The Town with Matthew Belloni

Matt is joined by David Stassen, co-creator of Netflix’s ‘Running Point,’ to talk about the many ways that TV comedy has changed in the streaming era. Dave uses his experience as a working writer and producer for over 15 years to shed some light on what's changed the most in the TV business, including why seasons of television are so much shorter now, how a shorter season affects the writing and pitching process, what streamers are looking for in the comedy space, and how the definition of success has changed (02:21). Matt finishes the show with an opening weekend box office prediction for the new Ryan Coogler film ‘Sinners’ (27:19). 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: David Stassen Producers: Craig Horlbeck and Jessie Lopez Theme Song: Devon Renaldo Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Matt is joined by journalist Michael Wolff to discuss his latest profile on Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav in New York Magazine. They talk about whether—despite the bad press—he is actually doing a good job running WBD, the Hollywood he wants to live in vs. the one he's actually in, and what it means to be a media mogul in 2025 (03:32). Matt finishes the show with a prediction about the pending merger between Skydance Media and Paramount Global (25:11). 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: Michael Wolff Producers: Craig Horlbeck and Jessie Lopez Theme Song: Devon Renaldo Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Matt is joined by Bloomberg’s Lucas Shaw to parse the media landscape and determine which companies are most vulnerable amid the Trump tariff chaos. They discuss how much this volatility will cost the entertainment industry, who is best suited to weather the storm, and if this will affect the cost of production (02:45). Matt finishes the show with a prediction about 'Saturday Night Live' headed to the U.K. (25:22). 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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Matt is joined by Bloomberg’s Lucas Shaw to look at the upcoming theatrical slate for each of the major movie studios and determine which movie matters the most for the strategy of each company (02:17). Matt finishes the show with a prediction on where the newly available Jason Bourne franchise will land next (25:40). 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

Matt is joined by Puck’s Julia Alexander to discuss Apple’s current strategy in Hollywood—or lack thereof—the popularity of ‘Severance,’ a jump in Apple TV+ subscribers, and why now is an important time for Apple Studios to decide who it wants to be (03:00). Matt finishes the show with a prediction about the director of the next James Bond film (28:03). 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: Julia Alexander Producers: Craig Horlbeck and Jessie Lopez Theme Song: Devon Renaldo Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Matt is joined by Axios senior media reporter and CNN analyst Sara Fischer to talk about the unexpected uncertainty in Hollywood under Donald Trump 2.0, and how the current administration's actions could affect every corner of the entertainment business (02:12). Matt finishes the show with two opening weekend box office predictions for ‘Snow White’ and ‘Alto Knights’ (24:40). 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: Sara Fischer Producers: Craig Horlbeck and Jessie Lopez Theme Song: Devon Renaldo Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Matt is joined by Bloomberg’s Lucas Shaw to discuss the hottest narratives around town and give their optimistic and pessimistic views of each. These narratives include: Hollywood is catering its content to Trump’s audience, movies like ‘Mickey 17’ leaving theaters so quickly are killing theatrical films (01:41), Warner Bros. is doomed as a movie studio, and Apple TV+ is quietly becoming a hitmaker (15:35). 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

Matt is joined by entertainment lawyer and litigator Bryan Freedman to discuss the key legal issues surrounding actor Justin Baldoni’s lawsuits against ‘It Ends With Us’ costar Blake Lively, her husband Ryan Reynolds, her PR team, and ‘The New York Times,’ as well as Blake Lively’s lawsuit against Baldoni. Matt questions Bryan about the non-disparaging agreement between Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively, the issue of regulating behavior on set, and the growing influence social media has in the PR world (03:12). 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: Bryan Freedman Producers: Craig Horlbeck and Jessie Lopez Theme Song: Devon Renaldo Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Matt is joined by Bloomberg’s Lucas Shaw to parse Netflix’s latest data dump and look at what is and is not working for the streamer. Big-budget live-action movies, sitcoms, reality shows, crime documentaries, foreign films and TV all contribute to Netflix’s enormous slate of content, but which of them are working the most? Is Netflix in need of a Taylor Sheridan-like universe? Do they need $200M live-action movies? How much do they need live events like the Jake Paul-Mike Tyson fight? Should they get into podcasting? (02:56). Matt finishes the show with a prediction about Amazon’s commitment to release 12-14 movies in theaters in 2026 (23:54). 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

Matt is joined by Pouya Shahbazian to discuss his company, Staircase Studios AI, a film, television, and gaming studio centered on an AI workflow that he claims revolutionizes the process of studio filmmaking. He explains how they plan to deliver “near-major-studio” levels of quality at budgets under $500,000, what their “talent-driven approach” actually looks like, and why this advancement in moviemaking technology should be embraced (02:38). Matt finishes the show with a prediction about the future of Meghan Markle’s television show on Netflix (28:21). Watch a scene from 'The Woman with Red Hair' 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: Pouya Shahbazian Producers: Craig Horlbeck and Jessie Lopez Theme Song: Devon Renaldo Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Matt is joined by Nielsen’s Brian Fuhrer to explain the mysterious world of ratings and how they actually work in 2025. They get into how Nielsen literally tracks viewing habits, how that has changed over the years, and how they now track out-of-home viewing. Then, they look at a surprising metric about the Oscars ratings, discuss how streaming is improving ratings among younger demos, and which shows are the most influential in terms of attracting a younger audience (03:00). Matt finishes the show with an opening weekend box office prediction for the new Bong Joon-ho film, ‘Mickey 17’ (25:53). 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: Brian Fuhrer Producers: Craig Horlbeck and Jessie Lopez Theme Song: Devon Renaldo Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Matt is joined by Hernan Lopez, the founder of Owl & Co and Wondery, to discuss how the narrative is rapidly shifting in the direct-to-consumer landscape now that streaming is, mostly, profitable! Hernan explains why YouTube dwarfs Netflix in consumption but Netflix dwarfs YouTube in revenue, why people are watching YouTube on TV screens more than ever, and what this means for the streaming juggernauts moving forward (02:43). Matt finishes the show with a lightning round of predictions about next year's Academy Awards (23:16). 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: Hernan Lopez Producers: Craig Horlbeck and Jessie Lopez Theme Song: Devon Renaldo Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices