Strictly Business

In today's episode, Todd Spangler, Variety business editor, breaks down Skydance's deal pledges to the FCC as it seeks to close the Paramount Global deal. And music chief Jem Aswad explains why UnitedMasters founder Steve Stoute was the choice for Variety's Music Mogul of the Year honor.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Daniel D'Addario, Variety chief correspondent, details his reporting on FX's massive bet on the sci-fi series  "Alien: Earth," tapping into the franchise launched with the 1979 Ridley Scott film "Alien." Adam B. Vary, senior entertainment writer, offers a curtain-raiser on what to expect — and what not to expect — at San Diego Comic Con this year. He also discusses Marvel chief Kevin Feige's mea culpa to fans for getting overextended with movies and TV series.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nick Vivarelli, Variety's Rome-based correspondent, and international editor Elsa Keslassy break down the significance of the Venice Film Festival lineup highlighted by Guillermo del Toro's "Frankenstein" and A24's "The Smashing Machine" starring Dwayne Johnson. The pair discuss the increased competition for Hollywood awards contenders between Venice and the Cannes Film Festival as distributors seek to reach international voters. And they reflect on Venice Film Festival chief Alberto Barbera's work to raise the fest's profile as a key launch pad for films on the world stage.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Naman Ramachandran gives a report on the biggest rom-com to hit Bollywood in years, "Saiyaara," and how its performance reflects India's changing movie market. Rebecca Rubin details "Superman's" week 2 performance at the box office. And Brian Steinberg discusses the fallout from CBS' decision to ax "The Late Show With Stephen Colbert" after next season.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Alex Morgan, the recently retired soccer superstar, and her business partner Dan Levy discuss Morgan's recent moves as a partner in the women's sports brand Togethxr and other endeavors. Morgan explains that she wants to help other athletes build wealth and navigate career transitions in a conversation recording during Variety's annual Sports and Entertainment Breakfast, held July 17 in West Hollywood.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today's episode features a rundown of the ESPYs and ESPN chief Jimmy Pitaro on how the Worldwide Leader is pitching its upcoming streaming app as a big evolution for sports. And Variety's Jazz Tangcay and Carole Horst discuss their deep dive into Walt Disney Imagineering and its work in Disney parks as Disneyland marks its 70th anniversary.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Senior business writer Jennifer Maas discusses what to expect from Netflix’s second quarter earnings report on Thursday. Business editor Todd Spangler details the “frog boiling in water” factor in his cover story on President Trump’s aggressive attacks on news media and First Amendment protections.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Variety's Michael Schneider and Clayton Davis discuss the surprises and the final tallies for the 77th annual Emmy Award nominations. Owen Gleiberman, Variety's chief film critic, revisits Robert Altman's "Nashville" on its 50th anniversary and recalls how the movie changed his life.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Variety previews "Daily Variety," a new podcast featuring conversations with Variety journalists and guests about news, personalities and trends making headlines in the entertainment industry. It's hosted by Cynthia Littleton, co-editor in chief of Variety and host of Variety's "Strictly Business" podcast.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

ESPN on-air analyst for both men and women's pro and collegiate hoops discusses the current state of NBA and WNBA as media properties, as well as her new Disney Plus show "Vibe Check" and her recent foray into scripted series production for Peacock. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On a bonus episode of Variety's Strictly Business podcast, Variety reporter Ethan Shanfeld describes the scene and the reaction after Sean Combs was acquitted on the most serious charges in his federal sex trafficking, racketeering and prostitution case that has made headlines for the past two months.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The financing of film and TV production has changed dramatically compared with how it was in previous decades. And no one knows that better than Daisy Stall, EVP & group head of entertainment finance at California Bank & Trust. Drawing on three decades of experience in this area , she outlines how traditional funding models have been disrupted by streaming services and broader changes in content consumption.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The newly appointed leader of one of Hollywood’s largest talent agencies sketches out his vision of the fast-changing entertainment landscape and what it means for the talent represented by his firm. