This week host Paul Dergarabedian is joined by the creative team behind "What Josiah Saw," the latest film from director/editor/producer Vincent Grashaw. Paul is joined by Vincent and stars Robert Patrick and Nick Stahl.

This episode covers:

• The many advantages of the creative freedom that only the world of independent film can provide 
• How vetting and matching the actors to ensure on-set chemistry is a wise choise for filmmakers
• How working "on-location" adds to the actors' immersive process 
• The differences between working on big-budget studio film and an independent feature 
• The actors' challenge of learning extremely long passages of dialogue when shooting on a tight daily schedule
• How hard work and persistence can pay off for actors & filmmakers in the long run

ABOUT THIS EPISODE'S GUESTS:

Vincent Grashaw first broke onto the scene as producer of the independent feature film "Bellflower," which was one of the most buzzed about films to premiere at Sundance Film Festival 2011. Vince then wrote and directed his debut feature, "Coldwater," which premiered at SXSW 2013 and was distributed by Breaking Glass Pictures. Grashaw went on to direct his sophomore feature "And Then I Go," The film premiered at LA Film Festival and was distributed by The Orchard. "What Josiah Saw" is Grashaw’s third feature film at the helm.

Actor Robert Patrick has worked with the top actors and directors throughout his storied career. His breakthrough role came as the legendary T-1000 in Terminator 2. He was the first actor in the history of motion capture and since then, he has worked on iconic films and television shows including "Die Hard 2," "Wayne's World," "Last Action Hero," "Fire in the Sky," "Cop Land," "The Faculty," "Walk the Line," "Bridge to Terabithia," "Spy Kids," "Flags of Our Fathers," "The Sopranos," "The Outer Limits," "Elvis," "The Unit," "The X- Files," "Sons of Anarchy" and "True Blood." He starred as Agent Cabe Gallow in "Scorpion" for CBS for four seasons and most recently was seen in "The Laundromat" and "Perry Mason." He is currently co-starring in the new series "Peacemaker."

Actor Nick Stahl's impressive career credits include Robert Rodriguez's "Sin City," the franchise hit "Terminator 3," Todd Field's "In The Bedroom," and the lead of the HBO series "Carnivale." Nick has also appeared in Richard Loncraine's "My One And Only opposite Renee Zellweger and Kevin Bacon and in the feature film "Quid Pro Quo" alongside Vera Farmiga, and starred in the Sundance favorite "Sleepwalking" alongside Charlize Theron, Woody Harrelson, and Dennis Hopper. Nick is currently shooting on-location a live-action feature film based on a Japanese Anime.

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This week host Paul Dergarabedian is joined by Ethan Sacks, one of the most prolific new voices at Marvel Comics and noted journalist who covered movies, television, comic books and geek culture over a 20-year career as a journalist at the New York Daily News. He has since kept one foot in the world of journalism with a part-time role at NBC News Digital.

This episode covers:

• The challenges and benefits of the career of a freelance writer
• The advantages of “creator owned” books and written works
• Melding a journalistic background and a passion for comic books
• The creation of a horror-themed flip book in the age of digital
• Coordinating charities that featured Marvel actors including Chris Pratt, Chris Evans, and Robert Downey Jr.

ABOUT THIS EPISODE'S GUEST:

Ethan Sacks, is one of the most prolific new voices at Marvel Comics, writing "Old Man Hawkeye," "Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge," "Star Wars: Allegiance" "Silver Surfer," "Old Man Quill," and "Star Wars: Bounty Hunters." Before he rewrote his career, Sacks covered movies television, comic books and geek culture over a 20-year career as a journalist at the New York Daily News. There he profiled a who's who of Hollywood personalities from Affleck to Ziyi Zhang, traveled to New Zealand to be filmed with performance capture technology, and launched a movie screening program for children's charities that featured visits by Marvel actors including Chris Pratt, Chris Evans, and Robert Downey Jr. He was part of the news team that won awards from the prestigious Society of Silurians and the New York Press Club for the paper's coverage of the Miracle on the Hudson.

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This week host Paul Dergarabedian is joined by Tim Sommerfeld, a veteran marketing executive and creative director responsible for creating award-winning advertising campaigns for television, motion pictures and digital entertainment. His career as a motion picture executive includes stints at Walt Disney Pictures, Sony Entertainment, New Line Cinema and Global Road. At Summit Entertainment, he was part of the marketing team responsible for launching the “Now You See Me,” “Divergent” and “RED” franchises, plus six-time Academy Award winner “The Hurt Locker,” as well as all five films of the wildly successful “Twilight Saga”.

