Strictly Business

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How Scopely Turns Hollywood IP Into Videogame Gold Jul 03, 2019

Show notes

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.

Can a Studio Make Movies for VR? Jun 26, 2019

Show notes

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.

Disney's Dana Walden on tackling TV's 'existential crisis' Jun 19, 2019

Show notes

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.

Cannes Lions Preview with MediaLink's Michael Kassan Jun 11, 2019

Show notes

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.

Mass Appeal CEO on building a hip-hop brand and content factory Jun 05, 2019

Show notes

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.

Fixing Hollywood's Supply Chain with Data and Deals May 29, 2019

Show notes

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.

Listen: Spielberg's Amblin Chief on Making 'Movies in the Middle' May 22, 2019

Show notes

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.

Listen: 'Catch-22' Producer's Plan to Go Big on Limited TV Series May 15, 2019

Show notes

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.

"The Audience is the Boss of Me": How Refinery29 has evolved amid the digital downturn May 08, 2019

Show notes

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.

The Future of Facebook With the App's New Lead Exec, Fidji Simo Apr 30, 2019

Show notes

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.

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