What is power?
Is it the speed with which an A-lister returns your calls, the ease in nabbing a reservation at the hottest Manhattan restaurant or how many times you appear on Page Six? Maybe it’s something ineffable, but more impactful: the ability to define and shape culture.
That’s what you see in the movers and shakers in the media business, like CNN’s Mark Thompson and ABC News’ Almin Karamehmedovic, who are spotlighted here. And it’s certainly evident in creative geniuses like Heidi Gardner, a breakout star on “SNL”; Cole Escola, who has lit up Broadway with the rococo comedy “Oh, Mary!”; and Clairo, an indie rock darling.
In all, this collection of New Yorkers have at least one thing in common — they’re making the most of their respective moments. Each brings to the table a unique set of talents, and each is leaving an imprint on their respective medium. What starts in New York changes the world.
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Anthony Bregman and Stefanie Azpiazu
Image Credit: Courtesy Images Sundance staples
The Julia Louis-Dreyfus comedy “You Hurt My Feelings” and the Anne Hathaway thriller “Eileen” were among the recent successes for Likely Story, the production company Bregman and Azpiazu founded in 2006. Since then, they’ve become a presence at Sundance — with three of their movies premiering at the fest’s 2023 edition. One upcoming project is “Power Ballad,” directed by John Carney (“Once”) and starring Paul Rudd and Nick Jonas.
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Nate Burleson
Image Credit: John Nacion for Variety Morning man
Since its 2021 rebranding, CBS’ morning broadcast has been fueled by its hosts’ chemistry. And while co-hosts Gayle King and Tony Dokoupil have long been familiar to CBS viewers, it’s Burleson — a former football player and sports journalist, and a sometime rapper under the moniker New Balance — who’s been the current panel’s darling.
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John Buzzetti
Image Credit: Courtesy of WME Marquee agent
As a key member of WME’s theater department, Buzzetti represents many of Broadway’s biggest entertainers. He started his career in 1996 at the Ambrosio-Mortimer agency before joining Gersh two years later. Since Buzzetti joined WME in 2010, everyone from Lin-Manuel Miranda to David Lindsay-Abaire to Quiara Alegría Hudes has turned to him for his dealmaking prowess. Other clients, which include the productions “Avenue Q” and “In the Heights,” have won Tonys and gone beyond Broadway, too, landing Oscars and Emmys.
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Kai Cenat
Image Credit: Getty Images Twitch sensation
If you don’t recognize the name, your kids do. That’s because Cenat conquered Twitch with comedy livestreams, gaming marathons and celebrity collabs that reach more than 13 million users. The social media impresario’s livestreams with the likes of Kevin Hart and Ice Spice — some lasting for 24 hours — are hugely popular with Gen Z and Gen Alpha viewers. Cenat also has ventured into more traditional sides of the entertainment industry, releasing music and appearing in “Good Burger 2.”
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Ronny Chieng, Jordan Klepper, Michael Kosta, Desi Lydic and Jon Stewart
On the rebound
After Trevor Noah’s tenure ended, it seemed unclear what “The Daily Show” would do to move forward. One solution was to play the hits: Popular former host Stewart has returned, one night per week, through the election. Another, though, was to rely on team spirit: The regular suite of hosts — Chieng, Klepper, Kosta and Lydic — have distinguished themselves with sharp perspectives and insights.
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Clairo
Image Credit: Corbis via Getty Images Indie rock titan
One of the fastest-rising artists in indie music, Claire Cottrill — aka Clairo — became a face of bedroom pop with her 2019 album “Immunity,” which featured the standout songs “Bags” and “Sofia.” She then channeled ’70s folk on her sophomore effort, “Sling,” and soft rock and soul on 2024’s “Charm.” Over the years, Cottrill has moved between the city and more spacious enclaves in upstate New York and Massachusetts, but her sound still permeates the five boroughs’ indie-rock corners. Last month, she played a five-night residency at Webster Hall.
