<ul class="summary-list"><li>The Emmys were held virtually this year, which means the Television Academy sent people (wearing hazmat suits) with a statue out to <em>every</em> nominee's house. </li><li>That means that the four people who didn't win probably watched their would-be award just walk away.</li><li>Actor and creator <keyword id="9971530" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="ramy-youssef">Ramy Youssef</keyword> posted a video on <keyword id="6354616" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="Twitter">Twitter</keyword> showing the Television Academy representative waving goodbye as they walked away after "Ramy" lost to "Schitt's Creek."</li></ul><p>The <a href="https://www.insider.com/category/emmys-2020">2020 Emmy Awards</a> were held virtually for the first time on Sunday, which led to several surprising moments. One of these came from nominee Ramy Youssef's Twitter feed, instead of the live show on ABC itself. </p><p>Youssef, whose Hulu series "Ramy" was nominated for several awards, shared a video showing a Television Academy representative waving goodbye outside of his house.</p><p>"When you lose the emmy," Youssef tweeted. </p><blockquote class="twitter-tweet blockquote" data-lang="en" data-cards="" data-conversation="">—ramy youssef  (@ramy) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/1307839905599381504?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 21, 2020</a></blockquote><p>"Ramy" lost in each of its nominated categories to comedy series PopTV's "Schitt's Creek," which swept the night's awards.</p><p>This video showed how the Television Academy was not just sending out people with Emmy statues to the winners' houses — but they had actually sent statues to every nominees' house in order to preserve the surprise. </p><p>People watching at home were shocked and amused by this dark knowledge. Instead of sitting in a large audience and applauding for the winner, all of these nominees might be sitting in their living rooms and looking at a hazmat-suited person holding their would-be Emmy award, only to then wave goodbye when they lose.</p><blockquote class="twitter-tweet blockquote" data-lang="en" data-cards="" data-conversation="">—Sydney Bucksbaum  (@SydneyBucksbaum) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/1307842378582040577?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 21, 2020</a></blockquote><blockquote class="twitter-tweet blockquote" data-lang="en" data-cards="" data-conversation="">—Joe Fryer  (@joefryer) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/1307840851134033924?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 21, 2020</a></blockquote><blockquote class="twitter-tweet blockquote" data-lang="en" data-cards="" data-conversation="">—Tobin Low  (@tobinlow) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/1307841961320095745?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 21, 2020</a></blockquote><blockquote class="twitter-tweet blockquote" data-lang="en" data-cards="" data-conversation="">—carina adly mackenzie  (@cadlymack) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/1307840226757279744?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 21, 2020</a></blockquote><blockquote class="twitter-tweet blockquote" data-lang="en" data-cards="" data-conversation="">—Tom Zohar  (@TomZohar) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/1307844623876780034?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 21, 2020</a></blockquote><h2>Even the official Television Academy retweet the video, sharing a simple "sweating smile" emoji.</h2><blockquote class="twitter-tweet blockquote" data-lang="en" data-cards="" data-conversation="">—Television Academy  (@TelevisionAcad) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/1307847056724078593?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 21, 2020</a></blockquote><p>Earlier this year, Youssef won best actor in a musical or comedy at the Golden Globes for "Ramy." The win came as a surprise for many, including <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/golden-globes-ramy-youssef-wins-best-actor-a-tv-comedy-1266687">the star of the show himself.</a> Now Youssef's tweet about losing at the Emmys is one of the night's most memorable moments, so far. The video had just over 500,000 views in half an hour.</p><p>You can stream the Emmy-nominated series "Ramy" on Hulu now.</p><ul class="read-more-links"><li>Read more:</li><li><a href="https://www.insider.com/2020-emmy-nominees-winners-list-2020-7">Here are the 2020 Emmy nominees and winners</a></li><li><a href="https://www.insider.com/emmy-nominated-shows-you-should-watch-2020-7">13 Emmy-nominated shows you might have missed, but should definitely watch</a></li><li><a href="https://www.insider.com/emmys-regina-king-wears-breonna-taylor-t-shirt-2020-9">Regina King paid tribute to Breonna Taylor by wearing a 'Say Her Name' T-shirt to the Emmys</a></li><li><a href="https://www.insider.com/celebrities-nominated-for-multiple-emmys-2020-7">All 10 stars who were nominated for multiple Emmy Awards this year</a></li></ul>

