No Set Path: Entertainment Break-In Stories

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Today we get into how a film can land theatrical distribution without festival circuit buzz; how to leverage existing relationships into building a crew, cast, and distributors on your team; and how a cold email landed a distributor for two of his feature films.TICKETS FOR “THE WILDERNESS”: https://www.fandango.com/the-wilderness-2025-242791/movie-overviewKEEP UP WITH SPENCER: IG: @spencereking / @thewildernessmovie KEEP UP WITH THE SHOW: All Platforms: @NoSetPathShow www.NoSetPathShow.combio.site/NoSetPath

KEEP UP WITH THE SHOW: @NoSetPathShowbio.site/NoSetPath

Today we are getting into how to avoid stagnance when waiting for feature films to go, how to find representation that aligns with who you are as an artist and the most surprising things from directing three horror thriller features. EPISODE BREAKDOWN: 1:35 - Getting brought on to Bone Lake from an open directing assignment 3:00 - LD Entertainment4:20 - Shooting in LA vs. Georgia vs. Canada6:35 - Viral chess board shot 7:30 - Projects Mercedes’ agents sent her when they first signed her vs. now - elevated, surrealist, erotic horrors 9:10 - Upcoming features & how to play the movie stock market during the long process of getting projects off the ground 11:15 - Working on commercials12:30 - Making previous features Fixation and Spoonful of Sugar with covid impact 15:15 - the unexpected positive outcomes of a storm preventing shooting the final scene of Bone Lake17:00 - Art department chopping shrubbery down from the hotel as set dec 20:20 - Meeting long-term collaborators at USC (and cutting class to work on projects)21:45 - Should you go to film school? 25:46 - Signing with a manager & an agent (UTA)31:45 - How to finance a feature35:30 - Advice for younger filmmakers + background in producing 37:30 - Working director vs. “selling out”39:40 - Mercedes’ interest in filmmaking as a kid 42:49 - How living situations impact creativity 43:44 - How to persevere when you want to give up48:59 - Thoughts on social media 51:55 - TIME CAPSULEKEEP UP WITH MERCEDES: Buy tickets for "Bone Lake": www.bleeckerstreetmedia.com/bone-lakeFollow Mercedes on IG: @mercedesbrycemorganFollow Bone Lake on IG: @bonelakefilmKEEP UP WITH THE SHOW: All Platforms: @NoSetPathShowbio.site/NoSetPathwww.NoSetPathShow.com

KEEP UP WITH BECCA: TikTok: @beccawmannIG: @becca__mannBecca's Books: https://www.becca-mann.com/booksKEEP UP WITH THE SHOW: All Platforms: @NoSetPathShowwww.NoSetPathShow.combio.site/nosetpath

Evan B. Matthews is an LA-based director whose feature directorial debut “Motherland” comes out this month, we’re recording in September 2025, in both theaters and VOD.Evan got his start under Mark Burnett, working on shows including Survivor, The Apprentice, An Inconvenient Truth, and The Hollow, among others; going on to produce the MTV Movie Awards. Today we get into how Evan went from meeting with an executive to landing his first feature film directing job in just one week, what he focused on during his pitch for this open directing assignment, and how to pivot out of reality-focused projects when pigeonholed and be taken seriously as a narrative director.KEEP UP WITH EVAN:IG: @evanbmatthewsKEEP UP WITH THE SHOW:All Platforms: @NoSetPathShowbio.site/NoSetPath

Michael Orion Downing is an LA-based, Alaskan-raised producer and Director of Development at A/Vantage Pictures, with credits spanning Netflix, Mandalay, A24, and Apple projects alongside independent films on Tubi. His work includes Ben Affleck’s AIR, Spike Lee’s Highest 2 Lowest, and Sundance award-winning Under Darkness, as well as producing Maika Monroe’s directorial debut short at TIFF. Today we dive into how he went from a Paramount lot clerk to producing and developing major films, while constantly creating independent projects and seeking out new filmmaking collaborators.KEEP UP WITH MIKE: IG: @mike_orionKEEP UP WITH THE SHOW: All Platforms: @NoSetPathShowwww.NoSetPathShow.combio.site/nosetpath

