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Alicia Malone

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Alicia Malone
Malone in 2021
Born (1981-09-04) 4 September 1981 (age 43)[1]
Canberra, Australia
Occupations
Years active2000–present
EmployerWarner Bros. Discovery (2018–present)

Alicia Maree Malone (born 4 September 1981) is an Australian–American author and television host for Turner Classic Movies.[2][3]

Early life

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Malone was born in Canberra, Australia. When she was three years old, she watched The NeverEnding Story (1984) in a movie theater with her mother and sisters. During the film, the character Atreyu tries to save his beloved horse Artax, which made her very emotional. She remembered, "I started crying and yelling ... I made so much noise my mum had to take me out of the theater."[4]

While studying at Canberra Girls Grammar School, Malone started a film club, intending to convince her classmates to appreciate classic cinema.[5] After graduating, she chose not to attend a university but instead moved to Sydney, intending to work in television. There, she applied and won a half scholarship to study television at a technical college.[6][7] Meanwhile, she worked at a Video Ezy rental store, where she was hired on the spot, and advised unsuspecting customers which films they should rent.[8][9] After an acquaintance suggested her, Malone began working at the Channel Seven television station, which was broadcasting the Sydney 2000 Summer Olympics at the time, as a teleprompter operator.[10]

Malone stayed at Channel Seven for six years, working a variety of production roles. Then, she applied for a job opening as a producer and editor for the premium television station Movie Network Channels.[9] There, she hosted film-related television programs, including Movie Juice and Premiere. Renee Brack, a friend and colleague of hers, allowed Malone to do live red carpet events.[9][11]

Career

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Film journalist

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In 2010, Malone moved to Los Angeles and was permitted an O visa, allowing her to only work in television.[12] Her first work in the United States was doing press junkets for the Australian Today show.[13] During these events, she developed a habit for hugging the celebrities she had interviewed.[14] She recalled: "...you know, you're not supposed to touch these celebrities, they're kind of the untouchable — some of them you can't even shake hands with. So I thought a hug would be a great way to break the ice, to make it be like, we're both humans ... and then it became kind of a theme."[10]

On 20 September 2015, Malone gave her first TEDx Talk titled #GirlsInFilm at TEDxSanJuanIsland. In this talk, she discussed the under representation of females in the Hollywood film industry.[15][16] On 13 May 2017, she gave her second seminar at TEDxBend titled Female Directors in Hollywood & Impact of Movies Made From 1 Perspective. There, she recounted the history of female film directors in Hollywood, and how women can empower other women so that more than one type of story can be told.[17][18]

Malone also worked as a correspondent for Fandango, where she created and hosted the web series Indie Movie Guide.[19] As a correspondent, she covered numerous film festivals, including the Cannes Film Festival, Sundance, Telluride, and South by Southwest (SXSW).[20][21] At the 2018 SXSW Conference, Malone moderated an all-female panel discussion titled "The Female Voices of Film Twitter," with film critics Monica Castillo, Jacqueline Coley, Amy Nicholson, and Jen Yamato.[22] At the 2019 SXSW Conference, she moderated another panel discussion inspired by her book The Female Gaze, discussing with three other female directors about their careers, subverting the male gaze, and whether female directors are telling authentic stories.[23] In 2019, she began hosting the video series Reel Destinations for Focus Features, exploring the actual locations of their films.[24]

Author

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Following her first TEDx Talk, Malone reflected: "After starting to get pushback for supporting women online, I decided that I should do it even more. I saw that I had a platform that could have an effect on people, so I wanted to use it for more than just building social media follows."[21] One day, while reading the book Movie-Made America by Robert Sklar, Malone came across the fact that there were more opportunities for women during the first few decades of American cinema than any other industry at the time. Interested, she thoroughly researched the topic and interviewed prominent figures about the historical involvement and under representation of females in the Hollywood film industry.[10] In 2017, Malone published her first book Backwards and in Heels. She followed up with her second book The Female Gaze in response to readers who asked how can they support female filmmakers in the industry.[25]

In 2022, Malone published her third book Girls on Film, detailing her personal history and career, and how her love for classic cinema has shaped her worldview.[26] Her fourth book titled TCM Imports: Timeless Favorites and Hidden Gems of World Cinema is scheduled for release on 6 May 2025.[27]

Television host

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One night, in 2010, after channel-surfing on cable television, Malone wrote down a particular goal in mind to become a host for Turner Classic Movies (TCM).[28] In 2014, she co-hosted the podcast series Profiles with Malone and Mantz, alongside Scott Mantz for Popcorn Talk Network. There, Keven Undergaro, co-founder of Popcorn Talk, held a private seminar with Malone, where she mentioned her dream goal. Undergaro knew Darcy Hettrich, who worked as the head of talent for TCM. Nervous at the prospect, Malone spent a year sharpening her skills before submitting a showreel of herself discussing classic films. At the time, Turner Classic Movies was partnering with The Criterion Collection on FilmStruck, a film streaming service.[29][30] In 2016, she was hired to host video introductions for FilmStruck.[4][25] She also hosted The FilmStruck Podcast interviewing filmmakers whose films were featured on the service.[31] In November 2018, FilmStruck was shut down by WarnerMedia, under the ownership of AT&T, to streamline business operations.[32]

