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Film Talk | Interviews with the brightest minds in the film industry.

Film Talk is a podcast in which the brightest minds in the film industry share insights into their success – the hacks, routines, and principals that have propelled them to the top. We meet Oscar winners, Emmy Award winners, Sundance winners...the best of the best. For filmmakers who want an edge this is a daily meeting to not be missed!
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Film Talk | Interviews with the brightest minds in the film industry.
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Now displaying: January, 2016
Jan 30, 2016

Katie Garfield has starred in movies such “Project Almanac” and “The Perfect Summer”. Her television work includes “The Vampire Diaries”, “Under The Dome”, “One Tree Hill”, “Army Wives” and “Nashville”. Katie co-stars with Armie Hammer and Nate Parker in “The Birth of a Nation”, which recently garnered the largest Sundance deal in history.

Jan 28, 2016

Mike Halsey is the President of the multiple Emmy award-winning VFX house Magnetic Dreams. Magnetic Dreams past projects include “Yellow Day”, “After”, “SpongeBob Moves In”, “Let The Lion Roar”, “Elmo The Musical”, “Thor and Loki – Blood Brothers”, “Iron Man Extremis”, and “V.I. Princess”, as well as projects for Taylor Swift, Roy Orbison, EA Games, and Sesame Street.

Jan 28, 2016

Reinhard Denke is the writer of “Captive” starring Emmy nominated Kate Mara and Golden Globe nominated David Oyelowo. Prior to this his spec script “Sex, Greed, Money, Murder and Chicken Fried Steak” was optioned by Oscar nominated Johnny Depp, and made the 2009 Hollywood Blacklist. A graduate of USC Film School, Reinhard has completed writing assignments for BN Films, Echolight Studios, Rock Island Films, and One Good Man Productions, amongst others.

Jan 27, 2016

Chris Bell is the co-writer and director of the hit documentary “Bigger Stronger Faster”, which was nominated for the Sundance Film Festival Grand Jury Prize. The film earned him accolades from Oscar winner Michael Moore and Oscar nominated Morgan Spurlock, and was acquired by Magnolia Pictures. He is also the director of “Trophy Kids” which was executive produced by Emmy nominated Peter Berg and aired on HBO. His latest documentary “Prescription Thugs” is executive produced by Vince Vaughn and Emmy nominated Peter Billingsley, with a score from Oscar nominated Joel Goodman.

Jan 26, 2016

Michael Wiese is a media manifestation machine having worked for 35 years in film, video, and television, both at the executive level and as an indie producer/director. His company – Michael Wiese Productions - is the world's leading publisher of books on filmmaking and screenwriting, with over 230 titles distributed internationally. Five years ago, with his wife, he launched Divine Arts, an imprint devoted to transformation and plant medicine books.  His recent 'personal journey' films including "The Sacred Sites of the Dalai Lamas", "Living with Spirits" and "Talking with Spirits". Upcoming books for 2016 include "The Toad of Dawn" and "The God Molecule".

Jan 23, 2016

Christina Lee Storm is an independent producer who has collaborated with filmmakers from around the world. While living in Hong Kong she was Head of Creative Development for legendary Hong Kong director Johnnie To working with local screenwriters and directors. Some of Christina's recent producing credits include “The Least of These”, “To Save A Life, Flesh: Bought & Sold in the U.S.”, and most recently the short documentary “Life After Pi” that went viral on YouTube. Christina was Production Supervisor for the 2012 Oscar winning film “The Artist”. She has also been Manager of Digital Production at Rhythm & Hues Studios where she worked on over a dozen feature films including “The Hunger Games”, Oscar nominated “Snow White and the Huntsman” and Oscar winner “Life of Pi”. She has served on the Producers Guild of America's National Board of Directors and AP Council Delegate for 6 years. Christina received the PGA's AP Council Commitment Award in 2013. She is Co-Chair/Mentor for the PGA's Diversity Workshop, a member of the Women's Impact Initiative, Digital VIP Committee, International Committee, and was most recently elected Treasurer of the Producers Guild of America.

