Hollywood IQ

Summary: In the final, bonus episode of Hollywood IQ podcast season one, host Ri-Karlo Handy and Bree Frank dive into the shifting landscape of media, entertainment, and creative careers. The pair discuss the decline of traditional media, rise of streaming and creator platforms, and ongoing battle for audience attention, while providing practical advice for professionals navigating these industry changes. What’s more, the duo share their biggest industry insights from 2025  and offer actionable resolutions for creatives in the new year.

Episode Highlights:
In the episode, host Ri-Karlo Handy and Senior Executive Producer (Amazon Studios) and Hue You Know founder Bree Frank discuss:

• which streamers lead the pack in the battle for so-called default status.
• which platforms and genres of content are attracting the most eyeballs — and generating the biggest creator paydays.
• why streaming platforms —though eclipsing TV, print and other traditional media — face retention and market saturation challenges.
• how middle market shrinkage reflects changing consumer habits.
• why the “attention economy” means more than just viewership
• the most lucrative AME (arts, media, entertainment) career pivots to make in 2026
• why waiting for the industry to catch up can kill your edge.

Synopsis:

Creative types tend to shy away from economic strategy, writing it off as something for the suits. But in today’s creator economy, knowing your audience and distribution method are as essential as the quality of content you put out. In season one's final episode of the Hollywood IQ podcast, host Ri-Karlo Handy is joined by economist Adam Fowler, a pioneer in studying Hollywood from an economic perspective, to talk about how creative entrepeneurs can leverage economic strategies to build success. The pair delve into why creators don’t have the luxury of being recluse artists and instead need to think about how to build an audience on a platform; why investing in yourself during this time of radical disruption is the smart bet; the value of asking: “What is the economy telling me about the skills I should be focusing on?”; and why tapping into the attention economy is the whole ballgame.

Episode Highlights:

In the episode, host Ri-Karlo Handy and economist Adam Fowler discuss:

• how to play to and scale for the 24/7 attention economy
• why out attention to phones has sent entertainment industry trends off a cliff
• how tech brought the cost of entry for creatives down — and what that means for business
• why now is the time to break into the entertainment industry, because the old silos have eroded
• why being in the entertainment business means understanding the models and the tech
• the importance of knowing your consumer and collecting data
• the the success of YouTubers putting out less polished content, but at a faster pace
• the value of digital platforms, which allows people in niche spaces to cultivate global audiences and reduce the fiction of interacting with the consumer
• how the equity in IP and a brand is similar to equity in a house
• why open source is the future (and monetized open source is harder)
• how to navigate being at the mercy of changing algorithms
• why successful projects don’t have to have Marvel-massive cost structures
• knowing the tools you need to be fluent with to build distribution and an audience
• the benefit of making/selling 20 things that reach 1 million people vs. one thing that reaches 20 million people

Synopsis:

In this episode of Hollywood IQ, host Ri-Karlo Handy speaks with Daniel Rosenberg, a leader in the entertainment tech space and master networker. The pair share their secrets to networking and building business relationships that creates opportunities, without feeling forced. They explore a series of touch points that guide us on how to reach out and follow up, matching energy to set the tone of a relationship, and never treating networking in a transactional way. Daniel shares his secrets on how to stay humble, hungry, and thoughtful in his networking process. He shares the trick to shifting energy in a business relationship, and how to avoid the fatal mindset of not being worth someone else’s time.

Episode Highlights:

In the episode, host Ri-Karlo Handy and expert networker Daniel Rosenberg discuss:

• how to identify strategic opportunities through relationships
• how to create a successful touchpoint networking strategy
• the value of creating networking structures and 90-day goals
• the art of following up (without being annoying)
• why viewing people as investments and partners beats a transactional approach
• how to identify and execute your leverage when networking
• how staying genuinely curious about others can be your biggest asset
• why reaching out thoughtfully and kindly wins every time
• the benefit of leading with what you can offer, not what you need
• the right way to ask for the time of busy executives and higher-ups
• why code switching, or matching the vibe of others, can get you everywhere
• the value of offering congratulations to even the most successful people on the ladder
• the value of reaching out just one more time

Synopsis:

In Hollywood, those who work on stagecraft positions (including costuming, lighting, editing, and production roles) typically jump from gig to gig. With such intermittent jobs, there’s no consistent employer to provide benefits like health insurance, sick pay or retirement savings. That’s where unions come in: union membership gives below-the-line workers access to health benefits and retirement savings and positions that typically provide increased wages. For crews in Hollywood, membership is key.

