The FilmUp Podcast

Stop motion is oftentimes an overlooked art form. It is something that takes considerable time, patience, and perseverance. Our next guest exudes all of those qualities and more! Please welcome Ben Treat to The FilmUp Podcast!  Ben is the visual artist behind the TikTok channel Franticframes with over 1.6M and 47M likes. Beyond that, he is a stop motion animator, working on projects for brands such as Toyota, Irish Spring, Adobe, Netflix and Samsung. While stop-motion has existed on the internet since its inception, Treat creates animations that are purposefully intricate, involving things like fluid and complicated movement. Almost all animations are followed by a behind-the-scenes TikTok and since each project takes so long to produce, his behind-the-scenes looks are shared as time-lapses. Ben is also a big supporter of Doctors Without Borders, So he is dedicating this episode to their organization. You can learn more by going to doctorswithoutborders.org. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thefilmuppodcast/support

Bryan is a Grammy Nominated and award winning Brooklyn based director. He is a director, editor and writer working with artists like The Black Keys, James Bay, and James Arthur. He's gained notoriety for his original creative direction with artists and brands and has had work featured on CBS, Funny or Die, NPR, NOWNESS, Rolling Stone and Pitchfork. Bryan was also nominated for a People's Choice Country Award for "In Your Love" which is the first country music video to portray gay love on screen. Bryan is also a big supporter of The Trevor Project, an organization focussed on suicide prevention and crisis intervention for LGBTQ young people. Providing information & support to LGBTQ 
young people 24/7, all year round. So he is dedicating this episode to their organization. You can learn more by going to https://www.thetrevorproject.org/ --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thefilmuppodcast/support

Please welcome the fitness legend himself, Don Saladino to The FilmUp Podcast! Don has coached actors, athletes, & musicians for over 20 years. He has developed a reputation for training some of the biggest names in Hollywood for the big screen. Ryan Reynolds, Blake Lively, Jake Gyllenhaal, John Krasinski, Emily Blunt, Anne Hathaway, Sebastian Stan, Liev Schreiber, Hugh Jackman, & David Harbour are among his roster of clients. He has been tapped as a fitness expert in publications such as Muscle & Fitness, Men’s Health, Women’s Health, & Men’s Fitness. He has also been featured in People, US Weekly, Origins, In Touch, Cosmo, & Shape; and has made appearances on The Today Show, Page Six TV, People NOW, E News, & WebMD. He sits on the advisory board of Men’s Health Magazine. Don lives in New York with his wife, Mel, and their two children, Amelia and Donny Jr. - & their pups Rigatoni & Sambuca. Don is also a big supporter of The Don Monti Memorial Research Foundation, an organization focussed on easing the pain and suffering of their patients, to help their families at a time of great need and ultimately to find a cure for all cancers... So he is dedicating this episode to their organization. You can learn more by going to https://www.donmontifoundation.org/ --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thefilmuppodcast/support

Get ready for a fun episode to kick off the new year!! Please welcome Wendy Kurtzman to The FilmUp Podcast! Wendy is an Emmy-nominated casting director who has helped launch the careers of many well known actors including such notables as Sandra Bullock, Reese Witherspoon, Patrick Dempsey and Evan Rachel Wood. She has more than 30 years of experience in feature films, movies for television, mini-series and theater and has worked with many distinguished directors such as Paul Schrader, Diane Keaton, Sally Field and Roland Emmerich, for whom she cast the blockbuster “Independence Day,” starring Will Smith. Prior to starting her own casting business, she was a casting executive at Lifetime and NBC. She began her career as an actress in musical theater and graduated with a degree in theater from UCLA. In 2013 Wendy launched College to Career Acting, to help emerging BFA/MFA artists navigate the transition from Academia into the Entertainment Industry. Her experience as both a performer and a casting director afford her a unique perspective into what it takes to succeed as a performer. Recently, Wendy joined PhilmCo Media as Head of Casting while also serving as Faculty at UCLA and Pace University where she teaches personal narrative, audition technique and transition to the Industry. Wendy is also a big supporter of ANTI-DEFAMATION LEAGUE CIVIL RIGHTS LAW AND COMBATS ANTISEMITISM. So she is dedicating this episode to their organization. You can learn more by going to adl.org --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thefilmuppodcast/support

