Ep. 32 - Maureen A. Ryan on Becoming, Man on Wire and James Marsh

Maureen Ryan is a veteran producer who has made a number of seminal, impactful films throughout her versatile career. Her several documentary collaborations with acclaimed British director James Marsh (The Theory of Everything) are among them, and began with Wisconsin Death Trip (1999). Constructed with a film-noir grittiness, the film surveyed a series of grizzly murders which took place in Black River Falls, a small remote town, in the 1800s, and was shortlisted for an Academy Award. She herself was nominated for a BAFTA award. Several works followed, including The Team (2005), which she produced, observing a homeless soccer team which travels to compete in Austria; the BAFTA nominated Project Nim (2011); and the iconic Man on Wire (2008), a hybrid-documentary about tightrope walker Phillipe Petit as he prepared to walk across the World Trade Center in 1974, which won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature Film and the BAFTA Award for Best British Film in addition to sweeping the “Big Four” critics awards the same year. Documentaries Maureen has produced include The Gates (2007) and Bomber (2009). Recently, she co-produced Becoming (2020), following Michelle Obama on the book tour circuit; the film was nominated for four Emmy Awards, and is available on Netflix. Also on Netflix is the comedic documentary Dick Johnson is Dead (2020), which Maureen co-produced; premiered at Sundance; won an Emmy Award, and was also shortlisted for an Academy Award. She has been a professor at Columbia University for over 20 years, and her essential publication — Producer to Producer: A Step-by-Step Guide to Low Budget Independent Film Producing (2nd Edition), is available on Amazon and all the literary outlets. In our discussion, we spoke about Maureen’s unique, prolific career marked by longevity; collaborating with moving pieces in film; differentiating film from a practical and theoretical framework; and country music.

Opening Credits: KieLoBot - Golden Pineapple Funk I Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0); KieLoBot - Hippie Funghi Policeman Downhill I Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0); Closing Credits: Jason Shaw - TRAVEL LIGHT I Attribution 3.0 United States (CC BY 3.0 US)

Ep. 31 - Avy Kaufman on Succession, Capote and Steven Spielberg

Avy Kaufman’s filmography includes projects which changed the landscape of cinema. The three-time Emmy winning casting director has worked on over 300 films and television shows including The Sixth Sense, Artificial Intelligence, Brokeback Mountain, American Gangster and Capote. In television, she has cast acclaimed shows including Succession, Mare of Easttown, Damages and Dopesick. In our conversation, we discussed her Atlanta upbringing and concurrent interest in ballet; working with Steven Spielberg, Jodie Foster and Ang Lee; as well as how casting continues to evolve in a post-pandemic world.

Opening Credits: Arkana Music - Through Sacco's Eyes I Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0); Lisa Hammer - Jazzy Inquisitors I Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0); Closing Credits: Ketsa - Sunnyside I Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0).

Ep. 30 - George Stroumboulopoulos on World Food Programme, The Clash, and Larry King

As a globally renowned television and radio personality, broadcaster, filmmaker and activist George Stroumboulopoulos believes retaining credibility in the creative process is an important tenet to live by. Throughout the past 30 years, he has forayed successfully into his vast endeavors in entertainment and beyond, transcending “pop-culturehood” by sustaining a household name armed with the man he knows most intimately — himself. After carving a reputation as a stellar interviewer through his several years cutting his teeth in Canadian radio, George was selected to host several shows on MuchMusic, Canada’s flagship music entertainment channel, including The Punk Show, The NewMusic, MuchLOUD and MuchNews. He also hosted the reality show The One: Making a Music Star on ABC. Cementing his supreme interview ability to complement his innate talent as a seasoned host, he then hosted his own primetime talk show, the eight-time Gemini Award winning George Stroumboulopoulos Tonight (formerly The Hour) on Canada's national broadcaster, the CBC for 10 years. He came to Los Angeles to host Stroumboulopoulos on CNN, and then continued to anchor shows and specials in Canada including Hockey Night in Canada, Canada’s biggest television show. George’s punk rock philosophy is manifested through his significant, consistent philanthropic and charitable acts of advocacy. In addition to being Canada's first Goodwill Ambassador for the UN agency World Food Programme, he also started the George Stroumboulopoulos Music Therapy Scholarship helping fund education for music therapists. He also works closely with the organizations Innocence Canada, Canadian Drug Policy Coalition, the Michael J. Fox Foundation and is on the board of Artists for Peace and Justice Canada. At present, he hosts his own Apple Music radio show, STROMBO, which is heard in 160+ countries and has over 70 million subscribers around the world; he is also the curator of Strombo's Lit for Apple Books. 

