Who is the “Entertainment Strategy Guy?”
Well, I’m glad you asked. (Kind of, since I’m still writing anonymously…)
I’m a U.S. Army veteran and a graduate of top tier business school. At B-School, I took any class with “numbers” or “entertainment” in the description. And I graduated at the top of my class—not near the top, the very top—and won several awards.
While at business school, I started working at a number of entertainment companies—some of the biggest and most well-known in Hollywood—starting as an intern then working my way up. These companies have run the gamut, from giant studio conglomerates to a major streamer to independent production companies in both television and film.
I’ve held roles ranging from “strategic planning” to “business development”. What does that actually mean? It means I analyzed data, finessed power points, built excel models, and wrote strategy documents, along with sending plenty of emails and attending tons of meetings. And, hopefully, I helped senior executives make the right decisions. (Sometimes yes; sometimes no.)
Along the way, I developed a love of writing. Under my real name, I’ve been published in professional journals, The Washington Post, and The New York Times.
What is the Entertainment Strategy Guy Website?
Working at a streamer, I felt that there was a gap in the media coverage of the business of entertainment, emphasis on “business”. That gap grew over time, as many of the major trade publications focused more on the gossipy side of the industry (who got cast in what; what executive said what about whom) and less on the business of the entertainment business.
My solution was to launch the the Entertainment Strategy Guy website on May 8th of 2018, analyzing business strategy in the entertainment world, mainly focused on Hollywood, film and TV, anchored around my “Most Important Story of the Week” feature.
My writing has been featured in publications such as Decider, What’s on Netflix, Athletic Director’s U and The Ankler. Since the fall of 2021, I’ve written a weekly strategy/data column for The Ankler, Hollywood’s most feared and fearless newsletter.
Earlier in 2021, I started publishing a weekly “Streaming Ratings Report” newsletter, focused on answering the actually answerable question, “Who is winning the content battlefield of the streaming wars?” This report is the most comprehensive, regular and insightful look at how content is performing or failing in the streaming wars.
Starting in June 2022, that feature will be behind a paywall. To learn more, please read this explainer for what the streaming ratings report is, why it’s needed, and why we need you to keep it going.
If you’d like to support the Entertainment Strategy Guy, go to my Substack and subscribe.