Robert Kaithern's

Bilal Sami is a Pakistani born filmmaker and screenwriter. Over a career spanning eighteen years he has produced, directed and written commercials, television shows, films, shorts, documentaries and has penned lyrics. Bilal was a Fulbright scholar to the U.S. at Ohio University for his MFA in Film. From 2010 to 2012 he worked for Partisan Pictures (NYC) on content produced for NatGeo, Discovery and the History Channel. In 2013 he collaborated with the acclaimed Pakistani musician and producer Mekaal Hasan on a short documentary series titled 'Dhun'. The documentary was featured at the Alchemy Festival at the Southbank Centre, London in 2016. From 2013 to 2016 Bilal also taught filmmaking at the School of Television, Film & Theatre at Beaconhouse National University, heading the department in his last year there.

'Dobara Phir Se' Bilal's first commercial Pakistani feature film which he wrote and helped produce for the acclaimed director Mehreen Jabbar was released worldwide in November 2016 to critical acclaim. In December the same year 'Stories We Tell' - a public art project that he undertook with the world renowned artist Rashid Rana, came to a conclusion with publication and exhibition at the Alhamra Arts Council, Lahore. Bilal has written lyrics for popular Pakistani musicians including Zeb & Haniya and Jimmy Khan for songs that have featured in the films Dobara Phir Se and Madras Cafe as well as on the popular Pakistani music platform Coke Studio.

Bilal is currently producing a documentary on the life and work of the legendary South-Asian vocalist Farida Khanum, in collaboration with the writer and vocalist Ali Sethi. He’s also working on his second feature with the acclaimed director Amena Khan. Bilal lives in Lahore where he devotes his time to writing, making films and teaching filmmaking.

http://bilalsami.net

Shahriar Shafiani is an Iranian filmmaker currently pursuing his PHD at Ohio University. We discuss extreme metal, engineering, growing up in Tehran, and feature filmmaking. Check out www.benchmenpictures.com for updates on recent projects and the feature film "Departure."

Duke Hartman is the Chief Operating Officer of High Noon Entertainment where the unscripted tv shows Cake Boss, Fixer Upper, and Unwrapped are produced. Duke gives us the story of his professional development and how to build a company with a positive and productive culture.

Matt love is a Cinematographer currently pursuing a masters degree in Film Production at Ohio University. He is also a humanitarian working with his wife Carrie for Child Hope in Central/South America and the Caribbean. To contribute to their mission, visit http://www.childhopeonline.org

Jacob Midkiff is a filmmaker based in Athens, Ohio who also makes music under the hip-hop moniker Pathos. In this episode, we touch on filmmaking, creativity, metal, hip-hop, and the need to produce. You can find Jacob's music at pathoshiphop.bandcamp.com

Sarah Presta is an Executive Producer at High Noon TV in Colorado. In this conversation, Sarah sheds some light on what it takes to find and craft a story in the world of reality/unscripted television.

MFA film student Matthew Willets drops by to discuss screenwriting, photography, boxing, and film criticism.

Guyanese Cinematographer Yaphet Jackman drops by the studio to discuss filmmaking and his creative development.

MFA acting student Tim Ashby joins Robert to discuss theatre, film, and the art of acting.