Join professional costume designer Whitney Anne Adams as she interviews fellow costume designers, costume department members and filmmakers from across the industry. Questions for future guests can be submitted at the TFACD Patreon page.
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This week's episode features the wonderful costume designer Bernadette Croft! We first met 15 years ago while working on The Great Gatsby together in Australia and it has been so amazing to follow her career since then. Come listen to us chat about her work and her process as a costume designer.
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*A note that my intro for her in the episode is now *wrong* as she won two more CAFTAD Awards in the time since we recorded!
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If you enjoy the show, please consider helping others find it by writing a five star review on your podcast app of choice.
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If you want to support me and this podcast, please subscribe to the Patreon - we have tiers starting at just $3 and you will get access to extended cuts of every episode with more even more stories.
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Costume Designer Bernadette Croft
Credits include: The Copenhagen Test, Ginny & Georgia, Star Trek: Discovery, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds
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Bernadette Croft is an award winning Costume Designer based in Toronto, Canada. She has recently wrapped on the fifth and final season of the Star Trek Series, Strange New Worlds for Paramount+ as well as Simu Liu's contemporary Sci-Fi thriller "The Copenhagen Test" for Peacock. Bernadette and her Trek team have won 6 CAFCAD Awards for Design, Textile Art and Building. Bernadette describes Costume as a powerful story telling medium and she loves to enhance and inspire any narrative with her contribution to real and imagined world building.
This week's guest is Intimacy Coordinator & Costumer Annie Spong! We had a fantastic discussion all about Intimacy Coordination: the origins, the nuance of the job, the process, the intersection with costumes, intimacy riders, different types of modesty garments, and so much more! Annie also co-hosts a fantastic Intimacy Coordination podcast called Romancing the Screen - check it out through the link below. There's a LOT of great links in the show notes today, so be sure to take a look.
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If you want to support me and this podcast, please subscribe to the Patreon - we have tiers starting at just $3 and you will get access to extended cuts of every episode with more even more stories. If you enjoy the show, please consider helping others find it by writing a five star review on your podcast app of choice.
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Intimacy Coordinator Annie Spong
Credits include: The Patient, Beef, Saint X, Dave, Rebel, Perry Mason
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Annie Spong, MFA (Pratt Institute, NYC), is an Intimacy Coordinator for television, film, and advertising, bringing decades of award-winning experience as a costume designer and wardrobe stylist. Her seamless transition into intimacy coordination is rooted in years of firsthand advocacy for on-set safety and talent support. Often the first to respond to unspoken needs in production, Annie naturally stepped into the role of safeguarding boundaries long before the industry formalized the position.
With a reputation for professionalism, emotional intelligence, and creative problem-solving, Annie collaborates with directors, producers, and performers to choreograph intimate scenes with integrity and care. Her production fluency and deep commitment to consent-forward storytelling make her an invaluable asset on set. She is passionate about cultivating a safe, inclusive, and dynamically creative work environment for all collaborators.
Today's episode features Costume Designer and Fashion Stylist Lisa Smedley-Calderon. We talk about her start in the entertainment industry as a fashion stylist for many musical artists including Whitney Houston, Celine Dion, and Boyz II Men. We dig into how styling and costume design are two very different jobs that sometimes intersect. Lisa shares what it was like when she had to leave the industry for a decade to take care of her ailing parents and how she decided to transition fully into costume design when she returned. She built her experience by working as a buyer, a costumer, and an ACD on a multitude of projects before starting to head her own teams as a costume designer. If you head on over to the Patreon, there's an extended cut of this episode with even more stories. I also release episodes there two days early!
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Costume Designer Lisa Smedley-Calderon
Credits include: Color Book, The Waterboyz, Cinnamon, Karen, The First Noelle, How The Gringo Stole Christmas, The Ice Cream Man
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Lisa Smedley-Calderon, Costume Designer and Fashion Stylist, has built an impressive reputation from styling, creating images for legendary celebrities, to creating characters for commercials, TV series and movies. A native of Cincinnati, Ohio, it was her move to California that propelled a whirlwind of working with some of the greatest artists in the entertainment industry. Lisa became known for cultivating styles unique to each clients' personality while adding a hint of her own quirks. Her acute attention to detail marks her signature touch.
While completing her studies in Fashion Merchandising, Lisa became a fashion consultant for Saks Fifth Avenue in Beverly Hills. While at Saks Fifth, she was referred to the Crystal Agency and began assistant styling and later styling independently as one of the most sought after fashion stylists and is presently working in movies and TV series. Lisa has styled for artists such as Whitney Houston, Celine Dion, Bobby Brown, Boyz II Men, and Color Me Badd, as well as award shows such as the Grammy's, American Music Awards, Billboard and MTV Awards. Lisa has evolved in her career as a costume designer on movies and TV series with A-List celebrities. Now with over 20 years of experience in the film and TV industry, Lisa continues to have the same drive and passion she did 20 years ago. When not on a project, Lisa likes to read, travel, and spend time with family.
