The Town with Matthew Belloni

Matt is joined by Bloomberg’s Lucas Shaw to revisit their executive power poll and determine the new top players in Hollywood (01:45). Lucas sticks around for The Call Sheet for an update on the 2026 box office draft (28:03).

Host: Matt Belloni

Guest: Lucas Shaw

Producers: Craig Horlbeck, Jessie Lopez, and Stefano Sanchez

Theme Song: Devon Renaldo

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The Town College Film School is back with a visit to LMU, where Matt sits down with filmmaker Zach Cregger ('Barbarian’, ‘Weapons’, ‘Resident Evil') to discuss his transition from comedy to horror, whether he prefers IP or original material, his philosophy on screenwriting, the benefits of working with smaller budgets, pitching Jennifer Lawrence on his new film, the difference between good and bad studio execs, and more (02:11).

Host: Matt Belloni

Guest: Zach Cregger

Producers: Craig Horlbeck, Jessie Lopez, and Stefano Sanchez

Theme Song: Devon Renaldo

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Matt is joined by legendary showrunner Chuck Lorre to discuss his new memoir ‘Sitcom’, the heyday of network television, the decline of the general sitcom and if it can be revived, working with difficult people, how to build a perfect writers room, replacing Charlie Sheen with Ashton Kutcher on ‘Two and a Half Men’, working with Les Moonves, leaving Scientology (02:50). Matt finishes the show with a prediction about Universal Studios (31:55).

Host: Matt Belloni

Guest: Chuck Lorre

Producers: Craig Horlbeck, Jessie Lopez, and Stefano Sanchez

Theme Song: Devon Renaldo

The Ringer is committed to responsible gaming. Please visithttps://fanduel.com/playwithaplan to learn more about the resources and helplines.

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Matt is joined by Bloomberg’s Lucas Shaw to discuss why Elon Musk invested $1 billion in the new Skydance mega studio, if the new Hollywood superpower is a threat to Netflix, and if any streamer has a shot competing against YouTube (02:47). Matt finishes the show with a prediction about the World Series ratings (18:42).

Host: Matt Belloni

Guest: Lucas Shaw

Producers: Craig Horlbeck, Jessie Lopez, and Stefano Sanchez

Theme Song: Devon Renaldo

The Ringer is committed to responsible gaming. Please visithttps://fanduel.com/playwithaplan to learn more about the resources and helplines.

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The Town College Film School is back with a visit to USC, where Matt and Bloomberg’s Lucas Shaw are joined by writers-producers-directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller ('Project Hail Mary', 'Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse', '21 Jump Street') to discuss making ‘Project Hail Mary’, how they work together as a director duo, why the 'Spider-Verse' movies take so long to make, the difference between good and bad studio executives, getting fired from ‘Solo’, their thoughts on the state of 'Star Wars', and more (01:57).

Host: Matt Belloni

Guest: Phil Lord and Chris Miller

Producers: Craig Horlbeck, Jessie Lopez, and Stefano Sanchez

Theme Song: Devon Renaldo

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Matt is joined by Jason Brenek, CEO of Fathom Entertainment, to discuss why the creators of the new big-budget animated film 'Wildwood’ are bypassing a traditional studio to distribute and market the film with Fathom Entertainment instead. They get into the growing popularity of going to the theater for things other than first-run movies, like rereleases, digital creator–led projects, and sports viewing, and what the advantages are of skipping a traditional movie studio to distribute your idea independently. (00:43)

Host: Matt Belloni

Guest: Jason Brenek

Producers: Craig Horlbeck, Jessie Lopez, and Stefano Sanchez

Theme Song: Devon Renaldo

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Matt is joined by Bloomberg’s Lucas Shaw to discuss the big executive shakeup at Netflix, which included the firings of chief content officer Bela Bajaria and head of film Dan Lin. They break down why this happened now, what to expect from new chief content officer Peter Rice, how will this affect Netflix content going forward, and more (02:53). Matt finishes the show with a prediction about the new hit documentary ‘You Can See Everything’ (30:20).

Host: Matt Belloni

Guest: Lucas Shaw

Producers: Craig Horlbeck, Jessie Lopez, and Stefano Sanchez

Theme Song: Devon Renaldo

The Ringer is committed to responsible gaming. Please visithttps://fanduel.com/playwithaplan to learn more about the resources and helplines.

