Strictly Business

In 2006, the Bloomberg mayoral administration in New York decided to fund a job training program, Made in NY, offering low-income residents the chance to work as production assistants in film and TV. More than 15 years later, former New York City film commissioner Katherine Oliver and alumni from the program gather to measure Made in NY’s powerful long-term impact on their lives and the city at large.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Casey Bloys, the content leader of HBO and Max, engages in a wide-ranging discussion about HBO’s recent streak of pop culture hits, from “Succession” to “The Last of Us” to “The White Lotus” and more. Bloys also offers his view of the limits of AI and its use in entertainment, and he explains how HBO and Max can live together and separately under one streaming roof. Recorded June 7 at Variety’s TV FYC Fest held at the 1 Hotel in West Hollywood.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The veteran film and TV producer behind the Searchlight/Hulu release details the purpose that has driven his unconventional career in Hollywood. Franklin discusses why Hollywood has shied away from faith-infused properties in recent years and how he hopes to change that with mainstream movies and TV shows rooted in moving and meaningful themes. “The only thing that matters is a great story, period,” he says. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The end of the great streaming content boom has brought with it a responsibility by the entertainment industry to address the compensation issues presented by the digitial transition to the creative community, as reflected by the writers strike. So says Paul Lee, CEO of Wiip, the production banner behind “Mare of Easttown,” “The Summer I Turned Pretty,” “The White House Plumbers,” “Dickinson" and more. In a candid interview, the Disney veteran discusses who the tightening in the content marketplace will be good for independent producers in the long run. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Variety’s team of television reporters offer a debrief on the 2023 programming presentations in New York. It was an upfronts week like no other with Writers Guild of America pickets outside of all the major events. Behind the velvet rope, there were plenty of signals of the industry’s difficult transition from linear to streaming. Variety’s Jennifer Maas, Joe Otterson, Todd Spangler and Brian Steinberg offer highlights and insights from Disney, Netflix, NBCUniversal, Fox, YouTube and more. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Lila Snyder, CEO of Bose Corporation, oversees all aspects of the company’s consumer electronics, automotive and related businesses and leads a global staff of 6,000. Her guiding principle: that “sound is not an accessory. It is everything we do; it's in the center.”See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

At a time when many showbiz scribes couldn't be more disillusioned with the traditional studio system, along comes Toonstar with a blockchain-powered business model for entertainment that lets creators bypass the usual modes of content distribution. Toonstar co-founders John Attanasio and Luisa Huang discuss their Web3 story studio on the eve of its latest series premiere, "Space Junk."See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Perkins Miller, the CEO of entertainment company Fandom and subsidiaries Fandom.com, Metacritic, GameSpot, Giant Bomb and TV Guide, advises on where Hollywood should be putting its limited cash in this uncertain economy. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Thanks in large part to top seller Bad Bunny, Latin music sawexplosive growth in 2022, exceeding $1 billion in U.S. revenues forthe first time, and up nearly 25% from 2021. Amazon Music is on asimilar path as it relates to Latin music and its many subgenres.Leading the charge: Rocío Guerrero, a veteran of Spotify and WarnerMusic Group whose role as Amazon’s Global Head of Latin Music runsacross multiple digital and physical offerings at the retail giant.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The co-founder and co-chairman of the private equity giant shares his observations on the changing nature of Hollywood and how that moniker became synonymous with the global entertainment business. In discussing the motivation behind his new PBS series “Iconic America: Our Symbols and Stories,” which premieres April 26, Rubenstein describes the world of studio smoke and mirrors “a uniquely American enterprise” that has become part and parcel of the American dream. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Daniel Rausch, VP of entertainment devices and services at Amazon, provides an update on expansion plans for the Fire TV business, which aims to be a hub for the smart-home experience, as well as a status check on the company's cloud-gaming offering, Luna. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Magnolia Network series "Restored" has returned for a seventh season with host Brett Waterman, who isn't doing just another cable-TV house-flipping show; this series is a serious look at the historic preservation of houses from a wide range of architectural styles.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Netflix sequel featuring Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston represents the highest-profile gig yet for this veteran helmer. But it's more like an extracurricular activity outside of the Syracuse school building he bought to shoot a teen-film franchise for Hulu. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