Karl Stelter is a filmmaker whose commercial director / producer work has been recognized by  the Clio’s, Tribeca, Tribeca X, the ADDY’s, Telly’s, Webby’s, 1.4, ADCC, DUST, and over 15 Oscar Qualifying film festivals.  His recent Jury Award win at Sebastopol qualified him for the 2025 Oscars. His clients include Invisalign, Amazon, NFL, Telus, Western University of Health Sciences, and GHA Autism Supports among others.Today we get into how Karl convinced brands like Telus and Invisalign to buy documentary projects he was already making as passion projects and turn them into commercials and branded entertainment, how to make the most of a festival experience like Tribeca and how to pivot into a new type of work that’s different from what you’ve already built a portfolio in. BREAKDOWN: 2:43 – two(!) projects at Tribeca, both scripted and branded doc spot3:03 – Swimming with Butterflies feat. Brand partner, Invisalign and TribecaX3:53 – Balancing authentic story x branded, paying the bills x passionate5:23 – Karl’s journey with the subject of the doc, Paralympic swimmer9:03 – Gaining trust with documentary subjects11:43 – Shooting underwater feat. DP Joe Simon12:33 – Pitching a short doc to a brand (Invisalign)16:33 – How much would a brand give as a budget?19:13 – did Invisalign care about where the spot would live?20:13 – Submitting to Tribeca documentary vs. TribecaX (branded counterpart)21:38 – The Tribeca experience22:53 – The Lord of All Future Space and Time: a maximalist cheesecake short film (rich & dense)24:38 – repeat collaborators27:23 – running his own production company, Journeyman Studios, since 201229:48 – Pivoting from weddings to corporate videos; how to pivot to new types of work32:23 – don’t lose sight of your artistic side34:08 – success in the industry is a game of time37:05 – getting into a top tier festival while simultaneously being rejected from much less prestigious festivals38:23 – realistic acceptance rate for festivals39:08 – Pitching: collaborators and clients42:53 – don’t lose your collaborators to be right44:28 – how to enjoy Tribeca47:28 – different financing models: Karl’s other shorts!57:38 – how to have a family as a filmmaker1:07:13 – TIME CAPSULE

Today independent producer and union production coordinator Sofia Snyder gets into the specific resources she utilized to help land her short films at festivals, including Tribeca; what a psychic told her that prevented her from quitting her job on Rebel Moon; and how she took what she learned from working on movies like Licorice Pizza and Barb and Star Go to Vista del Mar and applied it to the films she’s produced.EPISODE BREAKDOWN: 2:00 - Playing at Tribeca without a premiere4:00 - How to strategize with film festivals to optimize odds of getting in - Festival Formula (HollyShorts, Poppy Jasper, Kino Presents the People’ Film Festival London, Montclair Film Festival)12:30 - Getting into Tribeca after rejections from SXSW (and other random festivals)14:08 - How runtime impacts your festival odds17:30 - Making a short for $10,00019:30 - Funding models for shorts - self-funding vs. crowd funding20:30 - 6 years is an overnight success22:30 - Sofia’s early journey as a producer: a doc about the ghost of a dead cat25:20 - Developing projects on nights & weekends after 60-80 hours a week in a production office28:15 - Why she didn’t quit her job on Rebel Moon to focus on producing 33:20 - Why Sofia wouldn’t recommend production office gigs for aspiring writers35:55 - Sofia’s other shorts (In Old Ranchos directed by Matt Lucas, We Meet Again directed by Matt Lucas, One of These Days concept directed by Joe Blank, Don’t Leave Me Now directed by Monisha Dadlani)37:20 - Shooting with UNREAL technology35:50 - Shooting in phases before raising the entire budget42:20 - Cranberry Heaven in 199744:30 - Things take time!45:40 - Being a union production coordinator on $30million+ projects (Licorice Pizza, Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar)51:50 - Attending American University + moving to LA post-college with $10,0001:02:30 - Development assistant vs. freelance/production office pipeline1:05:30 - Pay for union coordinators + insider information about how coordinators discuss rates with each other1:10:05 - TIME CAPSULEKEEP UP WITH SOFIA: IG: @sofiasnyKEEP UP WITH THE SHOW: All Platforms: @NoSetPathShowwww.NoSetPathShow.combio.site/NoSetPath

