The MAKE IT Podcast

This episode is brought to you by Anthropic. Claude is the AI for minds that don’t stop at good enough—it's the collaborator that actually understands your entire workflow and thinks WITH you, not for you. Ready to tackle bigger problems? Sign up for Claude Pro when you use our link – www.claude.ai/makeit

This episode is brought to you by our e-book Mastering Film Marketing. Get your copy today at https://themakeitpodcast.com/products/mastering-film-marketing. Use the Discount code: NASHFILM20 for 20% off EVERYTHING at themakeitpodcast.com

Hello, Hello! 

In this episode, we sit down with three legendary voice actors from the animated series X-Men '97 — Lenore Zann (Rogue), JP Karliak (Morph), and Adrian Hough (Nightcrawler) — to discuss Season 2 of the hit Disney+ show, the craft of voice acting, and the personal journeys that have shaped each of their careers. The trio shares candid reflections on preserving character continuity across decades, the challenges facing working voice actors in an AI-driven industry, and how their art intersects with social justice, environmental advocacy, and political engagement. From cheat day meals to what it truly means to "MAKE IT," this conversation is as heartfelt as it is illuminating.

We also talk about:

• The origins of Rogue's iconic catchphrase "sugar" and how it became part of Lenore Zann's everyday speech, blurring the line between character and performer
• The nostalgia for the 1990s circulating on social media, and why JP Karliak believes humans were never biologically designed to process the volume of information we consume today via the internet
• The very real threat of AI voice cloning in the animation industry, including Adrian Hough's discovery of unauthorized voice copies of his characters Nightcrawler and Haytham Kenway, and what that means for workhorse voice actors
• The role the COVID-19 pandemic played in reviving interest in X-Men: The Animated Series on Disney+, and how that surge in viewership likely led directly to the creation of X-Men '97
• Each guest's deep personal commitment to causes beyond entertainment, including environmental advocacy for old-growth forests (Adrian), LGBTQIA+ voice actor support and nonpartisan voter engagement (JP), and social/political justice work rooted in Lenore's 12-year career as a Canadian politician

People, Places, Products, and Websites Mentioned:

X-Men '97 

X-Men: The Animated Series 

Disney+

Revival 

Peacock

Audible / Amazon 

Star Wars: Visions 

My Life with the Walter Boys 

Marvel Mash-Up 

Bob Trevino Likes It

Our Hero Balthazar

Holy Days

Breaker Morant 

Mephisto 

The Ruling Class

The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith 

Picnic at Hanging Rock

My Brilliant Career

Storm Hawks 

The Boss Baby

CoComelon

Yo Gabba Gabba!

Bluey

The Joy Luck Club

The Aussie Six

People

Lenore Zann

JP Karliak

Adrian Hough

Tracie Laymon 

Ted Welch

Oscar Boyson 

Nat Boltt 

Miriam Margolyes 

Jacki Weaver 

Judy Davis

Sam Neill 

Edward Woodward

Jack Thompson

Bryan Brown

Peter O'Toole

Anthony Hopkins / Hannibal Lecter

Ian McKellen

Patrick Stewart

Tom Kenny / SpongeBob

Chris Rock

Ella Fitzgerald

Marilyn Monroe

Neil Gaiman / The Graveyard Book

David Letterman / Jennifer Aniston

Characters

X-Force

X-Factor

Polaris

Jubilee / Sunspot

Graydon Creed

Carol Danvers / Ms. Marvel

Mystique / Destiny

Bishop

Gambit / Remy LeBeau

Poison Ivy

Haytham Kenway

Organizations, Tools & Books

Queer Box

Nerds Vote

Nashville Film Festival

Postly

Canva

Riverside

A Rogue's Tale 

Lilith Fair

MTV Video Music Awards

Cocoanut Grove 

Places

Vancouver Island

Calgary

London, UK

Montreal

Paris

New York / Off-Broadway

Wisconsin

Hollywood

Social Media

Adrian Hough

JP Karliak

@queerboxacademy

nerdsvote.com / @nerdsvote

@LenoreZann (Instagram) / @ZannLenore (X)

We are humbled to have a community of creatives who care deeply about our work. And your support makes our work possible. Every subscriber, rating, and review matters. 

