Ever wondered how festival programmers decide which films make the cut? For our first episode of 2026, I'm joined by two incredible women who've been shaping the landscape of independent cinema for over a decade.

Ana Souza has been with Sundance Film Festival for 10 years, working alongside some of the most exciting independent filmmakers in the world. Diana Cadavid is currently Director of Industry Programs for the Latino Film Institute (LFI) in Los Angeles, and International Programmer for the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) She helped build IFF Panama's programming department from scratch.

In this conversation, we break down:

→ The REAL selection process (spoiler: it's not about who you know)

→ How to map your premiere status strategy BEFORE you finish your film

→ The big film/small film balance that keeps festivals alive (and why you should stop resenting those studio movies)

→ Distribution in the post-COVID era: why the all-night bidding wars are gone, but deals are still happening

→ Why attending festivals WITHOUT a film might be the smartest career move you can make

🔗 READ MY SUBSTACK - The History of Film Festivals: [https://angleonproducers.substack.com/]

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When movie maestro and mixologist Paul Feig offers to teach you how to make a proper martini at 10a on a Wednesday, you say yes.

It was thrilling to be tipsy before lunchtime. Almost as thrilling as it is to end 2025 with a conversation with the absolute icon that is director, producer, and comedy legend Paul Feig.

Paul created the cult classic Freaks and Geeks, directed Bridesmaids, Spy, and A Simple Favor, and has helmed episodes of The Office, Parks and Recreation, 30 Rock, and Arrested Development. He's a delight and the fun you feel watching is 100% the fun we had IRL.

We dig into his journey from being the comedy outcast at USC Film School to becoming one of Hollywood's most successful directors. We talk about the brutal 'in-between' years that almost bankrupted him, why comedies get overlooked at awards shows, and his latest film "The Housemaid"—a dark thriller that marks the launch of his new production company, Pretty Dangerous Pictures.

I quite liked the film and hope everyone will get their tushies out into a theater to experience it in the company of loved ones, friends, and strangers!

Tune is as we discuss what makes a project "undeniable", the state of comedies in 2025, and why vanity projects ruin careers.

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Barbara Muschietti is the phenomenal producer behind IT Chapter One & Two (combined $1.17B worldwide), The Flash, and the new Max series IT: Welcome to Derry.

We actually met 5 years ago during my early podcast grind when I cold-emailed Barbara inviting her on the show. She said yes! She invited me to the Warner Brothers lot, to her office, and generously gave me almost 3 hours of her time. It was a real turning point for me and the show.

The world, and certainly Hollywood, has changed tremendously since then.

Full disclosure: we recorded this mere days before the audacious news that Netflix won the bid to purchase Warner Bros. Discovery.

Five years later, we're back. Barbara opens up about "pushing a very, very heavy boulder" aka the reality of making movies even as an established producer with billions in box office success.

She talks about The Flash making $300 million worldwide and still being considered a disappointment. She gets raw about what she learned producing nine hours of IT: Welcome to Derry with child actors during the strikes. We also dig into the LA production crisis, why she still takes a photo of the Warner lot water tower every single morning, and she's terrified we might lose it.

Enjoy

xx cg

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This week, I sit down with Alan Morales, co-founder of Civil Coffee, to explore the unexpected intersection of specialty coffee and film production in Los Angeles.

Given LA's production crisis, I wanted to hear from someone on the ground—a small business owner in Highland Park who sees tons of filming and has thoughts on what producers and the city need to understand.

Alan shares the espresso shot that changed his life, why he dropped out of electrical engineering one course away from graduating, and how Civil Coffee grew from mobile carts to three LA locations with their own roasting program focused exclusively on Mexican beans.

We dig into the value chain from coffee farms to your cup, why productions understand craft services better than wedding clients, what it's like to visit Mexico for the first time as an adult after obtaining citizenship, and how LA's production crisis looks from street level.