George has an Honorary Doctorate of Laws at the University of Calgary and was one of the first three Canadians recognized by the World Economic Forum as a Young Global Leader. Canada's largest daily, The Toronto Star stated that George has built "one of the most prestigious broadcasting careers in our nation's history."

In our conversation, we discussed his definition of “punk;” his recent visit to Syria as part of the World Food Programme; his Western-Toronto upbringing which funneled the source of cultivating his immense engagement with each project he immerses himself into; maintaining his individuality and autonomy in the face of corporations; his alliance with Larry King; and selecting music for STROMBO.

Opening Credits: HoliznaCC0 - Punk I CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication; Dilating Times - Golden Girl I Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0); Closing Credits: Taylor Poe - Unknown Artist I Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0)

Ep. 29 - Anna Maria Cianciulli on Hamlet/Horatio, Stay and Sanford Meisner

Anna Maria Cianciulli pushes the boundaries of filmmaking as an actress, director, writer and artist. Her acclaimed performance as Queen Gertrude of Denmark in Hamlet/Horatio, a feature film adaptation, was released theatrically in the summer of 2021 and is now streaming on all the major film platforms. The film has received Best Film awards at Los Angeles Film Awards, New York Cinematography Awards and Southeast Regional Film Festival; and Best Experimental Film at the Rome Independent Prisma Awards. As an actress, she has been featured in several colorful roles, which include Filomena Bene in Lifetime Network’s Stealing Chanel; Sara in Change the World; and Lynne in Maladaptive Behavior.

As director, her award-winning short, 33 Breaths, was shot entirely in one take and was a Single-Take Challenge finalist in 2020. Stay, which she wrote and directed, takes place in a New York City apartment comprised of a cultural diverse family of strangers, and was included in the Official Selection of Manhattan, Central Florida, and NewFilmmakers New York film festivals, and complement her other films The War in Heaven; and Bedtime. She also co-wrote Life After Her, which won the Platinum Award at the NYC Indie Film Awards in 2017, and was nominated for Best Original Screenplay and Best Actress in a Lead Role in the same year.

Anna’s work as a live performance and multimedia artist is vast, and consists of several installations and exhibitions such as Fashion Independence at Vanderbilt Hall; and Sa Coia, which combined dance, theatre and video projection and takes place in the island of Sardinia in 1945. As Creative Director at BdA, she has collaborated with Domenica Cameron-Scorsese, Michael and Kevin Bacon.

As an acting professor, she has immersed her students in the Sanford Meisner technique, of which she has developed significant expertise; in fact, Mr. Meisner assigned her the rights to bring forth his seminal book, On Acting, in an Italian edition. She worked with Tony Danza in his rehearsals for the Joseph Gordon-Leavitt film, Don Jon. She is currently an Adjunct Assistant Professor of Film at Columbia University. In our conversation, we discuss the Italian experience in the wave of the Pandemic; her journey to film in New York City; the process of working with Sanford Meisner and developing a unique understanding of the process of acting; and the mindset behind her several films as an actress and filmmaker.