So, if you like what we're doing, please consider subscribing, rating, or giving us a review. Cheers, and best of luck on your filmmaking journey. #MAKEIT

www.themakeitpodcast.store/shop/support

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

This episode is brought to you by our e-book Mastering Film Marketing. Get your copy today at https://themakeitpodcast.com/products/mastering-film-marketing. Use the Discount code: NASHFILM20 for 20% off EVERYTHING at themakeitpodcast.com

Hello, Hello! 

In this episode, Chris, Nick, and Producer Papa Bear sit down with Jesse Weglein — 15 years at Pixar, now founder of Illuminai Studios — joining live from the foot of Mount Fuji. Jesse worked on Up, Toy Story 3, and Toy Story 4 before a mass layoff ended that run and pushed him into building his own studio. He's using AI as a tool, not a replacement, to make original animated films for audiences the industry keeps overlooking — including his short film Roar, which Whoopi Goldberg picked for the Tribeca Film Festival.

We also talk about:

• The creative culture at Pixar and what makes it impossible to replicate — including how directors would skip watching their own films in theaters to study the audience's reactions instead
• The global divide on AI in animation, from China's breakneck adoption of the technology to Japan's philosophical hesitation around whether AI can carry the "soul" of an artist's vision
• The economic fragility of the animation business model, including the trend of outsourcing animation overseas and how AI might offer a path to reclaiming domestic production jobs
• The importance of traditional art training as the essential foundation before any aspiring animator or filmmaker touches AI tools — and why skipping that foundation produces hollow, soulless content
• The passionate debate around AI's role in filmmaking, including the social policing happening on different platforms, copyright and trademark risks when using AI-generated imagery, and the distinction between using AI to accelerate creativity versus allowing it to replace it entirely

People, Places, Products, and Websites Mentioned:

People

Jesse Weglein 

John Lasseter

Steve Jobs

Ed Catmull

Pete Docter

Frank Oz

Andrew Stanton

Whoopi Goldberg

Phil Tippett

Tim McLaughlin 

John McCarthy

Akira Kurosawa

Hayao Miyazaki

Fritz Lang

Toshiro Mifune

Lionel Messi

Ray Kurzweil

Isaac Asimov

Dario Amodei 

Sam Altman 

Brian Adler

Barbara Lowenstein 

Films & Shows

Up

Toy Story 3

Toy Story 4

Toy Story 5

The Incredibles

ROAR 

Shine (Illuminai Studios)

The Color Purple 

Metropolis (1927)

Seven Samurai 

High and Low 

The Wind Rises 

Spirited Away 

Rashomon 

Red Beard 

Starship Troopers 

Jumpin' Jack Flash 

Sister Act 

A.I. Artificial Intelligence 

Disclosure Day 

The Boy and the Heron 

The Odyssey 

Companies & Organizations

Pixar Animation Studios

ILLUMINAI Studios

Industrial Light & Magic (ILM)

Google DeepMind

Tribeca Film Festival

Texas A&M Visualization

Anthropic

OpenAI / ChatGPT

Apple

Technicolor

Nashville Film Festival

WGA

Software & Technology

Maya

Presto (Pixar's proprietary tool)

Photoshop

Suno

Ray tracing / render farm

Websites & Social Media

illuminaistudios.com

nashvillefilmfestival.org

Books & Products

Mastering Film Marketing (ebook)

Make It Academy

Up Lego Set

Luxo Jr.

Places

Emeryville, California 

Lake Kawaguchi / Mount Fuji

Tokyo, Japan

San Francisco, California

Lucas Building/Steve Jobs Building

Dartmouth College / Dartmouth workshop, 1956

Other References

The Dan Patrick Show

The View

2026 FIFA World Cup

NBA Playoffs

WHALE 52 — Suite For Man, Boy, And Whale 

Dear Upstairs Neighbors 

Joseph McCarthy / McCarthyism

We are humbled to have a community of creatives who care deeply about our work. And your support makes our work possible. Every subscriber, rating, and review matters. 

So, if you like what we're doing, please consider subscribing, rating, or giving us a review. Cheers, and best of luck on your filmmaking journey. #MAKEIT

www.themakeitpodcast.store/shop/support

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Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Hello, Hello!

