Nothing Shines Like Dirt

Welcome back to Nothing Shines Like Dirt Episode 27, featuring director/filmmaker Elyse Niblett. Her film "The Broken Ones" premiered at the Soho International Film Festival, lessons learned while directing a feature, and digging for the emotional life of your characters.

Born and raised in California, Elyse began a life of performance as a ballet dancer. After thirteen years she began training in sketch and paint art. At 21 years of age she discovered acting. She graduated with a BFA in Screen Acting at Chapman University but it wasn't until a few years after graduating that she shifted her focus to directing. With the help of Tony Spiridakis and his Manhattan Film Institute, she made her debut film, The End of the World, about a woman at the end of her rope in a loveless marriage. At MFI, Elyse met Cece King, who would later hire her as the director for the Independent Feature Film, The Broken Ones, which just had its world premiere at the opening night of the SOHO Int'l Film Festival to a sold out theater.

Last year Elyse created her production company, Gray Space Productions, with her long time colleague and friend, Blair Nichols. Through her company she has created video content for companies along with narrative short films. They are now in development with two separate feature films, with Elyse at the helm as director.

Elyse was always drawn to storytelling and found her home behind the camera. Her background in acting has aided her interpretation of scripts and her ability to shape actor performances. She is beyond excited and grateful for the continued success of her first feature, The Broken Ones, and looks forward to many more. Her favorite part about film is the collaborative process, working with fellow creatives to build a narrative that strives to move, inspire and enlighten her viewers. She would not be here were it not for the tireless support of her family and friends. "

Facebook.com/Elyse.niblett None E_niblett Www.elyseniblett.com The Broken Ones - http://m.imdb.com/title/tt4060498/ www.grayspaceproductions.com iLove - https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=K9nk154nOMo "

Welcome back to Nothing Shines Like Dirt episode 26. We talk with Director/DP Anneke Schoneveld, dive into the ins and outs of commercial directing, art direction, the devils in the details, and Anthony Hopkins pulling her into the industry.

Website: www.annekeschoneveld.com

Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/anneke.schoneveld.director/

IMBd: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2458846/

As a filmmaker Anneke is driven to find the emotional connection within each story. Her talent to combine evocative food imagery with children and lifestyle moments opens the door to a new kind of storytelling for food brands. Anneke's ability to capture authenticity within performances and translate even the simplest moments into beautiful imagery and tone translates her love of the connections we share over meals. The intimacy and honesty in her work comes from her philosophy that good food doesn’t just nourish our body but also feeds our soul.

Anneke is a member of the Director's Guild of America.

Welcome back to Nothing Shines Like Dirt episode 25. Today we are talking to the CEO of Findspark and social media guru Emily Miethner. We have a little conversation about networking on social media, networking in person, and hashtags.

Website: http://www.emilymiethner.com

https://twitter.com/emilymiethner

https://www.facebook.com/findspark

https://www.instagram.com/findspark/

Emily is passionate about empowering people to achieve their goals, which she does as the Founder and CEO of FindSpark, MCG Social, and as an adjunct professor. FindSpark has produced dozens of career, diversity, and recruitment programs for their 25,000+ members and employers like L'Oreal, HBO, NBCUniversal, New York Times, The Odyssey, Bustle, and BuzzFeed. MCG Social, FindSpark's sister agency, provides social media and community expertise with a focus on millennials. Miethner has been featured on Good Morning America and in The Wall Street Journal, New York Times, and Glamour, among others.

Welcome back to Nothing Shines Like Dirt episode 24. All the way from LA, we talk with Writer/Director Katie Micay. We talk about the collaborated writing process on her film THE FIREFLY GIRLS (coming out soon), shadow directing on the hit TV show SUPERNATURAL, and lighting a glass house.

https://www.facebook.com/katiemicayfilms/ @katiewonder https://www.instagram.com/twentyfiveish/ http://www.twentyfiveish.com, http://www.thefireflygirlsfilm.com https://vimeo.com/katiemicay/thefireflygirlsshortfilm

Katie Micay graduated from Loyola Marymount University’s film production program. Her first short film, For Love, created at New York Film Academy’s summer program at age 14, is nearing 4,000 hits on YouTube. Her short film Limited Engagement was an Official Selection for the Los Angeles Women’s International Film Festival and got an Award of Merit at Women’s Independent Film Festival. She also received a nomination for Film Outside The Frame, LMU’s annual student awards and film festival, for her writing. Her second film My So Called Family was an Official Selection for Bel Air Film Festival. Her third short film, Flirt, was an Official Selection for the Reality Bytes Film Festival. The Firefly Girls has played at several film festivals including Sonoma International Film Festival, Mill Valley Film Festival, San Diego International Film Festival and Omaha Film Festival amongst others.

Welcome back to Nothing Shines Like Dirt First Feature Series episode 23. Today we have writer/director Natasha Kermani. We have a fabulous conversation about the sensory experience of her film Imitation Girl, island hopping through the stages of filmmaking, and a special announcement to your ego,”Grow up, you BABY!”

