Technovation with Peter High (CIO, CTO, CDO, CXO Interviews) Technovation 1000: Jeffrey Katzenberg on DreamWorks, Disney, WndrCo & Creative Risk
From Hollywood mogul to venture capital visionary, Jeffrey Katzenberg’s story is one of bold bets, iconic storytelling, and relentless reinvention. In this milestone 1000th episode of Technovation, host Peter High welcomes Katzenberg to reflect on a remarkable career spanning five decades across film, animation, and now AI-driven venture investing.
As the founding partner of WndrCo, Katzenberg backs transformative companies like Netomi (conversational AI), Writer (enterprise GenAI), Alembic (causal AI), and Aura (consumer digital safety). But long before that, he shaped global pop culture as President of Paramount Pictures, Chairman of Walt Disney Studios, and Co-Founder of DreamWorks SKG and DreamWorks Animation.
In this wide-ranging and candid conversation, Katzenberg shares:
- Why the best ideas are risky and why failure is essential to success
- How DreamWorks was launched just 8 days after being fired from Disney
- Leadership lessons from icons like Barry Diller and David Geffen
- The real story behind building Hollywood’s most beloved franchises
- Why AI is both “prose” and “poetry” and what that means for creativity
- How WndrCo is scaling category-defining businesses across tech
This episode explores 50 years of transformation, from The Lion King to Shrek, from studio boardrooms to Silicon Valley pitch rooms. A must-listen for anyone interested in creativity, leadership, and what it takes to build at scale.