And so, I just kept writing. CC: Who are your writing inspirations? DG: It's funny. I have a few heavy hitters, but every book I write gets to pick its own parents. Each one is in conversation with a different set of novels that came before. So, my inspirations are whatever books that led to this one. My favorite book of all time is John Crowley's Little, Big [1981]—that book's always in my head. But when I was starting out, there were the books of Sean Stewart. He's sort of stopped writing novels and has a very successful career making games and virtual worlds, but his novels in the '90s were a huge influence on me because he set them mostly in the real world where magic was infused with daily life. I thought, "that's my jam; that's what I want to write." But as I said, there's just a wide array of writers whom I steal from and get influenced by, and the roster changes with every book. CC: Why do you write in the fantastic genre? DG: The fantastic was the first stuff that sparked my interest as a young reader: science fiction, comic books, fantasy. It all just lit me [End Page 96] up in a way nothing else did. Even after I became an English major and studied the canon, I always wrote the fantastic. My sensibilities matured (slightly), but a story must have something weird in it or it bores me...

White noise

First Nations content on commercial Australian television drama is rare and First Nations content makers rarely produce the content we see. Despite a lack of presence on commercial drama platforms there has been, and continues to be, a rich array of First Nations content on Australian public broadcast networks. Content analysis by Screen Australia, the Federal Government agency charged with supporting Australian screen development, production and promotion, aggregates information across the commercial and non-commercial (public broadcasting) platforms which dilutes the non-commercial output. The research presented in this article focused on the systemic processes of commercial Australian television drama production to provide a detailed analysis of the disparity of First Nations content between commercial and non-commercial television. The study engaged with First Nations and non-Indigenous Australian writers, directors, producers, casting agents, casting directors, heads of production, executive producers, broadcast journalists, former channel managers and independent production company executive directors—all exemplars in their fields—to interrogate production processes, script to screen, contributing to inclusion or exclusion of First Nations content in commercial television drama. Our engagement with industry revealed barriers to the inclusion of First Nations stories, and First Nations storytelling, occurring across multiple stages of commercial Australian television drama production.

Changing Times

Changing Times

Contributors’ Notes

Kelley L. Carter is an award-winning entertainment and pop-culture journalist who joined ESPN in January 2016 as a senior entertainment reporter for The Undefeated (now Andscape), which is a Black media platform dedicated to creating, highlighting, and uplifting the diverse stories of Black identity. She is the host of the digital series “Another Act with Kelley Carter,” where she gives viewers direct access to some of Hollywood’s biggest stars. Some of her critically acclaimed work has featured artists such as film director John Singleton, legendary singer Aretha Franklin, and actor Chadwick Boseman. Carter joined the Undefeated from Buzzfeed, where she was a senior editor for entertainment. Prior to Buzzfeed, she served as entertainment editor at Ebony magazine. Carter is currently based in Los Angeles, but she is a native of Detroit and graduate of Michigan State University who was working as a journalist for the Detroit Free Press at the time of J Dilla’s death.Dan Charnas is an award-winning music and business journalist; producer of records and television; and Associate Arts Professor at NYU’s Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music. He is the author of four books, including The Big Payback: The History of the Business of Hip-Hop (2010), Def Jam: The First 25 Years of the Last Great Record Label, which was co-authored with Bill Adler and Cey Adams (2011), and Dilla Time: The Life and Afterlife of J Dilla, The Hip-Hop Producer Who Reinvented Rhythm (2022). In addition, Charnas was the co-creator and executive producer of the VH1 TV series The Breaks. In the early 1990s, Charnas was one of the first writers for The Source, becoming part of a generation of young writers who helped create hip-hop journalism. He penned cover stories, features, reviews, and columns for a variety of publications on artists including L.L. Cool J, Ice Cube, A Tribe Called Quest, N.W.A. and Public Enemy.KáLyn Banks Coghill is a doctoral student in the Media, Art, and Text Program at Virginia Commonwealth University. She is also an instructor in the Gender, Sexuality, and Women’s Studies department. Her research focuses on digital violence, hip-hop feminism, black girlhood, and digital studies.Ambre Dromgoole (she/her) is a doctoral candidate in the Departments of Religious Studies and African American Studies at Yale University. Her dissertation “There’s a Heaven Somewhere

Contributors

Contributors

‘Storytelling is storytelling’: Resilience, gender and screenwriting in Fair City

This article explores the resilience of soap screenwriters and the resilient characters they create in soap opera through interviews with screenwriters on the Dublin-based soap opera Fair City (1989–present). The article also draws on an interview with Brigie de Courcy, executive producer of Fair City, to highlight the effects of the coronavirus pandemic on soap operas. The interview reveals inherent characteristics of the soap genre, including the habitual viewing of its audience and the ways in which the soap narrative relies on the physical proximity of its actors. The interview also reflects the genre’s resilience and the resilience of the people who work within it.

“He’s Not Good, But He’s Not Bad”: Jason Bateman as the White, Middle-Class Devil

Jason Bateman, as a former child star, a Hollywood party-boy-turned-family-man, and a seemingly un-aging actor imbued with privilege, created a persona that is instrumental for understanding the television shows (and films) in which he stars. Combining the rationality and order often associated with whiteness and the authoritative expertise connected to patriarchal privilege, examining Bateman in relation to his performances reveals the problematic position of dominance that he embodies. This essay argues that Bateman’s public image, as shaped by his publicity along with his role on Arrested Development, positioned him to – as an actor, executive producer, and director on Ozark – develop a character who offers a potential critique of hegemonic ideas about white, middle-class masculinity.

