Premiering April 3, the six-part series hosted by futurist Ari Wallach seeks to counter pop culture’s dystopian view of life in the coming centuries with visits to real-world entrepreneurs, inventors, artists and activists who are pursuing hopeful and innovative solutions for a range of social ills. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Apr 03, 2024•30 min•Ep. 310
Audible's Rachel Ghiazza (chief content officer), Kate Navin (head of creative development for North America) and Pat Shah (head of content acquisition and development) discuss the company's unique position in the audio marketplace and why they are revving up original content for the Amazon-owned subscription platform. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mar 27, 2024•28 min•Ep. 309
As Congress debates the future of TikTok in the U.S., here's an encore episode of Variety's "Strictly Business" podcast from August 2023 that examines how the social media platform has become essential for promoting movies and TV shows. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mar 20, 2024•32 min•Ep. 308
There may be far fewer TV shows being made in Hollywood these days than in the salad days of the peak-TV era, but that just means there's more hustling being done to get writers, producers, directors and actors staffed on a development season that goes on year-round. For the past 10 years, Grandview Management co-founders Jeff Silver and Matt Rosen have navigated dealmaking for their roster of writers and producers for top series like "Ozark" and "House of the Dragon" with considerable savvy. Bu...
Mar 13, 2024•34 min•Ep. 307
Bill Speros, senior betting analyst for Bookies.com , explains why legal betting on the Oscars has grown in recent years thanks to changes in state gambling laws. The veteran analyst and journalist also discusses the rise of sports wagering as an audience engagement strategy and profit driver for media companies. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mar 06, 2024•20 min•Ep. 306
Ever since OpenAI gave the world a glimpse of its upcoming new text-to-video software, the entertainment industry has been in a state of alarm—particularly Tyler Perry, who paused an expansion on his Atlanta studio, citing the industry job losses he predicts Sora will cause. Steven Zeitchik, who writes about the implications of AI at mindandiron.substack.com , joins this week's episode to discuss what the potential impact Sora could have on Hollywood. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy info...
Feb 28, 2024•38 min•Ep. 305
Crunchyroll President Rahul Purini explains how the Sony-owned, Japanese anime-focused streaming service has found success through serving a so-called niche market and its plans for further expansion. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Feb 20, 2024•42 min•Ep. 304
AMC Networks CEO Kristin Dolan offers a candid look at how the boutique owner of AMC, SundanceTV, WeTV, IFC and BBC America is adapting its programming and distribution strategies for the streaming era. The longtime Cablevision senior executive came full circle in 2023 when she returned to lead the company where she began her career as a marketing executive. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Feb 14, 2024•35 min•Ep. 303
Who is going to buy Paramount Global? Is M&A best done before or after the presidential election? Can anyone compete with Netflix? These are just a few of the big dilemmas Naveen Sarma, managing director of S&P Global Ratings, tackles in his return visit to Strictly Business as he wrestles with some of the questions vexing Wall Street right now regarding the media sector. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Feb 07, 2024•29 min•Ep. 302
Warner Bros. Discovery executives Betsy Ayala and Karen Bronzo break down big plans for Food Network, HGTV and the company's other linear networks in 2024 and how a potential Paramount deal could affect assets. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Jan 31, 2024•35 min•Ep. 301
Alloy CEO Leslie Morgenstein, TV chief Gina Girolamo and film leader Elysa Koplovitz Dutton, leaders of the company behind such TV and film hits as “Gossip Girl,” “Pretty Little Liars,” “You,” “Vampire Diaries” and “You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah” explain how they’ve thrived in the YA space and why they are now looking to grow up a bit. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Jan 24, 2024•27 min•Ep. 300
Just when last week's ratings resurgence for the Golden Globes had us all feeling good, along comes the Emmy Awards to deliver an all-time audience low to shake our confidence in awards show all over again! What happened Jan. 15? Did Anthony Anderson not make us laugh enough? Should we be worried about the upcoming Grammys and Oscars, which are coming off their strongest telecasts in several years? Fear not, says Andrew Wallenstein, who analyzes why 2024 was a singularly bad year for Emmys due t...
Jan 18, 2024•16 min•Ep. 299
Produced on the ground at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Variety’s Cynthia Littleton and Todd Spangler and Variety Intelligence Platform’s Andrew Wallenstein and Audrey Schomer analyze the trends, rumors and surprises that emerged during the tech industry’s annual gathering. Also, highlights from Variety Entertainment Summit conversations with Roku’s Charlie Collier, TikTok creator Leenda Dong, Reddit CEO Steve Huffman, TalkShopLive’s Bryan Moore and more. See omnystudio.com/listene...
Jan 12, 2024•37 min•Ep. 298
Co-hosts Cynthia Littleton and Andrew Wallenstein look back at the year that was and ahead at what’s to come for the business of media and entertainment. The hosts share highlights from some of their favorite episodes of 2023, including interviews with Mattel CEO Ynon Kreiz, HBO and Max content chief Casey Bloys, Nigerian entrepreneur Mo Abudu, South Korean producer Nah Yung Suk and Barstool Sports chief Erika Ayers. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Jan 03, 2024•34 min•Ep. 297
Perhaps the most audacious new consumer-electronics product of 2023 was Telly, a new TV set that nearly half a million U.S. consumers got for free with a few strings attached, including a second smaller screen attached showing non-stop commercials. Founder Ilya Pozin discusses plans to scale Telly next year, including new interactive functionality that will allow consumers to interact with the advertising and more. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Dec 20, 2023•27 min•Ep. 296
Disney's head of gaming Sean Shoptaw gives a deeper look at the Mouse House's top 2023 titles and reveals big plans for capitalizing on IP next year. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Dec 13, 2023•27 min•Ep. 295
Amblin TV chiefs Darryl Frank and Justin Falvey detail why Steven Spielberg‘s television company decided to move aggressively into documentary and unscripted programming. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Dec 06, 2023•26 min•Ep. 294
Aaron Dessner’s Grammy-winning band the National has been one of the mainstays of rock ’n roll for a quarter-century now. But when most musicians were taking a time-out early in the pandemic, Dessner got called in by Taylor Swift to help create her perception-changing “Folklore” album, soon followed up that same year by “Evermore.” Ever since, he’s been one of the most sought-after producer/co-writers in the business — even as the National has gotten busier with the resumption of touring, and tw...
