The BraveMaker Podcast

January 18th, 2023 we we were joined by South Asian  screenwriter, director and and producer Suhashini Krishnan  (@sushi.kharrl)!! Suhashini’s writing has been recognized by the Academy  Nicholl Screenwriting Fellowship and Slamdance Film Festival, among  others. Her works have been optioned and developed by various studios.  She resides in California with her husband and two dogs. You can watch the conversation on our YouTube Channel!  Want to sign up for a class or workshop? https://bravemaker.com/ Please like, comment, share, or subscribe if you love film fests, movie-making, storytelling and creativity of all kinds. Want to connect more?   🔴 Subscribe and watch LIVE here: https://www.youtube.com/bravemakerorg  🔴 Donate here: https://secure.givelively.org/donate/brave-maker Please write a review and DM us a screenshot to be entered into a raffle for Starbucks and Amazon cards. https://www.instagram.com/bravemakerorg/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/bravemaker . Hosted by: @tonygapastione and @krystinawrayjackson Produced by Amy Cohen Edited by  Barnell Amos of Speak Media Services Social Media Manged by Kerri Alley Intern Jessica Cohen  . . . #bravemaker #bravemakerliveshow #bravemakerpodcast #southasiancreators #producer #director #writer #actor #filmmaker #screenwriter #screenwriting #filmmaking

We were thrilled to kick off 2023 with our first live show of the new year on Wednesday, January 4th at  4pm PST/7pm EST, featuring the team from EVY’S WISH short film (@evyswishfilm)! Joining us was producer and makeup artist Pati Currie  (@paticurriemua), director Lydia Isnanto (@lydiaisnanto), and  screenwriter Sanju Jacob (@sanjujacobuxi)  You can join us on our  Facebook page or subscribe to our YouTube channel!! LINK IN BIO!! Hosted by: @tonygapastione and @krystinawrayjackson Want to sign up for a class or workshop? https://bravemaker.com/ Please like, comment, share, or subscribe if you love film fests, movie-making, storytelling and creativity of all kinds. Want to connect more?   🔴 Subscribe and watch LIVE here: https://www.youtube.com/bravemakerorg  🔴 Donate here: https://secure.givelively.org/donate/brave-maker Please write a review and DM us a screenshot to be entered into a raffle for Starbucks and Amazon cards. https://www.instagram.com/bravemakerorg/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/bravemaker #bravemaker #bravemakerpodcast

Ready to go after your goals? Here's 4 steps from our founder and executive director: Tony Gapastione Want to sign up for a class or workshop? https://bravemaker.com/ Please like, comment, share, or subscribe if you love film fests, movie-making, storytelling and creativity of all kinds.    Want to connect more?   🔴 Subscribe and watch LIVE here: https://www.youtube.com/bravemakerorg  🔴 Donate here: https://secure.givelively.org/donate/brave-maker Please write a review and DM us a screenshot to be entered into a raffle for Starbucks and Amazon cards.  https://www.instagram.com/bravemakerorg/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/bravemaker

Meet the cast and crew of Peacock’s SEE YOU NEXT CHRISTMAS (@seeyounextchristmasmovie)!! We have the joy of talking with the actor/writer/director, Christine Weatherup (@christineweatherup), actor Elizabeth Guest (@lizzguest), actor AJ Meijer (@digitalactor), and actor Vin Vescio (@vinvescio)!! You can catch the film on Peacock and watch the interview on our YouTube Channel! LINK BELOW. CORRECTION: This is episode 175, Tony said 176! Sorry! Follow BraveMaker on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bravemakerorg/ Watch the interview on video (and others weekly), subscribe to our Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/bravemakerorg Become a BraveMaker partner/donor https://bravemaker.com/donate/ Podcast edited by Barnell Amos of Speak Media Services https://www.speakmediaservices.com/ Produced by Amy Cohen https://www.instagram.com/cohen.amy/ Social Media by Kerri Alley https://www.instagram.com/kerrialley95/ Video clips curated and edited by Jessica Cohen https://www.instagram.com/jessa.cohen/ Podcast hosted by Tony Gapastione http://www.tonygapastione.com/ https://www.instagram.com/tonygapastione/ and Krystina Wray Jackson https://www.instagram.com/krystinawrayjackson/ https://www.krystinajackson.com/

Producer Mike Blizzrd,  Animators and another Actor from Netflix’s APOLLO 10 1/2!!  @minnowmountain,  Steph Swope (@stephswope), and Craig Staggs (@craigstaggs); Producer  Assistant Lara Morgan; Producer Mike Blizzard (@emblizario); and Actor  Bill Wise (@thebillwise)!! Tune in live to our Facebook page or  subscribe to our YouTube channel to watch the video: https://youtu.be/YNKHCWxci6w Hosted by: @tonygapastione Follow BraveMaker on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bravemakerorg/ Watch the interview on video (and others weekly), subscribe to our Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/bravemakerorg Become a BraveMaker partner/donor https://bravemaker.com/donate/ Podcast edited by Barnell Amos of Speak Media Services https://www.speakmediaservices.com/ Produced by Amy Cohen https://www.instagram.com/cohen.amy/ Social Media by Kerri Alley https://www.instagram.com/kerrialley95/ Video clips curated and edited by Jessica Cohen https://www.instagram.com/jessa.cohen/ Podcast hosted by Tony Gapastione http://www.tonygapastione.com/ https://www.instagram.com/tonygapastione/ and Krystina Wray Jackson https://www.instagram.com/krystinawrayjackson/ https://www.krystinajackson.com/

For episode 173 are joined by three cast  members of Netflix’s original movie APOLLO 10 1/2; Danielle Guilbot  (@danielle.guilbot), Milo Coy (@therealmilocoy), and Jessica Cohen  (@jessa.cohen)!! The film also features, Glen Powell, Zachary Levi, and  Jack Black! You can also watch by subscribing to  our YouTube Channel! https://youtu.be/m_i3FguXy5w Danielle  (Stephanie) started her career in NYC at the age of 9, landing a lead  role (Cindy Lou Who) in Broadway’s Touring show Dr. Seuss' "How the  Grinch Stole Christmas The Musical!.” Next, Danielle and her little  sister Madeleine were both cast as Von Trapp children in a North  American tour of "The Sound of Music.” Danielle and her sisters, Guilbot  Sisters Project (GSP), are also songwriters and musicians. They were  the youngest official performers at SXSW Music Festival in 2018. Milo  (Stanley) surprised everyone when he boldly announced at preschool  graduation his plans to become an actor. Apollo 10 1/2 is his first  major acting break and in the process fell in love with filmmaking on  set at Troublemaker Studios. In the two years since filming Apollo, he's  starred in a music video for fan-favorite band Star Parks, two school  district theatre productions, and "Search & Destroy," an upcoming  short film from writer/director Alex Rosales. Milo's dream is to someday  do his own "huge" stunts. Jessica  (Jana) is an actress, writer, musician, singer, aspiring filmmaker, and  all-around performer! She has written several screenplays and hopes to  bring one of them to life in the near future. In 2021 she won a B. Iden  Payne award (excellence in Austin theater) for “Outstanding Featured  Musical Performance” for her performance in an Original Work in the  Vortex Summer Youth Theater. She has written over 60 original songs, and  has released a few on iTunes and Spotify. She is an intern with  BraveMaker, and writes blogs for the BraveMaker website. Hosted by: @tonygapastione and @jaysonyerface . #bravemaker #bravemmakerliveshow #bravemakerpodcast #apollo10andahalf #netflixoriginalmovie #netflix #filmmaking #producer #director #actor #writer

Watch the conversation (and subscribe) on our Youtube channel.  https://youtu.be/r9nj4pX3EIU Want more IDEAS? Listen to episode 133 from 2021! Follow BraveMaker on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bravemakerorg/ Watch the interview on video (and others weekly), subscribe to our Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/bravemakerorg Become a BraveMaker partner/donor https://bravemaker.com/donate/ Podcast edited by Barnell Amos of Speak Media Services https://www.speakmediaservices.com/ Produced by Amy Cohen https://www.instagram.com/cohen.amy/ Social Media by Kerri Alley https://www.instagram.com/kerrialley95/ Video clips curated and edited by Jessica Cohen https://www.instagram.com/jessa.cohen/ Podcast hosted by Tony Gapastione http://www.tonygapastione.com/ https://www.instagram.com/tonygapastione/ and Krystina Wray Jackson https://www.instagram.com/krystinawrayjackson/ https://www.krystinajackson.com/

** Please note the location has changed to 233 Topaz St. BraveMaker HQ for the screening NOT Cañada College.** Jared Callahan https://www.instagram.com/jared_cal/ is  an award-winning director / producer. He founded and runs People People  Media, an Emmy-nominated production company based on a 95-acre farm in  the San Francisco East Bay. His work has been released through The New  York Times, PBS, GQ Magazine, The Atlantic, ALTER, NoBudge, Short of the  Week & Vimeo Staff Picks. Jared served as one of the Atlanta Film  Society’s Filmmakers in Residence, and produced The Driver is Red, which  played over 100 festivals, won 43 awards, and qualified for the 2019  Academy Award in two categories. He worked as First Assistant Director  on Short Term 12 (2009), which won the Sundance Grand Jury Prize for  Short Filmmaking, and the feature I Am Not A Hipster, which premiered at  Sundance in 2012. https://www.instagram.com/peoplepeoplemedia/ Jonathan Pickett https://www.instagram.com/jphowdy/ is a national Emmy-nominated creative producer / editor with People  People Media, a small production company based on a farm in the San  Francisco East Bay. He edited 3 feature films by the age of 26, and has  has been on the producing team for projects that have been released  through The New York Times, PBS, The Atlantic, ALTER, GQ Magazine,  NoBudge, Short of the Week, and Vimeo Staff Picks. He was an associate  producer on The Driver is Red, which screened at the 2018 Sundance Film  Festival, and he produced Mr. Somebody which was a selection at the 2020  Tribeca Film Festival.

Keith Enty is a 6 year Air Force Veteran, that currently works as a Work and Family Life Consultant for  the US Navy. His job entails of assisting Active Duty, Reservists, and  Veteran Service Members along with their families with navigating  through the various challenges of Military Life. Some of these services  include Military Life Skills, Relocation, Parenting, and even Housing  Crisis. One of the main topics Keith covers is Suicide Prevention. It’s  no secret why the Military is in need of extensive preventative training  regarding Suicide. His Suicide Prevention Training covers prevention,  specialized counseling, a safe space for Service Members to speak to  someone without judgement, and an all around educational experience to  make sure Service Members are able to recognize signs and  provide/utilize supportive resources.

https://www.instagram.com/acvouvray/ Catherine grew up gay in God’s country. She feared for her life at home with mentally ill parents and  out in the rural world of rednecks, where members of the LGBTQ+ and  BIPOC communities were killed for sport. She watched, trembling at six,  as hooded members of the KKK burned a giant cross. She heard about the  boy who was killed for giving a blow job. It’s no wonder that themes of  repression of women and minorities are omnipresent in her work. A  creative always on the fringes of mainstream society, her mission now is  to champion inclusivity. Catherine wants to add to queer cinema,  especially empowering lesbians, and invent a renaissance of interest in  our elders. She wants to place older women at the epicenter of story.  She wants to tell the stories of the overlooked and marginalized and  give a bullhorn to those who aren’t often given a voice. Catherine has  written numerous award-winning screenplays for features and TV, becoming  a fellow of the Middlebury Script Lab, attending the Stowe Narrative  Lab on a partial scholarship, and attending both the feature retreat and  TV lab at CineStory. She has directed four short films so far and will  be shooting her feature directorial debut this summer. Follow BraveMaker on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bravemakerorg/ Watch the interview on video (and others weekly), subscribe to our Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/bravemakerorg Become a BraveMaker partner/donor https://bravemaker.com/donate/ Podcast edited by Barnell Amos of Speak Media Services  https://www.speakmediaservices.com/ Produced by Amy Cohen https://www.instagram.com/cohen.amy/ Social Media by Kerri Alley https://www.instagram.com/kerrialley95/ Video clips curated and edited by Jessica Cohen https://www.instagram.com/jessa.cohen/ Podcast hosted by Tony Gapastione http://www.tonygapastione.com/ https://www.instagram.com/tonygapastione/ and Krystina Wray Jackson https://www.instagram.com/krystinawrayjackson/ https://www.krystinajackson.com/

https://instagram.com/tinadeliasf TINA  D’ELIA (She/Her) is a Bay Area lesbian/queer, mixed-race Mexican artist  and small business owner, teacher, and coach and an award-winning solo  performer, actor, co-screenwriter, and casting director. D’Elia is also  the program director of the LezWritesBTQ program with 3Girls Theatre.  Tina is honored to be performing her 4th solo show Overlooked Latina,  directed by Mary Guzmán and developed with David Ford, at The Marsh (San  Francisco) this month. Her next shows are October 27th and 29th.  D’Elia’s solo show: The Rita Hayworth of this Generation, won “Best of  Fringe” (2015) and won “Best of Sold-Out Shows” at the San Francisco  Fringe Festival (2015). She is currently developing her fifth solo show,  The Break-Up! A Queer Latina Torch Song, directed by Mary Guzmán.  D’Elia has presented her solo shows in a variety of venues including:  The National Queer Arts Festival, The Theater Offensive (Boston), The  Marsh (SF/Berkeley), The Marsh Rising Star, Stage Werx, Highways  Performance Space (LA), Crazy Nannies (NY), LezWrites, Women on the Way  Festival, and more. D’Elia was recognized in Go Magazine 100 Women We  Love (2019) and in the leading national lesbian Curve magazine Power  List of 2017. D’Elia is the recipient of the Best Actress Award and the  Diversity Casting Award (2017) from the Equality International Film  Festival. D’Elia received the: The Audience Award at Frameline33 (2009),  as a co-screenwriter of the short film Lucha, also nominated for the  prestigious Iris Prize (2009).  Her feature film/television/webseries  credits include: The Pursuit of Happyness, Knife Fight, Guitar Man,  Earth Mama, Trauma (NBC), Sense8 (Netflix), Dyke Central (Amazon),  Transfinite, and Assigned Female at Birth (YouTube). Follower her on  Instagram/Twitter: tinadeliasf, Tina D’Elia on FaceBook. Her websites: tinadelia.com and tinadeliaconsulting.com.

