Strictly Business

Streaming content is about as competitive as a business gets these days, but don't tell that to Starz COO Jeffrey Hirsch. He's aggressively moving to establish the Lionsgate-owned premium programmer forward around the world while the window is still open for his company to stake its claim. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jacqueline Parkes, chief marketing office and executive vp of digital studios for Viacom's MTV VHI CMT and Logo Group, breaks down the marketing campaign for MTV’s relaunch of "The Hills." Parkes details the process that began with social media teases and other bread crumbs for fans in the spring 2018, well before MTV announced the show was coming back, and led to the strong premiere of "The Hills: New Beginnings" on June 24. Parkes also reflects on how the discipline of marketing has changed dramatically just in the three years since she joined MTV after a 21-year career with Major League Baseball. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Star Trek, The Walking Dead and Wheel of Fortune are more than just iconic TV brands; they’re the intellectual property powering mobile games on course to reach $100 million each. And they’re all produced by Scopely, an LA-based video game business led by co-CEO Walter Driver, who discusses how he's made a specialty of adapting from one medium to another. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

STX Entertainment is best known for movies like "The Upside" and "Ugly Dolls," but it also has a division dedicated to creating virtual-reality movies like the recent action short "The Limit." STXsurreal chiefs Rick Rey and Andy Vick talk about the art of adopting narrative storytelling to new technology, and what it will take for VR to achieve mass appeal. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dana Walden was already one of the industry’s most powerful television executives when she was co-head of Fox television Group prior to Disney’s acquisition of 21st Century Fox. Now she’s leading the charge for Disney in primetime series production and also steering the ship at ABC. Here Walden offers candid insights into how Disney is managing what she described as television’s “existential crisis." And she speaks from the heart about the importance of maintaining a healthy workplace culture in a the post-#MeToo era. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Cannes Lions festival will get underway next week at a time when media industry turbulence is at its peak, according to MediaLink CEO Michael Kassan, a longtime industry observer who has turned the event into a crucial meeting place for the media, marketing, finance and technology worlds. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mass Appeal CEO Peter Bittenbender discusses the relaunch of the one-time hip-hop fanzine as a content business active in music, digital, film and TV. The company is riding a wave of momentum created by the success of its Showtime docu-series “Wu-Tang Clan: Of Mics and Men.” Bittenbender details the vision for making Mass Appeal live up to the lofty expectations of its name and avoid the business potholes that have hurt Vice Media and other similiarly situated ventures. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Producer Jeff Valdez discusses his detailed study examining the root causes of the dearth of U.S.-born Latinx creative talent working in film and TV. He's been on an informational tour with corporate leaders to emphasize the market power of the U.S. Hispanic population. He's also launched a production venture, New Cadence, to help solve what he sees as the entertainment industry's supply chain problem. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Amblin Partners co-CEO Jeff Small oversees a bustling production powerhouse alongside Steven Spielberg that manages to make movies like the new sequel "A Dog's Journey" that can hold their own in cineplexes alongside more blockbuster fare. But it's not getting any easier in a consolidating media marketplace that often favors scale over quality. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Between HBO's "True Detective" and Hulu's upcoming "Catch-22," producer Richard Brown has proved his mastery of the limited-series TV format. Now he's looking to double down on the genre as he exits his home for the past 13 years, Anonymous Content, where he learned the business from the recently departed Steve Golin. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Amy Emmerich, chief content officer and president North America for Refinery29, details the digital lifestyle brand's focus on organic audience growth as it builds out an ambitious video and multiplatform strategy to reach its target audience of young women. "We've birthed a generation with technology where they are all creators the minute they get a phone in their hand," Emmerich says of the unique challenges of engaging the Refinery29 demo. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There's been no shortage of turbulence at Facebook given the myriad issues the company faces, from data privacy and misinformation to election integrity and hate speech. To meet those challenges head on, CEO Mark Zuckerberg has turned to Fidji Simo, who is charged with charting the course for a very different future for the app. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Prolific actress and emerging producer Gabrielle Union has been on a hot streak with projects like the sleeper hit "Breaking In," a female reboot of the "Bad Boys" franchise called "L.A.'s Finest" and a new platform as host of the reality competition series "America's Got Talent." But It was her design and endorsement deal with fashion house New York and Company that taught Union to see herself in a new light, and reinvent her brand for the benefit of underrepresented women everywhere. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The executive who oversees AMC, BBC America, SundanceTV and IFC discussed the tangible and intangible benefits that come from fielding a sleeper hit like BBC America's "Killing Eve." The AMC Networks entertainment president also discusses the company’s use of "forensic" audience tracking data to better understand how to make the most of its programming across its linear and digital platforms. Barnett says her goal after being promoted in November to the group-level role is to keep AMC Networks "punching above its weight" as a purveyor of high-end content. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Enjoy an inside look at the promotional game plan behind the final season of TV's biggest hit from Chris Spadaccini, executive VP and head of marketing at HBO. He details everything from the surprising Bud Light partnership at the Super Bowl to the network's reaction to President Trump borrowing from the show for one of his more infamous tweets. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As the film industry gathers this week for the annual CinemaCon conference in Las Vegas, the longtime Imax leader discusses the new demand for exhibitors to focus on the business of providing “destination entertainment” experiences. In the interview with Brent Lang, Variety's executive editor of film and media, Gelfond also weighs in on the record-busting success of “Captain Marvel” and what it says about the state of the superhero film. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Under new leadership, Univision is taking big strides toward bringing a new look and feel to its primetime schedule for the growing U.S. Hispanic audience. CMO Jessica Rodriguez details the many ways the company is doing things differently. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

