Strictly Business

Barstool Sports CEO Erika Ayers returns to Strictly Business to discuss a big month for her company, which is set to be wholly acquired this month by casino operator Penn Entertainment. She addresses her brand's foray into sports betting and the many different activations Barstool has going at Sunday's Super Bowl. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Pearlena Igbokwe, Chairman of Universal Studio Group, shares insights on building long-term library assets in a maturing streaming market. She advocates for balancing data with creative judgment in producing original content. Erin McPherson, Chief Content Officer of Verizon Consumer Group, discusses Verizon's role as a content aggregator via Plus Play, emphasizing collaboration over competition. They both highlight the impact of 5G on creative possibilities and mobile experiences, shaping the future of content distribution.

Netflix president of worldwide advertising Jeremi Gorman and Pinterest chief content officer Malik Ducard split a double-interview episode recorded earlier this month at the Variety Entertainment Summit at CES. Both execs discuss what it's like to take established businesses in new directions.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Thai Randolph is CEO of Hartbeat, the production company Kevin Hart founded with an eye on creating comedy across media platforms. She discusses how she's led the company after a $100 million investment aimed at taking Hartbeat to its next phase of growth. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As the Grammy Awards prepares to present its first ever Songwriter of the Year honor, Warner Chappell Music Publishing Co-Chair Carianne Marshall runs down massive strides in royalty rates and the challenges ahead for the business of songs.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Our 2022 retrospective highlights favorite guests, moments and most significant industry trends in media and entertainment, as selected by Cynthia Littleton, Andrew Wallenstein and Shirley Halperin, hosts of Variety’s weekly podcast Strictly Business.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Producer Tony Thomas tells the story of how his father, entertainer Danny Thomas, pulled together Hollywood stars and Lebanese and Syrian immigrant communities to build a hospital in the deep South. St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital thrives today, a testament to the organization’s philosophy of treating children with catastrophic illnesses regardless of their ability to pay. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Peter Micelli and Jack Whigham of Range Media Partners outline their vision for the startup representation firm that aims to reinvent talent management for the Web3 era — with backing from billionaire Wall Street wiz Steven A. Cohen.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jim Gosnell and Jim Osborne, CEO and president of APA, discuss the dramatic changes that have swept across the content business and Hollywood’s creative community. The pair discuss their bid to become the strongest mid-sized player after the Big Three agencies (CAA, WME and UTA) as APA heads into its 60th anniversary year in 2023. The “Jims,” as they’re known, also get candid about the marketplace for talent and their experience dealing with Justice Department lawyers probing the merger of CAA and ICM Partners.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How did Kate Bush’s “Running Up That Hill” become one of the most-consumed songs of 2022, 37 years after its original release? “Stranger Things” happened, Sony Music Publishing’s VP of Creative Amy Coles explains of the long road to clearing the song’s use on the Netflix hit. Also: In the studio with Grammy-winning producer and entrepreneur Ricky Reed, who breaks down his work on Lizzo’s hit “About Damn Time.”See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.