https://instagram.com/acting.up.again/ Tom Procida is an award winning filmmaker whose films have received high recognition worldwide and can be seen on AMAZON PRIME VIDEO. As  an actor of 30+ years, Tom has been seen in a wide range of projects  such as commercials, industrials, theatrical plays, indie films,  national and international TV shows including PRISON BREAK, FRIDAY NIGHT  LIGHTS, and the Mexican telenovela POR AMAR SIN LEY. His  future plans consist of the continuing journey, as an actor and film  maker, to fulfill the goals of bringing meaningful and thought-provoking  stories into the world. https://tomprocida.weebly.com/

https://instagram.com/briandactor/ Brian  D. Cohen is a burgeoning actor from the Bay Area who is quickly making a  name for himself with such roles “Greg Zlotsky” in the Nash Bridges  reboot (USA network/Peacock) and “Mr. Stubbins” in the upcoming HBO Max  holiday film “A Christmas Mystery.” Although he is relatively “new” to  the acting world, Brian has dabbled in entertainment his whole life;  acting and modeling as a child from age 8-12, and writing, singing and  co-producing his own R&B music in his 20’s and 30’s. Since 2019,  Brian has dedicated his life to the craft of acting, consistently  training with ZA studios and acting coaches Jamie Carroll, Howard Fine  and Jamison Jones among others, as well as constantly auditioning and  networking. Brian also recently had a baby with his lovely and  supportive wife Heather!

https://www.instagram.com/itsqwere/  TICKETS FOR Novemeber 5th, 2022: https://www.itsqwere.com/mightyreal/ Tony Taylor is a writer, photographer, editor, and proud Black man creating spaces that push the queer agenda. In 2018 he started ItsQwere, a community social group that centers and celebrates the experiences of Black and Brown queers through conversation salons and events.  With ItsQwere, Tony has moderated salons throughout California, New York City, Philadelphia, Paris, Istanbul, Bucharest, and thanks to The Rona: the limitless virtual world of Zoom. As a writer, he’s interviewed the likes of RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 8 winner Bob the Drag Queen, Star Trek’s George Takei, and TV pioneer Barbara Eden, star of I Dream of Jeannie. As a regular person he consumes memoirs, biopics, wine and edibles, and he loves each of his 50+ plant babies equally.

https://forciercasting.com https://www.instagram.com/forciercasting/ https://www.facebook.com/forciercasting.sacramento Casting  Director and Producer Sally Forcier has been in the business for over  29 years. She got her start as an actor, and portrayed Alexa in the film  ENAMORED. As time went on she grew a love for all things filmmaking and  behind the scenes. She has produced 8 films in 6 years. In 2019 she  received the 2018 CFAA President’s Award from The Capital Film Arts  Alliance in Sacramento, CA. She is a champion for the local film  community, and moved into casting to meet a need in the Sacramento  Valley! You can tune into our Facebook page or subscribe to our YouTube Channel to watch! Please SHARE: https://www.youtube.com/bravemakerorg PODCAST EDITED BY: https://www.instagram.com/speakmediaservices/ SOCIAL MEDIA BY: https://www.instagram.com/kerrialley95/ PRODUCED BY: https://www.instagram.com/cohen.amy/ HOSTED BY: https://www.instagram.com/tonygapastione/ + https://www.instagram.com/krystinawrayjackson/

Actor and business owner Julie Dove is currently the voice of Jessica From Accounting in the @adultswim @hbomax and show BIRDGIRL! https://www.instagram.com/juliedove/ She  can also be seen in INSATIABLE, ANGIE TRIBECA, LEGIT, PLAYDATE, and  Tyler Perry’s YOUNG DYLAN. In addition to acting she also has an editing  business called, Actorediting, where actors can get their own reels  updated or created! You can watch on our Facebook page, or subscribe to  our YouTube Channel to watch!

Jason Fong joins hosts Krystina Wray Jackson and Tony Gapastione for episode 162 with actor/filmmaker and cult survivor Giovannie Espiritu.  Giovannie’s identity is inherently political: A bisexual, once-undocumented immigrant Filipina mom who spent time in a Biblical doomsday cult as a teen. Her first short film, “Ultra-Feminist,” got an Honorable Mention at Outfest: Fusion, and her second film, “ALLY 3000,” won over 12 awards at film festivals mainly in scriptwriting and social justice.  https://www.instagram.com/giospirit2/ Most of her work has taken aim at dismantling the patriarchy, healing generational trauma, and exposing systems of bias with humor. Her primetime credits include a recurring role on ER (NBC), Bones (FOX), Gilmore Girls (ABC), and Trauma (NBC). She can currently be seen as the lead in the Amazon series, “Dyke Central.” She can currently be seen as Nancy on the Tubi Original “Titanic 666,” alongside Jaime Bamber, Keesha Sharp, and Annalynne McCord. She coaches kids/teens/adults online internationally through HollywoodActorsWorkshop.com and was the on-call coach Rosalie Chiang for Pixar’s Turning Red. 

https://www.instagram.com/jjsoria/ J.J. Soria has been acting for over 20 years doing award-winning televisions series such as Dexter, The Shield, Sons of Anarchy, Bones, and The Closer, among others. In addition, he starred opposite Gina Rodriguez on the big screen in Filly Brown, which debuted at Sundance, and Kristen Stewart in Camp X-Ray. In 2020, Soria starred opposite Terry Crews in the hit movie John Henry for Netflix. In 2019, he was a lead in the Peabody nominated Netflix series Gentefied executive produced by America Ferrera. Most recently you can find him opposite Kaley Cuoco on the award-winning show The Flight Attendant for HBO Max. https://twitter.com/JJSoria

How do you film a sex scene, er...(scratch that) a SIMULATED SEX scene?  https://www.instagram.com/hollywoodintimacycoordinator/ Jean Franzblau has some thoughts. Jean is a Los Angeles-based Intimacy Professional who works in TV, film and theater. Her role is to help actors navigate scenes with intimate content with respect and care. Jean’s credits include CSI: Vegas on NBC, Deep Water on Hulu, M. Night Shymalan’s latest thriller, Old, and Netflix’s upcoming feature, Blonde. Her background includes acting, casting, and sex education. To attend JEAN'S show: Coming Out Kinky: September 8th, 2022--in LA click here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/coming-out-kinky-a-sex-positive-story-tickets-405471705787?fbclid=IwAR3smUDsjcHw0XC20t2ncraVZjwY_Y3nqKgbIqVON_btzo2n-7jQNze5JaY

https://www.zaksandler.com/  https://www.instagram.com/bipolar_broadway/  Zak Sandler has played piano on Broadway for Wicked, Mean Girls, Motown, and The Color Purple. His original musical about his mental health journey, Inside My Head, premiered at the NY Theatre Barn, was selected as a semi-finalist at the O’Neill Theater’s National Music Theater Conference, and presented at the Kennedy Center’s Millennium Stage. Zak revised the show as a writer-in-residence at the Kennedy Center’s REACH page-to-stage festival in January 2022. He is touring the show - which includes a group discussion - to colleges, high schools, mental health and non-profit organizations, medical schools, companies, and anyone else who wants to host this inspiring, life changing event.  Virtual performances are available, though in-person is preferred! In addition to Inside My Head, Zak is creating a docuseries about the connection between mental conditions and creativity, called Insanely Talented. He is co-writing three shows with the brilliant and lovely Adele Powers: Anthem, a musical that explores why we sing the national anthem (conceived by Rachel Payne); a musical about a unicorn called That Musical About a Unicorn; and a musical about Judaism, called Happy Challah Days: A Jewish Revue-ish. Zak is also arranging and co-orchestrating Unlimited, a musical revue of the work of Stephen Schwartz’s (composer of Wicked, Pippin, Godspell, and Children of Eden, and soundtracks of the Hunchback of Notre Dame, Prince of Egypt, Pocahontas, and Enchanted). Zak has won several music awards including the Fenno Heath Award for writing the new Yale song, the Neva Greenwood award for writing a symphony in 8th grade, the Mount Vernon Piano Competition (playing “Rhapsody in Blue” with the Mount Vernon Orchestra in 8th grade), and was selected as a composer for the Johnny Mercer Songwriters Project at Northwestern (a mixture of a thrilling week of writing, and a deep depression).  https://www.insidemyheadmusical.com/ Zak graduated from Yale with a BA in music composition in 2008 - two years after his exhilarating and terrifying first psychotic episode. He is very glad that he returned to school for the following semester, following his psychiatrist’s advice. Beyond musical theater, Zak is an avid mental health activist, speaking about his mental conditions on “This is Actually Happening” (podcast with 45K+ plays), and “Moments of Clarity” (radio show with 1M+ listeners). In 2018, he won the Young Leader Award from the New York State chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), and is a featured speaker with This is My Brave, RespectAbility, and the JED Foundation. Zak’s hobbies include barbershop singing (he is a member of the Alexandria Harmonizers, a choir of 60 people who age from their 20s to 80s!), playing golf, watching college basketball, spending time with his cats, eating fancy food (usually vegetarian), traveling (he has been to 48 US states and 26 countries), and, after years of resisting TV, watching shows like “Grace and Frankie” and “The Ultimatum” with his fiancee, Lenna. He feels incredibly grateful to have her and the rest of his family and friends in his life. Zak tries not to use phrases "mental illness" or "bipolar disorder", because he feels they imply there's something wrong with him (although he knows those terms fit well for some of us). He prefers the terms “mental conditions” and simply, “bipolar”. https://soundcloud.com/zaksandler/mental-episode-1-from-a-bit-too-much-about-me

Marco Cerritos is a member of the San Francisco Bay Area Film Critics Circle. He’s written about films at home and all over the world in festivals including; Cannes, Sundance, and Toronto. https://www.themovielens.com/

https://www.instagram.com/mspriscillalam/ Priscilla  Lam is a 1 year Meisner trained actor with over 3 years of experience.  Most recently she could be found playing Cafe Barista in Last Chance  Charlene by Tony Gapastione. She has also entertained audiences as CoCo  in the Things Will Change by Shalini Agrawal, and Young Crystal in Wives  with Knives. Priscilla  received her B.A. in Business Administration. While pursuing her  degree, she learned her passion truly lies with storytelling in the form  of acting. After graduation, Priscilla sought out avenues to train as  an actor and to focus on her career as an commercial/ film actor. Priscilla  is looking forward to starring in an Emmy award winning tv series in  the near future. Until then, she is continuing to train and ground in  the techniques as she tells stories.

Director/writer Sassy Mohen (@sassymohen) of HOW TO  HACK BIRTH CONTROL, which was featured in our 2022 BraveMaker Film  Festival. https://www.birthcontrolhacks.com/watch https://www.instagram.com/sassymohen/

Join Kyrstina Wray Jackson and Tony Gapastione in conversation with Kayla Robinson Damien D. Smith Nick Musleh and Eli Vasquez

https://mamabearsdoc.com/ https://www.instagram.com/mamabearsdoc/ Daresha writes, produces, and directs film and television in Spanish and English. A graduate of NYU Film School, she recently completed Mama Bears, her second feature documentary about how conservative, Christian mothers are transformed when they decide to accept their LGBTQ children, which premiered at SXSW and won Best Documentary at the Sun Valley Film Festival. In 2018 she was commissioned by the ACLU to direct Trans In America: Texas Strong, which garnered over 4 million views online, screened at SXSW, and won two Webby Awards and an Emmy for “Outstanding Short Documentary.” In 2017  she co-directed and produced Chavela, a multiple award-winning  documentary about iconic singer Chavela Vargas that was distributed by  Music Box Pictures and screened in over 40 countries, including  Translyvania. In 2015  she produced Kristina Wong’s How Not to Pick Up Asian Women. In 2014 she  served as EP of Emmy-winning writer Kevin Avery’s satirical take on The  Wiz starring an all-white cast called The Whizz and in 2011 she  produced his short comedy, Thugs, The Musical. In 1992 Daresha won a  full fellowship from Tri-Star Pictures to attend the directors’ program  at the AFI Conservatory based on her short, award-winning narrative Land  Where My Fathers Died, co-starring Isaiah Washington. She produced her first, award winning drama, The Thinnest Line, as a student at NYU. Daresha’s  films have been funded by ITVS, NEA, IDA Enterprise, Creative Capital,  the Jerome Foundation, and many other foundations. She was a fellow in  the Firelight Media Documentary Lab,  Chicken & Egg Eggcelerator Lab, Sundance Institute: Women and  Film Financing Intensive, Breaking Through the Lens, Film Independent  Documentary Lab, Creative Capital, and A Blade of Grass cohorts. Daresha  also has an extensive background in television and has produced  programming for FX, WE, AMC, Telemundo, and FUSE, among other networks. Tammi  Terrell Morris was born, raised, and currently resides in Southern  California with her fiance, Shadae and 2 sons.She has a degree in  Sociology and a Masters of Leadership and Management. Tammi has spent  her professional life serving the community of individuals with  developmental disabilities in the Inland Empire in multiple capacities,  from Job Coach to Regional Center Case Coordinator. Tammi has recently  transitioned to a full time Caregiver (Stay at home Mom). In her spare  time, she enjoys producing and recording material for her podcast  Confused Reality. She hopes to use her talents of writing poetry,  performing spoken word, motivational speaking, and ability to connect  with people to make the world a more loving and accepting place.

