Surviving Hollywood

Episode 108. If you didn't attend Pasadena Film Festival this year then you totally missed out! Especially on seeing the winner of the "BEST SHORT FILM." This year it went to a short film that we totally loved called "Bobby," which was written, directed and starred Henry Burge. Today he joined us on the pod and broke down his production process, funding and how this short got him in talks with a rep at UTA. 

Episode 107. Our good buddy Brian Shakti joins us on the pod to talk about finally being back in-person at film festivals and our experience at the Pasadena International Film Festival. We had 2 films playing at the festival and we share how they were received, the best parts of the festival and how Johnny ended up winning "Best Actor" at PIFF. 

Episode 106. Joining us on the podcast is actor Gerardo Davila. He worked with Johnny several years ago on a feature film they shot in Texas. Today we talked about his work in the new film "The Suicide Squad." He talks to us about working with director James Gunn, the audition process and his acting career. 

Episode 105. We were on a bit of a hiatus cause we were all so busy, but today's episode we are giving you a quick update in our busy lives and also letting you know that the short films we produced and directed will be playing at two upcoming film festivals. Here is the info: Pasadena Film Festival: Easters Eggs  Instant Gratification Noho Cinefest Letter From God Instant Gratification

Episode 104. In today's episode we are joined by the talented Angelica Nwandu. She is the creator of the hugely successful, "The Shade Room." She talks to us about how she came up with the idea, how it grew to a massive success and how she is currently writing and producing a feature film called, JuJu, with Issa Rae and LaLa Anthony. 

Episode 103. In today's pod we are joined by film director Gino McKoy. He talks to us about directing his first full sci-fi feature film, LUMINA, shot entirely in Morocco and starring Eric Roberts. He explains the details behind acquiring funding, having to change his entire cast and shooting in another country. 

Episode 102. Today we are joined by talent manager Andrea Courtney of The Green Room. She talks to us about how the industry has changed post-covid, the bubble acting markets in each region, what she looks for in talent and her biggest client pet peeves. 

Episode 101. In this episode we give a little update on our busy lives. We talk about bookings, producer's sessions and being pinned on projects. We also talk about the new world of NFT's and how they could affect the industry moving forward and if they are a viable source of income for actors and artists alike. 

Episode 100. We made it to a 100 episodes! Man it wasn't easy, but somehow we hung around and we are still here. In today's fun festivities we are joined by actor, writer, producer, talent manager and teacher Chi Muoi Lo. He has had a long acting career going all the way back to his childhood and working in Hong Kong. He is now a talent manager at Allen Edelman Management and recently created a digital course called "Mastering the Business of Acting," which helps all actors learn about the business side of Hollywood that no one teaches. 

Episode 99. Hey its Oscar season! Except we are still sorta in a pandemic, so events have changed quite a bit in Hollywood. While Johnny is out of town, we had our good buddy Brian Shakti sit down with the twins and make their best Oscar predictions before the big night. Enjoy!

Episode 98. Our guest today is writer, director, editor Aaron Fjellman. He just released a feature called "Caged," which is now available for streaming on most major platforms including Amazon. He talks to us about how the idea originated with this suspense thriller, how he acquired distribution and investors and his best advice for first-time directors. 

Episode 97. In today's episode we talk with the head of development and production of Kevin Hart's "Laugh Out Loud" Network, Candice Wilson Cherry. She is an amazing guest that shares with us how she rose to her position, the best way to pitch projects to production companies and the best way to get your work noticed. 

Episode 96. This week we are joined by actor and producer Louis Herthum. You might recognize this working actor from his role in HBO's Westworld. He talks to us about his early acting career, taking a break to produce feature films and how his role in Westworld changed his career. 

Today we sat down with actor and producer Max Adler. You might recognize him for the hugely popular TV show, Glee. Since then he is a busy working actor having appeared in several primetime TV shows and big studio feature films such as Clint Eastwood's Sully and most recently Aaron Sorkin's Trial of the Chicago 7. Max also talks to us about producing and through his connections has been able to help produce some major films such as The Tax Collector and Trial of the Chicago 7. 

