Let's Talk Media with Vedant Akhauri

Welcome to Let's Talk Horror, the special miniseries from Let's Talk Media exploring the dark and scary side of media, including monsters, myths, and metaphors.

For Part 6, we dive into the feature film debut of long-time YouTube critic Chris Stuckmann: Shelby Oaks. This film is Executive Produced by Mike Flanagan; Story by Samantha Elizabeth and Chris Stuckmann; Written by Chris Stuckmann; Produced by Aaron B. Koontz, Cameron Burns, Ashleigh Snead, and Chris Stuckmann

This film centers on a 12-year-old cold case stemming from the early days of internet fame on YouTube. The amateur ghost hunting crew, the Paranormal Paranoids, vanished after documenting their final investigation in the mysterious abandoned town of Shelby Oaks, Ohio. One of them, Riley Brennan, disappeared without a trace. Riley's older sister, Mia Brennan (Camille Sullivan), has spent 12 years obsessed with finding Riley, and a fresh lead sends her on a dramatic path to uncover the truth.

Discover why Shelby Oaks, while technically impressive, is a flawed yet important first effort for Chris Stuckmann - best suited for a casual viewing on services like Shutter. Regardless, it's a poignant milestone and reminder to support independent filmmakers.

If you like what you hear, please subscribe and leave a rating to help boost the show and to stick around for future episodes!You can follow @letstalkmediava on Instagram

Welcome to Let's Talk Horror, the miniseries from Let's Talk Media! For Part 5, we dive into the dark and witchy world of The Craft (1996), the original classic that fundamentally redefined what teen horror could look like.

More than just a movie about witches using spells, The Craft is a powerful coming-of-Age story, a cautionary Tale, and a supernatural Thriller centered on female friendship, identity, and the intoxicating pull of revenge fantasies.

We explore how the coven - comprised of new girl Sarah Bailey (Robin Tunney) and the troubled outsiders Bonnie (Neve Campbell), Rochelle (Rachel True), and Nancy (Fairuza Balk) - use witchcraft to channel their pain, leading to spiraling consequences reminiscent of The Monkey’s Paw.

This episode discusses:

• The film's iconic 90s Alt Rock and Gothic styling
• Why this film has achieved such a big Cult Classic following
• The frightening climax
• Mixed feelings on the love interest Chris Hooker (Skeet Ulrich)
• Feminist critiques of how the final act’s sudden shift undermines the message of sisterhood.
• The film’s enduring legacy and influence on media like Charmed, Practical Magic, and The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina.
• Recommended pairings ofThe Craft with Carrie (1976), Jennifer’s Body, and Tragedy Girls.

Look forward to a future episode dedicated solely to reviewing the sequel, The Craft Legacy.

Trigger Warning: This episode discusses themes of self-Harm and suicidal Ideation as mentioned within the film. If you or anyone you know needs help, please remember that help is always always available, and call your local mental health crisis hotline.

If you enjoyed this podcast, please subscribe and leave a rating to boost the show! You can follow us on Instagram @letstalkmediava#TheCraft #TeenHorror #Witches #90sMovie #CultClassic #Supernatural #NeveCampbell #FairuzaBalk #RobinTunney #RachelTrue #SkeetUlrich #HorrorPodcast #ComingofAge #RevengeFantasy #FilmPodcast

Welcome to Let's Talk Horror, a miniseries presented by Let's Talk Media! In this special episode, we dive into the darkly comedic and deeply resonant film, Friendship.

Host Vedant Akhauri and guest Tess Chang unpack why this movie - a blend of comedy, drama, and psychological horror - struck such a chord.

Friendship follows reclusive man Craig Waterman (Tim Robinson), who forms an unexpected friendship with his charismatic new neighbor, Austin Carmichael (Paul Rudd). This dynamic quickly goes off the rails as Craig's intense obsession grows, reflecting the real-life male loneliness epidemic.

We discuss the brilliant acting, the improv collaboration between Robinson and the director, Andrew DeYoung, and the universal themes of friendship breakup and mental spiraling.

We also discuss:

• The relationship dynamics between Craig and his wife Tammy (Kate Mara) and their teenage son (Jack Dylan Grazer).
• The unexpected anti-humor and cringey humor, including the scene where Craig puts soap in his mouth
• The terrifying sewer scene and Tammy's confusing reaction.
• The trip that ends at Subway after interacting with a toad.
• Trying to understand the ending

If you enjoyed this podcast, please subscribe and leave a rating! For updates and extras, follow us on Instagram at @letstalkmediava

Welcome back to Let's Talk Horror, the special miniseries presented by Let's Talk Media. For Part 3, we're diving into Kaneto Shindō's classic 1964 film, Onibaba.