“It’s not enough to just make a great film, you have to really go the whole way through. And especially today, when you not making a studio picture, you have to have a mind for it. You have to have a mind for every step of the business because no one’s gonna hold your hand, like everybody just could not care less about whether or not your film gets to where you want it to.”

Natasha Kermani is a Brooklyn based writer and director, and co-founder of independent production company, Illium Pictures. Her credits includes feature films Imitation Girl, starring Lauren Ashley Carter, and Shattered, starring veteran actor Ray Wise. Short form work includes Lewis Black’s The Mentors (for which she won Best Director at the NYC Web Fest), the LAIFF award-winning comedy Pole, starring Stefanie Woodburn, and commercial work for clients including Microsoft, Nike, Redken, Vision Research, Pepsi, Bud Lite and Open Road Integrated Media. A graduate of NYU’s Film & Television Program, Natasha has spoken at the Chesapeake Film Festival’s Women in Film event, and is a regular panelist at NYU’s Production Lab, Reel Talk. Outside film and television, Natasha is an enthusiastic member of the Brooklyn Conservatory of Music’s Community Orchestra, whose profits go towards fostering music programs in underserved area schools. Natasha’s Iranian-American heritage, her interest in the female identity, and her love of music all converge in her work, a lyrical exploration of how we, and others, define ourselves.

Website

Production Company: Illium Pictures

Imitation Girl

Imitation Girl Trailer

Press: Cinequest

Facebook: Natasha Kermani Illium Pictures

Twitter: @NatashaKermani @illiumpictures

Instagram: @natakerm @illiumpictures

Holiday Update: My Mother's Daughter's Update

Thanks for a great year! Our Listeners are the best!

Seth Granger Episode 21 Listen HERE

Welcome back to Nothing Shines Like Dirt Empowering Actors to Create episode 21. Elise and Lesley sit down with production audio expert Seth Granger to discuss sound for filmmaking. They dive into the nuances of sound equipment, making a sound budget and the unwritten rule of the triangle theory of filmmaking.

Seth has been a freelance location sound monkey for film, television, and commercials since 1997, but he does not yet feel as old as that sentence sounds. In 2012 he partnered with the awesome and talented folks at Dubway Studios, allowing it to collectively be a one-stop-shop for any audio need - from location to post to live to studio.

The First Feature Series is the journey of making their first feature film. Elise and Lesley give an update on the progress of their feature and how they are going to practice what they preach. Make your own work!

Website: www.dubway.com

Tony Spiridakis Episode 22

Welcome back to Nothing Shines Like Dirt Empowering Actors to Create episode 22. Elise and Lesley sit down with writer/director/producer Tony Spiridakis. A seaside conversation about knowing film history, finding the story no matter your title and all the writing advice. Ever...

Tony Spiridakis graduated from Albany University and immediately began teaching English at his old high school in Queens. At night, he pursued acting. He joined Circle in the Square’s Professional Workshop, which led to roles at the Williamstown Theater Festival, then his acceptance to the prestigious Yale School of Drama. From Yale, he was cast in the television series, BAY CITY BLUES, created by legendary producer Stephen Bochco, alongside Sharon Stone. Acting took him to Europe, where he starred in HAREM with Omar Sharif, THE AMERICAN WAY with Dennis Hopper, DEATHWISH III with Charles Bronson, and in director Stanley Kubrick’s FULL METAL JACKET. Mr. Kubrick inspired him to try his hand at writing.

In his first screenplay, QUEENS LOGIC, Tony co-starred with Kevin Bacon, John Malkovich, Joe Mantegna and Jamie Lee Curtis. Suddenly, he was writing scripts for powerhouse producers Scott Rudin, Laura Ziskin, John Davis and Harvey Weinstein. Known for creating great roles for actors, he wrote for Academy Award winners Dustin Hoffman, Diane Keaton and Richard Dreyfuss, as well as Eddie Murphy, Chazz Palminteri and Giancarlo Giannini. He co-wrote the romantic comedy IF LUCY FELL, with Ben Stiller and Sarah Jessica Parker. His first film as writer-director, THE LAST WORD, starred Academy Award winner Timothy Hutton. He directed the indie-winning film NOISE, with Giancarlo Esposito (“Breaking Bad”); TINSELTOWN, with Ron Perlman and Emmy winner Joe Pantoliano; BEYOND THE ASHES, with Tony Goldwyn and Janeane Garofalo; his documentary, DRIVING TO GROUND ZERO, captured a road trip from Los Angeles to lower Manhattan during the terrifying week of 9-11.