Meet Filmmaker/Author and Slamdance Co-Founder DAN MIRVISH currently on the film festival circuit with his feature film 18 1/2. https://www.instagram.com/dmirvish/ https://www.instagram.com/slamogram/ Dan  and Tony will discuss the experience of being AT a film fest with your  film, the what to dos and what no to dos and how to maximize your  experience for the best possible outcome. https://www.instagram.com/tonygapastione/ https://www.instagram.com/bravemakerfilmfest/

https://www.beingmichelle.com/  Tickets to see the film: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/347265007987 Saturday July 9th, 3pm Redwood City, Ca.  https://www.instagram.com/beingmichellefilm/ Atin Mehra (Director/Producer/Director of Photography) is an award winning filmmaker who was born and raised in Varanasi, India and currently resides with his family in Los Angeles, CA. In 1999 Atin picked up his first camera and began taking photographs. Atin's uncanny ability to connect with individuals from behind the lens eventually led him into filmmaking. His own personal struggles with abuse and discrimination in India drew him to stories of underrepresented and marginalized individuals and communities. One of the first films he worked on was about female victims of dowry burnings -- a project he was forced to abandon when he started receiving death threats. In 2002, Atin directed and shot his first short film, MITTI KE JIVAN (THE CYCLE OF CLAY) about a potter from the Kumhar caste. Atin lived and worked in India until 2005, when he moved to the United States with his wife, Mae Thornton Mehra. In 2007 he started his own production company, Orange Kite Productions. Atin and Mae are Co-directing another feature documentary film, HER SONG which has been in production since 2009. Additionally they are in production on SEIZE THE DAY.  BEING MICHELLE is Atin’s directorial debut which won the Audience Award for Best Feature Documentary at Florida Film Festival. https://www.instagram.com/beingmichellefilm/ Mae Thornton Mehra (Producer) is an oral historian and filmmaker who earned her MA in Islamic Studies at Columbia University in New York City in 2008. Mae has collaborated with her husband and filmmaker, Atin Mehra on documentary film and other media projects at Orange Kite Productions since its inception in 2007. In 2020, Mae and Atin co-founded the nonprofit Thriving Roots Initiative to further their work of social impact documentary filmmaking.  Dr. Mei Kennedy (Social Impact Advisor) has firsthand experience navigating the justice system supporting her Deaf father, who was incarcerated for seven and half years. Dr. Kennedy obtained her doctorate degree in Instructional Design for Online Learning from Capella University and provides strategic consulting services on integrating technology in support of improving the learning experience for Deaf students In addition to her background in Instructional Design, she fosters enhancement in communication accessibility with years of experience in remote realtime transcription services. Dr. Kennedy also serves on the board of Telecommunications for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, Inc (TDI) and Communication Service for the Deaf (CSD). She currently resides in Austin, Texas with her husband and two boys. She is a parent, and an advocate of a hearing son with autism. Genaere Lowery (ASL Interpreter) Is a nationally certified ASL interpreter, and has been interpreting professionally for over 13 years. Both of her parents are Deaf, making ASL her first language. Along with working in a variety of settings (including mental health, technological, and legal) she is also serving on the board of the Florida Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf (FRID). https://www.eventbrite.com/e/347265007987 Podcast edited by Barnell Amos of Speak Media Services  https://www.speakmediaservices.com/

https://www.instagram.com/tonygapastione/ https://www.instagram.com/krystinawrayjackson/ https://www.patreon.com/bravemaker

https://twitter.com/niceolecookies After growing up near China Lake Naval Weapons Center in the middle of the Mojave Desert, Niceole escaped to the bright lights of Los Angeles. While studying acting at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, she realized her true love was writing stories, not playing them out. She worked as a police dispatcher to pay her way through USC undergrad and then completed the Master of Professional Writing program, also at USC. An alum of the CBS Writers Mentoring Program, NBC's Writers on the Verge, and the WGAW Showrunner Training Program, Niceole has written on “Ironside,” “Allegiance,” “The Mysteries of Laura,” “Shades of Blue,” "Cloak & Dagger," “Fate: the Winx Saga,” “S.W.A.T,” and “Graymail.” She also co-wrote a feature, "The Banker," with former “Allegiance” showrunner and director George Nolfi, available on AppleTV+, and is now writing “Spark,” a film inspired by the life of Claudette Colvin. Niceole is currently a co-executive producer on “Empire of Mali,” which will air on Netflix, and has several TV and feature projects in development. Her first book, “The Writers’ Room Survival Guide,” will be released in October of this year.

ARI ROSSEN is an actor, award-winning filmmaker and musician with roots in  Detroit and the SF South Bay. After several years in New York, I just  moved back to my home state of California and am excited to expand my  creative community here. https://www.instagram.com/instarossen/ Ari  co-produced and played Beelzebub in the film noir LOST + FOUND, written  by Laura Sweeney and directed by Jeremiah Kipp. LOST + FOUND secured  distribution with PBS and IFTNetwork and has screened at Garden State  Film Festival, NYWIFT and other great festivals. His  queer dark comedy series BEHIND THE CEREAL is all about the rise, fall  and occasional redemption of America’s breakfast cereal mascots (Colonel  Munch, Fortune The Fairy, Count Cacao and more). BEHIND THE CEREAL was  selected for FilmShop’s 2021 Breakthrough Pitchfest, which included  panelists from WarnerMedia and indie crowdfunding platform Seed &  Spark. Ari  is also playing himself in the upcoming narrative documentary feature  ALL THE LONELY PEOPLE from Emmy Award-winning production company The  Clowder Group. This timely film explores the epidemic of loneliness  faced by a handful of global citizens, and how they are seeking  solutions toward authentic social connection. During  what he half-jokingly calls “The Covid Era,” Ari has channeling his own  social isolation with music videos and ridiculous covers, including  “Vaccine” (Dir. Laura Sweeney, a queer homage to Dolly Parton’s iconic  “Jolene”) and “Significant Otter,” an original song about a sea otter  seeking love in an ocean of possibilities. Ari  holds a BS in Theatre and Musical Theatre Concentration from  Northwestern University. When not creating, Ari enjoys the great  outdoors and attempts to provide an adequate kingdom for his feline  overlord, Batman. He’s a proud member of FilmShop, SAG-AFTRA and AEA. You can find him on the socials, though he admittedly has a complicated relationship with all of it —don’t we all?

Learn more: https://bebezaharabenet.net/  “BEING BEBE follows BeBe’s unique experiences as an artist and as an immigrant – a surprising and emotional journey that takes us back to Cameroon and raises timely concerns at the intersection of LGBTQ+, BIPOC, and immigrant lives. The documentary provides a chance to meet and get to know the artist. The concert provides a chance to experience the artist performing live.   Learn more: https://beingbebemovie.com/ ABOUT BEBE ZAHARA BENET: BeBe Zahara Benet is a Cameroonian-American drag performer, television personality, and musician best known for winning the first season of the reality-television drag competition RUPAUL’S DRAG RACE in 2009. In 2018, she returned as a surprise contestant for the third season of RUPAUL'S DRAG RACE: ALL STARS, placing in the top four. In 2019, she starred in the TLC transformational makeover series DRAGNIFICENT. Her first EP, FACE, was released in 2014, followed by her second EP, KISSES & FEATHERS, in 2017. Her third EP, BROKEN ENGLISH, was released in 2020 featuring the breakout hit “Banjo,” and in December 2021, she released her first EP of holiday songs, THE CHRISTMAS CHANTEUSE.

Luticha André Doucette is the author of the groundbreaking book: Cultivating An  Intersectional Mindset. She graduated from the Rochester Institute of  Technology with a degree in Bioinformatics where she developed protein  surface prediction algorithms. After graduating, she was a Fellow at the  University of Rochester where she worked in a genomics lab that focused  on analyzing the venom of parasitoid wasps to develop new drug  therapies for various diseases. In 2017 she authored a report on wage  disparities across race, gender, and disability in Rochester and Monroe  County in conjunction with the Rochester-Monroe Anti-Poverty Initiative  and in 2018 authored a follow-up report on employment barriers for  disabled people in Rochester and Monroe County. She is a graduate of the  Leadership and Education in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities (LEND)  Fellowship program and an AUCD Emerging Leader an inductee into the  Susan M. Daniels Disability Mentoring Hall of Fame established by the  National Disability Mentoring Coalition and the 2020 – 2021  Distinguished Alumni Awardee from the Rochester Institute of Technology.  Luticha’s research and writing has been featured in various  publications such as Insect Molecular Biology, Toxicon, The New York  Times, and Yes! Magazine. . She is the owner of Catalyst Consulting,  which helps organizations, leaders, and advocates examine equity across  race, gender identity, and disability in policies, practices,  procedures, and relationships. Social media links: Website: www.catalystconsultingassociates.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/luticha-andre-doucette/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/catalystconsultingroc/ https://www.instagram.com/freedomofmovement35/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/catalystroc/ TikTok: freedomofmovement

Did you watch the film?  Download the film/grief discussion guide here:  https://www.yahdavhanlon.com/lastchancecharlene Huge thanks to CAST + CREW Stay up to date on the film and screenings here: https://bravemaker.com/last-chance-charlene/

Discussing the OSCARS!! For our first exclusive new podcast--FREE.  Join us for a VIP exclusive/extra podcast conversation weekly (outside of our already free Wednesday live)  AND/OR a monthly Zoom in our PATREON COMMUNITY https://www.patreon.com/bravemaker https://www.krystinajackson.com/ http://www.tonygapastione.com/ Special guest:  https://moviesmarkus.com/

Watch their short film: https://youtu.be/AWD7omML4gs Howard Campbell is a talented actor, writer, and director who strives to  impact his audiences on a deeply emotional level with his work. Howard's  latest short film "SICK BOYS DIE ALONE" was in the 2020/2021 film  festival circuit, received rave reviews, and has taken home the awards  for "Best Drama" and "Best Director" at the Los Angeles Indie Short  Festival. SBDA can currently be found on Amazon Prime. On the acting  side, Howard can be seen in an array of different projects including  SNOWFALL (FX), THE BOYS (Amazon Prime), and AP BIO (Peacock). Misha  Zvagilskiy is the head of production in HoHoww and Howard Campbell's  long time producing partner. His latest work includes the feature film  "Nexus Dream", releasing late 2022 ( https://deadline.com/.../malcolm-goodwin-joins-great.../

Meet Lindsey Ryan, filmmaker and director of Seasick.  https://www.instagram.com/lindseyryan229/ LINDSEY RYAN: Lindsey is a filmmaker currently based in Brooklyn, New York.After graduating from Hofstra University with a BS in Film and Television, she began working for, and receiving mentorship from, critically acclaimed director Reed Morano. Lindsey is now directing commercials and developing narrative projects for a New York based production company, Rebel Motion.Her recent credit includes SEASICK, an LGBTQ short film about a ferry deckhand who sends a love-confessing text message, which was shot entirely on a boat on the Great South Bay. The film stars Pauline Chalamet and has gone one to play festivals such as Outfest, DC Shorts and won several awards including Best 1st Time Director, Best Actress, and Best LGBTQ Short. In 2020 she Executive Produced Leylak, a short film that went on to win the Tribecca Film Festival Grand Jury Award and is currently in consideration for the 2022 Oscar predictions. Lindsey was invited to participate in The Australian International Screen Forum’s third annual Women in Screen Workshop, a 6 week industry focused Lab that brings together industry film and television female professionals.   Film details: Logline Sadie, a 17-year-old ferry deckhand has her day turned upside down when she tries to delete a love-confessing text message before outing herself to the crew.  Synopsis An LGBTQ story about the struggles that come with an adolescent knowing they are gay, but not yet out. Everyone’s journey and process is different, and sometimes, it’s not always easy to navigate. Especially for Sadie, who has only told her best friend about her sexuality. What begins as a normal day quickly turns to chaos when she accidentally sends a love confessing text to Jess, her shift captain and crush. Now, she must decide how to deal with the message that Jess will inevitably read, all while balancing her deckhand duties. The trip across the bay ensues, and Sadie’s internal struggles are rampant as she copes with the fact that she may have outed herself before she is ready.

Amy  Glazer began her career in theater, directing numerous award winning  plays in the San Francisco Bay Area including TheatreWorks, Marin  Theatre Company, San José Rep., Eureka Theatre, Traveling Jewish Theatre  and serving as an Associate Artist at Magic Theatre and Associate  Artistic Director of SF Playhouse, where she also directed numerous  plays. She made her screen directing debut with Barry Gifford's Ball  Lightning (2003), Drifting Elegant by Stephen Belber (2006) and went on  to make Seducing Charlie Barker (2010) by Teresa Rebeck, which had its  world premiere at SFIFF. She went on to co-write with Sylvia Brownrigg  and direct Kepler’s Dream (2016) and The Surrogate (aka Beautiful  Dreamer) 2020, also an official selection scheduled to premiere at the  2020 SFIFF. Amy is currently in post-production on Meli, a feature film  recently shot on location in Oahu Hawaii. Watch her current feature film THE SURROGATE ON AMAZON PRIME.

https://www.gardeniazuniga.com/ Gardenia Zuniga's journalistic career began in Fresno, CA. where she interned  for CMAC studios as a reporter and local TV show host. As the  opportunities grew, she moved to San Francisco, CA. where she attended  the Academy of Art University and City College of San Francisco. Gardenia started her career during my college journey working in tech  for Yelp Inc. and as her career developed, she landed a job as a content  writer/traveler for a Fortune 500 company, Grabr. Within time, she  worked with various local companies as a publicist, events manager, and  marketing manager. Gardenia freelanced for News Up Now, a non-profit as  their Spanish reporter and writer for special segments including  Sundance Film Festival. Gardenia's experience working as a publicist but also losing her sister  inspired her to start her own freelance production company in 2018  where she is the publicist for Bay Area artists and nationwide film  festivals. San  Francisco has been the mecca of her career development as a publicist  and journalist. Now, Gardenia is signed with Reem Media where she is a  publicist and as she continues to expand her work clientele, her  reputation in the bay area is well respected as most of her clients are  recommended to her by previews clients. “I  believe we can have many career journeys as long as we are successful. I  am always looking for opportunities to expand my skills with various  companies and grow as a career woman but also within any project and  company that I am involved with.”-Gardenia Zuniga, Publicist. https://www.instagram.com/gzpublicity/

https://www.instagram.com/sujataday/  With her infectious personality and unique sense of humor, Pittsburgh native Sujata Day has firmly established herself in Hollywood as a performer, creator, writer, and director. Sujata is known for her starring role as CeCe in Issa Rae’s The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl. She's recurred for three seasons on HBO's Insecure. Sujata is a Sundance Lab fellow, Sundance Film Festival influencer, and Sundance Collab advisor. Her short film, Cowboy and Indian, sold to a major studio for series development with Sujata writing, producing and starring. She served as HBO Visionaries Ambassador in 2019. She directs This Is My Story, a series in which beloved storyteller LeVar Burton narrates real life personal experiences of everyday racism. Sujata's debut feature film, Definition Please, was acquired by Ava DuVernay’s Array and is now streaming on Netflix.   https://twitter.com/sujataday Watch her TRAILER HERE: https://youtu.be/RLq3c_jwiPU

