Episode 194: Courtney Hope Therond

Courtney Hope Therond is an award-winning director whose films feature an unapologetically female perspective. She has screened short films at several film festivals and her latest short Rehearsal, which tackles the grey areas of consent, premiered online on Short of the Week and received a Vimeo Staff Pick after playing over a dozen festivals internationally. Her film The Dress You Have On won multiple awards including two jury prizes and is distributed by Revry TV and Seed & Spark. Courtney’s digital series Comedic Timing was recently acquired by WhoHaHa and the screenplay for her digital series Between Us Girls was a finalist at Austin Film Festival.

Courtney is a graduate of NYU and was a Cinereach Film Fellow. After four years in France, she now directs narrative and branded content in Los Angeles and is currently developing her first feature film

Episode 193: Sophie Max, Actor, Writer, Producer

Sophie Max is an actress, writer and producer based in London and trained at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York. She is the writer, executive producer and lead actress in the film The Whole Truth and previous film work includes writing and starring in the award-winning Callie. As an actress, Sophie has been seen across theatre and film in New York and the UK. Sophie is also a poet and her book, lost and found, was published in January 2018 and is available on Amazon worldwide. Sophie is a proud advocate for womxn in the film industry and is passionate about elevating womxn’s voices and stories in media. In other words, she has come to the right place.

Episode 192: Melissa Center and Tanny Jiraprapasuke - Whole Self Systems

For this episode, I got to speak with Melissa Center, an award-winning filmmaker & actress, and Tanny Jiraprapasuke, a mindful coach, practitioner, & scholar, who met by chance in Los Angeles, at the National Women’s Political Caucus Summer Spritz event. As women in support of other women: they discovered a mutual desire to shift the moral paradigm around closing the gender pay-gap, reevaluating hiring practices, and transforming organizations’ cultures.

Melissa and Tanny decided to combine their talents, aligned values, and full dedication to affecting change for good. They are not trying to dismantle “systems,” but rather to interrupt the status quo “systems” by offering a new kind of system: Whole Self Systems. Through Whole Self Systems, Melissa & Tanny inspire new ways of communicating, empower ethical leaders (many from marginalized communities), and elevate workplaces that prioritize diversity, gender equanimity, & social innovation.

We spoke earlier this year, before we were all in isolation, but somehow this work seems even more relevant now, as many people are looking inward toward mindfulness and as the world is changing before our very eyes.

Episode 191: Ashley Shelton, Actor, Filmmaker

Ashley got her start starring in the critically-acclaimed film, Something, Anything. She was also featured on IndieWire's 2015 year end critics poll best lead actress list. Ashley is a graduate in Theatre from the University of Tennessee and is passionate about telling stories from the heart. Her goals include bringing to life stories that give light to social issues and connecting with people through cinema. In 2018 her writing and directorial debut came to life with MAGNOLIA & CLEMENTINE that was featured in Amazon Prime's first ever film festival.

We spoke remotely, before social distancing was the new normal.

Episode 190: Gabriela Ledesma and Callie Schuttera, Filmmakers

For this episode, I got to speak with the founders of the production company, Poison Pictures: Gabriela Ledesma and Callie Schuttera. The pair met in 2015 and have since written and produced countless projects together including comedy specials, feature films, live events, commercials, and documentaries.

​Their work has been featured and acclaimed by Film Pulse, CherryPicks, Film Threat, Film Inquiry, and more.

We talked about their journeys, both before each other and together, and their film Blue, which you can find on Amazon Prime.  

Episode 189: Mary Montiforte, Production Executive

Mary Montiforte is the Vice President of Physical Production at Endeavor Content. She originally came up through production accounting and producing as a freelancer, then moved into staff positions in production finance and physical production.

Her longest stint was as a staff production controller for NBCUniversal before moving on to Lionsgate and now Endeavor Content. Some of her credits include 30 Rock, Friday Night Lights, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, The Santa Clause 2, Thirteen Days, Air Force One and a crowd favorite The Commitments - just to barely scratch the surface.

Amongst everything else, we talked about the tenacity and persistence it takes to have longevity in this career.

Episode 188: Carolina Groppa, Producer

Carolina is a Brazilian born Emmy nominated producer living in Los Angeles.

She produced the award winning and 2017 Emmy nominated documentary AUTISM IN LOVE, which explores how adults with autism find and navigate romantic relationships.   Her narrative feature films include MISS VIRGINIA, starring Uzo Aduba, the Netflix Originals GIRLFRIEND'S DAY and HAPPY ANNIVERSARY. She co-produced THE FEMALE BRAIN, Whitney Cummings' directing debut feature film, and also produced SYLVIE'S LOVE which had its world premiere at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival. 

She also has her own podcast that you should check out – it’s called Life with Caca – It’s a podcast of intimate and honest conversations with producers from all corners of the entertainment industry.

It shines a light on the many career paths that exist under the umbrella of producing, the messy, unglamorous realities behind the title, and why we love it so much.

