Strictly Business

Los Angeles Clippers chairman Steve Ballmer outlines his vision for his “mecca” of basketball with team’s new arena that is scheduled to open in Inglewood, Calif. in 2024. Ballmer enthusiastically describes the cutting-edge tech touches and focus on sustainability that went into the design. And he weighs in on the future of NBA’s television rights deals at the national and local levels.  Learn mor...

Jason Richman and Keya Khayatian, co-heads of United Talent Agency's media rights group, scour the world for news books, long-form journalism, podcasts and individual life rights to find source material for your next streaming obsession. The industry veterans discuss the growth in demand for life rights, the supreme power of the suburban book club and how media rights sales have help keep talent a...

Attorney Dina LaPolt founded her own firm 20 years ago and went on to represent music stars like Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler, rappers 21 Savage and Cardi B and the Tupac Shakur estate. As her practice grew, so did LaPolt’s conviction for righting the music ecosystem’s wrongs. She’s tackled songwriters’ rights and access to digital royalties; she campaigned for federal COVID relief to help music creat...

New Line Cinema founder and Hollywood legend Bob Shaye talks about why he joined the board of directors at Brat TV, a producer of scripted series targeting Gen Z on myriad digital platforms, along with Brat co-founder Rob Fishman, who gives an update on his company's progress.  Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy informat...

The Hollywood veteran details the steps that led her to partner with Elisabeth Murdoch and producer Jane Featherstone to form the content banner Sister in 2019. Snider reflects on how her years of experience as head of Universal Pictures, DreamWorks and 20th Century Fox is helping her to build a nimble operation with financing and resources to nurture projects from writers and directors “who have...

Kevin Lee, better known as Coach K, is cofounder of Quality Control, the multifaceted Atlanta-based label and management company that in just eight years has brought the world Migos, Lil Baby, Lil Yachty, City Girls and more, and also manages many athletes. Coach talks about how old-school “street marketing” and a cosign from his friend Drake helped launch the company, the gunshot injury that ende...

Prolific producer Arthur Smith discusses the explosive growth of the content marketplace and the many challenges COVID has created for production. The industry veteran, who is also chairman of Tinopolis Group U.S., explains why he loves the high-wire act of large-scale unscripted TV shows. And while he marvels at the spike in global demand, Smith misses the days when series deals were sealed on th...

Tinder CEO Jim Lanzone explains why the dating app is embracing streaming video applications and other multimedia tools to keep its Gen Z user base engaged. He discusses the origin of its original series “Swipe Night” and how the show's choose-your-own-adventure format helps facilitate matches for Tinder users. The former CEO of CBS Interactive who launched CBS All Access in 2014 also weighs in on...

The executive who sits atop Discovery’s portfolio of more than 200 international channels discusses the potential of the pending WarnerMedia-Discovery merger and the empire of entertainment, lifestyle, sports and news content to be brought together under one roof. Perrette weighs in on the rollout of Discovery Plus and how the unusual Tokyo summer Olympics performed for Discovery’s Eurosport strea...

Dan Weinstein, co-founder of Underscore Talent, a new management firm representing influencer talent, explains how companies like YouTube, TikTok, Facebook and Twitter have escalated their battle in recent months to court a new generation of digital-native celebrities. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Small independent TV companies are an endangered species at a time when media’s largest conglomerates are focused on the streaming wars and global expansion. In separate interviews, Paula Madison, CEO of The Africa Channel, and Bill Rouhana, chairman-CEO of Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment, offer insights into why they zig when others zag and where they see opportunity ahead.  Learn more ab...

Music managers Mark Gillespie, of Three Six Zero, and Michele Harrison, of Range Media Partners, discuss representing hitmakers Calvin Harris and Justin Tranter, respectively, and how their roles as advisors have changed over the years. Music managers Mark Gillespie, of Three Six Zero, and Michele Harrison, of Range Media Partners, discuss representing hitmakers Calvin Harris and Justin Tranter, r...

Common Sense Networks CEO Eric Berger unveils Sensical, a new kid-centric app that gives parents peace of mind by offering a safe alternative to the bigger video platforms that have gotten a bad reputation for serving up algorithmically driven content that may not be in their best interest to watch. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listene...

CNN Worldwide chief digital officer Andrew Morse shares the game plan for what he calls the biggest launch in the network's history since Ted Turner first brought the brand to cable TV in 1980. He addresses what to expect from its programming mix, how CNN+ will be different from the TV network and how interactivity with subscribers will be part of the content. Learn more about your ad-choices at h...

Six months into 2021, and the profound financial impact the pandemic had on the media industry is just beginning to be truly understood. Naveen Sarma, senior director of S&P Global Ratings, has closely studied the myriad ways the sector has been shaken up. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The CEO and creative director of fashion juggernaut Alice + Olivia takes a break from the Allen & Co. moguls conference in Sun Valley to talk about the post-pandemic business landscape and why the ranks of female CEOS remain stubbornly low. Bendet Eisner also details her vision for Creatively, the startup professional network designed to help employers connect with freelancers in a range of cr...

Twitter execs Sarah Rosen and Lara Cohen break down how the company teams up with talent and media firms to maximize reach and engagement — while acknowledging work the social platform still needs to do. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Scooter Braun’s business savvy and mentorship of top artists like Justin Bieber and Ariana Grande have netted him a fortune — but not without drama. Variety’s Music Mogul of the Year lays bare his management philosophy, addresses misconceptions about his character and reveals his future plans with South Korean entertainment giant HYBE. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastn...

ViacomCBS' Seema Patel and Dish's Tim Myers go deep on addressable TV, and how businesses like theirs have partnered together to tackle the challenge of getting the industry to adopt the tools that enable targeted commercials. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Amounting to nearly $180 billion in 2020, the global video games market continues to ascend to new heights. Ophir Lupu, a partner and head of video games at UTA, discusses his involvement in several gaming sectors through his oversight of a diverse range of clients and negotiating of capital investment for new studios, along with how his division adapted to the pandemic and continued to foster vir...

Jane Rosenthal, founder and CEO of Tribeca Enterprises, offers her perspective on how the entertainment industry is slowly but surely coming back to life. She details the massive effort that went into planning for this year’s 20th anniversary Tribeca Film Festival across New York’s five boroughs. The film veteran also weighs in on the cyclical nature of media M&A and the fate of old-fashioned...

Stephanie McMahon, WWE’s chief brand officer, discusses the pro wrestling firm's evolution into a TV and digital content powerhouse over the past decade. The daughter of WWE chairman-CEO Vince McMahon and former WWE chief Linda McMahon details the “circuitous” path she took to learn every aspect of the business in preparation for her current role. She makes no apologies for the company’s forays in...

As radio’s reach holds firm among a slew of streaming options, broadcasting veteran John Sykes, president of entertainment enterprises for iHeartMedia, expounds on the importance of curation, looks back at the company’s pandemic pivot and assesses an exploding podcast market, astutely identified by his boss, Bob Pittman, while still in its infancy. Named chairman of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame...

Amid weeks of presentations from media brands to advertisers, there's no better time to check in on the state of the advertising business with Brian Wieser, global president of group intelligence at media-buying giant GroupM. From connected TV to e-commerce, he touches on all the biggest trends shaping how tens of billions of promotional dollars are being spent. Learn more about your ad-choices at...

James Cuthbert, president of Rock the Bells, discusses the company’s growth plans following its successful recent fundraising round of $8 million. The former BET and Coca-Cola marketing executive sees big potential for the legendary hip hop star’s company to craft a media and lifestyle brand that speaks to a multi-generational swath of consumers. Cuthbert discusses the company’s evolution into e-c...