The Hollywood Hang

Welcome to The Hollywood Hang! A podcast about the highs, lows, and hell nos of this crazy industry. Hosted by Nicolas Curcio & Kristen Tepper. Edited by Luke Hellyer. Music by Stevia Sphere.Roy Lee is a prolific Hollywood producer best known for bringing some of the most iconic genre films of the past two decades to the big screen. As the founder of Vertigo Entertainment, he has become a go-to name for high-concept horror and thrillers, producing modern classics like The Ring, The Grudge, It, and Barbarian, as well as major studio hits like The Lego Movie and How to Train Your Dragon. Known for his sharp eye for international adaptations and bold, audience-driven storytelling, Lee has built a reputation for delivering films that are both commercially successful and culturally impactful, making him one of the most influential producers working today.

Welcome to The Hollywood Hang! A podcast about the highs, lows, and hell nos of this crazy industry. Hosted by Nicolas Curcio & Kristen Tepper. Edited by Luke Hellyer. Music by Stevia Sphere.Ben Semanoff is a TV and film director. Most recently, his work has been featured in episode 5 of season 2 of FX’s The Old Man, episode 9 of season 3 of Yellowjackets, and Netflix’s new drama Black Rabbit, starring Jude Law and Jason Bateman. Semanoff received an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Direction For A Drama Series for his work on Netflix’s Emmy-wining drama Ozark. His other directing credits include season 2 of Showtime’s critically acclaimed Yellowjackets; Tulsa King, starring Sylvester Stallone, for Paramount+; and Hulu’s Candy, featuring Jessica Biel. He transitioned to directing after a successful career as an A-camera operator. He was nominated for the Camera Operator of the Year for three consecutive years for his work on HBO’s The Night Of and the first two seasons of Netflix’s Ozark. His other credits as an A- camera operator include films such as Creed, Collateral Beauty, and The Upside, as well as TV series like The Leftovers, The Outsider, and The Affair. Semanoff is a graduate of Temple University. He currently lives in Doylestown, PA, with his wife Erica and two children.

Welcome to The Hollywood Hang! A podcast about the highs, lows, and hell nos of this crazy industry. Hosted by Nicolas Curcio & Kristen Tepper. Edited by Luke Hellyer. Music by Stevia Sphere.Kit Lazer is a creator on Tiktok, Instagram, and YouTube, host of the Streaming Things podcast, writer, and life enthusiast that has a passion for stories. Follow him for TV and Film news, reviews, and bad jokes.

Welcome to The Hollywood Hang! A podcast about the highs, lows, and hell nos of this crazy industry. Hosted by Nicolas Curcio & Kristen Tepper. Edited by Luke Hellyer. Music by Stevia Sphere.Jessica M. Thompson is an Emmy-nominated Australian-Maltese filmmaker who made her feature writing-directorial debut with "The Light of the Moon", which won the Audience Award for Best Narrative Film at SXSW. "The Light of the Moon", starring Stephanie Beatriz (Brooklyn Nine-Nine, In the Heights), enjoyed a limited theatrical release to sold-out screens and heralds a 97% Rotten Tomatoes score. Critics called the film "harrowingly effective" (Variety), "honest and complex" (The Hollywood Reporter), and Film Inquiry stated that "for any filmmaker, this would be an unmitigated triumph, but for a first-time filmmaker, this is revelatory." Jess was the lead director on the Sky/Showtime limited series, "The End", produced by the Oscar-winning See-Saw Films (The Power of the Dog, The King's Speech). The series received 5-stars from The Guardian & The Times.Her second directorial feature, "The Invitation" - a Sony Picture's gothic-thriller - premiered #1 at the worldwide box office and #2 when later released on Netflix, being streamed over 12 million times in its opening week. Jess founded Stedfast Productions in 2010.

Welcome to The Hollywood Hang! A podcast about the highs, lows, and hell nos of this crazy industry. Hosted by Nicolas Curcio & Kristen Tepper. Edited by Luke Hellyer. Music by Stevia Sphere.

