Strictly Business

Legion M CEO on 'My Dead Friend Zoe' Release and Building First Fan-Owned Media Company

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nabbing exclusive rights to the prequel to "Shtisel," the series Netflix made popular around the world, is more than just a financial opportunity for Izzy CEO Nati Dinnar to put his fledgling streaming service on the global map. "Kugel" represents a chance to advance the interests of his homeland's reputation amid war in the Middle East, not to mention its struggling TV industry. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Fresh off the release of their new Variety Intelligence Platform research study "Production Pipelines: Film & TV in Flux," analysts Tyler Aquilina and Kaare Eriksen share their insights on how the unfolding tragedy in the heart of the entertainment industry alters the outlook for Hollywood long-form content output. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How do you measure a year? Audience research firm Luminate does just that in its newly released 2024 Film & TV Year-End Report. Two top Luminate executives – Marc Hoebich, executive VP and head of film and TV, and Carolyn Finger, senior VP of consumer success and product – break down the report and its findings.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When Warner Bros. Discovery research chief Natasha Hritzuk first began studying short-form video, the conventional wisdom was that platforms like TikTok and YouTube were having a cannibalizing effect on TV and film consumption. But as she shares in her latest study, the deeper she explored audience behavor, the more she saw that social video served as a potent discovery tool for the very programming to which it seemed to pose a competitive threat.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

David J. Lee, chief operating officer and chief financial officer of Webtoon Entertainment, discusses the rapid growth of webtoons as a digital entertainment medium during a session held as part of the Variety Entertainment Summit at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. And prolific webtoon creator Brandon Chen, author of "Just a Goblin" and many other titles, explains the appeal of the graphic novel-like format as a creative outlet and training ground for budding storytellers.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sony Pictures Entertainment CEO Ravi Ahuja gives his first interview since taking the reins of the studio. The conversation was held Jan. 8 at Variety’s Entertainment Summit at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, as firestorms were raging across Los Angeles County. Later that day, NBCUniversal ad sales chief Mark Marshall and NBC Sports host Maria Taylor brought some levity with a freewheeling session previewing what Marshall calls “the greatest 730 days that any media company has ever had” given the Super Bowl, Winter Olympics, NBA coverage and more on tap for 2025 and 2026.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Phil Hutcheon, the CEO of London-based ticketing software company Dice, sat down with Strictly Business to reflect on 10 years of revolutionizing the ticketing industry. Dice's fan- and artist-forward mission takes a strong stance against scalping and dynamic pricing, which earned it a loyal following in the U.K. before expanding to the U.S. and Canada. Next stop: the world.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Verve talent agency partners Liz Parker, Bryan Besser, Adam Levine and Adam Weinstein discuss the arc of the mid-sized firm's journey as its 15th anniversary approaches in 2025. The foursome address the end of packaging fees, the contraction in the creative community, finding IP in unexpected places and growth opportunities in animation. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Strictly Business co-host Andrew Wallenstein looks back on the rationale he laid out a decade ago as co-editor-in-chief of Variety for publishing the contents of the Sony hack and shares his misgivings about a difficult decision and why he made it. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.