Best in Fest: Recent Episodes
Leslie LaPage
Host Leslie LaPage, Director of LaFemme International Film Festival uncovers the Secrets of Filmmaking with her lineup of industry professional guests. In every episode you will learn things like how to make the most out of the film festival circuit, how to find a great distribution partner, how to attract A list talent, finding the perfect representation, the dirty little secrets of Hollywood and much more.
Welcome to Best in Fest, where host Lili Masztar-Hazi moderates a powerful panel discussion recorded at the inaugural La Femme International Film Festival Europe in Budapest.
Award-winning filmmakers, producers, directors, cinematographers, actors, and industry leaders come together to discuss what it's really like to build a career as a woman in today's film industry. From Hollywood to Europe, they share personal stories about overcoming bias, creating opportunities, mentoring the next generation, balancing motherhood with filmmaking, and why collaboration—not competition—is shaping the future of cinema.
In this episode you'll learn:
- How women are breaking barriers in the film industry
- The realities of directing, producing, acting, and cinematography
- Why mentorship and community are essential for long-term success
- The challenges of gender bias, pay equity, and representation
- Motherhood, career growth, and navigating creative leadership
- How film festivals help launch careers and build international networks
- Why women are creating their own opportunities through producing and independent filmmaking
- Advice for aspiring filmmakers looking to build lasting careers
Featuring insights from Leslie LaPage, founder of the La Femme International Film Festival, alongside acclaimed filmmakers and creatives including Petra Körner, Dorka Gryllus, Yvonne Terek, Judit Romwalter, and other accomplished women working across every corner of the film industry. Together they explore how filmmaking is evolving—and what still needs to change.
Whether you're an aspiring filmmaker, film student, producer, writer, actor, cinematographer, or simply passionate about cinema, this conversation offers practical career advice, inspiring personal stories, and an honest look at the future of women in film.
Subscribe to Best in Fest for more conversations with award-winning filmmakers, festival founders, producers, directors, actors, and creative leaders from around the world.
In this episode of Best in Fest, host Lili Masztar-Hazi brings together an inspiring panel of award-winning filmmakers, directors, producers, writers, sustainability leaders, and production designers to discuss the unexpected journeys that shaped their careers.
From changing careers later in life to overcoming rejection, launching independent production companies, attending film school, working on major studio productions, and finding success through international film festivals, each guest shares honest insights into what it really takes to build a career in filmmaking.
In this episode, you'll discover:
• How successful filmmakers found their unique career path
• Whether film school is necessary for a career in film
• The value of persistence, networking, and creative partnerships
• Lessons from directors, producers, writers, and production designers
• How sustainability is transforming modern filmmaking
• Behind-the-scenes stories from independent films and major studio productions
• The challenges of financing, producing, and distributing films
• Advice for emerging filmmakers navigating today's industry
• Why there is no "right" way to become a filmmaker
Whether you're an aspiring filmmaker, film student, producer, writer, cinematographer, or simply passionate about cinema, this conversation offers practical advice and inspiring stories from professionals who have forged their own paths in one of the world's most competitive creative industries.
Subscribe to Best in Fest for more conversations with award-winning filmmakers, festival directors, producers, actors, screenwriters, and industry leaders from around the world.
In this episode of Best in Fest, host Leslie LaPage brings together an extraordinary panel of award-winning directors, producers, cinematographers, and film professionals from around the world to reveal how they built successful careers in filmmaking—and what aspiring filmmakers need to know to do the same.
From self-taught directors to internationally acclaimed producers, these guests share honest stories about rejection, persistence, networking, film school, mentorship, funding, and finding your place in one of the world's most competitive industries.
In this episode, you'll learn:
• How successful filmmakers got their first break
• Is film school worth it—or can you succeed without it?
• The importance of networking and building creative relationships
• How producers, directors, and cinematographers build lasting careers
• What award-winning filmmakers wish they knew when they started
• How to overcome rejection and keep creating
• Why storytelling matters more than expensive equipment
• Advice for women working in the film industry
• How international co-productions and film festivals open career opportunities
• The mindset required to survive—and thrive—in independent filmmaking
Featuring insights from acclaimed filmmakers whose work has premiered at Cannes, Berlinale, Venice, and major international film festivals, this conversation offers practical advice for filmmakers, film students, writers, producers, actors, cinematographers, and anyone dreaming of a career in movies.
Whether you're making your first short film, pitching your first feature, or looking to grow your filmmaking career, this episode is packed with real-world lessons from professionals who've done it.
Subscribe to Best in Fest for more conversations with award-winning filmmakers, festival directors, screenwriters, actors, producers, and industry leaders from around the globe.
Why are Hollywood blockbusters, Netflix productions, and international filmmakers flocking to Hungary?
In this episode of Best in Fest, we sit down with producers, studio executives, film festival leaders, and industry veterans to uncover why Budapest has quietly become one of the hottest filming destinations on Earth.
From massive sound stages and medieval backlots to generous tax incentives, world-class film crews, and stories from James Bond, Rain Man, and modern Hollywood productions, this conversation pulls back the curtain on what really makes movie magic happen.
Along the way, our guests share hilarious behind-the-scenes moments, career advice, hard-earned lessons about trust in filmmaking, and one truth everyone agrees on:
🎥 Great movies aren't made by buildings—they're made by great people.
In this episode, we discuss:
• Why Hollywood keeps coming back to Hungary
• The secrets behind Budapest's booming film industry
• Service productions vs. international co-productions
• What producers really look for when choosing a filming location
• Studio life, backlots, post-production, and film restoration
• Career advice for aspiring filmmakers
• Women in the film industry
• Burnout, resilience, and surviving production life
• And why carrying coffee for Ben Kingsley might be the best film school you'll ever attend. ☕
Whether you're an indie filmmaker, producer, film student, or just obsessed with movies, this episode is packed with insider stories, practical advice, and plenty of laughs.
In this inspiring episode of Best in Fest, acclaimed Kosovo-Albanian actress and producer Arta Dobroshi shares her extraordinary journey from performing as a young artist in Kosovo to building an international career in film.
Arta opens up about how growing up amid war and political instability shaped her perspective, her performances, and her commitment to humanity. She discusses her acting process, including Stanislavski-based training, script preparation, emotional presence, and what it takes to fully inhabit complex characters on screen.
The conversation also explores Arta’s experience working with celebrated directors, producing independent projects, balancing a demanding film career with motherhood, and advocating for refugees and greater unity across cultures. She offers heartfelt advice for emerging actors, creatives, and women entering the entertainment industry: trust your inner voice, do not be discouraged by rejection, and keep moving toward the life you envision.
This is a candid conversation about film, purpose, resilience, creativity, and the power of joy.
In this special episode of Best in Fest, host Leslie LaPage sits down with an inspiring group of filmmakers from around the world whose stories explore identity, technology, human connection, and the power of cinema to preserve history.
From a moving documentary about a Japanese Canadian artist overcoming the legacy of World War II internment camps, to thought-provoking films examining artificial intelligence, modern relationships, immigration, friendship, and self-discovery, these filmmakers reveal the creative journeys behind their work and the real-world experiences that inspired them.
In this episode, you'll discover:
• How filmmakers are using cinema to preserve overlooked historical stories
• The impact of Japanese Canadian internment and the role of art in healing generational trauma
• Why AI is becoming one of the most fascinating topics in modern storytelling
• The ethical and emotional questions surrounding artificial intelligence and human relationships
• How voice messages, social media, and technology are changing the way we communicate
• The realities of building a filmmaking career across multiple countries and cultures
• Why personal experiences often create the most powerful stories on screen
• The importance of women filmmakers bringing unique perspectives to contemporary cinema
• How short films can become proof-of-concept projects for larger productions
Featured films include powerful documentaries, AI-inspired narratives, relationship dramas, international comedies, and award-winning short films that challenge audiences to think differently about history, identity, and the future.
Whether you're a filmmaker, storyteller, film festival enthusiast, or simply fascinated by the intersection of technology and humanity, this episode offers valuable insights into the creative process and the evolving landscape of independent film.
Subscribe to Best in Fest for more conversations with filmmakers, writers, directors, actors, and industry leaders shaping the future of entertainment.
From AI-generated filmmaking and documentary storytelling to action shorts, horror competitions, relationship dramas, and artistic documentaries, these creators share how they brought their unique visions to life and what it takes to succeed in today's rapidly changing film industry.
Featured conversations include:
• The opportunities and challenges of creating films with artificial intelligence
• How filmmakers are using emerging technology to tell deeply personal stories
• Producing documentaries that take years to complete and follow real-life subjects across continents
• Building proof-of-concept films that grow into feature-length projects
• Creating compelling action films on student and independent budgets
• The realities of film festivals, distribution, and audience discovery
• Writing and producing independent films inspired by modern dating culture
• Documentary filmmaking focused on art, creativity, and the human experience
• Winning film competitions and creating professional-quality work under extreme deadlines
Guests also discuss the importance of collaboration, perseverance, creative problem-solving, and finding new ways to connect with audiences in an increasingly digital world.
Whether you're an aspiring filmmaker, producer, writer, actor, or film enthusiast, this episode offers practical insights into the creative process and the future of independent storytelling.
Subscribe to Best in Fest for more interviews with filmmakers, creators, and industry leaders from around the world.
In this special episode of Best in Fest, host Leslie LaPage sits down with an inspiring group of filmmakers featured at the Budapest Film Festival to discuss the stories, challenges, and creative journeys behind their latest projects.
From a courageous documentary following a young women’s rights activist in Kyrgyzstan, to powerful films exploring teen pregnancy, collective memory, neurodiversity, grief, and social justice, this episode highlights the global impact of independent filmmaking.
Featured guests share their experiences navigating film financing, festival circuits, documentary production, animation, directing first features, and creating meaningful stories that spark conversation and change.
In this episode, you'll discover:
• How documentary filmmakers build trust with their subjects over years of production
• The challenges of creating social impact films on limited budgets
• Why personal experiences often become powerful cinematic stories
• The role of animation in preserving history and collective memory
• How filmmakers are bringing awareness to underrepresented communities and conditions like dyspraxia
• The realities of film festivals, distribution, and finding audiences in today's streaming landscape
• Why authentic storytelling continues to resonate across cultures and borders
Whether you're a filmmaker, film festival enthusiast, documentary lover, or someone passionate about stories that make a difference, this episode offers valuable insights into the art and business of independent cinema.
Subscribe to Best in Fest for more conversations with filmmakers, producers, actors, and industry leaders shaping the future of film and entertainment.
In this episode of Best in Fest, host Leslie LaPage sits down with Joi Noelle Worley, editor, director, and content creator with experience across DreamWorks Animation, Netflix, Hulu, and independent film, to explore the evolving landscape of storytelling across animation and live action.
Joi shares her unique career path working in both mediums, breaking down the creative and technical differences between editing animation and live action—and how those skills translate into directing, writing, and building original IP.
🎯 In this episode, we cover:
- 🎬 The real difference between editing animation vs live action
- 🎞️ Why editing is about emotion, timing, and storytelling—not just cutting footage
- 🤖 AI in filmmaking: where it helps—and where it threatens creativity
- 🎨 Why animation is more than “just for kids” and requires deep collaboration
- 🎭 Directing animation vs actors: clarity, story beats, and visual intention
- 📺 Working on projects for DreamWorks, Netflix, and major studios
- 🧠 How animation skills improve live action directing (storyboarding, pacing)
- 🚀 Creating your own IP: building pitch bibles, animatics, and proof of concept
- 🌍 Pitching original series and films in today’s competitive market
- 🎥 Why filmmakers must create their own opportunities instead of waiting for permission
Joi also dives into her original projects, including her animated series Lionheart, viral fan animatics, and her current feature film Ilaaj, a Hindi-language inspirational drama exploring healing and self-discovery.
In this episode of Best in Fest, host Leslie LaPage sits down with Elissa Shay. actress, writer, and producer, to break down her journey from struggling to find the right roles in Hollywood to producing and starring in her own feature film, Fractured.
After facing challenges as a mixed-ethnicity actress in an industry that often struggles with representation, Elissa took control of her career—writing, producing, and financing projects that aligned with her purpose and creative voice.
🎯 In this episode, we cover:
- 🎭 Why Elissa transitioned from acting into producing early in her career
- 🌍 Producing a documentary in Africa (Mully) and what it taught her about storytelling
- ✍️ Writing your own roles when Hollywood isn’t offering the right opportunities
- 💰 How indie films are actually financed through private investors
- 🧾 Using tax incentives and investor structures to fund a feature film
- 🎬 How Fractured came together with talent like Julia Ormond and Bruce Dern
- 📊 The realities of film festivals, PR, and why marketing budgets matter
- 🚧 Common mistakes filmmakers make when they don’t budget for distribution
- 📱 Why building an audience during production is critical for success
- 🎥 Navigating identity and representation in casting and storytelling
Elissa also shares candid insights about the biggest lesson she learned: making the film is only half the battle—getting it seen is an entirely different challenge.
In this episode of Best in Fest, host Leslie LaPage sits down with Shalini Dutta, an accomplished actress with over three decades of experience across Bollywood, theater, television, and independent film to discuss her journey, career reinvention, and the evolving landscape for women and South Asian talent in the global film industry.
From her early start in Indian cinema to stepping away for family life and returning years later to pursue meaningful storytelling, Shalini shares what it really takes to sustain a creative career across different life stages.
🎯 In this episode, we cover:
- 🎭 How Shalini began her acting career in Bollywood and regional Indian films
- 🌍 The key differences between Bollywood and Hollywood storytelling styles
- 🎬 Why meaningful, character-driven roles matter more than screen time
- 🔄 Reinventing your acting career after a long break
- 👩🏽🎬 The rise of strong female roles and diverse storytelling in modern cinema
- 📺 How Indian cinema has evolved into a global storytelling force
- 🎥 Working in indie films like Between Places and building a second career
- 🌱 Why actors should choose roles based on purpose—not just exposure or pay
- 🎙️ Building a platform to uplift South Asian voices through content and community
Shalini also shares insights into the challenges and progress of representation for South Asian actors, explaining why opportunities are growing—but why there’s still work to be done.
In this episode of Best in Fest, host Leslie LaPage sits down with Aarti Misra — producer, business strategist, and global dealmaker working at the intersection of film, technology, and finance.
With over 20 years of experience spanning Silicon Valley startups, film production, and international co-productions, Aarti breaks down how the entertainment industry is evolving—and what filmmakers must understand to stay competitive in an AI-driven, globally distributed marketplace.
🎯 In this episode, we cover:
- 🤖 How AI is transforming filmmaking—and why it’s a tool, not a replacement for creatives
- 🎬 Inside “Up and Now”: an AI-powered tool for storyboarding, shot lists & pre-production
- 💰 How film financing works today (and how independents can compete with studios)
- 🌍 Why global co-productions and international tax incentives are reshaping film production
- 📊 The rise of independent filmmakers in a disrupted Hollywood system
- 🎥 How to package films, secure IP, and find the right audience
- 📱 Vertical content, short-form storytelling & new monetization opportunities
- 🧠 Why creatives—not tech companies—must drive AI innovation in storytelling
- 🏢 How big tech is influencing the future of studios and distribution
Aarti also shares insights from her work across Europe, the U.S., and India, explaining how filmmakers can leverage global partnerships, navigate shifting distribution models, and build sustainable careers outside traditional studio systems.
n this episode of Best in Fest, host Leslie LaPage sits down with Sohm Kapila — a globally trained actress whose credits span Grey’s Anatomy, The Morning Show, Never Have I Ever, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, and more — to break down the realities of building a sustainable acting career across continents.
From being born in India and raised in the UK to establishing herself in Los Angeles, Sohm shares how her journey through theater, television, and film shaped her craft—and how actors today must adapt to an ever-changing industry.
🎯 In this episode, we cover:
- 🎭 What the Meisner acting technique really is—and how to use it on set
- 🎬 How to prepare for auditions using “couch time” and character psychology
- 🎥 The difference between acting for theater vs. film and TV
- 🎙️ Why improv training (UCB) builds confidence and booking potential
- 🌍 Building an international acting career across the UK, US, and beyond
- 🎭 Navigating typecasting and diversity in casting for actors of color
- 📉 How Hollywood strikes and industry shifts impact working actors
- 🎶 Her upcoming Bhangra musical and potential Broadway trajectory
- 🤖 Exploring AI and storytelling through her original short film Baby Talk
- 💡 Why perseverance and saying “yes” are key to longevity in acting
Sohm also shares her personal process for developing characters, working through multiple takes on set, and adapting performances in real time—skills essential for actors working in today’s fast-paced production environments.
In this powerful episode of Best in Fest, host Leslie LaPage sits down with Jennifer Elizabeth Valdez — entrepreneur, domestic abuse survivor, and founder of From Gen to Generations — to share a deeply personal story of resilience, reinvention, and building success against all odds.
Jennifer opens up about leaving an abusive home at just 15 years old, surviving homelessness, and navigating dangerous environments while working to support herself. Through sheer determination, she went on to build multiple healthcare companies, become a CEO, and launch a platform dedicated to empowering others through storytelling and real-life transformation.
🎯 In this episode, we cover:
- 💔 Escaping domestic violence and surviving homelessness as a teenager
- 🧠 How adversity builds resilience, discipline, and decision-making skills
- 💼 Building multiple businesses from the ground up
- 📈 The realities of success—and what happens after failure
- 🎙️ Launching a podcast to empower others through real stories
- 🎬 Using personal experiences to create films, books, and creative projects
- ⚖️ How to navigate setbacks, lawsuits, and major life disruptions
- 🔥 Why failure is part of the path—not the end of it
- 💡 How to “dance with fear” and take action anyway
Jennifer also shares how she transitioned back into creative work—writing a book (We Were Fearless), producing film projects, and funding her own content—while using her business success to support her passion for storytelling.
In this episode of Best in Fest, host Leslie LaPage sits down with Charlotte Delaney Riggs, an award-winning actress and rising talent known for projects like Austin High, Thunder Road, and Through a Glass, Dimly.
Charlotte shares her journey from performing in elementary school theater productions to working professionally in film and television—while balancing school, auditions, and life as a young actor in today’s fast-changing entertainment industry.
🎯 In this episode, we cover:
- 🎭 How young actors get started in film, TV, and commercials
- 🎬 The reality of auditions—and why most actors don’t book every role
- 🧠 How to handle rejection and move on quickly in a competitive industry
- ✍️ Breaking down a script: audition technique vs. on-set performance
- 📺 The difference between acting in films vs. ongoing series
- 🎓 Balancing acting, college, and a demanding schedule
- 📱 How Gen Z consumes content (streaming, TikTok, short-form video)
- 🚀 Why influencers and short-form creators are shaping the future of entertainment
- 🌍 How Hollywood is evolving for the next generation of actors
Charlotte also shares practical advice for actors—like why you should submit your audition and forget about it, how to make bold choices even with limited script information, and why persistence matters more than perfection.
In this episode of Best in Fest, host Leslie LaPage sits down with Kash Hovey — actor, producer, and host of On Air with Kash — to explore how the entertainment industry has evolved from traditional Hollywood systems to today’s creator-driven economy.
Raised in a legacy entertainment family and with experience both in front of the camera and behind the scenes at William Morris Endeavor (WME), Kash brings a unique perspective on how careers are built—and rebuilt—in a rapidly changing industry.
🎯 In this episode, we cover:
- 🎬 Breaking into Hollywood as an actor and navigating early career opportunities
- 🏢 What it’s like working inside a major agency like WME
- 🎙️ Why podcasting and hosting are becoming powerful career paths
- 📱 How social media, influencers, and YouTube are reshaping entertainment
- 💰 The shift from traditional residuals to modern creator monetization
- 🌍 Why production is moving outside Los Angeles (tax incentives & global filming)
- 🚀 How creators can build careers without relying on studios
- 🎥 Why vertical video, streaming, and digital platforms are the future
- 🧠 How to adapt to industry changes and stay relevant as a creative
Kash also shares firsthand insight into the transition from traditional film and TV structures to a world where content creators, podcasters, and influencers are driving audience attention—and revenue.
In this episode of Best in Fest, host Leslie LaPage sits down with Patti Negri, psychic medium, author, and host of The Witching Hour podcast, to explore how niche creators can build powerful personal brands and loyal audiences in today’s digital landscape.
Patti shares how she has expanded her career across television, podcasting, and social media—creating a recognizable presence in the paranormal space while connecting with a global audience.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
- 🔮 How to build a niche brand in the paranormal and spiritual space
- 🎙️ How podcasting can expand your reach and authority
- 📱 Why consistent branding across platforms (YouTube, Instagram, Facebook) matters
- 🌍 How to grow and engage a loyal audience across multiple channels
- 🚀 The importance of authenticity when building a personal brand
- ⚠️ How to protect your brand from impersonators and fake accounts online
- 💡 Why creators must actively promote and distribute their own content
Patti also discusses her podcast The Witching Hour, her online presence, and how creators can leverage multiple platforms to increase visibility, credibility, and audience engagement.
In this episode of Best in Fest, host Leslie LaPage sits down with actress, filmmaker, and producer Julia Morizawa to break down her evolution from working actor to multi-hyphenate storyteller creating impactful, culturally rooted films.
With over 20 years in film, television, and voice acting, Julia shares how she transitioned into writing and producing—using animation, short films, and emerging technology to bring deeply personal stories to life.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
- 🎭 How actors can transition into writing, producing, and directing
- 🎬 How to develop a film from personal or family history into a compelling narrative
- 🎨 Why animation can be a powerful and cost-effective storytelling tool
- 📊 The realities of short film distribution—and how to extend a film’s lifecycle after festivals
- 🌍 How cultural and heritage-driven stories can connect with global audiences
- 🚀 How platforms like Omeleto create new exposure opportunities for filmmakers
- 🎥 How to use proof-of-concept shorts to develop larger projects (features or series)
- 🧠 Why adapting your story across formats (film, podcast, series) increases your chances of success
- ⚙️ How emerging tools like Unreal Engine are changing indie production workflows
Julia also shares the story behind her animated short Dragonfly, inspired by her family’s experience during World War II, and how it evolved from a feature script into a successful festival film—and now into broader distribution.
In this episode of Best in Fest, host Leslie LaPage speaks with Kevin Nicklaus, Head of Production and Partner at Sandstone Artists, a company focused on talent management, literary development, and film/TV production.
With a background in studio development and experience working on major projects, Kevin shares how the entertainment industry is evolving—and what it really takes to finance, package, and produce films outside the traditional Hollywood system.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
- 🎬 Why the traditional studio system is no longer the primary path for filmmakers
- 💰 How independent film financing actually works (equity, tax incentives, and gap funding)
- 🧩 How to package a film: attaching talent, IP, and building a financing strategy
- 📊 Why building an audience first (via comics, IP, or digital platforms) is critical
- 🌍 How global IP—especially from markets like Korea—is reshaping Hollywood development
- 🎥 Why more producers are focusing on features instead of television
- 🤝 How to find investors and unconventional partners outside traditional studios
- 🧠 What managers look for in new writers and creators today
- 📱 Why creators must build their own ecosystem and audience to stand out
Kevin also breaks down the realities of today’s production landscape—including why studios are no longer taking the same financial risks, how independent teams are replacing legacy systems, and what filmmakers must do to stay competitive.
In this episode of Best in Fest, host Leslie LaPage sits down with Theresa Demarest, an independent documentary filmmaker whose unconventional path to filmmaking includes life as a musician, critical care nurse, and activist storyteller.
Theresa shares how she transitioned into documentary filmmaking while telling the powerful story of Keiko—the orca made famous in Free Willy—and how that project launched her career behind the camera.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
- 🎥 How Theresa created her first documentary, Keiko: The Untold Story of the Star of Free Willy
- 🐋 What it was like documenting the real-life story of Keiko the whale and the movement to return him to the wild
- 🎬 How independent filmmakers can navigate festivals, distribution, and streaming platforms
- 📺 How documentaries get placed on platforms like Amazon Prime and Vimeo
- 🎞️ Why aggregators are essential for distributing independent films
- 🐎 The inspiration behind her latest documentary, Throwaway Horses
- 📊 The realities of funding and promoting a documentary film without investors
- 🎟️ How grassroots screenings and nonprofit partnerships help build audiences
- 🎤 Why filmmakers must actively market their films even after landing distribution
Theresa also explains the behind-the-scenes realities of documentary filmmaking—from rough-cut screenings and festival feedback to building grassroots audiences through advocacy groups and targeted communities.
In this episode of Best in Fest, host Leslie LaPage speaks with Amanda Hendon, owner and president of Entertainment 333, a full-service talent management company representing actors in film and television.
With decades of experience working with major agencies, casting offices, and production companies, Amanda shares an insider perspective on how actors build sustainable careers in Hollywood—and how the industry is evolving in the wake of strikes, streaming disruption, and emerging AI technology.
In this episode, we discuss:
- 🎭 What talent managers actually do for actors and how careers are built
- 🎬 How actors land representation and what managers look for in new talent
- 📼 The realities of the self-tape audition era
- 🌍 Why many actors are now working internationally in places like Ireland and Europe
- 📉 How the Hollywood slowdown and recent strikes have affected working actors
- 🤖 How AI tools—from headshots to production tech—are impacting the industry
- 🎥 Why Amanda is expanding from talent management into film producing
- 📚 The true-story film project she’s developing about James Dean and Liz Sheridan
- 💡 Practical advice for actors navigating today’s competitive entertainment industry
Amanda also shares candid insights about the difference between emerging and established talent, the realities of representation in Los Angeles, and why persistence and strong communication remain essential for actors trying to break through.
In this episode of Best in Fest, host Leslie LaPage speaks with Laura Sydell, an award-winning journalist, audio producer, and storyteller best known for her work covering digital culture and technology for NPR programs including Planet Money, This American Life, and more.
After two decades reporting from the front lines of Silicon Valley, Laura now brings that insider perspective to narrative storytelling and screenwriting, developing techno-thrillers and sci-fi projects inspired by the real forces shaping our digital world.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
- 🎙️ How Laura transitioned from public radio journalism to screenwriting and TV development
- 💻 What it was like covering the rise of Silicon Valley and the early internet era
- 📀 How Napster and digital file sharing reshaped the entertainment industry
- 📺 The rise of streaming platforms like Netflix and the transformation of television storytelling
- 🤖 What artificial intelligence could mean for writers, filmmakers, and creatives
- 🎬 Why human storytelling still matters in the age of AI
- 📱 How new technology tools are empowering independent creators
- 🌍 Why international TV markets are growing while Hollywood faces disruption
- 🧠 How real-world tech trends inspire speculative fiction and techno-thrillers
Laura also discusses how years of reporting on big tech influence her current writing projects, including stories about data privacy, AI, and the growing power of Silicon Valley companies.
In this episode of Best in Fest, host Leslie LaPage speaks with Shawn Bailey, entrepreneur, social media strategist, and founder of the WanderPreneur Agency. Shawn specializes in helping creators, filmmakers, and entrepreneurs understand the TikTok ecosystem and turn their content into a growing digital brand.
As filmmakers increasingly rely on social media to build audiences before distribution, Shawn breaks down how platforms like TikTok can be used strategically to grow visibility, connect with collaborators, and even monetize content through live streaming and creator engagement.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
- 📱 How filmmakers can use TikTok to build a personal brand and audience
- 🎥 Why movies are just another form of content in today’s creator economy
- 🚀 How the TikTok algorithm works and how to reach the “For You Page”
- 🎙️ Why going live daily can accelerate audience growth
- ⏱️ Optimal video length for small creators and how watch time affects the algorithm
- 🤝 How creators collaborate and cross-promote on TikTok
- 💰 How monetization works through TikTok live gifts and creator engagement
- 📊 Why analytics matter when choosing when and how often to post
- 🌍 How filmmakers can use social media to attract producers, casting directors, and collaborators
Shawn also shares practical strategies for creators who are nervous about showing up on camera, explaining why authenticity and consistency are the keys to building trust and growing an online community.
In this episode of Best in Fest, host Leslie LaPage sits down with Maegan La’Trese Fillmore — director, producer, activist, and founder of Hudson Fillmore — for a no-nonsense conversation about the real economics of independent filmmaking today.
Maegan shares her journey from overseeing productions at Comedy Central, VH1, MTV, the NFL, YouTube Originals, and Paramount to directing award-winning indie projects like Soul Tie, and why she ultimately chose to build outside the studio system.
In this episode, we break down:
- 🎥 Why California tax incentives fail independent filmmakers
- 💰 The $1M budget floor problem — and what indies can do instead
- 🌍 Shooting outside California vs. Europe and emerging U.S. markets
- 🧾 How film slates and funds actually leverage tax incentives
- 🤝 Why tech investors are replacing traditional indie financiers
- 📱 Vertical video explained — formats, budgets, and monetization reality
- 🎬 What Quibi got right (and wrong) about short-form storytelling
- 🧠 Union vs non-union strategy in a shrinking job market
- 🏆 Building culturally specific films that still travel globally
- 🔥 Why most indie films help careers — not investors
Maegan also discusses the future of vertical storytelling, the dopamine economics behind short-form content, why China is currently the only market making real money from vertical series, and how filmmakers can stay creative — and solvent — in a volatile industry.
In this episode of Best in Fest, host Leslie LaPage sits down with Sandhya Hermon — an award-winning screenwriter and former research psychologist — to explore how a second career in storytelling can emerge from lived experience, global identity, and persistence.
Sandhya shares her journey from earning a doctorate in psychology to pursuing an MFA in screenwriting at UT Austin, and how her scripts have gone on to place at top competitions including Austin Film Festival, PAGE Awards, BlueCat, Nichols Fellowship, and more.
In this episode, we explore:
- 🧠 Transitioning from psychology to screenwriting later in life
- ✍️ How life experience strengthens character and theme
- 🏆 Navigating screenwriting fellowships, contests, and labs
- 📚 The difference between fellowships, competitions, and coverage
- 🌍 Writing culturally specific stories with universal appeal
- 🎬 Why global and diaspora stories are gaining traction
- 🐕 Turning personal memory into an animated short
- 🧩 Developing a sustainable writing process and slate
- 🎥 Breaking into the industry without traditional connections
- 💡 Why community and mentorship matter for emerging writers
Sandhya also discusses her feature scripts set in India, her latest project Once Upon a Time in Bombay, the realities of today’s screenwriting market, and why streaming platforms have opened new doors for diverse voices and international stories.
In this episode of Best in Fest, host Leslie LaPage sits down with Arden Theresa Lewis — Emmy-winning documentary filmmaker, playwright, and former educator — for a powerful conversation about creative reinvention, historical storytelling, and why it’s never too late to make meaningful work.
Arden shares the eight-year journey behind her Daytime Emmy Award–winning documentary Leveling Lincoln, a film that explores school integration in the North and the hidden history of systemic inequality. What began as a learning experience became her film school — proving that passion, persistence, and purpose can outperform traditional industry paths.
In this episode, we explore:
- 🏆 How Leveling Lincoln won a Daytime Emmy after an eight-year production
- 🎓 Transitioning from teaching to professional filmmaking later in life
- 📱 Why story matters more than gear — and how a phone can start a film career
- 🎥 Learning documentary filmmaking while making the documentary
- 🧠 Using history to humanize modern social issues
- 🌍 Her next documentary on WWII civilian prison camps in the Philippines
- 🎭 Blending documentary, theater, and narrative storytelling
- 🎬 Turning stage work into potential film and TV projects
- 💡 Advice for creatives afraid to start because they feel “too late”
- ❤️ Why creativity is rooted in reconnecting with the inner child
Arden also discusses her current stage production Cassatt at Theater West in Hollywood, her upcoming documentary currently filming overseas, and how hybrid creators can build sustainable creative lives across multiple mediums.
In this episode of Best in Fest, host Leslie LaPage sits down with Linda Arroz — lifestyle writer, speaker, advisor, former plus-size spokesmodel, and media strategist — for a wide-ranging conversation on reinvention, branding, and storytelling in today’s entertainment landscape.
Linda shares her unconventional journey from working at General Motors to becoming a nationally recognized fashion and media authority, styling hundreds of TV shows and commercials, appearing on major networks, publishing books, and now developing podcasts and documentaries at the intersection of media, technology, and culture.
In this episode, we explore:
- 🎥 How to break into media and entertainment without a traditional path
- 🧠 Why storytelling and communication skills matter more than credentials
- 👗 Branding yourself like an influencer — lessons filmmakers can apply
- 📣 Why filmmakers must market themselves, not just their films
- 📚 Turning expertise into books, speaking, and multi-platform projects
- 🎙️ Developing podcasts as IP for future documentaries and films
- 🤖 Technology, blockchain, and AI as tools for modern creators
- 🎬 Building visibility through Q&As, public appearances, and media
- 🌱 The power of mentorship, adaptability, and lifelong reinvention
Linda also discusses her current work developing narrative-driven podcasts, including true crime and documentary projects, and why creators must evolve their skill sets to stay relevant in an ever-changing industry.
This episode is essential listening for filmmakers, creatives, entrepreneurs, and women in media looking to build sustainable careers by combining storytelling, branding, and strategic visibility.
In this episode of Best in Fest, host Leslie LaPage sits down with Debra Gilels — a veteran film PR strategist, producer’s rep, and distribution consultant who has helped launch award-winning documentaries and indie features into global release.
With over 20 years of experience guiding films from festivals to streaming platforms, Debra breaks down how distribution really works today, why most filmmakers misunderstand the process, and what creators must do before seeking a distribution deal.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
- 🎯 How to use the film festival circuit to build an audience before distribution
- 📣 Why PR and marketing must start long before your release date
- 🧩 How documentaries secure advocacy groups and partner communities
- 💼 What distributors actually look for when acquiring indie films
- 💰 Minimum guarantees, contract terms, and revenue splits explained
- 📊 Why social media presence affects your distribution leverage
- 🚀 How to drive visibility on VOD and streaming platforms
- 🏆 Real-world case studies of documentaries and indie features that succeeded
- 🔍 The difference between self-distribution and professional sales agents
Debra explains why simply uploading a film to Amazon Prime is not a distribution strategy — and how smart filmmakers combine festival exposure, PR outreach, audience-building, and sales representation to maximize both impact and revenue.
If you're a filmmaker, producer, documentary creator, or festival director trying to understand how films get picked up, marketed, and monetized in today’s crowded content landscape — this episode is essential listening.
In this episode of Best in Fest, host Leslie LaPage sits down with Emilio Hughes Martinez — award-winning filmmaker, writer, and former Vice President of Development at Eclectic Pictures (Olympus Has Fallen, The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard, Lovelace).
Emilio shares his journey from studio development executive to independent filmmaker, revealing what production companies really look for in scripts, how to finance films without studio backing, and why the next wave of cinema belongs to bold indie creators.
In this episode, we explore:
- 🎥 What studio development executives actually look for in scripts
- 📝 Common mistakes new screenwriters make when pitching producers
- 🏆 How his award-winning shorts (The Method and The Fourth Branch) were created on micro-budgets
- 💰 Financing indie films through friends, family, and creative resourcefulness
- 🎬 Guerrilla filmmaking tactics to bypass costly permits
- 🌎 Why more productions are leaving California — and what comes next
- 🤖 AI’s impact on screenwriting and why human storytelling still matters
- 🔥 The shift from $200M studio films to smaller, high-impact indie projects
- 🚀 His upcoming feature about fame, exploitation, and AI-generated performance
Emilio also breaks down his writing process, working with Oscar-winning co-writer Nick Vallelonga (Green Book), and why instinct-driven storytelling often beats rigid outlining.
In this episode of Best in Fest, host Leslie LaPage welcomes Rabbi Noam Raucher — educator, divorce coach, and Executive Director of FJMC International (Friendship, Judaism, Mentorship & Community) — to explore an unexpected but urgent topic: how media, masculinity, and meaning intersect in today’s culture.
