The Business

The Business

Lively banter about entertainment industry news and in-depth interviews with directors, producers, writers and actors, hosted by award-winning journalist Kim Masters of The Hollywood Reporter.

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The Business
Will Greta Gerwig’s ‘Narnia’ bring big changes to Netflix?; Roy Wood Jr. ‘pledges allegiance to the joke’

As Greta Gerwig prepares to dive into production on her adaptation of The Chronicles of Narnia, the director is attempting to persuade Netflix to release her film on thousands of IMAX screens worldwide. Will the streamer bite? Also, Gavin Newsom proposes an increase in tax credits for California productions. What hurdles does the California governor face? Kim Masters and Matt Belloni talk us through it. 

Plus, Eric Deggans talks to comedian Roy Wood Jr. about hosting the American version of the long-running British current events quiz show, Have I Got News For You. Wood also addresses the ongoing paradigm shift in late night comedy — telling us why he thinks old-school ratings matter, but social virality and streaming numbers matter more.

00:28:32
Nov 1, 2024 12:0 AM
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The Business
Netflix’s strong Q3 + what’s next for its films; ‘The Wild Robot’ director talks CG vs. tradition

Matt Belloni and Lucas Shaw dive into the impressive Q3 earnings posted by Netflix… And whether the streamer can fine tune its film strategy to achieve even further world domination. 

Plus, Kim Masters speaks to Chris Sanders, the writer and director of The Wild Robot. The veteran animation director acknowledges the good and not so good impact of CG animation, talks about his experience of working at Disney during the studio’s famed Renaissance period, and explains why he left the studio to work at Dreamworks after John Lasseter took over Disney Animation in 2006. Plus, Sanders discusses his very special relationship with Stitch, of Lilo and Stitch.

00:28:32
Oct 25, 2024 10:0 AM
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The Business
Game planning for Paramount; The accidental ‘Apprentice’ financier

As David Ellison’s Skydance merger with Paramount begins, studio executives have been given some serious incentives to stick around through the transition process. Matt Belloni and Lucas Shaw examine the latest happenings at the studio. 

Then, Kim Masters wraps a two-part conversation between The Apprentice writer Gabriel Sherman and Briarcliff Entertainment founder Tom Ortenberg. Sherman shares how billionaire Trump supporter Dan Snyder helped finance the project without reading the script… And he also shares how Snyder was bought out of the project once he saw an early screening and realized that the film was far too critical for his taste. Plus, Ortenberg reflects on the death threats he’s encountered over the years due to his propensity for distributing controversial movies.

00:28:32
Oct 18, 2024 12:0 AM
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The Business
Inside the ‘Joker’ sequel flop; The sprint to bring ‘The Apprentice’ to theaters

Kim Masters and Matt Belloni examine MSNBC’s decision to hold Errol Morris’ immigration documentary Separated until after the 2024 presidential election. They also unpack the various factors that led Todd Phillips’ Joker sequel to flop.

Plus, Masters speaks with writer Gabriel Sherman and Briarcliff Entertainment founder Tom Ortenberg in the first of a two part conversation about The Apprentice. Sherman tells us about the risks he’s undertaken in making a movie about prominent attorney Roy Cohn’s mentorship of a young Donald Trump. And he describes how a cease and desist letter from Trump put the project’s future in jeopardy. Plus, Ortenberg talks about the sprint to get the film to theaters just a month after establishing the distribution deal with his company.

00:28:32
Oct 11, 2024 12:0 AM
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The Business
Sony Pictures enjoys a smooth succession; Kate Winslet gets candid about creating her new film ‘Lee’

As Sony Pictures CEO Tony Vinciquerra prepares to step down from his post in 2025, Kim Masters and Matt Belloni take a look at the company’s succession plans. 

Plus, Masters speaks to Academy Award winning actress Kate Winslet about producing and starring in Lee, the true story of pioneering photojournalist Lee Miller. Winslet discusses the nine year uphill battle of getting the film off the ground — including sourcing financing and pulling together a cast that includes Alexander Skarsgård, Andrea Riseborough, Josh O’Connor, and comedian Andy Samberg in his first dramatic role.

00:36:51
Oct 4, 2024 12:0 AM
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The Business
AI enters the Hollywood chat in major ways + Demi Lovato’s ‘Child Star’ cautionary tale

With news of Lionsgate partnering with an AI mining firm and Meta’s new AI chatbot voiced by celebrities, Matt Belloni and Lucas Shaw break down the latest industry forays in the world of artificial intelligence. 

Plus, Kim Masters speaks to Demi Lovato and Nicola Marsh about their new documentary, Child Star. The co-directors explain the challenges of persuading some of the best known former child stars—including Drew Barrymore, Raven-Symoné, and Kenan Thompson—to share their deeply personal experiences as young performers.