In this episode, Hollywood IQ host Ri-Karlo Handy talks with DeJon Ellis Jr., a career key grip and IATSE Union leader who brings more than 25 years of expertise in each role to the conversation. The pair discuss how to rise the ranks in Hollywood as a grip, the benefits of union membership, how to become a union member and union leader, and the importance of diversity in union leadership. Whether you’re looking to work on TV or film sets or aim to produce studio-quality content on YouTube, this episode lays out how to take advantage of newly-formed training programs and time-honored union benefits on offer.

Episode Highlights:

Hollywood IQ podcast Host Ri-Karlo Handy and DeJon Ellis Jr discuss:

• benefits of union membership (including becoming “gang work” eligible — which isn’t at all like what it sounds).
• how union membership helped elevates careers
• navigating the path to union leadership
• the vintage (and exclusive) title of “best boy” for second-company grips
• new and emerging training programs available that are setting much-needed standards for skills training — and where to find them
• union history (including an eye-opening conversation on segregation within unions — it didn’t happen as long ago as you’d think)
• how the music video genre in the eighties and nineties helped the Black and other POC, and women producers and filmmakers to grow in Hollywood

Synopsis:

Don’t knock a job a the makeup counter — it’s what led to a decades-long career for hair stylist and makeup artist Keshia Smith, who has led hair and makeup departments for television and film productions, among other roles.

In episode #110 of the Hollywood IQ podcast, Host Ri-Karlo Handy talks with Keshia Smith, Artist Management x TCA founder and instructor for the Handy Foundation Glam Assistant Apprenticeship track, about what it takes to work as an on-set makeup artist and/or hairstylist in Hollywood. Having worked on TV and film productions including the unscripted series, “Harlem Globetrotters: Play it Forward,” Keshia brings three decades of beauty industry experience to the conversation. From leading hair and makeup teams in production to her secret to landing new clients, Kesha shares the ins and outs of creating a career in Hollywood glam.

Episode Highlights:

• Hollywood IQ podcast Host Ri-Karlo Handy and Keshia Smith discuss:
• From the Nars counter to doing makeup for Sandra Oh and Rose McGowen and becoming on-set hair and makeup department head
• the importance of being approachable and telling people what you’re up to outside of the context they see you in.
• why not taking every job can build a higher-rate offers
• how overdelivering on set leads to subsequent jobs
• the importance of solving problems before anyone tells you they have them
• why it matters to give credit where credit is due
• the importance for hairstylists and makeup artists to master their craft on different skin colors and hair textures
• why a good-energy project can be better than a higher paying one

TOMORROW NIGHT:
Join us for an unforgettable night!

NAACP, The Handy Foundation, and Netflix present:

 Glam Squad Glow Up: HAIR WARS — a dynamic event celebrating fantasy hair as both cultural storytelling and futuristic art.

December 10, 2025

6:00pm–8:30pm

NAACP Screening Room

5757 Wilshire Blvd., M-101,

Los Angeles, CA 90036

You don’t want to miss this!

 Click HERE to RSVP now.

Synopsis:
In a special Giving Tuesday episode of Hollywood IQ, Handy Foundation alums Dalia Soto-Beltrán (assistant editor and producer) and Danielle Kim (assistant editor) talk with host, Ri-Karlo Handy, about how they broke into Hollywood with the help of the Handy Foundation’s apprenticeship program — and a lot grit. Danielle discusses a pivot from majoring in business in college to studying editing after discovering a passion for posting videos to YouTube; Dalia talks juggling school, a salaried positions outside of the industry, and first gigs. Plus the pair explains why advocating for what you want (such as longer-term job opportunities) pays off; how they found meaningful work on projects that showcase their cultures; and what kept (and keeps) them inspired and pushing forward, even when facing rejection.

Episode Highlights:
Two first-gen Americans share how they’ve started successful Hollywood careers as assistant editors. Dalia Soto-Beltrán and Danielle Kim also break down:

• the impact of apprenticeship on their budding careers
• why starting a LinkedIn profile and staying active on the platform is crucial for jobseekers and fresh talent in Hollywood.
• why it’s not about the prestige of the show, but the work experience you amass.
• the importance of learning office politics and presenting yourself for IRL jobs.
• why having a community is one of the most important aspects of creative work
• how representation can inspire the next generation of filmmakers
• how to move from unscripted to film, even with no prior film experience
• the value of keeping in touch (and collaborating) with former coworkers
• the importance of networking and persistence in the industry
• how tapping alumni resources (like the Handy Foundation alumni Slack channel) can lead to resume-building gigs.

