
Curious about what's going on behind the scenes in Hollywood? Odds are Matthew Belloni has the scoop. The veteran entertainment reporter and editor has emerged as the inside voice of show business with What I'm Hearing, his column and newsletter under Puck, the media startup he helped found. He also hosts The Town, a podcast for Spotify's The Ringer.
On Thursday, Matt took the stage at NeueHouse Hollywood for a sold-out live recording of The Town featuring two special guests: John Landgraf, Chairman of FX Networks and FX Productions, and Lucas Shaw, senior entertainment reporter at Bloomberg. Fans were treated to exclusive reporting and insights into the evolving landscape of media and entertainment, followed by a meet and greet with Matt.
Matthew Belloni (Photo by John Sciulli/Getty Images for Spotify)
John Landgraf, Lucas Shaw, and Matthew Belloni (Photo by John Sciulli/Getty Images for Spotify)
John Landgraf (Photo by John Sciulli/Getty Images for Spotify)
(Photo by John Sciulli/Getty Images for Spotify)
(Photo by John Sciulli/Getty Images for Spotify)
NEXT
For the Record caught up with Matt and Elizabeth Fierman, who oversees live events for The Ringer, to hear about the planning process for the evening. We also chatted with Matt about the importance of entertaining as you inform, how he cultivates sources, his dream guest, and more.
How does the prep for a live show compare to a prerecorded show? Matt: For me, it's a pretty similar process. I might prepare a few more crowd-pleaser moments so I don't get booed off the stage. But it's usually just preparing the questions that I'd want to know the answer to if I was listening.
Elizabeth: Typically recordings happen in the studio or at home-pretty controlled environments. When we're planning for a live event, we not only have to consider venue, promotion, travel, and fan experience on top of the technical aspects of recording the show, but we need to be prepared for lots more variability, as well. We also like to work with show teams to consider what content will translate best into the live space for both hosts and fans. It's a lot of work, but hopefully a lot of fun for everyone, too.
What are some of the benefits of a live podcast show? Elizabeth: For the host, getting to see and hear listeners' reactions in real time is a fun change of pace-there's such high energy that comes from being in a live environment. Similarly for fans, I think over time, they feel like they really get to know our hosts, so bringing them together in a room full of people with similar interests feels like a community-building event. There are usually lots of laughs and people seem to have a great time!
It's been such a fun year, with our first Ringer Residency in Los Angeles and The Rewatchables going on tour, plus their recent one-night-only show on Broadway. We've also had live events throughout the sports calendar and around cultural moments like SXSW and Sundance. We're excited to continue building on the momentum and excitement around live shows.
Matt, as a writer and a podcaster, how does telling stories in print compare to audio? Matt: People consume audio differently, they're often doing other things, and I think that's why podcasts that simply read printed words are so much less interesting to most people. You need to entertain as you inform. Not jokes, per se, but you need to have a personality, which is the opposite of most print and digital journalism sources that assume 100 percent of the reader's attention. The only thing that's the same is the benefit of being an accurate source of information. If you're talking out of your ass, the listeners will pick up on it and move on.
You're known for breaking news. Any secrets of the trade you can share? Matt: Develop sources in person. So many young journalists don't actually go out and meet people. I've been doing this awhile and I still do breakfasts, lunches, drinks meetings, and events at night. Mixing it up with the people I cover. Texting relationships aren't the same.
If you could choose anyone (living or deceased) to be on your show, who would it be and why? Matt: Rupert Murdoch would be a fantastic guest. He doesn't do a lot of interviews, but when he does, he does not care who he pisses off. Mark Burnett would be great, but only if we gave him a truth serum and he spilled all the details about Donald Trump on The Apprentice. Oprah, Disney's Bob Iger, Lorne Michaels, and Tom Cruise are on my list.
Are there any Spotify features or tools on Spotify for Podcasters that are especially helpful for you? Matt: I love any and all data on who is listening to the show. And we use the data to better tailor the topics and guests to what the audience likes.
