The Business

Latest Episodes:

‘The Other Two’ creators Sarah Schneider and Chris Kelly on the return of their pop culture send-up Sep 05, 2021

Show notes

The critically beloved sitcom “The Other Two” follows the trials of the older, struggling siblings of a 13-year-old overnight pop sensation. The series creators knew the first season got lost in the shuffle when it ran on Comedy Central. For season two, the show moved to HBO Max, and is a lot easier to find. Chris Kelly and Sarah Schneider tell KCRW about the return of “The Other Two,” and how they decide which celebrities to skewer.

‘Hacks’ creators Jen Statsky and Paul W. Downs on their Emmy-nominated comedy series Aug 30, 2021

Show notes

Jen Statsky and Paul W. Downs are two of the three creators of the Emmy-nominated comedy series “Hacks.” The HBO Max show features Jean Smart as a veteran comedian fighting to hold onto her long-running Las Vegas gig. In real life, Smart also wanted the show to go on — even when her husband died unexpectedly with a week of shooting left. Downs tells KCRW, “We knew from working with [Smart] that she is all in, she is fully committed. And so in that way, we looked to her in this time as well.”

‘Space Jam: A New Legacy’: How voice actor Jeff Bergman brings Bugs Bunny and Sylvester to life Aug 22, 2021

Show notes

Jeff Bergman’s name may not ring a bell, but he has some very recognizable alter egos: Bugs Bunny, Sylvester the Cat and Yogi Bear, to name a few. Bergman is the voice of many of the cartoon stars of “Space Jam: A New Legacy.” His repertoire includes nearly 200 voices, including Donald Trump and Joe Biden in Showtime’s “Our Cartoon President.” He tells KCRW about some of the challenges of this often overlooked profession.

Director Shawn Levy on the ups and downs of making ‘Free Guy’ Aug 15, 2021

Show notes

Director and producer Shawn Levy’s new movie “Free Guy” — a big-budget original starring Ryan Reynolds as a video game character — had its release date pushed three times because of the pandemic. The film is finally opening exclusively in theaters. But heading into opening weekend, Levy wasn’t sure if people would go.

“I have to confess, I don’t know,” Levy says. “I don’t know what the reaction will be to going to theaters, and going to theaters for a new movie.”

The producer-director tells KCRW about the ups and downs of making “Free Guy.”

Producer Jason Blum on the battle around compensation in Hollywood: ‘I hope there will be a lot of lawsuits’ Aug 06, 2021

Show notes

Producer Jason Blum thinks stars and filmmakers deserve a piece of the profit from their work. So naturally he opposes a push from studios to pay Netflix-style flat fees instead. But that didn’t stop him from taking a big flat fee to make three new “Exorcist” films. Blum weighs in on big battles underway in the industry, including Scarlett Johansson's lawsuit against Disney. He hopes it’s the first of many.

Media mogul Barry Diller defends Scott Rudin, decries cancel culture Jul 30, 2021

Show notes

For nearly the past decade, media mogul Barry Diller has backed award-winning movies and Broadway shows from now embattled mega-producer Scott Rudin. Asked about allegations that Rudin engaged in a decades-long pattern of abusive behavior, Diller pushes back. In part two of KCRW’s conversation with the Diller, he emotionally defends Rudin and decries cancel culture.

Barry Diller on the rise of streaming and why Hollywood ‘does not exist anymore’ Jul 23, 2021

Show notes

Barry Diller, who made his name as a powerful studio boss, recently told NPR that “the movie business is over.” Expanding on those views, the legendary mogul and former chairman of Paramount and Fox tells KCRW why, with the pandemic and rise of streaming, Hollywood will never go back to what it once was. In the first of a two-part conversation, Diller — now the chairman of online empire IAC — weighs in on a transforming industry and its future.

Making sense of the 2021 Emmy nominations and revisiting ‘Catch and Kill’ Jul 16, 2021

Show notes

The new HBO series “Catch and Kill: The Podcast Tapes” includes a 2019 interview between Kim Masters and Ronan Farrow for his podcast “Catch and Kill,” which explores the fall of Harvey Weinstein. The Business airs a portion of that interview in which Masters elaborated on her interactions with Weinstein over the years.

Daveed Diggs on ‘Blindspotting’ and creative ventures after ‘Hamilton’ Jul 11, 2021

Show notes

Multi-hyphenate Daveed Diggs has a lot going on, including writing and producing his new series on Starz, “Blindspotting.” The broadway hit “Hamilton” launched his career, but at this point, he’s moved beyond the version of himself that won a Tony and a Grammy. “That Daveed Diggs that everybody fell in love with in that show does not exist anywhere but on that stage,” he says. Daveed Diggs tells KCRW about developing the version of himself after “Hamilton.”

Journalist and ‘Sasquatch’ producer David Holthouse devotes his life to unmasking monsters Jul 02, 2021

Show notes

Investigative reporter and documentary producer David Holthouse was sexually assaulted as a child. He says that trauma led him to devote his life to unmasking monsters, both real and imagined. His newest project took him to a dangerous part of Northern California — the supposed home of Bigfoot. Holthouse tells KCRW about investigating a more than 25-year-old triple homicide for the Hulu series “Sasquatch.”

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

The Business

Related Podcasts

1

2

3

4

5

6