Angle on Producers with Carolina Groppa

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Bobbi Sue Luther - Indie Producer behind MISS VIRGINIA and SYLVIE Nov 19, 2019

Show notes

Bobbi Sue Luther is a one-of-a-kind multifaceted human. She's loud, she's relentless, and she's a dear friend. We've done two movies together MISS VIRGINIA starring Uzo Aduba which just premiered this year, and SYLVIE starring Tessa Thompson coming to a theater near you in 2020. She has been a wonderful mentor and has taught me how to find my "inner Luther" aka fierceness. She doesn't care what you think about her, but she does care about what you feel. She teaches with a firm, but kind hand. And as Eva Longoria says, she's a bulldog. Born in Maryland, Bobbi was an ice cream maker and a firefighter before moving to LA in her early 20s. She enjoyed a long career in front of the camera as an actor and TV host before making the switch to producing. True to her Bobbi nature, she dove right in and produced a music video for In This Moment called "A Beautiful Tragedy", which was nominated in 2007 for Music Video of the Year on MTV's Head Bangers Ball. She eventually found her way into line producing, working on the horror film LAID TO REST, which went on to become the highest selling title of the year for Anchor Bay/Starz. The there was FEAR CLINIC which led to Bobbi's nomination for the prestigious Producers Guild, Producer Challenge award. She spent 4 years in house at the Oscar winning film production company Smokewood Entertainment where she operated as Producer on the slate and as the Executive in Charge of Production overseeing the highly anticipated family film "Judy Moody and the NOT Bummer Summer", "Crazy Kind Of Love" starring Virginia Madsen and Smokewood's Documentary and philanthropic effort "Amongst Brothers." Eventually, Bobbi jumped back into the freelance world where she is now. She has worked on A24's THE LAST MOVIE STAR, Mark Pellington's NOSTALGIA starring Ellen Burstyn, Jon Hamm and Catherine Keener, and the Edward James Olmo features THE DEVIL HAS A NAME, starring Alfred Molina and Kate Bosworth. Phew! That's a lot of credits in a short amount of time. Like most producers, we all struggle with slowing down. In this week's chat, we discuss how Bobbi has found a way to enjoy the ride, "feast or famine" of the freelance lifestyle, and imposter syndrome. Beijos, Caca

Mathew Ferrante - VP of Physical Production at Paramount Pictures Nov 12, 2019

Show notes

Mathew Ferrante is the VP of Physical Production at Paramount Pictures.

Listening and editing this week's episode felt a bit like uncovering a time capsule.

At the time of this recording way back in January of 2019, Mathew (yes, with one T because he's cool like that) had been at Paramount for 5 years.

So, it's wild to think in a few short months he will have been there for 6 years. The bullet train that is time…

Originally from Arlington Heights, IL, just outside Chicago, Mathew got his start as a PA on one of my favorite indie films, WAITRESS, starring Keri Russell and Andy Griffith. Eventually, he found his way to the Physical Production Management Trainee Program at Warner Bros. where he quickly grew into a staff coordinator for the president of physical production.

Currently, Matt oversees titles ranging from $5 million to $20 million dollars. His most recent credits include OVERLOAD and THE CLOVERFIELD PARADOX with JJ Abrams's Bad Robot, Johnny Knoxville's ACTION POINT.

Our chat gets a bit inside baseball at times as he explains titles within the studio and deconstructs the importance of tax incentives. We also tackle the challenges of being an executive and making it home in time to put his daughters to bed.

So, in this hour together, you'll get a taste of a day in the life of a studio executive and a peek behind the curtain from someone who has been at Warner Bros. and Paramount Pictures.

You'll learn:

How the Physical Production department works alongside with the Creative department to greenlight a movie
How being at a studio allowed him to be a family man
How Keri Russell encouraged him to keep going
His time at Harvard and being a part of Hasty Pudding

Can't wait to hear your thoughts on this week's episode!

Beijos, Caca

Stephanie Allain - Producer of BOYZ N THE HOOD, HUSTLE & FLOW, and DEAR WHITE PEOPLE Nov 05, 2019

Show notes

Stephanie Allain is a legend. She is the OG of what she describes as the "true badass bitch era of Hollywood", power suits and all.

Not gonna lie, it was the highlight of my month to spent this hour with her.

Through her production company Homegrown Pictures, she's produced Hustle & Flow, Something New, Beyond the Lights, Dear White People, Burning Sands, French Dirty, Leimert Park, Juanita and The Weekend.

Pretty. Impressive.