Emmy nominee Ramy Youssef took a video of a person in a hazmat suit waving goodbye when he lost in his category

<ul class="summary-list"><li>You may have spotted stars including Billie Eilish and Mark Ruffalo wearing red pins at the 2024 Oscars.</li><li>The pins were worn in support of Artists4Ceasefire, which is calling for a cease-fire in Gaza.</li></ul><p>Stars including Billie Eilish and Mark Ruffalo wore red pins to the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/oscars-2024-nominations-winners-list-2024-1">2024 Oscars</a> to show their support for a cease-fire in Gaza.</p><p>The pin features the logo of <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/oscars-fashion-red-carpet-outfit-hidden-details-2024-3">Artists4Ceasefire</a> — a hand with a black heart in the middle — which is calling on the US government to facilitate a cease-fire in the Gaza-Israel conflict. Some stars also wore the pin at this year's Grammys, the Screen Actor Guild Awards, and the Directors Guild of America Awards.</p><p>The latest flare-up of the decadeslong Israel-Palestine conflict began on 7 October, 2023, when members of the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/israel-no-win-situation-gaza-after-months-war-crush-hamas-2024-1">Hamas militant group</a> that governs Gaza stormed into Southern Israel in a series of terror attacks. It killed around 1,200 people and took 253 hostages, according to Israeli authorities. Israel retaliated with an extensive bombing campaign, killing more than 30,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza's health ministry.</p><p>Artist4Ceasefire was created in October 2023, and stars including Bradley Cooper, Dua Lipa, Florence Pugh, and Kirsten Dunst signed a letter requesting Congress and world leaders to "facilitate a ceasefire without delay — an end to the bombing of Gaza, and the safe release of hostages."</p><p>Ruffalo, Mahershala Ali, Ava DuVernay, Eugene Lee Yang, Caroline Polachek, and Ramy Youssef have also signed the letter and wore the pin to this year's <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/oscars-recap-winners-photos-biggest-moments-2024-3">Oscars ceremony</a>.</p><p>Eilish, her brother Finneas, and directors Misan Harriman and Kaouther Ben Hania also wore the red pin to the event. However, they are not listed on the Artist4Ceasefire website, which may mean they haven't signed the cease-fire letter.</p><p>"Anatomy of a Fall" stars Milo Machado-Graner and Swann Arlaud also wore pins to the Oscars, but theirs featured the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/what-from-river-to-sea-means-israel-palestine-rashida-tlaib-2023-11">Palestinian flag</a>.</p><h2>Mark Ruffalo, Ramy Youssef, and Jonathan Glazer spoke out against the Gaza-Israel conflict at the Oscars.</h2><div type="image" title="&quot;Poor Things&quot; Mark Ruffalo and Ramy Youssef with their red pins at the 2024 Oscars." height="1080" width="1440" msid="108400759" hostid="261"></div><p>The Israel-Hamas war was repeatedly mentioned at Hollywood's biggest event, which cost <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/oscars-cost-red-carpet-outfits-2023-3">$56.9 million</a> to put on, according to WalletHub's 2024 report.</p><p><a target="_blank" href="https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/awards/story/2024-03-10/2024-oscars-ceremony-is-delayed-by-protests-calling-for-a-cease-fire-in-the-israel-hamas-war">The Los Angeles Times</a> reported that the Oscars ceremony was delayed by six minutes as <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/photos-best-celebrity-interactions-oscars-2024-3">A-list stars</a> struggled to get through a cease-fire protest, which was attended by thousands, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.</p><p>Roughly 350 protesters also blocked the road at the Sunset Boulevard and Highland Avenue intersection, meaning Oscar attendees' cars and limousines could not reach Dolby Theatre, the outlet reported.</p><p><a target="_blank" href="https://variety.com/2024/awards/news/oscars-protest-ceasefire-pins-red-carpet-1235927210/">Variety</a> reported that some attendees got out of their vehicles and walked from Sunset Boulevard to the Dolby Theatre, and the Academy's staff sent golf carts to transport others.</p><p>Ruffalo, one of the stars late to the Oscars, supported the protest when he spoke to reporters on the red carpet, a video clip <a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/ReutersShowbiz/status/1767128332892565787">published</a> on social media showed.