SXSW 2023 participants and Austin locals talk about the annual gathering that brings together the worlds of film, TV, music, digital media, marketing and more to the Lone Star state’s capital city. “It’s like you meet one year's worth of people in this short, compressed timeline. And everyone's open-minded,” says RJ, who is chief executive of streaming media tech startup Zync. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Evan Bogart is a first-class multitasker who's written hit songs for Beyonce and Rihanna, owns a publishing company that recently acquired the Christopher Cross catalog, is the chair of the Grammy Songwriters Wing and was executive music producer for "Spinning Gold," the biopic of his father Neil, who founded Casablanca Records, the label that brought the world Kiss, Donna Summer, Parliament-Funkadelic and the Village People. He talks about all of the above and more here. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

TV distribution executive Scott Koondel details the launch of his Sox Entertainment banner and why it is well-positioned to take advantage of massive disruption across the media landscape. He offers insights on the evolution of the streaming marketplace, having orchestrated important early Netflix and Hulu licensing pacts for the CBS and the CW. And he explains how a phone call from Judith Sheindlin led to the creation of Freevee’s “Judy Justice.” See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ray Nutt, CEO of Fathom Events, explains how the Denver-based firm has managed to buck the box office downtrend with a roster of special events, classic Hollywood titles, the spectacle of the Metropolitan Opera and indies such as “Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey.” Nutt details the business models and market-timing strategies that allow Fathom releases to complement the multiplex menu offered by the distributor’s three parent companies, exhibition chains AMC Entertainment, Regal Cinemas and Cinemark.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jamie Krents, a 25-year veteran of Universal Music Group, runs the Verve, Impulse! and Verve Forecast imprints, original home to Ella Fitzgerald, then Louis Armstrong, Billie Holiday, Velvet Underground and Frank Zappa. Today, jazz remains a core genre of the company with Grammy winner Samara Joy finding a new (read: younger) audience.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Pulitzer Prize-winning authors James B. Stewart and Rachel Abrams of The New York Times discuss their investigations into the downfalls of Sumner Redstone and Leslie Moonves in their new book "Unscripted: The Epic Battle for a Media Empire and the Redstone Family Legacy." See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Barstool Sports CEO Erika Ayers returns to Strictly Business to discuss a big month for her company, which is set to be wholly acquired this month by casino operator Penn Entertainment. She addresses her brand's foray into sports betting and the many different activations Barstool has going at Sunday's Super Bowl. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Pearlena Igbokwe, chairman of Universal Studio Group, and Erin McPherson, chief content officer of Verizon Consumer Group, discuss how their businesses are evolving as the streaming marketplace matures. Igbokwe details her focus on building library assets for the long haul; McPherson explains Verizon's goal to become a friendly-but-not-competitive portal to help Hollywood with content aggregation.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Netflix president of worldwide advertising Jeremi Gorman and Pinterest chief content officer Malik Ducard split a double-interview episode recorded earlier this month at the Variety Entertainment Summit at CES. Both execs discuss what it's like to take established businesses in new directions.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Thai Randolph is CEO of Hartbeat, the production company Kevin Hart founded with an eye on creating comedy across media platforms. She discusses how she's led the company after a $100 million investment aimed at taking Hartbeat to its next phase of growth. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As the Grammy Awards prepares to present its first ever Songwriter of the Year honor, Warner Chappell Music Publishing Co-Chair Carianne Marshall runs down massive strides in royalty rates and the challenges ahead for the business of songs.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Our 2022 retrospective highlights favorite guests, moments and most significant industry trends in media and entertainment, as selected by Cynthia Littleton, Andrew Wallenstein and Shirley Halperin, hosts of Variety’s weekly podcast Strictly Business.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Producer Tony Thomas tells the story of how his father, entertainer Danny Thomas, pulled together Hollywood stars and Lebanese and Syrian immigrant communities to build a hospital in the deep South. St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital thrives today, a testament to the organization’s philosophy of treating children with catastrophic illnesses regardless of their ability to pay. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Peter Micelli and Jack Whigham of Range Media Partners outline their vision for the startup representation firm that aims to reinvent talent management for the Web3 era — with backing from billionaire Wall Street wiz Steven A. Cohen.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jim Gosnell and Jim Osborne, CEO and president of APA, discuss the dramatic changes that have swept across the content business and Hollywood’s creative community. The pair discuss their bid to become the strongest mid-sized player after the Big Three agencies (CAA, WME and UTA) as APA heads into its 60th anniversary year in 2023. The “Jims,” as they’re known, also get candid about the marketplace for talent and their experience dealing with Justice Department lawyers probing the merger of CAA and ICM Partners. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How did Kate Bush’s “Running Up That Hill” become one of the most-consumed songs of 2022, 37 years after its original release? “Stranger Things” happened, Sony Music Publishing’s VP of Creative Amy Coles explains of the long road to clearing the song’s use on the Netflix hit. Also: In the studio with Grammy-winning producer and entrepreneur Ricky Reed, who breaks down his work on Lizzo’s hit “About Damn Time.”See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