In television, he co-created the series THE HEIGHTS with Eric Roth, Academy Award for “Forrest Gump” and Aaron Spelling, which ran on FOX network. The Heights earned a gold record and a number one single on Billboard, “How Do You Talk To An Angel.” He had the honor of writing with FBI Agent Joe Pistone, the real-life “Donnie Brasco”, for the CBS series, FALCONE. On stage, his plays were produced at the Mark Taper Forum, the Odyssey and Open Fist theaters in Los Angeles. He also produced and acted in Academy and Tony Award winner Doug Wright’s first play, CALLBACKS, with his dear friend, three-time Emmy winner Michael E. Knight.

Tony attributes his accomplishments to the quality of teachers, and friends: Uta Hagen, Nikos Psacharopoulos, Geraldine Page, Michael Kahn, Larry Moss and the incomparable Bob Krakower. He’s been a screenwriting mentor at the Hamptons Film Festival, taught film production at Chapman University’s Dodge College of Film, and co-founded the Manhattan Film Institute, a boutique conservatory, alongside his life partner Lisa Gillooly.

Currently, he is writing a new series, OLIVER’S ARMY, for TNT network, and a screenplay, INAPPROPRIATE BEHAVIOR, under option to Weintraub Films.

Tony is the proud father of two – Nikos and Dimitri – and with Lisa and her four – Richard, Lauren, Lianne and Elizabeth – they divide their time between Orient, New York and Sherman Oaks, California.

Facebook:

@ManhattanFilmInstitute

Tony Spiridakis

Instagram: mfifilm

Nothing Shines Like Dirt is LIVE with the team behind the feature film Roads to Olympia. Roads to Olympia is an impact film about three Olympic athletes and their journey to the Olympics.

Daniela Taplin Lundberg and Kristen Konvitz Episode 20 listen HERE!

Welcome back to NSLD Empowering Actors to Create episode 20. We are on the road today at Stay Gold Features with producers Daniela Taplin Lundberg and Kristen Konvitz. Today we discuss the nuances of producing, finding a fresh voice, and being badass ladies in the film industry.

Producer & Founder

Daniela Taplin Lundberg is founder of the recently launched Stay Gold Features, a New-York based finance and production company. Prior to starting Stay Gold, Lundberg was a co-founding partner of Red Crown Productions, the banner she established in 2010 with Daniel Crown and Riva Marker. With Red Crown, she produced Cary Fukunaga's African child soldier film BEASTS OF NO NATION which was released by Netflix in 2015 in a game-changing deal for the film industry. She premiered Michael Showalter’s HELLO, MY NAME IS DORIS starring Sally Field at the 2015 SXSW Film Festival to rave reviews and sold the film to Roadside Attractions/Sony in the biggest sale to ever come out of the festival.

Lundberg was previously a partner at Plum Pictures and has produced over 20 films, including the Golden Globe Best Picture winner THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT.

Lundberg lives in Westport, CT with her husband and three children. She is a graduate of Princeton University. In 2012 The Hollywood Reporter named her one of 11 “Producers to know” and the NY Times deemed her a “power sibling” along with her sister, Sylvana Durrett. In 2015 Variety named her “one of the most influential NY players in entertainment”. Lundberg is a member of YPO (Young President’s Organization) and sits on the board of Signature Theater in New York City. Daniela was recently named as a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

KRISTEN KONVITZ

Head of Production

Prior to joining Stay Gold Features, Kristen worked as Director of Film for the global crowdfunding platform, Indiegogo, where she led the New York office in building relationships with talent and shepherding them through their crowdfunding campaigns. She spent six years in acquisitions and production at Wild Bunch, one of the leading independent film sales, financing & distribution companies. She began working in acquisitions at The Weinstein Company and made the transition to Wild Bunch open its first U.S. office. Kristen holds a B.S. in media studies from New York University and a M.F.A. in film producing from Columbia University.

STAY GOLD FEATURES IS A FILM FUND AND PRODUCTION COMPANY ESTABLISHED TO PRODUCE FILMS BY AUTUER DIRECTORS. INSPIRED BY THE LAST WORDS OF THE OUTSIDERS' JOHNNY CADE, "STAY GOLD, PONYBOY," OUR MISSION IS TO STAY TRUE TO THE INTEGRITY AND HIGH QUALITY OF MOVIES THAT WE ADMIRE AND TO PARTNER WITH THE MOST PROGRESSIVE AND INNOVATIVE FILMMAKERS OF OUR TIME. STAY GOLD FEATURES WILL PRODUCE ELEVATED CONTENT THAT IS AT ONCE INTELLIGENT AND COMMERCIAL; OUR FILMS WILL PUSH BOUNDARIES BY EXPLORING THE HUMAN CONDITION, MAKING AUDIENCES LAUGH, CRY AND CONVERSE. AS ILLUSTRATED BY HISTORICAL SUCCESS, STAY GOLD WILL CONTINUE TO WORK WITH FILMMAKERS WHO HAVE EXTRAORDINARY VISION AND WHOSE GIFT AS STORYTELLERS SETS THEIR FILMS APART FROM THE PACK.

Facebook: Stay Gold Features

Twitter: @staygoldfund

Instagram: @staygoldfeatures