Becca Mann is an author, screenwriter, and former Team USA swimmer. A two-time national champion, she was the youngest to place Top 10 in four events at a single Olympic Trials and competed in four World Championships. She later worked in writers rooms on shows like Cruel Summer, The Wilds, and The Morning Show. Her memoir Outside the Lanes and novel Unruly drop the first week of April.Today, we dive into how Becca landed her first writers' room job with 500+ cold emails; how she turned a spontaneous book pitch into a deal; and why embracing boldness, loving the process, and facing failure head-on leads to success.BREAKDOWN: 3:00 - “Outside the Lanes” - memoir from an alumnae swimmer of Team USA15:00 - First job in Hollywood by guessing showrunners’ emails and cold emailing 17:18 - First writers’ room job as a writers’ PA on “Cruel Summer”22:00 - Being show runner’s assistant on “The Wilds”23:50 - Becoming script coordinator on “The Morning Show”25:40 - Back to sending emails for the next job!28:00 - How Becca got her book deal + failure isn’t real33:00 - Huge week for Becca in April! Books, races, shows!34:00 - Becca announces her YA book premise, coming out this April!37:30 - USC swim career + early swim career44:50 - Advice!54:07 - TIME CAPSULEKEEP UP WITH BECCA: IG: @becca__mannTikTok: @beccawmannBuy Becca's Memoir: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/774496/outside-the-lanes-by-becca-mann/KEEP UP WITH THE SHOW: All Platforms: @NoSetPathShowwww.NoSetPathShow.combio.site/NoSetPath

Today's topic is "Conclave" - what the movie got right, what the movie got wrong, and the broader impact of a film misrepresenting a community, particularly without involvement from its members.2:30 - AMERICAN POPE!3:58 - “Conclave”4:56 - The timing of the making of the movie7:00 - The consequences of capitalizing on a community without involving members of that community19:10 - Misunderstanding of Conclave as a version of American politics / presidential election23:50 - Applying this to the movie “Conclave”25:26 - What “Conclave” got right27:17 - What “Conclave” meant was “Protestantism”28:39 - What “Conclave” got wrong36:17 -“Conclave” scenes and lies that are pure fantasyKEEP UP WITH THE SHOW: All Platforms: @NoSetPathShowwww.NoSetPathShow.combio.site/NoSetPath

Revealing the top episodes, wins for the year, and upcoming opportunities!CONNECT WITH THE SHOW: All Platforms: @NoSetPathShowbio.site/NoSetPathwww.NoSetPathShow.com

Maggie Admire is an LA-based writer and producer, nominated for a 2025 WGA Award and a CrimeCon Clue Award, with features in The New York Times. Over nine years, she’s created 40+ podcast series, many for Spotify, including Serial Killers and Coinspiracy Theories, reaching millions. She helped build Parcast as its first hire before its Spotify acquisition.Beyond podcasts, she’s been a Pack Theater sketch writer, crafted tweets for Funny or Die, and even ghostwrote Tinder replies—before being replaced by a younger, hotter AI. She’s currently writing a romantasy-comedy novel and fostering a dog.Today we’re getting into how putting yourself and your ideas out there can land you a prestigious nomination like one at the WGA Awards, how to balance long term strategy with short term opportunity when deciding what career decisions to make next, and how to take calculated risks when pitching new ideas.BREAKDOWN:2:15 - Maggie’s favorite “Serial Killers” episode, which was nominated for a 2025 GA Award12:00 - how to find balance when working with very dark material13:30 - the decision to do audio-only for a podcast episode vs. video podcast16:00 - proactively submitting for a WGA award nomination19:49 - First Deadline mention by name20:07 - WGA Awards experience!31:43 - How to stand out in a comptitive industry34:30 - Other Spotify shows: “Dog Tales,” “Tales,” “Mind’s Eye”39:00 - advice for screenwriters considering podcasts43:50 - Balancing writing podcasts with other writing passions including sketch comedy and novels49:40 - Early jobs: ghostwriting people’s responses on Tinder51:20 - Getting paid to write individual jokes on the now-defunct “Pitch” app54:50 - Thoughts on TikTok & comedy57:30 - Advice for persevering in this career + not wanting to be a manager1:06:12 - TIME CAPSULEKEEP UP WITH MAGGIE:TikTok: @MaggieAdmireIG: @secret___admireListen to Maggie’s work: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3MH80XPwH4UdpQxXon2obn

