I Helped Make That

We follow up a theme park ride with CINEMA as we talk about Casino with one of the film's additional cinematographers, Ray Preziosi!

He talks about working with Saul Bass, what it was like helping to film the iconic opening shot of Casino, and why Casino is, well, CINEMA!

#IHelpedMakeThat#Casino#MartinScorsese#RobertDeNiro#JoePesci#SharonStone#RayPreziosi

This Friday comes the release of the third and final (at least with James Gunn onboard) Guardians of the Galaxy movie, Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3!

And, to celebrate this momentous occasion, we are going to be talking about Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 1 with Sallie Elizabeth Bent, who owned Oreo, the raccoon Rocket was modeled after.We talk about how Oreo got involved in working on the movie, what it was like with him and other animals on set, and why Guardians of the Galaxy has more heart than your average superhero movie.

#GuardiansOfTheGalaxyVolume3#IHelpedMakeThat#GuardiansOfTheGalaxyVolume1#SallieElizabethBent#OreoTheRaccoon#OreoAndFriends

On this episode of I Helped Make That we engage in a conversation about A Beautiful Mind with one of the film's actors, Sean Bennett, who was cut out of the movie.

He talks about how his acting journey led him to get cast in the movie, what it was like filming and then finding out his one line had been edited out of the final cut, and why he didn't give up after that and where that has led him in his career.

#IHelpedMakeThat#ABeauitfulMind#SeanBennett#RussellCrowe#RonHoward#JohnNash

We bring on Todd Gunderson, the writer of the hit family comedy Sack Lunch and famous plagiarist, to talk about his experience writing the movie! We talk about whether or not he knew he was ripping off Honey I Shrunk the Kids, what it was like to work with Dabney Coleman, Steve Guttenberg, Shelley Long, and Jodie Sweetin, and how the movie's script almost felt a little too...real. Note: He at one point incorrectly refers to Jodie Sweetin as Candace Cameron Bure. I didn't bother correcting him because I was a dunderhead! #IHelpedMakeThat#SackLunch#Seinfeld#ElaineBenes#TheEnglishPatient

I am joined by Trey Parker's ex-girlfriend and frequent creative collaborator, Toddy Walters, to talk about Orgazmo!

We talk about how she started working for and dating Trey Parker in the first place, what it was like to film Orgazmo, and how Trey and Matt have grown as creatives since the movie came out!

#IHelpedMakeThat#TreyParker#MattStone#Orgazmo#ToddyWalters#TheBookOfMormon

Steve Way from Ramy joins I Helped Make That to talk about the show!

He talks about how his relationship with Ramy Yousseff got him into the show, he gives us a peak behind the curtain about working on Ramy, he speaks about the importance of disability representation, and we talk about what makes Ramy such a great show!

#IHelpedMakeThat#Ramy#SteveWay#RamyYousseff#Disability

In 1994 George Carlin came out with a sitcom that was co-created by Sam Simon, one of the creators of The Simpsons, and it was...  

Just okay?  

We find out what happened with one of the shows writers, Darrell Vickers, as we talk about his previous relationship with Carlin, what it was like working on it and The Parent 'Hood at the same time, and why Simon and Carlin's rocky relationship, as well as studio meddling, might have effected the quality of the show.  

#IHelpedMakeThat#TheGeorgeCarlinShow#GeorgeCarlin#SamSimon#Seinfeld#Cheers#TheSimpsons

To close off Happy Madison Month, we end with not only a good movie but the first Happy Madison Movie with an RT rating in the 90s, Hustle, with one of the movie's actors, Andrea Sooch!  

We talk about filming the movie during the pandemic, how Andrea had a slightly bigger part, and we debate whether or not becoming successful in the sports or entertainment industry is a hustle or a team effort.  

#IHelpedMakeThat#NBA#AdamSandler#Hustle#AndreaSooch#LebronJames

What are you doing this weekend?! Seeing Brandon Hardesty talk about his experience working on Bucky Larson?!  

If so watch him as he talks about how working on American Pie: The Book of Love almost prevented him from doing Bucky Larson, what it was like to work with Swardson and co., his struggles finding acting jobs after the movie came out and how he overcame them, and both he and I talk about why the movie just didn't work.  

#IHelpedMakeThat#BrandonHardesty#BuckyLarsonBornToBeAStar#NickSwardson#AdamSandler#HappyMadisonProductions

To kick off Happy Madison month, we talk about Little Nicky with one of the makeup artists, Camille Calvet!  

