How the Shocking Andrea Riseborough Oscar Nomination Happened
Matt is joined by Dani Weinstein, a veteran communications executive and marketer, to break down the savvy marketing campaign behind Andrea Riseborough’s surprise Academy Award nomination for Best Actress in the movie ‘To Leslie.’ Dani has been in the trenches of Oscar campaigns for years and helps detail how Riseborough’s unique campaign contributed to a nomination. They discuss how social media has changed the modern Oscar campaign and speculate if Riseborough’s nomination playbook has forever changed the strategy of the Oscar campaign. Host: Matt Belloni Guest: Dani Weinstein Producer: Craig Horlbeck Theme Song: Devon Renaldo Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
25 Jan 202332min
Inside the Netflix Executive Shake-up
Matt is joined by Bloomberg's Lucas Shaw to go inside Netflix’s announcement that cofounder and co-CEO Reed Hastings will be stepping down, with COO Greg Peters joining Ted Sarandos as co-CEOs moving forward. They discuss why Reed chose to leave right now, other C-suite restructuring within the company, and what this means for the future of Netflix. Host: Matt Belloni Guest: Lucas Shaw Producer: Craig Horlbeck Theme Song: Devon Renaldo Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
23 Jan 202332min
Making Movie Stars Younger With AI
Matt is joined by VFX executive Matt Panousis to discuss Hollywood’s open secret of de-aging actors, a new tool called Vanity AI, and when we’ll see dead stars resurrected convincingly on our screens. Host: Matt Belloni Guest: Matt Panousis Producer: Devon Manze Theme Song: Devon Renaldo Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
19 Jan 202333min
Should Disney Be Afraid of Nelson Peltz?
Matt is joined by Bloomberg’s Lucas Shaw to discuss Disney’s proxy battle against activist shareholder Nelson Peltz, his plan (or lack thereof) to “restore the magic” at the company, and where other shareholders might fall between Peltz, Marvel’s Ike Perlmutter, and CEO Bob Iger. Email us your thoughts at thetown@spotify.com. Host: Matt Belloni Guest: Lucas Shaw Producer: Devon Manze Theme Song: Devon Renaldo Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
17 Jan 202335min
Around the World With Netflix’s Head of TV
Matt is joined by Rachel Syme to talk about her latest ‘New Yorker’ profile on Bela Bejaria, the global head of television at Netflix. Rachel talks about her months spent with Bela traveling to Netflix offices all over the world. She talks about Netflix’s evolved identity as a tastemaker, how quantity seems to be prioritized over quality, their strategy to globalize content, and more. Host: Matt Belloni Guest: Rachel Syme Producer: Craig Horlbeck Theme Song: Devon Renaldo Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
13 Jan 202332min
‘M3GAN,' and How to Market a Movie to Young People
Matt is joined by Michael Moses, the chief marketing officer at Universal Pictures, to discuss their latest hit, the horror film ‘M3GAN,’ and why it brought so many young people to the theater. Matt and Michael discuss how the viral marketing campaign led to nearly half of the movie's audience coming from people under 25 years old, why Universal’s batting average is so high with horror films, and how marketing can completely change the success of a film. Host: Matt Belloni Guest: Michael Moses Producer: Craig Horlbeck Theme Song: Devon Renaldo Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
11 Jan 202332min
Vince McMahon’s Return and the WWE’s Most Intriguing Suitors
Matt is joined by Bloomberg’s Lucas Shaw to discuss Vince McMahon’s unceremonious return to the WWE, his plan to help facilitate a sale before agreeing to a new TV rights deal, and the front-runners most likely to make a bid to acquire the live wrestling juggernaut. Email us your thoughts at thetown@spotify.com Host: Matt Belloni Guest: Lucas Shaw Producer: Craig Horlbeck Theme Song: Devon Renaldo Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
9 Jan 202332min
The New Black List and the Original Screenwriting Recession
Matt is joined by Franklin Leonard, a film executive and the founder of the Black List, a yearly publication featuring Hollywood's most popular unproduced screenplays, to discuss the market for original screenwriting, the value a good script still holds in Hollywood, why comedies have disappeared, how the Black List helps anoint the next generation of writers, the potential writers strike this spring, and how AI could affect the careers of screenwriters. Host: Matt Belloni Guest: Franklin Leonard Producer: Craig Horlbeck Theme Song: Devon Renaldo Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
5 Jan 202332min
