Welcome back and happy Rosh Hashanah. I’m coming at you from 30,000 feet as I return from A+E Networks’ HistoryTalks event in Washington D.C. Congrats to A+E president Paul Buccieri and team; the Elton John concert with the Bidens at the White House got most of the headlines, but the speaker lineup—from the Clooneys to the Williamses and two U.S. presidents—was a huge brand flex for History.

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Discussed in this issue: Bryan Lourd, Oprah Winfrey, Richard Weitz, Zack Van Amburg, Todd Boehly, Spike Lee, Lorne Michaels, Esther Newberg, and Scientology’s billion-year contract.

But first…

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