Making Media Now: Recent Episodes
Filmmakers Collaborative
Making Media Now, presented by Filmmakers Collaborative and hosted by Michael Azevedo, is a podcast dedicated to presenting informative and enlightening conversations with creators of all stripes--filmmakers, writers, directors, editors, technical experts--about their process, their vision, their joys and challenges. Listen in to meet visionaries crafting media in a range of genres and for the full spectrum of distribution platforms.
Joining host Michael Azevedo on this episode is former Hollywood studio executive and serial entrepreneur Steven Puri. After working as an executive at three film studios and a producer on films such as "Die Hard 5" and "The Wolverine," raising $21MM of venture capital, and running 3 start-ups, Steven has learned some vital lessons about high-performancers and how nurturing focus—particularly for creatives and entrepreneurs is more important than ever as AI presents challenges…and when approached correctly…presents opportunities. Steven’s latest entrepreneurial pursuit is The Sukha Company, a website and app designed to help creatives tap into their deepest focus and extract their greatest potential. Making Media Now—which is available on all podcast platforms including YouTube--is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey. About the host: www.writevoicecreative.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/ Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead
We continue our 2-episode series of conversations with filmmakers who have documentaries playing at the 35th Annual Woods Hole Film Festival in scenic Woods Hole, MA which runs from July 25 to August 1 this year. In this episode, I’m talking with award-winning cinematographer and director Cynthia Matty-Huber about her film "Hard Twist: Through The Lens of Barbara Van Cleve," which presents the life story of the famous western photographer, Barbara Van Cleve. Barbara is a fifth-generation Montanan with a century of family history going back to the early 1900s. Upon their arrival in Montana, the Van Cleves began operating a guest ranch, where Barbara grew up and spent most of her summers as an adult. Barbara's story offers insight into a hardy western ranching lifestyle many have not experienced, with striking archive footage of early Montana and stunning original cinematography shot by Cynthia Matty-Huber. This film is not only about Barbara's life, but tells a story of how her family history was intertwined with the changing landscape of the West. Making Media Now—which is available on all podcast platforms including YouTube--is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey. About the host: www.writevoicecreative.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/ Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead
The 35th Annual Woods Hole Film Festival in scenic Woods Hole, MA runs from July 25 to August 1 this year and we’re devoting a couple of episodes of Making Media Now to conversations with filmmakers who have documentaries playing at the festival. First up is Michael Azevedo's conversation with 2-time Emmy winner Marilyn Ness, the director of The Endless Frontier an intimate, urgent portrait of three scientists working to solve some of the most pressing challenges of our time, from disease to climate change, while revealing the growing threat to the American research engine and what is at stake for us all if it falters. Marilyn Ness is a two-time Emmy, Peabody, and DuPont Award-winning documentary director and producer. As director, Ness is interested in complex, social justice stories from multiple viewpoints. Marilyn also produced Kirsten Johnson’s groundbreaking films DICK JOHNSON IS DEAD and CAMERAPERSON, along with the Netflix film BECOMING, the hugely popular documentary about Michelle Obama. Making Media Now—which is available on all podcast platforms including YouTube--is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey. About the host: www.writevoicecreative.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/ Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead
Host Michael Azevedo is joined by Nicholas Bruckman the co-director and producer of a fascinating documentary series currently airing on the Documentary+ platform called The Price of Milk, which dives into the untold story behind the '90s "Got Milk" campaign and leads a four-part investigative romp from the dairy farm to the White House, diving into Americans’ love/hate relationship with milk and the dairy industry's impact on pop culture.
Nicholas, who joined Michael on the podcast last year to talk about his film Minted, is an award-winning director and producer and the founder of People’s Television, a creative studio that produces independent films and commercial content for global brands.
Making Media Now—which is available on all podcast platforms including YouTube--is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey. About the host: www.writevoicecreative.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/ Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead
Host Michael Azevedo is joined by Sasha Waters, the director of “Mary Oliver: Saved by the Beauty of the World” a biographical documentary about poet Mary Oliver that is now playing in a limited theatrical release and which will broadcast on the PBS series American Masters in August. Celebrated best-selling poet, Pulitzer Prize-winner, lover of dogs and long walks in the woods, openly queer but intensely private, Mary Oliver was America’s unlikely contemporary mystic, stalking the ponds and forests of Cape Cod for nearly fifty years in order to open herself – and her readers – to the known and unknowable world. From a lonely childhood to literary fame, Oliver’s life was shaped by devotion to nature, paying attention, and the long journey toward learning to love and to be loved. Her poems inspire liberals and conservatives, atheists and believers, naturalists and urbanites, speaking directly to contemporary anxieties about attention, presence, and the human relationship with the natural world. Sasha Water’s film features interviews with Mary Oliver's close friends, including John Waters, never-before-seen personal photos, notebooks, and correspondence from her archive, and recitations of her work by Stephen Colbert, Lucy Dacus, Steve Buscemi, and Oprah Winfrey. Making Media Now—which is available on all podcast platforms including YouTube--is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey. About the host: www.writevoicecreative.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/ Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead
Award-winning documentary filmmaker and photojournalist Jessica Earnshaw joins host Michael Azevedo to discuss her latest film, "Baby Doe," which is currently playing in a limited theatrical release. "Baby Doe" tells the story of Gail Ritchey who, 30 years ago, as a young woman from a conservative Christian community in rural Ohio, gave birth alone and left her newborn in the woods. Now a mother of three, her quiet suburban life is shattered when DNA evidence links her to what came to be known as “Geauga’s Child,”and she is arrested for murder - despite saying the baby was stillborn. Facing a life sentence, Gail leans on her family for support as she confronts the weight of societal and religious pressures. "Baby Doe" cuts through the headlines to uncover the human complexity of Gail’s case - examining the intersection of women’s health, justice, and the outside forces that continue to shape stories like hers. Making Media Now—which is available on all podcast platforms including YouTube--is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey. About the host: www.writevoicecreative.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/ Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead
Director Alison Ellwood, whose latest music documentary is “Boy George & Culture Club”—which is now streaming on Apple TV and Amazon Prime Video, joins host Michael Azevedo on this episode. Alison’s documentary serves up an intimate and unfiltered look at Boy George’s meteoric rise to fame, the cultural impact of Culture Club, and the personal and professional challenges that shaped one of the most distinctive voices and images in pop music history. Through rare archival footage, candid interviews, and behind-the-scenes access, the film explores themes of identity, artistry, resilience, and reinvention. Alison Ellwood is known for her similarly culture-focused music documentaries “The Go-Go’s,” “Laurel Canyon” and “Cyndi Lauper: Let the Canary Sing,” all of which premiered to critical acclaim, as well as her work as an executive producer on “Totally Under Control.” Earlier in her career, she served as an editor and producer on landmark documentaries including “Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room” and “Gonzo,” which explored the life and work of Hunter S. Thompson. Making Media Now—which is available on all podcast platforms including YouTube--is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey. About the host: www.writevoicecreative.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/ Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead
Joining host Michael Azevedo on this episode is Steve Humble, the chief content officer for VPM—Virginia’s home for the public media. Steve is also the executive producer of “Declarations: Black Americans and the Revolutionary War,” a new documentary that will premiere on PBS on June 29. When the Declaration of Independence was signed 250 years ago, the Founders – many of whom were slaveholders – declared: “all men are created equal.” As their aspirational words and ideals of freedom were signed into existence and spread throughout the colonies, Black people recognized that these ideas included them. "DECLARATIONS: BLACK AMERICANS AND THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR" examines how they fought for these tenets of democracy for themselves, their families, and their communities. Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey. About the host: www.writevoicecreative.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/ Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead
Joining host Michael Azevedo on this episode are Paul Wagner and Ellen Casey Wagner, the filmmaking team behind “Georgia O’Keeffe: The Brightness of Light," a feature length documentary that is now available on all VOD streaming services. Narrated by Hugh Dancy and featuring Claire Danes as the voice of Georgia O’Keeffe, "The Brightness of Light" illuminates the extraordinary life and lasting influence of an artist who reshaped the American art landscape.
From her formative years in the Midwest to her groundbreaking rise in New York’s modernist movement, and finally to the vast, sun-drenched solitude of the New Mexico desert, the film traces O’Keeffe’s remarkable creative journey.
Blending letters, archival imagery, and the artist’s own words, Academy Award-winning director Paul Wagner paints a vivid portrait of a woman whose bold interpretations of nature and fearless independence blurred the boundaries between abstraction and realism. "Georgia O’Keeffe: The Brightness of Light" is a meditative and visually stunning exploration of art, love, and the search for creative freedom. Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey. About the host: www.writevoicecreative.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/ Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead
The original promise of the internet—creating community and a world where people enduring solitary personal struggles might feel less alone—was in full bloom back in 2006 when one friend, Renee, told another friend, Jamie, about a mental health crisis she was going through. Jamie went on to write about the five days he spent with Renee before she entered a treatment center, and he sold T-shirts to help cover the cost. When she entered treatment, he posted the story on MySpace to give it a home. The name of the story was “To Write Love on Her Arms.” On this episode, host Michael Azevedo speaks with director Owen Dubeck whose short film, “To Write Love: A Documentary on the Movement” (which will premiere globally on YouTube on May 31) details how what started as one person’s attempt to help a friend sparked a global movement that reshaped the conversation around mental health and launched the To Write Love on Her Arms initiative—now celebrating its 20th year—as a vital mental health resource and connector. It’s a story of a growing chorus of hope that turned into a lifeline for millions. Owen Dubeck is a documentary filmmaker, specializing in telling stories that drive tangible change. His films have raised $1 million+ for social causes, influenced legislation, and have been screened to audiences across the country. Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey.
About the host: www.writevoicecreative.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/ Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead
Joining host Michael Azevedo on this episode is director Theo Rigby to discuss his documentary "If I Could Stay," which will be premiere on PBS on June 1 and remain available to stream on PBS.org and via the PBS app for 90 days thereafter. Set in Colorado, If I Could Stay/Si Pudiera Quedarme follows two undocumented mothers, Jeanette and Ingrid, as they face deportation and the threat of being separated from their young children.
In a life-altering decision, they choose to seek sanctuary inside local churches in defiance of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Filmed over several emotionally charged years, their journey unfolds amid constant uncertainty, legal battles, and the quiet bravery of life in refuge.
Theo Rigby is a director, cinematographer, and interactive storyteller based out of San Francisco. He has been creating stories focusing on the immigrant experience in the U.S. for over the last decade and is the founder of iNation Media.
Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey.
About the host: www.writevoicecreative.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/ Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead
Although it may be hard to detect, a quiet revolution is underway: As the real-world consequences of social media come into focus, and AI’s invasion into every aspect of our lives feels imminent, a new generation of parents and teens are stepping forward to challenge the systems shaping their lives and fight for a different future, one where Big Tech doesn’t get to define the terms of human connection. Joining host Michael Azevedo on this episode are director Sara Robin and writer Jack LeMay to discuss their documentary, "Your Attention Please." Blending intimate human stories with insights from leading experts in tech reform and digital wellbeing, "Your Attention Please" asks some of the most urgent questions of our time: Can we reclaim our autonomy? Can technology be redesigned to serve humanity? And what does a healthier relationship with the digital world look like for us and our kids? SARA ROBIN is a German filmmaker based in Boston. Her work explores human connection, often through the lens of future worlds, and is known for telling stories at the intersection of documentary and science-fiction. JACK LEMAY is a writer, director and editor also based in Boston. His films are observational and philosophical, and explore the poetry of what drives the human spirit. Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey. About the host: www.writevoicecreative.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/ Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead
Joining host Michael Azevedo on this episode are Suzannah Herbert and Darcy McKinnon, the director and producer of the award-winning documentary "Natchez," which will air on PBS on May 11 as part of the Independent Lens Series. The film is also currently available for VOD streaming on multiple platforms including Apple TV, Prime Video, and YouTube TV. Winner of the best documentary feature award at the 2025 Tribeca film festival, "Natchez" captures an unsettling clash between history and memory in a small Mississippi town; it’s a layered mosaic of people contending with the weight of the past in a place where it is always present. Equal parts amusing and disturbing, "Natchez" grapples with a deeply troubled history that is so thoroughly ingrained in its present, we’re left to wonder if it’s actually past at all. Suzannah Herbert is a documentary director and editor from Memphis whose directing work focuses on the American South. Herbert directed and produced the twice Emmy-nominated film "Wrestle." As an editor, she has collaborated on various Bob Dylan, Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga projects, music videos and award-winning films. "Natchez" is her second documentary feature. Darcy McKinnon is a documentary filmmaker based in New Orleans whose work focuses on the American South and the Caribbean. Her work has been seen on the World Channel, POV, and Hulu and has screened at Sundance, Tribeca, SXSW, and more. Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey. About the host: www.writevoicecreative.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/ Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead
Returning guest Brandon Katz joins host Michael Azevedo on this episode to take a look at some compelling data that’s informing several film and television related stories he’s recently published. As the Director of Insight & Content Strategy for Greenlight Analytics, Brandon—who’s also a former entertainment journalist and film critic—unpacks data analysis to reveal compelling trends within the film and media industry. Brandon and Michael discuss how multi-year film development cycles can often result in films whose cultural relevance may fade between the time a project is green lit to the time it hits movie screens. While the film’s subject matter and stars may still be compelling, audience interest may have drifted. Brandon and Michael also chatted about Netflix’s decision to scale back on the number of original films it rolls out on its streaming service. And finally, they talked about how the emphasis on opening weekend box office numbers may undermine the chances for smaller films to find an audience and grow over time. Brandon’s knowledge of—and love for—movies, combined with his data analysts’ eye for the stories to be found within the numbers always makes for a compelling conversation! Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey. About the host: www.writevoicecreative.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/ Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead
Joining host Michael Azevedo on this episode are Chelsea Greene and Rob Grobman, two of the three co-directors on Academy Award-winning filmmaker and activist Fisher Stevens's (The Cove) timely environmental documentary called "We Are Guardians" which he produced alongside Executive Producer and fellow Academy-award winner and activist Leonardo DiCarprio. The film which follows Indigenous forest defenders protecting the Brazilian Amazon, will expand its global streaming release on Earth Day, April 22, bringing the film to billions of viewers worldwide.
"We Are Guardians" explores the complex intersections of politics, history, economics, and science, while shedding light on the global implications of deforestation in one of the world’s most vital ecosystems. Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey. About the host: www.writevoicecreative.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/ Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead
Host Michael Azevedo is joined by Raúl O. Paz Pastrana, the director of a new documentary airing on PBS’ Independent Lens series on April 13. Raul’s film, "Backside: The Unseen Hands of Horseracing," set amidst the pageantry of horseracing’s premier event—The Kentucky Derby—goes behind the glamour to present a portrait of the unseen workers whose tireless efforts are key to the event’s success. Backside offers an intimate and tender glimpse into the lives of immigrant workers who begin their days at 3 a.m., seven days a week, year-round, caring for some of the world's most prized racehorses. Set against the backdrop of a racing season at Churchill Downs' barns in Louisville, Kentucky--known as the "backside"--this observational film reveals the symbiotic relationship of human and animal labor, celebrating the quiet beauty of unseen work and the resilience of those who sustain it. The full 85-minute version of the film will be available for streaming on April 14. Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey. About the host: www.writevoicecreative.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/ Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead
Back in 2023, Making Media Now host Michael Azevedo was joined by filmmaker Bonnie Waltch and writer Sara Schley to talk about a film project for which Filmmakers Collaborative was the fiscal sponsor. The film was called "Brainstorm" and it’s now complete and will be featured in a global virtual screening on March 30 as part of World Bipolar Day. Bonnie is the film’s writer, director, and producer. And Sara served as co-writer and co-producer. BrainStorm follows six compelling people living with bipolar in their journey from devastation to recovery. The film connects their experiences with the latest bipolar brain science to shed light on potential causes and successful treatments. Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey. About the host: www.writevoicecreative.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/ Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead
Joining host Michael Azevedo on episode is writer and director Andrew Goldberg, whose documentary "White with Fear" will premiere on PBS on March 24. Told by the operatives in the rooms where it happened, "White With Fear" is an explosive deep dive into the decades-long quest by America’s conservative political machine to amass power by exploiting racial fault lines and stoking narratives of White victimization. The documentary examines how some American conservatives and political operatives have successfully weaponized racism and fear for decades and uncovers the real-world consequences of deploying tactics that seek to demonize immigrants, spread Islamophobia, and devise a strategic media campaign of racist rhetoric with real-world effects. The film, which premiered at New York’s Chelsea Film Festival, recently earned a Writers Guild Award nomination. "White with Fear" will stream simultaneously with broadcast and be available on all station-branded PBS platforms for 90 days. An Emmy-Award-winning investigative producer, Andrew Goldberg has directed 14 prime-time documentaries. His work has appeared on major networks on every continent, and has been supported by more than 250 foundations, corporations and major donors around the world. To learn more visit So Much Film.com Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey. About the host: www.writevoicecreative.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/ Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead
On this episode host Michael Azevedo takes a dive into season three of the award-winning podcast series, The Big Dig, produced by GBH News and distributed by PRX. Season three is called "Catching The Codfather." Joining Michael are series’ host Ian Coss and the GBH Managing Producer of Podcasts, Devin Maverick Robins.Season Three of The Big Dig™ podcast, “Catching The Codfather,” goes down to the docks. It’s a place where food, work, nature, money and politics all meet – where dreams are born, fortunes ruined, and where the watchful eye of the government is always present. The series traces the rise of Carlos Rafael and his escalating conflict with the government. Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey. About the host: www.writevoicecreative.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/ Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead
On this episode, host Michael Azevedo chats with award-winning documentary filmmaker Lisa Olivieri about her film, "Recovery City," a raw exploration of what it means to be in recovery as seen through the eyes of four women whose lives share a common thread: addiction. Set in the working class city of Worcester MA, the film is a real and honest portrait of resilience, grit and camaraderie presenting women who use their lived experience to lift up those still struggling while refusing to give up hope. "Recovery City" will screen on March 28 at GBH Studios in Boston as part of the Vinfen Film Festival. Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey. About the host: www.writevoicecreative.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/ Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead
Joining host Michael Azevedo on this episode is Angela Lynn Tucker, the director of an inspiring and informative new documentary called "The Inquisitor," which tells the story of the life and career of Barbara Jordan. As a young girl growing up in Houston’s Fifth Ward, Barbara Jordan was taught to defy expectations. She understood that to succeed, she would need to forge her own path. With relentless determination and unyielding tenacity, Barbara Jordan made history as Texas’s first Black state senator and in 1972 the first Southern Black woman elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. At a time when the idea of a Black woman holding power seemed inconceivable, Barbara Jordan created a roadmap for change. "The Inquisitor" chronicles the life of Congresswoman Barbara Jordan, whose electrifying voice and moral clarity during President Richard Nixon’s impeachment captivated the nation. Earning her the moniker “The Inquisitor.” The film will premiere on 2/23 on PBS as part of the Independent Lens series. Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey.
About the host: www.writevoicecreative.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/ Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead
Joining host Michael Azevedo on this episode is Miles Spencer, the co-founder of an innovative AI start-up called Reflekta. A few weeks back, Mile’s team reached out to me to say that they’ve enjoyed the conversations I've had with various types of storytellers…and how they especially liked how our conversations revealed the stories within the stories. Miles has helped create over 1,100 jobs while founding, financing, building and exiting three digital media companies. Before doing that he spent time in venture capital, hosted a precursor to Shark Tank called MoneyHunt on PBS , led over 1,500 people across 14 miles of open sea on kayak, and trekked 1,100 miles through the deserts of Saudi Arabia , Jordan and Syria. He also published a novel called A Line in the Sand that ended up being an Amazon bestseller in the Middle East.
We had an engaging conversation about his early inspirations, his professional path, and the philosophical considerations around ethical AI.
Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey.
About the host: www.writevoicecreative.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/ Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead
Host Michael Azevedo is joined on this episode by first-time director Vivien Hillgrove and producer Deann Borshay Liem to discuss a truly engaging and poignant personal documentary called “Vivien’s Wild Ride,” which will premiere on PBS on January 26. Vivien Hillgrove has been a film and sound editor all her adult life. She's worked with many filmmaking greats including: Francis Ford Coppola, Phillip Kaufman, Milos Forman, and Walter Murch, along with a who’s who of celebrated documentary filmmakers. When Vivien’s eyesight starts to deteriorate, the shame and loneliness she felt in 1964, when she was forced to relinquish her baby as a teenage unwed mother, at at time when there were few choices for women, was a loss that resonated throughout her life. Now she faces a new feeling of isolation and loss. Recalling her resilience as a young woman, Vivien summons it anew and reinvents herself as a person with a new way of being and seeing, an artist with a disability. Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey.
About the host: www.writevoicecreative.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/ Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead
Host Michael Azevedo is joined on this episode by Laura Varela and Andrew Gonzales, the producer and producer/director of "American Sons," a new documentary that follows a brotherhood of Marines a decade after their deployment to Afghanistan, as they struggle to overcome the trauma of combat and the loss of many of their comrades. The film will premiere on PBS on January 12 and will stream simultaneously with broadcast and be available on all station-branded PBS platforms The story of their time in Afghanistan is told through the video diary of Corporal JV Villarreal, who was killed in action by an IED. JV had kept the video diary for his family back home in Texas and his family generously shared it with the filmmakers. This personal, powerful footage provides a haunting window into what these young Marines experienced together. Now, a decade after JV’s death, his brotherhood of Marines continues to get together, helping each other cope with lingering trauma and strengthening the unbreakable bonds formed in war. A poignant exploration of grief and resilience, “American Sons” honors the service of these young men and spotlights the need for mental health support for veterans. Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey.