Episode 187: Becky Morrison, Founder

The production process when it comes to film, television, and advertising has lately been seen as outdated and needs to be simplified to be able to adhere to society’s needs for more diverse creators and stories. When Becky Morrison founded The Light, a production studio in Brooklyn, NY, she did it with a simple mission: change the culture of production, overhauling an outdated model in favor of one founded on values of equality, transparency and inclusion. She aims to create a system that prioritizes people, profit and the environment, responding to the ever-evolving economic landscape of the advertising industry. With that set model, Becky and The Light team have been able to secure work for brands like Lexus, JCPenney, and A&E. We spoke in her Brooklyn studio on a snowy day in NY.

Episode 163: Angela Cohen, Actress, Writer, Filmmaker

This episode is brought to you by:

I spoke with Angela Cohen for episode 163. Angela is a writer and an actress with a degree from Emory University in Neuroscience and Behavioral Biology. In 2012, Angela founded Charley Bear Productions Inc, with a vision to affect change through art, showcasing the female perspective in front of and behind the camera. Charley Bear produced the dramatic short film, Without Grace, starring Angela alongside award winning actress Ann Dowd. It is wonderful and you should watch it.

In fact, you should watch it today, as it is in the All Voices Film Festival on Amazon through June 17th. Finalists are based upon the numbers of views in the time period. Angela would love to recoup her angel investor’s generous contribution in making this film and stir your heart with emotion in the process. It's 18 minutes- you have 18 minutes!  

Here's the link to watch Without Grace. Tell your friends! 

Angela is fascinated with the brain and the overlap of art and science. The synergy of this will be actualized in her work in Virtual Reality, which she will tell us all about.

Episode 156: Liz Jenkins, CFO, Hello Sunshine

This episode generously sponsored by:

Liz is the Chief Financial Officer of Hello Sunshine, the media brand founded by Reese Witherspoon. She tells us all about the company, their mission, and their culture. It’s as good as you imagined. Liz was formerly the Senior Vice President of Corporate Development and Strategy at Media Rights Capital. While there, she worked on the deal to bring House of Cards to Netflix, which was then written up as a Harvard Business Review business case, and she talks it about it here as well. Liz is very much one of the best and brightest, and I’m so happy to have her on the show.

Episode 154: Melinda McLaughlin, Chief Marketing Officer

This episode generously sponsored by:

Melinda is the Chief Marketing Officer at Extreme Reach. You may notice that Extreme Reach is the sponsor of this podcast, so that’s how I met her, but I would have interviewed her regardless. She tells us a bit more about the company, and we talked a lot about her journey in her work life. How important it is to be authentic, how self-awareness is key to leadership, and how knitting might be the key to everything.

And how highly paid executives will still tackle each other when something is being given away for free.  Humans are funny.

Episode 137: Paulina Lagudi, Filmmaker

This episode is brought to you by:

Paulina Lagudi is a filmmaker who just released Mail Order Monster, which is available on all the streaming services. I gotta tell you, this woman is an inspiration. She’s an artist, a savvy business person, and a force to be reckoned with.

We talked about her film and its distribution, female empowerment of the “right kind,” setting boundaries, martial arts and growing up the only girl in a family of men with a single father and how instrumental her step mother turned out to be.

Episode 136: Megan Woeppel, Showrunner, Producer, Director, Writer

This episode is brought to you by:

Megan started out as a cinematographer and then transitioned to being a producer and a writer. She is currently the Showrunner on Gears Pro Circuit All Access, and is gearing up to shoot her feature film called Nightmare Mansion which is set and will be filmed in Kansas city.

She shares some amazing tales from the trenches, including barreling down a road in the Republic of Georgia at 100 miles an hour while being forbidden to wear a seatbelt. Honestly, it’s a miracle she’s alive.

Episode 132: Sasheen R. Artis, Writer/Producer

This episode is brought to you by:

Sasheen is a Writer/Producer with over 20 years of experience in live events, documentaries, talk shows and scripted programming, such as “Fight for $15” and its impact on small business, the school-to-prison pipeline, the plight of New Orleans residents on the fifth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina and a “one-night only” Prince concert at the Conga Room in Los Angeles. Sasheen also produced the late-night talk show, Tavis Smiley.

Currently, she is in development with several TV and film projects and co-chairs the Producers Guild of America Power of Diversity Master Workshop. 

This summer, she was invited by the Royal Film Commission - Jordan to develop a curriculum and teach a 5-day Workshop to their local filmmakers on how to prepare their projects for the marketplace. The Workshop culminated with the filmmakers pitching their projects for feedback to top Hollywood execs from Sony, Fox, Paramount, Media Rights Capital and HBO. 

We talked about her incredible journey from homelessness to producing, and broke down the business case for diversity. This is a good one.