Episode 94. We've been on a bit of a hiatus and Johnny talks about how his mental health was the main reason for taking a break. We also have an update on all the cool projects we have been working on since our last episode earlier this year. 

Episode 93. Welcome back everyone! It's officially 2021 and this year we are kicking things off with a great interview with writer and director Mike Mosallam and producer Seth Hauer. They recently finished the feature film, "Breaking Fast," a modern day love story set in West Hollywood about a gay Muslim doctor who struggles to move on after a breakup. This rom-com touches on faith, sexuality and relationships. We had the honor of seeing a screener of the film and it was amazing. We talk to Mike and Seth about the inspiration behind the story, the process of making the film and how important it is to see diversity on screen. Breaking Fast is set to release on VOD on January 22nd. 

Episode 92. On today's pod we sit down and give an update of what we have all been up to and the projects we are working on currently. We also discuss how production is going to look moving forward in 2021, the vaccine for Covid-19 and where we think the industry is trending. 

Episode 91. Our newest guest is actor Miguel Chavez, who plays Eduardo on the comedy series A.P. Bio, which plays on NBC's streaming service, "Peacock." Miguel talks to us about the casting process when he got the audition, the acting classes that really helped him take his career to the next level and his future goals. 

Episode 90. It's an exciting day today as we have film director and producer Richard Bosner. He's most known for producing the award-winning Sundance film "Fruitvale Station" with Michael B. Jordan. Rick talks to us about how he came on board to produce that film in San Francisco, the best ways to get funding for your project and his new feature film "Black Bear," starring Aubrey Plaza. The film was a huge hit at Sundance 2020 and is now available on all streaming platforms and select theaters. 

Episode 89. This week the annual NOHO Cinefest kicks off! It's a great film festival in North Hollywood that we had the pleasure of being a part of a few years ago with some of our short films. The founder of the festival, Gustavo Sampaio, joined us to talk about how film festivals have had to evolve because of Covid, how he is making his festival stand out from the rest and the importance of keeping theaters alive. If anyone would like to attend the festival virtually, it starts on December 4th-12th and there is an exclusive promo code "Noho50" that will give you half off the admission fee. 

Episode 88. Our guest today is Emmy-nominated director Krista Liney. She directed Austin and Aaron in a recent Geico commercial currently airing on Hulu. She talks to us about how she came from the producing content for the Sundance Channel and A&E Networks to directing music videos with Tyga and Justin Bieber and creating promos for ABC's The Bachelor, Star Trek's Picard and Beverly Hills 90210. 

Episode 87. Today we are joined by Xaypani Baccam. He is a man of many hats. Xaypani is an actor, writer, producer and more recently has been working in film marketing. He has tested movies for all the main studios, including films like, Green Book and Bohemian Rhapsody. He talks to us about the importance of testing movies with live audiences before they are ever released to the public, some of his bad audition stories and how Hollywood has evolved for people of color. 

Episode 86. It's Election Day! We have been waiting all of 2020 for this moment. There's nothing more important and on all of our minds right now than the future of our nation. On this episode we just sit down and discuss of the few of the issues and how they might possibly affect our industry and the country. 

Episode 85. In this episode we sit down with actor and life coach Dajuan Johnson. You might recognize him as Detective Rondell Pierce on the hit Amazon TV show, "Bosch." He has also worked on numerous other shows and projects such as, Grey's Anatomy, Brooklyn 99 and the film Caged Animal, where he says people always recognize him from. Dajuan tells us how he went from a day player on an Amazon pilot to becoming a regular/recurring on Bosch, how to train your mind to think differently and the coaching system he created called THINK BIGGER TRIBE to help actors reach a new level in their career.

