Strictly Business
'Abigail' Horror Flick Puts Project X to the Test
As its success with the "Scream" franchise can attest, Project X Entertainment knows its way around the horror genre. But now the indie production outfit is back in theaters with untested IP in the form of "Abigail." Nevertheless, Project X principal William Sherak is confident lightning will strik…
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Why the Movie Business is Poised for a New Golden Age of Filmmaking
Think the market for adult-focused specialty films is dead? Peter Kujawski, chairman of Focus Features, explains why you’re wrong. As the film industry gathers in Las Vegas this week for CinemaCon, Kujawski talks about the state of moviemaking, exhibition, and walks through key lessons from the str…
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Futurific Studios’ Ari Wallach and Kathryn Murdoch Give a Brief History of PBS Docu Series ‘A Brief History of the Future’
Premiering April 3, the six-part series hosted by futurist Ari Wallach seeks to counter pop culture’s dystopian view of life in the coming centuries with visits to real-world entrepreneurs, inventors, artists and activists who are pursuing hopeful and innovative solutions for a range of social ills.
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High Fidelity: Audible Seizes the Moment to Grow with Original Content
Audible's Rachel Ghiazza (chief content officer), Kate Navin (head of creative development for North America) and Pat Shah (head of content acquisition and development) discuss the company's unique position in the audio marketplace and why they are revving up original content for the Amazon-owned s…
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TikTok Execs Reveal How Films & TV Shows Go Viral
As Congress debates the future of TikTok in the U.S., here's an encore episode of Variety's "Strictly Business" podcast from August 2023 that examines how the social media platform has become essential for promoting movies and TV shows.
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Dealmaking in the Post-Peak TV Landscape
There may be far fewer TV shows being made in Hollywood these days than in the salad days of the peak-TV era, but that just means there's more hustling being done to get writers, producers, directors and actors staffed on a development season that goes on year-round. For the past 10 years, Grandvie…
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Betting on the Oscars: Why More States Allow Movie Fans to Place Wagers on Hollywood’s Big Night
Bill Speros, senior betting analyst for Bookies.com, explains why legal betting on the Oscars has grown in recent years thanks to changes in state gambling laws. The veteran analyst and journalist also discusses the rise of sports wagering as an audience engagement strategy and profit driver for me…
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Confronting Sora: How Hollywood Should Heed Tyler Perry's AI Warning
Ever since OpenAI gave the world a glimpse of its upcoming new text-to-video software, the entertainment industry has been in a state of alarm—particularly Tyler Perry, who paused an expansion on his Atlanta studio, citing the industry job losses he predicts Sora will cause. Steven Zeitchik, who w…
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Anime Streamer Crunchyroll Is a Rare SVOD Success Story
Crunchyroll President Rahul Purini explains how the Sony-owned, Japanese anime-focused streaming service has found success through serving a so-called niche market and its plans for further expansion.
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“We’ll Be the French Fries to Anyone’s Happy Meal”: AMC Networks CEO Kristin Dolan Adapts Cable Channels for the Streaming Era
AMC Networks CEO Kristin Dolan offers a candid look at how the boutique owner of AMC, SundanceTV, WeTV, IFC and BBC America is adapting its programming and distribution strategies for the streaming era. The longtime Cablevision senior executive came full circle in 2023 when she returned to lead the…
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