A Pint With Seaniebee

Seaniebee is joined today by fellow Dubliner Justin Moore-Lewy, the founding partner of HēLō productions (www.flyhelo.com) – one of the world’s foremost branded entertainment companies that straddles the worlds of advertising, film and brand experience.

A former talent agent at ICM, Justin has also produced over ten movies with the likes of Jeff Bridges and Charlize Theron. He shares with us his cutting-edge views on the future of film production and the screen-trade lessons he has learned in bringing movies through funding to fruition (and why it all boils down to one thing: Hair).

We also hear the fascinating story behind the award-winning Super Bowl commercial for Bud Light, with a crew of 750, 60 cameras and a slew of huge stars, shot over 18 hours in New York. (http://tinyurl.com/z25l8bq)

From shooting Irish motor sport in his teens; through selling dodgy insurance in London; the move to America where he worked in an Irish Bar and how he fortuitously fell into Hollywood; Justin’s amazing journey is testament to the power of drive, bravery, scheming and why the most important character trait for success may just be to have balls like a jockey’s bollix.

Justin’s powerful new movie - A United Kingdom - is released next month. (Watch the trailer here: http://tinyurl.com/jax3gnk )

Other links.

‘Once’: http://tinyurl.com/hopmpcu

‘Glengarry Glen Ross’: http://tinyurl.com/hbgbmpl

‘The Big Lebowski’: http://tinyurl.com/norh9ss

‘Sleepwalking’: http://tinyurl.com/zldzf6w

‘Under Still Waters’: http://tinyurl.com/gumdaq6

& The Dublin School of Economics: http://tinyurl.com/guxjtq3

Release date: October 20th 2016

Runtime: 42m

Recorded: A noisy wine bar in Cannes

One of Europe’s foremost visual artists joins the pod to share her life journey. Born and raised in Sarajevo, art has been a central part of Šejla’s life since childhood. An introvert, she used her work to communicate and share the loss, horror, sadness and personal tragedy of the war, as Yugoslavia fractured and split around her.

Often controversial, we discuss the motivation behind many of her works including the famous “Bosnian Girl” (2003) http://tinyurl.com/z2wna33 and the ambitious “From One, Learn All” (2015) http://tinyurl.com/jbotsgs – a forensically-driven memorial to Bosnia’s wartime lost and missing.

We also discuss the importance of struggle in the creative process; the role of art in changing behavior and attitudes; and why looking at life in the simplest terms possible, may be the secret to surviving today’s rather pessimistic world.

Other works discussed:

“EU / Others” (2000) http://tinyurl.com/hrxv6rf

“Basics” (2001) http://tinyurl.com/zpycv3y

“1395 Days Without Red” (2011) http://tinyurl.com/h3godqo (film excerpt)

“June is June Everywhere” (2013) http://tinyurl.com/hdp766h

Release date: October 10th 2016

Runtime: 40m

Recorded: Sarajevo

This first outside (and rather noisy) episode is about what happens when you lose a 9-year-old child to leukemia and what you do about it. Together with Professor Miles Prince, Grant Rutherford set up The Snowdome Foundation following the death of his daughter, Chloe, and has since raised over $17m to fight blood cancer – the third highest cause of death by cancer.

He charts his life story and rise to the top of the ad industry, where he was responsible for Seaniebee’s favorite Aussie commercial of all time. This week, Grant took the creative helm of The Monkeys - one of Australia’s most progressive ad agencies.

Please donate to The Snowdome Foundation here: http://tinyurl.com/zx4kv8a

Chloe’s story: http://tinyurl.com/guhz54y

Snowdome recently won the 2016 Telstra national charity award:

http://tinyurl.com/gmfdhau

The Carlton Draft ad is here: http://tinyurl.com/mcrbrym

Release date: September 30th 2016

Runtime: 28m

Recorded: Sydney

Collin Douma grew up in a small town in Canada and has lived his life with great fluidity and no fixed career plan other than to always follow what was interesting to him.

He takes us on a journey form his early years working tobacco fields, through studying animation, cartooning, embracing the early stages of the digital revolution and finally landing in the media industry where he remains to this day.

We learn all about steampunk; the depressing consequences of the war on intelligence; why Canada is so different from the USA; the dangers of political correctness and how it stifles much-needed, considered conversation across big issues that blight society such as ISIS and gun control; and how the world would be a much better place if everyone decided to put ‘kindness’ front and centre in their lives.

You can follow Collin on twitter here: www.twitter.com/collindouma

Release date: September 20th 2016

Runtime: 35m

Recorded: New York

What happens when you decide to chuck a comfortable, first-world existence and up stakes to do some good in a developing country? Seven years ago, Julie and her young family decided to do just that: moving from New York to Nicaragua to set up the San Juan Del Sur Day School from scratch, where she remains to this day as Principal. Julie’s inspiring story shows us that perhaps the most important thing in life is to fearlessly follow one’s passions on the road to ultimate self-fulfillment and is a salutary reminder in today’s greed-filled society, that each of us can effect change and deliver greater purpose to the world if we choose to do so.

Find out more and please donate to the school here: http://tinyurl.com/zmdva3a

Release date: 20th September 2016

Runtime: 25m

Recorded: Nicaragua

Today’s podcast is all about the future of technology and how a lack of control and checks and balances may lead to humanity eventually being run by sentient robots. With his company B-Reel, Anders has been at the leading edge of Internet and digital innovation for the past three decades.