Today we are thrilled to be joined by Keaton Heinrichs, Chris Williams, & Gary Marshall. Keaton, Chris, & Gary are some of the incredible executives behind Nant Studios. NantStudios is a state-of-the-art full service production ecosystem comprised of traditional, broadcast and virtual production stages. The company is based in Los Angeles with two campuses in Culver City and El Segundo. Past projects including,Avengers Endgame, Deadpool, WestWorld Season 1, and much more. A bit more on our Guests: Keaton - Before his tenure at NantStudios, Keaton honed his skills while working full-time at BoulderLight Pictures, a production and foreign sales company celebrated for its recent success BARBARIAN (2022). During his time at BoulderLight, Keaton assumed the roles of Creative Executive and Director of Foreign Sales. His responsibilities encompassed discovering talented directors and writers, nurturing feature- length scripts, overseeing nationwide film productions, and orchestrating international sales at renowned markets such as Cannes and AFM. Chris - With over 25 years industry experience, Chris started his career in visual effects as a Digital Artist, then moved to become a Digital Effects Supervisor working on various projects including, Sky Captain and World of Tomorrow. He later became the co-founder of Unit Eleven where he served as a Previs Lead (previsualization lead) on the Transformers franchise with Michael Bay. With a wealth of previsualization supervising experience under his belt, he moved onto The Mandalorian series where he has been developing revolutionary virtual production tools and utilizing real time technology to create innovative workflows for LED volume content. Working as Virtual Production Supervisor on over 40 projects at Nant Studios the further push for innovation contnues as Head of Production. Gary - Hailing from London, Gary has enjoyed a 20+ year multi award-winning career spanning feature film, commercials, games and location based entertainment. Coming up through the ranks of the 2000’s Soho post scene at MPC London, Gary went on to join the “Avatar” crew in 2009 at Weta Digital, New Zealand, where the first virtual production (VP) revolutions were taking place. That immersion in ground breaking production techniques eventually lead Gary back to London, where alongside luminaries of the industry Alfonso Cuaron, Chivo Lubezki and Tim Webber, Gary would lead the Framestore VP effort for “Gravity”. Here, he accelerated the adoption of real-time technology both as a visualization tool, and as an in-camera VFX solution. These novel workflows would sow the seeds of contemporary ICVFX LED workflows. Going all-in on real-time rendering, Gary relocated to NYC and led Framestore’s 2016 “Field Trip to Mars'' project - the single most awarded campaign at Cannes Lions ever. Answering the siren song of Hollywood, Marshall moved to Los Angeles and spent the next 4 years at Disney’s Advanced Research Group and leading The Third Floor’s global R&D team building bleeding edge real-time theme park attractions and VP tools, before joining NantStudios in 2020 to build the VP studio campus of the future. Nant Studios is also a big supporter of Walk to End Alzheimer’s through the Alzheimer’s Association. Held annually in more than 600 communities nationwide, Walk to End Alzheimer's is the world's largest event to raise awareness and funds for Alzheimer's care, support and research. So they are dedicating this episode to their organization. You can learn more by going to ACT.ALZ.ORG. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thefilmuppodcast/support

With a community of over 2M followers and 25M+ likes, The People’s Paparazzi aka Johnny Cirillio, takes some time off from snapping fashion shots on the streets of NYC and joins on, The FilmUp Podcast. Johnny Cirillo was born in Jackson Heights, Queens, in 1980 to a father who delivered UPS packages in the Garment District of Manhattan and a very creative stay-at-home mom. During high school on Long Island, he developed a passion for photography when his mom gave him his first 35mm and shared with him some of her black-and-white photo- graphic work from the sixties. Film and photography became an obsession. He rolled his own film, built his own darkroom, and bugged every one of his friends to sit for him as he explored all facets of the medium. Johhny is also a big supporter of Mythic Bridge Inc. NYC. Using the transformative power of film-making, Mythic Bridge provides disconnected youth with a safe path towards practical film education and entertainment employment opportunities.. So he is dedicating this episode to their organization. You can learn more by going to mythicbridge.org/. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thefilmuppodcast/support

