In partnership with
The Bad News Is That You Might Be Losing Your Job. The Good News I’m Getting A Big Bonus!
As media moguls go, former Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav set a new record for extracting money out of a company while simultaneously mismanaging the situation. He and close advisor John Malone made a couple of hundred million dollars when the smaller Discovery merged with Warner Bros., despite overpaying for Warners and then agreeing to take on tens of billions in AT&T existing debt to make the deal happen.
While heading up that company, he had the payment structure of his contract changed from being tied to stock price to being tied to the company’s free cash flow after the prices of shares continued to drop.
And while it’s not clear about the final numbers, he’s receiving an exit package of somewhere between $500 and $800 million, despite wiping out $40 billion of Warner Bros. Discovery shareholder value during his four-year reign.
But Skydance’s David Ellison seems to be inspired by that Zaslovian approach to the media business.
At the same time that the company is warning of massive layoffs, Ellison announced a series of bonuses and new salaries for top company executives, which includes paying himself a massive bonus for apparently just being Dave:
Annual base salaries for the four increased to $5 million for Ellison, $4 million for Brandon-Gordon and Delrahim, and $3.4 million for Cinelli. Target annual bonuses rose to $5 million for Ellison and $2.6 million for the other three execs.
Starting in 2027, Ellison, Brandon-Gordon, Delrahim and Cinelli will be eligible for annual equity awards with an aggregate grant date value of, respectively, $5 million, $1.4 million, $1.25 million, and $4.4 million. That increases in 2031 to annual awards valued at $20 million for Ellison, $13.4 million for Gordon and Delrahim, and $12.5 million for Cinelli.
The new agreements also grant Ellison, Brandon-Gordon, Cinelli and Delrahim awards of restricted stock units covering, respectively, 104,167, 29,167 26,042 and 91,667 shares of Class B Common Stock.
As reported back in May, Ellison will receive a $50 million cash award and restricted stock units, or RSUs, valued at $100 million set after the merger closes. Brandon-Gordon will receive a cash bonus of $15 million and RSUs valued at $23 million, and Delrahim $12.5 million each in cash and RSUs.
The cash will be paid in a single lump-sum within 30 days following the close — which was earlier today. The RSUs will vest in equal quarterly installments over a five-year period following the close.
So while thousands of new Skydance employees might face a holiday without employment, at least the new company’s executive class will be in the mood to celebrate.
Clicking on this ad will provide a bit of extra revenue for TooMuchTV
Built for the unstoppable.
The Dell Pro powered by Intel® Core™ Ultra with Intel vPro® adjusts power usage based on how you work, so your battery life never slows you down.
Martin Mull Did A Lot Of Things…I Wish More Of Them Were Available For Streaming
The cast of ‘The Jackie Thomas Show’
As the producers mention in the new Martin Mull documentary which just premiered on Netflix, the comic/musician/actor appeared on a lot of projects. But sadly for fans (or people who would like to learn more about his work after watching the film), much of his quirkier work isn’t available for streaming.
Sure, you can watch him on Roseanne or Arrested Development. And even though the really delightful two-season Fox TV comedy The Cool Kids isn’t available on any SVOD - even Tubi - it at least can be rented or purchased at the typical places.
But even that level of streaming access is a rarity, and here is a rundown of some of the many worthwhile Martin Mull projects that aren’t available online. At least, not legally:
Fernwood Tonight (1977-1978)
This faux talk show is discussed a great deal in the Netflix doc, but odds are you’ve never seen it, aside from some random clips posted online. Which is a shame, because it is not just an astoundingly original series, it is some of Mull’s best work.
Domestic Life (1984)
This short-lived CBS series was probably the purest distillation of Mull’s on-camera persona. Created by Mull, Steve Martin and former Taxi producer Howard Gerwitz, the series featured Mull as “Martin Crane,” a Seattle television commentator Martin Crane who “has a domestic life worth reporting on air.” The writing staff was primarily former writers for Taxi, and his co-star was Megan Follows. The show didn’t work, but I can’t help noticing that Frasier co-creator David Angell wrote an episode of the show and seems to have pulled some things from the series when Frasier launched the following year.
