We are joined by Pam Abdy and Mike De Luca (Co-Chairs and CEOs of Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group) from not one, but two offices. Air travel protocols, a big dark room with a bunch of strangers, and the state of the union. Come get some little tiny bites… of comedy? It’s an all-new SmartLess. Subscribe to SiriusXM Podcasts+ to listen to new episodes of SmartLess ad-free and a whole week early. Start a free trial now on Apple Podcasts or by visiting siriusxm.com/podcastsplus.
Chapter 1: What breathing techniques do they start with?
Guys, breathe. Big in. Big out, okay? Big in, one more. Big in. Through the nose. Yeah, and out.
Are you just really, get into your sits bones.
Okay, are you feeling a little bit relaxed, both of you guys? A little bit? Yeah, yeah, yeah. Let me just tell you this. I took some of the SmartList money and put it in Bitcoin.
Wait, what?
It's going to be fine. Welcome to all new SmartList. I'm at the office today, so I'm not... Wait, whoa. But I've got a new... What office? You don't have a fucking office. I have an office I've had for a couple years over here.
You don't need to talk all calm like it's no big deal. Let's talk about it. You're really impressed with offices.
Yeah, yeah.
Remember the one we had you never showed up in?
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Chapter 2: What are their thoughts on office culture?
Yeah, you know why? Because my dad spent 50 years working in an office, and I'm an artist, man. I'm not playing part of it. I'm not playing businessman.
Oh, let me go in. Are you storytelling? Are you working out how to storytell?
I'm an artist now, okay?
I'm an artist. Wait, truly, truly, honestly, how long have you had this? I've never heard about this.
A couple years. Do you want me to turn the camera on so you can see?
Wait, is this where the beast lives? Yeah. This is where the beast lives. Hang on. What's the beast? I guess we'll wait. Listener, just wait. Will's got a... No, he doesn't need to bring in... It's not show and tell.
Oh. Oh, he's got the leather. He's got, like, the bachelor leather couch.
Look at how unused that meeting space is.
What are you talking about? JB, you forget. I grew up in a serious world. You grew up, so now you're playing make-believe office manager. You've got a company. Yeah.
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Chapter 3: How do Pam and Mike manage their dual CEO roles?
Yeah, I have. It's not bad. It's pretty good, right? Yeah. You can mention it. Maybe get some free ones.
You know, I'm good for six bucks. I'll wait till you take a bite. The Bear Bell, the Bear Bell bars, they're really good.
All right, listener, today... We don't have some fishy, flashy, fancy celeb type. Uh-oh. Not today. Today, we have got not one, but two people who make the flashy, fancy types. They are two of the most important people in the industry today. Period. Full stop. Entertainment industry. Okay. Individually. He's not the only industry in the world. All right.
But individually, individually, they've been behind such movies as Birdman, The Big Short, The Revenant, The Social Network. Moneyball, Captain Phillips, Austin Powers, Boogie Nights 7. Together, they have combined to bring us such films as Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice, Wonka, Dune, Part 2, and Barbie. Let's find out how these two are able to bring us so much incredible entertainment.
Please meet the co-chairs and CEOs of Warner Brothers Motion Picture Group, Pam Abdi and Michael DeLuca. What? On SmartList. Good morning. Good morning. This is great. We're going to have a couple of smart folks come on and talk to us for fucking once. This is cool.
I had to hold my laughter in. Oh, my God.
I want to say Pam's still at home. Mike, you're at the office.
I'm in the office.
You were both in the office.
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Chapter 4: What are the challenges in the current film industry?
But here's my suggestion. And this is recent. Just this spring, I decided to stop doing it. I had a moment, Mike, where I went, I'm not flying this plane. And the pilots don't want to die.
That's trust. Somehow you've achieved trust. I'm still working on trust.
Oh.
Are you able to sleep on planes? I fall asleep in a second. Oh, I'm so envious of that.
Well, that explains your diet, too, that you just, you don't care what happens.
Wait, Mike, what about a nice, cool beverage to cut the edge, or maybe a- You know, I'm sober, so I'm in a lifetime timeout of anything. What about, are sleeping pills on your list?
No, I can't. They're on the no-fly list for me.
What about melatonin?
Yeah, I try to do it substance-free and just use my apps and engage with the flight attendants.
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Chapter 5: How has streaming changed audience behavior?
I mean, the other thing I think that's important for the audience now is directors. I think there is a relationship with this next generation where they can tell when a signature filmmaker has their voice on a movie. They can tell that.
Like a Jordan Peele or Ryan Coogler.
Yeah, Jordan Peele or Ryan Coogler or Greta Gerwig or Chris Nolan.
Paul Thomas Anderson.
They can sense authorship or the lack of it. They really can. Jason Bateman.
Jason Bateman.
Absolutely, Jason Bateman. We're waiting for a much bigger filmography, man.
A Jason Bateman picture. He refers to himself in the third person a lot. Do you know that? I think the world needs another Jason Bateman picture.
I told him. I love pictures. I love saying picture. I told you. I told Jason to start directing when we were making Identity V. Yes, you did.
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Chapter 6: What is the future of movie-making according to them?
Yeah.
And he, I said, why can't we make a comedy? He said, you just can't make any money. And he was quite blunt about it.
No, yeah, we're going to prove him wrong. I'm just suspicious of blanket statements like that because everybody says... So my career is 40 years now since 1985. You look great, Mike. Every time someone says, thank you so much, I moisturize. I think... Every time someone says this will never work again and then something comes out and proves it wrong.
I remember the R-rated comedy was dead and then American Pie came out and suddenly everybody had to have an R-rated comedy. Hollywood can be such a pack animal sometimes. And I just am very suspicious of blanket statements.
And reactionary too, right? Yes, very. Yeah, one of the greatest things I've ever heard is everybody wants to be the second person to say yes. That's a great quote.
Yeah, but it's more fun being first through the door. That's true.
Of course. Look, this could be famous last words, but for better or worse, Pam and I feel like you can't do this job if you're afraid of getting fired. You've got to be fearless in it. Because if you breed risk out of the system, then innovation dies and the customer moves on. Right.
And it also breeds a culture of people not wanting to pitch exciting new ideas. And just because it hasn't been done before doesn't mean it's not going to work. And I just think...
You could do both. You could walk and shoot gum at the same time. You could mine your IP, your franchises, but you can also try to find that next generation of filmmakers that will give you new franchises.
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