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Scopely's senior vice president of publishing Eric Wood breaks down how the mobile gaming company has reached staggering success with "Monopoly Go" and plans for new acquisition "Pokemon Go."See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Variety hosts a conversation during the Cannes Lions festival with Michelle McGuire, principle and chief commercial officer of Converge by Deloitte, and Ruba Borno, VP, global specialists and partners for Amazon’s AWS. The two discuss how their companies are harnessing AI tools and data analytics to guide sports marketing expenditures for blue-chip brands. The pair reflect on how their experiences working together underscore that even the biggest corporate players need partners to help drive the AI productivity revolution.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The president of Bell Media is a native New Yorker and veteran TV executive who took the reins of one of Canada’s largest media conglomerates in 2023. He’s determined to raise the company’s profile as player in global content and platforms.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The founder and CEO of the production banner that delivers high-volume unscripted hits including "Dr. Pimple Popper" and "The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City" explains how he rose from humble beginnings to become a business owner.   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Marketing veterans Angelique Hernandez and Jarell Thompson discuss their innovative venture Havas Play, which connects brands with online gaming communities and social media creators. From the talent management perspective, ARC Collective CEO Shab Azma explains how creators and expert influencers are making a living through brand deals, ecommerce and instructional courses.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Strictly Business host Andrew Wallenstein offers a commentary on the new HBO movie “Mountainhead,” from “Succession” creator Jesse Armstrong, comparing the two productions and speaking to the film’s satirical take on AI and the moguls deploying the technology. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With 'The Minecraft Movie" in striking distance of the billion-dollar mark at the global box office, there's no better time to check in on the state of the videogame industry, with an emphasis on its intersection with Hollywood. Kaare Eriksen, author of a recent Variety Intelligence Report on these subjects, tackles everything from the shadow Trump-era tactics could cast over Nintendo's Switch 2 console to the shift of "Grand Theft Auto 6" to 2026.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The executive director of the Peabody Awards and professor at the communications school at the University of Georgia explains the uniqueness of the Peabody Awards and its process. He also discusses the difficulties of categorizing content these days and how electronic media is meeting the challenge of covering Trump 2.0.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In a rare roundtable interview, six senior leaders at CAA discuss the evolution of the agency and its leadership following the ICM Partners acquisition. The group discusses how the rise of social media has changed the game for clients and how the work of agenting has expanded along with the scale of the entertainment industry.   The participants are: ** Tiffany Ward (Managing Director and Scripted Television Agent) ** Jennifer Joel (Literary Agent and Co-Head of CAA Books) ** Lisa Joseph Metelus (CAA Board member and Head of Athlete Brand Strategy & Entertainment for CAA Sports) ** Maha Dakhil (Managing Director and Motion Picture Agent) ** Arleta Fowler (Digital Media Agent and Head of Digital Media Lifestyle Talent) ** Lara Sacket (Co-Head of Production Department)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ben Silverman, Co-CEO and Chairman of Propagate Content, goes deep on how a modern independent studio generates profit from TV series, documentaries and original digital and audio content. As it marks its 10th year, Propagate has added social media creators, brand and management dealmaking into the mix. Silverman, a veteran producer and former head of NBC Entertainment, reflects on how industry dealmaking has changed in discussing where the content business is headed. Plus a bonus segment: Writer Bill Prady shares a memory that involves John Oliver, Jim Henson, “Nightline” and the 1987 stock market crash.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Courtney White, president of Wheelhouse Entertainment, discusses the high-wire act of managing seven production labels and juggling a portfolio of unscripted content under Brent Montgomery's Wheelhouse umbrella. The cable TV veteran explains why Wheelhouse has invested in the "Ladies Who Launch" networking events for creatives, and why she wants to recreate the "walk to the elevator moment" in a world of Zoom pitch meetings.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On a bonus episode, media industry veteran Tom Rogers weighs in on another few days of wild swings in the U.S. equities markets and how it's affecting Hollywood. Plus Variety business editor Todd Spangler unpacks the anti-trust issues that Google and Meta are fighting in Washington, D.C. courtrooms.