Navigating Hollywood

Brian  is the co-creator and executive producer of the top-rated Hallmark Channel original series When Calls the Heart and is the writer and producer of over two dozen films and TV movies such as The Heart of Man, Bopha!, Call Me Claus, Not Easily Broken, Captive, and The Case for Christ. Over his 40+ year career, Brian has written and/or produced nearly 350 episodes of television, including Evening Shade, Step by Step, and Touched by an Angel. Brian talks about how he got his start in the industry, how he thinks it's essential to be fearless to be successful and shares many inspirational stories and insights. He also discusses how the best legacy of When Calls the Heart is not the show, it's the HeartiesSee more at NavigatingHollywood.org.Links:• Watch on YouTube• When Calls the Heart Official Site• When Calls the Heart on Twitter• Navigating Hollywood• Brian Bird on IMDb, Twitter• Allen Wolf on IMDb, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter• Allen Wolf's website• Allen Wolf's movie websiteThank you to everyone who has seen The Sound of Violet in theaters. To find out when it's playing at a theater near you or when it will be released on video, visit TheSoundOfViolet.com.

The Sound of Violet is a romantic comedy about a man who thinks he found his soulmate but his autism keeps him from realizing she's a prostitute looking for a ticket out of her trapped life.  Lead cast members Cason Thomas, Cora Cleary, Jan D'Arcy, and Michael E. Bell join the movie's writer, director, and producer Allen Wolf, to talk about the challenges of making the movie, building the characters, and how the story inspired them. The Sound of Violet opens April 29, only in theaters. Get tickets and exclusive content at TheSoundofViolet.com.During this compelling discussion, Cason talks about his experience having a mom who was a victim of trafficking, how he grew up in the foster system of Houston, Texas, and how that informed his view of the story. Cora shares about how she went undercover to research her character while Jan and Michael talk about how they connected with their roles.Links:• The Sound of Violet Official Site• The Sound of Violet on IMDb, Facebook, Twitter, TikTok• Navigating HollywoodAllen Wolf's new movie, The Sound of Violet, will be coming out in theaters starting April 29th. To watch the trailer, see exclusive content, showtimes and more, please visit TheSoundofViolet.com. We'll have red carpet events and Q&As in select cities on opening weekend. You can find out more about that at TheSoundofViolet.com.

Composer Conrad Pope is one of the most respected and trusted musicians working in Hollywood today. He talks about how he got his start and how he creates memorable music. Composers such as John Williams, Alexandre Desplat, and Hans Zimmer have all called upon his expertise as one of the industry's top orchestrators as well as his abilities as a conductor and score producer, making him one of the most in-demand scoring professionals.Conrad has contributed to the scores of more than a hundred films. The iconic films on which he has worked range from the Star Wars prequel films, the Harry Potter series, to Jurassic Park, to  Pirates of the Caribbean, and more. Conrad created the musical score for Allen Wolf's new romantic comedy movie, The Sound of Violet.See more at NavigatingHollywood.org.Links:• Conrad Pope's Official Site• Conrad Pope on IMDb, Facebook• Navigating Hollywood• The Sound of Violet Official Site• Allen Wolf on IMDb, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter• Allen Wolf's website• Video InterviewAllen Wolf's new movie, The Sound of Violet, will be coming out in theaters starting April 29th. To watch the trailer, see exclusive content, showtimes and more, please visit TheSoundofViolet.com. We'll have red carpet events and Q&As in select cities on opening weekend. You can find out more about that at TheSoundofViolet.com.

