MediaMaker Spotlight

The ongoing stories of our planet and universe are vast and often highly visual. In this episode, host Candice Bloch talks with Wade Sisler, the executive producer at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, and Lori Perkins, a computer engineer for NASA’s Scientific Visualization Studio (SVS). They discuss the exciting process of bringing amazing science stories to the world, collaborating with engineers, explaining complex concepts with animations, and more. Listen to learn about climate-focused content, fascinating discoveries from space, great educational materials about Earth and space science, and the universe of free, high-quality assets and resources available to everyone!

Begin your journey into the media produced by NASA, by checking out the Scientific Visualization Studio at: https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/  

Find the NASA social media accounts you want to follow at: https://www.nasa.gov/socialmedia

And as always, learn more about NASA and Goddard at: https://www.nasa.gov/ and https://www.nasa.gov/goddard 

To reach out specifically, you can email Wade at [email protected] and Lori at [email protected]

(Episode originally released on 4/23/23)

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Subscribe to learn more about filmmaking, production, media makers, creator resources, visual storytelling, and every aspect that brings film, television, and video projects from concepts to our screens. Check out the MediaMakerSpotlight.com show page to find even more conversations with industry professionals that inspire, educate, and entertain!

We on the Women in Film & Video (WIFV) Podcast Team work hard to make this show a great resource for our listeners, and we thank you for listening!

A good script is the foundation upon which great stories are brought to life on screen. In this episode, host Candice Bloch sits down with award-winning writer, director, and producer, Claudia Myers to discuss screenwriting. Claudia brings her knowledge and experience as a successful writer and longtime communications professor at American University to the conversation. Learn about her active film career amidst a plethora of great advice for crafting stories for the screen.

To learn more about Claudia and her work, visit: http://claudiamyersfilms.com/

Claudia’s American University profile: https://www.american.edu/soc/faculty/myers.cfm

(Episode originally released 5/07/23

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Subscribe to learn more about filmmaking, production, media makers, creator resources, visual storytelling, and every aspect that brings film, television, and video projects from concepts to our screens. Check out the MediaMakerSpotlight.com show page to find even more conversations with industry professionals that inspire, educate, and entertain!

We on the Women in Film & Video (WIFV) Podcast Team work hard to make this show a great resource for our listeners, and we thank you for listening!

Celebrating Women of Vision honoree, Vonnya Pettigrew! In this episode, host Sandra Abrams has a chat with Vonnya Pettigrew, founder of Baltimore-based Root Branch Media Group, media mogul, and one of WIFV’s 2023 Women of Vision honorees. Listen to hear more about her journey, great advice about building your own studio space, and more!

To learn more about Vonnya and all that Root Branch Media Group has to offer, visit: www.rootbranchmediagroup.com

To learn more about Women in Film & Video (WIFV)’s Women of Vision Awards, visit: https://www.wifv.org/women-of-vision-awards/

(Episode originally released 4/30/23)

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Subscribe to learn more about filmmaking, production, media makers, creator resources, visual storytelling, and every aspect that brings film, television, and video projects from concepts to our screens. Check out the MediaMakerSpotlight.com show page to find even more conversations with industry professionals that inspire, educate, and entertain!

We on the Women in Film & Video (WIFV) Podcast Team work hard to make this show a great resource for our listeners, and we thank you for listening!

In any film, the music score is very important for setting the tone of the piece and supporting the story. Tara Jabbari speaks with Malakoff Kowalski, a Berlin-based musician and composer who has worked with filmmakers from Germany, Sweden, and the United States, to name a few. He shares his process, advice he has for directors on what they need to communicate with composers, and much more. 

Learn more about Malakoff: https://www.malakoffkowalski.de/
His music on Spotify 

(Episode originally released 4/02/23)

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Subscribe to learn more about filmmaking, production, media makers, creator resources, visual storytelling, and every aspect that brings film, television, and video projects from concepts to our screens. Check out the MediaMakerSpotlight.com show page to find even more conversations with industry professionals that inspire, educate, and entertain!

We on the Women in Film & Video (WIFV) Podcast Team work hard to make this show a great resource for our listeners, and we thank you for listening!

The 48 Hour Film Project (48HFP) challenges its participants to create a short film from scratch on a single weekend. In this episode, host Candice Bloch sits down with Lisa Giles, the city producer for the Richmond 48 Hour Film Project. They discuss how the 48HFP came to be and grow to over 100 cities internationally, the fun details and parameters of the challenge, and more. It just may inspire you to want to join in on a memorable weekend of your own!

To learn more about this fantastic filmmaking extravaganza visit 48hourfilm.com.
And click here to learn more about the Richmond Film Network.

(Episode originally released 3/19/23)

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Subscribe to learn more about filmmaking, production, media makers, creator resources, visual storytelling, and every aspect that brings film, television, and video projects from concepts to our screens. Check out the MediaMakerSpotlight.com show page to find even more conversations with industry professionals that inspire, educate, and entertain!

We on the Women in Film & Video (WIFV) Podcast Team work hard to make this show a great resource for our listeners, and we thank you for listening!

In this episode, Tara Jabbari speaks with Flora Mendoza, a singer and actor, turned political advisor and nomad. She shares her experience of getting her SAG card, being an extra for “Saturday Night Live,” finding agents, and more. 

