MAKE IT is the film podcast that provides a behind-the-scenes look at the filmmaking process. We dive into indie gems, massive blockbusters, cinema history, and everything in between. If you love movies and want more than polite chit-chat, this is your spot.
Stay Inspired, Chris + Nick
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447 - What Money Can’t Fix on a Film Set, Why People Need People, and Creative Sets, AI, and Staying Weird - Nichole Marie Lim
Friday, October 2, 2026 • Duration 01:54:54
This episode is brought to you by MAKE IT Academy. Get access to 200+ courses today at https://themakeitpodcast.com/pages/academy and use code: ACADEMY50 for 50% off the Academy for a year!
Hello, Hello!
In this episode, we speak with Nashville filmmaker Nicole Marie Lim about building a career across makeup, writing, producing, and directing. Nicole explains how supportive relationships, practical set skills, and respectful leadership shape better creative work. The conversation also examines AI, vertical video, mid-budget filmmaking, actor chemistry, and what it means to make it without losing the joy of creating.
We also talk about:
How makeup artists can prepare for their first professional set.
Why continuity, schedules, and department-specific language matter.
The limits of glamour, fame, and money in filmmaking.
Why directors should trust department heads and communicate according to individual needs.
How chemistry reads can reveal unexpected casting choices.
We are humbled to have a community of creatives who care deeply about our work. And your support makes our work possible. Every subscriber, rating, and review matters.
So, if you like what we're doing, please consider subscribing, rating, or giving us a review. Cheers, and best of luck on your filmmaking journey. #MAKEIT
SUMMARIES - Keith McDaniel - How he made "The Clinton 12," Cast James Earl Jones, and Why Local Beats Bigger
Tuesday, September 29, 2026 • Duration 21:01
We are humbled to have a community of creatives who care deeply about our work. And your support makes our work possible. Every subscriber, rating, and review matters.
So, if you like what we're doing, please consider subscribing, rating, or giving us a review. Cheers, and best of luck on your filmmaking journey. #MAKEIT
In this episode, AI Hosts Alex Ivey and Allison Inverness examine Keith McDaniel’s path from singer, designer, and scriptwriter to documentary filmmaker and community leader. They explore how he learned filmmaking without formal training, documented complex Tennessee history, and built a sustainable local film festival. The conversation also connects creative independence with health, discipline, and the possibility that starting late can mean starting prepared.
We also talk about:
How a poor first documentary can still reveal the right creative medium.
Why interviewing original Oakridgers preserved primary historical testimony.
How James Earl Jones added credibility and distribution power to The Clinton 12.
Why Keith treated 40 film festivals as research laboratories rather than applause tours.
How the seven-day shootout created audience ownership through participation.
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446 - Isabel Hagen on Making 'On a String', Winning Tribeca, Cancel Culture, and Surviving Stand‑Up
Friday, September 18, 2026 • Duration 01:34:04
This episode is brought to you by Anthropic. Claude is the AI for minds that don’t stop at good enough—it's the collaborator that actually understands your entire workflow and thinks WITH you, not for you. Ready to tackle bigger problems? Sign up for Claude Pro when you use our link – www.claude.ai/makeit
In this episode, Isabel Hagen joins us to discuss her work as a comedian, filmmaker, and classically trained violist. She explains how her freelance music career inspired the feature film On a String, which premiered at Tribeca and won Best Screenplay in the U.S. Narrative Competition. The conversation also explores comedy in the age of clips, creative persistence, protecting real people in fiction, film criticism, artistic identity, and what it means to make it.
We also talk about:
Turning experiences from weddings, funerals, and private music gigs into heightened comedic characters and situations.
Why live comedy benefits from audiences putting their phones away while performers test unfinished material.
Isabel’s process for becoming a stronger comedian through open mics, recordings, repeated performance, and daily review.
The creative lessons she draws from Paul Thomas Anderson, including the scale of One Battle After Another and the score of Phantom Thread.
How nostalgia, streaming overload, and the paradox of choice influence how audiences rewatch their favorite movies.
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Film Brief - Who Is Stan Smith? - The Man Behind the Three Stripes
Wednesday, September 16, 2026 • Duration 11:58
WHAT IS FILM BRIEF?
Blending journalism with artistry, Film Brief transforms film analysis into an engaging and informative listening experience. The goal is to reveal what makes each movie or series resonate—on screen and behind the scenes. For listeners, it’s not just a review; it’s an exploration of the art of filmmaking.
