Inspired Minds

Lisa Sharkey, SVP Director of Creative Development of HarperCollins Publishers, opens up about her journey into the publishing industry after working as Senior Producer for “Good Morning America” and President of Al Roker Entertainment. She has overseen the acquisition and publication of more than fifty New York Times Bestsellers, including multiple number-one bestsellers. A two-time Emmy Award winner, she received the Peabody and Dupont Awards for her work on the ABC News team during 9/11. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Marco De Molina is a 2022 Grammy Nominated film producer and co-founder of the independent production company Spacebrain. He has received international acclaim at prestigious film festivals worldwide, including the Festival de Cannes. De Molina has also produced countless music videos for chart-topping musicians in all genres, from metal to pop, receiving numerous nominations and wins at the MTV VMAs and UKMVAs, including a Grammy Nomination for Best Music Video for LIL NAS X “Montero (Call Me By Your Name.)” His projects in commercial production have brought him together with some of the biggest brands and IPs worldwide, including his work with “Survivors,” a video game from the hit TV series franchise THE WALKING DEAD. De Molina and his wife, Roza Marchenko, have produced content for streaming platforms like Amazon Prime and Netflix. They currently have multiple feature films and television series in various stages of development. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jim Kouf is a screenwriter, director, and producer who has worked on a variety of beloved films and TV shows. He wrote "Rush Hour," "National Treasure," "The Boogens," "The Hidden," executive produced "Con Air," and wrote/directed "Gang Related," "Miracles," and "Disorganized Crime." In the television space, Kouf wrote and co-created "Grimm," along with writing and producing credits for "Angel" and "Ghost Whisperer," among others. He received the 1988 Edgar Award for Best Motion Picture Screenplay for his work on "Stakeout" starring Richard Dreyfuss. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Michael Pollack has held leadership positions for more than 35 years in the legal, financial and entertainment industries. Michael is the founder and former President of a litigation support firm that is today part of an international group of companies. He has held directorship positions for more than a dozen financial institutions that are both private and publicly held. Specializing for decades in M&A and Turnaround Management he has spearheaded tens of billions of dollars of financing in commercial real estate, business and entertainment related transactions.Michael is the Chairman and CEO of Pollack Films and a managing partner of APW Film Partners. He has been involved in the production of theatre and screen features for more than 35 years.Michael's current projects include the feature films Delfino's Journey, Major, The Angel Of Harlem, The Black Cyclone, Cold Feet, Meet Me In The Kitchen At Midnight, A Game Of Deception (The Chic Harley Story) & Danny's Secrets. In addition, Michael's company Pollack Films is developing an exciting new episodic television anthology to be announced in 2023. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Laverne is a Japanese-American film and television producer with more than 20 years of successful programming and producing experience in premium cable, broadcast and digital platforms. She is the Executive Producer of the Netflix series GIRLBOSS, and co-founder of K&L Productions, a film & television company created with Kay Cannon (PITCH PERFECT, BLOCKERS and CINDERELLA). Her guiding passion is helping creative professionals tell their stories to derive outer accomplishment from inner meaning.For a significant part of her career, Laverne was a successful programming executive with stints as Senior Vice-President of Drama Development at CBS, and as Executive Vice-President of Original Programming & Development at EPIX. She was also Head of Television at Charlize Theron’s production company, Denver and Delilah. Her work has encompassed scripted comedy and drama series, documentaries, web series, animation, music events, comedy specials, and children’s programs. K&L Productions have sold multiple television and film projects to distributors and financiers including Amazon, Freeform, Paramount +, NBC, ABC, CBS, FBC and TBS as well as Participant, River Road, Warner Bros, and Red Crown. Laverne is passionate about telling marginalized and underdog stories from both a comedic and dramatic lens.As a certified leadership and personal coach and grief counselor, Laverne works with clients to master the art and power of transformation. Her approach is holistic, encouraging clients to see themselves as creative, resourceful and whole; it’s also cognitive, focusing on growth through purpose and values, on “being” as well as “doing.” Laverne is also an adjunct professor at Northwestern University's MS Leadership for Creative Enterprises program. She teaches courses in Persuasion & Pitching and Leadership & Ethics which combine her producing, coaching and counseling work to create a unique experiential format that transcends book-learning. Laverne is the former Co-President of the Coalition of Asian Pacifics in Entertainment (CAPE), and continues to work with them as a mentor in their New Writers and Leadership Fellowship programs. