The TV Campfire

Caitlin and Emily return by bringing y’all some of their favorite past panels along with behind-the-scenes stories of how they were put together. They also give you up-to-date insight into what’s happening with this year’s virtual festival...ATX TV...from the Couch!

It’s like a flashback episode and a spoiler alert all rolled into one. 

This week’s episode has the first look at going virtual, a look inside 2017’s Complex, Not Complicated panel, and of course, updates on what holiday candy is getting them through quarantine. 

About Complex, Not Complicated: Now more than ever, television is home to a range of increasingly complex female characters: ones that are bold, funny, fierce, sensitive, loyal, fragile, complicated, and kick ass (sometimes all in the same moment). Prepare to be awestruck as these powerhouse creatives and actors discuss the legacy of female characters before them, the necessity of women’s stories at this particular moment in pop culture, and why there’s no one way to write a “strong” woman.

Panelists:

• Mara Brock Akil (Being Mary Jane, Girlfriends)
• Kyra Sedgwick (The Closer)
• Mary McDonnell (Major Crimes, Battlestar Galactica)
• Liz Tigelaar (Little Fires Everywhere) 
• Taylor Dearden (Sweet/Vicious)
• Jennifer Kaytin Robinson (Sweet/Vicious, Someone Great)

Moderator: Sandra Gonzalez (CNN)

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WHERE TO FIND US

• FOLLOW us at @ATXFestival on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook, and let us know your thoughts on this episode (or any episode!) using #TheTVCampfire #TVTogether!
• SUBSCRIBE to this podcast!  More episodes coming your way each week!
• STAY UP TO DATE at http://atxfestival.com/attend/atxseason9update/ for info on our upcoming virtual festival, ATX TV...From the Couch! (June 5-7, 2020)

Episode produced by: ATX Television Festival, AJ Meyers, and Anthony Luciani.

ATXFestival.com  

FiveOhm.com

The “male gaze,” largely acknowledged as “the act of depicting women and the world from a masculine, heterosexual perspective that represents women as sexual objects,” has been the dominant viewpoint since the beginning of art and culture -- but what happens when women become the subject instead of the object? This conversation will explore the “female gaze” with writers & directors who are reclaiming female agency by (figuratively and literally) shifting viewers’ perspectives, and telling stories that unapologetically place women and their world view at the center.

Panelists:

• Tanya Saracho (Creator/Executive Producer, Vida)
• Kim Raver (Executive Producer/Director, Tempting Fate)
• Joy Blake (Producer/Writer, Outlander)
• Jenny Bicks (Creator/Executive Producer, Men In Trees)

Moderator: Tara Ariano (Extra Hot Great)

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DISCOUNT for Podcast Listeners:

Get 15% OFF of your Season 9 (June 4-7) Badge using the promo code: TVCF2020. 

Go to ATXFestival.com/Buy-A-Badge and follow links to purchase!

For details on THE PITCH COMPETITION, please visit: atxfestival.com/pitch

WHERE TO FIND US

• FOLLOW us at @ATXFestival on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook, and let us know your thoughts on this episode (or any episode!) using #TheTVCampfire!
• SUBSCRIBE to our YouTube channel to watch full panels (like this one) and Q&As from Season 8 and past festivals!
• BUY A BADGE at atxfestival.com/buy-a-badge and join us next June for ATX Season 9 (June 4-7, 2020)!

Episode produced by: Caitlin McFarland, Emily Gipson, AJ Meyers, and audio partner Five Ohm Productions.

ATXFestival.com  

FiveOhm.com

A look into the depictions of classes in America, and TV’s relationship to the ever-changing definition of the working & middle classes.

Panelists:

• Laura Chinn (Creator/Executive Producer/Actor, Florida Girls)
• Dee Harris-Lawrence (Showrunner/Executive Producer, David Makes Man)
• Jenniffer Gomez (Writer, Vida)
• Gladys Rodriguez (Writer, Vida)

Moderator: Tara Ariano (Extra Hot Great)

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DISCOUNT for Podcast Listeners:

Get 15% OFF of your Season 9 (June 4-7) Badge using the promo code: TVCF2020. 