About the host: www.writevoicecreative.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/ Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead
Host Michael Azevedo is joined on this episode by Ben Loeterman, the writer and director of Bombshell, a new documentary that Explores How The U.S. government manipulated the narrative around the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Ben’s film will premiere on PBS as part of the American Experience series on January 6 and will be available on the PBS app and the American Experience website thereafter. Through propaganda, censorship and the co-opting of the press, the government presented a benevolent picture of atomic power, minimizing the horrific human toll of the bombings. The U.S. media became pivotal in promoting — and then piercing — the official narrative. While President Truman publicly declared that “it has never been the habit of the scientists of this country or this government to withhold from the world scientific knowledge,” that is precisely what General Groves, leader of the Manhattan Project, insisted upon. Bombshell sheds light on the efforts of courageous journalists to inform the world about the human costs of nuclear weapons, despite government censorship. Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey.
About the host: www.writevoicecreative.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/ Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead
On this episode host Michael Azevedo welcomes back Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Joshua Seftel to discuss his latest documentary, "All the Empty Rooms," which is currently available on Netflix and has been short-listed for the 2025 Oscars in the category of best documentary short. Across America, bedrooms sit untouched — walls still covered in posters, clothes folded neatly in drawers — silent memorials to children lost to gun violence. "All the Empty Rooms" is a 33-minute documentary that follows CBS News correspondent Steve Hartman on a seven-year journey visiting families who have lost a child, photographing each child’s room as it was on their last day. These “sacred spaces frozen in time” form an intimate portrait of grief, love, and the enduring need for empathy.
Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey.
About the host: www.writevoicecreative.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/ Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead
Joining host Michael Azevedo on this episode is first-time filmmaker Nivi Jaswal-Wirtjes, the director & executive producer of a powerful and thought-provoking new documentary called “Third Degree Burnout” Narrated by renowned meteorologist John Morales, "Third Degree Burnout" uncovers the hidden connections between personal burnout and the climate crisis, revealing them as symptoms of a larger socio-economic metacrisis.
With world-class animation, engaging interviews with over 20 experts, and playful humor woven into thought-provoking skits, the film breaks down complex ideas into something accessible, relatable, and impactful.
From the history of our food systems to the ripple effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and the intersections of healthcare, politics, and society, this documentary offers a fresh lens on the systemic forces shaping burnout.
In 2020, Nivi lost her father to COVID-19 while she was in the process of struggling through her own burnout after 15 years in high-pressure global marketing and strategy roles across consumer packaged goods, life sciences, and media.
That dual reckoning — grief and exhaustion — became the catalyst for her life’s new direction: uncovering the connections between personal well-being, food systems, and planetary health, all of which a explored in "Third Degree Burnout."
Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey.
About the host: www.writevoicecreative.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/ Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead
On this episode, host Michael Azevedo joined by long-time friend of the podcast Tim O’Donnell of Pixela Films and by first-time guest Mary Dague to discuss the just-completed film, "The Last Yztari." This innovative and moving film tells the story of how after using her body as a shield to protect her unit from an IED in Iraq, Mary Dague is left medically retired, missing both arms from the elbow down. Many years after returning home, she finds a new place in online gaming communities as she adapts her controllers to work with her feet. When her active-military husband readies to deploy again Mary is faced with the trauma of the past and the worry for her partner's yet to be diagnosed PTSD. The film explores the liminal space between trauma and healing, and this world and a fantasy space where old wounds might present themselves as future insights or abilities. The film weaves observational documentary with an original generative AI system built from Mary's own fantasy novel. The novel itself a secret only revealed to the filmmakers and her husband after seven years of writing. Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey.
About the host: www.writevoicecreative.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/ Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead
Director Daniel Masciari who joins host Michael Azevedo to discuss "Stationed at Home," his debut feature film. Set on a clear and frigid Christmas Eve in 1998, in a small, forgotten city, "Stationed at Home" tells the tale of a solitary taxi driver on the graveyard shift breathlessly awaiting the sight of the International Space Station. As the hours count down, a parade of offbeat misfits derail his plans, propelling the story to its exhilarating climax. Daniel Masciari grew up outside of Boston in a neighborhood of new arrivals to America from all over the world—a community that nurtured his imagination and fueled his sense of humor. Fascinated by film’s unique ability to tell stories earnestly and intimately, Daniel began shooting and directing his friends at age eleven using a camera his parents had given him. By twenty-two, Variety selected him as one of 110 students who “represent the future of film, media and entertainment.” By twenty-four, he had already edited his first feature film, which was profiled in Filmmaker Magazine. Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey.
About the host: www.writevoicecreative.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/ Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead
Host Michael Azevedo is joined on this episode by Jon Shenk co-director of a powerful documentary now streaming on Netflix called In Waves and War. Blending observational scenes and animation, "In Waves and War" traces the journey of three Navy SEALs, tormented by trauma, to Mexico where they embark on a mission to rescue one another with powerful psychedelics whose effects shake them to the core and open a path toward healing. Alongside intimate interviews, captivating animation, and first-of-its-kind research at Stanford’s Brain Stimulation Lab, "In Waves and War," is the emotional, inspiring odyssey of three American heroes as they overcome the aftereffects of war and rediscover their humanity. Jon Shenk is an Academy Award®-nominated filmmaker and the winner of both Emmy® and Independent Spirit awards. He recently co-directed the Oscar®-nominated short film Lead Me Home, which premiered at the 2021 Telluride Film Festival and is a Netflix Original. Previously, Jon and Bonni Cohen (who is also Jon’s wife) co-directed Athlete A, which won an Emmy for Outstanding Investigative Documentary and was nominated for five Critics’ Choice Documentary Awards, winning for Best Sports Documentary. Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey.
About the host: www.writevoicecreative.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/ Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead
Host Michael Azevedo is joined on this episode by Vicki Hughes and Holly Stadtler, two veterans of the documentary filmmaking world who’ve teamed up to produce The Green Box: At The Heart of War, a film based on a memoir by Jim Kurtz that tells the story of his decades long search to learn more about his father, 2nd Lt. Robert Kurtz, who died when Jim was just 2 years old. All Jim knew of his father was that he was a bomber pilot in the European theater during WWII. And because of his mother’s grief, most of the details of Jim's father’s life remained a mystery. It would take Jim more than fifty years to learn essential details about this devoted father and husband… and unexpected hero. "The Green Box," narrated by Martin Sheen, weaves together Jim's efforts to piece together the emerging picture of his father’s life, vividly telling a story that is war chronicle, romance, mystery and personal reflection. "The Green Box: At The Heart of War" will air on Boston’s PBS station, 'GBH on November 4 at 4:00pm and on 'GBH World on November 8. The film’s release is timed to coincide with Veteran’s Day and will air across the country on PBS stations between throughout November in commemoration of the upcoming 80th anniversary of the end of WWII. Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey. About the host: www.writevoicecreative.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/ Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead
Joining host Michael Azevedo on this episode is Ben Flaherty, the director of Shuffle, a film that won the documentary jury award at the 2025 SXSW festival.
This powerful documentary provides a look into the lives of three Florida residents who struggle to free themselves from a predatory system of for-profit recovery centers that benefit from their reliance on substances.
The film depicts a depressingly familiar pattern of institutions failing the very individuals they exist to help.
A former addict himself, Ben Flaherty uses his own sobriety journey as a starting point to discuss the ways that corrupt facilities can play with patients’ lives as a means of scamming insurance companies, ultimately making the argument that true recovery can only be accomplished through a communal effort of people who genuinely care about each other.
Learn more at www.stoptheshuffle.com
Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey.
About the host: www.writevoicecreative.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/ Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead
Joining host Michael Azevedo on this episode is Rick Goldsmith, the director of the documentary “Stripped for Parts: American Journalism on the Brink.
Rick’s film offers a clear-eyed look at the current state of journalism in the United States with a focus on the insidious threat from a secretive hedge fund that has put America’s free press at risk.
Alden Global Capital, operating in the shadows, has managed to upend countless local newsrooms in the past 15 years. But their profit-at-all-costs efforts have not gone un-checked.
This powerful, eye-opening 90-minute documentary tracks the courageous efforts of investigative reporter Julie Reynolds, Denver Post editorialist Chuck Plunkett and a handful of others, backed by the NewsGuild union, who go toe- to-toe, at great personal risk, with Wall Street interests in a battle to save local journalism across the United States.
The film is available for streaming and repeat broadcasts:* Streaming – From October 1st to December 31st, the film is available for free at PBS.org or the PBS app (sometimes called “PBS video”) through Roku, Apple TV, Google Play or most smart TVs * Broadcast – check our website here for more dates and times, which we will be updating periodically. You can also check your local listings. * October 20th at 5pm PT/8pm ET, (and then 3 repeat airings that week) on the PBS World Channel broadcast everywhere, check your local listings to see if your local station carries the World Channel or check the schedule on our website.
Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey.
About the host: www.writevoicecreative.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/ Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead
Host Michael Azevedo is joined on this episode is Clay Tweel, director of a powerful new documentary called "The Bitter Pill." Clay’s film—which debuted on PBS on 9/22 and will be available to stream on PBS digital until December 10-- follows the charismatic West Virginian plaintiff attorney Paul Farrell, Jr, as he wages a legal war against some of the world’s largest pharmaceutical companies in a landmark battle fueled by personal stakes. A powerful chronicle of justice, accountability, and resilience, the Bitter Pill is set in Farrell’s hometown, Cabell County, West Virginia, a community at the epicenter of America’s opioid epidemic, where 20% of babies are born addicted to opioids. A plaintiff attorney, Farrell is determined to recover damages, bring justice to his neighbors, and rebuild a community ravaged by corporate greed. Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey.
About the host: www.writevoicecreative.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/ Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead
On May 8, 1970, “the Hard Hat Riot” erupted in lower Manhattan. At midday, construction workers, including those building the World Trade Center, violently clashed with students demonstrating against the Vietnam War. Workmen saw the protesting students as privileged “draft dodgers” disparaging the country and those who fought for it. On the other side, many student activists saw the workers as pawns, unwilling to see the changes that America needed. On this episode, host Michael Azevedo speaks with Marc Levin, the director of "Hard Hat Riot," a new documentary that will broadcast on PBS’ American Experience on September 30 and be available online thereafter. "Hard Hat Riot" tells the story of a struggling metropolis (NYC), a flailing president (Nixon), a divided people, and a bloody juncture when the nation violently diverged ― culminating in a new political and cultural landscape that radically redefined American politics and foreshadowed the future. Marc Levin is an award-winning, independent filmmaker dedicated to telling powerful, real stories in a unique, authentic style. He has won four Emmys, four duPont-Columbia Awards, the Peabody Award, the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance, and the Camera d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival. Highlights include: Slam, his breakout festival hit; Brick City, the groundbreaking docu-series about Newark, New Jersey’s charismatic Mayor Cory Booker; Gang War: Bangin’ in Little Rock; Emmy-winning Thug Life in DC for HBO; Chicagoland, a docu-series for CNN and Robert Redford’s Sundance Productions, nominated for a 2014 IDA Award for Best Limited Series. Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey.
About the host: www.writevoicecreative.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/ Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead
Joining host Michael Azevedo on this episode is Andy DeMeo, the creator and host of the Granite Goodness podcast and Substack newsletter. Andy has a belief that most news thrives on outrage, fear, and conflict. And he created "Granite Goodness" in order to take a different approach.
The podcast and newsletter highlights what Andy calls real progress happening across New England in science, tech, sustainability, business, economics, infrastructure, and more.
It’s Andy’s contention that when people see a better world is possible, they are more likely to build it. At the core of "Granite Goodness" is a belief that optimism is pragmatic, not naive. And it just may contagious!
Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey.
About the host: www.writevoicecreative.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/ Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead
Host Michael Azevedo is joined by veteran film and television director Rob Spera. Rob’s been on the faculty at the American Film Institute for over 20 years. His feature films include The Sweet Life, Fathers and Sons, and the cult classic Leprechaun in the Hood. His numerous television credits include Criminal Minds, Supernatural, Suspect Behavior, and Army Wives. During four seasons as Resident Director at the Tony award-winning Actors Theatre of Louisville, he directed over 75 productions. And he is currently the Head of Directing at Rideback Rise, a Fellowship Program for mid-career screenwriters who are making the move to directing. Rob discusses his book called the Film/TV Director's Field Manual: 70 Maxims to Change Your Filmmaking. Rob considers the manual to be an "anti-textbook" meant to be kept in a filmmaker's back pocket on set to provide distilled guidance with far-reaching results. The roughly 200 page book is a collection of 70 maxims that distill filmcraft techniques to their essence, making them readily accessible to the filmmaker. The book is filled with valuable first-hand insight and guidance. Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey.
About the host: www.writevoicecreative.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/ Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead
Joining host Michael Azevedo on this episode are Jen Bradwell and Todd Boekelheide, the married co-directors of "Make A Circle," a new documentary that offers a rare, inside look at the lives of child care providers and early educators — the backbone of a child care system on the brink. The film premieres Monday, September 1 streaming nationally on PBS.org, the PBS app and on PBS TV stations (check local listings) across the country. As Jen Bradwell says: “Make A Circle is a love letter to early educators and a portrait of a child care system in crisis. The film delves into one of the greatest disconnects in American society: the importance of a child’s first five years versus how the work of early care and education is valued.” Often viewed as “babysitters,” the dedicated educators in Make A Circle create magic in the classroom, face struggles at home, and remain passionate about their profession. The film gives voice to these educators and their ideas on the best ways to improve the system. Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey.
About the host: www.writevoicecreative.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/ Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead
Joining host Michael Azevedo on this episode is Jonathan Berman, director of the newly restored documentary "Commune." Originally released in 2005, the film has been newly restored with vibrant sound and picture quality and is currently making the rounds at movie houses across the US. Commune chronicles the story of Black Bear Ranch, launched in 1968 with help from luminaries like The Doors, Frank Zappa, and The Monkees. This abandoned goldmine transformed into a hub for radical living, fueled by the motto "Free Land for Free People." The film is packed with rare interviews—including with well-know actor and frequent documentary narrator Peter Coyote—as well as home movies and candid stories that unpack the contradictions, challenges, and wild hope behind the commune movement. From free love and experiments in co-parenting, to the practical struggles of survival, "Commune" lets viewers consider what it really takes to build, and sustain, genuine community. Learn more about screenings near you: https://www.opensignalstudios.com/films/commune Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey.
About the host: www.writevoicecreative.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/ Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead
Here's a brief update on the current status of public media. In short: it ain’t good. If you’re a regular listener to MMN, you probably know that over the more than 150 episodes that we’ve produced a sizable chunk of them involved conversations with documentary filmmakers whose work was broadcast on public media outlets like PBS and NPR. Much of the reason that these documentaries have found a home at places like PBS is because they deal with important issues—issues that impact the health of our democracy, our natural environment, the rights of marginalized groups, and often compelling human interest stories that the commercial broadcast networks (ABC, CBS, NBC, and Fox) fear won’t attract a big enough audience to sell to advertisers. That’s not to say that thoughtful, well-made, and illuminating documentaries can’t be found on commercial broadcast networks or subscription-funded streaming platforms like Netflix, Apple TV, or Amazon Prime. But public media is often the last bastion of informational and educational programming that is (or was) available to all: free of charge and free of advertiser oversight. On August 1, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting announced that it would shut down after nearly 6 decades of services. In the aftermath of the announcement, I read and heard lots of concern—and no small amount of confusion—about what that means and why it matters. Lucky for me, later on that same day, I read, in the online publication Vulture, an extremely helpful overview of what CPB is and how its relationship to public media works written by journalist Nicholas Quah. So I thought I’d take some time to share excerpts from that article to help those concerned understand exactly where things stand. The article, which I’ve linked to in our episode notes, is titled “The Future of Public Media Looks Rocky” Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey.
About the host: www.writevoicecreative.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/ Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead
Documentary filmmakers Ellen Martinez and Steph Ching join host Michael Azevedo to discuss Slumlord Millionaire, winner of the Audience Award at the 2024 DOC NYC Film Festival. The film explores the rapid gentrification of New York City neighborhoods and the housing crisis sweeping not only New York but the nation.
Told through the stories of a group of fearless residents, activists and nonprofit attorneys who fight corrupt landlords and developers for the basic human right to a home, the film premieres on the PBS series VOCES on Monday, July 28. It will also be available on all PBS digital streaming platforms starting on that same date.
Ellen Martinez and Steph Ching previously directed and produced After Spring, a feature documentary about the Syrian refugee crisis. The film was executive produced by Jon Stewart, had its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival, was broadcast on Starz and received a Frontline Award for Documentary Journalism. Additionally, Ellen & Steph were both honorees on DOC NYC’s inaugural "40 Under 40" list as directors.
Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey.
About the host: www.writevoicecreative.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/ Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead
Joining host Michael Azevedo on this episode is Troy Farkas, the creator, producer, and host of "Seacoast Stories," a podcast featuring compelling stories about the unique people, businesses, and newsmakers of New Hampshire and southern Maine. This weekly podcast takes on sometimes controversial issues, highlights local businesses, tells entertaining stories, and seeks to uncover what makes the northern NE Seacoast such a hidden gem. Prior to creating the "Seacoast Stories" podcast, Troy spent 7 years producing top-performing podcasts at ESPN and The Ringer podcast network on Spotify which were hosted by some of the most high-profile sports media personalities in the world. Troy spoke to me from, as expected, his home on the New Hampshire seacoast. Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey.
About the host: www.writevoicecreative.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/ Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead
Host Michael Azevedo is joined by members of the team behind a compelling and eye-opening short documentary called “Gone Guys.” Chad Ervin is the film’s director & producer. Also joining the conversation is the film's executive producer, Lauren Curry, of the Richard E and Deborah L Tarrant Foundation. The documentary draws on the influential work of writer & social scientist Richard Reeves. Reeves is the author of the 2022 best seller “Of Boys and Men”, which illuminates these challenges through powerful data and compelling personal stories. NOTE: In the interest of accuracy, we note that a slight misstatement was made at the 54min, 24sec mark of this interview. A more accurate statement would be: "In 1980, 40% of the US elementary and middle school educator workforce was male. Today that's 20%.” Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey.
About the host: www.writevoicecreative.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/ Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead
“If everybody always lies to you, the consequence is not that you believe the lies, but rather that nobody believes anything any longer. And the people that no longer believe anything cannot make up its mind. It is deprived not only of its capacity to act, but also of its capacity to think and to judge. And with such a people, you can then do what you please.”
Those are the words, written more than 6 decades ago, of political philosopher Hannah Arendt, whose life and work is vividly explored in "Hannah Arendt: Facing Tyranny," which will premiere on PBS broadcast and digital channels on June 27 as part of the "American Masters" series. Jeff Bieber, the executive producer and co-writer/director of this timely and compelling documentary, joins host Michael Azevedo on this episode of Making Media Now. The film explores Arendt’s fearless examination of power, propaganda and moral responsibility in the face of authoritarianism. Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey.
About the host: www.writevoicecreative.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/ Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead
Joining host Michael Azevedo on this episode is Chad Freidrichs, the director and editor of a fascinating and intriguing film called "The Cinema Within."
"The Cinema Within," which is now streaming on Amazon Prime Video and on Vimeo, is a feature-length documentary that delves into the psychology of film editing – the mystery of how and why an edited movie feels so natural and so effortlessly makes sense.
Drawing on the insights of famed movie editor Walter Murch, scholar David Bordwell, and a varied group of perceptual scientists, "The Cinema Within" explores the idea that in film’s earliest years, the most common edits were instinctively shaped to fit the contours of human perception — and that this might explain why, more than a century later, most modern-day filmmakers still rely on these exact same techniques.
But in the remote mountains of Turkey, a young researcher – and a group of people who have never seen a film before – put this deepest of cinematic ideas to the test.
Playfully inventive in its construction and striking in its visuals, the documentary dives deep into the deliberately hidden language of film editing – a language so seemingly natural it usually goes unnoticed.
Drawing on dozens of examples from both well-known and obscure films across cinema history, it explores not only the essential grammar of the world’s most popular art form, but the very mechanics of how we perceive reality.
Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey.
About the host: www.writevoicecreative.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/ Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead
Host Michael Azevedo welcomes back Mickela Mallozzi, the four-time Emmy Award-winning host and executive producer of “Bare Feet with Mickela Mallozzi,” a PBS series that highlights the diversity of dance with episodes filmed around the world. A dancer since early childhood, Mickela has parlayed her lifelong passion into a popular PBS series that travels the world to celebrate the joy of movement. Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey.
About the host: www.writevoicecreative.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/ Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead
Host Michael Azevedo is joined by two guests to discuss recent funding cuts to the National Endowment for the Humanities, the NEH, and the National Endowment for the Arts, the NEA. To provide insight into the topic, Michael is joined by documentary filmmaker and television producer Marisa Fox, who in a recent article in the Hollywood Reporter described what she and many of her peers have been going through as the Trump administration makes drastic cuts to the NEH and the NEA.
Also joining the conversation is Laura Azevedo, executive director of Filmmakers Collaborative, which sponsors this podcast, to share how these cuts have impacted documentary filmmakers working with FC and how FC, as an organization that also runs educational programs around filmmaking and media literacy, has been impacted.
Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey.