BRIEF:
In this episode, Nick reviews Who Is Stan Smith?, Danny Lee’s documentary about the tennis champion whose name became attached to one of the world’s most recognizable sneakers. The film moves from athletic achievement and fashion history to Stan Smith’s friendship with Arthur Ashe, humanitarian work, and commitment to players’ rights. The conversation ultimately asks what kind of signature each person leaves behind when fame and branding are stripped away.
TAKEAWAYS:
Smith’s rise from Southern California and USC tennis to former world number one.
His 1971 U.S. Open victory, 1972 Wimbledon victory, five U.S. Open titles across singles and doubles, and eight championship Davis Cup teams.
The open era of professional tennis and the movement for greater player control.
Smith’s 1973 Wimbledon boycott after Nikola Pilic was suspended.
The sneaker’s adoption by musicians, artists, designers, and fashion communities.
SUMMARIES - Alexis Gambis - CRISPR, Cinema, and Identity—The Human Story of Science
Tuesday, September 15, 2026 • Duration 20:26
We are humbled to have a community of creatives who care deeply about our work. And your support makes our work possible. Every subscriber, rating, and review matters.
So, if you like what we're doing, please consider subscribing, rating, or giving us a review. Cheers, and best of luck on your filmmaking journey. #MAKEIT
In this episode, AI Hosts Alex Ivey and Allison Inverness dive deep into the world of filmmaker and Scientist, Alexis Gambis. He explains how a background in molecular biology can serve as a foundation for filmmaking rather than be an abandoned career. The conversation explores the Science New Wave, a movement that combines rigorous science with emotional storytelling, culture, and personal identity. It also examines CRISPR, de-extinction, creative practice, and the infrastructure needed to bring hybrid science films to audiences.
We also talk about:
The patience and observation skills Gambis developed while studying fruit flies.
His father’s shift from engineering to painting and the role of family history in his films.
The resistance Gambis encountered from both biology and film communities.
Spike Lee’s mentorship and the fruit-fly drawing displayed beside a photo of Patrick Ewing.
The Symbiosis initiative’s one-week collaborations between scientists and filmmakers.
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In this episode, we dive deep into the cultural and philosophical battle between physical ownership and the digital future, using Sony's elimination of physical game discs and Xbox's pro-physical media stance as a launching point for a wide-ranging conversation about what we lose when we lose the tangible things we love. We pay heartfelt tribute to recently lost icons — including Dolly Parton, Tim Curry, Peter Cullen, Hayden Panettiere, and Michael Wright — reflecting on how physical artifacts, authentic storytelling, and genuine human connection define lasting legacies. We also cover upcoming film releases, fall film festival Oscar buzz, the Nashville Film Festival, and celebrate our milestone of 300K YouTube subscribers.
We also talk about:
The generational nostalgia crisis — what happens when the next generation's cultural touchstones are memes instead of physical media, Saturday morning cartoons, or vinyl records, and why that loss of human connection to art matters
The University of Michigan's decision to eliminate grades in response to students using AI to complete coursework for them, and what that means for the future of education and creativity
The Tennessee Titans' underwhelming $10,000 charity gesture for former star Chris Johnson (CJ2K), who was diagnosed with ALS, contrasted with Dolly Parton's 330-million-book donation legacy and what "real" philanthropy looks like
The upcoming Netflix reboot of A Different World, why Kadeem Hardison's involvement gives fans hope, and what the show must get right to honor the original's legacy of hope, pride, and HBCU culture
The "infoist" philosophy described in Yuval Noah Harari's and how it explains why tech companies are relentlessly pushing toward a fully digital, ownership-free world
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SUMMARIES - Jeffrey Pittle - Why Art Is Never Finished, The Secret Lost Chaka Khan Video, and How Serving the Work Builds a Lasting Creative Legacy
Tuesday, September 1, 2026 • Duration 23:55
We are humbled to have a community of creatives who care deeply about our work. And your support makes our work possible. Every subscriber, rating, and review matters.