Consider, however, that even though she grew up near Miracle Mile in LA, she didn't really know anybody in the business.

Her humble story begins as a reader/story analyst at CAA, a job she held while also adjusting to life at home with a newborn. Her honesty and candidness are refreshing as she reflects on feeling like she messed up the first time around by spending too much time working.

After many years as a reader, she realized there were many paths available. It was thanks to her mentor, Amy Pascal, that she chose to follow in her footsteps towards the trajectory of a studio executive. Watching Amy in the room taught her how to go to the next level. She realized quickly, however, that where she was going was not exactly what she thought it was going to be.

And then John Singleton walked into her office at Fox with a script called BOYZ N THE HOOD and changed her life. Making that movie with John taught her how to be a true producer because he was "gangster straight" to protect it. It cemented her desire to work with writer/directors because of their singular, clear vision.

Their professional relationship eventually branched out into a friendship with solid roots.

Years later, she found herself at a crossroads in her life. She had the family, the nice house in Hancock Park, the career; she had it all. But she found herself wondering, "is this it?" And that's when a little indie film about a pimp with a dream called HUSTLE & FLOW entered her life. Her and John Singleton decided to financed and produce the film together; prompting her to sell her house. It was a dark time.

Her passion and her hustle got me thinking…how far would I go for my dream? Could I ever bring myself to take similar risks? How far would you go for yours?

Natalie Metzger - Indie Producer & VP of Production and Development at Vanishing Angle Oct 21, 2019

Show notes

Natalie Metzger has a spark for producing that is palpable. The joy oozes out of her pores, and despite the inherent challenges, she loves being a producer.

Natalie was a dancer before she set her foot in the world of filmmaking. She freelanced for a while before finding at home as at Vanishing Angel as the VP of of Development and Production.

In her journey, she's produced and directed a ton of notable projects, most recently Jim Cummings' newest film THE WEREWOLF (MGM/Orion) and GREENER GRASS (Sundance, SXSW), which comes out this Friday Oct 18th, in theaters and on demand!

She also produced the hilarious music video for Lil Dicky's FREAKY FRIDAY, which boasts over 554 million views on YouTube.

A multi-hyphenate, she's also directed documentaries, such as the ALONE IN THE GAME for AT&T, SPECIAL BLOOD, and numerous award-winning commercials and short films.

In this week's chat, Natalie and I uncover how to find your tribe, creating a more inclusive work place, and the dirty secret to cold emailing.

Alana Mitnick - Commercial Producer Oct 01, 2019

Show notes

Alana Mitnick is a freelance commercial producer.

She was born and raised in Los Angeles. Though she acted in commercials as a kid, she knew from a young age that she preferred to be behind the camera. After four years at Northwestern, Alana returned to the sunny skies of LA to climb the production ladder.

And climb she did!

Over the last 14 years she's worked all over the world and overseen budgets ranging from $15,000 to $5 million. She's produced spots for Nike, Target, Prudential, Corona, Lexus, Old Spice to name a few.

She's also worked on a few PSAs. The most rewarding spots she worked on last year, Ignite PSAs for Prettybird (production company) and directed by Megan Park.

What I love about Alana is her endless curiosity for learning and that she finds time for EVERYTHING. I have no idea how she does it.

Three years ago, feeling the need for a space so she could authentically build relationships and network with women in production, Alana started HER, which stands for Helping Each other Rise, to bring women in entertainment and advertising together in a meaningful way. It's actually how we met!

In this week's chat, we breakdown the world of commercial producing, explore mindfulness on set, and the importance of setting personal boundaries.

Can't wait to hear what you think of this week's episode.

Beijos,

Caca

Natalie Qasabian - Producer of 2018 Sundance Audience Award Winning Film SEARCHING Sep 24, 2019

Show notes

Natalie Qasabian is an impressive person. She is the producer of SEARCHING, starring John Cho, a movie she made for $1m that made $75m worldwide in the box office. A very hard thing to do these days given how people don't watch movies in theaters anymore. She is an Armenian-American hustler. She is a go getter. She is the only producer I know who was also getting her MBA from Pepperdine University while also in production. So, yes, she's a badass in it's truest form. Currently she's producing "RUN starring Sarah Paulson for Lionsgate alongside her SEARCHING producer Sev Ohanian and director Aneesh Chaganty. In this week's chat, we dive deep into getting her start with the Duplass Brothers, chasing the high of making your own projects, and the wrap blues every producer feels when a project ends.

