Today, we're diving into the world of film and philanthropy with a versatile artist who has made significant strides on both sides of the camera. Our guest is none other than Ashley Bratcher - an award-winning American actress, producer, writer, and director. With nearly a decade of on-set experience across a variety of departments, she brings a rich tapestry of knowledge to each project she undertakes. You might know her from the box office hit, 'Unplanned,' where her compelling performance res...
Nov 28, 2023•43 min
In this episode, we are joined by Imara Lenders, a highly skilled Offline Editor based in Glasgow. Imara brings a wealth of experience from the television and film industry, with a particular expertise in TV drama. She shares her journey of working on a diverse range of projects and how she has honed her craft to seamlessly weave together visual and audio elements to create compelling narratives. Imara Lenders has made significant contributions to the television industry through her work on "Riv...
Nov 20, 2023•33 min
Welcome to another episode of Filmmaking Conversations. Today, I am thrilled to have a conversation with the incredibly talented Lauren Bancroft. Based in Los Angeles, Lauren is a renowned producer known for her unique blend of creative talents. Lauren's impressive portfolio includes the documentary 'The Making of Happier Than Ever: A Love Letter to Los Angeles' with Billie Eilish on Disney+, the acclaimed sketch comedy shows CBS Showcase 2022 and CBS Showcase 2023 on Paramount, and award-winnin...
Nov 13, 2023•1 hr 1 min
In this episode, we delve into the world of visual storytelling with renowned video editor, Adam Epstein. With a career spanning over a decade, Epstein has worked on a diverse range of projects, showcasing his versatility and expertise in the field. Beyond his professional endeavors, Epstein is passionate about mentoring the next generation of video editors. He regularly conducts workshops and seminars, sharing his insights and expertise with aspiring professionals. Despite his many accomplishme...
Nov 06, 2023•31 min
Welcome to another episode of Filmmaking Conversations with Damien Swaby. In this episode, we are thrilled to have the talented Method actress, Mathilde Dehaye, as our guest. Mathilde is a graduate of The Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute in New York City, where she mastered The Method, a technique that has significantly influenced her acting career. She has an impressive portfolio, having portrayed the key character of Amity in both seasons of the J.J. Abrams & Stephen King hit ant...
Oct 31, 2023•42 min
Welcome to another episode of our podcast where we bring you the stories behind the stories, where we delve into the minds of those shaping the worlds of film, theatre, and fiction. Today, we are thrilled to introduce you to a talent who has been making waves in the world of storytelling. Originally hailing from Memphis, Tennessee, and now calling the city of angels, Los Angeles, her home, Natalie Higdon, is a writer and performer whose work embodies modern narratives with an insightful edge. He...
Oct 22, 2023•32 min
Cheryl has recently finished cutting four episodes of Amazon’s sweeping and epic series The Lord Of The Rings: The Rings of Power, which explores events of the second age, set thousands of years before J.R.R. Tolkien’s much beloved The Lord Of The Rings. Prior to this Cheryl cut HBO’s flagship series The Nevers starring Laura Donnelly and Nick Frost, TNT’s The Alienist: The Angel of Darkness and TNT’s dystopian drama series Snowpiercer, helmed by showrunner Graeme Manson (Orphan Black) and starr...
Oct 16, 2023•37 min
In this episode, we engage in a fascinating conversation with the visionary behind the ArtHouse, a unique establishment that seamlessly blends the roles of a cinema and a community hub. Our guest shares his experiences and insights on how he managed to strike a balance between these two roles, and the profound impact it has had on the local community. He also delves into the intricate process of curating a diverse program that includes cinema, live National Theatre screenings, and comedy, reveal...
Oct 09, 2023•31 min
Welcome to another episode of our podcast, where we delve into the fascinating world of filmmaking. Today, we have the pleasure of hosting Christopher Donaldson, a seasoned video editor whose work spans an extensive variety of dramatic and documentary features and television.Christopher's impressive credits include Sarah Polley’s “Women Talking” and “Take This Waltz”, David Cronenberg’s “Crimes of the Future”, "Reacher" for Amazon Prime, "The Handmaid's Tale" for Hulu, Atom Egoyan's "Remember", ...
Sep 23, 2023•1 hr 4 min
Wood Chapman is a multi-talented artist whose work spans the realms of puppetry, Disney productions, and video editing. His journey began with a fascination for puppetry, where he breathed life into inanimate objects, creating characters that have captivated audiences worldwide. His storytelling prowess led him to the magical world of Disney. Beyond puppetry and Disney, Wood has also made significant strides as a video editor, crafting narratives that are visually stunning and emotionally resona...
Sep 11, 2023•47 min
Today on Filmmaking Conversations, I speak to film producer Sarah Potter. When the Lotus Blooms: a story of acute survival is a powerful documentary project that has been left to Naperville resident Sarah Potter after her filmmaker husband, Scott, passed away unexpectedly in July 2020. A routine endoscopy had triggered severe pancreatitis for Scott, and after months of treatments and stays in the hospital, he died from complications associated with his condition. This project has become Sarah's ...