</p><p>"The Palestinian protest shut down the Oscars tonight! Humanity wins!" he said.</p><p>Meanwhile, his "<a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/poor-things-emma-stone-sex-scenes-naked-2024-1?">Poor Things</a>" costar, Youssef, told Variety on the red carpet that the Artists4Ceasefire group was calling for "peace and justice, lasting justice, for the people of Palestine."</p><p>"I think it's just a universal message of 'let's stop killing kids,'" he said.</p><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Ramy Youssef wears an Artists for Ceasefire pin to the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Oscars?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Oscars</a>: “We’re calling for an immediate, permanent ceasefire in Gaza. We’re calling for peace and lasting justice for the people of Palestine.” | Variety On the Carpet presented by <a href="https://twitter.com/DIRECTV?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@DIRECTV</a> <a href="https://t.co/qxqSOgif3j">https://t.co/qxqSOgif3j</a> <a href="https://t.co/yyM7HzpVdZ">pic.twitter.com/yyM7HzpVdZ</a></p>— Variety (@Variety) <a href="https://twitter.com/Variety/status/1766949617143361708?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 10, 2024</a></blockquote><p>Later in the night, "<a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/oscars-2024-predictions-who-will-win-who-should-win-surprises-2024-3">The Zone of Interest</a>," a film about a German family living in peace next to a concentration camp, won the Best International Feature Film Oscar.</p><p>Jonathan Glazer, the director, used his acceptance speech to criticize Israel and Hamas.</p><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">The heated discussion surrounding director Jonathan Glazer’s speech at the Oscars last night is mostly missing the point. His main message was simple and yet vital: empathy is not a zero-sum game.<a href="https://t.co/9CzditpSOB">pic.twitter.com/9CzditpSOB</a></p>— Breaking the Silence (@BtSIsrael) <a href="https://twitter.com/BtSIsrael/status/1767154088599294014?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 11, 2024</a></blockquote>

Why stars were wearing red pins at the Oscars 2024

<ul class="summary-list"><li>"Poor Things" is now available to stream on Hulu.</li><li>The R-rated movie follows a woman named Bella Baxter, played by Emma Stone.</li></ul><p>If you didn't get to catch the Academy Award-nominated "<a target="_blank" class="editor-rtfLink" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/poor-things-emma-stone-dance-scene-details-how-made-2024-2">Poor Things</a>" when it premiered in theaters last year, you can now watch it from the comfort of your own home.</p><p>With 11 Oscars nominations, including best picture and best actress, the R-rated comedy directed by Yorgos Lanthimos is the second most-nominated film at this year's awards.</p><p>It is also one of the most divisive films of the past year thanks to its <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/what-happens-when-actors-get-turned-on-during-sex-scenes-2022-2">ample nudity and profanity</a>.</p><p>If you want to see what all the fuss is about ahead of Sunday's Oscars, then <a target="_blank" class="editor-rtfLink" href="https://affiliate.insider.com?amazonTrackingID=biauto-64700-20&amp;h=4b049efd4300c73fcd2813e2732eb998f3bf3dcd4b319808cca6b2a38a41bfb7&amp;postID=65ec689d33d9389aad489546&amp;postSlug=poor-things-where-stream-emma-stone-oscars-nominated-film-2024-3&amp;site=bi&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.hulu.com%2Fwelcome">Hulu</a> is here to help.</p><div type="image" title="Emma Stone as Bella Baxter and Mark Ruffalo as Duncan Wedderburn in &quot;Poor Things.&quot;" height="1000" width="1500" msid="108355647" hostid="261" sizebytes="124450"></div><p>The film is now streaming on the platform, starting at $7.99 a month with its <a target="_blank" class="editor-rtfLink" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/guides/streaming/what-is-hulu-basic">basic, ad-supported plan</a>. New members can get a 30-day free trial.</p><p>The film is also available to rent and buy from VOD retailers such as Amazon, Apple TV, Google Play, and Vudu.</p><p>For those who prefer to own a disc version of the movie, "Poor Things" will be available on Blu-ray and DVD <a target="_blank" class="editor-rtfLink" href="https://affiliate.insider.com?amazonTrackingID=biauto-64700-20&amp;h=3d24adf4d0b92ab492038784d4eb66af6b768f39c3db6e52674068dfbd17392c&amp;postID=65ec689d33d9389aad489546&amp;postSlug=poor-things-where-stream-emma-stone-oscars-nominated-film-2024-3&amp;site=bi&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FPoor-Things-Emma-Stone%2Fdp%2FB0CVH9SN99">from March 12</a>.</p><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/S5KiC0GgED0?