Nov 29, 2023•43 min•Ep. 293
If there is a bible for the music industry, it’s Donald Passman’s book, “All You Need to Know About the Music Business.” Since the first edition came out more than 30 years ago, it has guided countless musicians and executives, and has prevented many of them from making decisions they’d later regret. Passman, of course, is one of the most successful and experienced attorneys in music business history, with a client list that over the years has included Taylor Swift, Paul Simon, Stevie Wonder, Ad...
Nov 15, 2023•30 min•Ep. 292
CEO Dave Wiskus details the growth ambition of the four-year-old streamer that is home to the buzzy original series "Jet Lag" and backed by management company Standard with a minority stake held by Curiosity Stream. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Nov 08, 2023•34 min•Ep. 291
Leave it to a streaming service that caters to a Jewish audience to make its first original series about food: "Schmoozing and Cruising" is the latest sign that CEO Neil Friedman wants to grow the brand he built that super-serves films, TV shows and docs in five global markets and more on the way. He also dishes about life as a niche streamer in an industry dominated by larger services and how not to be divisive covering hot-button issues. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Nov 01, 2023•33 min•Ep. 290
Global TV trends were evident as industry heavyweights gathered in Cannes for the annual Mipcom market and conference. Host Cynthia Littleton offers her observations on a changing business, including highlights from her on-stage interviews with Paramount Global CEO Bob Bakish, Canal+ CEO Maxime Saada, Eva Longoria and producer Cris Abrego and Dori Media CEO Nadav Palti. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Oct 26, 2023•34 min•Ep. 289
When Variety Intelligence Platform (VIP+) teamed up with UTA IQ, the research, analytics and insights division of the UTA talent agency to conduct a consumer survey in August to understand the market forces driving the explosion in the live-music industry, they learned a lot more was at play than just the success of Taylor Swift and Beyonce. UTA IQ global head Joe Kessler and VIP+ analyst Heidi Chung discuss their groundbreaking study, which can be found at Variety.com/livemusic . See omnystudio...
Oct 18, 2023•43 min•Ep. 288
Adam Boorstin and Matt Crowley, co-CEOs of Studio71, offer insights on the growth trajectory of the creator economy from their perch as leaders of a top firm that provides support services for social media creators. The pair discuss how emerging talent is increasingly tapping into professional tools and a higher level of advertising and sponsorship deals to make social media a robust and profitable medium unto itself. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Oct 11, 2023•35 min•Ep. 287
Sean Atkins, a TV and digital veteran who is president of Jellysmack, explains how demand for the company’s talent development, marketing and content distribution services are signs that the creator economy is maturing. It’s a business rooted in media and content, but the moneymaking opportunities also transcend media. “The creator space will impact everything in the GDP,” Atkins predicts. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Oct 04, 2023•28 min•Ep. 286
The message from Ynon Kreiz's keynote Q&A at the Variety Entertainment & Technology Summit is that while "Barbie" may be a huge opening salvo in his plan to turn toy brands into media IP, it's just the beginning of a versatile long-term strategy that will extend far beyond the cinema to TV and gaming for the likes of "Monster High" and "Hot Wheels" See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Sep 27, 2023•26 min•Ep. 285
The Nigerian entrepreneur and producer discusses the birth and growth of her EbonyLife Group content production business, known for the Netflix drama series “Blood Sisters.” Abudu details her vision for expanding Africa’s media infrastructure to allow local producers to capture the region’s vibrant art and culture scene from what she describes as a “local for global” lens. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Sep 20, 2023•29 min•Ep. 284
Dennis Miller and Brad Schwartz, the new leaders of the CW Network, detail the major strategy overall at the broadcast network that has been known for DC superhero fare and teen soaps. Under Nexstar's ownership, the network's priorities have taken a hard turn to sports and unscripted content. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Sep 13, 2023•33 min•Ep. 283
Nah Yung Suk, a seasoned producer whose latest hit is the Amazon Prime Video reality series “Jinny’s Kitchen,” talks about the growth of South Korea’s TV and film industry and the globalization that is energizing the content business. In Korea, the new dynamism in the marketplace can be defined as “before Netflix” and “after Netflix,” he explains. The producer affiliated with Korea’s CJ ENM also weighs in on his experience with having his hit unscripted format “Grandpa Over Flowers” adapted by N...
Sep 06, 2023•29 min•Ep. 282
After a rough week in which the manager said adieu to his biggest clients including Justin Bieber and Ariana Grande, Strictly Business host Andrew Wallenstein brings his Mogul Memo column to the podcast and offers some counterintuitive counsel. Plus: An interview with Paramount CTO Phil Wiser at the Collision Tech Conference. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Aug 30, 2023•31 min•Ep. 281