Noam shares his personal journey through divorce, career loss, and men’s support groups — experiences that inspired him to launch Mama’s Boy, a bold new podcast co-hosted with comedy writer Rob Kutner. Together, they’re creating content that challenges toxic masculinity, offers healthier models of brotherhood, and brings Jewish wisdom into modern conversations about manhood.
In this episode, we explore:
- 🎧 Why a rabbi entered entertainment and podcasting
- 🧠 The rise of toxic masculinity in digital media
- 🤝 Men’s support groups and the power of authentic brotherhood
- 📺 Podcasting as the new modern pulpit
- 🎭 How humor and storytelling open men to vulnerability
- 🕍 Jewish tradition as a framework for healthy masculinity
- 🎥 Why film and entertainment shape cultural identity
- 🔥 Countering the manosphere with meaningful media
- 🚀 Building a global movement for men’s emotional growth
Noam explains how today’s media landscape floods young men with damaging messages about dominance, success, and power — and why it’s critical to offer alternative narratives rooted in compassion, accountability, and connection.
In this episode of Best in Fest, host Leslie LaPage sits down with Lauren Reins — director, producer, choreographer, and Enneagram coach — to explore how self-awareness fuels creativity and why understanding your inner motivations may be the key to creating meaningful, sustainable work.
Lauren shares her journey from professional dancer to educator and filmmaker, and how a life-altering accident led her to psychology, coaching, and ultimately the Enneagram, a nine-type personality framework now central to her new dance-driven docuseries.
In this episode, we discuss:
- 🧠 What the Enneagram is and how the nine personality types work
- 🎭 How creatives can use the Enneagram to build better characters
- 💃 Why dance is the perfect medium to express personality and psychology
- 🎬 Turning personal growth into a docuseries concept
- 🧩 Using self-knowledge to overcome creative blocks
- 🏢 How companies like Nike, Amazon, and State Farm use the Enneagram
- 🎥 Why self-awareness matters more than talent alone
- 🌱 Balancing creativity, leadership, and life as a working artist
- 🏆 Premiering an Enneagram-based series at Dances With Films New York
Lauren explains how creatives often struggle not because of the industry — but because they haven’t fully understood their own fears, motivations, and strengths. By using the Enneagram as a framework, artists can move forward with clarity, compassion, and confidence.
In this episode of Best in Fest, host Leslie LaPage sits down with Alan Green, Head of Sales & Acquisitions at 123 Media, to break down how film distribution actually works — and why most indie filmmakers misunderstand it.
With decades of experience spanning 20th Century Fox, Pathé, international sales, and producing, Alan offers a brutally honest look at what sells, what doesn’t, and how filmmakers can avoid costly mistakes when trying to monetize their films.
In this episode, we cover:
- 🎥 Which film genres are most distributable (and why drama is the hardest sell)
- 📊 SVOD vs AVOD vs TVOD — how platforms really pay filmmakers
- 💰 Why Netflix deals are flat fees (and not per-view payouts)
- 🧠 The myth of self-distribution on Amazon Prime
- 🎯 Why distributors sell film packages, not individual titles
- 🧾 Presales, minimum guarantees (MGs), and why names still matter
- 🎬 How production quality impacts distribution decisions
- 📱 Vertical content, short-form storytelling, and the future of film
- 🎞️ Turning genre films into viable distribution assets
- 🏆 Festival strategy as a business tool — not just prestige
Alan also discusses producing the WWII revenge thriller Vindictive, opening at Dances With Films New York, and explains how hybrid genre films can bridge the gap between festivals and commercial success.
If you’re an independent filmmaker, producer, or content creator trying to understand how films make money after they’re finished — this episode is essential listening.
In this episode of Best in Fest, host Leslie LaPage sits down with Jessica Rizk (director, writer, producer, animator) and Soren Anderson (composer and sound designer) to unpack the creation of Cracked — a haunting, hand-drawn 2D animated short exploring mental health, self-neglect, and emotional collapse.
Over the course of a two-year DIY production, Cracked was animated frame-by-frame, scored from scratch, and built without shortcuts — revealing the true scope of independent animation today.
In this episode, we explore:
- 🎨 What it really takes to make a hand-drawn animated short (24 frames per second, no safety net)
- 🧠 How mental health and self-neglect shaped the story, visuals, and pacing
- 💡 Why flickering light, grime, and stillness were used as psychological storytelling tools
- 🎼 DIY sound design & Foley work — from cracked eggs to handmade thunder
- 🤖 Animation vs. AI — where technology helps and where human creativity must remain
- 🎥 Turning a short film into a feature-length proof of concept
- 💍 Collaborating creatively as a married filmmaking team
- 🎞️ Premiering on the festival circuit, including Dances With Films New York
Cracked is a powerful example of how independent filmmakers can create deeply resonant, festival-ready work with limited resources — if they’re willing to commit fully to the craft.
🎟️ Cracked premieres at Dances With Films New York — Midnight Block, January 16.
What does it really take to build a career as a feature film director — starting at age 15 and continuing across continents, cultures, and film festivals?
In this episode of Best in Fest, host Leslie LaPage, Director of the La Femme International Film Festival, sits down with Dominik Sedlar, an award-winning director whose career spans documentaries, narrative features, international co-productions, and major festival premieres.
Born in Croatia, raised in New York, and educated through hands-on experience in theater and film, Dominik shares what he’s learned from directing his first documentary as a teenager, making ultra-low-budget features, working with veteran actors, and navigating the increasingly competitive festival and distribution landscape.
This conversation is a must-listen for filmmakers, directors, producers, and actors who want an honest look at the craft, business, and psychology behind making films that actually get seen.
🎥 In This Episode, You’ll Learn:
- How Dominik directed his first documentary at age 15
- The key differences between theater acting and film acting
- Why “less direction” often leads to better performances
- How to make a feature film with limited money and free locations
- What it’s really like working with seasoned actors vs. inexperienced ones
- How to keep audiences engaged in a single-room, dialogue-driven film
- Lessons learned from shooting during COVID under tight timelines
- The realities of today’s festival circuit and film distribution
- Advice for first-time directors and emerging filmmakers
- Why resilience, adaptability, and collaboration matter more than ever
Whether you’re developing your first feature, transitioning from documentary to narrative, or trying to break through the noise of today’s content-saturated film world, this episode delivers practical insights and hard-earned wisdom from a director who’s lived it.
🎧 Subscribe to Best in Fest for in-depth conversations with filmmakers, festival directors, and industry insiders shaping the future of independent film.
In this inspiring episode of Best in Fest, host Leslie LaPage sits down with Danielle Hobbs—a true multi-hyphenate creative force whose career spans dance, choreography, acting, education, authorship, and filmmaking.
Danielle Hobbs Full Episode
Danielle shares her remarkable journey from concert dance and global tours to choreographing for Beyoncé, performing on Michael Jackson’s Immortal World Tour, and ultimately expanding her creative mission through children’s books and narrative filmmaking.
In this episode, Danielle discusses:
- How her dance foundation shaped her confidence, performance presence, and storytelling instincts
- Her path from concert dance to choreography for major recording artists
- What it’s really like choreographing for film vs. live performance—and how camera, story, and movement must align
- The creation of her children’s book series Danny Girl Adventures: Dream It, Do It, and why representation and empowerment matter
- The inspiration behind her short film Amethyst Girl: Destiny, a dance-driven story about creativity, identity, and purpose
- Using short films as proof of concept for larger projects and grant-funded features
- Why growth takes time—and why comparing timelines can derail creative careers
- How dance, psychology, and storytelling intersect as tools for healing and transformation
This episode is packed with insight for filmmakers, dancers, performers, creative entrepreneurs, and storytellers navigating career pivots, passion projects, and purpose-driven work.
🎬 Watch the full video episode on YouTube
🎙️ Listen on your favorite podcast platform
⭐ Rate, review, and share Best in Fest to support independent creators
In this powerful episode of Best in Fest, Leslie LaPage sits down with Marcia S. Ross—Emmy-nominated documentary producer and former SVP of Casting at Walt Disney Pictures—to reveal the real Hollywood career path that led her from discovering breakout stars to producing globally recognized documentaries like Terrence McNally: Every Act of Life, Nazarene, and The Savoy King.
Marcia opens up about:
- Her rise through New York theater and casting—including her years at CBS, Warner Bros., and Disney.
- How she identified early star power in actors such as Channing Tatum, Angelina Jolie, and Megan Fox—and what “compelling” really means in the audition room.
- What filmmakers get wrong about distribution and why marketing begins before you finish the film.
- Building social media momentum for documentaries, leveraging algorithms, and why PR budgets must center around festival premieres.
- Raising money, navigating approvals, and surviving the business side of both indie film and Hollywood studios.
- Why filmmakers—not distributors—must drive viewership on streamers like Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon.
- Her passion for films centered on activists, underdogs, and global changemakers—and how those stories reshaped her own life.
- Career advice for actors: how to stand out, how casting directors think, and why the best auditions create long-term advocates.
- Why comparison is career-killing, and how she maintains perspective, gratitude, and purpose in a brutal industry.
Whether you’re a filmmaker preparing to pitch distributors, an actor trying to understand casting, or a creative searching for a sustainable path in the industry, this conversation delivers deep, actionable insight from someone who has shaped careers and stories for over three decades.
In this inspiring Best in Fest episode, host Leslie LaPage sits down with award-winning writer, director, and musician Paula Tiberius — one of the very first La Femme Film Festival winners — to explore her incredible evolution from indie rocker and filmmaker to in-demand screenwriter for Hallmark, Lifetime, and Netflix.
Paula opens up about her early days making the cult rock-and-roll movie Goldie Rocks, her journey breaking into Hollywood, and how she found creative freedom writing beloved TV romances like Hearts Around the Table, Crossroads Springs, and Santa’s Got Style.
🎥 In This Episode:
- How Goldie Rocks launched a fearless filmmaking career.
- Writing heartfelt stories for Hallmark and Lifetime — without losing artistic integrity.
- The rise of “vertical” short-form storytelling and how it’s reshaping the industry.
- Why perseverance and process are the secret weapons of every successful writer.
- How her new company, Death or Story, is teaching writers to structure screenplays that actually sell.
💡 Key Takeaway:
Paula proves that discipline, reinvention, and a love for story are what turn a rock-and-roll dreamer into a Hollywood powerhouse.
In this powerful Best in Fest episode, host Leslie LaPage sits down with award-winning actress, producer, and entrepreneur Jacqueline Fleming — known for Love Jones, Losing Isaiah, and collaborations with stars like Halle Berry, Morgan Freeman, and Mark Wahlberg.
Jacqueline shares her remarkable journey from Denmark to Hollywood, revealing how she turned frustration into fuel — building a multi-hyphenate career as an actress, producer, and now the founder of Slate Distribution and At the Kitchen Table Productions.
🎥 Inside This Episode:
- The Love Jones legacy and what it was like starring opposite Lorenz Tate and Nia Long.
- How she built her own production and talent empire when Hollywood doors closed.
- Funding indie films through private equity and mastering the business side of filmmaking.
- Why she launched a distribution company that actually invests in filmmakers and marketing.
- Her bold vision for empowering women, minorities, and independent creators to own their content.
💡 Key Takeaway:
Jacqueline proves that talent opens the door — but knowledge, hustle, and ownership build the house.
In this inspiring Best in Fest episode, host Leslie LaPage spotlights the award-winning filmmakers of the 2025 LaFemme International Film Festival. From a Ukrainian refugee’s moving documentary Mama’s Voice, to the hilarious and heartfelt short The Whole Truth about motherhood and hemorrhoids, to the genre-bending Nepo Baby exploring identity and fame, to the chilling psychological thriller Don’t Let Them Out, and the emotional documentary The Ramba Effect about Chile’s last circus elephant—each story celebrates female creativity, courage, and vision.
🎥 Featured Films & Creators:
- Mama’s Voice — resilience through war and art
- Nepo Baby — a Vietnamese fantasy about fame and family
- Don’t Let Them Out — psychological horror with a purpose
- The Whole Truth — moms, friendship, and the funny side of taboo
- The Ramba Effect — saving Chile’s last circus elephant
✨ Tune in for exclusive filmmaker interviews, behind-the-scenes insights, and a celebration of women redefining cinema across every genre.
In this inspiring Best in Fest episode, host Leslie LaPage spotlights the award-winning filmmakers of the 2025 LaFemme International Film Festival. From a Ukrainian refugee’s moving documentary Mama’s Voice, to the hilarious and heartfelt short The Whole Truth about motherhood and hemorrhoids, to the genre-bending Nepo Baby exploring identity and fame, to the chilling psychological thriller Don’t Let Them Out, and the emotional documentary The Ramba Effect about Chile’s last circus elephant—each story celebrates female creativity, courage, and vision.
🎥 Featured Films & Creators:
- Mama’s Voice — resilience through war and art
- Nepo Baby — a Vietnamese fantasy about fame and family
- Don’t Let Them Out — psychological horror with a purpose
- The Whole Truth — moms, friendship, and the funny side of taboo
- The Ramba Effect — saving Chile’s last circus elephant
✨ Tune in for exclusive filmmaker interviews, behind-the-scenes insights, and a celebration of women redefining cinema across every genre.
In this episode of Best in Fest, filmmaker, educator, and Army veteran Shannan Wynn shares her extraordinary journey from serving in the armed forces and counseling at-risk youth to building her own production company, Winquest Entertainment. Shannan reveals how her life experiences inspired her debut thriller A Life of Sunshine—a female-driven, murder mystery now streaming on Amazon Prime and Apple TV—and how she navigated the challenges of self-funding, casting, and distribution
Shannan Wynn.
She also dives into her collaboration on the relationship documentary The Love Script, the importance of partnerships in indie filmmaking, and her future plans to adapt her children’s book The Tales of Chance and the Faithful Few (with a foreword by CeCe Winans) into an animated series
Shannan Wynn. Along the way, Shannan shares advice on building relationships, supporting other filmmakers, and why you should “never put a period where a comma belongs.”
Whether you’re an aspiring filmmaker, a fan of thrillers and documentaries, or simply looking for inspiration to pivot careers, this conversation is a masterclass in creativity, resilience, and following your passion.
In this episode of Best in Fest, branding strategist, publisher, and fashion-to-film trailblazer Lela Christine Thompson shares how she built a dynamic career at the intersection of fashion, entertainment, and digital media. From designing for Queen Pen and collaborating with 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment on campaigns for Moulin Rouge, Soul Food, and The Hunger Games, to launching her own digital magazines like Power Player Lifestyle, Fab Five Lifestyle, and Goddess Couture News, Lela reveals how creative vision and persistence can open unexpected doors.
She dives deep into brand marketing for independent filmmakers, the power of social impact media, and how to leverage product placement, blogs, and digital magazines to grow your film’s reach. With practical tips on creating a social media calendar, saving behind-the-scenes content, and pitching to online outlets, this conversation is a masterclass in building a digital footprint that lasts.
Whether you’re an indie filmmaker, content creator, or entrepreneur looking to elevate your brand, this episode will inspire you to think outside the box and embrace the ever-evolving media landscape.
In this powerhouse episode of Best in Fest, award-winning producer and industry trailblazer Kimberly Ogletree shares her incredible journey through music videos, television, and independent filmmaking. From working with icons like Russell Simmons, Stevie Wonder, and Julie Dash to producing groundbreaking content for BET, Viacom, and MTV, Kimberly reveals how she transitioned from million-dollar music videos to producing ten original TV movies on a shoestring budget—paving the way for Black storytelling in Hollywood.
Now serving as the President of Greenlight Women, Kimberly discusses her mission to champion women over 40 in entertainment, tackle ageism, and create inclusive, family-focused content. Tune in as she dives into the art of creative producing, the challenges of studio-level oversight, and the importance of saying "yes" even when the odds are stacked against you.
Whether you're a filmmaker, a fan of behind-the-scenes Hollywood insights, or looking to break into the industry, this episode is a masterclass in resilience, reinvention, and representation.
In this inspiring episode of Best in Fest, entertainment attorney turned filmmaker Sauda Johnson-McNeal shares her journey from studying acting at USC to founding her own production company, Ron Ash LLC, and creating the award-winning independent film Love the Skin You’re In. What began as a personal story of healing and self-discovery evolved into a powerful film about self-acceptance, resilience, and learning to love yourself at every stage of life
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Sauda opens up about self-funding her debut feature, working alongside Hollywood legends Obba Babatundé and Marla Gibbs, and the lessons she learned from balancing her dual worlds as a lawyer and creative
riverside_sauda_johnson-mcneal_…. She also discusses the importance of representation, mentorship, and perseverance in today’s changing entertainment landscape—and why “believing in yourself” isn’t just a cliché, it’s a strategy.
Whether you’re an aspiring filmmaker, a creative professional facing self-doubt, or someone seeking a reminder that your story matters, this episode will leave you empowered to love the skin you’re in—literally and figuratively.
In this episode of Best in Fest, Emmy-nominated supervising sound editor Bobbi Banks shares her inspiring journey from starting as an assistant with no film background to becoming one of Hollywood’s most respected post-production voices. With over 120 film and TV credits—including Desperately Seeking Susan, Poetic Justice, Self Made, Snowfall, and When They See Us—Bobbi reflects on her early mentors, her groundbreaking work with John Singleton, and her path to leadership in the Motion Picture Sound Editors and Editors Guild
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Bobbi dives deep into the artistry of ADR, the evolving role of technology and AI in sound, and why mentorship is critical for the next generation of filmmakers. She also opens up about navigating Hollywood as a woman of color in a male-dominated field, her perspective on unions, and the creative choices that make sound one of the most powerful storytelling tools in cinema
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Whether you’re a filmmaker, sound enthusiast, or just curious about what makes movies truly come alive, this episode is a masterclass in resilience, creativity, and the craft of sound.
In this inspiring episode of Best in Fest, producer and filmmaker Christine La Monte takes us on a globe-spanning journey through her extraordinary career—from pioneering studio marketing campaigns in the 1980s to producing award-winning documentaries like Viva Verdi and Ai Weiwei: Yours Truly. Christine shares how she broke into the male-dominated entertainment industry, the spiritual force behind her creative choices, and how saying “yes” led to collaborations with cinematic legends and global human rights icons. Tune in to hear how she weaves opera, activism, ageism, and artistry into unforgettable storytelling—and why she believes miracles show up when you stay open to them. A must-listen for anyone navigating career pivots, indie film, or the fine line between passion and purpose.
Actress-turned-documentarian Marta György-Kessler joins Best in Fest to share her fascinating transformation from the stages of Budapest to uncovering untold spiritual journeys through film. In this episode, Marta dives into the backstory of her award-winning documentary Hannah: Buddhism's Untold Journey, her deep connection to Buddhist icon Hannah Nydahl, and her current film chronicling the life of the 16th Karmapa—one of Tibetan Buddhism’s most revered figures.
Host Leslie Lippa explores Marta's unique path from the post-communist struggles of Hungary to discovering lost archival footage in basements, building a multi-continent documentary team, and navigating festival circuits and Netflix distribution. Marta also unpacks the challenges women face in the film industry, the emotional depth of true storytelling, and how Buddhist philosophy continues to shape her creative process.
If you're a filmmaker, spiritual seeker, or documentary lover—this episode is a must-listen.
In this powerful episode of Best in Fest, Leslie LaPage sits down with legendary actor, director, teacher, and empowerment leader Richard Lawson. With a career spanning over 55 years—from Poltergeist to Tyler Perry productions—Lawson shares his journey of resilience, integrity, and artistry. He discusses his groundbreaking philosophy from The Artist’s Roadmap, why “no” is never the end but a reroute, and how mastering both craft and business creates lasting success in Hollywood. Along the way, he opens up about teaching icons like George Clooney, Michelle Pfeiffer, and Jim Carrey, while offering invaluable lessons on preparation, purpose, and pursuing dreams at any stage of life. Whether you’re an actor, filmmaker, or dreamer, this episode is a masterclass in turning passion into a lifelong career
In this insightful episode of Best in Fest, Leslie LaPage sits down with Sam Goff—creative talent manager at Fourth Wall Management and self-proclaimed “animation activist.” From her early days at DreamWorks and Netflix to teaching animated perspectives at Loyola Marymount and Cal State Long Beach, Sam shares how authentic voices are reshaping the future of animation. She dives into the importance of DEI in storytelling, why projects like K-Pop Demon Hunters succeed where others fall flat, and how marginalized creators can break into the industry through indie projects, web comics, and direct-to-market platforms. Whether you’re an aspiring animator, filmmaker, or simply a fan of global stories, this episode reveals why authentic perspectives matter and how they’re transforming the entertainment landscape
What does it take to transform a lifetime of dance into powerful storytelling for film, opera, and television? In this episode of Best in Fest, host Les LaPage sits down with Jermaine McGhee—scholar, choreographer, educator, and former principal dancer for the LA and San Francisco Opera, including the Pulitzer Prize-winning Omar.
Jermaine shares his journey from performing in blockbuster films like Dance Flick to choreographing works that merge ballet, jazz, and American dance culture. He opens up about:
- The pivotal moment he shifted from dancer to choreographer.
- How communication shapes the relationship between directors, performers, and dancers.
- Why iconic sequences like White Nights set the standard for dance on film.
- Advice for young artists on finding their unique voice instead of copying others.
- The future of dance in film and streaming, and how projects like Tule are sparking a new renaissance.
Whether you’re a filmmaker, choreographer, or dance enthusiast, Jermaine’s insights reveal why movement is more than performance—it’s storytelling with purpose and impact
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👉 Listen in and discover how to elevate dance sequences from background filler to unforgettable cinematic moments.
In this episode of Best in Fest, Leslie LaPage chats with television producer Audrey Smith about the art and strategy behind reality TV’s evolving sub-genres. Audrey breaks down the difference between docu-follow and soft-scripted formats, revealing how casting, storytelling, and audience expectations shape each style. From Girlfriend Confidential to today’s surge in true documentary content, Audrey shares insider tips on creating compelling narratives, keeping viewers hooked, and navigating a media landscape hungry for authenticity. Perfect for filmmakers, producers, and fans curious about what really goes into making “reality” real.
In this inspiring episode of Best in Fest, Les Lippa sits down with filmmakers David Morrison, Penny Edmondson, and Judy Marlin to talk about their dynamic documentary It’s Our Ball—the untold story of senior women dominating the basketball court and redefining age, athleticism, and respect. From heartfelt personal journeys to the challenges of authentic storytelling, the trio shares how they brought these powerful voices to the screen and why this project is changing the conversation around women, sports, and aging. Whether you’re a filmmaker, sports fan, or just love a great underdog story, this episode will leave you motivated to get in the game—at any age.
What does it take to go from indie filmmaker to Emmy-winning director? In this episode of Best in Fest, host Leslie LaPage sits down with Bridget Stokes—trailblazing director of A Black Lady Sketch Show, Hello, Jack!, and Boy Genius—to unpack her inspiring rise through the film and television world. From waiting tables in New York to winning an Emmy as the first woman in her category, Bridget shares the real hustle behind her success.
She dives deep into the contrasts between episodic TV and feature films, her collaborative producing roots, and her passion for building immersive story worlds. Plus, hear the behind-the-scenes story of The Rachel Divide, her pivot into children's television during the pandemic, and why she believes now is the perfect time to chase what sets your soul on fire.
🎯 Key Takeaways:
- How to transition from indie film to episodic directing
- Lessons from working on hit shows like The Goldbergs, Gabby Duran, and A Black Lady Sketch Show
- Tips on collaboration, creative longevity, and shadowing the right way
- Why staying true to your storytelling voice is the only way forward
📲 Follow Bridget on Instagram @murphystokes and on LinkedIn.
What do PlayStation, storefront media, and cutting-edge documentaries have in common? Nathan Elliott. In this episode of Best in Fest, host Leslie LaPage sits down with the Canadian entrepreneur, technologist, and filmmaker to discuss how he's revolutionizing advertising and storytelling. Nathan reveals how his company, FrontRunner Technologies, transforms vacant storefronts into immersive media platforms—and how that tech-savvy mindset shaped his foray into film production.
They explore Black Mark, a powerful documentary about NBA star Matt Barnes’ near-fatal high school experience with the KKK, and its evolution into a gripping series concept. Plus, Nathan shares behind-the-scenes insight into With Love, Charlie, a Korean War-era short film now hitting Samsung platforms on August 1. From branded entertainment to virtual production and beyond, this episode is packed with game-changing ideas for creators, producers, and marketers alike.
🎯 Topics Covered:
- Brand integration in film and TV
- Virtual production for indie filmmakers
- Turning trauma into transformational storytelling
- Global advertising trends
- The future of theatrical experiences
📲 Follow Nathan: @elliottnate8
🔗 Company: @frontrunnertech
🎬 Shorts to stream: Black Mark and With Love, Charlie
What happens when an aerospace engineer-turned-actor and a multilingual actress-turned-writer join forces? You get Reminisce—a compelling new short film exploring a May-December romance, generational gaps, and power imbalances in love. In this episode of Best in Fest, host Leslie LaPage sits down with Ashna Sharan and Wayne Jay to unpack their creative journey, from meeting in a virtual writers' group to developing a short that’s captivating the festival circuit. They discuss character development, drawing from real-life relationships, and how to turn personal stories into powerful proof-of-concept films. Whether you're an aspiring filmmaker, actor, or just love great storytelling—this episode is full of insights and inspiration.
🎟️ Catch Reminisce at LA Shorts on July 26 at LA Live.
📲 Follow the film @reminiscetheshortfilm and the creators @ashkash009 and @waynemjay
In this episode of Best in Fest, host Leslie LaPage sits down with powerhouse filmmaking duo Blue and Jason Gerber. From directing award-winning commercials for brands like Walgreens, Chipotle, and Lincoln Park Community Services, to creating emotionally resonant documentaries, this married team shares their evolution from the fast-paced world of high-budget commercials to the deeply personal realm of documentary filmmaking.
They unpack their process for winning commercial pitches, the art of co-directing, and the creative inspiration behind their new documentary Dawn Dusk—a powerful story of grief, healing, and wearable art. Learn how they balance artistic integrity with client expectations, how fashion becomes narrative, and what it really takes to tell meaningful stories that last.
🎥 Dawn Dusk premieres August 15 on Tubi, Amazon, and The Roku Channel.
🔗 Visit: dawnduskfilm.com | IG: @dawnduskfilm
In this inspiring episode of Best in Fest, Leslie speaks with Jack Teeter—marketing legend behind iconic Universal hits like Back to the Future, Scarface, and The Breakfast Club. Now a director and producer, Teeter shares how his old-school marketing chops fueled the creation of Blind Logic: The Ralph Teeter Story, a powerful documentary about his blind great-uncle who invented cruise control. Discover what still works in film marketing today, how to compete with indie budgets, and why testing your content might be the most underrated tool in your kit. A must-listen for filmmakers, marketers, and movie buffs alike.
In this episode of Best in Fest, Leslie sits down with powerhouse producer and development executive Laura Knight to talk about the art of telling stories across film, TV, podcasts, and animation. From her early days at ICM to her work with John Leguizamo and the groundbreaking interactive show Bar Karma, Laura shares what it takes to craft compelling content—whether it’s adapting a bestselling novel, running a female-led set, or reverse-engineering a podcast into a television series.
Learn how Laura built her diverse career by taking risks, understanding budgets, and putting story first—plus why she believes women in production are changing the energy of the entertainment industry.
🎬 Why locking your script matters
🎙️ How Going Reno is flipping podcast-to-TV development
💥 And the real power of saying “I’ll just make it myself”
If you’re a creator, producer, or storyteller looking to own your path, this episode is pure gold.
In this inspiring episode of Best in Fest, host Leslie speaks with first-time filmmaker Tamar Springer about her powerful documentary More Than Santa Baby — a heartfelt tribute to her father, legendary composer Philip Springer. Known worldwide for penning the holiday classic "Santa Baby," Philip’s influence goes far beyond that single hit, with songs recorded by Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley, Aretha Franklin, and many more.
Tamar shares how her background in social work evolved into an unexpected filmmaking journey, sparked by a pandemic-era epiphany and fueled by a deep love for her father's astonishing legacy. From rare archival footage to interviews with UK music icons like Cliff Richard and Mike Read, this conversation dives into the making of a three-act documentary, the magic of the Brill Building era, and the enduring power of passion projects — no matter your age.
🎶 Discover the untold story of a music icon.
🎥 Learn how a daughter turned legacy into art.
🎄 And yes — it all starts with “Santa Baby.”
In this visionary episode of Best in Fest, host Leslie LaPage talks with Ian Hinden—Las Vegas-born musician, game designer, and immersive storyteller—about redefining how music, gaming, and social commentary collide. Ian dives into the creation of his interactive music video and video game hybrid, "Would You Call Him a Bad Man?", which is set to premiere at Dances With Films.
He shares:
- How anime, alt-rock, and Red Hot Chili Peppers inspired his multimedia storytelling
- Why he designed a satirical game to spotlight coercion, abuse, and corporate hypocrisy
- The influence of streaming culture, indie game engines, and immersive fandom
- How fashion, music, gaming, and storytelling are converging into a single artistic universe
- What creators need to know about Web interactivity, TikTok reach, and indie gaming tools like Godot and Itch.io
From philosophical critiques to Easter eggs hidden in mini-games, Ian’s work challenges both industry norms and audience expectations. If you're interested in blending mediums, pushing boundaries, or making meaningful art that actually connects, this episode is for you.
In this powerful episode of Best in Fest, host Leslie LaPage welcomes acclaimed actress-turned-screenwriter Laura Harrington, whose career has spanned blockbuster sets and award-winning scripts. From starring opposite Leonardo DiCaprio in What’s Eating Gilbert Grape to writing for legends like Martin Scorsese and Taylor Hackford, Laura shares how she transitioned from the stage to the page—and why storytelling is her true calling.
Laura reveals:
- How her breakout role in Maximum Overdrive led to working with Stephen King
- The real-life encounter that inspired her script about Fidel Castro
- Her emotional journey writing The Ninth Fortress, a Holocaust escape drama
- Why actors make some of the best screenwriters
- Her approach to writing character-driven films in a superhero-saturated industry
- And how her Farmhouse Writing Retreat in Italy nurtures creators of all kinds
Whether you're an aspiring screenwriter, actor, or just love behind-the-scenes film stories, this episode is filled with rare insights and raw honesty about the creative process, reinvention, and writing with courage.
In this episode of Best in Fest, host Leslie LaPage welcomes writer, producer, and performer Elizabeth Quinn, whose sharp wit and love for offbeat stories have earned her a spot at the 2024 Tribeca Festival with her audio drama Going Reno. Elizabeth shares her journey from New York theater to L.A. improv, her transition into writing and producing, and the creative spark behind her 1930s divorce-ranch podcast starring Bonnie Hunt and Joelle Carter.
Tune in to hear Elizabeth’s insights on:
- Navigating the indie film world as a multi-hyphenate creator
- The future of narrative audio and podcasting
- The power of competitions for emerging writers
- Overcoming perfectionism and finding your voice
- Why Going Reno could be the next great series—or novel
Whether you’re a screenwriter, podcaster, or film lover, this episode is packed with advice, laughs, and a dose of inspiration for creators chasing bold stories and big dreams.
In this inspiring episode of Best in Fest, host Leslie LaPage sits down with one of Hungary’s most celebrated directors, Krisztina Goda, whose breakout hit Just Sex and Nothing Else catapulted her to fame. Goda shares her journey from the prestigious National Film and Television School to UCLA, her experience navigating Hungary’s male-dominated film industry, and the creative challenges of writing and directing both indie features and commercial work. They discuss the evolving role of women in film, the impact of streaming platforms on foreign-language cinema, and what it takes to stay passionate about storytelling in a shifting global market. Whether you’re an aspiring filmmaker or a seasoned storyteller, this episode offers a masterclass in resilience, artistic integrity, and international vision.
In this episode of Best in Fest, festival director Leslie LaPage sits down with veteran TV writer Michael FX Daley—whose credits include CSI, The X-Files, Reaper, Maniac, and The Leftovers—for a behind-the-scenes look at how the television industry has transformed over the past two decades. Daley shares his journey from being a reluctant TV convert to writing major network finales, dishes on what it’s really like inside a writer’s room, and reveals how streaming, binging, and evolving audience behaviors are reshaping storytelling. Plus, hear how he's using his industry knowledge to shape the next generation of writers at Loyola Marymount and what inspired his upcoming book The Writers Took Television. If you're a storyteller, screenwriter, or just love great TV, this episode is a must-listen.
In this episode of Best in Fest, Leslie LaPage sits down with acclaimed international actor Ido Samuel, known for his roles in We Were the Lucky Ones, FBI: International, Tehran, and the award-winning short Dirty Bomb. Ido shares his journey from growing up in Israel to breaking into Hollywood, how he landed his powerful role as a conflicted Jewish policeman in Hulu’s Holocaust drama, and the real-life stories that shaped his performances. From navigating the L.A. acting scene to honoring Holocaust survivors through film, this episode is a candid and inspiring look at the grit, talent, and global perspective that fuels Ido’s work.
Ready to pull back the curtain on reality TV? In this episode of Best in Fest, powerhouse producer Kellie Dancho—the creative force behind hits like FBOY Island, America’s Got Talent, and Rhythm & Flow—shares how today’s unscripted shows are crafted, cast, and edited for maximum drama and laughs.
🎬 Inside the episode:
- The real (and hilarious) secrets behind producing FBOY Island and F Girl Island
- How Rhythm & Flow changed the game for music competition shows on Netflix
- The art of casting unforgettable characters—and why authenticity still matters
- Competition show legal rules you didn’t know about (yes, it's just like Jeopardy)
- How reality TV evolved from Survivor to social media stardom
- Insider advice for women and newcomers trying to break into entertainment
From setting up viral-worthy reality moments to mastering the chaos behind the scenes, Kellie’s journey is a must-hear for anyone obsessed with TV, content creation, or surviving the entertainment jungle.
What do exploding Zoom speakers, killer mice, and surprise parades have in common? Actress and producer Allison Pittel.
In this no-holds-barred episode of Best in Fest, Allison dishes on her rise as a modern scream queen—from indie horror hit Terrifier to the Disney-gone-wrong chaos of Streamboat, where Steamboat Willie gets a slasher makeover. She also reveals what it’s really like producing reality TV with Mike Rowe, juggling 100 balloons and zero reshoots on Returning the Favor.
🎬 What you’ll hear:
- Why her scream is now legend in horror casting rooms
- Acting against puppets, air, and pure terror
- The magic (and madness) of horror conventions
- How public domain horror is rewriting the genre
- The emotional engine behind authentic fear onscreen
If you love horror, hustle, and behind-the-scenes gold, this episode is a must-listen.
Struggling to stay on track with your creative or professional goals? Award-winning author and goal strategist Debra Eckerling joins Best in Fest to break down her powerful DEB Method—Determine Your Mission, Explore Your Options, Brainstorm Your Path—to help you set and actually achieve your goals. Whether you're in entertainment, a business professional, or just someone trying to get their act together, Debra shares actionable steps, real-life success stories, and mindset shifts to boost your productivity and focus. 🎯
We also dive into her new book “52 Secrets for Goal Setting and Goal Getting”, productivity hacks, how to use journaling to gain clarity, and how to turn your passions into tangible wins. Perfect for creatives, entrepreneurs, writers, and multi-hyphenates ready to finally get it done.
What does it take to transition from the U.S. Marine Corps to the big screen? Actress Dee Freeman shares her incredible journey from serving in the military to gracing the stage and screen, including her gripping true-crime solo show, Poison Gun. From breaking barriers as a woman in the USMC to tackling Hollywood’s toughest auditions, Dee’s story is one of resilience, humor, and an unbreakable spirit. Tune in as she and Leslie LaPage dive into the power of storytelling, the challenges of theater, and the untold history of women Marines.