MICHELLE A. GREEN - Costume Designer
Friday, August 30, 2024 • Duration 01:37:19
Today's episode features the Costume Designer Michelle A. Green. We first met through our advocacy work as members of Costume Designers Guild Pay Equity Committee. We cover many topics including the joy of finding the character in the fitting room, the importance of safety, staying true to yourself, as well as making sure our actors in period projects have those trousers pulled up fully to their actual waists! If you head on over to the Patreon, there's an extended cut of this episode with eight more minutes of stories.
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Costume Designer Michelle Green
Credits include: Queen Sugar, 13 Reasons Why, Son of the South, Valor, Parish
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Michelle Green is a costume designer who has worked on numerous productions with Netflix, Starz, AMC, and WB. Michelle's work is synonymous with great storytelling. A true artist at heart, Michelle approaches each project with unwavering dedication and a keen eye for detail. Her hands-on approach ensures that every costume not only complements the character but also elevates the storytelling experience. From meticulously selecting fabrics to crafting bespoke designs, Michelle's commitment to excellence shines through in every stitch.
ROBERT STADD - Visual Effects Supervisor & VFX Producer
Friday, August 16, 2024 • Duration 01:16:10
Hello everyone! Today's episode features the Visual Effects Supervisor and Visual Effects Producer Robert Stadd. I was fortunate enough to collaborate with Robert on our Netflix film We Have A Ghost. We get into some fascinating discussions about his work in VFX including the intersection of VFX and Costumes (especially on We Have A Ghost!) as well as covering his extensive film career, and the reasons he turned down Titanic and The Matrix! Also tune in to hear about working on the miniatures for The Crow & Crimson Tide as well how he made a monkey look like he's smoking for The Hangover. If you head on over to the Patreon, there's an extended version of the episode with more tales, like working with Michael Mann, designing his favorite shot from Miami Vice and how some Navy Seals accidentally had their hair turn green on Crimson Tide.
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VFX Supervisor & VFX Producer Robert Stadd
Credits include: War Dogs, The Hangover Part 2 & Part 3, The Laundromat, Ali, Collateral, Miami Vice, and Public Enemies
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Robert Stadd has supervised and produced the visual effects for We Have a Ghost, A Babysitter's Guide to Monster Hunting, The Laundromat, Mortal Engines, War Dogs, Hangover Part 2 and Part 3, Public Enemies, Miami Vice, Redline, Collateral, Ali, as well as producing the VFX for Nutty Professor (I & II), Galaxy Quest, Liar Liar, Mighty Joe Young, My Fellow Americans, The Crow, Crimson Tide, The Mask, Hot Shots!, Defending Your Life
Stadd directed Alien Siege for the Sy-Fi Channel, which had their highest viewership in five years when it played. He has directed theater at the Off Main Street theater in Santa Monica as well as the Globe Playhouse in West Hollywood. His webisode, The Ballad of Mary and Ernie has won multiple streaming awards.
Hello everyone, hope you are all having a wonderful summer so far. It has been such busy and overwhelming year for me, so I unfortunately haven't been able to get a new episode out til now despite my best efforts. Still a one-woman operation over here! Thrilled to be releasing this fantastic conversation with my dear friend and colleague, the phenomenal Costume Designer Daniel Selon. In addition to being a CD, he has also worked extensively as an Assistant Costume Designer and other roles in the costume department. We discuss so many things, including how we break down a script, the way we build our teams, the way we build our teams, the importance of ACDs, the unusual places inspiration can strike, working in the Marvel universe, and of course CDG Pay Equity as we are one half of the Steering Committee of the CDG Pay Equity Committee.
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Costume Designer & Assistant Costume Designer Daniel Selon
CD Credits include: Agatha All Along, Dave Made a Maze, numerous projects with comedians Rhett and Link including Good Mythical Morning
ACD Credits include: WandaVision (he's an Emmy winner!), Thor: Love and Thunder, Blue Beetle, Dr. Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
This week's episode features the imaginative and talented Costume Designer Vera Chow! We had so much fun talking about how we first met, the difference between working in NYC and then working outside of NYC, AAPI representation in filmed media, dealing with tough situations on set, and so much more! I really hope you enjoy this one.
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Costume Designer Vera Chow
Credits include: The Brothers Sun | The Walking Dead | Boogie | Deadbeat
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Vera Chow is a costume designer currently most known for her work on Seasons 10 and 11 of AMC's The Walking Dead and Netflix's action/dramedy The Brothers Sun, starring Academy Award winner Michelle Yeoh.