Some websites that Flora recommends for extra work are:
https://www.weistbarronryan.com/
https://actorsaccess.com/

Learn more about Flora here: http://floramendoza.com/ 

(Episode originally released on 4/16/23)

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Subscribe to learn more about filmmaking, production, media makers, creator resources, visual storytelling, and every aspect that brings film, television, and video projects from concepts to our screens. Check out the MediaMakerSpotlight.com show page to find even more conversations with industry professionals that inspire, educate, and entertain!

We on the Women in Film & Video (WIFV) Podcast Team work hard to make this show a great resource for our listeners, and we thank you for listening!

Media directly impacts how people see themselves in the world. In this episode, host Candice Bloch has a conversation with Madeline Di Nonno, the president and CEO of the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media. They chat about the Institute’s mission, the valuable research and data they collect, and how that data is used to help reveal bias and create more equality. While it began with a focus on gender - “if she can see it, she can be it” - the Institute now focuses on gender, race/ethnicity, LGBTQIA+, disability, age 50+, and body type. Listen to hear more about the progress that’s been made in representation, and areas that still need to see improvement.

You can learn more about this amazing Institute, their media bias research tools, and more at seejane.org

(Episode originally released on 02/26/23)

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Subscribe to learn more about filmmaking, production, media makers, creator resources, visual storytelling, and every aspect that brings film, television, and video projects from concepts to our screens. Check out the MediaMakerSpotlight.com show page to find even more conversations with industry professionals that inspire, educate, and entertain!

We on the Women in Film & Video (WIFV) Podcast Team work hard to make this show a great resource for our listeners, and we thank you for listening!

Season three wraps up with another of our specials! Once again, all three of our hosts - Tara, Candice, and Sandra - come together, this time to chat all about summer blockbusters. Learn some history and fun facts while also hearing our hosts share funny memories and insights into which big screen theater movies each is looking forward to this summer 2023. 

During our season break, we’ll be sharing some selected reruns. We return at the end of the summer with fresh new content for season four, but don’t forget that all of our episodes are always available wherever you listen to your podcasts, or at wifv.org/podcast 

Support the show

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Subscribe to learn more about filmmaking, production, media makers, creator resources, visual storytelling, and every aspect that brings film, television, and video projects from concepts to our screens. Check out the MediaMakerSpotlight.com show page to find even more conversations with industry professionals that inspire, educate, and entertain!

We on the Women in Film & Video (WIFV) Podcast Team work hard to make this show a great resource for our listeners, and we thank you for listening!

Expert advisors help ground stories in plausibility, and can be vital sounding boards for crafting projects that pass muster with fans. In this episode, host Candice Bloch talks with Dr. Erin Macdonald, the science consultant for the Star Trek franchise. Erin Macdonald (PhD Astrophysics) is a public speaker, educator, STEAM advocate, writer, and technical consultant who explains complex physics and astronomy ideas to varied audiences. She is also the founder and owner of Spacetime Productions, a film company dedicated to lifting and sharing traditionally marginalized voices. In their conversation, you’ll hear about Erin’s journey as a woman of science and a sci-fi fan, the importance of seeing smart, strong female characters on screen, and some of the science of Star Trek, past and present. You’ll also learn what it means to consult on several Star Trek shows, advising from concept development through post-production, checking the science, and helping bring the facts to these fictions.

To learn more about Erin and all of her amazing projects, visit: https://www.erinpmacdonald.com/

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Subscribe to learn more about filmmaking, production, media makers, creator resources, visual storytelling, and every aspect that brings film, television, and video projects from concepts to our screens. Check out the MediaMakerSpotlight.com show page to find even more conversations with industry professionals that inspire, educate, and entertain!

We on the Women in Film & Video (WIFV) Podcast Team work hard to make this show a great resource for our listeners, and we thank you for listening!

Abby Greensfelder has an instinct for developing not only iconic cable shows such as, “Say Yes to the Dress,” but also documentaries featuring icons Megan Rapinoe and Alicia Keys. In this episode, host Sandra Abrams chats with the indie filmmaker and native Washingtonian, ahead of the World Premiere of UNCHARTED at the Tribeca Film Festival in June. The doc, from her company, Everywoman Studios, is a behind-the-scenes look at Keys’ songwriting camp that hopes to create a pipeline of women songwriters and music producers. The studio’s first film, LFG, featured the U.S Women Soccer team’s fight for fair pay. In this discussion, Abby shares why her company aims to develop women-centric content that has a social impact and how female filmmakers can apply for the Propelle program to develop their media ideas. In May, WIFV named Abby a 2023 Women of Vision honoree. 

www.everywomanstudios.com 

https://west.realscreen.com/2023/propelle/

To view a complete list of Women of Vision winners, visit https://www.wifv.org/women-of-vision-awards/

Support the show

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Subscribe to learn more about filmmaking, production, media makers, creator resources, visual storytelling, and every aspect that brings film, television, and video projects from concepts to our screens. Check out the MediaMakerSpotlight.com show page to find even more conversations with industry professionals that inspire, educate, and entertain!

We on the Women in Film & Video (WIFV) Podcast Team work hard to make this show a great resource for our listeners, and we thank you for listening!