We're nearly at the end of the year. What are some of the biggest media and entertainment trends you've covered in 2024? Matt: The ongoing transition from linear TV to digital streaming is upending everything about Hollywood, including the traditional power structure. Everyone is anxious and afraid, and before this calms down, the entertainment industry will look very different than it does today.
Looking ahead, what are you most excited about for 2025? Matt: I'm very curious to see what James Gunn does with Superman. A lot riding on that movie at Warner Bros.
Stream the latest episode of The Town with Matthew Belloni on Spotify.
Most recent headlines
06/10/2025
France T l visions, France's leading broadcaster, has received the 2025 EBU ...
04/09/2025
Monumental Sports & Entertainment (MSE), in collaboration with Dalet, has been a...
15/06/2025
July 2025 in Dublin, Berlin, Amsterdam & London
Photo: Thea Martre
Music Production for Women (MPW) have announced that they will be running a series of fo...
15/06/2025
Composer/producer launches free virtual instruments
Sulcata Sound is the latest venture of Jason Graves, a two-time British Academy Award-winnning composer,...
14/06/2025
NEW YORK Pluto TV and the All Womens Sports Network have launched a free ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) AWSN channel in the U.S., Canada, the U.K. and the Nor...
14/06/2025
NEW YORK and CINCINNATI E.W. Scripps has announced a new, multiyear agreement with the WNBA that will continue Ions regular-season coverage of the league on Fri...
14/06/2025
WASHINGTON The National Association of Broadcasters highlighted the hidden importance of spectrum in the production of major sporting events and described wha...
14/06/2025
WASHINGTON Sunsetting ATSC 1.0, expanding business opportunities for NextGen Broadcast and increasing international adoption of the ATSC 3.0 standard were top o...
14/06/2025
SAN FRANCISCO Samba TV and Acxiom have announced that they will dramatically expand their longstanding relationship....
14/06/2025
July 2025 in Dublin, Berlin, Amsterdam & London
Photo: Thea Martre
Music Production for Women (MPW) have announced that they will be running a series of fo...
14/06/2025
San Francisco State University's School of Cinema Uses Blackmagic Design
Brie Clayton June 13, 2025
0 Comments
More than 40 Blackmagic Design came...
14/06/2025
Boris FX Mocha Pro Adds New AI Tools To Tackle VFX Tasks Fast
Jessie Electa Petrov June 13, 2025
0 Comments
The 2025.5 release helps artists work more...
14/06/2025
AJA Debuts DRM2-Plus Mini-Converter Frame at InfoComm 2025
Brie Clayton June 13, 2025
0 Comments
Next-gen frame addresses diverse rackmount needs wit...
13/06/2025
(L-R) Lindsay Utz, Michelle Walshe, and The Right Honourable Dame Jacinda Ardern attend the 2025 Sundance Film Festival premiere of Prime Minister at Eccles T...
13/06/2025
Photo credit: Atsushi Nishijima
If you're a true lover of rom-coms, chances...
13/06/2025
Pure Drama and Fierce Rivalries set to dominate the world's most iconic spor...
13/06/2025
Johannesburg, 12 June 2025 - The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), an a...
13/06/2025
ABILENE. Texas A severe storm knocked down the tower and severely damaged the news studio and main facility of Sinclair-owned KTXS here on Sunday, June 8....
13/06/2025
Berklee's Music Business/Management Department Recognized by the Music Biz A...
13/06/2025
WASHINGTON The ATSC, the Broadcast Standards Association, honored veteran technologist Aldo Cugnini and Clarence Hau, Senior Vice President of Standards, Policy...
13/06/2025
(Editor's note: The 2025 UFL Championship Game between the D.C. Defenders and Michigan Panthers kicks off Saturday, June 14, at 8 p.m. Eastern. The game wil...
13/06/2025
New iPad/iPhone synth App announced
Following on from last year's release of Gradient Synth - which reached #6 on the App Store's Paid Music charts ...
13/06/2025
LONDON Warner Bros. Discovery has announced that HBO Max will launch direct-to-consumer in multiple new countries this July as the streamer becomes available in...
