If anyone needed a reminder – or an inclination, for that matter – of just how important Turner Classic Movies is to a lot of people, then you need look no further than the high-profile names to have voiced their dismay towards Warner Bros. gutting the company down to less than two dozen employees.
Hollywood heavyweights Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese, and Paul Thomas Anderson penned a letter to the company outlining their feelings on the matter, where they were swiftly backed by the likes of Stephen King and Ryan Reynolds. Of course, the latter has gained a reputation as something of a marketing savant, so he didn’t waste the chance to turn the situation into self-promotion.
Reynolds’ Maximum Effort agency recently partnered with Fubo to develop original content – which kicks off with the Deadpool star literally reading bedtime stories in his pajamas – but the TCM conversation has now seen the actor and producer craft and curate a lineup of all-time greats to stream on the platform, even though he made it clear he’s not on the same level.
You’ve got to hand it to Reynolds, who displays his on-point business acumen yet again by capitalizing on events that have punctured both the social media and industry discourse to turn it into an advantage for something he’s invested in on a personal, professional, and financial level.
Just when you thought he couldn’t spin any more plates as an A-list superstar, gin magnate, soccer team owner, advertising executive, board member of Match Group, and mobile cell provider stakeholder, he’s now opted to play TCM at its own game.