Strictly Business

The Nigerian entrepreneur and producer discusses the birth and growth of her EbonyLife Group content production business, known for the Netflix drama series “Blood Sisters.” Abudu details her vision for expanding Africa’s media infrastructure to allow local producers to capture the region’s vibrant art and culture scene from what she describes as a “local for global” lens.

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Dennis Miller and Brad Schwartz, the new leaders of the CW Network, detail the major strategy overall at the broadcast network that has been known for DC superhero fare and teen soaps. Under Nexstar's ownership, the network's priorities have taken a hard turn to sports and unscripted content.

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Nah Yung Suk, a seasoned producer whose latest hit is the Amazon Prime Video reality series “Jinny’s Kitchen,” talks about the growth of South Korea’s TV and film industry and the globalization that is energizing the content business. In Korea, the new dynamism in the marketplace can be defined as “before Netflix” and “after Netflix,” he explains. The producer affiliated with Korea’s CJ ENM also weighs in on his experience with having his hit unscripted format “Grandpa Over Flowers” adapted by NBC as 2016’s “Better Late Than Never.”

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After a rough week in which the manager said adieu to his biggest clients including Justin Bieber and Ariana Grande, Strictly Business host Andrew Wallenstein brings his Mogul Memo column to the podcast and offers some counterintuitive counsel. Plus: An interview with Paramount CTO Phil Wiser at the Collision Tech Conference.

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Long before “Barbie” exploded at the box office this summer, it was clear on TikTok that the movie was going to be a big deal. Whether through studio marketing or organic fan activity, entertainment properties new and old take on a life on their own on the Bytedance-owned platform. Reia Davidson, US Head of Media and Entertainment, and Catherine Halaby, Head of Entertainment for North America discuss their strategies in this episode. 

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Twitch has been the leading livestreaming platform for nearly a decade. While its command of community is tough to beat, continuing to hold such a leading position requires a lot of balance between fan and creator engagement, brand partnership and especially safety. Twitch's chief marketing officer Rachel Delphin is immersed in all three and discusses how to maintain that balance in the face of new competition, among other topics like the specter of AI in just about every media space.

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One's a current Boston Celtic, the other a former Carolina Panther. Together, they are partners in Mortal Media, a production company with a first-look deal at Sony Pictures with a packed portfolio of film and TV projects ranging from the "White Men Can't Jump" reboot at Hulu to the Apple TV+ series "Hello Tomorrow," and they're just getting started. Hear about how they've made the transition even during a tricky time during an industry-wide strike. 

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The president of Imagine Entertainment details the company's recent growth with documentary and nonfiction content, kids and family, branded creative advertising and marketing. He also offers insights into how the market for streaming content is slowly changing in ways that benefit large-scale independent producers such as Imagine.

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In the second of a two-part interview that began on last week's episode, Soul Machine's CEO Greg Cross casts his eye toward the future of how his business marrying state-of-the-art animation with artificial intelligence will be utilized in the world of Hollywood celebrity.

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Imagine being able to interact with a CGI simulation of your favorite celebrity powered by artificial intelligence. That day is already here thanks to Soul Machines, a company led by tech vet Greg Cross, who has lined up an eclectic group of famous folks from golf legend Jack Nicklaus to K-pop sensation Mark Tuan to lead the way. This is the first of a two-part hour-long conversation that continues next week. 

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