Ever wonder how "The Studio" perfected comedic timing using oners and one-shot scenes? Eric Kissack, who edited the entire season for Seth Rogen, shares his tips, tricks, and behind-the-scenes insights into how the show comes together.  

When the funniest people in the world need to ensure a script or edit is hilarious, they turn to Eric. Matt and Oren chat with him about his journey as a director and editor, across "Veep", "Sausage Party", "Black Monday", "The Good Place", and more. 

See more of Eric’s work at https://erickissack.com and follow him on Instagram @erickissack.  

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Endorsements:  

- Matt's Pick: Horror Vibes Coffee Shop - https://horrorvibes.com  

- Oren's Pick: Businesses that know when to stop sending customer surveys + Trader Joe’s gluten-free cauliflower crust pizza + CVS receipts with epic coupon deals (buy one item at a time for more savings)  

- Eric's Pick: Blue Prince Video Game - https://blueprincegame.com  

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Jody McVeigh-Schultz shares his journey from editor to director of Amazon’s *Spy High*. Matt and Oren quiz Jody on exactly what made him the right fit for the job. And they delve into the techniques he uses to uncover hidden stories in footage directors might overlook.  

Jody also opens up about landing an agent—and what he wishes he had done differently looking back.  

You can find Jody on Instagram @jodymcvs and see his work at https://jodyms.com

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Matt's Endorsement: The movie "Scanners" https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0081455 now available at https://www.criterion.com/

Oren's Endorsement: https://pika.art AI tool that lets you manipulate a character (or object) in your videos while keeping the rest perfectly intact. Like making a stuffed animal dance.

Jody's Endorsement: Bring the wheels for your tripod. The Netflix show "Baby Reindeer" https://www.imdb.com/title/tt13649112/, not to be confused with the movie "Lamb".

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Carlyn Hudson returns! Matt and Oren dive into the art of game-time decisions on set—when to stick to the plan and when a last-minute change is worth the risk. It's a great discussion about leadership, with hands-on, real-world insights that go beyond theory.

Carly shares her take on navigating tough calls, balancing respect for the crew, maintaining top-tier quality, and knowing when to let go and adapt to the unexpected. It's a must-listen for anyone aiming to master the dynamics of set life!

Look for Carly on Instagram @CarlynHudson.

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Matt's Endorsement: Take a choo-choo ride on a small train like this https://www.descansogardens.org/event/railroad-grand-opening/ , or ride one near you!

Oren's Endorsement: Scorpio Follow Focus System with Encoder. Also, there's lots of awesome films and shows to get you excited about the industry and what's to come! Minecraft, Sinners, Andor, Hacks, Last of Us, The Studio, Adolescence, The Pitt, Black Mirror, The Rehearsal, Severance, and White Lotus -- just to name a few. What's yours?

Carlyn's Endorsement: Remove Instagram from your phone and live a better life!

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Matt and Oren are back to basics and pushing creative boundaries. Whether it's tackling passion projects, experimenting with constraints like shooting anamorphic on the vertical, or using AI to spark human creativity, they’re finding new ways to innovate. And hey, sometimes a mocktail and a first-class movie night are all you need for fresh inspiration. 

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Matt's Endorsement: Creamy, Spicy Tomato Beans and Greens Recipe https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1025325-creamy-spicy-tomato-beans-and-greens

Get a subscription to the New York Times.

Oren's Endorsement: 1) When traveling on a plane, order a mocktail of club soda & cranberry over ice. 2) Stick with one airline and go all in on their frequent flyer rewards. 3) Place an AirTag in your checked bag so you can see if it's near you on the plane and whether it's close when you're waiting at baggage claim. And 4) watch movies when you're on a plane because the altitude will more your brain more emotionally receptive.

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Can a well-timed email get you on SNL as a director? Oz Rodriguez made it happen. But TV was a whole different game back then! The formula, though, remains the same: great comedy actors make comedy directors look great.

Oren and Matt chat with Oz about how directors can cast incredible comedic talent. Plus, Oz spills secrets on getting the best performances from actors.

Ever wondered what it's like to shoot a video for SNL? Or how much creative freedom a director really has under the watchful eye of Lorne Michaels and some of the best comedy writers in the world? Oz covers it all. He doesn’t hold back, sharing both his setbacks and how he turned them into successes.

If you love comedy, this episode is a must-listen!

Find Oz Rodriguez on IMDb: https://pro.imdb.com/name/nm1444412 and Instagram: @oz_rodriguez. Be sure to check out his first book, The Girl and the Robot: https://books.disney.com/book/the-girl-and-the-robot/.

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Matt's Endorsement: The movie Love Lies Bleeding https://www.imdb.com/title/tt19637052/

Oren's Endorsement: Pinterest now has an awesome algorithm and is super useful for storyboards and lookboards.

The show The Studio on Apple TV https://www.imdb.com/title/tt23649128/

The show Adolescence on Netflix https://www.imdb.com/title/tt31806037/

Oz's Endorsements: Dia Natural Wine Shop https://www.dianaturalwine.com/

The movie Mickey 17 https://www.imdb.com/title/tt12299608/

And also, go to the movies! Like, see a Soderbergh film on the big screen.

