TheWrap hosted its annual TheGrill business conference on Tuesday, with over 300 industry professionals descending on the DGA Theater Complex in Hollywood to hear from speakers like Jerry Bruckheimer, Jeffrey Katzenberg, Irving Azoff and many more.
TheGrill is one of two flagship events hosted by TheWrap each year, welcoming experts in media and technology as they discuss the ever-changing nature of the entertainment industry. This year’s 10 panels highlighted various topics about the business and future of entertainment, from artificial intelligence to the business of streaming to sky-high drone entertainment.
TheWrap founder, CEO and editor-in-chief Sharon Waxman kicked the day off with an opening address before moderating a spotlight conversation with The Azoff Company CEO Azoff. The keynote conversation came in the middle of the day, when storied Hollywood producer Bruckheimer (who recently worked on the Brad Pitt summer blockbuster “F1”) spoke with our own Drew Taylor about his latest hit and upcoming franchise projects. Several panels were dedicated to the increasing conversation of AI’s presence in Hollywood, with the so-called “AI actress” Tilly Norwood becoming a particular point of interest throughout the day.
In between programming, attendees took various opportunities to network and dine. A series of experts led various small-group industry conversations during a lunch session, while a post-conference drinks reception gave professionals a final chance to meet and connect at TheGrill.
Check out highlights from on the ground at the Directors Guild of America in the photo gallery below.

Attendees check in at TheGrill 2025 at The Directors Guild of America (DGA).

Check in at TheGrill 2025 at The Directors Guild of America (DGA)

Breakfast set up at TheGrill 2025 at The Directors Guild of America (DGA)

Sharon Waxman, Founder & Editor-in-Chief at TheWrap, interacting with event attendees at TheGrill 2025 at The Directors Guild of America (DGA)

Attendees enjoy breakfast and networking at TheGrill 2025 at The Directors Guild of America (DGA)

Coffee Cart sponsored by NYF TV & Film at TheGrill 2025 at The Directors Guild of America (DGA)

Coffee Cart sponsored by NYF TV & Film at TheGrill 2025 at The Directors Guild of America (DGA)

TheGrill 2025 at The Directors Guild of America (DGA)

Sharon Waxman, Founder & Editor-in-Chief at TheWrap, speaks onstage at TheGrill 2025 at The Directors Guild of America (DGA) on Sept. 30, 2025.

Sharon Waxman, Founder & Editor-in-Chief at TheWrap, shares opening remarks at TheGrill 2025 at The Directors Guild of America (DGA).

Audience members get ready for the day ahead at TheGrill 2025 at The Directors Guild of America (DGA).

Sharon Waxman, Founder & Editor-in-Chief at TheWrap, and Irving Azoff, Chairman & CEO at The Azoff Company, speak onstage during the Spotlight Conversation: Irving Azoff Unplugged panel at TheGrill 2025 at The Directors Guild of America (DGA).

Irving Azoff, Chairman & CEO at The Azoff Company, speaks onstage during the Spotlight Conversation: Irving Azoff Unplugged panel at TheGrill 2025.

Attendees at TheGrill 2025 at The Directors Guild of America (DGA)

Jaime Maggio, Los Angeles Sports Anchor at CBS, Bennett Spector, EVP & GM at Bleacher Report, Joe Franzetta, Head of Sports at ROKO, Pamela Duckworth, Head of FUBO Studios, and Ross Gerber, CEO & President at Gerber Kawasaki Wealth & Investment Management speak onstage at TheGrill 2025.

Sharon Waxman, Founder & Editor-in-Chief at TheWrap; Christian Muirhead, Co-Chairman at WME Group; Mark Shapiro, President & Managing Partner at WME Group and President & COO at TKO; and Richard Weitz, Co-Chairman at WME Group speak onstage at TheGrill 2025.

Christian Muirhead, Co-Chairman at WME Group speaks onstage at TheGrill 2025 during the WME: The Next Chapter panel at The Directors Guild of America (DGA).

Mark Shapiro, President & Managing Partner at WME Group and President and COO at TKO speaks onstage at TheGrill 2025 during the WME: The Next Chapter panel at The Directors Guild of America (DGA).

Sharon Waxman, Founder and Editor-in-Chief at TheWrap, speaks onstage at TheGrill 2025 during the WME: The Next Chapter panel at The Directors Guild of America (DGA).

Richard Weitz, Co-Chairman at WME Group, speaks onstage at TheGrill 2025 during the WME: The Next Chapter panel at The Directors Guild of America (DGA).

WME: The Next Chapter panel at TheGrill 2025

Attendees at TheGrill 2025 at The Directors Guild of America (DGA)

Richard Weitz, Co-Chairman at WME Group; Christian Muirhead, Co-Chairman at WME Group; and Mark Shapiro, President & Managing Partner at WME Group and President & COO at TKO attend TheGrill 2025.