About the host: www.writevoicecreative.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/ Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead
Joining host Michael Azevedo on this episode is writer/director Gene Tempest. Gene’s latest documentary is “Mr. Polaroid” and it will debut on PBS as part of the American Experience series on May 19. Following its broadcast premiere, the film will be available via the PBS app and on the American Experience YouTube channel. The film profiles Edwin Land, a pioneering tech disruptor and Inventor of the mid-century icon that transformed photography. Long before the iPhone, another inventive device allowed everyone to instantly chronicle their lives — the Polaroid camera. The product, and the company’s unique culture, would launch not only instant photography mania but also become the model for today’s Silicon Valley tech culture. "Mr. Polaroid" tells the little-known story of the man behind the camera, a Harvard dropout named Edwin Land. Over a half century ago, before the smartphone, Land was dreaming up “a camera that you would use as often as your pencil or your eyeglasses.” He would also come to believe his company was “on its way to lead the world — perhaps even to save it.” Hubris, technology, brilliance, and a billion photographs a year are all part of the rollicking Polaroid story. Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey.
About the host: www.writevoicecreative.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/ Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead
Joining host Michael Azevedo on this episode are Will Parrinello and Rick Tejada-Flores, the director and co-producers of a documentary that premiered on PBS in April called "Water for Life." The film, which is available to stream via the PBS app and on PBS.org, tells the story of three extraordinary individuals: in Honduras; Francisco Pineda, in El Salvador; and in Chile, who refused to let government supported industry and transnational corporations take their water and redirect it to mining, hydroelectric projects or large scale agriculture. Despite reassurances from companies and the authorities, they knew what lay ahead: contaminated water, environmental devastation, and the destruction of their communities.It is a story of courage and determination, betrayal and corruption, death threats and murder, and of unexpected victories in the countryside and in the courts. It is a story that asks how economic development can grow in harmony with environmental protections. Above all, Water For Life illuminates a growing recognition of Indigenous rights and a rising demand for corporate responsibility and environmental justice. It is a story that begins and ends with water.
Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey.
About the host: www.writevoicecreative.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/ Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead
Joining host Michael Azevedo on this episode is independent filmmaker Joseph Mathew, director of "The Long Walk of Carlos Guerrero," a feature film that was Inspired by real immigrant journeys and stories of survival set in the desert wilderness of the Arizona borderlands. In the film, we meet Carlos Guerrero, a New York City chef, who decides to visit his sick mother in Mexico, knowing full well he is taking the ultimate risk as an undocumented immigrant.The film follows his epic journey back to New York when he and a young girl from El Salvador, get stranded in the deserts of Arizona. Joseph is also the director of the documentary, “Crossing Arizona”, which examined immigration through the lives and actions of the people living along the Arizona–Sonora border. It premiered at the Sundance Film and was awarded the One Future Prize at the Munich Film Festival. Links:Website: https://thelongwalkmovie.tv/Available to rent and buy in the U.S. on Amazon Prime : https://www.amazon.com/gp/video/detail/B0DW6PD455/ref=atv_dp_share_cu_rAvailable to rent worldwide on Kinema: https://kinema.com/films/the-long-walk-of-carlos-guerrero-ubvbj8
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thelongwalkmovie/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheLongWalkOfCarlosGuerrero Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey.
About the host: www.writevoicecreative.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/ Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead
Joining host Michael Azevedo on this episode is Signe Taylor, the director of a documentary called It’s Criminal. "It's Criminal" highlights the economic and social inequities that divide the United States and offers a vision of how separated communities can learn to speak to each other.
Poignant and personal, the 80-minute feature documentary shares the life-changing journeys of incarcerated women and Dartmouth College students working together to write and perform an original play that explores the often painful and troubled paths that landed the women behind bars and also shares some of their fragile visions for the future.
While film is currently available to stream on Prime Video, listeners in the New Hampshire area are invited to attend a special screening and Q&A with the director and several of the film’s participants on Saturday, April 26 at 2pm at Pembroke City Limits, the beating heart and cultural hub of Suncook Village, located at 134 Main Street, Pembroke NH. Check out the Pembroke City Limits website or Facebook page for more information.
Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey.
About the host: www.writevoicecreative.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/ Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead
Host Michael Azevedo welcomes back journalist and media analyst Brandon Katz. Brandon’s recent article in The Observer, titled "The Decline of Originality in Hollywood: A Look at the Numbers" explores how original content, in TV shows and movies, have, over the past 15 years, lost out in a landslide to existing IP, meaning Intellectual Property. Existing IP is defined as anything based on pre-existing material such as comic books, novels, video games, podcasts and musicals and including remakes, reboots, revivals, prequels, sequels and spinoffs. If you look at the numbers—viewership and ticket sales—it’s undeniable that IP-driven content is a powerhouse. Audiences flock to familiar characters and worlds, guaranteeing a certain level of viewership and, crucially, revenue. In a risk-averse industry, leaning on established IP is a seemingly safe bet. Brandon and Michael took a deep dive into this topic and, as usual, Brandon’s comments are fact-based, diligently researched, and reveal a unique understanding of the media’s creative aspirations and its financial preoccupations. Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey.
About the host: www.writevoicecreative.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/ Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead
Curb cuts, ramps at building entrances, and braille on elevator buttons. All these seem commonplace today, but they were once the subject of a pitched battle that landed on the steps of Congress. A new American Experience documentary, Change, Not Charity: The Americans with Disabilities Act, which will premiere on PBS on March 25, tells the emotional and dramatic story of the decades-long push for equality and accessibility that culminated in the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in 1990. Host Michael Azevedo's guests on this episode are the film’s director, James LeBrecht and its writer, Chana Gazit. Told through the voices of key participants and witnesses, the film highlights the determined people who literally put their bodies on the line to achieve their goal and change the lives of all Americans. Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey.
About the host: www.writevoicecreative.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/ Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead
Host Michael Azevedo speaks with acclaimed filmmakers Tom Jennings and Annie Wong, the co-producers and co-directors of "The Rise and Fall of Terrorgram," a FRONTLINE/ProPublica collaboration that investigates how an online network known as Terrorgram spread extremism and violence.
The documentary traces the rise of a global community of white supremacists and the anonymous, loosely moderated platforms used to spread hate and promote terror attacks.premieres Tuesday, March 25, 2025, on PBS and online.
Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey.
About the host: www.writevoicecreative.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/ Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead
Host Michael Azevedo welcomes back Tim Molloy, editor in chief of Moviemaker. MovieMaker is a magazine, website and podcast network focused on the art and business of filmmaking, with a special emphasis on independent film. The publication, in all its forms, offers profiles, advice, insider tips, and product reviews that readers can use to make informed decisions about what they watch..and create! The magazine has featured pretty much every prominent moviemaker you can think of on its cover. Its print edition is published quarterly, while its digital home, MovieMaker.com is continually updating its features and late-breaking content.
Tim and Michael had a wide-ranging chat where we discussed the 2025 Oscar winners, the pros and cons of watching movies in movie theaters, what movies Tim is looking forward to in 2025 and what makes for the perfect movie trailer!
Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey.
About the host: www.writevoicecreative.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/ Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead
Joining host Michael Azevedo on this episode is Alexi Cohan, news producer from Boston’s PBS station, ‘GBH. Alexi joined me to talk about a new video series, "Politics IRL." "Politics IRL" is a video series produced by GBH News that engages young voters from all over the region. Each video in the series features young people meeting to discuss their different perspectives on important political and cultural issues. The project is driven by video participants and seeks to promote voter confidence and engagement. The lightly moderated videos are then posted to the GBH News YouTube channel. Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey.
About the host: www.writevoicecreative.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/ Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead
Joining host Michael Azevedo on this episode is former television journalist and documentary producer turned digital media entrepreneur Bob Bowdon. Bob is the founder of VidaFair, a video streaming platform that is disrupting subscription models by giving creators a new way to monetize — think pay-per-view, but for videos. Before VidaFair, Bob built an impressive career as a journalist, documentary producer, and television commentator for outlets like PBS and Bloomberg, where he became passionate about giving people a platform to share their voices. He also directed The Cartel, an award-winning documentary exposing what he saw as corruption in public education. Bob also appeared in satirical sketches for the Onion News Network. Bob’s journey touches on everything from idea conception to execution in a crowded market. Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey.
About the host: www.writevoicecreative.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/ Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead
Unidentified Flying Objects have long captivated the imagination of the public, but for decades most scientists treated the subject as taboo. Now, these mysterious phenomena are moving out of the shadows and into the light, as NASA pledges to study them scientifically. So, what exactly does science have to say on the matter? Joining host Michael Azevedo on this episode is Terri Randall, the writer and director of a new science documentary called “What Are UFOs” which will premiere on the award-winning PBS science series NOVA on January 22. This new NOVA investigation looks at the evidence from every angle, marshaling expert opinions from physicists, engineers, cosmologists, and others who are bringing new technologies and heightened rigor to solving these mysteries. “What Are UFOs?” features interviews with several of the distinguished scientists that NASA brought together to examine the UFO mystery and goes on to examine why the US government continued to be so elusive about rumored UFO sightings for many decades. Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey.
About the host: www.writevoicecreative.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/ Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead
Host Michael Azevedo is joined on this episode by Nicholas Bruckman the writer, producer, and director of a new documentary called Minted, which provides an insider’s look at the rise and fall of the NFT (non-fungible token) phenomenon and how technology transformed the traditional art world, for better and worse.
Featuring verité footage and candid interviews with groundbreaking artists at the center of this phenomenon, Minted delves into the complex world of the $40 billion NFT digital art market.
Minted will have its broadcast premiere as part of the PBS Independent Lens series on January 6 and will be available to stream via the PBS app for 90 days thereafter.
Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey.
About the host: www.writevoicecreative.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/ Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead
We’re using this episode of the podcast to promote a special event sponsored by the Boston International Kids Film Festival taking place on December 27, 2024 at 1pm at the Capitol Theatre in Arlington, MA with a FREE screening of a delightful and entertaining feature film called Magnetosphere, written and directed by our guest Nicola Rose. In Magnetosphere, Maggie Campion, a shy and imaginative 12-year-old, discovers that her unique ability to see sounds and hear colors is called synesthesia. As she navigates her new life, Maggie finds friends, love, and self-acceptance — all while her quirky family gets involved in a local theatre production. This charming, feel-good film explores what makes us different and how those differences are what make us special. Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey. About the host: www.writevoicecreative.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/
On the eve of Black Friday and the holiday shopping season, host Michael Azevedo is joined by Nic Stacey and Flora Bagenal, the filmmakers behind a new Netflix documentary called Buy Now! The Shopping Conspiracy. The film explores how targeted advertising, one-click purchase options, and mass production from some of the world’s largest companies are driving a new era of overconsumption, rapidly leading to a world choked in waste of all sorts. The documentary, which was directed by Nic Stacey, unveils the behind-the-scenes world of influential big brands, with insider sources exposing the manipulative tactics that keep consumers constantly buying. The documentary explores the environmental and human impact of the insidious practices of fast fashion, big tech, and the planned obsolescence of items like cell phones and laptops. Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey. About the host: www.writevoicecreative.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/
Joining host Michael Azevedo on this episode is Amy Schatz the Emmy and Peabody award-winning director of a soul-stirring musical documentary called "Stand Up & Shout: Songs from a Philly High School."
The film, which is now streaming on Max, tells the tale of an annual music program in the city’s Hill-Freedman World Academy. The 54-minute documentary, which was executive produced by the award-winning team at Get Lifted Film Co. and the music superstar John Legend features 10th-grade students learning to write, compose, produce, and perform original songs.
Together with local musicians, the students pitch concepts, work out arrangements, and eventually create an album that captures the challenges they are living through and the joy music brings to their respective lives.
Folks in the Greater Boston area have the chance to see this infectiously joyful film on the big screen, with big sound at the kick-off of the 2024 Boston International Kids Film Festival on November 22 at 7pm at the Mosesian Center for the Arts in Watertown, MA. For more information about the full line-up of films and activities at this year’s BIKFF, visit bikff.org. Amy Schatz is an award-winning director and producer of children's shows and documentaries. Her work -- a mix of animation, documentary, performances, music videos, and heartfelt interviews with kids -- has earned 8 Emmy Awards, 8 Directors Guild of America Awards, 3 Peabody Awards, Parents' Choice Awards, and others. Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey. About the host: www.writevoicecreative.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/ Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead
The underpinnings of maneuvers and machinations by aggrieved white citizens and business owners of the south reached a boiling point in North Carolina in 1898 and culminated in the events depicted in "American Coup: Wilmington 1898," an American Experience film that will be broadcast on November 12.
Joining host Michael Azevedo on this episode are the film’s co-directors Yoruba Richen and Brad Lichtenstein. Their film tells the story of how “self-described white supremacists used intimidation and violence to destroy Black political and economic power and overthrow Wilmington's democratically-elected, multi-racial, Reconstruction era government.
Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey. About the host: www.writevoicecreative.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/ Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead
Does this sound familiar to you: you settle in for the night hoping to find something to watch on one of the half dozen streaming services you somehow subscribe to and can’t seem to find something that appeals to you? Or you’re chatting with friends about what they’re watching but no one can seem to remember exactly what their new favorite program is on? Deciphering viewing options among various streaming services can certainly feel like a chore. And that’s a challenge for viewers and streaming companies alike. That’s why host Michael Azevedo invited Brandon Katz, senior entertainment industry strategist at Parrot Analytics, on to the podcast to discuss this vexing issues for streaming channels and audiences alike: why do the services have such a difficult time helping people find more things on their services to watch?
Michael's chat is based in part a recent column of his in the Observer, titled Steamers Have Figured Out How to Get Sign-Up—The Real Question is How to Keep Them. It was an informative and fun conversation. Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey. About the host: www.writevoicecreative.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/ Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead
Host Michael Azevedo welcomes back Dr. Paul Heinzelmann to the podcast to talk about his debut documentary, "Safe Sets: Dying to Work in the Film Industry," which will premiere at the New Hampshire Festival on October 19. Over the past few years, Paul, who is a physician and former clinical instructor at Harvard Medical School has taken his interest in on-set safety and turned it into a compelling and important documentary. The film is a feature length exploration of systemic issues impacting the health and wellbeing of film workers, was shot in Boston, Los Angeles, Oakland, and Vancouver.The documentary weaves together candid interviews with technicians, union representatives, public health experts, and notable performers including Jon Hamm and John Malkovich, with the story of Dr. Paul's effort to conduct research into health and safety in the film industry.
Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey. About the host: www.writevoicecreative.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/ Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead
Joining host Michael Azevedo on this episode is Josh Levin the writer and host of "Slow Burn: The Rise of Fox News", a 6-episode series that takes listeners back to a crucial inflection point in American history: the moment between 2000 and 2004 when Fox News first surged to power. When the Fox News Channel launched in 1996, critics called it disorganized, incompetent, and laughably inept. But it wouldn’t be a joke for long. During the 2000 election, Fox News would captivate the nation – and just maybe change the fate of American democracy. In the podcast series, which debuted in mid-September, Josh and his fellow producers talk to the hosts, reporters, and producers who built Fox News, many of whom have never spoken publicly.
Josh Levine is the editorial director of the Slow Burn podcast. He was also the host of the Slow Burn seasons on David Duke and co-hosts the sports podcast Hang Up and Listen. He is the author of The Queen: The Forgotten Life Behind an American Myth.
Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey. About the host: www.writevoicecreative.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/ Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead
Joining host Michael Azevedo on this episode is Michelle Ferrari, an award winning documentary filmmaker whose latest film “The American Vice-President” will debut on PBS’ American Experience series on October 1. The film explores the little-known story of the second-highest office in the land, tracing its evolution from a constitutional afterthought to its current position of enormous political consequence. Focusing on the fraught period between 1963 and 1974, when a grief-stricken and then scandal-plagued America was forced to clarify the role of the vice president, the film examines the passage and first uses of the 25th Amendment and offers a fresh and surprising perspective on succession in the executive branch. Michelle Ferrari (Director/Writer/Producer) has been creating innovative, critically acclaimed documentary narratives for more than two decades. Her work as a screenwriter and story editor has been seen on PBS, HBO, and at film festivals nationwide, and has garnered honors from the Writers Guild of America, the Western Writers Association, the Organization of American Historians, the Sundance Film Festival, and the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. The writer of numerous AMERICAN EXPERIENCE films –– among them The Perfect Crime, Silicon Valley, Roads to Memphis, and Kit Carson –– Ferrari is perhaps best known for the highly rated Seabiscuit, which earned her a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing. Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey. About the host: www.writevoicecreative.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/ Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead
A few weeks the NewYork Times published an article, written by Emily Labor-Warren, that examined the practice of conducting something called a life review. It was in the article that host Michael Azevedo learned about the life and work of Jodi Wellman, his guest on this episode of Making Media Now. The Times’ article begins by laying out a bit of Jodi’s story: Jodi Wellman was devastated when her mother died of a heart attack at age 58. Cleaning out her apartment made her feel even worse. Drawers and closets overflowed with abandoned projects: unpublished manuscripts and business cards for ventures that had never gotten started. At the time, Jodi was in her early 30s, living in Chicago and working her way up the corporate rungs at a fitness club chain. But, over the course of five years, that work began to feel empty.
Determined not to stagnate like her mother, Jodi quit her job to become an executive coach, eventually entering a master’s degree program in positive psychology. There, she developed a strategy for living fully: Think about death, a lot.
Now also a speaker and the author of “You Only Die Once,” Jodi believes that focusing on how short life is makes you less likely to squander it.
To help her clients figure out how to spend their limited time, she asks them dozens of questions, organized by life phase — things like what activities made them happiest as a child, and what they would change about their 40s and 50s.
Her approach is a twist on the practice of conducting a “life review,” where people systematically reflect on their past, through conversations or in writing, to identify character strengths and develop self-awareness and acceptance.
In addition to being a speaker, coach, and author, Jodi is the force behind the website Four Thousand Mondays which helps visitors vividly calculate approximately how many Mondays they have left and use that information as a catalyst to live life on purpose, inspired and totally alive.
Jodi joined Michael from her home in Palm Springs, CA.
Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey. About the host: www.writevoicecreative.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/ Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead
If you’re a college football fan here’s something you already know: the 2024 NCAA College Football season kicked off this past weekend! The college football season goes from now until the end of the regular season on Dec. 14, with the national championship game slated to be played in late January. And Michael Azevedo's guest on this episode of Making Media Now is 6-time Emmy winning live sports producer and director Jerry Weinstein (aka Dubber or JDub), the president and CEO of JDUB Productions, will be deploying a small army of TV production crews throughout the land to cover every acrobatic catch, crushing sack, and hard-fought touchdown! JDUB Productions has been packaging—and we discuss fully what exactly packaging entails—since 1998 for clients such as ESPN, CBS, ABC, and Fox Sports. They currently produce more than 180 live events annually. In addition to heading up all those broadcasting efforts, Dubber is also the Director for the NBA's LA Lakers. Dubber spoke to meet from his home in Manhattan Beach, CA. We discussed a whole range of live sports production issues and even managed to sneak a discussion of the upcoming NFL season. Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey. About the host: www.writevoicecreative.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/ Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead
On this episode, host Michael Azevedo is joined by filmmaker Stebs Schinnerer to discuss his career as a director, cinematographer, and editor as well as his work as one of the founding members of a group called Crews for a Cause. Crews for a Cause is a 100% volunteer run nonprofit production group made up of production assistants, producers, makeup artists, directors, cinematographers and everyone in between. The organization specializes in creating short form video content for great causes in need of telling their story. Their goal is to support and bring together passionate and empowered entertainment professionals to produce, film & edit videos benefiting good causes and people in need—at little or no cost to them. You can learn more about Crews for a Cause at crewsforacause.org Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey. About the host: www.writevoicecreative.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/ Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead
On this episode, host Michael Azevedo is joined by the makers of a new three-part documentary series called “Sea Change: The Gulf of Maine” which premiered on US Public Television stations in late July. Joining Michael are co-director Chun-Wei Yi and series producer Brian Skerry.
“Sea Change” explores a body of water that is warming 97 percent faster than the global ocean, and what that means for the Gulf of Maine – for the animals, for the jobs dependent upon it and the millions of people along its shores – and may serve as a preview of what could happen worldwide due to climate change.
“Sea Change” blends science, exploration, stunning natural history and stories of human experience to illuminate how what happens here could have profound global implications.
Viewers will encounter the spectacular wilderness and wildlife that still teems in these waters.
The series also documents the range of people including scientists, Native Americans, fishers and entrepreneurs working to reveal the Gulf’s complex history and helping to understand what role the ocean plays in all of our lives.
All 3 episodes are available via the PBS App and via NOVA on YouTube.
Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey.
Joining host Michael Azevedo on this episode are documentary filmmakers Tom Casciato and Kathleen Hughes. Tom and Kathleen join Michael to discuss their latest film for PBS’s Frontline series called "Two American Families, 1991-2024." The film follows two Milwaukee families, one black, one white, over the last thirty-odd years.
Two American Families 1991-2024 premiered on Frontline on July 23 but is still available for streaming via the Frontline website, the PBS App and on YouTube, where at the time of this recording, it has received more than 360k views. Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey.
