Making Media Now

By Filmmakers CollaborativeTV & Film Society & Culture Documentary Film Interviews

Making Media Now episodes

November 06 Director J.M. Harper Tells Story of 1st Black Special Ops Team in "Soul Patrol"
Joining host Michael Azevedo is director J.M Harper to discuss his new critically acclaimed documentary "Soul Patrol."

The documentary depicts the Vietnam War's first Black special operations team that reunites to tell their untold story, revealing hidden military history and exploring whether confronting the past can heal old wounds.

"Soul Patrol" is not just a war story, but a reckoning – an intimate portrait of survival, memory, and the enduring cost of war on those asked to fight it. Here’s the trailer.

"Soul Patrol," distributed by Kino Lorber, is currently playing in a limited theatrical release and open at the IFC Center in New York on November 6.

J.M. Harper’s debut feature, As We Speak, premiered in the U.S. Documentary Competition at the Sundance Film Festival in 2024, and his sophomore documentary, Soul Patrol, premiered there in 2026 and was awarded The Directing Award: U.S. Documentary. A multi-hyphenate documentarian, Harper has edited four feature films, including the Emmy-nominated series A Kanye Trilogy, and received a Peabody Award as an executive producer on Daughters.

Making Media Now—which is available on all podcast platforms including YouTube--is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey.

About the host: www.writevoicecreative.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/

Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead
52 min
November 02 Documentary Examines Why US Healthcare System is Broken
As voters across the nation head out to cast their ballot on November 3, polling indicates that concerns about healthcare—how to obtain it and pay for it—ranks just beneath overall concerns about the economy.

Joining host Michael Azevedo on this episode is Scott Pressler, one of the producers of an eye-opening, compelling, and somewhat infuriating new documentary called Suck It Up, Buttercup which lifts the veil on dangerous dysfunctions that have remained hidden for far too long, from unsafe staffing to financial pressures, to the moral injury felt by those trying to provide care in a broken system and reveals how naked greed is driving decisions about healthcare access, coverage, and quality.

Making Media Now—which is available on all podcast platforms including YouTube--is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey.

About the host: www.writevoicecreative.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/

Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead

44 min
October 27 Paul Burger on How Early Days Studios Creates & Funds Cinematic Docs
Paul Burger, an Emmy-winning documentary producer and the founder of Early Days Studios, joins host Michael Azevedo on this episode.
Paul shares with Michael how Early Days was created to build premium nonfiction for a changing media landscape.
After 25 years of producing cinematic non-fiction for the world’s leading networks and streamers, Paul started Early Days to develop stories that seamlessly travel across digital, series, and feature distribution.

The production studio is able to fund its work by having brands finance production while Early Days retains full ownership of the films, and everything is released on YouTube channels they own.

Take a listen and learn more about this innovative approach.

Making Media Now—which is available on all podcast platforms including YouTube--is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey.

About the host: www.writevoicecreative.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/

Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead
56 min
October 20 "InhuMAINE" Examines Homelessness in Maine
Joining host Michael Azevedo on this episode is first-time filmmaker Rogan O’Donnell to discuss his documentary InHuMAINE, a feature-length film examining the homelessness crisis in Bangor, Maine.

Developed over 19 months, the documentary weaves together narrative advocacy and applied clinical training to spotlight the humanity, resilience, and systemic inequities at the heart of this crisis.

InhuMAINE has been recognized at film festivals, academic conferences, and professional gatherings, including the Maine International Film Festival and the Maine Mental Health Counselors Association Conference.

Beyond filmmaking, Rogan is the Founder of Common Ground Friends, a nonprofit that opened Maine’s first licensed behavioral and mental health Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP) within a homeless shelter.

He brings more than three decades of recovery, lived experience, and leadership in behavioral health and housing initiatives, including the creation of innovative recovery housing programs and advocacy at the state and national levels.

Making Media Now—which is available on all podcast platforms including YouTube--is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey.

About the host: www.writevoicecreative.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/

Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead

1 hr 5 min
October 13 Algorithms, Politics, & Fickle Audiences: The Documentary Dilemma
Joining host Michael Azevedo on this episode is journalist Addie Morfoot.

Addie covers media, entertainment and film for various publications. We reached out to ask her to chat after reading a recent article of her’s in The Ankler titled “2 Million Viewers or Bust: Inside Documentary’s Darwinian Collapse”.

According to Addie’s reporting, the Darwinian collapse referenced in that attention-grabbing headline started with algorithms and finished with the White House.

As listeners to this podcast already know, getting a documentary film out in the world and in front of audiences involves many interdependent steps: Funding production to get it made, finding a distributor who can deliver it to audiences, and most importantly…the audience itself.

That fragile ecosystem has always been fraught with challenges at every step. But recent economic and political forces have made it even more so.

Addie’s article and our conversation supplied some real insight into this dynamic.

Making Media Now—which is available on all podcast platforms including YouTube--is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey.

About the host: www.writevoicecreative.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/

Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead
56 min
October 02 Nick Beaulieu on "My Omaha," a Tale of Divisions and Efforts to Bridge Them
Joining host Michael Azevedo on this episode is documentary filmmaker Nick Beaulieu, the director of a personal and thought-provoking film called "My Omaha," which will have its broadcast premiere on the PBS series Independent Lens on Oct 5. The film will also be available on the PBS app and its YouTube channel on the same day.

Set in Omaha, Nebraska — where the legacies of Malcolm X, racial segregation, and political division still shape everyday life — the film follows filmmaker Nick as he documents his city’s racial justice movement while attempting to reconnect with his terminally ill father Randy, a staunch Trump supporter.

As Nick delves deeper into North Omaha’s struggle and resilience, the film becomes an intimate portrait of family, race, and the uneasy search for truth inside modern America.