Eipisode 84. In this episode we are joined by co-founder of the Pasadena International Film Festival, Marco Neves. He and his wife Jessica Hardin created the festival several years ago and it has been a great success. We sit down and chat about how they have adapted to this Covid world, the future of film festivals and movie theaters and what filmmakers can do to get their films accepted into festivals. They will be hosting an online festival called, "Virtual PIFF," where they will be screening films from around the world beginning October 19th on their website. 

Episode 83. We met actor and musician Tom Proctor at the Chandler Film Festival when our short film "Papua," was playing and also won an award for Best Comedy Short. At that festival he had a film called "Legacy," in which he won Best Actor at the festival. You might recognize Tom from the dozens of film and TV roles such as, the Oscar winning film "12 Years A Slave," the huge Marvel hit "Guardians of The Galaxy" and The Cohen Brothers film, "The Ballad of Buster Scruggs." We talk to him about his music, how he loves to do projects that are different than the normal characters he plays and how to just be yourself during the casting process. 

Episode 82. Today we are joined by writer, director and producer Fernando Viso. He directed a short film Johnny was in, called, "Irritable Heart." The film is currently in the "virtual" film festival circuit and will be premiering at LA Shorts International Festival on October 8th. It has also been nominated for various awards by other festivals. We sat down to talk to him about his short and his newest projects in development, including an animated feature film with Eddie Murphy's production company and a TV series that he is currently pitching for development with a Oscar winning writer's production company. 

Episode 81. Sneak attack. First we wanted to make an Oscars correction that was brought to our attention by a fan and we had an old guest visit us and he didn't even know he was coming on. You might remember actor Johnny Day from a previous podcast. The last time we spoke he mentioned he was considering leaving LA, well he did. We talk to him about why he made this decision and midway through we are also joined by our theme song creator Goonzie Koonzie. This was a fun episode to catch up with some old friends and make new ones. 

Episode 80. Even in the middle of a pandemic apparently the show must go on! For our 80th episode we react to the most unusual Emmy Awards we've probably ever seen. In case you missed it, this year's Emmys was hosted by Jimmy Kimmel with no audience and all the nominees received their Emmy awards from home. What a wild year. It was an interesting experiment and we break down all the winners/snubs, share some hot takes and whether this will be sustainable for future award ceremonies going forward. 

Episode 79. Our friend and casting director Michael Testa joins us on the pod again. The last time he was on, the industry looked a lot different and Michael joined us to talk about auditioning in this Covid era, what casting is seeing and expects from actors and how his latest film will playing at the Toronto International Film Festival. Virtually. It's a whole new world.

Episode 78. On today's pod, we are joined by actress, Clarissa Thibeaux, who is best known for playing "Xavin" on the Marvel TV show Runaways on Hulu. We have a great conversation with her about the unorthodox way she found out she booked the role, the importance of people in color in positions of power in Hollywood and how her being an orphan was the reason she created her new podcast called Abandonment Issues.

Episode 77. Imagine a comedian performing stand up live in your own house and actually being able to interact with you from across the world. Well now it's a reality, thanks to comedian Bubba Ginnetty. Amidst the pandemic, he started a production called "InCrowd." It essentially allows a comedian to perform live in front of up to 5,000 people on a giant Zoom chat screen, where they have the ability to see your name and interact with you, all while never having to leave your home. Say goodbye to the 2 drink minimum. Bubba breaks down how this could be the future of comedy and live events and how he got started in the Boston comedy circuit. 

Episode 76. Coming to you all the way from France! Today we are joined by actor and composer Stephen Manas. He is currently starring alongside Jason Sudeikis on the new Apple TV show, Ted Lasso. He talks about the audition process for his role, the acting industry in Bollywood and music he composed for Fast and The Furious. 

