Episodes

Daniel Poler comes from Venezuela and Panama and his new film is coming to this year’s Virginia Film Festival (10/22-26). ESPINA is the film he made about and starring his best friend, Jonathan, who’s confined to a wheelchair. The movie explores the subject with an upbeat attitude. We discuss: – How he got to the states – When his filmmaking career began – Creating fashion videos for designers like Prada, Carolina Herrera, Jason Woo and Saks – Graduating from a doc to narrative – The title’...

Jeff Rathner started his career shooting news at CBS6 right here in Richmond. He ultimately ended up in DC working for 36 years at the PBS Newshour. Our discussion includes: – A wise mouth anchor at “PM Magazine” – Sharing a cigar with Fidel Castro – Covering Bill Clinton as his scandal started – Putting a mic on Paul McCartney – Sharing birthdays with Tom Hanks – Getting a kiss from Baryshnikov – The most challenging interviews LINKS:| Jeff’s IMDB page The Rocky Horror report on CBS6 (...

“The American Miracle” is a docudrama inspired by Michael Medved’s book of the same title. It states that God’s “providential hand” intervened in the founding of the United States. Douglas B. Maddox had a number of jobs on the film, including producer. We discuss: – Switching from physics to film in college – How he got involved with this project – Getting Pat Boone and Richard Dreyfuss – Shooting in Virginia – Visual effects to create crowds, snow and cold breath – Results of the national...

This is the 2nd year for the Inthrive Film Festival, which features the voices and talents of incarceration survivors. It’s coming to Richmond October 3-6 at various locations. We’ll meet the makers of 2 entries about the closing of prisons that take very different approaches. Ashley Hunt’s “And Water Brings Tomorrow” merges poetry and documentary, while Juicebox P. Burton’s short “Space to Breathe” is a futuristic look at life without prisons. Our discussion includes: – Their backgrounds – Ho...

Bunt Young is a Richmond native who started his career as a cinematographer when he was still a teen. He’s worked on TV shows, motion pictures and commercials. We discuss: – His affinity for impressions – Differences between A camera, B camera, insert camera and more – Getting fiery shots in the pit of a big race – Landing the gig on Terrence Malick’s “The New World” – Riding in the back seat with Jim Gaffigan – Working with Mike Henry on a memorable commercial – Cloris Leachman’s bold mo...

Richmonder Melody C. Roscher wrote and directed “Bird in Hand,” which she shot here. It follows Bird Rowe, a biracial bride-to-be who arrives unannounced at her hippie mother’s home to plan her wedding. The Virginia premiere will be at this year’s Richmond International Film Festival on 9/25 at 7pm at the Byrd. Our discussion includes: – Her background in Richmond – Going from wanting to be a zoologist to a filmmaker – The experience at Sundance for her short film – Where the idea for “Bird ...

Will Turner is the subject of the new documentary “Sierra 914,” which follows his extreme marathon event, where he swam, biked and ran 914 miles as a personal challenge. He’s joined by the film’s director Ryan Dugger. They talk about this incredible achievement and the grueling process for Will and the film crew: – What started Will running – How Ryan decided to shoot the doc – Why it’s called Sierra 914 – How it was financed – Will’s dedications to friends – Why Will doesn’t wear headphon...

Andrea Meyerson formed an online community of fellow lesbians during COVID, Women on the Net. She joined with director Kathryn L. Beranich to produce this documentary about this and the famous guests who were on the zoom group. “An Unexpected Community” will play at this year’s Virginia Queer Film Festival, which will run September 12 – 14 at Old Dominion University in Norfolk. We discuss: – How the idea for the original show came about – Shooting interviews all over the country – Having famo...

“Griffin in Summer” is a coming-of-age feature about Griffin, a fourteen-year-old aspiring playwright (Everett Blunck). During the summer he tries to bring his ambitious artistic vision to life, while becoming enamoured by his mom’s handyman. It was shot in Virginia in 2023 and stars Melanie Lynskey (as mom) and Owen Teague (as the handyman). It also won the Founders Award for best U.S. narrative feature at last year’s prestigious Tribecca Film Festival. In our discussion we cover: – How his ow...

Reel Families for Change centers on work-life solutions that ensure career access and advancement for caregiving filmmakers, especially those who may be more vunerable or marginalized. Akima Brown is Founder and Executive Director of the organization and she explains the work they do: – How this got started – Her Virginia connection – How inequity in production became real – Informed consent protocols – Why media access is important LINKS Reel Families website Akima’s website Beer, Beards...

“The Hitchhiker Effect” was produced in Virginia for under $20K. It features Michael Beardsley as a conspiracy theorist who struggles to understand paranormal events that begin when his neighbors drop by his remote cabin. He’s joined by the film’s writer/director Zack Van Eyck. The Virginia premiere will be at the Richmond Film Network’s day-long Indie Fest, noon, Saturday, 8/9 at The Park RVA. We’ll discuss: – Zach’s first book in 6th grade – Writing in Richmond – Discovering the alien encou...

After sold-out screenings at Charlottesville’s Indie Short Film Festival in March, “The Price of Resistance: Sala Udin, An American Agitator” will again be screened in Charlottesville on August 9, 7:30pm at Vinegar Hill Theatre. It will be paired with a companion documentary, “Uprooted,” that explores the displacement of a thriving Black neighborhood in Newport News. Today’s podcast features the directors of both films, Brandi Kallam and Ty Cooper and we discuss: – How they found each other – ...

