GEMA TALKS with Rich Battista

GEMA TALKS with Rich Battista speaks one-on-one with Chris Kelly (C '91), Co-Owner of the Sacramento Kings and veteran tech and media executive and investor. Chris discusses the impact of the Coronavirus on the NBA, the Silicon Valley VC and start-up world and the media industry; he also gives his thoughts on the streaming wars and the lessons and insights from his extraordinary career from being one of the original Facebook employees to the various companies he has invested in or acted as consultant with over the years.

GEMA TALKS is a podcast series from the Georgetown Entertainment and Media Alliance (GEMA), hosted by Georgetown University alumnus and GEMA Founder/Chairman, Rich Battista (B '86). In each episode, Rich welcomes a prominent Georgetown University alumnus working in the entertainment and media industry to discuss their career journey, their role in the industry, how the business has evolved and where it’s headed, how being a Hoya propelled them to their place within it and their advice for those looking to break into or rise up in the industry. Producers: Rich Battista and Alex Ghaffari; Music theme: Teddy Zambetti; Logo: Ross Patrick

In this installment of GEMA TALKS with Rich Battista, we are joined by film production executive John Hodges (C '00), Head of Film at Jax Media and one of the founders of A24, the leading independent film production and distribution company. John discusses the impact of Coronavirus on film production and what a "new normal" may look like, including trends and predictions for the future of film. He also discusses his career path from starting as a management consultant to transitioning to film and the genesis of A24. He also shares career advice for those looking to break into the film industry.

GEMA TALKS is a podcast series from the Georgetown Entertainment and Media Alliance (GEMA), hosted by Georgetown University alumnus and GEMA Founder/Chairman, Rich Battista (B '86). In each episode, Rich welcomes a prominent Georgetown University alumnus working in the entertainment and media industry to discuss their career journey, their role in the industry, how the business has evolved and where it’s headed, how being a Hoya propelled them to their place within it and their advice for those looking to break into or rise up in the industry. Producers: Rich Battista and Alex Ghaffari; Music theme: Teddy Zambetti; Logo: Ross Patrick

In this GEMA TALKS interview with guest host Mary Ann Halford (C '80), Tim Hanlon (C '88), Founder & CEO of The Vertere Group discusses the impact of COVID-19 on the media advertising business, looking at it from the linear TV, local TV and AVOD TV views. He also shares his thoughts on the potential acceleration of advertising business models in a post-COVID world and other advertising-related predictions over the next 12 months.

GEMA TALKS is a podcast series from the Georgetown Entertainment and Media Alliance (GEMA), hosted by Georgetown University alumnus and GEMA Founder/Chairman, Rich Battista (B '86). In each episode, Rich welcomes a prominent Georgetown University alumnus working in the entertainment and media industry to discuss their career journey, their role in the industry, how the business has evolved and where it’s headed, how being a Hoya propelled them to their place within it and their advice for those looking to break into or rise up in the industry. Producers: Rich Battista and Alex Ghaffari; Music theme: Teddy Zambetti; Logo: Ross Patrick

In this episode of GEMA TALKS with Rich Battista, Rich speaks with Mary Ann Halford 
(C '80), Senior Advisor of OC&C Strategy Consultants who discusses the impact the Coronavirus has had on the entertainment and media industry, the possible short and long-term ramifications of the crisis on the business and on various specific media companies and potential new areas of opportunities.  She also shares advice for graduating seniors and recent alumni on how to navigate job opportunities during this time.

GEMA TALKS is a podcast series from the Georgetown Entertainment and Media Alliance (GEMA), hosted by Georgetown University alumnus and GEMA Founder/Chairman, Rich Battista (B '86). In each episode, Rich welcomes a prominent Georgetown University alumnus working in the entertainment and media industry to discuss their career journey, their role in the industry, how the business has evolved and where it’s headed, how being a Hoya propelled them to their place within it and their advice for those looking to break into or rise up in the industry. Producers: Rich Battista and Alex Ghaffari; Music theme: Teddy Zambetti; Logo: Ross Patrick

In this installment of GEMA TALKS with Rich Battista, we are joined by Chris Williams (C '89), one of the more prolific and versatile actor/comedians in Hollywood. In this interview, he talks about his upbringing, his years at Georgetown and what led him to pursue acting after he moved to Los Angeles post-college. He also discusses some of his key film and TV roles including the details around his iconic guest role as rapper Krazee-Eyez Killa in season 3 of Curb Your Enthusiasm, which catapulted his career.  He also shares his views on the issue of racial inequality and injustice in Hollywood and also shares his career advice for budding performers.

GEMA TALKS is a podcast series from the Georgetown Entertainment and Media Alliance (GEMA), hosted by Georgetown University alumnus and GEMA Founder/Chairman, Rich Battista (B '86). In each episode, Rich welcomes a prominent Georgetown University alumnus working in the entertainment and media industry to discuss their career journey, their role in the industry, how the business has evolved and where it’s headed, how being a Hoya propelled them to their place within it and their advice for those looking to break into or rise up in the industry. Producers: Rich Battista and Alex Ghaffari; Music theme: Teddy Zambetti; Logo: Ross Patrick

In this installment of GEMA TALKS with Rich Battista, we welcome Sarah Crennan (C '05), 
VP and Head of Content at Yahoo Sports (update, Sarah is now at the NBA). We discuss Yahoo Sports' leading position in the market and its key content initiatives and Sarah shares her thoughts on major trends in sports media, including sports betting. She also highlights the key parts of her career journey, her views on leadership and her days at Georgetown as a Varsity Lacrosse student/athlete.