At the same time, Nick begins filming a series of increasingly difficult conversations with his father Randy, a conservative Christian and devoted Trump supporter, whose sudden diagnosis of stage-4 cancer forces both men to confront the emotional and political distance between them before time runs out.

What begins as a documentary about political division gradually becomes something more intimate and unsettling: a reckoning with identity, legacy, community, and the unresolved contradictions at the heart of America.

Making Media Now—which is available on all podcast platforms including YouTube--is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey.

About the host: www.writevoicecreative.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/

Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead
50 min
September 28 Documentary "More Than Medicine" Examines Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy
Joining host Michael Azevedo on this episode are Filmmakers Collaborative members Kerthy Fix and Paul Kloss to discuss their documentary "More Than Medicine" which follows four therapists navigating the emerging field of psychedelic-assisted therapy.

Paul and Kerthy have worked for the past 8 years doing the research, conducting the interviews, shooting and editing their documentary. They made the film because—as you’ll hear in our conversation— they saw people suffering and discovered how in many cases psychedelic-assisted therapy really worked.

"More Than Medicine" will be premiering at the Woodstock Film Festival on Oct 17th, 2026.
And Kerthy and Paul are continuing in their fundraising efforts to get the film in front of police chiefs, lawmakers, therapists, medical students, and the folks who are losing hope and giving up.
Making Media Now—which is available on all podcast platforms including YouTube--is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey.

About the host: www.writevoicecreative.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/

Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead

32 min
September 21 Mary Mazzio & The Exhilarating Tale of The All-Female Crew of "Mighty Mary"
Host Michael Azevedo's guest on this episode is award-winning documentary filmmaker, former Olympian, and Filmmakers Collaborative member Mary Mazzio.

Mary’s latest film, conveniently titled "Mighty Mary" has been garnering all sorts of accolades and attention since it began its run in AMC theaters across the nation on September 11.

The response has been so enthusiastic that its big screen run has been extended!

Narrated by Elizabeth Banks and Hugh Jackman, "Mighty Mary" chronicles an amazing group of “we eat nails for breakfast” type of women: the first all-women’s sailing team to contend for the famed America’s Cup, the holy grail for one of sport’s most elite and exclusive racing events.
This groundbreaking team was comprised of a group of world class and Olympic sailors as well as Olympic rowers and included a deaf sailor, a Native Hawaiian sailor, and the first African American sailor to ever win an America’s Cup race.

What had been dismissed as a publicity stunt turned into something unimaginable.

In all her films, Mary Mazzio explores the concept of overcoming obstacles, whether it is a fight for social change, or issues of poverty and lack of opportunity.

All of Mary’s films are about ordinary people doing extraordinary things – defying expectations and challenging assumptions of what they can achieve.

Making Media Now—which is available on all podcast platforms including YouTube--is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey.

About the host: www.writevoicecreative.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/

Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead

41 min
September 18 Previewing The Boston Film Festival with Actor/Director Ed Burns
Host Michael Azevedo's guest on this episode is writer, director, and actor Ed Burns.

Ed has been a force in the movie world since his debut film "The Brothers McMullen" which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival back in 1995.

Over the ensuing 30 years, Ed has written and directed more than 15 films and has acted in numerous others, including Steven Spielberg’s "Saving Private Ryan."

Ed’s latest film—Beneath The Blue Suburban Skies—will make its US premiere on Sunday, September 20 at 42nd Boston Film Festival (for which Filmmakers Collaborative is the fiscal sponsor).

During the festival, Ed will be presented with the inaugural Boston Film Festival Award for Excellence in Cinematic Storytelling.

"Beneath the Blue Suburban Skies" tells the story of the Collins family, where the mother Tina feels stuck in a middle-aged rut and struggles with feelings of shame and anger she has toward her two grown children who live at home. And she holds resentment toward her husband, played by Ed Burns himself, who may have held her back.

As an added bonus, Ed Burns will be in attendance during the Sunday, September 20 screening and will participate in a Q&A.

Making Media Now—which is available on all podcast platforms including YouTube--is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey.

About the host: www.writevoicecreative.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/

Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead
35 min
September 17 "The [Conserv]atives" Looks At Environmentalism from a Right Angle
Joining host Michael Azevedo on this episode is Nadia Gill the co-director of an insightful and thought-provoking documentary called The [Conserv]atives.

From summer 2021 through Donald Trump's re-election campaign, four Republican insiders wage an uphill battle to transform their party's stance on climate change from within.
As extreme weather intensifies and the 2024 election approaches, they confront a political machine built on denial, testing whether personal conviction can overcome tribal loyalty.
This is a deeply personal story about the cost of defying your own side and the haunting question that drives them all: will their efforts be enough before time runs out?
Nadia Gill is an award-winning filmmaker and co-founder of Encompass Films, known for crafting visually rich, socially resonant documentaries that explore the environment, American identity, and ideological complexity.
Her work has been featured by Netflix, the Los Angeles Times, Bloomberg Originals, the Smithsonian Channel and the Redford Center.
Nadia co-directed Planetwalker, a critically acclaimed documentary shortlisted for the Academy Awards.
The [Conserv]atives is her feature directorial debut.
A former attorney and native Angeleno, she now lives in Lake Tahoe, where in addition to making films she runs the Bristlecone Film Collective, a nonprofit dedicated to fostering a local film culture in the Northern Sierras.
Making Media Now—which is available on all podcast platforms including YouTube--is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey.

About the host: www.writevoicecreative.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/

Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead
58 min

About Making Media Now

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Making Media Now, presented by Filmmakers Collaborative and hosted by Michael Azevedo, is a podcast dedicated to presenting informative and enlightening conversations with creators of all…