Welcome to The Hollywood Hang! A podcast about the highs, lows, and hell nos of this crazy industry. Hosted by Nicolas Curcio & Kristen Tepper. Edited by Luke Hellyer. Music by Stevia Sphere.Originally from Rhode Island, editor Michael Shawver developed an early working relationship with director Ryan Coogler during their time at the University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts. Michael has edited all of Ryan’s feature films including “Fruitvale Station”, “Creed”, “Black Panther”, and most recently “Sinners”. His other credits include “A Quiet Place Part II”, “Abigail”, and the upcoming re-imagining of “The Thomas Crown Affair” with director Michael B. Jordan.

Welcome to The Hollywood Hang! A podcast about the highs, lows, and hell nos of this crazy industry. Hosted by Nicolas Curcio & Kristen Tepper. Edited by Luke Hellyer. Music by Stevia Sphere.Alex Convery is a Chicago-born screenwriter and USC School of Cinematic Arts graduate best known for writing Air (2023), the critically acclaimed film about Nike’s pursuit of Michael Jordan. After landing on the Black List twice with his spec scripts Bag Man and Air Jordan, Convery gained recognition for his sharp, dialogue-driven writing style and ability to turn boardroom negotiations into high-stakes drama. Inspired by The Last Dance, he wrote Air during the pandemic, eventually attracting Ben Affleck and Matt Damon, with Affleck directing. The film launched Convery as one of Hollywood’s top emerging screenwriters.

Welcome to The Hollywood Hang! A podcast about the highs, lows, and hell nos of this crazy industry. Hosted by Nicolas Curcio & Kristen Tepper. Edited by Christian Gatica. Music by Stevia Sphere.Kyra Jones (she/her) is Black queer comedy writer, transplanted from the Windy City and currently based in Los Angeles. She is an alumna of Northwestern University, where she majored in Theatre and Gender Studies with a minor in Outrunning the Diversity Brochure Photographers. Her previous television writing credits include WOKE (Hulu) and QUEENS (ABC). She also co-created and starred in the award-winning comedy web series, THE RIGHT SWIPE. Her original scripts have won awards from Nashville Film Festival, Chicago International Film Festival, Screencraft, and more. She has developed multiple series with Lionsgate, ABC Signature, Freeform, Sony, and some of her personal heroes, including Rashida Jones, Gabrielle Union, and Elliot Page. Before becoming a screenwriter, Kyra spent many years working as a professional sex educator and social justice advocate at her alma mater (which sounds like a fake job, but it's not). When she’s not writing, you can find Kyra crocheting elaborate outfits and toasting marshmallows over the burning patriarchy.

Welcome to The Hollywood Hang! A podcast about the highs, lows, and hell nos of this crazy industry. Hosted by Nicolas Curcio & Kristen Tepper. Music by Stevia Sphere.Warner Bailey is the creator of Assistants Vs. Agents (AvA), a meme page-turned-media company he founded while an assistant at WME in 2018. AvA has secured partnerships with major brands and studios, including Amazon MGM Studios, Netflix, Paramount+, Amazon Prime Video, Warner Bros., Meta, Nike, SZA, and RCA Records. Bailey also writes The AvA Connection, a weekly newsletter that shares industry insights, open jobs, and the stories of entertainment executives. He is currently developing IP across multiple mediums under the AvA umbrella.

Welcome to The Hollywood Hang! A podcast about the highs, lows, and hell nos of this crazy industry. Hosted by Nicolas Curcio & Kristen Tepper. Music by Stevia Sphere.Colby Day is a filmmaker and playwright. Recently named one of MovieMaker Magazine’s “25 Screenwriters to Watch,” Colby wrote the screenplay for the Netflix film, SPACEMAN directed by Johan Renck (Chernobyl), starring Adam Sandler, as well as the upcoming Searchlight Pictures film IN THE BLINK OF AN EYE, directed by Andrew Stanton. Colby was also a writer on the upcoming season of Apple TV's FOR ALL MANKIND. He writes the weekly newsletter Hollyweird, about living and working in Hollywood, which is a totally normal place. 

