Crew Call

Today, we're talking with Deborah Liebling. Debbie has been a significant comedy tastemaker in film and TV both as an executive and as a producer. She is currently partnered with renowned film director Sam Raimi, under a first-look deal with WIIP. Under their POD 3 Banner. they have set up dark drama series, MALDICIÓN- from the Blair Witch team- at APPLE. They have a comedy at TBS, THE WORST PLANET and they are in pre-production on SEASON 2 of horror anthology 50 STATES OF FRIGHT at QUIBI.

Deborah continues to produce independently in comedy. She is EXECUTIVE PRODUCER of HULU’s Emmy-nominated comedy, PEN 15. On the feature side, Deborah most recently produced PLUS ONE, starring Maya Erskine and Jack Quaid, which won the Audience Award at the 2019 Tribeca Film Festival and continues to stream on HULU. 

On our show, Debbie talks about the early days of Comedy central, developing original comedy series, and what she expects from a good assistant.

To hear the full interview, subscribe on our Patreon page: http://bit.ly/tapatreon

Here's our discussion with Line Producer Jason Roberts. He’s been working in the industry for over three decades, most recently as the Line Producer of Fox’s Filthy Rich, and UPM on Hulu’s The Orville. He also has a long career as an AD, going as far back as being a DGA trainee on Seinfeld, with many, many movies and TV shows in between.

If you want to know how to climb the ladder from PA to producer, Jason is definitely someone to hear from.

To hear the full interview, subscribe on our Patreon page: http://bit.ly/tapatreon

Today we're talking with Academy Award-nominated writer/director/raconteur Billy Ray! Mr. Ray takes us through his entire career, from assistant to producer/showrunner. He gives not only great advice, but inspiration for aspiring writers everywhere. And, of course, we discuss COVID, because how could we not?

To hear the full interview, subscribe on our Patreon page: http://bit.ly/tapatreon

It’s the last episode of Crit Squad for the year! We’ve been through a lot this year, both in and out of character. Especially during the incredible ‘Trials of Id’ Arc that Austin put together for us to finish off the season. The four of us talk about how that felt, what we hope happens to our characters, and how Baldy’s big reveal hit us right in the feels.

HOUSEKEEPING: Thanks to you wonderful folks who ordered T-Shirts! We can’t wait to see you guys in your sweet Crit Squad duds. We’ll be getting the order in before the end of the year, so you can expect to have your shirt in hand no later than the end of January!

If you missed the deadline, no worries! You can still support the show with a Mug, a Poster, or just a couple bucks in the tip jar! OR! Tell a friend! Tell an entertainment journalist! Tell your Mom!

Or just come visit us @critsquadcast on Twitter or Facebook. We love you, and can’t wait to get going again when we’re all back in 2019!

This is it you guys! It’s the season finale of Crew Call.

I’ve been holding on to this one because it’s one of my favorites we’ve done in this new batch and I wanted it to sit somewhere special. So this week, on the season finale of Crew Call, I have the great pleasure to air this interview with the Incredible Kate Lupo of EntryLevelHollywood.com.

Who is this person, you may ask? Kate Lupo is a speaker and career coach here in Los Angeles, but she is not just any speaker or career coach. Kate is an expert in helping students and recent grads land job and internships in the business and development side of Hollywood.

So. If your dream is to become a producer, or a writer, or an exective, or, or, etc in this crazy town I call home, you may have already run into the fact that it can be extremely hard to get your foot in the door, or to, really, even know which door to get your foot in.

That’s where Kate comes in. Through in-person workshops, online webinars, Interview and career coaching and more, Kate has helped clients land jobs at some of the biggest studios and talent agencies in Hollywood and she’s here on the show to talk about that, how she got her start in the business, and how spreadsheets can have some seriously effective off-label uses. So stay tuned for that, and if you dig what you’re hearing and you want to learn more, stick around after the interview and before we go I’ll fill you in on how you can apply for a 30-minute coaching call with Ms Kate Lupo herself.

In this episode, Neil Daly gives us an in-depth look at a little known job in the entertainment industry. He’s one of the guys in charge of getting the honest opinions out of an audience before a movie is even finished, but there’s a lot more to it that just collecting survey cards. Tune in and learn all about that gig, and grab some incredibly good tips on how to keep your eyes open to unique opportunities as you build your career in entertainment. Enjoy!

It’s that time of year again. When you work in the entertainment business, the space between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day can be a mess of canceled gigs, no work, and unpredictable finances. In this episode the producers and host of Crew Call sat down to talk about what and why the holiday slump happens, how they get through it, and how to stay positive while you wait for the phone to start ringing again. So happy New Year, everyone! And don’t worry, those jobs will start rolling in any day now.

Christmas is creeping up, so we’re taking a brief rest this week to pause, reflect, and polish up the last few episodes of Season One of Crew Call. This episode is here just to thank all you wonderful people for listening, and offer up a little nugget of wisdom from one of the best authors around. Give it a listen, and we’ll see you next year!

If you’re a new filmmaker, the thought of working with a composer may not even have entered your brain yet…but without a score, a movie is just a bunch of people talking about stuff and running away from explosions like regular folk. No excitement. No drama. Just some guy running for his life against a backdrop of birds chirping and cars passing by, like a chump. And that’s where people like Composer Benjamin Young come in–because a film without a score just isn’t quite done. We sat down and talked about what goes into that process, logistically, philosophically, and technically, and how to talk to a composer in a way that will get you what you want for your movie. There’s a ton of good stuff in here, especially if you’re as into sound and music as I am. Enjoy!

Adult Entertainment can be one of those ‘barely acknowledged, rarely mentioned’ corners of the entertainment industry, but have you ever wondered what actually goes into working in porn? Turns out, it’s a lot more than you might think. We sat down with director, producer, makeup artist, and actress Nicki Hunter to dig into the process and particulars of the adult film industry, from logistics, to on-set etiquette, to how the industry has changed over the years as technology advances. And as if that wasn’t enough, she also shares with us her incredible story of surviving Leukemia, getting into Leadership training, and retiring from the industry. (Definitely NSFW. Unless you work in porn. Or in your own home office. In which case, you’re probably fine.)