David Madden, global head of entertainment for Wattpad Webtoon Studios, discusses his mandate to develop TV and film projects based on new forms of storytelling that are wildly popular in Asia and gaining steam around the world. The seasoned Hollywood executive details the blend of data, math and talent scouting for new author voices that yields prospects for broader development. Contrasting his many years at top networks, studios and most recently with Greg Berlanti Prods., “I feel like I’m working for a 21st century company,” Madden says. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The TV megahit "The Walking Dead" will end its historic run on AMC this week, but that conclusion doesn't mark the end of the franchise. There's a slew of current and forthcoming extensions of the zombie-happy brand, says Skybound Entertainment CEO David Alpert, and a lot more other IP in the works at this innovative company.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

To make its animated Netflix series "Arcane," Riot Games didn't follow the typical Hollywood rules. Marc Merrill, co-founder and president of games, and Shauna Spenley, head of entertainment, discuss how they are trying to take a company known for gaming sensations like "League of Legends" into brand-new territory. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's another double-dose episode on the podcast this week about...podcasts. First, Jen Sargent gives us an inside look at how Amazon Prime is expanding its audio offerings. Second: Audacy chief digital officer J.D. Crowley offers his vision for the company's strategy in which podcasts play a big part. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jeff Stotland, executive VP of global studios for Hudson Pacific, explains why the real estate investment trust has been buying up studio lots in Los Angeles and other production hubs around the world. Stotland explains the ins and outs of managing soundstages and related services amid the exponential growth of TV and film production.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen and many others have sold song catalogs for hundreds of millions of dollars. Primary Wave founder Larry Mestel — whose company handles the catalogs of Whitney Houston, Bob Marley, James Brown, Stevie Nicks and dozens more, and just got a $2 billion investment — talks about how to maximize the value of those catalogs.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Los Angeles mayoral candidate discusses his policy agenda for the creative community, keeping production jobs in Hollywood’s backyard, making the city more hospitable to freelance workers and smoothing red tape for business activity. The L.A. native and prominent commercial real estate developer vows to address the city's growing ranks of unhoused residents through better coordination of existing resources and “tough” and “humane” decisions. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

From Vince McMahon to Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, TV executive Brian Gewirtz has worked with more than a few wrestling legends, an experience he recounts in his new book, "There's Just One Problem: True Tales from the Former One-Time 7th Most Powerful Person in WWE." He also has a new Vice TV doc out this week, "Tales From the Territories."See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Julia Boorstin, CNBC’s senior media and technology correspondent, discusses her upcoming book, “When Women Lead: What They Achieve, Why They Succeed and How We Can Learn From Them.” Boorstin explains her interest in studying how female leaders differ from their male counterparts, and how those differences translate into bottom-line performance. She also calls out the venture capital sector for the woefully insufficient amount of investment dollars that flow into female-led and female-founded business startups.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A special doubleheader edition of the podcast begins with Kareem Daniel, chairman of Disney Media & Entertainment Distribution, and concludes with Jason Blum and Abhijay Prakash, the top execs at Blumhouse (Q&A starts at 28:36). Both interviews were conducted at Variety's Entertainment & Technology Summit on Sept. 15, 2022. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Producer, songwriter and label executive Richard Gottehrer talks about working with Blondie and the Go-Gos, co-founding Sire Records and the Orchard, and writing songs like 'I Want Candy' and 'My Boyfriend's Back.'See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Andrew Fitzgerald, senior vice president of streaming video services for Hearst Television, details the broadcast TV station group’s growing investment in hyper-local streaming content for its Very Local platform. The ad-supported free service is a hub for time-delayed access to local newscasts ON Hearst's major markets including Boston, Pittsburgh, New Orleans, Milwaukee and Omaha, Neb. Very Local is an effort to reach the expanding number of broadband-only homes who have lost access to local broadcast stations as well as to deepen engagement with dedicated viewers of the mothership stations in each market. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