Aug 05, 2023•34 min
Have you ever felt like the world of independent filmmaking is a mysterious and inaccessible realm? 🤔 Well, you're not alone! Many aspiring filmmakers and industry outsiders struggle to understand the ins and outs of this creative field. But fear not, my friends, because today we're going to shed some light on this topic and provide valuable insights! 💡✨ Who better to guide us through this journey than Jason Godbey himself? 🎬🙌 In the latest episode of Filmmaking Conversations, I had the plea...
Jul 05, 2023•1 hr 7 min
She has recently won 5 Best Actress Awards for her work in "Prime of Your Life". It has also won "Best Short" & "Best Writing". Tara's directorial debut was made with her short film, "A Real Killjoy" which has won "Best of The Fest", "Special Jury Award" and "Best Dark Comedy Micro-short". "A Real Killjoy 3" is currently in pre-production, to be directed by Tara Erickson and Matt MacWilliams in the winter of 2023. She's also the face of Little Caesars in their hilarious commercial spots ...
Jun 11, 2023•43 min
Scott Leger is a Director and Screenwriter whose work has screened at Cannes Film Festival, Austin Film Festival, SeriesFest, and Palm Springs International Film Festival. Drawn to filmmaking after a horrific mountain biking accident in high school derailed his illustrious Junior Varsity sports career, Scott transferred his manic passion from the field to the frame and hasn't exhaled since. And his collarbone healed up quite nicely, thanks for asking. He would later go on to drop out of Hampshir...
Jun 02, 2023•51 min
Marcus Markou – Writer/ Director/ Producer Marcus is an independent filmmaker, who successfully self-distributed his debut feature film, Papadopoulos and Sons (starring Stephen Dillane), which he wrote and directed, in 2013, by staging his own cinema release – achieving the second highest screen average of any movie in its opening weekend (only beaten by Oblivion with Tom Cruise) with a P&A budget of just £40k. He used social media and guerrilla tactics such as cold calling every Greek Ortho...
May 29, 2023•1 hr 8 min
"I’m a Hollywood business coach, public speaker, and writer. I also run two prominent programs for writers, one at CBS and the other at the WGA. I help creative professionals create exceptional careers in Hollywood." Carole Kirschner Website: https://www.carolekirschner.com/about Coaching: https://www.carolekirschner.com/coaching Hollywood Boot Camp: https://www.carolekirschner.com/courses-book Also, you can check out my documentary The People of Brixton, on Kwelitv here: https://www.kweli.tv/pr...
Apr 23, 2023•52 min
In 2001 at age 15 , Jaron Lockridge became interested in film while attending a high school drama class in his hometown of Bolivar, Tennessee. After performing in the school's Christmas play that winter, Jaron decided to write his first stageplay which is still currently being performed at his high school by theater students. In 2009, Jaron wrote, filmed and directed his first short film titled "Hard Man County" which was approximately 40 minutes long. The cast consisted of friends with no exper...
Apr 15, 2023•36 min
Originally from the UK award-winning filmmaker, Gareth Kelly has had an unusual journey in becoming an above-the-line creative. After spending 10 years as a concrete truck driver, Kelly decided to pursue his lifelong passion for film and television. Along the way, he found himself covering the US 2016 Presidential election in Florida for various local, national, and international news organizations - BBC, Tampa Bay Biz Journal, Creative Loafing, as well as authoring his first book, 100 Things to...
Apr 09, 2023•36 min
Johnny Catalano is an American filmmaker and actor passionate about capturing the minutia and specifics of the Midwestern United States. Obsessed with Americana imagery and "slice-of-life" narratives within a specific genre's framework. He explores themes and characters objectively. Portraying the nuances and comedy in human behavior. F: https://www.facebook.com/catalanofilmco/ FilmFreeway: https://filmfreeway.com/JohnnyCatalano Damien Swaby Social Media Links: Instagram https://www.instagram.co...
Apr 03, 2023•38 min
Today I speak to the super-talented Eryn Rea! Eryn Rea grew up in Kentucky and then moved to Los Angeles at a young age. Now she is a multi-hyphenate working in Atlanta and Los Angeles. Informed by her background across genres ranging from Primetime TV Drama to Indie Horror, her most recent credits include THE FIRST LADY series on Showtime, and the audio-drama BROKEN ROAD. A fan of all that is weird and unexpected, Eryn encourages everyone to bring their uniqueness to the page and screen. She ha...
Mar 24, 2023•35 min
Elísabet Ronaldsdóttir is one of the industries most talented editors. After working in Europe for years, her first American film was the 2012 crime thriller Contraband, a remake of a film she edited in Iceland. Her close collaborator is stunt-man-turned-action-director David Leitch; they worked together on John Wick, Atomic Blonde, Deadpool 2, and most recently, Bullet Train: a neon-infused, violent, and hilarious Agatha Christie-style romp starring Brad Pitt and an ensemble of who’s who, inclu...