Encore Episode : Sheryl J. Anderson, the Creator and Executive Producer of the hit Netflix show Sweet Magnolias, discusses how she started as a storyteller, the way her life experience made her uniquely qualified to create this hit show, and how faith has played a crucial role for her as an artist. She also talks about her life priorities and how she has been able to get where she is today.On writing Sweet Magnolias, Sheryl explains, "We had a running joke in the writer's room that we wanted to make the audience laugh out loud once an episode, cry once an episode, and then whatever they wanted to do in between was fine. But the running joke became that we wanted to do that to each other every day in the room and we laughed a lot together and we cried a lot together."This episode originally aired April 2021.See more at NavigatingHollywood.org.Links:• Sweet Magnolias Official Site• Sweet Magnolias on Facebook• Navigating Hollywood• Sheryl J. Anderson on IMDb, Twitter• Allen Wolf on IMDb, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter• Allen Wolf's website

Special Episode: Filmmaker Allen Wolf is  interviewed on The Autistic Me podcast where he talks about the challenge of portraying an autistic character in his upcoming movie, The Sound of Violet, as well as how he discovered the story, writing at Disneyland, and much more. We re-broadcast the episode here.• The Autistic Me podcast• The Autistic Me Blog• Order Allen's Book, The Sound of Violet• Navigating Hollywood's Marriage Course, Pre-Marriage Course, Alpha Course• Allen Wolf on IMDb, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter• Allen Wolf's website• Allen Wolf's new movie

Scott Teems wrote Halloween Kills with David Gordon Green and Danny McBride, and upcoming will be The Exorcist, and Stephen King's Firestarter. Scott was a writer and co-executive producer of the popular Netflix series Narcos: Mexico and he wrote, directed, and produced three seasons of the acclaimed, Peabody Award-winning TV drama Rectify. Scott discusses his career challenges, responds to critics with the deeper messages they may have missed in Halloween Kills,  what excites him as a storyteller, and why he rarely smiles.Links:• Order Allen's Book, The Sound of Violet• Scott Teems on IMDb• Navigating Hollywood's Marriage Course, Pre-Marriage Course, Alpha Course• Allen Wolf on IMDb, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter• Allen Wolf's website• Allen Wolf's new movieThe transcript for this episode can be found here.Video for this episode can be found here.

Tony nominee Elizabeth A. Davis and her husband, Emmy-nominee Jordan Richard, talk about their incredible journey through stage and television. Elizabeth's Broadway debut landed her a Tony Nomination and launched her on a multi-year search to discover her artistic voice. Jordan has won multiple Emmy nominations for his role as a director at NBC News. He talks about how the news can be biased, his role as a news director, and mishaps along the way. Elizabeth and Jordan also discuss how they have built a relationship where they encourage each other to develop their artistic voices and thrive. Links:• Order Allen's Book, The Sound of Violet• Elizabeth A. Davis Website• Elizabeth A. Davis on IMDb, Wikipedia• Designated Survivor Article about Jordan Richard• 1776 on Broadway• Navigating Hollywood's Marriage Course, Pre-Marriage Course, Alpha Course• Allen Wolf on IMDb, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter• Allen Wolf's website• Allen Wolf's new movieThe transcript for this episode can be found here.Video for this episode can be found here.

As a special agent for the FBI, James R. Fitzgerald (Jim) helped solve some of the highest profile criminal cases in U.S. history, including the Unabomber, the D.C. Sniper, the 2001 anthrax cases, and many more. Sam Worthington portrayed Jim in the acclaimed mini-series "Manhunt: Unabomber" on Netflix. Jim also served as a consultant for Criminal Minds and many other crime-related television shows. He gives advice for writers who are writing crime stories. Jim is the most special guest Allen Wolf  will ever interview for one reason: Jim is Allen's uncle. Allen didn't know they were related until recently and they share how they discovered their family ties later in the show.As a special agent for the FBI, James R. Fitzgerald (Jim) helped solve some of the highest profile criminal cases in U.S. history, including the Unabomber, the D.C. Sniper, the 2001 anthrax cases, and many more. Sam Worthington portrayed Jim in the acclaimed mini-series "Manhunt: Unabomber" on Netflix. Jim also served as a consultant for Criminal Minds and many other crime-related television shows. He gives advice for writers who are writing crime stories. Jim is the most special guest Allen will ever interview for one reason: Jim is Allen's uncle. Allen didn't know they were related until recently and they share how they discovered their family ties later in the show.Links:• Pre-Order Allen's Book, The Sound of Violet• James R. Fitzgerald's Website• James R. Fitzgerald on IMDb• James R. Fitzgerald's The Fitz Files.• James R. Fitzgerald's books, The Journey to the Center of the Mind• Navigating Hollywood's Marriage Course, Pre-Marriage Course, Alpha Course• Allen Wolf on IMDb, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter• Allen Wolf's website• Allen Wolf's new movieThe transcript for this episode can be found here.Video for this episode can be found here.

