It's another one of Philadelphia's finest as writer/director Dan Trachtenberg (Predator: Badlands, 10 Cloverfield Lane) joins Becky (while she wears a Sixers t-shirt in honor of LeBron - still can't believe it!) for a wide-ranging conversation about creative collaborations, leaps of faith and where underdog mentality really comes from. 

First, Dan takes Becky back to growing up in Philly: working at Suncoast Video in the Willow Grove Mall, leaning into his passion for comic books and movies that laid the foundation for his directing career. Then Dan shares his path from film school at Temple University (go Owls!) to years of trying to make it in Los Angeles directing commercials, before his buzzy short films and a fortuitous connection from Philly helped him land the job directing his first film, 10 Cloverfield Lane — produced by one of Dan's biggest filmmaker influences, J.J. Abrams. 

Dan then shares the backstory of how he found a fresh and original way into the Predator franchise and how he's continued to build out the Predator universe in distinct ways — prequels, animated films, and not one but two incredible roles for Elle Fanning — and what else he's working on next. 

Dan and Becky also bond over their shared love of movies that try to show the full human experience — especially '80s and '90s movies, anything Spielberg touched, and definitely if John Cusack holds up a boombox. 

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Host: Becky Sloviter

Guest: Dan Trachtenberg - https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0870469/

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It's a damn fine episode this week as Becky is joined by acclaimed filmmaker and actor Macon Blair (Blue Ruin, I Don't Feel at Home in This World Anymore), whose latest film, Idiots — a darkly comedic road trip movie starring Dave Franco, O'Shea Jackson Jr., Mason Thames, Kiernan Shipka, and Peter Dinklage — comes out in theaters this Friday, August 28th from IFC.

Macon shares the initial inspiration for Idiots while giving a peek into how fruitful his collaboration with Dave Franco in particular was on the path to getting the movie made. Macon then indulges Becky's fandom over his previous films, sharing the backstory of how his collaboration with filmmaker Jeremy Saulnier (Rebel Ridge, Green Room) dates back to their childhoods in Virginia, and continues today with their production company, Bonneville Pictures. 

Macon also talks about his work as an actor — how playing his first deeply dramatic role in Blue Ruin didn't allow him to rely on his usual acting tricks, and how special it was to work with legendary filmmaker Christopher Nolan on Oppenheimer as well as acclaimed showrunner Sterlin Harjo on both Reservation Dogs and The Lowdown.

And finally, should you want to see Becky lose her mind with happiness, stay until the final "Last Looks" question, where Twin Peaks FINALLY gets its due from fellow die-hard fan Macon as they discuss a place both wonderful and strange.

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Host: Becky Sloviter

Guest: Macon Blair - https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0086301/

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For the 50th episode of the pod, Becky is joined by someone very special to her family: writer/director Amy Talkington (Little Fires Everywhere, Valley Girl), who went on a 12 year odyssey with an incredible producer to bring the remake of the classic film Valley Girl to life as a jukebox musical for MGM.

Amy shares the juxtaposition of being raised in a prominent Dallas family while also being the "goth girl at cotillion," and how the countercultural music scene in Deep Ellum in the '80s saved her during those tumultuous teen years — ultimately inspiring her to leave Dallas and chase her dreams.

She then shares a few incredible stories from her encounters with legendary filmmakers: first, Milos Forman — while Amy was in graduate school at Columbia — whose feedback on her short film helped forge her fairytale launch into Hollywood; and then with the master himself, Francis Ford Coppola, and why their meeting was lovely but not at all what she expected.

Amy and Becky then reminisce about the commitment and dedication it took to get Valley Girl made and the many obstacles along the way — studio bankruptcies, multiple directors, a Logan Paul scandal, and a global pandemic, just to name a few — before connecting on the challenges of balancing motherhood and identity while navigating an artistic career.

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Host: Becky Sloviter

Guest: Amy Talkington - https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0848090/

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This week, Becky is joined by an old friend with an incredible career trajectory. Maradith Frenkel spent 15 years as a top studio executive at Universal Pictures — working on films including Bridesmaids, Mamma Mia!, and Snow White and the Huntsman — before her entrepreneurial instincts and a desire to solve a problem for her newborn son led her to launch the wildly successful clothing company Little Sleepies.