In this episode of Best in Fest, host Leslie LaPage sits down with actress and fitness expert Kerstin Schulze to uncover the secrets behind Hollywood’s most sculpted bodies. From training A-list stars like Chris Hemsworth to landing roles in The Righteous Gemstones and American Horror Story, Kerstin shares her journey from competitive sports to the big screen. Discover the truth about Hollywood fitness trends, the power of diet and discipline, and how she balances acting with her passion for health. Tune in for insider tips, industry wisdom, and inspiration to fuel your own fitness and career goals!
From Bollywood dreams to Hollywood reality, filmmaker and editor Alpesh Patel shares his incredible journey in the entertainment industry. In this episode of Best in Fest, host Leslie LaPage dives into Patel’s career—from writing award-winning screenplays and directing indie films to editing over 30 reality TV shows, including Ghost Hunters and Expedition X. Discover how he navigated the film industry, built a production studio in Pennsylvania, and his plans for launching a new comedy series. Whether you're an aspiring filmmaker or a content creator, Patel's insights on storytelling, AI in film, and breaking into Hollywood will inspire you. Don't miss this insider's guide to making it in the business!
Award-winning screenwriter Amir Ohebsion joins Best in Fest to share the real journey behind getting an indie film made—from winning Slamdance to self-producing his own features. Discover the highs, the hustle, and the hard truths of Hollywood’s screenplay competitions, financing indie films, and why writing with passion is the key to success. Plus, get the inside scoop on All There Is, premiering at the Beverly Hills Film Festival!
What does it take to go from modeling to starring in films with Hollywood legends? Actor Blake Boyd joins Best in Fest to share his journey—from off-Broadway stages to leading roles in movies like Cash Collectors. He dishes on audition secrets, working with Michael Madsen, and the power of taking risks in acting. Plus, behind-the-scenes stories from his time on Shameless, Rocketman, and more!
Tune in for an inside look at Hollywood, indie filmmaking, and the mindset that keeps Blake booking roles.
What happens when a media strategist and startup expert turns his passion into an animated series with a mission? In this episode of Best in Fest, host Leslie LaPage sits down with Nimrod May, the visionary behind God’s Gang, a groundbreaking animated series where love, unity, and compassion become superpowers. Discover how Nimrod transitioned from launching media startups to creating an interfaith superhero universe with millions of followers, all while leveraging startup strategies, marketing expertise, and the power of manifestation. Tune in for insights on growing a digital brand, funding an independent animation project, and making a lasting impact through storytelling.
Chelsea is currently the casting director for "Love on the Spectrum, but when she was little, Chelsea would spend her time imitating characters and singing songs. This is all in spite of the fact that she was diagnosed with Autism and had to work harder than most at communicating her thoughts and feelings. All of that work paid off and she became a communication major at California Lutheran University, graduating Summa Cum Laude! She's come far in life, having done a pop culture radio show at her university during her undergrad, red carpet interviews, and of course multiple character voices, both for work and play!
Jijo Reed, recognized by LA WEEKLY and NEW YORK POST as "Top Trendsetter in 2023" is an Emmy Winning Producer, 16 time Telly Award Winner, and Executive Producer of over 80 feature films and/or series.
Latest feature films include Crescent City starring Alec Baldwin and Terrence Howard, THE BLACKENING directed by Tim Story for MRC, Village Roadshow's CINNAMON, and MENDING THE LINE starring Brian Cox (Succession)... also, MACHINE GUN KELLY'S LIFE IN PINK 2022 documentary for Hulu/Disney and BACK ON THE STRIP with Kevin Hart and Tiffany Haddish.
A high point in his career is when he deep dived to the wreck site of TITANIC in the Russian submersible, MIR 1, while directing and producing a documentary about the famed, ill-fated ship...during which he became one of the very few men in the entire world to dive the actual wreckage of TITANIC at 2.5 miles below sea level. More people have been to outer space than this depth of the ocean. His "ground breaking, cinematic" footage of Titanic is recognized globally. Reed states: "This was the most life changing project of my career."
Also, Reed was Visual Effects Supervisor for THE AVENGERS S.T.A.T.I.O.N 3D interactive exhibit, the innovative and revolutionary experience which is currently a main attraction in Times Square, NY and Las Vegas.
Jijo was Executive Producer of the 2013 OBAMA PRESIDENTIAL INAUGURATION Concert in Washington DC featuring WIL I AM and JOHN LEGEND. Additionally, he has produced screen media for live music concert tours, including EMINEM's MTV Awards performance and GUNS & ROSES.
In 2004, Jijo created the hit VH1 show "CELEBRITY REHAB" which has won numerous awards and has helped people all over the world overcome addiction
Throughout the 1990's, he worked as Post Supervisor on the audio/visual ad campaigns of studio films such as Martin Scorsese's CASINO, Jim Cameron's TRUE LIES, STAR TREK, DIE HARD, LETHAL WEAPON 4, THE UNFORGIVEN, and many others.
Jijo Reed is a third generation Los Angeles native and the grandson of Alan Reed who was the voice of FRED FLINSTONE and acted in such movies as Breakfast At Tiffany's and Postman Always Rings Twice. Jijo is also the nephew of FRED ASTAIR'S choreographer, Hermes Pan.
With over 25 years in the entertainment industry, Stacy Halbach has honed her craft across a wide spectrum of genres, including biographies, documentaries, crime dramas, competition shows, reality TV, and an array of promotions and pilot projects. No matter the format, Stacy brings an unwavering focus on storytelling, leveraging her finely tuned instincts to craft narratives that resonate.
“I approach every project as a treasure hunt, searching for those diamonds in the
rough—the subtle moments that bring a story to life. Whether it’s uncovering the
emotion in a scene or finding the perfect juxtaposition to spark laughter one moment and tears the next, I thrive on creating content that connects deeply with audiences. For me, success is hearing that a project I helped shape has moved someone emotionally or inspired them to act for a greater cause. That’s the kind of impact I strive for every day.”
Farah White is an Actress, Producer, Director and Writer but does whatever needs to be done depending on the day! Her love for the entire filmmaking process
is obvious by the wide spectrum of genres in her resume which spans over 25 years. She has produced over 30 feature films, shorts and TV pilots in addition
to acting in over 50 films, MISS CONGENIALITY being one of her first. She has been on the creative side as well as produced and directed commercials for
FED-EX, AMERICAN AIRLINES, FRITO LAY, WALGREENS, GATORADE and REVLON. She UPM’d Solange’s Video Album “When I get Home” as well as producing live recordings of WEEZER and THE PIXIES for Live Nation Events. She directed the
feature film, LANDLORD FROM HELL (2023) for the LIFETIME Movie Network and is the executive producer for Ondi Timoner’s reimagining of the cult classic, DIG XX (2025), which premiered at Sundance 2024 and opened in theaters world-wide Jan 2025. you can “see” her on the screen currently in the Tommy Stovall’s CONDITION OF RETURN, starring AnnaLynne McCord, Dean Cain and Natasha
Henstridge and A CHRISTMAS IN NEW HOPE directed by Julia Barnett starring Adrianne Palicki, Stephanie Kurtzuba and Malcolm Goodwin.
Rashaana Shah, a Serial Entrepreneur and actor works in the Film, Music & Art space. She is a producer with Mulberry Films, a books-to-film TV and film development company, and a former actress. Born in India, Ms. Shah earned a degree in computer engineering from a prominent Indian university before moving to Mumbai to pursue a career in acting. Between 2005 and 2012, Ms. Shah starred in multiple Bollywood and International films that have won international awards including IFC’s 3-part movie BOLLYWOOD HERO with Chris Katan and COLORS OF PASSION.
She recently produced feature films THE COLLABORATOR (Book to film adaptation), AMERICAN UNDERDOG(Completed 2024), LOST & FOUND IN CLEVELAND (Co-Producer), BLOWING UP RIGHT NOW (distributed by Gravitas Ventures in 2020) and A NEW CHRISTMAS (distributed by Cinedigm in 2019). Her documentary ICONS was in Hollyshorts 2024. Ms. Shah currently lives between Los Angeles and Atlanta.
She has been instrumental in setting up a series of cross border JVs in Asia Pacific CORD WORLDWIDE, a full-service music agency that builds brands through music and B&H PHOTO VIDEO Asia Pacific, world’s largest retail house for high-end professional equipment.
Ms. Shah is the recipient of ’Top 20 Global Women of Excellence 2022’ by Congressman Danny K Davis and was honored by NY State Assemblyman Hon David Weprin and Federation of Indian Association -Tristate for her achievements in Hollywood.
Nadia Davari is an entertainment attorney with extensive experience across a spectrum of fields including film, television (both scripted and unscripted), documentaries, music, influencer branding, technology, fashion, and startups. She is known for her dynamic legal counsel and has also expanded her portfolio by executive producing and producing several notable projects. Some of her credits include "Senior Moment," "All There Is," "Harpoon," "Here's Yianni," "A Motel," "Workaholics," and "The Crusades."
Ms. Davari's legal and production expertise is complemented by her active participation in educational and industry panels. She has shared her knowledge at prestigious institutions and events, including the USC School of Cinematic Arts, the USC School of Law's Entertainment Law Symposium, Southwestern Law School, UCLA School of Law, and Raindance LA Film School. She has also been a keynote speaker and panel moderator at renowned industry gatherings like Hollywood Women's Film Festival, Wonder Women Tech, Dances with Films, The Multi Cultural Film Festival, Bet Tzedek Legal Services, and the ScareLA horror convention.
Ms. Davari earned her J.D. from the University of Southern California's School of Law. Her undergraduate education was completed at the University of California, Los Angeles, where she received a Bachelor of Science in Molecular, Developmental Biology, and Genetics—demonstrating her ability to bridge the worlds of science and entertainment with her diverse skill set.
With over 40 years of experience in theater, film, television, and prose, Bart’s career began in theater, where he has had eight plays produced around the world. The film rights to his play, RELAY, were bought by Warner Bros., leading him into screenwriting. He has had two feature films and 14 movies for television produced, including the BRIDE trilogy for CBS, LOVE AND SUNSHINE for Hallmark, and most recent TERRY MCMILLAN PRESENTS: FOREVER, starring Taye Diggs and Meagan Good, for Lifetime which Bart was nominated for a 2025 best screenplay for a motion picture in streaming or television by the WGA. Bart has also written for four television series, including DIRT, starring Courtney Cox.
Bart has written ten novels including HONEYMOON WITH HARRY, the movie rights bought by New Line Cinema.
Bart has a movie shooting this spring - still untitled - starring Taye Diggs and Lesley Anne Brandt, and it will also be executive produced by Terry McMillan, under her banner. The film will premiere in June on the Lifetime Network.
In this episode, we sit down with Will Becton, a creative force who’s charted an inspiring path from working with comedy legend Conan O'Brien to launching his own production company, Jett Road Studios. Will shares behind-the-scenes stories from his time in the entertainment industry, the lessons he’s learned along the way, and how he transitioned his passion for storytelling into building a thriving creative business.
Whether you’re an aspiring entrepreneur, a lover of all things media, or just curious about what it takes to bring big ideas to life, this episode is packed with insight, humor, and inspiration. Tune in and discover how Will’s journey can spark your own creative dreams.
🎧 Don’t miss this engaging conversation! Subscribe now and share with your fellow creators.
Hailing from Ukraine, Vadim Govorov is a professional deep sea diver who has plunged into every ocean on the planet. He recently moved from his longtime NYC harbor base to the swamps of Florida, in and around which, he works full-time. His underwater missions have covered the full range of human/maritime interaction. Crime scene search, rescue, and recovery; oil rig exploration and repair; pipeline maintenance; treasure salvage; and boat and car crash investigation are in his wheelhouse. Fun fact: Incredibly, Vadim was on the engine recovery unit for Miracle on the Hudson, whereby (airline) Captain Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger became a household name.
Additionally, Vadim is a clay sculptor, toy maker, and graphic novel author. Vadim’s RUBBER NINJA intellectual property reflects the perfect storm of his combined passions. More on Vadim is encapsulated here: https://globaltoynews.com/2022/11/16/high-diving-hijinks-of-the-rubber-ninja-vadim-govorov/
In this special "Best Of" episode, we’re rolling the credits on some of the most insightful, inspiring, and entertaining moments from past episodes. Whether you're a filmmaker, producer, or just a cinephile at heart, relive expert tips, behind-the-scenes stories, and industry secrets shared by our incredible guests.
From navigating the indie film circuit to mastering blockbuster budgets, this episode is packed with wisdom from directors, screenwriters, cinematographers, and more. Whether you’re new to the podcast or a longtime listener, this highlight reel is the perfect way to catch up on the gems you may have missed.
Grab your popcorn and let’s dive into the magic of the movies!
Rob Kutner has won 5 Emmys, a Peabody, a TCA, and a Grammy writing for such shows as TBS’ “CONAN” and “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, and co-created the fact-based comedy TV show “Gander.”
Rob’s other TV writing includes “Teen Titans Go!” “Ben10” “Angry Birds: Summer Madness” and HBO’s “Dennis Miller Live.” He has also written material for the Oscars, Emmys, Writers’ Guild Awards, MTV Movie Awards, Guys’ Choice Awards, and two White House Correspondents’ Dinners. He has developed kids’ and adult animated series for Warner Brothers and SyFy.
Rob is the author of the satirical end-of-times bestseller Apocalypse How: Turn the End Times into the Best of Times! and the Amazon Kindle e-bestseller/Audible audiobook The Future According to Me. He is also the creator of the graphic novel “Shrinkage” for Farrago Comics. He has published humor and feature pieces for the New Yorker, New York Times, Esquire, Huffington Post, McSweeney’s, and the Weekly Forward.
Rob’s new horror-comedy kids’ anthology “Snot Goblins and Other Tasteless Tales” (First Second) is now on sale, as is “Look Out For The Little Guy,” the “in-universe” memoir of Scott “Ant-Man” Lang he ghostwrote. This makes Rob technically part of the MCU.
He has also collaborated with his wife, TV writer/producer Sheryl Zohn (“Penn & Teller: Bullsh*t!”), on the comedy short “The Last Parody,” and the Raw Impressions movie musical “Til Birth Do Us Part.”
Born in Atlanta and educated at Princeton University, Rob has lived in St. Petersburg Russia, Jerusalem, and been deported from Uzbekistan (really). He was named a “SuperJew” by Time Out New York — but is still waiting for his superpowers to kick in.
Rob is represented by Sheri Rosenberg Kelton for TV and movies: sherikelton@gmail.com
and Tanya McKinnon for books: tanya@mckinnonliterary.com
Grace Fraga is an award winning Latina actress, comedian, writer, podcaster and producer was inducted into the National Comedy Hall of Fame in 2020. Grace has appeared on national television on NBC, A&E, CBS, Discovery Channel, Animal Planet, VH-1, Court TV, Univision, Galavision and Telemundo. Some of her guest star roles include, "The Steve Harvey Show", "Gene Simmons Family Jewels," "Comedy Cage Match," "FBI Files," "Mystery ER," "Killer Outbreaks," "The First Time" and "North Mission Road." Spanish language credits include "No Me Hallo," "Accesso Maximo" and "Amor or Mentira." Night club appearances include stops in Los Angeles, New York, Miami, San Francisco, Salt Lake, Chicago, New Orleans, Reno and Las Vegas at top rated venues such as The Comedy Store, The Improv, The Laugh Factory, The Ice House, The Comedy Zone and Harrah's. Grace has performed in colleges all over California including the University of San Diego, Cal State University, West Hills College and East Los Angeles College. She has also toured in the "Las Comadres of Comedy, the Funniest Latinas in America" and "Women Who Kick ComedyButt" troupes and been a guest on National Lampoon and a co-host on Playboy Radio. Rumored to be distant relative of Eva Peron, Grace Fraga arrived in Los Angeles via New Orleans from her home town of Buenos Aires, Argentina. Since taking each city by storm, she has accomplished a lot. One was her win of a Big Easy Entertainment Award for Best Actress in a Comedy for her supporting role in Walt Donk's stage play "Rio Seco." Another was to develop a sitcom, "For the Love of Grace," being mentored by Ellen Sandler (an Emmy Award nominee for her work on "Everybody Loves Raymond".) Her one woman show the Latin American Princess' international search for her Knight in Shining Armor "Sleeping Booty: A Modern Fairy Tale" recently had a one night only sneak peek. As a child growing up in South America, the ever inquisitive over achiever of a civil engineer and concert pianist earned three college degrees - a BA in Art History Education, an MA in Art History with an emphasis in Theatre and Film Analysis and a MBA in Finance, which of course led her to her career in the entertainment field. Recently, with Emmy Award winner Anne Beatts, she co-created, wrote, produced and starred in webisodes of "Dr. Lupe's Love Picante". Grace can now add author to her impressive list of accomplishments. Her book titled, "Love at First Ex", has been getting excellent reviews on amazon. The book teaches how to incorporate your Ex's into your life. She has appeared on "The Steve Harvey Show", launching her career as a relationship coach. She just published her second book, "Love at First Ex, the Self Help Edition", a practical guide on how to deal with the post break up aftermath. Not one to rest on her laurels, Grace got a development deal from PBS to shoot a TV pilot, "The ART of Storytelling" which she created, executive produced and hosted.
David Fuhrer[1] is an American inventor and entrepreneur. David Fuhrer has licensed more than 300 toys, games and household products including toys such as Aqua Doodle, Nerf Vortex Football, and Twisty Petz. He is the recipient of numerous toy industry awards. Brand Week Magazine (February 2009) refers to Fuhrer as "one of the more successful rainmakers in the toy industry" in an article written about his license of Guitar Hero Air Guitar Rocker.[2][3] In January 2020, Fuhrer was named by Mojo Nation as one of the Top 100 Most Influential People in the global toy industry.[4] On November 16, 2018, Fuhrer and his business partners, were honored with a Tagie Award[5] as Innovators Of The Year for Twisty Petz (Spin Master Toys).[6]
Currently, David Fuhrer is the President of The Laugh Factory, a comedy brand with multiple locations in North America. The company has recently expanded into comedy entertainment with television and feature film production.
Chaitra Vedullapalli is a renowned entrepreneur and a Go-To-Market (GTM) expert, revered for her proficiency in coaching tech founders. Her skills have guided hundreds of tech companies to leverage cloud market places that have built million-dollar practices. She is the mastermind behind the 4P Cosell GTM Method, a groundbreaking framework designed to develop strategic GTM plans with Microsoft and Google. This method capitalizes on her 20+ years of corporate experience and her success in launching GTM with billions of dollars in economic impact. Chaitra has been invited to speak on various stages including Microsoft Inspire, Google Summit at SXSW, and the United Nations. She’s also been featured in media publications such as Forbes, TechCrunch, and Success magazine.Her achievements have been recognized with numerous awards, including the 2023 WPO Entrepreneur of the Year, Forbes 1000 Next, CIO100 Awards, and Microsoft Prestige Supplier Awards.
Chaitra is a dynamic leader who sits on multiple boards, runs a film fund in influence story narratives, produced Oscar-qualified movie ICONS and leads a 100K-strong Women in Cloud ecosystem across 27 countries.
Discover the ultimate framework for crafting stories that captivate and convert. In this episode, we break down the essential elements of a "bulletproof" storytelling structure, showing you how to engage your audience, build emotional connections, and deliver a message that sticks. Whether you're crafting narratives for a podcast, a business pitch, or a corporate video, this proven structure will help you communicate with clarity and impact. Tune in for actionable tips, real-world examples, and insights to elevate your storytelling game to the next level.
Brian Patacca helps actors get what they want without all the struggle. He’s helped 724 actors find representation and is even known as “The Representation Whisperer”.
Through his wildly popular online courses (Audition Magnet® and #agentgoals®) and entertaining podcast, Brian teaches actors how to market themselves authentically, use gratitude to open doors, and book the roles they were born to play.
His coaching clients include Tony Award-winners, Broadway stars, Series Regulars, filmmakers, writers, and stand-up comedians. He proves that when they follow their purpose instead of playing by a tired set of industry rules (read: limiting beliefs), they can skip the drama, generate momentum, and build excitement around who they are and what they love to do the mostest.
Meet the unsung hero of the Hollywood hustle: Xaque Gruber, the assistant who went from scheduling star-studded brunches to writing the screenplay everyone is buzzing about. In this episode, we spill the tea (and probably a few too many cappuccinos) on how navigating the land of demanding divas, impossible deadlines, and snack-fetching missions led to a script, a wild tale of scripts, stars, and the sweet revenge of a screenplay gone right!
Lina Suh grew up in Seoul, Korea, the American Midwest, and New York. She received an MFA from the University of Southern California in film production, and previously a BFA from NYU's Tisch School of the Arts in Dramatic Writing. Lina produced award-winning fiction shorts in New York and Los Angeles, and directed a short humanitarian documentary FLOW ON THROUGH in Cambodia that was in a World Bank-issued “Water and Sanitation” guide distributed to NGOs in developing countries. Lina has taught screenwriting at ESRA (Ecole Superieure de Realisation Audiovisuelle) a French film school satellite in NYC. She directed short films SO F*CKING HAPPY FOR YOU and GOOD FACE (now in development as a one-hour drama series) as well as music videos for Los Angeles artists. Lina is in development to write and direct film and TV projects with an eye toward co-productions with Korea. Lina is also passionate about empowerment through education, and has volunteer tutored regularly. She was the story editor on DR. BRAIN, Apple TV+'s first Korean language series. Lina recently completed her first feature film MEETING YOU, MEETING ME as a writer/director.
Join us as we celebrate the standout winners of the 2024 LaFemme Film Festival! In this episode, we’ll dive into the inspiring stories and creative journeys behind the winning films that took center stage at this year’s festival. From groundbreaking narratives and innovative directing to powerful performances and meaningful themes, discover what made these films shine. We’ll also hear from some of the filmmakers themselves, sharing insights into their processes, challenges, and triumphs. Whether you’re a film enthusiast, an aspiring filmmaker, or simply love a great story, this episode is your front-row seat to the best of LaFemme 2024!
Danielle Beverly's latest documentary is Qatar Stars. It is touring the festival circuit, including a screening at the 2024 LA Femme International Film Festival.
Beverly began her career at Chicago’s PBS affiliate and has directed and produced content for PBS and cable since 1999. Beverly was field producer for the longitudinal documentary REBIRTH over its ten-year production (Sundance World Premiere 2011; Showtime broadcast; George Foster Peabody Award; screened at The White House, US Department of State film tour; permanent exhibition at National September 11 Memorial & Museum).
Beverly’s first documentary feature Learning to Swallow (2005) followed a charismatic artist with bipolar disorder as she struggles to rebuild her life after a suicide attempt destroys her digestive system. The film premiered in competition at Silverdocs, screened internationally, and traveled to rural communities on Southern Circuit Tour of Independent Filmmakers. In March 2015 it was broadcast on America ReFramed, with an encore national broadcast in July 2017.
Beverly’s filmmaking, photography, and digital media work have received funding from The Paul Robeson Fund for Independent Media, New York State Council for the Arts (NYSCA), The Puffin Foundation, The Chicago Cultural and Tourism Fund, The Center for Peacemaking, and The Diederich College Initiative on Communication Ethics, Values and Social Justice. Beverly has received a Flaherty Fellowship, a Mary L. Nohl Artists Fellowship for Established Artists, and a BAVC National MediaMaker Fellowship.
Jane is a storyteller. Through her company, FilmMcQueen, she has brought numerous shorts and 3 feature films to life, winning 18 awards and another 8 nominations by envisioning strong characters in visceral environments. She has worked in film with actors such as Lukas Haas, David Arquette, Candis Cayne, Wilson Cruz, Theo Rossi and Necar Zadigan, as well as Emmy-winning sound wizard, Andy D'Addario ("Mozart in the Jungle"), Emmy award-winning DP Per Larsson ("The Amazing Race") and musician Curt Smith (co-founder of Tears for Fears). Jane focuses on character exploration and tells stories that move audiences to laughter and tears by revealing shades of gray beneath a surface of black or white. In 2017 she ventured into VR with a narrative horror short based on her feature "Don't Come Over", co-written with Guinevere Turner ("American Psycho" and the upcoming "Manson Girls") and onto the small screen with a web-series incarnation of her "Crazy Bitches" franchise.
7 years ago, Jason co-founded Spectrum Laboratory (aka Spec Labs), along with Garth Herberg, and what an amazing wild ride it’s been! Spectrum Laboratory was founded in 2015 with the idea of creating original works of film, music, and animation with autistic and neurodivergent artists looking to gain experience and an education of what it would be like to work in the entertainment industry. Jason and Garth started Spec Labs with the idea of creating professional content with their autistic and neurodivergent artists that they could use as a calling card to get them work in the industry. Since Spec Labs launched in 2015, we’ve had many of our talent/ students go on to working and having success in the entertainment industry. Such as landing recurring roles on tv shows, starring in commercials and films, and auditioning for many types of roles, and not only “autistic” roles! We also launched Spec Lab Records and have over 100 songs released online, and numerous albums. Our Music department also has composed music for Sesame Street, Autism Live, The Special Olympics, and more! We are expanding and growing, recently launching a new Voice Over Acting department head by the incredible, Cathy McAuley, a voice acting legend in the business. She’s educating our VO artists on how to record in the studio, as well as create their own demo reels and record at home. We’ve landed our Voice Over talent numerous paying jobs for our VO talent!
Cathy’s career as a professional actor span over 3 decades. Her strong comedic ability paired with one of the quickest wits has kept her gainfully employed in the entertainment industry. McAuley considers herself a journeyman actor as she has been able to successfully weave theater, television, film, and voiceover into her ever evolving body of work. McAuley also holds an Honorary Doctor of Fine Arts from the University of Hawaii. Cathy is blessed with the nicest guy on the planet she calls her husband Kenny and their only Angel of a daughter Remington.
Cathy has appeared in over 150 television commercials. She earned a Clio Award for the Phil Donahue vs Oprah Campaign, as well as starring in Chuck Blore's Emmy Award Washington Weather Commercial. She has worked with some of the biggest directors in the business (who yes, also do direct commercials). McAuley's voice has been featured on radio and television in the following spots for: FOX, CBS, NBC, ABC Television Promos, Nick Jr, E.! Honda, Chevy along with every fast-food restaurant, insurances, and phone carriers, just to name a few.
As President of the Orange County Asperger's Support Group, Judy is driving programming to help individuals and families dealing with High-Functioning Autism and Asperger's improve their quality of life. In this role, Judy has uniquely developed the use of Toastmasters to help those with ASD improve communication and enhance social interaction. am a co-chair on the Thompson Policy Institute OC Transition Initiative where I am part of the business outreach group. I am currently focused on expanding employment opportunities for neurodiverse individuals.
Judy is a retired high-tech marketing executive, with a “get it done” leadership style that inspires teams, collaborates across cross-functional organizations and motivates a sales force. Develops product and marketing strategies, establish corporate positioning, programs and campaigns integrating impactful collateral to drive market share growth. Computer Science and business education from leading universities complemented by nearly thirty years with both successful start-ups and industry leading corporations.
Three years ago, Cynthia discovered her deep passion for storytelling in the form of screenwriting, and ever since, her stories have focused on empowering and celebrating the human experience and spirit. Cynthia weaves magic into her stories and characters by using her rich, familial heritage, ancestral faith, and generational resilience.
In 2021, Cynthia made her directorial debut with the award-winning film, "Dukkha," a film based on her journey to sobriety that she created as a mentee in the Women of Color Filmmakers Director's Lab. Six months later, Cynthia wrote and directed another award-winning film, "Bilongo," an Afro-Cuban folk story that pays homage to her ancestral roots. Throughout 2022, Cynthia worked on over a dozen sets. She also wrote and directed, "The Bible Thumper and The Bruja," a comedy that ignites the imagination and revels in the power and the vulnerabilities of humankind. Her latest film, "Legend of El Cucuy," was developed as part of the LALIFF Inclusion Fellowship. Cynthia was also chosen as a mentee with both Unlock Her Potential and #Startwith8 . She is in preproduction to co-direct her first feature film, a comedy, "We're Not Married," set to begin filming in October.
The industry has undergone a major shift in Hollywood and the job of Executive Producer and Showrunner is not what it once was. Fortunately, Leslie digs deep with Christian Jean to discuss the state of the industry.
Sam Okun Productions is a film and television development and financing company specializing in the discovery and production of forward thinking content with broad international and multi-generational appeal. In collaboration with other leading production companies, financiers, and film studios, Sam Okun and his team consistently strive to push boundaries with modern adaptations of classic novels by some of the most world renowned best selling authors while also working with young, up and coming authors to bring their visions to the screen. In addition to adaptations, Sam Okun Productions develops original content of all genres with a particular interest in cross-genre works. Sam Okun Productions is committed to innovation, and is heavily involved in pursuing adaptations of video-games and other forms of new media.
Why are you giving away festival rights to distribution companies? Let's discuss. In this episode, Leslie goes deep into the 5 things that are a must know before signing a distribution deal.
Author of Breaking In: Tales from the Screenwriting Trenches from Focal Press and Getting It Write: An Insider’s Guide To A Screenwriting Career published in 2014, Lee Jessup is a career coach for screenwriters, with an exclusive focus on the screenwriter’s professional development. Her clients include working film and television writers including showrunners and A-list studio writers, writers who sold feature specs, original pilots and pitches to major studios and networks, as well as contest winners, television writing program participants, feature film lab participants and fellows, and emerging screenwriters just starting on their screenwriting path.
In addition to Lee's ongoing work with working and emerging screenwriters, she is an adjunct professor for David Lynch’s Graduate School of Cinematic Arts, mentor Final Draft’s Big Break contest winners, and have been a consultant for NBC International’s sales team and a mentor for Universal’s prestigious Universal Writers Program.
Brian Beckmann serves as CFO/COO at Arclight Films, the leading worldwide sales and production company for theatrical, television, and home entertainment media. Beckman’s prolific career includes over 30 years of experience as a CFO/COO, including 13 years at Arclight. He has worked in a variety of industries from film/entertainment, media/advertising, to advanced technology. He is well versed in all aspects of film finance, distribution, tax incentives, and production operations. Beckmann has financed and produced over 25 successful and critically acclaimed films, with financing exceeding $300M. The films he has financed include FIRST REFORMED, HOTEL MUMBAI, PORTABLE DOOR, and POKER FACE.
Sean joined GFM Animation to develop and expand the slate of 2D and CG animated movies. We not only help finance, pre-sell and distribute films – but also help in setting budgets, tweaking scripts and artwork for sales and production, sourcing studios, overseeing schedules and key milestones.
With a 20 year career in animation and VFX, Sean Feeney brings considerable knowledge and extensive experience. His credits include shows produced with Disney, Splash, M2/LEGO, Anima, Mattel, Hasbro and the BBC. Feeney joined the GFMA following 8 years at Prime Focus World where he set up & developed their animation studio.
Colletti's first produced feature, which was also his directorial debut, "Safe House," was the official selection of six major film festivals around the world: Slamdance, Slamdance Cannes, Hollywood Black Film Festival, San Francisco Black Film Festival, German Verzanbet Film Festival and Febiofest in Prague.
With a film background in editing, Colletti's transition from the editing room to behind the camera has been seamless. He brought with him fifteen years of studio feature film experience, as outlined in his impressive resume.
Daniel Carsenty:
Berlinale Talents alumni Daniel Carsenty wrote and directed the thriller 'After Spring Comes Fall' in 2015. It won the award for Best Feature at the Zsigmond Vilmos Festival.
His second film, 'The Devil's Drivers', a documentary about a Bedouin smuggler, premiered at TIFF in 2021, won the Special Jury Award at the Thessaloniki Documentary Festival, and was nominated by the Cinema for Peace Foundation for Best Documentary.
A graduate of the American Film Institute directing program, Daniel came to filmmaking after working as a TV journalist for ARTE and BBC in zones of conflict. His films, both fictional and documentary, examine the origins of violence, reflect on intergenerational trauma, and explore the possibilities of forgiveness. His work has taught him how to discover both compassion and humanity under the most difficult circumstances.
Alexis Iacono
Growing up Bayside, Queens, New York, Alexis' artistic sensibilities have been shaped by a world-class theatre and arts community. Her early stage work included playing Elle in The Meadowlark, portraying Fay Wray (King Kong) She has studied at New York City's HB Studio and the Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute. Alexis Iacono has been brought to the attention of mainstream audiences worldwide for her Female Goblin voice character in the 2011 World of Warcraft Cataclysm video game and World of Warcraft Legion (2016) . Also known for her multiple characters voices in Rockstar Games' Grand Theft Auto IV: The Lost and Damned. After being cast as Jane Prescott in Peilin Kuo's 1940's black and white short film, Prescott Place (2011 Cannes Short Film Corner)and(Won the Spring 2012 Asian on Film Honorable Mention.)She was cast alongside Sid Haig and Jeffrey Combs in Leigh Scott's Horror Anthology: The Penny Dreadful Picture Show - The Slaughter House (2012) Alexis's past works includes portraying Elizabeth Short aka The Black Dahlia in The Black Dahlia Haunting (2013) and Blue Caprice (2013),a true story about the sniper shootings in D.C. Directed by Alexandre Moors, starring Isiah Washington. Alexis now an independent film producer who has produced features such as, The Pipeline feature film starring Barry Corbin and Wes Studi and Brian Howe. She went on producing the documentary Layin' the Pipe." Soon after, she went on to produce Escape From Ensenada with Noel G (Fast and the Furious), Louis Mandylor (My Big Fat Greek Wedding) and was soon after hired as an Associate Producer in Thomas Churchill's Nations Fire (2018) starring Bruce Dern and Gil Bellows. Alexis was a production assistant at AFX Studio for 'America Horror Story Season 6', Jamie Lee Curtis's 'Scream Queens' and now a production assistant for Steve Wang at Alliance Studio.
Alexandra EssoeAlexandra Essoe is a Canadian actress who has appeared predominantly in horror films. Essoe had her first lead role in the 2014 American horror film Starry Eyes, and she had a starring role in the 2017 American horror film Midnighters.
Jon is a filmmaker who works primarily on short and feature narrative films. After starting out working in production departments and as a script supervisor on indie films in New York City, he began writing, directing, and producing my own and others' movies. He is particularly interested in dark comedy, thriller, and horror satire films about people navigating powerful societal pressures. Aside from his film work, he is a co-founder and board member of Yspaniola, an education and human rights non-profit organization based in the Dominican Republic.
Michael Friberg is an award winning editorial and commercial photographer who somehow figured out how to make films despite the fact that the camera equipment is significantly more complicated than stills cameras. His work has appeared in such publications as the New York Times, Esquire, The New Yorker, Time Magazine , Wired, GQ and many more. He has photographed projects on Syrian refugees in the Middle East, celebrities, water and environmental issues in the West, and everything in between. His commercial clients include Nike, Apple, Google, and other giant evil corporations. Not like oil company evil...just regular evil.
When he isn’t making photos, he’s spending all his money making films. In addition to the short films he has directed, he has written several feature length screenplays and multiple half hour comedy pilots. His works are dark comedies that focus on existential and spiritual matters. He resides in Salt Lake City, Utah with his wife, 2 year old son and an overweight pit bull.
BriGuel, Brianne and Miguel, are a NYC artist couple. The duo produces bilingual, genre borderless music, and film. While collaborating with MusicPromoToday BriGuel released seven singles and two EPs, as well as launched a documentary movie that was featured on Tribeca Film Festival.
Tom Malloy has been involved for over two decades in all aspects of the film business. He trail-blazed the role of a multi-hyphenate, having approached projects early on as an actor, writer, and producer, recently adding director to his list.
Malloy has raised millions for independent films, produced 20 films, written and sold 25+ screenplays, and has starred in many films.
