Filmmaking Confidential

In an industry where the word "Producer" is misused and overused, it's nearly impossible to tell what it means anymore. Amazon Studios Social Producer Rebecca Breithaupt discusses the different kinds of producers (Executive, Co, Creative, Associate, and so on) along with the different roles producers play in various fields within entertainment (film, TV, commercial and music industries).

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Adrian is an Australian film director, screenwriter and editor.  His film BROLGA is a short film which has just completed a successful international festival run, and has been released for streaming online. The response to the film across the world has been wonderful, and the story of the project's journey to the screen is both unique and full of interesting lessons for those interested in indie filmmaking.

Adrian's work has screened in cinemas across the globe, including the 69th Venice Film Festival, where his film ‘Scruples’ screened as part of a competition spearheaded by Sir Ridley Scott, Michael Fassbender and YouTube, and where Scott commented that Adrian and his fellow finalists were "all clearly talents for the industry to watch". In 2013, Adrian completed work as co-director, co-writer and editor on the WWI feature 'Forbidden Ground', which was released worldwide (including distribution in the U.S. via Lionsgate).

He has edited thirteen feature films, including 'Skin Deep' (officially selected for the 2014 Austin Film Festival), ‘Rip Tide’ (officially selected for the 2017 Sydney Film Festival) and ‘Romance on the Menu’ (released by Netflix in 2020), as well as the acclaimed TV series ‘Starting From…Now’ and ‘A Chance Affair’. In 2020, Adrian co-wrote four episodes of the upcoming Netflix series, ‘Dive Club’.

As both an editor and director, Adrian has also worked on hundreds of commercials, music videos, corporate videos and documentaries. He has produced content for some of the biggest brands in the world, including Apple, QANTAS, TED, Universal Music, Salesforce, Woolworths, The Guardian, ING, Westfield, Lonely Planet, Volvo, Telstra and Google. His latest short film, ‘Brolga’, which he wrote, directed and edited, has been successful at festivals both at home and internationally, and has garnered multiple ‘Best Film’ and ‘Best Director’ awards.

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Starina Johnson is a multidisciplinary artist who can be seen in award-winning films such as “West Hollywood Motel”, “More Scenes from a Gay Marriage”, “A Measure of the Sin”, “Stuck!”, “Casserole Club”, “Watch Out”, and “Roundball.”  Theatre projects include Hollywood Fringe darlings Piñata, directed by Stan Zimmerman, complex[ion] woman, directed by Ebony Gilbert, as well as numerous Towne Street Theatre and NEO Ensemble Theatre productions. She also AD/Co-Produced the revival of Justin Tanner's Heartbreak Help.  Starina’s play Border Towns won SLAM Boston's Diverse Voices in Theatre competition. And her short plays have been produced in theatres across the country.

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Nathan Adloff's feature film “Miles” is semi-autobiographical and centers on a high school senior who joins the girls volleyball team in hopes of winning a college scholarship after his father's untimely death. It stars Molly Shannon, Paul Reiser, Missi Pyle, Tim Boardman, Annie Golden, Yeardley Smith and Stephen Root. “Miles” won the Audience Choice Award in Outfest Los Angeles, received theatrical and digital distribution and is streaming on Netflix.

Nathan Adloff Directed/Co-Wrote/Produced his feature film debut with “Nate & Margaret.” It sold for worldwide distribution prior to completion. The film stars Natalie West, Tyler Ross and Gaby Hoffmann. Roger Ebert praised the film as “A smart, observant movie about two very particular people, and its casting is pitch-perfect.” The New York Times called it “Fragile and simple in the best possible way.”

Nathan acted in Joe Swanberg's early films and IFC series, "Young American Bodies," in addition to making a handful of award-winning short films. Both of his “Cock N’ Bull” short films, which he also acted in, screened in festivals around the world. Both shorts received distribution on multiple platforms, including Seed & Spark, Revry, Dekkoo and Amazon.

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Eric Himan is an award-winning nationally-touring soulful/folk/rock artist.  His music has been featured on Sirius/XM's Coffeehouse radio station.  Eric has toured with Leon Russell and Ani DiFranco.  He has shared the stage with Patty Griffin, India.Arie, Edwin McCain, and many more.  He has appeared in the The Advocate, Huffington Post, OUT, newspapers nationwide, won the Singer/Songwriter Awards in London and is endorsed by Fender Guitars.