In this episode, AI Hosts Alex Ivey and Allison Inverness take a deep dive into the life, craft, and career philosophy of actress Christine Woods — known for her roles in HBO's Hello Ladies, ABC's Flash Forward, and The Walking Dead — exploring how a profoundly shy girl from Lake Forest, California built a sustainable, authentic acting career by rejecting Hollywood's arbitrary rules. Drawing from a wide-ranging interview hosted by Chris, he unpacks how Christine transformed her fear of failure into a powerful, service-driven approach to storytelling that flips the traditional power dynamic of the audition room on its head. From her early tap dancing days and her grandfather Sterling's love of classic movie musicals to her unconventional college path, her manager's game-changing advice, and her expanding work as a producer and director, this episode offers a masterclass in building a creative career on your own terms.

We also talk about:

• How Christine's grandfather Sterling — a hulking, ex-military man who secretly loved classic movie musicals — introduced her to films like Meet Me in St. Louis and Gene Kelly and Judy Garland, fundamentally shaping her belief that performance is communal storytelling, not ego-driven spectacle
• Why Christine chose to attend the University of Arizona on a singing and vocal jazz scholarship rather than audition for prestigious conservatories like Juilliard or Carnegie Mellon, and how she made a calculated pivot to a Bachelor of Fine Arts in musical theater to fill a critical gap in her training
• How severe creative constraints on low-budget indie sets — such as having only one hour left at a location to capture a crucial, emotionally exhausting scene — can actually serve as a psychological gift by forcing actors entirely into the present moment and bypassing the internal critic
• The fascinating physiological mechanics behind Christine's on-set habit of performing classical vocal warm-ups right before the director calls action — including how stretching the jaw and engaging the vocal cords stimulates the vagus nerve to calm the parasympathetic nervous system
• Christine's expanding work behind the camera, including producing and directing experimental comedy shorts with friends, such as one brilliantly titled Finding the Asshole, as a way to tell stories on her own terms without waiting for permission from industry gatekeepers

People, Places, Products, and References Mentioned:

People

Christine Woods (actress)

Sterling Woods (Christine's grandfather)

Eric Emery (Christine's first LA manager)

Joe Sill 

Gene Kelly

Judy Garland

Billy Corgan 

Frank Ocean

Shows, Films & Projects

Hello Ladies 

FlashForward 

The Walking Dead

Meet Me in St. Louis

Stray 

Finding the Asshole — experimental comedy short

Schools & Programs

University of Arizona

Juilliard

Carnegie Mellon

Social Media

@TrickyBear (Christine Woods' Instagram)

Bands / Artists

The Smashing Pumpkins

Frank Ocean

Places

Lake Forest, California

We are humbled to have a community of creatives who care deeply about our work. And your support makes our work possible. Every subscriber, rating, and review matters. 

So, if you like what we're doing, please consider subscribing, rating, or giving us a review. Cheers, and best of luck on your filmmaking journey. #MAKEIT

Subscribe: https://themakeitpodcast.store/shop/support

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

This episode is brought to you by our e-book Mastering Film Marketing. Get your copy today at https://themakeitpodcast.com/products/mastering-film-marketing

Hello, Hello! 

In this episode, Chris and Nick reunite for an Indie Talk episode packed with film industry insights, starting with Chris's powerful experience watching the James Baldwin documentary I Am Not Your Negro and a heartfelt shoutout to Carlton Adkins and the Enlightenment Film Academy's standing-room-only student film screening in Nashville. We dive deep into the evolving box office landscape, dissecting why certain legacy IP films are underperforming while YouTube-lore-driven films like Backrooms are shattering A24 records, and what that means for the future of indie filmmaking. We close with a rich discussion on George Lucas's comments about AI and audience testing, the Warner Bros./Paramount merger controversy, and a passionate defense of the theatrical experience as a community-building institution.

We also talk about:

• The cultural and historical significance of the deaths of Malcolm X, Martin Luther King Jr., and Medgar Evers in the 1960s, and how their simultaneous loss effectively ended a generation of Black empowerment leadership
• The nostalgia and community value of Blockbuster Video, including employee perks, the tactile VHS experience, and how video rental stores created a unique social ecosystem that streaming has failed to replicate
• The philosophical tension between George Lucas's belief in pure artistic storytelling and Kevin Goetz's data-informed audience testing approach, and what each means for the future of cinema
• The proposed Warner Bros./Paramount merger, the protests and petitions against it, what it could mean for creative competition and content diversity, and parallels to Disney's acquisition of Marvel and Star Wars
• The complicated cultural conversation around celebrities and public figures in the internet age, and how total transparency disabuses audiences of the idea that their heroes are perfect or infallible

People, Places, Products, and Websites Mentioned:

People

James Baldwin

Malcolm X

Martin Luther King Jr.