The roster of films produced by Malloy over the years includes, 2022's Rear View Mirrors, starring Erika Christensen, Penelope Ann Miller, David James Elliot, and Zach Gilford, 2021's Ask Me to Dance, directed by Malloy, starring Briana Evigan and Mario Cantone (which was in 38 cities theatrically nationwide on October of 2022), 2020's Lansky, starring Harvey Keitel, Sam Worthington, and Minka Kelly, Love N' Dancing, which was directed by Rob Iscove (She's All That), and stars Amy Smart, Malloy, Billy Zane, Rachel Dratch, and Betty White; the psychological thriller The Alphabet Killer, directed by Rob Schmidt (Wrong Turn) and stars Eliza Dushku, Cary Elwes, Malloy, Timothy Hutton, Michael Ironside, and Oscar Winner Melissa Leo; and a horror film directed by Mary Lambert (Pet Sematary) called The Attic, starring Elisabeth Moss, Alexandra Daddario, and Malloy. Many film projects are developed through the production company he founded in 2005, Trick Candle Productions.
In addition to his work as a filmmaker, Tom is an accomplished author whose book Bankroll: A New Approach to Financing Feature Films was considered the "gold standard" of indie film financing instruction. He now co-owns the filmmaking instructional site FilmMakingStuff.
Writer, producer and teacher. Born in Madrid, the son of film director Carlos Saura and film teacher and journalist Adela Medrano, brother of film director Saura Medrano.
Either as executive of the film companies LolaFilms and Iberoamericana Films, or as executive producer for the film production companies Zebra Producciones and La Fiera Corrupia, Antonio Saura has produced many films in recent years, including Carlos Saura's Salomé (2002) (Best Artistic contribution Montreal 2002), Antonio Hernandez's En la ciudad sin límites (2002) (Berlin 2002, best film Toulouse 2002) and Miguel Albadalejo's Rencor (2002).
He has been actively involved in training activities both as founder and director of the Media Business School, and as teacher of audio-visual and development economics for programs such as EMAM, MEGA, Universidad de Navarra, Instituto de Empresa of Madrid and Universidad de Valencia. As a scriptwriter, his credits include "Lisa", "El arbol del manzano", and "Dos tipos Duros".
Antonio Saura has also written for some of the most prestigious newspapers in Spain, including El Pais, El Mundo and Diario 16, and has contributed analyses on film aspects to "la Gaceta de los Negocios", "Viridiana" and other publications. He is member of the European and the Spanish Film Academies.
Clay Epstein is President of Film Mode Entertainment, a worldwide sales and production company he launched in March 2016 which aims to present 10-15 theatrical titles a year.
Prior to founding Film Mode, Epstein spent several years at Arclight Films as Senior Vice President, Sales and Acquisitions. While there, he represented such feature films as Dog Eat Dog, Paper Planes, Predestination, and Last Knights.
Before joining Arclight in 2012, Epstein worked at The Little Film Company where he served as Vice President, Sales and Acquisitions. He joined the company in 2002, where his responsibilities included film development, acquisition and distribution. While there, he helped grow the company into a leading boutique sales agency representing prestigious titles such as Academy Award nominees Tsotsi and The Last Station as well as Eye of The Storm.
Epstein was previously a sales executive at First Look Studios, where he was solely responsible for all distribution of the company's 300-plus title library to Asia, ancillary and new media markets. He started his career at Kushner-Locke.
Danicah Waldo is a writer, director, and producer based out of New York City. She got her 10,000 hours directing and producing narrative short films for the Applause New York YouTube channel, which now sits at over 1.5 million subscribers and 1 billion views.
In 2021 she took a leap to join LIT Videobooks, a startup production company making documentary versions of nonfiction books. She now acts as Director of Production, directs all of the live-action elements of the videobook, and has built the entire production system from the ground up.
She started Yellow Chair Films to produce her personal debut narrative short film, "Sally, Get the Potatoes," set to release in 2024.
Tanna Marie Frederick is an American stage and independent film actress who rose to prominence for her title role in Henry Jaglom's Hollywood Dreams, for which she received the Best Actress Award at the 2008 Fargo Film Festival.
Angeline Walsh is a filmmaker and writer from Cleveland, Ohio. Specializing in period pieces, she has a passion for unusual histories and an interest in portraying what connects people across time. Her most recent projects as a writer-director include "The Haunted Woman," an adaptation of Charlotte Perkins Gilman's classic short story The Yellow Wallpaper, and "The Coroner's Assistant," a historical dark comedy series set in late Victorian England.
Access Entertainment is a boutique sales agency dedicated to guiding filmmakers and television producers to reach their greatest distribution potential. Before Access, DuBow managed Lightning Entertainment as Executive Vice President and transitioned the company to its corporate owners at the time, Larry Flynt Publications. DuBow was also at First Look Studios as Executive Vice President of Worldwide Distribution and served as President and CEO of Modern Entertainment, a wholly-owned, Los Angeles-based subsidiary of a Swedish media conglomerate, The Modern Times Group. The company's primary business was buying and selling film libraries. in 2005, in partnership with Modern Times Group, DuBow successfully sold Modern Entertainment's 324 title library to LionsGate Entertainment which included “Dirty Dancing” and the “Halloween” films. For over 40 years DuBow has also held executive positions with MGM/UA and Disney in syndication, and Pandora Films in international film and TV program sales.
After earning a degree in Theatre and Philosophy at the University of Texas, Ms Spencer moved to New York City, where she attended NYU and The Actors Studio Playwright/Director's Unit, which was run by Elia Kazan and Arthur Penn. She wrote and directed plays in New York City, and was a member of Circle Rep Lab. She also wrote and directed plays in London and Los Angeles, and is a published poet. Her first film, Little Noises, premiered at Sundance. Her second film, Faces On Mars (aka: Wake Up Running), premiered in Europe at Solothurn and she is preparing the film for distribution screenings. She completed her third feature film, The Ninth Cloud, in 2015, has been in many festivals, garnered great reviews and was released in April 2018 in Europe and the UK and can be seen on iTunes and Amazon Prime in USA and UK. She is in Post Production for her fourth feature film, South of Hope Street, starring Tanna Frederick, Judd Nelson, William Baldwin, Asser Yassin, Jack McEvoy, Michael Madsen and Patricia Sluka, which has been picked up by Buffalo8 Productions in LA re Domestic Distribution, and has two other projects in development: 'The Velvet Gentleman' which will star Jean Hugues Anglade, and 'The Red Weather' with FilmInTuscany Productions. She received an Award for her work as a Filmmaker from Producers Without Borders at the Venice Film Festival 2023 for 'Auteur and Poetic Filmmaking'. She lives in Europe.
As Co-Founder and President of American Cinema International, Chevonne began her professional journey as the President of International Sales at Quest Entertainment. Over the spans of 10 years, she successfully oversaw the production and sales of more than 176 feature films and two popular television series. In 2000, Chevonne established American Cinema International. In less than a decade, ACI produced 20 feature films, securing international sales and prime-time broadcasts on platform such as USA, SyFy, and HBO Premier. Additionally, they produced multiple romance movie for Hallmark, and UPTV. Chevonne served as an executive producer for various films and TV mini-series. In 2014, along with George Shamieh, I established ACI INSPIRES, a new brand dedicated to producing inspirational entertainment with a focus on family films. My most current project is ACI On the Go, the YouTube channel for her company which boasts over 600,000 subscribers.
In this episode Leslie breaks down the Upfronts in Hollywood. What are they and why are they so important?
With over 30 years in the animation industry, Tony Bancroft has been creatively involved in almost every position making an animated film, video, commercial, or short film. His animation and directing skills have been sharpened and honed while working at Walt Disney Feature Animation, Sony Pictures, his own animation company, Toonacious Family Entertainment, and currently, as an independent contractor working with Disney, Warner Brothers, and many more.
Bancroft was accepted into the exclusive California Institute of the Arts (Cal-Arts) in 1987, where he thrived artistically and developed a lifelong passion for animation. Soon after, he realized one of his childhood dreams as he was hired to animate for Walt Disney Animation Studios. During his 12-year career with Disney Studios, Bancroft helped create and animate Pumbaa, the lovable warthog in The Lion King; Kronk, the dim-witted sidekick in The Emperor’s New Groove; Cogsworth the nervous clock from Beauty and the Beast; and Iago the pestering parrot in Aladdin.
Bancroft’s most notable accomplishments include being the co-director of Walt Disney’s animated film, Mulan, for which he received the Annie Award for Director of the Year from ASIFA-International; and animation supervisor of Sony’s
Ken Kwapis has been a motion picture and television director for four decades. He
directed eleven feature films, among them A Walk In The Woods, Big Miracle, He’s Just
Not That Into You, and The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants.
Kwapis helped launch nine television series, including The Larry Sanders Show, The
Bernie Mac Show, and The Office. He earned an Emmy nomination for directing the
“Gay Witch Hunt” episode of The Office. He also earned an Emmy nomination for his
work as a producer-director of Malcolm In the Middle. Kwapis contributed episodes to
such shows Freaks and Geeks, Parks and Recreation, Santa Clarita Diet, and One
Mississippi. Most recently, he directed the entire second season of Space Force.
He is currently prepping the feature Thelma, based on the real-life story of the mother of John Kennedy Toole, author of A Confederacy of Dunces. Toole died before his novel
was published, and his mother Thelma spent over a decade trying to find a home for her
son’s masterpiece.
In addition to his film and television work, Kwapis is the author of the memoir But What I Really Want To Do is Direct, published by St. Martin’s Press.
Kwapis studied filmmaking at Northwestern University and the University of
Southern California. He won the Student Academy Award in Dramatic Achievement
for his USC film For Heaven’s Sake!, a contemporary
B.J. Graf (aka Beverly Graf) lives in Los Angeles with her family and a menagerie of four-footers. Her near-future-mystery-novel, GENESYS X, featuring Detectives Eddie Piedmont & Shin Miyaguchi, will be published 11/10/2020 by Fairwood Press and is available for pre-orders now at www.fairwoodpress.com, www.amazon.com, www.b&n.com, and an independent bookseller near you.
In her alternate identity Dr. Graf is an Adjunct Professor who teaches Film Studies and Classical Mythology at Pepperdine, UCLA, and CSUN. Previously, she worked as V.P. of Development for Abilene Pictures where they produced several features and television projects including Primal Fear, Frequency, Fallen, Fracture and NYPD 2069.
Giovanni Labadessa
Award winning film producer and storyteller, founder of Lumiere Lab a boutique film production company working since 2010 to tell stories that entertain, edify and build more understanding and empathy for others. Passionate about strengthening the independent film ecosystem as whole, in 2018 I co-founded Nòt Film Fest, a film festival and non-profit that connects audiences to storytellers whose work champions creativity, uniqueness and innovation while fostering film and business education for the youth. In 2021 I co-founded Nòtstream a SVOD streaming service dedicated to indie films that promotes an innovative distribution ecosystem that supports Independent cinema and its filmmakers.
Rick Markovitz is a partner in Weissman/Markovitz Communications.
WMC forges connections between people, brands and media to convey
powerful ideas. Grounded in the business of storytelling, we know how to
use the right tools and channels in today';s complex social media
environment.
With decades of entertainment marketing and communications expertise,
and an industry-wide network of resources, we help countless clients
succeed in creative, effective and profitable brand-building relationships.
Starting with our first breakout for AMC’s Broken Trail with 16 Emmy
nominations and 4 wins in 2006, we have continually worked with the
leading content producers and distributors across motion pictures,
television, and digital on comprehensive release and awards campaigns
covering the product lifecycle. With our “Awards Lifecycle” approach, in
collaboration with our clients, we seek to build the best path to success in
the consumer and awards stages. Our work on these clients includes the
following services depending on the unique needs of each project:
• Program Analysis, prioritization and strategic communications
planning
• Content development of press materials and editorial outreach
for launch and awards coverage
• Prepare video assets for editorial and promotion on social
media
• Screenings and events and other stunts (food trucks, event
buses)
• Advertising consultation based on target audience and
campaign goals
When it comes to the world of Hollywood entertainment, we are
dynamically connected to consumer and industry audiences. We are keenly
integrated in all facets of marketing from promoting a network program,
feature film, film festival or advising our international Guild clients on their
awards events and other strategic business issues.forge connections between people, brands and media to convey powerful ideas. Grounded in the business of storytelling, we know how to use the right tools and channels in today's complex social media
environment.
Luca was born in a little town in the north of Italy, Castelfranco Veneto, 30 minutes far from Venice. After high school, he moved to Milan to study communication at the University without an exact idea of what I wanted to become. Luca became an assistant to a television director who was managing some live broadcast shows for SKY Italy and wanted some help.
After the first tv gigs, Luca learned to operate the camera, consequently the mayor editing systems to finally be able to create my own contents. In Milan Luca worked for a photo studio where he was filming behind the scenes of important film sets and started to collaborate with a press agency as a documentarian. That was the company that sent him to L.A. where he settled since 2008. After a fortunate meeting with Dino De Laurentiis, he was sent to Cinecitta’ for my first gigs in the actual film industry where he kept working still as a behind the scenes director on some of the major blockbusters of the following year and opened his own production company. Luca and his team have worked on three feature projects so far, entirely produced by his company, LSPG.
Everything you ever wanted to know about how to get your movie distributed, but were afraid to ask. This is the Best in Fest Best Of Distribution episode.
In 1962, while he was doing pre-production work on The Greatest Story Ever Told, Stevens was recruited by Edward R. Murrow to serve as director of the Motion Picture and Television Service, a division of the United States Information Agency.[10][11] At age 31, Stevens moved from Los Angeles to Washington, D.C., where as director of the service, he produced roughly 300 short documentary films per year.[11][12][7] One of the films Stevens commissioned was Nine from Little Rock, which followed the experiences of nine African-American students attending a previously all-white high school in Little Rock, Arkansas in 1957.
In 1965, Stevens was a consultant in the process that established the National Endowment for the Arts.[17] In June 1967, at age 35, Stevens resigned from his position at the USIA to join the American Film Institute.
In 1973, Stevens established the AFI Life Achievement Award, to honor and recognize decorated figures in the American film industry such as Orson Welles, James Cagney, Bette Davis, and Lillian Gish.[24][7][25] Stevens produced and wrote for the Life Achievement Award's television broadcast from its inception until 1998.
In 1978, along with Nick Vanoff, Stevens co-created the Kennedy Center Honors, a ceremony and television production recognizing people who have made significant contributions to American culture through the performing arts.
Stevens has just released an unforgettable memoir entitled My Place in the Sun.
Director/screenwriter Jace Anderson most recently directed her first feature film, The Long Game, which premiered at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival in February 2024. Based on a short story by New York Times-bestselling author Janet Fitch, the film stars Kathleen Turner, Jackie Earle Haley and newcomer Sekai Abeni. It is a “femme fatale origin story,” a contemporary neo-noir that tells the tale of young actress Holly Sloan and her entanglements with failed con man Richard Metzger and faded superstar Mariah McKay.
Together with her husband/co-writer Adam Gierasch, she has written numerous projects in both the studio and indie realms and for companies such as Fox, The Disney Channel, Lakeshore Entertainment and CBS Films. Mentored early in their career by legendary horror director Tobe Hooper, the duo has also worked with Clive Barker and Dario Argento. Sixteen of their scripts have been made into feature films. Recent projects include the Saturn Award-winning “Tales of Halloween,” for which Gierasch directed and Anderson produced a segment. Gierasch has directed many of the duo’s scripts, and recently directed the film “Spaghetti.”
Anderson graduated magna cum laude from Harvard University, where her senior thesis, “Re- Writing Race: Subverting Language in Anne Moody’s Coming of Age in Mississippi and Alice Walker’s Meridian” was published in the academic journal a/b: autobiography studies. Before becoming a screenwriter she worked as an HIV test counselor/educator with homeless/runaway and incarcerated youth in Los Angeles and studied social work at the University of Southern California. She lives in the mountains outside of Los Angeles with her husband and two neurotic rescue mutts.
Nicolas Dozol first studied dance at the Conservatoire de Lyon and at the Rudra Béjart school-atelier in Lausanne (Maurice Béjart's school). He still dancing as an extra dancer in the Opéra de Paris ballet.
He then continued his studies in cinema at the Conservatoire Libre du Cinéma Français (CLCF) in Paris. Nicolas directed one feature film and numerous short fiction films, as well as documentaries and commercials. He seeks to shape imaginary experiences while trying new ways of filming that will make the audience think and question the world around them.
Steve Stockman is president of LA-based Custom Productions, Inc. and a producer,
writer and director of over 250 commercials, web series, short films, music videos,
and TV shows.
Steve is also the creator of How to Shoot Video that Doesn’t Suck: The Video Course.
The course is based on his book How to Shoot Video that Doesn’t Suck, the world’s
best-selling book about directing and cinematography. It’s used as a text worldwide
in middle through graduate schools. It’s available in 9 languages, as an audio book,
and an updated edition from Workman Publishing.
You’ll find tons of great information on how to make your video better—including
TWO FREE LESSONS from the course at SteveStockman.com.
Steve wrote, produced and directed the award-winning MGM feature film Two
Weeks, starring Sally Field, Ben Chaplin, Tom Cavanagh, Julianne Nicholson, Glenn
Howerton and Clea DuVall.
With 20 years of legal experience in the entertainment industry,
Nina Ameri has established herself as a well-known, and respected attorney, with deep connections and relationships within the entertainment industry. Over the years, Nina has utilized her skills to support clients in several entertainment industry-specific practice areas including, entertainment transactions, trademark and copyright law, business entity formation, and more. Nina provides personalized, hands-on representation when working with each of her clients. She takes the time to analyze the realistic outcome of each person's potential legal issues while simultaneously making recommendations that will provide the best outcome for them. She gives her clients strategic advice and helps them understand the foundational decisions they are making for their business and what consequences could occur. She isn't afraid to advise clients to walk away from deals that are not in alignment with their best interests. Her holistic and no-nonsense approach has been instrumental in securing great outcomes for her creative and entrepreneurial clients.
https://amerilawpc.com/
Veteran filmmaker Julia Verdin is a multi-hyphenate - she is known as an accomplished producer, award-winning Director and has written a number of screenplays. Having been in the film business for 30 years, Julia has established herself as one of Hollywood's leading independent producers, with over 36 critically acclaimed feature films produced to date. She founded and has been running Rough Diamond Productions since 1995.
Some of the memorable, acclaimed theatrical releases and top film festival favorites Julia has produced, includes 2 Jacks, directed by Bernard Rose: the film starred Danny Huston, Jack Huston, Sienna Miller, Jacqueline Bisset, and Billy Zane; Stander, directed by Bronwen Hughes starring Thomas Jane, Deborah Unger, Dexter Fletcher, and David O'Hara; Sony Pictures Classics released The Merchant of Venice, directed by Michael Radford, starring Al Pacino, Jeremy Irons, and Joseph Fiennes; and Riding The Bullet based on a Stephen King story, directed by Mick Garris, and starring David Arquette, Jonathan Jackson, Erica Christensen, and Barbara Hershey. Julia's faith-based film, The Least Among You was a Lionsgate release, starring Lou Gossett Jr., Lauren Holly, and William Devane, and featured in major festivals, being nominated for two N.A.A.C.P awards. Julia also Executive Produced the 2015 Lionsgate release Born of War, directed by Vicky Jewson, starring James Frain and Sophia Black D'Elia.
Julia's films have been selected for many major film festivals including Sundance, Toronto, Venice, AFI, Raindance, Vancouver International, and London. As a director, her former acting background has given her the tools to support her actors and bring out amazing performances, and her producing background enables her to stay on budget while bringing out the best creative results.
Take a look back at some of the best moments of behind the scenes Hollywood talk with the Best of Best in Fest Part 2
Take a look back at some of the best moments of behind the scenes Hollywood talk with the Best of Best in Fest.
In this episode Leslie and Peyton talk about her career as an actress and a writer. Peyton gives great tips on how to prepare your script for sale in Hollywood.
Peyton McDavitt was born on 12 January 1984 in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. She is an actress and writer,
In this episode, Leslie speaks with Director of Photography at "In Reel Time" Jay Lopez Jr. Jay is a rising star in the industry and they discuss everything from the basic lighting of a shot to drone operating and AI. This episode has something for everyone.
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm6800740/
Lirit Rosenzweig Topaz has more than 20 years experience as a producer of animation, live action TV shows, films, music videos and live events. She has a strong passion for the industry and loves collaborating with clients. As the executive producer, Lirit has worked on a variety of projects including Sonic the Hedgehog, Marvel Avengers, Harry Potter, Barbie, Facebook, Spielberg Foundation, The Tunies and produced the animation in the feature film Ask Dr. Ruth which premiered at Sundance and Tribeca 2019 and is streaming on Hulu.
Karen K. Miller is the current President & CEO of CGS USA LLC at Cyber group studios. Prior to this, they were the Senior Vice President of Content at NBCUniversal Media, LLC from July 2018 to March of 2022. In this role, they were responsible for creating and executing a content strategy, leading a development team, overseeing co-productions, short form team, and current production of original series. Karen also was responsible for identifying and executing acquisitions of content. Karen Miller began their career in 2007 as an Associate Producer for The Simpsons Movie at Rough Draft Studios, Inc. From December 2010 to July 2018 they worked for The Walt Disney Company as the Vice President Acquisitions, Co-Productions & Global Content Strategy-Disney Channels Worldwide. In this role they created & executed acquisition strategies for Disney Channel, Disney Junior & Disney XD worldwide, served as the sole creative liaison with input on creative development and production process, sourced & negotiated co-productions for all platforms, and created & implemented global programming strategies for Disney Channels Worldwide.
Alec Bantivoglio is a comedy writer from Philadelphia with a passion to make people laugh. In the Spring of 2023 I graduated from Chapman University with a Master’s in Television Writing and Production. While there, he created and was the show runner for Xander, a fantasy-comedy web-series, crewed by many of my fellow Chapman students. Over the last 2 months Xander has won several awards and we are getting ready to premiere at Dances With Films New York.
Donna Smith began her career as Production Coordinator on RAGING BULL and quickly rose through the ranks, serving as Production Manager, Line Producer and Producer on notable projects that included THE TERMINATOR.Smith was tapped by Universal Pictures to serve as President of Physical Production and Post Production; becoming the first woman to serve in that role for a major Hollywood studio.
During Smith’s seven-year tenure at Universal, more than 120 titles were released under her leadership including; Academy Award winner SCHINDLER’S LIST, JURASSIC PARK, BABE, SCENT OF A WOMAN, CASINO, BACKDRAFT, BACK TO THE FUTURE, APOLLO 13 and WATERWORLD.
Following her executive role at Universal, Donna entered the world of completion bonds, having established a sterling reputation as a “highly bondable” producer.
Donna served as CEO/President for the Entertainment Coalition, a management entity formed to coordinate full-service completion bond and insurance services for the entertainment industry worldwide.
From line producing to lighting design Leslie and Maritza dive deep into what it really takes to perfect your craft in Hollywood.
Gail Gilbert was an award-winning film editor before going back for an MFA in Writing for the Screen + Stage at Northwestern University. Now she is fully launched in a new career as writer/director, thriving on creating stories that push the envelope in critiquing modern life. Her work challenges stereotypes of ageism and shows that life is equally wild and crazy all the way to the end.
Irina
The world of Irina Maleeva jettisoned into the cinematic spotlight when she was discovered by the legendary Federico Fellini at age 15 and would go on to perform in three of his highly-acclaimed movies: Satyricon; Spirits of the Dead; and Roma. Later Maleeva was chosen for the lead part of Jessica in the film, “The Merchant of Venice” playing opposite Orson Welles’s Schylock. The film was also directed by Orson Welles “This was the best time of my life”, remembers Irina. For many years part of the film was lost. When finally recovered, it premiered in Los Angeles at the Egyptian Theater in 2017.
**Carlyle
Carlyle King is an actress and voice artist who worked on Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Star Trek: Voyager and Star Trek: Enterprise and on the feature film Star Trek V: The Final Frontier. As an actress, King appeared in an episode of Seinfeld (1991, with Jason Alexander and Tucker Smallwood), the television drama Grass Roots (1992, with Corbin Bernsen, Joanna Cassidy, John Glover, Tim O'Connor, and L. Sidney), the television drama Tonya & Nancy: The Inside Story (1994, with Michael Cavanaugh, Robert Pine, Ellen Geer, Peggy Roeder, Lilyan Chauvin, and Jack Shearer), and the short drama The Son (2007).
Chloe Burns graduated from the University of Kansas with a degree in Film & amp; Media Studies. After graduating, Chloe wrote, produced, and acted in The
Adventures of Botfly, an award-winning web series, and the short film, The Thing About Miller House, which showed at film festivals throughout Kansas City. In 2021, Burns founded Bull Skull Productions, under which she produced the short documentary
The Wallace Project, and the six-episode web series Trauma Bonded.
As an actress, she has been featured in roles at the University of Southern California and the ArtCenter College of Design. She has studied at Warner Loughlin Studios and Lesly Kahn Studios in Los Angeles, and uses writing and producing to explore complex
stories and create challenging, dynamic roles for herself.
Currently a student at the University of Southern California, Linjie “Susu” Huang had a long and winding road before following her dream of making films. Born into a traditional Chinese family, Linjie endured twenty years pursuing their values
like being practical and doing something more success driven. But instead she decided
to unleash her inner voice and pursue her passion for filmmaking. She’s particularly
interested in telling stories that examine the basis of our relationships.
Growing up in a result-driven culture, I always looked at the grand prize ahead of me. I
missed so many great moments of my life and ignored the lovely relationship I had with
my beloved family and friends.
Chasing Jupiter is a story that depicts a stressed girl who only cares about her grand
reward, but discovers her lost connection with her animal friend. I hope Chasing Jupiter
reminds everyone that there is more to life than just grand prizes!
Marlene Sharp is a creative and business-savvy entertainment multi-hyphenate who originally hails from New Orleans but is now a (San Fernando) Valley girl. Firmly ensconced in LA life, Marlene is top dawg at Pink Poodle Productions. Clients include Rainshine Entertainment, BoredPanda.com, WeFixYourScript.com, ToonBo, and The Center for Learning Unlimited. Prior to Pink Poodle, Marlene served as Director, Production at LEVEL-5 abby, home of YO-KAI WATCH and other hit video game-based franchises.
Formerly, as Producer, TV Series, at Sega of America, Marlene worked on much more than Teen Choice Award-nominated Cartoon Network series SONIC BOOM. In fact, her Hedgehog duties took her to the heights of nerd-dom as an official San Diego Comic-Con 2017 panelist.
As a freelance journalist, Marlene concentrates on pop culture for noteworthy fan destinations, such as Gamasutra.com, DOGTV, ToonBarn.com, Geekified.net, and CultureSonar.com. As a short film auteur, she has snagged recognition at Austin Comedy Film Festival, Kids First! Film Festival, Canine Film Festival, and San Luis Obispo Film Festival. Marlene is the proud winner of the 2019 LA Shorts International Film Fest Script Competition (an Oscar- and BAFTA-qualifying fest), at which her backdoor sitcom pilot received a staged reading courtesy of The Groundlings.
After dazzling Dallas, Texas with street performing and experimenting with professional wrestling (which was brutal) and stand-up comedy (which was even more brutal), Bob was 'drawn' into the Los Angeles animation industry.
Bob worked for Cartoon Network, Disney TV, and Nickelodeon. He co-executive produced two seasons of the Misfortunes of Being Ned for the Annoying Orange YouTube channel.
Bob has written and sold projects to Cartoon Network and Disney and co-executive produced, wrote and designed Prank Boy for DreamWorks TV.
He has done everything in the animation industry from storyboarding, animating, designing, writing, directing, and producing.
Most recently, Bob helped oversee the delivery of 156 episodes of an animated series for DreamEast Pictures.
To sharpen his comedy roots, Bob performed improv at The Groundlings and wrote sketch comedy at Upright Citizens Brigade.
As a father of three, including a child on the Autism Spectrum, Bob's sensibilities naturally lean toward creating engaging, inclusive and dynamic content in
family entertainment.
Katie Stone is Executive Director and Producer of The Children’s Hour
radio show and podcast and has been described as the “Mr. Rogers of
public radio.” She began producing The Children’s Hour 22 years ago as
a volunteer at her local NPR affiliate, KUNM-fm. In 2018 Katie started a
nonprofit, The Children’s Hour Inc. and has taken the radio show to
international syndication. Katie and her husband live and work in
Albuquerque, New Mexico in a handmade adobe home on a solar
powered organic farm near the Rio Grande.
Nikki Hevesy is an award-winning director and producer who has worked on documentaries, shorts, multi-camera presentations, promotional and music videos.She began her career in theatre, and as the founding artistic director of the City of Performing Arts company in San Francisco, has directed more than 50 stage productions, including writing and directing two critically-acclaimed musicals that premiered in San Francisco, as well as a small musical for the National Theatre of Uganda, Africa.
As a writer, director and producer, Hevesy has won a slew of awards, including multiple TELLY, Aurora and CINE Golden Eagle Awards. She also nabbed recognition for her work on “Joined Together,” an award-winning, one-hour special on interfaith marriages, which aired on PAX TV.
Hevesy has a Master’s of Fine Arts in directing from the University of Southern California (USC) and a degree in theology from Simpson University. She has taught directing, acting and sit-com production both privately and as a faculty member at various colleges and universities, including Pepperdine University, Los Angeles Valley College and Azusa Pacific University – just to name a few.
A year to life - social impact short
Hevesy’s scripted series, based on her gang intervention documentary was one of four TV projects selected for the highly-competitive Producers Guild of America’s (PGA) diversity development program. During the pandemic, Hevesy wrote (and attached to direct) the feature film, LIFE LIKE THAT, for producer Anne Marie Gillen (FRIED GREEN TOMATOES, UNDER SUSPICION and INTO TEMPTATION) under the shingle, Gillen Group LLC. Currently, Hevesy is working on her true crime journal docu-series, titled “Inside Justice: Getting Out,” which examines a current wrongful conviction, as well as developing TV and film projects under her production company, Through the Glass Productions.
Genna Rosenberg is CEO of GennComm, a global PR & Marketing agency representing many of the most powerful classic and new brands of our time, Chief Ideator at ImaGENNation, a Think Tank focused on licensing and connections in the consumer product space, and Executive Producer at Upbeat Entertainment Group, bringing music and content focused on empowerment, diversity and inclusion to life through powerhouse partnerships with giants.
John Shableski is a nationally recognized expert in the development of the graphic
novel/manga/comics category for the publishing industry including trade, library and
educational markets. Along with editorial development, design and strategic planning,
his scope of expertise includes the study of industry trends and market development for the educational, public library and retail categories for book publishing along with
classroom application of graphic novels.
John currently serves as president for Reading With Pictures, a global literacy
organization focused on improving the learning experience for students of all ages and
abilities.
Rob Feldman is a Ringo-Award nominated comic book creator, animation producer and NFT artist best known for his print and online comic, Cyko KO and web animated series, Dr. Shroud. Having produced content for the likes of Warner Brothers, Fangoria, Starlog, Top Cow and Mystery Science Theater, Rob's recent work of NFT drops and streaming through the blockchain-based partner Theta Network have
proven to be the most innovative and utility-driven to date. In addition to producing, Rob serves as CTO of the publishing powerhouse Rocketship Entertainment where he helps brainstorm, source product and manage content. When he's not exploring the emerging blockchain landscape of digital collectibles,
Linda Malik is a writer/screenwriter/storyteller living in Los Angeles, CA. Originally from Denmark, she worked as a professional ballet dancer for 12 years before an injury put a stop to her career. She went back to school in the U.S., where she earned a B.A and M.A in Radio and Television (Screenwriting) from San Francisco State University. She has written several screenplays, mostly dramas - she placed as a semi-finalist at the Academy Nicholl Fellowships Screenwriting competition - children's animated series pitch bibles, short stories. Presently, she has one optioned script for a dark animated feature film, self-published children's picture books in the series of "Willow's Tale" that are inspired by her real-life rescue cat, Willow. She has written/ produced 2 short animations based on the Willow books that premiered in October at CatCon 2022, Pasadena. Established in 2002, The Center for Learning Unlimited (CLU) reconnects complex learners with their academic, social, and emotional potential. CLU serves kindergarten - 12th grade students with learning challenges. CLU also is home to a swiftly growing animation career training program for adults on the autism spectrum. As CLU sister studio, Brainstorm Productions offers paid workplace experience for CLU animation alumni.
Amanda Frolich, aka Action Amanda, is an award-winning children’s entertainer, early years educator, health and fitness expert, best-selling author and Government advisor.
This year marks Amanda’s 30th year in business as the CEO of Amanda’s Action Club. From starting in a small community centre, Amanda has grown to working globally. Her impressive client list includes some well-known stars including; Brad and Angelina and The Beckhams… Peter Jones, Amanda Holden, The Beautiful South’s Alison Wheeler, Take That’s Mark Owen, Declan Donnelly, Sarah Beeny, Catherine Tate, Olympian Matthew Pincent… and many more…
In 2020, Amanda was invited to become a UK Children’s First Champion in Parliament, encouraging policymakers to put children first at the heart of all decision making. She previously worked as a children’s fitness consultant on the government’s Change4Life programme and was selected to run classes, events and training for Sure Start. Over the last 30 years Amanda has won multiple awards for her work, she is a number one best-selling author and iTunes number one chart topper — beating Baby Shark to the number one spot!
Judy Korin fuses her backgrounds in graphic design and filmmaking to contribute to visually powerful and socially impactful works. In addition to producing REBEL HEARTS (2021, max/discovery+) which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, she is a producer of the documentary series THE LINCOLN PROJECT (2022, Showtime) and the Netflix original documentary THE GREAT HACK (2019, Sundance premiere), which made the Academy Award shortlist, was BAFTA-, Grierson- and Emmy-nominated, and won a Cinema Eye Honors Award. She also co-produced BENDING THE ARC (2017), directed the International Documentary Association and Emmy Award nominee A CENTURY OF WOMEN (1994) and produced the indie scripted feature FINDING NEIGHBORS (2013, AppleTV, Amazon). Judy has directed and produced many short-form documentaries and branded content films for social justice and educational non-profits such as the Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles and the Los Angeles Community Action Network. In addition to her filmmaking, she teaches documentary production to the next generation of storytellers at California State University, Northridge.
A Line Producer is the unsung hero of a film production. Full of responsibility and, of course, stress, the job of a line producer is crucial and really challenging. In this episode Leslie breaks down the whole job from beginning to the end leaving no stone unturned. This is a must listen!
Today Ledslie talks to Dianah Wynter. Wynter was born and raised in New York. She directed Intimate Betrayal (1999), HappySAD (2009), and Daddy's Girl (1996), for which she received an Emmy nomination. Her stage directing credits include the world premiere of The Interrogation of Nathan Hale at South Coast Rep, Mules at San Francisco's Magic Theatre and American Conservatory Theatre (ACT), the latter starring Anika Noni Rose. She was a regular director for the Mark Taper's New Work Fest, and NEA Director Fellow for The Goodman Theatre. At Princeton, she composed music for Triangle club comedy revues, collaborating with classmates such as Douglas McGrath, David E. Kelley, Eric Schlosser and John Seabrook.
A graduate of the Yale school of drama. She was asst director for Lloyd Richards on the world premieres of Ma Rainey's Black Bottom and Fences. She mounted the second company of Fences at Seattle Rep starring Frances Foster and Samuel L. Jackson. Dianah is an author and co-editor of Referentiality and the Films of Woody Allen (Palgrave Macmillan). Her most recent book is The Post Soul Cinema of Kasi Lemmons.
In 2019, she was elected Chair of the Cinema & Television Arts department at Cal State Northridge (CSUN), which consistently ranks in the Hollywood Reporters Top 25 film schools. She is the first black woman to head a Top film school. During her term as Chair, she initiated the virtual production initiative, with the support of strategic partner, Halon Entertainment; by 2021, CSUN made it into the top 20 of The Wraps Top 50 Film Schools, breaking in at #17.