Alan's perspective on fair location fees, the human connection that makes or breaks production relationships, and what keeps him optimistic despite the current political climate offers valuable insights for anyone building something that requires invisible work to make magic happen.

Tune in! xx

🔗 CONNECT WITH ALAN & CIVIL COFFEE:

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🎙️ ABOUT ANGLE ON PRODUCERS: Angle on Producers is a podcast hosted by Emmy-nominated producer Carolina Groppa pulls back the curtain on the producers and magic makers of Hollywood. With 150+ episodes, we explore what it really takes to be a producer, the invisible work behind finished films, and how to build a sustainable career in entertainment.

Hannah Lux is a powerhouse music video and commercial director who's created iconic visuals for Ariana Grande, Demi Lovato, Katy Perry, Doja Cat, Nicki Minaj, and Lil Wayne. But her path to the director's chair wasn't traditional.

Hannah shares her 20-plus-year journey in LA—from working as a makeup artist on set to directing Lil Wayne, Drake, and Future on "Love Me," which now has over 620 million views. We dive deep into the making of Ariana Grande's "Thank U, Next," the video that broke YouTube records with 50 million views in 24 hours, and how she navigated legal clearances, celebrity cameos, and a three-day shoot while pregnant.

We also talk about why communication and people management are often harder than the creative work, how to balance an artist's brand with your own vision, and what it takes to be a consistently working director.

xx

CG

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Happy Tuesday! Today is 11/11, a series of numbers that many see as a symbol of spiritual awakening, synchronicity, and alignment with the universe. I'm not too superstitious about these things, but when I catch it, it brings a smile to my face. Is it divine intervention or coincidence? And does it matter?

In thinking about alignment, it feels very apropos to be sharing this particular conversation today with self-described nerdy fangirls Adamma and Adanne Ebo, the identical twin powerhouse behind the indie breakout film Honk for Jesus. Save Your Soul. We met making this film back in 2021—I remember we were in prep when the Ebos were about to turn 30. The incredible ascension they've experienced over these last five years is the epitome of alignment and synchronicity.

Shortly after wrapping Honk, Adamma was tapped to direct her first television episode on Donald Glover's Atlanta—the kind of opportunity that only comes when talent meets the right moment. Timing really is everything, and while their success is absolutely the product of talent, hard work, and vision, there's also been a beautiful alignment of opportunities, relationships, and moments that propelled them forward. Call it luck, call it the universe conspiring—either way, their story is inspiring.

From their days at Spelman College to making their feature debut with Honk for Jesus. Save Your Soul, they've blazed their own path in this industry. Honk premiered to critical acclaim at Sundance in 2022 and sold to Focus Features. The film stars Sterling K. Brown—who was also on the podcast this season with wonderful stories about working with the Ebos—and the incomparable Regina Hall, who delivers a masterclass performance as the first lady of a Southern megachurch.

Since then, they've written and produced on some of the buzziest shows in recent TV: Peacock's Poker Face, Amazon's Mr. & Mrs. Smith, and Swarm. They're now a sought-after creative duo with an overall deal at Sony Television.

Today we're diving into how they protected their artistic vision as first-time filmmakers, why confidence matters more than experience, and how their twin relationship became their secret weapon in Hollywood.

xx

cg

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Today's guest is Adrin Nazarian—former California State Assemblyman who helped triple the film tax credit from $100 million to $330 million during his decade in Sacramento, and now an LA City Councilmember who's fought to get that credit up to $750 million.

Back in March, Adrin filed a motion with ten specific permitting reforms that passed city council unanimously unanimously to direct the Chief Legislative Analyst (CLA) to report back within 30 days on the feasibility of these proposed changes using input from the LAFD, LAPD, Recreation & Parks, DWP, DOT, Bureau of Public Works, and FilmLA.

It's now November. As of this recording on October 29th, the CLA report is 150 days overdue.

