Spotify wants to talk about the Hollywood strikes in a funny but compelling way.
The company recently announced it is launching a brand-new podcast series that covers the Hollywood strikes featuring five of the most popular talk show hosts in the US.
This podcast is now available for Spotify users to listen to.
Taking Hollywood Strikes With Seriousness And Hilarity
Spotify stated in its announcement that its new limited-series podcast, "Strike Force Five," features the opinions and discussions of five of the most popular talk show hosts on American TV. These are Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Fallon, Jimmy Kimmel, Seth Meyers, and John Oliver.
These hosts bring their unique insights, opinions, and humor to the show as they discuss the ongoing Hollywood strikes and beyond for at least twelve episodes, with each host serving as a rotating moderator.
While the hosts will discuss the topic with the utmost seriousness most of the time, audiences should expect some occasional hilarity in between. They are talk show hosts, after all, and comedy is part and parcel of their job.
The series will be hosted on Spotify's Megaphone, with Spotify as the exclusive sales partner. Interestingly, Mint Mobile and Diageo, the companies responsible for Aviation American Gin, Bulleit Frontier Whiskey, and Casamigos, were the first to come aboard to support the show as co-presenting sponsors.
Additionally, the proceeds the hosts receive will go to out-of-work staff from the hosts' respective shows. These shows include:
- The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,
- The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon,
- Jimmy Kimmel Live,
- Late Night with Seth Meyers,
- Last Week Tonight with John Oliver
The podcast is now available for Spotify users to listen to. It is also available across most major podcast platforms, though Spotify didn't mention what these other platforms are.
Hollywood Writers vs. Producers
The Hollywood strikes have yet to subside since they began on March 20, when the Writers Guild of America (WGA) protested against the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) until the two come up with a new deal, per Forbes. The new deal the WGA is looking for has to have increased compensation, better residuals, staffing requirements, protections from AI job interference, and more.
Unfortunately, the AMPTP didn't agree with the WGA's demands, which meant the continuation of the protests, which then evolved into a strike. The Screen Actors Guild - American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) also joined the strike to prevent the use of AI replacing background actors for eternity in exchange for a day's worth of pay.
This strike is the first time SAG-AFTRA has joined the WGA in a public protest since the 1960s. Unfortunately, all parties involved have yet to agree on a deal that will ensure improvements and security in writers' and actors' jobs, as demanded by the WGA and SAG-AFTRA and the wants of AMPTP.
Although all of the parties tried to reach an agreement during the strike, the particulars weren't enough for all to sign off on, which led to the strike's continuation.
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