Go to ATXFestival.com/Buy-A-Badge and follow links to purchase!

For details on THE PITCH COMPETITION, please visit: atxfestival.com/pitch

WHERE TO FIND US

• FOLLOW us at @ATXFestival on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook, and let us know your thoughts on this episode (or any episode!) using #TheTVCampfire!
• SUBSCRIBE to our YouTube channel to watch full panels (like this one) and Q&As from Season 8 and past festivals!
• BUY A BADGE at atxfestival.com/buy-a-badge and join us next June for ATX Season 9 (June 4-7, 2020)!

Episode produced by: Caitlin McFarland, Emily Gipson, AJ Meyers, and audio partner Five Ohm Productions.

ATXFestival.com  

FiveOhm.com

How authentic do plotlines about police need to be? Criminal justice plotlines and police procedurals have been a staple of both current and past TV programming. Shows today however, have the opportunity--and some say the obligation-- to explore the nuances and the contradictions inherent in real-life characterizations of police, the criminal legal system they work in, and the communities they affect. These writers and producers, along with a criminal law expert from the ACLU, discuss the importance and power of story, how they work together to ensure authentic representations of current issues, as well as the impact it has on viewer opinions on such issues as police practices, racial profiling, and the inequitable cash bail system—all in the name of fighting crime.

Panelists:

• Sunil Nayar (Co-Showrunner/Executive Producer, The Red Line)
• Caitlin Parrish (Co-Creator/Writer, The Red Line)
• Joanna Johnson (Showrunner/Executive Producer, Good Trouble)

Moderator: Twyla Carter (Senior Staff Attorney with the National ACLU's Criminal Law Reform Project)

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DISCOUNT for Podcast Listeners:

Get 15% OFF of your Season 9 (June 4-7) Badge using the promo code: TVCF2020. 

Go to ATXFestival.com/Buy-A-Badge and follow links to purchase!

WHERE TO FIND US

• FOLLOW us at @ATXFestival on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook, and let us know your thoughts on this episode (or any episode!) using #TheTVCampfire!
• SUBSCRIBE to our YouTube channel to watch full panels (like this one) and Q&As from Season 8 and past festivals!
• BUY A BADGE at atxfestival.com/buy-a-badge and join us next June for ATX Season 9 (June 4-7, 2020)!

Episode produced by: Caitlin McFarland, Emily Gipson, AJ Meyers, and audio partner Five Ohm Productions.

ATXFestival.com  

FiveOhm.com

As networks and studios look to diversify their writers rooms through non-traditional routes, playwrights have quickly become some of TV’s top staffing contenders and most influential showrunners. Hear from several writers who made the jump from the theater to the writers room as they discuss what drew them to television, the unique challenges of writing for both stage and screen, and what this trend means both industries moving forward.

Panelists:

• Tanya Saracho (Creator/Executive Producer, Vida)
• Rachel Rusch (Senior Vice President, Television, Bad Robot)
• Beau Willimon (Creator/Writer/Executive Producer, The First)
• Alexander Woo (Co-Creator/Showrunner/Executive Producer, The Terror)

Moderator: Ben Travers (IndieWire)

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DISCOUNT for Podcast Listeners:

Get 15% OFF of your Season 9 (June 4-7) Badge using the promo code: TVCF2020. 

Go to ATXFestival.com/Buy-A-Badge and follow links to purchase!

For details on THE PITCH COMPETITION, please visit: atxfestival.com/pitch

WHERE TO FIND US

• FOLLOW us at @ATXFestival on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook, and let us know your thoughts on this episode (or any episode!) using #TheTVCampfire!
• SUBSCRIBE to our YouTube channel to watch full panels (like this one) and Q&As from Season 8 and past festivals!
• BUY A BADGE at atxfestival.com/buy-a-badge and join us next June for ATX Season 9 (June 4-7, 2020)!