In this episode of Hollywood IQ, host Ri-Karlo Handy talks with documentary filmmaker Ryland Engelhart (Kiss the Ground, Common Ground) about how he went from a restaurateur and advocate in the wellness and food spaces to a documentarian with three films under his belt and a three-film deal with Amazon. In the episode, the pair delve into the business of getting a documentary film off the ground, including what it takes to pitch prospective investors and secure funding, the importance of building relationships with like-minded people, and having convictions in your vision.

Episode Highlights:

• the value of having conviction in your vision and projects
• philanthropic work vs. artistic work
• how to pitch your documentary idea to a potential funder (and in a way in which they can’t say no)
• why being a bucket filler (vs. a bucket tipper) in life can propel your network
• the buoyancy of being able to make powerful requests
• giving yourself the freedom to ask for what you want
• how to be grateful for and form non-attachment to hearing “no”
• identifying the best people to pitch

Synopsis:

Sick of ghost jobs and unanswered LinkedIn messages? In this episode, Host Ri-Karlo Handy and special guest, Senior Executive Producer (Amazon Studios) and Hue You Know founder Bree Frank, share hard-earned insights on networking. If anyone knows how to crack the code of networking in the AI-age, it’s powerhouse community builder, Bree. In growing Hue You Know from its initial iteration as a Facebook community to a thriving nonprofit organization, Bree has achieved the rare feat of placing all types of Hollywood workers — from top-line executives to PAs — in the same rooms and circle while creating a community that truly represents a spectrum of the industry. Along the way, she’s developed key insights into how to network in way that unlocks continuous opportunities and professional enrichment. Inside the episode, Bree shares these insights and explains why community building beats out ladder climbing every time.
Episode Highlights:

Hollywood IQ Host Ri-Karlo Handy and special guest Bree Frank discuss a fresh approach to networking in Hollywood, one that’s less shmoozy, more genuine, and leads to real opportunities. The pair also talk:

• how to build a personal brand even if you’re a worker behind the scenes
• why the best thing someone in the industry can do— from showrunners to gaffers— is to have a point of view and north star
• blowing job interviews
• why a resume has never got her a job, but who she knew has
• how to set yourself up for success and prepare for failure (because it’s coming)
• how to value yourself and understand your value-add in Hollywood
• the importance of a curious mindset and the importance of trying, and being willing to be wrong
• why it’s OK to take risks that may produce failure
• why professional advice isn’t a one-size-fits-all thing
• why trusting yourself (not outside advice) and understanding yourself internally, is crucial (look inside before you look outside)
• how a “tell me more” approach creates more opportunity

Synopsis:

In this episode of Hollywood IQ, Host Ri-Karlo Handy speaks with his brother and special guest, Charles Handy, about Charles’ journey from the military to the Hollywood edit bay. The brothers discuss how to recognize when the dream changes — and how to pivot accordingly; the value of a disciplined, military training in Hollywood; and why you have to prove yourself, even after getting your foot in the door.

Guest Bio:

Charles Handy’s route to Hollywood started in an unexpected place: the Army. After joining the service at age 20 and following the 9/11 attack, the now veteran served two years in Iraq as a 92F Petroleum Supply Specialist (responsible for supervising and managing the reception, storage and shipping of bulk or packaged petroleum-based products). The managerial role turned out to be a perfect primer for a multitasker in Hollywood.

Upon returning to civilian life, Charles picked up PA work in Los Angeles at Rocket Science, a production company responsible for a slew of reality shows (including “Trading Spouses”). The gig provided steady work, but Charles’ real passion was in dance. He organized street battles while conceiving a street dance battle show. Soon, Charles was figuring out editing software while editing video of battles, which he then posted to newly-launched platforms like MySpace and YouTube.

It’s through this passion project that Charles gained skill as an editor. When making his wedding video in 2012, he had an epiphany: editing is what he wanted to do for a living. With new focus, Charles landed jobs on shows like “The Nod with Brittany & Eric” and the Emmy Award-winning series “Recipes for Change.” Today, he is lead, senior editor for “The Shop” and serves as co-lead of the Television Academy Veterans/Spouses of Veterans Affinity Group, where he helps guide programming and initiatives that highlight veterans working in entertainment. 

In this episode of Hollywood IQ, Ri-Karlo Handy sit with Tamra Goins, Managing Partner & Head of Comedy at Innovative Artists. Tamra's takes us on her journey starting out as a 16-year-old rapper, finding fame early, and figuring where to go from their.  Her understanding of moving through different industries is inspiring and educational. As the Head of Comedy, she gives us lessons on how to navigate through the comedy world with the right frame of mind.