2022 Sundance Filmmakers with special guest co-host Jim Cummings Watch JIM'S film THE BETA TEST currently on Hulu as of February 2022. https://www.instagram.com/jimmycthatsme/ Sundance 2022 Short filmmmakers: https://www.instagram.com/thishumanhere/ https://www.instagram.com/bygabrielaortega/ https://www.instagram.com/huellamovie/ https://www.instagram.com/myfirstvideoproject/

https://www.instagram.com/dasoultoucha/ Keith Jones is the President and CEO of SoulTouchin’ Experiences, an organization aimed at bringing a perspective to the issues of access inclusion and empowerment, which affect him as well as others who are persons with a disability. To achieve this multicultural, cross-disability education and outreach efforts he collaborates and conducts trainings with the purpose of strengthening efforts to provide services and information for people with disabilities. The issues he tackles are wide ranging from immigration, criminal justice reform, health care and environmental justice just to name a few. Paralleling with his policy and social justice work Mr. Jones is a multi- talented  artist who along with Leroy Moore and Rob Temple founded Krip Hop  Nation which is an international collection of artists with  disabilities. Krip Hop Nation is currently celebrating 13 years with the recent success of their title song for the Netflix documentary of the Paralympic Games, Rising Phoenix and its critical acclaimed sound track. Keith is an artist in residence teaching hip hop at Wild at Heart in Australia, and Calcutta and currently his art and policy work have combined under the publishing company Soulful Media Works, with the book; For You: Young Black Disabled Men. https://kriphopnation.com/ This podcast is hosted by Krystina Wray Jackson and Tony Gapastione produced by 

https://www.notgoingquietlyfilm.com SYNOPSIS A  rising star in progressive politics and a new father, 32-year-old Ady  Barkan’s life is upended when he is diagnosed with ALS. But after a  confrontation with powerful Senator Jeff Flake on an airplane goes  viral, catapulting him to national fame, Ady and a motley crew of  activists ignite a once-in-a-generation political movement called “Be a  Hero.” Together, they barnstorm across the country and empower people to  confront their elected officials with emotional, personal stories to  demand healthcare justice and Ady holds groundbreaking interviews with  Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren.  As Ady  rises to become Politico’s “Most Powerful Activist in America,” he  discovers that collective action and speaking truth to power offers hope  for his family and millions of others. NICHOLAS BRUCKMAN, FILMMAKER, DIRECTOR Nicholas  produced the narrative feature Valley of Saints, which won the Sundance  Film Festival Audience Award and was nominated for an Independent  Spirit Award. He previously directed the feature documentary La  Americana, which won numerous festival awards and broadcast worldwide on  Nat Geo and PBS. Nicholas is the founder of People’s Television, a  NY-based film and commercial production company. Through People’s TV, he  directs branded content for clients including Facebook, Airbnb, and  Greenpeace. AMANDA RODDY, FILMMAKER, PRODUCER Amanda  is an award-winning documentary filmmaker with People’s Television,  where she has led projects as a director, producer, and writer for high  profile clients such as the Democratic National Convention, Elizabeth  Warren’s presidential Campaign, Equal Justice Works, The Nature  Conservancy, and The Equity Fund. Recently, she directed and produced a  two-minute primetime television spot that appeared during the 2020  Democratic National Convention. Her work has been supported by the  International Documentary Association, Rooftop Films, Film Independent,  IFP, and HBO. https://www.instagram.com/notgoingquietlyfilm/ Hosted by Krystina Wray Jackson + Tony Gapastione Produced by Alixandra Todd Edited by Barnell Amos of Speak Media Services  See less

Actor and CEO of SamSkape Productions Inc., Samantha Labrecque is making her  filmmaker debut this year with short film "Trying". The film serves as a  gateway to removing stigmas around neurodivergence in media, telling  the story of a woman with ADHD and created by an all-woman production  team. Sam serves as the film's writer, creator, and star, working  alongside numerous millennial women artists with ADHD to bring the film  to life through heart, humor, and a handful of expletives. A proud member of SAG-AFTRA, her acting work has been seen on streaming  platforms and national stages alike, and she looks forward to  collaborating with even more likeminded creatives in the coming year to  tell stories that matter. More info on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/sluhbrek/ https://www.instagram.com/samskapeproductions https://www.instagram.com/@trying_movie or at www.thesamanthalabrecque.com and www.samskapeproductions.com.

https://www.instagram.com/thefawz/ Meet DIRECTOR Fawzia Mirza (she/they) is a queer, South Asian Muslim director/writer who  believes in the power of comedy to tackle divisive topics and breakdown  stereotypes. They were named a White House ‘Champion of Change’ in Asian  American Art & Storytelling, a ‘Top 10 Creative’ (Indiewire), '10  Filmmakers to Watch' (Independent Magazine), and an alum of Tribeca Film  Institute’s All Access Program. She co-wrote/produced/starred in  SIGNATURE MOVE, wrote on CBS series THE RED LINE, from Greg Berlanti  & Ava Duvernay, wrote and directed on the award-winning TikTok  series HIDDEN CANYONS, and wrote/the CBC produced short, NOOR &  LAYLA. Mirza wrote/will direct the feature film ME, MY MOM &  SHARMILA in 2022, and is part of the 2021/2022 cohort of the Canadian  Academy Directors Program for Women. https://www.syedfamilymovie.com/ AND: Kausar Mohammed ACTOR, WRITER AND PRODUCER https://www.instagram.com/kausartheperson/ Kausar Mohammed (she/her) is a Bengali-Pakistani writer, actress, and comedian  born in San Jose, California. She is a writer/performer in the  distinguished all-South Asian comedy troupe, The Get Brown, and in the  2021 CBS Diversity Showcase. Kausar plays series lead in Paul Feig's  (“Bridesmaids”) dramedy, “East of La Brea”. She also has worked  alongside Taraji P. Henson on the film “What Men Want” (Paramount), Issa  Rae on the film “Little” (Universal), and has additional credits on  shows such as “Silicon Valley” (HBO), “Black Lightning” (CW), and  “Carol’s Second Act” (CBS).  Kausar also voices series lead characters  on both Spielberg's Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous and the hit anime  show, Great Pretender.⁣​ Currently, you can see her starring as a  recurring character on the CW's 4400. https://www.instagram.com/syedfamilyxmasevegamenight/

Meet Taylor Lambert, the founder and owner of Aura Casting.  https://www.instagram.com/aura_casting/ He started his industry career in 2011 in San Francisco. He’s worked as an accomplished actor, model, brand ambassador, host, director, production coordinator, producer, webinar moderator, entrepreneur, and now casting director. He virtually casts talent in national commercials, social media spots, and print campaigns for producers and ad agencies throughout Northern California and the nation. www.auracasting.com Brave Faves:  Meet My Agent  and  Colin in Black and White on Netflix Weekend Read (App)

Krystina and Tony give a TOP 12 list of CHRISTMAS GIFT IDEAS for filmmakers, actors and other Hollywood hopefuls.  Use: https://smile.amazon.com and select BraveMaker as your nonprofit of choice. Every purchase Amazon will send us a percent of your shopping that goes back into supporting our work.  Note cards, sharpies, white board $40 Ink + Volt journal $48 Storyboard Notebook $8   Slate: Film Clapper Marker $21 Writerduet.com  Screenwriter Plans from $13.99 monthly ($168 annually) Books: Austin Kleon : Steal Like an Artist $10 each ($30 total) Subscription to Hollywood Reporter/Variety $199 per year Big Vu app. 6 months $99 Canva.com $12.99 monthly for pro Camera Lens mug $22 Nice Mic. Yeti, Shure $200 Give Funding (Venmo, CashAPP people) Support the dreamers, makers and storytellers in your life. This kind of support is life changing and affirming to the goals they set to achieve. All of these ideas can go a long way to showing you value, love and want to help your friend, spouse, or family member do great things.  Got ideas for us? Email podcast@bravemaker.com or comment/DM us at : https://www.instagram.com/bravemakerorg/ The BraveMaker podcast is edited by Barnell Amos of https://www.speakmediaservices.com/ and produced by Alixandra Todd with support from our social media manager Kerri Alley and our intern Emerson Morely. 

https://www.instagram.com/emilyladau/ Meet Emily Ladau a passionate disability rights activist, writer, storyteller, and digital communications consultant whose career began at the age of 10, when she appeared on several episodes of Sesame Street to educate kids about life with a physical disability. She's the Editor in Chief of the Rooted in Rights Blog, co-host of The Accessible Stall Podcast, and author of Demystifying Disability: What to Know, What to Say, and How to be an Ally. Buy here book here: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/.../demystifying.../ Her BraveFace is: THE SEX LIVES OF COLLEGE GIRLS on HBO MAX. 

Coffee and Language Independent Film — Personal, Controversial, Uncompromising  www.coffeeandlanguage.com  Kim Jiang Dubaniewicz (Jean) grew up in Northbeach, Chinatown and The Mission District of San Francisco, where she loved watching indie films. She studied Theatre at SOU in Ashland, Oregon, as well as in NYC with William Esper. She starred in the multiple award-winning feature film TIE A YELLOW RIBBON, that played on national TV / PBS, and internationally at festivals. Her other film credits include "BLiP", "Jackson Arms", "Anamnesis" and the award-winning short "Only Child". As a director, she made the short film "Gilpin's Nightmare" starring Carl Lumbly and also directed him on stage in THE EMPEROR JONES. She now lives in Mill Valley.  Erin Mei-Ling Stuart (Joni) is an actor, director, dancer, choreographer, and occasional musician. She fled Fresno for San Francisco 28 years ago and has lived here ever since. Erin is a proud company member of Shotgun Players and Detour Dance. Upcoming projects include choreographing and performing in "The Truer History of The Chan Family", a live vaudeville turned digital (coming in June 2021), and co-directing the West Coast premiere of "Natasha And Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812" at Shotgun Players in Winter 2021. GIRL IN GOLDEN GATE PARK is Erin's first feature film. More info at www.erinmstuart.com  Allison Ewing (Chris Moore) has been living in the Bay Area for 12 years and is originally from San Diego. Her feature film credits include lead roles in PLAYA (in post-production), 21 SUNSETS (shoots this Spring) and STOCHASTIC (shoots this Fall) along with supporting roles in DISRUPTED, now streaming on Amazon Prime and AppleTV (recipient of the audience choice award at Cinequest and other film festivals awards), E-14 now streaming on Amazon Prime, and CONFESSIONAL (in post production). She has also starred in over a dozen short-films including “Metropolitan Crush” now streaming on YouTube (with nearly 2 million views). Allison has gravitated toward films that illuminate important social issues impacting local communities and beyond. She is an acting teacher and student at First Take, in the Bay Area.  JP Allen (writer/director) has made ten feature films, eight filmed in San Francisco, including GIRL IN GOLDEN GATE PARK. His first feature film, COFFEE AND LANGUAGE (a love story about writers in a San Francisco coffeehouse), premiered at the Hamptons International Film Festival where it was nominated for the Golden Starfish Award and for Best Screenplay. He wrote, produced and acted a lead role in the film STEPHANIE’S IMAGE starring Academy Award Winner Melissa Leo. His other films include GAMBLING, BELIEF, Meeting with Chekhov (doc short), SEX AND IMAGINING (based on his play produced in NYC and LA), CENTAUR, LOVE AND DEMONS, REVISIONS, THE FILMMAKER (based on his novel) and GIRL IN GOLDEN GATE PARK. JP is from Texas, but has lived in San Francisco for over thirty years and has devoted most of his work to making films about characters in SF, and about The City itself. His production company is called Coffee and Language.  More info at www.coffeeandlanguage.com and https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1135119/.  Cathy Montosa (producer) has produced four Coffee and Language Films, LOVE AND DEMONS, REVISIONS, THE FILMMAKER and GIRL IN GOLDEN GATE PARK. She is also a registered nurse, a Psych Nursing Clinical Instructor at Santa Rosa Junior Collee, and the author of the children's book, "How Do You Know?" http://www.coffeeandlanguage.com/

Join Krystina Wray Jackson and Tony Gapastione as they discuss the necessary skills required to live like an artist and banter about plans for the future of BraveMaker. https://www.instagram.com/tonygapastione/ https://www.instagram.com/krystinawrayjackson/

https://www.1946themovie.com/ Sharon “Rocky” Roggio Rocky  Roggio is an independent filmmaker and production designer (credits  include House of Cards, Red Dawn). Rocky is also a member of the  LGBTQIA+ community, and moved out of her home after coming out to her  conservative, religious parents. Rocky’s father, Sal Roggio, is a  non-affirming pastor and preaches that the LGBTQIA+ lifestyle is sinful. Listen to our archived show with Executive Producer Daniel Karslake:  https://anchor.fm/bravemaker/episodes/26-Filmmaker-Daniel-Karslake-Living-in-Berlin-Germany-e5e0pg Podcast edited by Barnell Amos of SPEAK MEDIA SERVICES https://www.speakmediaservices.com/

Want to learn how to PITCH A TV SHOW? Want to learn how to PITCH LIKE A BAD ASS?  Meet EVETTE VARGAS. Content Creator • TV Writer • Director • Producer | The Writers Room 5050, Founder | NEW HOLLYWOOD Clubhouse, Founder www.writersroom5050.com https://www.instagram.com/theevettevargas/

https://www.ballisballfilm.com/ Meet filmmaker KAYLA ROBINSON https://www.kayla-robinson.com/ and learn about her current film: BALL IS BALL. Inspired  by the life experience of writer/director Kayla Robinson, Ball is Ball  is a narrative short film about the lasting impact and complicated  nuances of sexual assault. The  story follows Robin Coleman, a high school basketball star who’s caught  the attention of her dream college — and her crush. While sharing the  excitement, she misplaces her trust in a friend and soon learns the  ill-intention of another unsuspected admirer. When a basketball star’s hard work finally pays off, a former teammate with fading glory proposes an impromptu night off that takes an unforgettable detour. Written & Directed by Kayla Robinson Back her project!

Theresa  has a secret. In the Bay Area where people are flinging open their  closet doors, she’s not sure she’ll be accepted. Help Theresa come  out…….as a Christian. ARTIST  BIOGRAPHY: Theresa Donahoe has performed theater since she was a little  girl, but only recently discovered solo performance starting in 2013.   Her first full length solo show, “Late Bloomer” debuted at the 2017  Rogue Festival in Fresno, and “Born Again in Berkeley” is her second  “work in progress” full length show. Monday Night Marsh website: Monday  Night Marsh & Stream (themarsh.org) https://tbabe29.wordpress.com/

Nicole Riegel (Writer/Director)was named one of Variety's 10 Directors to  Watch in 2020. She served in the military prior to filmmaking and  graduated from UCLA’s MFA writing program. She was named one of  Filmmaker Magazine’s 25 Faces of Independent Film. She has been  supported by Sundance through their Screenwriter’s Lab and the Skywalker Sound+Music Lab. Follow her: https://www.instagram.com/nicriegel/ To WATCH this conversation to go: https://youtu.be/CbEUVFAr8ZA BraveMaker is a 501c3 nonprofit organization headquartered in Redwood City, California, dedicated to justice, diversity and inclusion in film. To make a donation go to www.BraveMaker.com/Donate THE BRAVEMAKER PODCAST is Hosted by Tony Gapastione + Krystina Wray Jackson Produced by Alixandra Todd Social Media Manager: Kerri Alley Production support from Speak Media Services Follow us on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/bravemakerorg/ and Subscribe to our Youtube Channel