In 2018, Malone was hired as a full-time host for Turner Classic Movies, making her first official appearance on 4 March.[28][33][34] She has stated that before filming her segments, she researches and writes her own introductions. Malone further added: "There are fact checkers and producers that review things but they're pretty good at not suppressing what we say."[28][35] As of 2024, she hosts the afternoon lineup on Sundays and the primetime lineup on Tuesdays.[20][36] In 2019, Malone was made the current host of the TCM Imports programming block on late Sunday nights.[37]

In the fall of 2020, Malone and her colleague Jacqueline Stewart co-hosted an original limited interview series titled Women Make Film, inspired by Mark Cousins' documentary of the same title. Malone told Entertainment Weekly this was the first time she felt free to professionally discuss women in film to the degree she wanted: "Usually in my previous jobs I've been told, 'Shh, don't talk so much about women. You've got to broaden things out; otherwise, the men won't listen.' I love that at TCM I've been given free rein, and Jacqueline as well, to speak about any subject we like with these special guests."[38] During the summer of 2022, Malone hosted an original limited series Follow the Thread, interviewing fashion and costume designers about men and women's cinematic fashion trends from the 19th to the mid-late 20th century.[39]

Personal life

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Malone lives in Maine, having relocated there from Los Angeles during the COVID-19 pandemic.[7] There, she joined the board of directors for the Strand Theatre, a historic movie theatre in Rockland.[40]

Books

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  • Backwards and in Heels: The Past, Present And Future Of Women Working In Film. Coral Gables, Florida: Mango Publishing. 2017. ISBN 978-1-63353-618-0.[41]
  • The Female Gaze: Essential Movies Made by Women. Coral Gables, Florida: Mango Publishing. 2018. ISBN 978-1-63353-837-5.[25]
  • Girls on Film: Lessons From a Life of Watching Women in Movies. Coral Gables, Florida: Mango Publishing. 2022. ISBN 978-1-64250-656-3.[42]
  • TCM Imports: Timeless Favorites and Hidden Gems of World Cinema. New York: Running Press. 2025. ISBN 978-0-762-48848-3.[27]

