This week, I sat down with indie film producer Arsalan Asli. He is a friend. As a fellow film lover. As one of my producing partners. He is a true mentor and source of inspiration to me and anyone lucky enough to collaborate with him. Arsalan Asli was born in Iran and raised in Canada and the US. He began his career in investment banking and real estate development through his family’s business in the Middle East. With cinema, art and theatrics as his spiritual compass and lifelong passion, Arsa...
Sep 01, 2020•55 min•Season 1Ep. 43
Eli Ash loves things that most people hate: spreadsheets, organization, planning, and budgeting. As Head of Production at Mustache Agency, she is tasked with the tremendous responsibility of juggling multiple projects and managing various production and post teams daily. Eli came into my world when I was hired to produce a commercial for Secrets Resort & Spa in the Dominican Republic last summer. Long time listeners of the pod will hopefully remember me yapping about it. It was one of the fu...
Aug 25, 2020•56 min•Season 1Ep. 42
Michelle Purple is a classic movie lover who also happens to own a production company with her close friend, Jessica Biel. They met on the set of STEALTH and became fast friends, bonding over watching films in Jessica’s trailer. When Jessica poked her to start a production company together, Michelle was hesitant. She was nervous to work with her friend and running an actor based company. She eventually said yes. Twelve years later, Iron Ocean Productions is a thriving production company that enh...
Aug 10, 2020•54 min•Season 1Ep. 41
Jesse Baker is an award-winning journalist and producer who most recently led a large team of creative makers as Audible’s vice president of original content. At Audible, she produced and developed a number of the company’s most successful original series, including West Cork and three seasons of Esther Perel’s Where Should We Begin ? As a huge fan of the iconic couples therapist Esther Perel, I was curious to learn what it’s like to create such an intimate podcast. I tried to kept my fangirling...
Aug 05, 2020•51 min•Season 1Ep. 40
“I firmly believe that you can’t fail if you never quit. I wholeheartedly subscribe to that.” - Jermaine Johnson Jermaine Johnson is a manager and producer at the Beverly Hills-based 3 Arts Entertainment. A fellow scorpio, he is and has always been unapologetically himself. I would know since we met during the early days of our LA journey. Originally from New Jersey, he moved to Los Angeles for the weather, but stayed for the film industry. He graduated from Rutgers and has spent the last ten ye...
Jul 29, 2020•57 min•Season 1Ep. 39
Samantha Housman dreamed of making John Hughes type of films for her generation. That wish took her on a journey west to Los Angeles when she was 16 years old. She came solo and without knowing a single soul in the business. The City of Angels quickly became her playground and it was by juggling a job a record store and playing the drums that she found her in to the business. When a golden opportunity to be a drummer in commercials came knocking, she answered. The set experience exposed her to p...
Jul 21, 2020•59 min•Season 1Ep. 38
Dan Seaver is the Executive Director and a co-founder of ManifestWorks. After a career in journalism and government, Dan spent a decade as a youth advocate while volunteering with kids incarcerated in Los Angeles County. ManifestWorks is a response to that experience, a solution to the problem of system-impacted people blocked from their potential. ManifestWorks is an incredible immersive program that connects those impacted by foster care, homelessness and incarceration with job opportunities i...
Jul 08, 2020•50 min•Season 1Ep. 37
Rishi Rajani is a voracious book reader and creator of protest art. He is President of Film/TV at Hillman Grad Productions , Lena Waithe’s production company. Born in London and raised in Upstate NY and Portland, Oregon, Rishi discovered his love for producing while studying at NYU. He got his start as an intern at 20th Century Fox's book to film division. Realizing that he needed to be in LA to actually become a producer, he packed up and landed in the mailroom at UTA. He admits that while the ...
Jul 02, 2020•1 hr 1 min•Season 1Ep. 36
Mel Jones is a multitalented producer and director. A Howard University graduate, she earned her MFA at the American Film Institute in Producing. Jones worked in development at Participant Media under producer Jonathan King and marketing guru Ricky Strauss. A Project Involve Fellow, Jones assisted veteran producer and LA Film Festival director, Stephanie Allain – a gig which turned into a five-year stint as producer of Diversity Speaks, one of the festival’s signature programs. You may recall th...
Jun 26, 2020•55 min•Season 1Ep. 35
Bronwyn Cornelius is a Sundance and SXSW Grand Jury Award-winning producer. She is also a fellow list maker and paper store enthusiast. A champion of diverse storytellers, she is currently developing Kenyan political thriller The Czar ; a feature adaptation of the YA novel When We Collided , starring Laura Marano; comedy sketch series A Brief History of Misogyny in partnership with Nina Tassler; a dramedy series Mad About Men written by Kit Steinkellner, and a comedy series inspired by her time ...