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Gov. Phil Murphy details the arc of New Jersey's campaign to bring film and TV production to the Garden State. Murphy also discusses the state of the Democrats and the alarming rise of politically motivated violence aimed at public officials.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A humorous but insightful commentary in which host Andrew Wallenstein discusses the personal experience of developing a TikTok habit so powerful it displaced TV as “his go-to media habit for the past 50 years.”  Describes his months of immersion on the platform, he likens it to a religious conversion that left him with prophetic visions of media's future, which he shares in detail (before the men in white coats come for him). See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Brent Lang, Variety's executive editor overseeing film and media coverage, shares his observations about this year's CinemaCon gathering of movie theater owners and Hollywood studios. The tension is palpable as the sector is struggling to return to its pre-pandemic heights. He also weighs in on the story of the moment — the fate of Michael De Luca and Pam Abdy as leaders of Warner Bros. Pictures. And Pat Saperstein, Variety's deputy editor of film, details her recent list of the 21 Coolest Movie Theaters in the World.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Samuels unpacks the recapitalization and revitalization process of the cable channel and digital platform launched in 2013 by Sean Combs, who exited the business entirely last year as his legal problems increased. Samuels led the complicated process of turning Revolt into an employee-owned company, a rarity for a sizable media brand. In a separate interview, BET founder Robert Johnson gives his perspective on the state of Black-owned media, and whether he regrets selling BET in 2001.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Managing $1.5 billion in assets, Griffin Gaming Partners is a VC firm tailored to the video games space. Peter Levin, managing director and co-founder of Griffin, discusses the rush of AI interest into gaming, why emerging markets are so crucial to the industry and ongoing adaptations of gaming IP on the Hollywood side — all as the global games business gathers in San Francisco for GDC. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Five years ago, the TV industry rose to the occasion to keep news programs, talk shows, late-night and live-to-tape entertainment shows on the air during the harshest months of lockdown and quarantines at the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Interviews with 10 industry insiders – including ABC News’ Linsey Davis, CBS News’ Tony Dokoupil and Fox News’ Bill Hemmer – are woven together to take a long look back at the technological innovation, ingenuity and the inevitable on-air mishaps that characterized the ominous early months of the pandemic. The discussion also explores the lasting changes that have taken root long after social distancing mandates have gone away.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Taylor K. Shaw, newly hired as senior outreach lead for film at Kickstarter, details why the crowdsourcing site feels the time is right to court established filmmakers, producers and writers. The fundraising service can help pay for projects and it can be an engine for engaging with and cultivating dedicated fans.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Legion M CEO on 'My Dead Friend Zoe' Release and Building First Fan-Owned Media CompanySee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nabbing exclusive rights to the prequel to "Shtisel," the series Netflix made popular around the world, is more than just a financial opportunity for Izzy CEO Nati Dinnar to put his fledgling streaming service on the global map. "Kugel" represents a chance to advance the interests of his homeland's reputation amid war in the Middle East, not to mention its struggling TV industry. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Fresh off the release of their new Variety Intelligence Platform research study "Production Pipelines: Film & TV in Flux," analysts Tyler Aquilina and Kaare Eriksen share their insights on how the unfolding tragedy in the heart of the entertainment industry alters the outlook for Hollywood long-form content output. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How do you measure a year? Audience research firm Luminate does just that in its newly released 2024 Film & TV Year-End Report. Two top Luminate executives – Marc Hoebich, executive VP and head of film and TV, and Carolyn Finger, senior VP of consumer success and product – break down the report and its findings.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When Warner Bros. Discovery research chief Natasha Hritzuk first began studying short-form video, the conventional wisdom was that platforms like TikTok and YouTube were having a cannibalizing effect on TV and film consumption. But as she shares in her latest study, the deeper she explored audience behavor, the more she saw that social video served as a potent discovery tool for the very programming to which it seemed to pose a competitive threat.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

