Moguls and Artists

James Kanatas

The history of the entertainment industry. The businesspeople and artists who shaped it, the strategies and artistic choices they made, and the trends and forces that created opportunities.

Episodes

  1. 10/27/2025

    7 - Barry Diller and ABC

    Barry Diller expands the possibilities of storytelling on television while a young executive at ABC in the 1960s-1970s. Who Knew, by Barry Diller: https://a.co/d/h1frVOR.Get in touch: mogulsandartists@gmail.com.

    17 min

  2. 06/28/2025

    6.3 - Bob Iger and Disney

    The conclusion of our series on Bob Iger and The Walt Disney Company. From the acquisition of Marvel through Iger retiring as CEO in 2020. Ride of a Lifetime, by Bob Iger: https://a.co/d/9YwzqEb. Get in touch: mogulsandartists@gmail.com.

    18 min

  3. 06/15/2025

    6.2 - Bob Iger and Disney

    Part 2 of 3 in our series about Bob Iger and the Walt Disney Company, from the Cap Cities/ABC acquisition through the Pixar acquisition. Bob Iger takes the reins amidst a shareholder revolt and begins his time as CEO with a bang. Ride of a Lifetime, by Bob Iger: https://a.co/d/9YwzqEb. Get in touch: mogulsandartists@gmail.com.

    20 min

  4. 06/08/2025

    6.1 - Bob Iger and Disney

    Part 1 of our series on Disney Chairman Bob Iger; his rise from weatherman in Ithaca to running ABC Entertainment. Ride of a Lifetime, by Bob Iger: https://a.co/d/9YwzqEb. Get in touch: mogulsandartists@gmail.com.

    16 min

  5. 06/06/2025

    5.3 - Kirk Kerkorian and MGM

    Part 3 of 3 in our series about Kerkorian's ownership of MGM, ending with the company's sale and cementing its long-term decline . Fade Out: The Calamitous Final Days of MGM, by Peter Bart: https://a.co/d/9RREpNJ. Get in touch: mogulsandartists@gmail.com.

    9 min

  6. 06/23/2024

    5.2 - Kirk Kerkorian and MGM

    Part 2 of 3 in our series about Kerkorian and MGM. Kerkorian doubles down on MGM in the 1980s, leading to internal chaos, mediocre results, and further hobbling the troubled studio. Fade Out: The Calamitous Final Days of MGM, by Peter Bart: https://a.co/d/9RREpNJ. Get in touch: mogulsandartists@gmail.com.

    22 min

  7. 06/01/2024

    5.1 - Kirk Kerkorian and MGM

    Chapter one of my three part series about MGM under the ownership of corporate raider Kirk Kerkorian. Covers Kerkorian's acquisition of MGM in 1969 through the end of the 1970s. Fade Out: The Calamitous Final Days of MGM, by Peter Bart: https://a.co/d/9RREpNJ. Get in touch: mogulsandartists@gmail.com.

    16 min

  8. 11/02/2023

    4 - DW Griffith and "The Birth of a Nation"

    DW Griffith created a film of deplorable subject matter but also opened the eyes of the world to the scale of what could be achieved, creatively and commercially, with the medium of film. References: - DW Griffith: An American Life, by Richard Schickel: https://a.co/d/1WKsipa. - DW Griffith, by Charles River Editors: https://a.co/d/b2PB0Of. Get in touch: mogulsandartists@gmail.com.

    19 min

  9. 10/30/2023

    3 - Irving Thalberg and MGM

    The creative philosophy and methods of Irving Thalberg, MGM's head of production in the 1920s/1930s, who oversaw an extraordinary run of high quality and popular films, building MGM into the most powerful film studio in the world. References: - Thalberg: Life and Legend, by Bob Thomas: https://a.co/d/hdEyCZU. - Produced by Irving Thalberg: Theory of Studio-Era Filmmaking, by Ana Salzberg: https://a.co/d/a0yao85.Get in touch: mogulsandartists@gmail.com.

    25 min

  10. 10/13/2023

    2 - Louis B Mayer and MGM

    How Louis B Mayer built MGM, the most powerful entertainment company of the 1920s-1940s. Reference: Hollywood Rajah: The Life and Times of Louis B Mayer: https://a.co/d/ifGatGs. Get in touch: mogulsandartists@gmail.com.

    1h 9m

  11. 08/23/2023

    1 - Lew Wasserman and MCA

    How MCA, the Music Corporation of America, grew from a Chicago band booking agency in 1924 into the most powerful entertainment company in the world by the 1950s, dictating which movies and TV shows got made and by whom. Reference: The Last Mogul, by Dennis McDougal. Buy on Amazon: https://a.co/d/iyx0yyQ.Get in touch: mogulsandartists@gmail.com.

    1h 18m
  • 11 Episodes

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
3 Ratings

About

The history of the entertainment industry. The businesspeople and artists who shaped it, the strategies and artistic choices they made, and the trends and forces that created opportunities.

Information

  • Creator
    James Kanatas
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2025
  • Episodes
    11
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © James Kanatas
  • Show Website
    Moguls and Artists