Episode 130: Ellen Gerstein, Actor, Writer, Producer, Director

This episode is brought to you by:

Ellen is an award-winning writer, director, producer, and actor. She is a member of: Women In Film, The Alliance of Women Directors, LA Film Team, Film Independent, The Actors Studio and SAG-AFTRA. Apart from having a million credits in film, television and theatre, she has also worked as a psychotherapist, and a stand-up comic.

Without sounding too biased, this is one of my very favorite interviews. If you have ever studied acting in New York, this will take you back. Ellen is delicious, and prepare yourself, you are about to fall in love with her.

You can find Ellen here: www.ellengerstein.com

Episode 124: Sara Laschever, "Women Don't Ask"

This episode is brought to you by:

Sara is the co-author, with Linda Babcock, of two groundbreaking books about women and negotiation, Women Don’t Ask: The High Cost of Avoiding Negotiation—and Positive Strategies for Change and Ask for It! How Women Can Use the Power of Negotiation to Get What They Really Want.

From Sara’s bio, “Whether they want higher salaries, better career opportunities, or more help at home, women are much less likely than men to ask for what they want. When women do ask, they tend to mimic the forceful, competitive negotiating style favored by men, which often backfires. Sara looks at why women feel reluctant to ask for what they need and deserve—and reveals the shockingly high price paid by women, their employers, and the economy as a whole if they don’t address this persistent phenomenon. She shows women how to recognize more opportunities to negotiate, manage the anxiety they may feel when they approach a negotiation, and employ negotiating strategies that have been shown to work especially well for women.

Sara lectures widely and teaches workshops about women and negotiation and women’s leadership challenges for organizations in the U.S. and around the world.”

We are very lucky to have her on the show for a very delicious conversation. We NEED THIS!

Episode 92: Lisa Cordileone and Amy Dellagiarino, Writers/Producers/Actor

Lisa is an Actor/Writer/Producer and Amy is a Writer/Producer/Actor and together they are creating a film and multimedia project called “Freelancers Anonymous.” These women are super smart and have their eye on the very big picture. Lisa was in the much-acclaimed web series called Easy Abby and is an accomplished voice over talent, among many other credits.  Amy’s credits include CollegeHumor.com, An Emo Bromance, Break In, and a children’s book series called Jenny Morgan: Certified Genius.

They tell us as much as they can about their project and their process.  Any more and they’d have to kill me. That’s fair, I guess.

Come listen and have a laugh with us. We cracked up a lot.

You can follow Freelancers Anonymous and find out more here:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/FA_themovie (@FA_themovie)

IG: https://www.instagram.com/freelancersanonymous/ (@FA_themovie)

FB: https://www.facebook.com/freelancersanonymous/ (@freelancersanonymous)

https://www.freelancersanonymousmovie.com/

Episode 87: Chelsea Steiner, Writer/Director

Chelsea is a Writer/Director and is currently producing her webseries called Thank You, Come Again. You can find her (NSFW) Indiegogo campaign here: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/thank-you-come-again-sex-lgbt#/  

Chelsea came up as a film and television writer while also being a sex educator and diversity advocate. While working her day job as the Social Media Manager at The Pleasure Chest in West Hollywood, she looked around and realized this was show that writes itself. So, she wrote it and has set out to produce it.

I was admittedly nervous to interview Chelsea, as at heart I am a WASPY girl who grew up in Catholic school and would certainly never discuss sex publicly. But Chelsea is a smart, open, and talented woman who gave a very interesting interview and helped me mature just a little bit more. But, do listen to the episode with your headphones in and don’t play it in the car during carpool.

Episode 84: Amanda Upson, Producer

Amanda is an Attorney turned Film Producer, whose first film Magnum Opus is available now on Amazon Prime. Amanda is incredibly determined, and when she puts her mind to something, she gets it done. Everything can be figured out.

And here is something we should impart to all of our children, especially our girls – take opportunities to fail. It is so important. If you are too afraid to fail, you won’t take chances and do the things that really scare you. And that is where the real success lies.

Magnum Opus is streaming everywhere, including on amazon prime (http://amzn.to/2zbuTqY), iTunes (http://apple.co/2ybu0zy), google play, etc.  Please follow and share on social at:

 https://www.facebook.com/MagnumOpusMovie

 https://twitter.com/MagnumOpusMovie 

and you can find the trailer here: http://www.magnumopusmovie.com/trailer/ (sharing is caring, and every time a person shares or clicks buy, an attorney saves her soul). 

Episode 81: Nicole Feenstra, Actor, Writer, Producer

Nicole is an Actor who also wrote and produced her webseries called Broken Hearts Division. You can find it here: www.brokenheartsdivision.com. It is hilarious, with a brilliant premise. There is a division of LAPD that prosecutes crimes of the heart. At least, there should be.

She came up through theatre and also advertising and marketing. All of her skills came together in producing the pilot to her series and launching a crowdfunding campaign.

We did this interview as a simulcast facebook live and Instagram live and it now lives on video on YouTube and you can watch it here: http://bit.ly/2zYt8CE