Joining host Michael Azevedo on this episode are Sarah T. Schwab and Brian Long, the co-founders of Cardinal Flix, an independent film production company, seeking to change the film industry for the better by creating authentic & personal narrative films, while also maintaining a determined commitment to social responsibility in the filmmaking industry. Cardinal Flix produces films in a variety of genres, ranging from family dramas to psychological thrillers and tell stories about love, fear, sexuality and death. Their most recent film, “A Stage of Twilight” was written and directed by Sarah Schwab and stars Karen Allen ("Raiders of the Lost Ark," "Animal House," “Indiana Jones and “The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull,” “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny”) and William Sadler (“Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey,” “The Comey Rule,” “The Shawshank Redemption,” Iron Man 3,” “Die Hard 2”). Sarah and Brian are currently in post production on a psychological thriller called "Crybaby Bridge," which Sarah co-wrote and directed. The film stars two-time Emmy-nominated actress Sydney Mikayla and Erik King from the long-running Showtime series Dexter. Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey. About the host: www.writevoicecreative.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/ Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead
Joining host Michael Azevedo on this episode is filmmaker Rob Apse. Rob was on the podcast way back in 2021 to talk about his beautifully made documentary The Last Lightkeepers, which chronicles the preservation of New England lighthouses and profiles some of those who have taken on the responsibility of caring for and occupying them. You can still check out that documentary on Amazon Prime. Rob and Michael discuss a new venture that he launched earlier this year: a substack newsletter called "The Freelancers." Rob launched the substack with the goal of profiling and interviewing creatives of all sorts and helping fellow creative freelancers connect and learn through shared stories and experiences. Since its inception earlier this year, The Freelancers has featured stories about animators, voice-over artists, and cinematographers and offered practical and useful advice for those embarking on the freelancing route. You can check it out at the freelancers.substack.com. Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey. About the host: www.writevoicecreative.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/ Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead
On this episode, host Michael Azevedo is joined by Bill Lichtenstein and Brooke Lewitas, the team behind a documentary-in-process called "Broken," a film which intends to identify and expose the underlying systemic problems in the child welfare system, nationally, and more specifically in the state of MA.
"Broken" follows Brooke as she investigates and exposes the fatally-flawed child protection, foster care and family court systems in Massachusetts – where despite a $1.3 billion annual budget, hundreds of children have died in the care of the state child welfare system in recent years.
Bill Lichtenstein previously worked for ABC News producing investigative reports for “20/20,” “World News Tonight” and “Nightline,” and has written extensively for the Huffington Post, Nation, New York Times, New York Daily News, Village Voice, and the Boston Globe on child welfare, health and media issues. Bill's latest film, "WBCN and The American Revolution" and companion book on MIT Press/Penguin Random House, tells the untold story of the early days of the legendary Boston radio station to examine how media can create social change. Both the film, which aired on PBS, and the book received multiple award. Reporter Brooke Lewitas is a recent graduate of Boston University School of Journalism. Brooke’s master’s thesis involved identifying, interviewing, and forming journalistic relationships with families affected by the Massachusetts child welfare system, as well as experts in the field. Her thesis paper forms the approach and scope of the film. Brooke has worked in university, local, and national newsrooms, including a stint as a reporter and columnist for the Virginia-based Fairfax Times, and as the editor-in-chief of the Boston University News Service. Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey. About the host: www.writevoicecreative.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/ Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead
Host Michael Azevedo welcomes back journalist Susan Zalkind. Susan joined us back in late 2022 to talk about the Hulu documentary series, "Murders Before the Marathon," which she created, wrote, and co-produced. The springboard for that documentary series was actually a book proposal about a triple murder that took place in Waltham mass on 9/11/11 and that horrific crime’s eventual connection to the Boston Marathon bombing in April 2013. Susan has spent more than a decade investigating the September 2011 murder of Brendan Mess, Raphael Teken, and her friend Erik Weissman in Waltham, Massachusetts and the connection between the officially still-open homicide case and the Boston Marathon bombing.
Her book The Waltham Murders: One Woman’s Pursuit to Expose the Truth Behind a Murder and a National Tragedy was published in March 2024.
Library Journal hailed the book as “a definitive resource” in a starred review. Publishers Weekly called the book “gripping” and predicted that “readers will be captivated.”
A true-crime memoir and the culmination of more than ten years of reporting, The Waltham Murders is an in-depth probe into a dark American underworld by a journalist coming to grips with both personal grief and the collective anguish of a nation in her tireless pursuit of the truth.
Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey. About the host: www.writevoicecreative.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead
Joining host Michael Azevedo on this episode are Sarah Perkins and Josh Sabey, the co-directors of "Public Enemies, Private Friends," a riveting documentary that tells the story of two murders, a secret meeting, and an impossible friendship.
On December 30, 1994, a man carrying a black duffel bag entered an abortion clinic in Brookline, Massachusetts. By the day’s end, two women were dead, a manhunt was underway, a traumatized community was in mourning, and leaders on both sides of a divide wondered what they could have done to prevent it. It was at that juncture that a six year clandestine dialogue between enemies began.
Set against the backdrop of the Salvi murders and the contentious court case that followed, "Public Enemies, Private Friends," follows six women—leaders on opposing sides of the abortion debate—who meet secretly and under threat of violence in an effort to replace dangerous and divisive stereotypes, strategies, and rhetoric with empathy, tolerance, and genuine friendship.
"Public Enemies, Private Friends" will be broadcast in the Boston area on PBS station, GBH on May 30. In early June, a more comprehensive version of the story will debut on Amazon Prime as a 6-part documentary series.
Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey. About the host: www.writevoicecreative.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead
Host Michael Azevedo is joined by Stephen Ujlaki, the director of "Bad Faith," a new documentary exploring the roots and the growing reach of Christian Nationalism. It’s a film that Ken Burns has called “a great and powerful and timely film," filled with the dread this moment engenders; the cynical misuse of religion to advance aims diametrically the opposite of Christianity’s mission. BAD FAITH endeavors to reveal how Christian Nationalist leaders have spread fear and anger for decades, distorting political issues into Biblical battles between good and evil. Financed through the secretive Council for National Policy, Christian Nationalists have succeeded in taking over the Republican Party, turning it into a powerful weapon to demolish democracy from within. The film traces the origins of this organized grasp for power and the grassroots coalition of secular and interfaith leaders bravely confronting the unholy forces threatening democracy. "Bad Faith" is now available to stream on demand. Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey. About the host: www.writevoicecreative.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead
Host Michael Azevedo speaks with Ido Mizrahy, the director of "Space: The Longest Goodbye," which will be broadcast on PBS on May 6 as part of the Independent Lens series. In 1994, with the building of the International Space Station under way, NASA formed a psychological unit. Now, NASA astronauts may soon embark on even longer trips into deep space. Long-distance relationships are hard enough on Earth. On a three-year, round trip trek to Mars, navigating the unparalleled separation from home could be one of the biggest challenges to a successful mission. Space: The Longest Goodbye, follows the journey of mentally preparing astronauts for such an unprecedented trip and reflects on the history of the NASA psychological unit. In addition to its May 6 PBS broadcast, the film is also currently available for streaming on demand. Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey. About the host: www.writevoicecreative.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead
Joining host Michael Azevedo on this episode is former Olympian and award-winning documentary filmmaker Mary Mazzio to talk about her latest film, "Bad River." "Bad River" chronicles the Wisconsin-based Bad River Band, which is a group within a tribe of native Americans, and their ongoing fight for sovereignty, which unfolds in a groundbreaking way through a series of shocking revelations, devastating losses, and a powerful legacy of defiance and resilience.
This inspiring project brings us through the epic sweep of history into the present, with a David and Goliath battle over a 70-year-old pipeline on the brink of rupture into Lake Superior, the largest freshwater resource in America.
"Bad River" is currently enjoying a successful limited theatrical run and is available for streaming for Xfinity customers and is also available via Vimeo.
Mary Mazzio’s credits include A Hero for Daisy, I Am Jane Doe, A Most Beautiful Thing, Ten9Eight, and Underwater Dreams.
Her work “explores the concept of overcoming obstacles, whether it is a fight for social change… or issues of poverty and lack of opportunity...and sheds light on ordinary people doing extraordinary things – defying expectations and challenging assumptions of who and what they can achieve. Mazzio’s powerful new documentary Bad River is no exception.
Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey. About the host: www.writevoicecreative.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/ Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead
Host Michael Azevedo speaks with Amanda McBaine and Jesse Moss, the co-producers and directors of “Girls State,” a revealing and inspiring documentary follow up to their award-winning 2020 film "Boys State."
"Girls State" poses the question: What would American democracy look like in the hands of teenage girls? A political coming-of-age story and a stirring re-imagination of what it means to govern, “Girls State" follows young female leaders — from wildly different backgrounds across Missouri — as they navigate an immersive experiment to build a government from the ground up, form a Supreme Court, and debate the divisive issues of the day.
Jesse Moss and Amanda McBaine have collaborated on several high profile film projects in addition to "Girls State" and "Boys State," including "The Mission," "The Overnighters," "Mayor Pete" and "The Bandit," among others. And they just so happen to be husband and wife.
"Girls State" is currently available on Apple TV+. Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey. About the host: www.writevoicecreative.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/ Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead
Joining host Michael Azevedo on this episode is Charlie Sadoff, the director of a documentary called "Against All Enemies," which explores the critical role of military veterans in domestic violent extremist groups. Through gripping personal perspectives from all sides of this ongoing crisis, "Against All Enemies" goes deep inside the violent extremist movement in America, alongside the Proud Boys, 3 Percenters, and with never-before-seen footage of the Oath Keepers. These groups, organized and led by highly trained military veterans, pose one of the greatest threats to the United States today. The film explores the historical roots of the insurrectionist cause, its conspiracy-fueled draw for today’s veterans, and the ways that coming powerful politicians, like Donald Trump, and highly decorated former military officers, like former general Michael Flynn employ disinformation to manipulate these former vets. Charlie Sadoff is a producer, director and editor. Documentaries he has produced include The Mind of Mark Defriest which aired on Showtime, Dream Riders for Discovery, and the 10-part series The Rites of Autumn for ESPN.
Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey.
About the host: www.writevoicecreative.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/ Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead
Making Media Now host Michael Azevedo speaks with documentary filmmakers Anna Moot-Levin and Laura Green about the second in their 3-film Matter of Mind series. Their first film looked at ALS, or Lou Gehrig’s disease.
Their latest film, which debuts on PBS’s Independent Lens on April 8, tell the story of Three people—a political cartoonist, a mother turned boxing coach, and an optician—as they navigate their lives with resourcefulness and determination in the face of a different degenerative illness, Parkinson’s disease.
Anna Moot-Levin is an award-winning documentary filmmaker, producer, and editor with a passion for stories about health and healthcare. Her debut documentary, The Providers, aired on PBS’s Independent Lens in 2019. She is also an associate producer of the Academy Award-winning documentary Inside Job (2010). She is based in Brooklyn. Laura Green is an award-winning documentary director and editor based in San Francisco. She collaborated with Anna on The Providers and is an assistant professor at San Francisco State University. Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey. About the host: www.writevoicecreative.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/ Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead
On this episode, host Michael Azevedo chats with Noam Osband & Sebastián Díaz, the co-directors and co-producers of a documentary called "A Thousand Pines."
Wood and wood products are the biggest natural resources used and produced in America. Every year, hundreds of crews travel the country to plant pine trees. A considerable amount of those crews are made up of Latino workers, here on temporary visas. "A Thousand Pines" documents the stories of one of these Latino crews. The film, which will be broadcast on the PBS series Independent Lens on April 1, documents the lives of migrants who depend on the controversial guest worker visa program. The film follows a crew of workers from Mexico over the course of a season planting trees throughout the United States. The crew struggles to balance the job’s physical demands and its extreme isolation while remaining connected to their families back home. As the season progresses, they become a small family, cooking and caring for each other in order to endure the punishing work. The film centers on the crew foreman, Raymundo Morales, who is in his 19th season working for the largest reforestation company in the US. When he began, he was single and had few responsibilities. Now, however, he must balance his obligations to his wife, his children, and his elderly mother with a heart condition, while also tending to the needs and emergencies of the planting crew. Spending only three months at home during the off-season, Raymundo’s job is both the family’s salvation and its heartbreak. Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey. About the host: www.writevoicecreative.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/ Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead
Joining host Michael Azevedo on this episode are Amanda Pollak and Gene Tempest, the team behind another new American Experience documentary. This one premieres on PBS on March 26 and is called "The Cancer Detectives." "The Cancer Detectives" tells the story of how one of the most impactful, lifesaving tests for women was created and popularized by a Greek immigrant and his wife, a famous Japanese-American illustrator who was detained in a WW2 internment camp, and a groundbreaking Black female surgeon. This dramatic story of the fight against cervical cancer revolves around three main characters who worked relentlessly and overcame numerous setbacks in order to save the lives of thousands of women. The work of these three Life Savers slashed death rates of this previously unfightable cancer by more than 60 percent. Co-Director Amanda Pollak has been making highly acclaimed documentaries for public television for more than two decades. As a partner at Insignia Films, she began her tenure by producing the series Reporting America At War, and then moved on to create several American Experience films including The Sun Queen, Citizen Hearst, Las Vegas, Custer’s Last Stand, and The Great War among others. She recently produced Into the Grand Canyon, an environmental adventure story that premiered on National Geographic and is now streaming worldwide on Disney+. Co-Director Gene Tempest is an award-winning American filmmaker and historian. Her writing has appeared in The Boston Globe and The New York Times, and her screenwriting has been recognized by the Writers Guild of America. She has taught at SUNY Cortland and Boston University, and from 2016-2017 served as the first ever Historian in Residence for American Experience at GBH-Boston where she helped fund and develop new history programming for public television. Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey. About the host: www.writevoicecreative.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/ Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead
On this episode of Making Media Now, host Michael Azevedo speaks with documentary filmmaker Peter Yost, whose film, "Nazi Town, USA" uncovers the unsettling story of Nazi sympathizers on American soil.
The discussion navigates through America's history in the '20s and '30s - the polarized political climate, the dominant ideologies, and prominent American figures like Henry Ford and Charles Lindbergh, whose influence kindled such anti-Semitic movements. Around this era, the terrifyingly real German-American Bund fearlessly demonstrated a blend of American ideals with swastikas, exemplifying a racially divided America.
A dive into the profoundly extraordinary acts of the Bund includes running Nazi camps and parades in front of Jewish homes, casting a shadow over the interpretation of patriotism. This gripping exploration of an almost forgotten part of American history unveils its lasting influences and the issues our society continues to grapple with today.
Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey. About the host: www.writevoicecreative.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/ Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead
On this episode host Michael Azevedo navigates an insightful conversation on the creation of the Oscar-nominated documentary, "20 Days in Mariupol." The engrossing film, a co-production of PBS' Frontline and the Associated Press, unflinchingly captures the initial 20 days of Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine, seen through the eyes of Ukrainian filmmaker and AP video journalist, Mstyslav Chernov, who directed the film.
This episode features Raney Aronson-Rath, Frontline's executive producer, and Michelle Mizner, the film's editor and co-producer. They share the excruciating details behind the making of the film, which has been widely acclaimed for its courage and authenticity in showcasing the harsh realities of war. The film, later awarded the 2023 Pulitzer Prize for reporting, is currently available for streaming online across various platforms including the PBS app, Frontline's YouTube channel, and Amazon Prime.
Michelle Mizner's insights into her journey of transforming raw footage into a compelling narrative offer interesting takeaways. The conversation provides a glimpse into the process of creating a powerful documentary amidst chaos, highlighting ethical considerations, creative dilemmas, and an emotional toll that comes with dealing with heart-wrenching war footage.
Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey. About the host: www.writevoicecreative.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/ Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead
Mónica Guzmán is Senior Fellow for Public Practice at Braver Angels, a nonprofit working to depolarize America; host of A Braver Way, a podcast that equips people with the tools they need to bridge the political divide in their everyday lives; founder and CEO of Reclaim Curiosity, an organization working to build a more curious world; and author of "I Never Thought Of It That Way: How to Have Fearlessly Curious Conversations in Dangerously Divided Times."
Monica is the inaugural McGurn Fellow at the University of Florida, working with researchers at the UF College of Journalism and Communications and beyond to better understand ways to employ techniques described in her book to boost understanding. She was a 2019 fellow at the Henry M. Jackson Foundation, where she studied social and political division, and a 2016 fellow at the Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard University, where she studied how journalists can better meet the needs of a participatory public.
Her work has been featured in The New York Times, the Glenn Beck Podcast, Reader's Digest, BookTV, and EconTalk, and she is an advisor for Starts With Us and the Generations Over Dinner project.
Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey. About the host: www.writevoicecreative.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/ Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead
On this episode, host Michael Azevedo chats with Dr. Jennifer Mercieca, an award-winning historian of American political rhetoric. She is Professor in the Department of Communication and Journalism at Texas A&M University. Jennifer writes about American political discourse, especially as it relates to citizenship, democracy, and the presidency. Jennifer has published three books about political rhetoric: Founding Fictions, The Rhetoric of Heroic Expectations: Establishing the Obama Presidency, and Demagogue for President: The Rhetorical Genius of Donald Trump. She has written about rhetoric and politics for The Conversation, USA Today, the Washington Post, and many other major media outlets. She has been interviewed about rhetoric and politics by the BBC World News, NPR's All Things Considered, NPR's 1A, Diane Rehm, The New York Times, CNN, The Guardian, Vice News, Australia's ABC Radio, Slate, USA Today, and many other outlets throughout the United States and worldwide. Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey. About the host: www.writevoicecreative.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/ Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead
Joining host Michael Azevedo on this episode are Sean Claffey and Dave Peterson, the director and co-writer of a documentary called "Americonned". The film examines how the past few generations of workers in the US have experienced income inequality and how once-powerful unions have been crushed by big business and its government influence. Wages aren’t keeping up, yet productivity has skyrocketed, largely on the backs of the American middle class.
The rich are getting richer, the middle class is seeing the bottom drop out. Why? "Americonned" explores what seismic shifts in wealth mean for the future of members of the middle class as consumers and citizens. The documentary is available to stream on Amazon Prime and on YouTube.
Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey. About the host: www.writevoicecreative.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/ Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead
Joining host Michael Azevedo on this episode is MovieMaker magazine editor-in-chief Tim Molloy. MovieMaker is a magazine, website and podcast network focused on the art and business of filmmaking, with a special emphasis on independent film. The publication, in all its forms, offers profiles, advice, insider tips, and product reviews that readers can use to make informed decisions about what they watch..and create! The magazine has featured pretty much every prominent moviemaker you can think of on its cover. Its print edition is published quarterly, while its digital home, MovieMaker.com is continually updating its features and late-breaking content.
Tim and Michael discussed this year’s Oscar nominations, revisited the Barbie and Oppenheimer phenomenons, pondered what constitutes cinematic television and Tim laid out how MovieMaker magazine distinguishes itself among other publications covering the entertainment industry.
Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey. About the host: www.writevoicecreative.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/ Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead
Documentary filmmaker and engineer Arthur Musah joins host Michael Azevedo on this episode. Arthur is director of "Brief Tender Light," which will be broadcast as part of the POV series on PBS on January 15. Check your local listings for times. "Brief Tender Light" follows the lives of five African-born MIT students, including the director himself, who were driven to study in the U.S. and create change at home. Even as their dreams are anchored in the societies they left, their daily realities are defined by America. Each must refine their ideas about the world and about themselves, and ultimately, how to transform youthful ideals into action as adults. Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey. About the host: www.writevoicecreative.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/ Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead
For the first episode of 2024, host Michael Azevedo is joined by filmmaker Michael Maglaras to talk about his latest film “Ralph Waldo Emerson: Give All to Love,” An impassioned and endearing documentary about one of America’s greatest thinkers. 2023 marked the 220th anniversary of Emerson’s birth, and Maglaras' film will introduce him to an entirely new audience.” Trained as an opera singer in the United States and Europe, Michael Maglaras has performed widely as a singer and opera director. He also has founded a well-respected international business-consulting firm headquartered in Stamford, Conn., one of several businesses he has formed. He has directed and acted in two films, produced three albums of rock and alternative jazz, lectured in art museums across the country. In 2003, he and his wife, Terri Templeton, formed 217 Films with the mission to celebrate the unique character of our nation’s cultural heritage. Their “essays in film” explore the impact of American art and cultural life and its unique place on the world stage. Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey. About the host: www.writevoicecreative.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/ Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead
Host Michael Azevedo is joined on this episode by video producer and content strategist Fei Wu. Fei is the very embodiment of a modern media maker! She was a podcasting pioneer, launching her Feisworld podcast in 2014, which has gone on the have well over 200k downloads. Shortly thereafter she established herself on YouTube with a monetized channel that has nearly 25k subscribers and more than 100k views per month. In 2019, she produced and hosted a 10 episode documentary series, available on Prime video, called Feisworld: an intimate look into the lives of a diverse group of business leaders and creative professionals. Having come to America from China as a teenager, Fei has carved out a life as a successful entrepreneur and mentor. Most recently, Fay has been putting to use her skills and experiences to help inform and guide other media creators in the area of AI integration. Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey. About the host: www.writevoicecreative.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/ Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead
Host Michael Azevedo is joined by director Denny Tedesco to talk about his enthralling music documentary "Immediate Family," which is a follow-up to his acclaimed 2008 documentary “The Wrecking Crew.”
That earlier film followed the first wave of studio musicians in the 1960s, including Denny’s father, guitar virtuoso Tommy Tedesco. “Immediate Family” takes up the story where “The Wrecking Crew” ended, taking a deep dive through some of the most famous and influential session musicians from the 1970s.