CROSS-OVER PODCAST ALERT! The creative process always takes some form of investment—usually a bunch of time, potentially some money, but always, a whole lot of effort in the beginning, middle, and end. To bring a project—any project—to life is a creative or otherwise entrepreneurial process, and for many of us who have brought one or more projects to life ("Rare Birds," if you will), bringing creative work into the world is second nature, and there are people out there who want to know how we did it. This is an opportunity to both promote your passion and to break down your creative process. The Rare Birds Podcast seeks to demystify this process of bringing projects to life one conversation at a time with a diverse set of creative and entrepreneurial types. The guests on this podcast are hand-picked by host Peter Fenton as interesting creatives with a sense of humor who create quality, thoughtful content and use their platform to make their circles of influence a better place. These casual, friendly conversations will ask, "What project are you most proud of? And how did you bring it to life?" of Authors, Filmmakers, YouTubers, Theatre Professionals, and more! About The Host Peter Fenton’s work has appeared in or is forthcoming from Dadley Productions, Heuer Publishing, BraveMaker Media, and Wheaton College Jukebox Theater among others. Peter is an adventurous multi-genre author and screenwriter who co-founded Ornithology Media in summer 2021 as an imprint to produce creative work that stimulates critical thought and laughter. www.byPeterFenton.com www.instagram.com/peterfent/ www.twitter.com/peterfent/ ornithologymedia@gmail.com Intro Theme: Music: Lauren Duski - Rollin Download: http://raboninco.com/10wTc Music promoted by Epic Free Sounds Video Link: https://youtu.be/peWMaIvfckM Rare Birds Episode 2: Filmmaker, actor, husband, father, and pastor Tony Gapastione (@tonygapastione) joins host Peter Fenton (@peterfent) for a very human chat about what it's like to juggle all the roles in a creative's life. Tony has just finished directing his debut feature film, LAST CHANCE CHARLENE, under his production company, BraveMaker Media. Tony Gapastione has worked on stage and in front of the camera acting, in print and film for over twenty-five years. He’s originally from Chicago where he grew his love for acting through theatre and now lives in Northern California where he became a SAG-AFTRA actor and filmmaker. Tony loves creative collaboration on the other side of the camera writing, producing and directing. Tony loves telling stories, that’s why he also started his non-profit film organization BRAVEMAKER. He wants to support, celebrate and equip filmmakers, actors, and brave storytellers of all kinds. Tony hosts monthly film screenings, panel discussions and an annual film fest in Redwood City, California as well as hosting a live Youtube show every Wednesday. Tony's Blog on Fundraising: http://www.tonygapastione.com/blog BraveMaker Media Official Website: https://bravemaker.com/ More About Last Chance Charlene: https://bravemaker.com/last-chance-charlene/ Follow BraveMaker on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/bravemakerorg BraveMaker's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bravemakerorg/

Join us for a live chat with actor CAMERON JAMES MATTHEWS is currently co-starring in the LIONSGATE FILM: Notorious Nick --out on Amazon Prime now.   Watch the TRAILER https://www.instagram.com/cameronjmatthews/ IMDB  imdb.me/cameronjamesmatthews

https://www.instagram.com/theractivist/ Identity, Intersectionality, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. The TherActivist embodies a therapeutic activism approach, while servicing and empowering people of color, LGBTQ+ communities, and marginalized populations. For further details on empowering your “therapeutic activism,” check out: TherActivist: They/Them/Theirs documentary. For more information about the documentary, please visit the following websites: www.theractivist.com and www.blkmpwr.com.  Dana TherActivist Johnson, MSW (They/Them/Theirs) is a masculine of center gender non-binary community activist, author, entrepreneur, documentary filmmaker, workshop facilitator/ instructor, and consultant. Dana received a master’s degree in social work, a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice, and has a variety of professional certifications.   Dana currently serves as a LGBTQ Commissioner for the County of San Mateo. They're a co-chair of the County of San Mateo Health Equity- PRIDE Initiative. Dana has co-coordinated the San Mateo County LGBTQ+ Pride Celebration since 2016 and has been on the coordinating committee since its existence in 2012. They're the emcee of San Mateo County Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDOR) program. Dana's a Board of Director for Rainbow Community Center Contra Costa County. They are a member of a Transgender Coalition for the County of Santa Clara. Dana’s also a Fellow, of Equality of California, Institute Leadership Academy.   Dana provides LGBTQ+ advocacy services, social justice services, juvenile justice services, equity services, mental health services, resources, and training to agencies and organizations in the Bay Area.    For approximately sixteen years, Dana has been providing rehabilitated services and counseling youth for a probation department in the Bay Area. They are also providing LGBTQ+ training to a Bay Area probation department to educate and address the importance of LGBTQ+ inclusiveness in the law enforcement field.  The "TherActivist" provides services using a "therapeutic activism" healing modality. Therapeutic Activism is a community-centered approach, that I created to apply a healing framework to advance social justice, equity and inclusion for marginalized population. Dana is motivated in assisting in the implementation of inclusive policies and protocols; and passionate about providing LGBTQ+ equity services, social justice services, and activism to marginalized communities.   Dana is working with other community leaders to help bring visibility, resources, social justice, diversity, equity, and inclusion to LGBTQ+ communities. When they are not working, Dana enjoys taking a self-care walk/hike, catching a movie, watching sports, and spending time with their family and friends.   For inquires email Dana at theractivist2@gmail.com   https://www.instagram.com/lgbtq__activist.commissioner/ * Dr. Khalid White (He/Him/His) is an award-winner in the fields of Education, Film and Literature. He is an African American Studies Professor at San Jose City College. A career educator, Khalid began teaching in CA public schools in 2005.  As an entrepreneur, Khalid owns the multi-media company Blkmpwr (Black Empower), LLC. www.blkmpwr.com The company focuses on education, empowerment, and equity. A proud HBCU alum and CA Community College advocate, Khalid is a co-founder of the Pipelines to Possibilities (P2P) program, connecting the two systems of higher education to increase faculty diversity. https://pipelines2possibilities.orgKhalid continues to work with education and community organizations advancing equity, inclusion, and social justice.  * Thank you to the Redwood City Public Library.

Dan  Mirvish is a director, screenwriter, producer and author. He's  currently in post-production on his new feature, 18½, a 70s Watergate  thriller/dark comedy. Prior to that, he directed the award-winning  feature Bernard and Huey, scripted by Oscar/Pulitzer-winner Jules  Feiffer, and starring Oscar-winner Jim Rash and David Koechner which  screened in over 30 film festivals on 5 continents, had a 20-city US  theatrical release, and sold to over 49 countries. Dan is the author of  the bestselling non-fiction book The Cheerful Subversive's Guide to  Independent Filmmaking from Focal Press/Routledge, with a 2nd Edition  shooting up to #1 on Amazon's New Release charts shortly after its  release on July 6, 2021. His film Between Us, an award-winning feature  starring Julia Stiles and Taye Diggs, played in 23 festivals in 7  countries, and got a 50+ city theatrical release in the US, and sold to  144 countries, plus screening on Netflix, Showtime, Starz and all  digital outlets. Dan was mentored by Robert Altman on his first film,  Omaha (the movie), which led him to co-found the upstart Slamdance Film  Festival. His film Open Houseprompted the Academy Awards to  controversially rewrite their rules on the Best Original Musical  category. Mirvish also co-wrote his bestselling, critically-acclaimed  novel I Am Martin Eisenstadt based on the fake McCain advisor who took  credit for Sarah Palin not knowing Africa was a continent. A former  speechwriter for U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin, Dan has a master's degree from  USC film school, is a member of the Directors Guild of America and has  guest lectured at more than 40 film schools and universities. website: www.DanMirvish.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/DanMirvish Insta: https://www.instagram.com/dmirvish/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dmirvish

NEW  DOCUMENTARY: Barbara Lee: Speaking Truth to Power tells the complex  story of Representative Barbara Lee, a steadfast voice for human rights,  peace and equality in the U.S. Congress for over 2 decades, who raised  two sons as a single mother on food stamps and was the lone vote in  opposition to the broad authorization of military force following the  September 11th attacks. An all-star cast including Senator Cory Booker,  Rep. John Lewis, Rep. Ayanna Pressley, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez,  commentator Van Jones, actor Danny Glover and author Alice Walker all  share insights about what makes Barbara Lee unique as a public servant  and as a truth-telling African American woman directed by Abby Ginzberg. https://speakingtruthtopowermovie.com/

Watch his film here https://www.feelingthrough.com/ Follow him on IG here: https://www.instagram.com/dougroland/

Angela Harvey. After helping write and produce a hundred episodes of MTV’s Teen Wolf, Angela went on to serve as writer/producer for shows at CBS, ABC, Marvel Television and FX. She’s currently developing shows with 20th Television, Bad Robot, and Disney Plus.  Angela has written & directed three short films including Prom, which premiered at the 2020 Austin Film Festival. She is currently in development on her feature film directorial debut. Follow her on Twitter: https://twitter.com/nationsfilm/ Jeffrey Lieber is credited as one of the creators of the hit ABC show, Lost. He's been writing and showrunning television for decades in Hollywood including  NCIS: New Orleans, Charmed. Impulse and Don't Look Deeper. He's known for tweeting advice regularly on Twitter and mentoring new screenwriters with his "Showrunner's Rules." https://twitter.com/JeffLieber

Jason Park, a second-generation Korean-American born and raised from the city of Chicago, started making films when he would take his dad’s camera and reenact his favorite movies with his friends that were truly a horrific sight to behold. He somehow decided to study Theology, History, and Secondary Education in college, and spent a year as a teacher/missionary on the island of Palau in the South Pacific, where he eventually reaffirmed his love for cinema. Soon after he was selected to the Student Symposium Program at the 40th Telluride Film Festival and received a screenwriting fellowship through Film Independent’s premiere diversity program, Project: Involve. BJ’s Mobile Gi8 Shop, premiered at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival. Park is currently developing his first feature film, Transplant, a film he co-wrote and will direct, which was selected for the 2020 Sundance Screenwritng Intensive. He is a 2020 Sundance Feature Film Fellow. Actor: Johnnyboy Tellem (John D. Kim) considers himself as a modern-day renaissance man, a new age artist expressing his creative ideas and passion through filmmaking, music production, and poetry. He is the CEO and leader of STAY VISUALANT, a creative team based in Atlanta. He was born and raised in South Korea until the age of 13, where he moved to the United States to set out on a grander journey towards his destiny. Bringing the culture & perception of both eastern and western people together through art that inspires unity & freedom is his main motive and drive as an artist and human being.

https://www.instagram.com/krystinawrayjackson/ https://www.instagram.com/tonygapastione/

Greg Russo has worked as a professional screenwriter for more than a  decade. His first produced feature “Mortal Kombat” was released in 2021  from Warner Bros and New Line Cinema. The film broke pandemic box office  records and was the most-streamed film release in HBO Max history. Greg  has sold multiple specs, pitches, and TV pilots and written films for  Universal, Paramount, Sony, Fox, and Warner Bros. Recently, he adapted  the classic video game "Space Invaders" for New Line Cinema and "Saints  Row" for director F. Gary Gray. He is currently writing "Death Note 2"  for Netflix, based on the best-selling Japanese manga among other  unannounced projects. Follow Greg on Twitter https://twitter.com/writerrusso Listen to his wife's podcast on episode 11 here: Tricia Russo and find out about her documentary featuring the miracle of their son's birth: https://linktr.ee/lovealwaysmomthemovie

www.lydiareneedarling.com Lydia-Renee  Darling dropped some gems in this episode. She is an actor-scriptwriter from Madison, Wisconsin and  self-described "quadruple M"... a mixed, multi-hyphenate media maven!  Lydia is a BFA Musical Theatre grad from the Webster Conservatory class  of 2020 and will earn her MA in Writing for Stage and Broadcast Media at  the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama in the fall of 2021. Her  first full-length play about interracial relationships and racial  prejudice was produced at The Actor’s Rep in February 2020. Performance  credits include Jocasta in Antigone at Yokohama Theatre Group in  Kawasaki, Japan and Pride and Prejudice at The Rep St. Louis. #rememberadam,  a Zoom short produced, written and acted by Lydia in September of 2020,  was featured in three festivals. Lydia also filmed and released a solo  comedy webseries during the pandemic (The Misadventures of a Wannabe  Beauty Guru). As a biracial, second-generation Ghanaian-American, Lydia  creates and performs in pieces that focus on seemingly niche but  universally compelling stories to lift the voices of marginalized  communities on screen and stage. https://www.instagram.com/lydiareneedarling/

https://www.instagram.com/mihoko_on_insta/ As an English-Japanese interpreter, As an English-Japanese interpreter,  Mihoko Imai has for the past 12 years specialized in film and  entertainment, servicing content distributors, film festivals,  photographers, filmmakers, actors, and producers. She has interpreted  for press events and interviews with people of note including: FILMMAKERS  including Martin Scorsese, Oliver Stone, Christopher Nolan, Ang Lee,  Ken Loach, J.J. Abrams, Zack Snyder, John Cameron Mitchell, Nicholas  Winding Refn, Michael Moore, Walter Hill, John Carpenter, David Ayer,  Renny Harlin, Eli Roth; ACTORS including Keanu Reeves, Nicolas Cage,  Angelina Jolie, Ben Affleck, Samuel L. Jackson, Mads Mikkelsen, Jesse  Eisenberg, Morgan Freeman, Oscar Isaac, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Benicio  Del Toro, Adrien Brody, Bryan Cranston, Norman Reedus, Andy Serkis,  William H. Macy, Amy Adams, Diane Kruger, Michelle Williams, Cynthia  Nixon, Hugh Bonneville, Ian Mckellan, Milla Jovovich, Lily Collins, Uzo  Aduba, Chloe Moretz, and Ken Watanabe. Prior  to starting her career as an interpreter, Mihoko had 10 years of  corporate experience in the film industry working for film distributors  including 4 years at Warner Bros. has for the past 12 years specialized  in film and entertainment, servicing content distributors, film  festivals, photographers, filmmakers, actors, and producers. She has  interpreted for press events and interviews with people of note  including: FILMMAKERS  including Martin Scorsese, Oliver Stone, Christopher Nolan, Ang Lee,  Ken Loach, J.J. Abrams, Zack Snyder, John Cameron Mitchell, Nicholas  Winding Refn, Michael Moore, Walter Hill, John Carpenter, David Ayer,  Renny Harlin, Eli Roth; ACTORS including Keanu Reeves, Nicolas Cage,  Angelina Jolie, Ben Affleck, Samuel L. Jackson, Mads Mikkelsen, Jesse  Eisenberg, Morgan Freeman, Oscar Isaac, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Benicio  Del Toro, Adrien Brody, Bryan Cranston, Norman Reedus, Andy Serkis,  William H. Macy, Amy Adams, Diane Kruger, Michelle Williams, Cynthia  Nixon, Hugh Bonneville, Ian Mckellan, Milla Jovovich, Lily Collins, Uzo  Aduba, Chloe Moretz, and Ken Watanabe. Prior  to starting her career as an interpreter, Mihoko had 10 years of  corporate experience in the film industry working for film distributors  including 4 years at Warner Bros. https://twitter.com/mihoko_imai If you enjoyed our conversation with Markus, follow his reviews here:  https://moviesmarkus.com/

https://www.instagram.com/beastbeastmovie/ Sundance and SXSW selected film BEAST BEAST's writer/director Danny Madden with actor Jose Angeles. https://www.instagram.com/thespindojo/ In Select Theaters and On-Demand May 2021. https://vanishingangle.com/beast-beast-film

