Meet your hosts Chris and Mike! Two full-time video producers, digital filmmakers, and movie fanatics who spend most of their time in front of screens or behind cameras. The duo may not be Hollywood directors just yet, but until they make it, they'll be chatting with guests ranging from full-time TV show editors to actors, producers, and everything in between.
Episode Notes What's it like working at Netflix Animation for years… and never having anything released? In this episode, we catch up with Joshua Lewkowicz, a longtime friend of the show and an assistant/associate editor at Netflix, to unpack the unseen side of the animation industry — the long hours, the creative burnout, and the projects that disappear into studio limbo. Josh talks candidly about the experience of working on unreleased shows, the highs and lows of bouncing between roles, and what it means to feel like your work isn't seeing the light of day. We also dig into why Andor might be the best Star Wars series ever made — and how it succeeds where so many others fall flat — before ending with a wild behind-the-scenes story involving stunt choreography, last-minute prep, and Kel Mitchell's… anatomy. It's a funny and sobering look at the creative grind — from inside one of the biggest studios in the world. 00:00 - Intro 02:39 - Josh Works At Netflix Animation 05:07 - Making Art No One Will See 16:44 - The Artist Struggle 20:10 - Treat It Like A JOB 26:01 - Why go to Disney Land so often? 31:54 - Is Star Wars Land Cool or nah? 40:21 - Andor is GREAT 52:19 - Guillermo del Toro loves Josh 58:31 - The Kel Mitchell Story 01:15:41 - Test Screening our New Film 01:21:13 - GAME TIME: Writers Room Find out more at https://until-you-make-it.pinecast.co
Episode Notes What's it really like to tour with a band while shooting their music videos, managing merch, and directing creative strategy—sometimes all at once? On this episode of Until You Make It, we sit down with photographer, videographer, and all-around creative multitasker Connor Meany. From building DIY sets for $10K music video albums to shooting concerts while also acting as tour manager, Connor shares his journey of turning passion projects into a sustainable creative career in the music industry. Connor opens up about the highs and lows of wearing eight different hats on the road, shifting back into music after a stint in e-commerce, and how creative autonomy fuels his best work. We dive deep into the changing expectations of music content creators, surviving the social media video grind, and why working with artists you truly connect with matters more than ever. 00:00:00 - In this ep 00:00:57 - Hosts Catch Up 00:03:20 - What we can learn from grandparents 00:10:50 - Connor intro 00:21:40 - Shooting with bands, how does it work? 00:25:13 - Music video budgets (Save Face) 00:33:00 - Getting creative with budgets 00:40:08 - The shift to "jack-of-all-trades" 00:48:23 - How do you grow shooting music? 00:53:48 - What should you focus on? 00:57:43 - Corporate gigs vs. Passion 01:08:04 - What's your dream music video project? 01:14:20 - Has AI affected this industry? 01:21:23 - Authenticity will prevail... kinda 01:30:18 - The shift to social first content 01:35:03 - What's touring with a band like? 01:46:40 - Never stop making 01:51:53 - The GREAT DEBATE (movie theater madness) 01:58:31 - CHICKEN JOCKEY 02:24:50 - GAME SEGMENT (Improv Music) Find out more at https://until-you-make-it.pinecast.co
