Claim OwnershipMediaMaker Spotlight
Subscribed: 3Played: 39
Subscribe
© 2025 Women in Film and Video
Description
The biweekly podcast "MediaMaker Spotlight" features conversations with industry professionals speaking on a wide range of topics of interest to screen-based media makers. The series is a great resource for creators and collaborators who want to learn more about filmmaking, production, and all that goes into bringing projects to life. Our show is a great place to learn, find inspiration, discover communities of support, and celebrate our shared passion for film, television, video and visual storytelling in all formats and mediums. "MediaMaker Spotlight" is produced by the Women in Film & Video Podcast Committee. Learn more at MediaMakerSpotlight.com.
145 Episodes
Reverse
People with disabilities have been historically underrepresented in the entertainment industry. In this episode, host Sandra Abrams chats with U.K.- based actress, writer, and disability advocate, Melissa Johns. Johns explains how she landed the role as the brainy Miss Scott in the British detective series, Grantchester, where her disability (born without her right forearm and hand) is a non-factor, who she called first when she landed a role on the iconic soap, Coronation Street, and how her...
You’ve only got one chance to get it right when the broadcast is live. In this episode, host Candice Bloch talks with Remote Operations Manager, Pam Chvotkin all about the fast-paced and intense world of live event coverage. Pam has years of broadcast production experience ranging from professional sports, to concerts, competitions, awards shows, and more. In the conversation, Pam shares her knowledge about the often chaotic but rewarding lifestyle that keeps one adaptable and ready for anyth...
Thumbs up, thumbs down? Five stars (or are four stars the highest number?)! In this episode, host Tara Jabbari speaks with film critics to discuss how viewing films has changed over the last few years. When is it worth going to the movie theater? Where should we look to know what’s worth seeing? What’s the difference between Rotten Tomatoes versus Meta Critic? They dive into these topics as well as what goes into being a film critic. Our guests are: Ann Hornaday, who has bee...
Making a career pivot after 15 years in one job takes guts and some financial planning. Then add to the mix several disabilities and it sounds impossible. In this episode, host Sandra Abrams talks to filmmaker, advocate, and podcaster, Ariel Baska. Ariel shares how she made the leap to a new film career in a niche genre: Queer Horror, and founded the Access:Horror film festival. Ariel explains why inclusion in front of and behind the camera helps everyone on set, not just those with disabilit...
In this episode, host Candice Bloch talks with the creative team behind the hit indie TV show, ‘Sexpectations.’ Writer Jenna St. John and Director Kevin Good shed light on how they took the series from story concept through production, post-production, and eventually out to audiences on major streaming platforms. They talk about their multi-year journey including self-funding, casting, the show’s message, technical aspects of using CGI, and more. ‘Sexpectations’ centers on an aspiring romanc...
Abby Greensfelder has an instinct for developing not only iconic cable shows such as, “Say Yes to the Dress,” but also documentaries featuring icons Megan Rapinoe and Alicia Keys. In this episode, host Sandra Abrams chats with the indie filmmaker and native Washingtonian, ahead of the World Premiere of UNCHARTED at the Tribeca Film Festival in June. The doc, from her company, Everywoman Studios, is a behind-the-scenes look at Keys’ songwriting camp that hopes to create a pipeline of women son...
Originally released Oct 1, 2023 The choice of who is cast in a role can make or break a performance. In this episode, host Candice Bloch talks with casting director Anne Chapman all about the art and business of casting a project. Anne draws on her decades of professional experience casting projects of all sizes and styles as they discuss the methods and evolution of the process, the importance of chemistry, the difficulties of casting historical figures, advice for those interested in the c...
Originally released on Oct. 8, 2023 What is the difference between a cinematographer, camera operator, and director of photography? Has there been more gender diversity behind the scenes? What is the difference between filming on digital versus film? These questions and more are covered in this episode as host Tara Jabbari speaks with the award-winning South African cinematographer and camera operator, Pascale Neuschafer. To learn about Pascale’s work, visit: https://www.instagram.com/pasc...
Originally released Nov. 12, 2023 Screen-based media by its very nature, relies on visuals. And as stories unfold on set, the art department is key in not only building those sets, but making them look the part for the world being created. In this episode, host Candice Bloch sits down with Betsy Zuck, an experienced Production Designer, Set Decorator, Lead Person, Set Decorator, fabricator, and beyond. They discuss not only those roles and what they mean, but Betsy draws on her experiences w...
