What happens when two childhood friends run into each other on a Hollywood set and decide to throw a small “pop-up” film screening in a Soho loft?

You expect maybe 20 or 30 submissions from local friends. Instead, you get hit with a tidal wave.

Seventeen years later, the Soho International Film Festival has evolved into one of New York City’s most passionate, fiercely loyal hubs for independent cinema. But holding onto the raw, grassroots spirit of indie filmmaking in an era dominated by corporate mega-festivals, AI, and streaming giants isn’t easy—it’s a high-stakes balancing act.

In this episode of the Hollywood Makers Podcast, host Anna Poghosyan sits down with multi-hyphenate creator and SOHO Film Fest Executive Director Sybil Santiago to pull back the curtain on what it really takes to build, curate, and protect a space for independent storytellers.

In this episode:

* The Soho Loft That Started It All: The accidental birth of a 17-year New York institution, and why standard film festivals were failing indie creators from the start.

* The Anti-Theme Philosophy: Why Sybil completely rejects themed blocks or rigid genres when programming, and the surprising way she arranges short films to manipulate audience emotion.

* Story vs. Star Power: What actually makes a submission stand out among thousands (and why an A-list cast won’t save a weak film).

* The Golden Rule for Filmmakers: The single biggest mistake indie creators make when attending festivals, and how to actually turn a screening into long-term career momentum.

“Film festivals were created to discover new voices, not just to sell commercial space. We can’t turn our backs on the storytellers who are still finding theirs.”

This episode is part of THM Lab, our Gen Z creator series from The Hollywood Makers, with conversations on what’s next in the evolution of the media industry.

Press play above to watch the full conversation with Sybil Santiago, and discover what it takes to survive, and thrive, in the world of independent film festivals.

You can also listen to this episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeartRadio, AmazonMusic and all podcast apps.

Music licensed through Soundstripe. Code: YPQQZFF77PVVIJWM

Enjoyed this episode? Don’t forget to hit the Subscribe and share this post with fellow filmmakers and movie lovers!

This episode, Mona sits down with EDM artist Joey Cash for a raw, no-filter conversation about what it actually takes to build a music career on your own terms.

Joey talks about his path from classical violin to guitar to full-blown electronic music, and how “Are You Kissing Anyone” first put him on the map, even though he now calls it his least favorite song.

The conversation gets real when Joey opens up about perfectionism and overproduction as his biggest creative obstacles. He also drops some blunt advice for anyone trying to break into the industry, so if your area as a Hollywood Maker is the music industry, this episoe may be for you.

Joey also shares how social media reshaped the music business for young artists, and what fans can expect from his upcoming tour.

This is a look at what it means to make music as a young artist right now.

🎧 Follow Joey Cash: Spotify, Apple Music, Instagram, and TikTok

This episode is part of THM Lab, our Gen Z creator series from The Hollywood Makers.

Subscribe to be part of our community!

New Hollywood Makers episode is up. Valeria sat down with her film school friend Amanda for a conversation that unpacks post grad life in this industry in a way that feels honest, not scripted.

The title comes from a moment in the episode where they get into typecasting: the actors we keep seeing cast in the exact same role, versus the ones who actually surprise us. It turns into one of those tangents that says a lot about where the industry is right now, and it’s exactly the kind of fresh perspective our younger contributors from THM lab bring to the show, alongside every other multicultural voice and generation we feature.

They also get into the realities of breaking in behind the scenes, a moment about an indie film that basically sums up why 2026 has been such a wild year for young filmmakers (Can you guess?) and a story about one tiny edit that completely changed a movie’s ending. Plus some advice at the end that honestly applies to more than just film.

Go listen. hero, on your favorite podcast app, or watch the full episode on YouTube.

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An Episode by Anna Poghosyan

A fake Instagram account just surpassed Warner Bros’ own marketing campaign, and nobody saw it coming. On this episode of The Hollywood Makers, host Anna Poghosyan sits down with Diego Andaluz, the marketing consultant behind it, who has worked across A24, Warner Bros, Neon, and Warner Music Group, to unpack exactly how it happened. Watch the full interview to know how Diego’s innovative methods made the success of the film. The core strategy was simple in concept and bold in execution: build an Instagram account where the film’s main character lived online as if he were a real person. No direct ads, no mention of the movie in the early posts, just the character being chaotic on the internet. Brilliant!

The account ended up with more followers than several major studio marketing campaigns released this year.

The key part I believe wasn’t the result, it was the philosophy behind it. Diego talks about treating marketing as an art form first, and a numbers strategy second. Anna interviews him with that same energy, the conversation moves like two people who speak the same cultural language, not like a formal industry interview.

Whether you work in marketing, production, or just want to understand why certain campaigns actually connect right now, it’s worth watching Diego Andaluz’s episode of The Hollywood Makers

Subscribe, share, and join me championing the multicultural, intergenerational voices shaping the future of media.