David J. Lee, chief operating officer and chief financial officer of Webtoon Entertainment, discusses the rapid growth of webtoons as a digital entertainment medium during a session held as part of the Variety Entertainment Summit at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. And prolific webtoon creator Brandon Chen, author of "Just a Goblin" and many other titles, explains the appeal of the graphic novel-like format as a creative outlet and training ground for budding storytellers.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sony Pictures Entertainment CEO Ravi Ahuja gives his first interview since taking the reins of the studio. The conversation was held Jan. 8 at Variety’s Entertainment Summit at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, as firestorms were raging across Los Angeles County. Later that day, NBCUniversal ad sales chief Mark Marshall and NBC Sports host Maria Taylor brought some levity with a freewheeling session previewing what Marshall calls “the greatest 730 days that any media company has ever had” given the Super Bowl, Winter Olympics, NBA coverage and more on tap for 2025 and 2026.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Phil Hutcheon, the CEO of London-based ticketing software company Dice, sat down with Strictly Business to reflect on 10 years of revolutionizing the ticketing industry. Dice's fan- and artist-forward mission takes a strong stance against scalping and dynamic pricing, which earned it a loyal following in the U.K. before expanding to the U.S. and Canada. Next stop: the world.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Verve talent agency partners Liz Parker, Bryan Besser, Adam Levine and Adam Weinstein discuss the arc of the mid-sized firm's journey as its 15th anniversary approaches in 2025. The foursome address the end of packaging fees, the contraction in the creative community, finding IP in unexpected places and growth opportunities in animation. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Strictly Business co-host Andrew Wallenstein looks back on the rationale he laid out a decade ago as co-editor-in-chief of Variety for publishing the contents of the Sony hack and shares his misgivings about a difficult decision and why he made it. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nominated for producer of the year at the Grammys, Daniel Nigro has become one of the top writer-producers in the pop thanks to his collaborations with Chappell Roan and Olivia Rodrigo, who became superstars on his watch. He talks about why he thinks of himself more of a band member with these artists than a traditional producer.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

John Landgraf, the respected chairman of FX, engages in a wide-ranging conversation about the precarious state of TV and film and the content industry in general. Coming off a banner year for FX, Landgraf explains how the edgy cable brand found a home within Disney and is navigating the transition from linear to streaming.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.

With the long-awaited second season of the Emmy-winning Netflix series "Arcane" debuting Nov. 9, producers Riot Games may be better known for videogame phenomena like "League of Legends," but they've proven they can make great entertainment, too. But the company has struggled to expand further into scripted entertainment as inexperience has kept anything else from getting off the ground. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Delphi Interactive is a new company licensing some of the biggest franchises in entertainment and partnering them with independent gaming studios to bring those properties to life as new AAA video games. CEO Casper Daugaard and President Andy Kleinman joined Strictly Business to discuss what they refer to as the “publishing industrial complex” and their plans to circumvent gaming’s biggest entities to deliver new experiences for the unpredictable console and PC gaming market.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The founder, CEO and lead anchor of the insurgent progressive news brand shares his pre-election outlook on what it's been like covering the 2024 presidential race and discusses the state of the TYT business from his days as a YouTube pioneer more than two decades ago. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Marketing and advertising leaders from Disney, Warner Bros., NBCUniversal, Google, Nvidia, CVS, Ford, Pintrest and other blue-chip firms share insights on how to break through in a moment of transition from media and tech. HIghlights from the Variety Ad Week studio presented by Canva include conversations with creatives engaged in marketing and advertising pursuits including Terry Crews, Common and Camila Cabello. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Gamefam founder Joe Ferencz breaks down the metaverse game developer and publisher's strategy for harnessing and monetizing popular IPSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.