The Alan Smithee Round Table: (“What We Did Last Summer”)

<p>Hey everyone, welcome to the Alan Smithee Podcast! The gang is back, refreshed from a summer break with lots to talk about: Hollywood’s hopeful rebound, post-production tech updates, acquisitions in both tech and media, the latest AI news, and of course, some very cool things for us post-production people to get excited about. </p><p><br></p><p>Show Notes</p><p><strong>Katie: </strong><a href="https://www.dailyspecialstudios.com/"><strong>https://www.dailyspecialstudios.com</strong></a></p><p><strong>Michael: Harnesses: Claude Dispatch, Hermes, OpenClaw</strong></p><p><strong>Scott: EditSwitch: Training and consulting for the migrating video editor    </strong><a href="https://www.editswitch.com/"><strong>https://www.editswitch.com</strong></a></p><p>Paramount / Warner Brothers merger</p><p><a href="https://www.axios.com/2026/08/11/david-ellison-paramount-california">https://www.axios.com/2026/08/11/david-ellison-paramount-california</a></p><p><a href="https://www.ajc.com/arts-entertainment/2026/08/paramount-eyes-georgia-other-states-for-hq-move-amid-antitrust-case/">https://www.ajc.com/arts-entertainment/2026/08/paramount-eyes-georgia-other-states-for-hq-move-amid-antitrust-case/</a></p><p><br></p><p>2026 Box Office</p><p><a href="https://gower.st/articles/keeping-momentum-2026-sees-highest-grossing-june-quarter-first-half-this-decade-international-domestic-box-office/">https://gower.st/articles/keeping-momentum-2026-sees-highest-grossing-june-quarter-first-half-this-decade-international-domestic-box-office/</a></p><p><a href="https://www.reuters.com/commentary/breakingviews/hollywoods-hit-parade-is-becoming-sideshow-2026-08-27/">https://www.reuters.com/commentary/breakingviews/hollywoods-hit-parade-is-becoming-sideshow-2026-08-27/</a></p><p><br></p><p>California Tax Credits</p><p><a href="https://film.ca.gov/lights-camera-action-41-new-film-projects-to-receive-californias-film-first-year-of-expanded-program-projected-to-bring-6-6-billion-in-economic-impact/">https://film.ca.gov/lights-camera-action-41-new-film-projects-to-receive-californias-film-first-year-of-expanded-program-projected-to-bring-6-6-billion-in-economic-impact/</a></p><p><a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/losangeles/news/california-film-tv-tax-incentive-program-state-budget-issue-provision-sb-1122/">https://www.cbsnews.com/losangeles/news/california-film-tv-tax-incentive-program-state-budget-issue-provision-sb-1122/</a></p><p><br></p><p>YouTube to Indies</p><p><a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/daviddeal/2026/06/10/obsession-and-backrooms-prove-youtubes-a-powerful-pipeline-for-filmmakers/">https://www.forbes.com/sites/daviddeal/2026/06/10/obsession-and-backrooms-prove-youtubes-a-powerful-pipeline-for-filmmakers/</a></p><p><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/film/2026/jun/01/youtube-gen-z-filmmakers">https://www.theguardian.com/film/2026/jun/01/youtube-gen-z-filmmakers</a></p><p><br></p><p>Avid changes to third-party storage:<br><a href="https://kb.avid.com/pkb/articles/en_US/knowledge/shared-project-workflows-with-third-party-storage">https://kb.avid.com/pkb/articles/en_US/knowledge/shared-project-workflows-with-third-party-storage</a><br><a href="https://www.provideocoalition.com/avid-media-composer-2026-8-will-bring-changes-to-third-party-storage/">https://www.provideocoalition.com/avid-media-composer-2026-8-will-bring-changes-to-third-party-storage/</a><br><a href="https://hedge.co/blog/avid-bin-locking-enterprise">https://hedge.co/blog/avid-bin-locking-enterprise</a></p><p><br></p><p><a href="https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/disney-tiktok-strike-short-form-video-sharing-deal-2026-08-05/"><strong>Disney and TikTok have a deal</strong></a></p><p><br></p><p><a href="https://techcrunch.com/2026/06/25/adobe-acquires-image-and-video-enhancement-tool-maker-topaz-labs/"><strong>Adobe acquired Topaz</strong></a><strong> </strong></p><p><br></p><p><a href="https://www.provideocoalition.com/new-mac-studio-and-mac-mini-with-m5-ultra-m5-pro-and-m6-c