Film and TV producer Darren Moorman has worked with top Hollywood talent and most recently produced Blue Miracle with Dennis Quaid. Darren talks about his journey as a producer, what he would do differently if he had to redo his career and the kind of legacy he'd like to leave behind.Links:• Pre-Order Allen's Book, The Sound of Violet• Reserve Entertainment• Darren Moorman on IMDb• Newly Formed Producers Union Seeks To Collectively Bargain For Indie Feature Filmmakers• Navigating Hollywood's Marriage Course, Pre-Marriage Course, Alpha Course• Allen Wolf on IMDb, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter• Allen Wolf's website• Allen Wolf's new movieThe transcript for this episode can be found here.

Writer/Director Ricky Staub and Producer Dan Walser of the Netflix hit movie Concrete Cowboy, starring Idris Elba, discuss the story behind the making of the movie, their company's program to help the incarcerated, and how suffering has impacted each of their lives.Links: • Neighborhood Film Group• Ricky Staub's TED Talk• The Cage short film• The Neighborhood Film Group on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter•  Rick Staub on IMDb / Dan Walser on IMDb• Navigating Hollywood’s Marriage Course, Pre-Marriage Course, Alpha Course• Allen Wolf on IMDb, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter• Allen Wolf’s website• Allen Wolf's new movieThe transcript for this episode can be found here.Video for this episode can be found here.

Actress Emily Swallow shares her experience starring as The Armorer in The Mandalorian, and in the CBS show SEAL Team. She formerly played key roles in Supernatural, The Mentalist, and performed in many other parts in film as well as on stage. Emily talks about the challenges of being an actress in Hollywood, how she hit rock bottom in her life,  how everything turned around, and how she'd like to be remembered.What was it like attending a Star Wars premiere? What was the most surprising thing that a fan did? What's an audition that went wrong? Emily talks about that and more.• Star Wars Official Site• Emily Swallow on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, IMDb• Navigating Hollywood’s Marriage Course, Pre-Marriage Course, Alpha Course• Allen Wolf on IMDb, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter• Books mentioned: The Paradox of Choice, The Reason for God, Making Sense of God, The Meaning of Marriage• Article mentioned: Why Don’t the Rich Just Stop Working?• Allen Wolf’s websiteThe transcript for this episode can be found here.Video for this episode can be found here.

It's Hollywood's Biggest Night! Filmmaker Allen Wolf shares surprising facts and trivia about the Academy Awards®, and his own experience being an Oscar® best man. We're also giving away prizes to listeners of the show.Oscar® night is Hollywood’s biggest night of the year, if you work in movies, and that’s because of what the Oscars® represent - the highest achievement for a motion picture voted on by your peers. The Academy Awards® started in 1929 when they handed out their first awards at a dinner party for about 250 people at the blossom room of the Roosevelt Hotel in Hollywood, but what's happened since?Who paid 1.54 million to own an Oscar® ? which actor got jilted and then got revenge on the Oscar® stage?  Which film cost $280 million and didn't win Best Picture? You'll find out all of that and more during this special episode about Hollywood's Biggest Night.Links:• Academy Awards Official Site• Navigating Hollywood's Marriage Course, Pre-Marriage Course, Alpha Course• Allen Wolf on IMDb, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter• Allen Wolf's website• Allen Wolf's You're Pulling My Leg! book on Amazon• Navigating Hollywood's Podcast SiteThe transcript for this episode can be found here.Video for this episode can be found here.