Episode Notes What's it like to land your dream job in TV? Tyler Law shares his journey from student filmmaker to producing award-winning content for Syfy, Oxygen, and more. From goofy college shorts to high-stakes network promos, we dive into the creative grind, staying grounded, and what it really means to “make it.” In this episode: – How Tyler produced the Chucky Season 3 teaser – The workflow behind TV marketing at NBCUniversal – Editing software and gear talk – Why climbing the ladder isn't always the goal – How networking changed everything 0:00 - Intro 1:19 - Mike & Chris catch up 6:18 - Guest Intro 10:54 - TCNJ Video Stories 20:31 - Tyler stole Chris' Job! 32:42 - Tyler has his DREAM job 48:42 - Happy Right Where I Am 52:38 - Chucky 58:52 - Being a FAN of your own show 1:05:11 - Why the Tools You Use Matter (or Don't) 1:19:55 - Camera Talk + A Wedding Shoot Disaster 1:23:20 - Man Cow & Milk Man (Our Milk Based Films) 1:31:04 - Our New Film Marketing Strategy 1:46:40 - Our Biggest Critics 1:52:26 - What does "making it" mean to us? 1:55:50 - GAME TIME
On this episode of Until You Make It, Frank takes us behind the scenes of working as an assistant camera in New York City, sharing his unique experiences on a range of productions, including the hit show "Severance". We also explore Frank's passion for shooting on film, diving into the unique differences from shooting digital. Whether you're a film enthusiast, aspiring AC, or curious about the industry, Frank's insights offer a fascinating look into the art and technical skill of creating images. 0:00 - Intro 5:35 - How we met Frank 15:37 - Working with film cameras 38:22 - Frank is a Union Camera Assistant! 46:52 - Working on "Escape from Dannemora" 56:06 - Someone stole the Arri cameras 01:00:56 - Working on "Severance" 01:06:54 - How do you move up in production world? 01:09:45 - 1st AC requires insane knowledge! 01:15:20 - Everyone on a set is talented 01:22:51 - Director stories 01:24:52 - Beard talk 01:29:44 - Sushi talk 01:39:47 - Mike's audition 01:41:15 - Sopranos 01:46:04 - Frank's advice from his career path 01:59:12 - GAME SEGMENT: Debate Stage 02:09:51 - Quickfire Round 02:17:20 - Outro
Episode Notes Natalie speaks on a one week photography workshop she attended overseas while Chris and Mike warn her of the many goobers that are to be found in creative fields (scary). In this show: 0:00 - Intro 2:00 - Natalie goes to London for photography workshops 17:37 - The process of creativity 24:00 - Fake Ad Break (Clams) 25:50 - Natalie's new mindset for photography 33:13 - How do you go from fan film to Amazon Prime? 39:06 - Consistency in creating/Struggles 52:55 - Chris worked for Call Her Daddy randomly 55:15 - Reliability is key 57:13 - Eric's new game: what do you think? 1:03:50 - The Thing: Even better than you remember 1:06:50 - Soccer player dies from lightning 1:08:35 - Natural disasters 1:11:10 - Chris' pitch for a PSA commercial 1:16:02 - The Goober Theory 1:22:21 - GAME SEGMENT: AI Story Making
Episode Notes Anthony Marinelli is a writer, director, editor, filmmaker, and film buff! Name any classic movie and Anthony can probably not only tell you the year but also who the director was! We learn about Anthony's career path in the creative advertising industry leading up to his most recent creative endeavors including writing plays and his very own book. And what a nice fellow he is :) In this show: 0:00 - Intro 2:00 - Who is Anthony Marinelli 14:05 - TV is where the money is 17:15 - Communicating the vision 25:15 - Editing a superbowl commercial 27:59 - Getting the rights to use Led Zeppelin 32:28 - Kill em with kindness 34:15 - Intersection of Film and Theater 47:15 - Writing scripts 56:30 - Ryan chimes in 01:01:00 - Mike sets up a clip 01:03:05 - Do professionals watch short films? 01:08:05 - Ryan helps Damien Chazelle 01:10:48 - Why make short films 01:17:24 - What kind of camera starting out? 01:31:30 - GAME TIME
Episode Notes Topics covered: Catching up with Andy Shooting spec ads Stories about cops on film sets Nikon/RED Acquisition Photographing an eclipse Pasta Our pitch to G FUEL Investing in yourself GAME SEGMENT: Karaoke!