This episode covers:

• The intricacies of building a marketing campaign for a new movie
• The importance of earning the trust of filmmakers and creatives
• Dealing with unexpected changes during the development of the marketing plan
• Actors who were collaborative and fun to work with over the years
• Challenges/benefits of working with large ensemble casts

ABOUT THIS EPISODE'S GUEST:

Tim Sommerfeld, As a creative marketing consultant, Tim has worked on numerous films, including specialized movies as Lionsgate’s Tupac Shakur biopic “All Eyez on Me” and “Overboard” from Pantelion Films. He has also produced long-form content for “HBO: First Look” and the BET Network. Before working as a creative director at The Ant Farm Agency for six years, Tim began his career in local television at WJBK-TV in Detroit and KCBS-TV in Los Angeles. He then moved to FOX Broadcasting where he was responsible for promoting “The Simpsons” and other iconographic comedies.

Mr. Sommerfeld holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Temple University, Philadelphia where he majored in Radio-TV-Film. His work has received numerous Key Art Awards, local Emmys and a London International Advertising Award. Tim is a husband, dad and writer.

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This week host Paul Dergarabedian is joined by Erik Davis, the Managing Editor for Fandango and one of the nation's leading movie commentators. Listen as Erik shares how social media has changed online movie commentary and how those changes affect writers and commentators like himself. Then stick around as Erik and Paul discuss the film industry’s “endless summer” including the top 5 most anticipated movies of the summer!

This episode covers:

• How social media has changed and shaped the movie commentary space
• What makes this Memorial Day Weekend the most pivotal in a long time
• Why people are saying the film industry is entering an “endless summer”
• The most underappreciated aspect of seeing movies in theaters
• The top 5 most anticipated movies of the summer

ABOUT THIS EPISODE'S GUESTS:

Erik Davis, Managing Editor for Fandango, is one of the nation's leading movie commentators, with over a decade of experience writing about movies for Fandango, Movies.com, Moviefone, Cinematical and others, as well as talking about movies on TV, YouTube and radio. Erik has appeared on The TODAY Show, CBS This Morning, CNN, MSNBC, New York Live, Good Day NY, Bloomberg TV, Fox Business, CNBC, PBS and more, and he has sat on the "Masters of the Web" panel at San Diego Comic-Con three times, as well as hosted panels at SXSW and inside Hall H at San Diego Comic-Con. Erik is also a proud voting member of the Critics Choice Association.

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This week host Paul Dergarabedian is joined by Pete Hammond, a renowned film critic and cinema expert, who is currently the Chief Film Critic for Deadline Hollywood and has served as Deadline’s Awards Editor and Columnist for the past 10 years. Listen as Pete shares how the film industry has changed since the beginning of the pandemic and how some of those changes have benefited the industry. Then stick around as Pete and Paul discuss what theaters and the industry as a whole can do to draw audiences in as more theaters begin to open up.

This episode covers:

• Memorial Day Weekend box office hopes and predictions
• Why the movie theater experience is sacred
• How the film industry has benefited from the pandemic
• What the industry needs to do to draw audiences to theaters
• How Pete keeps his cool when interviewing the biggest names in the business

ABOUT THIS EPISODE'S GUESTS:

Pete Hammond, a renowned film critic and cinema expert, is currently Chief Film Critic for Deadline Hollywood. For the past ten years, he has also been Awards Editor and Columnist for Deadline (previously he was doing a similar column for the Los Angeles Times/“The Envelope”) and has served as film critic for Boxoffice Magazine, Backstage Magazine, Hollywood.com, Movieline and Maxim magazine in addition to being a frequent contributor to Variety. He is the recipient of five Emmy nominations for his TV writing, is the winner of the 1996 and 2013 Publicists Guild of America’s Press Award, and has served on the Board of Governors for the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences representing writers for six years.

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This week host Paul Dergarabedian is joined by Maggie Mackay and Claudia Puig who are the Executive Director and Board Member respectively of Vidiots, the iconic L.A. video store, which is relaunching as an expanded entertainment, social, and community space in Eagle Rock, CA. Listen as Maggie and Claudia share their vision for the new theater and how they hope to expand upon the typical movie theater experience. Then stick around to find out when you can expect to visit and how you can help make this dream a reality!

This episode covers:

• The relaunched and reimagined Vidiots
• Expanding the movie theater and video store experiences for film lovers
• The importance of focusing on minority voices in film
• The history of the Eagle Theatre and why it’s the perfect location
• How community efforts have made this possible and how you can help

ABOUT THIS EPISODE'S GUESTS:

Maggie Mackay and Claudia Puig are the Executive Director and Board Member respectively of Vidiots, the iconic L.A. video store-turned-501(c)(3) non-profit, which is relaunching as an expanded entertainment, social, and community space at the historic Eagle Theatre in beautiful Eagle Rock where they will be serving beer, wine, food, selling specialty retail, along with offering 50,00 film and TV media titles on DVD, BluRay and even 11,000 rare VHS tapes.