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" title="Poor Things | Official Trailer | Hulu"></iframe><p>Based on the 1992 novel by Scottish writer Alasdair Gray, "Poor Things" sees Stone — who also coproduced the movie — play a "Frankenstein's monster"-esque creation known as Bella Baxter who was created by an experimental scientist (Willem Dafoe).</p><p>With the brain of an infant and the body of a grown woman, her uninhibited enthusiasm for new life experiences sees her run away from home with lawyer Duncan Wedderburn, played by Mark Ruffalo, on a globe-trotting, sex-filled adventure.</p><p>The film also stars Ramy Youssef, Christopher Abbott, Margaret Qualley, Hanna Schygulla, and Jerrod Carmichael.</p><p>On the review aggregator <a target="_blank" class="editor-rtfLink" href="https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/poor_things">Rotten Tomatoes</a>, the film holds an impressive 92% "Certified Fresh" critics' rating so far.</p>

Here's how to watch the Oscar-nominated Emma Stone film 'Poor Things' at home

<ul class="summary-list"><li>McKenzie Bugg moved from a small farm town in Maryland to LA after being hired on a Netflix series.</li><li>The show was canceled and all of the artists were laid off, two months after Bugg's arrival.</li></ul><p><em>This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with McKenzie Bugg, a 24-year-old storyboard revisionist based in Los Angeles. It has been edited for length and clarity.</em></p><p>I'm from a <a href="https://www.insider.com/best-small-town-in-every-state-2018-12">small farm town</a> in Maryland — very small.</p><p>My high school graduating class was only 200. I was one of the only artsy kids at my school, so it's really crazy being in LA now, where it seems like everyone has the same interests as me.</p><p>I went to art college in <a href="https://www.insider.com/surprising-things-new-yorker-found-visiting-baltimore-maryland-2022-3">Baltimore</a> to be a <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/storytelling-tips-from-a-pixar-storyboard-artist-2013-3">storyboard artist</a>. After I graduated in 2021, I was a storyboard artist for <a href="https://www.insider.com/adult-swim-severs-ties-rick-and-morty-justin-roiland-2023-1">Adult Swim</a> and <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/cartoon-network-shutdown-rumors-warner-bros-discovery-layoffs-2022-10">Cartoon Network</a>  and worked remotely from my parent's house in Maryland. I was later hired for the same role at <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/netflix-with-ads-plan-cost-launching-november-details-2022-10">Netflix</a> and <a href="https://www.insider.com/moved-to-los-angeles-to-make-it-and-failed-2020-4">moved to LA</a> for the job, but things didn't quite go as planned. </p><h2><strong>I entered adulthood entirely remote</strong></h2><p>The pandemic started during my junior year at college. It was the middle of the week, and I went to class and the teacher said we all had to go home and start packing to leave the dorms. My parents picked me up that day, and <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-colleges-shutting-down-coronavirus-impact-when-classes-move-online-2020-3">I finished both my junior and senior years online</a> from an off-campus apartment — then I moved home and started my career in my bedroom. </p><p>It just doesn't feel like much of a life change, to go from finishing college at home, to starting my career at home too — but I went from paying to draw (at school) to getting paid to draw, so I can't really complain.</p><h2><strong>I got a great job right after graduating</strong></h2><div type="image" title="tuca and bertie" height="687" width="1126" msid="98923253" hostid="261" sizebytes="48342"></div>After I graduated, I was looking to move out to LA to get a job in animation, but I ended up getting a job on Adult Swim's "<a href="https://www.insider.com/tuca-and-bertie-season-2-adult-swim-release-date-2021-5">Tuca and Bertie</a>," because the director saw my work online and really liked it. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/my-job-went-remote-so-i-got-2-more-travel-2023-3">The job was entirely remote</a>, so I was working from my parents' home in Maryland for about a year and a half. It was a contract role, so it ultimately ended — and then my parents were getting ready to move out of state, so I would need to leave there too. <p>I was running against the clock trying to find a new apartment before my parents left. I had no idea where I was going to go, because the town we lived in was all houses and no apartments, so there was nothing I could rent.</p><p>I started to think I'd have to just move out to a big city with no prospects, but I got lucky: I received a job offer from a production company that was doing a show for Netflix. This one was also a remote job, but I moved to LA anyway in June 2022 and started the job from my apartment at the end of July.