 |
Don't Kill the Messenger with Movie Strategist Kevin GoetzAuthor: Kevin Goetz
Dont Kill the Messenger dives deep into the careers of Hollywoods most influential voices including executives and filmmakers alike. Hosted by entertainment research expert Kevin Goetz, the interviews are more than story-sharing, they are intimate conversations between friends and a powerful filmmaking masterclass. Discover what it really takes to bring your favorite movies to life. Find Dont Kill the Messenger on Apple, Spotify, or your favorite podcast platform. Learn how movies begin, and endwith the audience.Host: Kevin GoetzProducer: Kari CampanoWriters: Kevin Goetz, Darlene Hayman, Nick Nunez, & Kari CampanoAudio Engineer: Gary ForbesProduced at DG Entertainment, Los Angeles CAMarketing Team: Kari Campano, Dax Ross, Daniel Gamino, & Ashton BrackettGuest Booking: Kari Campano & Kathy Manabat Language: en-us Genres: Film History, Film Interviews, TV & Film Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it |
Listen Now...
Bob Greenblatt (Television Executive & Producer, Tony-Winning Broadway Producer) on Building Hits at Fox, Showtime, NBC, and Broadway
Episode 99
Wednesday, 16 September, 2026
Send Kevin a Text MessageBob Greenblatt joins host Kevin Goetz for a conversation that follows the television executive through four separate turnarounds, from a struggling young Fox Network to the top of Showtime, NBC, and WarnerMedia Entertainment. Greenblatt helped develop Beverly Hills, 90210, The X-Files, and Party of Five at Fox, produced Six Feet Under, turned Showtime into a creative rival to HBO with Weeds and Dexter, ran NBC during the network's return to number one with The Voice and This Is Us, and later helped launch HBO Max. He's also a five-time Tony-winning Broadway producer.Learning the Business from Peter Chernin and Scott Rudin (07:05): After an MBA and film school, Greenblatt credits his mentors Scott Rudin and Peter Chernin for the real education in how to give notes and run a company without losing the creative instinct.Launching Fox with Beverly Hills, 90210 (16:15): Greenblatt walks through developing 90210 from Barry Diller's original idea, hiring an unproven Darren Star to write it, and watching the 90-minute pilot test through the roof. Its breakout success helped define the young-adult demo strategy that built the network.American Beauty, and the Birth of Six Feet Under (26:14): Greenblatt recounts partnering with David Janollari to launch their production company, signing sitcom writer Alan Ball without realizing he'd also written a script called American Beauty, and sending that script to HBO right as the film became an Oscar-winning phenomenon. HBO ordered Six Feet Under straight off the page.Turning Around Showtime and NBC (36:12): Greenblatt explains his pattern of leaving a job once it stops changing, his preference for buying over developing, and how he rebuilt Showtime around original series like Dexter and Weeds. He also details how The Voice gave NBC the lead-ins it needed to climb back to number one.Executive Mentors and the One That Got Away (42:25): Asked to name the greatest network executive in television history, Greenblatt points to Brandon Tartikoff and Grant Tinker's "first be best, then be first" philosophy. He also revisits Profit, his short-lived anti-hero drama that paved the way for Dexter, and his famous pass on Buffy the Vampire Slayer.The Green Room and The Rockford Files (51:28): Greenblatt previews current projects at his production company The Green Room. He closes by discussing his Broadway work on Ragtime, and his memoir, The Rockford Files.Host: Kevin GoetzGuest: Bob GreenblattProducer: Kari CampanoWriters: Kevin Goetz, Darlene Hayman, Nick Nunez, and Kari CampanoAudio Engineer: Gary Forbes (DG Entertainment)For more information about Bob Greenblatt:Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_GreenblattIMDB: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0338612/Playbill: https://playbill.com/person/robert-greenblatt-vault-0000116172For more information about Kevin Goetz:- Website: www.KevinGoetz360.com- Audienceology Book: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Audience-ology/Kevin-Goetz/9781982186678- How to Score in Hollywood: https://www.amazon.com/How-Score-Hollywood-Secrets-Business/dp/198218986X/- Facebook, X, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Substack: @KevinGoetz360- LinkedIn @Kevin Goetz- Screen Engine/ASI Website: www.ScreenEngineASI.com