https://www.instagram.com/morethanmiyagi/ KELLY JACKSON is one of the producers on the award winning feature documentary  More than MIyagi: The Pat Morita Story released on Feb. 5th 2021. Kelly  and Oscar Alvarez, another producer on the documentary, first met each  other when their daughters played on-screen daughters on the Diablo Cody  ABC pilot “Raised by Wolves”. Their families have remained very close  and Kelly was thrilled to be asked to help produce the documentary.  Growing up in Wisconsin, and having memories of watching “Happy Days”  and The Karate Kid at a young age, she was honored to help bring Pat’s  story to the world. OSCAR ALVAREZ  partnered with filmmaker Kevin Derek to produce the  award-winning feature documentary film, Empty Hand: The Real Karate  Kids, cited in Black Belt Magazine as “A MUST SEE...the first real  Karate movie in years.” Most recently, Alvarez completed his and Derek’s latest feature documentary,  More Than Miyagi: The Pat Morita Story starring Ralph Macchio, Martin  Kove, Esai Morales, William Zabka, Tommy Chong, Efren Ramirez, Henry  Winkler and James Hong, among others -- a “who’s who” of stars,  including Morita’s Widow, Evelyn, came together to support the bio-doc  about the beloved actor. It was released worldwide in February 2021 to  massive critical acclaim and fan enthusiasm; it is rated 100% on both  the TOMATOMETER→ and audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. https://www.instagram.com/oscaralvarezproducer/

https://www.instagram.com/ifanything_film/ Discussion with the OSCAR NOMINATED filmmakers of Netflix's IF ANYTHING HAPPENS I LOVE YOU. Will  McCormack & Michael Govier (Directors) are making their directorial debut with,  “If Anything Happens I Love You.” McCormack and Govier are producers,  writers, actors and directors. McCormack wrote “Toy Story 4” and  “Celeste and Jesse Forever.” Govier has written multiple short films,  plays and performed on tv and commercials. https://www.instagram.com/willmccormack/ https://www.instagram.com/drgovier/ Maryann  Garger (Producer) Maryann Garger is currently developing and producing  the feature animated film, “Groove” with Jamie Foxx and Michael Becker.  She previously produced on the hit Lego family film franchise, “The Lego  Ninjago Movie” starring Jackie Chan for Warner Brothers Studios. She  was a producer on the acclaimed DreamWorks and Aardman Animation comedy  adventure “Flushed Away,” directed by David Bowers and Sam Fell, which  swept the 2006 Annie Awards with five wins and three nominations and  earned a BAFTA nomination for Best Animated Feature. She later reunited  with Bowers producing his 2009 feature “Astro Boy” for Imagi/Summit  Entertainment. She then returned to DreamWorks to produce the family  animated film “B.O.O.: Bureau of Otherworldly Operations” starring Seth  Rogen, Bill Murray and Melissa McCarthy.Garger’s animation producing  credits also include the award-winning animated theatrical short “First  Flight,” which screened to acclaim at film festivals including SXSW,  Tribeca and Montreal International. She also produced the family  theatrical Lego Ninjago short, “The Master” and two animated “Astro Boy”  shorts. Her most recent caused-based short, “If Anything Happens I Love  You”, directed by Will McCormack (writer, Toy Story 4) and Michael  Govier was a labor of love. It is currently on the festival and awards  circuit for 2020.Garger began her career at Walt Disney Feature  Animation, on the animated feature “Pocahontas,” before segueing to a  20-year tenure at DreamWorks. There, she was among the first employees  to build DreamWorks’ animation division, under Jeffrey Katzenberg, and  rose through the ranks from Production Manager, Line Producer,  Production Executive, Creative Executive to ultimately Producer, working  on such memorable titles as “Madagascar,” “Shrek”, “Spirit: Stallion of  the Cimarron,” and “Prince of Egypt.” Following that, she produced for  Warner Bros. On the animation television side, Garger was the  Supervising Producer on the satirical DreamWorks & Fox prime time  animated series “Neighbors from Hell,” which aired on TBS. She is a  recent member of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences.

https://www.instagram.com/woo_hwang/ You may have seen him on seasons 28 + 31 of CBS' Survivor. He's a fan favorite, but more than that, he's an all around great guy. We'll  talk about life after Survivor and building his acting/fitness/martial  arts/modeling career in LA. We'll also talk about the impact of being an  Asian American working in Hollywood and the need to speak out against  racism and xenophobia, a most important conversation. Check out our #BraveFaves on Instagram

https://www.christopherhibma.com/ In  his most recent role as the Director of Sundance Institute’s Theatre  Program, Christopher Hibma built one of the world’s leading  brands and  most diverse rosters of artist activities. In his role, he  worked to  expand the Program’s cultural impact outside the American context, with  an emphasis on storytelling that incorporated a  multiplicity of  cultures particularly from East Africa and the Arab region/diaspora. Christopher crafts creative environments for artists to luxuriate in their  animating impulses. He has designed spaces & programming at MASS  MoCA in the Berkshires, at Ucross Foundation on a cattle ranch in  Wyoming, at Luma Foundation in Arles, France and in capitals across the  Arab region and East Africa. He has developed a  set of organizing  principles and anticolonialist values when developing programs with  partners across international borders and contexts. Christopher  incorporates the principles rigor, grace & intention as he  cultivates the talents of storytellers, thinkers and leaders as he  designs into their best instincts. He and his husband have a daughter and live in Minnesota. 

 Watch the SUNDANCE SELECTED short film here: https://www.nytimes.com/video/opinion/100000007247238/tears-teacher.html TEARS TEACHER "Yoshida is a self-proclaimed 'tears teacher': he makes people weep." The documentary “Tears Teacher” screened at Sundance and Hot Docs, and was acquired by the New York Times. It was featured on The Japan Times, Thrillist, etc and has already played in more than 25 festivals. Writer/Director NOEMIE NAKAI - Twitter: @NoemieNakai - https://www.instagram.com/noemienakai/ - https://noemienakai.com/ Noemie is a Japanese and French writer/director, whose short films were shown in numerous festivals worldwide - Sundance, Hot Docs, Short Shorts Asia, Exit6... - and were acquired by The New York Times and Film Movement for distribution. She has been selected for the Sundance / NHK lab, the Berlinale-ran Talents Tokyo and the BFI x BAFTA crew programs. Her feature in development received the main award at Busan film festival’s Asian Project Market,  following in the footsteps of Hou Hsiao Hsien, Kurosawa Kiyoshi and Bong Joon-ho to name a few. DP SHEN LIN - Twitter: @TheShenCA - https://www.instagram.com/the_shenger/ - https://www.the-shen.com/ Shen Lin is a Chinese-Canadian Cinematographer currently based in Japan. Upon graduating from the University of Toronto, the Vancouver Film School and Capilano University, Shen worked as a camera assistant in Canada. He then moved to Tokyo, where he's been working as a cinematographer on multiple international productions ranging from commercials and music videos to documentaries and features. His clients include Apple, Lexus, Paramount, Yamaha, Dazed China, Samsonite, Redbull, HITACHI, Haier, etc. Some of the notable talents he has collaborated with include Ed Sheeran, Henry Golding, Fan Bingbing, etc. Composer KYO ACERBIS KITAYAMA - Twitter: @kyoakmusic - https://www.instagram.com/kyoak/ - http://www.kyoakmusic.com/home-.html Kyo Acerbis Kitayama is a French-Japanese film-composer residing in Japan. He graduated from Berklee College of Music in Boston, where he studied Film Scoring and Conducting. Singer-songwriter and arranger, his musical interests range from traditional Japanese music, electronic composition to orchestral music.

https://www.accentcoachjack.com/ Accent  Coach Jack Wallace is a professional dialect coach from England,  currently based in Los Angeles who specializes in authentic accent  preparation for actors and presenters. Jack  is an in-demand accents expert for news outlets such as CNN,  Entertainment Tonight!, Insider and Buzzfeed.  (His appearances with  Buzzfeed have garnered over 8.5 million views.) Jack’s  clients have appeared in: Never Have I Ever, 13 Reasons Why, The  Mandalorian, Westworld, Derry Girls, Young Sheldon, Queen Sugar,  The  Walking Dead, Little America, Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation, Big  Little Lies and many others. His voiceover clients can be heard in: Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse,  Boss Baby, Where’s Waldo, Thundercats Roar!, Call of Duty Modern  Warfare, Cyberpunk 2077, Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order and in many  national advertising campaigns. Formally  trained at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire in Professional Voice  Practice, Jack draws from a strong technical knowledge of voice and  speech and combines this with easy to follow steps that can help any  actor arrive on set with a fully integrated, authentic accent perfect  for their role. https://www.instagram.com/accentcoachjack/

Co-writers  and producing partners Jeremy Valdez and Tony Gapastione will discuss  the ins and outs of their creative partnership. They have written a  feature together and two television projects, one that has currently  been picked up by a production company with a proof of concept in  post-production. https://www.instagram.com/tonygapastione/ https://www.instagram.com/jeremyrayvaldez/

Marquette  Jones is a filmmaker and screenwriter. Her work focuses on the interior  lives of women in multiple genres such as comedy and science fiction.  Her films, Ghosted, Forgiving Chris Brown, Round on Both Sides, Streets 2  Suites, and Tunk have screened at film festivals around the world and  been featured on Showtime, PBS, Amazon Prime and KweliTV, et. al. Prior  to becoming a filmmaker, Marquette was a public interest attorney in  Oakland, California and currently hosts and produces the women in the  entertainment industry focused Directing Magic podcast. She earned her  MFA from New York University’s graduate film program and currently  teaches digital filmmaking at Santa Clara University. https://www.scu.edu/.../communic.../faculty/marquette-jones/ http://www.directingmagic.com/ Lodric Collins is currently on BET's The Oval and will be soon seen as Smokey Robinson in RESPECT, the Aretha Franklin story starring Jennifer Hudson.  https://www.instagram.com/lodricdcollins/ A U.S. Marine, frat boy, and Extreme Sports Enthusiast: This country boy  from SW Louisiana (Cajun Country), discovered his love for acting at a  very early age. Beginning in his elementary school years, when he would  trek to the nearest community theatre for the opportunity to audition  and perform. After college Lodric skipped out on Law School and moved to  NYC where he honed his craft studying and working on any Broadway,  Off-Broadway, Off-Off Broadway stage that allowed him the opportunity to  show his talent. Most notably know for his classical work in roles such  as 'General Hannibal Barca' (Massanissa) and 'Berowne' (Loves Labors  Lost) where he received rave reviews.

Here are the 6 questions that were submitted:  1. Did you ever consider being a screenwriter (or any type of writer) when you were younger? 2. How have you made connections in the film/writing industry? 3. Are there any special programs, training, or schools that you have done or recommend? 4. Do you have any advice for an aspiring screenwriter (such as myself)? 5. How did you create your first screenplay or script? 6. How would you personally recommend succeeding in this industry? https://www.bravemaker.com/classes http://www.tonygapastione.com/

Meet this triple threat currently casting and producing both live shows and films in the Bay Area and elevating justice, diversity and inclusion in his work.    https://www.instagram.com/glstanfordjr/

Our guests on episode 101 are both artists and advocates.  Nicole  Evans is an actress, writer and disability rights and inclusion  activist who was born and raised in the Los Angeles area. Born with  Osteogenesis Imperfecta, Nicole is a full time wheelchair user. https://www.instagram.com/lifeisshort_/ Most  recently, Nicole was selected as one of the TOP 20 Actors from  Historically Underrepresented Communities in 2020 by the Casting Society  of America. She can currently be seen in her recurring roles on GOOD  TROUBLE (season 2, freeform), SUPERSTORE (NBC), and SPECIAL (season 2,  Netflix - coming soon!). In  2019, Nicole won BEST ACTOR at the Easterseals Disability Film  Challenge for her role as Dr. Hubbert in HUMAN HELPER (Directed by  Shaina Ghuraya). Nicole is also a proud graduate of The Academy Gold Program (Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences). Shaina Ghuraya jokes that she is a triple threat - she’s a wheelchair-user,  Punjabi, and a woman. She is a writer/director for quirky and bold  comedies that embrace diversity and explore intersectionality A  graduate of USC's Film and Television production program, Shaina's  films have gone on to screen at ReelAbilities, Hollyshorts, and  Slamdance. Most recently, Shaina graduated from Academy Gold and  received the SF Film Rainin Grant for her feature film script. Her work  can be found at : https://www.instagram.com/disabled_desi/ shainaghuraya.com. BraveFaves of the week with @krystinawrayjackson faving Finding Joe, @tonygapastione faving Oliver Stone autobiography, Chasing The Light, and our guests @lifeisshort_ and @disabled_desi faving Crip Camp, Captain Andrea Hall signing and speaking the pledge  of allegiance on Inauguration Day and Cosmic Thing’s Love Shack.

https://www.instagram.com/tonygapastione/ https://www.bravemaker.com/ Steal like an Artist by https://austinkleon.com/

https://www.findingyingying.com/ Yingying  Zhang, a 26-year-old Chinese student, comes to the U.S. to study. In  her detailed and beautiful diaries, the aspiring young scientist and  teacher is full of optimism, hoping to also be married and a mother  someday. Within weeks of her arrival, Yingying disappears from the  campus. Through exclusive access to Yingying’s family and boyfriend,  Finding Yingying closely follows their journey as they search to unravel  the mystery of her disappearance and seek justice for their daughter  while navigating a strange, foreign country. But most of all, Finding  Yingying is the story of who Yingying was: a talented young woman loved  by her family and friends. Producer Diane Quon https://twitter.com/dmquon Director Jenny Shi https://twitter.com/jiayanjennyshi Brave Faves Pixar's Soul NBC's Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist Panda Express, I am not Your Negro (Documentary)

Meet our resident film critic Markus. https://moviesmarkus.com/author/moviesmarkus/ Follow him on his IG: https://www.instagram.com/moviesmarkus1/ Brave Faves Small Axe and Upload on Amazon Prime Black is King on Disney+