Please welcome the one and only, Tonya Lewis Lee to The FilmUp Podcast! Tonyis a director, producer, author and entrepreneur whose work often explores the personal impact of social justice issues. Most recently, the film she co-directed and co- produced, exploring the US maternal mortality crisis, AFTERSHOCK (HULU) has received numerous awards including a 2023 Peabody Award , a 2022 Sundance Special Jury Impact for Change Award, an NIHMC Award and a 2023 Emmy Award nomination. As a television producer, Tonya served as Executive Producer on the episodic series She’s Gotta Have It (NETFLIX) and wrote and produced The Watson’s Go To Birmingham (AMAZON). As a film producer, Lee produced Monster (NETFLIX) which premiered at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival. Tonya is currently serving as an Executive Producer on a documentary film about seven time Olympic gold medalist Allyson Felix. As an author, Tonya’s children’s books, co-written with her husband Spike Lee, Please Baby Please, Please Puppy Please and Giant Steps to Change the World have sold over one million copies. As an entrepreneur Tonya founded Movita Organics an organic vitamin supplement company to provide a premium vitamin supplement to the marketplace and to continue the conversation with women about how to access and achieve one’s optimum health.Tonya has received numerous awards and recognition for her work including being named to the 2023 Forbes 50 Over 50 list. Tonya is a graduate of Sarah Lawrence College, The University of Virginia School of Law and is a member of the Writer’s Guild of America, the Producer’s Guild of America, a member of the Board of Trustees of the March of Dimes and a Board Emeritus of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund. Tonya is also a big supporter of March of Fimes. Each day over 1000 babies are born too soon. Their organization focus on preventing preterm birth and supporting those families. So she is dedicating this episode to their organization. You can learn more by going to marchofdimes.org/ --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thefilmuppodcast/support

Get ready for a hilarious and fun interview with the incredible Dangerbean aka Ben Christensen. Ben is a Canadian comedy influencer with over 700,000 followers cross platform. Known for his hyper-dramatized and absurd sketch comedy, as well as the odd Owen Wilson impression, Ben's fans look to his content for laughs, epic outdoor adventures, and existential crises. In addition to his online presence, Ben has also worked creating indie television for names like Roku, Adult Swim, and Canada's CBC. Ben is also a big supporter of Image Native a non profit that is the world’s largest presenter of Indigenous screen content. So he is dedicating this episode to their organization. You can learn more by going to https://imaginenative.org --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thefilmuppodcast/support

Have you ever wondered what it takes to get a film financed? What are financiers looking for before investing in a film? Or once you have the funds, what it takes to make a film? Well our next guests guests answer all of those questions and more. Please welcome Dave Liu and Elisa Gambino to The FilmUp Podcast! Dave and Elisa have been collaborating for quite some time now on their wildly successful production Every Day After. A 35-minute documentary that provides a more nuanced look at the complexities of the healing process due to a cleft-lip that we don’t often see. And honors the invisible labor of a sister whose love and action make it possible for Jary to experience the everyday joys and struggles of growing up. More on Dave and Elisa - get ready for this.. Dave Liu is a 30-year veteran of Wall Street, Silicon Valley, and Hollywood. He is an advisor, author, entrepreneur, investor, filmmaker, and philanthropist. He started his career on Wall Street with Goldman Sachs and then joined Jefferies where he rose from the entry level to executive ranks of Managing Director and Co-Head of the Digital Media and Internet investment banking. He worked on $15 billion of transactions for hundreds of companies. One of his companies reached $200 million in revenue and 1,000 employees. Through his merchant bank, he is CEO advisor and investor to tech companies, many of which have achieved multi-billion dollar status. He is a member of Catalyst, the Sundance Institute’s film financing program, SF FILM Invest, SF FILM’s film financing program, and started Liucrative Media to invest in Asian American and other underrepresented filmmakers. He was previously CEO advisor to ProSiebenSat.1 Media, one of the largest media companies in Europe. Dave is also a “perspiring” artist and writer who loves to draw and write funny. Dave completed the Management & Technology Program at the University of Pennsylvania where he received a BS in Engineering and a BS in Economics from the Wharton School. He attended Harvard Business School where he received his MBA. He currently serves on the Executive Board of the Management & Technology Program at the University of Pennsylvania and on the Trust Advisory Committee of Tau Beta Pi, the oldest national engineering honor society. He is Chairman of the Philanthropic Advisory Council of Smile Train, the largest cleft-focused organization, and Vice Chairman of AsAmNews, one of the top news sites for Asian America. Elisa brings to bear an extraordinary journalistic foundation to her film productions. Based first in Rome and then Moscow, Elisa spent her early career chronicling world events. From the fall of the Berlin Wall to the Gulf War in 1990 and from the collapse of the Soviet Union, to the wars in the former Yugoslavia and Somalia, Elisa was there. Her work in Somalia was recognized with a News and Documentary Emmy Award. She interviewed Nelson Mandela, Yasser Arafat, refugees in Bosnia, war criminals in Serbia and South Africans celebrating their first free vote. Elisa believes in the power of short films and has executive produced award-winning shorts on issues related to human rights, global public health and the arts. Dave & Elisa is also a big supporter of Smile Train, So they are dedicating this episode to their organization. Every 3 minutes a child is born with a cleft-lip. Smile train is a non-profit dedicated to supporting those children and their families who are suffering from this hardship. You can learn more by going to smiletrain.org --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thefilmuppodcast/support