National Geographic Partners chairman Gary Knell outlines his vision of the growth opportunities ahead for the gold-plated brand as it and other 21st Century Fox assets transition to Disney’s control. Knell also gives a final salute to Fox, calling the parting “bittersweet” and praising the Murdochs for being good stewards of the brand. If it weren’t for Nat Geo’s move into television more than 20 years ago with Fox, “there’s a good chance National Geographic wouldn’t be around today,” Knell says. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Steve Mosko, the former head of Sony Pictures Television and newly appointed CEO of Village Roadshow Entertainment Group, talks about his mission to build out the company to produce its own movies and TV shows for the first time. He also speaks candidly about making the shift from studio boss to the leader of a lean and scrappy startup operation. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

He may be best known for producing the 2018 hit "Crazy Rich Asians," but that film was actually something of an aberration for John Penotti. He's busy building a mini-studio that cranks out local-language films and TV shows in seven countries including Mexico, Indonesia and India, where his upcoming Netflix series "Delhi Crime" could deliver his next global hit. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With many economists predicting a recession could hit the U.S. economy in the coming months, the media business could be in for rough ride. But as S&P Global Markets senior direct Naveen Sarma explains, there's a lot more roiling this sector right now that must be taken into account to understand what the future might bring.T Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

While known best for its line of energy drinks, Red Bull has been a pioneering force in branded entertainment. But in a rapidly changing media world, Red Bull Media Network CEO Gerrit Meier has evolved the beverage maker's strategy, including an exploration into taking the brand into scripted entertainment. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Radical Media is an independent company that is a stalwart of the New York film and TV production scene. Radical chairman-CEO Jon Kamen discusses how diversification into unscripted series, branded content, experiential entertainment and commercials has been crucial to the company's survival. He also details Radical's unusual "community"-based approach to partnering with filmmakers and other artists. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The producers and partners behind Propagate discuss their plan to compete in the global TV market against much larger rivals. After an investment from Raine Group and the acquisition of Electus, 2019 is the year Propagate’s leaders have to bring all the pieces together to grow the company. Owens and Silverman also detail the pitching environment for producers, regrets over “Planet of the Apps” and why they have no desire to return to the ranks of network executives. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Though Steve Harvey may be one of the most omnipresent stars on TV across his many shows ("Family Feud," "Little Big Shots," "Showtime at the Apollo," etc.), he is looking to take his career to the next level by doing more than just being a performer. New opportunities range from investments far from the entertainment world to apps, where he has turned a game from his talk show, "Harvey's Hundreds," into a mobile experience. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As the indie film world converges on Park City, Utah, buyers and sellers are getting ready to wrangle at the Sundance Film Festival. In this conversation with Variety’s Brent Lang, Paul Davidson, executive VP of film and television for the Orchard, discusses his approach to dealmaking, why documentaries are all the rage again and how the independent distributor distinguishes itself from the competition. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Though the media world is rapidly consolidating all around Viacom, CEO Bob Bakish believes his company can thrive without a "transformational deal" such as its oft-speculated merger with CBS Corp. He discussed how his turnaround strategy has been playing across Viacom, from the rejuvenation at Paramount Pictures to the focus on "flagship" cable brands like Nickelodeon. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