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David Adjmi
Image Credit: Kristina Bumphrey for Variety “Stereo” king
Adjmi got the idea for “Stereophonic” while listening to Led Zeppelin’s “Babe I’m Gonna Leave You” on a plane. A decade or so later, his recording studio-set drama became the most Tony-nominated play in Broadway history (winning five). The three-hour show follows a Fleetwood Mac-like band as the members labor over their second album. They fall in and out of love; feud and reconcile; indulge in drugs, booze and egotism; and, somehow, amid all the disharmony, create beautiful music.
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Brendon Babenzien
Image Credit: Getty Images for Tonic.xyz Streetwear god
Lately, J. Crew has been setting trends, not chasing them. A couple years ago, for instance, downtown scenesters one might never have expected to wear a mall brand were abuzz over the company’s giant-fit chinos. Credit for the brand’s menswear line goes to creative director Babenzien, who brings an edgy, gritty sensibility made familiar by SoHo’s Noah, which he founded, and by Supreme, the global streetwear colossus.
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Glen Basner
Image Credit: Matt Infante The (modest) power broker
As the head of FilmNation, Basner navigated the treacherous world of indie-film financing to become one of the entertainment business’s most influential figures. He has survived one pandemic and two labor strikes, along with changing tastes, to produce some of the year’s most exciting movies. They include “Conclave,” a Vatican thriller that’s generating Oscar heat, and “Anora,” a comedy about a sex worker in Brighton Beach that nabbed the Palme d’Or.
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Hannah Berner and Paige DeSorbo
Image Credit: Courtesy Images Get ready to giggle
The “Summer House” cast members came onto the series already friends; now, they’re building an empire. Berner and DeSorbo also host the podcast “Giggly Squad,” which launched in 2020; they recently announced their forthcoming book of relationship advice, “How to Giggle: A Guide to Taking Life Less Seriously,” and are on an extensive national tour, sharing their loopy perspectives on life and love with their many devoted fans.
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Krishan Bhatia
Image Credit: Penske Media via Getty Images Amazon’s ad gur
In April, Amazon hired Bhatia, previously a senior executive at NBCUniversal, as vice president of global video advertising. It was a sign of the company’s wish to make more inroads on Madison Avenue by tapping someone steeped in traditional television advertising. All eyes are on Bhatia, who is well versed in the kinds of newer audience data that can help brands target the consumers they need to reach; the question is, can he bring the techniques he developed in more traditional media to Amazon?
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Brody Grant and Danya Taymor
Image Credit: Courtesy Images Staying gold
It shouldn’t have worked. Yet “The Outsiders,” a rough-and-tumble musical adaptation of S.E. Hinton’s gritty coming-of-age novel and Francis Ford Coppola’s film, has become a Broadway smash. Grant, playing Pony Boy, provides the story’s bruised spirit as a greaser from the wrong side of the tracks, and Taymor, the show’s director, staged a rain-soaked rumble that was so dazzling it helped “The Outsiders” capture the Tony for best musical.
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Sam Houser
Image Credit: PA Images via Getty Images Mayor of Los Santos
Houser lives in Brooklyn, but as co-founder and president of Rockstar Games and executive producer of the “Grand Theft Auto” series, he’s associated with the fictional city of Los Santos, the Los Angeles-inspired backdrop of “Grand Theft Auto V.” It’s the second-bestselling video game of all time, behind “Minecraft.” Rockstar also makes the blockbuster game series “Red Dead Redemption,” but all eyes are on the long-awaited “Grand Theft Auto VI,” due in 2025.
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Branden Jacobs-Jenkins
Image Credit: Bruce Glikas/WireImage Drama king
Jacobs-Jenkins is the playwright behind last season’s hit “Appropriate,” a darkly comedic family drama starring Sarah Paulson, Corey Stoll and Elle Fanning. It was nominated for eight Tonys and won three, including best revival. He’s returning to Broadway with “Purpose,” another epic family drama. Described as a “moralistic satire,” the show follows an influential family that’s become a pillar of Black American politics. In the hands of Jacobs-Jenkins, “Purpose” is poised to be another can’t-miss Broadway event.
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Alex Gibney
Image Credit: Getty Images Doc master
Few filmmakers of any genre have as fertile a creative mind as Gibney. He’s helmed documentaries about Boris Becker, Paul Simon and “The Sopranos.” Gibney, while often focused on the famous, has also investigated secretive and challenging organizations like WikiLeaks and the Church of Scientology. His Jigsaw Productions, backed by Imagine Entertainment, promises to only grow more prolific.