Welcome to The Hollywood Hang! A podcast about the highs, lows, and hell nos of this crazy industry. Hosted by Nicolas Curcio & Kristen Tepper. Music by Stevia Sphere.Adam Faze is the co-founder and CEO of Gymnasium, the studio behind viral short-form series like Boy Room and Keep the Meter Running. In just two years, the six-person team has generated nearly a billion views across TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube.

Welcome to The Hollywood Hang! A podcast about the highs, lows, and hell nos of this crazy industry. Hosted by Nicolas Curcio & Kristen Tepper. Music by Stevia Sphere.The Pierce Brothers’ horror film THE WRETCHED opened in drive-in theaters on May 1st 2020 by IFC Midnight and was the #1 movie in the US for six consecutive weekends, making it the first film to hold that record since the release of AVATAR in 2009. At a time when thousands of theaters were shut down, major news outlets churned out headlines that credited Brett & Drew’s film as “forever redefining how we measure box office success” (Forbes) and “leading the drive-in resurge” (Variety). The film is now available to stream on Netflix where it is currently ranked in the Top 10 Most Watched Films in the U.S and continues to release internationally.

Welcome to The Hollywood Hang! A podcast about the highs, lows, and hell nos of this crazy industry. Hosted by Nicolas Curcio & Kristen Tepper. Music by Stevia Sphere.Dawson got her break as a writer on two Mindy Kaling series, Champions and Four Weddings and a Funeral. She most recently was a Co-EP on Everybody Still Hates Chris, the reimagined animated version of the Chris Rock live action series for Comedy Central. On the feature side, Dawson is attached to direct her romantic comedy, When Carrie Met Michael and Other People with Paul Feig producing. She is currently adapting Stacey Abrams novel "Rules of Engagement" with Stacey and Kerry Washington producing for Universal.

Welcome to The Hollywood Hang! A podcast about the highs, lows, and hell nos of this crazy industry. Hosted by Nicolas Curcio & Kristen Tepper. Music by Stevia Sphere.Reagan is a director / content creator who translates major studio film productions to social media through behind the scenes footage and personal interviews. Reagan and her co-director, Jillian Smith, also run a production company together called S&Q film where they both direct and bring online audiences along every step in a project green-light format.

Welcome to The Hollywood Hang! A podcast about the highs, lows, and hell nos of this crazy industry. Hosted by Nicolas Curcio & Kristen Tepper. Edited by Luke Hellyer. Social and Promotion by Rodrigo Caraveo.Spencer Lackey made his name in the online horror world, where his unsettling videos earned him millions of followers. With YOU ARE HERE, his new short film, he's taken a clear step from the small screen to the big screen, bringing his stripped down style into a more cinematic space.

Welcome to The Hollywood Hang! A podcast about the highs, lows, and hell nos of this crazy industry. Hosted by Nicolas Curcio & Kristen Tepper. Edited by Luke Hellyer. Social and Promotion by Rodrigo Caraveo.River Gallo (they/them) is a Salvadoran-American filmmaker, actor, writer, and intersex activist. Their feature PONYBOI premiered at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival in the U.S. Dramatic Competition. The film won the Grand Jury Award for Best US Feature at Newfest New York LGBTQ+ Film Festival and River won Best Performance at the Torino Film Festival. River wrote, produced, and starred in the film, making it the first narrative feature created by and starring an out intersex artist in cinema history. PONYBOI is based on their 2019 short film of the same name that was executive produced by Emma Thompson and Stephen Fry, and premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival. In 2023, River was the subject of the critically-acclaimed feature documentary EVERY BODY directed by Academy-award nominated director Julie Cohen. In the commercial space, River has directed advertising spots for Facebook, Maison Margiela, and MTV. For their work in the arts and on social justice issues, River was on the 2023 OUT 100 list and won a GLAAD Rising Star Media Award. River was named one of the 10 LGBTQIA+ Film and TV Creators on the Rise in 2023 by Indiewire. PONYBOI will be theatrically released June 27th by Fox Entertainment Studios.