We talk about transitioning from The Cell to Little Nicky, the troubles of working on film shoots at night, the fun of working on Happy Madison sets, applying the makeup to the demons, and we ask one important question...  

Was Little Nicky actually that bad?  

You can read more about Silc Skin, Camille's business, here: https://www.silcskin.com/blog/2017/04/camille-calvet-demystified/  

#IHelpedMakeThat#LittleNicky#HappyMadison#AdamSandler#PopeyesChicken#CamilleCalvet#SilcSkin

Young Nala herself, Niketa Calame, joins I Helped Make That to talk about her first movie, the cult classic CB4!  

We talk about how she was cast and how her role was expanded from what was in the script. Kevin and Niketa also compare their experiences growing up in the 90s and we talk about whether or not CB4's cult status is deserved.  

#IHelpedMakeThat#NiketaCalame#CB4#TheLionKing#UniversalPictures#ChrisRock

Kneel before our 40th episode as we talk about Superman 1 and 2 with Nod himself, Jack O'Halloran!  

We talk about how he got the role in the first place, what it was like to work with Marlon Brando, the behind the studios politics that led Superman 2 to not be as fun to make as Superman 1, and what makes these 2 movies such timeless classics!  

#IHelpedMakeThat#ChristopherReeve#Superman#JackOHalloran#JohnWilliams#WarnerBrothers#RichardDonner#RichardLester

Ever seen those history re-enactment shows on History Channel or Investigation Discovery? Ever wondered how they were...built? We are joined by Andreas Pliatsikas, an actor whose been on The Food That Built America twice, to give us an idea how!  

He talks how he was first cast as a background actor on his first episode of The Food That Built America, how he was brought on in another episode to play Rene Arend, what it was like filming before the pandemic and during it, and how re-enactment shows are a great way for non union actors to get on TV!  

#TheFoodThatBuiltAmerica#AndreasPliatsikas#HistoryChannel#ReneArend#McDonalds

Happy New Year! To ring in the new year we bring in makeup artist Christina Kortum to talk about her experience working on the Reese Witherspoon drama, Wild.  

She talks about how her experience working in haunted houses got her to become a makeup artist, how she ended up working as a background makeup artist for Wild, what it's like doing makeup for movies, especially when applying it to animals, and why it's always best to double check any internet rumors you hear about, especially when it comes to movies!  

#IHelpedMakeThat#ChristinaKortum#Wild#ReeseWitherspoon#CherylStrayed

This week we don't have a new interview but instead are re-uploading an old one as I was not happy with how it originally came out. Please enjoy the re-edited version of my interview with Patrick Bristow on Showgirls (Though, word of warning, there's a lot of background noise that, no matter how much I tried, I just could not edit out)  

Also here's the description:  

Thrust it to the land of 90s Las Vegas with Showgirls, a land where everybody has aids and shit, as Kevin talks to Patrick Bristow, the man who played Marty the choreographer, about his experience working on the film, his reaction to it becoming a cult classic, and whether o not he thinks its the satire some people defend it as.  

Audio Taken From:  

Showgirls  

Owned by United Artists

For the last interview of 2022, we talk about none other than the pilot of The Simpsons, Simpsons Roasting On an Open Fire, with the director, David Silverman!  

We talk about what it's like to direct an episode of a TV show, how the show ended up starting with a Christmas special, and what makes Simpsons Roasting On An Open Fire stand out from your usual Frosty and Rudolph type specials!  

#TheSimpsons#DavidSilverman#SimpsonsRoastingOnAnOpenFire#FOX

We go from talking about two Holiday classics to a cult classic (maybe?), Santa with Muscles!  

We talk about how her career as a child star led her to get cast in Santa with Muscles, what it was like to work with the likes of Hulk Hogan, Mila Kunis, and Garrett Morris on set, and why, even though Santa with Muscles isn't exactly considered a good movie, it has still been able to find its audience.  

#SantaWithMuscles#IHelpedMakeThat#AriaNoelleCurzonDepue#HulkHogan#MilaKunis

Happy Holiday Season!  

We are joined yet again by Larry Hankin as he talks about working on two John Hughes Holiday classics, the Thanksgiving classic Planes Trains And Automobiles, as well as the Christmas classic, Home Alone!  