Feb 04, 2023•39 min
Nobody Loves You and You Don't Deserve to Exist' is a multi-award-winning independent British feature film written and directed by Manchester filmmaker, Brett Gregory. Synopsis Loosely based on Hieronymus Bosch's heaven and hell 15th century painting, 'The Garden of Earthly Delights', we follow a grieving ex-English teacher, rotting away on welfare benefits, along the canals and crevices of gothic Manchester as he reflects upon the tragic-comic fragments of his shattered past during the 1980s, 1...
Jan 18, 2023•37 min
CATALANO FILM FESTIVAL : DATE: February 18, 2025 LOCATION: 33 S Main St, Miamisburg, OH 45342 TIME: 4pm-10pm EST FACEBOOK PAGE: https://www.facebook.com/catalanofilmco EVENTBRITE: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/catalano-film-festival-tickets-466846639867?aff=esfb&utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-medium=discovery&utm-source=fb&utm-term=listing&fbclid=IwAR1WR48e-siourKT1VMITAiDfqP9uNtOqQcnpNgcMwuLhP9PXHbvkcM3lo0 TEASER TRAILER: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v...
Dec 28, 2022•34 min
Sarah Moshman is an Emmy Award-winning documentary filmmaker and TEDx speaker whose work has been featured on Upworthy, Marie Claire, CNN, and Good Morning America. After directing two short documentaries about female empowerment in young women, (Girls Rock! Chicago (2010) and Growing up Strong: Girls on the Run (2012)) she set out to direct her first feature doc The Empowerment Project: Ordinary Women Doing Extraordinary Things (2014) which has been screened over 700 times around the US and aro...
Oct 07, 2022•1 hr 1 min
Daakyehene Ababio is an international filmmaker, originally from Ghana but currently based in Ohio with his beautiful wife Angeles Kay Ababio and two kids. Daakyehene Ababio has been chasing his filmmaking dreams for about 15 years now as a self-taught filmmaker. He did a couple of short films to grow his craft since he started Palmbook Studios in Ghana in February 14, 2014. He’s still pursuing the filmmaking dreams with two short films he has done in Ohio “BREAKING POINT” and “LINEAGE” which al...
Sep 25, 2022•35 min
Clare Cooney is a SAG actor and filmmaker currently living in Los Angeles. Her credits include Steve McQueen's Widows, NBC's Chicago PD, Pop TV's Hot Date, NBC's Shrink, and lead roles in the independent features Rendezvous in Chicago and Soul Sessions. She recently wrapped the independent feature Relative this summer with a lead role opposite Wendy Robie (Twin Peaks). As a filmmaker, she wrote, directed, edited, and starred in Runner. This short film played at 15 film festivals, winning six awa...
Jul 24, 2022•45 min
“I’m passionate about two things: creating activism centered films &demystifying the microbudget production process.” - Zanah Thirus Named one of Diversity in Cannes' Top 10 Filmmakers of the Decade, Zanah is a filmmaker (producer+ director+ writer) from Chicago, IL. Since launching her brand, Zanah Thirus Productions, Zanah has shifted her focus to merging arts and activism through documentary and narrative storytelling. Her films explore subjects such as reproductive justice, local politic...
May 16, 2022•51 min
Everyone remembers Daphne Maxwell Reid as an iconic TV mom of the 1990s, from her three seasons as Aunt Vivian on "The Fresh Prince of Bel Air." And Daphne couldn't be more excited when the cast of "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" reunited 30 years later for an unscripted reunion special that aired on HBO Max last November. These days Reid is a Renaissance woman, respected artist and designer, and education activist. Working from her home in Virginia, and still happily married to pioneering televis...
May 10, 2022•33 min
In her own words "Hi! I'm Suzanne. I'm an actress and filmmaker based in Brooklyn, NY. My first directorial effort, short film Christmas Eve Eve: Or The Things I Can’t Remember (which I also wrote and star in) recently played at a number of festivals including the 2021 Mill Valley Film Festival. You can watch it here on the platform Omeleto, one of the best hubs for high-quality short films on the internet. Currently, I'm producing my first feature film Every Man For Himself, directed by Gary Ga...
Apr 27, 2022•57 min
Who's Afraid follows this phenomenon to a cathartic yet heart-pumping conclusion as it answers the question: what would happen if someone had to face a life-or-death situation as a result of jeopardizing someone else's life out of sheer racism? Our main character, Whitney King, commits such an act of racism then flees the city to forget and reset. Unfortunately for her, she runs from one problem and into another: a charming group of locals who require human flesh for their holiday feast. As a ju...
Apr 20, 2022•1 hr 2 min