Opening Credits: Ketsa - 15 Waiting-Room I Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0); 1st Contact - Unbiased View I Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0); Closing Credits: HoliznaCC0 - 4 (jazz) I CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication

Ep. 28 - Sam Lipsyte on No One Left to Come Looking for You, 90's NYC and a Corrupt Mayor

As an acclaimed novelist, essayist and author of short stories, writer Sam Lipsyte knows what it’s like to push the boundaries of form in the context of bold, irreverent and iconoclastic situations. In each of his literary masterpieces, he provides a glimpse into the humanity which surrounds the complex experiences which inform the foundation of their characters. He authored his debut publication, Venus Drive, in 2000, which consisted of a hilarious collection of short stories which demonstrate this thematic undertone in action. The Subject Steve followed in 2001; a poetic, existential, humorous satire examining topics which include life, disease and the meaning of it all. The novel provides a meditation on the irony of mortality through the lens of an eponymous protagonist after he receives a terminal diagnosis. “Home land,” which captures the taste of revisiting one’s cherished high school experience and all its grateful memories, arrived in 2004. The Ask followed in 2010, and navigated one man’s attempt to regain his old job back through participating in an ask which would change his life indefinitely. Throughout the years, up to and including the publication of his recent book, Hark (2019), Sam’s writing has been featured in dozens of publications including GQ, The New Yorker, Harper’s, The Washington Post and Playboy. He was an editor at FEED, and in talks with HBO to create a show around his work, “People City.” For nearly 20 years, he has taught fiction at Columbia University. His most recent book, No One Left to Come Looking for You, will be published on December 6, 2022 and can be pre-ordered on Amazon. In our conversation, we discussed the origins of his literary interests and talents; his father, the renowned Robert Lipsyte; and the musical underpinnings which formed the backdrop for his latest work.

Opening Credits: The Wrong Sister - Looking at the sun I Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-ND 4.0); HoliznaCC0 - 2 (jazz); Closing Credits I CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication: El Jugador - A Couple Of Crumbs I Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0)

Ep. 27 - Hilary Brougher on South Mountain, Stephanie Daley and The Sticky Fingers of Time

Hilary Brougher writes and directs films which blend the mechanics of original storytelling with gritty development of character. Through incisive dialogue; emotional harbingers of hope followed by inevitable glimpses of realism, Hilary’s projects each carry with them a distinct piece of the era in which they were constructed. Growing up in Catskill, NY, she would frequent the cinema every week to catch a taste of the latest auteur to be featured, such as Fellini. Jim Jarmusch, Spike Lee, Gillian Armstrong and Jane Campion were among the filmmakers she admired into the 80’s. She made her film debut as writer and director of The Sticky Fingers of Time (Terumi Matthews; Nicole Zaray; James Urbaniak), which premiered at the Venice Film Festival in 1997. Shot on Super 16 in Williamsburg, the film captured the scent of the 1950’s noir genre in unparalleled unique fashion and flair through the vein of time-travel, feeling stuck and reminiscing about the future. Her next feature film, Stephanie Daley, was developed at the Sundance Lab and starred Academy Award Winner Tilda Swinton and Amber Tamblyn in lead roles; the film portrayed themes of trauma, pregnancy and the search for truth fueled by heavy emotions and performances which followed suit. Timothy Hutton, Denis O’Hare, Melissa Leo and Jim Gaffigan support the storyline in masterful and different ways. Hilary won the Waldo Scott Screenplay Award at the Sundance Film Festival, and Best Director at the Milan International Film Festival; Stephanie Daley was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival, while Tamblyn was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award for her gripping performance as the title character. Hilary then adapted Jane Mendelsohn’s novel Innocence into a feature film of the same name, which starred Kelly Reilly, Sophie Lane Curtis, Sarita Choudhury and delved into the teen horror, vampire fiction genre. Her latest film, South Mountain, is a poetic expanse on life, liberty and morality through lens of masterful performances by Talia Balsam, Scott Cohen and Andrus Nichols. She worked with “Sticky Fingers” collaborator, cinematographer and husband, Ethan Mass, on the project, and displayed the craft she has continued to execute with charm throughout her illustrious career. She is Professor of Professional Practice in Film at Columbia University. In our conversation, we discussed shooting on film; practical considerations in distribution; and directing some of the best actors of all time.