</p><h2><strong>Moving to LA was scary at first </strong></h2><p>I moved here alone and found a 400 square foot apartment, and my mom came to help me move in. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-be-single-2015-4">It was my first time living alone</a>. The move was really intimidating because I'm from such a small town — so being dumped into a big city where there was so much happening was almost overstimulating.</p><p>I had a sizable audience <a href="https://twitter.com/pk_kenzie/status/1633292140762767362?s=51&amp;t=MbmYwdEQ7UO4x8dWv3M03Q" target="_blank" rel="noopener">on social media</a>, especially with the animation community — so by the time I moved to LA, I would get a lot of messages from people that work in animation saying, "Hey, I would love to meet up and show you around." I got invited to parties and events where I got to meet more people in person. I went from being the only artsy kid in my high school to being part of a whole community of artists.</p><p>Sometimes I felt bad if I stayed in at night because there was so much to do. Everyone I knew was always going out and doing something. But <a href="https://www.insider.com/guides/health/mental-health/introvert-vs-extrovert">I'm an introvert</a>, so I need to stay home and recharge sometimes. </p><h2>The news that we were being laid off was really sudden</h2><p>I was really enjoying my job and my coworkers too. For a little over two months, I was living the dream.</p><div type="image" title="Artwork by McKenzie Bugg" height="2456" width="1965" msid="98923256" hostid="261" sizebytes="151156"></div><p>I'm a storyboard revisionist now and I've worked as a storyboard artist previously. The writers give storyboard artists the scripts for the episodes, and they have to draw out everything that the script says to make the sketch for the animators.</p><p>The storyboard revisionists clean up the storyboard artist's work, and while we do work under actual directors, in a live action comparison, what we do is similar to what a director and cinematographer would do — we choose how it's going to look, the camera shots, as well as the physical acting. </p><div type="image" title="Artwork by McKenzie Bugg" height="1371" width="1920" msid="98923258" hostid="261" sizebytes="66472"></div><p>One day I logged into work and my whole team got a message from Netflix that <a href="https://www.insider.com/netflix-cancels-meghan-markles-animated-series-report-2022-5" target="_blank" rel="noopener">our show may be canceled</a>, so they were putting us <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-get-through-unexpected-layoff-2019-11">on hiatus</a> until February — it was the first week of October.</p><p>My director told me we should take that message to mean that the show wasn't coming back at all.</p><p>So here I was, jobless in LA after only two months of working full-time, with <a href="https://www.insider.com/pfi-student-loans">$20,000 of student loan debt to pay</a>. It happened very suddenly — and it's a great example of why a lot of animation artists feel we're viewed by <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-much-netflix-tiktok-other-media-companies-pay-us-employees-2022-4">streamers and networks</a> as the bottom of the barrel, and the writers, executives, and producers are at the top — which really sucks because without all of us, there wouldn't be any animated content to put on their services. </p><h2><strong>I was scared to tell my parents </strong></h2><p>I'm really grateful that I had saved up money when <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/adults-live-parents-saving-spending-extra-cash-2022-12" target="_blank" rel="noopener">I was previously living and working from my parents' house</a>. I had enough money in case something like this happened and my rent was covered for a couple of months.</p><p>When I got the email about being laid off, my first thought was how scared I was to tell my parents. I feel like older generations look down on choosing art careers because they think you'll end up as a "<a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/financial-freedom-3-steps-aspiring-actors-starving-artists-2022-10">starving artist</a>." My parents were really supportive of me going to art school, but I thought telling them I got laid off after only two months would make it seem like I <em>was </em>a starving artist and I that had failed. </p><p>Luckily, they were very supportive of me and understood that this is just how the industry is. They believed I would find something soon — but that turned out to be harder than I expected.</p><h2><strong>I started hitting the pavement to find something as quickly as I could</strong></h2><p>I went to LightBox Expo two weeks after I lost my job. It's a convention for people that work in fields like animation and VFX, and it's a place to meet recruiters and network with people.