In this episode of The Hollywood Makers, Mona sits down with Audio Prophecy, a DJ with over 20 years of experience and a practicing pediatrician based in Boston, for an honest look at what life in DJ and nightlife culture really looks like beyond the highlight reel.

Audio Prophecy opens up about how his love for music was born during a childhood of constant movement, from Iran to Istanbul to Los Angeles, and how collecting music became his only constant. From the underground warehouse parties of 80s and 90s LA to playing the Moulin Rouge in Paris, his journey is one driven by genuine love for the craft, not clout.

We get into the realities nobody posts on TikTok: empty dance floors, industry politics, rejection, backstabbing, and the relentless work it takes to stay relevant when every five minutes someone younger with more followers is coming up behind you. We also explore how he balances his career as a pediatrician with life as a DJ resident, and why the two worlds fuel each other more than you’d expect.

If you’ve ever been curious about what nightlife looks like from the inside, without the Instagram filter, Mona pulls back the curtain in this one. Her ability to move between the personal and the professional gives Audio Prophecy the space to be genuinely candid, and it shows.

Watch the full episode on YouTube and listen on all podcast platforms.

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Three New Voices. Three Elite Universities. One Shared Obsession here at The Hollywood Makers...

From Tijuana to Hollywood: How Truth Becomes Art - with María Jimena Gastelum

What happens when you grow up belonging to two worlds at once, crossing a border every morning just to get to school, absorbing two cultures, two languages, two ways of seeing life?

For actress María Jimena Gastelum, that became her superpower.

In this conversation with Rossy E. Eguigure, María Jimena shares her journey from community theater in Tijuana to training at the Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute in Los Angeles, and what it truly takes to build a career in Hollywood with intention, integrity, and purpose.

This episode is about more than acting. It’s about the courage to be a changemaker through storytelling, enjoy what you do, the power of representation, and why the stories we choose to tell, and the ones we choose not to tell, matter more than ever.

For the creatives, the dreamers, and everyone building something meaningful for this world: listen to a person who is impacting with her craft... and remember, she’s one of the new talents to watch out for!

Watch the full visual interview on our YouTube channel: The Hollywood Makers

In this episode of The Hollywood Makers, Rossy E. Eguigure connects with Chicago filmmaker Will Adams to analyze the "DIY" ecosystem of modern cinema. From his start as a camera operator to founding Lokekey Productions, Will shares how he bypasses industry gatekeepers to produce high-impact, satirical content like Tube-E Movie. Discover why he believes human imperfection is our greatest defense against AI, and why every filmmaker must learn to be their own "Green light."

We’re working with AI prioritizing Humanity, across all our productions and communities. ✨ @rxmediaproductions, production company with decades producing for @discovery @mgmplus @natgeotv @telemundo @eentertainment @pbs @univision @cnn @nbc, independent productions, and much more, creating stories that make people cry, laugh, think, entertain, enjoy, heal, and above all unite…to enjoy life.

✨

That’s why I’m inviting you to join us to be stronger together, supporting your career and working on our productions. Our Podcast in Spanish:

🎙️ Éxito, productividad y bienestar, con expertos, herramientas reales y comunidad, en español. IG: @dale.cuentame_exito.bienestar

“100 best Spanish language podcasts”, and one of the first Spanish podcasts created and distributed from Los Angeles, CA

✨

🎬 The evolution of the industry, experts, multicultural emerging and experienced creatives, real talk about where Media & Entertainment is going, and how YOU navigate and succeed in it. IG: @the_hollywood_makers

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And if you’ve already been part of our community at The Hollywood Makers, come join the crews we’re forming, our productions need YOUR voice. Be part of our films, series, verticals, and docs connecting multicultural, multigenerational audiences... meaning: the real world. 📲 Connect with us at Rx Media Productions

¡Haz clic, síguenos y únete! Join us, and let’s get loud! 🎬

#MulticulturalStorytelling #MediaProductions #FilmAndTV #AIandHumanity #ExecutiveinChargeofProductions

The Hollywood Makers is a real-talk podcast about what’s really happening in media and entertainment, who’s rising, who’s falling, and what it all means for storytellers and brands. In this episode, host Claudia Cano-Asbjornsen brings her signature ‘Ones to Watch’ segment, the insider picks you won’t hear anywhere else.

From a galactic adventure to a raw, stripped-down drama, a film that wrestles with faith and motherhood, and a highly anticipated biopic celebrating one of the greatest music icons of all time, Claudia breaks down four very different films that have one thing in common: they’re about to shape the cultural conversation in Hollywood and beyond.

If you want to know what to watch before everyone else is talking about it, this is your episode.

Remember to subscribe, share, and join the Hollywood Makers community, where the industry meets the insider.