Eric's most recent album CONTENDERS is his most ambitious album to date.  In addition to Himan on lead vocals and guitar, the album features musicians Fiawna Forte (lead guitar and vocals), Phillip Hanewinkel (bass) and Brandon Holder (drums).  Produced, recorded and mixed by Bixby’s Kendal Osborne at his Closet Studios, the album was mastered by Chris Wiley with Buffalo Hide Mastering.

Eric's previous album, GRACEFULLY was recorded with Eric on piano. A horn section was brought in and arranged by saxophonist Ryan Tedder, with Dave Johnson on trumpet. Eric was able to bring in some heavy hitters such as drummer, Brandon Holder (drummer for Leon Russell) and bassist Matt Hayes (Jacob Fred Jazz Odessey, Wayne Newton) thanks to the support of his many generous listeners. The album was recorded in Eric’s hometown of Tulsa, OK by Rockwell Ripperger (of the platinum selling band, Stephen Speaks) and Brandon Holder, mixed by Ripperger, and mastered by the grammy-award winning Chris Bellman (Alanis Morissette, Ani DiFranco, Katy Perry) at Bernie Grundman Mastering in Los Angeles, CA.

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Elliot Diviney began editing for Best Buy and the Minnesota Orchestra. In 2009, Elliot directed his first feature film, an indie crime comedy called “Paper-Maché.” Between 2011 and 2012, Elliot directed two sequels, “Potpourri” and “American “Rescue Squad.” After those films were released, Elliot moved to Los Angeles where he continued to pursue editing and writing. His editing clients include Netflix, the NFL, Doritos, and Sun-maid Raisins. In addition to his own films, Elliot’s screenwriting credits include The Dawn (2019), Rise Against The Fall (2017), and several short films for Red 23 Films.

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By the early 1990s, Debbie was working with multiple theatre companies in NYC including The Tribeca Lab where she played multiple characters in Stephen DiLauro’s play The Secret Warhol Rituals. In 1993 Debbie began her career in radio co-producing and co-hosting Oblique Strategies on the terrestrial channel WBAI. 1994 was the beginning for Debbie to land lead roles in film. Abducted II: The Reunion would be the first and in 1995 she co-stared in her first Troma produced film Tromeo and Juliet co-directed by James Gunn and Lloyd Kaufman. This would also be the year Debbie would be given her first writing column which appeared in The Job Bob Report, published by Joe Bob Briggs. She would also pen for numerous genre publications including The Phantom of the Movies’ Videoscope magazine which she still writes for today. Of the multiple roles she would portray by decade’s end it would be Hellblock 13, co-staring Gunnar Hansen, that would begin the wheels turning for a new type of role she would soon be known for. During the 1996-1998-time frame Debbie would co-produce and co-host Illumination Gallery for the internet’s first on-line radio station Pseudo Radio.

In 2000 director Jon Keeyes cast Debbie in the now cult classic American Nightmare which garnered much acclaim with legit reviewers and audiences alike. Her role as Jane Toppan would solidify her as a go-to actor for roles of the off-kilter and intense kind. By 2002 Debbie began working for Full Moon Entertainment, starring in four feature films with the company. She continued to write for genre publications and contributed chapters to horror themed books. In 2005 Debbie joined forces with what was then known as Scream TV. The company bought Fangoria magazine and Debbie began producing short documentaries including Fangoria Presents Slither Behind the Scenes. In 2006 they launched Fangoria Radio for Sirius/XM where she co-produced and co-hosted the show with Twisted Sister front-man Dee Snider until 2010. The following year Debbie was granted her own column in the magazine called Diary of the Deb, the first column written by a woman for the publication, it was nominated for three Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Awards for best column, winning the esteemed statue in 2014. During this decade Debbie also gave critically acclaimed turns in works inspired by some of her favorite classical writers; The Tell Tale Heart (Edgar Allan Poe), Mark of the Beast (Rudyard Kipling) and Colour From the Dark (H.P. Lovecraft).

