About the book
The management and labor culture of the entertainment industry.
In popular culture, management in the media industry is
frequently understood as the work of network executives, studio developers, and
market researchers—“the suits”—who oppose the more productive forces of
creative talent and subject that labor to the inefficiencies and risk aversion
of bureaucratic hierarchies. However, such portrayals belie the reality
of how media management operates as a culture of shifting discourses,
dispositions, and tactics that create meaning, generate value, and shape media
work throughout each moment of production and consumption.
Making Media Work aims to provide a deeper and more nuanced understanding of
management within the entertainment industries. Drawing from work in critical
sociology and cultural studies, the collection theorizes management as a
pervasive, yet flexible set of principlesdrawn upon by a wide range of
practitioners—artists, talent scouts, performers, directors, show runners, and
more—in their ongoing efforts to articulate relationships and bridge
potentially discordant forces within the media industries. The contributors
interrogate managerial labor and identity, shine a light on how management
understands its roles within cultural and creative contexts, and reconfigure
the complex relationship between labor and managerial authority as productive
rather than solely prohibitive. Engaging with primary evidence gathered through
interviews, archives, and trade materials, the essays offer tremendous insight
into how management is understood and performed within media industry contexts.
The volume as a whole traces the changing roles of management both historically
and in the contemporary moment within US and international contexts, and across
a range of media forms, from film and television to video games and social
media.
Editions of Making Media Work
- Hardcover
- ISBN 9780814764695
- Paperback
- ISBN 9780814760994
Read an Excerpt
The management and labor culture of the entertainment industry.
In popular culture, management in the media industry is
frequently understood as the work of network executives, studio developers, and
market researchers—“the suits”—who oppose the more productive forces of
creative talent and subject that labor to the inefficiencies and risk aversion
of bureaucratic hierarchies. However, such portrayals belie the reality
of how media management operates as a culture of shifting discourses,
dispositions, and tactics that create meaning, generate value, and shape media
work throughout each moment of production and consumption.
Making Media Work aims to provide a deeper and more nuanced understanding of
management within the entertainment industries. Drawing from work in critical
sociology and cultural studies, the collection theorizes management as a
pervasive, yet flexible set of principlesdrawn upon by a wide range of
practitioners—artists, talent scouts, performers, directors, show runners, and
more—in their ongoing efforts to articulate relationships and bridge
potentially discordant forces within the media industries. The contributors
interrogate managerial labor and identity, shine a light on how management
understands its roles within cultural and creative contexts, and reconfigure
the complex relationship between labor and managerial authority as productive
rather than solely prohibitive. Engaging with primary evidence gathered through
interviews, archives, and trade materials, the essays offer tremendous insight
into how management is understood and performed within media industry contexts.
The volume as a whole traces the changing roles of management both historically
and in the contemporary moment within US and international contexts, and across
a range of media forms, from film and television to video games and social
media.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Making Media Work about?
The management and labor culture of the entertainment industry.
In popular culture, management in the media industry is
frequently understood as the work of network executives, studio developers, and
market researchers—“the suits”—who oppose the more productive forces of
creative talent and subject that labor to the inefficiencies and risk aversion
of bureaucratic hierarchies. However, such portrayals belie the reality
of how media management operates as a culture of shifting discourses,
dispositions, and tactics that create meaning, generate value, and shape media
work throughout each moment of production and consumption.
Making Media Work aims to provide a deeper and more nuanced understanding of
management within the entertainment industries. Drawing from work in critical
sociology and cultural studies, the collection theorizes management as a
pervasive, yet flexible set of principlesdrawn upon by a wide range of
practitioners—artists, talent scouts, performers, directors, show runners, and
more—in their ongoing efforts to articulate relationships and bridge
potentially discordant forces within the media industries. The contributors
interrogate managerial labor and identity, shine a light on how management
understands its roles within cultural and creative contexts, and reconfigure
the complex relationship between labor and managerial authority as productive
rather than solely prohibitive. Engaging with primary evidence gathered through
interviews, archives, and trade materials, the essays offer tremendous insight
into how management is understood and performed within media industry contexts.
The volume as a whole traces the changing roles of management both historically
and in the contemporary moment within US and international contexts, and across
a range of media forms, from film and television to video games and social
media.
What core themes, tropes, or subjects are explored in Making Media Work?
Economics, Finance, Business and Management > Industry and industrial studies > Media, entertainment, information and communication industries
Where can I read a sample of Making Media Work?
You can read an official preview of the few pages here https://www.book2look.com/book/9780814764695
How long is Making Media Work and how many pages does it have?
Making Media Work has 336 page(s)
Is Making Media Work part of a series, and can it be read as a standalone?
Yes it is a part of series Critical Cultural Communication
Who is/are the Author/s of the book Making Media Work?
NYU Press
Who is the Publisher of the book Making Media Work?
NYU Press
What are the ISBN numbers for the physical and digital editions?
Making Media Work is available as hardcover(ISBN 9780814764695) and paperback(ISBN 9780814760994)
Where can I buy Making Media Work online or support local independent bookshops?
You can buy Making Media Work from below
Where can I buy Making Media Work?