Mischief and Mastery

In this episode, Mishu sits down with filmmaker and public artist Jack C. Newell to talk about creative longevity, balancing fiction and documentary work, and the myth of having a master plan. Jack shares how “scarcity in Chicago” taught him to say yes to opportunities outside a niche, why rest is as essential as work, and how curiosity—not certainty—has shaped his body of work across genres.

🎬 Jack C. Newell is a writer, director, producer, actor, and public artist whose films include Monuments (Nashville Audience Award ’20), How (not) to Build a School in Haiti, and Bettendorf Talks (SXSW ’24). He’s the co-creator of Destroy Your Art, the public installation The Wabash Lights, and the founder of The Second City Film School. His work has screened in theaters, festivals, and on major platforms like Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon.

We talk about:
 → Why the “best advice I never took” was to go niche early and hard
 → How scarcity builds creative range (and humility)
 → Finding rest and rhythm in an unpredictable career
 → What fiction and documentary work teach each other
 → Why creative curiosity matters more than any five-year plan

Learn more about jack at jackcnewell.com and follow on Instagram: @jackcnewell/ @zaxiefilm

Listen to more episodes at mischiefpod.com and follow us on Instagram and TikTok at @mischiefpod
Produced by @ohhmaybemedia

In this episode, Mishu sits down with Chicago-based writer/director and producer Demma Strausbaugh to talk about the tension between creative drive and creative fatigue. They unpack the push and pull of wearing too many hats, the hard truths about indie filmmaking as a “rich person’s game,” and why Demma’s determined to create her own intentionality anyway.

🎬 Demma Strausbaugh has produced multiple short films, a music video, and a commercial, and directed two shorts of her own. She’s currently taking on the Filmmaker’s Mixtape Challenge — a yearlong experiment in consistency and craft. A founding member of Film Girlz Brunch Chicago and coordinator for the Chicago Independent Film Symposium, Demma is also a fierce advocate for creative community and independent storytelling.

We talk about:
 → Why indie filmmaking sometimes feels impossible — and how to do it anyway
 → The difference between creative paralysis and creative rest
 → How to build discipline without losing curiosity
 → The myth of “just writing” versus learning to protect creative time
 → Balancing producing for others and directing for yourself

Follow Demma's work on Instagram: @players_pod
Website: players-pod.com

Listen to more episodes at mischiefpod.com and follow us on Instagram and TikTok at @mischiefpod
Produced by @ohhmaybemedia

In this episode, Mishu sits down with Chicago-based actor, singer, and dancer Edwina Luokkola Burckhardt to talk about finding creative freedom after the rigidity of musical theatre. From the pandemic pause to co-writing and starring in Roller Babiez, Edwina opens up about rediscovering her voice, learning to build art from the ground up, and the joy of collaboration that keeps her motivated.

🎬 Edwina Burckhardt holds a B.F.A. in Musical Theatre and has performed in productions including Medea and Pussy Sludge. In recent years, she’s shifted from performer to creator—writing, producing, and starring in the upcoming feature Roller Babiez, and co-directing Coming Over alongside Daisy Allen.

We talk about:
 → How skating with friends sparked the idea for Roller Babiez
→ Relearning how to make art “from the bottom up” after musical theatre training
→ The power of collaboration and creating without institutional validation
→ Finding joy in being intentional—rather than prolific
→ How performance changes when you’re finally allowed a little control

Follow Edwina on Instagram: @edwinafaye
Follow the film: @rollerbabiez

Listen to more episodes at mischiefpod.com and follow us on Instagram and TikTok at @mischiefpod
Produced by @ohhmaybemedia

In this episode, Mishu sits down with writer and director Sanicole Young to talk about what it means when an idea won’t leave you alone. They chat the discomfort of filmmaking—the stress, the pivoting, the grind—and the joy that keeps you coming back anyway. From battling production hurdles to learning when to listen to the idea that wakes you up at 3 a.m., Sanicole shares how she stays anchored in purpose even when the work feels impossible.

🎥 Sandrel “Sanicole” Young is an independent filmmaker from Chicago whose work centers on the African-American experience in love, family, and community. Her films have screened on national television and at major festivals. Recent projects include The Bet, Take 290, and Rel Talk, her comedy special directorial debut with Lil Rel Howery Rel Talk now streaming exclusively on Tubi.