Episode produced by: Caitlin McFarland, Emily Gipson, AJ Meyers, and audio partner Five Ohm Productions.

ATXFestival.com  

FiveOhm.com

Following the 2016 presidential election, U.S. culture saw a dangerous rise in anti-Muslim sentiment, rousing many in the entertainment industry to resist with a counter-narrative of inclusion. Within days MPAC (the Muslim Public Affairs Council) was flooded with inquiries requesting consultation on television shows with Muslim characters and recommendations for repped Muslim screenwriters to join their writers rooms. This panel of TV creatives, executives, and consultants discuss how they’ve impacted the industry in the last two years by raising the quantity and quality of Muslim characters; their efforts to increase visibility on and off-screen; and the forward-thinking importance of turning this moment into a sustained movement.

Panelists:

• Carina Adly MacKenzie (Showrunner/Executive Producer, Roswell, NM)
• Mohammed Amer (Actor, Ramy)
• Nijla Mu'min (Writer/Director, Jinn)
• Sue Obeidi (Director, MPAC Hollywood Bureau)

Moderator: Sonia Saraiya (Vanity Fair)

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DISCOUNT for Podcast Listeners:

Get 15% OFF of your Season 9 (June 4-7) Badge using the promo code: TVCF2020. 

Go to ATXFestival.com/Buy-A-Badge and follow links to purchase!

For details on THE PITCH COMPETITION, please visit: atxfestival.com/pitch

WHERE TO FIND US

• FOLLOW us at @ATXFestival on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook, and let us know your thoughts on this episode (or any episode!) using #TheTVCampfire!
• SUBSCRIBE to our YouTube channel to watch full panels (like this one) and Q&As from Season 8 and past festivals!
• BUY A BADGE at atxfestival.com/buy-a-badge and join us next June for ATX Season 9 (June 4-7, 2020)!

Episode produced by: Caitlin McFarland, Emily Gipson, AJ Meyers, and audio partner Five Ohm Productions.

ATXFestival.com  

FiveOhm.com

While it’s true that television productions are increasingly aware of the emotional & physical stakes of performers on-set — many writers, actors, and directors still struggle with how to safely navigate scenes that contain intimate or sexual content. Join the creatives involved in crafting these scenes from start to finish for an honest discussion about empowering both writers and actors, and improving safe “sex” practices behind the camera.

Panelists:

• Tanya Saracho (Creator/Executive Producer, Vida)
• Nicki Micheau ( Actor, Animal Kingdom)
• Alicia Rodis (Intimacy Coordinator, HBO series)

Moderator: Joy Blake (Producer/Writer, Outlander)

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DISCOUNT for Podcast Listeners:

Get 15% OFF of your Season 9 (June 4-7) Badge using the promo code: TVCF2020. 

Go to ATXFestival.com/Buy-A-Badge and follow links to purchase!

For details on THE PITCH COMPETITION, please visit: atxfestival.com/pitch

WHERE TO FIND US

• FOLLOW us at @ATXFestival on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook, and let us know your thoughts on this episode (or any episode!) using #TheTVCampfire!
• SUBSCRIBE to our YouTube channel to watch full panels (like this one) and Q&As from Season 8 and past festivals!
• BUY A BADGE at atxfestival.com/buy-a-badge and join us next June for ATX Season 9 (June 4-7, 2020)!

Episode produced by: Caitlin McFarland, Emily Gipson, AJ Meyers, and audio partner Five Ohm Productions.

ATXFestival.com  

FiveOhm.com

While the original Twilight Zone (1959) helped popularize the format, the anthology series has taken on new life with the success of series like True Detective, Fargo, and Black Mirror. It's unique style of contained storytelling has attracted everyone from "movie stars," to fresh faces, to troupes of familiar players looking for variety onscreen. In this conversation, join the Casting Directors behind these dynamic short-form series as they discuss the unique intricacies and challenges associated with casting both episodic and serial anthologies.

