The Town with Matthew Belloni
Inside Hollywood reporting on who's winning, who's losing, and what's getting made
Overview
The Town with Matthew Belloni takes you inside Hollywood with exclusive reporting on the business, politics, and power dynamics shaping the entertainment industry. Hosted by Matthew Belloni, a Puck founding partner and former editor of The Hollywood Reporter, the podcast delivers multiple episodes per week featuring insider analysis and interviews with industry leaders. The show covers studio decisions, streaming strategy, talent deals, executive moves, and the competitive landscape that determines which projects get made and which careers ascend. Belloni's deep industry connections and journalistic expertise provide listeners with information and analysis that is rarely available outside of Hollywood's executive suites and agencies.
Episodes blend solo analysis with guest interviews, featuring conversations with studio executives, producers, agents, and other industry insiders who shape the business side of entertainment. Belloni's interviewing style is direct and informed, pressing guests on substantive issues rather than settling for promotional talking points. The podcast's multiple-times-weekly release schedule keeps listeners current with rapidly evolving industry developments, making it particularly valuable during periods of significant industry change or disruption. The show's connection to Puck, a subscription news platform focused on power and influence, gives it access to high-level sources and breaking information that distinguishes it from more general entertainment podcasts.
How It Works
Ideal for actors who want to understand the business context in which their careers unfold — the studio consolidations, streaming strategies, executive power shifts, and economic forces that determine what gets produced and who gets hired. The show is particularly valuable for actors interested in the producer side of the business or those who want to make strategic career decisions informed by an understanding of industry trends. Working actors who want to anticipate where opportunities are emerging and which companies and executives are gaining or losing influence will find the podcast's insider reporting directly applicable to career planning. The show also benefits writers, directors, and other creatives who need to understand the business landscape to position their work effectively.
Free on all podcast platforms including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Google Podcasts. While Puck's written content operates on a subscription model, the podcast is freely available, providing substantial value without requiring a paid membership.
Who Uses It
Highly recommended for actors who want to be informed industry professionals rather than passive participants waiting for opportunities to appear. Understanding the business forces shaping Hollywood — which studios are thriving or struggling, which executives are making bold decisions or playing it safe, which talent agencies are gaining or losing power — provides a strategic advantage in navigating your career. What sets The Town apart from general entertainment news coverage is Belloni's insider access and willingness to discuss the industry's power dynamics with unusual candor, naming names and analyzing decisions with the perspective of someone who has spent decades embedded in Hollywood's business culture. For actors who feel confused or frustrated by industry changes — shifting streaming strategies, collapsing development deals, shrinking pilot seasons — this podcast provides the business context that explains why the industry operates as it does and where it may be heading. The show serves as essential professional development for actors who understand that a successful entertainment career requires business literacy as well as artistic talent.
Pricing & Plans
The Town with Matthew Belloni is completely free on all major podcast platforms including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Google Podcasts, despite Belloni's affiliation with Puck, which operates a premium subscription model for its written journalism. The podcast's free availability democratizes access to insider industry reporting that would otherwise be available only to those who can afford expensive trade subscriptions or who have personal relationships with well-connected industry sources. The multiple-times-weekly release schedule means subscribers receive a steady stream of current industry analysis without any cost, representing significant value for actors and other professionals seeking to stay informed about the business landscape. The podcast occasionally references Puck's subscription content, but the free episodes stand on their own merit and provide substantial insights without requiring paid access. For actors who want to understand the business side of Hollywood without paying for multiple trade publications or industry newsletters, this podcast delivers high-quality reporting and analysis at no cost.
Pros & Cons
What's Great
The podcast's greatest strength is Matthew Belloni's unique combination of journalistic credibility, insider access, and willingness to speak candidly about Hollywood's power structures and business realities. Episodes that break down major industry moves — studio mergers, executive firings, streaming strategy shifts, talent deal structures — provide the kind of analysis that helps actors understand the broader context in which their careers operate. The show's frequent release schedule and focus on breaking developments make it particularly valuable during periods of rapid industry change, ensuring listeners stay current rather than learning about important shifts weeks or months after they occur. Belloni's interviews with studio heads, producers, and agents often elicit substantive discussions of business strategy and decision-making that reveal how the industry actually operates behind its public-facing narratives. The podcast also provides valuable context on industry economics — production budgets, talent compensation, profitability models — that helps actors understand the business considerations that drive casting decisions and project greenlights. The show's insider perspective helps demystify the industry's power dynamics, explaining who actually makes decisions and how those decisions get made in ways that are rarely discussed in public forums.
What Could Be Better
The podcast's focus on business, power, and economics means it provides limited coverage of craft, performance, or the artistic dimensions of entertainment that actors spend most of their time developing. The show's insider perspective and industry jargon may feel inaccessible or overwhelming to actors early in their careers who lack context for understanding studio politics and executive maneuvering. Some episodes delve into business minutiae — accounting structures, rights negotiations, corporate governance — that may not be directly relevant to working actors' immediate career needs. The podcast's emphasis on high-level industry moves means it provides less coverage of the challenges faced by emerging artists or the realities of building a career outside of major studio and streaming projects. Belloni's perspective is shaped by his experience covering the business side of Hollywood, which means the podcast sometimes treats creative work primarily as commercial product rather than artistic expression. 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 strategic, informed professionals with a sophisticated understanding of the business landscape should make The Town a regular part of their industry education. 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 are making particular kinds of projects, which executives and producers 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 and performance-focused resources. Pair The Town with podcasts that address the artistic and practical sides of acting to ensure comprehensive professional development that balances business literacy with craft excellence. For actors considering moves into producing or who want to create their own content, the show's business insights are essential for understanding how to navigate the industry's financial and political structures.
Pro Tips
Listen regularly to develop fluency in the business language and strategic thinking that characterize industry professionals who successfully navigate Hollywood at high levels — this literacy will inform your career decisions and help you communicate effectively with agents, managers, and producers. When the podcast discusses a major industry move or trend, consider how it might affect your own career trajectory or the types of opportunities available to actors with your profile, using the analysis to inform strategic decisions about which relationships to cultivate and which skills to develop. Pay attention to which executives, producers, and companies 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 talent deals and compensation structures to inform your own negotiations and financial expectations, ensuring you enter conversations with agents and managers armed with realistic knowledge of industry standards. Share particularly relevant episodes with your representation and use them as starting points for strategic conversations about your career positioning, as demonstrating business literacy distinguishes you as a professional who understands the industry context in which your agent and manager operate.