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Matt is joined by head of business affairs at UTA Rich Shuter and producer Cathy Schulman to discuss why the government needs to reinstate the Fin-Syn rules (Financial Interest and Syndication Rules), the pressures the current era of vertical integration and consolidation has put on Hollywood, and what a new law giving ownership back to producers could do to return Hollywood to the '70s, '80s, and '90s (03:30). Matt finishes the show with opening weekend box office predictions for ‘Street Fighter,’ 'Whalefall,' and ‘You Can See Everything’ (29:42).

Host: Matt Belloni

Guest: Rich Shuter, Cathy Schulman

Producers: Craig Horlbeck, Jessie Lopez, and Stefano Sanchez

Theme Song: Devon Renaldo

The Ringer is committed to responsible gaming. Please visithttps://fanduel.com/playwithaplan to learn more about the resources and helplines.

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Matt is joined by Kyle Buchanan, former New York Times journalist and host of The Kyle Buchanan Show, to discuss the biggest narratives heading into awards season this year. They discuss if 'The Odyssey' is already a lock to win Best Picture, if Inde Navarrette can win Best Actress, if 'Dune: Part Three' can break into the Best Picture race, and if 'Digger' and Tom Cruise can gain awards momentum. They also examine the growing groundswell for 'Artificial,' the most interesting campaigns, A24’s impressive slate, and if the new Nathan Fielder documentary can make history as the first documentary to be nominated for Best Picture (02:32). Matt finishes the show with a prediction about the marketing strategy around Greta Gerwig’s new film 'Narnia: The Magician's Nephew' (30:16).

Host: Matt Belloni

Guest: Kyle Buchanan

Producers: Craig Horlbeck, Jessie Lopez, and Stefano Sanchez

Theme Song: Devon Renaldo

The Ringer is committed to responsible gaming. Please visit https://fanduel.com/playwithaplanto learn more about the resources and helplines.

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Matt is joined by Bloomberg’s Lucas Shaw to look ahead at what WarnerMount will look like now that the merger is likely to go through. They discuss the biggest questions surrounding the new megacompany, including who will run their multiple movie studios, how involved David Ellison will be creatively, what's going to happen to CNN and CBS, what role will Elon Musk play, how quickly will they announce layoffs and other synergies, and how they will integrate Paramount+ and HBO MAX (01:46). Matt finishes the show with a prediction about the new name of the combined Paramount Skydance Warner Bros. company (28:51).

Host: Matt Belloni

Guest: Lucas Shaw

Producers: Craig Horlbeck, Stefano Sanchez, and Steve Ahlman

Theme Song: Devon Renaldo

The Social Reckoning is in theatres October ninth.

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Live from the BFI London Film Festival, Matt is joined by director Danny Boyle to talk about his new film, ‘Ink’, depicting Rupert Murdoch, his influence on news and journalism, why he used AI in his film, almost directing a James Bond movie, and the future of the 28 Years Later franchise (00:46).

Host: Matt Belloni

Guest: Danny Boyle

Producers: Craig Horlbeck, Jessie Lopez, and Stefano Sanchez

Theme Song: Devon Renaldo

The Ringer is committed to responsible gaming. Please visit https://fanduel.com/playwithaplanto learn more about the resources and helplines.

The Social Reckoning, now playing in theaters.

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Matt is joined by Rich Greenfield from LightShed Partners to discuss the complicated financials behind Hollywood's new media behemoth, Skydance, how the company will be heavily influenced by being nearly $80 billion in debt, how the NFL, movie studios, cable channels, and more will be affected, and if there is a chance this megadeal comes crashing down (02:57). Matt finishes the show with opening weekend box office predictions for ‘The Social Reckoning’ and ‘Other Mommy’ (33:56).

Host: Matt Belloni

Guest: Rich Greenfield

Producers: Craig Horlbeck, Jessie Lopez, and Stefano Sanchez

Theme Song: Devon Renaldo

The Ringer is committed to responsible gaming. Please visit https://fanduel.com/playwithaplanto learn more about the resources and helplines.

The Social Reckoning is in theatres October ninth.

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Live from Bloomberg’s Screentime event in Hollywood, Matt and Lucas Shaw make the case to buy or sell various entities across the entertainment industry, including Johnny Depp, Curry Barker, Steven Spielberg, DreamWorks Animation, Alex Cooper, MrBeast, the World Cup, and more (01:28).

Host: Matt Belloni

Guest: Lucas Shaw

Producers: Craig Horlbeck, Jessie Lopez, and Stefano Sanchez

Theme Song: Devon Renaldo

The Ringer is committed to responsible gaming. Please visithttps://fanduel.com/playwithaplan to learn more about the resources and helplines.

The Social Reckoning is in theatres October ninth.