She may be best known in the NBA, but Jeanie Buss is making a name for herself in Hollywood, with a Hulu documentary out now about her legendary franchise, a potential comedy in the works based on her life and the relaunching of her venture WOW: Women of Wrestling.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

K-pop can’t be denied. That was abundantly clear in downtown Los Angeles in August as thousands of die-hard fans gathered for KCON 2022, a celebration of K-pop and other aspects of South Korean pop culture. On the-ground-conversations with KCON attendees offer insights into how this niche fandom has grown around the world. The conversations also demonstrate how the fundamentals of K-pop and the emphasis on direct fan interaction reflect larger trends in media and entertainment. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sam Wu, CEO of the Rakuten Viki streaming service, discusses the surging demand for Korean dramas and other content from Asia. He details the company’s growth as the streaming arm of the Japanese retail giant, and he muses on the reasons for the burst of interest in South Korean pop culture in recent years. “It’s easy to fall in love with K-dramas,” Wu says.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Flush with a Series D round amounting to $100 million, Overtime CEO Dan Porter talks the Xs and Os of growing his innovative basketball and football leagues featuring teenage athletes. He looks ahead to attracting media-rights deals and invading other sports but the investment will fuel growth of existing properties.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Peter Shapiro, veteran concert promoter, venue owner and author of the new book “The Music Never Stops: What Putting on 10,000 Shows Has Taught Me About Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Magic,” talks about his lifelong love of the Grateful Dead, how he set out to succeed as an entrepreneur and his thoughts on the controversial dynamic pricing model for concert tickets.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The leader of the Worldwide Leader weighs in on the state of the sports giant that has been the tip of the spear for the transformation of media in the streaming era. Speaking at Variety’s Sports and Entertainment breakfast July 21, Pitaro gamely engages in rapid-fire questions about ESPN’s long-term runway as a linear channel, the upcoming NBA TV rights talks, the influence of social media and how Peyton and Eli Manning’s alternate “Monday Night Football” telecast opened the door to innovation in live event coverage.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dan McDermott, president of entertainment for AMC Networks and AMC Studios, details the world-building process that began after the company struck a wide-ranging deal with the estate of famed novelist Anne Rice. McDermott, a veteran executive and producer, explains the new TV math of developing programs and characters designed to support interlocking characters across multiple platforms that to play out over a decade or more. McDermott discusses the pros and cons of aiming so high and why it’s such a departure from pilot season of old. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Cyma Zarghami, founder and CEO of MiMo Studios, discusses the changing state of children’s media and burgeoning efforts to create a kid-friendly metaverse. The former leader of Nickelodeon details the launch of her New York-based independent production banner and how she is approaching development and production for a new generation of media. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In country music, the more issues like parity for female artists and people of color get talked about, the more they stay the same, it often seems. But for the better part of a decade, Leslie Fram, CMT’s senior VP of music & talent, has been pretty much the first name you hear when you hear about execs who are making a difference. That’s been within the network, with the Next Women of Country initiative and an Equal Play pledge to program at least 50% female artists, and outside it, with some extracurricular diversity programs she’s co-founded. Fram joins us to talk about those issues and also discuss subjects like “The CMT Awards” moving upstairs to CBS, and Pluto TV and Paramount Plus allowing for more of the music programming that doesn’t always have a big place on CMT itself.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.