The Hollywood Makers

First Published: 8/25/21

Andrew Chung is an award winning filmmaker as well as co-founder of the Asian Canadian Film Alliance. Andrew is here to talk about his most recent film, White Elephant, which tells the story of a 16 year old Indo-Canadian girl struggling with her identity due to the lack of representation in the films she grew up watching. He shares how his own experiences inspired the film and discusses his passion for raising the voices of Asian Canadians in film to help fight for systematic change.

First Published: 8/11/21

From their first job working on Ru Paul’s Drag Race, to winning awards for their first feature film that was completed in a span of just 5 days, and going on to write comic books, Carly Usdin has quite the story to share. While sharing their story, we also discuss the importance of accurately portraying mental health concerns in film along with how Hollywood can work towards creating more inclusive content. 

First Published: 7/14/21

Rami Kodeih and Nora Mariana join us this week to share their incredible story of how they met and became, not only partners in marriage, but partners in creating beautiful films together. Nora and Rami share the same passion for unity, kindness, and positivity that we have here at Go Ahead, Tell Me! Listen as they share with us the inspiration behind their recent film ‘Alina’, a story about women smuggling children to safety during the Holocaust, and why they knew it was a story that needed to be heard.

First Published: 6/30/21

With a Ph.D. in Theater and an MS in Physics, Dr. Teddy Alexis Rodriguez has quite the story to share with us! Not only is he an award-winning filmmaker, but he is also a multicultural consultant working to increase diversity within institutions. His work has been recognized by the Hollywood LGBT Festival, IndieFest, and Gold Star Movie Awards, among many others. His film directorial debut “Hell No.” is on this year’s Festival run and has already won several awards, including Gold Star Movie Awards for Best Short Film. Listen now to hear more about Teddy’s incredible journey and the impact he has made along the way.

First Published: 6/2/21

He is a great filmmaker, but most of all, a great human being. Robbie Bryan shares his story "in hopes of inspiring others to fight whatever battles they have in their lives." We are, as always, so honored to have a conversation with a change-maker such as Robbie Bryan. Listen to this episode where he shares how he deals with his health battle along with all of life’s other tribulations. His films are impactful, and he talks in detail about his present, past, and future as a filmmaker. If you feel inspired after listening to this week’s episode, share it with someone who can benefit from listening to his remarkable story.

First Published: 5/19/21

This week's episode is with Latinx director, Alberto Belli. He is Mexican-American and is leading the new wave in the industry, not only with his craft as a director but also as co-founder of the database, Latinx Directors, which allows Hollywood professionals to find Latinx Directors to work on their projects. With this database, there should be no more excuses as to why there is a lack of Latinx representation in Hollywood. We talk with Alberto about how his films are his way of spreading positivity with laughter. Listen now to hear more about Alberto and his upcoming feature film debut!

First Published: 4/7/21

Miguel joins us to talk about his work as a filmmaker. An award-winning actor, director, and writer, Miguel shares how growing up with his father in a small town in Mexico has influenced his career. His work has made a tremendous impact on the Latinx and LGBTQ+ community and he shares the incredible responses he has received about his most recent film, Acuitzeramo.

Published 3/9/21

Stanford graduate, filmmaker, and director, Tayo Amos, joins us to discuss her most recent projects and how being a black woman growing up in the Bay Area has inspired her work as a filmmaker.

A Blossom in the Night, Tayo’s most recent release, is currently in the 2021 film festival run and is receiving incredible reviews. The film follows a young woman searching for her kidnapped brother, in a not-so-distant future where low-income citizens are sold into slavery.

Her passion for film and ability to take from her life experience to share stories from unique perspectives is what makes it such an honor to welcome Tayo to our show.

Published 2/21

Renard T. Jenkins has more than 30 years of experience in the television, radio, and film industry. During his work in the media production industry, he has received different recognitions and prizes, including Emmy Awards, a Peabody, as well as many other industry awards. Renard T. Jenkins is passionate about helping others in the industry and has been an advisor and board member of different organizations. Today he serves as the VP, Membership of the Society of Motion Picture & Television Engineers (SMPTE), and Board Member of the Hollywood Professional Association. And in this episode, he tells us about his work on those organizations.

This is the first episode in February of 2021 when the 'Dale Cuéntame' podcast started its episodes in English interviewing multicultural filmmakers in Hollywood. Today those episodes will become the first part of the new podcast: The Hollywood Makers, adding interviews with other makers in the Media and Entertainment Industry. Enjoy!

Jon Alston, a five-year NFL veteran, turned award-winning filmmaker. A graduate of Stanford University, Jon enrolled at the School of Cinematic Arts at USC to pursue an MFA in Film and Television Production. From 2018 to 2020, Jon served as Story Editor on the hit CW/ Netflix TV series ALL AMERICAN. Most recently, Jon directed and executive produced the award-winning short film, AUGUSTUS and won the Directorial Discovery Grand Prize at the Rhode Island International Film Festival in addition to being awarded the distinction of Best Director at multiple festivals in 2020.

Carly Loughran hosted this episode interviewing Jon in 2021.