Medgar Evers

Jesse Jackson

Al Sharpton

John Lewis

Dick Gregory

T.D. Jakes

Ray Charles

Stevie Wonder

Tom Holland

Zendaya

Tobey Maguire

Tom Hardy

Tom Brady

Carlton Adkins 

Kane Parsons

Markiplier

Kevin Goetz 

George Lucas

Steve Jobs

R. Kelly

Jean-Claude Van Damme

Jason Momoa

Bruce Willis

Viggo Mortensen

Ed Harris

William Hurt

John Hurt

David Cronenberg

Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson

Samuel L. Jackson

Bill Maher

Martin Scorsese

Kiefer Sutherland

Kevin Bacon

Christopher Reeve

Josh Plasse

Tom McCullough (PB's childhood friend)

Nicholas Galitzine 

Sam Harris

Charlamagne tha God 

Immortal Technique

Chris Ferguson 

Arnold Schwarzenegger

Films & Documentaries

I Am Not Your Negro

Backrooms

Longlegs 

The Invite 

The Odyssey 

Spider-Man: No Way Home

The Fifth Element

12 Monkeys

Moana (live action)

Moana 2

Toy Story 5

Toy Story 3

Superman 

Supergirl 

The Mandalorian and Grogu

Barbie

Everything Everywhere All at Once

A History of Violence

Inception

Iron Lung

John Wick

Flatliners

Fatliners (NSFW)

Masters of the Universe 

Snakes on a Plane

Mad Men

Be Kind Rewind

Heavy Metal 

Another Version of You

Companies & Organizations

A24

Warner Bros.

Paramount / Skydance

Disney

Marvel

Pixar

Netflix

Oddfellows Pictures — THR profile

National Action Network

Enlightenment Film Academy

Nashville Film Festival

Letterboxd

Blockbuster Video

Music

Clipse – Let God Sort Em Out 

Places

Belcourt Theatre 

Oakland, CA

South Korea

Washington, D.C.

Jamaica / Caribbean

Websites & Platforms

The MAKE IT Podcast

Letterboxd

NashvilleFilmFestival.org

Products & Miscellaneous

Callwood Family Distillery (Caribbean)

Mastering Film Marketing 

Make It Academy 

VHS / DVD / Blu-ray

IMAX

Dolby

Disney Movie Club

We are humbled to have a community of creatives who care deeply about our work. And your support makes our work possible. Every subscriber, rating, and review matters. 

So, if you like what we're doing, please consider subscribing, rating, or giving us a review. Cheers, and best of luck on your filmmaking journey. #MAKEIT

www.themakeitpodcast.store/shop/support

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Hello, Hello!

In this episode, AI Hosts Alex Ivey and Allison Inverness dive deep into the remarkable journey of Caroline Locorriere, founder and lead coach of the Nashville Acting Studio, exploring how she walked away from a thriving commercial acting career in Los Angeles to discover her true calling as an acting teacher and coach. They unpack her empathy-driven teaching philosophy, which stands in direct opposition to the industry's notorious "whiplash method" of emotional terrorism, and examine how her three core pillars of acting craft — staying human on camera, accessing emotional life, and rigorous script analysis — create self-sufficient, sustainable artists. Drawing parallels far beyond the world of acting, this conversation serves as a masterclass in career self-awareness, psychological safety in creative environments, and the relentless tenacity required to survive in any subjective, competitive industry.

We also talk about:

• Why getting a talent agent too early can permanently damage an actor's reputation with casting directors and how Caroline advises building craft first before seeking representation
• The fascinating story of student Matt Williams, whose romantic performances lacked emotional depth because he had never been in love — and how Caroline's unconventional homework assignment (to go fall in love) led him to eventually get married
• The brutal reality of casting subjectivity, illustrated through a heartbreaking story of a highly talented student who auditioned flawlessly for David Fincher's Mindhunter but lost the role to someone Caroline felt was objectively less impressive on screen
• The role of tenacity over pure talent in sustaining a creative career, exemplified by former student Alan Powell, who wrote, produced, and starred in a film that reached number four on Netflix
• The mystical and deeply personal story of Martha, an 80-year-old Episcopalian woman with the ability to see auras, whose unprompted words to Caroline at a crossroads moment gave her the validation she needed to trust her instincts and pursue teaching