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Robert Glasper
Image Credit: Gilbert Flores for Billboard Jazz alchemist
A five-time Grammy winner, Glasper is one of the leading forces bridging jazz with hip-hop. He played on Kendrick Lamar’s landmark album “To Pimp a Butterfly,” and has worked with artists like Common, Anderson .Paak and Q-Tip. With his sixth annual residency, Glasper is set to take over New York’s fabled Blue Note jazz club for the month of October, once again delivering the most exciting shows in Greenwich Village.
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Heidi Gardner
Image Credit: Courtesy Image Shining star on “SNL”
Since joining “Saturday Night Live” in 2017, Gardner has emerged as a genuine breakout; her unscripted laughing in a 2024 “Beavis and Butt-Head” sketch went viral in part because Gardner’s characters tend to have a certain frustrated dignity. Gardner lives in New York but often reps her hometown of Kansas City on the show — notably when Travis Kelce hosted last year.
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Cynthia Germanotta
Image Credit: Nathan Congleton/NBC via Getty I The original Mother Monster
Germanotta is best known professionally for co-founding the anti-bullying nonprofit Born This Way Foundation. Personally, she’s best known for her connection to the organization’s other founder — her daughter Stefani Germanotta, aka Lady Gaga. Gaga’s mother co-owns the well-loved Upper West Side restaurant Joanne Trattoria and advocates on behalf of young people’s mental health.
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Brandon Flynn
Image Credit: John Nacion for Variety Nothing gets between him and his Calvins
The “13 Reasons Why” breakout recently stripped down to his skivvies as the, er, face of Calvin Klein. When he’s not burning up red carpets or anchoring photo shoots in glossy fashion magazines, Flynn has a burgeoning acting career, one that saw him rocking an old-timey mustache in the Lincoln assassination drama “Manhunt.” Next, he’ll try to scare audiences’ pants off appearing opposite Brian Cox and Edie Falco in the poltergeist thriller “The Parenting.”
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Lisa Frechette
Image Credit: Courtesy Image Marty’s chief lieutenant
Starting off as Martin Scorsese’s assistant, Frechette has spent her career on film sets from “Shutter Island” to “The Wolf of Wall Street.” More recently, she stepped into a producing role for Scorsese’s Sikelia Productions, landing credits on his “Personality Crisis: One Night Only” and “Stories of a Generation — With Pope Francis.” In 2023, Frechette was an executive producer on the three-and-a-half-hour epic “Killers of the Flower Moon,” which went on to earn 10 Oscar nominations.
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Bob Friedman
Image Credit: WireImage Media maverick
Formerly a top executive at companies both sprawling and established (AOL Time Warner) and lean and scrappy (RadicalMedia), Friedman struck out on his own with Bungalow Media + Entertainment. The company takes a boutique approach to the TV shows, movies and digital media it gets involved with — and being selective pays. Recently, Bungalow launched several projects, including CBS’ “13 Days in Ferguson,” a look at the aftermath of Michael Brown’s killing, and Max’s “Serving the Hamptons,” a reality show set in a Southampton eatery.
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Charles Cohen
Image Credit: Patrick McMullan via Getty Image Billionaire cinephile
It’s been a bumpy year for Cohen, the real estate scion and film lover whose company defaulted on a loan that left his art-house cinema chains on the auction block. But Cohen Media Group, the indie label that Cohen controls, had some wins. “Io Capitano,” a searing drama about immigration, was nominated for an Oscar for best international feature, and the company released “Merchant Ivory,” a documentary about the cinematic duo, to raves.
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Lori Conkling
Image Credit: Variety via Getty Images YouTube’s dealmaker
As YouTube’s head of TV, film and sports partnerships, Conkling oversees multibillion-dollar deals with broadcast and cable networks and sports leagues. She was instrumental in YouTube TV’s new pact with NFL Sunday Ticket, making the company the exclusive home of every football game in the U.S. In doing so, YouTube TV wrestled the must-see NFL bonanza — a favorite among super fans and sports bettors — away from DirecTV after 28 years.
