General Meeting with Becky Sloviter

This week, Becky welcomes Emmy-nominated writer, stand-up comedian, and Cincinnati Bengals superfan Jasmine Pierce (Saturday Night Live, Big Mouth) to the pod for a chat about the importance of finding your voice, remaining authentic (even and especially in Hollywood), and their queen, Oprah.Acting since elementary school, Jasmine traces her path from an incredible performing arts school in Cincinnati to her time as an undergrad at NYU, where she ultimately pivoted from acting to stand-up comedy and writing, and found her passion and purpose. Becky and Jasmine dive into mentorship and the remarkable difference unsolicited words of encouragement can make — especially when they come from SNL Head Writer Anna Drezen (and General Meeting Episode 5 guest, just saying) when you're just starting out.Jasmine talks about her early years writing for the satirical website Reductress, landing her first gig at The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, and then, after a brief stop at Crank Yankers, finding her way back to 30 Rockefeller Plaza as a writer for Saturday Night Live. She and Becky discuss what it was like to start at SNL a few months before a global pandemic hit, and how she and frequent collaborator Chloe Fineman leaned on each other through the wild experience of making the remote shows in the spring of 2020.And finally, Jasmine shares what it was like to write on the final season of Netflix's Big Mouth, what she learned from brilliant showrunners Nick Kroll, Andrew Goldberg, Jennifer Flackett & Mark Levin, and how the show is truly a source of sex education alongside the comedy and heart.If you enjoyed this podcast, please subscribe, share, like, comment, all the things - thank you for your support!OUR SOCIAL ACCOUNTS:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/generalmeetingpod/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@generalmeetingpodYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@generalmeetingpodWebsite: https://www.generalmeetingpod.comSpotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6RsxRaefiegM4RBODS36Xc?si=8f28c55191ad43ceApple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/general-meeting-with-becky-sloviter/id1836044182Host: Becky SloviterGuest: Jasmine Pierce - https://www.imdb.com/name/nm5276392/See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week, Becky welcomes a filmmaker she truly adores: writer/director Jason Orley (Big Time Adolescence, I Want You Back), whose upcoming film, Close Personal Friends, stars Jack Quaid, Lily Collins, Brie Larson and Henry Golding, and will be a 2027 release from Amazon. Jason traces his path from Bloomfield Hills, Michigan to NYU film school, which led to amazingly formative years learning from our queen Nancy Meyers before writing what would become his directorial debut, Big Time Adolescence — starring Pete Davidson and a newly-discovered Sydney Sweeney, a screenplay he wrote at Jon Lovett's house just as Lovett was starting Pod Save America.He then shares stories of his continued collaborations with Pete Davidson: on his Peacock show, Bupkis — and how Pete's appeal brought together incredible actors like Steve Buscemi, Edie Falco, Joe Pesci, Bobby Cannavale, and even former Vice President Al Gore — as well as his yet-to-be-made (but someday - we're manifesting!) Ramones biopic with Pete at the center. Jason also recalls what it was like to have his debut film open in theaters the weekend the world shut down, and how he made I Want You Back — his rom-com starring Jenny Slate and Charlie Day — masked up during the pandemic (yet still a fantastic experience). Plus: some behind-the-scenes scoop on Close Personal Friends, including the Meghan Markle cameo — which finally gave Becky the opportunity to share a heartwarming personal insight about the famous Montecito resident. Jason and Becky also dive into the imposter syndrome that often accompanies first-time directing, and why the fact that it took a while to get his first movie made actually had some upsides.If you enjoyed this podcast, please subscribe, share, like, comment, all the things - thank you for your support!OUR SOCIAL ACCOUNTS:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/generalmeetingpod/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@generalmeetingpodYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@generalmeetingpodWebsite: https://www.generalmeetingpod.comSpotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6RsxRaefiegM4RBODS36Xc?si=8f28c55191ad43ceApple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/general-meeting-with-becky-sloviter/id1836044182Host: Becky SloviterGuest: Jason Orley - https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3753276/See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week, Becky welcomes director Lena Khan (The Tiger Hunter, Flora & Ulysses) to talk about her new Netflix film, Best of the Best — a raucous comedy set in the cutthroat world of collegiate Bollywood dance competitions. It stars once-in-a-generation talent Maitreyi Ramakrishnan (Never Have I Ever), is co-written and produced by the brilliant Hasan Minhaj, and hits Netflix this Friday, September 18th.Lena takes Becky back to what actually inspired her to become a filmmaker — after starting at UCLA as an