Latest news with #Katzenberg
Axios
3 hours ago
- Business
- Axios
DreamWorks co-founder Katzenberg likens AI to CGI revolution
Hollywood giant Jeffrey Katzenberg at Axios' AI+ Summit Wednesday likened the arrival of artificial intelligence to the advent of computer graphics in the 1990s, which revolutionized animation. The big picture: Whether Hollywood overcomes its unease to eventually embrace AI could be a bellwether for the technology's impact on other industries and on jobs. The dispute over AI was central to the 2023 writers strike, which ended with an agreement that included landmark rules on AI in projects. Zoom out: Katzenberg, a co-founder of DreamWorks and one-time Disney executive whose work includes films like "Shrek," reflected on the "huge" resistance to making "Toy Story" with the then-novel CGI technology. The people most afraid were the ones who would be disrupted, he said. "Everything that you are hearing today are the issues that we had to deal with," he said. Katzenberg continued, "Yes, there was disruption, but animation's never, ever been bigger than it is today." The bottom line: "AI isn't going to replace people, it's going to replace people that don't use AI," he said.
Axios
4 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Axios
"Destroying a generation": Katzenberg raises alarm on teens and tech
WndrCo founding partner Jeffrey Katzenberg warned that the impact of kids' unsupervised access to technology is "destroying a generation" during Axios' annual AI+ NY Summit Wednesday. The big picture: By 11, over half of children have a smartphone — but research has found screen time has played a key role in the youth mental health crisis. Katzenberg, an entertainment executive turned technology investment firm co-founder, is a backer of Hari Ravichandran's digital security firm Aura, which provides online safety tools for families and individuals Aura recently launched an AI-powered tool that helps parents analyze their children's behavior and engagement online. Driving the news:"Today, you can have a teenager sitting across the table from you and you don't actually know who they're with, what they're doing, or really where they're at," Katzenberg told Axios' Ina Fried. "The damage that we are doing to our kids, in terms of the online, unsupervised, un-parented is destroying a generation," he added.
Yahoo
26-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Jeffrey Katzenberg spent 45 years making movies. He says he's taken one key skill from Hollywood into investing.
Jeffrey Katzenberg said that storytelling is key in Hollywood and venture capital. Katzenberg said his experience in filmmaking applies to his venture capital firm, WndrCo. Celebrities like Ashton Kutcher and Serena Williams are also investing in startups. Jeffrey Katzenberg says Hollywood and venture capital have one big success factor in common. "Storytelling is literally fundamental to every business," Katzenberg said on an episode of the "Logan Bartlett" podcast released on Saturday. "That's the one place where those 45 years of experience actually have direct application to doing this," Katzenberg said about his time in filmmaking. Katzenberg served as chairman of Walt Disney Studios for 10 years until 1994 and cofounded DreamWorks after his departure. As DreamWorks' CEO, he oversaw the production of hits like "Shrek," "Madagascar," and "Kung Fu Panda." He stepped down in 2016 and cofounded VC firm WndrCo with former Dropbox chief financial officer Sujay Jaswa in 2017. Jaswa was also a guest on Saturday's podcast and talked about the duo's partnership. WndrCo's investments include Databricks, Deel, and Figma. Katzenberg said that storytelling is essential to every step of the startup journey, including convincing people to work for a nascent company, persuading investors to write checks, and pitching new customers. "Sitting with a founder and actually going through their sales deck with them and helping them frame it, perfect it," in under 30 minutes, the VC said, "it's an art and a science." Katzenberg said that Hollywood's culture is very different from Silicon Valley's. For example, failing doesn't have the same "stigma" in Silicon Valley as it does in movies, TV, sports, and music, he said. "Hollywood, it's a black eye, it never goes away unfortunately," he added. In 2018, he teamed up with former eBay CEO Meg Whitman to launch Quibi, a short-form video streaming service designed for people to enjoy shows on their phones. The platform raised nearly $2 billion before Quibi even launched, but shut down only after six months because of an underwhelming lineup of content and poor marketing. On the podcast, Katzenberg called Quibi a "big swing and a miss" but added that Silicon Valley understood that "you can't hit a home run if you don't swing for the fences." "I'm OK owning my failures," he said. Pivoting or branching out into investing has become a popular playbook for many in the entertainment and sports industries. For celebrities, it's a way to diversify their wealth or support causes they are passionate about. For startups, being backed by a household name helps attract other investors and customers. Celebrities, including actor Ashton Kutcher and rapper Jay-Z, have launched their own VC firms and invested in notable companies, including Airbnb, Uber, Spotify, and Robinhood. Tennis champion Serena Williams and NBA stars Kevin Durant and LeBron James have also invested in food and tech companies through their VC firms. Read the original article on Business Insider
Yahoo
26-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Jeffrey Katzenberg spent 45 years making movies. He says he's taken one key skill from Hollywood into investing.
