Strictly Business
Conversations with industry leaders about the business of media and entertainment
Overview
Strictly Business is Variety's weekly podcast hosted by Andrew Wallenstein and Cynthia Littleton, featuring conversations with industry leaders about the business of media and entertainment. The show focuses on deals, strategy, and the future of media, interviewing studio executives, streaming platform leaders, producers, agents, and other power players who shape the entertainment industry. Episodes explore topics including mergers and acquisitions, streaming economics, changing consumer behavior, content strategy, and the technological and economic forces transforming how entertainment is created and distributed. The podcast serves as essential listening for understanding the business context in which creative work happens and careers unfold.
Wallenstein and Littleton are both veteran entertainment journalists with deep industry expertise and extensive networks of high-level sources, which gives them access to guests and information that many podcasters cannot reach. Their interviewing style is informed and direct, asking substantive questions about business strategy, competitive positioning, and industry trends rather than settling for surface-level promotional talking points. Episodes typically run 30 to 45 minutes and are released weekly, providing regular updates on the evolving business landscape. The podcast is produced by Variety, one of the industry's most authoritative trade publications, which gives it institutional credibility and ensures production values meet professional standards.
How It Works
Ideal for actors who want to understand the business forces shaping the industry — which companies are thriving or struggling, which executives are making bold or conservative decisions, which economic models are succeeding or failing, and how these dynamics affect the opportunities available to creative talent. The show is particularly valuable for actors interested in the strategic side of the business or those considering transitions into producing, development, or other non-performing roles. Working actors who want to make informed career decisions based on understanding where the industry is heading — which platforms are investing in content, which genres are in demand, which business models support sustainable creative work — will find the podcast's insights directly applicable. The show also benefits actors who want to be informed professionals capable of discussing the industry intelligently with agents, managers, and other industry contacts.
Free on all podcast platforms including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Google Podcasts. Variety's website also publishes related articles and analysis that complement the podcast's coverage and provide additional context on the topics discussed.
Who Uses It
Highly recommended for actors who want to be strategic professionals with sophisticated understanding of the business environment in which their careers operate. The podcast provides the kind of high-level industry intelligence that is typically available only to executives, investors, and well-connected insiders, democratizing access to strategic information that can inform career decisions. What sets Strictly Business apart from general entertainment news coverage is the depth of the conversations and the caliber of the guests — these are the people actually making the decisions that determine what gets produced, which companies succeed, and how the industry evolves. For actors who feel confused by industry changes or who want to anticipate where opportunities are emerging or contracting, this podcast provides the business context that explains why the industry operates as it does. The show serves as essential professional development for actors who understand that a successful career requires business literacy as much as artistic talent.
Pricing & Plans
Strictly Business is completely free on all major podcast platforms including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Google Podcasts. Despite Variety's status as a premium trade publication that operates partly on a subscription model, the podcast is freely available to all listeners without requiring paid membership. The weekly release schedule provides regular business intelligence and strategic analysis at no cost, representing significant value for actors who want to stay informed about industry dynamics. The podcast's free accessibility democratizes access to conversations with industry leaders that would otherwise be available only to those who attend exclusive industry events or maintain personal relationships with executives. For actors who want to understand the business side of entertainment but cannot afford expensive trade subscriptions or industry conferences, this podcast delivers high-level strategic intelligence at no cost.
Pros & Cons
What's Great
The podcast's greatest strength is the access Andrew Wallenstein and Cynthia Littleton have to top-level industry executives and their ability to conduct substantive interviews that go beyond public relations talking points to genuine strategic discussion. Episodes that explore major industry moves — studio restructurings, platform launches, content strategy shifts, rights negotiations — provide the kind of analysis that helps actors understand the broader context in which their careers operate. The show's focus on business economics and strategy helps demystify the industry's decision-making, explaining why certain types of content get greenlit while others do not, which can inform actors' choices about which projects to pursue and which skills to develop. The podcast's regular release schedule and focus on current developments make it particularly valuable during periods of rapid industry change, ensuring listeners stay informed rather than learning about important shifts weeks or months after they occur. The hosts' journalistic credibility and industry expertise mean the analysis is grounded in evidence and informed perspective rather than speculation or cheerleading. The show also provides valuable context on industry power structures — which companies and executives are gaining or losing influence — that helps actors understand where to focus their networking and relationship-building efforts.
What Could Be Better
The podcast's focus on high-level business strategy and economics means it provides limited coverage of the creative, craft, or day-to-day professional challenges that actors spend most of their time navigating. The conversations with executives and power players may feel distant from the experiences of working actors, particularly those earlier in their careers who are focused on getting auditions and booking jobs rather than understanding corporate strategy. Some episodes delve into business minutiae — accounting practices, regulatory issues, corporate governance — that may not be directly relevant to actors' immediate career needs. The show's emphasis on major companies and platforms means it provides less coverage of independent production, regional markets, and the challenges faced by emerging artists working outside mainstream industry structures. The hosts' perspective is shaped by their roles as business journalists rather than creative practitioners, which means the podcast sometimes treats creative work primarily as commercial product. Additionally, the show's focus on American film and television means it provides limited coverage of theater, international markets, or other performance disciplines.
Our Recommendation
Actors who want to be informed, strategic professionals with sophisticated understanding of the business forces shaping the entertainment industry should make Strictly Business regular listening. The podcast is particularly valuable for actors who are starting to work at higher levels and need to understand the business context behind the opportunities they are encountering — why certain studios or platforms are making particular kinds of projects, which executives and companies have genuine power, and how industry economics shape creative decisions. If you are primarily focused on craft development and have little interest in business strategy, the podcast may feel tangential to your immediate concerns, and your time may be better spent on technique-focused resources. Actors considering moves into producing or development should treat this podcast as essential education in the business knowledge those roles require. Pair Strictly Business with craft-focused and career-advice podcasts to ensure comprehensive professional development that balances business literacy with artistic and practical skill development.
Pro Tips
Listen regularly to develop fluency in business thinking and strategic analysis that will distinguish you as a professional who understands the industry context in which your career operates — this literacy will inform your decisions and help you communicate effectively with agents, managers, and producers. When the podcast discusses a major industry trend or strategic shift, consider how it might affect your own career prospects or the types of opportunities available to actors with your profile, using the analysis to inform decisions about which skills to develop and which relationships to cultivate. Pay attention to which executives, companies, and platforms are discussed as rising or declining in influence, as this information helps you understand where future opportunities may emerge and where previously reliable sources of work may be contracting. Use the podcast's coverage of content strategy to understand what types of projects are in demand and how that demand might align or conflict with your own artistic interests and strengths. Share particularly relevant episodes with your representation and use them as starting points for strategic conversations about your career positioning — demonstrating business literacy marks you as a serious professional rather than a passive talent waiting to be discovered.