Currently  living in Paris, France, Christopher is a multi-talented  writer-director-actor who has worked on over 150 films, theatrical  productions, VR, video games, and immersive entertainments on three  continents. His feature film ‘The Bellwether’ was released in 2019. He  has written and directed 360 films as well. He has been commissioned for  multiple feature length screenplays, television pilots, and plays  alike. He recently added “Narrative Designer” as he wrote for the  videogame “Ary and the Secret of the Seasons”. His VR branching  narrative “The Werewolf Experience” is currently in production. Cirque  du Soleil called him “A huge asset to the creative process.” https://www.realityplus.org/

https://www.jenmcgowan.com/ Jen McGowan is a director based in Los Angeles. Her most recent feature film, the survival thriller, RUST CREEK, was  released in theaters January 2019 by IFC Midnight and hailed as “the  feminist thriller Hollywood needs right now” by Harpers Bazaar. She just finished directing her first episode of television, The Purge for Blumhouse. McGowan's first feature KELLY & CAL (Juliette Lewis & Cybill  Shepherd) premiered at SXSW where she won the Gamechanger Award. The  film was released theatrically by IFC Films to rave reviews. She got her  start with award-winning short films, CONFESSIONS OF A LATE BLOOMER and  TOUCH, which played at over a hundred festivals worldwide winning the  majority. In partnership with Level Forward, she is the creator of Glass  Elevator, an international skill-sharing, networking & jobs resource  for professional women in film & television. With nearly 4,000  members, Glass Elevator was named Best in LA by LA Weekly, is part of  the Sundance Women’s Initiative Resource and was featured in Forbes. Co-created with her partner Eliza Lee, their TV series, Angelica, about  the last remaining abortion clinic in a small American town is being  produced by Shaun Reddick (GET OUT, BLACKkKLANSMAN) and Yvette Yates of  Impossible Dream Entertainment. ME  YOU US, is the next feature she is set to direct.  A teen rom com  update to HITCH it is being produced by John & Catherine Davis at  Davis Entertainment. Take  the Lead Foundation identified McGowan one of 50 Women Who Will Change  the World in Media & Entertainment and WeForShe selected her for the  2019 DirectHer program. A Film Independent Fellow, finalist for the  Clint Eastwood Filmmakers Award, recipient of the AWD Breakout Award for  Excellence in Directing she was named one of Vulture’s Women Directors  Hollywood Should Be Hiring. Follow her on Twitter https://twitter.com/IAmJenMcG

Craig Sim Webb, a widely-traveled speaker-singer-songwriter who  sometimes enjoys wearing other hats such as "author", "dream  analyst-researcher", "inventor," and "friendly frisbee fanatic".  He is a  McGill University physics graduate and had the good fortune to be part  of the pioneering research team at Stanford University that brought  lucid dreaming to the mainstream a few decades ago. Craig has designed  personal growth and educational tools distributed worldwide, yet his TV  remote often still confuses him. His book The Dreams Behind the Music  reveals little-known dreams that inspired tremendous success for over  100 top artists, and highlights principles anyone can use to harvest  their own dreams for significant breakthroughs.     To learn more, visit:   http://www.dreamsbehindthemusic.com/   https://www.instagram.com/lucidheartist/   http://applieddreaming.com

What are you doing to get your projects started, made and completed?  Weekly SHORT THOUGHTS ON BIG IDEAS. https://www.instagram.com/tonygapastione/ https://www.instagram.com/bravemakerorg/ Our January screenwriting class starts January 6th 5pm PT/8pm ET https://www.bravemaker.com/classes

Richard  J. Bosner, also known as Rick, produced the politically-charged true story Fruitvale Station  starring  Octavia Spencer and Michael B. Jordan which received the  Sundance Film  Festival U.S. Grand Jury Prize in the Dramatic category  and the Sundance  Audience Award, U.S. Dramatic, presented by Acura  along with 44  nominations/wins during the 2013 Awards Season. Bosner  also produced Nick Sandow’s The Wannabe  starring Patricia Arquette,  with Executive Producers, Dean Devlin and  Martin Scorsese.  In the  summer of 2015 he executive produced Other People starring Molly Shannon  and Jesse Plemons which was the opening night film at the 2016 Sundance  Film Festival. Bosner  was honored as one of the LATINX 2019 Trail-Blazing producers. He is  currently in post-production on Axelle Carolyn’s horror feature Crones  with Blumhouse TV and Amazon Studios. He also Produced the dramatic  thriller, BlackBear, starring Aubrey Plaza and directed by Lawrence  Michael Levin which premiered at Sundance Film Festival 2020. Follow him on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/rickbosner/ Check out his production company: https://bluecreekpictures.com/ Brave Faves from our live chat with producer Richard J. Bosner were impossible burgers, @krystinawrayjackson faved Marvel 616, and the movie Antebellum and @TonyGapastione faved the book: No Rules Rules by Reed Hastings, founder of @netflix.

https://www.instagram.com/kirinstagram/ Kirin  Bhatty is a celebrity makeup artist that has achieved many steps in the  industry. She has made many artists shine like Zoe Kazan, Tessa  Thompson, Jenny Slate, and others. Bhatty was born in a family of  immigrants from Pakistan. Los   Angeles native and UC Berkeley graduate Kirin Bhatty became a   professional makeup artist after a brief stint in publishing. Inspired   by beauty images in the magazine she worked for, Kirin began assisting   on-set, contributing in any way she could to build a career in makeup.   Today, with her characteristic emphasis on glowing skin, Kirin   collaborates with top photographers on fashion editorials and   advertising, as well as creating memorable looks for red carpet events.   Kirin’s editorial clients include Vanity Fair, V Magazine, CR Fashion  Book, Teen Vogue, ELLE, Marie Claire and Vs.  Her celebrity clients  include Tessa Thompson, Freida Pinto, Kaya  Scodelario, Kate Upton,  Florence Welch, Jenny Slate, Rosario Dawson, and  Zoe Kazan. Kirin will be chatting live from New York. For  her future, she wants to keep working with amazing women and make them  feel beautiful. She states: “At the end of the day, I’m a makeup artist  because I like to make people feel good.” https://www.a-frameagency.com/ Brave Faves: Tony faved chocolate covered expresso bean from @traderjoes Kristina faved @majorlazer f@kirinstagram faving NYC’s @mahzedahrbakery

New LIVE CHAT monthly with LA film school student Tobey Lynn.  What's it like to go to film school?   https://www.instagram.com/tobey.lynn/ Brave Faves this week:  Tony Gapastione: LSTN Headphones https://lstnsound.com/ Krystina Jackson: Amazon Book Gray Matters https://www.amazon.com/Gray-Matters-Dolores-Arden/dp/1642471968 Tobey Reyes: New Girl on Netflix

https://www.instagram.com/zoeylytle/ Join  us for our monthly chat with actress/dancer/singer Zoey Lytle who moved  to NYC this year to pursue her dreams and goals on Broadway. https://www.zoeylytle.com/

https://www.instagram.com/nextlevelscreenwriting/ Cody  Smart is an L.A.-based independent writer and script doctor from Chile.  She holds degrees in English Literature & Linguistics,  Screenwriting, Development and Producing. She worked as a script analyst  for Sony, she’s a judge for multiple script and film competitions,  she’s written some award winning shorts, she’s head of the coverage  department at Story Data, she's the face of the vlog The Helpful  Reviewer with tips on Screenwriting, and she teaches Script Doctoring at  UCLA Extension. https://www.storydata.io/ She takes pride in helping writers take their work to the next level.

https://www.hollismorrissette.com/ Hollis  Morrissette was born and raised in Lansing, MI (Capital to the state)  and home to Michigan State University. Growing up, Hollis has always  been interested and involved in arts and entertainment. At the age of  eight, Hollis got his start with his first theatre role which inducted  him officially into the arts and entertainment industry. It was then he  discovered his love for not only acting, but singing as well. In  elementary school, he joined the choir serving as the lead singer  touring the city for Christmas concerts. Moving on to high school,  Hollis continued great academic achievements such as class vice  president, and continuing his musical journey in orchestra where his  parents put him at the age of nine. While Hollis loved acting, he took a  break from it in high school, and found his love for modeling where he  was scouted and worked for Hollister and Co. In  college, Hollis transitioned from modeling back into acting where he  served as lead roles in theatre and small PSA commercials. After  graduating with his degree in theatre and psychology, he moved to Los  Angeles to pursue his career in entertainment. At the age of 20, he got his start on television as a guest star on HBO’s hit show Vice Principals.  From then, he’s starred in a number of short films, television shows  and voiceover work to name a few. In 2020, Hollis won his state title as  Mr. Michigan United States, making history competing in a pageant  during a pandemic, walking away as Mr. United States 2nd runner up,  Gentleman of the year honoree, and winning an academic achievement  award. During Hollis’ 19-year career, he not only has acted, modeled,  and found success in his pageant, but he also owns  his own online boutique clothing store, has written and released music,  started his YouTube channel, and is currently writing his third book.  Hollis Morrissette is a powerhouse that sees and shows no signs of  stopping or slowing down in the future. https://www.instagram.com/thehollismorrissette/

https://www.benduffypresents.com/ Ben Duffy has bled filmmaking for the past 17 years of his life. He started off making skate videos with his best friends on driveways, and now is a filmmaker with 10 documentaries under his belt, 4 of which are features. In the humble opinion of this writer, Ben Duffy has redefined the meaning of micro budget filmmaking. If money fell from trees, Ben grabbed the pennies while others got to the bills first, and always finished the film with the pretty penny. We Are Skateboarders, Bens most acclaimed published film, was made from him riding on bus’s with expired weekly bus passes to get to the shoots, holding two skateboarders, a big ass tripod, and a heavy loaded camera bag…and lets not forget about the food stamp grocery bill for when the shoot was over. Ben transformed digital video tapes to an hour and 50 minute, 2nd highest viewed feature length skateboard documentary for the price of what could have cost the average production nearly 900,000 dollars. That was just the beginning of this humanitarian’s career. While Ben could have used his existing success as a skateboard documentarian, he chose to diversify and tap into the world of the underdogs, the community of people who are never fully seen; fully heard. Using only crowdfunding campaigns as a financial source to carry him through, Benjamin created Amazon Prime featured documentaries on autism and the world of disabled people as professional athletes. When I talked to Ben he told me that after his what would much later be his most financial successful film, Tin Soldiers, featuring 4 time Paralympic gold medalist, Alana Nichols, he was fucking over filmmaking. It wasn’t until 6 months later a quadriplegic man spoon fed Ben a new idea to document love and sexuality in the disabled community, did he find himself crying on his friends couch that he was living on and said, “I have to believe that this this going to work, because I have nothing left to lose”, Ben raised in total 55 thousand dollars to turn what was a caterpillar of an idea to a beautiful butterfly that will fly this November. Ben also said, or should I say, boldly states, that Take A Look At This Heart is the film he wants to be remembered by because it the only film he’s made that no one else can touch - it is truly a 1 of a kind unique demonstration of passion and pulling something from with in you that you didn’t know you had in order to find the love for yourself that’s been missing for so long. Maybe it is that you need a heart of gold in order to be successful while running on empty. Or maybe Ben has showed the world with his films that in order to fill the emptiness with gold, you just can’t stop running. This website shows Bens endless search for the little miracles that remind us we are human, and it all started with a camera 5 times the size of your new iphone. https://www.instagram.com/runseahorserun/ Watch some of Ben’s work here: Here is Episode 1: HOPE https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=i4vFQ_eXGDY Here is episode 2: “Love and Suicide” https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=FRP6R2o5XrA

Meet filmmaker: Miguel Angel Caballero (Director, Writer, Producer) and his film team which include producer and actors of the film: ACUITZERAMO Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ze99dCab4LE Follow him on IG; https://www.instagram.com/migangel1111/ The film's IG page Subscribe to our YOUTUBE PAGE Watch Killer Couch

/watch?v=ryEq5Yov2G0&feature=emb_logo Four  years after Jordan's death, filmmaker Justin Robinson set out on an 8 year journey to  bring his brother's story to life. With the help of 102 interviews and  300+ home videotapes, equaling 450+ hours of footage, "My Brother  Jordan" chronicles Jordan's life and death and paints the bond of  brotherhood between Jordan and Justin Robinson. BEHIND THE SCENES: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x5zls... IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6918740/... written, produced, directed and edited by Justin Robinson

https://www.instagram.com/telvingriffin/ Born  and raised in Texarkana, Arkansas, Telvin quickly immersed himself into  the entertainment industry after graduating college in 2012. He's  booked numerous National Commercials including being the National  Spokesman for "Black People Meet dot com." Telvin has also appeared on  numerous television shows and films including Fox's Deputy, CBS's The  Bold and the Beautiful, and later this year an episode of Black-Ish. His  latest film "Tazmanian Devil" was an official selection to the ABFF  (American Black Film Festival) in Miami this year where it won the  Inaugural John Singleton Award for Best First Feature Film for the  director. Telvin's goal and purpose in life is to inspire others to  never giving up on your dreams and if you believe something stand on it  with integrity even if you have to walk alone for a short time. Be the  best you can be and trust God! https://www.instagram.com/telvingriffin/

https://www.instagram.com/parkerjessechase/ Parker  Jesse Chase is a Honduran-Irish-American screenwriter & costume  designer residing in Los Angeles, CA. Chase’s work is dramatic,  addressing themes to challenge society expectations, understand the  complex layers of human relationships, & the art of overcoming  traumas. Her latest release, “The Ghost Who Walks” released on Netflix  this past April and was ranked the #8 film to watch in the US. Chase is  currently producing her first feature film “An Ideal Candidate” starring  Callie Deering, Adria Dawn, Matt Gorkis, and introducing Tyra Banks  America's Next Top Model Winner Jaslene Gonzalez. ****with special guest appearance from Danielle Merri https://www.instagram.com/msmerri/

https://lisalwilson.com/ Lisa  L. Wilson is an Emmy® award winning producer from Houston, Texas. Lisa  has produced programming in all sectors of media including live news and  entertainment, musical performances, scripted television and film. She  has developed content that has been seen in over 50 million homes.  Throughout her career Lisa has also dedicated time and resources to  mentor and empower the next generation of female producers and content  curators through professional development. As a producer Lisa's mission  is to develop content with the sole purpose of exploring and discovering  life through the lens. Recently she produced for Jada Pinkett on her  show RED TABLE TALK. https://www.instagram.com/lisarraine/

https://www.instagram.com/fkachler/ Francy loves editing and her passion is in unscripted. There is so much  magic in realism for her. She mainly edits documentary films and reality  television. But recently cut a friend's short film recently and  had a  blast. And film had a nice festival run and was used as a jumping-off  point for her friend's directing television career.   Recently Francy finished working on a doc that played at the most recent  Outfest,  " Freedia Got a Gun."  It was accepted at Tribeca and Afi  docs this year, as well.  She's edited films that have gone to Sundance, Belingdale, Tribeca, and  all over the world. She's currently working on a 6 part doc for HBO, but  it hasn't been announced yet.  Francy loves to talk about editing  process and workflow, and how to get into the industry especially  working as a  minority and woman in the industry.  She's done teaching in the past and recently did a session with grad  students at UC Santa Cruz. See her resume of work here: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1549866/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1