To that end, the new documentary includes commentary from the likes of Carole King, James Taylor, Linda Ronstadt, David Crosby, Jackson Browne, Lyle Lovett, Keith Richards, Don Henley, Stevie Nicks, and Phil Collins.
In addition to talking to those music legends, “Immediate Family” tracks the rise and collaborations of session musicians Danny Kortchmar, Leland Sklar, Russ Kunkel, and Waddy Wachtel as they help craft some of the decade’s most enduring hits.
Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey. About the host: www.writevoicecreative.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/ Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead
Joining host Michael Azevedo on this episode is Oscar-nominated director Elaine McMillion Sheldon. Elaine joins Michael to discuss her very personal--and mesmerizing--documentary "King Coal." A lyrical tapestry of a place and people, "King Coal" meditates on the complex history and future of the coal industry, the communities it has shaped, and the myths it has created. Director Elaine McMillion Sheldon reshapes the boundaries of documentary filmmaking in a spectacularly beautiful and deeply moving immersion into Central Appalachia where coal is not just a resource, but a way of life. Elaine McMillion Sheldon (Director / Producer / Co-Editor) is an Academy Award-nominated, and Emmy and Peabody Award-winning filmmaker. Sheldon is the director of two Netflix Original Documentaries - HEROIN(E) and RECOVERY BOYS- that explore America's opioid crisis. She has been named a Creative Capital Awardee, Guggenheim Fellow, a USA Fellow by United States Artists, and one of the "25 New Faces of Independent Film,” by Filmmaker Magazine. KING COAL, premiered at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival and is currently enjoying a successful theatrical run. The film will be available for VOD and streaming in early 2024. Elaine McMillion Sheldon was raised in West Virginia and lives in Knoxville, Tennessee. Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey. About the host: www.writevoicecreative.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/ Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead
Filmmaker and social activist Owen Dubeck joins host Michael Azevedo to discuss an organization called Farmlink and his documentary about Farmlink’s origins and mission. During the largest food crisis in a century, a group of college students stepped up to help those facing hunger. Their small local effort, called Farmlink, inspired hope nationally and motivated 600+ students to drop everything to help feed millions of families. Within months, the project scaled larger than anyone could have imagined and the students found themselves on the front lines of fighting hunger and ending food waste on a national level. In addition to being a founding member of Farmlink, Owen Dubeck is also a documentary film director, specializing in telling stories that catalyze lasting social change. His films follow character-driven storylines and often amplify the messages of young people leading disruptive movements. His short documentary about Farmlink is called "Abundance." You can now view Abundance on the Farmlink website at Farmlinkproject.org and on YouTube. Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey. About the host: www.writevoicecreative.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/ Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead
Host Michael Azevedo is joined by director Beth Murphy to discuss the documentary film and podcast "Our Turn to Talk," which will kick off the 11th annual Boston International Kids Film Festival on November 10.
The "Our Turn to Talk" multi-media initiative focuses on teenagers who say they’re the generation to put an end to mental health stigma. To do it, they’re telling their own stories – raw and unfiltered. From skyrocketing rates of anxiety and depression to the impacts of racial and intergenerational trauma, these teens share their struggles and triumphs and carry a powerful message: Storytelling saves lives.
A little later in the episode, Michael chats with Laura Azevedo, the director of the BIKFF--and his sister--about what attendees can expect to see and experience at this year’s festival.
Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey. About the host: www.writevoicecreative.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/ Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead
On this episode, host Michael Azevedo welcomes back filmmaker Paula Apsell to discuss her new documentary, "Resistance: They Fought Back". Paula’s film is a vivid refutation of the inaccurate idea that during the Holocaust, the Jews of Europe meekly submitted to Nazi atrocities, like so-called lambs to the slaughter. Told by survivors, their children, and scholars from the U.S. Israel, and Europe, the film reveals how the Jews fought back, uncovering evidence of non-violent methods which served as crucial tools of resistance and evolved into Jewish armed revolts in ghettos, forests and death camps. Today, almost eighty years after the Holocaust, this story remains largely unknown to the general public. Without it, Paula believes, our understanding of this genocide, which wiped out two-thirds of European Jewry, remains incomplete, giving rise to renewed antisemitism, hatred, and denial of the Holocaust itself. Paula Apsell spent 35 years as the Senior Executive Producer of the PBS NOVA science series responsible for more than 650 documentaries about the sciences, technology, engineering, mathematics and medicine and which won every major broadcasting award including the Emmy; the Peabody; and an Academy Award nomination for Special Effects. She has been recognized with numerous individual awards including the 2018 Lifetime Achievement Emmy of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Currently she is CEO of Leading Edge Productions. Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey. About the host: www.writevoicecreative.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/ Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead
Joining host Michael Azevedo on this episode is documentary filmmaker Sonia Kennebeck to discuss her latest film, "Reality Winner", a documentary that presents the incredible true story of Reality Winner in her own words. Filmed over five years, this is the only documentary about the young NSA whistleblower who exposed Russian interference in U.S. elections - and went to jail for it. With exclusive access to Reality Winner and the media outlet involved in her arrest, this film also reveals FBI evidence never before released. Pointedly, the film poses the question: Would you risk your freedom to protect democracy? Sonia Kennebeck is an independent documentary filmmaker and investigative journalist with more than 15 years of directing and producing experience. She has directed eight television documentaries and more than 50 investigative reports. Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey. About the host: www.writevoicecreative.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/ Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead
On this episode, host Michael Azevedo continues a short series of conversations with documentary filmmakers whose films will be featured at the New Hampshire Film Festival, which takes places in Portsmouth NH from 10/12-15. Both of films discussed on this episode explore life for women in worlds usually dominated by men. First up is a chat with Olivia Kuan, the director of a documentary called "The Herricanes," which tells the story of the Houston Herricanes, one of the teams that, in the 1970s, made up the first-ever women's full tackle football league known as the National Women's Football League. And it just so happens that Olivia’s mother played safety on the Herricanes for four seasons! Later in the episode, Michael speaks with director Maggie Contreras, whose documentary, "Maestra," follows five internationally-based women as they prepare for and perform in La Maestra, the only competition in the world for female orchestra conductors. Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey. About the host: www.writevoicecreative.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/ Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead
With this episode we begin a short series of conversations with documentary filmmakers whose work will be featured at the upcoming New Hampshire Film Festival, which will take place in Portsmouth, NH from October 12-15. For more info about the festival, including its line-up of films, visit NHfilmfestival.com. First up, host Michael Azevedo chats with Pete Davis, the co-director of a documentary called "Join or Die" which depicts the half-century story of America's civic unraveling through the journey of legendary social scientist Robert Putnam, whose groundbreaking "Bowling Alone" research into America's decades-long decline in community connections could hold the answers to our democracy's present crisis. Pete Davis, who along with Rebecca Davis, co-directed the film, is also a writer and civic advocate. And, he just so happens to be a former student of Robert Putnam’s. He is the author of “Dedicated: The Case for Commitment in An Age of Infinite Browsing.” And he's the co-founder of the Democracy Policy Network, a organization focused on raising up ideas that deepen democracy. Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey. About the host: www.writevoicecreative.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/ Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead
On this episode host Michael Azevedo is joined by Jonathan Decker and Alan Seawright, the creators of a hugely successful and highly entertaining and insightful YouTube series called Cinema Therapy. Founded in 2020 by its hosts: Jonathan, a marriage and family therapist, and Alan, a filmmaker, the channel has built a following in part by holding faux therapy sessions for heroes, villains and onscreen couples, treating movie plots and characters as case studies for mental health topics. Some typical titles: "7 Movie Marriages That Are Actually Healthy," “Psychology of a Hero: ‘Hulk’ and Anger Management,” and “Movie Couple Therapy: ‘Shrek.’” The hosts and their team shoot the videos in the basement of Seawright’s Utah home. By YouTube’s count, many episodes have been viewed more than a million times each. Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey. About the host: www.writevoicecreative.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/ Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead
Joining host Michael Azevedo on this episode is Dominic López, the director and co-writer of the independent feature film "Little Jar." The movie was filmed in the height of the Covid pandemic with a five-person crew at a single location in just two weeks on a budget of what Dominic refers to as "hail-mary favors and pennies from locked-down pockets.” "Little Jar" debuted at the Austin Film Festival in 2022 and won over audiences and critics alike. The film has since gone on to have a successful festival run--including winning big at the Paris Film Festival--before finding its home at Good Deed Entertainment to be released for VOD streaming on September 12th.
Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey. About the host: www.writevoicecreative.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/ Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead
On this episode, host Michael Azevedo is joined by two guests to discuss a new film called "Canary," a documentary about a climate scientist who has been referred to as “the closest living thing to Indiana Jones.” Danny O’Malley, a producer on the Netflix series “Chef’s Table,” directed the film along with MIT-trained Neuroscientist Alex Rivest, PhD. It’s set to open in limited release on Sept. 15 followed by a one-night-only special nationwide screening on Sept. 20. The subject of the film is Dr. Lonnie Thompson, an explorer “who went where no scientist had gone before and transformed our idea of what is possible.” Daring to seek Earth’s history contained in glaciers atop the tallest mountains in the world, Lonnie found himself on the frontlines of climate change—his life’s work evolving into a salvage mission to recover these priceless historical records before they disappear forever. Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey. About the host: www.writevoicecreative.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/ Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead
Joining host Michael Azevedo on this episode is Brian Raftery, the writer and host of a fascinating narrative podcast on the Ringer podcast network called ‘Do We Get to Win This Time?’ an 8 episode podcast series that examines how Vietnam movies have shaped the way we think about the Vietnam War.
‘The Deer Hunter.’ ‘Apocalypse Now.’ ‘First Blood.’ ‘Platoon.’ They’re among the hit films dealing with the Vietnam War—a conflict that divided moviegoers and inspired filmmakers. For decades, Hollywood released countless films about the war and its fallout—from action flicks to combat tales to sweeping dramas. Through exclusive new interviews, ‘Do We Get to Win This Time?’ chronicles the making of Hollywood’s most ambitious and controversial Vietnam movies. Along the way, we also learn how these films reflected and shaped moviegoers’ feelings toward the war—and toward each other. Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey. About the host: www.writevoicecreative.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/ Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead
Joining host Michael Azevedo on this episode of Making Media Now is feature-film director & producer Chaysen Beacham to talk about his film "Polara." "Polara" tells the story of TJ, who on this 18th birthday, receives a key from a father he’d last seen as he was hauled off to prison 8 years previously. With the key is the address for a proposed meeting - 3000 miles away and in two weeks. The key unlocks a timeworn 1968 Polaaara convertible, with a coffin welded to its floor. With each decision that follows, TJ plunges deeper into the mysterious and beautiful landscapes we all navigate – on our own, with our tribe, through the shifting turns of the road ahead. Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey.
About the host: www.writevoicecreative.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/
Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead
Joining host Michael Azevedo on this episode is writer, producer and director Christine Yoo. Christine joins Michael to talk about her documentary "26.2 to Life," which brings viewers to San Quentin State Prison to watch prisoners train for a marathon that’s run inside the prison walls.
The film has been enthusiastically received at numerous film festivals across the country, winning the Audience Award at the Santa Barbara Int'l Film Festival and the Seattle Int'l Film Festival.
It will be featured at the Woods Hole Film Festival, held in Falmouth, MA, from July 29 to August 13. Additionally, the film will be opening in theaters in LA NY SF and Seattle on 9/22, followed by a 48-hour nationwide virtual premiere at Sept 29-Oct 1. Ticket information here.
In addition to directing "26.2 to Life," Christine is the Co-Executive Producer of "The Winning Spirit," from Executive Producer Michael Strahan and The Story Lab, a 6-part docu-series that follows the Ka-Who-Ku High School football team on the North Shore of Oahu through their 2021 championship season. She has produced non-fiction series on National Geographic, The History Channel, and Oxygen.
Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey.
About the host: www.writevoicecreative.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/ Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead
On this episode host Michael Azevedo welcomes back Boston Globe film critic Odie Henderson to talk about labor unrest among Hollywood writers and actors. Both the Writers Guild and SAG-AFTRA (the actors union) are officially on strike. The writers began walking the picket line in early May and the 160,000 SAG-AFTRA members voted to go on strike on July 13. Both guilds are very concerned about how they’re being compensated for streaming content and about how the use of Artificial Intelligence in movie making will impact their livelihoods. Odie also shares with us his fave movies so far of 2023 and we chat about two big releases that open this week: Barbie and Oppenheimer. Or, as Odie refers to them BarbieHeimer!
Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey.
About the host: www.writevoicecreative.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/ Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead
Joining host Michael Azevedo on this episode by Anne Zeiser. Anne is a critically acclaimed social impact producer and media strategist.
Her background as a broadcast journalist, marketing executive, and social advocate uniquely positions her as the architect of successful media-driven productions and social impact campaigns. She has stewarded iconic documentary, drama, lifestyle and children’s series and specials for PBS. She’s also produced news for CBS, managed consumer brands for national marketing firms, and has served in government and on political campaigns.
Integrating all of these perspectives, Anne founded Azure Media, which develops high profile projects for broadcast and digital platforms that fuel social impact in communities, schools, and capitols.
Most recently, Anne served as EP for "Muraling Austin," a 3-part documentary series that explores the art and artists behind the vibrant public murals found in Austin TX.
Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey.
About the host: www.writevoicecreative.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/ Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead
Joining Michael Azevedo on this episode is writer and journalist Tom Roston, whose latest article for IndieWire examines the unspoken traumas of the filmmaking community. In the article, Tom provides a comprehensive look at how documentary filmmakers are speaking out about the toll the filmmaking process—especially when covering particularly traumatic subjects-can take on their mental.
Tom Roston has been writing about film, culture, and ideas for more than 2 decades. In addition to IndieWire, his byline has appeared in The Nation, Vanity Fair, Salon, Fast Company, and the NYT.
Tom is also the author of several non-fiction books including his most recent, 2021’s The Writer’s Crusade: Kurt Vonnegut & The Many Lives of Slaughterhouse Five.
Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey.
About the host: www.writevoicecreative.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/ Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead
On this episode we explore the world of ghostwriting! If you were to scan the top 50 or so best-sellers on the non-fiction list, you’d likely find that memoirs & autobiographies make up a fair portion of that list. And here’s one of publishings inside secrets—many, if not most, of those books were actually written by someone whose name appears no where on the cover. Welcome to the life of a ghostwriter! Joining Michael Azevedo on this episode of Making Media Now is Sherry Granader, a successful and sought-after ghostwriter with more than twenty years experience in ghostwriting and publishing. Sherry has ghostwritten and edited over 150 books including 5 that made Amazons best seller list. Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey. About the host: www.writevoicecreative.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead
Michael Azevedo's guests on this episode—Eamon Little, Joan Pratt, and Christopher Lydon—are part of the team behind a documentary-in-progress call "Born That Way," for which Filmmakers Collaborative is the fiscal sponsor.
"Born That Way" documents the final year in the life of Patrick Lydon, in which he looks back on a fascinating life, lays the ground for posthumous, ‘green-shoot’ projects and prepares for death. Director Eamon Little promises that the film will be an unflinching journey to the end of an exemplary life, probing ‘otherness’ in our society and asking searching questions about the future we want to create.
Joining Eamon to talk about the life and work of Patrick Lydon are, Joan Pratt, his friend from his days at Exeter Academy in New Hampshire and Patrick’s brother, Christopher Lydon, who covered politics for The New York Times from its Washington bureau in the 1970s, hosted The Ten O’Clock News on WGBH TV in Boston through the 1980s, and co-founded and hosted The Connection on WBUR in the ’90s, and is currently the host of Open Source, the world’s longest running podcast, having been established in 2003.
For more information about the "Born That Way" film project, please check out its page in the projects section of the Filmmakers Collaborative website at www.filmmakerscoll.org.
Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey.
On this episode of Making Media Now, host Michael Azevedo is joined by writer, filmmaker and professor Michele Meek.
Michele recently published the book, Consent Culture and Teen Films , and she has published several other books including Independent Female Filmmakers (2019) and The Mastermind Failure Club(2020). She presented a TEDx talk “Why we’re confused about consent—rewriting our stories of seduction” and has written for Ms. Magazine, Script Magazine, Entrepreneur, The Good Men Project, Salon.com, among others.
Michele has also directed numerous award-winning short films, including Imagine Kolle 37 (2017) and Red Sneakers (2008), and she worked as associate producer on the documentary feature Salvage (2019), which premiered at SXSW Film Festival. She has several creative projects in the works—including a short film Bay Creek Tennis Camp, a feature screenplay Cruisin‘ and a documentary The Impermanence of Everything.
She is a tenure-track Assistant Professor in the Communication Studies department at Bridgewater State University, where she teaches filmmaking, screenwriting, film studies, digital media, gender studies, and life design.
This episode is the second of two conversations where host Michael Azevedo speaks with the visionaries behind the venerable science documentary series NOVA. Michael's first conversation was with NOVA series creator Michael Ambrosino and on this episode Michael speaks with Paula Apsell, who served as NOVA executive producer for 33 years, retiring in 2019 when she was named Senior Executive Producer Emerita. Paula Apsell began her broadcasting career right out of college at Boston's WGBH public television station when she was hired to type and distribute the stations daily program logs. Within a year she was hired at WGBH radio where she developed the award-winning children's series "The Spiders Web.” In 1975, Apsell switched over to WGBH-TV as a production assistant for NOVA's second season. One of Apsell's first productions was NOVA "Death of a Disease" which was the first long-form documentary on the eradication of smallpox. In the late 1970s Apsell was producing documentaries on artificial intelligence and genetic engineering; topics that rarely existed in the mainstream prior to the 21st century. Apsell was asked to take over the top post at NOVA in 1985 where she remained for the three-and-a-half decades. Among her most notable NOVA films are "The Miracle of Life" sequel "Life's Greatest Miracle," "The Fabric of the Cosmos" with Brian Greene, and "Making North America" with Dr. Kirk Johnson. Other of Apsell's acclaimed productions are the large-screen IMAX films "Shackleton's Antarctic Adventure" and "Special Effects" which was nominated for an Academy Award®. In addition to overseeing the NOVA franchise, Apsell taught science communication at the University of California Santa Barbara. In October 2018, Paula Apsell received the Lifetime Achievement Emmy Award from the National Association of Television Arts and Sciences. She was the first science journalist to receive this award. Following her departure from NOVA, Apsell became CEO of Leading Edge Productions and started producing The Resistance Project, a documentary about Jewish resistance to the Holocaust. Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey. About the host: www.writevoicecreative.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead
This episode is the first of two conversations paying tribute to the legendary science series NOVA, the longest running documentary series on television. As NOVA approaches its 50th season on PBS, host Michael Azevedo spoke with Michael Ambrosino, the series creator, and with Paula Apsell, who served as the series’ Executive Producer for more than 3 decades. First up is the conversation with Michael Ambrosino. In 1971 television producer Michael Ambrosino was in London taking part in a year-long fellowship program with the BBC and happened to see some episodes of a science-based British TV show. Ambrosino worked at Boston’s legendary public television station WGBH, and he’d been there since 1956 -just a year after it went on the air. In 1970 the station had become part of the brand-new, government-backed Public Broadcasting Service aka PBS, with new funding that allowed WGBH to begin thinking bigger. That’s why Ambrosino was in London: While there he observed the making of several episodes of Horizon, an educational science-based series that, to the surprise of BBC officials, was actually pretty popular with viewers. Ambrosino felt there was a disappointing lack of educational science programming in the U.S., and seeing the success of Horizon spurred him to do something about it. In May 1971, shortly before returning home to Boston, Ambrosino wrote a five-page letter to Michael Rice, then vice president of WGBH, outlining in detail a science show for PBS. His idea: to air a series of shows on a wide variety of science-based subjects. That letter has essentially remained the blueprint for NOVA ever since. On March 4, 1974, NOVA made its debut with the tagline “Science adventures for curious grownups.” Michael Ambrosino, now 92 years old, spoke to Making Media Now from his home in Florida. Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey.
On this episode, we delve into the oldest forms of so-called media known to man: storytelling and writing as host Michael Azevedo welcomes first-time guest and award-winning actor and audiobook narrator Eduardo Ballerini and welcomes back best-selling author Jane Healey.
Edoardo Ballerini is a two-time winner (and five time nominee) of the Best Male Narrator "Audie" Award from the Audio Publishers Association, the industry's highest prize.
In a 2020 profile, The New York Times called Edoardo “a master in his field… at the forefront of a new kind of celebrity.”
In 2019, Edoardo was named a “Golden Voice” by AudioFile Magazine, an honorific bestowed to only 40 narrators in the magazine’s 22 year history.
Jane Healey is the author of The Beantown Girls, a Washington Post and Amazon Charts bestseller, The Secret Stealers, which was an Amazon First Reads Editor’s Pick and a Historical Novel Society’s Editors’ Choice, and her debut, The Saturday Evening Girls Club.
Jane joined us to talk about Goodnight from Paris, her newly released novel from Lake Union Publishing. Jane is also the host of Historical Happy Hour, a monthly webinar and podcast featuring interviews with premier historical fiction authors and their latest novels.
Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey. About the host: www.writevoicecreative.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead
Joining host Michael Azevedo on this episode of Making Media Now is Donna Loughlin. Donna is the Founder of the public relations firm, LMGPR, and is known for her work with futurists and innovators. She has launched more than 500 companies taking them from stealth to market leaders since forming her agency in 2002.She is also the host of "Before It Happened," a leading narrative podcast featuring visionaries and the moments, events, and realizations that inspired them to change our lives for the better.
