Angle on Producers with Carolina Groppa

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Jenifer Westphal - Founder, CEO and Executive Producer at Wavelength May 10, 2022

Show notes

Jenifer Westphal is the Founder and CEO at Wavelength, an Emmy-Winning film studio committed to developing, producing and financing films that tell great f**king stories.

She raised and homeschool ed her 3 now adult sons — including one who is in Autism Spectrum. Once the youngest had gone off to college, she looked around her empty house and said to her husband, "I'm going to start a film company."

Jenifer was in her 50s when she decided to make the leap to producing films.

Named one of Variety's "10 Producers to Watch" in 2020, Jenifer has served as executive producer for countless award-winning documentary and independent films, including the smash hits KNOCK DOWN THE HOUSE, WON'T YOU BE MY NEIGHBOR?, and Emmy-winners FEELS GOOD MAN and ATHLETE A.

Through the WAVE Grant program, she focuses on breaking barriers by taking a special interest in fostering female talent, first-time filmmakers, and creators of color.

A former member of the Women of Sundance Leadership Council and Chicken & Egg Pictures, Jenifer has served as a participant on numerous panels at festivals, including Sundance Catalyst.

Outside of her work in film, she serves as an advisory board member and grantor for the Good Work Foundation, an organization with the mission to lead a digitally-empowered education model for rural Africa and the world.

She previously worked on political campaigns (including Walter Mondale's 1984 run for the White House) and engaged in philanthropic work, raising funds for various individuals and events.

A few takeaways from our chat include:

Navigating agism in Hollywood
How motherhood prepared her to be a producer
What financiers expect and want filmmakers to know

Dani Melia - Producer of Lulu Wang's THE FAREWELL and Co-Founder of LOCAL TIME Apr 04, 2022

Show notes

Dani Melia is an LA based producer. Her journey began with an internship at Big Beach where she eventually became an executive and worked on incredible films including Loving, Safety Not Guaranteed and The Kings of Summer.

Dani developed and produced Lulu Wang's critically-acclaimed feature The Farewell starring Awkwafina, which went on to receive nominations for the Gotham Awards, Golden Globes and BAFTAs, and won two Film Independent Spirit Awards, including Best Picture.

A beautiful bond was born and in 2021, she founded film and television production company Local Time alongside Lulu.

They aim to champion emerging storytellers and focus on narrative possibilities that can open audiences to new perspectives in storytelling. Local Time has a first look TV deal at Amazon Studios.

Dani is currently Executive Producing the Amazon drama series Expats, starring Nicole Kidman, based on the novel by Janice Y.K. Lee.

A few takeaways from our chat include:

Navigating risk and trusting your gut
The magic of her partnership with Lulu
Knowing when it's time to leave a job

Joy Gorman Wettels - Executive Producer of 13 REASONS WHY and HOME BEFORE DARK Feb 25, 2022

Show notes

Joy Gorman Wettels is a Partner at Anonymous Content, where her focus is "YI" content — Youth Impact, Intention & Inclusion.

Born in Yonkers, her early years in entertainment were spent at Miramax Films in NYC and at her own management and production entity, where she sold the first pitches & scripts of now longtime collaborators out of her apartment.

While at Barnard College of Columbia University, she sunk her teeth into producing with the 102nd Columbia Varsity Show written by fellow students Brian Yorkey & Tom Kitt. Subsequently, she helped shepherd their Pulitzer & Tony winning musical NEXT TO NORMAL to Broadway for over a decade.

Joy executive produced all 4 seasons of the hit Netflix/Paramount series 13 REASONS WHY created by Pulitzer and Tony Award-winning playwright Brian Yorkey and directed by Oscar-winner Tom McCarthy (SPOTLIGHT). Released in 2017, 13 REASONS WHY started a global conversation around teen suicide, bullying and sexual violence.

Joy completed two seasons of HOME BEFORE DARK on Apple TV+ starring Brooklynn Prince & Jim Sturgess.

Gorman Wettels is currently producing a multi-part storytelling ecosystem for Warner Media inspired by Landmark Civil Rights docu-series EYES ON THE PRIZE in partnership with Black Lives Matter Co-Founder Patrisse Cullors, Melina Matsoukas, Dawn Porter and original producers BLACKSIDE. The first installment, EYES ON THE PRIZE: HALLOWED GROUND is now streaming on HBO Max alongside the original 1987 series with an all new curriculum & study guide.

