Six months ago, Stay in LA co-founders Sarah Adina Smith and Alexandra Pechman came on the show to explain why their grassroots movement was desperately needed to keep film production in Los Angeles.

Since then, they've racked up a good amount of wins —from helping secure California's $750 million tax incentive to advocating for permitting reform across LA County.

Today we're joined by two other leaders driving this coalition: showrunner and co-founder Noelle Stehman, and social impact producer Kate Holguin. We break down their wins, setbacks, and what's next in the battle for Hollywood's future.

But as both guests make clear, the wins so far are just the beginning. As Noelle puts it: "If we don't continue to put pressure on policymakers and studio execs... the industry is going to continue to disappear and deteriorate."

Kicking off the new season with the spirited Adria Arjona for what was, incredibly, her first solo podcast ever. As someone whose face is literally on billboards outside my place currently, I found this fact both shocking and oddly kismet.

It’s a special treat to share this unexpected and refreshing punk rock side of her with you all. What you'll discover about Adria is that beyond being gorgeous – which, obviously – she's a dynamic, perceptive citizen of the world with a penchant for doing "bad things." And I mean that in the best possible way. She's the kind of person who makes you immediately start plotting how to become her best friend.

Born in Puerto Rico, half Guatemalan, raised in Mexico, and shaped by a nomadic childhood following her father Ricardo Arjona on tour – one of the best-selling Latin American artists of all time – Adria learned early that home isn't a place, it's found in people and rituals. A lesson that serves her well in an industry that keeps her constantly moving between London, LA, and everywhere in between.

There are SO many gems here, but a few that really stayed with me is how selling merch on her dad's tours taught her the art of hustling, a career-changing audition failure, and how producing has changed her as an actor for the better.

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Today, we are joined by actor and producer Jennifer LaFleur. She was recently in the HULU original film THE DROP and, just this past weekend, the psychological horror film she also co-produced, BIRTHRITE, directed by Ross Partridge.

In a blast from the past, Jen and I met in 2011 on the set of a feature film where I was shadowing the producer. It’s a gentle reminder of how much the path zigs and zags.

During our chat, Jen shares how she turned her Massachusetts hometown into a movie set for her latest film BIRTHRITE, why the Duplass Brothers' "you are the cavalry" philosophy changed her career, and what her ER doctor father taught her about perspective when film locations fall through days before shooting.

Whether you're an aspiring filmmaker, working parent, or anyone trying to build something meaningful, Jen's story offers practical wisdom about creating opportunities, leveraging what you already have, and showing up as your best self - because you never know when a brief encounter will change your life years later.

BIRTHRITE is playing in limited theaters in Los Angeles now!

Monday vibes got you down? Let's flip that energy! 🎬

We are gearing up to launch a new season of the show, but in the meantime, I wanted to share what I've been up to behind the scenes. We've been focused on elevating all across the board--from our content, to our vibrant new set by Sara Silkwood (https://www.sarasilkwood.me/), and intentional community engagement.

After 6 years of a mostly solo podcasting hustle, I'm finally ready to share what's been happening behind the scenes—from our incredible Summer Cafecito series to landing at a Hollywood soundstage where Lucille Ball once walked.

This summer was filled with elevation: Cannes Film Festival, new studio, growing team, and big plans ahead. Plus the real talk about funding this passion project solo while building something sustainable for our creative community.

Subscribe for more behind-the-scenes and creative industry real talk ✨

Kicking off August with a very special episode with the the brilliant minds behind Zello and Cinelease. 

They just announced a game-changing acquisition that's bringing our industry back to its roots - where crews are empowered and things get done without red tape.

As someone who's filmed in LA most of my career, I know Hollywood's real magic isn't what's on screen—it's the thousands of passionate people behind the scenes. Cinelease has been one of those constants for me. No matter the scope or budget, they always found a way to make it work.

What makes this deal special? The timing is everything. After strikes, productions fleeing overseas, and endless layoffs, while others consolidate into massive corporate machines, Zello is taking Cinelease private and back to its entrepreneurial roots.

This isn't just business—it's about people. Some Cinelease employees have been there 35 YEARS. That tells you everything about how they treat their team. Now with Zello's network backing them, they're expanding that family culture into new markets and creating more opportunities for all of us who make this industry run.

Tune in for this exclusive deep dive on how this acquisition came to be and what it means for the future. Spoiler: it's bright ✨

This is a very fun special crossover of AOP and Daddy Dailies with host Vika Stubblebine. 

She actor, writer, director and stand up comedian who most recently wrote on CBS's S.W.A.T.. She is a co-founder of Not Your Daddy's Films, a social impact organization dedicated to empowering and educating women and nonbinary filmmakers through events, screenings and podcasts.