Sharon Waxman, Founder and Editor-in-Chief at TheWrap, Christian Muirhead, Co-Chairman at WME Group and Richard Weitz, Co-Chairman at WME Group, at TheGrill 2025

Attendees mingle during morning break at TheGrill 2025 at The Directors Guild of America (DGA).

Roger Cheng, Managing Editor, Business & PRO at TheWrap, Jed Weintrob, Partner at 30 Ninjas, and Jonathan Zepp, Head of Entertainment Content & Platforms at Google, speak onstage at TheGrill 2025 during the Filmmaking in the Age of AI panel at The Directors Guild of America (DGA).

Jed Weintrob, Partner at 30 Ninjas, and Jonathan Zepp, Head of Entertainment Content & Platforms at Google, speak onstage at TheGrill 2025 during the Filmmaking in the Age of AI panel at The Directors Guild of America (DGA).

Jed Weintrob, Partner at 30 Ninjas, speaks onstage at TheGrill 2025 during the Filmmaking in the Age of AI panel at The Directors Guild of America (DGA).

Jonathan Zepp, Head of Entertainment Content & Platforms at Google, speaks onstage at TheGrill 2025 during the Filmmaking in the Age of AI panel at The Directors Guild of America (DGA).

Roger Cheng, Managing Editor, Business & PRO at TheWrap, speaks onstage at TheGrill 2025 during the Filmmaking in the Age of AI panel at The Directors Guild of America (DGA).

Jed Weintrob, Partner at 30 Ninjas, and Jonathan Zepp, Head of Entertainment Content & Platforms at Google, at TheGrill 2025

Roger Cheng, Managing Editor, Business & PRO at TheWrap; Annie Chang, VP, Creative Technologies at NBCUniversal; Melody Hildebrandt, CTO at Fox Corporation; and Yves Bergquist, Director, AI in Media at USCâs Entertainment Technology Center speaks onstage at TheGrill 2025 during the From Ideation to Innovation: AI in the Studio Pipeline panel.

Annie Chang, VP, Creative Technologies at NBCUniversal; Yves Bergquist, Director, AI in Media at USCâs Entertainment Technology Center; and Melody Hildebrandt, CTO at Fox Corporation at TheGrill 2025.

Networking and lunchtime with table topics led by experts presented by WrapPRO during TheGrill 2025 at The Directors Guild of America (DGA).

Networking and lunchtime with table topics led by experts presented by WrapPRO during TheGrill 2025 at The Directors Guild of America (DGA).

Networking and lunchtime with table topics led by experts presented by WrapPRO during TheGrill 2025 at The Directors Guild of America (DGA).

Networking and lunchtime with table topics led by experts presented by WrapPRO during TheGrill 2025 at The Directors Guild of America (DGA).

âAshes to Rebirthâ California wildfire photo and art exhibit on display during TheGrill 2025 at The Directors Guild of America (DGA)

âAshes to Rebirthâ California wildfire photo and art exhibit on display during TheGrill 2025 at The Directors Guild of America (DGA)

Photographer Chad Unger at âAshes to Rebirthâ at TheGrill 2025 at The Directors Guild of America (DGA)

Edward Menicheschi, President & COO at TheWrap, speaks onstage at TheGrill 2025 ahead of its Spotlight Conversation: The Road to âF1â With Jerry Bruckheimer, presented by Apple Original Films.

Drew Taylor, Senior Film Reporter at TheWrap, and “F1” producer Jerry Bruckheimer speak onstage at TheGrill 2025.

Drew Taylor, Senior Film Reporter at TheWrap, and “F1” producer Jerry Bruckheimer speak onstage at TheGrill 2025.

“F1” producer Jerry Bruckheimer speaks onstage at TheGrill 2025.

Drew Taylor, Senior Film Reporter at TheWrap, and “F1” producer Jerry Bruckheimer speak onstage at TheGrill 2025.

Drew Taylor, Senior Film Reporter at TheWrap, speaks onstage at TheGrill 2025.

Drew Taylor, Senior Film Reporter at TheWrap, and “F1” producer Jerry Bruckheimer speak onstage at TheGrill 2025.

Jerry Bruckheimer, award-winning film producer, at TheGrill 2025

Colleen Bell, Executive Director at the California Film Commission and Jerry Bruckheimer speak at TheGrill 2025.

