The Hollywood Makers

What does it look like to enter the creative industry right now, when storytelling, technology, audience habits, and career paths are all changing at once?

In this episode of The Hollywood Makers, Claudia Cano-Asbjornsen welcomes Natalia Green and Stephany Blanco, the newest Associate Producers joining The Hollywood Makers Media Lab.

Coming from opposite coasts and different creative disciplines...

Together, they talk about what drew them to media, the careers they hope to build, why genuine collaboration always matters, and what it means to begin making your mark in an industry that’s changing and at a really fast pace.

The conversation also turns to one of the biggest questions facing emerging creatives today: where does AI belong in the creative process, and where shouldn’t it? Hear what they have to say...

It’s a conversation across cultures and generations about creativity, opportunity, human talent, and the future of storytelling, and also a chance to see the collaborative work happening inside The Hollywood Makers Media Lab, an initiative of Rx Media Productions. Here we support intergenerational creative entrepreneurs who are the new Hollywood Makers building a new world and rules in the media and entertainment industry.

🎙️ Hosted by Producer, Writer & Director: Claudia Cano-Asbjornsen

🎬 Featuring Natalia Green from California and Stephany Blanco from Miami, FL

🎥 The Hollywood Makers Media Lab | Rx Media Productions

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In this episode of The Hollywood Makers, host Valeria sits down with veteran stage and screen actor Andy Umperger. His career began in the regional theaters of Richmond and Washington, DC, took him through Broadway in City of Angels, Passion, and the 25th anniversary revival of Company, and landed him in Los Angeles in 1997. Since then he has become a familiar face on screen, from the demon D’Hoffryn on Buffy the Vampire Slayer (five hours of prosthetics in the makeup chair) to Angel, Waco, and The Accountant.

Andy talks about why live theater is still his first love, how he makes quick character choices for guest roles, and why he thinks theater training gives young actors an edge. He also gets into what makes a great villain, what it’s like to be typecast as the FBI agent, the DA, or the judge, and how his definition of success has changed over four decades.

They also discuss where the industry is headed: shrinking production in LA, streaming blurring the line between film and TV, and what AI could mean for actors. The episode closes with Andy’s recommendations and his advice for anyone starting out: get used to frustration, keep honing your craft, and persevere.

The Hollywood Makers is a space for honest conversations about the evolution of media, technology, and the entertainment industry, spotlighting multicultural creatives, both emerging and experienced, who are shaping what comes next.

Thanks for listening, and welcome to the community. Subscribe to The Hollywood Makers on Substack, podcast apps and on YouTube so you never miss an episode, and share this one with a creative in your life. We’ll see you in the next one!🎬

Thanks for being here! Subscribe for free to get new posts from Rx MEDIA + CULTURE, and share this with someone who’d enjoy it. 🎬

Episode by Anna Poghosyan

Enrique Pedraza-Botero went to film school for narrative fiction. Then a documentary class got his attention, and he’s been following real stories ever since.

A short about young men and the transactional side of online culture. A film about immigration in Miami that now plays like a time capsule. And a new project that’s moving as fast as the headlines.

How do you make a film when the story changes faster than you can shoot it? And what does an immigrant filmmaker from Colombia do with a camera when the news is unfolding on the streets around him?

As Hispanic Heritage Month closes, we’re honoring this year’s theme, Unidos, Somos Más (Together, We Are More), with a conversation about community, storytelling, and amplifying marginalized voices.

Hosted by THM Associate Producer Anna Poghosyan. Press play.

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This month we’re celebrating National Hispanic Heritage Month with a filmmaker whose entire body of work is proof of what happens when you stop waiting for permission (a lo latino ;) In this episode, Anna sits down with director and writer Merced Elizondo (Manos de Oro, And Then Everything Turned Itself Inside Out) to talk about growing up in Dallas, Texas with a house full of borrowed VHS tapes, learning to direct through trial by fire, and why he believes some of the best scenes are the ones that break away from the script.

Merced opens up about collaboration on set, writing from a place that’s deeply personal, and what it actually takes to survive the festival circuit as a first-generation filmmaker. It’s an honest, generous conversation about craft, identity, and why he’d rather make one good movie than chase the trend.

New episode of The Hollywood Makers is live now!

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In our episodes of The Hollywood Makers, we’re looking for the same thing: people who are actually inside the changes happening in the media industry right now. This week’s guest, actor George Finn, is exactly that.

George stars opposite Michael Bisping and Cuba Gooding Jr. in Atlas King, a crime thriller he didn’t just act in, he helped build it from the inside with his brother, director Nika Agiashvili. To play the part, he trained twice a day alongside actual UFC and Pride fighters. Host Valeria Asbjornsen has an honest and lively conversation with him about the choices people don’t see on screen.

George also shares his take on AI in film, as someone who has genuinely thought about where it helps creators move faster and where it affects the work entirely. And something very interesting that’s been building for the past decade or so: he’s honest about the follower-count era of auditioning, the pressure every actor now carries to be a brand before they’re ever cast, and what that does to the stories that get greenlit.

This is why we keep having these conversations. The industry is being rebuilt in real time, by tech, by new distribution, by who gets access and who is building their own roads, and the people living through that change have the most honest read on where it’s headed. George gave us that.

Atlas King hits streaming platforms on August 21st! Watch it on Apple TV, Amazon Video, or Fandango.

Listen to Valeria’s conversation (no filter) with George Finn on your favorite podcast app or watch the full episode on YouTube before you stream the movie!

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What does it mean to bring authenticity to a character when your own cultural identity becomes part of the process? Actor Keanush Tafreshi joins Mona on The Hollywood Makers to talk about it.

From theater stages to sharing the screen with names like Richard Gere and Michael Fassbender in The Agency, Keanush opens up about playing Hassan Zamani with vulnerability and complexity instead of stereotype, and what it meant to reconnect with Farsi, the language he grew up speaking, as part of preparing for the role. He also gets honest about rejection, uncertainty, and the discipline it takes to keep showing up for your craft.

This one hits different if you’ve ever chased something the industry didn’t hand you.

🎙️Listen now on The Hollywood Makers podcast and on YouTube

Promotional images courtesy of Paramount+ Press Express.

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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.

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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.

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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

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