Media Play News delivers your message to all segments involved in getting entertainment into the hands of the consumer – through a 24/7 website, a daily e-newsletter, breaking news alerts, and a monthly magazine that is available in bothprint anddigital editions.

We reach major streaming services such as Netflix, Prime Video, Max, Disney+ and Paramount+; all the major Hollywood studios; independent film distributors, filmmakers and other creatives; technology companies such as Microsoft and Roku; FAST channel operators such as Cineverse and FilmRise; connected TV giants including Vizio and Samsung TV Plus; and a wide array of retailers involved in home entertainment, from brick-and-mortar giants such as Walmart, Target and Barnes & Noble to e-commerce titan Amazon and digital retailers such as Fandango at Home, Google Play, and Microsoft Movies & TV.

Media Play News stories and research are cited in top consumer publications such asUSA Today andThe Wall Street Journal and in reports from some of Wall Street’s top financial analysts. We get picked up by leading news services, websites and bloggers, and social media influencers on all the major platforms.

Media Play News also maintains a robust social media presence on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok and YouTube. 

Meet the Team:

Thomas K. Arnold, Publisher and Editorial Director: Thomas K. Arnold is an award-winning journalist, writer and editor who has been covering the home entertainment industry for nearly three decades. Prior to launchingMedia Play News in January 2018, he was the Publisher and Editorial Director ofHome Media Magazine, the home entertainment industry’s weekly trade publication. He joinedVideo Store Magazine,Home Media‘s predecessor, in 1991. Arnold is a frequent speaker at industry conferences, summits and other events, including the American Film Market (AFM), CES, and conferences produced by trade associations DEG: The Digital Entertainment Group and OTT.X. He has written forVariety, The Hollywood Reporter,USA Today, and theLos Angeles Times, and frequently appeared on television and podcasts to talk about home entertainment issues, including CNN and “Entertainment Tonight.”

Stephanie Prange, Associate Publisher and Editor in Chief: Stephanie Prange oversees editorial policy and operations atMedia Play News, which she helped launch in January 2018. She also is involved in client relations and staff management. Previously, Prange held the same position atHome Media Magazine. The Yale University graduate joined what was thenVideo Store Magazine in 1993 and was instrumental in transitioning the publication into a tabloid newsweekly. She spearheaded the publication’s reviews section, as well as aggressive coverage of the home video sales market. She also helped launch the magazine’s Web site in 1996.  She has freelanced forThe Hollywood Reporter,The Los Angeles Times andVariety. She has a Master of Arts degree in Journalism from the University of Southern California.

John Boezinger, Associate Publisher and Advertising Director: John Boezinger oversees all revenue generation and operations. Before helping launchMedia Play News in January 2018, he spent eight years as Associate Publisher ofHome Media Magazine, managing the print and digital sales teams and magazine circulation. Before joiningHome Media Magazine in September 2007 as an Account Executive, Boezinger worked for Advanstar Communications,Home Media Magazine‘s former parent company, for 10 years. He worked in sales management as well as in inside and outside sales for three different vertical industry groups: Automotive, Powersports and CRM. Boezinger graduated from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor and has an MBA from California State University at Long Beach.

John Latchem, Executive Editor: As Executive Editor, John Latchem oversees editorial production of our monthly print and digital editions and also has oversight of the market research department. In addition, Latchem manages and edits our reviews. Another charter member of theMedia Play News editorial team, Latchem is a graduate of the University of California at Los Angeles. He worked as a newspaper editor and did freelance work for such publications asThe Hollywood Reporter before joiningHome Media Magazine in 2005. 

Erik Gruenwedel, Senior Editor: Erik Gruenwedel is a veteran entertainment journalist who as Senior Editor atMedia Play News leds our news-gathering efforts. He is responsible for breaking news and typically posts five or six stories a day, ranging from studio financials to the latest news from the big streamers. Prior to helping launch Media Play News in January 2018, he served for more than a decade as Senior Editor atHome Media Magazine.Before joiningHome Media Magazine in 2003, Gruenwedel was a reporter at music industry trade publication Billboard, focusing on legal issues. During his 15-year print career, Gruenwedel has written for trade publications covering the bicycling, homecare, advertising (Adweek), and spa and pool industries. He has a degree in journalism from California State University at Northridge, as well as an MBA from Pepperdine University.

Allison Gritton, Creative Director: Allison Gritton joinedMedia Play News in time to produce our first print issue in January 2018. She has spent most of her career self-employed, working as creative director, art director/graphic designer and web developer. She has served clients throughout the United States in multiple industries producing corporate identity packages, marketing and advertising materials, large format and point-of-sale packaging and display, publications and catalogs. She also has  developed websites. Gritton and her team have worked on projects for colleges and universities, hospitals and clinics, medical device inventors, not-for-profit organizations, food service corporations, retailers, multinational corporations and entertainment companies.