WEST HOLLYWOOD, CA — TKO Group President and Chief Operating Officer Mark Shapiro told attendees that he had been in Chicago the night before flying to Los Angeles, where he took the stage at the Financial Times Business of Entertainment Summit in West Hollywood the next day.
Kasdyn of Presence News attended the September 24 summit at 1 Hotel West Hollywood, where Shapiro joined an extensive lineup of executives, creators and industry leaders discussing the rapidly changing business of entertainment.
During his appearance, Shapiro spoke about leadership, TKO’s direction and broader changes affecting the sports, live-events, entertainment and media industries.
Also appearing on the day’s agenda was Ravi Ahuja, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Sony Pictures Entertainment, bringing the perspective of one of Hollywood’s major studios to a gathering that stretched well beyond the traditional film business.
The summit brought together leaders representing film, television, streaming, sports, gaming, advertising, finance, technology and the creator economy — highlighting just how much the definition of the entertainment business has expanded in 2026.
Sony Pictures Chairman and CEO Ravi Ahuja Takes the Stage
Ahuja represented one of Hollywood’s major studios as executives at the summit examined where the entertainment industry is heading amid changes in streaming, theatrical distribution, technology, advertising, intellectual property and consumer behavior.
The presence of leaders from Sony Pictures, Netflix, TKO, Amazon, Disney, NBCUniversal and numerous other companies illustrated just how interconnected the entertainment business has become.
Film studios are increasingly competing not only with other studios, but with streaming platforms, social networks, gaming companies, sports organizations and creator-led media businesses for consumers’ attention.
Leaders From Across Entertainment Converge in West Hollywood
Speakers appearing on the summit agenda included:
Anna Nicolaou — U.S. Media Editor, Financial Times
Nicolaou participated as a moderator and represented the Financial Times’ coverage of the U.S. media and entertainment industries.
Daniel Thomas — Global Media Editor, Financial Times
Thomas oversees global media coverage for the Financial Times and has previously held a number of senior reporting and editing positions at the publication.
Mark Shapiro — President and Chief Operating Officer, TKO Group
Shapiro represented TKO Group and offered a perspective from the rapidly converging worlds of sports, media and live entertainment.
Ravi Ahuja — Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Sony Pictures Entertainment
Ahuja represented Sony Pictures and the major-studio side of the global entertainment industry.
Bela Bajaria — Chief Content Officer, Netflix
Bajaria represented one of the world’s largest streaming entertainment companies and its global content operation.
Sean Cohan — President, Bell Media
Cohan leads Bell Media, overseeing a portfolio spanning video, audio, digital and out-of-home media.
Celine Parreñas Shimizu — Dean of Theater, Film and Television and Distinguished Professor of Film, UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television
Shimizu brought an academic and filmmaking perspective to the summit.
Eduardo Acuna — Chief Executive Officer, Regal Global Entertainment
Acuna represented the theatrical exhibition business.
David Alpert — CEO and Co-Founder, Skybound Entertainment
Alpert represented Skybound Entertainment and the development of entertainment franchises and intellectual property.
Dave Pietrycha — Chief Revenue and Business Officer, Versant
Pietrycha brought a business and revenue perspective from Versant.
Aaron Sobel — Partner, Private Equity, Apollo Global Management
Sobel represented the investment side of the entertainment economy.
Alex Michael — Senior Managing Director and Global Head of Sports & Entertainment, LionTree
Michael represented LionTree and the financial and strategic advisory side of sports and entertainment.
David Hernand — Partner, Simpson Thacher
Hernand represented the legal and transactional side of the industry.
James Fontanella-Khan — U.S. Finance Editor, Financial Times
Fontanella-Khan brought the FT’s finance and dealmaking coverage to the summit.
Bob Valentine — Chief Executive Officer, BMG
Valentine represented the global music business through BMG.
Ben Samek — CEO, Banijay Americas
Samek represented television production and entertainment through Banijay Americas.
Werner Brell — Chief Executive Officer, Motorsport Network
Brell represented the intersection of automotive culture, motorsports and digital media.
Walker Jacobs — Global Chief Revenue Officer and President USA, DAZN
Jacobs represented the sports streaming business and DAZN’s expansion of advertising, sponsorship and other commercial opportunities.
Karen Kovacs — President, Advertising and Partnerships, NBCUniversal
Kovacs represented NBCUniversal’s advertising and partnership business.
Gigi Pritzker — Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Madison Wells
Pritzker represented Madison Wells and the independent production and entertainment sector.
David O’Connor — Chief Brand Officer, Universal Entertainment
O’Connor represented Universal and the role of major entertainment brands in an evolving global marketplace.
David Tinson — President and Chief Operating Officer, Electronic Arts
Tinson represented one of the world’s major video game companies as gaming becomes increasingly connected with film, television and other entertainment formats.
Mark Endemaño — Partner and Managing Director, AlixPartners
Endemaño represented the consulting and business strategy side of the media and entertainment industry.
