Hirsch Leatherwood
Hello!
Welcome to OUT OF SCOPE, the C-suite cheat sheet for the week ahead.
To our readers in Los Angeles, we’re keeping you in our thoughts this week amidst the devastating fires in the region. There are many ways to support those who have been affected, but if you’re looking for a spot to donate to, the Westside Food Bank does some great work tackling hunger in the region and is accepting donations for relief to Los Angeles families here.
**THE CHEAT SHEET
three news stories to bring up this week to sound smarter:
TikTok’s last dance? TikTok’s potential U.S. ban has sent shockwaves through the digital marketing world. With $8 billion in ad revenue at stake, marketers are scrambling to shift dollars to other social channels, while creators with millions of followers are turning to platforms like Substack to maintain contact with their audiences. As the Supreme Court hearing to determine TikTok's fate concludes, a creator economy projected to reach $480 billion by 2027 waits to hear the verdict.
Our nation’s tolerance is burning. The past month has seen outcry against insurers of all kinds – first, major health plans after Luigi Mangione’s murder of Brian Thompson sparked national dialogue, and now, home insurers in the wake of California’s wildfires. With Americans taking their anger to their feeds and the streets, insurers are under newfound and urgent pressure to quell the court of public opinion and ward off the watchful eye of regulators determined to keep constituents’ concerns at bay.
The ski industry slides downhill. A flurry of PE interest in ski resorts has shaped the industry into a duopoly—and dissatisfaction is mounting among workers and consumers alike. With new pricing models icing out the casual skier and the effects of decreased industry competition sparking strikes, it appears the costs of consolidation are starting to catch up with snowsport moguls.
**OUT OF OFFICE
one weekend news story in-depth: 'BETTER MAN' BOMBS
Better Man is a musical biopic starring a CGI monkey. The latest release from Paramount is a dramatic retelling of the life of British singer Robbie Williams that opened to abject box office failure, raking in just over $1 million this weekend. Better Man was made for about $110 million and was acquired by Paramount for $25 million.
We can’t emphasize this enough: the lead character is played by a monkey. This very visible artistic choice has prompted confusion among fans and likely made the project rather difficult to market. Williams says the choice was made because we “care for animals more than we care for humans,” but the creative liberty looks especially misguided in hindsight as the movie underperforms financially.
Location, location, location. The animal antics have been complicated by a haphazard release strategy. Despite Paramount’s global footprint, the choice to focus so much money and energy on distribution in America is possibly to blame for the poor returns, given the Williams’ relatively minimal cultural stature in the United States.
‘Tis the season. Amidst the annual “Dumpuary” of lackluster releases from studios looking to offload projects this time of year, low returns for the film aren’t uncharacteristic. But watch this space as Better Man calls into question the supposed infallibility of biopics and is already in the running to be one of the worst performers of the year.
**POWER LUNCH
five quick consumption recs for the time between meetings:
Should Men Be Allowed to Grocery Shop? Watch the TikTok that launched a thousand posts on X and kicked off a (relatively pointless) debate about the practice of grocery delivery.
Zuck 2.0 Mark Zuckerberg’s rebrand continued over a 3-hour interview with Joe Rogan, taking on censorship, DEI, and even Apple.
Best Actress Battle Last week, we saw the race for Best Actress at this year’s Oscars heat up, following some additional love for Demi Moore’s performance in horror-comedy The Substance.
The Hills Are Alive Heidi Montag’s 2010 album went No. 1, as fans rallied around her and Spencer Pratt after losing their house to the Palisades fire.
Big Game, Big Money It’s worth revisiting Rich Clark’s interview with John Ourand about the business of the College Football playoffs before the Ohio State and Notre Dame matchup next week.
We'll see you online and on LinkedIn. Thanks for reading!
HL