The Next Gen execs were photographed Oct. 26 and Oct. 30 at PMC Studios in Los Angeles. Photographed by Mark Griffin Champion Nobody ever said that Hollywood careers come easy. But right now, with consolidation and layoffs decimating the middle rungs of entertainment’s steep corporate ladder and studio remits changing with each earnings report, dream jobs have never been more difficult to land, much less retain.
Such trends aren’t slowing the ascent of THR’s Next Gen class of 2026, who join such illustrious alumni as Donna Langley, Ari Emanuel, Kevin Feige and Peter Rice. In fact, this group is too busy forging new paths through the chaos — whether that’s bringing Gen Z back to cinemas (as indie producer Christian Vazquez did with both Primetime and You Can See Everything) or fortifying the streaming ecosystem amid endless churn (see Claudia Shin and Louie Hayes, behind the Apple TV Emmy darling Widow’s Bay and the Prime Video breakout Sterling Point, respectively.)
Meet the 35 executives and reps, each of them 35 years old or younger, who should be atop your call list, if they aren’t already.
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Alyssa Altman, 35
Image Credit: Photographed by Mark Griffin Champion RK Films, senior vp
LOGLINE Championing rom-coms like Anyone But You and Netflix’s upcoming 13 Going on 30 update.
THE ARC Altman got a unique view of the industry when she would join her father, Steve, who rented out lighting, camera and grip equipment: “I grew up doing my homework in grip trucks, and I just loved being on set.” Her dad’s rom-com adoration rubbed off during their weekly trips to the movies, where films like Love Actually made an early impression. Altman studied journalism at Emerson but caught the producing bug while moonlighting on college TV projects. After time at Gersh, she became then-Universal exec Jeff Kirschenbaum’s assistant and followed him to RK Films. While the company focused on bigger IP plays, she endorsed the script for Anyone But You (“That was my baby”), Sony’s Sydney Sweeney-Glen Powell feature that became a rare theatrical comedy hit. Up next: Amazon MGM’s tennis rom-com Love Love and Netflix’s Millie Bobby Brown-led Just Picture It.
PERSON IN HOLLYWOOD I’D TRADE PLACES WITH FOR A DAY “Andy Cohen. My favorite way to de-stress after a long day is to watch and listen to the soothing sound of people fighting on Bravo.”
WHY ISN’T HOLLYWOOD TALKING ABOUT … “The fact that movies geared towards women do great theatrically. Every time it happens, people act like it’s an anomaly. Women are starved for content and it’s not a coincidence.”
MOST HOLLYWOOD EXPERIENCE I’VE HAD “When I was an assistant at Universal, we set up a screening for an A-list star who specifically requested popcorn from the Universal Studios theme park. I had to sneak into the park through the back lot and bring it back before he arrived.”
FICTIONAL CHARACTER I MOST IDENTIFY WITH “Sally Albright from When Harry Met Sally. She isn’t afraid to speak her mind, is a hopeless romantic, and has strong opinions on how she orders her food.”