GEMA TALKS is a podcast series from the Georgetown Entertainment and Media Alliance (GEMA), hosted by Georgetown University alumnus and GEMA Founder/Chairman, Rich Battista (B '86). In each episode, Rich welcomes a prominent Georgetown University alumnus working in the entertainment and media industry to discuss their career journey, their role in the industry, how the business has evolved and where it’s headed, how being a Hoya propelled them to their place within it and their advice for those looking to break into or rise up in the industry. Producers: Rich Battista and Alex Ghaffari; Music theme: Teddy Zambetti; Logo: Ross Patrick

On this episode of GEMA TALKS with Rich Battista, we are joined by Tedd Cittadine (MBA '00), Vice President Content Partnerships, Roku. Tedd has had a 20 year career in media, including prior roles at AOL and for 11 years at Fox. In our conversation, Tedd discusses his role at Roku and what have been the key success factors of Roku's explosive growth over the past few years as it has become one of the major players in the streaming world. Tedd also shares his thoughts on key trends in the business, what led him to make the switch from Fox to Roku and what advice he has for those looking to enter or enhance their careers in media.

GEMA TALKS is a podcast series from the Georgetown Entertainment and Media Alliance (GEMA), hosted by Georgetown University alumnus and GEMA Founder/Chairman, Rich Battista (B '86). In each episode, Rich welcomes a prominent Georgetown University alumnus working in the entertainment and media industry to discuss their career journey, their role in the industry, how the business has evolved and where it’s headed, how being a Hoya propelled them to their place within it and their advice for those looking to break into or rise up in the industry. Producers: Rich Battista and Alex Ghaffari; Music theme: Teddy Zambetti; Logo: Ross Patrick

In this installment of GEMA TALKS with Rich Battista, we talk with Anne Thomopoulos (C '84), Partner, Legendary Global.  Anne has had a distinguished career as a TV and film producer and programming executive, particularly in the global arena. In her 15+ year career at HBO, she developed or produced such projects as "Oz", "From the Earth to the Moon", "Band of Brothers" and "Rome" just to name a few. Now at Legendary Global, she is building a mini studio and production entity with an emphasis on developing international projects in international territories. In our conversation, she discusses how she made the transition into entertainment and media from Georgetown, shared a great story on how she became the head of Michael J. Fox's production company in her 20's and discusses some of they key trends in global production and the differences between being a programming executive at a network vs a producer, while also sharing career advice.

GEMA TALKS is a podcast series from the Georgetown Entertainment and Media Alliance (GEMA), hosted by Georgetown University alumnus and GEMA Founder/Chairman, Rich Battista (B '86). In each episode, Rich welcomes a prominent Georgetown University alumnus working in the entertainment and media industry to discuss their career journey, their role in the industry, how the business has evolved and where it’s headed, how being a Hoya propelled them to their place within it and their advice for those looking to break into or rise up in the industry. Producers: Rich Battista and Alex Ghaffari; Music theme: Teddy Zambetti; Logo: Ross Patrick

In this GEMA TALKS with Rich Battista episode, we speak with David Appelbaum (C '03), TV Writer/Producer in Hollywood. David discusses the origin and journey of his accomplished career as a TV writer/producer, including his long stint on "The Mentalist" as well as "NCIS New Orleans", and "The Enemy Within" and his first job in Hollywood on "The OC." He also talks about his new drama series, "La Brea" which he created and is executive producing at NBC and the challenges of producing re: COVID-19. He also highlights his filmmaking activities while at Georgetown and shares career advice for budding TV writer/producers looking to break into and advance in Hollywood.

GEMA TALKS is a podcast series from the Georgetown Entertainment and Media Alliance (GEMA), hosted by Georgetown University alumnus and GEMA Founder/Chairman, Rich Battista (B '86). In each episode, Rich welcomes a prominent Georgetown University alumnus working in the entertainment and media industry to discuss their career journey, their role in the industry, how the business has evolved and where it’s headed, how being a Hoya propelled them to their place within it and their advice for those looking to break into or rise up in the industry. Producers: Rich Battista and Alex Ghaffari; Music theme: Teddy Zambetti; Logo: Ross Patrick

In this episode of GEMA TALKS  with Rich Battista, we speak with Melissa Anelli (C '01), Founder & CEO, Mischief Management, a live events company in the entertainment space. She discusses the impact of COVID on the events/conference business, how she is navigating through it and what the future holds; she also discusses the genesis of her company and the major fan events it produces including BroadwayCon, LeakyCon and Con of Thrones. She also shares her career journey including her big break as a major part of the Harry Potter blog The Leaky Cauldron.  She also gives invaluable career advice to those looking to break into the world of pop culture and live events.

GEMA TALKS is a podcast series from the Georgetown Entertainment and Media Alliance (GEMA), hosted by Georgetown University alumnus and GEMA Founder/Chairman, Rich Battista (B '86). In each episode, Rich welcomes a prominent Georgetown University alumnus working in the entertainment and media industry to discuss their career journey, their role in the industry, how the business has evolved and where it’s headed, how being a Hoya propelled them to their place within it and their advice for those looking to break into or rise up in the industry. Producers: Rich Battista and Alex Ghaffari; Music theme: Teddy Zambetti; Logo: Ross Patrick