Don't Kill the Messenger with Movie Strategist Kevin Goetz

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  Roy Lee (Prolific Producer & Industry Innovator) on Weapons, Barbarian, The Departed, and Trusting His Instincts 19.08.2026 45min

  Send Kevin a Text Message Roy Lee, the producer behind some of Hollywood’s most successful horror films, franchises, and international adaptations, joins host Kevin Goetz to explore the unconventional path that took him from law school to building one of the most prolific producing careers in Hollywood. Lee has produced or executive produced The Ring, The Grudge, The Departed, It, Doctor Sleep, The Lego Movie, How to Train Your Dragon, Barbarian, Weapons, and A Minecraft Movie, among dozens o...
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  Jim Orr (Universal Pictures) & Brandon Purdie (Angel Studios) on Distribution Strategy in Hollywood, Angel's Audience-First Model, & Why Content Is Still King 05.08.2026 55min

  Send Kevin a Text Message Jim Orr is President of Domestic Theatrical Distribution at Universal Pictures. He began his career at Paramount and joined Universal in 2016 after leading distribution at Focus Features and MGM. Brandon Purdie is Executive Vice President and Head of Theatrical Distribution at Angel Studios, the audience-funded studio behind Sound of Freedom, where he helped build a community-driven model that puts greenlight decisions in the hands of its 2.4 million members. Host Ke...
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  Lauren Shuler Donner (Legendary Producer) on X-Men, Pretty in Pink, and the Producer's Job of Protecting the Vision 15.07.2026 47min

  Send Kevin a Text Message Lauren Shuler Donner, one of Hollywood's most influential and adaptable producers, joins host Kevin Goetz for a wide-ranging career retrospective. Over nearly five decades, Shuler Donner has produced roughly 40 films that have grossed more than $5 billion worldwide — including Mr. Mom, St. Elmo's Fire, Pretty in Pink, Dave, Free Willy, and the X-Men franchise she helped build years before Marvel became Marvel. She talks with Goetz about breaking into a male-dominated...
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  Bob Bookman (Literary Agent, Manager & Producer) on Adapting Great Books, Discovering Hollywood Classics, and Why the Best Movies Aren't Always Based on the Best Books 01.07.2026 45min

  Send Kevin a Text Message Bob Bookman, one of Hollywood's most respected literary agents, managers, and producers, joins host Kevin Goetz for a masterclass on the art of discovering stories that successfully make the leap from page to screen. Over a remarkable career, Bookman has represented authors and filmmakers including Michael Crichton, John Irving, Thomas Harris, Jonathan Demme, Cameron Crowe, and Tom Stoppard, helping bring to the screen films like Jurassic Park, The Silence of the Lam...
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  Sid Ganis (Veteran Studio Executive, Producer) on Marketing Lucas and Spielberg's Biggest Films, Running Studios, & Leading the Academy 17.06.2026 44min

  Send Kevin a Text Message Sid Ganis, former President of the Motion Picture Group at Paramount Pictures, former Vice Chairman of Columbia Pictures, and four-term President of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, joins host Kevin Goetz for a wide-ranging conversation spanning more than five decades in Hollywood. Ganis traces his path from an office-boy job won through a chance connection, to marketing campaigns for The Empire Strikes Back and Raiders of the Lost Ark, to greenlighti...
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  Jeff Annison & Paul Scanlan (Co-Founders, Legion M) on Democratizing Hollywood, Fan Ownership, and the Power of the Audience 03.06.2026 1godz

  Send Kevin a Text Message Jeff Annison and Paul Scanlan, Emmy-winning co-founders of the world's first fan-owned entertainment company, Legion M, join host Kevin Goetz for a conversation about disrupting industries, building communities, and betting on the audience. Annison and Scanlan pioneered mobile television at MobiTV and launched the very first equity crowdfunding campaign in U.S. history. The duo have spent two decades proving that the audience is the most powerful force in entertainme...
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  Mark Canton (Producer, Veteran Studio Executive) on Showmanship, Smelling the Circus, and Trusting Your Instincts 20.05.2026 57min