13/06/2025
AI voice transcription and captioning platform Verbit has added a new feature to its Captivate ASR solution the ability to identify specific features in automat...
13/06/2025
WASHINGTON Federal Communications Commission member Anna Gomez has wrapped up two weeks in California visiting broadcasters, television studio executives, enter...
13/06/2025
WASHINGTON The U.S. House of Representatives voted mostly along party lines to approve a rescission package that would cancel $9.4 billion in previously approve...
13/06/2025
At InfoComm 2025, AJA Video Systems announced DRM2-Plus, an intuitive, high-capacity 3RU frame that can neatly house up to 24 AJA Mini-Converters. Tailored to s...
13/06/2025
Cinema advertising leader to leverage AOS and suite of AI-enabled solutions to optimize forecasting, yield management, and streamlined ad sales and operations a...
13/06/2025
Manfrotto has launched the ONE Hybrid Tripod, a new support system designed specifically for professional content creators working with mirrorless cameras acros...
13/06/2025
Leading video software provider, Synamedia, today announced that its Media Edge Gateway (MEG), an ATSC 3.0 software-based IRD, now supports Device Security requ...
13/06/2025
LiveU, the global leader in live IP-video contribution, production and distribution solutions, is deepening its commitment to the German-speaking market with th...
13/06/2025
Chaos, the leader in architectural visualisation software, today announces Chaos Corona 13, giving archviz designers new ways to add eye-catching style and flai...
13/06/2025
PALI's Nena Music Video Shot with Blackmagic Design
Brie Clayton June 12, 2025
0 Comments
Blackmagic Cinema Camera 6K and DaVinci Resolve Studio b...
13/06/2025
OddBeast Powers Up iRobot's Newest Roombas with Suite of CGI Launch Assets
Brie Clayton June 12, 2025
0 Comments
The motion design and production ...
13/06/2025
On Chick Coreas Birthday, a Newly Uncovered Archival Release The Visitors, composed by Corea and performed by vibraphonist Gary Burton and pianist Kirill Gers...
13/06/2025
In fulfilment of a recommendation by the Government's Expert Advisory Commit...
13/06/2025
SVG Sit-Down: Backblaze's Gleb Budman Talks Products, Partnerships, and the ...
13/06/2025
SVG Sit-Down: DAZN's Walker Jacobs Calls Streaming the FIFA Club World Cup ...
13/06/2025
New Sponsor Spotlight: Vecima Networks' Paul Strickland on How Improving QoE...
13/06/2025
Pitch Perspective: Where's Next for Specialty Cameras in Soccer? Leaders from Sky Austria and ACS discuss the possibilities of camera placement pitchside B...
13/06/2025
Premiership Rugby Final 2025: Vintage clash between Bath and Leicester gets full...
13/06/2025
Premiership Rugby Final 2025: TNT Sports gears up for Bath vs Leicester battle w...
13/06/2025
NCAA Men's College World Series: ESPN Adds Two-Point SupraCam, Invests in Ne...
13/06/2025
New FSWX signal and spectrum analyzer with novel architecture overcomes limits o...
13/06/2025
Apple today announced the addition of iPad to Self Service Repair, providing iPad owners with access to repair manuals, genuine Apple parts, Apple Diagnostics t...
13/06/2025
CUPERTINO, CALIFORNIA Apple today previewed iOS 26, a major update that brings a beautiful new design, intelligent experiences, and improvements to the apps use...
13/06/2025
At Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), Apple unveiled Apple Games, an all-new destination designed to help players jump back into the games they...
13/06/2025
Industrial AI isn't slowing down. Germany is ready.
Following London Tech Week and GTC Paris at VivaTech, NVIDIA founder and CEO Jensen Huang's Europea...
12/06/2025
In 2018, Spotify launched Heart & Soul, a mental health initiative developed to ...
12/06/2025
50 Years Strong: SBS and NITV Supercharge NAIDOC Week 2025 in a joint 50th celeb...