Strictly Business

Latest Episodes:

Daily Variety -- How David Fincher and Zach Cregger Secretly Shaped Netflix’s Game-TV Hybrid 'Unhinged' Jul 02, 2026

Show notes

On today’s episode, Variety’s Jennifer Maas explains how notable directors David Fincher and Zach Cregger helped shape Netflix’s ambitious new property “Unhinged,” which is a video game that plays like a TV series and your smartphone is the controller.

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Daily Variety -- So Long, LeBron! What the Lakers Shakeup Means for the NBA and for L.A.'s Sports Star Power Jul 01, 2026

Show notes

On today’s episode, Variety’s Marlow Stern unpacks LeBron James’ decision to leave the Los Angeles Lakers after eight seasons and one championship title. The shakeup leaves one of the NBA’s most high-profile teams a little short on star power.

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Daily Variety – CNBC Chief KC Sullivan on Transforming the Linear TV Business in a Global World: ‘We’re Very Much on Offense’ Jun 30, 2026

Show notes

On today’s episode, CNBC president KC Sullivan discusses the channel’s evolution following the Versant Media spinoff. The preeminent financial news network is transforming from a business rooted in linear cable to multiplatform digital. “We’re very much on offense,” Sullivan told Variety during last week’s Cannes Lions festival.

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Daily Variety -- Box Office: ‘Supergirl’ Stumbles, ‘Toy Story 5’ Flexes and ‘Michael’ Hits a Milestone; Why Comcast is Splitting NBCUniversal and Sky From Cable Jun 29, 2026

Show notes

On today’s episode, in our Box Office segment, Variety’s Jack Dunn breaks down a rough weekend for “Supergirl” and a big frame for “Toy Story 5” and “Michael.” And Todd Spangler explains why Comcast is hauling out the corporate meat cleaver to separate NBCUniversal and Sky from the core Comcast cable and tech assets.

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'Strictly Business' Live From Cannes Lions: AWS, Deloitte and Sony Pictures Execs on Getting Your 'Hands Dirty' With Tech and Data to Solve Hard Problems Jun 27, 2026

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On a special Cannes Lions edition, top leaders from AWS, Deloitte and Sony Pictures Entertainment get into the details of how organizations can best use new technology and data tools for transformation. Executives need to get their "hands dirty" in order to harness the power of tech to streamline and address complex problems. That was one key takeaway from the Variety “Strictly Business” Podcast Live presented by AWS & Deloitte, held June 24 at Cannes Lions.

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Daily Variety -- 'Abbott Elementary' Exec Producer Justin Halpern Juggles TV Series and a New Novel Jun 25, 2026

Show notes

On today’s episode, writer and showrunner Justin Halpern speaks with Variety’s Michael Schneider about the road to writing his novel “Get Lost,” which will be released next month. Halpern updates Schneider on a few TV development projects, including the status of high school memoir “I Suck at Girls” at Netflix and the upcoming season of ABC’s “Abbott Elementary,” on which he is an EP.

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Strictly Business Cannes Lions Edition: Fox's Rob Wade and Billy Parks Hope to Bring Scale to the Creator Economy Jun 24, 2026

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On a special Cannes Lions edition of "Strictly Business," Fox Entertainment CEO Rob Wade explains why the company is going all-in on the creator economy with the launch of the Fox Creator Studios division to partner with promising creators who are eager to grow. Josh Richards, one of the first wave of creators to align with Fox, explains the appeal of the effort to bridge old and new school in media.

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Eddy Cue and Jerry Bruckheimer talk ‘F1’ Sequel – Brad Pitt ‘Would Like to Get in That Car Again’ – and Apple’s Evolution in Movies and TV in Cannes Lions Sitdown With Variety Jun 23, 2026

Show notes

On today’s episode, Apple content chief Eddy Cue and producer Jerry Bruckheimer speak to Variety at the Cannes Lions festival about the tech giant’s influence in entertainment, how they’re working to get Brad Pitt back into a fast car for an “F1” movie sequel and how Apple’s incoming CEO feels about the company's expansion into TV and film.

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Daily Variety –- ‘Toy Story 5’ Opens Big and So Does Cannes Lions Jun 22, 2026

Show notes

On today’s episode, in our Box Office segment, Variety’s Rebecca Rubin breaks down 2026’s biggest weekend at the turnstiles to date with “Toy Story 5” delivering the goods for Disney and Pixar. That turnout has lifted the summer-to-date box office to within striking distance of 2019. And the Cannes Lions festival gets off to a busy – and muggy – start on the Côte d'Azur.

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Ken Ziffren Tackles a New Spin on Fin-Syn and Reflects on Six Decades of Hollywood Lawyering Jun 19, 2026

Show notes

The elder statesman of Hollywood attorneys, Ken Ziffren has logged more than 50 years in Los Angeles’ legal community. He’s represented a wide range of players from the late great showrunner entrepreneur Stephen J. Cannell to the Television Academy to the Directors Guild of America. In this conversation with host Cynthia Littleton, Ziffren touches on his effort to re-establish some content ownership restrictions for the industry's largest players, the state of AI in entertainment, how Hollywood's woes are affecting the Southern California economy and how dealmaking has changed markedly over the decades.

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