00:28:32
Sep 27, 2024 12:0 AM
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The Business
Disney’s messy succession story; Overcoming the production challenges of ‘Strange Darling’

In the wake of Disney’s big night at the Emmys, Kim Masters and Matt Belloni take a look at the New York Times article chronicling the chaotic succession endeavors at Disney.

Plus, Masters speaks with writer-director J.T. Mollner and producer Roy Lee about their cat-and-mouse thriller Strange Darling. The film currently sits at 95% on Rotten Tomatoes and was called a “clever masterpiece” by Stephen King. But the road to such acclaim was not an easy one for the filmmakers. Mollner and his producers faced constant pushback from studio executives at Miramax, including having production shut down two days into shooting. Plus, the pair tells us about editorial clashes in post-production that would ultimately result in Mollner being given final cut.

00:28:32
Sep 20, 2024 12:0 AM
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The Business
SAG-AFTRA is urged to protect Pro-Palestine members; Documentarian Maciek Hamela on ‘In The Rearview’

Kim Masters and Matt Belloni break down a letter signed by hundreds of SAG-AFTRA members calling on union leaders to protect Pro-Palestine members from being blacklisted. 

Plus, Masters speaks to Warsaw-based filmmaker Maciek Hamela, whose documentary In The Rearview traces the stories of refugees fleeing Ukraine. The film originated from Hamela’s personal experience of repeatedly driving into the war-torn country in a small van, picking people up, and driving them to safety in his native Poland.

00:28:32
Sep 13, 2024 12:0 AM
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The Business
The Murdoch family’s own private ‘Succession?’; Encore: Writer Justin Kuritzkes on ‘Challengers’

Kim Masters and Matt Belloni examine the secret battle for succession among the family of billionaire Rupert Murdoch. They also take a look at a curious Wall Street Journal profile on Disney Parks Chairman Josh D’Amaro. 

Plus, we revisit Masters’ conversation with writer Justin Kuritzkes about the rollout of his first screenplay, Challengers, now a full-fledged film directed by Luca Guadagnino. He talks about how the Zendaya-led project was inspired by a US Open match that eventually led to him becoming a tennis obsessive. And he shares how he and his wife Celine Song — who experienced a similar career whirlwind last year with her Oscar-nominated feature Past Lives — manage to keep their work separate from their relationship.

00:28:31
Sep 6, 2024 12:0 AM
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The Business
The Journey of ‘Inside Out 2;’ Bronfman backs down

Kim Masters and Matt Belloni banter about the summer box office, noting that it started with a whimper but is ending with a bang thanks to a sequel and two superheroes. Edgar Bronfman Jr. has withdrawn his bid for Paramount, and as the Venice Film Festival kicks off, Italy's increasingly right-wing government is courting Hollywood productions.

Additionally, Meg LeFauve and Dave Holstein, the writers of the Pixar megahit Inside Out 2, join Kim Masters to discuss the importance of putting animated movies in theaters instead of only on streaming platforms — as former Disney CEO Bob Chapek did during his tenure. They also address whether the culture at Pixar has changed since John Lasseter’s 2018 departure amid misconduct allegations.

00:28:32
Aug 30, 2024 12:0 AM
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The Business
Gary Oldman on ‘Slow Horses’; Edgar Bronfman Jr. enters the Paramount chat

Matt Belloni and Alex Weprin discuss Edgar Bronfman Jr.'s unexpected bid for Paramount Studios, challenging the existing agreement with Skydance Media.

Plus, Slow Horses kicks off its new season with nine Emmy nominations, including Best Drama Series and Best Actor in a Drama for Gary Oldman. Eric Deggans revisits his interview with Oldman, where the actor shares insights into his career, the challenges of his craft, and what drew him to his latest role. This conversation offers a fascinating glimpse into the life of one of Hollywood's most acclaimed actors.

00:28:31
Aug 23, 2024 12:0 AM
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The Business
Justin Simien’s ‘Hollywood Black’ chronicles the pioneers of African American cinema; Phoenix and Paramount bail

Kim Masters and Matt Belloni discuss recent Hollywood developments, including Joaquin Phoenix's sudden exit from a film just days before shooting and Paramount Pictures' decision to shut down a studio and layoff 2,000 workers. The industry grapples with uncertainty as Paramount and other major players navigate shifting dynamics. 

Plus, NPR’s TV critic and media analyst, Eric Deggans speaks with ‘Dear White People’ creator Justin Simien. His new docuseries Hollywood Black chronicles over a century of Black experiences in Hollywood, exploring the contributions of Black actors, writers, and directors. Simien discusses the pivotal pioneers like Donald Bogle and Oscar Micheaux while sharing personal insights on navigating racial barriers in the industry. 