Magic With The Stars (1982)
A bunch of Hollywood celebrities help magicians in a fun show of illusion and magic. This is an obscure choice, but considering the show has a celebrity lineup that includes Mull, Orson Welles, Loni Anderson, Harry Anderson, Jon ‘Bowzer’ Bauman, Cathy Lee Crosby, Dom Deluise, Eric Estrada, Jack Klugman, Norman Fell and David Copperfield…well, not getting this special cleared for streaming is a crime against nature.
The Jackie Thomas Show (1992-1993)
This pretty terrible ABC comedy starred Tom Arnold as a misanthropic sitcom actor. The series received widespread attention due to its creators Roseanne Arnold, then starring in the fifth season of her top-rated comedy Roseanne, and her husband and Roseanne co-producer Tom Arnold.
Family Dog (1993)
This animated television series aired in the summer of 1993 on CBS. Created by Brad Bird, the series was about an average suburban family, the Binsfords, as told through the eyes of their dog. It first appeared as an episode of the TV show Amazing Stories, then was expanded into a very short-lived series of its own.
Dads (2013-2014)
Two successful guys in their 30's (Seth Green, Giovanni Ribisi) have their lives turned upside down when their nightmare dads unexpectedly move in with them in this Fox TV comedy.
I’m Sorry (2017-2019)
Andrea Savage stars in this Tru TV comedy series as a seemingly-confident comedy writer, wife and mom comically exposes her inner immaturity and neuroses through unexpected life situations.
These are just some of the shows where Mull had major roles. And I’m disappointed that Netflix spent the money on the documentary but didn’t bother to license the rights to even one or two of these shows. On the other hand, Mull appeared on a number of episodes of the show The Ranch, which is also on the streamer. And it isn’t listed as one of the “more like this” suggestions for the doc. Which seems as if it’s an algorithm fail.
Odds & Sods
A really clever billboard promoting the Hulu/Disney+ bundle
Somehow, it’s reassuring to know that famed Berkshire Hathaway investor Warren Buffett often spends his evenings going down YouTube rabbit holes.
Netflix has renewed The Hunting Wives for a third season ahead of the season two premiere. Which typically means they have shot the two seasons back-to-back and are just pretending to “greenlight” a season they’ve already produced.
ICYMI: Posted On TooMuchTV And Forbes
Here is a rundown of other stories recently posted on TooMuchTV.com and Forbes:
I reviewed the delightful and surprisingly bittersweet Netflix documentary Who Is Martin Mull?
For Forbes, I took a deep dive into the new-ish MS NOW Membership plan and decided that it is still a work in progress.
There is something almost heroic - or depressing - about Ted Lasso’s inability to go away.
What’s Coming Tonight And Tomorrow
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 7TH:
Abbott Elementary Season Premiere (ABC)
A Returner's Magic Should Be Special (Crunchyroll)
Carrie Series Premiere (Prime Video)
Chicago Fire Season Premiere (NBC)
Chicago Med Season Premiere (NBC)
Chicago P.D. Season Premiere (NBC)
Inside The Circle Series Premiere (Netflix)
Jamie Foxx: Take Care Of Yourself (Hulu)
Last Seen Season One Finale (Apple TV)
Less Of A Stranger (Netflix)
Magic Knight Rayearth Series Premiere (Crunchyroll)
Merry Berry Love (Hulu)
Real Men 2 (Netflix)
Sasaki And Peeps (Crunchyroll)
Sin City Rehab Season Premiere (HGTV)
Sistas Season Premiere (BET)
Small Prophets Series Premiere (Apple TV)
Ted Lasso Season Four Finale (Apple TV)
The Detective Is Already Dead Season Two Premiere (Crunchyroll)
The Serial Killer Connection (Investigation Discovery)
The World’s Strongest Witch Series Premiere (Crunchyroll)
Who Is Martin Mull? (Netflix)
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8TH:
Below Series Premiere (Netflix)
Cupertino Series Premiere (CBS)
Elsbeth Season Four Premiere (CBS)
Eternally Yours Series Premiere (CBS)
Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage Season Premiere (CBS)
Law & Order Season Premiere (NBC)
Law & Order: SVU Season Premiere (NBC)
Saban (ESPN)
The Iceblade Sorcerer Shall Rule The World (Crunchyroll)
The Kardashians Season Premiere (Hulu)
Unicorn Academy: Secrets Revealed – Flying Free (Netflix)