Conversations with Daron Jenkins

Samantha Coughlan is a Canadian born actor who lives in London. She has worked across the board for over 20 years in film, tv, commercials, voice over, and theatre on both sides of the Atlantic. She's also worked in the West End on many shows, and has produced my own theatre. She can currently be seen in both the upcoming Nicholas Cage film "Arcadian" and the latest Samuel L Jackson film "Damaged". Both films open April 12th, 2024.

Don't miss this episode of Drop the Mic! Host Daron Jenkins as he welcomes acclaimed film director Ian Hunt-Duffy to the show. Fresh off its release, Ian joins us to dissect his latest film "Double Blind" breaking down the film's twists, turns, and thought-provoking themes. Get ready for an in-depth discussion about the filmmaking process, the challenges of crafting a truly suspenseful narrative, and the hidden meanings lurking beneath the surface of "Double Blind."

Join Daron Jenkins as he sits down with Elizabeth Blake-Thomas, the acclaimed British director and philanthropist shaking up Hollywood. From her latest romcom sensation "Just Swipe" to directing stars like Jodie Sweetin and Mena Suvari, Elizabeth shares insights into her journey in the film industry and the creative process behind her diverse range of projects. Tune in to Drop the Mic for an inside look at the world of entertainment with this visionary director.

From Dubai to Monte Carlo, fashion designer Niloo Poodanehi drops the mic on her jet-setting life, design passions, and her upcoming fashion line.

Niloo Poodanehi is a Persian-Dutch designer who's lived in Dubai, Amsterdam, New York, Los Angeles, and Santiago before finding her home in Monte Carlo. With a background in fashion, interior design, and architecture, Niloo is a creative force to be reckoned with. She's finally launching her own fashion line and sharing all the behind-the-scenes secrets on Drop the Mic with Daron Jenkins.

Tune in to hear Niloo talk about:

• Her globetrotting lifestyle and how it inspires her designs
• The challenges and rewards of starting your own fashion brand
• What's next for Niloo Monte Carlo Concept

This episode will inspire you to follow your dreams and never give up on your passions.

Writer/Director KC Carthew’s award-winning debut feature, "The Sun at Midnight" (2017) starring Kawennáhere Devery Jacobs (Reservation Dogs), sold worldwide and was released theatrically in Canada, the USA, and Australia. Recognized for spectacular world-building in her visual storytelling, Carthew excels in bringing forth award-winning performances, cultivating innovation, and pushing both technical and narrative elements to new heights in her work. "Polaris", her latest feature film, is currently streaming.

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Tom has developed scalar light instruments that can fragment pathogens such as viruses, bacteria, and fungi. All scalar light sessions are administered by way of a photograph of a person or animal.

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Emiko Ishii is a Japanese multidisciplinary Actress, Action Performer, choreographer, Dancer, and instructor. Born in London and now based in LA. She has 18 years of professional performance & teaching experience. Recent Credits include The Mistake written by Michael Mears, performed at Edfringe, and completed 2 runs at The Arcola Theatre by popular demand that received 4-star reviews from The Times, The Scotsman, and Scotsgay. Movement Consultant and Nichibu Choreographer for the launch of Nissan Formula E.

Emiko is the Founder, Creative Director, and Choreographer of the International Dance Troupe, Epika Dance, where she has performed on prestigious live stage shows, award ceremonies, feature films, and music videos. Alongside her acting and dance career, she also teaches dance intervention at SEN schools and conducts international workshops. She believes in never giving up on your goals and showing that anything is possible if you put your mind to it.

Dr. Apollo is a music producer based in Los Angeles signed to the biggest labels in Drum & Bass music like Ram Records/BMG, Bassrush, Play Me, Viper, Hospital, and Space Yacht Records.

Let’s put it this way:

- Former drummer

- Had his small ad agency

- Was an owner of a consumer magazine

- Dramatist

- Shot commercials

- Made a feature that had a thearical release

- Moved to LA from Russia

- Worked as copywriter at a boutique ad agency in LA

- Published a fantasy novel and sold 500,000 copies

- Wrote several scripts for film/TV

- Keep working to reach perfection

IG/TW Handle (if any)

Greg is an American actor and musician originally from the Boston area  in the US. He resides in the London area in the UK. His recent  television credits include Will Willis in BBC's "Toast of Tinseltown",  Mitch in Amazon Prime's major upcoming series, "The Power" , Martino Marrone in, "Transporter: the series", and Jerry Delucci in the first  original series to premiere on Netflix, "Lilyhammer". Lilyhammer is  still going strong and is the series attributed to introducing the world  to the binging model of releasing full TV seasons all at once. On the  big screen Greg is proud to have recently finished filming his  supporting lead role of Padre in, "Angels Fallen 2: Warriors Of Peace"  as well as his role as Tim Kingsley in, "The King Of Sunflower". Both  are set for streaming services in 2023.