00:42:21
Aug 16, 2024 12:0 AM
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The Business
‘Sing Sing’ director Greg Kwedar models pay equity; streamers still struggle

Kim Masters and Matt Beloni discuss Hollywood’s second quarter earnings reports. Disney turned an early profit for streaming service ESPN+, but amusement park attendance still worried Wall Street. Meanwhile, Warner Bros. Discovery cites struggling TV business for $9 Billion loss. 

Plus, Kim Masters speaks with filmmaker Greg Kwedar about his new film “Sing Sing.” Everyone involved in the production was paid the same daily rate, a model that Kwedar hopes could bring more parity to film sets. The movie stars Colman Domingo as an wrongly-convicted man staging a play inside the real Sing Sing. Much of the cast includes formerly incarcerated actors who play versions of themselves.

00:42:29
Aug 9, 2024 12:0 AM
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The Business
Jordan Klepper on surviving “bonkers” political news; Apple TV+ tightens its belt

Kim Masters banters with Bloomberg’s Lucas Shaw about the future of Apple’s place in the streaming landscape. Apple TV+ has produced some of the most expensive series and movies in recent years. Now, the company wants to reign in spending after struggling to grow their audience.

Plus, The Daily Show’s Jordan Klepper joins us to talk about mining comedy from the increasingly “bonkers” political news. These days, he travels with a security team to report on MAGA rallies, a situation he never anticipated as an improv comedian. Klepper also shares his thoughts on the future of late night television.

Episode Photo: (Full sentence caption + credit) Photo captions should be formatted as "Photo by __" whoever took the photos. Or "Photo courtesy of ____" if the person provided the photo and or did not take the photo.

00:28:32
Aug 2, 2024 12:0 AM
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The Business
How ‘Survive until 2025’ became Hollywood’s new mantra

It’s been more than two years since anyone watched the second season finale of HBO’s “Euphoria.” Season three was delayed by the strikes that shut down Hollywood, and a series of dramatic events surrounding the creator Sam Levinson. The network has confirmed its return, but will the audience stay tuned-in?

Plus, Comcast and its streaming service Peacock are hoping the Olympic games can reverse a recent subscriber shrinkage. It’s just one example of the television industry’s troubles. Low production, delayed premieres and a sense of uncertainty have plagued T.V. land this year. Kim Masters speaks with the Hollywood Reporter’s Scott Feinberg about what the latest Emmy nominations say about the state of the industry. Then NPR’s Eric Deggans breaks down what he learned at this month’s gathering with the Television Critics Association.

00:28:32
Jul 25, 2024 12:0 AM
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The Business
FX’s Emmy domination; ‘Shōgun’ makes awards history

The 2024 Emmy nominations are here, with lots of record-breaking nods and surprises to unpack — along with the strategy behind Disney’s acquisition of FX. What does the success of Shōgun and The Bear say about streaming? And does a new Bank of America report on Warner Bros. Discovery suggest… “unbundling”? Kim Masters and Matt Belloni break it down. 


Plus, in honor of Shōgun’s 25(!) Emmy nominations, Masters revisits her conversation with creators Justin Marks and Rachel Kondo. The series made history this week with its Emmy nomination for Outstanding Drama, becoming only the second non-English show ever considered. The husband-and-wife creative team talk about how they’ve been granted more control writing for television over feature films, and explain why FX took the risk on their very expensive, and heavily subtitled, period epic.

00:28:32
Jul 19, 2024 12:0 AM
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The Business
Muta’Ali on his documentary ‘MoviePass, MovieCrash’; CNN and Paramount step into the future

Kim Masters and Matt Belloni discuss the Paramount-Skydance merger. They also look at CNN’s digital future after the company lays off 100 employees, and weigh in on Kevin Costner’s sad “Horizon” rollout. 

Plus, Masters speaks to Muta’Ali, director of the HBO documentary “MoviePass, MovieCrash.” The filmmaker talks about his desire to center the story of the company’s two Black founders, while detailing the complex business dealings that led to MoviePass’s meteoric rise and fall.

 

00:28:35
Jul 12, 2024 12:0 AM
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The Business
The latest twist in the Paramount saga; ‘Hacks’ showrunners Jen Statsky and Paul W. Downs (Encore)

Kim Masters and guest Banterer Lucas Shaw of Bloomberg News discuss the latest twist in the Paramount saga: Just after billionaire Barry Diller raised his hand as a potential buyer, the Skydance-Paramount deal is resurrected from the dead.

Plus, Masters returns with an encore of her 2021 interview with Paul W. Downs and Jen Statsky, two of the three showrunners behind the award-winning HBO Max series "Hacks." Downs and Statsky talk about how lead actress Jean Smart insisted the cameras keep rolling when her husband passed away with a week of shooting the first season left.

