Strictly Business

As cryptocurrency markets rebound and slowly but surely become more mainstream, two experts discuss the potential for blockchain tech to be embraced by entertainment dealmakers as an antidote to the age-old problems of Hollywood accounting. Tarun Chitra, founder and CEO of research and advisory firm Gauntlet and co-host of “The Chopping Block” podcast, and Duke University professor Lee Reiners bring vastly different perspectives to this question. 

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As its success with the "Scream" franchise can attest, Project X Entertainment knows its way around the horror genre. But now the indie production outfit is back in theaters with untested IP in the form of "Abigail." Nevertheless, Project X principal William Sherak is confident lightning will strike twice.

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Think the market for adult-focused specialty films is dead? Peter Kujawski, chairman of Focus Features, explains why you’re wrong. As the film industry gathers in Las Vegas this week for CinemaCon, Kujawski talks about the state of moviemaking, exhibition, and walks through key lessons from the strike-challenged 2023 box office (takeaway No. 1 – originality sells). 

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Premiering April 3, the six-part series hosted by futurist Ari Wallach seeks to counter pop culture’s dystopian view of life in the coming centuries with visits to real-world entrepreneurs, inventors, artists and activists who are pursuing hopeful and innovative solutions for a range of social ills.

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Audible's Rachel Ghiazza (chief content officer), Kate Navin (head of creative development for North America) and Pat Shah (head of content acquisition and development) discuss the company's unique position in the audio marketplace and why they are revving up original content for the Amazon-owned subscription platform.

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As Congress debates the future of TikTok in the U.S., here's an encore episode of Variety's "Strictly Business" podcast from August 2023 that examines how the social media platform has become essential for promoting movies and TV shows.

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There may be far fewer TV shows being made in Hollywood these days than in the salad days of the peak-TV era, but that just means there's more hustling being done to get writers, producers, directors and actors staffed on a development season that goes on year-round. For the past 10 years, Grandview Management co-founders Jeff Silver and Matt Rosen have navigated dealmaking for their roster of writers and producers for top series like "Ozark" and "House of the Dragon" with considerable savvy. But this year they describe an industry environment quite different than what they've experienced in seasons past.

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Bill Speros, senior betting analyst for Bookies.com, explains why legal betting on the Oscars has grown in recent years thanks to changes in state gambling laws. The veteran analyst and journalist also discusses the rise of sports wagering as an audience engagement strategy and profit driver for media companies.

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Ever since OpenAI gave the world a glimpse of its upcoming new text-to-video software, the entertainment industry has been in a state of alarm—particularly Tyler Perry, who paused an expansion on his Atlanta studio, citing the industry job losses he predicts Sora will cause. Steven Zeitchik,  who writes about the implications of AI at mindandiron.substack.com, joins this week's episode to discuss what the potential impact Sora could have on Hollywood. 

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Crunchyroll President Rahul Purini explains how the Sony-owned, Japanese anime-focused streaming service has found success through serving a so-called niche market and its plans for further expansion. 

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