25 rising stars of the entertainment business who are building the future of Hollywood at Netflix, Disney, Amazon, and more
By James Faris
December 14, 2023
There's no denying it's been a tough year for Hollywood.
Historic writers' and actors' strikes ground most production to a halt. The global box office, notwithstanding summer's Barbenheimer phenomenon, struggled to return to pre-pandemic levels.
Media giants faced the accelerating decline of their linear TV businesses, while feeling pressure to make streaming profitable. Palace intrigue played out in the halls of storied studios like Disney and Warner Bros. Additional waves of consolidation are almost guaranteed as companies scramble to figure out a sustainable structure for the industry.
But the story doesn't end there — in fact, for the dynamic executives, producers, and creators on Business Insider's second annual list of the entertainment industry's rising stars, the future of show business looks as bright as ever.
BI solicited nominations, consulted our sources, and vetted candidates with their colleagues and collaborators to identify 2023's rising stars. Some work for entertainment giants like Netflix, Disney, and NBCUniversal, while others have forged careers at independent studios and production companies like Antoinette Media and SMAC Entertainment. What they all share is a passion for film and TV and bottomless enthusiasm for innovative storytelling that resonates with audiences all over the world.
We spoke with these 25 standouts about their careers and ambitions, their lessons learned along the way, their binges and big ideas, and the projects they can't wait to bring to the screen. Here's how these up-and-comers plan to lead and change the industry they love.
Trevor Smith, This Machine
Smith, who hails from Australia, is living out his version of the American dream.
The 38-year-old film producer is proud of the roster of documentaries he's made alongside filmmaker R.J. Cutler, his longtime business partner, with whom he co-founded This Machine Filmworks in July 2020.
To date, his biggest hits are "Big Vape: The Rise and Fall of Juul," which made Netflix's weekly top-10 list, and "Billie Eilish: The World's A Little Blurry" on Apple TV+, which was shortlisted for an Academy Award. Watching Eilish work behind the scenes was particularly special, he said.
"I feel so lucky to be able to enter into all these worlds that I would never have the opportunity to be a part of," Smith said. "I am the furthest thing from a global pop star like Billie Eilish, and yet I got to hang out with her for a bit and see what that's like."
Upon arriving in Los Angeles for a summer program at UCLA in 2005 after graduating from Bond University in Australia, Smith got an internship with producer Larry Gordon of "Die Hard," "Predator," and "Field of Dreams" fame. That gave him insight into the entertainment industry, and, soon after, a sponsored work visa through a gig as an assistant at Gordon's company.
A few years later, Smith met Cutler and started working on nonfiction projects for him at Cutler Productions. The two formed a successful partnership — so much so that they then formed their own firm.
In 2024, Smith is looking forward to unveiling documentaries about Elton John for Disney+ and Martha Stewart for Netflix. Selling projects following the strikes has been challenging, Smith said, largely because there are fewer buyers that have become more risk-averse.
However, Smith remains confident that as long as he's making good films, the audience and money will follow.
"People are always going to gravitate towards good storytelling," Smith said. "It's really about finding opportunities to tell those stories and to find projects that adhere to what buyers are looking for. That lens is smaller, but there's still great opportunity out there.
Most recent binge: "Season 2 of 'The Bear' (on Hulu) — best thing I watched this year."