</p><p>I went to all of the tables for animation studios to talk to <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/creator-economy-recruiters-help-companies-hire-startups-tech-marketing-2023-2">the recruiters</a>, telling them I'd just gotten laid off from Netflix. They all responded, "Yeah, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/netflix-layoffs-animation-studio-social-media-ava-duvernay-canceled-series-2022-5">all of our shows have been canceled</a>. We don't really have anything we can put you on." I felt super discouraged. </p><p>Things weren't looking bleak for too long, though. On November 1st, I got a text message from <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-network-social-media-get-job-recruiter-advice">a friend I'd made on Twitter</a>, who was directing a show at <a href="https://www.insider.com/a24-cool-kids-of-hollywood-everything-everywhere-all-at-once-2023-3">A24</a>. She asked me if I was still available because she needed a storyboard revisionist for her team. I told her I was available, and the next day I was hired on <a href="https://www.insider.com/a24-movie-release-dates-coming-soon-2023-3">A24's new animated show</a> — their first. I couldn't wait to tell my parents. I was <em>so </em>happy — it wasn't even two months later and I had another great job. </p><p>The show, "<a href="https://variety.com/2023/tv/news/ramy-youssef-amazon-animated-series-cast-alia-shawkat-mandy-moore-chris-redd-1235491735/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">#1 Happy Family USA</a>," doesn't have a release date yet because we're in early production, but it's from <a href="https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2019/03/ramy-yousseff-hulu-show-trailer-premiere-interview" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ramy Youssef</a> (of Hulu's "<a href="https://www.insider.com/emmys-stereotypes-problematic-show-ramy-muslim-american-tv-2020-9">Ramy</a>"), and will stream on <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/guides/streaming/what-is-prime-video">Prime Video</a>. The series is such a breath of fresh air in the adult animation sphere, and A24 has been such a great place to work.</p><h2><strong>I have some advice for people who might find themselves in my situation</strong></h2><p>The very first thing I would recommend for someone who wants to <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/quit-tech-job-moved-la-freelancer-2022-12">move to a big city to pursue a creative career</a> is to have an emergency fund before you go, which I'm really glad I did. Even if you have a job offer, you just never know what could happen once you get there.</p><p>The other thing I would say is to go out and meet people in your community once you get there. Every time I go outside, I meet people that maybe don't work in animation like I do, but they work in something similar and we have common interests. It's not just beneficial for your career to reach out and make friends, but it helps you get to know a new city and enjoy all that it has to offer. </p><p>I thought <a href="https://www.insider.com/los-angeles-things-to-know-before-visiting-from-a-local-2022-6">LA was so big and scary</a>, and I would be here all alone — but I was so happy to realize there's such a nice <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/moving-new-york-la-how-i-made-friends-best-decision-2022-7">community</a> of creatives here that really rallies around each other whenever something bad happens to us.</p><h2><strong>If I ever get laid off again, I'm better prepared</strong></h2><p>It feels like I've lived so much in the past eight months or so than I had the entire pandemic when I was stuck in my parents' house. Even though I just turned 24 in December, I feel like this is the first year that I feel like a real adult. </p><p>I finally feel at home in LA. My parents are proud that I was able to survive out here. Now that I've gotten another job, they're like "See? It all worked out." </p><p><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/what-should-you-do-laid-off-from-your-job-severance-2022-7">I probably will get laid off again</a> by some other company at some point. But now that I've been through it once, I feel better about that now. I just love it here, and I'm glad that I found a new job and get to stay.</p><p><em>If you work in Hollywood and would like to share your story, email Eboni Boykin-Patterson at <a href="mailto:eboykinpatterson@insider.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">eboykinpatterson@insider.com.</a></em></p>

I got laid off from my Netflix job 2 months after moving to LA. Here's how I networked my way into A24 and got my career back on track.

