Angle on Producers with Carolina Groppa – Details, episodes & analysis

As 2024 comes to a close, we couldn’t end the year without one final episode drop. This one is especially fitting for New Year’s Eve, as today’s guest is none other than Alexandra Loewy, EP of Coralie Fargeat’s critically acclaimed film, “The Substance.”

No spoilers, but NYE plays a special role in the third act!

Ali began as an assistant at Miramax and eventually worked her way up to President of US film operations at Working Title before pursuing her current endeavor of independent producing.

"The Substance" was one of my favorite films this year. I couldn’t imagine a better way to close out the year than with a fellow badass who also happen to have a son named Theo.

Join us as we discuss the evolving definition of a producer's role in Hollywood, the power of women in their 40s, and how the making of this film changed Ali’s life. Wishing you all a wonderful start to 2025!

Xx

CG

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**This episode is brought to you by ICEX-Invest in Spain**

Sara Spring is an incredible producer and former studio executive with a penchant for Luther Vandross. 

Some may call her an international woman of mystery as she has shot all over the world in places like Spain, France, Italy, England, Ireland, Jordan, Morocco, Greenland, South Korea, and Tahiti. Her uniquely holistic approach to production is a result of working for studios, production companies and as a freelance producer for 20+ years.

Most recently, Sara was NWEP on Netfilx series Warrior Nun which shot in Spain and produced the sixth season of Seal Team for CBS/Paramount+.

During her 17 year tenure at Paramount, she oversaw The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Tin Tin, Flight, True Grit, Anchorman and Mean Girls. 

She eventually took a big leap leaving Paramount for Sony Pictures where she was an executive VP of Feature Films, overseeing films like Ang Lee's Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk and Queen and Slim.

These days, Sara is develops and consults. She is also an adjunct professor for UCLA's graduate film program.

Join us we dive into the benefits and inherent challenges of shooting overseas, her $1 million dollar mistake, and why she dreaded becoming a studio executive.

We often talk about how the path is not linear, and today’s guest reminds us to stop and smell the roses on the way to wherever we are headed!

The lovely Tara Miele is a filmmaker originally from Long Island. Her widely acclaimed film, WANDER DARKLY, starring Sienna Miller and Diego Luna, premiered in competition at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival and was distributed by Lionsgate. Currently, Tara is writing and is attached to direct a Carol Burnett biopic that Tina Fey is producing.

Most recently, Tara directed two episodes of LESSONS IN CHEMISTRY, one of my fav shows of last year, for which she was nominated for a DGA award!  She is also well known for her 2016 viral video, MEET A MUSLIM, which she created to combat Islamophobia and has garnered 45 million views.

Tara is a Co-Chair of the Women's Steering Committee at the Directors Guild of America, where she helped launch the DGA's first peer-to-peer mentorship program for women, The WSC Squad. 

I’ve been eager to open up the aperture and invite other accomplished professionals onto the show so we can hear from them, “What makes an exceptional producer?”

In this episode, we dive into her unique path, producer red flags, and how she’s been able to balance her impressive body of work with her most rewarding job thus far - being a mother.

This week, host Carolina Groppa and Associate Producer Sarah Bockian dive into the fun world of short film financing, budgeting and producing. Hot tips! Do's and Don'ts! And why production insurance is #sexy.

Tune in!

This week, host Carolina Groppa and Associate Producer Sarah Bockian debate Reese Witherspoon's controversial comments on AI, and "Airhead", a short made using Sora that still required many humans.

nofilmschool.com/sora-ai-filmmaker-interview

youtube.com/watch?v=NXpdyAWLDas&ab_channel=MarquesBrownlee

Thrilled to share this inspiring and electric convo with Dr. Rachel Raimist. Rachel is an episodic television director and college professor who’s recently directed episodes of the family fantasy THE SPIDERWICK CHRONICLES (Disney+), the musical UP HERE (Hulu) and the soapy drama SEX/LIFE (Netflix). She has also directed beloved episodes of THE SEX LIVES OF COLLEGE GIRLS (HBO Max), WU-TANG: AN AMERICAN SAGA (Hulu), FANTASY ISLAND (Fox), and DIARY OF A FUTURE PRESIDENT (Disney+).

We are opening up the aperture and hearing from other disciplines on what they think makes an exceptional producer, so tune in!

Her journey is a masterclass in rolling with the punches…and her resilience is inspiring to say the least. She’s one of those people you can talk to for hours and never run out of things to say. I hope you enjoy and get as much out of our conversation as I did.

Takeaways!

• The importance of a supportive community

• So much of the directing process happens before you set foot on set

• The environment you foster on set is just as important as your talent and skill

This week, host Carolina Groppa answers listener questions! Tune in as we breakdown:

• How to set up contracts with directors for short films and not get pushed out of projects
• How to networking intentionally and effectively
• Pros and cons of the indie vs assistant route to producing

SAY HI

instagram.com/carolinagroppa

instagram.com/angleonproducers

tiktok.com/@carolina_groppa

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We are trying something a little different for the next two months and will be bringing you weekly minisodes to compliment the monthy guest drops.

This week, host Carolina Groppa and Associate Producer Sarah Bockian celebrate Women's History Month, Carolina takes us behind the scenes of her panel discussion with Melinda Gates and we explore how AI could empower women and people of color.

Delighted to share this very special episode with the incredible lady that is Judalina Neira. I’ve been lucky to call her a friend for many years. We met during the early days of our LA journey and now she’s a very impressive Emmy nominated writer/producer known for her work on critically acclaimed shows THE BOYS, DAISY JONES AND THE SIX and THE FLASH.

She is currently bringing BEWITCHED back to life on our TV screens in the not-too-distant future.

Judalina is also a proud alum of the ABC/NBC/National Hispanic Media Coalition’s TV Writing Program, NBC’s Writers on the Verge and the WGA Showrunner Training Program. Judalina is a Governor Emeritus for The Television Academy's Writers Peer Group.

One of the things I love most about her is how she continues to give back…case in point, she is also the co-founder of La Lista - a Latina TV Writers’ brunch broup in LA.

Xoxo cg

SAY HI

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We are trying something a little different for the next two months and will be bringing you weekly minisodes to compliment the monthy guest drops.

This week, host Carolina Groppa and Associate Producer Sarah Bockian dive into the Oscars, the RUST verdict, and whether Hollywood is still in a steady decline or simply at the end of Act II.

Articles Referenced:

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/01/opinion/oscars-hollywood-extinction-event.html

https://deadline.com/2024/03/rust-movie-armorer-guilty-shooting-death-1235847983

LISTEN HERE

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SAY HI

instagram.com/carolinagroppa

instagram.com/angleonproducers

tiktok.com/@carolina_groppa 

SUBSCRIBE TO MY NEWSLETTER!

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