Original-Cin Q&A: Mogul Jeffrey Katzenberg Talks New Streaming App Just for Phones
By Bonnie Laufer
Media mogul Jeffrey Katzenberg has an impressive and extensive resume already. Yet the ex-Walt Disney Studios chairman and DreamWorks co-founder has a new project he is very excited about these days.
Katzenberg and partner Meg Whitman (former eBay CEO) have joined forces to bring us the latest streaming service called Quibi. The service, which launched today (April 6), is a short-form mobile video platform that gives the viewer quick bites of captivating entertainment. The amount of content is endless, fronted by some of the biggest names in Hollywood. Plus, there is a Canadian connection that Katzenberg is mighty proud of.
Our Bonnie Laufer spoke with Katzenberg from his home in Los Angeles to find out more about this new app and why we need it now more than ever.
Hollywood mogul Jeffrey Katzenberg, co-founder of Quibi
Original-Cin: How are you holding up, and how's everything going with you during this pandemic?
Jeffrey Katzenberg: Well, you know like everyone else we’re sheltered in place and it's a challenging time in Los Angeles as it is everywhere in the world at the moment. We're just waiting for the next wave but in the meantime, we're charging forward and putting the Quibi app out there in the world. We hope that we can entertain people and give them some laughter and a little bit of an escape as we all shelter in place.
OC: Now that you're off and running and people can sign up for this right now, can you give us a quick explanation of what Quibi is?
JK: Quibi is a new subscription platform with content that is made only for your phone. It’s made by the best filmmakers and storytellers in Hollywood and it's made in chapters. So, everything is under 10 minutes in length, and we have a beautiful new technology that we've created so that makes watching on your phone really exceptional.
The Most Dangerous Game’s Liam Hemsworth
OC: Did Covid-19 alter your launch plans in any way?
JK: One thing we decided right away was to give Quibi away free for the first 90 days to everybody. So, when you sign on with the app you will not have to pay for the first three months. We know that there are a lot of personal and financial challenges going on for people right now and there’s a lot of uncertainty. We thought it was imperative to let people check it out and not be worried about paying for it for now.
OC: Let’s just talk about some of the talent that you have gathered. We know you have a little schlep in Hollywood, but you have really gathered some top-notch talent to provide this content. Can you give me a sense of what you are really excited for us to check out?
JK: Well, there's honestly, there's so many great things. I'll tell you what other people seem to be checking out and enjoying so far. There's a beautiful adventure story called Survive with Sophie Turner. There's an amazing documentary about LeBron James. There's a version of Punk’d with Chance the Rapper. Chrissy's Court with Chrissy Teigen is a lot of fun too. There's also a great thriller called Most Dangerous Game with Christoph Waltz and Liam Hemsworth which was shot in Toronto. Then there’s the news and information stuff that seems to be getting a lot of traction. We have 50 original shows in the first two weeks alone and then over 500 chapters or episodes in that two-week period. So honestly there's whatever your interests are. I think we've tried to make something for everyone.
OC: I understand you have also signed up with Bell Media here in Canada so that we get updated news and information specifically aimed at Canadians. What can Canadians expect?
JK: We've partnered with Bell Canada and you will see every day in what we call our ‘Daily Essentials’ which is news and information and a talk show. We have three shows that are made very specifically for our Canadian audience. There's a morning news show and evening news show and a daily sports show all being produced in Canada for Canada. Plus, a lot of our productions are shot in Vancouver and in Toronto, and so we're proud of the work that's been done there.
OC: With the pandemic underway, are you going to be able to keep up with production and have new stuff for subscribers every day?
JK: Yes. We've had to make adjustments as has everybody, but we were actually quite fortunate. In terms of our bigger productions, scripted movies and unscripted documentary work that we had we had shot a lot of content before the pandemic hit. We had already built a very strong inventory, so we have enough content to go all the way to November. We're in great shape.
OC: Are we going to see something from your pal Steven Spielberg?
JK: We sure are! I can assure you that he's cooking up a good one. It’s going to be a super-scary story that you will be seeing soon. He's been writing it and you can only watch it at nighttime. It's going to be a pretty unique piece.