Jun 17, 2020•57 min•Season 1Ep. 34
Sarah Anthony is a dear friend and an award winning documentary producer. She produced the Netflix film Bikram: Yogi, Guru, Predator . She was the lead Producer on the Grammy-winning HBO documentary series, The Defiant Ones , and on The Price of Free (formerly titled Kailash), a documentary about child slavery which won the 2018 Sundance Festival Grand Jury Prize. Sarah began her documentary career in London, with films on subjects ranging from the Iraq war to the Ming Voyages of the 1400’s. She...
May 27, 2020•48 min•Season 1Ep. 33
Dejan Poletan is a producer and creative director in the world of fashion and print. Growing up near Frankfurt, Germany, he knew at a young age that he wanted to become an agent of change. Dejan graduated from the London College of Fashion with a degree in branding. In London, he intensified his creativity while working with prestigious brands such as Alexander McQueen, Gucci, Karla Otto, Ralph Lauren, Selfridges & Tom Ford. Now days, he works out of New York & Berlin on creative, strate...
May 13, 2020•51 min•Season 1Ep. 32
Jacqueline Dalunde is the founder and Executive Producer of apparentlyjack , a production and development company based in LA. I've known Jack for quite some time and feel fortunate to consider her a friend and ally. She was one of my first interviews when I started the pod. I was a HOT MESS. Talk about mistakes. I had major technical issues, the room we chose was echo AF. I felt really embarrassed. Think: overly dramatic/existential "why even bother doing this" vibes. Yet, she stayed cool,...
May 08, 2020•59 min
Stacey Feinberg is a producer and investor who is extremely passionate about supporting women. She came into my life recently, and when a mutual contact mentioned she was an investor and producer on JAGGED LITTLE PILL on Broadway, I knew I had to talk to her. Especially after my last episode with Tony Award nominated producer Rachel Sussman. Stacey sunk her teeth into business while assisting her father at his pioneering Sports and Entertainment Law Firm, Bob Woolf Associates . In 1998, she co-f...
Apr 29, 2020•59 min•Season 1Ep. 30
Rachel Sussman is a Tony Award-nominated theater producer who believes in hope, not optimism. Rachel has been on my radar for a while and our interview was almost a year in the making. She got busy, then I got busy, and then the universe finally carved out a time for us to record last Saturday, after Covid-19 turned our world upside down. She also happens to be in quarantine with her BFF, the Marvelous Mrs. Maisel herself, Rachel Brosnahan. She is a delight of a human who radiates positivity. Sh...
Mar 24, 2020•1 hr 8 min•Season 1Ep. 29
"What happens right now is that everybody wants to, you know, not get the coffee. Everybody has to pay their dues, and in paying your dues, it's about learning. That's what so important to me. It's like, you will get there. but you know, it's slow and easy and you don't want to be the person who goes in and basically gets the job in a year, year and a half but doesn't have the knowledge." - Merri Howard Merri Howard has thrived as a TV producer for over 30 years. She became a part of the Sh...
Mar 18, 2020•1 hr 2 min•Season 1Ep. 28
Cory Bennett Lewis is the Head of Physical Production at Bad Robot, J.J. Abrams’ production company. Nestled inside a beautiful glass box lovingly referred to as “Sugar Shack” (behind it’s quintessentially J.J . headquarters ), Cory gives us the three key ingredients for her recipe for success. Ready? Deep breathing (generous portions) Visualization (to taste) Naps (as often as needed) Cory began her journey as a set PA. She was certain she’d walk the path of a DGA assistant director. Sometimes ...
Mar 03, 2020•57 min•Season 1Ep. 27
Britt Robertson and Wesam Keesh are two faces you may immediately recognize. As actors, they have built impressive careers for themselves. Hungry to explore other sides of their creativity, however, they recently produced their first project together. This dynamic duo met on the set of Shondaland’s FOR THE PEOPLE on ABC , which unfortunately only lasted two seasons. I have personally known Wesam for many years and have witnessed his relentless hustle, dedication, and commitment to his craft. He ...
Feb 25, 2020•1 hr 5 min•Season 1Ep. 26
Erica Kay is a badass UPM and Producer with over 20 years of experience in studio films and television. A life long New Yorker who started in production right after graduating from Colby College, she recalls not knowing anyone in entertainment and discovering producing by accident. It was via an internship on CENTRAL PARK WEST , the 90s drama created by Darren Starr, (yes, the mastermind behind SEX AND THE CITY!) that exposed her to this crazy world of filmmaking and storytelling. She saw an opp...
Feb 18, 2020•1 hr•Season 1Ep. 25
Academy Award nominated producer Chelsea Winstanley fell into producing. Her career actually began as a writer/director almost 20 years ago. Producing accidentally became a means for allowing her to direct. And then she found out she was quite good at it. Google results also reveal that her husband is Taika Waititi. The writer/director/actor just took home the Academy Award for Best Adapted screenplay for JOJO RABBIT ....which Chelsea produced. This makes Waititi the first person of Maori descen...
