The Town with Matthew Belloni

Latest Episodes:

Apple's True Intentions in Hollywood—With Top Exec Eddy Cue Oct 14, 2025

Show notes

Matt is joined by Apple senior vice president of services Eddy Cue to discuss all things Apple in Hollywood, including the latest momentum for the studio after big hits like ‘Severance,’ ‘The Studio,’ and ‘F1’; the business model of the streaming service; whether the company would ever bolster its library by acquiring a studio; its interest in sports rights; its commitment to releasing movies theatrically; and whether Apple is serious about sticking around in Hollywood for the long term (03:44). Matt finishes the show with an opening-weekend box office prediction for ‘The Black Phone 2’ (35:59).
For a 20 percent discount on Matt’s Hollywood insider newsletter, ‘What I’m Hearing ...,’ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠click here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.
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Host: Matt Belloni
Guest: Eddy Cue
Producers: Craig Horlbeck and Jessie Lopez
Theme Song: Devon Renaldo

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The Hollywood Stock Market: The Rock, Louis C.K., Kevin Feige, Sora 2, and More! Oct 13, 2025

Show notes

Live from Bloomberg’s Screentime event in L.A., Matt and Lucas Shaw make the case to buy or sell various entities across the entertainment industry, including the Rock, Comcast, Louis C.K., the Sora 2 freak-out, Glen Powell, Marvel, and more!

For a 20 percent discount on Matt’s Hollywood insider newsletter, ‘What I’m Hearing ...,’ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠click here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.
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Host: Matt Belloni
Guest: Lucas Shaw
Producers: Craig Horlbeck and Jessie Lopez
Theme Song: Devon Renaldo

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Part 2: What Ari Emanuel Talks About With Trump and the Rock Oct 10, 2025

Show notes

In Part 2 of Matt’s conversation with WME executive chairman and TKO CEO Ari Emanuel and TKO president Mark Shapiro, they discuss how the NFL's next rights negotiations will influence the entertainment industry, how the UFC ended up with Paramount and why it almost went to Netflix, and Ari’s relationship with the Rock, David Ellison, and Donald Trump (01:35).
For a 20 percent discount on Matt’s Hollywood insider newsletter, ‘What I’m Hearing ...,’ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠click here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.
Email us your thoughts! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠thetown@spotify.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
Host: Matt Belloni
Guests: Ari Emanuel and Mark Shapiro
Producers: Craig Horlbeck and Jessie Lopez
Theme Song: Devon Renaldo

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Part 1 With Ari Emanuel and Mark Shapiro: AI, Live Events, and the Four-Day Work Week Oct 09, 2025

Show notes

Matt is joined by WME and TKOs Ari Emanuel and Mark Shapiro to discuss their new company, Mari. They talk about why they are betting on live experiences, the possibility of the four-day work week changing the way we live, the state of the talent business, and how we should be thinking about AI in Hollywood (03:33). Matt finishes the show with a prediction about the possibility of Netflix buying Warner Bros. (23:12).

Host: Matt Belloni
Guests: Ari Emanuel and Mark Shapiro

Producers: Craig Horlbeck and Jessie Lopez
Theme Song: Devon Renaldo

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David Ellison’s $150M Bet on Bari Weiss and a New-Look CBS News Oct 07, 2025

Show notes

Matt is joined by Semafor cofounder Ben Smith to discuss what to expect from CBS News in the David Ellison and Bari Weiss era. Ellison, the new owner of Paramount, has tasked 41-year-old Weiss to run its news division and also acquired her company The Free Press for $150 million. Matt and Ben talk about why David Ellison brought Weiss in, how she could influence CBS News, and what power a broadcast news brand even has in 2025 (03:32). Matt finishes the show with an opening weekend box office prediction for ‘Tron: Ares’ (25:54).