Donna and I talk about her roots in journalism and how knowing how to research thoroughly and ask questions intelligently played a huge role in creating a successful PR firm, we also discussed the difference between PR and advertising and what draws her to tell the stories of what she calls "acorns."
Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey. About the host: www.writevoicecreative.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead
Joining host Michael Azevedo on this episode is Sara Terry, director of a documentary called "A Decent Home," which addresses urgent issues of class and economic inequity through the lives of mobile home park residents who can’t afford housing anywhere else. The film asks, "Who are we becoming as Americans?" — as private equity firms and wealthy investors buy up parks, making sky-high returns on their investments while squeezing every last penny out of the mobile home owners who lack rights and protections under local and state laws, and must pay rent for the land they live on. "A Decent Home" will be broadcast starting 3/16/23 on PBS as part of the "America Reframed" series. Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey. About the host: www.writevoicecreative.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead
Host Michael Azevedo welcomes back director Josh Seftel. Josh and his team at Smarty Pants films have received an Oscar nomination in the category of best documentary short for their film "Stranger at the Gate," (for which Filmmakers Collaborative was the fiscal sponsor) a riveting story of redemption about Richard “Mac” McKinney, a former U.S. Marine, suffering from PTSD, who had fought in Afghanistan after 9/11.
Following his discharge from the military, McKinney returned home to Muncie, IN where he began to construct a plot to blow up the local mosque. "Stranger at the Gate" tells the remarkable story of what happened when McKinney set out to put his plan into motion.
Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey. About the host: www.mrazvo.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead
Joining host Michael Azevedo on this episode is Molly Beck the founder and CEO of Messy. fm, whose business software empowers organizations to create podcasts in minutes. Leaders and teams from top enterprise, government, and university sectors, plus thousands of small business owners and entrepreneurs, trust Messy.fm to power their podcasting content. Molly Beck was recently profiled by Forbes magazine and I reached out to her to ask if she’d share her thoughts with me on the current podcasting landscape and what she sees in podcasting’s immediate future. Molly is also the author of Reach Out (McGraw-Hill), a member of the National Small Business Association’s Leadership Council, and a 2022 Tory Burch Fellow. And as an added bonus to this episode, we check in with friend-of-the podcast and friend of FC, Roberto Mighty. Season two of Roberto’s public television series, "World’s Greatest Cemeteries" premieres on February 19. Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey. About the host: www.mrazvo.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead
Host Michael Azevedo is joined by director Sky Bergman to talk about her film, "Lives Well Lived." “Be endlessly engaged in whatever your passion is.” “Work a little less, spend a little less, enjoy life a little more.” “Sit loosely in the saddle of life as you go down the long trail.” These are among the many words of advice imparted by the 40 interview subjects in Sky Bergman’s documentary examining the lives of people ages 75 to 100.
Sky Bergman was inspired to make the film by her grandmother Evelyn, whom she started filming at age 99. Evelyn lived to be 103, long enough to see herself projected on the big screen at a film festival just three weeks before she passed away. Evelyn and the documentary’s 39 other subjects, represent some 3,000 years of collective life experience. Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey. About the host: www.mrazvo.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead
On this episode of Making Media Now, we are proud to introduce to the world a new filmmaking and multi-platform initiative for which Filmmakers Collaborative is the fiscal sponsor. The initiative is called Brainstorm The Film and host Michael Azevedo is joined by Bonnie Waltch and Sara Schley, the producing team behind this comprehensive and far-reaching project. Currently in the development phase, Brainstorm The Film is an unprecedented initiative that combines inspiring stories of people with lived experience of being on the bipolar spectrum, cutting-edge science, and breakthrough treatments in one coherent narrative. To learn more: https://brainstormthefilm.com/ On Wednesday, Feb 8, 2023—from 8 to 9pm ET—Filmmakers Collaborative will be hosting a FREE Zoom event featuring members of the producing team along with key advisors and participants. This event will serve as a wonderful opportunity to learn more about the goals of the film and its outreach efforts, while also giving attendees an opportunity to pose questions about the project and about life on the bipolar spectrum. And, as importantly, the event will serve an invitation to attendees contribute what they can to ensure the project’s success. For more information about the Feb 8 Zoom event, please visit: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/meet-the-team-brainstorm-the-film-tickets-523070968347?fbclid=IwAR1aa8PM7IXedyPXtaGUIM3fACezRAp0m6c3Zx8s5vp2_ry9xbTNpPCCBhs Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey. About the host: www.mrazvo.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead
Joining host Michael Azevedo on this episode is Lise Pearlman, producer of the 2023 Oscar short-listed documentary: American Justice on Trial: People v. Newton which tells the story of the death penalty case that put racism on trial in a U.S. courtroom in the fall of 1968. Huey P. Newton, Black Panther Party co-founder, was accused of killing a white policeman and wounding another after a pre-dawn car stop in Oakland. At his trial, Newton and his maverick defense team led by Charles Garry and his then rare female co-counsel Fay Stender, defended the Panthers as a response to 400 years of racism and accused the policemen of racial profiling, insisting Newton had only acted in self-defense. Their unprecedented challenges to structural racism in the jury selection process were revolutionary and risky. A retired judge, Lise Pearlman wrote three prize-winning books related to the documentary: The Sky’s The Limit: People v. Newton; the 2016 companion book for the film that incorporates the perspectives of key film interviewees, American Justice on Trial: People v. Newton; and a 2018 biography of Newton’s pioneering woman lawyer, Call Me Phaedra: The Life and Times of Movement Lawyer Fay Stender. LISA is also the President of Arc of Justice Productions, Inc., the nonprofit that initiated this film project. The final list of 2023 Oscar nominated documentaries will be announced on January 24. Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, FC supports creatives at every step in their journey. About the host: www.mrazvo.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead
A talented trio join host Michael Azevedo on this episode of Making Media Now.
Nick Hudson, the Executive Director of E2AC, and Chayne Gregg and Glenn Holsten, the producer and director of "Hell or High Seas," a powerful and personal documentary that tells the true story of life-long friends embarking on the adventure of a lifetime, as they brave the treacherous waters around Cape Horn, Chile. One of them is US Navy veteran who uses the expedition to share his own story, begin healing from his trauma and raise awareness about the millions of other veterans who need support returning to civilian life and battling PTSD.
Entertainment 2 Affect Change (E2AC) connects award-winning content creators, mission-based organizations, and passionate funders who want to share their impact through the power of story.
Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, FC supports creatives at every step in their journey. About the host: www.mrazvo.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead
On this episode we welcome back Dan Kennedy, long-time Boston area journalist and professor of journalism at Northeastern University. Dan’t blog, Media Nation, is a nationally recognized source of news and commentary. And he co-hosts, along with Ellen Clegg, a podcast called What Works: The Future of Local News. Dan and Making Media Now host, Michael Azevedo, had a wide ranging chat about the media landscape as 2022 comes to a close. Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, FC supports creatives at every step in their journey. About the host: www.mrazvo.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/ Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead
Boston Globe film critic Odie Henderson loves, as he puts it, "...film noir, musicals, Blaxploitation, bad art, and good trash.” We had fun chatting about his journey writing film reviews, his 2022 Best Movies list, what he'd do if he ran the Oscars, and his 30+ years writing computer code! A longtime critic for rogerebert.com, Odie got his start writing movie reviews for the legendary and much loved film critic Roger Ebert himself. In addition to being a member of the National Society of Film Critics Odie has written about film for Slate, Vulture, the Village Voice, Slant magazine, and the Criterion Collection and has appeared on NPR’s Pop Culture Happy Hour. Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, FC supports creatives at every step in their journey. About the host: www.mrazvo.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/ Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead
Joining host Michael Azevedo is Mark Cronin, one of Hollywood’s most successful and prolific reality television producers. He is widely credited with co-creating the celeb-reality sub-genre with the breakout hit of “The Surreal Life”(The WB) in 2003.
As one of the most innovative creators and producers of reality television, Mark has founded three successful production companies, and served as show-runner on 44 separate TV series on 13 different networks. He created or co-created 46 series more than half of which went to multiple seasons and 23 of which were spin-offs due to the successes of their original flagship series. After co-founding the reality production company, Mindless Entertainment, Cronin joined forces with 51 Pictures, to form the reality powerhouse 51 Minds Entertainment in 2004. Under that banner, Cronin created and co-created some of the most popular content in reality television serving as show-runner on such hits as “Flavor of Love,” “Rock of Love,” and “Charm School.” Cronin continued to develop new programming, including Bravo’s highest rated series premiere, “Below Deck,” now in post-production for it’s ninth season as well as the successful spin-offs “Below Deck Mediterranean” currently airing its sixth season, “Below Deck Down Under” which just wrapped production in Australia, and “Below Deck Adventure” now in production in Norway. Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, FC supports creatives at every step in their journey. About the host: www.mrazvo.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/ Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead
In recognition of Veterans Day, host Michael Azevedo chats with retired Marine Captain Dale Dye about his two-decade long military career and his pivot to helping add realism and accuracy to Hollywood war movies such as Platoon, Saving Private Ryan, Courage Under Fire, Thin Red Line, Forrest Gump, and Band of Brothers.
A veteran of three tours in Vietnam, Dale Dye was a Marine correspondent awarded the Bronze Star for heroism in action. He’s equal parts storyteller, military historian and psychologist, and his performance prep goes where others fail to tread: into actors’ heads.
Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, FC supports creatives at every step in their journey. About the host: www.mrazvo.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/ Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead
Host Michael Azevedo speaks with journalist Susan Zalkind about the Hulu docuseries "Murders Before The Marathon." Susan is the driving force behind the 3-part series. "Murders Before The Marathon" follows the investigation of the 2011 murder of three men in Waltham, MA, one of whom was a friend of Susan’s, and the murders’ connection to the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing.
Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, FC supports creatives at every step in their journey. About the host: www.mrazvo.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/ Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead
Joining host Michael Azevedo on this episode is writer/director Nicola Rose. Nicola is an award-winning, New York City-based filmmaker whose work is gathering acclaim on the festival circuit. In 2021, Nicola directed her first feature-length film, Goodbye, Petrushka, a coming-of-age comedy about a starry-eyed, awkward young woman with a big heart who meets a down-on-his-luck figure skater in Paris.
Nicola also directed, produced and/or wrote the shorts Creative Block (2017), In the Land of Moonstones (2018), Gabrielle (2019), and Biff & Me(2020), all of which have won numerous awards on the indie film festival circuit.
Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, FC supports creatives at every step in their journey.
About the host: www.mrazvo.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/
Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead
On this episode of Making Media Now, the Filmmakers Collaborative podcast, host Michael Azevedo is joined by filmmaker Eric Stange to discuss his latest film, Pony Boys, which is now streaming online as part of the New York Times OpDoc film series.
About a dozen years ago, Eric had a conversation with his neighbor in Arlington, MA. The neighbor told him that another neighbor, Jeff Whittemore, had related a story that seemed impossible to believe. In 1967, when Jeff was 9, he and his 11-year-old brother Tony, left their home in Needham, MA in a homemade two-wheeled horse cart being towed by a tiny 10-year-old Shetland pony named King, and made their way alone on a 27-day, 350-mile journey to Montreal to attend Expo 67.
This was a story Eric Stange just had to tell.
Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, FC supports creatives at every step in their journey.
About the host: www.mrazvo.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/
Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead
Joining host Michael Azevedo on this episode is Kathy Waugh, award-winning writer of an array of well-known children’s television programs and films. Kathy has written for such PBS children’s television mainstays as "Arthur" and "Curious George." She was head writer for "Peep in the Big Wide World." And she was co-creator, creative director, and executive story editor of the PBS Kids show, "Molly of Denali." Kathy also wrote the screenplay for the 2011 feature film "Judy Moody and the Not Bummer Summer." Kathy’s latest creative achievement is a new 3-episode Netflix series called "Ivy & Bean," based on the books by Annie Barrows and chronicling the adventures of two fiercely imaginative and inquisitive 7 year-olds.
Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, FC supports creatives at every step in their journey. About the host: www.mrazvo.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/ Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead
On this episode of Making Media Now, host Michael Azevedo welcomes back filmmaker Tim O’Donnell to talk about his latest documentary, The House We Lived In. Joining Tim, is the film’s protagonist—his Dad—Todd O'Donnell. A decade in the making, "The House We Lived In," documents Tim’s efforts as a young filmmaker confronting addiction, family, and memory as he chronicled his father‘s journey to recover lost memories following a traumatic brain injury.
"The House We Lived In" will be featured at the Newburyport Documentary Film Fest on Sunday, Sept 18.
Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, FC supports creatives at every step in their journey. About the host: www.mrazvo.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/ Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead
Joining host Michael Azevedo on this episode is award-winning filmmaker Dan Habib.
Dan is the Director and Producer of the nationally broadcast documentary films Intelligent Lives, Who Cares About Kelsey?, Mr. Connolly Has ALS and Including Samuel, as well as many other short, disability-related films. His films have been featured in dozens of film festivals, translated into 17 languages, and used worldwide to support inclusive education and disability rights.
Dan’s most recent film, My Disability Roadmap, which was featured on The NY Times website in May, follows his son Samuel, a college student with cerebral palsy and epilepsy, as he seeks guidance from disability activists on everything from leaving home to dating.
Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, FC supports creatives at every step in their journey. About the host: www.mrazvo.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/ Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead
Joining host Michael Azevedo on this episode of Making Media Now is Marcy Kaye, Co-Founder and Executive Producer of Storybooth, a digital storytelling platform that invites teens to record and submit their own stories and share them with the world engaging and entertaining animations via YouTube, IG, Snapchat, and TickTok. There is also a daily Storybooth podcast on Spotify.
Storybooth got its start on YouTube in 2015, and to date has animated close to 300 audio clips chronicling teens’ and young adults’ struggles with everything from racism to toxic friend groups to realizing your parents aren’t that great to pregnancy scares to the full gamut of high school faux pas.
The company’s channel counts 4.55 million subscribers and currently nets around 4 million views per month.
Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, FC supports creatives at every step in their journey. About the host: www.mrazvo.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/ Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead
Joining host Michael Azevedo on this episode is documentary filmmaker Cob Carlson. Cob recently completed production on a documentary called “The Greatest Radio Station in the World” The film provides a rich and entertaining history of radio station WPKN, located in Bridgeport, Connecticut. WPKN began as the University of Bridgeport’s college radio station in 1963. It has been operating as a listener-supported, community-based radio station since 1989. In addition to featuring lot of great music, The Greatest Radio Station in the World, the film features a diverse cast of characters, sharing their personal, idiosyncratic stories, speaking passionately about their love of music, news, politics, health, cars, organic gardening, space exploration, and culture.
Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, FC supports creatives at every step in their journey. About the host: www.mrazvo.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/ Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead
Joining host Michael Azevedo on this episode of Making Media Now is Steven Jenkins, the director of the just-opened Bob Dylan Center in Tulsa, OK.
As the primary public venue for the Bob Dylan Archive® collection, the center offers curated exhibits pulled from the priceless collection of more than 100,000 items spanning Dylan’s career, including handwritten manuscripts, notebooks and correspondence; films, videos, photographs and artwork; memorabilia and ephemera; personal documents and effects; unreleased studio and concert recordings; musical instruments; and many other elements.
Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, FC supports creatives at every step in their journey. About the host: www.mrazvo.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/
On this episode of Making Media Now, host Michael Azevedo speaks with director Christi Cooper about her film "Youth V. Gov," which tells the story of twenty-one young Americans taking on the world’s most powerful government in a revolutionary lawsuit that claims that for more than six decades, US presidential administrations of both parties have continued to actively abuse their most vulnerable citizens by willingly contributing to the climate crisis. "Youth V. Gov" is now available on Netflix.
Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, FC supports creatives at every step in their journey. About the host: www.mrazvo.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/
On this episode, host Michael Azevedo welcomes back filmmaker and television producer Roberto Mighty to talk about the two programs of his currently airing on PBS: 'World’s Greatest Cemeteries' and 'Getting Dot Older.' On 'World’s Greatest Cemeteries' Roberto travels to some of the world’s most renowned burial sites , touring masterpieces of landscape, gardens and culture. Each episode includes a stunning visual tour of one of the world’s greatest cemeteries. 'Getting Dot Older' features intimate revelations about aging from diverse baby boomers. The series premiered nationwide in January 2022
Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, FC supports creatives at every step in their journey. About the host: www.mrazvo.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/ Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead
Joining host Michael Azevedo on this episode are John Donvan and Clea Conner of Intelligence Squared US, a podcast and public radio series that provides a welcome respite from polarized discussions, and brings together the smartest minds to debate and dissect issues in depth, restoring civility and bringing intelligence to the public square in the process.
John Donvan is the series host and moderator. Clea Conner is CEO of Intelligence Squared US.
Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, FC supports creatives at every step in their journey. About the host: www.mrazvo.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/ Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead
A talented trio join host Michael Azevedo on this episode of Making Media Now.
Nick Hudson, the Executive Director of E2AC, and Chayne Gregg and Glenn Holsten, the producer and director of "Hell or High Seas," a powerful and personal documentary that tells the true story of life-long friends embarking on the adventure of a lifetime, as they brave the treacherous waters around Cape Horn, Chile. One of them is US Navy veteran who uses the expedition to share his own story, begin healing from his trauma and raise awareness about the millions of other veterans who need support returning to civilian life and battling PTSD.
Entertainment 2 Affect Change (E2AC) connects award-winning content creators, mission-based organizations, and passionate funders who want to share their impact through the power of story. And on April 1-2, 2022, E2AC will be hosting the Social Impact Film Festival. "Hell or High Seas" will be among the dozens of films featured free of charge as part of the festival line up.
Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, FC supports creatives at every step in their journey.
About the host: www.mrazvo.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/ Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead
Joining Michael Azevedo on this episode is filmmaker Jennifer Maytorena Taylor, the director of a documentary called "For The Love of Rutland", which takes viewers to scenic New England where a battle rages over refugee resettlement. As passions heat up nationally over race, economics and immigration in 2016, the film captures the fallout in the blue-collar town of Rutland, Vermont, where residents grapple with the resettlement of Syrian refugees while facing the devastation of a stagnating local economy and a growing opioid crisis.
An intimate, verité-style documentary, "For the Love of Rutland" explores issues affecting communities across the nation in the microcosm of one small Vermont town. As tensions over the attempt to relocate Syrian refugees to the predominantly white town of Rutland grow, cultural, racial and political divides deepen amongst the town’s citizens.
Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, FC supports creatives at every step in their journey. About the host: www.mrazvo.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/ Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead
Joining Michael Azevedo on this episode of Making Media Now are three representatives from a unique and inspiriting organization called Smooth Feather Youth. Smooth Feather Youth is a non-profit that was founded in 2017 by one of my guests, Silas Hagerty. Recently, members of Smooth Feathers’ Youth Film School completed a short film called, "The Queen of Hearts”. The film premiered at a sold out showing at the Nickelodeon Cinema in Portland Maine as part of the Maine Film Assocations's 72 Hour Winter Film Challenge! Two students—James Wing, who directed the film and Cassidy Shea, one of the film’s stars—joined Silas Hagerty to speak me about the film making program and what it took to write, cast, shoot and edit a film in 72 hours! Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, FC supports creatives at every step in their journey. About the host: www.mrazvo.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/ Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead
On this episode of Making Media Now we revisit host Michael Azevedo's chat with composer and musician Tom Phillips. Tom composed the score for "Attica," which was recently nominated for a Best Documentary feature Oscar and is currently airing on Showtime.
Tom’s credits include well over 500 films for national broadcast networks such as PBS, ABC, CBS, National Geographic Channel, Discovery Channel, A&E and HBO, and he’s amassed an impressive list of industry awards. His scores are regularly heard on national broadcast television, including the Antiques Roadshow theme, programs for American Experience, and for Nova.
His resume includes four national Emmy winners as well as many other Emmy nominated films, including "Freedom Riders" which won 3 national primetime Emmys. He has scored many independent films which have won film festivals including multiple Sundance Film Festival winners such as "The Murder of Emmett Till".
Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, FC supports creatives at every step in their journey. About the host: www.mrazvo.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/ Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead
On this episode of Making Media Now, host Michael Azevedo catches up with multi-talented Filmmakers Collaborative member Mike Silva of Vessel Productions to learn about the path he took to becoming a filmmaker and editor. Mike brings us up to date on the making of his latest documentary, JUMP, which tells the story of 26-year-old Maria Smirnova as she strives to high dive professionally for Cirque Du Soleil and Red Bull. The film will explore the sport of high diving as well as the recreational, and often dangerous, counterculture of freestyle cliff diving.
Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, FC supports creatives at every step in their journey. About the host: www.mrazvo.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/ Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead
Joining host Michael Azevedo on this episode are filmmaker Fax Bahr and activist and fisherwoman Diane Wilson who discuss their documentary "Waterkeeper," which is now in production
"Waterkeeper" explores the astonishing and uplifting life of environmental activist Diane Wilson, Waterkeeper for the San Antonio Bay Estuarine system.
As writer, director, and producer, Fax Bahr won a Directing Emmy for Hearts Of Darkness, A Filmmaker’s Apocalypse. That film also won Best Documentary from the National Board of Review. Fax has also served as a Community Organizer in the Sierra Club’s Beyond Coal campaign. He currently volunteers for InsideOUT Writers, teaching creative writing to incarcerated youth in Los Angeles.
Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, FC supports creatives at every step in their journey. About the host: www.mrazvo.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/ Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead
Joining host Michael Azevedo on episode #52 of Making Media Now is Mark Cronin, one of Hollywood’s most successful and prolific reality television producers. He is widely credited with co-creating the celeb-reality sub-genre with the breakout hit of “The Surreal Life” (The WB) in 2003.
As one of the most innovative creators and producers of reality television, Mark has founded three successful production companies, and served as show-runner on 44 separate TV series on 13 different networks. He created or co-created 46 series more than half of which went to multiple seasons and 23 of which were spin-offs due to the successes of their original flagship series.
After co-founding the reality production company, Mindless Entertainment, Cronin joined forces with 51 Pictures, to form the reality powerhouse 51 Minds Entertainment in 2004. Under that banner, Cronin created and co-created some of the most popular content in reality television serving as show-runner on such hits as “Flavor of Love,” “Rock of Love,” and “Charm School.” Cronin continued to develop new programming, including Bravo’s highest rated series premiere, “Below Deck,” now in post-production for it’s ninth season as well as the successful spin-offs “Below Deck Mediterranean” currently airing its sixth season, “Below Deck Down Under” which just wrapped production in Australia, and “Below Deck Adventure” now in production in Norway.
Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, FC supports creatives at every step in their journey. About the host: www.mrazvo.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/ Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead
It's episode number 51 of Making Media Now and host Michael Azevedo is talking with journalist Dan Kennedy.
Dan is a professor at Northeastern University’s School of Journalism and writes a weekly column on media and politics for the GBH News website. From 1991 through 2005 he worked at The Boston Phoenix, mostly as the alt-weekly’s media columnist. Dan has also contributed articles to a number of other publications, including The Washington Post, The Boston Globe and Nieman Lab. From 2007-2011 he wrote a weekly online column for The Guardian.
His book on a new breed of wealthy newspaper owners, “The Return of the Moguls: How Jeff Bezos and John Henry Are Remaking Newspapers for the Twenty-First Century,” was published in 2018. “The Return of the Moguls” has been critically praised by the academic publication Journalism, the trade magazine Editor & Publisher, The Boston Globe and other publications.
And from 1998 to just this year he was regular panelist on “Beat the Press,” a weekly roundtable program on media issues broadcast on GBH-TV. Most recently, Dan entered the world of podcasting with "What Works," a podcast about the future of local news. Dan’s collaborator in that effort is former Boston Globe editor Ellen Clegg.
Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, FC supports creatives at every step in their journey. About the host: www.mrazvo.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/ Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead
It's episode number 50 of Making Media Now and host Michael Azevedo is talking with the director and the star of an engaging film called Duty Free.
Duty Free is a fascinating and very personal documentary about a man who set out to take his 75-mom on an epic quest to fulfill her bucket list. Director Sian-Pierre Regis' mother Rebecca was 75 years-old when she was fired without cause from her lifelong job as a hotel housekeeper. That’s when Sian decided to take her on a bucket-list adventure to reclaim her life. As she struggles to find work, he documents a journey that uncovers the economic insecurity shaping not only her future, but that of an entire generation.
Duty Free examines ageism, the care crisis, and economic insecurity in America.
Duty Free will be shown on PBS’ Independent Lens beginning on November 22. Check your local listings for exact time.
Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, FC supports creatives at every step in their journey.
About the host: www.mrazvo.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/
Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead
On episode 49 of Making Media Now, Michael Azevedo speaks with Elizabeth Deane and Judith Vecchione, co-executive producers of American Veteran, a multi-tiered project that traces the veteran experience through a four-part broadcast series, a nine-part podcast, and a ten-part series of digital shorts.
From the citizen-soldiers returning from the Revolution to today’s warrior class, it is a deeply moving story, highlighting personal remembrances, drawing civilian viewers into an unfamiliar culture, and showcasing the evolving relationships between Americans who have served in the military and those who have not.
Elizabeth Deane’s best-known work includes films she wrote and produced over two decades for PBS’s American Experience, notably Nixon; The Kennedys; Ulysses S. Grant; and Reconstruction: The Second Civil War.
Judith Vecchione is an executive producer at GBH Boston, where her most recent project was Blood Sugar Rising, an award-winning PBS special that explored the history and personal stories of America’s devastating diabetes epidemic. In her long career, Vecchione has contributed to major PBS documentary series including Vietnam: A Television History, Nova, American Experience, and Frontline.
Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, FC supports creatives at every step in their journey. About the host: www.mrazvo.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/ Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead
On this episode, host Michael Azevedo speaks with journalist and author Katie Hafner, and bioethicist Amy Scharf about the Lost Women of Science Initiative, a new educational nonprofit organization created to research and promote the stories of the forgotten women of science. The initiative's mission is to raise awareness of the pivotal role women have played in scientific discoveries and innovations, and to promote interest in STEM education and careers - especially among girls and young women.
The Lost Women of Science podcast launches on November 4, in partnership with public media organization PRX and the award-winning Scientific American magazine. Katie Hafner is the host and Amy Scharf is one of the co-executive producers. The podcast series will present deeply reported narratives of female scientists previously unrecognized by the general public for their accomplishments. The first season will include four in-depth episodes centered on Dr. Dorothy Andersen (1901-1963), a brilliant pathologist and pediatrician who discovered and named cystic fibrosis in the 1930s.
Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, FC supports creatives at every step in their journey. About the host: www.mrazvo.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/ Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead
On this episode, filmmaker Cynthia McKeown joins Michael Azevedo to talk about her short documentary "Unacceptable Risk: Dr. Margaret Kripke on Cancer and the Environment”, which has been selected for screening at the 2021 American Public Health Association (APHA) Annual Meeting and Expo (October 23 – 27). Cynthia is a writer, producer, and director of award-winning documentary and educational films for digital and television broadcast platforms. She has also been a managing editor & creator of numerous health, medical, and educational websites. And her background includes college-level teaching, non-profit fundraising and community organizing.
Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, FC supports creatives at every step in their journey. About the host: www.mrazvo.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/ Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead
Joining host Michael Azevedo on this episode is Nick Hudson, Executive Director of an organization called Entertainment to Affect Change, or E2AC. Entertainment 2 Affect Change (E2AC) is a non-profit organization committed to producing high quality digital, cinematic, and live entertainment for the express purpose of bringing positive change to underserved health and social communities. E2AC's vision is to revolutionize the way that organizations, content creators, and funders collaborate to tell meaningful and powerful stories that entertain, engage, educate, and inspire. In their conversation, Nick and Michael discuss E2AC’s origins, its mission and how he came to be involved with the organization.
Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, FC supports creatives at every step in their journey. About the host: www.mrazvo.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/ Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead
Joining host Michael Azevedo on this episode are Lisa Molomot and Jeff Bemis, the co-directors and co-producers of an award-winning documentary called "Missing in Brooks County." The film follows two American families coming to Brooks County, Texas, in search of loved ones lost while attempting to cross into the United States from Mexico. According to the film, the area of Brooks County sees the highest quantity of migrant deaths in the country. Describing the area, the sheriff of Brooks County calls it “the largest cemetery in the United States.” The film also introduces us to Eddie Canales, the founder of the South Texas Human Rights Center, a bootstrap operation whose mission is to help reunite family members with their missing loved ones. Every week, between taking nonstop calls from concerned families, Canales drives around the area, refilling and checking in on water stations that he’s left throughout the brush to help dehydrated migrants stay alive.
Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, FC supports creatives at every step in their journey. About the host: www.mrazvo.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/ Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead
Joining host Michael Azevedo on this episode are Robert and Rachel Millman, the father/daughter producing team behind a documentary called "Line in the Street," which examines the extremely important but little-understood issue of gerrymandering.
"Line in the Street" tells the story of citizens, activists, and legislators as they fight for redistricting reform in Pennsylvania, one of the most heavily gerrymandered states in the country. The film spotlights a groundbreaking redistricting lawsuit, arguing that state legislators have violated their own state constitution.
Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, FC supports creatives at every step in their journey. About the host: www.mrazvo.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/ Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead
Joining host Michael Azevedo on episode 43 of Making Media Now is Rob Apse, the director of a new documentary chronicling the preservation of New England lighthouses and profiling some of those who have taken on the responsibility of caring for and occupying them. Rob’s film is called The Last Lightkeepers and it will be featured among the films screened at the Newburyport Documentary Film Festival, beginning September 17. The film is also available through Amazon Prime video where a portion of each rental goes toward the Friends of Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouses, to assist with preservation costs of Whaleback Lighthouse.
Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, FC supports creatives at every step in their journey. About the host: www.mrazvo.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/ Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead
It's episode #42 of Making Media Now and host Michael Azevedo is chatting with composer and musician Tom Phillips.
Tom’s credits include well over 500 films for national broadcast networks such as PBS, ABC, CBS, National Geographic Channel, Discovery Channel, A&E and HBO, and he’s amassed an impressive list of industry awards. His scores are regularly heard on national broadcast television, including the Antiques Roadshow theme, programs for American Experience, and for Nova.
His resume includes four national Emmy winners as well as many other Emmy nominated films, including "Freedom Riders" which won 3 national primetime Emmys. He has scored many independent films which have won film festivals including multiple Sundance Film Festival winners such as "The Murder of Emmett Till".
Among his most recent work is his score for the documentary "Attica," which will open this year’s Toronto film festival on September 9 and be featured on Showtime later this month.
Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, FC supports creatives at every step in their journey. About the host: www.mrazvo.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/ Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead
Joining host Michael Azevedo on episode #41 of Making Media Now is Aaron Biebert of Creative Northern in Milwaukee, WI. Aaron also heads up a filmmaking initiative called VIDA Voices. Through crowdfunding efforts, VIDA Voices crafts & amplifies stories about often overlooked societal issues by connecting unheard voices with filmmakers & storytellers.
Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, FC supports creatives at every step in their journey. About the host: www.mrazvo.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/ Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead
On this episode of Making Media Now, host Michael Azevedo talks with the team behind the compelling documentary "Enemies of the State," director Sonia Kennebeck and producer Ines Hoffman Kanna.
"Enemies of the State" is a documentary thriller that investigates the strange case of Matt DeHart, an alleged hacker and whistleblower, and his former Cold War spy parents who believe they are at the center of a government conspiracy and are ready to do anything to save their son from prison. But what about their son?
Was hacker Matthew DeHart a whistleblower, a spy or a child pornographer? Or some combination of the above? Watching this provocative documentary, your opinion may shift more than once, as director Sonia Kennebeck pursues both the elusive nature of truth and the seductive qualities of conspiracy theories.
Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, FC supports creatives at every step in their journey. About the host: www.mrazvo.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/ Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead
Joining host Michael Azevedo on episode number 40 of Making Media Now is David Hartman, the Executive Director of the Massachusetts Production Coalition. Michael and David chat about what led to him running the MPC, the mission and offerings of the organization and how they benefit media makers throughout the state and region, and some recent state legislation championed by MPC that will have long lasting benefits for not just people involved in MA production, but the countless vendors and services they work with.
Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, FC supports creatives at every step in their journey. About the host: www.mrazvo.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/ Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead
On this installment of Making Media Now, host Michael Azevedo chats with colorist Rob Bessette. Any of you who are familiar with the post-production process are likely familiar with what a colorist does. But for those aren’t…take a listen and discover. As a Colorist Rob alters the color of images that you see on screen in order to better tell a story. It’s his job to manipulate and enhance color to evoke emotions or create feelings that stem from the subconscious, and occasionally fix mistakes (yes, they do happen from time to time). Rob’s home base is in Boston but he works with people from all over the world. He's been working as a Colorist at Finish Post (www.finishboston.com) for the past fifteen years.
Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, FC supports creatives at every step in their journey. About the host: www.mrazvo.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/ Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead
On this episode of Making Media Now, host Michael Azevedo speaks with Jon Mercer and Tim O'Donnell of Pixela Pictura Films, co-producers and co-directors of "Tougher Than a Tank," their new documentary film that examines the physical and emotional recovery of two Marine veterans while exemplifying the need for community. The film also reveals the emotional, physical, and financial struggles many veterans face today. Academy award winner Casey Affleck is the film's executive producer. The film will be released and distributed by Gravitas Ventures on August 3, 2021 with support from Diesel Jack Media.
Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, FC supports creatives at every step in their journey. About the host: www.mrazvo.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/ Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead
Joining host Michael Azevedo on this installment of MMN is writer/director Nikole Beckwith. Nikole’s latest film, the second feature she’s both written and directed is called "Together Together." The film, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January, stars Ed Helms as Matt, as a 45-year-old single man whose desire to become a father leads him to hire young Anna, played by Patti Harrison, as a gestational surrogate.
"Together Together" explores the platonic relationship between two strangers, who are brought together through an intimate experience and need to explore parts of their own lives through each other. The film is currently available on VOD via Amazon Prime and iTunes. Nikole Beckwith spoke to me from her home in Newburyport, Massachusetts.
Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, FC supports creatives at every step in their journey.
About the host: www.mrazvo.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/ Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead
On this installment of Making Media Now, host Michael Azevedo speaks with Raney Aronson Rath and Dawn Porter, the guiding forces behind a team of producers, designers and technologists that created "Un(re)solved," a new multi-platform storytelling project from PBS’ FRONTLINE that tells the stories of unsolved racist killings in America, drawing on two years of reporting, thousands of documents, and dozens of interviews. The stories are shared through multiple media forms, including a podcast, a documentary, and an interactive web experience.
Raney Aronson Rath is the executive producer of Frontline, the long-running PBS series that has set the standard for investigative television journalism for nearly 4 decades, and Dawn Porter is the award-winning director of the film "John Lewis: Good Trouble" and "Gideon’s Army."
Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, FC supports creatives at every step in their journey.
About the host: www.mrazvo.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/
On this episode of Making Media Now, host Michael Azevedo speaks with director Christi Cooper about her film "Youth V. Gov," which tells the story of twenty-one young Americans taking on the world’s most powerful government in a revolutionary lawsuit that claims that for more than six decades, US presidential administrations of both parties have continued to actively abuse their most vulnerable citizens by willingly contributing to the climate crisis. "Youth V. Gov" is now available on Netflix.
Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, FC supports creatives at every step in their journey. About the host: www.mrazvo.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/
On episode #33 of Making Media Now, host Michael Azevedo speaks with Ben Kalina, an award-winning documentary producer and director whose work explores the colliding forces of human nature and environmental change. His first feature documentary, "Shored Up," explored sea level rise and the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy as it ran headlong into unchecked coastal development. "Shored Up" won the 2014 Sundance Institute’s Lightstay Sustainability Award and was broadcast on DirecTV. Ben also produced and directed the NOVA film "Can We Cool the Planet?" which traveled around the world to discover emerging technologies and nature-based solutions to counteract climate change. In addition to his independent documentaries Ben produces a range of short films and other video projects through his company Mangrove Media. Based in Philadelphia, Mangrove partners with clients including The Nature Conservancy, PennEnvironment, and the National Wildlife Federation Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, FC supports creatives at every step in their journey. About the host: www.mrazvo.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/
Joining Michael Azevedo on this episode is award-winning filmmaker Tracy Heather Strain.
Tracy is an award-winning director, producer and writer committed to using film and video to bring diverse and often unknown stories to light in order to advance social justice, build community and empower the marginalized in engaging ways. Her documentaries have been supported the National Endowment for the Humanities, National Endowment for the Arts, Corporation for Public Broadcasting, Ford Foundation, Independent Television Service, LEF Foundation, among other funding organizations.
In 1999 Tracy won a Peabody Award for her first two feature documentaries "Bright Like a Sun" and "The Dream Keepers" as part of the six-part Blackside/PBS series I’ll Make Me a World: A Century of African American Arts, and another in 2019 for the American Masters television broadcast of her latest directing effort, “Lorraine Hansberry: Sighted Eyes/Feeling Heart,” the first feature film about the late artist/activist best-known for writing the play A Raisin in the Sun. The bio doc, which premiered at the 2017 Toronto International Film Festival also netted Tracy a 50th NAACP Image Award for Motion Picture Directing last year, the American Historical Association’s John E. O’Connor Film Award and a Creative Arts Emmy producing nomination.
Tracy is also President and CEO of The Film Posse, the production company she co-founded with her partner and colleague Randall MacLowry. Together they have directed, produced and written the NEH-funded American Experience film "American Oz," which premiered April 19, 2021. The pair is presently developing a documentary for Nova. And Tracy also currently teaches documentary production, storytelling and history at Wesleyan University.
Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, FC supports creatives at every step in their journey. About the host: www.mrazvo.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/
Joining Michael Azevedo on episode 31 of Making Media Now is Duncan Meisel, campaign director of an organization called "Clean Creatives".
"Clean Creatives" is actively engaging with creatives working within the public relations, advertising and marketing fields to convince them to stop working with clients whose bottom line depends on the continued burning of vast quantities of fossil fuels.
Earlier this year “Clean Creatives” issued a report that revealed the connections between the world’s largest PR and ad agencies and the fossil fuel industry, as well as a video, a website, and a call to their fellow creatives to take the pledge to accept no fossil fuel money.
Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, FC supports creatives at every step in their journey. About the host: www.mrazvo.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/
It's episode #30 of Making Media Now. Joining host Michael Azevedo on this episode is Pam Tanner Boll. Pam is a filmmaker, artist, writer and activist. She is the Founder and CEO of Mystic Artists Film Productions and the Co-Executive Producer of the Academy Award-winning documentary, "Born into Brothels."
Pam followed that achievement up by producing and directing a documentary called "Who Does She Think She Is," which profiled 5 women balancing motherhood and their artist calling. Pam’s latest film is documentary called "To Which We Belong," which focuses on farmers and ranchers who are improving the health of their land with regenerative practices and helping to reverse climate change.
Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, FC supports creatives at every step in their journey. About the host: www.mrazvo.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/
It's episode #29 of Making Media Now, the Filmmakers Collaborative podcast and host Michael Azevedo is speaking with journalist Heidi Legg. (Twitter @heidilegg)
Heidi is currently a Research Fellow at the Institute of Quantitative Social Science at Harvard working on the Future of Media Project. She has written extensively about the media landscape in publications such as The Boston Globe, The Globe and Mail, CNN, The Atlantic and more.
Most recently, Heidi published 3 exhaustive and insightful indexes tracking the ownership and funding sources of hundreds of news sources. It’s Heidi’s contention that knowing who owns or funds a news organization can better inform news consumers about possible bias or slant. Heidi joined me from her home in Cambridge, MA.
Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, FC supports creatives at every step in their journey. About the host: www.mrazvo.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/
On episode #28 of Making Media Now, host Michael Azevedo speaks with award-winning filmmaker Michael Rossi.
Michael Rossi has spent the last twenty years producing, directing, shooting, and editing national programs for public television. In 2012, he received an Emmy Award for his work as Coordinating Producer of the children's engineering series Design Squad.
He also received a 2020 Webby Award for his work as producer, director, and editor of Stories from the Stage, a live, storytelling series in its fourth season on PBS.
His production credits for American Experience include: Building the Alaska Highway; The Gold Rush ; We Shall Remain, a five-part television series and multimedia project on Native American history; The Rise and Fall of Penn Station; The Bombing of Wall Street; and The Race Underground.
Most recently, Michael produced, wrote, and directed Mr. Tornado, a one-hour American Experience film about famed severe weather expert Tetsuya Theodore Fujita, which had a national PBS broadcast in May 2020.
Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, FC supports creatives at every step in their journey.
About the host: www.mrazvo.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/
On this episode, host Michael Azevedo chats with Susan Grey and Bonnie Waltch the co-directors of a new documentary called Climate Emergency: Feedback Loops. And also joining in on the conversation is Melanie Wallace, a former series producer for the PBS science mainstay, NOVA.
Around the world, scientists are working to better understand a critical piece in the climate puzzle: feedback loops—irreversible chain reactions that are being set in motion by Earth’s rising temperatures. The film Climate Emergency: Feedback Loops highlights the efforts of the world’s top climate scientists as they address the urgent question: Are we approaching a point of no return, leading to an uninhabitable Earth, or do we have the vision, the will, and the ability to work together to slow, halt, and reverse course?
