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I was doing DVD-by-mail for Netflix and Cindy for Kozmo.com.
Kozmo didnt last; Netflix became, well,Netflix.
So after Kozmo shut down, Cindy went over to Mutual Films Company.
People would see me out, or at a party, and filmmakers would submit independent stuff.
Someone handed me a DVD that was adocumentary about Kozmo.
And in the video I see Cindy sitting in at one of the meetings at Kozmo.
It jarred my memory, like, Oh, I wonder what Cindys up to?
We were literally sitting 50 yards apart.
Cindy Holland: Where?
Im right next door!
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That literally isL.A.
Story.TS: One-hundred percent.
And the rest is history.
We shared that office for a long time.
Hey, did you ever see this one or that one?
At some point, you made the call to move Netflix from DVDs into streaming.
They wanted to keep their programming, not sell it to us.
There was no evidence of it at the time; it was just a gut feeling.
CH: Amazon was spending money, Hulu had already been spending money.
Pricing on second-run TV [syndication] was climbing rapidly, particularly for the top shows.
I think we had a $10 million budget our first year for streaming [beforeHouse of Cards].
Cindy had already had this incredible reputation for her taste and her ability.
Im not a disciplined reader.
I can tell you quickly that somethings broken, but Im not so fast as to tell you why.
CH: Its a hidden talent.
I had to dust it off!
But at the time, it was in addition to the licensing.
And I said, We need to focus, so I really want to double down on specialization.
Cindy said, I am willing to do that.
Whats your daily interaction like these days?
TS: Thats what enables the speed to market.
Its a constant new thing.
It doesnt give you that much time to do a victory lap.
Were still in a rapidly growing business.
CH: We work well together because neither one of us is ever satisfied.
We have a company full of people who are never satisfied.
CH: Its probably going to be better and bigger than my imagination.
We just dont have that mind-set.
You have to be so careful not to let that happen to yourself.