Joy is a delightful human who also embodies some of my favorite qualities in a producer -- tenacious, persistent, approachable, and very Italian. :)

During this hour, we tackle:

-How the death of her mother altered the course of her career

-If faking it till you make it is good advice

-The huge risk she took of leaving management behind while at Anonymous to produce

Rachel Shane - Producer of THE EYES OF TAMMY FAYE starring Jessica Chastain and Andrew Garfield Jan 31, 2022

Show notes

Rachel Shane has build an incredibly inspiring career. In turn, her mission is to continue to produce inspiring and diverse projects. She currently oversees all aspects of feature film and television development and production for Madison Wells. A few of her impressive credits include: -Executive Producer on the Academy Award®-nominated HELL OR HIGH WATER (starring Jeff Bridges, Chris Pine and Ben Foster) -Producer on the Golden Globe-nominated MOTHERLESS BROOKLYN (written, directed by and starring Edward Norton). -Producer on THE EYES OF TAMMY FAYE (starring Jessica Chastain and Andrew Garfield) -Executive Producer on ARETHA (starring Cynthia Erivio), -Executive Producer on PICASSO and EINSTEIN, the Emmy® award winning and Golden-Globe nominated series GENIUS. Rachel's tenure at Madison Wells began as President of Production at OddLot Entertainment (aka MW), which produced and financed high-profile indie films including one of my all time favorite films, THE WAY WAY BACK starring Steve Carell, DRIVE starring Ryan Gosling, and Jon Stewart's directorial debut, ROSEWATER. Prior to Madison Wells, Shane served as Executive Vice President of Production at Doug Wick and Lucy Fisher's Red Wagon Entertainment. Gems this week include: -Dropping out of law school and falling in love with film during an internship in Mexico -The balance between financing and creatively producing -Knowing when to leap towards the next rung of the ladder Enjoy! Ca

Laura Lewis - CEO and Founder of Rebelle Media Dec 13, 2021

Show notes

Laura is the CEO and Founder of Rebelle Media. They are financing, creative and production partners for bold storytellers who put women and girls at the heart of their narratives.

Her focus has always been on finding ways to push against the "no" and getting stories, across all genres, about women and other marginalized voices made and seen.

Laura has twenty years of experience in film and television development, production, strategy, sales and financing.

She recently produced the feature film Long Weekend (Sony, 2020) and is currently in production on the upcoming Mr. Malcolm's List (Bleecker Street / Universal).

Previous credits include Executive Producer on An Acceptable Loss starring Jamie Lee Curtis and Tika Sumpter and Co-Executive Producer on All About Nina, written and directed by Eva Vives, and Little Woods, written and directed by Nia DaCosta.

Prior to launching Rebelle, as a film finance and sales agent at Creative Artists Agency, Laura packaged and sold films such as On the Basis of Sex, The Wife, Jackie, Dallas Buyers Club, The Imitation Game, Lee Daniels' The Butler, Maggie's Plan, Begin Again, Mud, and Still Alice, amongst many others.

Prior to CAA, she consulted with financiers on slate and individual picture film financing and worked as a development and production executive at Twentieth Century Fox and Edward Saxon Productions on films ranging from Away We Go to What Happens in Vegas.

This week, we dive deep into:

Her transition from the corporate lifestyle to running her own company
The dangers of self comparison
Navigating the challenges of the business regardless of how much money one makes.

Carolina Garcia - Director of Original Series at Netflix Dec 01, 2021

Show notes

Carolina Garcia is Director of Original Series at Netflix.

She is a delight of human with a spirit so magnetic you just wanna drink all the wine in the world with her.

She oversees some of Netflix's top Overall Deal talent, including The Duffer Brothers, Jennifer Lopez's Nuyorican Productions, Archewell, and Shawn Levy's 21 Laps to name a few.

In her current role, she oversees shows such as Stranger Things, Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, Atypical, Raising Dion, the upcoming Echoes from Brian Yorkey and many more shows you will soon come to love!

Gems include why she does NOT consider herself a producer, how to not be defined by your job, and the good ol' impostor syndrome she felt when she embarked on her Netflix journey.

SAY HI

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Liz Cardenas - Indie Film Producer of NEVER GOIN' BACK Nov 09, 2021

Show notes

Liz Cardenas is a 2019 Independent Spirit Award nominee and producer. She is also a writer, director and actor. She was included in the 2019 LATINXT, a highly curated list of emerging Latino creators from an initiative by Zoe Saldana, Robert Rodriguez and Lin-Manuel Miranda.

Notable producing credits include Augustine Frizzell's NEVER GOIN' BACK (Sundance '18), starring Maia Mitchell, Camila Morrone and Kyle Mooney; David Lowery's A GHOST STORY (Sundance '17), starring Rooney Mara and Casey Affleck (both distributed by A24); and Daniel Laabs' JULES OF LIGHT & DARK, the 2019 Outfest Best US Narrative Feature, distributed by Wolfe Releasing.

Most recently, she produced for Duplass Brothers Productions, the rom-com, 7 DAYS, starring Karan Soni and Geraldine Viswanathan, which she shot in September 2020 and had its World Premiere at Tribeca 2021.

