Maisonette Co-founder & CEO Sylvana Ward Durrett joins Hollywood Gold to share an inside look at her time as Director of Special Projects at Vogue, as captured in the documentary The First Monday in May. The film follows the creation of The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s stunning exhibition, China: Through the Looking Glass, and its transformation into the unforgettable 2015 Met Gala theme. Durrett reveals how every dazzling detail comes together under the leadership of fashion icon Anna Wintour, in addition to spilling a few jaw-dropping celebrity stories that you won’t want to miss with the 2025 Met Gala around the corner.

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NEON Chief Marketing Officer Christian Parkes pulls the curtain back on movie marketing, revealing the secrets behind some of NEON’s most daring campaigns. With a passion for film, Parkes shares how he approaches marketing with the filmmaker's vision as his priority, treating marketing not just as promotion, but as an extension of their artistry. Known for pushing boundaries and defying expectations, he believes marketing should challenge audiences and surprise them at every turn, making no two campaigns the same. He discusses how his success is largely due to his belief that marketing is an area to have fun in and be creative, as seen in his work promoting Longlegs, Anora, and more.

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Producer Michael Roiff returns to Hollywood Gold to discuss how the hit romantic-comedy Waitress became a musical sensation. From the initial pitch in 2007 to its first opening night in 2016, Roiff shares how different theater is compared to film, taking years to find its creative and musical stride. While Roiff was disappointed after opening night in Cambridge, he took the opportunity to revamp the show prior to its Broadway debut, eventually earning four Tony nominations in 2016 with the help of lead, Sara Bareilles. He shares how, unlike film, each show, tour, and cast brought a different experience to the audience, speaking to both the film and the musical's long-lasting legacy.

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Producer Todd Lieberman, founder of production company Hidden Pictures, recounts the making of one of the most iconic and lauded boxing movies of all time. It had been a dream of Todd's to make a boxing movie, and he knew The Fighter was the one as soon as it came across his desk, but the process from script to screen wasn't an easy one. There were multiple cast and director changes, and the original studio pulled out of the project. But the challenges were blessings in disguise as they allowed director David O. Russell the freedom to bring his trademark dark humor to the film, and actors Christian Bale, Mark Wahlberg, Melissa Leo, and Amy Adams to fully embody their characters.

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Producer Dan Levine recalls the making of 2016's iconic Arrival. From the moment he read Ted Chiang's Story of Your Life, Dan knew he had to find a way to bring it to the screen. Director Denis Villeneuve, an incredible talent but still relatively unknown, was the perfect choice. Producers had to wait until Denis wrapped Sicario, but things moved quickly once Amy Adams came on board and suggested Jeremy Renner as her co-star. Production went smoothly, although the material presented endless challenges for Denis and the producers. The scariest moment was after the finished film was screened for the studio - they did not like it and wanted rewrites and a reshoot to change the ending. Dan knew the film worked and fought for the ending that garnered 8 Oscar nominations.

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Producer Doug Wick takes us behind the scenes of the legendary Gladiator and its highly anticipated sequel, Gladiator II. Initially marketed as a fight movie, it attracted mostly men; however, Wick shares how the dramatic and harrowing themes drew in female audiences, transcending the film beyond its action elements. He shares his firsthand experience working with visionary director Ridley Scott and how Scott’s detailed storyboarding for both films streamlined the shooting process and created a clear vision for the cast and crew. From collaborating with Gladiator icons Russell Crowe and Joaquin Phoenix to assembling an all-star cast for Gladiator II, including Paul Mescal, Denzel Washington, and Pedro Pascal, Wick offers thrilling insights into the epic world of the Gladiator franchise.

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FilmNation CEO and Executive Producer Glen Basner joins us to discuss his unique perspective in foreign sales and how it helped to created Oscar-winning hits such as Conclave, Anora, and more. Basner shares how FilmNation balances creative vision with market realities to ensure success, putting trust in great filmmakers and communicating with international partners. While there is no single approach, he pulls the curtain back on the foreign sales world, using Conclave and Anora as an example. A trailblazer in independent film, Basner encourages focusing on creativity rather than market limitations, believing in trusting his instincts to make lasting, impactful films.

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Director of Photography Lol Crawley uses his unique perspective to discuss his Oscar-winning work on The Brutalist. A 10-year friendship, Crawley shares how his trusting relationship with Brady Corbet created a collaborative and creative environment on set, noting the importance of aligning with a director's vision rather than overpowering it. He dives deep into the artistic inspiration of the film, explaining how it was designed to feel like an archive with a patchwork quality, balancing historical accuracy with artistic interpretation. While using many different kinds of cameras made the shoot more complex, we learn how these risks contributed to the aesthetic and emotion of the film, earning Crawley the Oscar win.

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Producer Alex Coco takes us behind the scenes of the making of the Cannes Film Festival Palme d'Or winner and recent winner of the Acadamy's Best Picture award, Anora. Alex reflects on his collaboration with director Sean Baker, revealing how flexibility with the script led to a more authentic and organic storytelling experience, including a spontaneous real-life double rainbow that was written its own scene. He also discusses one of the most important components behind Anora’s success: handpicking the right cast, focusing on who was truly suited for each role over star power. This approach led to the critical casting of Mikey Madison, who played a pivotal role in earning the film the highest honor at Cannes. Congratulations to Anora for its Oscar success!

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Producers Fred Berger and Alex Heineman take us behind the scenes of A Complete Unknown, a biopic of legendary artist Bob Dylan. A movie six years in the making, Berger and Heineman share how they started this journey by casting a young Timothée Chalamet fresh out of Call Me by Your Name. Chalamet dedicated himself to this role, spending his time mastering piano, guitar, and how to exactly capture Dylan's distinctive voice. Berger and Heineman also dive into how critical James Mangold was in bringing this film to life, never sacrificing the creative and emotional core that was at the heart of Bob Dylan's rise to fame. Nominated for eight Academy Awards, there is no doubt that this film will be at the forefront of audiences' minds for years to come.

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