The community they’ve built is truly remarkable. When you find your people - the ones who share your wavelength and want to build something meaningful together - the chaos becomes creative fuel rather than overwhelming noise.

Both our shows are doing essential work highlighting the voices and experiences of those often overlooked in the industry. This crossover was a perfect example of what happens when we can come together to share knowledge rather than hoard it.

Enjoy xx

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QUESTIONS

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Earlier this week I shared part 1 of my conversation with Hollywood icon Steve Papazian. He is the former President of Worldwide Physical Production at Warner Bros. That chat was recorded back in April of 2019 and chronicles his rise from the mailroom to The Matrix. 

If you missed part one, I highly recommend you hit pause and go check that out. 

To refresh your memory, he started in the mailroom and rose the ranks over the course of almost 50 years at Warner Brothers at Universal. YEARS!

His impressive filmography includes some of cinema's most defining moments: The Matrix, The Hobbit trilogy, and the Harry Potter films. He's been the trusted production partner for visionaries like Clint Eastwood and Christopher Nolan across multiple projects, helping bring their creative visions to life on an unprecedented scale.

After witnessing the seismic shifts that have rocked our industry—from studio consolidations to the exodus of productions from California—I knew I had to reconnect with Steve for an unfiltered conversation about what we've lost and whether there's still time to save Hollywood.

So today, we dive into the Death of the Star-Making Machine Hollywood, how California's Policy Failures are not setting us up for success, and why the Solution Requires Going Back to Basics.

Delighted to share a truly remarkable conversation I had back in April 2019 with Steve Papazian - a Hollywood executive whose career spans nearly five decades and reads like a masterclass in entertainment industry evolution.

When you look at his filmography, you're looking at some of cinema's most defining moments - The Matrix, The Hobbit trilogy, the Harry Potter films.

He's been the trusted production partner for visionaries like Clint Eastwood and Christopher Nolan across multiple projects, helping bring their creative visions to life on an unprecedented scale.

Steve takes us inside one of the corporate transformations that shaped modern Hollywood - the Warner Brothers-Lorimar merger, his strategic move to Universal - and reveals the sophisticated decision-making that goes into shepherding these cultural touchstones from concept to screen. 

Beyond the business acumen, Steve has a deep reverence for the craft itself. He speaks with genuine passion about Hollywood's golden era and offers profound insights into what it means to maintain creative integrity in an industry often driven by competing interests and immense financial pressures.

Part two was recorded last week and drops in two days! 

But first, let me take you back to April 2019 for this essential conversation about what it truly means to be an exceptional producer in Hollywood - and how one builds a legacy that spans generations of filmmaking.

A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of hosting a panel at UTA for a screening of ANDOR - the Star Wars spinoff series from creator Tony Gilroy. It was there that I met today’s guest, executive producer, Sanne Wohlenberg.

Check that out here: https://youtu.be/mGe1Ec3nhv8

Sanne is a German-born television producer working primarily in the United Kingdom. After working on multiple episodes of the critically acclaimed series BLACK MIRROR, she went on to win an Emmy Award in 2019 for Outstanding Limited Series as the producer of CHERNOBYL, followed by a Producers Guild of America nomination for The David L. Wolper Award for Outstanding Producer of a Limited Series the following year.

In 2022, Sanna joined ANDOR as a non-writing EP and lucky for us, helped breathe fresh new life into the franchise.

During our conversation, Sanne and I discussed pivoting from law to entertainment, choosing talent over credits, and why you don’t have to be a STAR WARS fanatic to fall into the target audience for ANDOR.

What happens when you combine the brilliant mind of Ryan Coogler and a bunch of blood-thirsty vampires? You get SINNERS, one of the most original and entertaining films of the year.

A theatrical feat at the box office, it’s grossed over 285 million dollars since its April 16th release. It was my absolute pleasure to talk to producer Sev Ohanian about how this monster movie gem came to fruition.

Sev is a homie and we go way back to our baby producer days, so it is really special for me to reconnect with him after so many years. Our meet cute story is also one for the books!

Sev is Armenian-American screenwriter, producer, and founder of Proximity Media alongside Ryan and Zinzi Coogler. He co-wrote and produced (alongside his wife and producing partner Natalie Qasabian who was on the podcast back in 2019!), SEARCHING, released by Sony Screen Gems in 2018. The film grossed $75 million worldwide and sparked the sequel, MISSING.

Ohanian also co-wrote and produced RUN for Lionsgate, which became Hulu’s most-watched film upon its premiere.

During our time together, we talked about his first foray into filmmaking - an $800 micro-budget film shot on his dad’s home video camera, how his working relationship with Coogler came to be, and the trials and tribulations of shooting on location in the swamps of Louisiana.

xx

cg