So, if you like what we're doing, please consider subscribing, rating, or giving us a review. Cheers, and best of luck on your filmmaking journey. #MAKEIT
In this episode, AI Hosts Alex Ivey and Allison Inverness dive deep into the remarkable career of Jeffrey Pittle, a senior creative director, animator, and self-described "agent of transformation" who has spent over two decades working with industry giants like Disney, Universal, Warner Bros., and Nickelodeon. Drawing from the original MAKE IT interview, they unpack the audacious, humble, and often painful journey of a creative professional who built a unicorn skill set by refusing to stay in any single lane. From knocking on a comic legend's front door as a teenager to producing an Oscar-nominated Holocaust animated short, Jeff's story is a masterclass in surviving — and thriving — in the unpredictable business of creativity.
We also talk about:
How Jeffrey's childhood obsession with '70s Disney films, Jim Henson's Muppets, and the original Star Wars at a drive-in theater planted the seeds of his creative identity and gave him the cognitive leap to realize that making art was an actual, payable profession
The critical balance between audacity and humility in a creative career — why having the ego to knock on a legend's door means nothing without the willingness to sit in a freezing car all night just to hold a parking spot for a film crane
The dangers of tying your creative work to a proprietary tech platform, illustrated by the heartbreaking story of a technically stunning Chaka Khan music video that was locked away forever when the startup behind it went bankrupt
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444 - Oscar Boyson on Directing Our Hero, Balthazar, Working with The Neistat Brothers, Empathy Machines vs. Validation Machines, and Failing in Public
Friday, August 21, 2026 • Duration 01:23:16
This episode is brought to you by Anthropic. Claude is the AI for minds that don’t stop at good enough—it's the collaborator that actually understands your entire workflow and thinks WITH you, not for you. Ready to tackle bigger problems? Sign up for Claude Pro when you use our link – www.claude.ai/makeit
In this episode, Chris & Papa Bear sit down with filmmaker Oscar Boyson to discuss his directorial debut, Our Hero, Balthazar, a provocative and critically talked-about indie film that has been called the most controversial movie of the year. Oscar shares how his unconventional path — from competitive freestyle skier in Maine to Craigslist hire at the Neistat Brothers' studio — shaped him into the filmmaker he is today. The conversation spans filmmaking craft, the dangers of AI dependency, the power of perseverance over ideas, and what it truly means to get an independent film in front of audiences.
We also talk about:
The thematic parallels between Our Hero, Balthazar, and the 1995 indie classic Kids, including how both films straddle the line between being cautionary tales for parents and romanticized adventures for younger viewers
The growing role of AI tools like ChatGPT in everyday decision-making, and whether over-reliance on AI is creating a generation that can no longer think or fail independently — including the concept of "Gellman Amnesia" as a lens for understanding AI's credibility problem
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Mistakes In The Making - The Creative Pivot That Made Barbie a Billion-Dollar Film
Wednesday, August 19, 2026 • Duration 14:01
Hello, Hello!
In this episode, Kevin Goetz, Hollywood's leading audience research expert and founder of Screen Engine, shares one of his most humbling professional mistakes — advising Mattel's entertainment team to walk away from the Barbie movie project before it became a global cultural phenomenon. Kevin reflects on how he misread early research data that showed limited audience interest in a Barbie film, and how a visionary filmmaker, a bold creative pivot, and a brilliant marketing strategy transformed a seemingly doomed IP into one of the highest-grossing films in history. This conversation is a masterclass in intellectual humility, the limits of data, and the power of creative conviction.
We also talk about:
How Kevin's proprietary "capability testing technique" works — measuring awareness, interest, intensity, and format preference — and why even well-executed research has its limits when creative transformation hasn't yet occurred
The behind-the-scenes story of how Greta Gerwig pitched her vision for Barbie in a New York brownstone, describing the film as existing "somewhere between a stiletto and a Birkenstock," and how that single creative framing changed everything
Why two previous Barbie film attempts — one with Anne Hathaway and one with Amy Schumer — never made it to production, and what pattern Kevin saw that made him skeptical a third attempt would succeed
How Barbie's marketing team turned the color pink into a full visual language and cultural movement, driving audiences to theaters dressed in Pepto-Bismol pink and making the film a genuine zeitgeist moment
How this pivotal mistake reshaped Kevin's approach to advising clients, leading him to offer a new kind of hope to filmmakers and studios working with IP or projects that appear to have limited audience potential on paper
SUMMARIES - Nathaniel Nuon's Unconventional Philosophy on Filmmaking Tech (The Uber Analogy and the Viagra Principle)
Tuesday, August 18, 2026 • Duration 20:03
Hello, Hello!