Stacey Edward Harris is a London based actress, producer and writer  who’s currently studying at LA’s premier acting school, Baron Brown  Studio. She has worked many times with the UK’s National Film and  Television School (NFTS) and has shared the screen as an actress with  big names including Downton Abbey’s Joanne Froggatt. Stacey is appearing  in upcoming films ‘The Descent of Sanity’, ‘Morris Men’, and ‘Love  Without Walls’.

Omar  Khan is an actor, writer and TV presenter. Having started as a TV  presenter for Sony TV Asia, he moved to Mumbai and appeared in five  Bollywood films, including the smash hit Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani.

Over  the last year, Omar has had a supporting role in the Sky TV show The  Lazarus Project and is currently the understudy in the Olivier Award  winning West End show, Life of Pi.

As a writer, he has written  the short film The Plunge which appeared at over sixty international  film festivals and was long listed for a BAFTA. He is currently  developing a sitcom with ITV based on this film. His new short film  Voices has just started its festival run and will appear at Aesthetica  short film festival.

IG/TW Handle (if any):

Playworld Pictures is an award-winning production company based in Los  Angeles, California, founded by William Garcia, an established producer,  director, and cinematographer with over twenty years in the news,  documentary, sports, commercial, music video, feature film, and  television production industry.  In the music industry, William has directed and filmed with musical  legends Lenny Kravitz, Paul McCartney, Enrique Iglesias, Ricky Martin,  Michael Jackson, Juanes, Shakira, and Christina Aguilera, to name a few  artists.

In 2022, Playworld Pictures produced the award-winning feature  Samland, presented at the New York Latino Film Festival, sponsored by  Warner Media/HBO. The film is distributed by Gravitas Ventures in the  U.S. and Canada.

Playworld Pictures clients  include; MTV, VH-1, TLC, Animal Planet, Republic Records, MTV Tr3s, and  AWE Network. William is a member of the Producers Guild of America.

Dakota Loesch is a self-proclaimed ‘lifelong movie lover’ not to mention an award-winning actor & screenwriter, an immersive theater performer, and a longtime touring musician.

The Seymour Cassel Award for Best Performance by an Actor was given to Dakota at the 2021 Oldenburg Film Festival for their portrayal of the character “John” in Anchorage.  Dakota was also awarded Best Screenplay for Anchorage at 2022 New York Film Week.

Chris Chan Lee is a Korean American filmmaker based in Los Angeles, CA. His debut feature film as writer/director was "Yellow" (1997), a coming of age drama/comedy about a group of Asian American teens in Los Angeles. 

Lee's second feature film as writer/director was "Undoing" (2006), a noir thriller set in LA's Koreatown. "Undoing" was nominated for Best Feature Film by the Los Angeles Film Festival and had a theatrical release in NYC, Los Angeles, and San Francisco.

His latest award-winning film "Silent River",is a haunting and hallucinogenic, layered, and nuanced film that boldly challenges the very notions of reality and illusion.

Had a lovely conversation with the talented award-winning actress @theamytsang. She shared her passion for acting (and food!) and her experiences working on the @silentrivermovie

It was like a masterclass in film composition! What a wonderful conversation I had with composer @brianralston. Plus, he made me jealous with his amazing #MilleniumFalcon table!! #jealous ;)

Want to learn about Film Development? Then you definitely do not want to miss this episode as I sit down with development exec #kevinchristoffersen He breaks it all down and shares his secrets to success. #filmmarketing #filmmaking #development #filmproducer #hollywood #podcast #filmeducation #filmstartup

Be sure not to miss my conversation with R&B artists @secretrendezv as they discuss their latest release, the summertime hit "Feels So Good (Don’t It)" available anywhere you get your music (and PODCASTS!!) #neosoul #rnb #music #soulful #musicartist #vocalist #indiernb #feelsogood #summertime #podcast

Michael Gamarano Singleton is a half Brazilian, half English Writer/Director/Producer. He grew up in the north of England and managed to get a place at London Met Film where he graduated in 2009. His work often revolves around social issues designed to make audiences think. His short film ‘Denzel’ won multiple awards including the Grand Jury Prize at the 35th Edmonton Film Festival officially qualifying it for an Academy Award. His latest short film ‘Swim’, staring Omari Douglas (It’s a Sin) & Chris Jenks (Sex Education) is starting its festival run as of May 2022. The pilot ‘Life of Ryan’ Michael produced, directed and co-wrote has received interest from BBC 3 and the documentary ‘In the Room’ he is producing is being back by Spotlight and features very well known Casting Directors and actors such as Lily James and Jodie Whittaker.

Electrical Engineer turned Story Engineer, Jenn is on a mission to highlight the inspiring stories of folks who push the boundaries of what we as humans know to be possible, and to inspire a new wave of innovation in the process: one that is socially conscious, inclusive, and sustainable.

