Daniel Russel https://www.daniel-russell.com/ went from an assistant for Dave Meyers www.radicalmedia.com/us/directors/dave-meyers to directing music videos for Justin Timberlake and Jason Derulo. And he chats with Matt and Oren about the moves that built his career. 

What's the secret to pitching and landing impressive jobs? How can you work with a choreographer and inspire them to create the movement you need? And where can you find the best sources for visual inspiration? 

You won't want to miss these tips on building your career!

Get a great deal on Magic Mind! https://www.magicmind.com/SHOOTITJAN

Matt's Endorsement: "Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person" (Original title: "Vampire Humaniste Cherche Suicidaire Consentant") https://www.imdb.com/title/tt24216998/

Oren's Endorsements: "When the Jump Scare is Actually Clever" a YouTube video by Vanity Fair https://youtu.be/CNCeYM9bfOg?si=y8gk_qYcb589m80G

Daniel's Endorsements: 

"The Virgin's Bucket List" https://www.reelshort.com/movie/the-virgin-s-bucket-list-675110c567a002f3b1017570 

The pizza at Pura Vita https://puravitalosangeles.com/ 

Shoutout to the DJ's at KCRW https://www.kcrw.com/

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Matt & Oren chat about the LA fires and their impact on freelancers, filmmakers, and the industry.  

It's a conversation about navigating so-called 'normalcy' -- where normalcy is lacking. And the tough decisions around where you're needed most when friends and so many others have lost so much in the fires, It's firsthand and unfiltered.

With that backdrop, Matt and Oren take up a broader conversation about bringing more commercial work into LA. What's some of the math for shooting outside LA? Outside the country (USA)? And when does it pay off and under what circumstances? And they challenge SAG-AFTRA and FilmLA to think about what's best for helping the industry and the entire LA filmmaking community, rebuild.

Matt's Endorsement: David Lunch shrine near Bob's Big Boy in Burbank. And, "Hundreds of Beavers" https://www.imdb.com/title/tt12818328/

Oren's Endorsements: "East of Wall" Directed by Kate Beecroft https://imdb.com/title/tt21349688 And, Kevin P Barry on Instagram @kevinbparry

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Matt and Oren chat about 2024, what they learned and what they're planning to do for 2025. Everything from posting on Instagram & LinkedIn, being more productive, toilet training, and gold stars. Then they tackle a question from commercial director Jon Schwartz https://www.ajaxcreative.com/en/commercial-director/jon-schwartz. And delve into point of view (POV), what it means to different audiences, and when to just break the rules. Check out the episode!

Matt's Endorsement: "Thelma", the film https://www.imdb.com/title/tt23778968/

Oren's Endorsements: 1. "Skeleton Crew", the show https://www.imdb.com/title/tt20600980/ 2. Puzzles from Cobble Hill with Family Pieces https://www.cobblehillpuzzles.com/search?q=family+pieces 3. Behind the scenes (BTS) videos of commercial shoots https://www.jessejamesmcelroy.com/  

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"Survive til '25", mission accomplished! But what really sustained the Hollywood and LA production scene -- TV, TikTok, commercials, or movies? Matt and Oren are joined by Maureen Bharoocha, Carlyn Hudson, and Roxy Shih in this panel discussion.  

The crew is back together since their last in-person episode in December 2023. And in this first of a two-episode series, they talk about their wins, staying balanced, what kind of hustles paid off in 2024, and what adventures lie before them for 2025! You won't want to miss this super fun conversation!!

Unpaid and Endorsements and Resolutions for 2025:

Matt's Endorsement: Go to bed by 10 PM. Leave your phone in the other room.

Oren's Endorsements: Actively unsubscribing from un-needed stuff. Shotdeck https://shotdeck.com/, Source Creative https://sourcecreative.com/, Frameset https://frameset.app/, and YouTube Premium https://www.youtube.com/premium. Following the Instagram of other commercial directors. And stressing less about the little things.

Maureen's Endorsements: Seeing a Naturopath, Dr. Koorjee in Santa Monica https://drkoorjee.com/. Swimming, meditation, infrared sauna, and sleeping better.