Opening Credits: Delay 77 - Nothing at All I Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0); Closing Credits: HoliznaCC0 - The Dull Blade Of Repetition I CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication

Ep. 26 - Madeline Taylor on John Adams, The Girl Next Door and Changeover

Madeline Taylor knew she wanted to become an actress from an early age, and she transferred drive toward action in a swift series of steps at the age of 8. As a 10 year old, she made her feature film debut in The Girl Next Door (Blanche Baker; Mark Margolis; Blythe Auffarth) as the sister of a teenager severely abused by their caretaker aunt and a neighborhood gang of boys. Madeline played a character who has polio; has to wear a leg-brace; and is subject to witnessing the gravity of the trauma which takes place. The film, which was based on a true story, was a 50’s period piece, and demonstrated Madeline’s ability and interest to take on darker, more adult roles which warranted serious discipline and commitment. Since then, she has acted in several significant works of film and television, including Law & Order: Special Victims Unit; Rectify (SundanceTV); Banshee (Cinemax); Army Wives (Lifetime); and The Inspectors (CBS). In addition, she worked on the acclaimed HBO mini-series John Adams (Paul Giamatti; Laura Linney; David Morse) which won 13 Emmy Awards during its run; she played “Young Nabby Adams,” daughter of John and Abigail Adams and was directed by Academy Award winner Tom Hooper. Her collaborative acting work with veteran actor Estes Tarver culminated with Changeover, a film ahead of its time which examined the affect of trauma on mental health in a high school student who attempts to deal with significant loss and grief. And she explored comedy and improvisation in her leading role in Raliegh, I Kinda Like You (Reid Hutch; Bill Frost; Tor Ramsey), which brought her to her home state of North Carolina. We discussed the value of independence during adolescence; trauma in characters; stage combat; the ensemble element of performing; Little Miss Sunshine; and growing as an actor, performer and personally.

Opening Credits: HoliznaCC0 - Western ShowDown I CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication; Closing Credits: Miseryslims - Cub's World I Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Ep. 25 - Andrew Hafitz on Bully, Naz & Maalik and Todd Solondz

Andrew Hafitz is a veteran editor who has worked on some of the most unique films of all time. After graduating from Yale, and parleying a foray into copywriting, the New Jersey native gained experience in apprentice and assistant editor roles on several films, including Ang Lee’s Sense and Sensibility. He edited multiple feature films prior to working on Whit Stillman’s 1998 film Last Days of Disco (Chloe Sevigny; Kate Beckinsale; Matt Ross; Robert Sean Leonard), with whom he later collaborated with on Damsels in Distress in 2011 (Adam Brody; Greta Gerwig). Another major collaborator of note is the interesting Larry Clark; Andrew edited the seminal Bully in 2001 (Bijou Phillips; Leo Fitzpatrick; Nick Stahl; Michael Pitt), and Ken Park (2004). Other acclaimed films Andy has edited include Keane (Damian Lewis; Amy Ryan; Abigail Breslin); Here (Peter Coyote; Ben Foster); Very Good Girls (Naomi Foner; Dakota Fanning; Elizabeth Olsen); Angelica (Jena Malone); Naz & Maalik (Jay Dockendorf); Equity (Anna Gunn); the Tony Gilroy/Brad Anderson, Beirut (Jon Hamm; Rosamund Pike); Charlie Says (Mary Harron); and The Evening Hour (Lili Taylor). He is also an Adjunct Professor at Columbia University. In our conversation, we discussed his collaborations with Whit Stillman and Larry Clark; editing film and the era of digital filmmaking; his relationship with Todd Solondz; and the experiences governing his evolving perception of filmmaking and being a prolific editor.