In this episode, AI Hosts Alex Ivey and Allison Inverness dive deep into the extraordinary life and career of Nathaniel Nuon, a Cambodian refugee-turned Emmy-winning filmmaker who transformed personal and financial limitations into groundbreaking creative work. They explore how a childhood spent watching a broken, silent television set trained Nathaniel's brain to become a master storyteller, and how that same constraint-driven mindset led him to make an Emmy-winning short film about one of history's most overlooked genocides. From designing a feature film specifically for visually impaired audiences to using a cheap VR gaming puck to replicate Hollywood-grade camera tracking, Nathaniel's story is a masterclass in turning obstacles into innovation.
We also talk about:
How Nathaniel's Cambodian refugee background and his family's adoption of American names shaped his identity and creative drive
The psychological science behind why cognitive constraints — like missing audio — can actually hardwire the brain to become a more powerful problem-solving storyteller
The concept of inclusive design in filmmaking and how designing for marginalized audiences (such as the visually impaired) can unintentionally produce a richer, more atmospheric experience for all audiences
The culture and output of Full Sail University as a 24/7 creative incubator, and how its high-pressure environment produced 140 graduates who worked on Oscar-nominated films in a single year
A forward-looking philosophical question about the future of filmmaking: as AI, LED walls, and game engines make visual perfection cheap and ubiquitous, will audiences eventually crave the imperfection of practical, physical effects just to feel something authentically human?
People, Places, Products, and References Mentioned:
We are humbled to have a community of creatives who care deeply about our work. And your support makes our work possible. Every subscriber, rating, and review matters.
So, if you like what we're doing, please consider subscribing, rating, or giving us a review. Cheers, and best of luck on your filmmaking journey. #MAKEIT
We are humbled to have a community of creatives who care deeply about our work. And your support makes our work possible. Every subscriber, rating, and review matters. So, if you like what we're doing, please consider subscribing, rating us, or leaving us a review. Cheers, and best of luck on your filmmaking journey. #MAKEIT
We are humbled to have a community of creatives who care deeply about our work. And your support makes our work possible. Every subscriber, rating, and review matters.
So, if you like what we're doing, please consider subscribing, rating, or giving us a review. Cheers, and best of luck on your filmmaking journey. #MAKEIT
Jeffrey's sharp critique of modern art schools, which excel at teaching technical craft but consistently fail to equip young creatives with the business skills — invoicing, taxes, pricing their time — needed to survive as professionals
The philosophical paradox that closes the episode: if a masterpiece is created but legally sealed away from the public forever, does it still have value — or does the true worth of creativity lie entirely in how the process of making it transforms the artist?
People, Places, Products, and References Mentioned:
The social media "validation machine" phenomenon, how algorithms reinforce existing beliefs and behaviors, and what that means for youth culture, mental health, and even real-world violence
The importance of perseverance over ideas in the creative process, drawing on Casey Neistat's famous motto — "Ideas are common, perseverance is rare" — and how Oscar applied that philosophy to his own career and filmmaking journey
The practical and ethical considerations of using firearms and blank-firing weapons on an indie film set in the post-Rust era, including the critical role of a professional armorer and the creative reasoning behind using blanks for actor authenticity
“Ideas are common, perseverance is rare” — Casey Neistat motto
“Movies are empathy machines” — Roger Ebert
We are humbled to have a community of creatives who care deeply about our work. And your support makes our work possible. Every subscriber, rating, and review matters.
So, if you like what we're doing, please consider subscribing, rating, or giving us a review. Cheers, and best of luck on your filmmaking journey. #MAKEIT
We are humbled to have a community of creatives who care deeply about our work. And your support makes our work possible. Every subscriber, rating, and review matters.
So, if you like what we're doing, please consider subscribing, rating, or giving us a review. Cheers, and best of luck on your filmmaking journey. #MAKEIT
*This was actually a US Air Force operation, not a CIA operation — Strategic Air Command B-52 strikes authorized by Nixon and Kissinger (1969–70), kept secret from Congress. The CIA did run separate covert programs in Cambodia, including training Cambodian irregulars, which is the premise Residue actually dramatizes.
We are humbled to have a community of creatives who care deeply about our work. And your support makes our work possible. Every subscriber, rating, and review matters.
So, if you like what we're doing, please consider subscribing, rating, or giving us a review. Cheers, and best of luck on your filmmaking journey. #MAKEIT
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