Panelists:

• Sherry Thomas (Casting Director, The Twilight Zone)
• Rachel Tenner (Casting Director, Fargo)
• Andrew Femenella (Casting Director, High Maintenance)

Moderator: Ben Travers (IndieWire)

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DISCOUNT for Podcast Listeners:

Get 15% OFF of your Season 9 (June 4-7) Badge using the promo code: TVCF2020. 

Go to ATXFestival.com/Buy-A-Badge and follow links to purchase!

WHERE TO FIND US

• FOLLOW us at @ATXFestival on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook, and let us know your thoughts on this episode (or any episode!) using #TheTVCampfire!
• SUBSCRIBE to our YouTube channel to watch full panels (like this one) and Q&As from Season 8 and past festivals!
• BUY A BADGE at atxfestival.com/buy-a-badge and join us next June for ATX Season 9 (June 4-7, 2020)!

Episode produced by: Caitlin McFarland, Emily Gipson, AJ Meyers, and audio partner Five Ohm Productions.

ATXFestival.com  

FiveOhm.com

Through innate intimacy and week-to-week stories, television is arguably our most impactful medium, having the power to change hearts and minds. Hear creators, writers, and actors discuss how series can rise above trends and token characters by weaving in storylines of gender, race, religion, aging, immigration, health care, and many more — all with the belief that exposing audiences to a variety of people, experiences, and worlds they might never encounter will foster understanding, empathy, and community. 

Panelists:

• Elisabeth R. Finch (Co-Executive Producer/Writer, Grey's Anatomy)
• Sunil Nayar (Co-Showrunner/Executive Producer, The Red Line)
• Dee Harris-Lawrence (Showrunner/Executive Producer, David Makes Man)
• Justin Baldoni (Executive Producer/Director/Actor/Entrepreneur, My Last Days)

Moderator: Maury McIntyre (President & Chief Operating Officer, Television Academy)

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DISCOUNT for Podcast Listeners:

Get 15% OFF of your Season 9 (June 4-7) Badge using the promo code: TVCF2020. 

Go to ATXFestival.com/Buy-A-Badge and follow links to purchase!

WHERE TO FIND US

• FOLLOW us at @ATXFestival on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook, and let us know your thoughts on this episode (or any episode!) using #TheTVCampfire!
• SUBSCRIBE to our YouTube channel to watch full panels (like this one) and Q&As from Season 8 and past festivals!
• BUY A BADGE at atxfestival.com/buy-a-badge and join us next June for ATX Season 9 (June 4-7, 2020)!

Episode produced by: Caitlin McFarland, Emily Gipson, AJ Meyers, and audio partner Five Ohm Productions.

ATXFestival.com  

FiveOhm.com

The cast and creatives behind Hulu's hit import LETTERKENNY discuss going from web series to full-fledged show, Canadian humor, and pulling pranks in this Q&A from ATX Season 8.

Season 7 of Letterkenny is now streaming on Hulu!

Panelists:

• Jacob Tierney (EP/Director/Cast)
• Mark Montefiore (EP)
• Nathan Dales (Cast)
• Michelle Mylett (Cast)
• K. Trevor Wilson (Cast)

Moderator: Joanna Robinson (Vanity Fair)

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DISCOUNT for Podcast Listeners:

Get 15% OFF of your Season 9 (June 4-7) Badge using the promo code: TVCF2020. 

Go to ATXFestival.com/Buy-A-Badge and follow links to purchase!

WHERE TO FIND US

• FOLLOW us at @ATXFestival on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook, and let us know your thoughts on this episode (or any episode!) using #TheTVCampfire!
• SUBSCRIBE to our YouTube channel to watch full panels (like this one) and Q&As from Season 8 and past festivals!
• BUY A BADGE at atxfestival.com/buy-a-badge and join us next June for ATX Season 9 (June 4-7, 2020)!

Episode produced by: Caitlin McFarland, Emily Gipson, AJ Meyers, and audio partner Five Ohm Productions.

ATXFestival.com  

FiveOhm.com