Patrick Rizzotti, is a veteran film producer and founder of Crossroad Productions.
Crossroad's finds projects that can crossover to multiple entertainment platforms during its lifespan.
Rizzotti originally co-founded Fortress Features in 2004 - 2017 and developed over 100 feature film and television projects during the next 14 years. The goal of Fortress was to create a environment where filmmakers could develop material outside of the studio system.
Rizzotti has produced major internationally successful films including the critically acclaimed "Pride" (Lionsgate), starring Academy Award Nominee Terrence Howard (Empire, Iron man) and Bernie Mac (Oceans Eleven, Charlie's Angels). "The Collector", co-written and directed by Marcus Dunstan (co-writer of Saw 4-7), spawned a sequel called "The Collection", both of which were released wide theatrically. "The Super", a psychological thriller starring Val Kilmer (Top Gun, The Doors) and financed by television producer Dick Wolf and most recently "Malicious" starring Josh Stewart (The Dark Night Rises, The Collector), Delroy Lindo (Heat, Get Shorty) and Bojana Novakovic (i-Tonya, Shameless).
McKenzie is a filmmaker, actor, and poet based in Chicago. Driven by a revolutionary sensibility, her work uses rich imagery and a deeply personal lens to explore the lives, relationships, and dreams of those who experience marginalization based on their identities, frequently returning to themes around longing and ambition, with her storytelling rooted in sensuality, everyday magic, and the beauty of the ordinary.
She was recently named IFA Chicago’s inaugural Breakthrough Voice Award recipient, and is a 2021 Sundance Screenwriters and Directors Lab Fellow with her next feature A Real One, currently in late development.
She is also the writer, producer, and lead actor of Olympia, which premiered at the 2018 LA Film Festival and won the Audience Award at the 2019 Bentonville Film Festival.
She recently made her stage directing debut with ALAIYO by Micah Ariel Watson at Definition Theatre.
As an actor, her on-camera credits include recurring and guest star roles on the FOX series The Big Leap, ABC's Will Trent, CBS’s The Red Line, and others. Onstage she has worked with Steppenwolf and Goodman Theatres, The Second City, Woolly Mammoth, Definition Theatre, and others.
Corey Grant was born in Joliet, Illinois. He attended Norfolk State University and Virginia where he received his BA in Communications. After graduating and working for NBC, he decided that film was his ultimate goal and he moved to Washington, DC to attend Howard University to receive his Masters in Film. While attending Howard, he founded New Breed Entertainment and wrote, produced and directed his first feature film, HIP HOP TASK FORCE. The film was picked up fro domestic distribution after a limited theatrical run all funded by scholarship money. It proved successful and set up the next step in advancing both Grant and New Breed Entertainment. After graduation he moved to Hollywood to take his film career to the next level. He wrote, produced and directed the follow up to Hip Hop Task Force with the sequel STUDIO which was picked up by Warner Bros Home Video and released in 2007. Looking to take things to the next level, Corey wrote and and directed DYSFUNCTIONAL FRIENDS, his third feature which was released theatrically and has garnered rave reviews and success on DVD and VOD. The movie has gone on to cult hit status among African Americans for the all star cast and it's high end comedy with lightly placed drama. His follow up BIGFOOT: THE LOST COAST TAPES, saw Grant go in a completely different direction as he entered the mainstream horror arena. The found footage thriller was received well as it was picked up for worldwide distribution and was released in the fall of 2012. This filmmaker prides himself on quality, commercial stories that are cutting edge and original
LANETT TACHEL IS A PRODUCER, WRITER, AND ACTRESS FROM PRINCE GEORGE’S COUNTY MARYLAND. SHE RECEIVED HER BFA FROM HOWARD UNIVERSITY AND MOVED TO LOS ANGELES WHERE SHE MET LEGENDARY WRITER/PRODUCER, ED WEINBERGER (TAXI, THE COSBY SHOW) WHO ASKED HER TO SERVE AS A CONSULTANT FOR THE 6 EPISODE SERIES, BELLE’S, STARRING KEITH DAVID AND ELLA JOYCE. AFTER CONSULTING ON THE PILOT WHERE SHE LATER EARNED A TITLE ROLE, LANETT QUICKLY LEARNED THAT THE BEST WAY TO KEEP WORKING WAS TO CREATE THE WORK HERSELF.
FOLLOWING THE SERIES, LANETT PRODUCED AN AWARD WINNING SHORT, SISTER SISTER SISTER FOLLOWED BY A SERIES OF NARRATIVE DRIVEN MUSIC VIDEOS FOR A UNIVERSAL RECORDING ARTIST. SHE THEN TEAMED UP WITH COREY GRANT AND WITH THEIR PRODUCTION COMPANY, “NEW BREED ENTERTAINMENT” SHE WENT ON TO WRITE AND PRODUCE FEATURE FILMS SUCH AS THE SUSPENSE/THRILLER -ILLICIT (AMAZON/BET 2017), I GOT THE HOOK UP 2 (2019 THEATRICAL RELEASE) AND MOST RECENTLY SHE HAS PRODUCED AND COWRITTEN THE BRAND NEW SCRIPTED SERIES, PUMP, WHERE SHE ALSO STARS ALONGSIDE RAY J, JENNIFER FREEMAN, MICHAEL JAI WHITE AND MORE. THE SERIES RELEASED TO A STREAMING PLATFORM TO RAVE REVIEWS AND IS CURRENTLY IN THE PROCESS OF RE-RELEASING TO A NEW, LARGER PLATFORM LATER THIS YEAR.
Grant Garry is a filmmaker, actor, and owner of the production company Wesley Curtis Productions. He is the director of the new documentary Meet Me Where I Am - Which explores the topic of grief through individual stories of loss, love, and hope.
Grant earned his degree in Theatre Arts from Loyola Marymount University. He has studied improv at The Groundlings School, acting in musical theater with Jason Alexander, and is a Certified Grief Educator. He has a passion for singing, long-form conversations, nonfiction literature, meditation, writing, coffee, and cars.
He previously produced and acted in Black Cat, currently available on Amazon Prime. Other acting credits include NCIS: Los Angeles, Night of the Living Deb, Sweeney Todd, and Cinderella. His upcoming documentary film, Room for Cream: The Coffee Experience, will explore how humans experience coffee.
Heidi Nyburg
After a career in tech as a product manager for Netflix, Heidi pivoted to screenwriting
for television and film. A 2022 HUMANITAS finalist, & WIF top 10, Heidi’s writing focuses on female-driven dramas and dark comedies that explore themes of
motherhood, having/not having it all, and sometimes, murder. She’s won several
respected contests, has been featured on The Blacklist for pilots & has two scripts in Coverfly’s Top 1% of all time. She’s also a mother and a director, and those two things feel the same most of the time.
Kristin Tegtmeier Higgins
is an independent film producer having discovered a passion for making movies after growing up with her family’s rural movie theater business. She began to makefilms alongside raising a family and a successful career in enterprise software marketing in Silicon Valley.
Kristin studied screenwriting at UCLA and finally film production at San Francisco Film School. She has gone on to make multiple short films and now the narrative feature film, ClearMind, as well as directing and producing a feature documentary on the topic of women and ultra running, which is in post production.
Naida Valencia originally hails from the West Coast of the US, but holds a strong identity within her Chilean and Colombian heritage. A theater virtuoso from the age of 9, she attended The Northwest School of the Arts, as well as the acting division of UCLA's School of Theater, Film and Television. Since then her career has been an eclectic mixture of marketing, management, writing, event planning and overall industry involvement. She currently works as a marketing manager for Whatevergroup, a production company in Northern Finland.
Whatevergroup is a TV and film production company based in Oulu, Finland. The company was initiated in 2011 and is run by three writer producers: Antti Kaarlela, Antti Kairakari and Aleksi Puranen. A modest, yet dynamic team runs the engine of this enterprise, setting the course for unique and ambitious horizons. Whatevergroup sets itself apart as one of the primary industry players within the northern regions of Finland. Brandishing an eclectic profile of enthralling pieces, such as the Evilside thriller series for Elisa Viihde and the family feature Susikoira Roi for Cmore MTV3.
Mark Salyer is an award-winning producer and director whose work in the arts and multi-media explores intergenerational themes, stories and mythology of the Appalachian Mountains where he is from and the LGBTQ+ experience.
As an actor and director in the theater, Mark has won numerous awards and performed across the country and abroad. His Hedwig in the Atlanta premier of Hedwig and the Angry Inch was both a critical and commercial success. He performed in the ruins of Delphi for the International Symposium on Greek Drama playing a gender-fluid Electra in Sophocles’ tragedy. In Los Angeles, he co-created the four part
harmony drag show She Haw which enjoyed a long run at Largo. Directing highlights include Williams’ Suddenly Last Summer, Madama Butterfly, Sondheim’s Into the Woods, Cabaret, An Evening with Stephen Schwartz starring Ben Vereen and Corbin Bleu and the Santa Clarita Performing Arts Center’s gala opening performance of Big River.
In 2012, he created NewStages, a dynamic and ground-breaking performing arts program for and about LGBTQ+ seniors. NewStages has reached thousands in the Los Angeles queer community through dynamic classes and workshops, innovative intergenerational projects and an annual Pride Arts Festival production featuring the seniors of the LA LGBT Center in a performance of music, theater, and dance
inspired by their remarkable life stories.
In 2016, he co-founded ARAY Productions with his co-Appalachian Melissa Palmer. Since then, ARAY has produced projects that are by and about the people of Central Appalachia, including the award-winning short Ladies Most Deject directed by Martha Elcan and starring Conner Wharton.
Mark lives in Palm Springs and in Los Angeles with his husband of 31 years. He is currently working on a
book about art and aging.
Today Leslie has on John Wayne S III, Tyawanna Smith, Kristine McPhearson the creators of the sports documentary "Ballin' Aboard" to talk about how to market a film in todays industry. Ballin Aboard is the journey of five Champion and top-tier American athletes playing basketball in the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) and Euro-Leagues.
Marianna Vargas Gurilieva was appointed Film Commissioner of the Dominican
Republic Film Commission (DGCINE) in 2021, a position dedicated to regulating,
developing, and promoting the Dominican film industry.
A Magna Cum Laude graduate in Law of the Pontificia Universidad Católica
Madre y Maestra (PUCMM), Vargas continued her studies obtaining a L.L.M. in
Business Transactions at Erasmus University Rotterdam. In 2021, she completed
a master's degree in Legal Strategy from the OMG Institute of Santo Domingo.
Prior to her appointment as Film Commissioner, Vargas served as a Senior
Director of the Business Department at OMG, a legal firm in the Dominican
Republic. From 2011 to 2016 she worked as Director of Business and Legal
Affairs for Pinewood Dominican Republic Studios, where she acted as in house
counsel for the Chief Operating Officer (COO) and the production team in
international and national productions directed by the studio.
Furthermore, Vargas participated as a representative of the Film Studios at the
Intersectoral Commission for Promoting Cinematographic Activity in the
Dominican Republic (CIPAC) and collaborated in the preparation, revision, and
modification of Law No. 108-10 to promote Cinematographic Activity in the
Dominican Republic and its applicable regulations. She has extensive knowledge
and a well-established background in Corporate and Commercial Law,
specializing in legal planning and entertainment.
Julia Morizawa is a writer/producer with over 20 years of experience in film, television, new media, theater, and fiction podcasting. Produced projects include JESUSCAT (OR HOW IACCIDENTALLY JOINED A CULT) (feature film), SIN & LYLE (short film), TWENTY-TWO (play), and AMERICAN COMEDY HORROR STORY: ORPHANAGE (fiction podcast). Her current project, DRAGONFLY (animated short film), was awarded Best Short Screenplay by Scriptation Showcase and Screenwriting Master in 2019 and will be premiering at the Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film
Festival in May 2023. She is currently in development on a feature, SOMETHING ABOUT THE TIDE, which placed in the Top 5 Features in Roadmap Writers’ 2022 JumpStart Competition. Julia started her career as an actor with credits including JUDAS KISS (feature film), SCANDAL (TV), SEAL TEAM (TV), MASHA NO HOME (stage), STAR TREK: ODYSSEY (new media), and THE BRIGHT SESSIONS (fiction podcast). Julia is also a freelance script analyst, the Short Film Fund
Coordinator at Shore Scripts, and the proud mom of two tiny superheroes.
Franklin Ritch is an independent filmmaker, writing, directing, and editing with a passion for unique ideas and sharp storytelling. Since high school, Franklin has developed a vast filmography of short films, web series, and features. Collaborating with Emmy-winning cinematographer, Britt McTammany, Franklin’s early short, BEDRIDDEN (Fantastic Fest, 2018), kicked off a marathon of short film productions that included STILL LIFE (Sleeping Giant Fest 2019), POWERFUL (SERFF 2019), THE 27 DEATHS (Fantastic Fest 2021), and many more. In 2022, Franklin premiered his debut feature film, THE ARTIFICE GIRL (XYZ), starring sci-fi legend Lance Henriksen, at Fantasia International Film Festival, where it won the Golden Audience Award for Best International Feature and later took top prize at its European premiere in Trieste, Italy. Franklin has since been named one of the “25 New Faces of Independent Film” by Filmmaker Magazine, and his work continues to be recognized and revered in outlets such as Screen Anarchy, Movie Maker Magazine, and The Film Stage. THE ARTIFICE GIRL had its US premiere at SXSW in March and currently holds a 93% on Rotten Tomatoes. Franklin is now developing an ambitious follow-up feature film, with several more screenplays and a rumored TV series on the horizon.
Katherine graduated as a medical biotechnologist (MD in Bioсhemistry and Molecular biology) and worked briefly in a Cancer Research Center. But due to serious circumstances, she moved to Hong Kong and spent the next 12 years as an interior designer and small-form architect, heading her own studio Cheshire Cat and founding a construction company Berling Co. Deciding to expand her activities, she entered a film school, after which she went with her student short film to the Cannes Film Festival. There she was noticed by producers from Los Angeles and was invited to the USA to develop the new projects.
Andria Wilson Mirza is the Director of ReFrame, the screen industry's gender equity coalition founded and led by Sundance Institute and Women In Film. Since joining the organization, she has expanded their mid-career talent accelerator and launched the ReFrame ReSource, an industry-leading initiative to create connections across Hollywood’s diversity advocacy sector. Previously, Andria was Executive Director of Inside Out, Canada’s largest LGBTQ film festival. There, she established the world’s only LGBTQ Feature Film Financing Forum, launched two development funds, co-founded the North American Queer Festival Alliance (NAQFA), and spearheaded a 4-year partnership between Inside Out and Netflix.
Andria and her wife Fawzia Mirza co-founded and run Baby Daal Productions, and are currently in post-production on the feature THE QUEEN OF MY DREAMS, a Pakistan-Canada co-production. Baby Daal’s feature slate also includes Sandra Itäinen's upcoming queer Muslim documentary COMING AROUND and Drew Denny’s GIFTED, which centers survivors of intimate partner violence with an all-survivor crew and creative team. Andria serves on the advisory board of Hire Survivors Hollywood, and is a consultant for EFM’s Toolbox program to support underrepresented directors in navigating their first international film market. Named ‘one of 15 Canadian women to watch’ by the CBC, Andria has been a featured speaker at festivals including TIFF, Sundance, SXSW, AFM, San Diego Comic Con, Berlin’s European Film Market, Oslo Fusion, and the Iris Prize Producer’s Forum.
Twitter: @reframeproject @andriawilson
Instagram: @reframe_project @andriawilsonmirza
Clay Epstein has over twenty years of experience as an Entertainment Executive. Since launching his own company in 2016, he is the President and Owner of Film Mode Entertainment, a worldwide sales and distribution entity with a producer friendly initiative. In addition to bringing films to audiences around the globe, Clay executive produces many of the company’s titles. As an Executive Producer, Clay
is instrumental in working with filmmakers in the early stages of pre‐production to help build the financing, and creative elements to achieve these successes worldwide. To better help producers and directors who may be less experienced, Film Mode has an active consultancy division, offering producers expertise and guidance on financial models, marketing, and distribution strategies.
Film Mode represents over 50 independent feature films worldwide, with a client base that spans the globe. Recent successes include BREACH starring Bruce Willis, AS THEY MADE US starring Dustin Hoffman, and Candice Bergan, CRYPTO starring Kurt Russel, LITTLE PINK HOUSE starring Catherine Keener, and MONSTROUS starring Christina Ricci.
Prior to launching Film Mode, Clay was SVP Sales & Acquisitions at Arclight Films. He was instrumental in representing high profile films such as Paul Schrader ’s DOG EAT DOG starring Nicolas Cage, and the Spirig brother’s PREDESTINATION starring Ethan Hawke. Earlier in his career, Clay represented prestigious titles such as TSOTSI (2006, Academy Award Winner for Best Foreign Language,) and THE
LAST STATION (2010, Academy Award Nominee for Best Performance by an Actress.) Clay earned a BA in Fine Arts, from California State University, Northridge majoring in Film Production and minoring in Italian Language.
In addition to his professional accomplishments, he holds the elected position of Chairman of Independent Film and Television Alliance. Clay is an instructor at UCLA Extension, and a frequent lecturer at film festivals worldwide., a member of PGA, FIND, BAFTA LA, and the Australian Academy
Cinema Television Arts.
Mary Jane’s films have screened at the Toronto, Venice, Berlin, Cannes and Sundance Film Festivals and have received numerous awards and nominations, including several appearances on the National Board of Review ‘best of’ list, a BAFTA best screenplay win for The Station Agent and an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor for Richard Jenkins in The Visitor. Mary Jane received the Independent Spirit Award for Producing in 2004 and was selected as one of Variety’s Producers to Watch in 2003. She is a member of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences and serves on the Branch Executive Committee for the Producers Branch.
Mary Jane has served as an adjunct at Columbia University and New York University and regular acts as an advisor at the Sundance Creative Producing and Catalyst Labs. In 2016 she served as the Allesee Chair at Wayne State University. From 2013-2018 Mary Jane was the Senior Advisor to Gamechanger, a financing entity focused exclusively on films directed by women. Gamechanger’s inaugural slate of films included The Tale, The Invitation, Busters Mal Heart, Love Song, Land Ho, Addicted to Fresno and The Strange Ones. She is a graduate of The University of Michigan.
Mary Jane Skalski is currently the President of Production for Echo Lake Entertainment, a production, management and financing company where, in addition to overseeing the company’s slate, she is also producing a number of projects in film and tv and has a small number of clients.
Antti Kaarlela is a Finnish screenwriter, producer and a production company CEO. Antti has studied and lived in many different places around the world, including Rome, Italy and New York City, US. Antti set a production company called Whatevergroup in 2011 together with his namesake Antti Kairakari and a fellow entrepreneur Aleksi Puranen and since then Whatevergroup has produced for example the 2022 Oulu International Children and Youth Film Festival winning feature film Roi and the MIPdrama official selection Evilside that will open in Finland on Elisa Viihde Viaplay in October 2023. Antti lives Northern Finnish town of Oulu a mere 100 miles below the Arctic Circle. Antti is a strong believer in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and these basic values have been the main building blocks of the Whatevergroup mission; to make the world a better place through entertainment.
Currently Whatevergroup is in production with a mini series for the Finnish pubcaster YLE. The dramedy mini series entitled Critical point tells the story of a Somali-Finnish young woman who wants to become the best ski jumper in the whole World. The series is planed to open on YLE channels in February 2024.
It's all about virtual production in this episode with one of the industry experts, President of Roninfilms Virtual Production Joan Webb.
Roninfilm Virtual Production pioneered in Unreal Engine as early adopters with 2 Epic Games/Unreal Engine MegaGrants, becoming evangelists, leading speaking engagements at NAB, AFM, CineGear, VES, Wacom, ASUS, Poppy Jasper Film Festival, and over 35 articles world-wide in American Cinematographer, Variety, Sci-Fi, NAB Show Daily, and other trades written on our accomplishments, discoveries and endeavors as the preeminent leaders in Virtual Production.
As experts, in a field of limited experienced contenders/participants, our unmatched, deep experience, discoveries and knowledge in this new frontier provided Roninfilm Virtual Production the ability to recognize and identify the requirements necessary to create standards and offered guidance to Rapid Industry Solutions (RIS), SMPTE's new Virtual Production Standards advisory & working group focusing on On Set Virtual Production, by interjecting the necessity/inclusion of ASC for an accurate integration and representation for Virtual Production to create standards for this new workflow.
Roninfilm Virtual Production's talent fulfilled Director, Writer, Creative Director, Virtual Production Supervisor, Virtual Production Producer, CG Supervisor, and Unreal Asset Creation for the first
Super Bowl spots to air using this new workflow, as well our team has completed: Feature, Commercials, Shorts, Corp, Experimental in Virtual Production and 7 BTS how-to mini docs on Virtual Production.
Alex Schmider is an Emmy, Peabody, and Critics Choice Award recognized film producer and the Director of Transgender Representation at GLAAD, the nation’s leading LGBTQ media advocacy organization. His producing credits include CHANGING THE GAME (Hulu), DISCLOSURE (Netflix), FRAMING AGNES (Kino Lorber), STAY ON BOARD: THE LEO BAKER STORY (Netflix) and upcoming CHASING CHASING AMY. He is an active member of the Producers Guild of America, the Television Academy, and board member for The 19th News. He remains a Forbes 30 under 30 list maker for media, but is gleefully no longer under 30.
More about his work: https://www.alexschmider.com/credits
David Stump brings over 25 years of experience as a Producer, Director, Director of Photography, Visual Effects Director of Photography, Visual Effects Supervisor and Effects Cameraman. He has extensive experience in high definition film and video photography, content creation, CGI and visual effects production. He has won an Emmy Award and an Academy Award for Scientific and Technical Acheivement. He is a full member of the American Society of Cinematographers, where he currently serves as Chair of the Camera Subcommittee of the ASC Technical Committee. He was also the founder of camera and equipment company Motion Control Rental Services.
He has photographed and supervised VFX work for every major studio and many independent production studios on feature film projects including James Bond 22 – A Quantum of Solace, Into the Blue, The Game of Their Lives, Garfield, X-Men 2, Sizzling Kung Fu Mice, Panic Room, The Bourne Identity, The One, Men of Honor, Pluto Nash, Hollow Man, X-Men, Navy Diver, Deep Blue Sea, Stuart Little, Soldier, Blade, U.S. Marshals, The Sphere, Contact, Batman & Robin, Mars Attacks!, Star Trek First Contact, Executive Decision, Mortal Kombat, Batman Forever, A Walk in the Clouds, Stargate, Clear and Present Danger, Exit to Eden, The Shadow, The Quick and the Dead, Wes Craven's Nightmare on Elm Street Part VII, Time Cop, Tall Tale, Double Dragon, Hot Shots! Part Deux, Ghost in the Machine, Dark Encounter, Free Willy, Toys, Batman Returns, Night Train, The Skateboard Kid, Doppelganger, Alien 3, Army of Darkness, Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey, Flight of the Intruder, Ghost Dad, Solar Crisis, Gremlins II, Karate Kid III, Rambo III, Beetlejuice, My Stepmother is an Alien, Adventures In Babysitting, Stand By Me, Runaway Train, Black Moon Rising, Ice Pirates, Jaws 3-D, The Man Who Wasn't There, Top Secret, The Last Dragon, and many others.
Television projects completed include Storm of the Century, The Shining, Science Fiction Channel, The Tower, Space Rangers, Darkman, Beverly Hills 90210, Grand, Miracle Landing, Quantum Leap, Something Is Out There, The Christmas Star, Poor Little Rich Girl, Murder By The Book, Oceans of Fire, The Day After, Greatest American Hero, Condor, Hollywood Fever, Adventure Kids, Sidekicks, Completely Off The Wall, Crackers and others. His first and second unit Director of Photography credits include; Spring Break ’83, Killer Pad, The Bronx Is Burning, The Trident, What Love Is, Southland Tales, Red Riding Hood, Daddy’s Boys and The Black Gate. He has also completed numerous broadcast, commercials and industrial projects for leading companies, major brand names and various leading advertising agencies. He is a member of the Producer’s Guild of America (PGA), the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE), Visual Effects Society (VES), the Society of Operating Cameramen (SOC), the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), and the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS).
Kevin is the founder and CEO of Screen Engine/ASI, a research and data analytics company that prioritizes maximizing market potential while evaluating risk for clients in the media and entertainment sectors. SE/ASI works with entertainment clients to uncover the critical ‘WHY’ behind the choices people make in deciding what, where, when, and how they choose to watch content.
Throughout his career, Kevin has produced twelve television movies. He is also the author of Audience-ology a book that chronicles how everyday moviegoers influence and help shape the making of America's cinematic masterpieces through the secretive process of audience testing of Hollywood movies. It offers an enlightening and universal perspective on how the power of audience feedback affects the final cuts of films and helps to make the playability the best it can be.
Max Muscato is an American singer-songwriter, guitarist, producer and philanthropist. As a rock artist he brings electrifying performances to every show. Over the last several years Max has gained an extensive following and has toured and opened for: Citizen Cope, Theory of a Deadman, Aaron Carter, Finger Eleven, Eric Gales, Ripe, The Allman Betts Bandn and more. He is currently working on his next singles Valarie and Toxic & Poison due out in 2022.
In addition to his music career, Max is also the founder of Rock Autism Music Festival and the creator/writer of the new TV show “Setlist.” The show is the truest depiction of their family dynamic while revealing the grind it takes to make it in the music industry. Max's powerful songs written about his brother's struggle with Autism and addiction is a deep-rooted catalyst that drives his passion and career. Proceeds from his festival fund Rock Autism programs for individuals with Autism, connecting them to a career in music and film.
Alan D'Escragnolle is a Brazilian-American, currently building the future of film distribution for producers, sales agents and distributors. Prior to this, I've spent time wearing many hats building product, growth, and operations teams across many different verticals and stages of companies. From turnaround to high-growth companies, there's always a great learning experience.
With her extraordinarily deep and varied background in managing and marketing film and cultural ventures on both sides of the Atlantic, Eleonora brings a global network of artistic and business alliances to her endeavors as a producer, film festival programmer, and international PR, marketing and distribution consultant.
As an Executive:
As a film production and acquisitions executive, Eleonora has worked as Vice President and head of the film co- productions and acquisitions division at Turner Pictures. ( then Time Warner Turner) She served as Senior Vice President at Pandora Films, running their U.S. office and was responsible for worldwide USA film productions and acquisitions. Eleonora She began her career with RCS Films and Television in Italy, where she held various acquisitions, distribution and marketing positions and eventually oversaw the company’s worldwide acquisitions
buying in excess of one thousand films and various film library from Los Angeles.
Sadhvi Siddhali Shree is the first North American Jain monk, a US Army Iraq-war combat veteran, a TEDx speaker, an activist, and an award-winning filmmaker.
Driven by her deep-seated devotion to humanity, she uses her talents and skills to raise awareness about non-violence, personal and spiritual transformation, and social issues. Since 2008, she has served as the Spiritual Director of Siddhayatan Tirth & Spiritual Retreat, a 250-acre retreat, ashram, monastery, and meditation park based near Dallas, Texas.
Determined to bring about positive change and to help those who have suffered, she directed and produced two award-winning documentaries Stopping Traffic and Surviving Sex Trafficking. Surviving Sex Trafficking, which was released in early 2022, was picked up by a major streaming company, had a 20 theater nationwide release in partnership with anti-trafficking non-profits, and met the Academy qualification requirements for Oscar consideration. Her current film, For The Animals nearly complete.
Sadhvi Siddhali Shree and her work have been featured on CNN, Good Morning America, TMZ, Newsweek, the Associated Press, Deadline Hollywood, The Daily Beast, Los Angeles Times, and the NY Post.
Despite being a filmmaker, she considers herself a simple monk trying to do good in the world.
Join Leslie for this very special episode directly from LaFemme International Film Festival. Moderated by Debeorah Gilels from LA Media Consultants this is part 2 of a panel titled Independent Financing: From Bridge to Gap to Raising Capital.
Join Leslie for this very special episode directly from LaFemme International Film Festival. Moderated by Debeorah Gilels from LA Media Consultants this is part 1 of a panel titled Independent Financing: From Bridge to Gap to Raising Capital.
Sadie is an actress, writer, producer and documentarian with an award named in her honor (AMDOC'S Sadie Katz Award for Hustle.) She spent the last two decades balancing being a single mom and a scream queen genre actress and recently opened her own production company "See You Next Tuesday Films" with the goal of telling female focused stories that don't involve sexed-up super villains or girls running through the woods.
In this astonishing episode, Leslie breaks down the steps it takes to design your life as a filmmaker. This is the perfect episode if you want to start off 2023 in a major way.
Bob Nickman is a comedian, actor, writer and producer who has worked on some of the most iconic sit-coms like Mad About You and Rosanne. In this episode Leslie talks with Bob about what it's like to work on these shows and how to transition from one to the other.
Bob Nickman is an American comedian, actor, television producer, and television writer.
As a television producer/writer, his credits include Mad About You, Freaks and Geeks, Danny, According to Jim, Big Day, Rita Rocks and Roseanne.
As an actor, he appeared in four episodes of Roseanne from 1994 to 1995, as well as guest starring in an episode of Designing Women in 1990, his acting debut. He also appeared in the films Shakes the Clown (1991) and Crossing the Bridge (1992).
He is a native of Cleveland, Ohio and performed stand-up comedy for much of the 1980s.[1]
Human trafficking is one of the most frightening and misunderstood realities of the world... and this blight is right here in the US. In this episode, Leslie speaks with actor and filmmaker Christina Zorich. about her new Docummentary the New Abolitionists.
Have you ever wished you could get free advice from a Public Relations and Marketing guru to promote your independent film? Leslie sits down with AJ Adelman the Chief Innovation Officer at Infinity Films who drops golden nuggets on how to get your film out into the world.
AJ AdelmanA.J. Adelman brings more than 30 years of corporate account
management, sales/sponsorships, producer/development
executive, consultancy, training/teaching and market research
experience to the team.
His award-winning experience includes film, video, commercials,
print, social media, sponsorships, product placement, exhibits
and events. His experience also includes the development and
production of a variety of projects including national and
regional meetings, tradeshow and consumer videos, print
materials, product training seminars, direct mail campaigns and
web sites.
Currently AJ heads up an Integrated Marketing Research +
Communications Agency and is Faculty at Santa Monica
College.
Should you start a production company if you're a filmmaker. Almost definitely. In this episode, Leslie talks about why you should think about setting up a corporation and how you should set up your corporation. You'll learn everything from finding the right legal fictitious name to tax benefits and corporate protections. Don't miss this episode.
What are the laws of attraction in the universe and can you learn how to use them to attract everything you've ever wanted? Well, sure! In this episode Leslie talks with J Cynthia Brooks who teaches her techniques to attract what you want in your life. These techniques are fantastic for actors and any other industry professionals who have to pitch their projects.
Do you need to raise money for your film? Maybe you 're looking to attract a production company to your pilot or film script? In this episode Leslie speaks with Literary Agent and Producer John Beach about how to develop projects and what stands out when he's looking for a script
John has worked in the entertainment industry for over 20 years – starting as a literary agent at Paradigm and later with ACME Talent & Literary, where he was instrumental in the sale of Oliver Stone’s WORLD TRADE CENTER w/ Nicolas Cage and YOUTH IN REVOLT w/ Michael Cera.
After ACME, John and 2 producers created Fortress Features, where he aided in the raise of Fortress' development fund. As the Director of Development, John sought out property for Fortress to acquire and develop into rich film/television projects.
In 2011, John opened the Angeles office of INDYCAR where he invited and managed celebrities (Dan Aykroyd, Howie Mandel and Gladys Knight to name a few) at INDYCAR events and races. Mostly, John produced Branded Integrations for TV shows like MYTHBUSTERS, LET’S MAKE A DEAL, HOW IT’S MADE and many others.
In 2015, after surviving cancer, John started Gravity Squared Entertainment, a Los Angeles based management/production company. Gravity Squared has over 170 books/treatment/scripts under management, many being Pulitzer Prize winners and New York Times bestsellers. They currently have over 25 projects in various stages of development/production - including: sold and developed a Primetime TV Sitcom to ABC based on a Chicago comedienne’s life; developing and producing a project with Mosaic & Legendary Pictures with Will Ferrell starring and Adam McKay producing; optioned a book to DreamWorks Animation TV about a unicorn being raised by narwhal, which is in production at Netflix; and they just optioned Judith Heumann's memoir, BEING HEUMANN to AppleTV+, which they will produce with David Permut and the Academy Award winning writer/director of CODA, Sian Heder, at the helm.
Frank Kelly went from working in Corporate America to becoming a self-taught filmmaker and Leslie learns the story and the nuggets of lessons he's learned on the way.
Frank Kelly is the founder and creative director of Reel City Films, a film & video production company dedicated to creating content for brands and agencies. Through his company, Frank writes and directs the majority of the work he and his team produce. Current and past clients include Bacardi, Princess Cruise Lines, the Biltmore Hotel, Mercedes Benz, SLS Hotels, Dream Hotels, the Greater Miami Visitor's Bureau and Baptist Health to name a few.
Frank was the executive producer and creator of the Reel Miami Project, a short film series released in 2013 designed to showcase Miami through a series of films. The project garnered national awareness and media buzz for the films, the attached spsonsors and the selected directors that each told a story specific to a certain Miami neighborhood.
Frank is a triple threat as he writes, directs and produces the majority of his work. He has an immense appreciation and love for the art of cinematography and is always chasing that cinematic look in every story he tells.
After hours, Frank works on his passion and writes scripts and ideas for films and TV series. "The Critic" is a result of his late night writing and it's his official directorial debut. He enjoys writing within the romantic thriller genre and loves a great twist ending. His goal is to continue to create shorts, films and content that entertain and bring smiles to audiences' faces.
In today's episode Leslie talks with Director Drew Ann Rosenberg about her time on Broadway and her move toward directing films.
Drew grew up in Princeton, New Jersey, later graduating from Brown University. She found her love of the arts through her years of study as a classically trained singer, performing in Boston and NYC. After graduation, Drew began working behind the scenes in New York's off-Broadway Theatres- Playwright's Horizons and American Place, before transitioning to film. She began her film career working with directors Sidney Lumet, Arthur Penn, Woody Allen, Paul Newman, Barbet Schroeder and Abel Ferrara.
How do you break in, produce and have a career in Hollywood? Today Leslie talks with Tony Boldi with over 25 years of practical experience in the film industry about the brutality and fun of working in Hollywood.
More About TonyTony is the Founder and CEO of Lifeforce Foundations which is a For-Cause Organization focused upon Global and Local Social Concerns.
Tony has received numerous honors and awards such as the Official People's Mayor of Hollywood and a honorary PhD from his former learning institution.
Tony continues to grow his relationships with his newest position as the West Coast Director of Acquisitions for Blairwood Entertainment and is the Director of Celebrity Memberships with a top PR/events firm called F.A.M.E. located in Hollywood, California.
Tony also owns his own branding company where he continues to take his clients from obscurity to celebrity status.
Tony Boldi and Associates is an acclaimed acting studio (with enrollment of more than 200).
Tony is the Co-Host of the LA Music Awards and new Co-Producer of the World Dance Awards and Choreographer's Carnival as of 2011.
Today Leslie sits down with Irina Maleeva to discuss her fascinating career in TV and Film, what it was like to be discovered by Fellini and much more.
More about Irina:
Star of stage, screen, television, cabaret and the world of music, Irina Maleeva is a true multifaceted international sensation. The daughter of a famed Bulgarian stage actress and an aristocratic Italian statesman, Maleeva first established herself as a child performer in her native Bulgaria -- and from there her career and talents would bring her to the glittering global stage.