  Send Kevin a Text Message Mark Canton, producer of 300, Immortals, Men in Black, Air Force One, and My Best Friend's Wedding, former President of Worldwide Production at Warner Bros., and former Chairman of Columbia Pictures and Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Companies, joins host Kevin Goetz for a conversation about a career defined by passion and instinct. From delivering mail on the Warner Bros. lot as a college student to greenlighting some of Hollywood's most beloved films, Canton refle...
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  Mark Johnson (Academy Award-Winning Producer of Rain Man) on Diverse Storytelling, Discovering Talent, and a Lifelong Passion for Filmmaking 06.05.2026 44min

  Send Kevin a Text Message Mark Johnson, Academy Award-winning producer of Rain Man and Emmy Award-winning executive producer of Breaking Bad, joins host Kevin Goetz for a conversation about a career defined by creative restlessness and uncommon decency. The interview ranges from his transformative partnership with Barry Levinson, which produced Diner, The Natural, and Good Morning Vietnam, to shepherding beloved films like The Notebook, A Little Princess, Donnie Brasco, and Galaxy Quest to ch...
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  Ann Sarnoff (First Female CEO of Warner Bros.) on Breaking Barriers, Knowing Your Audience, and Why the Best of Hollywood Is Still Ahead 14.04.2026 51min

  Send Kevin a Text Message Ann Sarnoff, the first woman to serve as Chair and CEO of a major Hollywood studio and named one of Forbes' World's Most Powerful Women, joins host Kevin Goetz for a conversation about her path from a working-class upbringing in Massachusetts to the top of the entertainment industry. From her early days at Nickelodeon pioneering audience research, to guiding Warner Bros. through one of the most turbulent periods in Hollywood history, to her current role on the boards...
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  Stuart Ford (Film & Television Producer and Entrepreneur) on Independent Film, Risk Management, and the Future of Hollywood 01.04.2026 55min

  Send Kevin a Text Message Stuart Ford, Chairman and CEO of AGC Studios and one of the most influential figures in independent cinema, joins host Kevin Goetz for a candid conversation about his journey from Oxford-educated lawyer to Miramax insider to founder of two major independent studios. Ford reflects on the mentors, deals, and instincts that shaped his career, and shares an optimistic vision for the future of independent film in an era of AI, streaming, and global market expansion. From ...
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  Ric Roman Waugh (Director, Writer, Producer) on Growing Up in the Stunt World, Filmmaking with Purpose, and Listening to the Audience 18.03.2026 52min

  Send Kevin a Text Message Filmmaker Ric Roman Waugh joins host Kevin Goetz for a conversation about his unconventional path from stuntman's son to one of Hollywood's most distinctive action directors. Waugh discusses growing up inside the stunt world, his mentors, and his mission to make commercial action films that also deliver an important message. During the conversation, he touches on his collaborations with Dwayne Johnson, Gerard Butler, and Jason Statham, and on films such as Felon, Sni...
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  Robert Wagner (Legendary Actor) on Eight Decades in Hollywood, the Studio System, and a Life in Film & Television 04.03.2026 42min

  Send Kevin a Text Message Hollywood icon Robert Wagner (known as “RJ”) joins host Kevin Goetz for an intimate, wide-ranging conversation about his life and career. From caddying alongside Clark Gable and Cary Grant to starring opposite Spencer Tracy. From the golden age of the studio system to reinventing himself as a television star, Wagner reflects on the journey that made him one of Hollywood's most enduring figures, later delighting a new generation of audiences as Number 2 in the Austin ...
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  Bob Cooper (Veteran Studio Executive and Producer) on Finding Your "And", Transforming HBO, and Championing Bold True Stories 18.02.2026 50min

  Send Kevin a Text Message In this episode of Don't Kill the Messenger, host Kevin Goetz welcomes Bob Cooper, the influential executive who helped transform HBO from a movie channel into a creative powerhouse, producing landmark films like The Josephine Baker Story and Barbarians at the Gate, and who later shaped the theatrical landscape as President of Tri-Star Pictures and head of development and production at Dreamworks, where he championed American Beauty. From prosecuting organized crime ...
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  Chuck Roven (Legendary Producer) on Creative Financing, Oppenheimer, and Four Decades of Blockbuster Filmmaking 04.02.2026 49min