Jan 22, 2016

Richard LaMotte has over 40 years experience of filmmaking on both studio and independent features. His work as a costume and technical advisor includes films such as the Oscar nominated “The Mask of Zorro”, and Oscar winners “The Last of the Mohicans” and “Pearl Harbor”. And his work as costume designer includes movies such as “Rambo III”, “The Goonies”, “The Island of Dr. Moreau”, “Gods and Generals”, and the Oscar nominated “The Wind and the Lion”. He is also the author of “Costume Design 101” a comprehensive guide to creating costumes for film and television.

Jan 20, 2016

Cath Le Couteur is the founder of Shooting People, an online independent film network with over 38,000 members and over 200 films crewed and cast using their services every week. Patrons of Shooting People include Mike Figgis, Michael Winterbottom, Sally Potter, Kevin Smith, and Danny Boyle. Cath was the recipient of the Sundance/Alfred P. Sloan Commissioning Grant in 2010.  Her short films have won numerous awards including the Best British Short at the Edinburg International Film Festival, Best Short Film at the Barcelona Film Festival, and nominations such as Best Short Film at the Berlin International Film Festival.

Jan 20, 2016

Kathie Fong Yoneda is the author of “The Script Selling Game: A Hollywood Insider's Look At Getting Your Script Sold and Produced”. With over 30 years of industry experience, Kathie has worked for such prestigious studios as Paramount, Columbia, MGM, Universal, 20th Century Fox, and Disney, specializing in story analysis and development of live action and animated projects.  Her career includes executive positions with Walt Disney Studios, Touchstone, Island Pictures, and Walt Disney TV Animation.  During her career she has evaluated more than 20,000 submissions in the areas of film, television, novels, plays, and web series.

Jan 19, 2016

Pen Densham is the twice Oscar nominated writer/producer/director of movies such as “Moll Flanders”, starring Morgan Freeman and Robin Wright, “Houdini” starring Mark Ruffalo and Emile Hirsch, and the box office smash hit “Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves”, which was the second-highest grossing film of 1991. In addition he is renowned for his television revivals of “The Outer Limits” and “The Twilight Zone”, for which he earned the unique distinction of being named number eight in Cinefantastique’s list of The 50 Most Powerful People in Science Fiction. And Pen’s production company Trilogy Entertainment Group has produced more than 400 hours of network and prime time programming. Its combined gross between film and television product is more than $1 billion. His documentaries, which include “Life Times Nine”, have garnered over 70 international awards, in addition to a medal from the Queen of England for his contribution to the Arts of Canada. And Pen is the author of the book “Riding The Alligator: Strategies for a Career in Screenplay Writing (And Not Getting Eaten)”, which includes supportive essays by screenwriters such as Shane Black, Oscar nominated Nia Vardalos, and Oscar winner Eric Roth, and which received positive reviews from Oscar winners Paul Haggis, Ron Howard, Jeff Bridges, and Morgan Freeman.

Jan 15, 2016

Bob Hutchins is the founder of Buzzplant, a digital marketing company that specializes in faith-based product and movie releases. Buzzplant’s past and present campaigns include “Soul Surfer”, “The Passion of the Christ”, “Blue Like Jazz”, “The Remaining”, “Alone Yet Not Alone”, “The Identical”, and “The Masked Saint”. Bob is also the author of the book “Faith-Based Marketing: The Guide to Reaching 140 Million Christian Customers.”

Jan 14, 2016

Dr Ted Baehr is the founder and publisher of MovieGuide and the Chairman of the Christian Film & Television Commission, the only active liaison between studio executives and the general public for issues of family entertainment and faith. He is also a noted critic, educator, lecturer, author, and media pundit. Dr Baehr was president of the organization that produced The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe” for CBS, boasting 37 million viewers and winning an Emmy Award. In addition Dr Baehr has also produced hundreds of programs for PBS. Armed with over 40 years of research on the media and culture, Dr Baehr has lectured at the European Parliament, the House of Lords in the U.K., the Parliament of Norway, the Bombay Communication Institute, Yale University, Dartmouth College, the University of Virginia, and U.C.L.A. Dr Baehr is also the Publisher of MovieGuide magazine, which offers in-depth analyses of current movies from a biblical perspective, he writes a syndicated column for publications nationwide, and he is the author of more than ten books on the subject of faith and film. Dr Baehr additionally presents the "Report to the Entertainment Industry", an annual analysis of the past year's movies and is the founder of the internationally broadcasted MovieGuide Awards.