Dhar Mann, Founder at Dhar Mann Studios; Brent Weinstein, Senior Leadership Team at CAA; Sean Atkins, CEO at Dhar Mann Studios; and Shana Tepper, Head of Entertainment Communications at YouTube at TheGrill 2025 at The Directors Guild of America (DGA)

Adam Chitwood, Executive Editor at TheWrap and Fergus Navaratnam-Blair, VP at the National Research Group, speak onstage at TheGrill 2025 during the Gen Alpha Saves the Box Office? panel.

Adam Chitwood, Executive Editor at TheWrap and Fergus Navaratnam-Blair, VP at the National Research Group, speak onstage at TheGrill 2025 during the “Gen Alpha Saves the Box Office?” panel.

Adam Chitwood, Executive Editor at TheWrap and Fergus Navaratnam-Blair, VP at the National Research Group, speak onstage at TheGrill 2025 during the “Gen Alpha Saves the Box Office?” panel.

Jeff Goldstein, President of Global Distribution at Warner Bros. Pictures, Nina Shaw, Founding Partner at Del Shaw Moonves Tanaka Finkelstein Lezcano Bobb & Dang, and Jerry Bruckheimer, award-winning film producer of “F1,” chat inside the green room and portrait studio at TheGrill 2025.

Richard Weitz, Co-Chairman at WME Group, Sharon Waxman, Founder & Editor-in-Chief at TheWrap, Mark Shapiro, President and Managing Partner at WME Group & President and COO at TKO, and Irving Azoff, Chairman & CEO at The Azoff Company, inside the green room and portrait studio during TheGrill 2025

Christian Muirhead, Co-Chairman at WME Group, Richard Weitz, Co-Chairman at WME Group, Sharon Waxman, Founder & Editor-in-Chief at TheWrap, Mark Shapiro, President and Managing Partner at WME Group & President and COO at TKO, and Irving Azoff, Chairman & CEO at The Azoff Company, inside the green room and portrait studio during TheGrill 2025

Jerry Bruckheimer and photographer Steve Limones inside the green room and portrait studio at TheGrill 2025

A view from inside TheGrill 2025 portrait studio

Sharon Waxman, Founder & Editor-in-Chief at TheWrap, and film producer Jerry Bruckheimer inside the green room and portrait studio at TheGrill 2025 at The Directors Guild of America (DGA)

Attendees enjoy an afternoon break at TheGrill 2025.

Andrew Cripps, Head of Theatrical Distribution at The Walt Disney Company, Eduardo Acuna, CEO at Regal Cineworld, and Jeff Goldstein, President of Global Distribution at Warner Bros. Pictures speak with moderator Greg Foster, Owner & Principal at Foster + Crew, at TheGrill 2025 at The Directors Guild of America (DGA).

Andrew Cripps, Head of Theatrical Distribution at The Walt Disney Company, speaks onstage at TheGrill 2025 during the Big Screen, Big Questions: Whatâs Next for Theaters? panel.

Greg Foster, Owner & Principal at Foster + Crew, speaks onstage at TheGrill 2025 during the Big Screen, Big Questions: Whatâs Next for Theaters? panel.

Jeff Goldstein, President of Global Distribution at Warner Bros. Pictures, speaks onstage at TheGrill 2025.

Eduardo Acuna, CEO at Regal Cineworld, speaks onstage at TheGrill 2025.

Andrew Cripps, Head of Theatrical Distribution at The Walt Disney Company, speaks onstage at TheGrill 2025 during the Big Screen, Big Questions: Whatâs Next for Theaters? panel.

Andrew Cripps, Eduardo Acuna, Jeff Goldstein and Greg Foster at TheGrill 2025 at The Directors Guild of America (DGA)

Andrew Cripps, Eduardo Acuna, Jeff Goldstein and Greg Foster at TheGrill 2025 at The Directors Guild of America (DGA)

Sharon Waxman, Founder & Editor-in-Chief at TheWrap, and Greg Foster, Owner & Principal at Foster + Crew, inside the green room and portrait studio at TheGrill 2025 at The Directors Guild of America (DGA)

Jeffrey Katzenberg, founding partner at WndrCo, Kimbal Musk, CEO & Co-Founder at Nova Sky Stories, and Courtney Walsh inside the green room and portrait studio at TheGrill 2025

Johanna Fuentes, Head of Global Communications at Benton Strategies, inside the Greenroom at TheGrill 2025

Sharon Waxman, Founder & Editor-in-Chief at TheWrap; Jasmine Daghighian, VP, Film at Topic Studios; Nina Shaw, Founding Partner at Del Shaw Moonves Tanaka Finkelstein Lezcano Bobb & Dang; Sev Ohanian, Founder at Proximity Media; and Tommy Oliver, Filmmaker & CEO at Confluential Films at TheGrill 2025

Sev Ohanian, Founder at Proximity Media, and Tommy Oliver, Filmmaker & CEO at Confluential Films, speak during The State of Indie Filmmaking: Show Me the Money (If There Is Any) panel at TheGrill 2025.

