Explore every episode of the podcast Best in Fest

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.

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 Essoe
Alexandra 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/