Film, Art and Design, was young Vera's coping mechanism for bullying while growing up as a child in Hong Kong. Therefore, determined to move to the US, she knew she wanted to be a Costume Designer since she was 13. Throughout the 15+ years of her career, Chow has worked on films and series worldwide, spanning from North America, South America, to as far as East Asia and Central Asia. She has covered genres from horror to scifi to romantic comedies, comfortably leaping back and forth from 1 million art films to 100 mill epics.
Vera is known for her penchant to acquire anything from thrift store pieces to bedsheets, and taking everything apart and rebuilding them into entirely reimagined costume changes (to the chagrin of her tailors and agers).
And as Vera's experience grew, she also became an outspoken advocate for AAPI representation for below the line film workers.
I am so excited to welcome wonderful Production Designer Cheyenne Ford to the show today. We've worked together on multiple projects including Story Ave, The Caretaker, and The Eyes of My Mother. Cheyenne is also the founder and program director of Art Craft NYC, a program that provides knowledge and training to those interested in becoming entry level in the art department. Applications for the inaugural class are currently open until Saturday April 6th. Head over to their page to get more info!
We had a great conversation that covered so much ground, from mentorship and education to her design process to how much we love the library! And so much more.
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Production Designer Cheyenne Ford
Credits include: Shiva Baby | Story Ave | Miller's Girl
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Originally hailing from New Orleans, Cheyenne Ford is a New York City based Production Designer for film and advertising. Her eclectic art dept experience has influenced her process on indie favorites like Shiva Baby, the SXSW 2023 World Premiering Story Ave, and Lionsgate and Point Grey produced Miller's Girl starring Jenna Ortega and Martin Freeman. When she's not on set, she's often working with various organizations to educate and mentor newcomers interested in the art department. Most notably, she is set to launch Art Craft NYC, a month-long hands-on training program, with the inaugural class scheduled for Summer 2024.
Today's episode features a fantastic Costumer, Alesha D. Mitchell! Alesha and I met when she was my key/truck costumer on our film The Supremes at Earl's All-You-Can-Eat. We had a great conversation of wide ranging topics from physically demanding days on set, taking care of ourselves in this industry, money smarts, the difference between and Costumer and a Costume Designer and so much more. We also talked about her YourTube channel: Behind the Scenes and Below the Line. Check out the links below to learn more.
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If you want to support me and this podcast, feel free to buy me a coffee on ko-fi or subscribe to the Patreon and get the episodes two days earlier. These links and the link to the show on all your favorite podcast players is in our IG bio.
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Costumer Alesha D. Mitchell
Credits include: The Underground Railroad | Father of the Bride | Legacies | Collection | The Devil all the Time | The Fanatic
As well as the upcoming films Shirley | Gladiator 2 | The Life of Chuck | The Supremes at Earl's All-You-Can-Eat
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Alesha Mitchell is just here to serve the people! Alesha is a union member with nearly a decade of experience in the film and television industry.
Today's episode features the brilliant and talented Costume Designer Trayce Gigi Field! We talk about so many wonderful things from her roots at Western Costume to the difference in process between television and film. Other great topics include the value of costume design, the #creditcostumedesigners campaign, working with and highlighting diverse brands, the importance of the collaborations with costume illustrators, actors and directors, and the danger of AI. Trayce is also the co-chair of the CDG Diversity Committee and serves with me in the CDG Pay Equity Committee and we got to dig into the importance and impact and the work of both. — Costume Designer Trayce Gigi Field is known for her vibrant tastes in color and her quirky yet fun choices in style and texture. With over 30 credits to her name, her multicultural background helps her see the world from a broad perspective. | Currently, Trayce is costume designing Liz Feldman's No Good Deed for Netflix. In addition to Rian Johnson's POKER FACE for Peacock, her recent credits include BOOKIE on MAX, Amazon's A LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN, Apple TV+'s THE AFTER PARTY and Netflix's DEAD TO ME. In 2024, Trayce was a double nominee for the Costume Designers Guild Awards for POKER FACE and for Jack Harlow's Super Bowl Doritos Commercial, in 2023, Trayce was nominated for a NAACP Image Award for A LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN and in 2021, she was nominated for a Costume Designers Guild Award for LIONSGATE'S BARB AND STAR GO TO VISTA DEL MAR. She received acclaim early in her career for her iconic diner uniforms showcased on CBS's 2 BROKE GIRLS. A native of Los Angeles, Trayce graduated from the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising (FIDM). CDG Diversity Committee Chairperson | NAACP Image Awards Nomination Committee Member | CDG Comic-Con Committee Member --- Trayce Gigi Field Links: Website: traycegigifield.comInstagram: @traycegigifield TikTok: @traycegigi --- TFACD Links: Patreon: Tales From A Costume Designer Instagram: @talesfromacostumedesigner --- Whitney Anne Adams Links: --- Pay Equity Links:
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