So yes, I ask the hard questions. Where is that report? (I'm told it's coming any day now!). What does it mean to be "nimble" in the world of politics when everything takes so long? We get into the real progress that is happening, even if imperfect.

We have an honest dialogue about what we've lost. How tentpole productions left while the streaming boom kept everyone busy, until that bubble popped and companies realized the spending wasn't sustainable. How we've spent a decade training workforces in other states while our decline was masked by volume. And how policymakers took entertainment for granted because tech wealth was flooding in.

But we also talk about how we're building it back. Adrin is refreshingly honest that the industry has been so successful for so long that nobody could have imagined it would ever cease to exist, much less look at the trajectory with concern because the receipts were still coming in.

But now we're here. And there's a generation hungry for this work, ready to innovate and push the industry to new limits. That's what this fight is actually about. Not preserving nostalgia, but building the future.

xx CG

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*Today's episode is brought to you by InkTip, a trusted cornerstone of the independent film industry, connecting talented filmmakers with visionary screenwriters. Head to InkTip.com to learn more.*

What does it take to transition from behind the camera to the director's chair? In this inspiring conversation, Jihane Mrad Balaa shares her remarkable 20-year journey from Lebanese immigrant to working on major shows like American Horror Story, 9-1-1, and Bumblebee—before finally making the leap to directing her own feature film.

Jihane opens up about:

✨ Why being "normal and pleasant" is her secret to success in Hollywood

🎬 How she found her feature film script on InkTip

💪 The harsh realities of producing your first independent film

🎥 Shooting a murder mystery feature in 10 days

👥 What she learned observing 50+ directors—both good and bad

🚀 How diversity hiring became her "foot in the door" and why she embraced it

This conversation is packed with honest, tactical advice for anyone looking to transition between departments or produce their first project. Whether you're a camera operator dreaming of directing, a PA trying to move up, or a filmmaker seeking financing, Jihane's story proves that with persistence, positivity, and the right partnerships, anything is possible.

xx

cg

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To celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month, we recorded a special roundtable episode to amplify three powerhouse Latina executives reshaping Hollywood:

✨ Erika Kennair - Head of Scripted for Mediapro Studios. Created NBC's Writers on the Verge, which helped launch many including Lauren LeFranc, showrunner of the Emmy award winning series The Penguin.

✨ Sonia Almanza Gambaro - Producer and President of Pollinate Entertainment. Executive Producer of Acapulco for Apple TV+

✨ Rocio Melara - Producer. Former executive a Lena Waithe's Hillman Grad.

W​e get into the juicy bits of what it's like to be the only Latina in the room, authentic representation beyond stereotypes, and how ​#​LatinaSquad (shoutout Christine Davila​ 👏) is changing the game for executives across the industry.

Tune in to this crucial conversation about power, persistence, and community.

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Delighted to share this chat with Maryam Mehrtash, an entertainment executive specializing in global marketing and brand partnerships.

Her journey embodies the American dream - from fleeing Iran as a refugee at age two to becoming a key player behind one of the most successful streaming platform launches in recent history.

Maryam helped traditional media companies pivot from linear to digital during the early days when digital was still treated as a "stepchild." She was part of the team at CBS Interactive that had the first-mover advantage in streaming with CBS All Access, then led the go-to-market strategy for the rebrand to Paramount Plus - all while pregnant and during one of the most pivotal moments in our industry's history.

She brings a unique perspective on everything from the economics of peak TV to what producers should know about brand integration in storytelling. She's also a part of the vibrant Iranian diaspora in Hollywood and is on the board of Waterwell, a non-profit co-founded by Award-winning actor Arian Moayed.

Having lived through the streaming wars from the inside, Maryam offers a front-row perspective that's invaluable for understanding where our industry has been and where it's headed.

Tune in as we explore her journey and new role leading marketing partnerships at Disney Marvel, the complex world of brand partnerships, her Substack "This Is Not a Memo", and learn how her family's legacy drives her to greatness.

Enjoy xx

CG

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