We talk about:
 → The idea that won’t leave—and why that’s the one you have to make
 → Navigating stress, budgets, and the daily “tolerance for discomfort” of filmmaking
 → Building discipline without losing heart
 → Why storytelling is an act of love and persistence
 → How “just living life” keeps the creative well full

Follow Sanicole on Instagram: @sanicole and catch Rel Talk on Tubi

Listen to more episodes at mischiefpod.com and follow us on Instagram and TikTok at @mischiefpod
Produced by @ohhmaybemedia

In this episode, Mishu sits down with indie pop artist and producer Lillian Frances to talk about the pendulum swing between hyper-focus and creative burnout, what Burning Man taught her about play, and the practical ways she’s learning to sustain both her art and her business. From teaching music production to self-releasing textured, bilingual dream-pop, Lillian opens up about the challenge of being a “sonic collager” while also running three full-time jobs in one body.

🎶 Lillian Frances is a self-produced Sacramento-based alt-pop artist whose sound blends organic and electronic textures, moving seamlessly between English and Spanish. Her music has been featured on NPR, Indie Shuffle, and Pop Matters; she’s performed at Oregon Country Fair, Stilldream, Feather River Flowdown, and opened for Sylvan Esso. Her latest single “In Violet” (Jan 2025) is the first taste of a new album dropping soon.

We talk about:
 → How The Artist’s Way supercharged a summer of focus
→ The rhythm of working at 130%… and then crashing into play
→ Why journaling and environment shape her creative process
→ Juggling the triple identity of pop star, producer, and educator
→ Letting go of genre to embrace sonic collage

More from Lillian:
Official site: lillianfrancesmusic.com
Instagram: @lillianfancess
Spotify: Lillian Frances

Listen to more episodes at mischiefpod.com and follow us on Instagram and TikTok at @mischiefpod
Produced by @ohhmaybemedia

In this episode, Mishu sits down with Chicago filmmaker Jerry S. Gonzalez to talk about sticking with your strangest ideas, finding validation after quiet festival runs, and the discipline of just getting projects across the finish line. They unpack the lessons of shorts like Intergalactic PizzaBoy and The Spaghetti Man, the freedom (and limits) of DIY VFX, and how letting go in post-production can open the door to real collaboration.

🎬 Jerry is the director of award-winning shorts including There’s Something in the Woods, Intergalactic PizzaBoy, and The Spaghetti Man (winner of Best Short Film at Spooky Empire, Audience Choice at Midsummer Scream, and a “Troma Diploma”). He’s currently in post-production on his highly anticipated short Hamster in My Head while developing his feature Big Spooky House. Alongside his own projects, Jerry has worked on productions like Chicago Med/PD, Empire, Shameless, Trial of the Chicago 7, and The Bear.

We talk about:
→ Why “fuck it, just finish the film” is Jerry’s best advice to young filmmakers
→ The power (and pitfalls) of doing your own VFX in After Effects
→ How handing off post for Hamster in My Head taught him to trust collaborators
→ Finding energy after years of creative droughts and dead festival runs
→ Why Chicago’s community makes “making weird art” actually possible

Follow Jerry on Instagram: @jerrysgonz

Listen to more episodes at mischiefpod.com and follow us on Instagram and TikTok at @mischiefpod
Produced by @ohhmaybemedia

In this episode, Mishu sits down with composer and educator Tony Scott-Green to talk about how music moves with people, the discipline of organizing your creative time, and what it means to truly listen in an era of constant background noise. From scoring films that have played Cannes to teaching “Music, Time, and Place” at Columbia College, Tony reflects on the interconnectedness of sound, the influence of migration (whether human or digital), and the tension between convenience and depth in how we consume art today.

Tony Scott-Green sculpts original music for film, TV, and media, with credits spanning feature films, documentaries, web series, and sonic branding for Fortune 500 companies. His scores have been heard at festivals worldwide, and he now splits his time between Chicago and Los Angeles. Alongside his professional work, Tony teaches at Columbia College Chicago, where he challenges students to trace music across geographies, histories, and cultures.

We talk about:
→ How mountain polkas sound like Texas bluegrass—and what that says about music’s migration
→ Why Tony compares deep creative work to diving at depth
→ From background vibes to vinyl intention: listening with focus in a distracted world
→ How teaching “Music, Time, and Place” reshaped his view of sound and culture
→ Structuring a creative week so composing time isn’t chopped into fragments

More from Tony:
Website: tonyscottgreen.com
Instagram: @tonyscottgreen

Listen to more episodes at mischiefpod.com and follow us on Instagram and TikTok at @mischiefpod.
Produced by @ohhmaybemedia.