Isaac Regelson was trained as an architect, but he has made his career as a location scout and manager for movies, TV shows and commercials. Our chat includes: – Getting into the biz – Location scout vs location management – Why he never designed a building – Working commercials vs movies – Finding the right house for “Loving” – Locating a cliff to drive a truck off – Working with HBO for Succession LINKS Isaac’s website VMHC’s Mythbusting screening of The Patriot My interview with Just...

This is part 2 of my interview with Jeanne Meserve, who was on CBS 6 here in the 80s and went on for a 20-year career at CNN. This discussion includes: – The difference between the elections of Clinton and Bush – Prepping nominees for congressional hearings – Changing her approach to covering abortion – Memorable fan interactions – Being a moderator all over the world – Interviewing a deep fake of Trump – Her favorite news show – The security technology podcast LINKS Jeanne’s website J...

Gordon Bass has been a working actor in Richmond since the 80s. He’s performed in theatres all over the area and made his living as the Tour Manager for Virginia Rep. All that time he managed to assemble an impressive roster of on-camera gigs from commercials to training videos to even a few films. Some of the things we discuss include: – The DuPont gig working in the freezing “rain” (for Jerry) – Playing trumpet for the Army – Starting his career at Theatre IV (now Virginia Rep) – Being a s...

Jeanne Meserve was an anchor and reporter for CBS6 here in Richmond during the 80s (when I was reviewing at the station). She went on to have a successful career in news, including years at ABC News and CNN, winning 2 Emmy awards along the way. The first part of our chat starts with the early stages of her career, including: – Starting at a radio station playing polkas – The culture change from New England to Richmond – How her husband, who’s directed “Meet the Press,” helped her career – Cr...

In 2022, Seth Wood started his own reality documentary competition for farmers titled “Corn Warriors.” Since then, he’s produced two more shows, “Top Crop” and “The Podfather.” Producing and directing them takes him all over the country, but he edits them up right here in Richmond. We’ll discuss: – The definition of Agritainment – How he got into this field (pun intended) – What is RFD TV? – Naming his shows with puns – The response from viewers – His model for indie filmmakers LINKS All...

Sharon Y. Cobb co-wrote “The Man in the White Van” with the film’s director Warren Skeels. It’s a thriller based on a true story about a serial killer in a small Florida town. We’ll discuss: – How they met – The story originated over coffee – Shooting in a 70s house – Directing a snake – References from the period like “Bonanza” and extension phones – Getting Sean Astin in the movie – Florida in Louisanna – The rolling red carpet premiere LINKS Lighthouse Hill IMDB link (Sharon’s scree...

Drs. Peter Kirkpatrick and Françoise Ravaux-Kirkpatrick created Richmond’s immensely popular French Film Festival in 1993 and ran it until 2022. The Festival became the largest French movie and culture showcase outside of France. In addition to film screenings and master classes, it included more than 900 guest artists. On this second part of the podcast we’ll cover: – How the festival changed and expanded over the years – “Importing” projectionists from France – The Magic Lantern show with 1...

Eight years ago, Angela Patton (CEO and founder of Girls For Change) started the program that allowed Black girls to attend a dance with their fathers, who were incarcerated. Earlier this year, she and her co-director Natalie Rae had their documentary picked up by Netflix. We’ll discuss: – How did the idea for the dances started – The evolution of the movie – Deciding which girls/dads to feature – Challenges of shooting in a prison – Involvement by photographer Bruce Weber – Getting suppor...

Drs. Peter Kirkpatrick and Françoise Ravaux-Kirkpatrick created Richmond’s immensely popular French Film Festival in 1993 and ran it until 2022. They were professors of French literature, culture and film studies at Virginia Commonwealth University and University of Richmond, respectively. The Festival became the largest French movie and culture showcase outside of France. In addition to film screenings and master classes, it included more than 900 guest artists. This is the first part of a two-...

Rita McClenny was the Director of the Virginia Film Office for 21 years from 1991 to 2012. During her tenure, she grew the office and it’s burgeoning production capabilities. In 2012, she was promoted to President & CEO of Virginia Tourism Corporation, selling film and lots more for the Commonwealth. Our lively discussion includes: – Driving that Tourism truck in her high heels – Where she got her love of horse riding – How she moved from sales at Kodak to selling “film” in Virginia – Major ...

Virginia Home Grown was created by VPM in 2000, to serve as a resource to enrich growers and gardeners, while highlighting the richness of gardens and natural ecosystems throughout Virginia. We’ll talk with current host Peggy Singlemann, Senior Producer Bryant Dameron and Executive Producer Shawn Freude, along with some additional input from the original host Richard Nunnally. Our discussion includes: – How the show started – Why it’s still the same set – How Peggy got involved – How the sho...

Michael Gottwald was born and raised in Richmond. After he left, he got involved as a producer and the first major film was “Beasts of the Southern Wild,” which was nominated for four Oscars, including Best Picture. He’s been involved in a number of projects since then and the latest is “O’Dessa,” a a sci-fi musical with a rock score that dropped on Hulu in April. Our discussion includes: – Attending the Oscars for “Beasts” – The inspiration for “O’Dessa” – Working again with the director – ...