engineering major, before Don Cheadle's unwitting influence convinced her to pivot to film. They chat about Lena's first movie, The Tiger Hunter, starring Danny Pudi and inspired by her own family's story, a path she ultimately pursued with encouragement from her colleagues at Participant Films. Then it's on to Best of the Best: what it actually takes to make a dance movie, and how she told Maitreyi Ramakrishnan that all she had to do was "become Channing Tatum" — which led to seven hours of dance lessons a day for her star.Finally, during the "Last Looks" segment, Lena and Becky bond over their shared love of many things, but especially the Steve Martin/Nora Ephron classic My Blue Heaven, and the perfection that is Friday Night Lights.Check out our episodes on YouTube as well! https://www.youtube.com/@generalmeetingpodIf you enjoyed this podcast, please follow, share, like, comment, all the things - thank you for your support!Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/generalmeetingpod/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@generalmeetingpodWebsite: https://www.generalmeetingpod.comHost: Becky SloviterGuest: Lena Khan - https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3414572/See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week is another first as Becky welcomes young talent manager Matt Rosen to the pod. Matt represents Hollywood screenwriters and filmmakers, but that's not the main reason why Becky invited him onto the pod.Driven by a desire to showcase underrepresented writers and help his clients share their stories, Matt has made a name for himself in Hollywood by doing something very unusual for someone in his position: posting hot takes, strong opinions and hilarious commentary about Hollywood every day on his Instagram stories — the movies he loves and which ones he thinks are garbage, the directors he thinks are hacks, the films people don't talk about enough, the stars who are overrated.But as he and Becky go a little deeper, Matt reveals why his friendships make some movies and TV shows off-limits to his commentary, how Mr. Thomas Cruise is the only person in the world they'd close down Times Square for, and why Philadelphia sports fans can sometimes (often?) be described as mentally ill.Matt and Becky also chat about the state of show business and the importance of keeping it real during these trying times, while Matt references some classics (that anyone interested in Hollywood will know or can seek out): 'What Makes Sammy Run' by Budd Schulberg, the 'karmic debt' that Steven Soderbergh famously talked about in his 'State of Cinema' speech in 2013 (link below), and why Dawn Steel's "they can kill you...but they can't eat you" has become a mantra for Matt.Check out our episodes on YouTube as well! https://www.youtube.com/@generalmeetingpodIf you enjoyed this podcast, please follow, share, like, comment, all the things - thank you for your support!Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/generalmeetingpod/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@generalmeetingpodWebsite: https://www.generalmeetingpod.comHost: Becky SloviterGuest: Matt Rosen - https://www.instagram.com/mattyrosen21/Steven Soderbergh's 'State of Cinema' Speech - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQrFSUwFwUM&t=16sSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

It's another one of Philadelphia's finest as acclaimed writer/director Dan Trachtenberg (Predator: Badlands, 10 Cloverfield Lane) joins Becky as she wears a Sixers t-shirt in honor of LeBron (still can't believe it!) for a wide-ranging conversation about creative collaborations, leaps of faith and where underdog mentality really comes from. First, Dan takes Becky back to growing up in Philly: working at Suncoast Video in the Willow Grove Mall, leaning into his passion for comic books and movies that laid the foundation for his directing career. Then Dan shares his path from film school at Temple University (go Owls!) to years of trying to make it in Los Angeles directing commercials, before his buzzy short films and a fortuitous connection from Philly helped him land the job directing his first film, 10 Cloverfield Lane — produced by one of Dan's biggest filmmaker influences, J.J. Abrams. Dan then shares the backstory of how he found a fresh and original way into the Predator franchise and how he's continued to build out the Predator universe in distinct ways — prequels, animated films, and not one but two incredible roles for Elle Fanning — and what else he's working on next. Dan and Becky also bond over their shared love of movies that try to show the full human experience — especially '80s and '90s movies, anything Spielberg touched, and definitely if John Cusack holds up a boombox.  Check out our episodes on YouTube as well! https://www.youtube.com/@generalmeetingpodIf you enjoyed this podcast, please follow, share, like, comment, all the things - thank you for your support!Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/generalmeetingpod/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@generalmeetingpodWebsite: https://www.generalmeetingpod.comHost: Becky SloviterGuest: Dan Trachtenberg - https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0870469/See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.