Strictly Business

The industry veteran who came to Disney after years at Fox and Warner Horizon Television discusses the demands of managing content at an unprecedented scale across multiple platforms. The executive who oversees Hulu Originals, Disney Branded Television, ABC Entertainment and Freeform talks about the rebirth of procedural dramas, the surprise that was ‘The Golden Bachelor’ and why Hulu is elbowing its way into the standup comedy special arena.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the six years since writing the definitive book on dealmaking in the TV industry, Ken Basin has had to rethink plenty before updating his masterwork for a second edition. This veteran of business-affairs at some of the leading content companies discusses how disruption in Hollywood has changed his strategic outlook, but also outlines his prescription for getting showbiz back on track. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

No better time for a roundtable discussion on the future of the movie industry to make sense of the strange 2024 we've seen so far: The first five months of the year couldn't have looked grimmer, yet that didn't stop the summer from a very strong rebound. Can the momentum continue long enough to prompt the bleak prognosis theaters have been hearing long before COVID and the strikes made things even worse? We'll look ahead at all the films that will put this notion to the test in the coming months and into 2025. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The founder and CEO of Los Angeles-based Confluential Company explains how he’s found success in a challenging environment for independent film and TV producers. Oliver, co-creator and producer of the OWN unscripted series “Black Love,” details how he has diversified the company with a recent capital investment and why he’s determined to invest in BIPOC storytellers.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

"The Challenge" and "Below Deck" aren't just TV brands; they're practically the unscripted-TV version of cinematic universes, spanning multiple series that run for many years. Which is a challenge in its own right for Julie Pizzi, who produces those franchises as president of Bunim/Murray and 51 Minds, two different production companies owned by French media giant Banijay. She discusses the state of reality TV during a challenging period for Hollywood. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Top athletes and executives from ESPN, Amazon, NBCUniversal, YouTube, Turner, Roku, the National Women’s Soccer League gathered July 12 in Beverly Hills for Variety and Sportico’s annual Sports and Entertainment Summit. Here are highlights from two key conversations examining the unprecedented growth in women’s sports and the future of live game coverage.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jim Shepherd, director of content and global creator partnerships at Snap, details his company's efforts to partner with NBCUniversal, advertisers and top influencers like Olivia Dunne and Kai Cenat on the ground in Paris to cover the Olympics with greater access than it ever has before. He also shares insights on Snapchat's place in the booming creator economy and how the platform distinguishes itself in a crowded social category. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Is Skibidi Toilet ready for its closeup? The animated YouTube sensation is being prepped for a potential move to film and TV, according to this week's guest, the film-industry veteran Adam Goodman, who is working alongside director Michael Bay to guide creator Alexey Gerasimov as they plot the future of the controversial character Generation Alpha already considers an icon. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Netflix chief technology officer Elizabeth Stone talks about the streamer's new generative-AI skunkworks project, how her team is prepping for live NFL games, where she sees the need to evolve the company’s famous “no rules” corporate culture and more. She has a background in economics, which is very unusual for a top tech exec — but she says she brings that economics expertise to bear in her current role almost every day.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

"Exploding Kittens" co-creators Matthew Inman and Elan Lee break down how they continue to expand their popular tabletop gaming brand while expanding primary business into TV series and mobile gaming with Netflix.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

More than a dozen top executives tackle burning subjects for the global marketing and advertising sector in interviews recorded at the Cannes Lions Festival, held June 17-21. Hear highlights of conversations on brand building, audience targeting and navigating a fractured media landscape from leaders at Disney, NBCUniversal, Warner Bros. Discovery, Paramount, Spotify, Colgate-Palmolive, Volkswagen, Roku, Wondery, Group M, iHeartMedia, Mattel, American Express and more.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Fresh off the Xbox Games Showcase during June’s Summer Game Fest season, Xbox president of gaming content and studios Matt Booty discusses upcoming titles, doubling down on subscription gaming, the surge of interest in “Fallout” and the difficulty of shutting down studios like Tango Gameworks. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Diana Mogollón, CEO of Rideback Rise, explains how the nonprofit venture launched by producer Dan Lin is designed to support mid-career creators from underrepresented backgrounds with the lofty goal of driving cultural change through inclusive storytelling. The organization offers annual fellowships, creative support and networking opportunities at its ranch-themed facility, built in what was an abandoned post office in Los Angeles’ vibrant Historic Filipinotown neighborhood.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sherrese Clarke Soares, founder and CEO of Newark, N.J.-based investment firm HarbourView Equity, explains why she’s motivated to invest in media at a time when the industry’s largest companies are struggling mightily with the transition to streaming. Clarke Soares explains why she sees a right-sizing of the business underway as well as a dawning appreciation for the value of engagement versus mass appeal in entertainment.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Accenture consultant John Peters specializes in tough love for media companies: his new "Thrive Index" lays out 50 strategic options for executives in need of bold solutions to survive tumultuous times. He applies his innovative principles to the current predicaments facing businesses including Paramount, Disney and more. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Takashi Nakano, senior director of content for Samsung TV Plus, explains why the South Korean electronics giant embraced the fast-growing arena of FAST channel distribution. Samsung is building a new kind form of a cable bundle that is available directly through the operating system of its more than 600 million connected TV sets sold in 24 countries.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Roblox isn't just a game you watch your kids play on your computer or console, but a platform in and of itself for tons of interactive experiences, many of which are created by users themselves. With Hollywood relying on Roblox heavily to promote films, series and other media experiences, global brand partnerships VP Stephanie Latham stopped by to discuss how these deals come together and how Roblox works to strike a balance between its user-created content and experiences developed for all sorts of different brands.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Will casual sports fans tune into the Summer Olympics in Paris this summer? Will TV advertising’s traditional upfront sales protocol endure? And why does NBCUniversal see itself increasingly becoming a technology company? Mark Marshall, NBCUniversal’s chairman of global advertising and partnerships, details how the company is bringing linear and streaming ad sales efforts together in groundbreaking ways and why it will make Olympics content available for programmatic sales for the first time.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With a new single out from her forthcoming album, a book partly about her own life just optioned for a docuseries and a new baby daughter to parent, Paris Hilton is plenty busy. But she's also nearly three years into launching her own company, 11:11 Media, along with co-founder Bruce Gersh, who serves as president and COO. They stopped by Variety's Entertainment Marketing Summit last week to talk about juggling it all.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As cryptocurrency markets rebound and slowly but surely become more mainstream, two experts discuss the potential for blockchain tech to be embraced by entertainment dealmakers as an antidote to the age-old problems of Hollywood accounting. Tarun Chitra, founder and CEO of research and advisory firm Gauntlet and co-host of “The Chopping Block” podcast, and Duke University professor Lee Reiners bring vastly different perspectives to this question. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.