We talk about how his scene in PTA was made up entirely of improv and how he found out the extended version was on its new anniversary DVD. We also talk about how he went from playing Marv to the cop in Home Alone and the craziness that ensued in filming such a simple scene. We then talk about why both movies are enduring classics to this day!  

#IHelpedMakeThat#LarryHankin#JohnHughes#PlanesTrainsAndAutomobiles#HomeAlone

We are joined by Sheriff Doofy himself, Dave Sheridan, to talk about his small but memorable role as Doug in Ghost World!  

We talk about how his relationship with Terry Zwigoff led him to get into the movie, what it was like working with its young cast, and why Ghost World deserves its cult status!  

#IHelpedMakeThat#DaveSheridan#TerryZwigoff#ScarlettJohansson#Doug#ItsAmericaLearnTheRules

We take yet another break from focusing on a specific project as we interview iconic voice actor Philip Proctor!  

We talk about his beginnings with the Firesign Theater, how that led him into voice acting, what additional voices are, what it's like working for several different major studios, and whether or not the concept of celebrity voice actors deserves the controversy it gets!  

#PhilipProctor#Rugrats#HowardDeville#MonstersInc#SpiritedAway

To kick off November we talk to Succession actor about not Succession but Fresh, the first movie he ever acted in (that wasn't background work).  

We talk about balancing being a police officer with being an actor, how his experience as a police officer led him to getting cast in the movie, and also talk about how underrated Fresh really is!  

#IHelpedMakeThat#ScottNicholson#Fresh#Succession#SamuelLJackson#TheWire#HBO

Producer David Kirschner joins I Helped Make That on All Hallows Day on the very first double feature episode as he talks about his experience producing both family and not so family friendly scares with Child's Play and Hocus Pocus.  

David talks about his experience going from producing mainly kids movies to the R-rated Child's Play, what it's like to work with children on both movies, how he helped shape the stories and designs of both, how audience interest has kept both franchises alive, and the similarities between both movies despite being made for different audiences.  

#IHelpedMakeThat#ChildsPlay#HocusPocus#Chucky#SandersonSisters#Disney

Terry Bolo comes back for the show's 30th episode to talk about her experience filming Carrie, where she played one of the mean girls!  

She talks about how being in the Groundlings led her to get into the movie, what it was like filming such sequences as the infamous prom scene, whether or not it was awkward playing a teenager as an adult, and why the Carrie remakes and adaptations have failed yet movies inspired by Carrie have succeeded.  

#Carrie#IHelpedMakeThat#TerryBolo#SissySpacek#Pearl#Chronicle#ChloeGraceMoretz#JulianneMoore

If you are a fan of Mystery Science Theater 3000, you may be aware of Manos: The Hands of Fate. We are talking to the little girl of that movie, Jackey Neyman Jones, not about that movie but about another B-movie she did in her teens, Curse of Bigfoot.  

We talk about how her drama club was roped into making the movie as well as what filming was like. Then we talk about why Manos has a cult following but Curse of Bigfoot has been all but forgotten!  

#IHelpedMakeThat#JackeyNeymanJones#MST3K#CurseOfBigfoot#TheGreatNorth#FOX

We get fabulous on I Helped Make That as we talk to the head writer, Trace Slobotkin, of the new Halloween Special, Huluween Dragstravaganza!  

We talk to him about his experience transitioning from writing film scripts to producing and writing reality shows, how that experience led him to become the head writer for Huluween Dragstravaganza, and then what the experience of being the head writer for that special was like, whether or not he was working with the iconic ladies who were in it!  

#HuluweenDragstravaganza#IHelpedMakeThat#TraceSlobotkin#GingerMinj#MonetXChange#SeleneLuna#DragQueens

Welcome ghouls and witches to the first horror themed episode of I Helped Make That! All month long we talk about horror and horror themed movies and TV shows!  

To begin we interview famous background actor Logan Fry about his experience working on a movie starring a man who really SLAPS, I Am Legend!  

We talk about Logan's journey to being a career background actor in his 60s, the chaos that was the set of I Am Legend, and whether or not movies really need to stay as close to the books they're adapted from.  

#IAmLegend#LoganFry#WarnerBrothers#WillSmith#HBOMax#RichardMatheson

Today we're talking about the cultural phenomenon The Wire with one of the show's actors, Jarvis W. George!  

We talk about filming a huge HBO show in the Baltimore Film/TV scene, what it was like to see The Wire's popularity grow overtime, and why exactly The Wire remains culturally relevant today. 

#IHelpedMakeThat#TheWire#JarvisWGeorge#HBO

Hello brother and welcome to the first wrestling episode of I Helped Make That, where I interview Roxy Astor, one of the gorgeous ladies of Wrestling!  We talk how she became a GLOW girl in the first place, what it was like both training for the sport and creating characters, the shock of GLOW being cancelled out of nowhere, what the Netflix series got right and what it didn't get right, and why TV shows and movies that are inspired by real stories tend to be better than TV shows and movies that try to recreate them!  

#IHelpedMakeThat#GLOW#RoxyAstor#Netflix#AllisonBrie#MarcMaron

Hello everyone!  We are taking a break from I Helped Make That this week to talk about an issue that is near and dear to my heart.  

I have recently befriended a man named Tim Carter, whose a former human trafficking survivor. We are now trying to get his life back together and also help him get back into the entertainment industry any way we can.  In this video I go more in depth with his story but, if you have a heart, please share this video!  

#TimCarter#TimCarterGlobalNetwork#HumanTrafficking

Happy Labor Day!  

Jaron and Matthew Halmy join I Helped Make That to promote their new movie, The Youth Governor, now to rent on Amazon and iTunes!  They talk about how they got into documentary filmmaking, what inspired them to do a documentary on the California Youth Governor, what it was like working with the movie's young cast, and what cultural impact they hope their documentary has.  

#IHelpedThat#TheYouthGovernor#JaronHalmy#MatthewHalmy

Live from New York It's...I Helped Make That! With Gary Kroeger! And your host Kevin Higgins!  

Listen as Gary explains how he got on Saturday Night Live, what it was like working on SNL while Eddie Murphy and Joe Piscopo were getting many of the best skits, and what it was like trying to get acting roles once leaving an iconic comedic institution!  

#SaturdayNightLive#GaryKroeger#IHelpedMakeThat#EddieMurphy#JoePiscopo

In this episode we talk to Terry Bolo, one of the most famous background actors ever, about what it was like to be a background actor in the late 70's/early 80's. This then leads into a discussion on her time working background on Mommie Dearest, where we talk about the pitfalls of method acting, the problems biopics tend to have, and why, in general, movies don't always work out even when it seems like everything is in place.  

#MommieDearest#IHelpedMakeThat#FayeDunaway#WireHangers

We take a break from talking about specific movies/TV shows our interviewees were in to talk about the entire career of one Kyle A. Carrozza! 

Kyle is mainly a cartoonist who created the Cartoon Network series, Mighty Magiswords, and has worked on such franchises as Animaniacs, Spongebob, and Doc McStuffins, amongst other things.  On the podcast Kyle talks about his journey in the animation industry from working on the original Animaniacs as a teen to creating his own show. 

He also talks about how he has used his talents as a voice actor and musician in creating his show. Additionally he talks about the one time he was a featured extra on the Bobcat Goldthwait film God Bless America!  

#KyleACarrozza#MightyMagiswords#Animaniacs#GodBlessAmerica#IHelpedMakeThat

Kevin talks with iconic character actor Larry Hankin about reprising his role as Old Joe in El Camino.  

We talk about how Larry went from a stand up comedian to an actor, acting with dyslexia, going from being a Breaking Bad fan to an actor in Breaking Bad and El Camino, and why not all television shows can make the transition to the big screen.  

#LarryHankin#OldJoe#BreakingBad#ElCamino#IHelpedMakeThat

For the season finale of I Helped Make That, Kevin talks to Tami Springer, Joe Exotic's Power of Attorney.

They talk about how she met Joe after watching the first season of Tiger King, whether or not she had much to even do with the second season or Joe vs. Carole, and the aggravations caused when docuseries reedit things around to make things look better or worse than they really are.

#TamiSpringer#JoeExotic#TigerKing#IHelpedMakeThat#Netflix

Kevin is joined by Simpsons writer Bill Oakley to talk about the final episode of his short-lived cult series, Mission Hill, called Plan 9 From Mission Hill.  

Kevin and Bill discuss the inspiration behind Mission Hill, how the episode was mainly the passion project for writer Dan McGrath, and how the episode and show in general was more progressive than anyone on the staff expected it to be.  

Mission Hill is owned by Warner Brothers Television Distribution

#MissionHill#IHelpedMakeThat#GusAndWally#LGBT

Today we are joined by Daniel Teets of the Be Kind Rewind podcast to interview Ogie Banks, prolific voice actor and former Power Ranger as he talks about his experience being a background dancer in Newsies!  

We talk about the process of both auditioning for and rehearsing for musicals when one is a background dancer. We then talk about how Newsies ended up finding its audience over the time and all three give their own opinion of the movie.  

#Newsies#Disney#OgieBanks#DanielTeets#BeKindRewind

This week I jump into the Marvel Cinematic Universe as I talk to Juri Love, Michelle Yeoh's stand-in for Shang-Chi, about making the movie.  We talk about whether or not she even knew she was working on a Marvel movie when she got cast. Then she talks about what being a stand-in entails and how the more representation there is the more authentic a story can be!  

#shangchiandthelegendoftenrings#marvelstudios#jurilove#ihelpedmakethat

Today we speak with Marlene Sharp, a freelance producer who used to work with SEGA on the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise.  We talk about how she got her start in children's entertainment, what she did while working with SEGA and, most importantly, we talk about her role as a consultant in the very first live-action Sonic the Hedgehog movie.  

#MarleneSharp#IHelpedMakeThat#SonicTheHedgehog#SEGA#JimCarrey

Kevin "Liam" Higgins takes a break from talking about movies and TV shows as he interviews Davion Farris about his new EP, Moved. We talk about what got Farris into music, how he ended up working with Lena Waithe, and what inspired him to create Moved in the first place.  

#DavionFarris#Moved#Tunnelvision#LenaWaithe#IHelpedMakeThat

On this episode of I Helped Make That, Kevin interviews an old high school friend, Otter Lee, about doing voice work for the Paramount+ series, Stephen Colbert Presents Tooning Out the News.  

Otter talks about what made him switch from doing playwriting and screenwriting to stand up comedy, how he got to be a part of Tooning Out the News through The People's Improv Theater, and what it was like doing voice work during the pandemic.  

#StephenColbert#TooningOutTheNews#OtterLee#OtterLin#Zoom

In the second part of this episode, I Helped Make That turns into Mike's show, Cinemarketing, as they look at the trailers and commercials that helped promote Ice Age as well as any post-release promotional material including DVD promos, the awards it was nominated for, and the memes it spawned from a baby the entire internet hated to a tiger the entire internet wanted to fuck.  

#IceAge#Cinemarketing#MikePisacano#Zone#Hitoshizuku

On this episode of I Helped Make That, Kevin is joined by Mike Pisacano of Cinemarketing to interview Alex Gradet, the production assistant of the story and editorial department of Ice Age, to talk about his experience making the film. Alex provides a fascinating look into the studio politics between Fox and Blue Sky from the eyes of a PA just getting his start there, as he talks about how Blue Sky's uneasiness into getting into feature films as well as adapting to a more corporate environment might have effected the film at times. This leads into a discussion on the ways Ice Age has, erm, aged well and how it also comes off a bit...prehistoric nowadays.  

You can follow Alex on: 

https://linktr.ee/gradet?fbclid=IwAR3YvNub8-mujrTvc7m5mOIwfyhWb6cM0CHYrBR85yEf-BXT_OYZ_alR3NA

You can follow Mike and Cinemarketing on: 

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/cinemarketing/id1571498741 

https://twitter.com/cinemarketpod?lang=en 

https://www.instagram.com/cinemarketingpodcast/

#IceAge#20thCenturyFox#BlueSkyStudios#AlexGradet#MikePisacano#Cinemarketing

On this episode of Fatal Attraction, Kevin talks about the hit 1987 film Fatal Attraction with the one and only character actor, Stuart Pankin, who you might not only know from Not Necessarily the News, being the voice of Earl Sinclair in Dinosaurs, playing the commander in Zenon, or, in this case, playing Michael Douglas's best friend, Jimmy, in Fatal Attraction.

In this episode he talks about what it was like to act in the movie while constantly going back and forth between Los Angeles and New York. Kevin and Stuart also talk about whether or not the AIDS crisis of the 80s influenced Fatal Attraction's popularity and how the best horror and thriller movies all go back to coming from a good story.

So May We Start

Sung by Adam Driver, The Sparks Brothers, Marion Cotillard, and Simon Helberg

1985

Sung by Bowling for Soup