Originally released on Sept. 14, 2023 Love the movie? Read the book before it’s banned! In this episode, host Sandra Abrams chats with Kristen Lopez, author of "But Have You Read the Book? 52 Literary Gems That Inspired Our Favorite Films” in association with Turner Classic Movies. Kristen knows her topic as creator of the Ticklish Business podcast and a film editor with entertainment daily, TheWrap. Film buffs will get the behind-the-scenes story of how THE THIN MAN, DUNE, and PASSING went ...
Originally released May 14, 2023 In this episode, host Tara Jabbari sits down with actor Shimmy Isaacs on location in Cape Town, South Africa to talk about her Netflix hit crime thriller, Unseen. They discuss the show, Shimmy's acting journey in drama and comedy, her writing process, her time in the USA, and how the arts is a universal language. You can follow Shimmy for the latest on her work on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shimmyisaacs/ or on Twitter: https://twitter.c...
Originally released on Dec. 18, 2022. Season two wraps up with this Holiday Special, where all three hosts – Candice Bloch, Sandra Abrams, and Tara Jabbari – discuss the mega genre of Christmas and holiday movies. The trio share fun facts, their personal opinions, and go over the results of Media & Monuments’ own holiday survey, which centered on movies related to “the most wonderful time of the year.” Here are a few highlights from the survey to get you into the holiday mood: Love Actua...
Making a career pivot after 15 years in one job takes guts and some financial planning. Then add to the mix several disabilities and it sounds impossible. In this episode, host Sandra Abrams talks to filmmaker, advocate, and podcaster, Ariel Baska. Ariel shares how she made the leap to a new film career in a niche genre: Queer Horror, and founded the Access:Horror film festival. Ariel explains why inclusion in front of and behind the camera helps everyone on set, not just those with disabilit...
Host Tara Jabbari sits down with influencer Nikole Eva, aka Evasive on YouTube, for this episode. After studying film, gaining experience as an editor, and working towards being a comedy writer, Eva started her YouTube channel to get her name out there… and it has been working! Tara and Eva talk about the start of her YouTube channel, how to make money through the videos, copyright issues, the importance of engaging with comments to build your audience, and much more! Evasive YouTube channe...
In this episode, host Candice Bloch talks with the creative team behind the hit indie TV show, ‘Sexpectations.’ Writer Jenna St. John and Director Kevin Good shed light on how they took the series from story concept through production, post-production, and eventually out to audiences on major streaming platforms. They talk about their multi-year journey including self-funding, casting, the show’s message, technical aspects of using CGI, and more. ‘Sexpectations’ centers on an aspiring roman...
Call Me Dancer is a multiple award winning feature documentary that follows Manish Chauhan, a charismatic street dancer from Mumbai, who dreams of becoming a ballet dancer despite his parents misgivings. In this episode, host Sandra Abrams chats with the filmmakers behind this inspiring film: director and producer Leslie Shampaine, co-director Pip Gilmour, and editor Jennifer Beman. They share their journey of how they made the project that took them from India, to the UK, NY, and Israel, and...
1Horror invades holiday in a genre mashup comedy! This episode, host Tara Jabbari speaks with director Tyler MacIntyre about his new horror-comedy, It’s a Wonderful Knife. Described as “It’s a Wonderful Life by way of Scream,” they discuss how story elements of the classic holiday film were infused into this killer thriller. Starring Jane Widdop, Jess McLeod, Joel McHale, Katharine Isabelle, William B. Davis, and Justin Long, It’s a Wonderful Knife opened in theaters on November 10th, 2023. It...
Screen-based media by its very nature, relies on visuals. And as stories unfold on set, the art department is key in not only building those sets, but making them look the part for the world being created. In this episode, host Candice Bloch sits down with Betsy Zuck, an experienced Production Designer, Set Decorator, Lead Person, Set Decorator, fabricator, and beyond. They discuss not only those roles and what they mean, but Betsy draws on her experiences working on crews of all types and si...
People with disabilities have been historically underrepresented in the entertainment industry. In this episode, host Sandra Abrams chats with U.K.- based actress, writer, and disability advocate, Melissa Johns. Johns explains how she landed the role as the brainy Miss Scott in the British detective series, Grantchester, where her disability (born without her right forearm and hand) is a non-factor, who she called first when she landed a role on the iconic soap, Coronation Street, and how her...
When it comes to creating a story, where that story is told is very important. In this episode, host Tara Jabbari speaks with Kelly Stuart, a location manager for projects such as the award-winning film, Everything Everywhere All at Once, and television shows like True Blood, The Catch, and American Auto. In their conversation, Kelly talks about what her job entails, what she looks for in a location, how involved she is with other departments like safety and art, and what a person needs to be...
Comments
Download from Google Play
Download from App Store
United States