Set in medieval, war-torn Japan, this unsettling film is an earthly masterpiece and is arguably one of the most physically felt horror movies ever made.

Onibaba centers on two unnamed women surviving off violence, desire, and hunger in an isolated sea of reeds. The older woman, the mother-in-law, fears abandonment when the younger woman begins an affair with Hachi. Driven by this fear, the mother-in-law steals a demon mask and uses it to terrify her daughter-in-law.

Vedant Akhauri is joined by visual artist Sam Sundius, a transdisciplinary artist examining memory and its relationship to the body. Sam's work explores cognitive fidelity and white patriarchal control.

In this episode, we'll explore:

• The film's visceral core themes: hunger, desire, jealousy, and lust.
• How the claustrophobic setting of the isolated sea of reeds heightens psychological distress.
• he patriarchal economy that forces the abandoned women to kill samurai and trade goods for meager rations.
• The mask's connection to the Hannya mask archetype of the Noh theater, representing the jealous woman.
• The explicit body horror of the mask fusing to the mother-in-law's face.
• The reveal of the disfiguration, which looks like radiation burns, linking the film to the cultural devastation caused by the atomic bombs.
• How Onibaba resists easy moral interpretations, finding horror within oppressive societal norms.
• Analyzing the film’s shocking, ambiguous, and nihilistic ending.

Check out Sam's work at samsundius.com. If you enjoyed this podcast, please subscribe and leave a rating! For updates and extras, follow us on Instagram at @letstalkmediava

Let's Talk Media presents Let's Talk Horror, a special Halloween miniseries exploring the monsters, myths, and metaphors that haunt our screens and our daily lives.

Dive deep into one of the most iconic horror films and debut novels of all time! Let's Talk Horror Part 2 tackles Stephen King's Carrie, exploring the novel's origin, its structure, the classic 1976 film adaptation from director Brian De Palma, and its profound impact on pop culture.

In this episode, we'll explore:

• The novel's origins, Stephen King's initial rejection, and its unique structure as an epistolary novel using fake documents and testimonials.
• Detailed analysis of the 1976 film, including casting Sissy Spacek and Piper Laurie (who thought the film was a black comedy).
• Key religious symbolism, including the Last Supper imagery and the crucifixion parallels in Margaret White's death scene.
• The profound cultural significance and metaphorical reading of the story, especially regarding female sexuality and marginalization.
• Why Sissy Spacek's Oscar-nominated performance as the sympathetic victim/villain remains chillingly relevant, continuing to resonate with marginalized groups, including the LGBTQ+ community.
• Comparing the novel and film's endings
• Behind-the-scenes trivia, including the technical difficulties of the final grave shot and De Palma’s use of split-screen effects
• We explore the intense production lore, the cinematic techniques (including long shots and Psycho homages), and the detailed symbolism of color coding
• A brief exploration of the catastrophic Broadway musical, 1999's sequel The Rage: Carrie 2, the 2013 film adaptation (which future episodes aim to explore in-depth), and the future TV show adaptation by Mike Flanigan

Follow the podcast on Instagram @letstalkmediava. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a rating to help us grow.

Let's Talk Media presents Let's Talk Horror, a special Halloween miniseries exploring the monsters, myths, and metaphors that haunt our screens and our daily lives.

In this episode, host Vedant Akhauri interviews Nicholas Tana, an award-winning horror director (Hell's Kitty) and corporate veteran with experience at Disney, Fox, and ESPN. Tana unpacks his witty and insightful manifesto, the Corporate Zombie Survival Guide, which draws parallels between surviving a zombie apocalypse and navigating modern corporate life. It's a perfect blend of general workplace satire and practical, actionable advice.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• How to Tell if You're Turning: Discover the definition of a "corporate zombie" - A person who has lost consciousness, suppressed their feelings, and operates on a fear of change and death. If you're asking the question, you can still be saved.
• The Two Types of Zombies: Identify the "Sleepers" (slow, resistant to change) and the "Berserkers" (fast, reckless, destructive) in business and how to handle them.
• Navigating the Apocalypse: Get practical tips for surviving "ghost jobs," planning for retirement (aka "the graveyard"), and breaking the rules to adapt and innovate.
• Fighting off: Learn how to create a "sanctuary" with empathy and compassion to survive an apocalyptic feeling in business
• Why Brains Beat Bots: Hear Tana’s argument for why human creativity, wisdom, and suffering give us an edge that AI can never replicate.
• The Dangers of Growth: Uncover the critique of endless business growth, comparing it to a cancer that becomes so efficient it destroys the body from within.

