Coachella and the Changing Music Festival Hierarchy
It’s Coachella weekend, so Matt is joined by Dave Brooks, the senior director of touring at Billboard, to discuss all things music festivals. David gives us the latest on Coachella: how it's been doing lately, how much money headliners make, and whether it's still the most culturally relevant music festival in the world. They then go through a music festival power ranking, discussing which are on the rise, how the economics have changed, and where things are going (02:18). Matt finishes the show with a prediction about the newest category added to the Academy Awards (25:14). For a 20 percent discount on Matt’s Hollywood insider newsletter, ‘What I’m Hearing ...,’ click here. Email us your thoughts! thetown@spotify.com Host: Matt Belloni Guest: Dave Brooks Producers: Craig Horlbeck and Jessie Lopez Theme Song: Devon Renaldo Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
11 Huhti 32min
Director Eli Roth Will Kill You On-Screen for $1 Million
Matt is joined by director Eli Roth to discuss his new, all-encompassing horror media company the Horror Section, which allows horror lovers to “own” a portion of the company and share in the profits. They get into why Eli is so passionate about this idea, how the model actually works, and why the unrated horror genre is the perfect fit for a venture like this (02:41). Matt finishes the show with an opening weekend box office prediction for the Rami Malek action flick ‘The Amateur’ (26:04). To learn more about Eli Roth’s company, click here. For a 20 percent discount on Matt’s Hollywood insider newsletter, ‘What I’m Hearing ...,’ click here. Email us your thoughts! thetown@spotify.com Host: Matt Belloni Guest: Eli Roth Producers: Craig Horlbeck and Jessie Lopez Theme Song: Devon Renaldo Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
9 Huhti 32min
A ‘Minecraft’ Megahit and the Studios Best Suited for Gen Z and Beyond
Matt is joined by Bloomberg’s Lucas Shaw to discuss the first surprise blockbuster of 2025, ‘A Minecraft Movie’; who deserves credit; what its success says about the current moment in IP-driven moviemaking; and whether video game adaptations are the new gold mine for attracting younger audiences (02:36). Finally, Matt makes a prediction about the ratings of the NCAA men's championship game (25:17). For a 20 percent discount on Matt’s Hollywood insider newsletter, ‘What I’m Hearing ...,’ click here. Email us your thoughts! thetown@spotify.com Host: Matt Belloni Guest: Lucas Shaw Producers: Craig Horlbeck and Jessie Lopez Theme Song: Devon Renaldo Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
7 Huhti 31min
Tom, Leo, Gosling (!), and the CinemaCon Studio Power Ranking
Matt is joined by The Ringer’s Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins of ‘The Big Picture’ podcast to recap their recent trip to Las Vegas for CinemaCon and discuss which studio presentations were the most impressive, concerning, and confusing. For a 20 percent discount on Matt’s Hollywood insider newsletter, ‘What I’m Hearing ...,’ click here. Email us your thoughts! thetown@spotify.com Host: Matt Belloni Guests: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins Producers: Craig Horlbeck and Jessie Lopez Theme Song: Devon Renaldo Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
4 Huhti 49min
Agents, Managers, and the Shifting Power Dynamics of Representation
Matt is joined by Brillstein Entertainment Partners CEO Jon Liebman to discuss the difference between a manager and an agent and how that has changed over the past 20 years. Jon gives his thoughts on CAA's lawsuit against Range Media Partners, the impact of private equity’s foray into the representation world, how the end of packaging agreements has affected the representation business, and the changing of the guard at WME and UTA (03:12). Matt finishes the show with an opening weekend box office prediction for ‘A Minecraft Movie’ (26:26). For a 20 percent discount on Matt’s Hollywood insider newsletter, ‘What I’m Hearing ...,’ click here. Email us your thoughts! thetown@spotify.com Host: Matt Belloni Guest: Jon Liebman Producers: Craig Horlbeck and Jessie Lopez Theme Song: Devon Renaldo Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
3 Huhti 31min
Four Industry Experts Debate Hollywood’s Moviegoing Crisis
Live from CinemaCon in Las Vegas, Matt is joined by Regal CEO Eduardo Acuna, 'F1' director Joseph Kosinski, Universal global distribution chairman Peter Levinsohn, and Neon CEO Tom Quinn to answer some of the most difficult questions about the state of the theatrical business, including movies leaving theaters too soon, streaming’s impact on people’s perception of movies, and what needs to happen to get people back into movie theaters. For a 20 percent discount on Matt’s Hollywood insider newsletter, ‘What I’m Hearing ...,’ click here. Email us your thoughts! thetown@spotify.com Host: Matt Belloni Guests: Eduardo Acuna, Joseph Kosinski, Peter Levinsohn, and Tom Quinn Producers: Craig Horlbeck and Jessie Lopez Theme Song: Devon Renaldo Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
2 Huhti 52min
Amazon’s Studio Head Firing and the Prime Video 7-Year Report Card
Matt is joined by The Entertainment Strategy Guy to look back on the Jen Salke era at Amazon MGM Studios and dissect their television and movie strategy, what performed, what didn’t, and what lessons should be taken as they usher in a new era at the company (02:54). Matt finishes the show with a prediction on who will replace Jen Salke as the head of Amazon MGM Studios (27:24). For a 20 percent discount on Matt’s Hollywood insider newsletter, ‘What I’m Hearing ...,’ click here. Email us your thoughts! thetown@spotify.com Host: Matt Belloni Guest: Entertainment Strategy Guy Producers: Craig Horlbeck and Jessie Lopez Theme Song: Devon Renaldo Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
28 Maalis 36min
Why YouTubers Are Having a Hollywood Moment
Matt is joined by Dude Perfect CEO Andrew Yaffe to talk about the state of the creator economy and why popular YouTube stars are starting to partner with streamers. He outlines how a popular YouTube channel makes its money, the limitations of YouTube, the benefit of partnering with traditional Hollywood studios, and why Hollywood is growing more interested in YouTube stars (03:31). Matt finishes the show with an opening weekend box office prediction for the newest Jason Statham film, ‘A Working Man’ (26:08). For a 20 percent discount on Matt’s Hollywood insider newsletter, ‘What I’m Hearing ...,’ click here. Email us your thoughts! thetown@spotify.com Host: Matt Belloni Guest: Andrew Yaffe Producers: Craig Horlbeck and Jessie Lopez Theme Song: Devon Renaldo Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
27 Maalis 32min
