Strictly Business

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, Adele and many more. Here, he gets deep about AI, new streaming models, and what's next for the industry.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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.

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.

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.

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.com/listener for privacy information.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 NBC as 2016’s “Better Late Than Never.”See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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.

Long before “Barbie” exploded at the box office this summer, it was clear on TikTok that the movie was going to be a big deal. Whether through studio marketing or organic fan activity, entertainment properties new and old take on a life on their own on the Bytedance-owned platform. Reia Davidson, US Head of Media and Entertainment, and Catherine Halaby, Head of Entertainment for North America discuss their strategies in this episode. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Twitch has been the leading livestreaming platform for nearly a decade. While its command of community is tough to beat, continuing to hold such a leading position requires a lot of balance between fan and creator engagement, brand partnership and especially safety. Twitch's chief marketing officer Rachel Delphin is immersed in all three and discusses how to maintain that balance in the face of new competition, among other topics like the specter of AI in just about every media space.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

One's a current Boston Celtic, the other a former Carolina Panther. Together, they are partners in Mortal Media, a production company with a first-look deal at Sony Pictures with a packed portfolio of film and TV projects ranging from the "White Men Can't Jump" reboot at Hulu to the Apple TV+ series "Hello Tomorrow," and they're just getting started. Hear about how they've made the transition even during a tricky time during an industry-wide strike. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The president of Imagine Entertainment details the company's recent growth with documentary and nonfiction content, kids and family, branded creative advertising and marketing. He also offers insights into how the market for streaming content is slowly changing in ways that benefit large-scale independent producers such as Imagine.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the second of a two-part interview that began on last week's episode, Soul Machine's CEO Greg Cross casts his eye toward the future of how his business marrying state-of-the-art animation with artificial intelligence will be utilized in the world of Hollywood celebrity.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Imagine being able to interact with a CGI simulation of your favorite celebrity powered by artificial intelligence. That day is already here thanks to Soul Machines, a company led by tech vet Greg Cross, who has lined up an eclectic group of famous folks from golf legend Jack Nicklaus to K-pop sensation Mark Tuan to lead the way. This is the first of a two-part hour-long conversation that continues next week. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With the leading media moguls hunkered down in Sun Valley this week for the annual Allen & Co. conference just a week ahead of the start of the Q2 earnings season, there's no better time for a frank discussion of how these companies' stocks are faring. Strictly Business hosts Cynthia Littleton and Andrew Wallenstein are joined by Variety Intelligence Platform analyst Heidi Chung for a chat about Disney, Warner Bros. Discovery, Netflix, Comcast and much more. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How do people actually make a living in social media? Hear from seven entrepreneurs in the trenches of the influencer and creator economy as they hawk their wares at the Vidcon conference in Anaheim, Calif. The responses from leaders of independent firms involved in distribution, technology and visual effects, e-commerce, marketing and promotion speak volumes about how this emerging marketplace is taking shape.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.