Debbie appeared on the VH1 reality TV show Scream Queens as a guest judge in 2010. In 2012 she served, with Mira Sorvino, Gabrielle Miller, Tamar Simon-Hoffs and Lana Morgan, as part of the first all-female jury at the Oldenburg International Film Festival in Germany. The same year Debbie had her directorial debut with the extreme body-horror film Model Hunger. ETonline.com hailed Debbie as one of the “40 Top Scream Queens of the Past 40 Years” in 2018. Debbie’s current writing column, Debbie Rochon’s Bloody Underground, appears in the Italian published magazine Asylum. She is currently acting in feature films, writing her book and prepares for her sophomore directing project.

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Garrett Swann is a Santa Barbara native, now New Yorker, full-time realist, gym rat, go-getter, and a wannabe millennial.  Obsessed with great convos over coffee, he spends his days inspiring younger generations with his personal style, poise and panache. A role model and GQ Insider, Garrett travels the world as a model in campaigns for IBM, T-Mobile, Amazon/Oprah Magazine, Brooks Brothers, Allen Edmonds, Michael Kors, Belk, Billionaire (Phillipe Plein), Phonak, Dodge, Chrysler, Loews Hotels, SLH Hotels, Indochino, 2xist Underwear, Mr. Turk, Moscot, among others. Last year, he laughed when he made the “Silverfox” lists for Buzzfeed, Huffpost and OUT Magazine. He's guessing #daddyisthenewblack. Through his social media platform “The Sterling Compass,” garrett circumnavigates the world, giving positive lifestyle direction to those across the globe.
He is also a CEO of an app company called Production Assistant Liaison (paL) in New York City, former star of several TV shows (Fashion House, Unusually Thicke) and questionable indie films (The Casserole Club), and his motto in life is “have swimsuit, will travel.”

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Like many film hopefuls, Ronni started making films at about 9 years old when his father bought one of the first camcorder backpack units that had come on the market.  He remade classics such as Faces of Death and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre with his Brooklyn neighborhood friends.  Since then, his films have screed at festivals around the world as well as museums and institutions ranging from Carnegie Hall and The MET in NY to the Horniman Museum in the UK.  They've been Honored by BAFTA, Tribeca Film Institute, Raindance Film UK, The British Independent Film Awards and many other prestigious venues. Ronni got his official start in film at Troma in 2000, producing DVD content for the legendary horror outfit.  From there, he teamed up with underground maverick Lech Kowlaski (DOA, The Boot Factory) and together they made Hey Is Dee Dee Home with Punk icon Dee Dee Ramone.  Eventually he found his place in short film and digital content working heavily with Morbid Anatomy and the now defunct Brooklyn Observatory.   His award winning short narrative Radio Girl featured collaboration with long time composer and friend Stephen Coates (The Real Tuesday Weld) and The Witch director, Robert Eggers.  His Midnight Archive web series went on to critical acclaim both on the small and big screens,  garnering praise from Time.com to boingboing and io9, to Forbes magazine, before being co-opted for Discovery Channel's digital network.  His short doc Walter Potter : The Man Who Married Kittens, would be nominated for best short at the prestigious Tribeca Film festival, Raindance Film Fest, and Hot Springs International and wind honors at Morbido fest Puebla, Mexico.  His AMC digital series ‘The Broken and the Bad’ is a 6 film docu-series on the real-life themes of Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul and features Giancarlo Esposito.

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The Asylum is one of the world's leading brand-oriented motion picture and television studios. With a focus on high-concept, market-driven entertainment, like the SHARKNADO franchise and the popular BLACK SUMMER and Z NATION TV series.  The Asylum finances, produces and releases 25 films per year through its direct pipeline to the nation's top retailers and its network of international partners. Since its founding in 1997, The Asylum has released more than 500 films and has built a library of over 250 original productions, including top-rated programs for Netflix, SYFY, Lifetime, Ion Television, Animal Planet, as well as Hallmark Channel, Sony Television, BET, and Universal TV. The Asylum's apocalyptic thriller BLACK SUMMER was the #1 scripted series on its Netflix release and Season 2 is underway. And its critically acclaimed action-horror series, Z NATION, is one of SYFY's longest-running and highest-rated. In 2018 the company launched THE ASYLUM MOVIE CHANNEL -- an ad-supported entertainment network. With over three million hours watched per month, THE ASYLUM MOVIE CHANNEL is one of the top-rated OTT entertainment networks.

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