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Alex Edelman
Image Credit: Jenny Anderson Bravely funny
A nice Jewish boy walks into a white-nationalist meeting. What sounds like the setup to a dicey joke is the premise of “Just for Us,” Edelman’s very funny solo show about the time he attended a local Nazi rally after receiving antisemitic threats online. After a stint on Broadway, a taped version of the performance aired on HBO and won an Emmy.
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Cole Escola
Image Credit: Bruce Glikas/Getty Images Toast of Broadway
Escola has endeared themselves to audiences through YouTube videos as well as roles on television shows like “Difficult People.” But the 37-year-old is having their highest-profile moment yet as the writer and star of the Broadway phenom “Oh, Mary!” After a twice-extended downtown run, the play — which imagines Mary Todd Lincoln as an alcoholic aspiring cabaret singer terrorizing her husband while he tries to win the Civil War — is the hottest ticket in town.
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Mark Thompson
Image Credit: Getty Images CNN’s turnaround chief
London-born and Oxford-educated, Thompson’s no stranger to New York: Among the postings in his long career are a role as the CEO of The New York Times Co., where he helped transform and modernize the paper’s presence online. At CNN, where he began in October 2023, Thompson stepped into a chaotic situation after the firing of Chris Licht; this summer, he announced plans to overhaul the newsroom, including layoffs.
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Julio Torres
Image Credit: Courtesy of Mitch Zachary Big-screen trickster
Comedy fans have long been familiar with Torres’ sensibility from “Saturday Night Live,” where he worked as a writer from 2016 to 2019, or from his show “Los Espookys”; his signature is a sort of loopy surreality, with tinges of camp and wordplay. This year, he created the HBO series “Fantasmas” and the A24 movie “Problemista,” both of which draw their humor from Torres’ experiences as a Salvadoran immigrant navigating life in New York.
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Jason Weinberg
Image Credit: Courtesy Image Career counselor
The Hollywood power player who co-founded the management company Untitled Entertainment has moved into Broadway producing with “Kimberly Akimbo.” The heartwarming show, which concluded its run in April, won five Tony Awards in 2023, including best musical. All the while, Weinberg, who transitioned decades ago from publicist to talent manager, has been keeping clients like Demi Moore (“The Substance”), Maya Hawke (“Inside Out 2”), Zoë Kravitz (“Blink Twice,” “The Batman”) and Jean Smart (“Hacks”) booked and busy.
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Jon Kamen and Frank Scherma
Image Credit: Courtesy Images Radical chic
When the team behind the Tony-winning “Merrily We Roll Along” wanted to share the onstage magic with a wider audience, they turned to RadicalMedia; the company filmed performances of “Hamilton” to produce a beloved movie, and it will now do the same for “Merrily.” Thirty years after Radical was founded, Kamen and Scherma have kept growing the company. In addition to producing programs such as a History Channel JFK docuseries, Radical oversees marketing campaigns for companies ranging from Apple to IHOP.
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Almin Karamehmedovic
Image Credit: Variety via Getty Images Calling the shots
Taking the reins as the new president of ABC News, Karamehme dovic oversees the network’s many TV news titles, including “World News Tonight With David Muir,” “Good Morning America,” “The View,” “20/20” and “Nightline.” By the time he moved to New York in 2008, the 16-time Emmy winner had garnered a reputation as an intrepid field reporter, embedding himself with the U.S. Army during the 2003 invasion of Iraq and traveling to the country to document the fight against ISIS.
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Mark Kaufman
Image Credit: Getty Images Take a bow
The Warner Bros. Theatre Ventures chief serves as a bridge between Hollywood and Broadway, finding classic films that can inspire hit shows and vice versa. As a driving force behind “Beetlejuice: The Musical,” Kaufman proved there was life in the ghostly franchise, which gave the studio confidence when it came time to make a sequel to the original film. He also helped turn “The Outsiders,” a musical adaptation of a 40-year-old movie, into a zeitgeist-y stage smash.
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Rich Kleiman
Image Credit: Courtesy Image Kevin Durant’s consigliere
As Kevin Durant’s longtime manager as well as co-founder and CEO of Boardroom, Kleiman serves as an ambassador between the NBA and Hollywood. Boardroom produces daily newsletters as well as film and TV projects like “Swagger,” an Apple TV+ drama loosely inspired by Durant’s early life; and “NYC Point Gods,” a Showtime docuseries that examines how a group of ’80s and ’90s basketball legends reinvented the game.