Episode 75. On today's episode we are joined by actor, director and producer, Roberto Sanchez. Johnny met Roberto working on the set of Queen of the South. Roberto has a long list of IMDB credits, ranging from dozens of TV shows such as Lethal Weapon, Bones, Arrested Development, Training Day and NCIS to several indie features and his most notable credit 2 Fast 2 Furious alongside Paul Walker and Tyrese. Roberto shares some great stories about working with the late John Singleton and the advice he gave him in a callback, producing and directing his own films and the risk he took moving from Miami to Hollywood to start a brand new career.

Episode 74. It's a weird, funny world right now so we wanted to keep it light and fresh and decided to take some Hollywood news and offer up some hot takes. This was a fun episode. It sizzles. 

Episode 73. Our good friend actor Eddie Flake joined us on the pod. We might remember Eddie as a previous guest and as an actor that lives in Vancouver. Today he gives us the perspective of how the Canadian film industry has been affected by Covid, how the BLM movement is different there and if it will be necessary to live in Los Angeles anymore after this pandemic with the increase of self-tapes. 

Episode 72. In today's episode we are joined by the wonderful Jessica Sherman. She is a casting director that has worked on numerous TV shows such as Bates Motel and The Strain created by Guillermo Del Toro. She also worked in the casting department on some of Hollywood's biggest films, such as, Star Wars Episode VII - The Force Awakens, Mission Impossible - Ghost Protocol and Star Trek Into Darkness. She also casted the short film "Skin" which won an Oscar for best short film in 2018. We talk about how she fell into the casting world, actor and casting director misconceptions and what you can do to stand out in the room. 

Episode 71. It's been awhile since we had a podcast without a guest, so we decided to catch up on our audience questions and talk about the current state of Hollywood. We talk about cancel culture, on-set audience questions and if it will be necessary to still live in Los Angeles with the future state of Hollywood. 

Episode 70. On today's episode we are joined by our first talent rep since we started this podcast. Our friend, writer, director, manager and founder of Cinterra Entertainment, Jess Canty joins us. Her company has been quickly making a name for itself in Hollywood as a reputable management firm and she has a solid client list of working actors. We talked to her about what she looks for when an actor submits for representation, the pitching and casting process and where she thinks the future of Hollywood is headed. 

Episode 69. Our guest today is Ian McClarren, he's one of Johnny's really good friends and they known each other for years. They both lived in Arizona and worked together as camera operators for the ABC show, "Right This Minute," or RTM as they call it. Ian moved to Hollywood many years ago to pursue a career as an editor. Since moving here, he has worked on movies like The Lion King, Jungle Book, Harrison Ford's Ender's Game and The Judge with Robert Downey Jr. We talk to Ian about his world behind the camera and what it takes to piece together a giant Disney film, working with Jon Favreau, how he's been able to find success in the industry and why he refuses to edit any of Johnny's movies. Roll it!

Episode 68. Today we are joined by film and TV director Chris Grismer. Austin had the opportunity to work with Chris on the set of Deputy on FOX. Chris has directed several TV shows ranging from Pretty Little Liars to The Vampire Diaries. He was also one of the executive producers of Deputy and Designated Survivor on Netflix. Chris tells us how he was able to get his agent through film festivals, advice to aspiring directors and what he looks for when an actor auditions for an episode he is directing. 

Episode 67. The twins worked on a feature film called, "Splitting Image," and that's were they met and worked with the talented Anna Hutichson. You may recognize her from Cabin In The Woods, Spartacus or Anger Management. She sat down and talked to us about her audition experiences in Hollywood compared to New Zealand, what it's like being represented by her husband at Brave Artists and working with Joss Whedon and Chris Hemsworth. 

Episode 66. On today's pod we sat down with actor, producer, spoken word poet, author and basically just artist, David Bianchi. Johnny had the opportunity to work with David on the set of Insatiable and David has been killing it consistently. From appearing on Birds Of Prey with Margot Robbie, to guest spots on TV such as Westworld and Queen of The South. We had an open, vulnerable and powerful conversation with David about the current Black Lives Matter movement in Los Angeles, how it will change Hollywood and what we can each do to help contribute to the cause. 

