Strictly Business

By VarietyTV & Film Business

Strictly Business episodes

June 23 Eddy Cue and Jerry Bruckheimer talk ‘F1’ Sequel – Brad Pitt ‘Would Like to Get in That Car Again’ – and Apple’s Evolution in Movies and TV in Cannes Lions Sitdown With Variety
On today’s episode, Apple content chief Eddy Cue and producer Jerry Bruckheimer speak to Variety at the Cannes Lions festival about the tech giant’s influence in entertainment, how they’re working to get Brad Pitt back into a fast car for an “F1” movie sequel and how Apple’s incoming CEO feels about the company's expansion into TV and film.
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15 min
June 22 Daily Variety –- ‘Toy Story 5’ Opens Big and So Does Cannes Lions
On today’s episode, in our Box Office segment, Variety’s Rebecca Rubin breaks down 2026’s biggest weekend at the turnstiles to date with “Toy Story 5” delivering the goods for Disney and Pixar. That turnout has lifted the summer-to-date box office to within striking distance of 2019. And the Cannes Lions festival gets off to a busy – and muggy – start on the Côte d'Azur.
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18 min
June 19 Ken Ziffren Tackles a New Spin on Fin-Syn and Reflects on Six Decades of Hollywood Lawyering
The elder statesman of Hollywood attorneys, Ken Ziffren has logged more than 50 years in Los Angeles’ legal community. He’s represented a wide range of players from the late great showrunner entrepreneur Stephen J. Cannell to the Television Academy to the Directors Guild of America. In this conversation with host Cynthia Littleton, Ziffren touches on his effort to re-establish some content ownership restrictions for the industry's largest players, the state of AI in entertainment, how Hollywood's woes are affecting the Southern California economy and how dealmaking has changed markedly over the decades.
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22 min
June 18 Daily Variety -- Owen Gleiberman Unpacks Why We Love ‘Toy Story’: ‘Some of the Greatest Movies Ever Made About Childhood’
On today’s episode, Owen Gleiberman, Variety’s chief film critic, sings the praises of Pixar’s “Toy Story” movies as the fifth installment arrives in theaters on June 19. Pixar’s pioneering CG animated series, which began in 1995, amounts to “some of the greatest movies ever made about childhood,” Gleiberman enthuses.
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13 min
June 17 Daily Variety -- Latino Donor Collaborative Makes the Business Case Why Hollywood Loses Money by Ignoring Latinos
On today's episode, Ana Valdez, president and CEO of the Latino Donor Collaborative, details the nonprofit organization's work with McKinsey & Co. on their latest report on Latino representation in mainstream movies and TV shows. The numbers are going in the wrong direction, and that means Hollywood is leaving money on the table, as Valdez explains.
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18 min
June 16 Daily Variety -- Hollywood's Problems Intersect With California Politics Like Never Before as Showbiz Rallies Around a Federal Production Tax Incentive
On today’s episode, in our Cover Story segment, Variety’s Gene Maddaus unpacks the brawl that has erupted as Hollywood’s systemic problems become a pivotal political issue in the race for L.A. mayor and California governor.
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17 min
June 15 Daily Variety -- 'Disclosure Day' Adds to Summer Box Office Momentum; Why Fox is Buying Roku
On today’s episode, in our Box Office segment, Variety’s Rebecca Rubin weighs the opening weekend of Steven Spielberg’s “Disclosure Day." And Todd Spangler breaks down the surprise news of Fox Corp.’s acquisition of Roku.
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20 min
June 12 Mike Hopkins on Prime Video’s Evolution, the Bundling Boom, How MGM Changed Amazon, the Future of Bond and No Regrets on 'Melania'
On today's episode, Mike Hopkins, head of Prime Video and Amazon MGM Studios, gives a wide-ranging interview on the evolution of Amazon’s media strategy, how the MGM acquisition has changed the company, why the streamer is investing heavily in sports and why Amazon has no regrets about the Melania Trump documentary film and upcoming docu-series. Hopkins also touches on the Amazon channels business and the boom in bundling, AI, Amazon MGM’s approach to theatrical film and, of course, the future of James Bond.
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24 min
June 11 Daily Variety – David Harbour Finds a Port in the Storm in ‘DTF St. Louis’; ‘Toy Story 5’ Red Carpet Rundown
On today’s episode, in our Cover Story segment, Variety’s Daniel D’Addario details his time with David Harbour as the actor tries to navigate that trickiest of transitions – moving on from a career-making role after five seasons as Jim Hopper on Netflix’s “Stranger Things.” And Marc Malkin brings us a Red Carpet Rundown with Taylor Swift and Joan Cusack from Disney’s “Toy Story 5” premiere.
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15 min
June 10 Daily Variety -- How NBC Created the Broadcast Network Paradigm and Other Firsts; Andy Cohen Reflects on 20 Years of 'Real Housewives'
On today’s episode, Variety's Michael Schneider discusses Variety’s plans to take a long look at NBC's centennial and its role in advancing mass media in the electronic age with the creation of the first radio network. And we have highlights from Kate Aurthur’s recent sit-down with Andy Cohen at the Newport Beach TV Fest. The two reflect on the “ongoing documentary project” that is “The Real Housewives” franchise.
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19 min