Our next guest is such a fan of cinema that he uses his skills to re-creating it. Please welcome William Baker to The FilmUp Podcast. Based in West Michigan, William, a self-proclaimed Indie Filmmaker and (Pro-IMproviser) is an influencer on TikTok and Instagram with over 600K followers and millions of views., His work focuses on showcasing lighting breakdowns and recreating shots from movies and TV shows. William is also a big supporter of CHADD (Children and Adults with ADHD). They work to help those with ADHD get education and support for it. So he is dedicating this episode to their organization. You can learn more by going to chadd.org. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thefilmuppodcast/support

We have a special episode for you today, folks. Please welcome Jeremy Garelick & Will Phelps to The FilmUp Podcast. Jeremy and Will are the co-founders of American High, an innovative production company specializing in provocative teen comedies. Jeremy is a director, writer, and producer. He made his feature screenplay debut with the Vince Vaughn and Jennifer Aniston vehicle The Break-Up and quickly followed its success by teaming up with Todd Phillips to pen the production draft of The Hangover. He also recently directed Murder Mystery II starring Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston which quickly claimed the top spot in Netflix's movie chart with 64.42 million hours viewed in its first three days. And then Will is a writer and producer who gained experience at MJZ, working on music video and commercial sets. He later worked for Paradigm Talent Agency, writing scripts before transitioning to become an assistant to Jeremy. Will also produced the first five films for American High allowing them to secure a deal with HULU to produce an additional eight. Jeremy and Will are also supporters of the Academy at American High, a nonprofit that is dedicated to helped develop a local crew here in Liverpool, NY and has evolved into a community home for film education experiences. So they are dedicating this episode to that organization. You can learn more by going to syracusestudios.com/academy/ --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thefilmuppodcast/support

Get ready for an exciting episode, featuring a self-made creator on his way to towering heights. Please welcome Brandon Baum aka BrandonB to The FilmUp Podcast.  BrandonB is one of the most creative and popular content creators in the business. He’s currently the largest VFX video creator in the UK, thanks to a mix of mind-blowing special effects, light-hearted comedy, and how-to videos which expose the method behind his madness.  He has grown a cross-platform audience of over 13 million followers and reached over 7.5 billion views. His VFX-driven content draws in high-end branded pieces and collaborations with stars such as Tom Holland, Tyson Fury, Jake Gyllenhall, among many others.  Brandon is also the CEO of StudioB, a digital-first production company creating social content for some of the biggest brands in the world, like Disney, Netflix, Meta and many more.  Obsessed with the ‘Science of Social’, Brandon and his team of social-first creatives at StudioB live and breathe the world of social media and understand exactly how to create those magical viral moments that propel brands and faces to the masses.  Brandon is also a big supporter of Children In Need, So he is dedicating this episode to their organization. You can learn more by going to https://www.bbcchildreninneed.co.uk/ --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thefilmuppodcast/support

Today we have a special episode for you, with a long time friend and incredible filmmaker. Today we are thrilled to be joined by Canon Brownell Canon is a Director and Editor living in Los Angeles, CA and the co-founder of RadFox films, a production company specializing in music videos, commercials, and other branded content.  Past work includes ad spots with major brands like Armani Beauty and Tidal to behind-the-scenes content with the Jonas Brothers and Demi Lovato. More recently, Canon also has been directing and editing video game ads for Scout House, a production company specializing in VR-related content.  Canon is dedicating this episode to the Los Angeles Education Partnership. You can learn more by going to https://www.la --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thefilmuppodcast/support

Please welcome our next guest, the founder of Hound Content and an absolute legend in the music video world, Missy Galanida. To date, Missy has served as an executive producer on some of the most notable projects in music video history, such as Shakira's "Whenever, Wherever" (2009), Britney Spears's "Slave 4 U" (2009), Rihanna's "Work" (2016), Fifth Harmony's "Work From Home" (2016) and so many more. She has played an essential role in the highly prosperous careers of directors like Director X, Marc Webb, Frances Lawrence, Liz Friedlander and Rich Lee. Missy is also a big supporter of the Julie Shulman Breast Cancer Foundation, a non-profit that is dedicated to helping Breast Cancer survivors have an easier experience on their journey. So she is dedicating this episode to their organization. You can learn more by going to js-bcf.org/ --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thefilmuppodcast/support

