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

Jul 3, 2018 • 26min
Pluto TV's Tom Ryan on the Power of Free OTT
The crowded competitive set of streaming services hasn't kept Pluto TV from growing its audience quickly. CEO Tom Ryan explains how his game plan has gotten Pluto TV this far, and what lies ahead for his company. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jun 26, 2018 • 27min
Inside Dawn Ostroff's Last Days at Conde Nast Entertainment
Dawn Ostroff reflects on seven years of working to bring the magazine giant's marquee brands into the digital age. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jun 19, 2018 • 47min
Byron Allen: A Born Entrepreneur Fights for ‘Economic Inclusion’
Byron Allen’s Entertainment Studios, founded in 1993 in Allen’s living room, has grown rapidly during the past decade, expanding into cable programming and film distribution. Allen offers an inside look at his recent $300 million acquisition of the Weather Channel, and he discusses his provocative legal strategy to fight for “economic inclusion” for persons of color. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jun 12, 2018 • 33min
Ep11 - Tyra Banks: How she became a boss in Hollywood and built her brand on her own terms.
Supermodel-turned-entrepreneur Tyra Banks discusses her path from modeling in the early 1990s to becoming one of the new breed of media mavens who are a brand unto themselves. Banks recalls the early life lessons from her mother about embracing her strengths -- and a "booty" that didn't conform to catwalk standards -- and gave her the confidence to shift from modeling to expanding her horizons as a TV host, producer, entrepreneur, author, college professor, and more. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jun 5, 2018 • 27min
Ep10 - Raze Wants to Be the Next Univision
Spanish-language TV giants Univision and Telemundo aren't meeting the programming needs of young Latino audiences, says Raze CEO Emiliano Calemzuk, which opens up a huge opportunity for his company. One year into the relaunch of the venture, Calemzuk looks back on how Raze has managed to make progress selling scripted series into Netflix and TNT while moving aggressively to establish his brand both in the U.S. and Latin America. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

May 22, 2018 • 41min
Ep8 - Colin Callender: Turning the world into his Playground
Producer Colin Callender is known for his excellent taste and strong relationship with stars, but he's also been an innovator in the financing and distribution of international co-productions. After more than 20 years with HBO, Callender launched Playground in 2012. The company has a big presence in TV this year with the adaptations of “Howard’s End” for Starz and the BBC, “King Lear” for the BBC and Amazon, and “Little Women” for the BBC and PBS. Here he discusses the ins and outs of international co-productions and his work in theater, which includes Broadway smash “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.” Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

May 15, 2018 • 29min
Ep7 - Group Nine's Ben Lerer on Breeding New Media Brands
The founder of Group Nine, a portfolio of digital brands including Thrillist, NowThis and Seeker, reflects on his company's first year with the backing of Discovery Communications. While he feels he's bringing the best of traditional and new media together, Lerer is still finding his way as he contends with the challenges of dealing with powerful platforms like Facebook and producing his venture's first TV shows. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

May 8, 2018 • 30min
Ep6 - HBO CEO Richard Plepler on Winning the Streaming Wars
HBO's top executive gets candid about what it takes to hold his own against fast-growing streaming services like Netflix and Amazon as he navigates one of the fiercest competitive environments in his company's 45-year history. He also discusses what the future has in store for top hits including "Game of Thrones" and "Big Little Lies." Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

May 1, 2018 • 28min
Ep5 - Michael Strahan and Constance Schwartz: Building SMAC Entertainment from the ground up.
Michael Strahan and Constance Schwartz are business partners in the production and management company SMAC Entertainment. Michael is all over TV these days as the co-anchor of “Good Morning America,” as a football analyst for Fox, and as host of ABC’s “$100,000 Pyramid.” Behind the scenes, Michael and Constance develop and produce a wide range of content, and SMAC is the management home to talent ranging from Wiz Khalifa to Erin Andrews to Deion Sanders. Here the two talk about the steady growth of SMAC, where the company motto is: “Hustle like you’re broke.” Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Apr 24, 2018 • 29min
Ep4 - CNBC's David Faber on Covering Media and Moguls
The veteran business reporter who broke the news of Disney's courtship of 21st Century Fox talks about the state of media M&A, the growing threat posed by tech giants to traditional Hollywood, and his take on what happens next at CBS and Viacom. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.