References

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  1. ^ @TCM (4 September 2022). "Wishing our very own Alicia Malone a happy birthday on her special day! 🥂" (Tweet). Archived from the original on 4 July 2024. Retrieved 9 January 2024 – via Twitter.
  2. ^ Bobbin, Jay (29 July 2021). "TCM's Alicia Malone is ready for another 'Summer Under the Stars'". Boston Herald. Archived from the original on 29 July 2021. Retrieved 5 April 2022.
  3. ^ Byrnes, Chad (16 December 2019). "Alicia Malone: The Classic Movies Maven Teaching Us New Things About Old Films". LA Weekly. Archived from the original on 16 December 2019.
  4. ^ a b Brunner, Jeryl (17 December 2017). "How To Turn Your Favorite Hobby Into The Career You Love". Forbes. Archived from the original on 22 December 2017. Retrieved 9 January 2024.
  5. ^ Malone 2022, pp. 70–71.
  6. ^ Malone 2022, p. 101.
  7. ^ a b Hessler, Alissa (2021). "A film journalist's Covid move inspires a new chapter and a place to call home". Urban Exodus. Archived from the original on 7 December 2021. Retrieved 9 January 2024.
  8. ^ Malone 2022, pp. 101–102.
  9. ^ a b c Kicks, Rosalie (23 March 2018). "Diversity in Film Criticism: Part 1 — April Wolfe and Alicia Malone". MovieJawn. Archived from the original on 9 January 2024. Retrieved 9 January 2024.
  10. ^ a b c Princi, Lorenzo (6 September 2017). "Hugging Celebrities with Alicia Malone". Caffeine and Concrete (Interview). Vol. 27. Archived from the original on 22 June 2018. Retrieved 9 January 2024.
  11. ^ Malone 2022, p. 124.
  12. ^ Malone 2022, p. 129.
  13. ^ Malone 2022, p. 135.
  14. ^ Malone 2022, pp. 137–138.
  15. ^ "TEDxSanJuanIsland". TED. Archived from the original on 23 June 2024. Retrieved 23 June 2024.
  16. ^ Malone, Alicia (20 December 2015). "GirlsInFilm". TEDx Talks. Retrieved 11 May 2023 – via YouTube.
  17. ^ "TEDxBend—Theme: US Humans". TED. Archived from the original on 23 June 2024. Retrieved 23 June 2024.
  18. ^ Malone, Alicia (6 July 2017). "Female Directors in Hollywood & Impact of Movies Made From One Perspective". TEDx Talks. Retrieved 11 May 2023 – via YouTube.
  19. ^ "Fandango's Indie Movie Guide". Fandango. Archived from the original on 9 October 2023. Retrieved 12 May 2023 – via YouTube.
  20. ^ a b "About—Alicia Malone". AliciaMalone.com. Archived from the original on 2 May 2020. Retrieved 9 January 2024.
  21. ^ a b Beronilla, Pola (31 December 2017). "Alicia Malone's Red Fury Can Finally Wake Up Hollywood". STATUS Magazine. Archived from the original on 22 June 2018. Retrieved 7 November 2024.
  22. ^ Aziz, Neha (18 April 2018). "The Female Voices of Film Twitter Featured Session Moderated by Alicia Malone at SXSW 2018 [Video]". South by Southwest. Archived from the original on 1 July 2024. Retrieved 1 July 2024.
  23. ^ Marloff, Sarah (12 March 2019). "SXSW Panel Recap: The Female Gaze". Austin Chronicle. Archived from the original on 11 April 2021. Retrieved 1 July 2024.
  24. ^ "Alicia Malone Is Going Places". Focus Features (Interview). 13 September 2019. Archived from the original on 5 October 2019. Retrieved 9 January 2024.
  25. ^ a b c Scutts, Joanna (20 November 2018). "FilmStruck's Alicia Malone Mourns the Service and Celebrates The Female Gaze". Vulture. Archived from the original on 11 January 2019.
  26. ^ Kicks, Rosalie (3 May 2022). "TCM Host Alicia Malone on her new book and a changing relationship with classic movies". MovieJawn (Interview). Archived from the original on 30 March 2023. Retrieved 9 May 2024.
  27. ^ a b "TCM Imports: Timeless Favorites and Hidden Gems of World Cinema ". Hachette Book Group. Archived from the original on 28 October 2024. Retrieved 27 October 2024.
  28. ^ a b c Thomas, Nick (3 April 2018). "Tinseltown Talks: TCM goes Down Under for new host Alicia Malone". The Spectrum. Gannett. Archived from the original on 9 January 2024. Retrieved 6 May 2023.
  29. ^ Malone 2022, pp. 176–177.
  30. ^ FilmStruck (3 November 2016). FilmStruck Intro: Host Alicia Malone. Archived from the original on 21 February 2024. Retrieved 21 February 2024 – via Facebook.
  31. ^ Kaan, Gil (4 December 2017). "Interview: FilmStruck's Alicia Malone On What Strikes Her Cinematic Fancies". BroadwayWorld (Interview). Archived from the original on 23 January 2018. Retrieved 10 April 2024.
  32. ^ Spangler, Todd (26 October 2018). "WarnerMedia's FilmStruck Subscription-Streaming Service to Shut Down". Variety. Archived from the original on 26 October 2018. Retrieved 30 June 2024.
  33. ^ Gardner, Chris (2 March 2018). "Alicia Malone, Dave Karger Join TCM as Full-Time Hosts". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on 9 August 2022. Retrieved 9 January 2024.
  34. ^ Littleton, Cynthia (9 April 2019). "TCM at 25: Ben Mankiewicz on How to Make the Perfect Introduction". Variety. Archived from the original on 9 April 2019. Retrieved 9 April 2024.
  35. ^ Cecera, Rudy (3 May 2020). "Alicia Malone: 'Growing up in Australia, all films were foreign to me'". Screen Comment. Archived from the original on 11 August 2024. Retrieved 10 August 2024.
  36. ^ "Alicia Malone". Turner Classic Movies. Warner Bros. Discovery. Archived from the original on 9 October 2023. Retrieved 12 May 2023.
  37. ^ @TCM (9 March 2019). "We're excited to announce TCM Imports will now be hosted by @aliciamalone! Tune in Sunday nights for cinematic treasures from around the world" (Tweet). Archived from the original on 6 December 2022. Retrieved 30 June 2024 – via Twitter.
  38. ^ Lenker, Maureen Lee (10 September 2020). "How TCM and the 'Women Make Film' documentarian are trying to change the film canon". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on 10 September 2020. Retrieved 30 June 2024.
  39. ^ "TCM Announces New Original Series Follow the Thread To Premiere June 4" (Press release). Warner Bros. Discovery. 16 May 2022. Archived from the original on 29 June 2022. Retrieved 30 June 2024.
  40. ^ "Theatre Staff & Board". Strand Theatre. Archived from the original on 14 January 2024. Retrieved 14 January 2024.
  41. ^ Alley-Young, Gordon (5 February 2020). "Backwards and in Heels: The Past, Present and Future of Women Working in Film by Alicia Malone (review)". Journal of Film and Video. 72 (1): 92–94. doi:10.5406/jfilmvideo.72.1-2.0092 – via Project MUSE.
  42. ^ "Girls on Film". Mango Publishing. Archived from the original on 26 January 2022. Retrieved 9 January 2024.
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