For a 20 percent discount on Matt’s Hollywood insider newsletter, ‘What I’m Hearing ...,’ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠click here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.
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Host: Matt Belloni
Guest: Ben Smith

Producers: Craig Horlbeck and Jessie Lopez
Theme Song: Devon Renaldo

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The 'Smashing Machine’ Bomb and A24’s Big-Budget Burden Oct 06, 2025

Show notes

Matt and Bloomberg’s Lucas Shaw use the disappointing box office performance for A24’s sports drama ‘The Smashing Machine’ with Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson to examine the current state of A24, the difficulty of living up to its sky-high valuation, and the natural life cycle of a growing indie movie studio (03:04). Matt finishes the show with a prediction about the new cast of 'SNL' (25:20).
For a 20 percent discount on Matt’s Hollywood insider newsletter, ‘What I’m Hearing ...,’ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠click here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.
Email us your thoughts! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠thetown@spotify.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
Host: Matt Belloni
Guest: Lucas Shaw
Producers: Craig Horlbeck and Jessie Lopez
Theme Song: Devon Renaldo

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Sora 2, AI Actors, and How Hollywood Can Fight Back Oct 02, 2025

Show notes

Matt is joined by SAG-AFTRA national executive director Duncan Crabtree-Ireland to discuss OpenAI’s new app, Sora 2, an AI video tool and video-sharing app, and the problems it presents for Hollywood. They discuss how this product can threaten the legitimacy of image and likeness rights and infringe on intellectual property and why Hollywood isn't suing OpenAI immediately. They dive into what is allowed to be used to train AI models vs. what is allowed to be posted on apps like Sora, the opt-in vs. opt-out system, how actors can protect themselves, and what's really at stake here (03:15). They also discuss Tilly Norwood, the so-called “AI actress” that sparked outrage over the last week (28:23).
For a 20 percent discount on Matt’s Hollywood insider newsletter, ‘What I’m Hearing ...,’ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠click here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.
Email us your thoughts! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠thetown@spotify.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
Host: Matt Belloni
Guest: Duncan Crabtree-Ireland
Producers: Craig Horlbeck and Jessie Lopez
Theme Song: Devon Renaldo

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The Return of the Spec Script—Is There Hope for Original Screenplays in Hollywood? Oct 01, 2025

Show notes

Matt is joined by Entertainment 360 literary manager/producer Geoff Shaevitz to discuss why spec-script sales have taken off in Hollywood over the past year. Geoff speculates on what kick-started this trend, why buyers are moving away from fully packaged deals, which genres are selling, which studios are buying, and whether the original-script boom is here to stay (02:50). Matt finishes the show with a prediction about the opening weekend box offices for ‘Taylor Swift: The Official Release Party of a Showgirl’ and ‘The Smashing Machine’ (25:15).
For a 20 percent discount on Matt’s Hollywood insider newsletter, ‘What I’m Hearing ...,’ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠click here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.
Email us your thoughts! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠thetown@spotify.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
Host: Matt Belloni
Guest: Geoff Shaevitz
Producers: Craig Horlbeck and Jessie Lopez
Theme Song: Devon Renaldo

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One Box Office Battle After Another for PTA Sep 29, 2025

Show notes

Matt is joined by Bloomberg’s Lucas Shaw to discuss the weekend box office performance of ‘One Battle After Another’: Was the film a flop or a hit? With Warner Bros.' film slate done for the year, Matt and Lucas discuss the studio's performance this year and how it could affect chiefs Michael De Luca and Pam Abdy, as well as the studio as a whole, amid a potential sale to David Ellison (02:58). They also discuss President Trump’s renewed threats of imposing tariffs on films made outside the United States (22:59). Matt finishes the show with a prediction on what will happen with AI actress Tilly Norwood (25:26).

For a 20 percent discount on Matt’s Hollywood insider newsletter, ‘What I’m Hearing ...,’ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠click here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Email us your thoughts! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠thetown@spotify.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Host: Matt Belloni

Guest: Lucas Shaw

Producers: Craig Horlbeck and Jessie Lopez

Theme Song: Devon Renaldo

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Where the Money Is Spent in Hollywood and How It's Changing Sep 26, 2025

Show notes

Matt is joined by Scott Purdy, a media strategy leader at KPMG, to discuss their illuminating new study outlining how much the major networks are spending on content and, more importantly, where. They discuss why these companies need to start spending their money differently and how user-generated content might soon become more powerful than the traditional content models (02:36). Matt finishes the show with an opening weekend box office prediction for Paul Thomas Anderson’s newest film, ‘One Battle After Another’ (25:28).
For a 20 percent discount on Matt’s Hollywood insider newsletter, ‘What I’m Hearing ...,’ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠click here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.
Email us your thoughts! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠thetown@spotify.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
Host: Matt Belloni
Guest: Scott Purdy
Producers: Craig Horlbeck and Jessie Lopez
Theme Song: Devon Renaldo

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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