The world of Irina Maleeva jettisoned into the cinematic spotlight when she was discovered by the legendary Federico Fellini at age 15 and would go on to perform in three of his highly-acclaimed movies: Satyricon; Spirits of the Dead; and Roma. Later Maleeva was chosen for the lead part of Jessica in the film, "The Merchant of Venice" playing opposite Orson Welles's Schylock. The film was also directed by Orson Welles.
Included in her motion picture accomplishments: studying and working with iconic Italian directors Luchino Visconti and Roberto Rossellini and starring in more than 30 leading roles in European and American films opposite such luminaries as James Mason, Valentina Cortese and Terence Stamp, plus notable actors Susan Sarandon, Charles Grodin, David Duchovny, Anthony Franciosa and Klaus Kinski, to name a few.
For her portrayal as a demented countess in the cult crime mystery film Union City, Maleeva appeared opposite rockers Debbie Harry and Pat Benatar and for her memorable role in this film she was awarded at the Toronto Film Festival. Later she would play the part of Mrs. Hasadan in the screwball comedy of errors Wasabi Tuna.
Among her other acting achievements are the lead in the Italian-French television series Poly in Venice and The Girl without Identity. American television roles include appearing as a guest star on Days of our Lives, The Gilmore Girls, Pensacola, Just Shoot Me, Six Feet Under, Angel and Threshold. Maleeva was a principal recurring actress on the television series Cracking Up and the award-winning soap opera The Bold and the Beautiful. She has also guest starred on American Body Shop and the critically acclaimed science fiction drama series Heroes, not to mention appearing in the role of Ruba in the HBO-produced show Twelve Miles of Bad Road. Maleeva has co-starred opposite Susan Sarandon in the comedy-drama film The Meddler and guest-starred in the television crime drama series Aquarius with David Duchovny.
Do you want to know what networks are looking for directly from an executive who is also a show runner? Enter Cindy Villarreal who sits down with Leslie and breaks down everything form story to script to analytics. Do not miss this one!
More about Cindy:Cindy Villarreal is a versatile, network executive producer and show-runner with 30 years of entertainment experience in new media, episodic TV, and feature films overseeing projects for many broadcasting networks including the CW, Viacom, Verizon Go90, CBS, Alloy Media, NFL and Awesomeness TV among others for distribution. Villarreal is listed as one of 100 Most Influential Hispanics, by Hispanic Business Magazine and credited as one of the Top 10 Most Powerful Women by Austin Business Journal. In 2019, Villarreal spearheaded diversity content within Viacom producing hit shows including My Dream Quinceañera and Taking the Stands. She is a Streaming TV pioneer in the OTT market having founded the Cheer Channel Television Network in 2009, a gamified, immersive streaming platform. She is an A-Z producer distributing original content to both major TV and new media networks. A passionate storyteller, Villarreal is a screenwriter and consults with over 100 writers for both TV and feature film.
Rivkah Reyes (they/she, but mostly they) is a queer Filipinx-Jewish actor, musician, comedian, producer and writer from Chicago. They have been performing since the age of 4 when they picked up a guitar for the first time. In the 4th grade, Rivkah performed on the NPR show From the Top, which eventually led to them being discovered and cast in the 2003 film School of Rock. Since their movie debut, Riv has been a prominent force in the comedy and theater scenes of Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York.
They have worked with The Second City in Chicago on several sketch revues and performed improv, sketch, and stand-up at iO, The Hollywood Improv, The Laugh Factory, Club Cumming and Las Culturistas' I Don't Think So Honey! Live. They are an alum of the School at Steppenwolf, The Second City and iO's training centers, and the University of Illinois at Chicago. In 2020, Rivkah released an article called “Confessions of an Obsolete Child Actor” about their journey from childhood stardom to adulthood lessons. Currently, Riv resides in Los Angeles and spends their days drinking tea, listening to lo-fi beats, and being a spooky witch.
In this episode Leslie talks to Actor/Producer Tara Shayne about filming in Chicago. They discuss everything from casting to location scouting to funding and all aspects of Independent Film in between. Don't miss it.
Praised by American Record Guide as, "Energetic and exciting...", American composer Maria Newman has been commended and recognized by the U.S. Congress for her work in the field of original music composition, live performance, and recording. Newman’s compositions have been performed and screened in such elite venues as Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, the U.S. Capitol Building on Capitol Hill, the National Archives in Washington D.C., Hearst Castle Private Theater, the President’s Own Marine Band Barracks, Nokia’s NOVO Theatre, Heidelberg Castle, Brevard Center for the Arts, the Music Scoring Stages of 20th Century Fox, MGM, Paramount, Sony, Universal, and Warner Bros., among many others. Maria Newman has been featured in such spotlight one-on-one interviews paired with live concert performances as CBS Sunday Morning, National Public Radio's From the Top with Christopher O'Riley, andNPR’s Performance Today. Additionally, her silent film scores are featured regularly on Turner Classics. Named a George Wellington Miles Scholar of Yale University, Newman is an elected member of the American Academic Music Honor Society, Pi Kappa Lambda.
Maria Newman's original library of compositions have earned her accolades as an Annenberg Foundation Composition Fellow, a Mary Pickford Library Composition Fellow, a Sidney Stern Trust Composition Fellow, and as a Variety Music Legend. Her music is featured frequently on radio and television around the globe, and live-in-concert at numerous music festivals, chamber music series, and film festivals.
Maria Newman is Composer-in-Residence with the Malibu Coast Chamber Orchestra, SPaCE Salon Concerts Los Angeles, and the Malibu Coast Silent Film Orchestra. Fanfare Magazine has lauded Newman’s compositions, hailing, “This is real genius.” She has been celebrated by NPR’s on-air icon of musical opinion, Jim Svejda, (Author and Host of The Record Shelf Guide to the Classical Repertoire) as, “Hugely musical, bewitching, witty, profound and playful, with an instantly recognizable and unusually appealing musical personality, Maria Newman is one of the most charming and distinctive composers of her generation.”
In the international spotlight, Maria Newman is the acclaimed viola soloist in Miklos Rozsa’s Viola Concerto with the Nuremburg Symphony (Germany) on the GRAMMY Award-winning Symphonic Hollywood CD (Varese Sarabande label). She also appeared as the physical animation inspiration and violin soloist for the character of “The Grasshopper” in the 1996 Walt Disney release of Tim Burton’s, James and the Giant Peach.
Maria Newman is the youngest of 9-time Academy Award-winning composer Alfred Newman's seven children. She is the sister of film composers/conductors Thomas Newman and David Newman, and the cousin of Randy Newman. Maria Newman’s recording studio is based in Malibu, California, designed by architect, Eric Lloyd Wright. Newman is married to American conductor and violist, Scott Hosfeld.
Do you want to be a networking master at AFM? Do you have a finished film that you want to sell at AFM? In this episode Leslie gives amazing advice and tips on how to navigate the coctail hours and pitch meetings like a pro.
How do you navigate a career in Hollywood from actor to writer to producer and even director? Leslie sits down with James Michael Cummings and talks about setting up a great team, finding funding, location scouting, casting, expanding your role, finding the right projects and much more. From City on a Hill to casting Jamie Fox, this is an amazing episode with valuable stories and advice.
Ko Mori produces anime and live action by telling stories that show his Japanese culture and nobody does it better. In this episode, Leslie and Ko discuss new projects and creative partners, hybrid festivals, distribution and much more...
At a time when women were rarely in positions of power on a set, Mary Elcan was an Assistant Director on iconic shows like Hill Street Blues, Six Feet Under, Picket Fences and many, many more. In this episode, Leslie and Mary break down her career and the job of an assistant director on set.
Bring your notebooks, today Leslie gives a class on all the different ways to get financing for your independent film and also how to avoid getting screwed in the process. She discusses things like Gap financing, bridge financing, equity investing with private money, different loans, how and why to choose a sales agent, how to get distribution, resale agreements and much more. This is a MUST LISTEN!
In this episode Leslie talks with film producer Lisa Freberg about her move from studio films to Independent Producer and they get really specific about mentorship and how to put together funding for your Indie film. This is a great one!
About Lisa
CEO / Founder / Producer
Lisa J Freberg is the co-founder of One Good Man Productions, based in Los Angeles, CA. She is a former Dreamworks executive, having overseen development and production of branded content for franchises including How To Train Your Dragon, Guardians, Kung Fu Panda, Shrek Franchise, and Trolls. She also produced Penguins of Madagascar Got Your 6 - a short featuring FLOTUS Michelle Obama
The TV & Film Industry is changing. Streamers filled a need during the pandemic, but theatrical releases are still an important aspect of the industry. On thing is for sure, the industry is adapting and it's changing the way filmmakers find funding and create their art. In this episode, Leslie talks with Valerie McCaffrey who has had a long and successful career as a Casting Director and now is finding success as a producer/writer/director.
Independent film is evolving and today Leslie speaks with two cutting edge filmmakers Tyler Rugh and Fernando Andres the writer/directors of "Three Headed Beast" to discuss the process of creating new art and how to effectively get it into the film festivals.
Sam Fox is a unique Director that is making her mark in Hollywood. Leslie sat down with Sam to discuss the techniques, inspiration and secrets behind her highly stylized films.
More About Sam
Born on a secluded animal farm at the top of Malibu’s infamous Mulholland Highway and now based in Venice Beach, Sam blends highly stylized imagery, music, and psychedelia with horror and genre cinema via her production company Foxy Films (WOWZERS, UNAGI). Inspired by a clothing collection from indie fashion label Animal Crackers Clothing, for whom she often collaborates, Sam wrote and directed BAD ACID in 2021 featuring Bonavega, Number One Pop Star and DJ Harvey.
Sam also produces with the Greatgrandma Film Collective, namely as executive producer along with Desiree Staples on Heidi Weitzer’s female ensemble comedy feature MY DIVORCE PARTY coming 2022 (ft. Rumer Willis), and as producer on Britt Lower's CIRCUS PERSON, which screened at Tribeca Film Festival, won Best of Festival at Catalyst 2021, the Audience Award at Nashville Film Festival and which FX Productions' Diversity Hire, Ltd. is currently developing into a half hour TV series. Sam is also developing her mother's journey through addiction memoir BLOOD IS THICKER THAN VODKA into a mini series about alcoholism and family dysfunction, as well as Alex Knell's
horror fantasy project, MALOCCHIO, about body dysmorphia. Sam freelances as a commercial producer for J. Crew and spends her free time surfing, sailing and disco dancing.
Today Leslie has a fascinating conversation with Documentary Filmmaker Cevin Soling about what it's like to investigate ancient tribes that still exist. How do you put together a compelling film when you have no idea what you will find? Do you go in with a planned story or agenda? Cevin addresses this and much more in this informative episode of Best in Fest.
More About CevinCevin Soling, president of Spectacle Films and Xemu Records, works as
writer, director, producer, artist, and academic.
Soling directed and produced, THE WAR ON KIDS, winner of the best educational documentary award at the New York Independent Film and Video
Festival. The film demonstrates how American public schools have become
modeled after prisons in response to fear and a burgeoning intolerance of youth.
The film ran at the Quad Cinema in New York City and screened at Harvard
University as well as other major universities. It has received accolades from
The New York Times, Variety, and The Huffington Post. Soling was a guest
on numerous radio shows including The Lionel Show on Air America, The
Joey Reynolds Show on WOR, and The Leonard Lopate Show on WNYC. In
addition, the film was featured on national television along with an interview on
The Dr. Nancy Show on MSNBC, as well as on RT Television, and Soling was
the featured guest on The Colbert Report. The film has been broadcast
internationally on The Sundance Channel and aired domestically on The
Documentary Channel.
Soling also produced and directed IKLAND, a film about a tribe in Northern
Uganda that had been described as the most despicable people on the planet by
the anthropologist who studied them over forty years ago. IKLAND won the
award for Best Documentary content at the Boston International Film Festival
and was released theatrically in June of 2012 where it received enthusiastic
reviews from The New York Times, Discovery Magazine, and from several
syndicated critics.
Soling wrote, directed, and produced the feature film, THE WAR ON THE WAR
ON DRUGS, winner of the best experimental feature film award at the New York
Independent Film and Video Festival, the Stoney Award for best documentary
from High Times, as well as the “Clear Creek” Honorable Mention Award at the
Winslow International Film Festival.
The New York Times proclaimed in a rave review that THE WAR ON THE WAR
ON DRUGS "...a lively and well-executed satire that sweetens its occasional
truths with rebellious humor..." The film was acquired for DVD distribution
worldwide through Time Warner by The Disinformation Company.
Want to understand what it takes to understand the film industry? Listen to this episode! A distributor and a lawyer get together to create an independent film production company. Leslie talks with Jonathan Hlibka and Ryan Keller about the transition into production and the high-wire act it takes to get a film made.
Jonathan Hibka & Ryan Keller
Seeing the world change so quickly on 911, I took a step back and focused on
developing music and writing for film. Around that time is actually when I met Ryan Keller. I
had seen how hard it was to get projects made so I quite literally jumped into producing music
videos, short films and selling clients commercials - while working full time. Quite literally
grinding every day. When we originally conceived of what is now Other Animal, Ryan and I
had been reading reams scripts. We were both looking for a raw story that we could get made
on a slim budget, in the hope that it could attract exceptional talent to support our vision.
Somewhere in the first 6 months, after countless scripts read and forgotten, I was on a
Megabus to Montreal going to get a smoked meat sandwich at Schwartz’s. Laptop open and
phone in hand, Ryan calls me and says “you need to read this script.” It was a draft of what
would become our first feature, Poor Agnes. The lead character Agnes, that Lora Burke went
on to play, tore her way through the pages with no mercy or remorse. I think I called him back in like 20 min of reading it and saying, ‘Fuck, I’ll put the money up, let’s get this made.”
I pulled the financing for the film from the commissions I’d retained in my indie
distribution company. I was selling indies to TV, VOD, and Theatrical, which in Canada means
begging 3 broadcasters to ‘just watch it’ and traveling from cinema to cinema convincing the
reluctant owners to book amazing films. When we premiered Poor Agnes, I remember distinctly the silences and gasps of the audience. Then the eruption of applause, the audience was completely taken. Going into Happy FKIN Sunshine, we weren’t looking to re-create Agnes, our goal was building on our vision. We were seeking out truly raw and authentic talent who could pour them selves into the story.
In a way, this episode is like a do-it-yourself guide to how to launch your career as a filmmaker. Leslie speaks with Brenton Tyner Bryan about putting together funding for independent projects, establishing yourself as a filmmaker, finding the right crew, guerilla-style filming, finding a mentor, asking the right questions and much more. The lesson? Get out there and start, complete, learn the lessons and then do it again. This is a great episode.
Brenton Tyner Bryan
HOLLYWOOD - MAY 18, 2022 -- Multi-award winning director/actor/writer/choreographer
Breton Tyner-Bryan will present the Los Angeles premiere of her short film “Delusione” at the
25th Annual Dances With Films Festival, June 9-19, 2022.
Starring Breton Tyner-Bryan (Winner World London IFF, Madrid IFF, Barcelona IFF) and Emily
Ulrich (Other World), “Delusione” has been on the festival circuit at Paris International Short
Festival, New York International Women Festival, Bucharest Film Awards, Big Apple AGENTS
AND MANAGERS Lab, ASVOFF14 Paris, and La Jolla International Fashion Film Festival.
Described as “an examination of dissociation, as a means for survival and manipulation,” the
passionate and nuanced film follows the dancers as they explore an empty vintage hotel filled
with memories that probe the depths of their shared past, creating a mirage of illusion. The film
is an ethereal exploration of two characters entering and exiting one another’s lives.
“Delusione” has screened on the festival circuit including the French Riviera Film Festival May
2022, Stockholm Short Film Festival February 2022, Paris Short Film Festival December 2021,
Bucharest Film Awards December 2021, New York International Women’s Film Festival
December 2021, ASVO Film Festival Paris November 2021, Big Apple Film Festival Agents
and Managers Lab November 2021.
Additionally, Tyner-Bryan has two other films on the festival circuit this year: INVICTA
premiering at La Jolla IFF (nominated for Best Cinematography, Best Fashion Dance, Best
Score, Best Cast Ensemble) that will compete at Tokyo Shorts this month, and TIMELESS
LOVE that won 22 awards at Vegas Movie Awards including Best Director and Best Editor.
Are you looking for a class in how to write for stage and screen? This is the episode for you. Leslie speaks with writer and educator William Nedved on his life and process for writing and teaching writing.
About William:
I am a playwright, lyricist and screenwriter engaged with exploring the journeys that define us. I’m the co-founder of The Gift Theatre Company of Chicago, where I have premiered my plays Body + Blood (Jeff Recommended), Northwest Highway (2011 Steinberg American Theater Critics Association nomination), A Young Man in Pieces, and County Fair.
I wrote the book and lyrics for Medusa: The Musical, with a score by composer and Project Runway winner Kentaro Kameyama, developed by the Tony Award-winning Deaf West Theatre at The Getty Villa in 2019. Our The Passion of McQueen, an opera based on life, death, and art of fashion visionary Alexander McQueen, played a sold-out concert at Pasadena’s Boston Court Theatre in 2019.
My play Closet Drama, or The Dick Pic of a Twink was featured in the 2018 LAMBDA Literary Fest in Los Angeles. I wrote and performed in the critically-acclaimed Fact & Fiction for the 2011 Hollywood Fringe Festival. My short play Kid was awarded “Best Production” at Collaboraction’s Sketchbook 2009. All Tomorrow’s Parties premiered at the 2002 Los Angeles Short Film Festival. Against the Grain was part of the 1997 Young Playwrights, Inc. Summer Festival. Fate, an original musical, was awarded the inaugural 1997 Leonard Bernstein ‘Learning through the Arts’ Interdisciplinary Scholarship through Scholastic, Inc. The journey that defined me was the year I lived in Brazil as a Rotary International high school exchange student.
Caroline Friend is fresh out of film school and already making waves in the industry. In this episode, Leslie and Caroline discuss all things film and festivals. You're gonna love it.
About Caroline:
Caroline Friend is an award-winning director and writer. Caroline earned her degree in Film Production and History from the University of Southern California. Her latest film, Under Darkness, was a finalist for the Student Academy Awards®, premiered at Telluride Film Festival, and won the Horizon Award at the Sundance Film Festival. Her work has been recognized by the Directors Guild of America (DGA) and the Television Academy, as well as supported by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, Adrienne Shelly Foundation, Panavision, and Steven Spielberg’s Shoah Foundation. She continues to seek meaningful true stories to bring to audiences.
TOP FESTIVALS & AWARDS:
Student Academy Awards® - Finalist, 2019
Telluride Film Festival - Official Selection, 2019
Sundance Film Festival - Horizon Award Winner for Directing, 2019
Director's Guild of America - Jury Award Winner for Student Film, 2019
Television Academy (Emmys) - College Awards - Best Drama Nominee, 2019
Emerging Filmmaker Showcase at the Cannes Film Festival American Pavilion - Best Student Film, 2020
Film Pittsburgh Presents: The Robinson International Short Film Competition - Award Winner 2020
Today, Leslie's guest is acclaimed actor, producer and writer Chris Mulkey! Leslie and Chris cover everything from his original music to Twin Peaks, , Captain Phillips, his most recent project "The World Without You", and how he's managed to have a career of such longevity and prestige. Do NOT miss this one.
About Chris Mulkey
Award-winning American actor, writer and director, Chris Mulkey has a long and diverse career in film, television and stage. Chris is best known for On the Basis of Sex (2018), Whiplash (2014), Captain Phillips (2013), Twin Peaks (1990), Castle Rock (2018), Broken Trail (2006), Any Day Now (1998) and Boardwalk Empire (2010).
Chris grew up in the Midwest, majored in acting at the University of Minnesota and spent four years as a company member of the Children's Theatre of Minneapolis. While in Minnesota, Chris starred in Loose Ends (1975), the Grand Prize winner at the USA film Festival. Chris moved to Hollywood 1975, married actress/artist Karen Landry and they moved to Venice Beach. The couple wrote and starred in Patti Rocks (1988), an independent film that won the Jury Prize at Sundance Film Festival. Chris and Karen often worked together in film and on stage in LA, New York, and the Twin Cities.
Chris is also a songwriter with original songs featured in films and television and can be seen playing around the country with his band Chris Mulkey and Deluxe.
Co-writing and film-making is a tricky business in Hollywood today which is why Leslie spoke with the team of writer/filmmaker Jacob Withers and writer/director/editor/composer Justin Norman.
Jacob has over a decade of writing experience and four years of filmmaking experience. During those four years Jacob has worked on several short films, including seven award-winning shorts: Admission, winner of Best Film at the 48 Hour Film Project Des Moines (2018); Subtext, Runner Up Best Film at the 48 Hour Film Project Des Moines (2019); Cope, Runner Up Best film at the 48 Hour Film Project Kansas City (2019); A Negotiation, winner of Best Director and Best Score at the 48 Hour Film Project Kansas City (2020); Be Happy, winner of Best Film and Best Writing at the 48 Hour Film Project Minneapolis (2021); Flour & Eggs, winner of Best Writing at the 48 Hour Film Project Milwaukee (2021); and Enjoy Your Evening, winner of Best Director at the Great Canadian Comedy Film Festival. He has also co-written five feature screenplays, including Roy of Sealand, which scored in the top 4.8% of entries on The Black List, and TubeLords, which was awarded a $50,000 grant from the Iowa Arts Council. He worked as a director of photography for the Elison music video “Hopes + Horoscopes” and the interactive film-based video game, In Lukewarm Blood. He also has experience as an editor, sound editor (Welcome to a Better You and TubeLords), and sound recordist.
Justin is a Des Moines-based award-winning writer, director, videographer, editor, producer, animator, actor, visual effects artist, and music composer with a decade of film experience creating advertisements, narrative short films, television pilots, and documentaries. As an editor, he has won seven Best Editing awards in competitions across four states in three different genres: comedy, drama, and documentary. As a director and producer, he has helmed over 60 short films, a feature documentary, and a comedy TV pilot. In 2020, he won a Greenlight Grant from the Iowa Arts Council, won the 2021 Best Director award from the Great Canadian Comedy Film Festival, and won the 2018 Best Director award from the 48 Hour Film Project.
As a videographer, he has shot footage for more than 70 productions, including advertisements, documentaries, narratives, and television series, including the 2020 PBS series American Portrait, the award-winning 2019 documentary The Happiness Machine, and the 2021 Frontmen series which aired in the UK.
He has written more than 60 produced short films and co-written five feature screenplays and two television pilots. His 2020 dramedy, Roy of Sealand, was ranked in the top 4.8% of all scripts on The Black List, and was featured as one of the top 10 scripts of the week.
Leslie talks with her guest Ana Tuazon Parsons about moving with her single mom from the Philippines all the way to Hollywood. Ana has appeared in projects such as Adam Ruins Everything, Dexter, Sherlock Holmes, the Asian That Didn't etc..., but may be best known as a theatre actor and stage comedian. Ana also discusses her writing background and storytelling style which has taken her on many incredible journeys and opened up all sorts of opportunities.
Today Leslie speaks with Actress and Acting Coach Kadina De Elejalde about how to transform and live inside a character. Next they discuss auditioning for major roles vs. supporting roles, auditioning with self tapes, the intimacy of film, casting during Covid, Kadina's specific coaching process. If you're an actor then this is your episode.
Joanna Mae Park is a much sought-after costume designer. Her love of storytelling, character and genuine passion for clothing as a form of expression led her to a career as a costume designer. Joanna’s designs are about the human condition, self-expression and the worlds in which a character lives. A keen observer with a very detailed eye for colour and tone, clothing has become her language in which she tells these stories.
- Most recently Joanna designed PIECES OF HER, the upcoming television adaptation of Katherine Slaughter’s novel of the same name, directed by Minkie Spiro for Made Up Stories and Netflix, and starring Toni Collette and Jessica Barden. Joanna also designed Glendyn Ivin’s feature film PENGUIN BLOOM for Made Up Stories, starring Naomi Watts, Jackie Weaver and Andrew Lincoln, the film premiered at the 2020 Toronto Film Festival. For her next project Joanna will collaborate again with Ivin and Made Up Stories on the television adaption of Holly Ringland’s novel THE LOST FLOWERS OF ALICE HART for Amazon, starring Sigourney Weaver.
- Joanna’s other film credits include PALM BEACH for director Rachel Ward, which opened the 2019 Sydney Film Festival; the critically acclaimed film FELONY for Goalpost Pictures, directed by Matthew Saville, which screened at the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival; ADORATION, directed by Anne Fontaine and produced by Hopscotch Features, starring Naomi Watts and Robin Wright, which screened at Sundance in 2013; WISH YOU WERE HERE, directed by. Kieran Darcy Smith for Aquarius Films, starring Joel Edgerton and Teresa Palmer, which opened the 2012 Sundance Film Festival and was nominated for an AACTA Award for Best Film; and AFI nominated THE TREE, directed by Julie Bertuccelli for L’Arbre Films, starring Charlotte Gainsbourg, which premiered at the 2010 Cannes Film Festival.
- Joanna’s other television credits include the children’s series THE UNLISTED, for Aquarius Films and Netflix; and the 2013 NBC/Universal series CAMP produced by Matchbox Pictures.
Are you looking to build a career as a film editor? Maybe you just want to learn a few new tricks of the trade. Well, today Leslie sits down with film editor Matthew C. Hart to talk about everything from how to be a true partner with your director to how to break into the business. Don't miss this jam packed episode.
More About Matthew:
Matthew Hart is a British/American feature film editor living in New York.He has worked across genres on intense character studies, comedies, revenge thrillers, non-binary sexual awakenings and cerebral horror,and his films have screened at festivals including Sundance, Cannes, Toronto and Berlin.He also edits documentaries, most recently working with director Andrew Dominik and cinematographer Robbie Ryan on the Nick Cave/Warren Ellis performance film, “This Much I Know to be True"
So, how do you get your short film nominated for an Oscar? Well, you're in the right place. In this episode Leslie talks with Polish filmmakers Monika Ossowska and Tadeusz Lysiak about their Oscar nominated short film "The Dress", the requirements to get nominated, the event and much more.
Tadeusz Łysiak – born in 1993, graduate of Cultural Studies at the University of Warsaw, student of Directing at the Warsaw Film School. Creator of two award-winning short films in Poland and abroad: "Techno" (starring Leszek Abrahamowicz, Danuta Stenka, Michalina Olszańska) and "The Dress" (Anna Dzieduszycka, Dorota Pomykała, Szymon Piotr Warszawski). For the latter he’s been nominated for an Oscar in Live Action Short category. Participant of the prestigious program FUTURE FRAMES – Generation NEXT of European Cinema within Eastern Promises at the Karlovy Vary Festival. Winner of the "Discovering Eye" award for young talented filmmaker at the Polish Film Festival in Chicago.
Monika Ossowska - born in 1997, a graduate of the Film Art Organization at the Łódź Film School. Executive producer and production manager of the short film "The Dress" awarded at the Atlanta Film Festival, In the Palace, Rhode Island and Oscar nominated for Best Live Action Short. Recently, she worked on Agnieszka Smoczyńska's English-language debut, "Silent Twins" in a Polish-British co-production, distributed by Focus Features. At the moment she focused on the international series production for the streaming platform.
It's impossible to overstate how important a role audio plays in the film viewing experience. While it’s perfectly natural to be drawn to the visual side of filmmaking, those striking visuals don’t hold the same weight without strong cinematic sound design to back them up. Whereas a painting is purely visual and a song can be purely aural, cinema combines sight and sound for a unified experience where one bolsters and elevates the other.
In this episode Leslie talks to Craig Nimens, the Vice President of Sound Dogs.com, Inc. a commercial online library of sound effects based in Richmond Hill, Ontario, Canada, with offices in Canada, Argentina, and Uruguay. It is the first and largest online sound effects and production music library on the Internet launched in May 1997.
How do you get a film on Netflix and what the hell do you do when you get there? In this episode Leslie dives into industry secrets with young filmmaker, Dan Abramovici, who has worked his way in and realized there's way more to it than just that.
Dan Abramovici is an actor, writer, and director. He was one of only 8 actors selected for Canada's prestigious CFC Actors Conservatory program in 2016 and is known for his TV work on shows like The Detail, Man Seeking Woman, and Murdoch Mysteries. After writing, producing, and starring in a series of short films, he graduated to writing/producing features with Ben's At Home for Netflix. The movie picked up numerous awards, including Best Feature at the Canadian Film Festival, a Canadian Comedy Award, Audience Choice at the Gasparilla international Film Festival, and Abramovici picked up Best Actor at the IndieFest Film Awards and Rincon International Film Festival. Ben's At Home is now available on Netflix. His shorts include "Liminal" and "Play it Again" and the upcoming "Spaceman."
Dave Asling is Creative Director and Owner at Creation Consultants Inc, a visual effects company specializing in the creation of miniature effects and specialty props for film, episodic television and commercial advertising. Backed by over 30 years experience in the industry, Dave continues to explore film and television projects that will challenge and entertain both himself and the audience.
Specialties: Miniature effects and props design, engineering and fabrication, on-set vfx supervision, miniature effects unit film production.
In this episode, Leslie speaks with Author/Director/Educator John Swanbeck about his profound acting techniques laid out in his book " How To Steal The Scene & End Up Playing The Lead". This is truly the last book you will ever need on acting. John also gives some helpful tips on how to work with actors as a director. Do NOT miss this episode.
More About John:
John Swanbeck is an author, columnist, speaker, creator and publisher of CleverActorTips, Chief Creative Officer of BlueSwanFilms, and Producing Director of The Character Factory. He is a renowned director and teacher of actors, directed the existential comedy The Big Kahuna, and is currently writing a series of books for actors and directors on unique and innovative ways to creating cinematic film performances. The first in the series “How To Steal The Scene & End Up Playing The Lead” is available on Amazon & iTunes. The second in the series “How To Direct Actors Like A Pro & Look Like A Genius Doing It” will be released in the fall of 2019. John’s YouTube channel is “Get Cinematic with John Swanbeck”, and he is preparing for the first annual multi-city “Get Cinematic with John Swanbeck Tour” launching summer 2019.
In this episode, Leslie talks with hybrid filmmaker (writer, director, producer, securing distribution, etc.) Sean Michael Beyer about Sean’s personal evolution within the film industry. how he approaches writing a new film, what inspired him to film “Randy’s Canvas,” a positive story about a kid with autism, his comedy podcast, “National Day Riff,” and how it was created.
Sean also shares a few pieces of advice and a ‘dirty little secret’ for new filmmakers just starting out.
Sean Michael Beyer social media:
Facebook & Instagram: @ SeanMichaelBeyer
Podcast: @ NationalDayRiff
More About Sean:
A JACK-OF-ALL-TRADES, MASTER OF MOST, Beyer has worn many hats throughout his career: filmmaker, producer, writer, editor, graphic artist and even actor & musician. His unique blend of talents are an integral part to any production.
Currently in the final stages of post production Beyer co-wrote and directed the action-adventure self-ware romantic-comedy, Poor Paul; inspired by the 2008-09 web series of the same name that he co-created and produced. Rhode Island served as the worldly locations for this fun romp. It follows Paul (Adam Carbone), an eccentric college student who lives vicariously through his hero fantasies, as he inherits a great deal of money (and frequent flyer miles) and takes his best friends/roommates Jason (Abhi Sinha) and Clyde (Nick Pasqual) on a trip around the world, only to be held hostage by a delusional Italian man, hell bent on Paul marrying his daughter – or else! Supporting cast includes veteran character actor, Richard Riehle (Office Space, Casino) reprising his role as the lovable curmudgeon Grandpa Paul.
Also shot in Rhode Island, Beyer co-wrote and directed the award-winning Randy’s Canvas, a touching romantic drama about an aspiring artist with autism who falls in love for the first time. Starring Scout Taylor-Compton (Halloween, The Runaways), Kevin G. Schmidt (Cheaper by the Dozen, Butterfly Effect) and Richard Riehle as Randy’s art professor, Randy’s Canvas was honored with Best Director at the 2018 Glendale International Film festival and Best Actor & Best Picture awards at the 2018 AutFest International Film Festival, presented by the late Ed Asner. In the summer of 2017, he made his way to South Carolina to direct and co-write the dance-centric Another Tango starring Brant Daugherty (Fifty Shades Freed, Days of Our Lives) for Hallmark and MarVista entertainment, currently in release.
2005 marked his feature film writing & directorial debut, with the intense drama, Down the P.C.H. starring Lin Shaye (Insidious, There’s Something About Mary, Detroit Rock City), Guillermo Diaz (Scandal, Weeds, Half Baked) and Elaine Hendrix (Sex&Drugs&Rock&Roll, The Parent Trap, Joan of Arcadia) who won Best Actress at the 2007 Baja California International Film Festival and picked up worldwide distribution, all while being made for a mere $40,000! His second film, Resurrection Mary starring Golden Globe-Winner Sally Kirkland, is based upon the famous Chicago Urban Legend, and is also available worldwide.
Beyer most recently created and hosts the sketch-comedy podcast, National Day Riff which is available Apple Podcasts and numerous other podcast platforms.
IN DEVELOPMENT:
Rocky & James
Inspire by Romeo & Juliet, Rocky & James is a contemporary-language, action-packed, romantic drama that follows two teen boys who fall in love under extraordinary circumstances.
Kevin James Barry is a Los Angeles based screenwriter and director. Originally interested in painting, he attended art school during both his high school and college years and continues to bring his highly focused artistic eye to filmmaking. His feature films “Serena and the RATTS”, “Among Them”and "Gridlocked" were all acquired for DVD/VOD distribution in North America and several foreign territories.
In this episode, Leslie talks with Kevin about film festivals and How he got his Independent feature distributed. Don't miss it!
Leslie and her guest Gloria Gifford discuss her dynamic career as a woman of color including all of the hard earned lessons she learned working on Broadway and in Hollywood.
Gloria Gifford taught at the American Film Institute for six years in the Masters' Program. She taught Directors, Writers and Producers and among her successful AFI students: Patty Jenkins (Monster (2003), Brian Dannelly (Saved! (2004), Weeds (2005).
In 2007, Gloria opened the prestigious Actors Academy Milano in Milan, Italy, where she taught Italian actors and actresses and International Models - male and female in intensive acting programs. The Academy's president is Edoardo Costa, her former student at the BHP and now starring with Bruce Willis in Live Free or Die Hard (2007).
She is the Founder of the Rebel Planet Short Film Festival of Hollywood, rebelplanet.com, which just had the its very successful second year festival in North Hollywood, California in April 2007.
She starred in a production of the play, "My Cup Ranneth Over" (written by award-winning playwright, Robert Patrick) in London, England to brilliant reviews in 1978. It was a lunchtime production in the West End for Producer Ed Berman and then she recreated her role for PBS in Minneapolis, filmed at the Guthrie. After singing at clubs, on national television, directed by Ralph Waite on "The Mississippi" (1983), and for the Kennedys and, after many years of film and television roles, she got a recording contract with Warner Bros. Records in 1996. Sr. VP of Warner Bros. Records, Carl Scott, discovered Gloria's singing when he heard her doing a song in her acting class. She is a bluesy torch singer and continues to sing at clubs in Los Angeles and in New York.
Jacob Rachinski is a 1st AD, line Producer and now a Covid-19 Compliance officer with a ton of on set experience. If you are a new filmmaker and you want to cut out about a billion potential mistakes you will probably make early on in your career, then you want to listen to this episode.
http://www.lafemme.org
In this information packed episode Leslie speaks with Sales Agent Jenny Hayden about the best ways to get the industry interested in your independent film. This is straight from an industry professional who has been in this world her entire career. You don't want to miss her advice.