Through Maradith's drive and perseverance, Little Sleepies developed a unique bamboo-based fabric that almost immediately soothed her son's irritated skin while reinventing a category in the baby clothing space. From there, she built the company from a scrappy start-up in her garage into the ever-expanding success story it is today: with billboards in Times Square, collaborations with Disney, Warner Bros., Paw Patrol, and (of course) Bluey, and a sizable headquarters in Hollywood.

Becky and Maradith reminisce about their days together at Universal Pictures before diving into Maradith's storied career path, how the skills she picked up in the film industry proved surprisingly transferable to launching a company all on her own, how — as Maradith puts it — "you never get anywhere without taking a risk," and why she's so proud to be part of people's happiest memories (or "go the f**k to sleep," as the case may be).  

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Host: Becky Sloviter

Guest: Maradith Frenkel - https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2724059/

Little Sleepies: https://littlesleepies.com/

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This week's episode marks a first for Becky: a true 'general meeting' with a filmmaker she'd never met before and was delighted to sit down with: DGA-nominated director Jeff Wadlow (Imaginary, The Curse of Bridge Hollow), whose new survival thriller The Devil's Mouth, starring Kathryn Newton and Lana Condor, just premiered July 29th on Amazon Prime. 

Jeff takes Becky through his journey from growing up in Virginia to majoring in film at Dartmouth to earning his MFA from USC's Peter Stark Producing Program — but first, they dive (pun intended) into his experience making The Devil's Mouth in Thailand, including why he was drawn to this wholly original take on a shark movie and the challenges of filming on the open ocean.

Jeff then shares some incredible stories from his film school days — including the time he brought his mentor Warren Beatty to class — before getting into the backstory of the Adrenaline Film Project, a 72-hour filmmaking competition that Jeff launched more than 20 years ago in his hometown of Charlottesville, Virginia.

And poignantly, Jeff opens up about his close relationship with his aunt, Katie Couric, and what it meant to show up for his family when he moved in with Katie and her daughters following the tragic death of her husband, Jay, just a few years before Jeff's mother, Emily Couric, would also pass away from cancer — one of the many reasons Katie's work with Stand Up To Cancer is so personally meaningful to their family. 

Check out our episodes on YouTube as well! https://www.youtube.com/@generalmeetingpod

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Host: Becky Sloviter

Guest: Jeff Wadlow - https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0905592/

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This week's episode got deep, vulnerable AND featured a perfect dog — so Becky has never been happier as she welcomes screenwriter, author and all-around wonderful human, Eliot Glazer (Broad City, New Girl) to the pod, whose new book of hilarious and poignant essays, The Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Gay, will be released by Simon & Schuster on August 11th — pre-order ASAP if you have great taste.

First, Eliot takes Becky back to his upbringing on Long Island, the intense fear of his queer identity being discovered that plagued him on a daily basis, and what ultimately prompted him to write his laugh-out-loud forthcoming book of essays — a book that would have meant so much to him when he was younger and that he hopes (and Becky is certain!) will be a balm to so many people's souls.

Then Eliot and Becky get very candid about the realities of having a career in Hollywood these days, the internal and external voices that get in the way (and how hard those voices are to quiet down), and how the nature of being an artist comes with an inability to suppress your creativity — no surprise, Becky quotes Brené Brown for the millionth time as she and Eliot explore what "unused creativity is not benign" really means.

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Host: Becky Sloviter

Guest: Eliot Glazer - https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2513282/

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This week, Becky welcomes a brilliant friend to the pod: bestselling author, screenwriter, and award-winning journalist Amy Chozick (The Girls On the Bus) — whose new novel "With Friends Like You", a darkly comedic thriller about motherhood and identity, launches today! 