Episode 65. Today was a little different. We were scheduled to have a guest on the podcast and for the first time ever, we had a no show. I mean really? Who would not want to talk to us?? Anyway, we stayed on the zoom for a little while waiting and started talking about what's currently happening in Hollywood and the world. As I am sure everyone knows, Los Angeles is on fire right now, literally. So is the rest of the world. This sparked some conversation between us about the ongoing battle against racial injustice, the death of George Floyd and Black Lives Matter. 

Episode 64. Anyone of us would love to work with one of Hollywood's top directors like Christopher Nolan, James Cameron or Sam Raimi. But what if you got to work with all three of them? Today's guest is actor Dileep Rao, who had the opportunity to do just that. You might recognize him alongside Leonardo Dicaprio and Joseph Gordon-Levitt in Inception, in James Cameron's Avatar or in Drag Me To Hell directed by Sam Raimi. Dileep explains how he got started in acting, rising opportunities for Indian-American and minority actors in Hollywood and working with some of Hollywood's top directors. 

Episode 63. Our guest today is casting director Cara Chute Rosenbaum. She's casted several of your favorite TV shows such as The League, The Mindy Project, American Crime Story and The Last Man on Earth. She's also casted indie films and huge blockbusters like, Jumanji: The Next Level, Stuber and Waldo, the upcoming feature with Mel Gibson and Charlie Hunnam. We spoke to her about the future of Hollywood and how she believes casting will evolve moving forward with the Covid crisis, tips and advice to actors when they audition in the room and the best way to stay on her radar for upcoming projects. Every actor should listen to this one. 

Episode 62: We have been trying to get Payman Benz to be a guest on our podcast for awhile. We first heard Payman speaking at a panel at the Noho Cinefest while we were promoting our short film Papua that was playing at the same festival. Ever since then we have been wanting to talk to his great comedy director. Well, I guess the harassment finally paid off cause we finally got him! Payman has directed some of the most amazing comedy shows on TV including Key & Peele, Robbie, The Last Man on Earth, Who is America, Black Monday and Brooklyn 99. He also had some great stories about working with stand up comics, meeting Adam Sandler and advice he gives to upcoming filmmakers.  

Episode 61. The twins had the opportunity to work on a Sprint commercial with well-known commercial spokesman Paul Marcarelli. You might recognize him from the dozens of commercials he's worked on and most notably for the Verizon campaign, "Can you hear me now? Good." After working with Verizon for almost a decade he made the switch over to Sprint. Paul tells us what the audition process was like for Verizon, what it was like being the iconic face of a company, how his commercial success funded his film producing career and why someone said that infamous line at his grandmother's funeral. Seriously. Give it a listen!

Episode 60. We are really starting to enjoy this quarantine zoom, especially when we get to talk to fantastic guests like Katherine Castro. She is a Latina actress, producer, entrepreneur and podcaster. She basically does it all. She tell us about her new podcast called "Talk Fast, Listen Slow" where they tackle topics like sex, mental health and social issues in the Latino community. We also talk about how she started producing films, her latest voiceover gig on a scripted podcast series called America 2.0 with Laurence Fishburne and starting a company called Bloomi with all-natural intimate products for women. 

We are still in the middle of quarantine but that doesn't stop us from talking to some great guests! Today we "zoomed" with actor, writer, director and all around good guy Max Talisman. We talked about how he went from doing musical theatre in New York to writing and directing a feature film with Eric Roberts and Charlie Tahan of Ozark. We talk about trying to do pre-production during the quarantine, how he was able to get these great actors and where his inspiration comes from. 

Today we had a great conversation with up and coming director/filmmaker, Sophia Banks! Sophia shares her experience directing her sci-fi short film UNREGISTERED, taking it to Tribeca and getting CAA representation. She's also currently working on pitching her film as a potential network series and is definitely a director to look out for this year.