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5cd02a31021b4c46df73cc26-1500/b8cb5ac0647246e588f214c8ad13afb4.jpg" border="0" alt="This image released by Hulu shows Aidy Bryant in a scene from the Hulu series, " data-mce-source="Associated Press" data-mce-caption="This image released by Hulu shows Aidy Bryant in a scene from the Hulu series, &amp;quotShrill.&quot; The six-part comedy is based on Lindy West's memoir, &amp;quotShrill: Notes from a Loud Women.&quot; (Allyson Riggs/Hulu via AP)" /><p class="source"><span>Associated Press</span></p><p class="caption">"Shrill" star Aidy Bryant.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><ul class="summary-list"><li>All four new original TV series that Hulu has released in 2019 have been met with critical acclaim, and have an average Rotten Tomatoes critic score of 94%, well above the averages of competitors like Netflix and Amazon.</li><li>Three of these originals - "Shrill," "Pen15," and "The Act" - not only star women and revolve around their stories, but also emerged from women's writing or reporting.</li><li>Hulu VP of original content development Beatrice Springborn said the streamer has for years worked to build relationships with female talent, both in front of and behind the camera, and has seen a lot of repeat business and referrals.</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/?hprecirc-bullet">Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.</a></li></ul><p>Hulu's output of new original TV has been red-hot this year, and much of it's been led by women.</p><p>In February, the streamer released "Pen15," a nostalgic and inventive trip back to seventh grade starring Maya Erskine and Anna Konkle, who also co-created the series. The show's strong word-of-mouth swiftly propelled it to cult status and a 95% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes.</p><p>Then, in March, Hulu followed it up with another comedy series, "Shrill," an adaptation of Lindy West's memoir starring "Saturday Night Live's" Aidy Bryant, that has a 91% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes.</p><p>Also in March, Hulu released "The Act," a dark true-crime story about a toxic relationship between a mother and daughter based on reporting for BuzzFeed by Michelle Dean, who co-created the series. It has a 91% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes and has <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/top-netflix-streaming-shows-to-watch-this-week-cobra-kai-the-act-2019-5">consistently ranked among the top streaming shows</a> based Parrot Analytics' comprehensive measure of "audience demand."</p><p>All three of these original series not only star women, but emerged from women's writing or reporting. They are part of an original TV slate from Hulu this year that has been unmatched by competitors Netflix and Amazon in consistency, with its new originals averaging a whopping 94% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes (the fourth released this year was "Ramy").</p><p>At a time when women's representation in Hollywood, the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/wonder-woman-director-patty-jenkins-on-equal-pay-hollywood-salaries-2019-4">fight for equal pay</a>, and the Me Too movement are driving the conversation in the entertainment industry, the prominence of women in Hulu's original programming and the success of their work could help lower barriers to entry at other TV networks and studios.</p><p>This success is the result of years of cultivating relationships with talented women, Beatrice Springborn, Hulu's VP of original content development, told Business Insider. Women made up only <a href="https://womenandhollywood.com/resources/statistics/tv-statistics/">27% of the key behind-the-scenes TV roles industrywide</a> (creators, directors, writers, and so on) in 2018, according to the Center for the Study of Women in Television and Film.</p><p>"It's been in our DNA to hire female showrunners since Craig [Erwich, Hulu's SVP of originals] and I first got here," said Springborn, who has been at the company for five years.</p><p>Springborn pointed to "11.22.63," one of Hulu's first limited series that came out in early 2016, which had Bridget Carpenter as the showrunner. The series is based on a Stephen King book and stars James Franco, but it was Carpenter who brought it to the screen.</p><p>Springborn said female showrunners like Carpenter had helped Hulu built a great referral network among women and that the streamer had seen a lot of women creators, producers, and writers come back to work on multiple projects.</p><p>Liz Tigelaar, who was a showrunner on "Casual" (which scored Hulu a Golden Globe nomination), is returning as a showrunner on "Little Fires Everywhere," a highly anticipated adaptation of Celeste Ng's hit novel starring Reese Witherspoon and Kerry Washington.</p><p>Mindy Kaling, whose show "The Mindy Project" came to Hulu for seasons 4-6 after being canceled by Fox, is also returning to Hulu for a new project: a "Four Weddings and a Funeral" reboot series, which Kaling co-wrote.</p><p>Then there's the runaway success of "The Handmaid's Tale." It became the first streaming show to win a best drama Emmy in 2017, and a handful of women involved in the show have won Emmys for their work on it in front of and behind the camera.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/599c9318aa67ce22008b45f9-1296/the mindy project hulu.jpg" border="0" alt="the mindy project hulu" data-mce-source="Hulu" /><p class="source"><span>Hulu</span></p><p class="caption">Mindy Kaling is coming back to Hulu for another series.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><h2>From the specific, something universal</h2><p>Springborn said Hulu's goal with its originals is to make "very specific stories that are told in a way that they are universally appealing."