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The Take

The Take

By Jacob Grodnik

The Take is an entertainment podcast fueled by the industry’s most innovative filmmakers, artists and world class raconteurs. It is an everyday journey, rich with stories of life in the biz, and professional advice on what it takes to ‘make it’ in Hollywood.
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Kevin Weisman

The TakeDec 11, 2018

00:00
01:29:53
Steven Luke

Steven Luke

An authentic jack of all trades, Steven Luke has mastered it all. Having spent the duration of his career exploring cinema as a writer, director, actor and producer, he has crafted a niche style of filmmaking within the war film genre. Imagine the challenge of capturing a compelling and striking war piece with budget restrictions and a need for innovative creativity; Steven has orchestrated a process that continues to amaze. In his feature, War Pigs, Steven finds himself acting alongside cinematic veterans, Mickey Rourke, Dolph Lundgren and Luke Goss. His most recent feature, The Great War, starring Ron Perlman and Billy Zane, is one in which Steven flexed all of his filmmaking talents behind the screen, as writer, director, and producer.  Be sure to check out his work on Amazon Prime and most other streaming services. 

Jan 07, 202052:33
Marc Buckland

Marc Buckland

My Name is EarlEdSports Night, Scrubs, Santa Clarita Diet. We've all heard of them. This is just a handful of the shows on an extensive roster that Emmy award winning Director/Producer, Marc Buckland, has built over his career. Marc has an invaluable advantage, having broken into the TV industry as a director and producer, filling every role in between. After directing and producing his own short film, he captured the attention of a producer on the TV show, Murder One, where he got his first shot at TV directing. In my conversation with Marc, he invites us into his process and reveals how he taught himself the craft by studying movies and TV shows on repeat, remote in one hand hand, note pad in the other. Marc’s toolbox is packed with keys to success; his journey has led him from the VHS aisles of a movie store, directly onto the screen. Having spent part of his career as an actor, he knows the language of filmmaking from every vantage point. But the most valuable tip for success Marc shares is that it pays to be generous and personable. 

Aug 08, 201938:48
Stan Spry

Stan Spry

An unstoppable force of filmdom by day, a vigilante of the Sunset Strip by night, Stan Spry has made an undeniable name for himself in the heart of Hollywood. As founding member of the Cartel, a feature film and television production and management company, Stan Spry is no less than a mastermind behind a successful film and media empire. In 2018 alone, Stan produced over 20 feature films, and promises to infiltrate the industry with far more projects in 2019. Stan and the Cartel are at the helm of the reboot of the 1982 phenomenon, Creepshow, written by Stephen King. Stan is a harrowing inspiration to anyone looking to make their way onto the screens of LA. Beginning his journey to the City of Angels with no connections, Stan pioneered his way to the top through persistence and networking. Stan is also a mogul of the Sunset Strip, as part owner of Rock and Reily’s Whiskey and Pearl’s Liquor Bar. Keep your eyes peeled; Stan Spry and his band of filmmakers aren’t going anywhere. 

Apr 23, 201945:37
Sean King & Ray Starmann

Sean King & Ray Starmann

Sean King and Ray Starmann are a writing team based out of Los Angeles and the owners of Sheer Bravado Productions. They previously wrote the film, Generation Gap which holds the award for the highest rated movie on the Hallmark channel for the month of October. They are currently in pre-production for a World War 2 film titled, Citizen Soldiers which has Dale Dye attached. Citizen Soldiers is in the spirit of Saving Private Ryan and Band of Brothers. It is a small, human story set in the largest battle the U.S. Army has ever fought, The Battle of The Bulge in 1944. 

Feb 18, 201901:08:24
Dale Dye (Hollywood's Drill Sergeant)
Dec 17, 201852:00
Kevin Weisman

Kevin Weisman

A veteran in the world of television, Kevin has appeared and starred in over 48 shows. Acclaimed for his role of Marshal Flinkman through all 5 seasons of JJ Abram’s Alias, and beloved for his hilarious portrayal of Kives on HBO’s Hello Ladies, Kevin has made a household name for himself on screen. Other notable roles include Ned Berring on Amazon’s Goliath, Ray Spiewack on CBS’s Scorpion and currently the title character of Dale Yorkes on Hulu’s Marvel series, Runaways. Kevin was also the drummer for the rock band Trainwreck.
Dec 11, 201801:29:53
Nicco Quiñones

Nicco Quiñones

Nicco is an accomplished director, producer and the young founder of Quiñones Productions, a full service production company based in Miami, Florida. Nicco has a unique, innate ability to combine his journalistic roots with a cinematic lens in order to create compelling and visually stunning masterpieces of storytelling. His most recent commercial project starred Zoe Saldana, Rosari Dawson, Eva Longoria and aimed to promote Latino voting. Nicco is currently working on an episodic series, titled Under the Influence, which delves into the obsessive psyche that lies underneath our infatuation with social media and explores the consequences these mediums are causing to our society as a whole.
Dec 04, 201851:13
Jonah Feingold