Nina Shaw, Founding Partner at Del Shaw Moonves Tanaka Finkelstein Lezcano Bobb & Dang, Sev Ohanian, Founder at Proximity Media, and Tommy Oliver, Filmmaker & CEO at Confluential Films, speak during The State of Indie Filmmaking: Show Me the Money (If There Is Any) panel at TheGrill 2025.

Jasmine Daghighian, VP, Film at Topic Studios, speaks during The State of Indie Filmmaking: Show Me the Money (If There Is Any) panel at TheGrill 2025.

Tommy Oliver, Filmmaker & CEO at Confluential Films, speaks onstage at TheGrill 2025 during The State of Indie Filmmaking: Show Me the Money (If There Is Any) panel.

Nina Shaw, Founding Partner at Del Shaw Moonves Tanaka Finkelstein Lezcano Bobb & Dang, speaks onstage at TheGrill 2025 during The State of Indie Filmmaking: Show Me the Money (If There Is Any) panel.

Sharon Waxman, Founder & Editor-in-Chief at TheWrap; Jasmine Daghighian, VP, Film at Topic Studios; Nina Shaw, Founding Partner at Del Shaw Moonves Tanaka Finkelstein Lezcano Bobb & Dang; Sev Ohanian, Founder at Proximity Media; and Tommy Oliver, Filmmaker & CEO at Confluential Films at TheGrill 2025

Sev Ohanian, Nina Shaw, Jasmine Daghighian and Tommy Oliver at TheGrill 2025

Brent Weinstein, Senior Leadership Team at CAA, Toni Gray, Head of Production at Dhar Mann Studios, and Sean Atkins, CEO at Dhar Mann Studios, speak onstage at TheGrill 2025 during The Rise of Creator-Led Studios with Dhar Mann and Sean Atkins panel.

Toni Gray, Head of Production at Dhar Mann Studios, speaks onstage at TheGrill 2025 during The Rise of Creator-Led Studios with Dhar Mann and Sean Atkins panel.

Brent Weinstein, Senior Leadership Team at CAA, speaks onstage at TheGrill 2025 during The Rise of Creator-Led Studios with Dhar Mann and Sean Atkins panel.

Brent Weinstein, Senior Leadership Team at CAA, Toni Gray, Head of Production at Dhar Mann Studios, and Sean Atkins, CEO at Dhar Mann Studios, speak onstage at TheGrill 2025 during The Rise of Creator-Led Studios with Dhar Mann and Sean Atkins panel.

Sean Atkins, Toni Gray and Brent Weinstein at TheGrill 2025

Laura Holson, Journalist & Founder at The Box Sessions, Jeffrey Katzenberg, Founding Partner at WndrCo, and Kimbal Musk, CEO & Co-Founder at Nova Sky Stories, speak onstage at TheGrill 2025 during Stories in the Sky: A New Era of Live Entertainment panel.

Kimbal Musk, CEO & Co-Founder at Nova Sky Stories, speaks onstage at TheGrill 2025 during Stories in the Sky: A New Era of Live Entertainment panel.

Jeffrey Katzenberg, Founding Partner at WndrCo, speaks onstage at TheGrill 2025 during Stories in the Sky: A New Era of Live Entertainment panel.

A scene from TheGrill 2025 during Stories in the Sky: A New Era of Live Entertainment panel

Kimbal Musk and Jeffrey Katzenberg at TheGrill 2025

Jeffrey Katzenberg chats with USC film students at TheGrill 2025.

Jeffrey Katzenberg chats with USC film students at TheGrill 2025.

Jed Weintrob, (center) Partner at 30 Ninjas, at TheGrill 2025

Edward Menicheschi, President & COO at TheWrap, and Sharon Waxman, Founder & Editor-in-Chief at TheWrap, speak with an attendee at TheGrill 2025.

Kimbal Musk, CEO & Co-Founder at Nova Sky Stories, attends TheGrill 2025’s networking and cocktail reception.

(Photo by Randy Shropshire for TheWrap)
Sharon Waxman, Founder & Editor-in-Chief at TheWrap, and Laura Holson, Journalist & Founder at The Box Sessions, attend TheGrill 2025’s networking and cocktail reception.

Guests mingle at TheGrill 2025’s networking and cocktail reception.

Guests mingle at TheGrill 2025’s networking and cocktail reception.

Guests mingle at TheGrill 2025’s networking and cocktail reception.

Guests mingle at TheGrill 2025’s networking and cocktail reception.

Guests mingle at TheGrill 2025’s networking and cocktail reception.

Guests mingle at TheGrill 2025’s networking and cocktail reception.