Tony and Krystina chat with Clayton Davis. He is Variety Magazine's Film Awards Editor. He founded and was the Editor-in-Chief of AwardsCircuit.com.  He's covered awards, film, and television for more than 15 years. He's  the founder and president of the Latino Entertainment Journalists  Association, and a member of Critics Choice, AAFCA, and NYFCO. FOLLOW HIM: https://twitter.com/awardscircuit https://www.instagram.com/awardscircuit/ @Variety Awards Editor/ AwardsCircuit Founder / Black-Latino Writer www.variety.com

https://www.irenetu.com/ Irene  Tu is a stand-up comedian, actor, and writer. In 2017, the San  Francisco Chronicle singled her out as an “artist on the brink of fame,”  on the heels of being named one of the “Bay Area’s 11 Best Stand Up  Comedians” (SFist) and one of 20 “Women to Watch” (KQED). She has  performed at numerous festivals including SF Sketchfest, Comedy  Central’s Clusterfest, RIOT LA, Bridgetown Comedy Festival, and Outside  Lands. Irene has opened for comedians such as Patton Oswalt, W. Kamau  Bell, Brian Posehn, Anthony Jeselnik, Gary Gulman, Judah Friedlander,  Hari Kondabolu, and Aparna Nancherla. You can see her on season 2 of  “Take My Wife” and on VICELAND’s “Funny How?” Follow her on IG: https://www.instagram.com/irene_tu/ Irene was named one of Vulture’s “Comedians You Should and Will Know in 2019” “She is confident onstage and offstage. Her caring demeanor belies a dark side that I can relate to.” - W. Kamau Bell “She excels at pleasant—almost parental—condescension and the confident undercut” - Portland Mercury

LIVE CHAT with actor/writer/director Josh Ruben who debuted his first feature film at Sundance 2020. https://www.instagram.com/joshruben/ He is now gearing up for a release on Thursday October 1st, 2020 via https://www.shudder.com/ (which you can try out for FREE for seven days). Just in time for Halloween. #ScareMe http://joshsmindhouse.com/

Irving Ruan is a Chinese American writer, actor, comedian, playwright, and software engineer. His work has been published in The New Yorker, McSweeney's Quarterly Concern, McSweeney’s Internet Tendency, Funny Or Die, CollegeHumor, and elsewhere. He is a member of the San Francisco Writers Grotto. He  graduated from the University of California, San Diego with a degree in  Computer Science and has studied improv, sketch writing, and satire at  The Second City in Chicago. Irving lives in the San Francisco Bay Area and is represented by Danielle Svetcov at Levine Greenberg Rostan Literary Agency. We are grateful for Irving's continued hosting on our podcast and highlighting the art of writing and comedy! https://www.instagram.com/irvingruan/ One of the pieces we discussed on the podcast: https://www.newyorker.com/humor/daily-shouts/tv-game-shows-inspired-by-online-dating

https://theprisonwithin.org/ The  Prison Within is narrated by Hill Harper (The Good Doctor, Homeland,  CSI:NY, Covert Affairs) and author of Letters to an Incarcerated  Brother, which speaks to the current mass incarceration crisis. Director  Katherin Hervey, a former Los Angeles Public Defender and volunteer  prison college instructor, is the first filmmaker to gain access to  chronicle these intimate and revealing sessions inside San Quentin  Prison. People incarcerated for murder inside San Quentin Prison transcend the  barriers of the punitive prison system by working with victims of  violent crime to unearth the root cause of their own violence. Each  character undergoes a radical transformation revealing how every human  being, on both sides of the wall, can break out of their own personal  prisons to stop the cycle of violence. The  Prison Within exposes the devastating impact untreated trauma has on individuals and communities through the powerful stories of survivors of  violent crimes and prisoners incarcerated for murder in San Quentin  prison. The prisoners and survivors come together and participate in the  Victim Offender Education Group (VOEG)—an innovative restorative  justice program enabling prisoners to discover how the trauma they’ve  experienced contributed to their criminality and to understand the  impact their crimes have on their victims. Together, the prisoners and  survivors confront and expose the pain, shame, and rage caused by the  extreme trauma they’ve experienced throughout their lives. We  are asking the audience to set aside what they think they know about  incarcerated people. Most people in prison are first a victim. Anger and  violence stems from untreated trauma. When our justice system excludes  the notion of rehabilitation, it necessarily perpetuates the cycle of  violence by failing to address trauma. And the fallout from untreated  trauma ultimately affects the entire community. This film serves as an  example of how all people can change, how we can evolve as a community,  and the power of connecting to the humanity in others, even those who  have committed harm. https://www.instagram.com/prisonwithinfilm/

Episode 74 is hosted by Krystina Jackson + Tony Gapastione http://d4darious.com/ Darious Britt is a Director, producer, screenwriter and actor. He attended film school at the University of Arizona and graduated in May of 2012 with a bachelors in Media production. He  toured his short film “Seafood Tester” to four international film  festivals including the oscar qualifying Aspen Shorts fest in 2012. Darious  created the youtube channel D4Darious, in August of 2013 and it has  since grown to over 140,000 subscribers and over 5 million views in  three years. He  have Toured his first feature film “Unsound” on the film festival  circuit screening at over 20 international film festivals, winning 7  awards including best director at The Pan African Film Festival in 2015. He loves telling stories and helping other filmmakers learn the craft to reach their highest potential as storytellers.” He vlogged the entire journey with his first freature film UNSOUND on youtube. At minute 33 we share a TRAILER to THE SCARLET THREAD can be found here: https://www.bravemaker.com/thescarletthread

Watch the BBC film here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ptvmahVE-s&feature=emb_logo It’s  been 30 years since the World Health Organization declassified  homosexuality as a psychological disorder - being gay is no longer  considered something that can be ‘cured’. 'Gay conversion therapy'  attempts to change sexual orientation through psychological, spiritual  and sometimes physical means. It's been widely labelled unethical and  potentially harmful. But so-called gay conversion therapy is still  widely available around the world. BBC  News Arabic has met a doctor in Jordan who’s been offering ‘gay  conversion therapy’ and talked to people who have suffered as a result  of going through this so-called treatment. It  is extremely rare for a doctor offering this controversial practice to  speak openly and this is the first time anyone has covered this issue in  depth in the Middle East. This  film highlights the emotional toll experienced by two young people who,  in a desperate attempt to fit in, undergo ‘gay conversion therapy’.  This film exposes the negative impact of such therapy and we hear  details of what both characters experienced and how the treatment almost  cost them their lives. We  also hear from a doctor who practices gay conversion therapy who  believes homosexuality is a psychological disorder that can be cured.  The film is about two people’s emotional struggle to be accepted and to  love freely despite social stigma and family rejection. A film by Jason Hanasik. https://www.instagram.com/jasonhanasik/ http://www.jasonhanasik.com/ Animation by Leah Nichols.

Live Chat with Hollywood Teen Actresses Izabella Alvarez + Talia Jackson hosted by Tony Gapastione  Most  recently Izabella can be heard voicing the lead spunky character,  'Ronnie Anne Santiago,' in Nickelodeon's "The Casagrandes." The animated  series tells the story of 11-year- old Ronnie Anne after she moves to  the city with her older brother Bobby and her mom, where they now live  with their big, loving multi-generational family, the Casagrandes. By  depicting stories based on Mexican-American and Latino themes, "The  Casagrandes" is a bridge to Latino culture. And will be seen as lead in the in the upcoming CW's "The Republic of Sarah," currently in production. LA Times writes, "Izabella Alvarez, a Rising Latina Star, commands desperation-ridden scenes with skill and maturity." https://www.instagram.com/izabellaalvarez/ + Talia  Jackson has been auditioning since the age of 7 and didn't get her  first break until August 2018 when she booked the series regular role of  Jade McKellan in Netflix's Family Reunion and Zoe in ABC's Station19.  She booked the series regular role of Dusty Gable on  ABC/Warner/Berlanti/Diablo Cody pilot Raised by Wolves in 2017 but it  didn't get picked up. Talia is also a singer and will release her first  single "I'm not Jealous" in July 2019. Talia  moved from Wisconsin with her mother and brother to Santa Barbara in  February 2009 after a divorce to be near relatives and to pursue her  dreams of becoming an actress and singer. For 10 years she auditioned  and booked 1 small independent film and a couple of commercials but  didn't book a TV role or film that actually aired somewhere. She was  close to giving up on her acting career right before she booked a  starring role in Family Reunion and Station 19 in the same month. https://www.instagram.com/taliajacksonofficial/

***Follow BraveMaker's correspondent IRVING on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/irvingruan/ INFO ON OUR FEATURED GUEST:  Charles  Yu is the author of four books, including the novel How to Live Safely  in a Science Fictional Universe, which was a New York Times Notable Book  and named one of the best books of the year by Time magazine. He  received the National Book Foundation’s 5 Under 35 Award, and was  nominated for two WGA awards for his work on the HBO series, Westworld.  He has also written for upcoming shows on AMC and HBO. His fiction and  non-fiction have appeared in a number of publications including The New  Yorker, The New York Times, Slate and Wired. His latest book, Interior  Chinatown, was published in January 2020. How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/203055/how-to-live-safely-in-a-science-fictional-universe-by-charles-yu/ Interior Chinatown: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/216162/interior-chinatown-by-charles-yu/   Website: http://www.charlesyuauthor.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/charles_yu ----- Sign up for our email list: https://www.bravemaker.com/buzz Classes: https://www.bravemaker.com/classes

Kyra Jones is a queer Black multidisciplinary artist and filmmaker based in Chicago, IL. Kyra received her degree in Theatre and Gender Studies from Northwestern University. As an actor, she's appeared on Empire (Fox), Chicago Justice (NBC), Kappa Force (Revry), Seeds (OTV) and more. She's the co-creator, executive producer, and star of the award-winning web series,The Right Swipe (OTV). She's currently in pre-production for her first feature film, Go to the Body, a boxing film that tackles sexual violence in the Black community. In addition to her work in film, TV, and theatre, Kyra is also an educator and advocate, working with survivors of gender-based violence. She's represented by Stewart Talent. https://www.instagram.com/kyra.a.jones/

Teen singer/actor Becky Alex is on the show to talk about her song and music video. https://www.instagram.com/becky.alex/ Watch her video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sUu5nwcIXUg Behind the scenes here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=63thue_JELo

https://www.legerecreative.com/ Légère Creative was founded by Minna Rogers to fill the need of rest and introspection in our culture and daily lives. Busy schedules, routines, and living on auto-pilot often causes us to lose sight of ourselves and our creative energies. Each person is gifted with a desire to create and thrive, and we want to honor, nurture, and cultivate that at Légère. Through our programs, participants take the time to slow down and create, to get back in touch with their innermost, creative selves. This provides the opportunity for introspection and rest at a spiritual level, causing a ripple effect to other arenas of life, and creating the possibility of living life more aligned with self and purpose.    The goals of Légère: To use creative arts to facilitate healing and renewal. To provide a safe space to explore creativity and self. To explore mind-body connection. To locate the source of your deepest inspiration and creativity . To connect with others who are interested in looking inward. To provide inspiration and the opportunity for rejuvenation, so participants can return to their lives refreshed. https://www.instagram.com/legerecreative/

Our last film selection for our VIRTUAL FILM FEST was: THE LOST, a short film written and directed by Vincent Cortez.  In this interview Tony and Krystina interview the very talented CORTEZ FAMILY who produced and acted in the film.  Find more about the film here: https://www.mitchellstreetpictures.com/

Meet the filmmakers of WONDER on HBO Gabriel Furman and Javier Molina WEBSITE: http://www.realtalkfilms.com/wonder INSTAGRAM: @wondertheshort / @therealtalkfilms / @gabriel_furman / @everydayisamondayproductions FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/wondertheshort/ / https://www.facebook.com/therealtalkfilms  / TWITTER: @wondertheshort TRAILER: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S5T8kjFG8wc Special Guest Andres from the San Mateo Pride Center, hosted by Krystina Jackson + Tony Gapastione

Oscar Nominated WALK RUN CHA CHA BY LAURA NIX WATCH THE FILM HERE: https://vimeo.com/380740144 Paul  and Millie Cao reunited in California after the Vietnam War. Forty  years later, they are rediscovering themselves on the dance floor. Directed by -Laura Nix Laura  Nix is a director, writer and producer working in non-fiction and  fiction. Her most recent work, a short film titled WALK RUN CHA-CHA  (Tribeca Film Festival) launched on New York Times Op-Docs fall 2019.  Her critically acclaimed feature documentary INVENTING TOMORROW, about  teenagers around the globe tackling environmental issues through  science, premiered in US Competition at Sundance Film Festival 2018, was  broadcast on PBS’ series POV, and won awards including the Grand Jury  Prize at Seattle International Film Festival.  

https://tja.agency/ Tiauna Jackson is a Talent and Literary Agent for The Jackson Agency. Ms. Jackson built her agency from the ground up within the entertainment industry’s most competitive market, Los Angeles. Anchored on Avenue of the Stars in Century City, California, Ms. Jackson built her agency from the ground up within the entertainment industry’s most competitive market, Los Angeles. Anchored on Avenue of the Stars in Century City, Tiauna decided to start her own agency after finding barriers of entry for writers of color, LGBTQ+, and Senior Citizens. https://twitter.com/tjagency https://www.instagram.com/jacksonagency/

Want to know what it's like to be in VOICEOVER? Michael Schwalbé gave us the goods! https://michaelschwal.be Thanks to MDT Agency for sponsoring our work!

Update on our ORG! + #BlackLivesMatter

Writer/Director: Spencer Folmar in conversation with Timothy Mcmahan King and licensed social worker Aimee Noel. https://www.heroinfilm.com/ https://www.mcmahanking.com/ https://www.instagram.com/spencerfolmar/

Filmmaker Jason Hanasik documents a story of childhood trauma. When Nick Hurndon was six years old he and his two older brothers were set on fire by their stepfather in their San Francisco home. Now in his early forties, Nick is a retired Marine and is raising two sons that are about the same age he was when he was set ablaze. This is a film the effects that abuse had on Nick's sense of self worth, and the ways in which one man is interrupting a cycle of violence so that his two sons can thrive.  https://www.theguardian.com/news/ng-interactive/2020/jan/17/a-childhood-on-fire-documentary-video Instagram https://www.instagram.com/jasonhanasik/ http://www.jasonhanasik.com/ Nick Hurndon https://www.instagram.com/nick.hurndon/ Co-Host Keren Southall https://www.instagram.com/kerensouth/

You just need to listen.  https://www.beyoncemass.com/ Thank you to Reverend Yolanda for her creative force. He has curated and music and life's work of Beyoncé into life changing, culture impacting expression of humanity and empowerment for black women.  Rev. Yolanda M. Norton is the H. Eugene Farlough Chair of Black Church Studies at San Francisco Theological Seminary. Her womanist scholarship explores how Scripture treats foreign women and how this has led to the oppression of women of color who encounter the Bible today. She is also a PhD candidate in Hebrew Bible and Ancient Israel and Theology and Practice Fellow at Vanderbilt University. Rev. Norton is ordained in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), and she holds a Master of Divinity and Master of Theological Studies degree from Wesley Theological Seminary and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Syracuse University. https://www.instagram.com/beyoncemass/ Special thanks for our BraveMaker ambassador: Keren Southall for co-hosting the conversation. https://www.instagram.com/kerensouth/ www.BraveMaker.com