Josh Empson — Partner, Sports, Media & Entertainment, Sixth Street
Empson represented investment across sports, media and entertainment.
Danielle Brown — Senior Vice President, Sports Streaming and Brand Solutions, Disney Advertising
Brown represented Disney’s sports streaming and advertising operations.
Stan Kasten — President, Los Angeles Dodgers
Kasten brought the perspective of one of professional sports’ best-known franchises to the summit.
Charlie Neiman — Head of Sports Partnerships, Amazon Prime Video
Neiman represented Amazon’s growing involvement in sports media and streaming.
Caroline Hughes — Global Integrated Client Partner, dentsu
Hughes represented the global advertising and marketing industry.
Chieko Murata — SVP, Theatrical Business Group, Aniplex
Murata represented Aniplex and the expanding global influence of Japanese entertainment.
Tian Xiao — Head of North American Partnerships, Tencent Games
Xiao represented Tencent Games and the growing connections between Asian entertainment properties and North American audiences.
Rob Caruso — SVP of Consumer Products, Ventura TV OS, The Trade Desk
Caruso represented advertising technology and the changing connected-TV marketplace.
Tricia Biggio — Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Invisible Universe
Biggio represented Invisible Universe, an internet-first animation company developing intellectual property beginning with social media audiences.
Jon Snoddy — Co-Founder and CEO, Operative Games
Snoddy represented the gaming and interactive entertainment sector.
David Lee — Chief Financial Officer, WEBTOON Entertainment
Lee represented WEBTOON Entertainment and the creator-driven digital storytelling economy. Lee also assumed the role of President of Wattpad in 2026.
Cristina Criddle — Tech Correspondent, Financial Times
Criddle brought the Financial Times’ technology reporting perspective to conversations surrounding entertainment and emerging technology.
Jeff Gattis — Head of Gaming, Amazon
Gattis represented Amazon’s gaming operations, including Amazon Luna and Amazon Game Studios.
Guillaume De Chalendar — Executive Vice President, Media and Entertainment Banking, Banc of California
De Chalendar represented the financial services and banking side of the entertainment industry.
Micky Gordon — Digital Content Creator
Gordon brought the perspective of a Gen Z digital creator to an agenda otherwise heavily populated by executives and institutional leaders.
Raina Penchansky — Co-Head, UTA Creators; Co-Founder and CEO, Digital Brand Architects
Penchansky represented the rapidly growing business surrounding digital creators, talent management and creator-led brands.
Ray Chao — SVP and General Manager of Podcasts, Vox Media
Chao represented the podcasting and digital audio sector, overseeing a portfolio of talent- and creator-led programming at Vox Media.
One Summit, Several Industries
The range of speakers was perhaps the clearest indication of how broadly the definition of the “entertainment industry” has expanded.
A conference about entertainment in 2026 no longer means exclusively discussing Hollywood studios and television networks. The Financial Times program brought studio executives into the same conversation as leaders in professional sports, streaming, gaming, private equity, advertising technology, banking, podcasting and social-media-driven entertainment.
The summit’s programming examined many of the forces currently reshaping those businesses, including the movement of capital, artificial intelligence, changing distribution models, creator-driven entertainment, global franchises, fan engagement and new approaches to monetization.
WEBTOON Entertainment, for example, used the summit to discuss how creator-driven platforms can develop stories into larger global franchises. The company’s CFO, David Lee, participated in a conversation with Financial Times U.S. Media Editor Anna Nicolaou focused on the creator economy and the future of storytelling.
Gaming was similarly integrated into the broader entertainment conversation, with representatives from Electronic Arts, Tencent Games and Amazon appearing alongside executives traditionally associated with film, television and streaming.
Hollywood’s Business Model Continues to Broaden
For Presence News, attending the summit offered an opportunity to hear directly from executives working inside many of the companies navigating these changes.
One recurring theme across today’s entertainment landscape is convergence.
A sports organization can simultaneously operate as a live-event producer, media-rights business and content company. A gaming property can develop into television or film. A digital comic can become a streaming franchise. A social-media creator can build an entertainment company, while technology platforms increasingly compete for sports rights and premium programming.
At the same time, companies are searching for ways to turn audiences into sustainable businesses across subscriptions, advertising, licensing, live experiences, merchandise and intellectual property.
The Financial Times Business of Entertainment Summit placed many of the people making those decisions under one roof in West Hollywood.
From Mark Shapiro’s perspective at TKO Group to Ravi Ahuja’s leadership of Sony Pictures Entertainment, the September gathering provided a snapshot of an entertainment industry whose traditional boundaries continue to blur.
Presence News attended the Financial Times Business of Entertainment Summit on September 24, 2026, at 1 Hotel West Hollywood. Presence News video coverage from the event includes remarks from Mark Shapiro of TKO Group and Ravi Ahuja of Sony Pictures Entertainment.
