TMZ’s Harvey Levin Says Politics Is Pop Culture
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What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
You don't know this maybe about me, but I used to do parties for the Washington Post.
They used to cover parties.
I did know that. That was my coming up job was like, can I get Ted Kennedy to throw a drink in my face kind of stuff or something like that. He spilled the drink on me once.
hi everyone from new york magazine and the vox media podcast network this is on with kara swisher and i'm kara swisher my guest today is tmz founder and executive director harvey levin a lawyer and tv legal analyst harvey started a celebrity news site tmz in 2005 which is where i met him He's since expanded into a multi-platform business that includes television, streaming, podcasts, social media channels, documentaries, and celebrity bus tours. TMZ set itself apart from traditional tabloids by what it didn't cover, no red carpets, weddings, and junkets. Instead, it leaned on aggressive investigative reporting and ethically dubious methods to some, including possibly paying sources, although that's something Harvey argues about.
Thank you so much for having me. I've interviewed Harvey many times, way back when I was at the Wall Street Journal, and I really noticed what he was doing with that website, which I thought was highly innovative. And later at my Code conference, I've always thought he was a really interesting media entrepreneur. I love media entrepreneurs. And I do think he gets a little bit of a hit just because he talks about celebrities. He's broken a lot of stories. He did amazing work. covering Spencer Pratt and was the one to write about some of the hypocritical stuff that Pratt was doing. And they've done a pretty good job in D.C. And I actually am enjoying what they're doing and seeing what they're doing. And they've got a lot of energy around them that I appreciate.
And they actually do quite a lot of reporting. Our expert question comes from Ashley Parker, a staff writer of The Atlantic, who herself is an amazing reporter. So stick around.
Hey, quick thing before we get into it. I'm doing a live taping in Washington, D.C. on July 16th at the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg Center. My guest is Gina Raimondo, the 40th Secretary of Commerce and the 75th Governor of Rhode Island and someone who has a lot to say about AI and what it's actually doing to the American economy. She may also run for president, so we should listen to what she has to say. It should be a good one. You can be in the room. Head to voxmedia.com, Kara Swisher Live to register. Spots are limited. We always sell out. The link is in the show notes.
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There is this certain degree of nihilism of like, oh, well, the world is bad anyway.
Why wouldn't I just also get a tan? Tan maxing. That's this week on Explain It To Me. Find new episodes wherever you get your podcasts.
This might sound like ancient history at this point, but there was a time when all lights did was turn on and turn off. Dim, if you're lucky. But then a group at Philips came along and discovered, what if all your lights could change colors? What if they could change colors in wild, completely impractical, and still very cool ways? And that is the story of Hue. This week on Version History, our chat show about old technology, we tell the story of Hue and how it's actually kind of about smartphones and kind of about lights. That's Version History, wherever you get podcasts.
It is on. Harvey, welcome to On.
I am so pleased to be able to talk to you. We go back to the beginning of TMZ.
We do. Let's talk about what you're doing now. TMZ has never drawn a line between politicians and celebrities as TMZ's head of legal affairs. said, quote, we've always viewed politicians to just be another branch of the celebrity tree, end quote. And you had ambitions early on to establish presence in D.C. and you finally did in April. What took so long? Because you had talked about it even back then.
Warner Brothers killed it twice. We were owned by Warner Brothers, by Telepictures.
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Chapters
6 chapters
1
What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
0:00–15:51
2
Why did TMZ decide to open a Washington, D.C. bureau now?
15:51–27:51
3
How did the government shutdown and traveler submissions shape TMZ DC’s launch?
27:51–33:21
4
What staffing and reporting strategy did TMZ use for its D.C. coverage?
33:21–50:05
5
How does TMZ define a 'politics as pop culture' story?
50:05–1:00:53
6
How has Harvey Levin’s relationship with Donald Trump influenced coverage?
1:00:53–1:01:48
Speakers
5 identifiedMore from On with Kara Swisher
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