
Strictly Business
Industry leaders converse about business deals, strategy and the future of media and entertainment.
Latest episodes

Sep 11, 2018 • 31min
John Landgraf on the Future of Television
The FX Networks CEO discusses the strategic rationale behind the union of Disney and 21st Century Fox and the industry’s embrace of direct-to-consumer distribution platforms. He also muses He also muses about how the insatiable global demand for original content has rocked the entertainment industry’s competitive landscape. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sep 4, 2018 • 27min
How Far Funny Or Die Has Come From Its Viral-Video Days
It was hysterical short videos like "The Landlord" that made the Funny Or Die brand an overnight household name when it began 11 years ago. But its business has since evolved tremendously, explains CEO Mike Farah, as evidenced by the 20 TV series the company currently has in various stages of production or development, including Hulu's "I Love You, America with Sarah Silverman" and Netflix's "American Vandal." Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Aug 28, 2018 • 30min
Studio71's Reza Izad Gets Real About Digital Video's Challenges
Izad is candid about navigating an ecosystem that has been reeling from one challenge to the next, from the brand safety issues that left marketers skittish to the disappearance of long-form content buyers from the marketplace. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Aug 21, 2018 • 34min
Navigating Hollywood’s New World Order for Writers
Lowell Peterson, executive director of the Writers Guild of America East, discusses the guild’s growth during a dynamic period for the entertainment industry. Peterson details a busy agenda that includes lobbying for a diversity production tax credit in New York state, organizing among digital media outlets, and negotiating new rules governing the working relationship between talent agents and writers. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Aug 14, 2018 • 42min
David Nevins: How Streaming Has Changed the Premium TV Game for Showtime
Showtime’s president and CEO talks about new economics of direct-to-consumer streaming and how the transformation of the premium TV business has changed the way Showtime operates. In this wide-ranging conversation, he also offers insights into the origins of Sacha Baron Cohen’s controversial series “Who Is America” and his thoughts on the coming final season of “Homeland.” Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Aug 7, 2018 • 37min
Timur Bekmambetov: Crafting New Filmmaking Tools via Screenlife
The Russian director behind "Night Watch,” “Wanted” and “Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter" is eagerly promoting a new filmmaking software for what he calls “Screenlife." Bekmambetov explains why he thinks this is a wave of the future. He also offers his thoughts on Russia's media marketplace and the resurgent Cold War between the U.S. and his homeland. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jul 31, 2018 • 36min
The New Book 'The Business of Television'
Ken Basin gives an inside look at how Hollywood dealmaking is changing in the peak-TV era, from the exorbitant salary increases top talent has been getting to the growing clout of tech companies doing most of the spending. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jul 24, 2018 • 36min
Josh Sapan: Small is Beautiful for AMC Networks
AMC Networks CEO Josh Sapan discusses the company’s transition from a collection of cable channels — AMC, SundanceTV, IFC, WeTV, and BBC America — to a content-focused enterprise that is experimenting with new forms of distribution and expansion overseas. Sapan likes the hand he’s playing even if it has to engage in the arm’s race for talent and it is becoming dwarfed by larger competitors. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jul 17, 2018 • 25min
Stephen Curry's Right-Hand Man in Hollywood
How does a basketball legend team up with Sony to translate his brand into TV and film content? He turns to Jeron Smith, a veteran of Nike and the Obama-era White House, who explains how Curry is focusing on family, faith and sports as core themes to their strategy to crack the entertainment marketplace. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jul 10, 2018 • 30min
New York Television Festival
The New York Television Festival was ahead of the curve in recognizing the need for independent producers and TV fans to have a forum for celebrating the small screen. On the eve of the festival's 14th edition, founder and CEO Terence Gray talks about its evolution and growth. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.