Recap: February

Oscars, Industry Shifts & Staying Focused in the Chaos

Congrats, you made it through February—a month that is somehow the shortest of the year yet still manages to feel like it lasts twenty-eight lifetimes.

While you were busy figuring out whether it was too early to abandon your New Year’s resolutions (it’s not—we’re in a rebranding phase, obviously), Hollywood was moving at full speed. Awards were won, speeches were made, careers were elevated (or stalled), and behind the scenes, the industry continued its not-so-subtle identity crisis.

So, let’s break it down: What happened in February, why does it matter, and what does it mean for you?

The Oscars: Some Big Wins, Some Big Side-Eyes

The 97th Academy Awards came, conquered, and left a handful of actors with shiny gold statues while the rest of us argued about who really deserved to win.

“Anora” cleaned house. The indie darling directed by Sean Baker (Red Rocket, The Florida Project) swept five major categories, including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Original Screenplay. This is the type of movie that, ten years from now, film school students will call “underrated” while every industry veteran nods in silent agreement.

Mikey Madison won Best Actress, and Demi Moore fans are not happy about it. After months of speculation, the young actress took home the trophy for Anora in a shocking upset, beating out Demi Moore's comeback performance as an aged-out actress, showing that sometimes art really does imitate life. Oscar win or not, Demi was outstanding and we have no doubt we'll be seeing more of Moore!

Adrien Brody is now a two-time Oscar winner. He took home Best Actor for his powerfhouse performance in The Brutalist. It is interesting to note that AI was used to tweak actors' accents in this film. It will be interesting to see how this new technology impacts performances and if/how that should be taken into account for awards.

Kieran Culkin’s award season sweep continued. He snagged Best Supporting Actor for A Real Pain—which means, yes, he gave another very on-brand awkwardly charming speech.

Zoe Saldaña won Best Supporting Actress for Emilia Pérez. If you’ve been paying attention, that means Saldaña also now has an Oscar to go with her billion-dollar franchise films. Not bad for someone who’s been blue, green, and everything in between.

The night also included a beautiful performance by Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande.

It's a must watch!

Meanwhile, In Industry Chaos…

Hollywood is like an actor at a callback—desperately trying to prove it’s still got it, while every other city and country is throwing out better offers.

Technicolor, the visual effects giant, is circling the drain. The company, which has been around for 110 years, is on the verge of collapse. This is a huge deal for post-production and visual effects workers, many of whom are already struggling after last year’s strikes. It’s yet another sign that AI is rapidly changing the industry—faster than anyone’s really ready for.

LA might be losing its grip as the industry capital. More productions are packing their bags and heading to places with better tax incentives (looking at you, Nevada, New Mexico, and Europe). That means more self-tapes!!!

The 2023 strikes are still messing with production schedules. Remember that long pause in Hollywood? We are still feeling the effects. Some productions are scrambling to catch up, while others are just straight-up relocating.

So what does this mean? If you’re in LA and looking for work, you might want to start broadening your search radius. If you’re repped, talk to your agent or manager about submitting for out-of-state projects. If you’re not repped, start networking. (Yes, I know. But we’re in survival mode now.)

So… What Now?

The industry is shifting. It’s moving faster than we can process, and the only thing you can really control is how you adapt.

So here’s a small exercise:

Think about where you were at the start of the year.

• What’s changed since then?

• Have you made progress on the things that actually matter to you?

• If you feel stuck, is it because of something external (like the industry chaos) or something internal (like self-doubt, procrastination, or just feeling overwhelmed)?

Because here’s the thing: Whether the industry is thriving or imploding (or doing both simultaneously, because Hollywood loves a paradox), the real question is—what are you doing to stay focused?

• Are you training?

• Are you submitting?

• Are you creating?

If the answer is “no” or “not really,” that’s okay. But don’t let this chaotic month become an excuse to check out. Instead, let it be a reason to check in—on your craft, your goals, and where you actually want to be in six months.

Because if this industry teaches us anything, it’s that you have to be ready and you have to do you!

So, let's March on!

#stayfocused