THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER 49 MARCH 26, 2020

Illustration by Adam Simpson

T

hey’re converting garages,

dressing home offices like

sets, even transforming their

living rooms with stage light-

ing. The hosts of two dozen Quibi news

shows are doing everything they can

to ensure that they will be ready when

Jeffrey Katzenberg and Meg Whitman

launch their brazen $2 billion bet

on the future of mobile entertain-

ment April 6.

The coronavirus pandemic has

upended production on the slate of

current events-driven shows, dubbed

Daily Essentials, that Quibi is rely-

ing on for its debut. So producers are

finding creative ways to proceed with

filming. Tim Kash, who will host

music show Pop5, has moved a scaled-

down set into his garage, and Jimmy

Mondal, the face of gaming show

Speedrun who is now shooting from

his living room, has been watching

YouTube makeup tutorials so he can

handle his own touch-ups. They’re all

Quibi Was

Always Risky.

And Then

Things Got

Complicated

Even in the best of times, Jeffrey Katzenberg and Meg Whitman’s $2 billion talent-friendly mobile

platform was a high-stakes gamble. Now, with the global pandemic turning the world upside down as

they barrel toward their April 6 debut, they are about to find out whether the millions of potential users

under quarantine are a subscriber-boosting blessing or a platform-derailing curse By Natalie Jarvey

60 Minutes-inspired 60 in 6, which

is on hold after an outbreak inside

CBS News.

The final days before launch would

be a frenzied period for any startup,

but the unprecedented global shut-

down brought about by the coronavirus

— which has infected more than

52,000 people in the U.S. and killed

more than 18,000 worldwide — has

added a new level of uncertainty to

Quibi’s already high-stakes debut.

The company’s 265 employees

transitioned to work-from-home days

filled with Zoom conference calls after

the March 16 closure of its Hollywood

headquarters. Meanwhile, Katzenberg

and Whitman are still working out

details on what to do instead of the

star-studded party they had planned

(now canceled, along with virtually

all L.A. gatherings) for the eve of

Quibi’s launch. Alternate options, like

bringing talent to Quibi’s offices for

individual shoots, were quickly called

rushing to get the process in place to

meet the deadline to start trial runs

one week ahead of launch.

“On the majority of our shows, our

partners have been very entrepre-

neurial,” says Katzenberg. “And, you

know, they’re delivering.” So far, he’s

expecting the premieres of only two

shows to be delayed, including Hot

Off the Mic, which relies on recent

footage of comedy club sets, and the

Jeffrey Katzenberg

and Meg Whitman

announced the name

of their mobile video

startup (short for

“quick bites”) at

the 2018 Vanity Fair

New Establishment

Summit.

10fea_quibi_L [P]{Print}_53657977.indd 49 3/24/20 9:08 PM