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Matt and Oren take a hard look at the current state of the film and TV industry in the wake of the LA fires, pandemic, strikes, AI, and streaming. It’s some real talk about the challenges facing production, including tax incentives, union rates, and the ongoing struggle to keep jobs from leaving the LA area.

And they explore potential solutions to get more production peeps working regularly and keep productions from being forced into shooting in places like Austin, Atlanta, Columbia, Mexico, and everywhere else.

From analyzing the role of tax breaks to discussing union wage negotiations, this is an insider's perspective on what it will take for the industry to get more people working regularly.

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Matt's Endorsement: Use graph paper.

Oren's Endorsement: Sesame AI voice https://www.sesame.com/ 

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Geremy Jasper https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3017455/ , the visionary behind the stylized rock musical "O'dessa" on Hulu https://www.imdb.com/title/tt26304178 , shares the journey of bringing his ambitious project to life, from signing acclaimed talents like Sadie Sink and Regina Hall to crafting an original album for the film. 

Despite having just one feature under his belt, he successfully secured financing and brought his vision to fruition. OK, his feature did screen at Sundance, but still! Tune in as he reflects on the challenges, the motivation that kept him going, and the lessons he'll carry into his next endeavor.

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Matt's Endorsement: Buying wine from a local wine merchant can be a better value than purchasing at a grocery store.

Oren's Endorsement: For the best posture while sitting, your legs should be at a 90 degree angle. You can use a foot rest to help achieve this alignment.

Geremy's Endorsement: "The Boulet Brothers Dragula" the series, https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6289132/ . It has fantastic art direction and costume design.

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Pete Chatmon is one of those select few directors who is constantly working as a director on TV episodes from Ghosts, to Yellowjackets, Chicago Fire, and lots more. He's the host of the podcast Let's Shoot.

Matt and Oren quiz Pete on how he sets people up to receive feedback and tough notes. And Pete talks about the importance of knowing what does not work, even though you thought it might. Off which , Oren shares how some brutal feedback changed his career for the better. 

But unsolicited honest feedback... hmm what about that? That's a tough one. And the guys go deep into this from both sides, giving and receiving. Like real deep. And they talk about what happens when the response to your note is "I'm not doing that."

But first, Matt talks about his latest shoot with Major League Baseball (MLB) superstars and what happens when you ask them to sing!

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Matt's Endorsement: Watch the early works of your favorite directors, like "She's Gotta Have It", Spike Lee's first film.

Oren's Endorsement: The podcast "Song Exploder" https://songexploder.net/episodes 

Also, once an avocado is ripe, if you're not ready to eat it, you can put it in the refrigerator.

Pete's Endorsement: The podcast "What Went Wrong" https://www.whatwentwrongpod.com/

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AWESOME EVENT! Help victims of the California wildfires (*) by attending a screening of a new episode of "Yellowjackets" with a discussion with Director Pete Chatmon at Let's Shoot at Dynasty Typewriter, Wed. Mar 19, 7:30 PM. Live and Streaming tickets are available at https://www.dynastytypewriter.com/calendar-squad-up?event-id=106932  

(*) All proceeds benefit the Altadena Community Preservation Fund.

ABOUT THIS EPISODE. Laura Murphy chats with Matt and Oren about directing her new film "F*** Marry Kill" https://www.imdb.com/title/tt22528200 In this second of a two-part interview, hear about bringing your kids to set, does it work? How about when you're shooting in a different country?

Laura talks about her journey getting into commercials and the hurdles she overcame. And Matt & Oren chat with her about the future of indie filmmaking in light of Sean Baker's recent controversial opinion. On top of that, Laura shares her secrets to using improv to expand creativity, without killing the schedule.

You can find Laura at @bestlauraever on both Instagram and X (formerly Twitter).

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Matt's Endorsement: Sara Dosa and Katia & Maurice Krafft's film "Fire of Love" https://www.imdb.com/title/tt16227014

Oren's Endorsement: If you're on a plane, and your eye is suddenly all red, it might be a ruptured blood vessel in your eye, which is ok. So just chill out. 

Do you find yourself saying, "Alexa, turn off"? You can simply say, "Alexa stop". And that requires 1 fewer syllables to say.

The book, "The Anxious Generation", https://jonathanhaidt.com/anxious-generation/

Laura's Endorsements: Shotdeck https://shotdeck.com/

"Patriot", the series on Amazon Prime https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4687882

"Love Island: All Stars", UK Version https://pro.imdb.com/title/tt28959685

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Laura Murphy chats with Matt and Oren about directing her new film "F*** Marry Kill" https://www.imdb.com/title/tt22528200 And they talk about the process to become a director on a film like this, is there a list you need to be on? And what can directors do to get on the "list"?

In this first of a two-part interview, you can hear whether being on time and on budget really makes a difference in the long run.  

As a bonus, Matt and Oren kick things off with some insights from Oren's latest commercial shoot. It was a mix of knuckle-gripping ups and downs with weather, appendicitis, and near over budget calamity. And Oren reflects on the most important decisions he made. And he shows what directors need to do on set, when everything around you is pooping the bed. 

You can find Laura at @bestlauraever on both Instagram and X (formerly Twitter).

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Endorsements -- check next week for Matt's, Oren's, and Laura's endorsements! 

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