From the Hills to the Valley
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From the Hills to the Valley
Next week, we are launching a new series! It’s called From the Hills to the Valley. And yes, that would be Hollywood and Silicon Valley, respectively.
In some ways, the two industries could not be more different. Hollywood was born and then flourished for over a century because of the technology of the movie screen. It still revolves around that screen. Silicon Valley happened decades later. It was the product of computing, and often emerged in garages in Palo Alto.
But, how different are venture capitalists investing in tech from heads of major hollywood studios? And how similar are artists making content for youtube to the stars who appear on big buck productions? Whatever the differences, they are growing. As Amazon and Netflix get deeper into the entertainment industry, and as Hollywood studios and Google trade accusations, the two industries seem at odds with each other now than ever before.
We are going to take a look at the tensions and parallels that exist in these two parts of California. Where does Hollywood meet Silicon Valley? And where do they diverge?
We have a great line-up of interviews, from YouTube star Hank Green talking about how he thrives outside of the traditional studio model to writer and actor, Issa Rae, on her transition from producing a web series to piloting a show on HBO.
And much more. The series begins on Monday with New York Times Magazine staff writer, Jenna Wortham, who talk about why the culture of technology resists Hollywood narratives.
Here’s YouTube star Hank Green in a popular video about how to pronounce “gif”:
And here’s a video from Issa Rae, promoting her new book “The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl”:
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