People, Places, Products, and References Mentioned:

People

Caroline Locorriere 

Matt Williams

Alan Powell 

Missy (Caroline's mother)

Martha (Episcopalian aura reader)

Toni Morrison

Shelley Duvall

Bear Bryant

Nick Saban

Meryl Streep

David Fincher

Konstantin Stanislavski

Shows / Films

Mindhunter

The Shining

Institutions / Places

Nashville Acting Studio

Belmont University

Ohio State University

Platforms

Netflix

Concepts / Methods

The Whiplash Method 

Sunk Cost Fallacy

"The three pillars of acting craft" — Caroline's framework

"Camera appropriateness"

Active listening/listening labs

We are humbled to have a community of creatives who care deeply about our work. And your support makes our work possible. Every subscriber, rating, and review matters. 

So, if you like what we're doing, please consider subscribing, rating, or giving us a review. Cheers, and best of luck on your filmmaking journey. #MAKEIT

Subscribe: https://themakeitpodcast.store/shop/support

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

This episode is brought to you by Anthropic. Claude is the AI for minds that don’t stop at good enough—it's the collaborator that actually understands your entire workflow and thinks WITH you, not for you. Ready to tackle bigger problems? Sign up for Claude Pro when you use our link – www.claude.ai/makeit

This episode is brought to you by our e-book Mastering Film Marketing. Get your copy today at https://themakeitpodcast.com/products/mastering-film-marketing

Hello, Hello! 

In this episode, Nick flies solo — without co-host Chris Barkley or Producer Papa Bear, who are both traveling in Italy — to discuss acclaimed independent filmmaker and producer Oscar Boyson and his feature directorial debut, Our Hero Balthazar, a darkly comedic psychological drama that premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival. Nick shares his visceral, gut-punch reaction to watching the film, unpacking how its unflinching portrayal of online culture, performative activism, masculinity, and gun violence caught him completely off guard and forced him to confront uncomfortable realities facing young people in modern America. The episode weaves together Nick's personal reflections on the film, audience poll results about social media, Gen Z viewing habit data, filmmaker quotes from Oscar Boyson, and a closing definition of success borrowed from Matt Damon.

We also talk about:

• How Our Hero Balthazar uses dark comedy and social satire to hold a mirror up to the uncomfortable realities of young people navigating social media, identity, and belonging
• Nick's personal Instagram algorithm experiment — and what it revealed about how social media can trap users in a cycle of consuming the same content repeatedly, potentially shaping their identity
• Gen Z viewing habits data from Deloitte's Digital Media Trends Study (2025–2026), including how much more time Gen Z spends on social platforms versus traditional TV and movies
• Why going to the theater is increasingly becoming an event-driven, culturally shared experience — and what independent filmmakers must do to get young audiences off their couches and into seats
• Matt Damon's definition of success — "all we have as the people making it is the love of the doing it" — and how that philosophy connects directly to the spirit of the MAKE IT Podcast

People, Places, Products, and Websites Mentioned:

People

Oscar Boyson

Noah Baumbach

The Safdie Brothers

Ricky Camilleri 

Jaeden Martell 

Noah Centineo

Asa Butterfield 

Chris Bauer 

Matt Damon

Claire Huxtable

Films & TV

Our Hero Balthazar

Frances Ha

Uncut Gems

Street Fighter

Festivals & Events

Tribeca Film Festival

Platforms & Social Media

Letterboxd

Postly.ai

Canva

Riverside.fm

Research & Studies

Deloitte Digital Media Trends

Fandango Moviegoing Study 

Organizations

Water.org (Matt Damon's charity)

We are humbled to have a community of creatives who care deeply about our work. And your support makes our work possible. Every subscriber, rating, and review matters. 

So, if you like what we're doing, please consider subscribing, rating, or giving us a review. Cheers, and best of luck on your filmmaking journey. #MAKEIT

www.themakeitpodcast.store/shop/support

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

WHAT IS FILM BRIEF?

Blending journalism with artistry, Film Brief transforms film analysis into an engaging and informative listening experience. The goal is to reveal what makes each movie or series resonate—on screen and behind the scenes. For listeners, it’s not just a review; it’s an exploration of the art of filmmaking.