Jonah Feingold

Jonah’s directorial work online has accumulated over 100 million views. His viral Kickstarter backed short film BANGARANG (a prequel to Rufio from HOOK) broke the internet trending number one on Reddit, and number four on Twitter global. He created the show 'High School Cupid, a Cupid Inc. Story' for Awesomeness TV, wrote 'Reality Quest' starring Dwayne the Rock Johnson, 'Bad Roommate' with Jason Segal, and recently directed an 8 part series called 'Stars with Cars' for Facebook Watch. Jonah is currently in post production for his feature debut, 'What are we?'
Nov 06, 201859:07
James Morosini

James Morosini

James Morosini is setting the blueprint for how an actor can take his/her destiny into their own hands. He recently, wrote, directed, produced, edited and starred in the feature film Threesomething, which is absolutely hilarious and available on iTunes now. James is also currently in the Youtube Red show Foursome and can be seen in shows such as: Lethal Weapon, American Horror Story, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, The Great Indoors and Fameless to name a few.
Oct 24, 201801:17:26
Mitch Klebanoff (writer Beverly Hills Ninja w/Chris Farley)

Mitch Klebanoff (writer Beverly Hills Ninja w/Chris Farley)

Mitch wrote and co-produced Beverly Hills Ninja w/Chris Farley. Other notable credits include: The Jersey (Disney channel), Disorderlies & Dancing Ninja. Mitch is also credited with writing the original screenplay for Ocean Eleven. Mitch has an exorbitant amount of insight in to what it takes to write and sell a screenplay in Hollywood. We talk about his writing process, his experiences working with Chris Farley and all about his upcoming projects.
Oct 01, 201801:03:32
Isaac Mederios

Isaac Mederios

At the age of 23, Isaac has already written & directed 5 feature films. Growing up in Alaska, he taught himself cinema by watching movies non-stop, that tally is now up in the neighborhood of 20,000 films. A true film Savant, Isaac completely immerses you within his work. All of his films are historical period pieces and go far and beyond the scope of traditional independent films.
Sep 27, 201847:19
Greg Hill

Greg Hill

Greg plays the character of Moshe Tabor in the movie, Operation Finale which is currently in theaters. Greg brings such a ferocious level of truth to each of his performances that it leaves you questioning the differences between fact and fiction. His fervor for the craft of acting is not only inspiring but beginning to pay off at the box office.
Sep 17, 201801:06:31
Michael Bellisario

Michael Bellisario

Michael is one of a kind. Part owner of the Hollywood club, Hyde, Michael is building his own legacy in the hills of Hollywood. He stars opposite Nic Cage in the movie 211 and co-stars in 29 episodes of the TV show, Jag. Michael and I met in the unsuspecting small town of Horse Cave, Kentucky on a recent film, Disturbing the Peace, starring Guy Pearce. The son of Donald Bellisario, creator of Magnum PI, Micheal has an unparalleled cache of knowledge and experience within the TV and film industry to draw upon. Michael is a great actor and has a lot of insight to share.
Sep 14, 201850:51
James Paxton

James Paxton

Best known for his portrayal of Lukas Waldenbeck on the series Eyewitness, James is a fantastic actor who completely transforms himself for each role. The son of the late, great Bill Paxton, James has an incredible amount of insight into the business of moviemaking and what it takes to reach the top. James and I both worked together on the upcoming Thriller, Moose which is directed by Fred Durst and starring John Travolta.
Sep 12, 201852:08
J.L. Topkis

J.L. Topkis

Writer and Director J.L. Topkis has an immense knowledge of comic books, superheroes and character archetypes. It is through his sound understanding of these mediums and principles that makes J.L. Topkis such a wonderful filmmaker. His first feature film, 'In Searching' just received a distribution deal and he's currently in development for another. He has also ventured into VR filmmaking and has a lot of insights into the process and what the future holds for the art form.
Sep 12, 201844:28
Micah Van Hove

Micah Van Hove

Micah Van Hove is a top notch writer & director pushing the boundaries of narrative and filmmaking. He just returned form Peru, where he had the privilege to work alongside the esteemed, Werner Herzog and plans a return trip to the jungle soon to begin another film. What separates Micah from other rising filmmakers is his passion for the art of feature length content, or as he says it, "the medium that I fell in love with." Although he values the importance of Short films, Micah chooses to pursue the creation of feature length films, even though in the world of independent filmmaking, this often means years of hard work for a single project. Micah has some great tips for 'up and coming' filmmakers and gives us an insight into what he values most about movies. I hope you enjoy this conversation.
Aug 31, 201838:49