The Town with Matthew Belloni

Latest Episodes:

The Townies Part 2: Hollywood’s Best and Worst of 2022 Dec 28, 2022

Show notes

It’s Part 2 of podcasting’s most exclusive event of the year, the first-annual Townie Awards. In Part 2, Matt and Bloomberg’s Lucas Shaw give out the Mea Culpa Award, the Suck Haters I Was Right Award, the Most Annoying Media Narrative Award, the Best and Worst Actor Career Move Awards, and the Winner of the Year.

Host: Matt Belloni

Guest: Lucas Shaw

Producer: Craig Horlbeck

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The Townies: Hollywood’s Best and Worst of 2022 Dec 27, 2022

Show notes

It’s podcasting’s most exclusive event of the year, the first annual Townie Awards. This is a show made up of awards created by us, based on our own interpretations of the weirdest year in Hollywood. In Part 1, Matt is joined by Bloomberg’s Lucas Shaw to give out the Most Baffling Success Award, the Publicist Fail of the Year Award, the Jeff “Albanian Army” Bewkes Award for Quote I’ll Probably Regret, and much more.

Host: Matt Belloni

Guest: Lucas Shaw

Producer: Craig Horlbeck

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Why YouTube Landed NFL ‘Sunday Ticket’ Dec 23, 2022

Show notes

This week YouTube closed on a multi-billion dollar deal to take over NFL ‘Sunday Ticket,’ marking the next major sign of sports television's inevitable transition to streaming. Matt is joined by Ben Mullin from 'The New York Times' to discuss why YouTube made this deal, why Apple failed, and what this means for the future of streaming sports.

Host: Matt Belloni

Guest: Ben Mullin

Producer: Craig Horlbeck

Theme Song: Devon Renaldo

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2022 Debacles Part 2: The 2023 Hot Seat and Hollywood’s Biggest Loser Dec 20, 2022

Show notes

In Part 2 of our biggest debacles of the year conversation, Matt welcomes back Bloomberg’s Lucas Shaw to nominate the executive on the hot seat in 2023 and make the case for the biggest debacle of the year.

Host: Matt Belloni

Guest: Lucas Shaw

Producer: Craig Horlbeck

Theme Song: Devon Renaldo

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2022 Debacles Part 1: Movie Bombs, Executive Misfires, and Secret Disasters Dec 19, 2022

Show notes

This entire year was arguably a debacle for most in Hollywood, the content bubble has seemingly burst, the streaming model may be broken, and companies are frantically trying to create a business model that works for everyone. To discuss those who have struggled most in 2022, Matt is joined by Bloomberg’s Lucas Shaw for Part 1 of a two-part conversation covering the biggest debacles in Hollywood, including the movie bomb of the year, the most maligned executive decisions, and the most underdiscussed disasters.

Host: Matt Belloni

Guest: Lucas Shaw

Producer: Craig Horlbeck

Theme Song: Devon Renaldo

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The Stranglehold of Streaming, With United Talent Agency CEO Jeremy Zimmer Dec 16, 2022

Show notes

Matt is joined by the CEO of United Talent Agency (UTA) Jeremy Zimmer to discuss how the financial downturn of the streaming model has trickled down to talent agencies, why pivoting for back-end profit participation in streaming makes sense, the looming possibility of a writers' strike, and more.

Host: Matt Belloni

Guest: Jeremy Zimmer

Producer: Craig Horlbeck

Theme Song: Devon Renaldo

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‘Avatar: The Way of Water’ With Producer Jon Landau Dec 15, 2022

Show notes

Matt is joined by film producer Jon Landau to talk about his latest project ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’ and creating the most successful movie of all time with ‘Avatar.’ He talks about managing the sky-high expectations of the sequel, his dynamic with director James Cameron, the biggest challenge they faced during production, as well as the movie-going industry at large and what it should be doing to help the theatrical experience thrive.

Host: Matt Belloni

Guest: Jon Landau

Producer: Craig Horlbeck

Theme Song: Devon Renaldo

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The Biggest Flexes of the Year in Hollywood Dec 12, 2022

Show notes

Matt is joined by Bloomberg’s Lucas Shaw to discuss the most successful power moves of the year in Hollywood. In what was widely considered a difficult year across the board in entertainment, who took the biggest swing and came out on top?

Host: Matt Belloni

Guest: Lucas Shaw

Producer: Craig Horlbeck

Theme Song: Devon Renaldo

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John Skipper on the Rise of the Sports Documentary and Bob Iger’s Big Plans Dec 08, 2022

Show notes

Matt is joined by former president of ESPN John Skipper to talk about his thoughts on Bob Iger’s return, Disney’s next big move, whether it should spin off ESPN, the state of live event sports content, athlete-produced documentaries, and his plans in sports originals and beyond at his new content company, Meadowlark.

Host: Matt Belloni

Guest: John Skipper

Producer: Craig Horlbeck

Theme Song: Devon Renaldo

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Rob McElhenney on Merging Soccer, Celebrity, and a TV Empire Dec 07, 2022

Show notes

Matt is joined by actor, producer, writer, and co-owner of Wrexham AFC Rob McElhenney to talk about the back story and business model of his documentary series ‘Welcome to Wrexham.’ Rob talks about how he pitched the show to the head of FX, how he bought the team with Ryan Reynolds, and the unique relationship between the business of the show and the business of the team.

Host: Matt Belloni

Guest: Rob McElhenney

Producer: Craig Horlbeck

Theme Song: Devon Renaldo

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