BRIEF:

In this episode, Nick dives deep on Toy Story 5, the highly anticipated return of Pixar's beloved franchise directed by Andrew Stanton and co-directed by Kenna Harris, exploring how the film tackles the timely and thought-provoking theme of childhood imagination in a screen-saturated world. The episode examines how Woody, Buzz, Jessie, and the gang face their most contemporary challenge yet — competing with a tablet named Lily Pad that promises endless digital entertainment — while unpacking the film's deeper philosophical questions about identity, connection, and what it means to truly grow up. Nicholas reflects on the emotional resonance of experiencing the film in a theater alongside family and community, ultimately framing Toy Story 5 as a love letter to imagination, collaboration, and the irreplaceable power of human connection.

TAKEAWAYS:

• The directorial pairing of Andrew Stanton and Kenna Harris, and how their distinct backgrounds shape the film's artistic and emotional vision
• The symbolic role of the Lily Pad tablet as a representation of digital culture's competition with imaginative play, rather than a traditional villain
• The identity crisis sparked by an army of Buzz Lightyear action figures, and how the film uses their existence to explore what truly makes a person — or a toy — special
• Jessie's expanded emotional arc as she steps into the center of the story, discovering that leadership is about becoming who others need you to be
• The film's connection to Joseph Campbell's Hero's Journey framework, and how Toy Story 5 quietly argues that no hero — and no healing — happens in isolation

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

Films / Projects

Toy Story 5

Toy Story (original)

Toy Story 4

Finding Nemo

WALL-E

Ciao Alberto 

People

Andrew Stanton 

Kenna Harris 

Randy Newman 

Joseph Campbell 

Characters

Woody

Buzz Lightyear

Jessie

Bonnie

Technology / Products (Fictional)

Lilypad (the tablet, voiced by Greta Lee)

Organizations / Brands

Pixar

Ebook: "Mastering Film Marketing"

The MAKE IT Podcast

We are humbled to have a community of creatives who care deeply about our work. And your support makes our work possible. Every subscriber, rating, and review matters. So, if you like what we're doing, please consider subscribing, rating us, or leaving us a review. Cheers, and best of luck on your filmmaking journey. #MAKEIT

All Links: https://themakeitpodcast.store

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Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Hello, Hello!

In this episode, AI Hosts Alex Ivey and Allison Inverness dive deep into the archives of the MAKE IT Podcast (Episode 174) to extract the raw, unfiltered reality of indie filmmaker Josh Bishop's journey — from his punk rock-influenced teenage years in Europe to premiering his debut documentary at South by Southwest after an extraordinary 11-year production process. They explore how Josh's philosophy of film as "a window in a tunnel" shapes not only his creative vision but also the production company he co-founded with his wife, Keturah, and how advice from his idol Jim Jarmusch permanently redirected his career. The episode serves as a masterclass for any creative — filmmaker, writer, or entrepreneur — wrestling with the timeless tension between authentic artistic expression and the brutal financial realities of independent creation.

We also talk about:

• The stark philosophical and structural differences between the European taxpayer-funded film system and the commercially driven American Hollywood machine, and what those differences mean for artistic freedom
• The profound influence of old-school New York stop-motion animator and punk rock musician Jim Starace on Josh's creative DNA and his lifelong rejection of "selling out"
• The psychological and professional whiplash filmmakers experience when they transition from the creative grind of making an independent film to the cutthroat business reality of festival circuit sales and distribution pitching
• The radical democratization of filmmaking technology, including a local filmmaker named Kd Amond who shot an entire feature-length horror film called Faye using only an iPhone 8, and what that means for the "I don't have the right equipment" excuse
• Josh's deeply humble personal philosophy of holding up a mirror to society rather than preaching — including his decision to spend four straight days shooting raw documentary footage in the aftermath of a Nashville tornado without any commercial agenda

People, Places, Products, and References Mentioned:

People

Josh Bishop 

Jim Starace 

Jim Jarmusch 

Keturah Bishop

Tomi Fujiyama 

Morgan Spurlock 

Elijah Wood

Stefan Pokorny 

Anthony Bourdain

Kd Amond

Martin Scorsese 

Bands & Music

Puny Human 

Norman Bates & The Showerheads — limited web presence; best found via Discogs

The Ramones 

Films & Projects

Down by Law 

Coffee and Cigarettes 

Made in Japan

The Dwarvenaut

Destination Fantastic 

Faye 

Companies, Organizations & Platforms

A Window in a Tunnel 

Grand Ole Opry

South by Southwest (SXSW)

Dwarven Forge

Kickstarter

Dungeons & Dragons

Legion M 

iPhone 8 

Cotton Bureau

Places

Iceland 

Netherlands (Holland) 

Belgium

New York City 

We are humbled to have a community of creatives who care deeply about our work. And your support makes our work possible. Every subscriber, rating, and review matters. 