More about Jenny:Jenny Hayden has over twenty years of experience in the acquisition and distribution of award-winning television programs, films, and home video / DVD releases across all platforms in the US and globally. She's built a library from a catalog of 25 hours to a catalog of 2000 hours with sales in over 180 countries selling to name-brand networks including the BBC, Ch4 UK, ITV UK, S4C (Wales), TV2 Denmark, Viasat, Discovery US, Discovery International, France 5, Halogen TV, Outside Television, Scripps Networks, Globosat Brazil, Prisa TV Spain, RAISAT Italy, TVB Hong Kong, Living Channel New Zealand, Fox Australia's Lifestyle Network, Voice of America and more.
Today she is focusing her efforts in working as a consultant and marketing/ sales agent representing filmmakers and television producers, while also developing her own original concepts.
You will see Jenny's most recent consulting work on the big screen beginning on February 15th where she was a producer on the theatrical release of the Oscar-Nominated Short Documentaries.
How do you write a great script that integrates well and allows the audience to accept the unacceptable? In this episode, Leslie has on Screenwriter James Napoli to break down his writing process Step by Step. If you're a writer or wanna be writer than you can't miss this episode of Best in Fest!
More About James Napoli
James has a master’s in film from the London Film School. He began his career on a one-year temp assignment re-cataloguing the coverage library of the Walt Disney Studios, and there learned how to do coverage from some of the most accomplished union script readers in Hollywood. For over twenty years, he has been providing coverage to agencies, production companies and private clients in Los Angeles.
In the early 2000s, James followed around his two award-winning short films as writer-director on the festival circuit. He went on to be the Head Writer for the XM/Sirius program “New Frequency,” a live radio theater show which culminated its four-year run at the Roxy Theater on the Sunset Strip. James wrote nearly one hundred original short radio plays for the project. At the same time, he created original drive-time content, including a long-running rock and roll parody series, for the nation’s largest syndicator, Premiere Radio Networks.
He is the author of the humor best-seller “The Official Dictionary of Sarcasm,” and recently devised and co-hosted a comedy podcast called “Movies Not Movies.” His new serialized detective story “Plea from a Dead Silhouette” is set in 1988 Boston and features private eye Maggie Dunne.
James has optioned several screenplays and is currently shopping an original dramatic pilot with his producing partner. He has completed two new screenplays, an environmental crime thriller and an independent oddball romance.
Producer/Actor Suzanne Johnson talks about her film "The World Without You" with Leslie in this episode of Best in Fest. The conversation quickly goes to how an Independent can further his or her career and Suzanne gave nuggets of gold. Build the right team and spend what you must to get them was the advice, because your film and career will depend on it. Suzanne gives anecdotes about her casting director Valerie McCaffrey and publicist Deborah Gilels and much more.
In this episode Leslie speaks with multi award winning screenwriter **Ben Sztajnkrycer. Listen in as they unravel the mystery of a great script and how to write one. Don't miss it.
BEN SZTAJNKRYCER** is an award winning screenwriter who works in both the U.S. and Canadian film industries. His supernatural thriller "Refuge" was shot in 2021, with Renny Harlin (“Cliffhanger”) directing and Yariv Lerner ("Angel Has Fallen"), Gary Lucchesi (“Million Dollar Baby”), Rob Van Norden ("The Protege") and Michael McKay ("Brahms: The Boy II") producing. He recently penned a horror adaptation for producer Jeremy Bolt (“Resident Evil”) and director Sylvain White (“Slender Man”), and is adapting a major videogame for producer J.J. Baronnet (“Assassin’s Creed”). Ben is a graduate of UCLA’s Screenwriting MFA Program where he won The Screenwriters Showcase Award, the department's highest honor. In addition, he has worked as a creative executive at Walt Disney Feature Animation, and has taught screenwriting since 2009.
Don't miss this episode! If you want to sell your independent film to a distributor or are looking for investors, this episode is essential for you. Leslie LaPage, the Director of LaFemme Film Festival and the host of Best in Fest, takes control and gives a detailed and specific outline of what you need to provide in every page of your Look Book.
For the past fifteen years Leslie La Page has produced, directed and line produced for Film, TV, Music Videos, commercials and Theatrical productions.
Ms. La Page has produced features nationally and internationally in both the independent and commercial markets.
Ms. La Page has over eight years of production background in independent films, and has served as producer, line producer and film production coordinator on numerous independent feature films for independent production companies as well as Black Entertainment Television Action Pay Per View (BET). While at BET she line produced their entire slate of original programs which aired on their network and received international and domestic video releases. She line produced commercials and promos for the HBO, Lifetime TV and BET, MTV and Nickelodeon.
Her production experience also involves her in the areas of marketing, developing scripts, creating promotional copy as well as promotional feature spots and trailers.
With a passion for film and filmmaking since childhood, Daniel decided to move to California in 2000 with an interest in the film business.
After graduating at Cal State Northridge in 2006, he realized that young filmmakers had very little access to industry professionals, and few options for screening their films. And thus, the HollyShorts Film Festival was born. Now in its 18th year and Academy Award Qualifying in 3 categories, HollyShorts has quickly become the most influential short film festival in the World, with Daniel guiding it as Festival Director and lead programmer and the HollyShorts Monthly Screening Series, which takes place each month at the TCL Chinese 6 Theatres.
Aside from HollyShorts, Sol also battled daily with domestic exhibitors as a theatrical sales executive at Lionsgate from 2008-2014. Mr. Sol is also the co founder of the premium Roku, Amazon Fire TV, and Apple TV content channel BITPIX (www.bitpixtv.com) along with co-founder of the production company 88th Street (https://www.88thstreetproductions.net). He proudly serves on the Film Augusta Advisory Board. Sol is also an Executive Producer of the short films THIRST, currently airing on Hulu, and DESMONDS NOT HERE ANYMORE, and is the Festival Co Founder of the 7th annual Hollywood Comedy Shorts Film Festival.
Do you think a development executive turned screenplay writer might have some good advice? Then this episode is for you. Leslie sits down with Garrick Dion from LA-based management/production company 5X and the conversation is FIRE!!!
More about Garrick:
Having started his career as an intern for THE MATRIX producer Joel Silver, Garrick Dion has over 25 years of experience in the Film & Television industry. After a decade of working as a studio development exec for WB, New Regency and Artisan/Lionsgate, he migrated to “the other side of the desk”, as a screenwriter and consultant on various projects for WB (including the Nicholas Sparks adaptation A WALK TO REMEMBER), Mandalay, Endgame and the SyFy Channel, before ultimately returning to development and production, albeit this time in the world of “high net worth”, financier-backed independents. Over seven years as SVP of Development for Bold Films, he helped produce such successful features as Dan Gilroy’s NIGHTCRAWLER, Nicholas Winding Refn’s DRIVE and Damien Chazelle’s Sundance- and Academy Award-winning WHIPLASH, while at Vancouver-based BRON Studios he was the company’s first LA hire and worked on a vast slate including the Jason Reitman films TULLY and THE FRONT RUNNER and Josh Trank’s CAPONE, as well as started and oversaw in-house genre label The Realm, for which he produced the sci-fi feature PROSPECT (based on the SXSW award-winning short) and the darkly comic thriller VILLAINS, both released through Gunpowder + Sky. Currently, he is partnered with Scott Einbinder (HITMAN’S BODYGUARD) and Seth Nagel (LAID TO REST) in LA-based management/production company 5X. Obsessed since childhood with storytelling, and film in particular, he is a graduate of Ithaca College and originally from Cape Cod, MA.
In this episode Leslie dives deep with Co-founders of Dances with Films to discuss what film festivals are looking for and how to improve your chances as a filmmaker to get your film accepted.
LESLEE SCALLON & MICHAEL TRENT // Co-Founders
A Regent Scholar at New York University, Michael Trent began his career as one of the youngest stage managers to receive an Equity production contract with Broadway and touring credits includ- ing the Julliard based Acting Company (touring arm of the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.) and Lee Theodore’s American Dancemachine. He has written, directed and produced a multitude of projects around the globe – from Sacramento to Singapore including numerous years helming the MOVIEGUIDE® Awards which airs on the Hallmark Channel. He lives with his wife in Washington, DC.
Leslee Scallon got her start by moving to Hollywood at nineteen from a small town, where she literally went to a three room schoolhouse. After that small start, she did receive a DramaLogue Best Actress Award, as well as the honor of accepting that award on the same stage as Shirley MacLaine. Similar to Michael, however, she found producing and writing to be a true love, especially after the sage advice of the late Carrie Fisher, “get behind the camera, it’s more fun there.”
Together Leslee and Michael have produced and directed many shows, including the THALIANS, working with amazing legends such as the late Debbie Reynolds and Carrie Fisher; Dick Van Dyke; Shirley MacLaine amongst others. Their first feature INDEMNITY was the catalyst for DWF and has made for tremendous opportunities of working with amazing creative minds and visionaries.
Leslee has been the key moderator of the Industry Panels and “Chats With” series of talks done at the festival, as well as asked to be on panels for her expertise in navigating the film festival world. She lives in Studio City with her lovely daughter, Jocelyn.
Leslie and Deborah Gilels discuss the real truths about marketing your Indie film from a PR Professional in Hollywood. Now, not every Publicist is a marketing person and not every marketing person is a publicist. In this episode, they also discuss promoting vs selling a film using a press release, niche marketing, social media, pitching to trades and much more.
More About Deborah:
Deborah Gilels has run a successful PR/Media Consulting company for the past 16 years, assisting writers, filmmakers, and actors with PR and Marketing activities including promoting feature films, shorts and documentaries, by way of public relations, marketing, project development, and distribution strategy, repping documentaries and feature films in the international marketplace.
Among the films she has successfully launched are: Keiko the Untold Story of the Star of Free Willy, the award-winning documentary The War on Kids, and the Chazz Palminteri- Andie MacDowell family drama Mighty Fine for Lionsgate. In the anime space, Gilels ran FYC campaigns for the award-winning features Maquia: When the Promised Flower Blooms and Liz and the Blue Bird (Satellite Award nominee), the short Lacrimosa and documentary The Gilligan Manifesto. She also was the lead publicist on Fathoms release of Hayao Miyazaki’s Lupin the 3rd: The Castle of Cagliostro, the award-winning A Silent Voice, Millennium Actress and Sound! Euphonium. She has also done publicity for anime series Lupin 3rd Part 4 on Adult Swim in May 2017, Lupin the 3rd Part 5, Megalobox on Crunchyroll and Cartoon Network and theatrical release for the feature Penguin Highway. Gilels has also led publicity for the DVD/VOD releases for several titles.
Other recent films include: The World Without You starring Radha Mitchell, PJ Byrne and James Tupper, Hajji starring The Walking Dead’s Ross Marquand, Pooling to Paradise, starring Taryn Manning and Jonathan Lipnicki, Violet is Blue: A Tale of Gibbons and Guardians, Echoes From the Attic, Once is Enough and the LA Emmy winning documentary To Climb a Gold Mountain.
Gilels has successfully promoted films in festivals such as Dances With Films, LA Femme International Film Festival, HollyShorts, Starz, Toronto International Film Festival, Palm Springs International Film Festival, New Filmmakers (LA and NY), St. Louis, UN Film Festival, Heartland, Cannes, and has represented feature films and documentaries in markets such as AFM, Anime Expo, Berlin and MIP-TV.
She executive produced the award-winning documentaries Bearing the Torch: Politics & the Games for ESPN/Hearst Entertainment. Prior to that, as a development executive and producer Gilels collaborators included actors Robert Duvall, Jenna Malone, Jean-Claude Van Damme and Rachel Leigh Cook; writers and directors A. Scott Berg, Michael Hirst, and Paul Verhoeven. Companies and producers such as: Mike Macari, Disney, ESPN, Wind Dancer Films, Lionsgate and New Line Cinema/TV.
She has also held executive positions at Fox, Warner Brothers TV and PFG Entertainment. In that capacity, the films she has worked on as a development executive include: Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead starring Christina Applegate and David Duchovny, Crossing the Mob starring Jason Bateman, Showdown in Little Tokyo starring the late Brandon Lee and Cary- Hiroyuki Tagawa, Penthathlon starring Dolph Lundgren, and A Slight Case of Murder starring William H. Macy.
How do you get your indie film made and distributed? Ilyssa Goodman says build your rolodex and know your market. In this episode Leslie and Ilyssa talk about writing, production and casting to make your project sellable to studios and distributors.
More About Ilyssa:Director, producer, writer and distribution strategist Ilyssa Goodman has worked with many of Hollywood’s top young and established stars, and with her latest film, “#FBF”, in which Goodman wrote and directed for Timur Berkmambetov’s, Bazelevs Productions, Goodman can now add Ashley Judd to her list. #FBF which is currently in post was shot entirely during the covid stay-at-home order and presented Goodman with a unique opportunity to address creative challenges that enabled her to take filmmaking and visual storytelling to the next level.
As an award-winning producer, Goodman is best known for the Warner Bros. hit franchise, “A Cinderella Story,” which just released “A Cinderella Story: Star Struck”, the franchise’s sixth film. And as a screenwriter, Goodman just completed scripting “Popular in Theory”, a teen comedy in which she was hired to write for an alliance of producers that include Warner International and MarVista Entertainment. Goodman is also scripting “The Island” for Tubi TV in which she’ll direct for the streamers June 2022 premiere.
In an effort to maintain greater control of her indie films, Goodman taps into her background as a distribution executive to insure that her productions meet the mandates of the marketplace as well as to have greater involvement in making sure that her films find the best distribution opportunities and deals possible. As an indie filmmaker advocate, Goodman also lends her distribution expertise to other filmmakers as well.
In Goodman’s feature directorial debut, “The Standoff,” she is credited with inspiring stellar performances from her young cast as well as for using a single location for the entire film while juggling multiple storylines and keeping the film fluid. “The Standoff” was released by Sony Pictures and premiered on Netflix. Goodman’s directing follow-up film, “Next Level”, a high-energy dance movie was released in 2019. Goodman’s first opportunity to direct came in the form of the successful “Say It With Skype” digital campaign and was followed by a spot for the national clothing brand Chico’s, which gained attention for using real women over forty as models.
Goodman has a number of features in development and controls IP rights to several high-profile true crime stories in which she is developing into series and television movies
Joelle began her writing career as an advertising copywriter, creating award-winning campaigns for brands like In-N-Out Burger, Kleenex and Lexus. Since making the jump to screenwriting, she's written several romantic comedy and family telefilms including Hallmark Channel's Paris, Wine and Romance. Other films include Love on the Vines and Diagnosis Delicious, each of which aired on Hallmark Movies and Mysteries, Win Lose or Love, and Change of Heart for PixLTV, as well as Reluctant Nanny which aired on the Lifetime Movie Network. She's currently writing a film for the Hallmark Channel's Countdown To Christmas. Joelle's theatrical features include Ninja Kid (for producer Warren Zide) and an animated musical feature in development with Studio Gale in Korea.
An experienced animation writer, Joelle's series credits include Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes, Ben 10: Omniverse, DC Super Hero Girls and LEGO Friends. She also created the adult animated series Superslackers for 420TV.
Joelle has also written comics for Blizzard, DC, Marvel, and Dynamite Entertainment. Graphic novels for IDW/Lion Forge Comics include reboots of the NBC classic shows Saved By the Bell and Punky Brewster. She has also written several video games.
Joelle graduated from the University of Pennsylvania. She is also a graduate of the Warner Bros. Sitcom Writers Workshop and Best Screenplay winner at the La Femme Film Festival.
From good sound design to proper formatting on deliverables, Leslie and her guest Megan Huggins from Gravitas dive deep on exactly what distributors are looking for in your film.
Megan Huggins is the acquisitions coordinator for Gravitas Ventures, the largest indie all rights distributor in North America. In her time with Gravitas she has negotiated hundreds of feature film deals across VOD, theatrical and worldwide distribution. Megan is a dual Australian/American citizen who worked in corporate psychology and as a registered nurse before pursuing her passion for filmmaking. She is a champion for independent film and for introducing unique stories to a broad audience. While she misses Sydney’s beaches and seafood, she is proud to be a part of the American independent film world. Megan holds an MFA in creative producing for film from Columbia University.
Are you interested in being a creator of animation? In this information packed episode Leslie and Marlene discuss, global development of Animation in Japan, merchandising in Animation
Crossover content and trends in animation, the market for boys at specific ages, an animation market for girls, the difference between selling your show and producing your show, Web-comics and the new content creation platforms of Tapas and WebTune.
More About MarleneMarlene Sharp is a creative and business-savvy entertainment multi-hyphenate who originally hails from New Orleans but is now a (San Fernando) Valley girl. Firmly ensconced in LA life, Marlene is top dawg at Pink Poodle Productions and Head of IP Strategy and Acquisitions for Rainshine Entertainment.
The first question to ask when you're preparing your pitch is, what do you want them to understand? Next is what's your hook, your personal story that will get and hold their attention. In this powerful episode, Devo Cutler-Rebenstein answers these questions as well as discussing how to get buyers to want to work with you, gap financing, digital marketing tools and more.
Devo Cutler-Rubenstein's passion for storytelling and artistic expression brought her to California Institute of the Arts where she earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Film and Television. While at Cal Arts she was selected to receive a grant from the Scottish Arts Council to attend Edinburgh Arts. Her documentary about this unique educational setting inspired her documentary film EDINBURGH ARTS, which aired in part on Grampian Television. Returning to Cal Arts, she had an opportunity to study with Alexander MacKenrick, where she wrote, produced and directed PEACOCK BLUES, a short film casting the as yet unknown Ed Harris and Annie Potts.
Upon graduation Devo launched her career in the entertainment industry at Twentieth Century Fox, rising quickly up the ranks in story development. She was Director of Story Department for Sir Lew Grade's Marble Arch productions at CBS Studios. She helped design a new story department as Director, Literary Affairs at Columbia Pictures TV, and not long after became VP of Marketing and Promotion for Connoisseur Video. Simultaneously, she began to develop projects for theater under her banner New Play Productions and then partnered with Mary Saxon to form Cutler-Saxon Productions, with an eye to leverage small theatre as a vehicle for larger budget television and feature film projects.
Currently as CEO and President of Noble House Entertainment, she continues to develop and produce multi-platform projects, in a career that has spanned over thirty years working within all aspects of the entertainment industry. She has developed over 500 projects under various production banners, including producing the feature film franchise THE SUBSTITUTE, for MGM, Live Entertainment and HBO, starring Tom Berenger and Treat Williams, respectively. Inspired by work she did with stand-up comedians coaching them on the development of one-person shows, she won a grant to co-produce and co-write with her husband, Scott Rubenstein (Star Trek: TNG, MacGyver, Night Court) the documentary NOT AFRAID TO LAUGH, about using comedy to heal cancer. The intimate documentary won The Communicator Award and was nominated for a Peabody Award, now archived in the Chicago Museum of Broadcasting for its "artistic excellence, social relevance and historical significance." As a narrative director, she helped out on another award-winning documentary, TELL ABOUT THE SOUTH, which aired on PBS; she helped cast and the documentary was shot entirely on locations in South Carolina and Virginia. Adapting a John Irving short story, she competed and won a grant from Chanticleer Films/The Discovery Program to write and direct a narrative short, which she co-wrote with her husband, Scott Rubenstein, who also exec produced; the short film starred Poppy Montgomery, Bill Forsythe and Tony Plana and won Best Film at Moondance Film Festival and aired on Showtime Television. A writer at her core, Devo continues to pursue a creative outlet as a published poet, short story writer, and as a member of the Writers' Guild of America, West. She has written and/or produced film and television projects for ABC, Columbia Pictures, FX, Showtime, MGM, Live Entertainment, Fries Entertainment, Interscope Entertainment, among others. Her desire to promote cultural diversity was acknowledged by a NALIP Screenwriting Fellowship, and in 2015, Devo fulfilled a lifelong dream and received a Master's in Professional Writing from the University of Southern California, Dornsife College of Letters, Arts & Sciences.
How do you transition from directing commercials to directing features? Are the structures similar? Are the skills transferable? In this episode, Leslie talks with a young director named Justing Bertrand about the differences between directing in France and directing in the US, the Me Too movement, sexism in the French culture and film industry, Justine's process as a director and much more.
www.lafemme.org
Sometimes you just have to do it yourself ... as long as it's in conjunction with someone else. In this episode, Leslie talks with Actress/Writer/Director Kathryne Isabelle Easton about developing her own horror franchise, her award winning short film Borrelia Borealis, how to navigate Hollywood as a woman and still stay true to your vision, pay inequity and much more.
More about Kathryne:
Kathryne Isabelle Easton attended the American Musical and Dramatic Academy in New York City after studying theater for many years as a child in Syracuse, NY. She moved to Los Angeles to pursue filmmaking soon after graduating, and quickly found that the game of Hollywood is a very grating one unless you are creating some of your own material and getting your voice out there. She started a production company, Abhorrent Behavior, and directed, wrote, produced and starred in many shorts, music videos, and several web series before directing her first feature: a romantic drama, “Borrelia Borealis” in 2020. She secured a distribution deal through Freestyle Media and it releases on VOD platforms January 18th, 2022. In 2021, she directed her second feature, a gritty LA noir thriller, “Valleyheart,” and is currently is post production. She has worked steadily as an actress in LA over the years as well as selling scripts as a writer and placing on the Academy Nicholl quarter finals list two times. She has trended on the Blcklist with high scores as well as making it to the semis for Final Draft Big Break and second round at Austin. She directed Key Question for Legendary Digital Studios at the Alpha network, starring Marisha Ray, and she is currently writing a soon-to-be horror film franchise, “Sacred Feminine.” She resides in Los Angeles, enjoys a myriad of caffeinated beverages, and is currently looking for representation for her multi-hyphenate career.
What is it like to find love during a Worldwide pandemic? In this episode Leslie talks to the co-creators of the award winning web series "Love in 2020" about what it takes to create and film during Covid 19.
Eirinn Disbrow
I am an LA based director and editor who is passionate about telling women's stories. Credits include working in editorial on Paul Feig’s Ghostbusters (Sony), Jonathan Levine’s Snatched (FOX) and Long Shot (Lionsgate) as well as David Fincher’s Videosyncrasy (HBO). I edited the series My Dead Ex which premiered at SXSW in 2018 and I'm currently working in editorial on Borderlands (Lionsgate). I previously directed the comedy sketch Racist Baby (streaming on Who Haha), My Life Worked Out (featured on Funny or Die) and most recently the award winning web series Love in 2020, a pandemic rom com that I hope makes people laugh and feel less alone.
Anna Jaller (actress/producer)
Anna is an actress & producer. Hailing from MD, Anna studied theater at Muhlenberg College. Upon graduating she moved to NYC and studied with veteran acting coach Anthony Abeson. Less than a year after moving to LA she fulfilled her dream of being yelled at by Ari Gold as she made her big screen debut as Dana’s Assistant in the Entourage movie. Anna was seen most recently opposite Janelle Monae in Homecoming (Amazon) and will be featured in a new sitcom coming this Winter to NBC. Her work has been featured on WhoHaHa and on the homepage of Funny or Die. Other credits include Speechless (ABC), Failosophy (MTV), and Amateurs (pilot). Anna is a graduate of the Upright Citizens Brigade training program and has performed as a member of the sketch comedy group TMI. Her producing credits include: Please Come With Me (Indie Rights), Liam Reeves (dir. Sara Lindsey), and My Life Worked Out (Funny or Die). She is a proud member of SAG-AFTRA and FilmmakeHers.
Social media: @annajaller
Christina Garofalo Bonifacio
Christina Garofalo Bonifacio is an L.A.-based author, journalist, and screenwriter. She wrote and produced the six-episode Rom-Com web series Love in 2020, which won Best Web Series at LA Femme International Film Festival. Christina is the author of the book When Dogs Heal: Powerful Stories of People Living with HIV and the Dogs That Saved Them (March 2021, Lerner Publishing). In its first year, the book was covered by NBC, them., BuzzFeed Daily, and The AIDS Memorial. Her writing has been featured in Robb Report, Afar, Huffington Post, Paste, Resident, ShermansTravel, and Jetsetter.
In this very special episode Leslie brings you just a sample of the filmmakers that were featured at this year's LaFemme Film Festival. There was such a wonderful representation of fantastic projects driven by passionate women to choose from that we had to share them with you.
Kathleen Rowell wanted to be a novelist and ended up writing a huge film (none other than the Outsiders) as her first feature. How did this happen? In this episode, Leslie and Bridget dive into the reality of being a working Scriptwriter in Hollywood. There are some great tips in this episode.
In this very special episode, Leslie is on the hot seat as she answers questions from Producer Phil about everything from the origins of LaFemme to how filmmakers should properly submit to a festival, common mistakes, what to expect at a festival, networking tips, how and why films are chosen, how the right festival can launch your career and much more.
More About Leslie:For the past fifteen years Leslie La Page has produced, directed and line produced for Film, TV, Music Videos, commercials and Theatrical productions.
Ms. La Page has produced features nationally and internationally in both the independent and commercial markets.
Ms. La Page has over eight years of production background in independent films, and has served as producer, line producer and film production coordinator on numerous independent feature films for independent production companies as well as Black Entertainment Television Action Pay Per View (BET). While at BET she line produced their entire slate of original programs which aired on their network and received international and domestic video releases. She line produced commercials and promos for the HBO, Lifetime TV and BET, MTV and Nickelodeon.
Her production experience also involves her in the areas of marketing, developing scripts, creating promotional copy as well as promotional feature spots and trailers.
Streaming and the pandemic are inextricably linked, so let's jump on the bandwagon! In this episode Leslie and Bridget dive into developing a storyline for streaming networks, trends in television, the rise of Sci-fi and women, finding your way into a pitch and behind the camera, ageism in Hollywood (ignore the elderly at your peril), made for TV movies, Ed Asner AND MUCH MORE!
Bridget Terry has produced, written or directed a variety of award-winning television, including productions honored with the George Foster Peabody Award, ACE award, Christopher Humanitarian Award, Video Hall of Fame inductee, Action for Children's Television, three Emmy nominations, and a Writers Guild Award nominee.
Terry joined actress Shelley Duvall to create and produce three award-winning TV anthologies: "Faerie Tale Theatre," "Tall Tales and Legends" and "Nightmare Classics," adapting age-old stories with lush period design coupled with an eclectic, creative roster, including Robin Williams, Francis Coppola, Eric Idle, Tim Burton, Jules Feiffer, Liza Minnelli, Mick Jagger, Susan Sarandon, and Vanessa Redgrave.
Active in the indie film world, Terry most notably wrote and produced “Shadrach,” starring Harvey Keitel and Andie MacDowell, adapted from a William Styron short story about an ancient ex-slave’s journey back to his Depression-era plantation birthplace. Critically acclaimed internationally, “Shadrach” was an official selection at the Venice Film Festival, the Ghent Festival and opened the Los Angeles Independent Festival.
A film history buff, Terry produced, directed and co-wrote "Without Lying Down," an indie documentary feature about early women filmmakers. It premiered on Turner Classic Movies and was an official selection at the Edinburgh, London and Sydney film festivals and was nominated for a Writers Guild of America award.
As a writer-producer, Terry continues to be active in television movies, series and limited series having written and/or produced for Netflix, ABC, CBS, PBS, Showtime, Lifetime, TNT and Hallmark.
Terry served as VP of Publicity and Marketing for director Robert Altman, helming promotions for his films Three Women, Quintet, A Wedding and Popeye – about whichshe authored a definitive behind-the-scenes book. She began her career as a publicist on features such as "Rich Kids," "An Officer and a Gentleman," “HEALTH” and "Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid." She has written several articles on feature filmmaking.
She currently serves as an adjunct Professor, teaching film producing at UCLA and Columbia College Hollywood – as well as lecturing at North Carolina State University and, in China, at Beijing’s Yan Ze University.
Terry is a graduate of Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism, and a member of the Writers Guild of America, a fellow at Los Angeles’ Film Independent and a Member Emeritus of the Publicist’s Guild of America. She lives in Santa Monica, Ca.
Ellen Gerstein is an award winning actor/filmmaker. She is a member of: Women In Film, The Alliance of Women Directors, LA Film Team, Film Independent and is a lifetime member of The Actors Studio.
As an actor Ellen has worked with talented directors including Martin Scorsese, Mark Rydell, Mimi Leder, Rob Marshall and Danny DeVito to name a few. She was honored with the Robert Proski Character Actor Award and the Roy W. Dean Screenwriters Grant.
Ellen can be seen on the acclaimed FX show, Better Things as well as the award-winning show on Apple+, The Morning Show. She plays, Cherub in the feature Turnover that is winning awards on the festival circuit. She was seen in the Marvel film Venom, Liza On Demand, as a regular, Mrs. Moorehouse in the sit-com Hotel Du Loone, recurring as Aunt Rande on Shameless and Lillian in Fresh Off The Boat and many more. Sylvia Just Sayin’ is a popular comedy webseries that Ellen created and stars inas Sylvia.
She has acted in, as well as produced and directed theater in LA. She originated characters including: Ruthie in Potroast, Shirley in Sit and Shiver, a play by Steven Berkoff, Rosalie in Angel Share and The Traveler at The Mark Taper Forum. My Psychotherapy Comeback Tour, a one women show, written, directed and performed by Ellen, that won semi-finalist in the Samuel French short play festival and was performed in Los Angeles and The Harold Clurman Theater in New York. Ellen has worked with incredible actors like James Franco, Eamonn Walker, Danny Divito, Cuba Gooding, Robert DeNiro, Al Pacino, Kathy Bates, Jason Bateman and Ted Danson to name a few.
She is an international award winning filmmaker, Waiting For Ronald (with a blended cast of actors with disabilities and without) and Come Away With Me (with Charlie Robinson). She is a judge at Diversity in Cannes Short Film Showcase Program: Black Lives Matter, Roy W. Dean Film Makers Grant, Film Consortium San Diego and SD Film Awards. She has coached and taught actors of all ages at her acclaimed Ellen Gerstein Acting workshop.
In this episode Leslie and Ellen discuss script analysis, sub-text and specificity to bring your film from great to extraordinary. Do not miss this episode, it's just too good!
Julie Janney has been a working actress for more than 30 years in film, television, and theatre. She has trained with world renowned producers, directors, and educators like Lee Strasberg and Nikos Psacharopoulis. She has also acted as Meryl Streep’s stunt double on seven feature films, and has performed on Broadway. Ms. Janney is a member of the several acting guilds and organizations and has taught acting and choreography for more than 30 years.
In this episode, Leslie sits down with Julie to discuss being on stage both on and off broadway, her work on films like Popeye, Scream 3, James Dean and others, bringing authenticity to a performance, how to work in an ensemble, the core of improvisation, the value of the hybrid model for women in entertainment, inside stories from the Actor's Studio and much more.
Contract negotiations got you down? Listen in as Leslie talks to Entertainment Attorney Nina Ameri the founder of the highly respected boutique law firm Ameri Law. Together, they discuss the ins and outs of drafting and negotiating talent agreements, Copyright law, development production and distribution deals, story rights and intellectual property, corporate selection and formation, investor agreements and much more.
More About Nina
The entertainment industry is in my blood. My father was an editor and cinematographer who worked on some of the most groundbreaking films in the horror gore genre. I did not inherit his talent, but I did acquire the same passion for the film and television industry. As such, while I was a student at UCLA I decided I would pursue a career in entertainment law. I attended Pepperdine Law School where I served as the President of the Sports and Entertainment Law Society. After graduation I took the untraditional path of working for a tax relief company where I learned the ins and outs of negotiating with the IRS. This background served as an entry into entertainment law.
Ameri Law, PC focuses on entertainment, intellectual property and business transactions in the entertainment, beauty and health and wellness industries. In addition, the firm handles tax controversies for individuals and businesses in various industries including but not limited to entertainment and sports.
In the realm of entertainment law I represent independent film producers, production companies, writers, actors, and directors in a variety of transactions ranging from: acquisition of intellectual property and life story rights, corporate formation, talent agreements, writer agreements, producer agreements, director agreements, music licensing agreements for independent motion pictures, sales agency and distribution agreements.
Within the sphere of intellectual property law I have substantial experience assisting clients in prosecuting, protecting and defending trademarks and copyrights. I regularly counsel clients on trademark selection, clearance, registration and licensing. My client's are in various industries including but not limited to, entertainment and media, apparel and footwear, real estate, beauty and cosmetics, health and wellness and technology and direct marketing.
In addition to my entertainment and intellectual property practice I have extensive experience in tax compliance and controversy having successfully resolved several hundred tax controversy cases for business and individual clients. In addition, I have a special focus on assisting entertainers and athletes with tax collection issues.
Janeane Bernstein is a writer, speaker, radio host/producer at KUCI 88.9fm, and host of the new series, OUTSIDE THE BOX. She earned a doctorate from Boston University in Educational Media & Technology and graduated from Syracuse University with her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Education & Communications. She is a 2021 Age Boom Academy Fellow with the Robert N. Butler Columbia Aging Centerin partnership with Columbia Journalism.
She first started writing at age 15 when her creative writing teacher told her, "There are no wrong answers." Her love of all things creative has helped her throughout life's ups and downs. Her first book, GET THE FUNK OUT, %^&* Happens, What to Do Next! about creating resilience and strength through life’s curveballs was published by Post Hill Press, distributed by Simon & Schuster and Audible.com. She currently speaks to students and adults about finding resilience in challenging times, making mental, physical, and emotional health a priority, and the power of mentorship.
Janeane's short script, WYLE, was a Finalist in the Big Apple Film Festival Screenplay Competition November 2020. Her TV pilot, FINDING MS. KATEY, was an Official Semi-Finalist in the 2020 LA Femme International Film Festival October 2020, and her feature screenplay, BIRDIE, was a Finalist in the 2018 LA Femme International Film Festival, and an initial selection in the 2018 Black List / Women In Film Feature Lab. As of July 2021, she is a Semi-Finalist in the Rhode Island International Film Festival for her two short scripts, WYLE and LOW BATTERY. She is currently working on comedic short screenplays and pilots, and sees screenwriting as an incredible way to capture the unexpected, funny and touching moments of what life looks like now.
In this episode Leslie and Janeane discuss her writing process, shorts vs. features, character development, exposition, soliciting for your film and writing a proof of concept.
How do you get Hollywood interest in you script? Leslie's guest Attorney and Literary Agent Paul S Levine says, one very interesting way is to reverse engineer a book from your script, get it published creating the IPO and then go to the studios and distributors. The best part about it is that you get paid multiple times instead of just the $100K as a first time independent script writer. Leslie and Paul also discuss how and why to set up a writing partnership, necessary legal agreements to avoid future problems and much more.
Paul S. Levine ”wears two hats”–he is a lawyer and a literary agent.
Mr. Levine was born in New York City and was raised and educated in
Montreal. He received a Bachelor of Commerce, Magna Cum Laude from Concordia
University in Montreal and went on to earn a Master of Business Administration
from York University in Toronto. In 1978 he came to Los Angeles for the sunshine
and to start law school; he received his Juris Doctor from the University of
Southern California Law School in 1981.
He began his entertainment law career straight out of law school, as an
associate with the Law Offices of Stephen F. Rohde, where he specialized in
entertainment litigation and entertainment transactions for almost seven (7)
years. While there, he had the great fortune to represent Price/Stern/Sloan
Publishers (Roger Price created “Mad Libs”, Leonard Stern created television
series such as “The Honeymooners” and “Get Smart”, and Larry Sloan invented book
stores in airports in the 1970s); to represent the “King of Comics”, Jack Kirby
(creator of “Captain America”, “Spiderman”, “Incredible Hulk”, “Fantastic Four”,
“X-Men”, “Black Panther”, etc.); and to represent Elysium Institute, then the
only nudist colony in all of Los Angeles County.