Audrey Rumsby is an #Arts Commissioner for the City of San Jose, and an award-winning #director and #actor for #stage and screen, having performed and/or directed more than 70 full-length stage productions in London, New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. Audrey recently wrote and directed her first feature film "Barry & Joan", which debuted on #Netflix Europe in May 2022.

Joel Marshall is an actor, comedian, and award-winning producer living  in Los Angeles, hosting the show Lunch Therapy. Joel is regularly seen  regularly at the World Famous Comedy Store and other comedy clubs in Los  Angeles and elsewhere. He is also known as one of the originators of  the fad planking.

Eunice Keitan's soulful voice makes a big impression on listeners. Both her international upbringing and her eclectic music background show in this Canadian singer-songwriter's work which mixes R&B/Acoustic Soul and World Folk influences.

Eunice is currently working on an EP that mixes folk music from Southeast Asia (where she grew up) with neo-soul. It's a project to hopefully preserve artistic traditions that are quickly disappearing in Southeast Asian villages in favor of more western culture/music. The project reimagines traditional soundscapes in a modern way and in a genre (Neo-soul) that would usually be an unlikely choice. The first single from the EP is available now on Spotify, Apple Music, and wherever you get your music.

Steve has spent over 20 years as a video editor, his body of work including promotional spots for AMC, Showtime, Discovery, and others. He has edited original programming for A&E, The History Channel, and truTV as well as original web series and documentaries.  His most recent writing and directing credits are THE MASTERPIECE, a mockumentary short about a ridiculously bad movie known as "the greatest film of all time" (which screened at various NYC venues - including the Angelika Film Center and Anthology Film Archives), and LIFE ON PAUSE - about a 1980's wedding videographer who attempts to win his college crush with his "totally awesome" camera skills, which has screened at 7 festivals thus far - most recently the Love Actually Int'l Short Film Showcase - and won the BEST CAST award at the Atlanta Award-Qualifying Film Festival. 

Voravong Nachampassak and Joshua A. Friedman are the Co-founders of a film industry-tailored app called Crew Me Up, A mobile app that is bridging the gap between crew looking for work and crew looking to Hire.

JT Curtis is an NYC-based music artist whose virtuoso guitar chops, gutbucket vocals, and explosive energy allowed him to create such amazing music projects for  CBS, NBC, ABC, FOX, NCAA, and even The Super Bowl. It also gave him the drive to develop in-depth looks into the history of music via his YouTube series called “The History of Rock & Roll”. His newest and most ambitious piece to date is the innovative podcast musical Atomic Rod Reunion. Atomic Rod, a high-school rock band from the 2000s, reunites ten years later on The Mad-Hattan Hatter's Radio show. As truths are revealed, the feuding leaders (Raven Jones, now a notable rock star, and Jeff Callaghan, still a struggling artist) attempt to reconcile their differences and rediscover the excitement of playing together. 

Cengiz Dervis is a highly skilled Martial Artist and accomplished actor whose debut feature film as a Director/Writer 'When The Mist Clears' is currently in consideration and winning awards at global film festivals. He also has both a dark comedy (The Studio) in pre-production and his graphic novel 'Galahad' is deep in illustration and should be released by the end of 2021.

Théo Mahy is an independent filmmaker (L'Atelier Productions) based in Los Angeles. Born in Paris, he is living in the United States since 2012. Inspired by international directors like Truffaut, Fellini, Wong Kar Wai, Varda, and Americans like Scorsese, PT Anderson, or Tarantino, Theo Mahy is passionate about filmmaking since he is a kid.  He recently finished a short film "All We Have Left".

Sometimes as a storyteller, your story takes you to some dangerous places. Director/Producer Louis Meunier joins the show and shares his experiences making his film, "KABULLYWOOD".

"Kabullywood" is currently available on Apple TV, Amazon Prime, Vudu, and other locations.

Learn everything you ever wanted to know about producing and distributing film/tv, music, and live events during this sitdown with Entertainment Architect Gabriel Gornell (Lollapalooza, The Daytime Emmys, America's Got Talent, etc.).

Kirk Caouette (Producer/Director/Writer, American Badger) joins the show and shares what he thinks is most important to the filmmaking process: Story. Story. Story.

Jo Anna is the host of the podcasts, Apocalypse...Now? VHSMASH and Chromaticast and is the founder of the Apocalypse Podcast Network. She is also a filmmaker and comedian helping others create cool content.

Arnaud Collery is not just an expert in happiness but is living this mission to make happiness a profession and a system in businesses and organizations. After a diverse career in finance, acting, and film, Arnaud found his fulfillment by indoctrinating Chief Happiness Officers across the globe. Beyond teaching programs that create sustainable happiness for leaders and organizations, Arnaud is also reaching the masses through his event series, Standup for Passion. His TedX talks are a must-watch if you are interested in how we can begin to make happiness a measurable value for businesses and society.