Dallas based Director and DP Alex Tellez has a made a career for herself by strategically curating her Instagram page. By posting the type of content she wanted to be hired to make, Alex found herself getting contacted directly by brands in the sports world to shoot, direct, and edit content for them. Tune in as we talk with Alex about the journey from her days as an intern to her current work directing a documentary for Salomon. We talk about the lessons she learned along the way and what choices helped her get noticed by brands she wanted to align her work with.

(00:00:00) Intro(00:01:25) Background & Early Gigs(00:09:06) Going DP to Director(00:17:34) Pursuing Brands/Clients(00:27:31) Using Socials & Working with Athletes(00:44:46) Doc Research/Branded Docs(00:54:55) Separating Directing & DPing(01:16:08) Using References(01:25:56) Shooting Kit(01:36:29) Post Workflow & Client Management(01:55:08) Client notes change scope(02:00:40) Putting Your Work Out(02:06:41) Outro

Rian Johnson has been making movies with his friends since he was a kid. By the time he graduated high school he had amassed a portfolio of over 100 shorts. Though he says, "they weren't all great," his tenacity proved to be essential in his career.

After graduating he spent years looking for the money to finance his first feature, "Brick", which led him to make his own European romp-around feature "The Brother's Bloom" before taking off with "Looper". Today he's best known for directing whodunnit murder mystery films for his tentpole "Knives Out" series and producing other projects through his company T-Street.

The scale of the work might have changed, but Rian's love for being on set and making films with friends remains at the core of his relationships on set. Tune in as we have a chat with Rian about his career as he tries to convince us that he's a fan of our show.

(00:00:00) Intro

(00:02:00) 100 Shorts

(00:04:18) Relationships from Childhood and Brick

(00:06:15) Directing is the Only Entry Level Position on Set

(00:09:52) Brick: Lessons on Coverage and Sound Design

(00:16:54) The Brothers Bloom: More Money, More Problems

(00:23:55) Growing as a Director through Experienced Actors

(00:27:10) It's 5 O'Clock Somewhere

(00:28:52) Practical Props and Set Design

(00:34:54) Set Friends

(00:39:29) TV Pacing Takes Away the Preciousness

(00:46:10) The Star Wars Call

(00:52:09) Noah Segan is on a Real Journey

(00:54:44) Meeting Ram / Director's Jail

(01:01:14) Studio Notes

(01:09:11) Wake Up Dead Man Locations

(01:17:55) Does Editing Experience Help You Be A Better Director

(01:26:51) Talking to Another Director

(01:33:50) Is the Producer the Enemy? Not at T Street.

Premiering 12/15/2025. Early release for members to our Youtube Channel. Only $0.99!

https://youtu.be/mk5jg2AwsRI

Rian Johnson has been making movies with his friends since he was a kid. By the time he graduated college he had amassed a portfolio of over 100 shorts. Though he says, "they all sucked," his tenacity proved to be essential in his career. After graduating, he spent several years looking for the money to finance his first feature, "Brick," the success of which lead him to make the globetrotting adventure "The Brother's Bloom" and the sci-fi thriller "Looper." Today he's best known for directing whodunnit murder mystery films for his tentpole "Knives Out" series and producing other projects through his company T-Street. The scale of the work might have changed, but Rian's love for being on set and making films with friends remains at the core of his relationships on set. Tune in as we have a chat with Rian about his career as he tries to convince us that he's a fan of our show.

Chauvet Cinema Group Sales Manager Chad Tiller, sat with us at the 4Wall Vendor Showcase in 2025 to talk lighting, sales approach, and his love for chatting with crew to get feedback on their units. 🏆✅ Follow Us ✅ 🏆ShittyRigs on IG: https://www.instagram.com/shittyrigsShittyRigs on Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@shittyrigsChad Tiller on IG - https://www.instagram.com/litegearchad/?hl=en

Sergio Lazarov is an international live producer and multi-cam director. Starting his career abroad, now based in the United States, his Spanish language productions of The Voice, X-Factor, and The Grammys have taken him around the world. Sergio leans on his background in post-production and love for music to help inform his camera cuts during live events. In addition to live shows, Sergio’s resume also includes work in scripted content. He is currently reconnecting with his late father, a former TV director, through the development of documentary about his life. Join us as we chat about with Sergio about what it’s like to navigate hurdles on the fly when you only get a moment to get the shots right.