00:28:32
Jul 4, 2024 1:47 AM
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The Business
‘Ren Faire’ director Lance Oppenheim; A.I. at the Olympics

Kim Masters and Matt Belloni discuss the tentative deal reached by the major Hollywood studios and IATSE, the union representing below-the-line workers. They also break down NBC’s effort to boost streaming numbers with Olympics recaps from an A.I.-generated version of sports broadcaster Al Michaels.

Plus, Masters speaks to Lance Oppenheim, director of the new HBO docu-series Ren Faire, about honing his intimate, uniquely collaborative style of filmmaking, and his interest in subjects who become “entombed” by their own fantasies. The filmmaker also talks about how he cold emailed his way into director Darren Aronofsky’s inner circle. 

00:28:34
Jun 28, 2024 12:0 PM
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The Business
Albert Brooks, Rob Reiner on their HBO doc and the state of Hollywood

Kim Masters and Matt Belloni examine the dissolution of the Paramount-Skydance merger after Shari Redstone calls it quits on the deal. They also discuss Sony’s purchase of Alamo Drafthouse theaters.

Plus, Masters speaks to Rob Reiner and Albert Brooks about Reiner’s HBO documentary, Albert Brooks: Defending My Life. The legendary filmmakers talk about their early years in the industry and they talk about the drastically changing landscape of entertainment. 

00:50:55
Jun 14, 2024 2:30 PM
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The Business
Neal Brennan on his Netflix special ‘Crazy Good’; Shari Redstone weighs options at Paramount

Kim Masters and Matt Belloni examine the complicated situation developing at Paramount as controlling shareholder Shari Redstone determines the future of the company. 

Plus, Eric Deggans speaks to comedian and Chappelle’s Show co-creator Neal Brennan about his Netflix standup special, Crazy Good. Brennan talks about what he and friends Dave Chappelle and Chris Rock have taught each other about their craft over the years, and he argues that people shouldn’t always care what comedians have to say.

00:28:33
Jun 7, 2024 12:0 AM
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The Business
Paramount’s Chris Aronson on the future of movie-going; Trump, according to an ex-’Apprentice’ producer

Kim Masters and Matt Belloni break down the latest NBA news at Warner Bros. Discovery. They also discuss activist investor Nelson Peltz’s decision to sell his entire stake in Disney, and why Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos thinks last summer’s biggest theatrical hits would have fared as well on the streamer. 

Plus, Masters speaks to the head of domestic distribution at Paramount, Chris Aronson. The long-serving executive explains why he believes that movie theaters will survive despite industry-wide gloom over waning box office numbers, and he argues that the lack of consensus about the length of the theatrical window isn't helping consumers or studios.

00:28:31
May 31, 2024 12:0 AM
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The Business
Spring Megabanter: Cannes flops, Scarlett Johansson vs. OpenAI, underwhelming box offices

A frighteningly lackluster summer box office, human ScarJo dukes it out with OpenAI’s ‘definitely-not-supposed-to-sound-like-ScarJo’ ScarJo, and the movies making noise at this year’s Cannes Film Festival–not necessarily in a good way. Kim Masters and Matt Belloni break down this week’s news in a special Spring Megabanter episode of The Business.

00:28:31
May 24, 2024 12:0 AM
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The Business
Jane Schoenbrun on ‘I Saw the TV Glow’; 2024 Upfronts

Kim Masters and Matt Belloni break down the biggest stories to come out of the 2024 Upfronts. They also take a look at the latest streaming bundle announcement between Netflix, Apple TV+, and Peacock.

Plus, Masters speaks with Jane Schoenbrun about their film, I Saw the TV Glow. The director talks about how growing up in the suburbs was the inspiration for the sinister setting in their A24-backed film, produced by Emma Stone and husband Dave McCary. Schoenbrun also shares why the nuances of gender and identity play a major role in their work, and how they realized they were transgender after taking a mushroom trip with friends.

00:28:31
May 17, 2024 2:30 PM
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The Business
‘Doctor Who’ showrunner on teaming up with Disney; inside Warner Bros. Discovery following Q1 earnings

Kim Masters and Matt Belloni discuss the latest at Warner Bros. Discovery following the company’s Q1 earnings report. They also dive into the announced streaming package bundling Max, Disney+, and Hulu.

Plus, Eric Deggans speaks to writer Russell T Davies about the new season of Doctor Who on Disney+. Davies talks about casting Sex Education’s Ncuti Gatwa as the latest Doctor, why having Disney on his side is such a big deal, and he explains why he thinks writing Doctor Who is one of the hardest jobs in television.

00:28:31
May 10, 2024 12:0 AM
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