So, if you like what we're doing, please consider subscribing, rating, or giving us a review. Cheers, and best of luck on your filmmaking journey. #MAKEIT

Subscribe: https://themakeitpodcast.store/shop/support

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

This episode is brought to you by Anthropic. Claude is the AI for minds that don’t stop at good enough—it's the collaborator that actually understands your entire workflow and thinks WITH you, not for you. Ready to tackle bigger problems? Sign up for Claude Pro when you use our link – www.claude.ai/makeit

This episode is brought to you by our e-book Mastering Film Marketing. Get your copy today at https://themakeitpodcast.com/products/mastering-film-marketing

Hello, Hello! 

In this episode, we welcome back Daril Fannin, founder and CEO of Kino Studios, to celebrate the major milestone of his horror film Undertone being acquired by A24 and its theatrical run, which generated over $9 million in opening weekend box office on a $500,000 budget. Daril shares the journey of bringing Undertone from the Fantasia International Film Festival to Sundance and ultimately to wide release, while discussing A24's unique and authentic marketing approach that helped the film connect with audiences in a meaningful way. The conversation also dives deep into the independent film ecosystem, the economics of filmmaking, the role of social media and AI tools in modern content creation, and what it truly means to "make it" in Hollywood.

We also talk about:

• The debate around Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic and how much critical scores actually influence moviegoers' choices, including an audience poll revealing that 56% of viewers say critics don't influence their decisions at all
• The viral social media post by an art director on the film Obsession, who expressed frustration about her low pay despite the film's massive financial success, and what that reveals about systemic economic inequity in the independent film industry
• The rise of Neuralink and the broader philosophical conversation about AI integration into human life, including comparisons to Brave New World, social media data harvesting, and the future of human creativity and autonomy
• Why horror is the new comedy in 2026, and how films like Undertone, Obsession, Iron Lung, and Backrooms are proving that audience-first, word-of-mouth driven indie horror is the most viable path for independent filmmakers today
• The power of resilience in the creative journey, with Daril sharing personal reflections on bouncing back from failure, surrounding yourself with the right people, and the importance of not sharing your biggest ambitions with those who can't understand the artist's path

People, Places, Products, and Websites Mentioned:

Platforms, Tools & Services

Claude / Claude Pro (Anthropic)

Cowork (Claude's agentic desktop app)

Rotten Tomatoes

Metacritic

IMDb

Letterboxd

Neuralink

Gemini

Collection Account Management Agreement (CAMA) 

FilmChain 

Films

 Undertone (Kino Studios / A24)

 Obsession (Curry Barker)

 Iron Lung

 Backrooms (Kane Parsons / A24)

 The Matrix

 Raiders of the Lost Ark

 Gladiator

 Dumb and Dumber

 The Mask

 Ace Ventura: Pet Detective

 Malcolm & Marie

 High School Musical

 Sinners

 Oppenheimer

 Hamnet

 The Deer Hunter

 Nuremberg (Russell Crowe)

Wedding Crashers

Star Wars: The Phantom Menace (Episodes I–III)

Creed III

Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania

How to Train Your Dragon (2025)

Black Phone 2

Regretting You

Avengers: Endgame

Spider-Man: No Way Home

Project Hail Mary

The Terminator

Weapons (Zach Cregger)

The Drama (Zendaya / Robert Pattinson)

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Meet Joe Black

People — Industry & Public Figures

Daril Fannin (Kino CEO)

Ian Tuason (director of Undertone) (see note)

Nina Kiri (lead, Undertone)

Rick Rubin

Rainer Maria Rilke

Jordan Peele

Markiplier

Curry Barker (Obsession)

Kane Parsons (Backrooms)

Sally Choi (art director, Obsession)

