Heated Rivalry Producers: How We Made a Hit

In this special bonus episode of Pivot, Kara talks to Heated Rivalry Executive Producers Jacob Tierney & Brendan Brady about the creative and financial risks they took to make the hit show. The duo also breaks down the process that allowed them to work on a shoestring budget, without compromising the artistic vision. They also explain pros and cons of shooting projects in Canada vs the U.S, and reveal the projects they’re hoping to do next. #pivot #karaswisher #heatedrivalry 00:00 Intro 5:08 "Heated Rivalry" And Its Female Fanbase 7:06 Why “Heated Rivalry” Was Made In Canada 11:20 “Heated Rivalry” Budget:About $2.2 Million Us Per Episode 14:53 Jacob Tierney On His Collaborative Style 18:40 Canadian Production Vs American Production 28:59 Entertainment And Second Screens 33:40 The Future Of AI In Entertainment 36:00 What's Next For The "Heated Rivalry" Team? Producers: Lara Naaman Zoë Marcus Taylor Griffin Video Producer: Jim Mackil Vox Media's Executive Producer of Podcasts: Nishat Kurwa Subscribe to Pivot on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/pivot/id1073226719 Subscribe to Pivot on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4MU3RFGELZxPT9XHVwTNPR Follow us on Instagram and Threads at: https://www.instagram.com/pivotpodcastofficial/ Follow us on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@PIVOTPODCAST Send us your questions by calling us at 855-51-PIVOT, or email pivot@voxmedia.com

Kara SwisherhostBrendan BradyguestJacob Tierneyguest

Feb 7, 202639mWatch on YouTube ↗

EPISODE INFO

Released: February 7, 2026
Duration: 39m
Channel: Pivot
Watch on YouTube: ▶ Open ↗

EPISODE DESCRIPTION

In this special bonus episode of Pivot, Kara talks to Heated Rivalry Executive Producers Jacob Tierney & Brendan Brady about the creative and financial risks they took to make the hit show. The duo also breaks down the process that allowed them to work on a shoestring budget, without compromising the artistic vision. They also explain pros and cons of shooting projects in Canada vs the U.S, and reveal the projects they’re hoping to do next. #pivot #karaswisher #heatedrivalry 00:00 Intro 5:08 "Heated Rivalry" And Its Female Fanbase 7:06 Why “Heated Rivalry” Was Made In Canada 11:20 “Heated Rivalry” Budget:About $2.2 Million Us Per Episode 14:53 Jacob Tierney On His Collaborative Style 18:40 Canadian Production Vs American Production 28:59 Entertainment And Second Screens 33:40 The Future Of AI In Entertainment 36:00 What's Next For The "Heated Rivalry" Team? Producers: Lara Naaman Zoë Marcus Taylor Griffin Video Producer: Jim Mackil Vox Media's Executive Producer of Podcasts: Nishat Kurwa Subscribe to Pivot on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/pivot/id1073226719 Subscribe to Pivot on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4MU3RFGELZxPT9XHVwTNPR Follow us on Instagram and Threads at: https://www.instagram.com/pivotpodcastofficial/ Follow us on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@PIVOTPODCAST Send us your questions by calling us at 855-51-PIVOT, or email pivot@voxmedia.com

SPEAKERS

Kara Swisher
host
Brendan Brady
guest
Jacob Tierney
guest

EPISODE SUMMARY

In this episode of Pivot, featuring Kara Swisher and Brendan Brady, Heated Rivalry Producers: How We Made a Hit explores how Heated Rivalry became a hit via Canada’s producer-led system Jacob Tierney and Brendan Brady describe “Heated Rivalry” as a rare mainstream example of “queer joy” that avoids the typical trauma-first framing, which they argue is a major reason it resonated so widely.

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