Welcome to The Hollywood Hang! A podcast about the highs, lows, and hell nos of this crazy industry. Hosted by Nicolas Curcio & Kristen Tepper. Edited by Luke Hellyer. Rae Benjamin is a TV/film writer and proud LA native. She finds humor in awkward, uncomfortable situations. Things that might not seem funny at first, things you maybe shouldn’t laugh at... and ultimately, things that have the power to broaden perspectives and empathy. Most recently, she was a co-producer on THE WITCHER (Netflix) and served as co-writer and co-executive producer for THE WITCHER: SIRENS OF THE DEEP, an animated feature which debuted on Netflix in early 2025. In 2020, Rae founded In the Cut, an organization that provides education, training, and resources for BIPOC writers and filmmakers. Her company has partnered with companies such as Sundance Collab, NBCUniversal, Final Draft and more to produce more than 200 virtual and live events. She is represented by UTA.

Welcome to The Hollywood Hang! A podcast about the highs, lows, and hell nos of this crazy industry. Hosted by Nicolas Curcio & Kristen Tepper. Edited by Luke Hellyer.Michael Waldron is an Emmy award-winning writer from Atlanta, Georgia. He created and served as head writer and executive producer for Marvel and Disney+'s LOKI series and wrote Marvel's DOCTOR STRANGE IN THE MULTIVERSE OF MADNESS for Sam Raimi. He created and executive produced Starz' wrestling drama HEELS, starring Stephen Amell and Alexander Ludwig which is now available on Netflix. He is also the executive producer behind the Hulu comedy series CHAD POWERS starring Glen Powell. He began his career on Adult Swim's RICK AND MORTY, where he won an Emmy for his work as a writer and producer on Season 4. He co-founded a feature film and TV production company, Anomaly Pictures, in 2023 with Adam Fasullo.

Welcome to The Hollywood Hang! A podcast about the highs, lows, and hell nos of this crazy industry. Hosted by Nicolas Curcio & Kristen Tepper. Edited by Luke Hellyer. Maggie Levin is a genre writer & filmmaker with rock n’ roll roots. Recently, she wrote & directed her debut feature MY VALENTINE (Hulu/Blumhouse) and an original segment for V/H/S/99 (Shudder) which premiered at TIFF in 2022. She also served as second unit director & title concept designer for Universal's THE BLACK PHONE and its upcoming sequel, BLACK PHONE 2. Maggie’s work as a screenwriter includes CASTER for Paramount Pictures. She’s currently adapting Clay McLeod Chapman’s GHOST EATERS for Sony Screen Gems. Awards include Best Director at Austin Indie Festfor the short film HEEL.

Welcome to The Hollywood Hang! A podcast about the highs, lows, and hell nos of this crazy industry. Hosted by Nicolas Curcio & Kristen Tepper. Edited by Luke Hellyer. Music by Stevia Sphere.Michael Waldron is an Emmy award-winning writer from Atlanta, Georgia. He created and served as head writer and executive producer for Marvel and Disney+'s LOKI series and wrote Marvel's DOCTOR STRANGE IN THE MULTIVERSE OF MADNESS for Sam Raimi. He created and executive produced Starz' wrestling drama HEELS, starring Stephen Amell and Alexander Ludwig which is now available on Netflix. He is also the executive producer behind the Hulu comedy series CHAD POWERS starring Glen Powell. He began his career on Adult Swim's RICK AND MORTY, where he won an Emmy for his work as a writer and producer on Season 4. He co-founded a feature film and TV production company, Anomaly Pictures, in 2023 with Adam Fasullo.