Here Comes Pod

Greg Brenman falls into that rare category of generational talent. With a CV that includes Billy Elliot, The Honourable Woman, Peaky Blinders, Fat Friends, Ripper Street and the recent hit BBC drama The English, Greg has produced some of the most iconic and lauded TV series of the last 25 years. We talked about his start in the TV business, establishing the Tiger Aspect drama operation, going independent with his production company Drama Republic, and how great material is at the heart of his work. Enjoy!

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This week's guest on Here Comes Pod is Peter Taylor, one of the legends of the UK film business. We chatted about Peter's love of film as a young man, his start in the business on the set of Flash Gordon, and his long career at Sony Pictures, whether it was shepherding the studio's blockbuster releases like Spiderman, the talent-friendly culture created by studio heads Amy Pascal and Michael Lynton, and navigating the 2014 hack. We also touched on his connection with Warner Brothers as both a young sales executive and briefly as MD. But it was his work on the James Bond franchise that was the pinnacle of Peter's work at Sony and which we discussed at length. So please enjoy this week's podcast, from Here Comes Pod With Love!

You can find Here Comes Pod on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon or most other podcast outlets. If you enjoyed this episode of Here Comes Pod please do leave a review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen to your podcasts

Forget business school - this week's episode of Here Comes Pod is an education in how to run a massive organisation. Etienne de Villiers joined me to discuss a career spent at world famous media and sports operations like The Walt Disney Company, the ATP and the IPL, with some fascinating insights and stories from the front line.

Born in apartheid-era South Africa, Etienne's early career included working for the legendary Sol Kerzner at Satbel and negotiating with FW de Klerk to desegregate cinemas in South Africa. He then moved to Disney to manage the international TV operation, which grew from $15m to $1bn in annual turnover during his tenure. Senior roles at the BBC and ITV followed but we focussed on his experience in professional sports, including the challenges he faced as chairman of the ATP and his work with old business partner Lalit Modi in bringing the IPL to South Africa.

If you want to know the key to success at Disney as it built its international business in the 1990s, how and why the IPL is a unique phenomenon that is so hard to replicate, and how Paul Simon discovered diamonds in a South African recording studio as well as on the soles of his shoes, listen on and enjoy!

You can find Here Comes Pod on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon or most other podcast outlets. If you enjoyed this episode of Here Comes Pod please do leave a review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen to your podcasts

For me Pelé will always be The King of the beautiful game of football. Soon after retiring Pelé chatted to my dad Ken Goldman about what he missed from his playing days, the state of Brazilian football, soccer in the US and the opponents he rated most highly. In this long lost interview Pelé's warmth and generosity of spirit exude from every word he speaks. RIP Pelé, always The King.

You can find Here Comes Pod on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon or most other podcast outlets. If you enjoyed this episode of Here Comes Pod please do leave a review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen to your podcasts

His first three films - Con Air, The General's Daughter and Lara Croft: Tomb Raider - all grossed over $100m at the US box office, so when it comes to directing blockbuster movies this week's guest, Simon West, is perfectly placed to explain how it's done. We talked about these films, the challenges of getting Blackhawk Down to the screen, working with the gods of action movies in Expendables 2, and his latest work on Amazon mini series Boundless. There is even time for some Rickrolling - enjoy!

You can find Here Comes Pod on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon or most other podcast outlets. If you enjoyed this episode of Here Comes Pod please do leave a review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen to your podcasts

He played Geordie handyman Michael in I'm Alan Partridge and is the voice of everyone's favourite meerkat Alexander Orlov in the famous TV advertising campaign. Simon Greenall's career as a writer, performer and voice talent has taken in some of the most iconic moments in recent TV comedy history, so it was great to have him on the podcast this week's guest. Enjoy!

You can find Here Comes Pod on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon or most other podcast outlets. If you enjoyed this episode of Here Comes Pod please do leave a review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen to your podcasts

My guest this week is comedy writer and broadcaster Paul Hawksbee, co-host of the Hawksbee and Jacobs daily show on Talksport. But before becoming a broadcaster, Paul had a stellar career as a comedy writer, working with some of the greats of British comedy including the Two Ronnies, Frankie Howerd, Al Murray and Harry Hill. Add in the co-creation of iconic football magazine 90 Minutes, his attempts to get Jurgen Klinsmann to tumble in the penalty box on Fantasy World Cup, and his time working at Chelsea despite being a Spurs fan, and we had lots to chat about. Enjoy!

You can find Here Comes Pod on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon or most other podcast outlets. If you enjoyed this episode of Here Comes Pod please do leave a review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen to your podcasts

My guest this week has his name above the door of his movie studio STX Entertainment. Bob Simonds built his career in Hollywood working with stars like Adam Sandler and Steve Martin and his movies have made billions at the global box office. Bob then founded STX using the same principle of casting stars in signature roles and that strategy has led to more box office and critical success with movies like Bad Moms, The Upside, Hustlers and 21 Bridges. Bob talked about his start in the business, working with talent and re-shaping theatrical releasing. Enjoy!

You can find Here Comes Pod on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon or most other podcast outlets. If you enjoyed this episode of Here Comes Pod please do leave a review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen to your podcasts

Adam Kirby has been a force on the British advertising and marketing scene for a generation. Working as an Account Director at leading advertising agencies like AMV, Lowe Howard-Spink, Bates Dorland and Saatchi and Saatchi, Adam worked on some of the most iconic campaigns in British advertising history, before he made a move to the client side at Diageo and now operates as a marketing consultant. Not content with filling the advertising breaks with great creative, Adam is now on UK screens in hit C4 reality TV series Make Me Prime Minister, so we had a lot of ground to cover in the podcast. Enjoy!

You can find Here Comes Pod on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon or most other podcast outlets. If you enjoyed this episode of Here Comes Pod please do leave a review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen to your podcasts

My guest this week is Wonderhood Studios chairman and former C4 CEO David Abraham. David's career straddles the advertising and broadcast industries and he has been in the vanguard of changes in both businesses, from his early days at Chiat/Day and then St Luke's advertising agencies; his move to Discovery and then TLC in the US; his role as CEO at UKTV; his tenure running UK broadcaster C4; and now with Wonderhood Studios, which brings those disciplines together under one roof. Enjoy!

You can find Here Comes Pod on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon or most other podcast outlets. If you enjoyed this episode of Here Comes Pod please do leave a review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen to your podcasts