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Matt is joined by Saul Goldberg, producer, investor, and former agent, to discuss how the creator economy has taken on a new importance in Hollywood, and how traditional entertainment players are making the transition over to director to consumer, if creators even needed agents and professional production companies, where the money is being made, and more (02:58). Matt finishes the show with opening weekend box office predictions for ‘Digger’ and ‘Verity’ (31:18).

Host: Matt Belloni

Guest: Saul Goldberg

Producers: Craig Horlbeck, Jessie Lopez, and Stefano Sanchez

Theme Song: Devon Renaldo

The Ringer is committed to responsible gaming. Please visithttps://fanduel.com/playwithaplan to learn more about the resources and helplines.

The Social Reckoning is in theatres October ninth.

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Matt is joined by Ari Emanuel—executive chair and CEO of TKO, executive chair of WME Group, and founder and principal investor of Mari—to discuss his new memoir, 'Roll the Calls'; why he didn’t mention CAA’s Bryan Lourd in the book; his relationship with Patrick Whitesell, David Ellison, and Donald Trump; Elon Musk; and the current state of Hollywood. Plus, a lightning round about failures, paydays, and worms (02:19).

Host: Matt Belloni

Guest: Ari Emanuel

Producers: Craig Horlbeck, Stefano Sanchez, and Steve Ahlman

Theme Song: Devon Renaldo

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Matt is joined by California Congresswoman Laura Friedman to discuss the new bipartisan federal tax incentive bill she helped author that was just introduced today in both houses of Congress. Congresswoman Friedman outlines exactly what is in the bill, what isn't, if a vote could happen this year, Jon Voight’s role, and how this bill could transform filmmaking in the United States (01:55). Matt finishes the show with a ratings prediction for the season premiere of 'SNL' (29:58).

Host: Matt Belloni

Guest: Laura Friedman

Producers: Craig Horlbeck, Jessie Lopez, and Stefano Sanchez

Theme Song: Devon Renaldo

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Matt is joined by Jeffrey Katzenberg and Bloomberg’s Lucas Shaw to discuss Jeffrey’s latest essay insisting that Hollywood embrace AI, similarities to CGI animation in the '90s and 2000s, the importance of consent and compensation, and why this could create more jobs and opportunities for storytellers (02:23). Matt finishes the show with an opening weekend box office prediction for ‘Heart of the Beast,’ 'Forgotten Island,’ and ‘Primetime’ (33:10).

Host: Matt Belloni

Guest: Lucas Shaw, Jeffrey Katzenberg

Producers: Craig Horlbeck, Jessie Lopez, and Stefano Sanchez

Theme Song: Devon Renaldo

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Matt is joined by Bloomberg's Lucas Shaw to discuss Paramount settling its lawsuit with a group of states led by California Attorney General Rob Bonta, paving the way for Paramount Skydance to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery. They dig into the details of the deal, including the concessions (or lack thereof) made by Paramount, who really had leverage in this negotiation, David Ellison’s next move, how the industry is reacting, other winners and losers of the settlement, and more (00:00).

Host: Matt Belloni

Guest: Lucas Shaw

Producers: Craig Horlbeck, Jessie Lopez, and Stefano Sanchez

Theme Song: Devon Renaldo

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Matt is joined by Zach Baron, GQ's senior special projects editor and host of new show ‘One More Question,’ to discuss the modern celebrity press tour, the art of celebrity profiles, interviewing Tom Cruise, what celebs want out of the media in 2026, and the state of access journalism (02:22). Matt finishes the show with an opening weekend box office prediction for Zach Cregger’s new film ‘Resident Evil’ (33:40).

Host: Matt Belloni

Guest: Zach Baron

Producers: Craig Horlbeck, Jessie Lopez, and Stefano Sanchez

Theme Song: Devon Renaldo

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Matt is joined by Bloomberg’s Lucas Shaw to recap the 2026 Emmys and give their takes on the biggest narratives coming ou)t of the show, including Apple’s big night with 'Widow’s Bay,' its ascent in the prestige TV genre over the past few years, its competition with HBO, Netflix’s recent struggles to make a splash, Disney’s quiet year, and the new power ranking of TV streamers (01:51). Matt finishes the show by recapping his trip to TIFF and predicting which movie will win the People’s Choice Award (29:28).

Host: Matt Belloni

Guest: Lucas Shaw

Producers: Craig Horlbeck, Jessie Lopez, and Stefano Sanchez

Theme Song: Devon Renaldo

SAP GROW. AI cloud ERP for any size business.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices