The Business

Kim Masters talks to Hannah Einbinder, who is up for another supporting actress Emmy for Hacks. But her role in the new film Teenage Sex And Death At Camp Miasma takes her far from the lavish Las Vegas home of Deborah Vance, to a weird and gory place. Einbinder tells Masters about coming-of-age as the child of two show business professionals, making the segue from stand-up comedy into acting, and her belief that fame obligates her to speak up on behalf of the oppressed.

Plus, Masters and Matt Belloni discuss Paramount hinting they will move out of California if their proposed merger with Warner Brothers is delayed beyond October. Paramount is playing hardball with the state Attorneys General, whom they will square off against in court in March 2027 if no settlement is reached.

Kim Masters talks to Lilly Wachowski, co-creator of The Matrix movie franchise, about her new artist-owned, non-profit studio. They discuss how Lilly juggled multiple international film and TV productions while she was transitioning, why she stepped away from the business, and how she’s working to launch the studio, Anarchists United, to showcase marginalized talent. [ In part two of the interview, which will air in a few weeks, Lilly will share behind-the-scenes tales of The Matrix movies, and Bound, the first movie she co-directed with her sister Lana. ]

Plus, Masters and Matt Belloni discuss the impact of pushing the trial against the Paramount-Warner Brothers merger to March 2027. This will mean the Ellison family will have to pay a “ticking fee” for months, as well as further halt any plans to blend the companies.

Eric Deggans talks to Hiro Murai, lead director and executive producer of the Apple TV horror-comedy series Widow’s Bay. They discuss how Murai helped maintain the tricky tone of the Emmy-nominated series, his work with Donald Glover on the FX series Atlanta, and how he keeps the initial spark of creativity alive when dealing with the realities of TV production.

Plus, Kim Masters and Bloomberg’s Lucas Shaw discuss last week’s halt to the Paramount-Warner merger. What the Ellison family once considered a done deal may be a little less certain at the moment.

Kim Masters talks to Kori Adelson, whose company produced Backrooms, and Roy Lee, producer of Weapons, about the hunt for the next hit YouTube IP. Adelson and Lee share their observations about the effect movies like Backrooms, Obsession, and Iron Lung have had on what studios are looking for; the filmmakers behind those three had large followings on YouTube. Adelson and Lee also explain how those same studios need to embrace creative risks–at the smaller budgets those films operated under– while taking care to understand the Gen Z audience.



Plus, Masters and Matt Belloni discuss a federal judge pausing the Warnermount merger, and Peacock’s newfound profitability. Peacock’s numbers are believed to be due, in part, to having streaming rights for the NBA playoffs, and the Spanish-language broadcast for the World Cup.

[NOTE: This episode was posted after Paramount announced that they will halt the merger until next June, at the latest, while the court weighs its decision.]

Kim Masters talks to Dale Cohen, special counsel to PBS's Frontline, and director of UCLA Law School's Documentary Film Legal Clinic, about the threat of litigation filmmakers face from the wealthy and powerful people they choose to cover, such as Donald Trump. Cohen laments that so few investigative films are being produced right now, a situation that wasn’t helped when Disney and CBS paid up to settle dubious lawsuits from Trump. Cohen is hoping that Disney’s recent willingness to do battle with the FCC signals a growing realization that appeasement doesn’t work.



Plus, Masters and Matt Belloni discuss the latest developments in the legal battle over the Paramount-Warner Brothers merger. California Attorney General Rob Bonta sued to stop the merger this week, but has also potentially signalled some conditions that would satisfy his objections.