The Golden Globes Moment That Proved Hollywood Still Needs Executives Who Love Movies

One of the jokes of the year came from the TV show The Studio, when Seth Rogen's character, a studio executive, attended the Golden Globes and was dying for someone to thank him.

It was funny, but also an honest moment that showcased that there are many pure-of-heart people working in this town who came here because they love movies and TV.

Well, last night at the real Golden Globes, life imitated art as Paul Thomas Anderson got on stage to accept an award for One Battle After Another and thanked studio executive and co-chair/CEO of Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group Mike De Luca, who was the exec behind a lot of wonderful films this year, including Sinners, Weapons, and One Battle After Another.

Let's dive in.

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We Need Great Executives

The way to break into Hollywood is to convince someone to take a chance on you. And that's easier said than done.

For Paul Thomas Anderson, that someone was Mike De Luca.

PTA said, “I've known somebody I do want to thank. You hear a name over and over again tonight, [and] it’s Mike De Luca, and the reason why is because he’s behind a lot of these movies. About 25, 30 years ago, he came into my life, and he wanted to be my champion, and he single-handedly has supported me and the movies that I wanted to make. He said he had a dream of running a studio one day, and he was going to let directors do whatever the hell they wanted. So that’s how you get a Sinners. That’s how you get a Weapons. That’s how you get a One Battle After Another. So, I really want to say thank you.”

This was a heartfelt thanks, and it mattered so much, not just because Mike might be looking for a job when Netflix takes over, but because it highlighted just how important studio executives are when it comes to helping filmmakers have a long career...and even in finding them.

Collaboration is Key

De Luca bet on PTA 30 years ago, and it's a bet that keeps on giving. But De Lica's legacy is not just working with PTA. If you look at his career, along with his other chair, Pamela Abdy, they are two very smart execs who keep making the right bets and finding auteurs who make the theatrical experience special.

They are great collaborators who have excellent taste and who have built something in Hollywood that they can be proud of and that has lasted.

We talked about the epic year Warner Bros had in 2025, and these two people were largely responsible for finding the projects and making the bets on filmmakers who showed it was possible to have a robust theatrical output and to own the big screen.

This is not just about giving them their flowers; they deserve it. But I also want to highlight just how important the relationship between executive and filmmaker can be. And to encourage people who love movies and TV to seek those jobs out and stick with them, because we need them too.

The call for creatives to join Hollywood often gets limited to writers, directors, actors, and craftspeople, but we need executives who love the mediums as well and who want to be great collaborators.

These are people who are passionate about storytelling and about finding the new, diverse voices who can tell stories for the next generation as well.

Summing It All Up

If we're going to have a robust theatrical and have movies and TV stick around for the next 100 years, we don't just need people in front of and behind the camera, but we need film and TV lovers in the C-Suites who are brave enough to bring great and challenging stories to the masses.

Those are the people I am always trying to find within this town and the ones I want to both collaborate with and impress.

We are truly all in this together, and PTA's moment of thanks is a great reminder of that and more.

Let me know what you think in the comments.