Barbara Muschietti - Part 2 - Producer of IT, IT: CHAPTER 2, and MAMA Sep 10, 2019

Show notes

"...and Guillermo [del Toro]. I remember that the weekend that MAMA opened and it was #1 in the U.S., Guillermo told us...well guys, now you get to make one more movie. Because it's one movie at a time, you know!" ⁣-Barbara Muschietti⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ Excited to continue my chat with producer extraordinaire @barbaramus of @itmovieofficial & #MAMA.⁣ ⁣⁣ By the way, #ItChapter2 is breaking all sorts of records in the box office this weekend! It's got the second best global opening for a horror film of all-time with $185M, right behind 2017's IT which debuted to $189.7M.⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ People love them some scary clowns!⁣⁣ 🤡 ⁣⁣ If you missed part 1, I recommend giving that a listen and then circling back. ⁣⁣ Beijos,⁣⁣ 💋Caca

Barbara Muschietti - Part 1 - Producer of IT, IT: CHAPTER 2, and MAMA Sep 03, 2019

Show notes

Barbara Muschietti.

What can I say about this fierce Argentinian woman? She's the producer of horror films I'd never thought I'd watch, much less enjoy.

She is a true inspiration and a freakin' delight.

Barbara produced the record-breaking box office hit "IT," an adaptation of the Stephen King Novel. The film scored the biggest opening weekend ever in more than 30 markets, crossing the $700 million milestone and making it the highest grossing horror film of all time.

The highly anticipated second installment, IT, CHAPTER TWO. comes out this Friday, September 6th.

I am terrified and exhilarated and I simply cannot wait.

Prior to IT, Barbara produced/co-wrote the feature film MAMA, based on the short film of the same name. The film starred Jessica Chastain and had Guillermo del Toro as the executive producer. It was one of the top earners of 2013.

What's unique and special about Barbara is that she has worked with her brother, writer/director Andy Muschietti, for over two decades. They have collaborated on all of their projects, across film, TV, and commercials.

They owed a commercial/TV production company in Spain called Toma 78, where she produced hundreds of commercials for clients like Coca Cola, Mercedes, Pepsico, Ford, and the California Lottery.

During part 1 of our chat, we discuss ambitious about oneself, understanding what is 'soft money', and how we both jumped the fence into Hollywood.

Can't wait to hear your thoughts on this week's episode!

Giulia Caruso - Producer of Sundance hits SPA NIGHT and COLUMBUS Aug 27, 2019

Show notes

"Follow your dreams, but don't forget to live your life." -Giulia Caruso

Giulia Caruso is an LA-based Italian producer and founding member of Nonetheless Productions. With partner Ki Jin Kim, she was nominated for the 2018 Piaget Producers Award. Giulia won an Independent Spirit Award for Andrew Ahn's debut feature SPA NIGHT and a LA-Emmy for producing KCET's docuseries Lost LA. Her latest feature COLUMBUS (directed by Kogonada, starring John Cho, Haley Lu Richardson and Parker Posey) was nominated for several Gotham and Spirit Awards. Both COLUMBUS and SPA NIGHT premiered at Sundance. Giulia produced award winning short films and content for clients such as Focus Features, MTV, Intel, GoPro.

During out chat, we tackle the beauty and hardships of independent movies, why producers should value themselves, what it's like to work with your significant other, and how being a mother fuels her passion as a producer.

Can't wait to hear your thoughts on this week's episode!

Beijos, Caca

Mark Burley - Producer/Director of GLOW & ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK Aug 20, 2019

Show notes

Mark A. Burley is a four time Emmy nominated producer and director.

A veteran of television, he was born in Berlin and was raised in London.

He discovered his love for narrative storytelling in university at Bristol, and moved to LA in his 20s to pursue the film business. There was a slight detour, however, and he dabbled in advertising before finding his way into commercials. He worked for many years as an assistant director and quickly got into the DGA. For a good chunk of his career, he also worked as a UPM (unit production manager), which is what I often do on sets.

His path eventually crossed with writer/producer/show creator Jenji Kohan, and he's been a part of her ecosystem since Weeds in 2005.

He's produced and directed on GLOW, Orange Is The New Black, Murder, She Wrote and Simon & Simon. He has also worked on a number of TV movies of the week including Mrs. Santa Claus (1996) and Hiroshima: Out of the Ashes (1990).

During our chat, we take a deep dive into the murky waters of television to understand all of its producer titles. We also discuss how Netflix changed the game for storytellers worldwide and patience…something that I am constantly working on

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