Feb 11, 2020•1 hr•Season 1Ep. 24
Fiona Walsh Heinz redefines multi-tasking. Prior to our interview starting, she juggled making snacks and getting her 21-month-old daughter ready for an outing with dad so we could record WHILE growing another human inside her. NO. BIG. DEAL. It was inspiring to witness a producer, a mom, a pregnant woman…in her power. Originally from the Bay Area, Fiona has 14 years of experience in feature films, documentary and episodic television. She co–produced Chinonye Chukwu’s CLEMENCY which won the Gran...
Feb 04, 2020•1 hr 1 min•Season 1Ep. 23
JENNIFER GLYNN is a film and commercial producer. She's had her hand in many indie films, including one of my favorites, SOUND OF MY VOICE written by and starring my girl crush, Brit Marling. We gush over how Brit was destined for greatness. A practical nuts and bolts producer, she explains why the UPM and line producer roles are often confused on smaller projects. This particularly chat was recorded in October of 2018, so you may notice that I was still learning to not talk over people....Rough...
Jan 21, 2020•39 min•Season 1Ep. 22
"You’re not getting no's because your stuff isn’t good. It’s probably good, it’s just not great. So how do you separate yourself from a lot of good material that is out there in the digital era? How do you cut through the noise? You cut through the noise by trying to put something exceptional together and not stopping short of anything exceptional." -Khaliah Neal -- Picking up where we left off with part 2 of my chat with the cool, calm, and collected producer Khaliah Neal . If you missed part...
Jan 14, 2020•45 min•Season 1Ep. 21
Excited to kick off a new year, new decade, with the marvelous and inspiring Khaliah Neal ! She is an independent producer most recently known for producing THE LAST BLACK MAN IN SAN FRANCISCO alongside Plan B and A24 which premiered in competition at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival. The film won the Grand Jury Awards for Best Direction and Best Creative Collaboration and is in theaters now. It is easily one of my favorite movies of 2019. Oh, and Barack Obama’s too . it is still one of the best ...
Jan 07, 2020•45 min•Season 1Ep. 20
Happy Tuesday, everyone! Happy Holidays! A quick note that I'm taking a wee break for the holidays, but am excited to resume with more incredible guests and chats in 2020. Until then, this week I sat down with Emmy nominated filmmaker Xan Aranda . She's a producer/showrunner/director/writer who has been described as a unicorn: a producer with both the logistical and creative brain. We've been circling each other a quite some time, so this meeting was a few years in the making. And let me tell yo...
Dec 18, 2019•59 min•Season 1Ep. 19
Zoe Jaeger is a senior in high school and aspiring producer. She is also going to be our intern for a few weeks on a school assignment. She’s interested in learning how she can contribute to equality and inclusivity behind the camera. While she was born in Champaign, Illinois, she’s spent most of her life moving around. Her mom, a pastor, and her dad, a retired film professor, eventually settled in Burbank, CA. She’s very impressive and quite accomplished despite her young age. She grew up watch...
Dec 10, 2019•44 min•Season 1Ep. 18
Robin Hopkins is in the middle of a big life transition. She’s been a producer for Spotify’s "Amy Schumer Presents: 3 Girls, 1 Keith" podcast since 2016. Now in it’s 4th season, the show features Amy and her hilarious comic friends Rachel Feinstein (whom I adore and met thanks to the Women in Comedy doc I’ve been producing!) , Bridget Everett, and Keith Robinson dish about their lives, pop culture, politics, and stand-up comedy. Alas. Her time at Spotify is coming to an end this year. You see, s...
Dec 03, 2019•45 min•Season 1Ep. 17
Bobbi Sue Luther is a one-of-a-kind multifaceted human. She’s loud, she’s relentless, and she’s a dear friend. We’ve done two movies together MISS VIRGINIA starring Uzo Aduba which just premiered this year, and SYLVIE starring Tessa Thompson coming to a theater near you in 2020. She has been a wonderful mentor and has taught me how to find my “inner Luther” aka fierceness. She doesn’t care what you think about her, but she does care about what you feel. She teaches with a firm, but kind hand. An...
Nov 19, 2019•56 min•Season 1Ep. 16
Mathew Ferrante is the VP of Physical Production at Paramount Pictures. Listening and editing this week’s episode felt a bit like uncovering a time capsule. At the time of this recording way back in January of 2019, Mathew (yes, with one T because he’s cool like that) had been at Paramount for 5 years. So, it’s wild to think in a few short months he will have been there for 6 years. The bullet train that is time… Originally from Arlington Heights, IL, just outside Chicago, Mathew got his start a...
Nov 12, 2019•48 min•Season 1Ep. 15
Stephanie Allain is a legend. She is the OG of what she describes as the “true badass bitch era of Hollywood”, power suits and all. Not gonna lie, it was the highlight of my month to spent this hour with her. Through her production company Homegrown Pictures , she’s produced Hustle & Flow , Something New , Beyond the Lights, Dear White People, Burning Sands, French Dirty, Leimert Park, Juanita and The Weekend . Pretty. Impressive. Consider, however, that even though she grew up near Miracle ...
Nov 05, 2019•1 hr 9 min•Season 1Ep. 14
