CEO Dave Wiskus details the growth ambition of the four-year-old streamer that is home to the buzzy original series "Jet Lag" and backed by management company Standard with a minority stake held by Curiosity Stream. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With the long-awaited second season of the Emmy-winning Netflix series "Arcane" debuting Nov. 9, producers Riot Games may be better known for videogame phenomena like "League of Legends," but they've proven they can make great entertainment, too. But the company has struggled to expand further into scripted entertainment as inexperience has kept anything else from getting off the ground.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Delphi Interactive is a new company licensing some of the biggest franchises in entertainment and partnering them with independent gaming studios to bring those properties to life as new AAA video games. CEO Casper Daugaard and President Andy Kleinman joined Strictly Business to discuss what they refer to as the “publishing industrial complex” and their plans to circumvent gaming’s biggest entities to deliver new experiences for the unpredictable console and PC gaming market. See...

The founder, CEO and lead anchor of the insurgent progressive news brand shares his pre-election outlook on what it's been like covering the 2024 presidential race and discusses the state of the TYT business from his days as a YouTube pioneer more than two decades ago.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Marketing and advertising leaders from Disney, Warner Bros., NBCUniversal, Google, Nvidia, CVS, Ford, Pintrest and other blue-chip firms share insights on how to break through in a moment of transition from media and tech. HIghlights from the Variety Ad Week studio presented by Canva include conversations with creatives engaged in marketing and advertising pursuits including Terry Crews, Common and Camila Cabello.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Gamefam founder Joe Ferencz breaks down the metaverse game developer and publisher's strategy for harnessing and monetizing popular IP See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

To see the future of immersive mediat today, get to know the business of Cosm with its CEO, Jeb Terry. The NFL veteran has just begun an ambitious plan to build out dozens of state-of-the-art venues where fans can watch live sports and innovative entertainment on gigantic curved screens. He walks through the financial and technical aspects of Cosm and what sets it apart from Sphere, a similar venture making waves in Las Vegas. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A special live episode of Strictly Business recorded Sept. 26 in West Hollywood at Variety’s Entertainment and Technology Summit. Laura Martin, entertainment and internet analyst for Needham & Company, joins hosts Cynthia Littleton and Andrew Wallenstein for a conversation about the future of media and entertainment. Owl & Co consulting founder Hernan Lopez also weighs in for a deep dive into the economics of streaming content. Plus other conference highlights from the summit. See...

Neil Druckmann, creator of “The Last of Us” game franchise and head of development for Naughty Dog gaming studio, gives a wide-ranging interview at the Variety Presents: Gaming on TikTok Leadership Summit See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The industry veteran who came to Disney after years at Fox and Warner Horizon Television discusses the demands of managing content at an unprecedented scale across multiple platforms. The executive who oversees Hulu Originals, Disney Branded Television, ABC Entertainment and Freeform talks about the rebirth of procedural dramas, the surprise that was ‘The Golden Bachelor’ and why Hulu is elbowing its way into the standup comedy special arena. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the six years since writing the definitive book on dealmaking in the TV industry, Ken Basin has had to rethink plenty before updating his masterwork for a second edition. This veteran of business-affairs at some of the leading content companies discusses how disruption in Hollywood has changed his strategic outlook, but also outlines his prescription for getting showbiz back on track.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

No better time for a roundtable discussion on the future of the movie industry to make sense of the strange 2024 we've seen so far: The first five months of the year couldn't have looked grimmer, yet that didn't stop the summer from a very strong rebound. Can the momentum continue long enough to prompt the bleak prognosis theaters have been hearing long before COVID and the strikes made things even worse? We'll look ahead at all the films that will put this notion to the test in the coming...

The founder and CEO of Los Angeles-based Confluential Company explains how he’s found success in a challenging environment for independent film and TV producers. Oliver, co-creator and producer of the OWN unscripted series “Black Love,” details how he has diversified the company with a recent capital investment and why he’s determined to invest in BIPOC storytellers. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

"The Challenge" and "Below Deck" aren't just TV brands; they're practically the unscripted-TV version of cinematic universes, spanning multiple series that run for many years. Which is a challenge in its own right for Julie Pizzi, who produces those franchises as president of Bunim/Murray and 51 Minds, two different production companies owned by French media giant Banijay. She discusses the state of reality TV during a challenging period for Hollywood.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy...

Top athletes and executives from ESPN, Amazon, NBCUniversal, YouTube, Turner, Roku, the National Women’s Soccer League gathered July 12 in Beverly Hills for Variety and Sportico’s annual Sports and Entertainment Summit. Here are highlights from two key conversations examining the unprecedented growth in women’s sports and the future of live game coverage. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jim Shepherd, director of content and global creator partnerships at Snap, details his company's efforts to partner with NBCUniversal, advertisers and top influencers like Olivia Dunne and Kai Cenat on the ground in Paris to cover the Olympics with greater access than it ever has before. He also shares insights on Snapchat's place in the booming creator economy and how the platform distinguishes itself in a crowded social category.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Is Skibidi Toilet ready for its closeup? The animated YouTube sensation is being prepped for a potential move to film and TV, according to this week's guest, the film-industry veteran Adam Goodman, who is working alongside director Michael Bay to guide creator Alexey Gerasimov as they plot the future of the controversial character Generation Alpha already considers an icon.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Netflix chief technology officer Elizabeth Stone talks about the streamer's new generative-AI skunkworks project, how her team is prepping for live NFL games, where she sees the need to evolve the company’s famous “no rules” corporate culture and more. She has a background in economics, which is very unusual for a top tech exec — but she says she brings that economics expertise to bear in her current role almost every day. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

"Exploding Kittens" co-creators Matthew Inman and Elan Lee break down how they continue to expand their popular tabletop gaming brand while expanding primary business into TV series and mobile gaming with Netflix. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

More than a dozen top executives tackle burning subjects for the global marketing and advertising sector in interviews recorded at the Cannes Lions Festival, held June 17-21. Hear highlights of conversations on brand building, audience targeting and navigating a fractured media landscape from leaders at Disney, NBCUniversal, Warner Bros. Discovery, Paramount, Spotify, Colgate-Palmolive, Volkswagen, Roku, Wondery, Group M, iHeartMedia, Mattel, American Express and more. See...

Fresh off the Xbox Games Showcase during June’s Summer Game Fest season, Xbox president of gaming content and studios Matt Booty discusses upcoming titles, doubling down on subscription gaming, the surge of interest in “Fallout” and the difficulty of shutting down studios like Tango Gameworks.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Diana Mogollón, CEO of Rideback Rise, explains how the nonprofit venture launched by producer Dan Lin is designed to support mid-career creators from underrepresented backgrounds with the lofty goal of driving cultural change through inclusive storytelling. The organization offers annual fellowships, creative support and networking opportunities at its ranch-themed facility, built in what was an abandoned post office in Los Angeles’ vibrant Historic Filipinotown neighborhood. See...

Sherrese Clarke Soares, founder and CEO of Newark, N.J.-based investment firm HarbourView Equity, explains why she’s motivated to invest in media at a time when the industry’s largest companies are struggling mightily with the transition to streaming. Clarke Soares explains why she sees a right-sizing of the business underway as well as a dawning appreciation for the value of engagement versus mass appeal in entertainment. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Accenture consultant John Peters specializes in tough love for media companies: his new "Thrive Index" lays out 50 strategic options for executives in need of bold solutions to survive tumultuous times. He applies his innovative principles to the current predicaments facing businesses including Paramount, Disney and more.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.