Samantha Masunaga is an entertainment business reporter, with a focus on Hollywood studios and how the film business intersects with new industries. Since joining the Los Angeles Times in 2014, she has covered the aerospace industry, workplace culture and Southern California’s Japanese American community. Masunaga has previously worked for the Oregonian, the Orange County Register and the Rafu Shimpo, among other publications. A Southern California native, she is an alumna of the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism and UCLA.
Latest From This Author
After ending the storyline for Chris Evans’ Captain America, Marvel now looks to actor Anthony Mackie to don the superhero’s mantle with a fresh perspective but familiar face.
Walt Disney Co. said it would change an internal performance standard focused on diversity and inclusion for executive compensation, saying it would focus on how the initiatives helped the business.
Movies like ‘The Apprentice’ struggled to get distribution as Trump campaigned. Now Melania Trump’s documentary has gotten an Amazon deal.
Walt Disney Co. reported first-quarter earnings as the company faces a number of challenges, despite recent box office success including a hit animated sequel.
Indie studio Neon has broken the ice with the first deal at Sundance, acquiring the horror film ‘Together’ starring Alison Brie and Dave Franco.
Walt Disney Co. Chief Executive Bob Iger was paid $41 million last year, up from the $31 million he made in 2023. Iger has long ranked among the highest paid media CEOs.
Streaming service Netflix garnered 16 film nominations (mostly for “Emilia Pérez”), more than any other studio or streamer. But Universal Pictures and its Focus Features sister unit weren’t far behind.
President-elect Donald Trump has named Jon Voight, Sylvester Stallone and Mel Gibson as “special ambassadors” to Hollywood. Their job duties are unclear.
The Palisades and Eaton fires destroyed or damaged several locations that have been used to make movies and TV shows.
As Hollywood goes through vast technological, financial and global change, the state’s cornerstone entertainment industry and its workers face a hard reality: Lost jobs may never come back.