The Hollywood Reporter (Weekly)
RICKY STRAUSS HIRE SIGNALS BIG SWINGS AHEAD FOR APPLE TV+
Apple, the world’s largest company, has always had a soft spot for that Disney magic. That’s why Steve Jobs asked Bob Iger to serve on Apple’s board (Iger resigned when Apple officially entered the content business) and why it was eager to work with former Disney/Pixar executive John Lasseter as part of its multiyear deal with Skydance Animation.
With Apple TV+, the tech giant is taking a page from HBO, ordering fewer TV shows and movies but aiming for a quality that’s a cut above the rest. But the Apple brand has always been a bit more family-friendly than HBO, and the Disney envy is still apparent.
Enter Ricky Strauss. When Disney launched the marketing campaigns for such films as Frozen,
The Avengers, Star Wars: The Force Awakens and Incredibles 2, it turned to Strauss’ team to deliver. A veteran producer, production executive and marketer, Strauss had founded Ricochet Media, and later worked as Participant president, before joining Disney in 2012 to head marketing for its film studio. He then spearheaded marketing and content for the launch of Disney+, an effort that saw the streaming service rocket to nearly 90 million subscribers in just its first year.
Now Apple wants a piece of that magic for itself. The tech giant tapped Strauss, who exited Disney a year ago, on Jan. 3 to lead marketing for Apple TV+, a bold hire that suggests it is serious about growing its streaming division, and potentially its theatrical efforts. In streaming, while Apple has promoted Apple TV+, it has not spent nearly as much time or marketing money as its competitors. With a fresh price hike and with big investments like its Major League Soccer deal on the horizon, Apple clearly believes streaming is a real business, and now Strauss will be the one to sell it to a public that may only know the service for the Emmy-winning Ted Lasso or perhaps best picture Oscar winner CODA. Strauss’ experience marketing blockbusters could be just what the tech giant needs.
This year will see Apple release Ridley Scott’s Napoleon, Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio’s
Killers of the Flower Moon and Lasseter’s animated
Spellbound. The slate may not be as big as Disney’s or Paramount’s, but it’s stacked with boldface names and titles with the potential to be hits, both in theaters and on streaming. And now the company has hired someone who knows how to sell hits.
Apple has already shown a willingness to embrace the big-screen experience and a commitment to make a bold awards-season push, but it has yet to release a film that would qualify as a bona fide blockbuster. This year’s slate, with Strauss at the helm of those campaigns, could be what it needs to take that next step.