Brian Schwartz

Ron and Brian's partnership has weathered countless changes to the media landscape, from the emergence of VHS tapes and DVDs to the disruption of the internet, the rise and fall of prestige TV, and big tech's takeover of Hollywood. So how has Imagine Entertainment endured, and what's their plan for its future?

Live from the Wall Street Journal's Future of Everything, this is a special recording of the Journal podcast, our show about money, business, and power. I'm Ben Fritz. Please join me in welcoming Ron Howard and Brian Grazer. All right, guys. So you have been working together for 40 years. Very, very few creative partnerships last that long. Why do you think you've never gotten sick of each other?

Live from the Wall Street Journal's Future of Everything, this is a special recording of the Journal podcast, our show about money, business, and power. I'm Ben Fritz. Please join me in welcoming Ron Howard and Brian Grazer. All right, guys. So you have been working together for 40 years. Very, very few creative partnerships last that long. Why do you think you've never gotten sick of each other?

Live from the Wall Street Journal's Future of Everything, this is a special recording of the Journal podcast, our show about money, business, and power. I'm Ben Fritz. Please join me in welcoming Ron Howard and Brian Grazer. All right, guys. So you have been working together for 40 years. Very, very few creative partnerships last that long. Why do you think you've never gotten sick of each other?

And why do you think working together still adds value for each of you? Well, we haven't gotten sick of each other because we still don't know each other.

And why do you think working together still adds value for each of you? Well, we haven't gotten sick of each other because we still don't know each other.

And why do you think working together still adds value for each of you? Well, we haven't gotten sick of each other because we still don't know each other.

Well, let's talk about some of those challenges. So you've been through so many disruptions this industry's faced, right? Home video, DVD, cable, the internet, piracy, streaming, VR. Which of those disruptions do you think were sort of the most consequential changes to entertainment and which ones were kind of blips that didn't matter as much as we may have thought?

Well, let's talk about some of those challenges. So you've been through so many disruptions this industry's faced, right? Home video, DVD, cable, the internet, piracy, streaming, VR. Which of those disruptions do you think were sort of the most consequential changes to entertainment and which ones were kind of blips that didn't matter as much as we may have thought?

Well, let's talk about some of those challenges. So you've been through so many disruptions this industry's faced, right? Home video, DVD, cable, the internet, piracy, streaming, VR. Which of those disruptions do you think were sort of the most consequential changes to entertainment and which ones were kind of blips that didn't matter as much as we may have thought?

Yeah, you weren't in it before TV was cool.

Yeah, you weren't in it before TV was cool.

Yeah, you weren't in it before TV was cool.

On the point of distribution, obviously it used to be that, well, the studio releases a movie in a theater and then it goes on video and then it goes the way they want it. Now it's much more the people watch where they want to, right? So you might make, you guys might make a very big budget movie that's with the best possible picture and sound made to be experienced in a theater.

On the point of distribution, obviously it used to be that, well, the studio releases a movie in a theater and then it goes on video and then it goes the way they want it. Now it's much more the people watch where they want to, right? So you might make, you guys might make a very big budget movie that's with the best possible picture and sound made to be experienced in a theater.

On the point of distribution, obviously it used to be that, well, the studio releases a movie in a theater and then it goes on video and then it goes the way they want it. Now it's much more the people watch where they want to, right? So you might make, you guys might make a very big budget movie that's with the best possible picture and sound made to be experienced in a theater.

And a lot of people might end up watching it on their phone. So how do you just embrace that? That's where the audience is? Or do you feel like, Everything should be done to try to get people to see movies in theaters where they're made to be seen. You're talking to me as a director? Yes, as a filmmaker.

And a lot of people might end up watching it on their phone. So how do you just embrace that? That's where the audience is? Or do you feel like, Everything should be done to try to get people to see movies in theaters where they're made to be seen. You're talking to me as a director? Yes, as a filmmaker.

And a lot of people might end up watching it on their phone. So how do you just embrace that? That's where the audience is? Or do you feel like, Everything should be done to try to get people to see movies in theaters where they're made to be seen. You're talking to me as a director? Yes, as a filmmaker.

You were kind of mad at me, though. Yeah. Not really. Sure, right. And the last thing you want is a box office flop. If, you know, you want people... Yeah. It's very hard to get people into theaters. You want momentum.