The Business

Jeffrey Katzenberg ran Walt Disney Studios when it made hits like “The Little Mermaid” and “The Lion King.” He also co-founded DreamWorks. Now he’s launched Quibi, which lets you stream short shows on your phone. He remembers  his early days in the industry, and tells us why he believes Quibi will work.

The coronavirus pandemic has shuttered studio productions of every major late- night talk show. Samantha Bee and Jason Jones — her husband, producer and fellow former “Daily Show” correspondent — tell us about taking  Bee's show, “Full Frontal,” into the woods outside their house in upstate New York. Jones is the crew, and Bee still opens every episode with her trademark speedy monologue. They now have no audience — except for woodland creatures. 

Filmmaker Eliza Hittman knew she’d have trouble getting financing for her art house abortion drama, “Never Rarely Sometimes Always.”  She didn’t think it helped that she kept finding herself pitching to rooms full of men. Even companies that were supposed to focus on "issue movies" weren't interested in an abortion storyline. But Hittman eventually found her money, and her award-winning film is now available to stream on demand.

With Hollywood mostly shut down, we check in with people dealing with this difficult time across the industry. We hear from an actor, cinematographer, writers’ room production assistant, costumer, and filmmaking team. They tell us how their lives have suddenly changed, how they’re coping while out of work, and how they think this pandemic could change Hollywood forever. 

In 1971, when sound designer Jim LeBrecht was 15, he had a summer of love  at a camp for disabled kids. It was a place that fostered a spirit of history-changing activism. He and his friend, filmmaker Nicole Newnham, agreed that this was a movie. They didn’t anticipate that Barack and Michelle Obama would think so too. Newnham and LeBrecht tell us about their Netflix documentary “Crip Camp,” and partnering with the Obamas’ production company. 

In July 2016, more than a year before the #MeToo movement began, Gretchen Carlson made a bold decision to sue Fox News chief Roger Ailes for sexual harassment. Now she and Julie Rogisnky, a former Fox News contributor who also sued Ailes, have made it their mission to end nondisclosure agreements (NDAs) that can muzzle those who sue over misconduct. Their initiative is called Lift Our Voices. 

Autumn de Wilde has more than 20 years of experience photographing rock bands and directing commercials, but she’d never made a feature film. Then out of the blue, a British production company asked her to pitch ideas for a new version of the Jane Austen classic, “Emma.” De Wilde tells us how she made her light and bright version of “Emma,” the famous comedy of manners.  

“Sonic the Hedgehog” is director Jeff Fowler’s first feature film, and it looked like it was going to be his first bomb when the trailer dropped last spring. Fans of the video game emphatically rejected the too-realistic look of the lead character. “Sonic” director Jeff Fowler tells us how he brought the speedy blue hedgehog from the brink of disaster to big box office success.

We look at high-profile movies that had their theatrical releases delayed for months. Tim Miller talks about dealing with the online blowback related to “Terminator: Dark Fate,” which he directed, and “Sonic the Hedgehog,” which he executive produced. And we revisit a chat with Damon Lindelof, co-writer of the movie “The Hunt.” Universal pushed the theatrical release of “The Hunt” from September 2019 to March 2020.  

Twelve jurors found Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein guilty on two counts: criminal sexual assault in the first degree and rape in the third degree.