Jan 13, 2016

Matt Osterman is a writer/director/producer best known for his feature film “Ghost From The Machine”, his award-winning short films, and his work on the documentary “Sportsfan” with Jon Stewart.

Matt has also collaborated closely with Emmy Award winner Dan Buettner, helping him found his anthropological research project Quest Network and the subsequent New York Times bestselling book “The Blue Zones: Lessons for Living Longer from the People Who've Lived the Longest.”

In addition, Matt has worked extensively in the creative/branding industries, helping create over 25 brands that can be seen in Target, Best Buy, Dick’s Sporting Goods, and numerous other nationwide stores.

His latest movie, “400 Days” stars Dane Cook, Brandon Routh, Emmy nominated Ben Feldman, and Golden Globe nominated Tom Cavanagh.

Jan 13, 2016

Pam Wallace is the Oscar winning writer of “Witness”, an iconic movie which also won one other Oscar and was nominated in a further six categories. The movie additionally received six Golden Globe nominations, won a BAFTA award and received a further six BAFTA nominations.

 

She is also the writer of over 19 other movies including “If These Walls Could Talk”, “Love’s Unending Legacy” and “Class”. And she is the author of 25 romance novels, and the screenwriting book “You Can Write a Movie”.

Jan 12, 2016

Gareth Unwin is the Oscar and BAFTA Award-winning CEO of Bedlam Film Productions. He is the producer of the record-breaking, critically acclaimed film “The King's Speech”, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival where it took home the celebrated Audience Award. Following which it won seven BAFTAs and four Oscars, including Best Film, which was presented to Gareth by Steven Spielberg. The film would eventually win in excess of 80 internationally recognized film awards and gross over $450 million worldwide in theatrical receipts alone, making it the highest grossing British independent film of all time. Gareth is also the producer of the British thriller “Exam”, which was nominated for a BAFTA and won Spirit and Dinard awards. He has since then produced the award-winning film “Zaytoun”, which was the first film to be made under the UK-Israeli co-production treaty, as well as BAFTA nominated “Kilo Two Bravo”, for which he additionally personally oversaw theatrical distribution in the UK. Gareth frequently collaborates with Cinemagic, a charity that encourages and inspires young people desiring to work within the film industry. And he is an Honorary Fellow of Ravensbourne College of Design & Communication where he frequently lectures.

Jan 8, 2016

Bob Scott is a director of photography and camera operator. Bob’s DP credits include the number one box office hit “War Room”, as well as faith-based box office successes such as “Fireproof”, “Facing The Giants” and “Courageous”. And Bob has also worked as a camera operator on some of Hollywood’s biggest titles including “2 Fast 2 Furious”, “Any Given Sunday”, “The Bourne Ultimatum”, and television shows such as “Friday Night Lights” and “Nashville”.

Jan 8, 2016

Chris Vogler is an internationally known development executive who has worked for Disney, Warner Bros, Fox and many other major studios and production companies. As a veteran story consultant for major Hollywood film companies and a respected teacher of filmmakers and writers around the globe, his book The Writer's Journey has become an international best seller, a modern classic, and required reading for countless executives and film students. Since publication The Writer's Journey has influenced scores of screenplays, including those of “The Lion King”, “Fight Club”, “Black Swan” and “Noah”. Chris remains a highly sought-after consultant to major studios and actors. Students of his work include Oscar winning screenwriter Bruce Joel Rubin and Oscar nominated screenwriter/director Darren Aronofsky.