</p><p>That's true of both "Pen15" and "Shrill," as well as its latest hit comedy, "Ramy," which follows a young Egyptian-American man played by comedian (and show co-creator) Ramy Youssef dealing with love, career, and finding meaning in life. "Ramy," which has been renewed for a second season, was released in April and has a 97% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes.</p><p>"Pen15" is striking for that mix of specificity and universality. The series draws heavily from the personal experiences - from awkward to joyful to painful - of the creators, Erskine and Konkle told Business Insider. But that specificity also makes it resonate with many people's middle-school experiences.</p><p>Konkle said they wanted to make the series "not shiny, more like a memory." It's meant to be a real version of seventh grade, not a Disney-channel version.</p><p>In realizing that vision, Konkle described Hulu's approach as hands-off but creatively supportive. Erskine said there were "no egos involved" on Hulu's side.</p><p>Springborn said Hulu strives to be a "very creator-friendly environment." That is a standard line in Hollywood - who wants to be considered "creator unfriendly"? - but the types of projects Hulu has shepherded to release lends it credence.</p><p>"Pen15" came to Hulu in the form of a 15-minute pilot presentation, which Erskine and Konkle had made with Lonely Island that hadn't originally gone anywhere. The presentation had been leaked around Hollywood and gained attention with assistants, who urged their bosses to check it out, Erskine said.</p><p>The plot was Maya and Anna, playing a version of their seventh-grade selves, getting ready for their first dance, delusional about what they thought they could get out of it. Maya gets fingered in a back room at the dance, and then Maya's mom bursts into the dance because the pair were out too late. Even at that early stage, it was a bit boundary-pushing and idiosyncratic for a traditional network.</p><p>"There weren't a lot of people dying to make it," Konkle said.</p><p>But it attracted passionate supporters in some corners, including at Hulu, which recently greenlit a second season of the show. ("Shrill" will also return for a season two.)</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5cab912b77584e434650b1a6-1452/screen shot 2019-04-08 at 22059 pm.png" border="0" alt="pen15" data-mce-source="Hulu" data-mce-caption="Hulu's &amp;quotPen15&quot;" /><p class="source"><span>Hulu</span></p><p class="caption">Hulu's "Pen15" creators Maya Erskine (L) and Anna Konkle (R).</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><h2>A remarkable consistency compared to the competition</h2><p>Hulu is looking to keep its success with original TV rolling in the second half of 2019. The critical reception will be difficult to maintain, as the four new original shows it has released in 2019 have a 94% average critic score on Rotten Tomatoes - far above its rivals.</p><p>Netflix has a whole manner of shows it brands "originals," including co-productions and acquisitions. But if you look at just Netflix's own new scripted original TV series released in 2019 - excluding kids' shows, animated series, and foreign-language content - around a dozen have enough critic reviews (usually at least five) to qualify for a Rotten Tomatoes critic score, and those average 75%.</p><p>And for every "Sex Education" (91%) and "Russian Doll" (96%), Netflix has a disaster like Idris Elba's "Turn up Charlie" (50%) or "Huge in France" (50%). Of course, Netflix's output is at least three times that of Hulu on the original TV front, and more when you count co-productions.</p><p>Amazon, which is in the midst of rebuilding its strategy with a new studio head, has only released one true original TV series this year, "Hanna," which has a 64% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes.</p><p>It remains to be seen if Hulu will be able to translate its originals' critical acclaim into subscriber growth. While positive critical reception can help a streaming service build buzz and boost sign-ups, there's not a direct correlation to a show's popularity. Still, the service is growing fast, up around 40% year-over-year, recently hitting 28 million subscribers in the US (Netflix's US figure is still far ahead at 60 million). But an aggressive discounting strategy has helped Hulu get there, and it still has not launched internationally.</p><p>Regardless, the focus on women's stories will continue.</p><p>Hulu has a "Veronica Mars" reboot and Mindy Kaling's "Four Weddings and a Funeral" series coming in July. Then this fall it has "Dollface," a comedy about a young woman reconnecting with her female friends after getting dumped. And a woman-led "High Fidelity" reboot, starring Zoe Kravitz, is also on the slate - not to mention Hulu's returning shows like "The Handmaid's Tale" and ITV co-production "Harlots."</p><p>"The area we are really excited about are the comedies," said Springborn, who emphasized "Dollface" in particular.</p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/game-of-thrones-season-8-episode-2-details-you-missed-2019-4">14 details you may have missed in 'Game of Thrones' season 8 episode 2</a></h3>        <div>            <iframe class="bijwplayerclass" data-player="jwplayer" src="https://content.jwplatform.com/players/VdHbfDFx-CEZHWCBG.html" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" scrolling="auto" style="margin:0px;" allowfullscreen=""></iframe><script>function receiveMessage(event){ console.log(event.data.fullscreen); Android.fullscreen(event.data.fullscreen); }window.addEventListener("message", receiveMessage, false);</script>        </div>    </div>

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