Kevin Goetz

Jim Carrey

Mason Thames

Zendaya

Robert Pattinson

Hayden Christensen

Russell Crowe

Harrison Ford

Brad Pitt

Tom Cruise

Jonathan Majors

Forest Whitaker

Tyler Perry

Ben Stiller

Will Ferrell

Adam Sandler

Steve Martin

Siskel and Ebert

Peter Travers

Lon Harris

Cinema Joe

Christopher Nolan

Elon Musk

Mark Zuckerberg

Dick Gregory

Kevin Hart

Show Team (internal — no public links)

Joey "Bags" von Haeger

Books

The Creative Act: A Way of Being (Rick Rubin)

Brave New World (Aldous Huxley)

Nineteen Eighty-Four (George Orwell)

The Crossroads of Should and Must (Elle Luna) 

Companies & Organizations

Kino Studios

A24

Neon

Blumhouse

Village Roadshow

Orion Pictures

Artists Equity (see note)

Anthropic

DGA

SAG-AFTRA

IATSE

Rolling Stone

Fantasia International Film Festival

Sundance Film Festival

SXSW

Alamo Drafthouse

Cannes Film Festival

We are humbled to have a community of creatives who care deeply about our work. And your support makes our work possible. Every subscriber, rating, and review matters. 

So, if you like what we're doing, please consider subscribing, rating, or giving us a review. Cheers, and best of luck on your filmmaking journey. #MAKEIT

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Hello, Hello!

In this episode, AI Hosts Alex Ivey and Allison Inverness dive deep into the remarkable career of London-based filmmaker and visual effects artist Magali Barbe, whose passion project short film Strange Beasts went viral overnight and landed her offers from 20th Century Fox and top Hollywood talent agencies. They explore how her 13 years as a pre-visualization artist on blockbuster films like Wonder Woman, Avengers: Endgame, and Fantastic Beasts gave her the technical foundation to create an independently produced short film so polished that Hollywood executives assumed it was a multi-million dollar studio production. The conversation broadens into a sweeping philosophical examination of how digital technology — from augmented reality and deepfakes to social media algorithms and genetic manipulation — is fundamentally reshaping human connection, perception, and society itself.

We also talk about:

• The psychological toll of spending over a decade executing someone else's creative vision as a pre-visualization artist, and how that frustration became the fuel for Magali's creative pivot into independent filmmaking
• The deliberate design philosophy behind the robot Max in This Time Away — specifically, why giving a futuristic robot the texture and finish of a 1970s kitchen appliance was a calculated psychological choice rooted in the uncanny valley theory
• The structural and cultural differences between the French and British film industries, including how France's government-subsidized CNC system creates institutional bureaucracy, while the UK's scarcity of funding forces a passionate, grassroots DIY filmmaking culture
• The concept of a "water bottle tour" in Hollywood — the grueling marathon of studio meetings that newly signed talent must endure, which functions less as a pitch session and more as a high-stakes personality and temperament audit
• The piano chord metaphor shared by Chris Barkley in the original interview, which equates the musical necessity of space between notes to the human need for distance and breathing room in relationships, and how modern technology's relentless drive to eliminate friction may be destroying the beautiful music of genuine human connection

People, Places, Products, and References Mentioned:

People

Magali Barbe (filmmaker/VFX artist)

David Heyman (producer)

Timothy Spall (stars in This Time Away)

Tom Cruise (deepfake example)

Films & Projects

Strange Beasts (her viral short)

This Time Away (her second short)

Wonder Woman (previs)

Kingsman: The Golden Circle (previs)

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (previs)

Avengers: Endgame (previs)

WALL-E (robot design reference)

Companies, Organizations & Platforms

Vimeo

20th Century Studios (formerly 20th Century Fox)

United Talent Agency (UTA)

CNC (Centre National du Cinéma)

Silicon Valley

Concepts & Technologies

Pre-visualization (Previz)

Augmented Reality (AR)

The Uncanny Valley

Deepfakes

CRISPR

Bully Whippets (myostatin / double-muscling)

The Marketplace of Ideas

"Move Fast and Break Things"

Water Bottle Tour — industry-ritual slang for a series of back-to-back Studio meetings

The Piano / F♯ and F♮ Metaphor — Chris Barkley's original analogy about conflict when one note (or person) smothers another

We are humbled to have a community of creatives who care deeply about our work. And your support makes our work possible. Every subscriber, rating, and review matters. 

So, if you like what we're doing, please consider subscribing, rating, or giving us a review. Cheers, and best of luck on your filmmaking journey. #MAKEIT

Subscribe: https://themakeitpodcast.store/shop/support

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