In this episode, Mishu sits down with Daisy Allen—writer, performer, and co-screenwriter of the queer stoner comedy Roller Babiez—to talk about what happens when you let an idea spiral into a feature, why sometimes spite is the best creative fuel, and how collaboration inside a close-knit community shapes both process and play.

Daisy is a Detroit-born, Chicago-based artist whose work blends comedy, visual experimentation, and original storytelling. She co-wrote and stars in Roller Babies (currently in post-production), created the short Coming Over, and comes from a background in theatre and dance. Her projects thrive on collaboration—writing roles for friends, pulling in Room 19 colleagues, and building worlds where joy and absurdity have space to breathe.

We talk about:
→ Why her first short was born out of “I can’t listen to that boy one more time” spite
→ Turning Coming Over into a feature-length collab with friends
→ Writing with a cast already in mind—and tailoring roles for community
→ Balancing performance with writing, and why her roles keep getting smaller
→ Roller Babies’ wild ride: from bedroom short to full-on feature

Follow Daisy on Instagram: @daisyallen3000 and learn more about Roller Babiez: @rollerbabiez

Listen to more episodes at mischiefpod.com and follow us on Instagram and TikTok at @mischiefpod.
Produced by @ohhmaybemedia.

In this episode, Mishu sits down with Erica Duffy—founder of Camera Ambassador and longtime champion of Chicago’s film community—to talk about taking leaps before you’re ready, why “fail fast” has become her north star, and the power of designing spaces that spark collaboration. 

They get into Erica’s intuitive decision-making process (including the literal dream that sparked her company’s new CineCity Studios HQ), her five years steering the Midwest Film Festival, and how she’s using workshops and mentorship to lift up the next generation of storytellers.

Erica founded Camera Ambassador in 2014, growing it into one of only three women-owned rental houses in the country. Under her leadership, it’s become Chicago’s most vibrant hub for gear, guidance, and community—anchored by hands-on workshops, inclusive networking events, and a culture of genuine support. From CineCity to film festivals, her work has consistently pushed Midwest film forward.

We talk about:
→ Why Erica trusts intuition over analysis paralysis
→ Designing Camera Ambassador’s new 11,000 sq ft CineCity space
→ Lessons from five years running the Midwest Film Festival
→ The “fail fast” motto and why experimentation matters
→ Mentorship, workshops, and building community infrastructure
→ The balance of business expansion and creative passion

More from Erica:
🔗 cameraambassador.com

Instagram:
@cameraambassador
@hello.erica.duffy

Listen to more episodes at mischiefpod.com and follow us on Instagram and TikTok at @mischiefpod.
Produced by @ohhmaybemedia.

In this episode, Mishu sits down with colorist, editor, and producer C. Ryan Stemple, CSI to talk about why finishing is its own art form—and why post-production might be the most adaptable corner of the industry right now. They dig into pivoting through strikes and slowdowns, how machine learning is quietly reshaping drudgery work, and why Ryan is committed to building a Midwest hub for finishing, teaching, and producing under one roof.

Ryan Stemple has graded over 50 features and countless shorts, docs, and branded projects. He’s the founder of Quicksilver Color, co-owner of Journeywork Entertainment, and adjunct faculty at Northwestern, where he teaches (what else?) color grading. In 2022 he and his wife, Ana Christian (founder of Anachrony Post), merged their companies under Journeywork Entertainment, which now spans color, online, dailies, and production. As of 2025, they’re producing the indie feature Line Cooks in partnership with Who’s To Say Productions.

We talk about:
→ Why post-production pivots faster than other roles in the industry
→ How “the AI we actually use” frees up editors for creative work
→ Going from colorist to producer on Good Guy With a Gun
→ Building a full-service post house with his wife, Ana Christian
→ Navigating union paperwork on their first in-house feature
→ What it takes to finish a film so it truly feels done

Stream the trailer & support Line Cooks: seedandspark.com/fund/line-cooks

More about Ryan and his companies:
🔗 quicksilvercolor.com
🔗 journeyworkent.com
🔗 anachronypost.com

Instagram:
@crstemple
@journeyworkent
@quicksilvercolor

Listen to more episodes at mischiefpod.com and follow us on Instagram and TikTok at @mischiefpod.
Produced by @ohhmaybemedia.