This episode of Wrap Drinks is sponsored by Unique Producers Grip & Lighting based in South Florida. Thank you Unique for supporting our podcast and for hosting us at your wonderful warehouse. For more info on their grip & lighting rentals visit their website - https://uniqueproducers.com/

Our set at the 2025 4 Wall Showcase would not have been possible without Eve Roth's amazing leadership and design skills. We sat down with Eve to talk about what it takes to run an ideal Virutal Production and got the inside scoop on working with AWGE team to produce a branded piece of ASAP Rocky and Puma.

Our set at the 2025 4 Wall Showcase would not have been possible without Eve Roth's amazing leadership and design skills. We sat down with Eve to talk about what it takes to run an ideal Virutal Production and got the inside scoop on working with AWGE team to produce a branded piece of ASAP Rocky and Puma.

When most people hear the title makeup artist, they think this responsibility only focuses on beauty, but luckily for us, Anna Stachow came on the podcast to clarify this misconception. As a makeup designer, Anna's job is to figure out how best to visualize a character's backstory. Whether that's a fighter that needs special effect bruises, a creature that needs prosthetics, or a teenager who just loves lip gloss, Anna's got a wealth of experience preparing her actors for these roles. Join us as we explore this world of makeup through Anna's journey that started in a bar and catapulted her into a world where she gets to translate the creative ideas of multiple departments into one cinematic look.

(00:00) Intro

(00:46) Bar Story

(09:06) Projects that inspired Anna

(14:01 ) No Formal Training, to Hunger Games

(18:42) How Are Departments Collaborating

(33:50) Reg makeup on top of SFX Makeup

(47:57) Collaborating with Actors

(01:03:08) Working on John Wick

(01:20:27) Bald Cap Not Hair

(01:23:36) Tattoo Work

(01:26:29) Matching Looks

(01:36:20) First Stop for Gossip

(01:56:52) More on Tattoo Work

(02:09:51) Makeup Union

Earlier this year, 4Wall hosted us at their 2025 Vendor Showcase. This year, they went above and beyond to work with their team putting together a volume set just for us. We sat down with Ben and Mat, who were kind enough to explain how the setup works and tell us how their relationship with 4Wall came to be.

While most cinematographers seem to have a fixed trajectory that eventually lands them a tentpole Marvel series, Hillary Spera's came almost from left-field. Before her contribution to the the Daredevil Born Again series, Hillary was traveling the world as a documentary DP filming on fishing boats, documenting Insane Clown Posse shows, and filming in abortion clinics in the Mid-west. Still, the pursuit has always been the same, challenging herself and finding unique ways to tell stories through the lens. Tune in as we chat with Hillary about her incredible journey as a cinematographer from making her first film about carving Venison, to working in the freezing cold in Massachusetts on Dexter, and everything in between.

(0:00) Intro

(3:34) Vennison

(5:40) Documentary and Fiction

(12:47) When To Cut for BRoll in Doc

(16:35) Handheld Operating

(21:55) After Tiller

(28:17) Oxyana

(35:25) American Juggalo

(43:00) Sitting in on the edit

(45:47) Wildlike

(56:41) Lost Boys Reboot

(59:43) Dexter Resurrection

(01:10:53) Parenting

(01:16:31) Doc Crew to TV Crew

(01:20:05) Daredevil

(01:22:50) Daredevil "Look" Pitch

(01:33:33) Daredevil Camera Rig

(01:41:55) Daredevil Stunt Team

(01:55:19) Crazy Donkey Story