Up and Coming Podcast

Watching camera operators sprint across a stage looks glamorous. Austin Roa knows how much it takes to earn that access, and how much more it takes to keep it.

In this episode of Up & Coming, host Bob Cagnilia sits down with Austin, a concert photographer, videographer, and documentarian. They talk about what breaking into live music production really looks like: the awkward first asks, the rough early edits, and the years of showing up before anyone owes you a yes.

Austin traces his path from theater kid and video editor to the festival day when he realized concert filmmaking was the job he wanted. He explains how a bold cold approach and a simple offer to make something opened doors, and how years of consistency, spec work, and relationships turned into paid touring gigs. He also gets into the unglamorous side of tour life: selling merch, shooting sets, settling with the venue, then editing until 3 or 4 a.m. so content is ready the next day.

Along the way, Austin talks about how “making it” feels different at each stage, including the anxiety that can stick around even after arena tours. He also covers his gear and workflow, from shooting video on a full-frame Blackmagic 6K camera and stills on a Sony A7R IV, to why limiting yourself creatively, like sticking to one lens, can make your work stronger.

Whether you’re chasing a career in concert photography, live music video, or documentary filmmaking, this one’s for you. Subscribe, share it with a friend who needs a push, and leave a review so more filmmakers can find the show.

Up & Coming is sponsored by Blackmagic Design. Learn more at blackmagicdesign.com.

Presented by League of Filmmakers
Website: www.leagueoffilmmakers.com
Instagram: @leagueoffilmmakers

“Tell a better story, don’t buy a better camera.”

In this episode of Up & Coming, host Bob Cagnilia sits down with his longtime friend Stan Kellam, a production and post-production veteran with more than 40 years in the business. Stan’s career runs from Hollywood VFX to music videos to the fast-moving world of live touring video, and he explains what it really takes to make images hold up on giant screens night after night.

Stan just came off the road directing IMAG for AJR. Before that, he spent 25 years with Jimmy Buffett, creating tour content, handling last-minute media, and building what amounts to a traveling TV station that has to work in real time. He talks about how touring forces quick decisions, how the crowd’s reaction becomes instant feedback, and why the job takes equal parts storytelling, technical discipline, and staying calm when the plan changes at 4 p.m. on show day.

Then they go back to the post-production scene of the late ’80s and ’90s, when everyone specialized, the hours were brutal, and legends would wander in for overnight sessions. Stan shares a story about a burnt pot of coffee, a quiet edit bay at sunrise, and Prince laughing so hard he couldn’t stay in his seat. He also explains how he met Jimmy Buffett through a project that became Tales From Margaritaville, why Robert Rodriguez is a model of filmmaking hustle, and the advice he’d give his 25-year-old self.

Whether you work in editing, VFX, concert video, or any creative field and want a career that lasts, this one’s for you. Subscribe, share it with a filmmaker friend, and leave a review so more filmmakers can find the show.

Up & Coming is sponsored by Blackmagic Design. Learn more at blackmagicdesign.com.

Presented by League of Filmmakers
Website: www.leagueoffilmmakers.com
Instagram: @leagueoffilmmakers

A million views can feel like a trophy. For Sam Wickert, it was something more useful: a way to buy better gear, take on bigger effects shots, and prove a YouTube channel could grow into a real production company.

In this episode of Up & Coming, host Bob Cagnilia sits down with Sam, the director and visual effects artist behind Sokrispymedia. They talk about what actually drives growth online, and why it so often comes down to finishing work, listening to feedback, and getting better with each project.

Sam walks through the making of Chalk Warfare, from its early experiments to the effects-heavy series it became, built to pull viewers in and get shared. He compares the notes you get at festivals with the honest, unfiltered comments on YouTube. He also describes a shift in how he sees success: the real reward for making something great is the chance to make the next thing even better.

Then the conversation turns to the business side. Sam explains why most creators need more than ad revenue, how service work and branded projects can support a team, and what it’s like to switch between original content and client work. He also shares a turning point from the VR boom, when a festival connection led to funded work around Google Daydream, with lessons he still uses today.

