Strictly Business

By VarietyTV & Film Business

Strictly Business episodes

November 20, 2018 Pocket.watch Disrupts Kiddie Toy Biz This Holiday Season
Multibillion-dollar franchises like "SpongeBob SquarePants" used to require traditional media like TV or film as launch pad. But Chris Williams, CEO of the new kid-targeted brand Pocket.watch, is proving with YouTube sensation Ryan's World that the Internet can also be the breeding ground for a consumer-products phenomenon. No wonder he's attracted some big backers from UTA to Robert Downey Jr. to Viacom, which could learn a thing or two from Pocket.watch for figuring out the future of its own kids brand, Nickelodeon.

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32 min
November 13, 2018 David Zaslav: Why Brands and IP Matter More Than Channels
The president-CEO of Discovery Inc. offers a candid assessment of the state of traditional TV in a wide-ranging interview. He talks M&A prospects and gives a glimpse into the behind-the-scenes story of Discovery’s $14 billion acquisition of Scripps Networks Interactive. Zaslav also discusses how the management mindset at Discovery changed five years ago thanks to a profound question posted by major shareholder John Malone.

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42 min
November 06, 2018 E!'s Adam Stotsky on Taking Over the People's Choice Awards
After 44 years on CBS, the People's Choice Awards will move over on Nov. 11 to E!, where the network's president, Adam Stotsky, has led a re-imagination of the franchise. It's one of many changes transforming E! under Stotsky's watch, including a return to topical talk shows and more unscripted series in the mold of reigning hit "Keeping Up with the Kardashians."

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34 min
October 30, 2018 How the World's Largest Magazine Company Approaches Video Content
With its acquisition of Time Inc. earlier this year, Meredith Corp. is home to more iconic magazine titles than ever, from People to Better Homes & Gardens. But as the company's president, Jon Werther, explains, he's as focused on translating these publications to video and building out other revenue streams as he is continuing the core print product.

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31 min
October 23, 2018 Why the TV boom makes life harder, not easier, for independent producers
Assembly Entertainment CEO Christina Wayne discusses the dealmaking challenges that producers face even at a time of incredible demand for TV content. The producer first made her mark as the AMC development executive who championed “Mad Men” and “Breaking Bad.” Wayne goes deep into the nitty gritty of selling shows in the current landscape. She also talks about how her range of experience as a buyer and seller inspired the launch of her Television School subscription venture.

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34 min
October 16, 2018 Snap Content Chief Nick Bell on Venturing Into Scripted Series
Two years into his effort to bring short-form original programming into the Snapchat app, Nick Bell has taken the plunge into scripted series with a new slate of shows customized for mobile consumption. Snap's top programming executive reveals the company wasn't ready to bring the new offering to its massive audience without much internal trial and error.
44 min
October 02, 2018 How Joe Biden Helps ATTN: Aim to Be the 'HBO of Mid-Form'
While the nation waits to hear whether former Vice President Joe Biden will join the 2020 presidential race, he's not quietly sitting on the sidelines. He just launched an episodic series on Instagram's new IGTV created by ATTN:, a company devoted to making its "purpose-driven" content entertaining on digital platforms. ATTN co-founder, Matthew Segal, explains how the Biden projects fuels his ambition to make his company the "HBO of mid-form" programming.

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32 min
September 25, 2018 Indie Evolution: Producer Gigi Pritzker on Staying Nimble and Embracing Risk
Gigi Pritzker, CEO of MWM, details the evolution of her company, formerly OddLot Entertainment, from an indie film production banner to an IP-centric approach embracing TV, digital, VR and AR, live events and theater. Pritzker explains how the seismic shifts in the entertainment marketplace spurred her to focus on stories and franchises that be adapted across multiple mediums.

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30 min
September 18, 2018 Viacom's Kelly Day: Buying AwesomenessTV 'Bargain of a Lifetime'
The digital studio's president gets candid about the acquisitions she's made in her first year on the job, as well as Viacom's efforts to attract young eyeballs to original content across digital platforms.

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30 min
September 11, 2018 John Landgraf on the Future of Television
The FX Networks CEO discusses the strategic rationale behind the union of Disney and 21st Century Fox and the industry’s embrace of direct-to-consumer distribution platforms. He also muses He also muses about how the insatiable global demand for original content has rocked the entertainment industry’s competitive landscape.

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32 min