Straight from the VMA's, our next guest joined us on The FilmUp Podcast! We are thrilled to share our interview with the one and only Christian Breslauer. Christian is an award winning Director. He cuts his teeth on telling authentic and compelling stories and has collaborated with some of the biggest names in music including The Weeknd, Marshmello, Doja Cat, Roddy Ricch, Jonas Brothers, John Legend and so many more. His insane visual for Roddy Ricch – “The Box” earned him a MTV VMA nomination for Best Hip-Hop video and two BET Award nominations. And the internet smashing “Industry Baby” visual earned him a CANNES LIONS Silver Award for excellence in music, 3 MTV VMA Awards including “Best Collaboration” Christian is also a big supporter of the Make a Wish Foundation, a non-profit that is dedicated to helping fulfill the wishes of children with a critical illness . So he is dedicating this episode to their organization. You can learn more by going to wish.org. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thefilmuppodcast/support

Learn about the remarkable journey of a professional rollerblader's transition from acting to achieving recognition as an award-nominated camera operator! We are excited to welcome John Lyke to The FilmUp Podcast. John is an American actor and filmmaker from Cheshire, Connecticut. At the age of thirteen, his life took an exciting turn when his neighbor, Emmy Award-winning Cinematographer Bruce Taylor, became his mentor. Fast forward two decades, and John found himself as part of Todd Banhazl's Emmy-nominated cinematography team, earning him a SOC Camera Operator of the Year nomination. His versatile talents have taken him from stunt doubling for actors like Ben Stiller to editing for major networks like NBC, Hulu, and Netflix. John is also a big supporter of Foster Love, a non-profit that is dedicated to making the foster care experience better for the 430,000 children going through it. So he is dedicating this episode to their organization. You can learn more by going to fosterlove.com --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thefilmuppodcast/support

You may have seen our next guest in quite a few films without even realizing it. Her work has been prominently showcased in major feature films you're familiar with, and countless more! Please welcome Aurélia Agel, an incredibly talented stunt performer lending her talents to blockbuster hits like Fast and Furious X, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3, John Wick 4, Halo, Black Widow, and many more. Aurélia is also a supporter of Fit Kids, a non-profit that is dedicated to providing structured physical fitness activities to underserved youth. . So she is dedicating this episode to their organization. You can learn more by going to fitkids.org --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thefilmuppodcast/support

Please welcome Savannah Steiner to The FilmUp Podcast! Savannah is an American based stop motion animator. She has animated on many stop motion productions including Guillermo Del Toro's Oscar winning 'Pinocchio' (2022) and Aardman's 'Chicken Run 2: Dawn of the Nugget' set to release this December (2023). She has animated on the Emmy winning children's show Tumble Leaf, Netflix projects like Chef Show, Katy Perry’s ‘Cozy Little Christmas’ music video, as well as for streaming platforms like, Apple TV, YouTube, Hulu, Crackle, and Amazon Prime. Savannah is also a big supporter of the P.S. Arts , a non-profit that is dedicated to advancing equity and opportunity for children and youth by providing arts education in systemically under-resourced schools and communities. You can learn more by going to psarts.org --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thefilmuppodcast/support

While we often hear from filmmakers in the U.S., we're changing things up. Today, we're excited to bring a new perspective from a filmmaker on a different continent. Let's welcome Greg Hackett to The FilmUp Podcast! Greg is both a film director and founder of the UK production company, Spindle. Greg has directed commercials, music videos, and written branded content for clients such as philips, sony, the royal navy, timberland, national geographic and the new york times. He has been awarded at British Arrows, Cannes Lions, Clios and so many more. Greg is also a big supporter of Little Lifts, a non-profit that provides the most thoughtfully handpicked gifts to support people with breast cancer. So he is dedicating this episode to their organization. You can learn more by going to littlelifts.org.uk. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thefilmuppodcast/support

The future of media and entertainment is about to change forever, and our next guest tells us HOW. Please welcome Doug Shapiro to The FilmUp Podcast. Doug is an independent advisor, consultant, and senior advisor for Boston Consulting Group. He writes a blog at medium that is widely read and circulated in the industry. Previously, Doug was the CFO at Pugilist Capital, Chief Strategy Officer at Turner, a division of Warner Media, SVP at Time Warner and much more. Doug is also a big supporter of the Entertainment Community Fund, a non-profit that is dedicated to helping those affected by work stoppages or other pauses in industry work. So he is dedicating this episode to their organization. You can learn more by going to entertainmentcommunity.org --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thefilmuppodcast/support