Opening Credits: HoliznaCC0 - Grunge I CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication; Closing Credits: PSRV - Túneis I Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Ep. 24 - Stephen Molton on The Drowning, Brave Talk and Elvis Meets Nixon

Acclaimed screenwriter and novelist Stephen Molton has amassed a lauded portfolio of impactful credits in several media. After breaking into television through writing screenplays for the Paul Newman-produced PBS's Children's Television Workshop, Stephen wrote his first novel, Brave Talk, which was published by Harper & Row in 1987 and provided a riveting, multi-angled introspective portrait of life in the Navy. He served as a creative executive for HBO, Showtime and MTV in the years which followed, while writing his second novel, and co-directed and produced L.A. Homefront: The Fires Within, a Showtime documentary about the Los Angeles Riots, in 1994. Other features he authored for Showtime include SmarTalk and The Accident; the adaptive mini-series, Live By the Sword (Gus Russo) and Weaveworld (Clive Barker). With the former, Stephen co-authored Brothers in Arms: The Kennedys, the Castros and the Politics of Murder, endorsed for Pulitzer Prize consideration by the book’s publisher and winner of the New York Book Festival’s prize for history in 2009. Films Stephen has written include Deep Blue (Stealth) for New Line Cinema (based on Brave Talk); The Road to East Jesus; and The Drowning for Netflix in 2017 (Josh Charles; Julia Stiles; Leo Fitzpatrick), a Bette Gordon directed adaptation of the book Border Crossing, which he also executive produced. Stephen is an adjunct assistant professor of screen-writing at Columbia University and an instructor at the Jacob Krueger Studio in New York; he attended University of Chicago, MIT and Oberlin College. In our conversation, we discussed his unique upbringing as the son of a progressive Baptist minister; the Navy infrastructure which laid the backdrop for his first novel; Generation 9/11, his documentary, and Elvis Meets Nixon, which he was involved with as an executive for Showtime and inspired Elvis & Nixon (Kevin Spacey; Michael Shannon; Evan Peters); rock and roll and folk music; and the differentiability between the east coast and the midwest.

Opening Credits: 1st Contact - On the other Side I Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0); Closing Credits: 1st Contact - Beware of the Cow I Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Ep. 23 - David Soldier on The Kropotkins, John Cale and Kurt Vonnegut

David Soldier has achieved a rare distinction — not only is he an accomplished Columbia University neuroscientist with over 200 papers and publications, several research grants and numerous prestigious awards to his credit, he is an equally successful and prolific musician in almost every genre of music. His musical undertakings include his work with the Soldier String Quartet (since 1984), a punk chamber group which has recorded with Guided by Voices, Rick Ocasek (Frontman for The Cars), Elliott Sharp, Leroy Jenkins and frequent collaborator John Cale (Velvet Underground); The Kropotkins, comprising Lori Velvette, Velvet Underground Drummer Moe Tucker, Charles Burnham (James Blood Ulmer’s Odyssey Band) and Jonathan Kane, the latter with whom David formed the versatile duo, Soldier Kane. Other prolific legends with whom David has collaborated include Bo Diddley, Pete Seeger, Richard Hell and Sonic Youth’s Lee Ranaldo. He wrote two chamber operas with Kurt Vonnegut (The Soldier’s Story and Ice-9 Ballads), with Vonnegut playing multiple characters in the works. Films David has arranged or scored include I Shot Andy Warhol (Jared Harris); Andy Warhol’s Eat and Kiss; and Basquiat, directed by Julian Schnabel and starring Jeffrey Wright and Benicio del Toro. From an experimental side, he has collaborated with conceptual Russian artists Komar & Melamid; and formed the Thai Elephant Orchestra, a musical ensemble consisting of 14 elephants, which he assembled, coordinated and composed. In our conversation, we discuss David’s unique discovery of music in Southern Illinois; working with the giants of music; creating music which transcends genre; the origins of rock and roll; and the power of simplicity in hip hop.

Opening Credits: Independent Music Licensing Collective (IMLC) - New Lands I Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0); Closing Credits: Jack Adkins - Little Stinky I Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)