EPISODE BREAKDOWN0:00 - Intro6:00 - Why Baldoni & Lively probably won’t go to trial6:40 - Publicity vs. PR vs. Marketing7:59 - Looking at things with a critical eye & documentary subjects saying “no”10:10 - North West, Kim Kardashian, Kanye West & “The Lion King” at the Hollywood Bowl12:58 - Amazon Prime’s publicist dramatization in “Flack”15:00 - the advent of the “influencer”16:25 - Real stories of publicist shenanigans from my time at the Hollywood Reporter22:45 - more Hollywood stories23:26 - studios/companies telling actors things to say to promote a film, including fake stories. Case study: Suicide Squad & Jared Leto’s crazy “gifts” 38:33 - Failed publicity stunts - Balloon boy (2009), Jussie Smollett (2019), Morton Downey Jr. (1989)54:18 - how you’re being tricked by social media creatorsKEEP UP WITH THE SHOW: All Platforms: @NoSetPathShowwww.NoSetPathShow.comwww.bio.site/NoSetPath

EPISODE BREAKDOWN: 4:10 - Wildfire impact on production insurance, bonding, & building materials 11:30 - Stay in LA Campaign 20:17- Practical implications: a game of attraction, not demands KEEP UP WITH THE SHOW: IG: @NoSetPathShow All Platforms: @NoSetPathShow www.NoSetPathShow.com bio.site/nosetpath

Evan McGahey, staff writer on Season 8 of Outlander, breaks down how he worked his way up in TV from support staff to staff writer; how he recently sold his original TV pitch to a major studio; and what he predicts with future writers given Hollywood's contraction and battle over A.I. EPISODE BREAKDOWN: 1:30 - Writing a first episode of Outlander 3:00 - Lessons from writing an episode after working as writers room support staff 4:20 - Experience co-writing an episode with another writer 5:00 - How Evan landed a support staff role on Outlander 7:26 - How Evan made the connections who ended up referring him for the interview 10:00 - How to sell an original show to a major network 15:45 - Choosing a production companies 17:06 - Landing a manager 18:30 - Co-writing a pilot 20:10 - Getting started in TV writing: first jobs— 26:20 - Writer’s PA vs. Writer’s Assistant: how to maximize each job 28:20 - Why Evan chose Outlander over staying at NBC’s The Black List 35:00 - We Survived ’til ’25, now what?: How to navigate the current contraction as a writer 39:50 - Writers vs. A.I. 43:40 - From going to USC to become a doctor to switching to pursuing screenwriting with a biology degree 44:00 - underGRAD 47:46 - Having a dedicated creative space for working 50:50 - TIME CAPSULE KEEP UP WITH THE SHOW: All Platforms: @NoSetPathShow www.NoSetPathShow.com bio.site/nosetpathshow

In this episode, guest Becca Mann joins to discuss New Year's Resolutions - what makes them actionable, when to share them, and thoughts on submitted resolutions from people on both coasts! BREAKDOWN: 1:30 - Becca’s professional swimmer update! 3:30 - Resolutions vs. goals: family, work, hobbies, emotional/spiritual, bucket list items 4:42 - Discernment: what excited me, what drained me, what did I learn? 5:45 - Navigating social media 8:20 - Rebecca’s update 12:20 - Save money & spend time with loved ones 13:30 - Goals you can control vs. ones you can’t 16:50 - Quit a bad job 19:25 - Find a full-time job 20:00 - Not sure what to resolve 21:32 - Direct another feature or more shorts for anthology feature 23:50 - Vote for “The Last Ranger” from Darwin Shaw! 24:38 - Find a home for comedic scripts 25:33 - Is a “resolution” actionable? 26:23 - Get more direct-to-client work 32:45 - Bartend in order to work on writing 36:40 - Write another feature and pilot 38:00 - Should you tell people about your goals? KEEP UP WITH GUEST BECCA MANN: IG: @becca__mann TikTok: @beccawmann KEEP UP WITH THE SHOW: All Platforms: @NoSetPathShow www.NoSetPathShow.com bio.site/NoSetPath