A must listen for anyone planning to conceive the next Uber or Airbnb, we learn how naiveté, passion, rule-breaking and never treating the Internet responsibly are the secrets to cracking bold new ideas. We also gain insight into how to hold on to and respect your most creative people in order to keep your organization fresh and innovative; why right now, we may all be living in a computer game; and why for today’s technically proficient youth, going to college may actually be the wrong life-move.

Learn more about B-Reel here: http://tinyurl.com/j3vr4l2

Their breakthrough music video for Arcade Fire: http://tinyurl.com/25yk86c

Release date: August 30th 2016

Runtime: 29m

Recorded: Cannes

Seaniebee sits down with the proprietor of his favourite restaurant in the world, Buon Ricordo. Born in Naples, Armando has been one of Sydney's pre-eminent, passionate, controversial and awarded chefs for over 40 years and offers key insights into how to stay at the top of your game for the long haul by refusing to compromise and ensuring every single customer is satisfied every single night. Despite being known for an occasional 'kitchen temper', he nevertheless is renowned for engendering huge staff loyalty and explains how trust in team is critical in the running of any great restaurant.

His food is 'peasant-based' and distinctly non-'frou-frou' and his famous truffle egg pasta has been voted the best pasta in the world by the Italian magazine, Grazie. He shares his outspoken views of restaurant critics and we also learn the difference between the Camorra and the Mafia back in the old country.

The Buon Ricordo shop is here:

http://tinyurl.com/zdn9a7r

Release date: August 20th 2016

Runtime: 44m

Recorded: Sydney

This week sees Robert De Niro open the 22nd Sarajevo Film Festival. To mark the occasion, Seaniebee is honoured to welcome the Festival’s Chief Selector to the podcast. Elma graduated in Screenwriting and Cinema History at the Sarajevo Academy of Performing Arts; she has a Master of Science degree; a PhD in Film and Literature; and is both a professor of screenwriting at the Academy and the head of the Association of Bosnian Filmmakers. She is also a screenwriter and producer who has made four movies. Her first feature film – SNOW – won over 30 international awards including the Grand Prix at Cannes in 2008.

Elma shares her life story from her early years growing up in Iran, to her experiences during the war in Bosnia. She also watches and critiques over 700 movies every year and brings valuable advice to filmmakers on production, funding, storytelling and the criteria required to get a film selected into film festivals.

The Sarajevo film festival is here: www.sff.ba/en

Elma’s movie picks:

Walter Defends Sarajevo (1972) tinyurl.com/gresj38

No Man’s Land (2001) tinyurl.com/zamtdl2

Grbavica (2006) tinyurl.com/gu7yj28

Once Upon A Time in America (1984) tinyurl.com/chlmexq

Snow (2008) tinyurl.com/jmdwz47

Mustang (2015) tinyurl.com/grdznsm

Release date: August 10th 2016

Runtime: 42m

Recorded: Sarajevo

To coincide with the launch of his ambitious new project – “All The Black People in Citizen Kane” – artist Craig Damrauer joins the pod to reflect on his life journey and the lessons he has learned: from growing up in Denver as the son of scientists to becoming a baker, a kitchen manager, a food scientist, an adman and eventually focusing on his artistic passions.

One of the most important, innovative, brave, honest, genuine and humble artists working in America today, he graduated with an MFA from the University of Arizona and has had his work shown at the Ogden Museum of Southern Art, MCA Denver, the Masur Museum, Los Angeles Contemporary Editions, Pulse Art Fair, and Paul Smith’s GLOBE Gallery. Craig is also a writer and has had a number of books published including the magnificent New Math. He has contributed to The New York Times, The Atlantic, GOOD and Medium.

ABOUT “All the Black People in Citizen Kane”

In the 20th Century’s most iconic movie, there are 23 black actors. Two have speaking roles (‘Yes, sir’ and ‘Come right in, Mr. Kane’), there are two bands, three loiterers, one wheelchair pusher, three servants and one driver. The actors were un-credited and occupy 2.9 minutes of screen time.

Taking inspiration from James Baldwin, the piece consists of 171,744 frames, each hand-erased with the exception of the black actors’ appearances onscreen. Almost 4 years in production, it is an attempt, by erasing, to make clear that which is nearly invisible. The work can be seen at the New Orleans Contemporary Arts Center from August 6th – October 1st as part of the exhibition, “A Building With A View”: Experiments in Anarchitecture.

Craig’s Website is here: http://www.assortedbitsofwisdom.com

The superb New Math work is here: https://www.tumblr.com/tagged/more-new-math

Release date: July 30th 2016

Runtime: 33m

Recorded: Brooklyn

Probably the most candid, humble, philosophical and emotional episode to date; the pod with Craig Smith is a no holds barred descent into the madness of drug and alcohol addiction, suicidal thoughts and how to emerge stronger from such darkness.

From almost being a professional footballer with Sheffield United and a soldier with the British Marines, Craig tells his amazing story of growing up in the class system, getting away to see the world, rising to become one of the world’s great admen, only to see it all eventually unravel before his eyes.

We learn a good rule of thumb is to never die on your own doorstep; why the journey is essentially one of finding your true self; and why your life is usually never as bad as your mind might be telling you it is.

Craig is a man who has thrown his many regrets into the chasm of the past and really worked hard to come out much stronger and more vital. He approached this chat with a desire to be totally open about his difficult experiences in the hope that his learnings and experience may be helpful to others going through the same thing.

Today Craig runs www.smithandko.com with his wife, and this spring they welcomed their first child – Scout Hana – into the world.

Release date: July 20th 2016

Runtime: 55m

Recorded: New York