Vidiots is a woman-run, woman-founded project dedicated to creating algorithm-free, equitable access to film and human interaction around art, showcasing the work of under-represented and recognized artists and creatives, producing unique film, television, and media events and building community through impactful programs.

If you wish to help Vidiots recover from setbacks caused by the global pandemic, please donate here: https://www.vidiotsfoundation.org/donate.

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This week host Paul Dergarabedian is joined by Matthew Jones, a Chicago-born and trained actor who has appeared in more than 60 different television shows and motion pictures. Listen as Matthew shares how he successfully left his career in marketing for acting and some of the on-set adventures he’s had during his time in front of the camera. Then stick around as Matthew and Paul discuss the importance of networking to consistently book jobs and how that has led to working on Jimmy Kimmel Live! regularly.

This episode covers:

• Transitioning from a career in marketing to acting
• On-set adventures
• Shooting a modern-day soap opera
• Making your mark in the industry with guest star/co-star roles
• How auditioning has changed and what Matthew predicts for future auditions
• Working on Jimmy Kimmel Live!
• The importance of networking to work consistently as an actor

ABOUT THIS EPISODE'S GUEST:

Matthew Jones is a Chicago-born and trained actor who has appeared in more than 60 different television shows and motion pictures at the guest star or co-star level, including Narcos (2019), NCIS (2018), Scandal (2012), CSI: Miami (2002), General Hospital (1963, 30 episodes), It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia (2005), and films including action-drama Break (2008) and Science Fiction thriller Ad Astra (2019). Before becoming an actor, Matthew worked in marketing for nearly 10 years at prestigious agencies including Leo Burnett Company and Golin/Harris Communications.

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This week host Paul Dergarabedian is joined by Jason Brenek, the Founder and CEO of MetaMedia, an entertainment technology company that creates next-generation technologies and new revenue-generating opportunities for content producers and cinemas. Listen as Jason shares how consumers’ content and movie viewing preferences are changing and how theaters can successfully adapt. Then stick around as Jason and Paul discuss new theatrical experiences that could be coming soon to a theater near you!

This episode covers:

• Consumers’ changing tastes in content and the movie viewing experience
• How the film industry can benefit from pandemic-related challenges
• Creating a new theatrical experience beyond movies
• Why movie theaters will always draw consumers

ABOUT THIS EPISODE'S GUEST:

Jason Brenek is the Founder and CEO of MetaMedia, an entertainment technology company that creates next-generation technologies and new revenue-generating opportunities for content producers and cinemas.

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This week host Paul Dergarabedian is joined by Phil Donlon, an actor/director/writer who is currently filming Starz’s Power Book IV: Force in which he portrays the recurring role of “Simon McDougal.” Listen as Phil shares his experience as a working actor and how he adapts between stage and screen roles. Then stick around as Phil and Paul look back at some of Phil’s past roles and discuss how he transformed himself physically and emotionally for them.

This episode covers:

• The difference between acting for stage and screen
• When and how to make narration work in scripts
• The importance of having mentors when doing creative work
• The toll of physical and emotional transformation for roles
• How Phil’s athletic past shaped his acting style
• The experience of seeing a film you’re in for the first time

ABOUT THIS EPISODE'S GUEST:

Phil Donlon is an Actor/Director/Writer who hails from Chicago and is currently recurring as “Simon McDougal” on the much-anticipated Starz show Power Book IV: Force.

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This week host Paul Dergarabedian is joined by Sean O’Connell, the Managing Editor of CinemaBlend and author of Release the Snyder Cut. Listen as Sean shares his take on the Snyder Cut and what inspired him to write a book about it. Then stick around as Sean and Paul discuss how the Snyder Cut has and will continue to impact and influence the film industry.

This episode covers:

• How the Snyder Cut has benefited from the current state of film releases
• If and when you can see Snyder Cut in theaters
• The growing “restore the Snyder-verse” movement
• The impact of the Snyder Cut on the film industry
• Breaking down the Synder Cut saga in Release the Snyder Cut

ABOUT THIS EPISODE'S GUEST:

Sean O’Connell is the Managing Editor of CinemaBlend, an online hub for fans to explore and discuss movies, TV shows, and the best streaming has to offer. Sean also authored the recently published book, Release The Snyder Cut.

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