David Zaslav

One-line: CEO of Warner Bros. Discovery, cited in The Hits Business as the exec willing to “say the quiet part out loud” about franchise dependence.

What we know

• November 2022, to investors: “We’re going to focus on franchises. We haven’t had a Superman movie in 13 years. We haven’t done a Harry Potter in 15 years.”
• In the essay, his candor exemplifies how the public-company profit motive (“there must be growth… there must be Shared Universes”) drives Hollywood’s IP strategy.

Mentioned in

• The Hits Business — cited as the exec willing to “say the quiet part out loud” about Hollywood’s franchise dependence.
• The Hits Business - Research — research notes underlying the essay, including his November 2022 investor remarks.

Connections

• Intellectual Property — his “focus on franchises” stance exemplifies how the public-company growth motive drives Hollywood’s IP strategy.