Episode Notes 0:00 - Intro 2:35 - Behind the scenes of Mycelium 25:38 - San Diego Zoo & Abraham Lincoln 30:40 - Why board games are great 42:50 - Tennis balls 44:50 - Nikon buys RED! 50:55 - Shrek jr. - a masterpiece 56:50 - GAME: Lightning Round
# Episode Notes
#
Episode Notes In This Episode: Talking digital art with Abi How Abi grew her fan base Pokemon Mushling board game? Writing music We make Abi cry Chris talks about the Maldives trip GAME TIME More of the good stuff - heliumturtle.com
Episode Notes In This Episode: Mike sees Book Of Mormon Bootleg DVD's "Bigness" Boba Fett sucks James moves out at 24 LOTR Show discussion Chris starts dating again Mike leaves and james becomes a stripper Sigma reached out to me More of the good stuff - heliumturtle.com
Episode Notes In This Episode: Living in LA Sigma fp review so far Living with other creators Ryan's dating his cousin Cowboy Bebop, Boba Fett, Dune Discussing our films Chris and plane crash documentaries More of the good stuff - heliumturtle.com
Episode Notes In This Episode: Chris buys the Sigma Fp Anamorphic Lens Documentary..WATCH IT M1 macbook Filmmaking subreddit Q&A How to meet other filmmakers Talking about Joel Haver CineEye = best investment to date! More of the good stuff @heliumturtle
Episode Notes In This Episode: How Evan got started working in the industry Becoming the animatic editor on Baby Driver! Working on John Wick 2 & 3 Star Trek: Into Darkness Editing action...when it sucks Ultrawide monitors? Life stuff More of the good stuff @heliumturtle
Episode Notes In This Episode: We bought the new BM6k!...again Previs Pro is a sick app yo Camera mirror trix Mike rant #1: Queen Latifah Saber Comp 2021 Question GAME Mike rant #2: Tenet More of the good stuff @heliumturtle
Episode Notes In This Episode: How to make a demo reel The future of reels according to chris The Mandalorian season 2 Josh tells us about the RED Komodo Should mike rebuy the BM6k? Lens chat More of the good stuff @heliumturtle This podcast is powered by Pinecast.
In This Episode: Tyler's favorite crazy camera rig The Ursa 12k... he has it How Tyler affords gear Gear Vs. Skillz How Chris destroyed a 6k camera How we came up with our brand names Where inspiration comes from More of the good stuff @heliumturtle This podcast is powered by Pinecast.
In This Episode: From DreamWorks to Pixar! Vodka + Water = New Drink? Kimmy LOVES WALL-E What is a production coordinator? Highest grossing Pixar film? Production vs Art Tom Hanks loves Canadian soda Kimmy the dog walking PA Pixar's AWESOME work environment SEGMENT: Game Time (Quiz Time) The Gender Pay Gap and You More of the good stuff @heliumturtle This podcast is powered by Pinecast.
In This Episode: Mike's new apartment Two-way radios Chris explains microphone The Poopercom System Schools and movie theaters returning? What does EMDR stand for? Vertical video complaining More of the good stuff @heliumturtle This podcast is powered by Pinecast.
In This Episode: How Josh got hired by DreamWorks What is it like moving to LA? All about animatic editing Josh's Supermarket Sweep obsession The Canon r5 Sneaky camera companies How LA unions work Do long-term jobs exist? SEGMENT: Movie Discussion (Crazy Stupid Love) SEGMENT: Game Time (Impressions) More of the good stuff @heliumturtle This podcast is powered by Pinecast.
In This Episode: COVID episode, baby How the pandemic has changed creative jobs Jackie's weirdest audition ever Actor or Actress? Actor vs. Director relationship SEGMENT: Game Time (ASAP) More of the good stuff @heliumturtle This podcast is powered by Pinecast.
In This Episode: Creativity Burn Out Work/life balance Physical health (how to hit dat gym) When Chris started drinking coffee Doing what you love? SEGMENT: Movie Discussion (A Knight's Tale, Speed Racer) More of the good stuff @heliumturtle This podcast is powered by Pinecast.
In This Episode: How/why to make a movie in a week Pokemon/Yugio Cards Location, Location, Location Campus MovieFest Favorite movie scenes? More of the good stuff @heliumturtle This podcast is powered by Pinecast.
In This Episode: What makes a good director "good" How we shoot action scenes Confidence as a director Moving to LA? The future and why logistics are sexy More of the good stuff @heliumturtle This podcast is powered by Pinecast.
© 2020-2025 Ivy Podcast Discovery LLC