Jeffrey Katzenberg said that storytelling is key in Hollywood and venture capital. Katzenberg said his experience in filmmaking applies to his venture capital firm, WndrCo. Celebrities like Ashton Kutcher and Serena Williams are also investing in startups. Jeffrey Katzenberg says Hollywood and venture capital have one big success factor in common. "Storytelling is literally fundamental to every business," Katzenberg said on an episode of the "Logan Bartlett" podcast released on Saturday. "That's the one place where those 45 years of experience actually have direct application to doing this," Katzenberg said about his time in filmmaking. Katzenberg served as chairman of Walt Disney Studios for 10 years until 1994 and cofounded DreamWorks after his departure. As DreamWorks' CEO, he oversaw the production of hits like "Shrek," "Madagascar," and "Kung Fu Panda." He stepped down in 2016 and cofounded VC firm WndrCo with former Dropbox chief financial officer Sujay Jaswa in 2017. Jaswa was also a guest on Saturday's podcast and talked about the duo's partnership. WndrCo's investments include Databricks, Deel, and Figma. Katzenberg said that storytelling is essential to every step of the startup journey, including convincing people to work for a nascent company, persuading investors to write checks, and pitching new customers. "Sitting with a founder and actually going through their sales deck with them and helping them frame it, perfect it," in under 30 minutes, the VC said, "it's an art and a science." Katzenberg said that Hollywood's culture is very different from Silicon Valley's. For example, failing doesn't have the same "stigma" in Silicon Valley as it does in movies, TV, sports, and music, he said. "Hollywood, it's a black eye, it never goes away unfortunately," he added. In 2018, he teamed up with former eBay CEO Meg Whitman to launch Quibi, a short-form video streaming service designed for people to enjoy shows on their phones. The platform raised nearly $2 billion before Quibi even launched, but shut down only after six months because of an underwhelming lineup of content and poor marketing. On the podcast, Katzenberg called Quibi a "big swing and a miss" but added that Silicon Valley understood that "you can't hit a home run if you don't swing for the fences." "I'm OK owning my failures," he said. Pivoting or branching out into investing has become a popular playbook for many in the entertainment and sports industries. For celebrities, it's a way to diversify their wealth or support causes they are passionate about. For startups, being backed by a household name helps attract other investors and customers. Celebrities, including actor Ashton Kutcher and rapper Jay-Z, have launched their own VC firms and invested in notable companies, including Airbnb, Uber, Spotify, and Robinhood. Tennis champion Serena Williams and NBA stars Kevin Durant and LeBron James have also invested in food and tech companies through their VC firms. Read the original article on Business Insider
Business Insider
26-05-2025
- Business
- Business Insider
Jeffrey Katzenberg spent 45 years making movies. He says he's taken one key skill from Hollywood into investing.
"Storytelling is literally fundamental to every business," Katzenberg said on an episode of the "Logan Bartlett" podcast released on Saturday. "That's the one place where those 45 years of experience actually have direct application to doing this," Katzenberg said about his time in filmmaking. Katzenberg served as chairman of Walt Disney Studios for 10 years until 1994 and cofounded DreamWorks after his departure. As DreamWorks' CEO, he oversaw the production of hits like "Shrek," "Madagascar," and "Kung Fu Panda." He stepped down in 2016 and cofounded VC firm WndrCo with former Dropbox chief financial officer Sujay Jaswa in 2017. Jaswa was also a guest on Saturday's podcast and talked about the duo's partnership. WndrCo's investments include Databricks, Deel, and Figma. Katzenberg said that storytelling is essential to every step of the startup journey, including convincing people to work for a nascent company, persuading investors to write checks, and pitching new customers. "Sitting with a founder and actually going through their sales deck with them and helping them frame it, perfect it," in under 30 minutes, the VC said, "it's an art and a science." Katzenberg said that Hollywood's culture is very different from Silicon Valley's. For example, failing doesn't have the same "stigma" in Silicon Valley as it does in movies, TV, sports, and music, he said. "Hollywood, it's a black eye, it never goes away unfortunately," he added. In 2018, he teamed up with former eBay CEO Meg Whitman to launch Quibi, a short-form video streaming service designed for people to enjoy shows on their phones. The platform raised nearly $2 billion before Quibi even launched, but shut down only after six months because of an underwhelming lineup of content and poor marketing. On the podcast, Katzenberg called Quibi a "big swing and a miss" but added that Silicon Valley understood that "you can't hit a home run if you don't swing for the fences." "I'm OK owning my failures," he said. Pivoting or branching out into investing has become a popular playbook for many in the entertainment and sports industries. For celebrities, it's a way to diversify their wealth or support causes they are passionate about. For startups, being backed by a household name helps attract other investors and customers.