Juan Luis Bravo has worked as a storyboard artist in animation for shows like Star Wars: Young Jedi Adventures and LEGO Dreamzzz. Today het gets into the steps from a digital media specialist making corporate videos to storyboard artist for a Star Wars based show; how to actually yield results from networking events; and how to tap into your power as a member of a marginalized community. EPISODE BREAKDOWN (updated - 2:36 is actually 1:43) 1:43 - Young Jedi Adventures: years in the making! 2:13 - Starting off as a Digital Media Specialist internally at Disney 4:52 - Getting aggressively poached from a show 1:27 - What’s the best way to follow up/advocate for yourself with a new connection? 13:27 - How to get someone to want to help you 18:07 - Landing & leveraging a first job toward your long-term goals  23:52 - Identifying opportunities for further education past college 26:57 - How to decide to leave your “steady” job to pursue your dreams - and convince the next hiring manager you can do it (leaving helping to cut Marvel animatics to pursue storyboarding) 33:07 - Cultivating relationships from college into long-term professional relationships  34:47 - How to balance being direct about what you want without being an egomaniac  39:17 - Friends from college making the Black List 40:27 - How to say what you want  44:37 - The right questions to ask in a cold email or mentor outreach 46:33 - Living situation impact on creativity  49:22 - If you hate LA… 50:17 - Were there moments of wanting to quit?  57:52 - How to tap into your power as a member of a marginalized community  1:00:55 - TIME CAPSULE Instgram and X: @juanluisbravo_

Devin Berko is a producer at the Walt Disney Company, entrepreneur and matzo ball enthusiast. He moved to Los Angeles in 2018 after running a successful production company and has since focused on creating diverse content, whether through his work as a food photographer, commercial producer, or director. Today Devin gets into how to get hired by Disney and what Disney corporate producers look for in a director and production company to work on commercials for the Disney parks, faking a documentary to propose to the love of your life, and the philosophy he adopted from his fianceé that will give you the best shot at getting what you want. EPISODE BREAKDOWN: 1:15 - start 1:35 - Devin’s job at Disney producing commercials for the Disney Parks 3:35 - Tiana’s Bayou Adventure! 4:55 - From making TikToks for a company to working with Disney IP    7:05 - Being a part of something bigger 10:33 -working inside a bureaucracy / large company  23:15 - set your own path; short-term opportunity vs. long-term strategy  29:45 - wedding company gets ghosted 34:05 - Producing for TikTok 35:25 - When is too late to start? (Age) 38:45 - The “get-out-of-bed” rate 41:55 - Don’t Ask, Don’t Get 44:45 - How to get hired by Disney 51:15 - Matzoball Documentary 56:25 - Faking a documentary to propose  1:01:03 - TIME CAPSULE KEEP UP WITH DEVIN: IG: @devinberko KEEP UP WITH THE SHOW: All Platforms: @NoSetPathShow www.NoSetPathShow.com bio.site/nosetpath

Rebecca Doyle and Michael Ritter react to submitted career regrets and how to avoid them yourself! EPISODE BREAKDOWN: 1:30 - Not coming to LA earlier 6:10 - Not avoiding drama 9:35 - Not taking digital seriously + creative PR for indie films and digital vs. traditional  23:00 - Not begging for your job back?  27:38 - Not saving more money  29:30 - Not pursuing acting as a child  31:44 - Leaving a TV assistant job to go write samples alone 34:12 - Picking the wrong gig   36:20 - Focusing too much on a day/high-paying job and not making time for personal creative projects with friends  38:44 - Being convinced by an agent to turn down a conscripted writing job  40:48 - Don’t burn bridges, even if the people suck  41:35 - Accusation of interview questions 42:03 - Leaving an office job to pursue personal stuff + not seeking mental health support earlier  43:18 - Focusing too much on personal projects and not taking more union high-level work early 44:25 - Getting an entertainment-related education 45:26 - Getting sidetracked in reality TV 46:20 - Allowing senior employees to create insecurity  48:20 - Not making your own content  48:30 - Not stealing Michael Eisner’s rolodex 50:55 - Worked with (bad) influencers 52:24 - Not doing corporate or agency time early on 54:14 - Not asking for help  55:26 - Snippy comments / picking this industry at all 56:05 - Sign with ICM instead of CAA 57:05 - Choosing VFX as a career 57:55 - Hollywood is the hardest thing, so we got this! - But start your S-corp early  KEEP U