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Rachel Maddow, Joy Reid, Alex Wagner and Nicolle Wallace
Image Credit: Courtesy Images MSNBC stars
The madness of the 2024 election cycle has been a boon for cable news, including the women whose insights and intellects fuel MSNBC. Liberal viewers have likely needed reassurance or clarity at various points along the bumpy journey that brought us presidential nominee Kamala Harris, and the cabler’s veterans have an authority built over years of covering the turbulent political scene.
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Maleah Joi Moon
Image Credit: Ramon Rivas A star is born
Moon’s rise is straight out of a storybook. After graduating from high school in 2020, the 22-year-old was cast as a stand-in for Alicia Keys in “Hell’s Kitchen,” a jukebox musical inspired by the “Empire State of Mind” singer’s upbringing in Manhattan. Critics raved about her soaring voice and commanding stage presence. Then Moon won the Tony for best actress in a musical, becoming one of the youngest recipients of the award.
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Jawn Murray
Image Credit: Bryan Bedder for Variety Culture expert
Before becoming the executive producer of Sherri Shepherd’s talk show, Murray was a journalist and on-air personality, including on the nationally syndicated “Tom Joyner Morning Show.” Now, in addition to his producing duties on “Sherri,” which replaced “The Wendy Williams Show,” he’s bringing a shot of pop-culture energy as an on-camera commentator.
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Myha’la
Image Credit: Courtesy Myha’la Herrold Titan of “Industry”
As the ambitious and tightly wound trader Harper Stern on HBO’s financial drama “Industry,” Myha’la has provided the show its sense of intense competition. In its third season, the series has become a lifeline for those who miss the gamesmanship of “Succession,” and Myha’la has leveled up; she also appeared in the 2022 feature “Bodies Bodies Bodies” and the 2023 Netflix sensation “Leave the World Behind.”
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Ana Nogueria
Image Credit: Courtesy Image DC Universe builder
A lot is riding on James Gunn’s DC cinematic universe reboot, particularly after the last one imploded in spectacular fashion (cause of death: “Justice League”). And to get it right, the DC Studios chief enlisted Nogueria, an actress turned scribe, to write “Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow.” The film, which Gunn describes as a “science fiction epic,” will debut in 2026 and pick up where his next movie, “Superman,” leaves off. After that, Nogueria will write a “Teen Titans” film.
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Desiree Perez
Image Credit: Andrew Zaeh / ZAEH LLC Music mogul
As CEO of Jay-Z’s multimillion-dollar entertainment powerhouse Roc Nation, Perez oversees the careers of titans like Mariah Carey, Alicia Keys, Big Sean and Megan Thee Stallion. As head of the company in charge of programming the Super Bowl halftime show, Perez placed clients, including Shakira and Rihanna, on the world’s biggest stage. She’s also helped Roc Nation lean into its charitable efforts, and was credited by Lil Uzi Vert for encouraging the rapper to seek treatment for a Xanax addiction.
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Will Reeve
Image Credit: Getty Images Son of Superman
The ABC News correspondent is recognizable to TV viewers from his appearances on “Good Morning America.” But this year, Reeve shares a more personal side with the release of “Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story.” The film draws on home movies that prominently feature Reeve and his stepsiblings, Alexandra Reeve and Matthew Reeve, interacting with their famous dad both before and after the horse-riding accident that left him paralyzed, inspiring him to become an advocate for people with disabilities. Bring tissues.
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Jessica Tarlov
Image Credit: Courtesy of Alex Kroke Photograp Fifth wheel
The liberal voice on Fox News can be an uncomfortable position to occupy. But you’ve got to hand it to Tarlov, a Democratic Party political strategist and rotating co-host of the panel show “The Five”: She can take care of herself. Tarlov is plainspoken and direct in defending Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. As the conservative-leaning panel’s dissenting voice, she’s the one saying things the network’s core audience doesn’t want to hear.