NBCUniversal has long been the media world's most vocal proponent for reforming just about everything involved in tracking consumption of its TV shows. Kavita Vazirani, executive VP of insights and measurement, shares the company's game plan for commercials running in optimal environments and ensuring eyeballs are properly counted across all screens. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

She may be best known for her daytime TV show, but Ellen DeGeneres also has a sprawling digital presence across social, video and gaming apps. Ellen Digital Ventures is run by Michael Riley, a cable-business veteran who wants to take her brand to the next level as a global force capable of introducing her fans to other talent and new formats from podcasts to augmented reality. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The new biography “Playing to the Gods: Sarah Bernhardt, Eleonora Duse and the Rivalry That Changed Acting Forever” details how the legendary actors were pioneering female entrepreneurs who instinctively capitalized on their fame and storied rivalry. Author Peter Rader discusses how Bernhardt and Duse helped forget the template for actors as superstars and bucked 19th century norms as women who ruled their own businesses. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

One's a legend in entertainment, the other in technology. But together Jeffrey Katzenberg and Meg Whitman plan to bring the best of both worlds to their new venture, Quibi, which will enlist some of Hollywood's top names to produce for an untested format: super-premium short-form entertainment. Quibi's top execs discuss how they plan to hook consumers on a whole new way to consume content on mobile. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Michael Wayne is no newbie to the digital content biz, having put his company through numerous pivots over the past decade. Today Kin Community has weathered the storm in the sector by shifting focus to TV stars and putting them in online series that rival the audience levels at cable channels. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The chief operating officer of UFC talks about a big year ahead for the MMA leader, starting with the kickoff of its broad TV pact with ESPN. He offers a behind-the-scenes look at the sale process that lead to the company’s acquisition by Endeavor, and he explains why the growing number of MMA competitors is good thing for the sport overall. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Multibillion-dollar franchises like "SpongeBob SquarePants" used to require traditional media like TV or film as launch pad. But Chris Williams, CEO of the new kid-targeted brand Pocket.watch, is proving with YouTube sensation Ryan's World that the Internet can also be the breeding ground for a consumer-products phenomenon. No wonder he's attracted some big backers from UTA to Robert Downey Jr. to Viacom, which could learn a thing or two from Pocket.watch for figuring out the future of its own kids brand, Nickelodeon. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The president-CEO of Discovery Inc. offers a candid assessment of the state of traditional TV in a wide-ranging interview. He talks M&A prospects and gives a glimpse into the behind-the-scenes story of Discovery’s $14 billion acquisition of Scripps Networks Interactive. Zaslav also discusses how the management mindset at Discovery changed five years ago thanks to a profound question posted by major shareholder John Malone. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After 44 years on CBS, the People's Choice Awards will move over on Nov. 11 to E!, where the network's president, Adam Stotsky, has led a re-imagination of the franchise. It's one of many changes transforming E! under Stotsky's watch, including a return to topical talk shows and more unscripted series in the mold of reigning hit "Keeping Up with the Kardashians." Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With its acquisition of Time Inc. earlier this year, Meredith Corp. is home to more iconic magazine titles than ever, from People to Better Homes & Gardens. But as the company's president, Jon Werther, explains, he's as focused on translating these publications to video and building out other revenue streams as he is continuing the core print product. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Assembly Entertainment CEO Christina Wayne discusses the dealmaking challenges that producers face even at a time of incredible demand for TV content. The producer first made her mark as the AMC development executive who championed “Mad Men” and “Breaking Bad.” Wayne goes deep into the nitty gritty of selling shows in the current landscape. She also talks about how her range of experience as a buyer and seller inspired the launch of her Television School subscription venture. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