Roxy's Endorsements:

Carlyn's Endorsements: Playing in a team Tennis League. YNAB (You Need A Budget App) https://www.ynab.com/

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"Survive til '25", mission accomplished! But what really sustained the Hollywood and LA production scene -- TV, TikTok, commercials, or movies? Matt and Oren are joined by Maureen Bharoocha, Carlyn Hudson, and Roxy Shih in this panel discussion.  

The crew is back together since their last in-person episode in December 2023. And in this first of a two-episode series, they talk about their wins, staying balanced, what kind of hustles paid off in 2024, and what adventures lie before them for 2025! You won't want to miss this super fun conversation!!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What's different about directing a commercial internationally? Everything!! Oren's back from 3 weeks in Thailand and he's got 10 things to remember when shooting overseas. Matt and Oren talk health, prep, working with actors from different countries, and a heck of a lot more. Have you ever been called to fill these roles on set?

Matt's Endorsement: Use ChatGPT to take your 2025 goals and create a plan of action, you can live with.

Oren's Endorsements: Airmoto tire inflator/compressor https://go.getairmoto.com/

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How can you give your film a big budget look, on a tiny budget?

Matt and Oren chat with G. G. Hawkins about her latest feature, "I Really Love My Husband" and all the ways she gave it a premium look without spending a lot of money. G. G. started her career on the corporate side of monetizing podcasts. And she shares what she learned about pitching and how that helped fund her films. You can find her on Instagram at @lostingraceland [https://www.instagram.com/lostingraceland/](https://www.instagram.com/lostingraceland/)

G.G.'s Endorsements: Notion calendar and project management app [https://www.notion.com/](https://www.notion.com/)

Matt's Endorsement: Afterplug 2-Pocket Adhesive Pouch for Laptop

Oren's Endorsements: Ways to be helpful, when acquaintances ask you to introduce them to people you work with.

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Being flown around the world as a commercial director, or working daily with celebrity artists sounds amazing. But how about over Thanksgiving and the holidays? Is there a way to work big directing jobs and still have the time to find the next one? And what happens when your day job as a showrunner or director hinders you ability to keep your chops up as a screenwriter?

Matt and Oren are freaking out. And they chat about balancing family with the demands of successful directing careers. The good news is, there ways to stay creative and do all the things that first got you into filmmaking.   

Matt's Endorsement: Colin and Samir on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@ColinandSamir

Oren's Endorsements: All The Hacks podcast, Holiday Gift Guide https://www.chrishutchins.com/blog/2024-gift-guide/

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What's the secret to getting accepted into director development programs? Are you making these common mistakes when pitching by email? How can you standout and launch your movie directing career?

Matt and Oren chat with Ruth Du about how she broke into Hollywood as a film director. And she talks about what makes her latest film, available on Apple TV, "Samson" something you have to see.

You can find Ruth Du on Instagram @ruthie06 

Follow Samson (Nov 29, 2024 release) on Instagram @samsonmovie23 and see the trailer at http://www.watchsamson.com

And if you want to know how to film people trapped in the trunk of a car 😲, check out Ruth Du's article on No Film School. https://nofilmschool.com/shoot-inside-a-trunk#

Ruth's Endorsements: 

1. ESTLA Ensemble Studio LA offers a development program for playwrights https://www.estlosangeles.org/ Find them at Atwater Village Theatre https://www.atwatervillagetheatre.org/#/estla/ 

2. Castle Green https://castlegreen.com/

Matt's Endorsement: Paramount+

Oren's Endorsements: 

1. "300 Jokes for Kids" the book by Tanya Tucker https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17163108-300-jokes-for-kids

2. "DiDi" a movie by Sean Wang, https://www.imdb.com/title/tt30319503

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Are previz and storyboarding really worth the time and effort? What's the best way to work with a storyboard artist? And, what if you don't have access to a storyboard artist? 

Oren & Matt chat about how previz and storyboarding can make you a more efficient and effective director. And they share tips and tools for creating your own previz and storyboards.

Matt's Endorsement: @TylerBellMakes on YouTube  - "How Hollywood Shot Actors with Arrows before CGI" https://youtu.be/D3BxILDpT6k

Oren's Endorsements: ChatGPT https://chatgpt.com

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