Answering a “blind” advertisement in the Hollywood Reporter, he went to work
for the Business & Legal Affairs Department of Warner Bros. Television, where he
spent almost five (5) years. He then moved to Hearst Entertainment, where he
spent two (2) years as Resident Counsel. In October, 1992 he established his own
law practice in Santa Monica and in December, 1995 moved his office to the garage
next to his home in Venice, where he specializes in the representation of
authors, writers, producers, actors, directors, composers, musicians, artists,
photographers, galleries, publishers, developers, production companies and
theatre companies in the fields of motion pictures, television, interactive
multimedia, live stage, recorded music, concerts, the visual arts, publishing,
and advertising. He still practices as both a “transactional” lawyer and as a
litigator; for litigation, he practices civil, probate, and family law
litigation, and has yet to have to take a case all the way to trial. He settles
disputes before they need to be filed as lawsuits, sometimes directly with
opposing counsel and sometimes with the help of a good mediator. If litigation
does result, he settles the cases the same way.
In 1998, Mr. Levine opened the Paul S. Levine Literary Agency, specializing
in the representation of book authors and the sale of motion picture and
television rights in and to books. Since starting his literary agency, Mr. Levine
has sold over one-hundred fifty (150) fiction and non-fiction books to at least
fifty (50) different publishers and has had many books developed as movies-fortelevision and feature films.
Dr. Rosanne Welch is the Executive Director of the Stephens College MFA in TV and Screenwriting, a program whose goal is to bring more female and underrepresented voices and female-focused stories into mainstream media. Her current books include Why The Monkees Matter: Teenagers, Television and American Pop Culture (McFarland Publishing, 2017) and Women in American History: A Social, Political, and Cultural Encyclopedia and Document Collection (ABC-CLIO, 2017), which she co-edited with her CalPoly Pomona colleague and officemate, Dr. Peg Lamphier.
In her previous life, Welch was a television writer/producer with credits that include Beverly Hills 90210, Picket Fences and Touched by an Angel and ABC NEWS/Nightline. Welch serves as Book Reviews editor for Journal of Screenwriting and on the Editorial Advisory Board for Written By magazine, the magazine of the Writers Guild.
In this episode, Leslie and Rosanne discuss 10 things Hollywood writers must know. For example, how to write what you emotionally know, how to work in a writer's room, the do's and don'ts of pitching, when to use a pitch deck and when it's a horrible idea and much more.
"Actors are writers" says Leslie's guest Actor, Writer, Director, Producer, Rebekah Miskin. In this episode, Rebekah discusses her short film "Night Owl" as well as how to create a show bible and then a really strong pitch... and there's a difference between pitching to networks and pitching to streamers.
More About Rebekah
Actor/Director/Writer/Producer, Rebekah Miskin created the web series, NIGHT OWL which had its World Premiere at SXSW to stellar reviews & sold out screenings. John Doyle of The Globe & Mail said of NIGHT OWL:
“It has the layered richness of long-form storytelling in its brief, considered response to life. (We’re talking more heft than TikTok and more substantial than whatever Quibi is doing.) Night Owl is a beauty of a little series, an exquisite study of a small slice of life, loneliness and social awkwardness. It’s funny, too. Night Owl is one of those jewels that can leave you smitten with all the characters…”
Miskin won the Alan Sawyer Award for Excellence for her work on NIGHT OWL which was Official Selection at many other film festivals worldwide. Previously, Miskin received Bell Media’s BravoFACT grant for CHECKING OUT, a short she wrote/co-directed/produced/acted in. She completed her Masters in Media Production at Ryerson University, was awarded the Graduate Fellowship Scholarship, and won the graduate short film competition. Miskin was also awarded the Netflix Diverse Voices Fellowship at BanffWMF, 2019. Catch her in KIM’S CONVENIENCE on Netflix/CBC and NINE FILMS ABOUT TECHNOLOGY on Hulu & FX as the cringey but lovable WENDY.
Want to get paid for your Sci-FI or Horror short film? Perhaps you can even get it made into a feature! In this episode, Leslie talks with Sophie Carrol the Senior Manager of Acquisitions at Gunpowder & Sky. She drops some serious knowledge about what this groundbreaking short film platform is looking for from its content creators. Don't forget to have your materials prepared, you just might get tapped for success. Do not miss this episode!
Gunpowder & Sky is a fast-growing indie studio known for larger-than-life stories about groundbreaking music and musicians, pop culture and issues that are overtaking the world. The studio creates and distributes feature films, series, short form content, podcasts and channels, bridging digital and traditional entertainment.
Since its inception in 2016, Gunpowder & Sky has released more than 40 feature films and series, more than 1000 short films in theatres, on TVOD and on leading services such as HBO, Netflix, MTV, Hulu, Sky, Showtime, Spotify, Amazon, YouTube, Audible and Discovery and has premiered 4 podcast series.
With a collective audience of more than 75M monthly unique viewers, Gunpowder & Sky also owns and operates content brands that include DUST, the number one free sci-fi channel; ALTER, a leading horror brand, and CUT, an unscripted & comedy brand.
If you'd like to submit your film to the LaFemme Int'l Film Festival click on the link below.
https://filmfreeway.com/LaFemmeInternationalFilmFestival
Do you want tips from someone who's responsible for producing major motion pictures in Hollywood? In this episode, Leslie sits down with acclaimed producer Jennie Lew Tugend to discuss how to secure funding for a film during the pandemic, strategies for an exceptionally strong pitch, how to create the perfect log-line, writing for a budget, trends in the industry, adapting a book into a screenplay, when and how to attract a producer to your film and much more.
JENNIE LEW TUGEND has produced and co-produced some of the industry’s most memorable franchises: The Free Willy trilogy, Lethal Weapon 1,2,3, and HBO’s Tales from the Crypt.
As former Co-President of Kadokawa Pictures USA, Tugend was a producer on One Missed Call, a WB release and two episodes of Showtime’s “Master of Horror”.
Producing credits include Local Boys starring Mark Harmon and Star Kid, which received an Award of Excellence by the Film Advisory Board; and for MGM, the romantic comedy, Return to Me starring David Duchovny and Minnie Driver; Radio Flyer for Columbia Pictures and Scrooged for Paramount Pictures starring Bill Murray, and was instrumental in the development and production of The Goonies and The Lost Boys.
Currently, Tugend and her partners are developing the feature film adaptations of NY Times best selling novel, “Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet” with Oscar and Emmy nominated director Bing Liu, and the popular Japanese manga “MPD Psycho”. In 2020, Tugend Executive Produced the independent feature film “Albatross”, directed by award-winning writer/director Myles Yaksich. Tugend and Yaksich previsouly collaborated on two award-winning short films, “Poppies” and “Erin”.
Tugend is an active member of the Producer’s Branch of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and the Producers Guild of America. Tugend was a mentor in the prestigious Peter Stark Producing Program at USC and is currently teaching a producing class at UCLAx and is a Creative Thesis Mentor at the American Film Institute Conservatory (AFI) and an Advisor in the Screenwriting Workshop at the Sundance Institute.
Get ready for some incredible Independent film marketing tips as Leslie and Ivana discuss navigating the film circuit, getting your film funded, short film vs. feature film marketing strategies, the structure of filming a documentary and how to create social revolution through filmmaking.
Ivana Todorović is a director of short, socially-engaging films in Belgrade and New York City. Her fiction film "When I'm at Home" (2019, Belgrade) won the Best Narrative Short at LA Women's Independent Film awards, Best Narrative Short at Socially Relevant Film festival in NYC. Future Film Award at IFFBH Festival in Paris, Best Student Film Award at the Short to the Point Festival in Bucharest, Best Woman Film Award at the Independent Shorts Awards Festival in Los Angeles in Bucharest, and Honorary Mention at the South Eastern European Film Festival in Los Angeles. The documentaries "When I Was a Boy, I Was a Girl", "A Harlem Mother", "Rapresent", and "Everyday Life of Roma Children in Block 71" were screened at more than 150 international film festivals -- such as the 63rd Berlin Film Festival-Berlinale Shorts competition program, Traverse City, IFF Rotterdam, Palm Springs International Shorts. They have won over 20 awards such as Best Balkan Documentary Film at Dokufest in Prizren, Best National Documentary at the March Festival in Belgrade, Best Short Film at the South Eastern European Film Festival in Los Angeles. They were screened at the Anthology Film Archive, the Center de Cultura Contemporiana de Barcelona and the "A Harlem Mother" film is part of The New York Times online library.
From Actor to Writer to Producer, Raeann Giles has done it all... or at least a lot. In this episode, Leslie and Raeann discuss how to find representation, tips to launch on Amazon, how to find your audience, casting challenges and choices, tragedy in filmmaking, leveraging into future projects, the structure of a film, the writing process and much more.
Raeann Giles is a multi-ethnic writer/actor, graduate of UCLA’s MFA School of Theater, Film and Television in Screenwriting and the creator of the award winning digital series, “Playdates Anonymous” and “Stay At Home Mom” which she wrote produced and starred in, streaming on Amazon and the Comedy Dynamics Network. She made her directorial debut in 2020, in the feature film, “Angel,”which she wrote and starred in, currently screening in the festival circuit. Raeann is a Sloan Winner for her comedy feature, “Designer Kids,” a Sloan finalist for her romantic comedy “Fluke,” the recipient of the Felicia D. Henderson Screenwriting Award and the Havas 18-LA Production award. The busy mother of four, also holds a Juris Doctor degree from the University of San Diego School of Law, as well as degrees in Molecular Biology and Neuroscience Psychology from the University of Colorado. www.raeanngiles.com
There is a massive push for diverse talent at Sony through the diversification and inclusion program run by VP, Creative Programming, Diversity & Inclusion Brett King. If you are trying to break in to Hollywood, this episode is packed with information as Leslie and Brett discuss Sony's Diverse Writers Program and Diverse Directors Program, what types of writers and directors Sony is looking for, mentorship and development opportunities, how to craft a personal narrative and much more...
Brett King is Vice President, Creative Programming, Diversity & Inclusion for
Sony Pictures Entertainment, where he works with both Sony Pictures Television
and the Motion Picture Group to identify and advantage opportunities for
inclusion throughout the studio.
King oversees the Sony Pictures Television Diverse Directors Program as well as
the television studio’s Diverse Writers program, both designed to provide
opportunity for women and ethnic minorities in scripted episodic television. Prior
to working with Sony, King was a producer as well as a Program Consultant for
HBOAccess and for Disney/ABC Television Creative Talent Development,
working to find the next generation of content creators.
A television veteran with oversight of literally hundreds of hours of television
under his belt, he has been a senior level executive at BET, The WB, Paramount
Television Studios and 20th Century Fox Television. His executive career
followed his work in New York, where he was a staff producer of the commercial
parodies at Saturday Night Live as well as a producer of innumerable music
videos, commercials and promos, all while moonlighting as a DJ in some of the
city’s seminal downtown clubs.
King is a proud father of two.
There is the dream of finding funding for your film and then there's the reality of how it happens. In this episode, Leslie and Sonya break down the process of making a documentary, discuss historical Jewish stories, working in Afghanistan, finding the right editor and much more.
SONYA WINTERBERG is an award-winning writer and documentary director with roots in Finland and Germany. For most of her career, her work focused on women and children in armed conflicts and post-war situations. Sonya reported on major news events such as the aftermath of the war in Bosnia, the 2005 Kashmir earthquake, Hurricane Katrina and the resettlement of refugees and IDPs to villages across Afghanistan. She has been involved in a number of German television events such as the acclaimed ARD television documentary series “Kriegskinder” (Children of War, 2009) for which she co-authored the companion book. She was also on the team that conceptualized and wrote the online special for the international award-winning series “14 – Diaries of the Great War”.
Her latest works include “Dark Business. Child trafficking in the heart of Europe” (2018) and “Made in Auschwitz. The Untold Story of the Women of Block 10” (2019) that won the Best Documentary Award at LA FEMME. For the past three years she has worked on a documentary on the late AP-photographer and Pulitzer Prize winner Anja Niedringhaus who was killed on assignment in Afghanistan in 2014. Sonya lives in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
The world was largely unaware that there is a large Indian community in South Africa... until Judy Naidoo. In this episode, Leslie and Judy discuss feature film distribution, the film festival circuit, independent film grants, the virtues of being a proactive filmmaker and much more.
Judy Naidoo is a South African independent filmmaker. She holds a Masters Degree in Producing from the National Film and Television School (NFTS) in the United Kingdom. She was the recipient of two scholarships that enabled her to pursue this degree: the Ford Foundation International Fellowships Award and later the Trevor Jones Scholarship. Judy also holds a BA (Dramatic Arts) Honours Degree from Wits University (majoring in Directing and Television).
Under the umbrella of Ladybug Films (a company Judy had established in 2002, previously named Black Heat Productions), she had the opportunity to produce and direct several documentaries, corporates, commercials and short films, but her aspirations to tell fictional stories grew. In 2006 she attended a filmmaking course at the New York Film Academy in New York City. There, she wrote, directed, and edited several short film projects. Later, whilst studying a Masters Degree in Producing in the UK, Judy produced the award winning animation short Kahānikār (The Storyteller). The film was long-listed for the Oscars in 2012 and won at several major festivals around the world.
Judy made her directorial debut on the feature length film “Hatchet Hour” in 2016. The film had its International premiere at the LA Femme International Film Festival (2016), where it won the Best Foreign Film award. It has won and been in-competition at several other international film festivals. Judy’s new film “Kings of Mulberry Street” released in 2019 and won Best Feature Film at the Children’s Film Festival Seattle (USA), and the Children’s Foundation Award for Best Comedy at the BUFF Malmo Film Festival 2020 (Sweden), amongst other awards. The film has already been in-competition at many prestigious international film festivals and is currently enjoying a successful festival run.
How do you convince risk adverse people to fund your film? Some filmmakers go as far as actually shooting a short to use as a proof of concept, In this episode, Leslie and Veronika talk about the best ways to advance your career in film like choosing between big film festivals vs. targeted film festivals, how to work with kids on set, finding the right collaborators, putting story and characters first, how to utilize your editor, the necessity of a script supervisor and much more.
Veronika Kurz is an award-winning director whose work spans a wide variety of genres, and has screened at festivals worldwide. With a background in technical film production, Veronika delivers story-driven, cinematic products with a feature film feel.
In 2017, she successfully pitched her short comedy, 20 MINUTES TO LIFE, at that year’s Whistler Film Festival, winning funding from the MPPIA Short Film Award.
The film went on to win Best Short Film at the LA Femme Film Festival and 1st Place Comedy Short Shorts at Just For Laughs NorthWest.
20 MINUTES TO LIFE is now available to watch in Canada on Super Channel Fuse.
Her dance film, FLOW (starring Ballet BC dancer Livona Ellis) premiered at the 2019 Sedona International Film Festival to two sold-out audiences and went on to play at several international festivals.
Veronika has a passion for creative storytelling and loves working collaboratively to bring great ideas to life. Through her work, Veronika aims to inspire, entertain, and move her audiences.
The Parkland shooting was an incredible tragedy and too often the shooter is the one people remember. Emily Evan Rae made it her mission to make sure the families of the victims get a chance to remember their lost loved ones. Her documentary film "Stop the Bleed" is a stunning achievement and in this episode she tells us how she did it.
Have you ever heard of a film festival curator? If you're doing the festival circuit a good curator can mean the difference between success and failure. Leslie and Kymberly get deep into the details as well as how to find the perfect director of photography and specific techniques for actors who are blocked.
How does a successful TV and Film actress become an inspired Director/Producer of a powerful documentary that breaks through. Magi Avila is best known for her rolls in "My American Family" and with Nicholas Cage and William Defoe in "Dog Eat Dog", but turned her sights on becoming a filmmaker after a chance meeting with a man in a wheelchair who has an incredible story to tell. This episode is fun, inspired and filled with great information about film festivals and distribution for Independent Filmmakers.
After a rewarding career in Mexican films, television and theatrical productions, Magi Avila made her way to the Mecca of EntertainmentHollywood.
Magi Avila can be seen in a pivotal role in the feature Film "Dog Eat Dog" with Oscar winner, Nicolas Cage, and 4 times Oscar nominee Willem Dafoe, directed by Paul Schrader. Dog Eat Dog premiered at the Cannes Film Festival, obtaining a long standing ovation. She also has a pivotal role in "First Kill" with Mr. Bruce Willis and Hayden Christensen. Magi Avila also appears in "A Better Life" with Oscar nominee Demian Bichir, directed by Chris Weitz (Twilight Saga "New Moon"), and in "Café Society" with Blake Lively and Steve Carrel, directed by Woody Allen. On US Television, Magi guest-starred on Jerry Bruckheimer's "Training Day" with Bill Paxton. She also worked in the final episode of the acclaimed AFI Award winning drama television series "The Shield", from Shawn Ryan.
Magi Avila has performed as a lead and co-starred in US Theater Productions such as "Nuevo California" with the San Diego Repertory Theater and "Little Red", with the Josefina López' Los Angeles based Casa 0101 organization, among others. Magi has also directed many theater productions herself. Magi has already made her indelible mark as the co-writer, producer and lead performer of the Musical Theater production of "Carmen Miranda - The Lady In The Tutti Frutti Hat". She brought to life the yesteryear famous Brazilian Broadway actress with her singing and Samba performances.
In the beginning of her professional career in her native Ensenada, Mexico, Magi presented as an opera singer and with a choral group known as "Voces De Primavera", under the direction of Maestro Jesus Veliz, performing for celebrities, dignitaries and the then president of Mexico, Ernesto Zedillo. Her teen charm and innate talent won her modeling jobs. Magi Avila soon started to appear in print ads and popular television commercials. Magi also served a short stint as a News Reporter and on-camera talent for the Mexican television network, Televisa.
Magi studied her 4 years of theater and arts at the Autonomous University of Baja California Extension, her M.D. at the University Guadalajara A.K.A. UDG. She then moved to the USA to study at the prestigious Lee Strasberg Theater and Film Institute, for 3 more years. Miss Avila has continued sharpening her acting skills with several acting coaches in Hollywood.
She now lives in Los Angeles, CA. Magi Avila is immensely grateful for all the people she has had the pleasure of collaborating with, throughout her career in the USA and Mexico.
Leslie talks with ex-development exec and current TV and Film writer Cynthia Riddle about what Hollywood is looking for in today's environment, how to get in the door and find management and agent representation, the value of film festivals and writing contests, how to get staffed on a show and much, much more... This episode is a bit longer, but the flow of information is fantastic!
CYNTHIA RIDDLE worked as a development executive for MGM and segued into a writing and producing deal with the studio. She has written movies and series episodes for CBS, Hallmark Hall of Fame, Netflix, Lifetime, Disney, Showtime, PBS, Hallmark Channel, Nickelodeon, and direct-to-video films.
Riddle and frequent writing partner, Peter Hunziker, wrote and Executive Produced the recent Lifetime true crime movie Poisoned Love: The Stacey Castor Story that starred Nia Vardalos (My Big Fat Greek Wedding). They also wrote the award-winning CBS/ Hallmark Hall of Fame film Crossroads, the highly rated Puppy Love for Hallmark Ch, and biopic The Brittany Murphy Story that aired on Lifetime. Riddle and Hunziker’s stage musical, A Kid’s Life, has done two runs Off-Broadway and two successful national tours.
Riddle’s feature script, Curtains, is set to be produced by the Academy Award nominated producer of Dallas Buyers Club and filmed in Paris in 2021. The script won 2 WGA script competitions: one a French Residency in Paris to location scout the project.
Riddle and Hunziker won and/or have been finalists in prestigious film competitions including Project Greenlight, the Coca Cola Refreshing Filmmakers Award (winner with film screened in 14,000 theatres nationwide), Nintendo/ Universal Studios’ Eternal Darkness film competition, the Disney Screenwriting Fellowship, won Screencraft’s Jamaica Residency, Top 20 out of 9,100 scripts in AMC/Austin Film Fest competition, and Finalists in Sundance’s Episode Story Lab and Humanitas’ New Voices Program.
Riddle holds a BA and MFA in Screenwriting and Film Production from UCLA.
This episode writes itself! Actress/Producer Desiree Staples is a charming guest with great stories and incredibly valuable information about the business of producing feature films and networking your way through the film festival circuit to great success.
Desiree Staples is a seasoned producer, filmmaker, and actress multi-hyphenate, experienced in both short-form and feature film content. Circus Person, Produced by Staples, premiered at Tribeca N.O.W.'s 2020 showcase, and also was one of the selected films in YouTube's We Are One: A Global Film Festival, as well as winning the audience award for best episodic pilot at Nashville Film Festival. Staples' Produced and acted in the feature filmTake Me To Tarzanadistributed by Gravitas Ventures in 2021 which stars Jonathan Bennett, Maria Conchita Alonso, Samantha Robinson, Andrew Creer, Oliver Cooper, and more. Take Me To Tarzana also won a Golden Remi Award at the Houston Worldfest Film Festival.
Staples' dramedy pilot It's What She Would Have Wanted was selected and shown at LA Shorts, Mill Valley Film Festival, Catalyst Content, and St. Louis International Film Festival. Staples' comedy pilot The Influencers, that she co-created, stars in, and produced won the Audience Award for Comedy Short form content at the Reel Independent Film Festival in Hollywood, and has been selected in over 20 other festivals in the US and Internationally (including Santa Monica Webfest - Best Ensemble Cast - Winner). Staples' also Produced and acts in the Web-Series Stupid Cupid, that was one of the projects supported by NYC Media/NYC Life, and was distributed in 2021 by DunnVision.
Desiree is a proud member of SAG-AFTRA, Women in Film, the co-creator of the Female Filmmakers Forum on Clubhouse, and is the Co-President of Northwestern University's Entertainment Alliance - NUEA West, and a proud Alum.
Leslie and Crystal dive deep as they discuss Crystal's path from her character Olivia on Guiding Light to producing her very successful web series "Venice." Crystal has taken control of her career by launching Open book Productions, a digital production company., which is currently making their first feature film. But that's not all, Crystal also co-founded the streaming platform "Real Women's Network." This episode is packed with inspiration and information.
More about Crystal:
Three-time Emmy Award Winning actress Crystal Chappell never stops! She won an Emmy in 2002 for Outstanding Supporting Actress as Olivia on CBS-TV’s “Guiding Light” as well as a 2011 Emmy for Outstanding Special Class Short Format for her web-series “Venice,” which she wrote, produced and created and a 2014 Emmy for Outstanding New Approaches Drama Series for “Venice.” The web-series “Venice” revolves around a warm community of people who reside in Venice Beach, California.
In 2009 Ms. Chappell founded Open Book Productions, a successful digital media company. Recognizing that media was moving in a new direction she developed and executed an in-house subscription-based business model to monetize the web. Using motion picture production techniques, Emmy winning talent and state of the art technology she created and stars in the award winning Venice the Series, the digital pilot The Grove, and most recently she partnered with Bella Productions for season 2 of Beacon Hill. Season 7 of “Venice” will film in 2021.
Crystal continued to break new ground by Partnering with Perfect Features in 2016 to star and produce Open Book Productions first film, A Million Happy Nows.
In 2020, Chappell co-founded Reel Women’s Network, a streaming service dedicated to content created by women and women-identifying filmmakers and content creators.
Although Crystal feels honored by her awards, her proudest achievements are her sons Jacob Walker and Dylan Michael Sabatino. When not working on her next production, Chappell enjoys time with her family, hiking, and a good chardonnay from the Central Coast of California.
Film Noir wasn't always cool, but thanks to the success of Jeanne Marie Spicuzza's film "The Scarapist", filmmakers have been inspired to take up the mantle... and Hollywood has noticed.
In this episode Leslie has a fun conversation with the passionate Writer/Director/Actor about financing an Independent Film, the struggles of being a female Director, the Me Too movement and diversity in Hollywood, navigating the best film festivals and much more...
Jeanne Marie Spicuzza is an award-winning motion picture actress, writer, producer, director, fine artist, author and performer. She is the founder of Seasons & a Muse entertainment conglomerate, and the first studio in Hollywood fully-owned and run by a woman. She is a member of the Alliance of Women Directors, Film Fatales, Cinefemme and the Criterion Collective. She has taught at Grok Acting Studios, About the Work, Cardinal Stritch
College, the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and more. She is a poet in the schools at Occidental College, Santa Monica College and others.
Jeanne Marie began painting at the age of two. She wrote her first poems and plays at age ten, gave birth to her daughter, Stephanie, at seventeen and was published by twenty-three. Shortly after a featured performance at Lollapalooza, she wrote and illustrated her first children’s book, Hope is My Favorite Color, and adapted it for the stage. It was performed at the Betty Brinn Children’s Museum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Jeanne Marie’s films have screened at theatres and festivals worldwide, and are distributed in domestic and international markets. She is listed in Who's Who in the World, and has received awards, placings and nominations with The Pushcart Prize, Shepherd Express, Fade-In Magazine, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the Vatican Division of Arts and Culture and others. Jeanne Marie has served as external consultant for clients like
Toyota Motor Corporation and Wiseau Studio. She was nominated 'Woman of the Year' in 1998 through the National Organization for Women. Audio segments from her screenplay "Breath of God" are at the Elizabeth A. Sackler Center for Feminist Art in the Brooklyn Museum, as part of Judy Chicago’s celebrated installation, “The Dinner Party.” Jeanne Marie is the first and only screenwriter to have been selected for permanent museum exhibition.
Jeanne Marie earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree in philosophy and psychology from the University of WisconsinMilwaukee, with a partially completed Master of Arts Degree from same. She has studied acting and art history in countries like the United States, Italy, United Kingdom, Greece, Germany, Holland and more. Jeanne Marie is published in Poetry Motel, Quill and Parchment, A Gathering of Tribes and others. Having toured several countries,
and winner of various poetry slams, her likeness appears on poet trading cards. Jeanne Marie’s paintings and illustrations may be found in the David Barnett Gallery, Children's Theatre School, Blue Fifth Review and more.
Jeanne Marie shares a deep affinity with medieval visionary, composer and abbess Hildegard von Bingen. She is dedicated to the production of the motion picture project “Breath of God,” based on the life of this amazing historical woman. Her VDKUF award-winning premiere feature film “The Scarapist” is currently in release. “Night Rain” and "Making Angels” are slated to follow. Her debut novel bears the latter title. She lives in Los Angeles.
How do you get Hollywood to pay attention to your Independent short or Feature Film? In this episode Leslie gets the blueprint from successful Publicist/Producer Deborah Gilels. From the Festival Circuit to Packaging a Feature with a major studio, this conversation has it all from two professionals who know the industry.
Deborah Gilels has run a successful PR/Media Consulting company for the past 16 years, assisting writers, filmmakers, and actors with PR and Marketing activities including promoting feature films, shorts and documentaries, by way of public relations, marketing, project development, and distribution strategy, repping documentaries and feature films in the international marketplace.
Among the films she has successfully launched are: Keiko the Untold Story of the Star of Free Willy, the award-winning documentary The War on Kids, and the Chazz Palminteri- Andie MacDowell family drama Mighty Fine for Lionsgate. In the anime space, Gilels ran FYC campaigns for the award-winning features Maquia: When the Promised Flower Blooms and Liz and the Blue Bird (Satellite Award nominee), the short Lacrimosa and documentary The Gilligan Manifesto. She also was the lead publicist on Fathoms release of Hayao Miyazaki’s Lupin the 3rd: The Castle of Cagliostro, the award-winning A Silent Voice, Millennium Actress and Sound! Euphonium. She has also done publicity for anime series Lupin 3rd Part 4 on Adult Swim in May 2017, Lupin the 3rd Part 5, Megalobox on Crunchyroll and Cartoon Network and theatrical release for the feature Penguin Highway. Gilels has also led publicity for the DVD/VOD releases for several titles.
Other recent films include: The World Without You starring Radha Mitchell, PJ Byrne and James Tupper, Hajji starring The Walking Dead’s Ross Marquand, Pooling to Paradise, starring Taryn Manning and Jonathan Lipnicki, Violet is Blue: A Tale of Gibbons and Guardians, Echoes From the Attic, Once is Enough and the LA Emmy winning documentary To Climb a Gold Mountain.
Gilels has successfully promoted films in festivals such as Dances With Films, LA Femme International Film Festival, HollyShorts, Starz, Toronto International Film Festival, Palm Springs International Film Festival, New Filmmakers (LA and NY), St. Louis, UN Film Festival, Heartland, Cannes, and has represented feature films and documentaries in markets such as AFM, Anime Expo, Berlin and MIP-TV.
She executive produced the award-winning documentaries Bearing the Torch: Politics & the Games for ESPN/Hearst Entertainment. Prior to that, as a development executive and producer Gilels collaborators included actors Robert Duvall, Jenna Malone, Jean-Claude Van Damme and Rachel Leigh Cook; writers and directors A. Scott Berg, Michael Hirst, and Paul Verhoeven. Companies and producers such as: Mike Macari, Disney, ESPN, Wind Dancer Films, Lionsgate and New Line Cinema/TV.
She has also held executive positions at Fox, Warner Brothers TV and PFG Entertainment. In that capacity, the films she has worked on as a development executive include: Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead starring Christina Applegate and David Duchovny, Crossing the Mob starring Jason Bateman, Showdown in Little Tokyo starring the late Brandon Lee and Cary- Hiroyuki Tagawa, Penthathlon starring Dolph Lundgren, and A Slight Case of Murder starring William H. Macy.
Gilels has programmed panels for LA Femme International Film Festival, where she is a Board Member, and HollyShorts. She was also a screenplay juror for the LA Greek Film Festival.
How the heck do you get a period piece financed as an Independent Filmmaker? Well Writer/Producer/Casting Director Valerie McCaffrey knows and in this episode she shares her secrets with Leslie in a frank discussion about the creative business of filmmaking. But wait, she's also a Hollywood casting Director? That's right, and a very successful one. Don't miss this episode.
From April 1994-2000, Valerie held the position of Vice President of Feature
Film Casting for New Line/Fine Line Films. During her tenure at New Line/
Fine Line, Ms. McCaffrey cast scores of films, developing strong relationships with all major talent agencies and management firms. Among the many highlights of her career, she cast Edward Norton and Eddie Furlong in New Line Cinema’s AMERICAN HISTORY X which Edward Norton was nominated for an Academy Award. While at Universal Studios, she also cast BABE which garnered James Cromwell an oscar nomination for his performance as the pig farmer produced by George Miller.
She co-directed and co-produced a cancer documentary called “Cancer it’s
in the System”, with Cindy Pruitt. It’s goal was to give a overall education of
the dreaded disease and introduce alternative methods of cure. It stars
Melissa Etheridge and Trish Cyrus. They (McCaffrey and Pruitt) made it
available on you tube so that the public would have access to it without having to pay.
Since 2000, Valerie has cast independently and cast the critically acclaimed
HARD CANDY(she put Ellen Page in her first American film). To date, she
has cast close to 90 films and have worked with the biggest directors in the
film industry. She just finished shooting “Dirty Bomb” a short film which
chronicles a Jewish prisoner who manipulates the manufacturing of the V2
bomb, saving lives, yet sacrificing his own. The short film called “Dirty
Bomb” which shot in Fresno, Clovis and Mt. Pino. It got accepted into The
American Pavilion Emerging Filmmakers Showcase in Cannes, showing on
May 15, 2018 and went on to win various awards.
She also co-wrote ‘Sick” and directed a webisode which chronicles
teenagers in a mental institution. It stars West Duchovny who is David
Duchovny’s and Tea Leoni’s daughter.
Don't do that! In this episode Leslie gets to the straight talk with acclaimed Hollywood agent Rima Greer about what agents will and will not look for from writers who want representation. They also discuss the differences between large agencies and boutique agencies, contract negotiation, the different paths a writer can take in their career and with each project, and much more...
Rima Greer paid her dues at the Writers Guild of America,
William Morris Agency, and Writers & Artists Agency. In 1994,
she started her own company, Above the Line Agency.
Ms. Greer has been involved in over 60 produced films, including
studio projects like HIGHLANDER, BACKDRAFT, JUMANJI,
CHARLIE’S ANGELS, and CONSTANTINE. A devotee of
independent film, she also shepherded projects such as THE
PROPHECY (Christopher Walken), ALEGRIA (Cirque du Soleil),
SLOW BURN (Minnie Driver), HE WAS A QUIET MAN (Christian
Slater and William H. Macy), and THE POKER HOUSE with
writer/director Lori Petty, starring Jennifer Lawrence.
Projects in development include SLINGSHOT at Scott Free,
DOOR WITH TWO ROOMS at Digital Riot, and an untitled
HISTORICAL EPIC with multi-Oscar- nominated producer Mike
Deluca at Lionsgate, and “Moose Murders” at MGM.
Current projects slated for release include three films for “Dolly
Parton Theatre” for Netflix, one of which has just received an
Emmy Nomination, “Backdraft 2” for Universal, award-winning
indie features “Steele Wool” and “With.,” and the upcoming
Netflix release,”Alien Xmas.”
Ms. Greer specializes in the finance and distribution of
independent film, including films from $10 million to micro-budgets of $100,000. Her first book, “The Real, Low-Down DirtyTruth About Hollywood Agenting”, was published by Quill Driver Books.
So you wanna be a storyteller? Would you be surprised to learn that storytelling is selling? In this episode, Leslie talks to Screenwriter/Producer/Director Caytha Jentis about all the things writers don't, but should know about the business of writing. From development of a project to the launch of a very successful web series, this episode is packed with great tidbits for you.
Caytha is a successful independent filmmaker who began making movies while driving carpools in suburban New Jersey. Primarily a writer, she has stage plays and screenplays at various stages of development.
Pooling to Paradise is her most recent film that she wrote and produced and stars: Jonathan Lipnicki, Lynn Chen, Dreama Walker, Jordan Carlos and Taryn Manning. It will be released in the Spring.
Caytha’s other credits include: The Other F Word, a short form comedic series that originally streamed on Amazon Video direct. It was one of their top series four months in a row and now streams on The Girlfriend, AARP Gen X platform who have partnered with her to take out the series as a half hour series. The cast includes: Steve Guttenberg, Judy Gold, Alysia Reiner and Gilbert Gottfried.
Bad Parents, a comedy that she wrote/produced and directed was licensed to Cinedigm and Relatativity Media currently streams on HBO and Starz. The movie had previously streamed on Netflix and made Redbox and iTunes top 20 comedy lists. The cast includes: Janeane Garofalo, Cheri Oteri, Christopher Titus and Kristen Johnston.
And Then Came Love, a romantic comedy feature, was licensed to Warner Brothers, reached net profits and played in heavy tv rotation. It now streams on Amazon. Its cast includes: Vanessa Williams, Eartha Kitt, Anna Camp and Ben Vereen.
Caytha also wrote/directed and produced The One, (2009) a feature film drama distributed by TLA Releasing and wrote the thriller feature film Exposed.
In this episode Leslie talks to Writer/Director Nicole Conn about life as a filmmaker in the LGBTQ community. From breaking barriers to thriving in the new world this is not an episode you'll wanna miss.
More about Nicole:
Nicole has just released her 8th film, More Beauitful for Having Been Broken, which has won over 30 Best Awards from the 2019/20 Festival Circuit. The Advocate calls it “her most personal film yet,” and it’s being released Worldwide through Vision Films.
Conn is also in the process of re-releasing Elena Undone for its 10th Anniversary. Winner of 4 Best Feature Awards, this film also boasts the LONGEST ON SCREEN KISS IN CINEMA HISTORY: This classic romance with a twist became the best selling film of its genre in 2010.
She lives in Los Angeles with her son, Nicholas, who is very special needs and remains medically fragile and was the basis and inspiration for More Beautiful For Having Been Broken, the film in which her daughter, Gabrielle, a theater/education major also makes her film debut. Conn is currently writing Do We Not Bleed, her next feature as well as finalizing her epic tome, Descending Thirds, which is in development as an Episodic Mini-Series.
In this information packed episode Leslie talks with guest Kristen Bedno - VP of Marketing and Distribution for Vision Films, Inc. about everything from how to choose and submit for consideration to the best distributor for your film to how to package your film for an on time and powerful release. If you ever wanted to know how to get your independent film into the hands of a great distributor then this is the episode for you.