Hollywood rarely ponies up its own money… they get a ton from outside the country to rich foreigners who think it’s cool to hang with celebrities
Hollywood is owned by movie studios and entertainment conglomerates. They usually "pony up" all the money. It is rare that individuals finance large projects. J. Lo did it with her This Is Me project, but that's because no one else believed in it (and rightly so lol)
Podcasts on the other hand are often funded individually, especially in the early stages
