The Business
'Web Junkie' Filmmakers; 'East Los High:' A Soap with Smarts
Filmmakers Shosh Shlam and Hilla Medalia tell us about the secretive, years-long process of making Web Junkie, a documentary about an internet addiction treatment facility for teens in China. Then, the executive producers of the Hulu hit East Los High share how their show is filling a void in the teen media market.
By Kim Masters • • 28m ListenIsraeli filmmakers Shosh Shlam and Hilla Medalia's documentary Web Junkie follows Chinese teenagers undergoing treatment for internet addiction at a controversial facility outside Beijing. The filmmakers knew they'd have to make their movie without permission from the Chinese government. Then, the executive producers of Hulu's original series East Los High tell us how the drama about Latino high schoolers was created with the hope of lowering teen pregnancy rates.
Photo: Teen undergoing treatment for internet addiction in China in the documentary Web Junkie. Photo courtesy of POV.
In this episode
3 storiesHollywood News Banter
TV Guide magazine chief content officer Michael Schneider joins Kim Masters to discuss top entertainment news stories of the week.
Read the story7 min'Web Junkie'
It's not uncommon to hear someone say they're "addicted to the Internet." In China, internet addiction is actually classified as a clinical disorder.
Read the story15 min'East Los High'
By Kristin Marguerite Doidge The sacred tenet for almost any daytime television network exec is simple: maintain the status quo, and do what has worked countless times over and over again. Produce, rinse, repeat. You could say it worked...until it didn't, when we went from nearly 20 soap operas in 1970 to only five today. Enter the unique…
Read the story5 min