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Chelsea Peng is the Senior Editor of New York Magazine's The Strategist, formerly Assistant Editor at Marie Claire and Fashion Editor, Branded Content at Refinery29. She joins us to discuss fashion, the journalism industry, and bringing fresh, new ideas into the world. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

23 years ago in 2000, Jason Eric Perlman packed up a U-Haul trailer, hitched it to his Jeep and drove across the country to begin his new life in Los Angeles. Three years after that move, his same Jeep was crushed by a 2000-year-old Sequoia Redwood tree while shooting his USC Master Thesis Film. So— in many ways, his dream came true… Since his days in a fine art high school outside of Philadelphia, Jason had been fascinated by film. It amalgamated his creative interests, being a lifelong musician, photographer, and creative writer. After sidelining creative pursuits in college, where he studied Environmental Science, Jason returned to his magnetic north of creativity. He decided to pursue a Master’s Degree in filmmaking at USC.Now , Jason is a WGA screenwriter and two-time feature film director. His first independent feature was Threshold, which was distributed by Archstone Pictures in conjunction with Sony in 2019. Jason directed the feature sci-fi thriller, Site in 2022 from his award-winning screenplay. The film is currently in post-production and attracted an impressive cast; Theo Rossi (Emily the Criminal, Sons of Anarchy), Jake McLaughlin (Will Trent, Quantico), Yoson An (Plane, Mulan), Miki Ishikawa (The Terror, The Falcon, and Winter Soldier), and Arielle Kebbel (The Grudge, The Uninvited.) This mind-bending thriller was filmed in North Carolina under the banner of Jason’s film production corporation, Entelekey Media.Entelekey is moving forward with its next feature film as a partnered production company with a $50 million budget. Based on the true story of a family that spent 16 years trying to find the world’s most valuable sunken treasure, the screenplay was written by Jason and is being shepherded by an Oscar-Nominated producer.Adapting an award-winning non-fiction book into a series, Jason inked a deal with a major production company to shepherd the show. It draws from Jason’s unique environmental studies background, detailing the grassroots efforts in Los Angeles to combat car pollution that ultimately escalated into the passage of the Clean Air Act in 1970. Legendary agent and former Chairman and CEO of ICM Agency, Jeff Berg, has represented both Jason and the property.Jason has also sold scripted television material in the past, most notably with Oscar-nominated producer Alexandra Milchan (Tár, The Wolf of Wall Street) and Josh Weinstock (HBO’s Nightingale). In the past, Jason’s also developed television material with Warner Bros, Cloud Nine at CBS, The Tannenbaum Company, SquareOne Entertainment, Bold Films, and Annapurna Pictures.His film editing work on the 2019 feature documentary, Hate Among Us earned the film an Emmy Win as it detailed the troubling rise in global anti-semitism. In 2016, Jason edited Sean Brosnan’s (son of Pierce) feature debut, My Father Die, which opened theatrically in January 2017. This film was also honored with its premiere at SXSW 2016 and won Jason a “Best Editing” award at Screamfest LA. He recently cut Daniel Myrick’s (The Blair Witch Project) horror anthology, Black Veil. Jason has cut over a dozen feature films and edited for significant companies like Lionsgate, Comedy Channel, Rockstar Games, Verizon, and Cinedigm. His feature work has contributed to great festival successes like Oscar-nominated director Paola DiFlorio’s Home of the Brave, which won the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance. In 2018, Jason taught a Film lecture section at UCLA Extension. He’s also been a guest lecturer at the LA Film School, where he taught documentary editing, and a Guest Director at the Ringling College of Art and Design. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A former film critic and scholar with M.A. Degrees in Philosophy from Harvard University and the University of London and in Cinema Studies from New York University, producer Steven Schneider has quickly risen the ranks of Hollywood to become one of the go-to experts in genre films. After having authored and edited numerous books on world cinema and horror, Schneider moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career in producing. Following the record-breaking success of 2009's PARANORMAL ACTIVITY, a film he helped bring to the screen, Schneider quickly amassed a slate of impressive films and television series with A-list filmmakers at the helm, including James Wan's INSIDIOUS (2011), Barry Levinson's THE BAY (2011), William Brent Bell's THE DEVIL INSIDE (2011), Oren Peli's AREA 51 (2012), Rob Zombie's THE LORDS OF SALEM (2012), and the 2011 ABC/DreamWorks Television pilot, The River. He is actively developing projects for such studios as Warner Bros. Pictures and Paramount Pictures. Special thanks to: Andrew Trapani, producer and Co-Founder of Sobey Road Entertainment. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Michelle Holbrook was diagnosed with Schwannomatosis, a type of neurofibromatosis also known as “NF,” at the age of 30. The disease causes tumors to develop throughout her body. But despite the pain she goes through each morning, she is now serving as an Ambassador for the Children’s Tumor Foundation and wants to educate others about the rare disease. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

BuzzFeed Editor Morena Duwe discusses her rare journey from ballet dancer and film school student to finding her place in the world of journalism. Duwe is a Contributing Writer for Rolling Stone and the Los Angeles Times, and has written for CNN, Guardian News & Media, Business Insider, VICE Media, Billboard, Flaunt Magazine, LA Weekly, The Huffington Post, among others. She’s also a video host and producer, and her work explores topics ranging from social injustice and humanitarianism to travel, food, music and festival culture. She has a decade of experience interviewing artists, musicians, actors, restaurateurs, filmmakers, activists, architects, designers, festival producers and engineers. In addition to covering stories all over the US, she has also shared stories from Costa Rica, Israel, Mexico, and Canada. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Maximillian Potter is a best-selling author and a Contributing Editor to Vanity Fair. He has been a staff writer and/or editor at Philadelphia Magazine, Premiere, Details, GQ and Esquire; and he has contributed to Outside and The Atlantic, among other publications. Potter has written two books: "The Opposite of Woe: My Life in Beer and Politics," the memoir of Colorado Governor and Democratic Presidential / U.S. Senate Candidate John Hickenlooper, published in May 2016; and "Shadows in the Vineyard: The True Story of the Plot to Poison The World's Greatest Wine," published in July 2014. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mara Reinstein is a New York City-based entertainment journalist who's contributed to The New York Times, Parade, The Television Academy, CNN, The Ringer, The Hollywood Reporter, The Wall Street Journal, AARP, Vulture and more. She’s also the film critic for Us Weekly magazine and Reader’s Digest and a Top Critic on Rotten Tomatoes. Read more at MaraMovies.com  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Heather Langenkamp began her career as an extra in The Outsiders (1983) and Rumble Fish (1983) before debuting as a lead actress in Drew Denbaum’s film Nickel Mountain (1984). She is best known for her performances in several movies, including A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) and Dream Warriors (1987), as well as her return to Freddy in Wes Craven’s New Nightmare (1994). She has also appeared in films such as The Butterfly Room (2012), Star Trek Into Darkness (2013), Truth or Dare (2017). Heather Langenkamp has starred in many television series and made-for-television films throughout her career, such as the drama film Passions (1984), the Emmy Award-winning sitcoms Growing Pains (1988–1990) Just the Ten of Us (1988–1990), and the current series The Midnight Club on Netflix. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Cole Haddon is an Australian-American novelist, screenwriter, and journalist. His new novel "Psalms For The End Of The World" was called ‘Ingenious and compelling’ by The Times. "Dracula," his first television commission, was produced by NBC and Sky Living starring Jonathan Rhys Meyers, and he has gone on to develop dozens of feature films and TV series around the globe. His graphic novels have been published by Dark Horse and others. He lives in the Blue Mountains of Australia with his wife and two children. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Peg O’Connor, Ph.D., is a Professor of Philosophy at Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter, Minnesota. Her training is in moral philosophy, feminist philosophy, addiction studies, and the work of Ludwig Wittgenstein. She believes that philosophy helped her to get and remain sober. Avoiding Alcoholics Anonymous for the first 20 years of her sobriety because of the concept of a “higher power,” she is focused on using some of the great canonical thinkers in western philosophy to illuminate dimensions of addiction. She further shares this in her new book, "Higher and Friendly Powers: Transforming Addiction and Suffering" (Wildhouse Publications, 2022). Peg is also the author of "Life on the Rocks: Finding Meaning in Addiction and Recovery" (Central Recovery Press, 2016), "Morality and Our Complicated Form of Life: Feminist" Wittgensteinian Metaethics (Penn State, 2008), and "Oppression and Responsibility: A Wittgensteinian Approach to Social Practices and Moral Theory" (Penn State, 2002). She writes a column, Philosophy Stirred, Not Shaken, for Psychology Today, which has more than two million total views online. Peg is also a first-degree black belt in Taekwondo. She's like Buddy in the movie, "Elf."pegoconnorauthor.com  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Christopher Lockhart is a Hollywood executive, filmmaker, and teacher. As a story professional, he has worked in the talent agency business for almost 25 years. He started at ICM, worked his way to William Morris, and transitioned to WME, the world’s largest diversified talent agency, where he serves as story editor, curating projects for “A” list talent such as Denzel Washington. As an Emmy nominated, independent producer, his credits include the horror hits "The Collector" and "The Collection," and the award-winning documentary "Most Valuable Players" for Oprah Winfrey. Chris has an MFA in dramatic writing from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts and has taught around the world on the craft and business of storytelling. He is a member of the Writers Guild, Producers Guild, and the Television Academy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jessica Toscano is a skilled content creator and editor with experience in print and digital media. She founded unisex lifestyle publication, IntrigueMag in 2014, having first published as a blog (its formal recognition as a legal entity was in Sep 2020), and continues to serve as CEO and Editor-in-Chief. Additionally, her articles have been published in Cosmopolitan, Men's Health, SELF, SHAPE, Health, Glamour UK, Vogue Taiwan, Yahoo Life, SheKnows, InsideHook, Giddy and Cliché, and she's contributed branded content to a variety of publications including Buffalo News, Feast, La Crosse Tribune, Greensboro News & Record and Mason City Globe Gazette. She is also a proud member of Women's Media Group, a New York-based nonprofit association of women who have achieved success in the many fields of media, for which she was nominated in Jan 2021. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Alicia Dennis is a content executive, award-winning journalist and editor innovating the telling of mass media stories across print, digital and broadcast. A true crime and pop culture expert, Dennis leads teams of breaking news reporters in crime and serves as an executive within multiple brands. Dennis's success as editor, digital content director, creative producer, story consultant and on-camera-talent coupled with her drive to create programs that satisfy strategic audience needs continues to expand her role throughout Meredith. She also serves as a senior editor at Entertainment Weekly where she oversees the creation and development of its pop culture true crime franchise. Dennis is a senior editor & vertical director at People Magazine and is a regular on-camera contributor for crime and entertainment topics.Podcast | Inspired Minds (inspiredmindspodcast.com) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Standup star Jeremiah Watkins appears on Inspired Minds to talk about film, comedy icons, and his widely-acclaimed style in front of the microphone. Known to make Judd Apatow fall in love with comedy again, Jeremiah lit a fire in the industry that hasn’t been blazing since Chris Farley. His debut 1 hour standup special “Jeremiah Watkins: Family Reunion” is streaming now on Amazon Prime, and you can hear him as the new voice of the iconic role of The Joker on “DC Superhero Girls.” Other credits include “Lights Out with David Spade,” Netflix’s “Historical Roasts,” Jimmy Kimmel Live & more. Jeremiah’s off-the-cuff and physical standup style routinely provides audiences with a show experience they’ve never seen before.Podcast | Inspired Minds (inspiredmindspodcast.com) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Eric Morse is an author and activist who wrote the twin children's books, "What Is Hip Hop?" and "What Is Punk?" featuring claymation images of Biggie Smalls, Tupac, The Ramones, The Clash, and other luminaires from their respective scenes.  He cut his teeth in the music industry while joining bands and eventually became a music industry executive.  As Eric says, “When I love something, I advocate for it.”Podcast | Inspired Minds (inspiredmindspodcast.com) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.