Behind the Curtain: Hollywood, Streaming Services, and International Diplomacy with Charles Rivkin

Willy welcomes Charles Rivkin. He is the Chairman and CEO of the Motion Picture Association (MPA). He leads the MPA’s global mission to advance and support the film, television, and streaming content industry. The MPA’s members currently include Disney, Netflix, Paramount, Sony, Universal, and Warner Bros. Drawing on almost 30 years of experience as a media executive and a leading U.S. diplomat, he advocates for policies that drive investment in film and television production, protect creative content, and open markets. He champions the economic and cultural power of film and television to communities around the world.

The episode begins with Charles talking about his father’s career as a US ambassador to Luxembourg and Senegal and his godfather, a US ambassador to France. Charles believes that public service is the highest calling, and the influence of his relatives encouraged him to serve in the State for 18 years. With a deep love for singing, Charles never thought of doing it professionally, but the hobby gave him a chance to travel around the world. “I love being surrounded by creative people, and that’s one of the reasons I pursued a career in the entertainment industry,” he says. He decided to get an MBA because he was always fascinated by his grandfather’s clothing business. “When you give somebody employment, you change their lives,” he says. He loves the idea of being a CEO, contributing to his community, and making a difference on the international stage. With his background in economics, he combined it with his love for entertainment. He thinks that media is an enormous source of power and cultural exchange and can be a source of good when used properly.

Tune in to this new episode of the Walker Webcast — Behind the Curtain: Hollywood, Streaming Services, and International Diplomacy with Charles Rivkin, Chairman & Chief Executive Officer, Motion Picture Association. ▶️

Key Points In The Webcast:
00:00 Introduction
00:38 Willy welcomes Charles Rivkin
02:47 The influence of Charles’ father and godfather
05:07 Charles’ love for singing and his education
07:27 Entertainment’s economic effects and Jim Henson
10:33 President Obama and the convening power of film
18:16 His fear of heights and going on an F-18
20:48 A memorable experience on a naval aircraft
24:56 Getting Apple and Amazon on the MPA
27:48 How the MPA adapts to rising industries and fighting piracy
31:33 Trade deals and enforcing intellectual protection
33:41 The positive future of the theater markets
39:56 The pros of filming locally
41:44 Exporting films to China
46:21 The most powerful figure in entertainment today
50:38 How entertainment changed sports
51:43 Charles’ leadership tricks

GET NOTIFIED about upcoming shows:
» See upcoming guests on the #WalkerWebcast here:

Related webcasts: Tune in on Wednesdays for fresh perspectives about leadership, business, the economy, commercial real estate, and more! #WillyWalker hosts a diverse network of leaders as they share the wisdom that cuts across industry lines.

Check out our previous videos:

Podcast:

Follow us:

Subscribe:

POSTING POLICY:
Please bear in mind that this is a public and professional platform. We’ll do our best to ensure that our postings on this page comply with our standards, which prohibit content that:
• is abusive, defamatory, threatening, or obscene
• is fraudulent, deceptive, or misleading
• violates the copyright, trademark, patent, trade secret, right of privacy, right of publicity, or other intellectual property right of another
• contains or links to any virus, worm, Trojan horse, or other forms of malware or harmful code
• contains the personal information of others, such as names, addresses, and telephone numbers
• violates any law or regulation
• is otherwise offensive. We expect users not to post content that violates our standards. We cannot monitor postings or discussions in advance, but we reserve the right to remove any posting that does not meet our standards.

#CharlesRivkin