Melinda Dilger, Producer of Riot Games' ARCANE

A Jubilant June and The State of The Animation Industry

June 02, 2023

Happy Friday, Dear Listener!We blinked and June is upon us. Time certainly flies when you're having fun...I mean, in the middle of an epic and necessary labor strike that is bringing Hollywood to a halt. Speaking of, the strike extends into its second month today. Protesters are focusing efforts on stopping in-progress productions and their strategies have been successful.SAG-AFTRA, Teamsters, IATSE, WGA have issued a joint statement in solidarity with the DGA. It's the first time the unions link arms like this and we love to see it! I attended a rally last Friday in support of various labor unions, many outside of our industry, and and it was an eye opening event. The Little Mermaid has surpassed the classic 1989 animated film by hitting the $200 million mark at the worldwide box office. And while it thrills me that the remake will captivate a new generation of fans, especially little girls who will see themselves represented as beautiful and strong mermaids, my heart belongs to the original. Wishing you a wonderful weekend ahead!  Thanks for doing this life thing with me,

HIGHLIGHT EPISODE

Elated to dive into the captivating world of animation through the incredible career of Melinda Dilger, Global Head of Animation Production at Riot Games. She is a part of the team that brought the Emmy award winning Netflix animated series, Arcane, to life. Set in the universe of the wildly popular game "League of Legends," Arcane follows the tragic story of two iconic champions, sisters Vi and Jinx and the power that will tear them apart. 

I rarely gravitate towards animation and after inhaling the first season, it compelled me to find out who was behind it. So, I was thrilled when Melinda accepted my invite to come on the show!

An experienced leader in her field, she’s produced over 200 episodic titles and features and worked with Walt Disney Studios, Nickelodeon, Universal and many others. 

Highlights include:

  • The time and empathy required to nurture artists

  • How she energized the deflated team behind Arcane when she joined

  • Remembering that one job interview you don't get can lead an offer for another job

PRODUCERS CORNER

AI as a tool, not a scary monster. This New Yorker piece adds some necessary balance to the AI doomsday perspective: "The most pragmatic position is to think of A.I. as a tool, not a creature." Here's also an informative Ted Talk on the power of AI to save  (not destroy) education and help students. 

Shout out to the incredible Fanshen Cox, co-author of Inclusion Rider and founder of TruJuLo Productions, who worked with Ben Affleck and the producers of AIR to complete the Inclusion Rider process on the film. The results were excellent. Read more in this Forbes article that also details the history of the Inclusion Rider and how to use it.

Highly recommend catching Eva Longoria's fun and fiery narrative directorial debut film Flamin' Hot.  The film tells the story of Richard Montanez, the son of a Mexican immigrant, who was a janitor at Frito Lay when he came up with the idea for Flamin' Hot Cheetos.Streaming on Hulu & Disney+ on June 9th!SUPPORT FILMS WRITTEN, DIRECTED, PRODUCED BY AND STARRING LATINOS!!!

WINS

The Los Angeles International Latino Film Festival (LALLIF) kicked off on May 31st with Eva Longoria's Flamin' Hot as the opening night film.

WOMPS

Those weeks were no one returns your calls and emails trickle in slower than sloths. 

"The power of imagination makes us infinite.” – John Muir