Whether you’re a horror fan, a recent grad new to the workplace, a fan of office satire found everywhere like in The Office and Severance, or a seasoned professional trying to navigate the modern business world, this episode will help you survive and thrive in today's ever-changing business landscape.

Find Nicholas Tana's work at CorporateZombieSurvival.com and check out the book Hell's Kitty on Amazon, and his horror-comedy film adaptation on Amazon Prime, Apple TV+, and Tubi.

Follow the podcast on Instagram @letstalkmediava. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a rating to help us grow.

Disclaimer: This episode contains sensitive discussions about the medical profession in regards to mental health, burnout, and suicide. Listener discretion is advised. If you or someone you know is struggling with suicidal thoughts, please call your nearest suicide prevention hotline.

The medical field is a ticking time bomb, and the statistics are shocking. In the UK, a doctor dies by suicide every three weeks, and female doctors are 76% more likely to die by suicide than the general population. The system is broken, but our guest has the tools to fight back.

In this episode, Vedant Akhauri sits down with Emma Leivesley, author of The Sustainable Doctor Framework: A Stress Management Guide for Doctors. Emma's a well-being and burnout coach, author, and hypnotherapist with over a decade of experience in mental health. Emma shares her own harrowing story of burnout and how her three-year recovery ignited a passion to help healthcare professionals.

Join us as we expose the toxic culture of the medical field - from intense, competitive training and bullying to the crushing moral injury doctors face when forced to work against their values.

In this episode, we discuss:

• The Medical Health Crisis: Uncover the hidden pressures, lack of support, and systemic failures causing a global burnout crisis among doctors.

• The Sustainable Doctor Framework: Get a sneak peek into Emma’s 5-phase book, designed to help doctors move from reflection and resilience-building to mastering stress and "paying it forward" to change the culture.
• Life-Saving Hacks: Learn simple, powerful, neuroscience-backed techniques to instantly calm your body's "fight or flight" response. Emma shares her go-to breathing exercise (in for 4, out for 6) and grounding techniques you can do anywhere, anytime.
• Actionable Advice: These strategies aren't just for doctors. Anyone feeling overwhelmed by stress and pressure will find life-changing value in this conversation.

Don't miss this powerful discussion that Emma calls part "soul, science, and sarcasm". It's time to stop normalizing burnout and get the needed help.

You can find Emma's book "The Sustainable Doctor Framework" on Amazon.

• Emma's Website: programes.emmaleivesley.com

• Emma's Socials: Find Emma on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, and Blue Sky.

Follow us on Instagram @letstalkmediava and feel free to reach out if you want to be a guest. Hit that subscribe button and leave a review to help us grow!

What are the invisible costs and systemic roadblocks that make living with a disability a constant battle? In this episode, author and disability coach Alison Hayes provides a crucial "user's manual" for navigating a world not built for everyone. Drawing from her own journey with Functional Neurological Disorder (FND), a stress-responsive condition causing unpredictable neurological symptoms, Alison shares the inspiration behind her two books, Thriving While Disabled: Recognizing Bias and Thriving While Disabled: Navigating Disability Finances, released in May 2025.

In this episode, we discuss:

• Recognizing Systemic Bias: We unpack the deep-seated ableism and classism in society, exploring the historical link between disability and poverty that began with the Industrial Revolution. Alison explains why disability is a minority identity and confronts rarely-discussed topics like forced sterilization and the eugenics-like implications of some "medical assistance in dying" laws.
• Navigating Finances & Bureaucracy: Alison offers a practical "cheat sheet" for managing the financial, energetic, and emotional costs of disability. We explore discriminatory banking practices that target the poor and disabled, the immense challenges of finding accessible housing, and how mass transit consistently deprioritizes disabled needs.

Alison’s core message is one of hope: the struggles faced by disabled people are "not your fault" but the result of societal decision-making.

This conversation is a guide to understanding the systems, finding resources, and moving from a state of just surviving to truly thriving.

Find Alison's books on Amazon and Barnes & Noble (1 and 2), and learn more about her work at ThrivingWhileDisabled.com

If you like this podcast, please subscribe and leave a rating. You can also follow "Let's Talk Media with Vedant Akhauri" on Instagram @letstalkmediava. Interested in being a guest? Feel free to reach out!

Thank you for listening.

Ever dreamed of meeting your heroes at fan-cons but were too terrified by the confusing rules and SHOCKING hidden costs? You're not alone. This is the ULTIMATE guide to conquering the con scene.