Filmmaker Allen Wolf interviews Sheryl J. Anderson, the Creator and Executive Producer of the Netflix show, Sweet Magnolias.  They talk about how she started as a storyteller, the way her life experience made her uniquely qualified to create this hit show, and how faith has played a crucial role for her as an artist. She also talks about what's important in her life and how she has been able to get where she is today. Watch the video on YouTube.On writing Sweet Magnolias, Sheryl explains, "We had a running joke in the writer's room that we wanted to make the audience laugh out loud once an episode, cry once an episode, and then whatever they wanted to do in between was fine. But the running joke became that we wanted to do that to each other every day in the room and we laughed a lot together and we cried a lot together."Allen ends the interview by asking about the cliffhanger in Sweet Magnolias. "Who was in the car?" See more at NavigatingHollywood.org.

Host and filmmaker Allen Wolf interviews editor Harry Yoon about his work on the Oscar-nominated Minari, his work in the upcoming Marvel film Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, as well as how he survives and thrives in Hollywood.In this episode, Harry reveals how Minari was created and some of the challenges they experienced in the making of this award-winning movie. Harry talks about how he started as an editor, what it's like working on an independent film versus a major studio film, and how he keeps himself inspired as an artist and sharpened as an editor.  Surviving in Hollywood means that Harry has to find importance outside of his achievements and he shares how that has been possible.

Allen interviews Daniel K. Hoh, a writer from ABC’s Station 19, and his wife Deborah King about his writing career and the joys and challenges of being married in Hollywood.Daniel K. Hoh & Deborah King Dan and Deb first met at a rooftop restaurant in Santa Monica on a cool fall evening in 2010. She was a lawyer and he was an ER doctor. After getting married in 2013, Deb switched her career to corporate healthcare and made a job of telling doctors what to do-both at work and at home! Dan eventually made a switch too, from practicing medicine to TV writing. He now spends most of his days being a storyteller and writes for Station 19 on ABC, a spinoff of Grey's Anatomy.When Dan decided to pursue a career in writing, his wife didn't run away. He says, "I commend her for believing in me and for not running away and saying, I married you as this one person with a certain promise of stability and security and now you want to go do the most unstable job. We’re in the most unstable industry ever."Dan is thankful for his life experience and says it's essential for being a good writer. "Being creative means nothing if you don't actually have the life experience to draw from. A writer who hasn't gone through a lot of interesting or difficult situations is less likely to have good stories than somebody who's been through a lot."

Allen interviews Sarah Drew from Grey’s Anatomy who talks about her career, the definition of success in Hollywood, her roles on Madmen, Everwood, and Glee, the advice Ed Harris gave to her when she was filming her first movie, what grounds her in the ups and downs of Hollywood, and more in this candid and inspiring conversation.Sarah Drew’s first job was providing the voice role of “Stacy Rowe” on the animated series, Daria, when Drew was still in high school. Beginning in 2004, she was a featured cast member on the western series, Everwood. After having minor roles in the series, Private Practice and as “Kitty Romano” on Mad Men, Drew was cast in a recurring role as “Dr. April Kepner” on the acclaimed medical drama, Grey’s Anatomy. Sarah has also had supporting roles in the films, Radio, and American Pastime, as well as a starring role in the comedy, Moms’ Night Out. A resident of Los Angeles, Sarah has two children and her husband is a professor.Sarah comments about the pitfalls of social media. "We are not meant to have the kind of feedback that we get on social media. We're meant to get feedback from a small community of humans that we’re in a relationship with. We are not meant to hear four hundred thousand people's opinions of what you look like or how angry they are at you or whether they hate you or love you."In talking about being successful, Sarah says, "I don't want to get swept away by trying to impress people or by getting the next gig so that I can be successful. I want to stay focused on loving people and being loved and that needs to be the core always. That needs to be the driving force any time I do a project. How do I love these characters? How do I love the audience through the telling of this story? So my letter to my 20-year-old self would be, keep that fire alive, return to that truth and that ultimate vision and drive even if it has to become a practice but you must return to it. Otherwise, this industry will eat you alive and you will never feel like you're enough.""What is success? Is success winning an Emmy? No. Is Success being a star of a television show? No. Actually, success is being seen, known, and loved and getting to offer that to other humans."