No Free Tickets

No Free Tickets

King Richard (2021)

<i>King Richard</i> (2021)

Stranger Things, Nostalgia, and Aesthetics

<i>Stranger Things</i>, Nostalgia, and Aesthetics

Introductory Remarks by Michele Bratcher Goodwin

Welcome, everybody, to the American Society of International Law's annual meeting. it is my pleasure to welcome you to this very special panel on Black women, global human rights, and policing. My name is Michele Bratcher Goodwin. I am the host of “On the Issues with Michele Goodwin” at Ms. magazine and the executive producer of Ms. Studios. I am also a chancellor's professor at the University of California Irvine and a senior lecturer at Harvard Medical School.

The showrunner’s skills and responsibilities in the creation and production process of fiction series in the contemporary North American television industry

Contemporary fiction TV series production in North America is characterized by the showrunner figure’s importance. This paper aims to study the concept of “showrunner” as executive-creative producer, analyze the competencies and responsibilities carried out by them during the production process of TV shows according to personal and professional factors, and examine their position within the current television market. For this purpose, a literature review on fiction TV series production and television authorship has been conducted. After this, adopting the focus of media production studies, a qualitative methodology based on in-depth personal interviews has been used, which was carried out with a selection of thirty-six significant executive producers and writers of contemporary American TV series. The findings indicate the relevance of this profile from a historical perspective, and particularly in recent years. Although there is a basic scheme of tasks developed by the showrunner in each phase of the production process, we find differences in this actuation due to personal –sex and nationality– and professional –format/gender and channel– characteristics in this industrial context. The showrunner develops an executive-creative dual profile to maintain the project’s coherence according to the established vision. Their influence over the TV series’ creative features contributes to reflection on television authorship and its attribution to this figure.

WACANA HUMOR PADA TAGAR #MATANAJWAMENANTITERAWAN DI TWITTER

Mata Najwa, a talk show hosted by Najwa Shihab, on September 29, 2020 uploaded unusual video which questioning the existence of Terawan Agus Putranto, The Minister of Health Republic Indonesia at that time, whom never appears in the media to make statement about Government’s treatment of pandemic Covid-19. Mata Najwa tried to attract public’s attention by uploading a video that using empty chair interview technique, pretends Terawan was shows up in the middle of the show. Until the video with hastag #MataNajwaMenantiTerawan became trending topic in Twitter and created new humor discourses from netizens. The humor discourses in this hashtag is interested to be researched, that makes the objective of this research is to discover humor discourses contained in the video #MataNajwaMenantiTerawan, as well as user’s tweets that created new humor discourses in Twitter. Concept framework of this research is concepts about satire, parody, parikena, dan sarcasm. Research method: constructivism paradigm with qualitative type of research. Data collection methods: observing video Mata Najwa duration 4 minutes 22 seconds, timeline on Twitter with hashtag #MataNajwaMenantiTerawan, interview with Executive Producer of Mata Najwa from Narasi TV and documentation from various sources.

Performing (Asian American trans) femme on RuPaul’s Drag Race: dis/orienting racialized gender, or, performing trans femme of color, regardless

ABSTRACT This essay turns to reality television to perform trans of color criticism. Taking as its analytic focus the embodied performance – and concomitant mediated production – of whiteness by Asian American drag queen competitor Gia Gunn on the reality competition series RuPaul’s Drag Race [Bailey, F., Barbato, R., Campbell, T., RuPaul, Corfe, S., Post, P., & Salangsang, M. (Executive Producers). (2012). RuPaul's drag race all stars [TV series]. World of Wonder Productions]. We argue that Gia exploits what Nishime, L. [(2017). Mixed race matters. Cinema Journal, 56(3), 148–152. https://doi.org/10.1353/cj.2017.0031] calls the “perceived malleability of Asianness,” allowing her to perform a queer version of white womanhood. In turn, media producers orientalize Gia’s performance, effectively constructing a trans femme formation in transmisogynistic terms. In turn, and in the words of Nakayama, T. [(2012). Dis/orienting identities. In A. Gonzalez, M. Houston, & Y. Chen (Eds.), Our voices (pp. 20–25). Oxford University Press], the racialized trans formation “dis/orients” mediated tropes constraining Asianness.

#CybillToo?: how a feminist sitcom (almost) exposed Hollywood’s dark secrets

The sitcom Cybill (CBS 1995–1998) is loosely based on the real-life experiences of its feminist star and executive producer, Cybill Shepherd. The show thus has the extraordinary potential to relate the experiences of a Hollywood actress, operating within a singularly influential apparatus in the creation of dominant ideologies, including representations of women. This ‘belly of the beast’ set-up suggests an abundance of possibilities for the woman buffoon, trickster or thief of language to tell her thus-far censored, inside story, but within a medium and textual format that are themselves significantly controlled by, and instrumental in perpetuating, that very same machinery. Yet this sitcom was produced in the nineteen-nineties, a decade characterised by apolitical, postmodern irreverence. This article will assess the sitcom’s integration of postmodern, conservative and feminist discourses by conducting a critical discourse analysis, as formulated by Norman Fairclough, of one episode. The episode is one of two in which the show depicts Hollywood producers requesting sexual favours in return for employment opportunities, two decades before the practice provoked international outrage and brought about the formation of the #MeToo movement. The episode overall adopts a morally dubious positioning in its portrayal of Hollywood realities. However, as will be argued, this very postmodern ambiguity enabled the sitcom to represent and denounce long-established ‘casting couch’ practices, if in a cursory and trivialising manner.