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Brian Teta
Image Credit: ABC His “View”
“The View” is one of the Teflon brands on daytime — for all the reinventions and cast changes, the core idea and the rock-solid fandom remains the same. As executive producer, Teta is entrusted with making sure the show stays true to its identity, including continuing to generate watercooler moments and booking splashy interviews with newsmakers.
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Leon Thomas
Image Credit: Los Angeles Times via Getty Imag SZA’s favorite songwriter
Thomas parlayed his career as a child actor on shows like “Victorious” and “iCarly” into making music with some of the industry’s biggest names — including one of his former co-stars, Ariana Grande. The Brooklyn-born artist scored writing credits on the pop star’s “Yours Truly” and “Positions” albums, plus production work with Drake, Post Malone and Jack Harlow — and also makes his own music. In 2024, he won a Grammy as a songwriter on SZA’s “Snooze.”
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John Sloss
Image Credit: John Salangsang for Variety The connector
A manager, sales agent and lawyer, Sloss is a different kind of multi-hyphenate. He doesn’t write movies, or act in and direct them, but he brings different creative forces together. The Cinetic Media founder is a sounding board for indie mavericks like Richard Linklater and Todd Haynes, as well as a dealmaker, helping sell and promote their movies. New York is still the center of indie film, and Sloss, who lives and works here, is part of its beating heart.
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Morgan Spector
Image Credit: FilmMagic for HBO/Max “Gilded” hunk
Playing George Russell, a rapacious robber baron with a secret soft side, on HBO’s “The Gilded Age” turned Spector into the period drama’s unlikely heartthrob. The second season ended with a rare moment of marital discord between George and his wife, Bertha, who are usually in lockstep in their quest to conquer New York society. When the new season debuts in 2025, viewers will learn if the Russell marriage survives or if George becomes TV’s most eligible bachelor.
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Brian Stelter
Image Credit: Alberto Rodriguez for Variety Comeback kid
Formerly the host of CNN’s media-criticism show “Reliable Sources,” Stelter was laid off by the network in 2022 due to cost-cutting. Now, after two years, during which time he wrote the Fox News takedown “Network of Lies,” Stelter returns to write for and appear on CNN. Stelter’s varied career includes an executive producer credit on “The Morning Show,” but he’s best known lately for sounding the alarm on air about the dangers of disinformation.
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David Stern
Image Credit: Courtesy Image Mr. Producer
Stern is managing director of Playground, the company that’s worked on some of Broadway’s buzziest plays and musicals, like “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child,” “Dear Evan Hansen,” “New York, New York” and “Hedwig and the Angry Inch.” He’s also worked extensively as a producer on projects such as Kenneth Lonergan’s “Howards End” for BBC, the Kelsey Grammer-led “The Last Tycoon” and “Rosemary’s Baby” with Zoe Saldaña.
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Jane Rosenthal
Image Credit: Getty Images De Niro’s right hand
Three decades after it was launched to help revive lower Manhattan in the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks, the Tribeca Festival continues to celebrate the city and its connection to cinema. Rosenthal, who co-founded the event with Robert De Niro, has kept Tribeca relevant by expanding its influence beyond film and into virtual reality and gaming. When freed from festival duties, Rosenthal is an in-demand producer, with credits that include “Wag the Dog” and “The Irishman.”
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Jane Schoenbrun
Image Credit: SXSW Conference & Festivals via Fantastic voyage
Schoenbrun is emerging as one of their generation’s most innovative and surreal filmmakers, with this year’s “I Saw the TV Glow” breaking out at Sundance and hitting theaters nationwide. “I Saw the TV Glow” is a Lynchian allegory about isolated teenagers seeking connection through a shared favorite show; Schoenbrun, who is trans and nonbinary, drew from their own experiences, including their youthful interest in fantasy TV.
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Scott Shooman
Image Credit: Getty Images for Tribeca Festival Indie spirit
As head of AMC Networks Film Group, Shooman runs both IFC Films, a distributor of art-house films, and Shudder, a streaming service that traffics in horror and slasher movies. That unique vantage point has inspired Shooman to back offbeat films, such as the occult thriller “Late Night With the Devil,” that have become some of the company’s biggest theatrical successes at a time when the box office has been contracting.