Beginning on May 19, the four primary feedback loops covered in the film will serve as the backbone of a series of virtual screenings and panel discussions hosted by the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. A discussion of forests as a feedback loop will be up first, with additional screenings and conversations taking place over the next 3 months. https://naturalhistory.si.edu/events/feedback-loops-forests Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, FC supports creatives at every step in their journey. About the host: www.mrazvo.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/
On this episode host Michael Azevedo is joined by Mickela Mallozzi, the four-time Emmy® Award-winning Host and Executive Producer of Bare Feet with Mickela Mallozzi, a travel series highlighting the diversity of dance which airs on PBS stations nationwide and on Amazon Prime globally. (https://www.travelbarefeet.com) A professional dancer and trained musician, Mickela decided to start a journey around the world, taking her camera with her to follow dance in the lives of everyday people wherever she went. From re-discovering her family’s heritage in Southern Italy to dancing tango on the main stage in Buenos Aires, the series covers Mickela’s adventures as she experiences the world, one dance at a time. She has been featured in The New York Times, Oprah Magazine, Condé Nast Traveler, Dance Magazine, Forbes, AFAR Media, and more, and she has performed on various television shows including Sesame Street and The Doctor Oz Show. Making Media Now is sponsored by FC, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, FC supports creatives at every step in their journey. To learn more, visit filmmakerscollab.org About the host: www.mrazvo.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/
Layne Stratton has been photographing and filming extreme sports athletes since he was in his teens…which really wasn't that long ago! Through a combination of talent and timing, he found himself in the position of producing a 6-part documentary series that premiered on Outside TV in February 2021. In the film, called "Billy," Layne follows Champion Big Wave Surfer, Billy Kemper, on his recovery from a life-threatening injury sustained on a surf trip in Morocco. The film features stunning cinematography and an intimate examination of the forces that shaped and continue to drive a world-class athlete when he's faced with the biggest challenge of his life.
https://www.worldsurfleague.com/posts/462465/billy-kemper-series-big-wave-surf-injury-recovery
https://vimeo.com/user3674184
Making Media Now is sponsored by FC, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, FC supports creatives at every step in their journey. To learn more, visit filmmakerscollab.org
About the host: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/ and www.mrazvo.com
Scilla Andreen possesses more than 2 decades of film and TV experience, having started her career in film and tv as a costume designer. In 2005, she and a partner launched Indieflix; a global DVD, on-demand subscription, streaming and screening service that serves independent filmmakers and provides social impact films, television, shorts and documentaries to create positive change in the world. IndieFlix has amassed over ten thousand titles from 85 countries and has secured worldwide rights on a revenue share basis. In 2016, Scilla successfully pivoted the streaming service to be edutainment focused, and now streams over 5,000 curated features, documentaries, shorts and TV series. Today, she additionally oversees the creation and streaming of IndieFlix original social impact documentaries to thousands of schools, corporations and communities in over 50 countries; effectively connecting the off and online worlds through film. Making Media Now is sponsored by FC, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, FC supports creatives at every step in their journey. To learn more, visit filmmakerscollab.org
About the host: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/ and www.mrazvo.com
Forgiving the Unforgivable: A Conversation with Garrard McClendon
On episode number 23 of Making Media Now, the Filmmakers Collaborative podcast, host Michael Azevedo speaks with filmmaker, professor and author Garrard McClendon.
Garrard’s debut documentary film, "Forgiving Cain," is a deeply personal examination of what it means to forgive an almost unimaginably painful act: the murder of your parents by armed assailants. This is the choice Garrard made in 2009, shortly after his parents, Ruby and Milton McClendon, were murdered.
Listen in to discover how and why Garrard arrived at this place of forgiveness and how he used this grievous loss as a personal catalyst to help others whose lives have been irrevocably altered by the scourge of gun violence in US cities.
Now in post-production, the film will be released in late 2021.
Making Media Now is sponsored by FC, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, FC supports creatives at every step in their journey. To learn more, visit filmmakerscollab.org
About the host: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/ and www.mrazvo.com
More about Garrard McClendon: https://garrardmcclendon.com
On episode 22 of Making Media Now, the Filmmakers Collaborative podcast, host Michael Azevedo has a fun and wide-ranging conversation with art director and storyboard artist Josh Hayes.
If you’re a regular listener to this podcast, which often features conversations with filmmakers as well as folks who work their magic 'behind the scenes,' you just might be the kind of person who watches credits at the end of movie. So have you ever wondered what a Storyboard Artist does? Well, wonder no more! Meet Josh Hayes!
Josh is an LA-based storyboard artist who has worked with a virtual who’s who of Hollywood directors: Rob Reiner, Kathryn Bigelow, Michael Bay, Kevin Smith, and Barry Levinson just to name a few. His television credits include work on The West Wing, The X-Files, Heroes, and ER. And he’s storyboarded thousands of television commercials including dozens for Super Bowl spots for clients such as: Apple, McDonald’s, Budweiser, Audi, Coca Cola, Nike, and American Express.
Making Media Now is sponsored by FC, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, FC supports creatives at every step in their journey. To learn more, visit filmmakerscollab.org
About the host: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/ and www.mrazvo.com
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On this episode, we go big as host Michael Azevedo talks with writer, producer and director Daniel Ferguson. Daniel’s films take on big subjects: the Tour de France, Jerusalem, and the Journey to Mecca. And, he shoots them in a big format for big IMAX screens all over the world. His latest immersive IMAX film is "Superpower Dogs," which introduces audiences to the life-saving superpowers and extraordinary bravery of some of the world’s most amazing canines!
Making Media Now is sponsored by FC, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, FC supports creatives at every step in their journey. To learn more, visit filmmakerscollab.org
About the host: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/ and www.mrazvo.com
Welcome to episode number 20 of Making Media Now, the Filmmakers Collaborative podcast, with host Michael Azevedo. This episode features a conversation with first-time filmmaker Caroline Treadway about her documentary called "Light." Drawing on Caroline’s personal struggle with an eating disorder and her first-hand experience as a climber, Light illuminates the seldom-discussed issue of eating disorders in the world of professional rock climbing, particularly among its female athletes.
Since its streaming debut in February, the 45 min film has been viewed close to 160,000 times…on YouTube alone. And, as you’ll hear Caroline share, has prompted viewers from across the globe to reach out to her to share their stories and struggles with the eating disorders.
It’s estimated that at least 30 million people in US, of all ages and genders, suffer from an eating disorder. And more than 70 percent of those who struggle with an eating disorder will not seek treatment due to stigma. If you think you may be struggling with disordered eating, contact the National Eating Disorders Association by calling or texting (800) 931-2237 or visit national eating disorder association.
Making Media Now is sponsored by FC, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, FC supports creatives at every step in their journey. To learn more, visit filmmakerscollab.org
About the host: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/ and www.mrazvo.com
It’s episode 19 of Making Media Now and we’ve got the blues!
Listen in as host Michael Azevedo chats with Oscar- and Emmy-award winning filmmaker Ted Reed about his documentary “The Blues Trail Revisited.”
In the spring of 1970, 20 year old Museum of Fine Arts film students Ted Reed and his friend Tim Treadway drove through the south to find and record some of the last living blues legends. Their goal was to discover the very roots of American popular music, and the sources of the rock music they had grown up with. That film, the 27-minute 16mm black and white “Thinking Out Loud” was seen at a handful of festivals, and then sat in a storage facility.
Fifty years later, Reed, by now a multiple award winning documentary filmmaker, discovered his old film while in the process of moving his office. He realized he was sitting on a treasure trove; archival footage of a bygone time that no one else had ever used. His curiosity moved him to drive the identical route he had taken years before and see firsthand what had changed in the birthplace of the blues. The result is “The Blues Trail Revisited” (http://bluestrailrevisited.com) As on his original trip, Reed was looking for the source of the spirit of the blues in the flatland cotton fields of the Mississippi Delta, the lonely highways that crisscrossed the region, and a sense of the spirits of the departed blues artists he had originally sought out.
Making Media Now is sponsored by FC, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, FC supports creatives at every step in their journey. To learn more, visit filmmakerscollab.org And if you’re enjoying this podcast, we encourage you to subscribe and leave a glowing review! About the host: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/ and www.mrazvo.com
On episode number 18 of Making Media Now, the Filmmakers Collaborative podcast, host Michael Azevedo speaks with Lela Meadow-Conner, Executive Director of the Film Festival Alliance. This episode serves as a coming attraction of sorts, as Lela will be the featured guest at Filmmaker Collabortive’s March 17 lunchtime (12:30pm ET) webinar. (https://www.eventbrite.com/e/lunchtime-webinar-with-the-film-festival-alliance-tickets-144458327747) The Film Festival Alliance is an organization that creates a collaborative global community for mission-driven film festivals while advocating for a sustainable and inclusive environment for the filmmaking industry. Lela has served as its executive director since 2017 and has more than 20 years experience in the filmmaking industry as a producer and festival organizer. She possesses a deep understanding of how cinematic arts organizations can bolster a community, with an emphasis on arts advocacy, collaboration and independent storytelling. So settle in to listen to our chat and then head on over to filmmakerscollab.org to reserve your tickets for the March 17 webinar. This event is open to members and non-members alike! Bring your questions to find out what the virtual world means for film festivals, how to select the best ones for your film, what to expect once accepted, and more! This will be a roundtable discussion with plenty of time for Q&A. About the host: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/ and www.mrazvo.com
On episode number 17 of Making Media Now, the Filmmakers Collaborative podcast, host Michael Azevedo chats with Tory Starr of Boston’s public television powerhouse ‘GBH. As the Director of Digital & Social Content Innovation at GBH, Tory works with the station’s many local and national production units to inform and develop content strategies on social and emerging platforms.
Since 2018, she has led GBH’s Emerging Platforms initiative to pilot original programming and instill audience-first content development practices throughout the station.
Tory’s expertise and insight around the topic of how best to produce and distribute dynamic and educational content for a digital audience was informative and truly engaging!
MMN is sponsored by FC, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, FC supports creatives at every step in their journey. To learn more, visit filmmakerscollab.org And if you’re enjoying this podcast, we encourage you to subscribe and leave a glowing review! About the host: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/ and www.mrazvo.com
On this episode, host Michael Azevedo chats with Boston Globe columnist and best selling first-time author Billy Baker. Billy Baker writes features and humor columns for the Globe. His first book, "We Need to Hang Out: A Memoir of Making Friends,” which has raced up the best seller lists since it was published by Simon & Schuster in January. (https://www.simonandschuster.com/authors/Billy-Baker/150722648)
In "We Need to Hang Out," Baker embarks on an entertaining and relatable quest to reprioritize his ties with his buddies and forge more connections, all while balancing work, marriage, and kids. Along the way, Baker talks to experts in sociology and psychology to investigate how such naturally social creatures as humans could become so profoundly isolated today.
Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey. To learn more, visit filmmakerscollab.org And if you’re enjoying this podcast, we encourage you to subscribe and leave a glowing review!
About the host: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/ and www.mrazvo.com
In this episode, host Michael Azevedo speaks with the multi-talented, multi-faceted media creator Michele Meek. Michele is a writer, filmmaker, professor, and the founder of NewEnglandFilm.com and Independent Media Publications. Her most recent books include Independent Female Filmmakers (2019) and The Mastermind Failure Club (2020). She has directed numerous award-winning short films, including Imagine Kolle 37 (2017), and she worked as associate producer on the documentary feature Salvage (2019), which premiered at SXSW Film Festival.
Her scholarly research focuses on depictions of sexual consent in media and literature, and she presented a 2018 TEDx talk. She is an Assistant Professor in the Communication Studies department at Bridgewater State University, where she teaches film studies, digital media, and screenwriting.
Making Media Now is sponsored by FC, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, FC supports creatives at every step in their journey. To learn more, visit filmmakerscollab.org And if you’re enjoying this podcast, we encourage you to subscribe and leave a glowing review! About the host: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/ and www.mrazvo.com
In this episode of Making Media Now, host Michael Azevedo speaks with award-winning documentary filmmaker James Rutenbeck (https://www.areckoninginboston.com/index). James is a two-time recipient of the Alfred I. duPont–Columbia University Award for his work as producer of the PBS series Unnatural Causes, about health disparities in the U.S., and Class of ’27, which he executive produced, directed and edited. He has been awarded grants from Sundance Documentary Fund, LEF Moving Image Fund, Southern Humanities Media Fund, and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. His latest film is called "A Reckoning in Boston," and centers on the experiences of Kafi Dixon and Carl Chandler who, seeking to transform their lives, enrolled a highly regarded night course in the humanities taught at a community center in Dorchester, a neighborhood of Boston. When James, a white suburban filmmaker comes to make a film about the course and its students, he is forced to come to terms with his own complicity in racist structures in the community. Kafi and Carl came on board as producers of the film and the three bring to light a history of systemic racism that has spanned generations, along with its modern implications. "A Reckoning in Boston" (https://www.areckoninginboston.com) shows that transformation, healing and social change begins within each of us.
Making Media Now is sponsored by FC, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, FC supports creatives at every step in their journey. To learn more, visit filmmakerscollab.org And if you’re enjoying this podcast, we encourage you to subscribe and leave a glowing review! About the host: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/ and www.mrazvo.com
On this episode, Making Media Now host Michael Azevedo speaks with Jonathan Schwartz and Mike Mascoll, the makers of an eye-opening documentary film called "CodeSwitching." (www.codeswitchingmovie.com)
"CodeSwitching" is a mashup of personal stories from three generations of students enrolled in the Boston-area METCO program: a groundbreaking voluntary desegregation initiative.
The film explores shifting race relations in the suburban-urban axis, teen self-perception, and the role gender plays in fitting-in. Many participants in METCO achieve enviable academic success while some find navigating between the two highly-segregated worlds difficult.
Making Media Now is sponsored by FC, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, FC supports creatives at every step in their journey. To learn more, visit filmmakerscollab.org About the host: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/ www.mrazvo.com
On this episode of Making Media Now, host Michael Azevedo chats with a true creative Renaissance Man: Roberto Mighty. Roberto is a filmmaker, TV host/producer, multimedia artist and educator. His critically acclaimed projects garner national funding and extensive press coverage.
Roberto is currently producing and hosting 26 half-hour episodes of two new, original public TV series: "World's Greatest Cemeteries" and "getting dot OLDER". Each series will premiere in fall of 2021. And both series employ engaging storytelling to celebrate diversity and inclusiveness. To learn more, visit www.worldsgreatestcemeteries.com and www.gettingdotolder.com
Roberto's latest documentary, "Legacy of Love", about Martin Luther King and Coretta Scott's 1950's romance, premiered on Boston’s GBH public television in August. It will be distributed nationally to other public television stations throughout 2021.
MMN is sponsored by FC, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, FC supports creatives at every step in their journey. To learn more, visit filmmakerscollab.org And if you’re enjoying this podcast, we encourage you to subscribe and leave a glowing review! About the host: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/ https://www.mrazvo.com
On this installment of Making Media Now, we celebrate a first: an interview with a novelist, in this case it’s best-selling novelist Jane Healey. We’re all about conversing with, as we say, ‘media makers of all sorts’….and seeing whereas books were certainly among the first forms of “media,” chatting with a novelist certainly makes sense…and makes for a lively and interesting conversation. When her daughters were born, Jane Healey left a career in high tech to become a freelance writer. Her passion for historical fiction became her new career when her first novel THE SATURDAY EVENING GIRLS CLUB was published in 2017. With the release of THE BEANTOWN GIRLS in 2019, Jane continued to fulfill her dream of writing lesser known stories of women in history.
Jane's upcoming novel THE SECRET STEALERS is based on the true stories of the women of the Office of Strategic Services, the precursor to the CIA, during World War II. It will be released in April 2021. (www.janehealey.com)
MMN is sponsored by FC, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, FC supports creatives at every step in their journey. To learn more, visit filmmakerscollab.org And if you’re enjoying this podcast, we encourage you to subscribe and leave a glowing review! We’re all about the shameless plug!
On this episode, Making Media Now host Michael Azevedo speaks with Dr. Paul Heinzelmann of SetMD.
SetMD has been providing medical services exclusively to the motion picture industry since 2007. They specialize in serving the health and wellness needs of the motion picture and television industry through a concierge-style healthcare service that combines the personalized care of old-fashioned doctor house calls with the convenience and affordability of mobile and online care options. As of 2020, over 150 productions have been served.
In my conversation with Dr. Paul, who is an urgent care and primary care physician based out of Massachusetts General Hospital we chat about the origins of SetMD, some of the particular health and safety concerns of cast members and crews on film sets and, of course, the steps he and his company have taken to address the challenges posed by coronavirus. To learn more about SetMD visit www.setmd.org Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization serving the needs of independent film and media makers of all types. Visit FC at filmmakerscollab.org to learn more. If you’re enjoying this podcast, please subscribe, review, recommend and share!
In this episode, I chat with award-winning journalist and filmmaker Michele Mitchell about The Cocktail Conversations, her lively and thought-provoking podcast. Each episode is a racy, raucous and informed deep dive into the topics you wanna talk about, featuring questions you just might be afraid to ask. You can find The Cocktail Conversations wherever you get your podcasts! Find a comfy seat, pour yourself a refreshing beverage and take a listen!
Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers of all stripes with its array of benefits and services. Visit FC at filmmakerscollab.org to learn more. And if you’re enjoying these conversations please remember to subscribe, review and share!
Pete Dominick's experience as a media maker is extensive: from headlining stand-up comedy gigs across the country to a coveted job as the warm-up comic for The Daily Show and The Colbert Report, then on to regular hosting and guest commentator spots on CNN. For more than a decade, he hosted Stand Up with Pete on Sirium XM satellite radio and in 2020 re-branded his radio show as a daily podcast (www.standupwithpete.com) by the same name. Five days a week, Pete engages in deep-dive conversations with news makers, policy experts, journalists, filmmakers and thought leaders.
Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers of all stripes with its array of benefits and services. Visit FC at filmmakerscollab.org to learn more. And if you’re enjoying these conversations please remember to subscribe, review and share!
For more than 15 years, Diana Rodgers has lived on a working organic farm raising vegetables and pasture-based animals. In 2010, she realized the solution to her Celiac Disease and blood sugar roller coaster was to eat an ancestral-type diet. From there, she decided to change her career in order to help others through diet and lifestyle change. Today, Diana is a Registered Dietitian with a busy clinical practice and the author of two best selling books. And now, with the upcoming release of her documentary Sacred Cow—which will be available for streaming on Jan 5, 2021, Diana can add director to her long list of creative achievements. Sacred Cow probes the fundamental moral, environmental and nutritional quandaries we face in raising and eating animals. In the film, Diana focuses her lens on the largest and perhaps most maligned of farmed animals, the cow.
Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers of all stripes with its array of benefits and services. Visit FC at filmmakerscollab.org to learn more. And if you’re enjoying these conversations please remember to subscribe, review and share!
Winners of 10 Emmy Awards, and veterans of PBS, ABC and CNN, co-directors Caren Zucker and John Donvan have been telling stories centered on autism for more than two decades. In this episode of Making Media Now they speak with host Michael Azevedo about their just-completed new documentary "In A Different Key".
Their film is based on their book of the same title, a narrative account of autism’s history that became a New York Times bestseller and Pulitzer Prize Finalist.
Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers of all stripes with its array of benefits and services.
Visit FC at filmmakerscollab.org to learn more. And if you’re enjoying these conversations please remember to subscribe, review and share!
Heard any good movies lately? If you've never realized the indispensable role of sound design in your favorite movies, check out Making Media Now host Michael Azevedo's conversation with Midge Costin, the director of "Making Waves: The Art of Cinematic Sound".
Midge Costin produced and directed the award-winning feature documentary "Making Waves: The Art of Cinematic Sound" which had its world premiere at The Tribeca Film Festival and its international premiere at Cannes Film Festival in 2019.
She was nominated for Best First Time Director by the Critics Choice Documentary Awards and the film received multiple other awards and nominations.
Midge has been a feature film sound editor in Hollywood for decades, having worked at every major studio. She has collaborated on the soundtracks for filmmakers such as John Waters, David Wolper, Kenneth Branagh, Tony Scott and Jerry Bruckheimer (The Rock). Two of the films, Crimson Tide and Armageddon, for which she edited effects and dialogue, received Academy Award nominations for Sound Editing.
Currently, Midge is a Professor of Cinematic Arts at USC where she holds the Kay Rose Endowed Chair in the Art of Sound and Dialogue Editing.
Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers of all stripes with its array of benefits and services. Visit FC at filmmakerscollab.org to learn more. And if you’re enjoying these conversations please remember to subscribe, review and share!
Filmmakers Collaborative member Josh Seftel is a 2017 Emmy nominee and was a Peabody Awards Finalist for creating the landmark series “The Secret Life of Muslims,” a poignant and insightful documentary series that examined Islamophobia and what it meant to be a Muslim in America.
Josh also directed the breakthrough Emmy-winning series Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, the feature film War, Inc. starring John Cusack, Marisa Tomei and Ben Kingsley, and is a contributor to Ira Glass’ This American Life and CBS Sunday Morning, which has been featuring his hugely popular series of virtual conversations with his 83-year-old mother. Special thanks to Sound Engineer AJ Kierstead.
Meghan Shea is an award winning documentary and branded content film director and producer. She began her career in film at Washington Media Associates as a researcher for “Peter Jennings: Reporting on Guantamnamo,” the first long-form television investigation into the Bush Administration’s detention and interrogation policies. Together with her partner, in business and in marriage, Mike Rogers, Meghan heads up Persistent Productions which has offices in Massachusetts and Singapore.
In this episode, I talk with documentary filmmaker Tim O’Donnell. Tim, and his producing partner John Mercer, are the driving forces behind Pixela Pictura and Pixela Pictura films, their branded content and documentary film companies. As Emmy-nominated and award winning creatives, their films have been seen on ESPN, ABC, PBS, at the Sundance Film Festival and events around the world. Their film "Life Without Basketball" was recognized for its contributions to global sport by Human Rights Watch and a short film adapted from the same body of work was distributed with CNN films and Uninterrupted. Their feature documentary film "Not a War Story" opened at #1 on iTunes documentaries in 2018 and premiered at the Academy of Motion Pictures. Tim’s latest documentary film is called "The House We Lived In", a highly personal account of his father’s journey of recovery and re-emergence after sustaining a serious brain injury in 2011. FilmmakersCollaborative is proud to call Tim and Pixela Pictures FC members and we encourage media makers of all stripes to visit us at filmmakerscollab.org to discover the full range of programs and services we offer.
Welcome to the debut episode of Making Media Now, the Filmmakers Collaborative podcast. In this episode your host, Michael Azevedo, speaks with Filmmakers Collaborative executive director Laura Azevedo (yes, Michael's sister!) about FC's services, mission and programs. Special thanks to Sound Engineer AJ Kierstead.