She's written and directed two award-winning shorts and co-created a series of children's films sold throughout the world. Under her Ten to the Six Pictures, she has a slate of four features and two shorts in various stages of production and development – filming in the US and abroad. A former reporter for The Dallas Morning News, she was raised by her Hispanic father, who immigrated to the US from Mexico, and Irish-American mother.

This week, we dive deep into:

Embracing the nomadic lifestyle that allows her to pursue her passions
Her secret sauce for creating and sustaining relationships with friends who are also collaborators
Why it takes so long to find your people

Dan Cogan - Producer of Academy Award Winning Documentary ICARUS Oct 11, 2021

Show notes

Dan Cogan is one of the most prominent non-fiction producers working today. Both an Academy Award®- and Emmy Award®-winner, Dan founded Story Syndicate with Liz Garbus in 2019.

Previously, Dan was the founding Executive Director of Impact Partners. They provide the creative mentorship to help make films the strongest they can be, and the strategic guidance to achieve the widest possible audience for each film.

Impact has a unique model of equity investing into the documentary film community - pioneering a system where filmmakers and investors work together to achieve mutually beneficial goals of telling powerful stories, raising awareness about critical issues facing our world today, reaching mass audiences on a global scale, and creating revenue for their films.

He has produced more than 100 films and series, including:

Allen v. Farrow; Icarus, which won the 2018 Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature; Won't You Be My Neighbor?, which won the 2019 Independent Spirit Award for Best Documentary; The Cove, which won the 2010 Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature; and the Apollo, which won the 2020 Emmy for Outstanding Documentary.

Dan has been highly regarded by many colleagues, and while we've never worked together, I am a fan and advocate of how he amplifies filmmakers from all walks of life.

This week we dive deep into the documentary scene, discuss best practices for finding and maintaining investor relationships, and he explains the producer's diagram for choosing projects.

Kelly Funke - President of Littleton Road Productions Sep 21, 2021

Show notes

Kelly Macmanus Funke is President of Littleton Road Productions, a television production company with an overall deal at Universal Content Productions (UCP).

Her career began in the 1990s, working for Cary Woods as he produced the first projects of today's most celebrated content creators, including Jon Favreau, Doug Liman, James Mangold, Alexander Payne, M. Night Shyamalan, and Scott Rosenberg.

Under her own company film generator, she was the associate producer on Jonas Pate's SHRINK and she championed the early works of author Gregg Hurwitz, Broadway and screenwriter Jon Hartmere, and television writer, Patrick Macmanus.

Then it all came to a halt.

In 2009, she said goodbye to Hollywood.

She spent the next decade in leadership positions in various industries. She served as Senior Vice President, Marketing for North America for the sportswear brand FILA. She was part of the global executive leadership team that returned the branded manufacturer from near-obsolescence in 2007 to a $5 billion dollar enterprise that won Shoe of the Year in 2018.

During her time away, she also shepherded the return of legendary brand ambassador Grant Hill to a lifetime deal; built an in-house ad agency from the ground up; and oversaw the creation and growth of the company's B2B and B2C eCommerce teams.

Immediately prior to her tenure at FILA, Funke was Director of Operations on a U.S. Senate primary in the '08 cycle and oversaw operations for Jamestown Associates, a nationally renowned political ad agency.

In the fall of 2019, her brother Patrick was inundated with projects for him and for the many talented writers he he championed with his overall deal at UCP.

Naturally he called up Kelly. Naturally, she said yes.

Two years later, they now have an overall deal, created the hit Peacock drama Dr. Death starring Joshua Jackson and are in the middle of production on the true-crime limited series The Girl From Plainville starring Elle Fanning.

Her story is just as remarkable as she is. Can't wait for you to dive in and meet Kelly!

This week, we discuss:

Parallels between production and the writer's process
Why producing is age agnostic
Having faith in yourself

Julie Lynn & Bonnie Curtis - Producers at Mockingbird Pictures Sep 07, 2021

Show notes

Julie Lynn formed Mockingbird Pictures in 1999, with Bonnie Curtis joining in 2012 after more than 15 years working with Steven Spielberg.

Together they produce film and television across a wide variety of genres, with movie budgets that range from under $1 million to over $100 million. They have produced for brand-new filmmakers as well as experienced, award-winning directors.

Julie worked as a First Amendment lawyer before embarking on a film career as a creative executive for producer Mark Johnson..

They first partnered under the Mockingbird Pictures banner after producing the Academy Award®-nominated Albert Nobbs in 2012.

They are still thinking about what non-profit work they are going to cook up together after they retire from filmmaking … but they are hopeful that day is still many years away.

They are most proud of all the "repeat customers" amongst their collaborators, as well as the fact that they were able to successfully take their families on a joint vacation, because they clearly don't see enough of each other at work.

This week, Bonnie and Julie shine on light on: