The Post-Pandemic Life of a Hustling Screenwriter

Matt is joined by WSJ reporter Emily Glazer to discuss her fascinating new piece highlighting Larry Ellison’s private friendship with Donald Trump and the impact it had on the Paramount M&A saga. Emily explains why Larry and Donald seem to get along so well, why Larry is bankrolling the WarnerMount deal, and how we got here in the first place (00:00). Matt finishes the show with an opening weekend box office prediction for ‘Supergirl’ (28:32). Host: Matt Belloni Guest: Emily Glazer Producers: Craig Horlbeck, Jessie Lopez, and Jon Jones Theme Song: Devon Renaldo After false reports of Deborah's death, she and Ava return to Vegas. Watch now. The Ringer is committed to responsible trading. Please visit https://fanduel.com/predicts to learn more about the resources and helpline. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Matt is joined by Keach Hagey, a journalist at The Wall Street Journal and author of 'The Optimist: Sam Altman, OpenAI, and the Race to Invent the Future,' to discuss Amazon abandoning Luca Guadagnino’s movie ‘Artificial’ and looking to sell it to another studio to distribute. They talk about why Amazon made this movie in the first place, its relationship with OpenAI, their thoughts on the script and how it portrays Altman, whether any major studio will buy this movie, and how big tech has influenced Hollywood’s decision-making strategy (00:00). Matt finishes the show with a prediction about the legendary Clive Davis pre-Grammys party (27:17). Host: Matt Belloni Guest: Keach Hagey Producers: Craig Horlbeck, Jessie Lopez, and Jon Jones Theme Song: Devon Renaldo After false reports of Deborah's death, she and Ava return to Vegas. Watch now. Alan Cumming hosts the hit series THE TRAITORS. Streaming on Peacock. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Matt is joined by journalist Lane Brown from New York Magazine to discuss his latest article digging into the insidious world of online clipping and narrative campaigning. Lane explains how virality and popularity are manufactured and engineered to resemble the improvised enthusiasm of human strangers, the companies behind these simulated trends, which movies, shows, bands, and viral moments were influenced by these tactics, how prevalent this is in media, how AI will play a role, and what to expect in the future (02:28). Matt then finishes the show with a couple of predictions about ‘Shrek 5’ and ‘The Social Reckoning’ (28:51). Host: Matt Belloni Guest: Lane Brown Producers: Craig Horlbeck, Jessie Lopez, and Matt PevicTheme Song: Devon RenaldoRead Lane’s piece HERE After false reports of Deborah's death, she and Ava return to Vegas. Watch now. Landman Season 2: for your Emmy consideration in all Drama Series categories. Visit http://ParamountFYC.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Matt is joined by John Mass, president of Content Partners, to discuss the massive value of owning distribution in modern Hollywood in comparison to years past, when content seemed to be the most important piece of the pie. They talk about why becoming the gatekeeper in Hollywood is so important in 2026, Fox acquiring Roku, and more (2:55). Matt finishes the show with an opening weekend box office prediction for 'Toy Story 5' (27:33). Host: Matt Belloni Guest: John Mass Producers: Craig Horlbeck, Jessie Lopez, and Matt Pevic Theme Song: Devon Renaldo After false reports of Deborah's death, she and Ava return to Vegas. Watch now. The Madison: for your Emmy consideration in all Drama Series categories. Visit http://ParamountFYC.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Matt is joined by Bloomberg’s Lucas Shaw to discuss Fox’s $22 billion acquisition of Roku, why this happened, how connected TV devices are the secret gatekeepers to streaming, how this will affect the consumer, and what this says about the larger deal landscape in Hollywood (2:11). We finish the show with an update on the 2026 Box Office Draft (28:30). Host: Matt Belloni Guest: Lucas Shaw Producers: Craig Horlbeck, Jessie Lopez, and Matt Pevic Theme Song: Devon Renaldo In this darkly comedic series, a love triangle ends in death. Watch now. The Madison: for your Emmy consideration in all Drama Series categories. Visit http://ParamountFYC.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices