Let's Talk About Hollywood™

Karl Gibson

Hollywood isn't just a place: it's a mindset. Part memoir, part behind-the-scenes insight, this podcast offers stories, reflections, and encouragement from Karl Gibson, a veteran of The Hollywood Reporter, Netflix, Warner Bros., Tubi, and Disney+. Whether you are industry-savvy or just curious, get comfy and settle in for a real, unvarnished take on the dreams, detours, and heart behind the Hollywood dream machine.

  1. Episode 4

    I Know the Mood of Hollywood Every Day

    What did Hollywood really feel like from inside the newsroom in 2002 when Hollywood had an average of 100 industry-related parties a week in L.A. County alone? In this episode of Let's Talk About Hollywood, I return to October 2002, when a promotion at The Hollywood Reporter suddenly put me closer to the suits, publicists, agents, directors, stars, aspiring stars and everyday intrigue that kept the town running. I was learning the business of Hollywood, and how to budget millions, while Hollywood was also learning who I was. There's a disastrous industry party, an increasingly ridiculous fight over press coverage, a $600 newsroom telephone I told the publisher will "pay for itself in exclusives," (it did), and an invitation to a rooftop book party with Margaret Cho, Mark Wahlberg and Courtney Love on the guest list. But outside the Hollywood machinery, real life keeps moving. Bebbles and I worry about the terrifying sniper shootings back home in Maryland, industry realities - both petty and grand - (my em dashes!) and one very ordinary conversation about buying a car reminds me that balancing millions of dollars at work is sometimes easier than balancing thousands, feelings and a marriage at home. Thanks for all of your support and for subscribing! Being a part of your podcast routine is an honor! Written and read by Karl Gibson. 💖 Let's Keep Talking About Hollywood! 💖 This podcast is a labor of love, funded entirely by incredible listeners across the globe. If you love the intimacy and honesty of these stories, you can help protect our independence: Donate to the Podcast: Any amount, no matter how small, fuels the engine! Drop a tip here: letstalkabouthollywood.com/support My Hollywood Reset GoFundMe: Help me rewrite the rules! This podcast will always be free and very dollar or social media share means the world: GoFundMe Link  https://gofund.me/9fa60a3b2

  2. Episode 16

    16. Rundown - How Hollywood Lost the Plot (in 2025!) & How to Break Through Anyway

    Season 2 kicks off with a supersized 83-minute truth session on Hollywood in 2025.  After 24 years inside the system, from mailroom to The Hollywood Reporter, I'm calling out what's broken: studios crying broke while DEI-angry cosplay kills audiences, post-strike fear and anger driving bad decisions, and why YouTube and creator-owned content are eating the industry's lunch. This isn't doom. It's real talk on what still works, why global audiences are our focus now, how faith anchors you when the pipeline collapses, and the exact mindset shifts to break through anyway. I've worked it and lived it and so have you. We can do this! If you're an industry worker holding on, a creator watching the old gates crumble, or finding a new way in this episode is your blueprint. Hollywood is a mentality and a strong determination goes a long way. --> Related episodes from Let's Talk About Hollywood:Ep. 35: The Disney Layoffs 2026: Regroup, Recalibrate, Ready!  My take on the Disney cuts in April 2026, how to regroup, how to approach this phase while tending to self-care, and getting ready for your next step. 💖 Let's Keep Talking About Hollywood! 💖 This podcast is a labor of love, funded entirely by incredible listeners across the globe. If you love the intimacy and honesty of these stories, you can help protect our independence: Donate to the Podcast: Any amount, no matter how small, fuels the engine! Drop a tip here: letstalkabouthollywood.com/support My Hollywood Reset GoFundMe: Help me rewrite the rules! We are officially 37% of the way to our goal—every dollar or social media share means the world: GoFundMe Link  https://gofund.me/9fa60a3b2 Rate This on Your App & Share: If you have a moment, tap what you think the show deserves on Spotify or Apple Podcasts, and share your favorite episode with a friend!

  3. Episode 17

    17. Journal - If Hollywood Gets to Be Too Much: Awards Season & Assistant Survival

    It's the start of 2002 and awards season is in full swing with growing pains, staying out of the fray as an assistant, and hoping I can do a full year at The Hollywood Reporter. 💖 Let's Keep Talking About Hollywood! 💖 This podcast is a labor of love, funded entirely by incredible listeners across the globe. If you love the intimacy and honesty of these stories, you can help protect our independence: Donate to the Podcast: Any amount, no matter how small, fuels the engine! Drop a tip here: letstalkabouthollywood.com/support My Hollywood Reset GoFundMe: Help me rewrite the rules! We are officially 37% of the way to our goal—every dollar or social media share means the world: GoFundMe Link  https://gofund.me/9fa60a3b2 Rate This on Your App & Share: If you have a moment, tap what you think the show deserves on Spotify or Apple Podcasts, and share your favorite episode with a friend!

  4. Episode 18

    18. Rundown - Lily Allen & Britney Spears: Pop Culture Realness & The AI Wave

    Pop-culture topics for the week of Nov 2, 2025 including the divorce album heard around the world, in defense of Britney Spears, WGA talks, AI and layoffs, plus inclusive hope for a world that's already there. 💖 Let's Keep Talking About Hollywood! 💖 This podcast is a labor of love, funded entirely by incredible listeners across the globe. If you love the intimacy and honesty of these stories, you can help protect our independence: Donate to the Podcast: Any amount, no matter how small, fuels the engine! Drop a tip here: letstalkabouthollywood.com/support My Hollywood Reset GoFundMe: Help me rewrite the rules! We are officially 37% of the way to our goal—every dollar or social media share means the world: GoFundMe Link  https://gofund.me/9fa60a3b2 Rate This on Your App & Share: If you have a moment, tap what you think the show deserves on Spotify or Apple Podcasts, and share your favorite episode with a friend!

  5. Episode 19

    There's a Price for All This: Showbiz on Edge

    In this episode, the 2002 Oscar nominations are out, the annual American Film Market (AFM) comes to Santa Monica and Hollywood's nerves are on edge. 💖 Let's Keep Talking About Hollywood! 💖 This podcast is a labor of love, funded entirely by incredible listeners across the globe. If you love the intimacy and honesty of these stories, you can help protect our independence: Donate to the Podcast: Any amount, no matter how small, fuels the engine! Drop a tip here: letstalkabouthollywood.com/support My Hollywood Reset GoFundMe: Help me rewrite the rules! We are officially 37% of the way to our goal—every dollar or social media share means the world: GoFundMe Link  https://gofund.me/9fa60a3b2 Rate This on Your App & Share: If you have a moment, tap what you think the show deserves on Spotify or Apple Podcasts, and share your favorite episode with a friend!

  6. Episode 20

    The Oscars, The Girls Next Door & Real Talk

    In this episode, AFM is still in full swing, the Oscars are approaching, Bebbles and Karl go to Vegas, plus plenty of stories including: The Girls Next Door, Raquel Welch, Gloria Allred, getting kicked out of Six Flags in 2000 (for the day), keeping the faith in 2025 and more Hollywood observations from 2002 and more!  💖 Let's Keep Talking About Hollywood! 💖 This podcast is a labor of love, funded entirely by incredible listeners across the globe. If you love the intimacy and honesty of these stories, you can help protect our independence: Donate to the Podcast: Any amount, no matter how small, fuels the engine! Drop a tip here: letstalkabouthollywood.com/support My Hollywood Reset GoFundMe: Help me rewrite the rules! We are officially 37% of the way to our goal—every dollar or social media share means the world: GoFundMe Link  https://gofund.me/9fa60a3b2 Rate This on Your App & Share: If you have a moment, tap what you think the show deserves on Spotify or Apple Podcasts, and share your favorite episode with a friend!

  7. Episode 21

    Thanksgiving Thoughts, Love & Thanks to You!

    Happy Thanksgiving! In this episode I wanted to take the time to thank you, the listeners, for your support, downloads and helping this podcast grow over the last 2 months and 21 episodes since it launched. It's about hope, loss, resilience, faith and knowing you're not alone!  💖 Let's Keep Talking About Hollywood! 💖 This podcast is a labor of love, funded entirely by incredible listeners across the globe. If you love the intimacy and honesty of these stories, you can help protect our independence: Donate to the Podcast: Any amount, no matter how small, fuels the engine! Drop a tip here: letstalkabouthollywood.com/support My Hollywood Reset GoFundMe: Help me rewrite the rules! We are officially 37% of the way to our goal—every dollar or social media share means the world: GoFundMe Link  https://gofund.me/9fa60a3b2 Rate This on Your App & Share: If you have a moment, tap what you think the show deserves on Spotify or Apple Podcasts, and share your favorite episode with a friend!

  8. Episode 22

    A Hollywood Guide to the Warner Bros. Sale

    As a former contractor for both Warner Bros. and Netflix, I have lived the billion-dollar chaos with the former, while Netflix was a dream job. This is your studio worker's guide to the preliminary Warner Bros. Discovery sale fallout in 2025. Real talk: Streamers had the cash. Legacy studios were making their case to regulators. If Hollywood's worried about losing the culture, then change the culture. We claim we're future forward, so take back the narrative and keep Hollywood. I break down surviving above-the-paygrade stress, why studio redundancies are coming, the danger of making alliances too fast, and how technical proficiency keeps you untouchable when execs gamble with billions. Is this the end of a Hollywood era? Not if workers anchor to audiences, not mergers. Audiences decide. That's who you need to prevail. If you're inside the system watching it shake, this episode is your survival blueprint. 💖 Let's Keep Talking About Hollywood! 💖 This podcast is a labor of love, funded entirely by incredible listeners across the globe. If you love the intimacy and honesty of these stories, you can help protect our independence: Donate to the Podcast: Any amount, no matter how small, fuels the engine! Drop a tip here: letstalkabouthollywood.com/support My Hollywood Reset GoFundMe: Help me rewrite the rules! We are officially 37% of the way to our goal—every dollar or social media share means the world: GoFundMe Link  https://gofund.me/9fa60a3b2 Rate This on Your App & Share: If you have a moment, tap what you think the show deserves on Spotify or Apple Podcasts, and share your favorite episode with a friend!

See All Season 2 (32)

About

Hollywood isn't just a place: it's a mindset. Part memoir, part behind-the-scenes insight, this podcast offers stories, reflections, and encouragement from Karl Gibson, a veteran of The Hollywood Reporter, Netflix, Warner Bros., Tubi, and Disney+. Whether you are industry-savvy or just curious, get comfy and settle in for a real, unvarnished take on the dreams, detours, and heart behind the Hollywood dream machine.

Information

  • Creator
    Karl Gibson
  • Episodes
    48
  • Seasons
    2
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Karl Gibson, 2025. All rights reserved.
  • Show Website
    Let's Talk About Hollywood™