Finally, Sam looks ahead. He explains how Unreal Engine and real-time rendering are changing previs and production, including his team’s work on The Last of Us, and why he’s working toward a future where film and interactive experiences start to merge.

Whether you’re building a YouTube channel, working in visual effects, or figuring out how to turn your creative work into a business, this one’s for you. Subscribe, share it with a creator friend, and leave a review so more filmmakers can find the show.

Up & Coming is sponsored by Blackmagic Design. Learn more at blackmagicdesign.com.

Presented by League of Filmmakers
Website: www.leagueoffilmmakers.com
Instagram: @leagueoffilmmakers

A great celebrity portrait can look like access and luck. For photographer Mark Mann, the real work happens long before the shutter clicks.

In this episode of Up & Coming, host Bob Cagnilia sits down with Mark, who has photographed everyone from major actors to world leaders. Even with that résumé, Mark doesn’t treat it as a finish line. In his view, the moment you think you’ve mastered photography is the moment you stop seeing what’s possible.

Mark traces his path from growing up in Scotland to studying photography in Manchester, then returning to Glasgow to hustle for work. A trip to New York City that was supposed to be a short visit ended up changing everything. He talks about what it takes to break into portrait photography, how reputation spreads through real relationships, and why helping people relax in front of the camera is a skill you practice like any other. He also shares an exercise from a Leica workshop that teaches you to keep a real conversation going while the camera slowly becomes part of the room.

The conversation then turns to motion work and why moving from stills to video can feel like learning a new language. Mark explains what he loves about the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 6K Pro, why simplicity matters on set, and why light, composition, and taste matter more than a long list of features. He also opens up about ego, professionalism, the advice he’d give his 25-year-old self, and the day he let his ten-year-old take the shot.

Whether you’re a photographer thinking about moving into video, an artist trying to build a reputation, or someone still learning your craft years in, this one’s for you. Subscribe, share it with a friend who shoots, and leave a review so more filmmakers can find the show.

Up & Coming is sponsored by Blackmagic Design. Learn more at blackmagicdesign.com.

Presented by League of Filmmakers
Website: www.leagueoffilmmakers.com
Instagram: @leagueoffilmmakers

“If you can do something else and be happy, you probably should because this business will just tear you apart.”

In the first episode of Up & Coming, host Bob Cagnilia sits down with actor James Sutorius, a friend, former next-door neighbor, and golf partner of more than 30 years, to trace a career that spans Broadway, regional theater, and decades of TV.

James shares the unlikely break that kept him from ever bartending or driving a cab in New York: a last-minute voiceover audition for Ragu that turned into a 15-year run as the voice behind “Ragu spaghetti sauce, that’s Italian.” That steady gig gave him the freedom to chase what he loved most, from playing Laertes opposite Sam Waterston’s Hamlet at Lincoln Center to taking on Hamlet himself at the Cleveland Playhouse and Indiana Rep.

He also looks back on landing his own CBS series, The Andros Targets, after network executives came to see him Off-Broadway in David Mamet’s Sexual Perversity in Chicago, and how the show lost its spot to Lou Grant. The conversation then moves through guest roles on Family Ties, Tour of Duty, Columbo, L.A. Law, and Ally McBeal, and the one-man show a college roommate wrote for him, My Life with Will: An Evening with William Shakespeare and James Sutorius.

Bob and James also talk about why even successful performers never quite feel like they’ve made it, and the joy of returning to great roles like Danforth in The Crucible years later. James closes with advice for anyone in the business: train, read plays out loud at home, and above all, keep the discipline.

Whether you’re an actor building toward steady work, a filmmaker curious about how careers really unfold, or someone wondering if you’ve “made it” yet, this one’s for you. Subscribe, share it with a friend in the industry, and leave a review so more filmmakers can find the show.

Up & Coming is sponsored by Blackmagic Design. Learn more at blackmagicdesign.com.

Presented by League of Filmmakers
Website: www.leagueoffilmmakers.com
Instagram: @leagueoffilmmakers