Amy takes Becky through the first part of her career — when she was a renowned journalist covering some of the biggest stories in politics, business and media for The New York Times — before taking the advice of her mentor, the late David Carr, to "put that newspapering aside and go to the magical place where writers live" to pursue a career in screenwriting. In her initial transition to Hollywood, Amy shares what it was like working alongside Greg Berlanti to adapt her bestselling memoir "Chasing Hillary" — which ultimately became the acclaimed HBO Max series, The Girls on the Bus — and how she's continued to work closely with Berlanti, currently on his highly anticipated new show, How to Survive Without Me, starring Ray Romano, Kaley Cuoco, Joshua Jackson and Rita Wilson.

Amy also takes Becky behind the scenes of her notable New York Times profiles over the years — including the only interview Elizabeth Holmes gave before going to prison, as well as Stormy Daniels, Lorena Bobbitt and, most recently, her piece on Lauren Sanchez Bezos — as Amy continues to explore her strong interest in controversial women in the bright light of public scrutiny.

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Host: Becky Sloviter

Guest: Amy Chozick - https://www.imdb.com/name/nm6884591/

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It's women supporting women on a very special episode this week as Becky is joined by comedians, influencers and New York Times bestselling authors Kristin Hensley & Jen Smedley — also known as the hilarious creators and stars of 'I Mom So Hard'.

Kristin and Jen take Becky back to their Nebraska roots and ultimate meet-cute after a Hollywood improv show, before sharing the genesis of what initially prompted them to launch their web series 10 years ago, and how 'I Mom So Hard' has since evolved into a robust community for women — complete with bestselling books, live shows around the country, and a wildly successful podcast.

With their trademark delightful candor, Kristin and Jen talk about letting go of the idea of perfect motherhood, the inspiring power of female friendship, the gains that can only come from hard work and hustle, and why mom's are just f**ing tough (spoiler alert: no other choice).

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Host: Becky Sloviter

Guests: Kristin Hensley & Jen Smedley

https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1199386/

https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3614380/

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This week, Becky welcomes an old friend to the pod — writer, director, and producer Jon Hurwitz (Cobra Kai, Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle) — and they had a lot to catch up on, including the full origin story of his hit TV series Cobra Kai: how it first came to life on YouTube Red before exploding into the stratosphere on Netflix, and how he and his collaborators convinced the initially hesitant William Zabka and Ralph Macchio to reprise their iconic Karate Kid roles — in a very different way than anyone expected.

Jon also takes Becky back to how he first connected with his longtime writing and directing partner Hayden Schlossberg in high school and what prompted the two of them to team up with their friend, writer/director/producer Josh Heald, to create Cobra Kai — which ultimately led to the trio launching their production company, Counterbalance Entertainment.

He also gives a sneak peek at what's next for him, including producing the upcoming Kevin Hart/Marcello Hernandez Netflix comedy 72 Hours, and writing and directing the adaptation of Knight Rider for Universal. But most importantly, Jon explains why the '86 Mets still mean so much to him that he insisted on passing his undying loyalty down to his (Los Angeles-based) children.

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Host: Becky Sloviter

Guest: Jon Hurwitz - https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1375358/

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Another hometown kid joins the pod as Becky welcomes writer/director Deborah Kaplan (Can't Hardly Wait, Josie and the Pussycats) — fellow proud Philadelphian, Abingtonian, and alum of both Camp Kweebec and McKinley Elementary. (Doesn't get better than this!)

Deb shares the backstory of how she connected with her longtime writing and directing partner Harry Elfont at NYU — despite the two of them having grown up in neighboring towns (hi, Lower Moreland!) — and how that partnership led to their wildly early success with the '90s teen classic, Can't Hardly Wait (a movie Becky loves to an unhealthy degree).

Deb also gets candid about the long and winding road of a Hollywood career: from the Friday night opening weekend call from the head of the studio to radio silence by Monday morning, how she and Harry have jumped back into movie directing after a long stretch in television, and the lesson she's learned about how the right people find her work.

Check out our episodes on YouTube as well! https://www.youtube.com/@generalmeetingpod

If you enjoyed this podcast, please follow, share, like, comment, all the things - thank you for your support!

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Host: Becky Sloviter

Guest: Deborah Kaplan - https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0438226/

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.