Jan 6, 2016

George Escobar is Vice President of WND Films, as well as an accomplished director, producer and writer. His work as director includes “The Rabbi Who Found Messiah”, “Come What May”, and “The Isaiah 9:10 Judgment”, which retained the number 1 spot on Amazon’s Faith DVD chart for 75 weeks. And his work as producer includes documentary films such as “The Last Pope?” and “Disinformation”. George also wrote, produced, and co-directed “Alone Yet Not Alone” which made history in 2014 when its Oscar nomination for Best Original Song was rescinded. George has been Vice President for Discovery, Executive Director for AOL, and a producing fellow at the American Film Institute. He holds seven U.S. patents in technology and user interface design and has taught filmmaking to over 1,500 students.

Jan 5, 2016

Ash Greyson is the founder of Ribbow Media Group where he has led the digital strategy for numerous film releases including “2016: Obama’s America”, “God’s Not Dead”, “The Giver”, “Earth to Echo” and the number 1 box office hit “War Room”. Ash is an innovator, a change-maker and an expert in helping companies transition to the digital universe, as well as a frequent speaker on the subject of emerging trends in digital marketing. Previously Ash helmed one of the most high traffic religious websites as editor-in-chief of Beliefnet.com, during which time the website saw traffic skyrocket more than 400% through SEO optimization and strategic social media partnerships. In addition, as a director and producer, Ash has collaborated on many music videos with artists such as Grammy Award winner “Weird” Al Yankovic and Oscar nominated Gus Van Sant. His work as director also includes the documentary film “Strong Enough To Break” about the Grammy nominated group “Hanson”. And Ash’s past and present clients for digital marketing include Lionsgate, Affirm Films, Echolight Studios, Sony Pictures, Walden Media, Paramount, Focus Features, and The Weinstein Company. Ash is truly one of the world’s brightest minds in film digital marketing.

Jan 4, 2016

Barrett Leigh is a veteran of large and franchise movie production. His past work includes being production supervisor of “Fast & Furious 6”, “This is 40”, “Bridesmaids”, “The Karate Kid” and “Year One”, as well as production coordinator roles for “The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift”, “Knocked Up”, and “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest”. Barrett has been a long term collaborator of Judd Apatow’s, and today is moving into becoming a producer in his own right. Barrett is a true authority on turning concepts into realities, and is absolutely the guy you want on speed dial when facing a filming challenge.

Jan 4, 2016

John Shepherd is founder and president of MPower Pictures. He manages the development, financing and production of the company’s slate. John has produced over 20 independent features, been the showrunner of a critically acclaimed web series, and served as an executive at DreamWorks. Prior to co-founding MPower Pictures, John produced such award-winning films as “The Ultimate Gift” and “Bobby Jones: Stroke of Genius.” And with MPower Pictures John has produced a critically acclaimed body of work including the Toronto Film Festival nominated “The Stoning of Soraya M” starring Jim Caviezel, as well as the upcoming Shia LeBoeuf movie “Man Down”, which co-stars Kate Mara and Gary Oldman. Additionally MPower’s past releases include Golden Globe nominated “Machine Gun Preacher” with Gerard Butler, and Toronto Film Festival winner “Bella”.

Jan 4, 2016

Dr. Linda Seger created the script consulting profession in 1981 and is one of the world’s foremost script consultants. She is also the most prolific author on the subject of screenwriting with nine books on the subject and is known worldwide as one of the industry’s utmost experts in the field of screenwriting. Dr Seger has consulted on over 100 produced feature films, television shows, and plays, and her clients have won numerous awards, including Academy Awards, awards from numerous film festivals, as well as achieving box office hits. She has lectured on screenwriting in 33 countries on all 6 continents, and she has trained over 75 script consultants on her method internationally. Dr Seger’s clients include writers, directors, producers, executives and companies, in film, television, and theater. They range from beginners to Academy Award winners such as Peter Jackson and William Kelley. Dr Seger is the recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Redemptive Film Festival for her 30+ years of work as a script consultant. She is a recipient of the Candlelight Award for being a “Light to the Entertainment Industry,” the Distinguished Alumni Award from Pacific School of Religion, and The Moondance Film Festival Living Legacy Award for her support of Women in the Film Industry.

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