Sista Brunch

Sista Brunch

By TruJuLo ProductionsTV & FilmFilm Interviews
Download on the App Store

Sista Brunch episodes

  • Lit Agent LGBTQ Advocate Davina Hefflin: Uplifting Diverse Voices
    Davina Hefflin, TV literary manager at Verve Agency, focuses her career on identifying and empowering a diverse range of voices —including those of the LGBTQ+ community. In this episode, she talks to Anya and Fanshen about working her way up from the mailroom, the importance of mentorship, and what she sees as her mission as an agent.
    34 min
  • SAG Indie Founder Darrien Michele Gipson: Advocating for Independent Filmmakers
    Darrien Michele Gipson is the Executive Director of SAGindie, an educational organization for independent filmmakers. Since becoming SAGindie’s Executive Director in 2006, Darrien has expanded the organization to reach more festivals and help even more creators on all platforms to bring their projects to fruition. In this episode, she talks to Fanshen about how she created her own career path and her work educating and advocating for independent filmmakers.
    31 min
  • Screenwriter Rae Benjamin: Demystifying the Entertainment Industry

    Rae Benjamin is a staff writer on season 3 of THE WITCHER (Netflix). She is the co-creator of the animated web series, JULISA WHO? , currently in development with Topic Studios and available to watch on Instagram and YouTube. Rae is also the founder of In the Cut, an organization that shares vital industry information and creates inclusive spaces for BIPOC creators. Since 2020, the In the Cut community has grown to more than 8,000+ artists and filmmakers across the globe. In the episode, Rae speaks to Fanshen about her career transition from graphic designer to screenwriter and why it was important for her to create In the Cut.

    33 min
  • The Executive Chair Author Kelly Edwards: Changing Course

    After seven years as a Senior Vice President at HBO, Kelly Edwards recently transitioned into a two-year first-look television writing deal at HBO where she will develop a slate of projects under her Edwardian Pictures banner. Kelly returns to Sista Brunch to talk with Fanshen and Anya about her recent career shift and her book, The Executive Chair: A Writer’s Guide to TV Development which debuted as an instant Amazon Best Seller.

    31 min
  • Actor/Activist Diana Elizabeth Jordan: Create Your Own Opportunities

    Diana Elizabeth Jordan is an award-winning actor, solo artist, theatre- and filmmaker, artist educator, and disability influencer. She has been cast in over 60 film, TV, and theatre productions, including CBS’s SWAT. Diana is also the founder of two production companies: Dreaming Big On A Swing Entertainment and The Rainbow Butterfly Café. Diana is a member of SAG-AFTRA and Actors Equity Association and one of the disabled advocates for Women of Color Unite. In this episode, Anya talks with Diana about her work as a disability advocate and how she's built a career in Hollywood.

    33 min
  • Set Photographer Anne Marie Fox: Capturing Hollywood

    Anne Marie Fox is a prolific and versatile photographer specializing in portraiture, film & television unit stills. She built her portfolio shooting images for travel and fashion magazines before getting her film break on Kenneth Branagh’s Frankenstein, and since then has been the still photographer on films like Dallas Buyers Club and Wild and TV shows like HBO’s Insecure. She talks to Anya and Fanshen about her path to becoming an on set photographer and the lessons she’s learned along the way.

    38 min
  • UPM/Producer Heidi McGowen: Know Your Worth

    Heidi McGowen has worked as a production manager or unit production manager on shows like INSECURE, BLACK-ISH, SILICON VALLEY, and BODY OF PROOF. She has also worked as an Assistant Director on feature films like BLACK DOG, BIG MOMMA’S HOUSE, SIGNALS, and on the TV side for shows like GIRLFRIENDS and UGLY BETTY. Heidi has earned membership into the Directors Guild of America and is a 20-year film and TV veteran. In 2021, she was nominated for a primetime Emmy for her work on BLACK-ISH. In this episode Heidi talks with Anya about her unlikely path to Hollywood, the best advice she’s been given and how she learned to ask for what’s she’s worth.

    38 min
  • WOCU Founder Cheryl Bedford: Holding Hollywood’s Feet to the Fire
    Cheryl Bedford is a NAACP Image Award Nominee for “Dark Girls” and Baltimore native who holds a BFA from NYU’s TSOA and MFA in Producing from AFI. As a production manager, line producer, and producer, Cheryl has worked on countless film/tv/digital projects, including 17 Independent Features. She was the first Chair of Diversity Development and a Producing Instructor at New York Film Academy in Los Angeles, California. She formed her own company, Cheryl L. Bedford Productions, in January of 2001. Ms. Bedford is the founder of Women of Color Unite (WOCU), a nonprofit whose purpose is to help women of color get hired, their projects funded and content distributed. In this episode, Cheryl talks to Anya and Fanshen about how her roots in social justice activism has influenced her career in Hollywood.
    34 min
  • Cinematographer Michelle Crenshaw: Letting the Work Speak for Itself
    Michelle Crenshaw is a cinematographer, camera operator and director of photography with more than 30 years of experience in the industry and over 60 IMDB credits to her name. She has worked on films such as The Watermelon Woman and Home Alone. Most recently she worked as the camera operator for Netflix’s HANNAH GADSBY: DOUGLAS and CBS’s BOB HEARTS ABISHOLA. In this episode, Michelle talks to Fanshen and Anya about her long career in entertainment, the iconic films she’s worked on and the key to longevity in the film industry.
    33 min
  • Assistant to the Showrunner Kamari Somers: Turning Preparation Into Opportunity
    Over the past five years, Kamari Somers has been working her way up in the film industry in Pittsburgh and around the US. She got her start as a staff production assistant on shows shows and films like MINDHUNTER, HAPPIEST SEASON, and THE HARDER THEY FALL and recently moved to Showrunner’s Assistant for Amazon Studios’ A LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN. Listen as Kamari talks to Anya and Fanshen about her experience on set and the most valuable lessons she learned.
    32 min

About Sista Brunch

From the publisher's feed

Whether you’re a seasoned professional in the film industry, an aspiring filmmaker, or a media enthusiast, Sista Brunch offers a rare glimpse into the professional lives of those who shape…