  Send Kevin a Text Message In this episode of Don’t Kill the Messenger, host Kevin Goetz sits down with Academy Award-winning producer Charles "Chuck" Roven, the co-founder of Atlas Entertainment, one of Hollywood’s most enduring and successful production companies. Across four decades, Chuck has built a producing career defined by creative ambition and commercial scale — including five of the 100 top-grossing films of all time. From his early struggles to winning the Academy Award for O...
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  Gail Berman (Producer & Entertainment Executive) on Creative Fearlessness Across Stage, Television, and Film 21.01.2026 53min

  Send Kevin a Text Message In this episode of Don't Kill the Messenger, host Kevin Goetz welcomes Gail Berman, one of Hollywood's most versatile executives. From producing Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat on Broadway at 22 to becoming the first woman to lead both a major TV network (Fox Entertainment) and a film studio (Paramount Pictures), she has consistently rewritten what creative leadership looks like in Hollywood. From Brooklyn to Broadway: The Joseph Origin Story (04:03): At...
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  Matthew Specktor (Novelist & Screenwriter) and Fred Specktor (Agent) on The Golden Hour, Hollywood Family, and a Changing Industry 07.01.2026 43min

  Send Kevin a Text Message In this episode of Don't Kill the Messenger, host Kevin Goetz welcomes acclaimed writer Matthew Specktor and his father, legendary CAA agent Fred Specktor. Matthew's latest book, The Golden Hour: A Story of Family and Power in Hollywood, captures the underbelly of Los Angeles through the lens of three generations embedded in the motion picture industry. Together, Matthew and Fred explore the industry that shaped American culture. The College Course with James Baldwin...
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  Jon M. Chu (Director, Producer, & Screenwriter) on Wicked, Casting Elphaba and Glinda, and Defending Cinema 17.12.2025 57min

  Send Kevin a Text Message In this episode of Don't Kill the Messenger, host Kevin Goetz welcomes Jon M. Chu on the opening day of Wicked: For Good, a film that generated exciting audience reactions during test screenings. From his family's Chinese restaurant in Silicon Valley to directing one of the most anticipated musicals in Hollywood history, Jon's journey reveals how generosity, gratitude, and respect for storytelling shape extraordinary movies. The Most Explosive Audience Reaction Ever ...
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  Suzanne de Passe (Producer, Executive) on Motown, The Jackson 5, and Building an Entertainment Empire 03.12.2025 58min

  Send Kevin a Text Message In this episode of Don't Kill the Messenger, host Kevin Goetz sits down with legendary producer and entertainment executive Suzanne de Passe. From championing the Jackson 5 early in their career to producing Emmy Award–winning miniseries like Lonesome Dove, Suzanne’s career is defined by vision, talent recognition, and breaking barriers in Hollywood. An Eclectic, Wonderful Childhood (02:16) Suzanne describes growing up in Harlem, attending the progressive private sch...
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  Nia Vardalos (Writer, Actress, Director, & Producer) on My Big Fat Greek Wedding, Motherhood, and Authenticity 19.11.2025 59min

  Send Kevin a Text Message In this episode of Don't Kill the Messenger, host Kevin Goetz sits down with Academy Award-nominated writer, actor, director, and producer Nia Vardalos. From her one-woman show in a tiny Los Angeles theater to creating one of the highest-grossing independent movies of all time, Nia's path shows what happens when you refuse to give up on your story. The Topline She Carried for 24 Years (01:36) Kevin reveals that Nia has carried the original test screening results from...
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  Bob Levin (Veteran Marketing Executive) on Audience Insights, Campaign Strategy, and the Business of Movie Appeal 05.11.2025 58min

  Send Kevin a Text Message In this engaging episode of Don't Kill the Messenger, host Kevin Goetz interviews his business associate, Bob Levin, about his remarkable journey from Sears catalog copywriter to President of Worldwide Marketing at Disney, Sony Pictures, and MGM, before joining Kevin at Screen Engine in the role of President and COO. Listen in as these two industry veterans share marketing insights and discuss their upcoming book, How to Score in Hollywood (Simon & Schuster, Nove...