While the nation waits to hear whether former Vice President Joe Biden will join the 2020 presidential race, he's not quietly sitting on the sidelines. He just launched an episodic series on Instagram's new IGTV created by ATTN:, a company devoted to making its "purpose-driven" content entertaining on digital platforms. ATTN co-founder, Matthew Segal, explains how the Biden projects fuels his ambition to make his company the "HBO of mid-form" programming. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Gigi Pritzker, CEO of MWM, details the evolution of her company, formerly OddLot Entertainment, from an indie film production banner to an IP-centric approach embracing TV, digital, VR and AR, live events and theater. Pritzker explains how the seismic shifts in the entertainment marketplace spurred her to focus on stories and franchises that be adapted across multiple mediums. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The digital studio's president gets candid about the acquisitions she's made in her first year on the job, as well as Viacom's efforts to attract young eyeballs to original content across digital platforms. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The FX Networks CEO discusses the strategic rationale behind the union of Disney and 21st Century Fox and the industry’s embrace of direct-to-consumer distribution platforms. He also muses He also muses about how the insatiable global demand for original content has rocked the entertainment industry’s competitive landscape. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It was hysterical short videos like "The Landlord" that made the Funny Or Die brand an overnight household name when it began 11 years ago. But its business has since evolved tremendously, explains CEO Mike Farah, as evidenced by the 20 TV series the company currently has in various stages of production or development, including Hulu's "I Love You, America with Sarah Silverman" and Netflix's "American Vandal." Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Izad is candid about navigating an ecosystem that has been reeling from one challenge to the next, from the brand safety issues that left marketers skittish to the disappearance of long-form content buyers from the marketplace. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Lowell Peterson, executive director of the Writers Guild of America East, discusses the guild’s growth during a dynamic period for the entertainment industry. Peterson details a busy agenda that includes lobbying for a diversity production tax credit in New York state, organizing among digital media outlets, and negotiating new rules governing the working relationship between talent agents and writers. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Showtime’s president and CEO talks about new economics of direct-to-consumer streaming and how the transformation of the premium TV business has changed the way Showtime operates. In this wide-ranging conversation, he also offers insights into the origins of Sacha Baron Cohen’s controversial series “Who Is America” and his thoughts on the coming final season of “Homeland.” Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Russian director behind "Night Watch,” “Wanted” and “Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter" is eagerly promoting a new filmmaking software for what he calls “Screenlife." Bekmambetov explains why he thinks this is a wave of the future. He also offers his thoughts on Russia's media marketplace and the resurgent Cold War between the U.S. and his homeland. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ken Basin gives an inside look at how Hollywood dealmaking is changing in the peak-TV era, from the exorbitant salary increases top talent has been getting to the growing clout of tech companies doing most of the spending. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

AMC Networks CEO Josh Sapan discusses the company’s transition from a collection of cable channels — AMC, SundanceTV, IFC, WeTV, and BBC America — to a content-focused enterprise that is experimenting with new forms of distribution and expansion overseas. Sapan likes the hand he’s playing even if it has to engage in the arm’s race for talent and it is becoming dwarfed by larger competitors. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How does a basketball legend team up with Sony to translate his brand into TV and film content? He turns to Jeron Smith, a veteran of Nike and the Obama-era White House, who explains how Curry is focusing on family, faith and sports as core themes to their strategy to crack the entertainment marketplace. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.