Hollywood New Jersey

GC and Rocco debate whether filmmaker meetups are worth more than the cheese platter and map out their next steps toward getting their films made. GC weighs in on Rocco’s finished short, UnBEARable, as they discuss performances, poster ideas, and Rocco’s betrayal, with plenty of ball-busting along the way.

Plus, a quick verdict on the new Street Fighter.

Contains minor Street Fighter spoilers.

Rocco and GC attend a creative industry mixer hosted by Future Bright Productions, meet some peeps, drop by The Edison Diner (Pizza BURGER!), and James "J" Sullivan steals the podcast with the performance of a lifetime, and Rocco might get a physical this decade. 

Reviewing a movie when only one of us has actually seen it. Supergirl ramble, Spider-Man web talk, and a dude playing a dude, playing a dude, disguised as that same dude, who probably could’ve been The Crow.

Just another completely focused episode of 

Hollywood New Jersey.

GC and Rocco decide to revive the podcast with a minor life and movie update, while fumbling through thoughts of the critically acclaimed Obsession and Nolan's Odyssey.  Manny and Coop are missing, but It's only because there's a new web-slinger in town, and it's not Tom Holland. Oh, and Coop? No one ever knows where he is. 

Former Apple boss/friend turned actor Steve “Bogo” Bogosian (aka the Dark Rider from 28 Minute Epic) joins GC & Rocco to talk surviving the modern casting gauntlet, self-tapes vs in-person, why prep beats panic, and how resume “stretching” can nuke a gig. We dig into post-strike trickle-down (why name actors are taking smaller jobs), the rise of vertical “soap-operas,” and what actually makes a film rewatchable: heart.Plus: gearing up our Christmas horror-comedy Milk & Cookies, a new Dark Rider-heavy trailer for 28 Minute Epic, and the line we’ll end on forever: “If you can’t make it in Hollywood, maybe you can make it in Hollywood, New Jersey.”

From Sopranos diners to Ninja Turtles wisdom, the crew unpacks how New Jersey raised them and D.I.Y. filmmaking nearly killed them. Coop shares his Sopranos story, Rocco watches GianCarlo bleed like Superman, Manny refuses to watch new movies, and everyone relives the train wreck of their first feature.

Spoiler: it didn’t make them famous… but it did make them believe captivity was a career path.

Gorilla Ocho Films: DYI or DIE!

We tried to pitch Kevin Smith a movie… a few times. This is our origin story. And maybe our villain arc.

Welcome back to Hollywood, New Jersey — the only podcast bold enough to try and fund a $1 million indie Christmas horror Comedy movie without actually having the money yet… but with plenty of opinions, old scripts, and emotional damage.

This week:

• We fire Coop and Manny (don’t worry, they’ll be back… probably)

• We accidentally attend a film networking event full of drunk strangers and no money

• We review Fantastic Four: The First Steps and ask the big questions like:

  • Why does Galactus walk like a sleepy Godzilla?

  • Can a superhero baby save cinema?

  • And... what even is a character arc?

Plus:

• Behind-the-scenes updates on our current script rewrite (still rewriting it)

• The slow, painful path to funding our movie

• Pitching our genius new slasher villain: Pizza Face

• Our thoughts on Happy Gilmore 2, which may or may not have murdered our inner child

Through it all, we hold ourselves accountable as indie filmmakers in a state slowly being devoured by Hollywood East and corporate content. But we’re still here, still doing, still arguing — and still dreaming.

Welcome to the first episode of Hollywood, New Jersey — a podcast, a documentary, a variety show, and a creative experiment rolled into one.

We’re four indie filmmakers from Jersey striving to make our second feature film… while the biggest player in entertainment (Netflix) sets up shop in our backyard.

We talk filmmaking, failure, friendship, and the fire that keeps us creating — even when the spotlight is elsewhere. From writing skits to planning a $1M movie on our own terms, we’re documenting the chaos, joy, and purpose behind staying indie when the giants move in.

This is for every underdog with a story to tell.