Join host Vedant Akhauri as he interviews veteran con-goer Aaron Bossig (Author of Convention Survival Guide: How to make the most of your first sci-fi, fantasy, or comic con). He reveals tips that can make or break your experience.

In this episode, you'll learn about:

• The #1 MISTAKE First-Timers Make: How to choose the PERFECT convention for you
• The SHOCKING TRUTH About Autographs: Why your favorite celebrities charge HUNDREDS of dollars and the eBay scandal that changed the industry forever. We reveal the crowd-control secret behind Kevin Conroy's legendary 2,000-person signing line!
• SECRET Networking Hacks: How aspiring artists and creators can get noticed by industry LEGENDS and launch their careers from the convention floor using QR codes, freebie tables, and other pro-level tricks.
• "Cosplay Is NOT Consent": We dive deep into the CRUCIAL rules of con safety and etiquette. Learn what this phrase means, why it’s non-negotiable, and who to go to if you witness someone breaking the rules.
• Travel & Budget Hacks: Learn how to ship your epic haul home for cheap to avoid insane airline fees and how to navigate getting your cosplay props past the TSA without a hassle or, worse, having them confiscated by security.
• The HIDDEN World of Handlers: Uncover the powerful role these gatekeepers play as an agent, security guard, and secretary to the stars at these conventions. Learn how to get on their good side for an UNFORGETTABLE celebrity interaction.

Whether you're into Marvel, DC, Star Wars, Anime, or Indie works, this episode is packed with game-changing advice that will transform you from a nervous newcomer into a confident con-attending pro.

Links to Aaron Bossig's works:

• Convention Survival Guide on Amazon (Cover Art by Mario Salcedo).
• His website: www.aaronbossig.com
• His Bluesky and Instagram @aaronbossig
• You can find the Hungry Trilobyte Podcast, everywhere you get your podcasts, including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube

If you like this podcast, please subscribe and leave a rating. You can also follow "Let's Talk Media with Vedant Akhauri" on Instagram @letstalkmediava. Interested in being a guest? Feel free to reach out!

Thank you for listening.

Host Vedant Akhauri sits down with Sarah Marie Thiessen, founder of Wild Love Media. She's a wedding photographer and videographer with 12 years of experience. Her specialty is destination and adventure photography, and documenting unique love stories and travels. Sarah is also the host of The Wild Love Story Podcast, where she dives deep into couples' romantic journeys, relationship challenges, and wedding planning tips.

As part of our miniseries on Generative AI, Sarah shares her incredible journey of transforming her wedding photography and videography business, Wild Love Media, with the help of her personalized GPT assistant, Ziggy. Discover how Sarah, initially a skeptic, leveraged ChatGPT to build her Wild Love Story Podcast in just one day, from naming to scriptwriting!

This episode is a must-listen for any business owner, entrepreneur, or creative looking to understand the practical applications of AI in their daily operations.

We discuss:

• Sarah's AI Transformation: Hear how Sarah evolved from skepticism to fully integrating ChatGPT into her business over six months, learning that it's a "mirror of what you ask".
• Hear from Ziggy, her AI Assistant: Hear directly from Sarah's custom-named GPT, Ziggy, who acts as a personal business CEO, mirroring her energy and providing a structured, prioritized approach to her work.
• Strategic AI Programming: Sarah details how she initially programmed Ziggy with comprehensive information about her business, goals, financial situation, schedule, skill set, budget, and even future aspirations like starting a podcast.
• Everyday Business Optimization: Explore how Ziggy and GPT models can assist with content creation, planning, streamlining processes, drafting client emails in seconds, brainstorming new ideas, and suggesting powerful marketing software.
• Automated Organization & Scheduling: Get an inside look at how Ziggy and GPT models can generate a balanced daily schedule, covering content creation, marketing, admin, and even automatically tracks project progress, saving immense mental effort.
• Navigating AI Limitations: Sarah candidly discusses the challenges of AI, including privacy concerns with personal stories, the risk of hallucinations, and the growing issue of content "parroting" leading to a lack of genuine content evolution.
• Ethical AI Use & Future-Proofing: Sarah's crucial advice is not rely on ChatGPT to run your entire business. She advises to use it as a powerful assistant for long-term planning, structuring, and organizing data. Also to maintain transparency and infuse your own authentic content to avoid plagiarism and ensure sustainability

You can find Sarah's work at www.wildlovemedia.com and on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok. You can find The Wild Love Story playlist here on YouTube.

If you like this podcast, please subscribe and leave a rating. You can also follow "Let's Talk Media with Vedant Akhauri" on Instagram @letstalkmediava. Thank you for listening.