Angle on Producers with Carolina Groppa

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Facing the Fear: AI & Future of Entertainment Mar 25, 2025

Show notes

While some find AI riveting and revolutionary, many in creative communities are filled with fear. Fear of unsustainability, fear of the future of the industry as a whole, and fear that disembodied computers are going to make jobs obsolete while causing irreversible damage to the planet in the process.

Artificial Intelligence has come a long way since we first saw Will Smith eating that bowl of spaghetti, even making it to this year's Oscars ceremony.

Films like EMILIA PEREZ and THE BRUTALIST came under fire for their use of AI to amplify the vocal performances of their actors, raising questions about transparency and ethical practices.

That leads me to today's guest, Alex Serdiuk.

Alex is the CEO of the Ukrainian company Respeecher, the AI software that enhanced Adrien Brody's Hungarian dialogue and synthesized a young Luke Skywalker's voice in THE MANDALORIAN. Unlike other AI companies, however, Respeecher prides itself on adhering to a strict code of ethics that includes transparency, actor consent, and union consultation.

I feel ambivalent towards the AI of it all, but as someone who faces my fears and follows my curiosities, it was time to poke the hornet's nest.

Tune in!

Career Pivot with SXSW Producers Elle Roth-Brunet and Mark Ankner Mar 18, 2025

Show notes

*This episode is brought to you by Dolly Card, the corporate card for film production that's a great alternative to petty cash. Dolly Card is here to streamline expense management, tax, and accounting. dollycard.com*

Beyond stoked for this crucial convo with two producers with films that premiered at SXSW who pivoted from other careers into producing. We had a lot of fun while also contemplating how we can leverage our collective knowledge to solve some of the crises plaguing the producers' plight.

Spoiler alert: We 100% got nachos after.

Elle Roth-Brunet, producer of I REALLY LOVE MY HUSBAND, sits at the intersection of innovation, business, and storytelling. She's a content strategist, brand builder, and creative producer who deeply believes in the power of representation and storytelling.

She has dedicated her career to helping 40+ underrepresented voices gain more equity in entertainment through content partnerships with Hello Sunshine, ARRAY, Paul Fieg's Powderkeg, the PGA, Women In Film, and the Black List.

Mark Ankner, producer of SLANTED, which won the grand jury award for Narrative Feature at SXSW, is dedicated to developing and producing creator-driven stories that resonate with culture.

He was instrumental at Endeavor Content, overseeing advisory business, film and television packaging and sales, and creating innovative distribution models for content creators and financiers. Prior to that, Mark was a partner at WME Global, focusing on emerging voices and building companies for established talent. Some notable film projects include the Academy Award-winning CALL ME BY YOUR NAME, FRUITVALE STATION and SORRY TO BOTHER YOU.

His first film PONYBOI premiered in the US Dramatic competition at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival. Directed by Esteban Arango, it was noted for its groundbreaking narrative and representation of diverse voices.

Currently, Mark leads Mountain Top Pictures, an indie film and TV production company dedicated to championing innovative storytelling and supporting emerging talent in the industry

Tune in

THE PENGUIN Showrunner Lauren LeFranc Creates Sympathy for Gotham's Devil Mar 04, 2025

Show notes

*Special thanks to Sunset Studios, where everyone is a VIP, for providing us with this gorgeous filming location*

Delighted to be joined by the Lauren LeFranc, the visionary showrunner and executive producer of HBO's THE PENGUIN, the gritty spin-off from Matt Reeves' THE BATMAN.

Her unique ability to blend innovative narratives with visual storytelling contributed to the series' critical success, achieving a 94% Certified Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes and attracting 10.4 million viewers within its first 11 days.

A television veteran, her body of work also includes credits on AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D., HEMLOCK GROVE, IMPULSE and CHUCK.

I may have spent the hour fangirling a little too hard, not sure, but our meet-cute story is pretty epic.

Tune in as we discuss career serendipity, what makes an exceptional producer, and how she made us all deeply care about Gotham's devil, Oswald.

xx CG

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The Twist and Turns to Bring THE HONORABLE SHYNE to Life Feb 27, 2025

Show notes

In 2024, I birthed two creations: My son, Theo and the feature documentary, THE HONORABLE SHYNE.

Back in the late 90s, Shyne was one of the first rappers Diddy signed to Bad Boy Records. After an explosive rise in Hip-hop, a life-altering criminal trial, and years of incarceration, Shyne's journey from rapper, to felon, to politician is one that has defied the odds.

This leads me to today's guest, Marcus A. Clarke, the director of THE HONORABLE SHYNE.

Marcus is a Brooklyn-born director and producer. He directed Apple's feature-length documentary, The WIZRD, following Atlanta rap superstar Future. Most recently, he directed three episodes of Netflix's reboot of Unsolved Mysteries V1 and three of eight installments in the Netflix Original Hip Hop docu-series Rapture, produced by Mass Appeal.

While my human child is currently learning to crawl, my doc child is currently streaming on Hulu. Both were challenging and rewarding in equal measure.

During our conversation, we discuss the trials and tribulations of working on an international documentary, how to pivot when a relevant major controversy drops in the middle of shooting, and I finally get an honest answer about whether or not aliens truly exist.

Carolina

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Minisode - The Fight For Production to #StayinLA Feb 21, 2025

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It's no secret that, over the past decade, film and television production has been slowly leaving our hub of Los Angeles. From astronomical permit costs to uncompetitive tax incentives, studios have outsourced LA's most valuable export to places like Atlanta, Vancouver, Australia, and South Africa.

The COVID pandemic exacerbated the production exodus. But for some, the final straw came with the devastation caused by the Palisades and Eaton fires.

Thousands of families lost their homes, and our local crew members were no exception. With the fires still burning, filmmakers began organizing amongst themselves to fight the good fight - to keep production in LA and, in the process, bring jobs back to the people who need them the most.

That brings us to today's very important episode. I got to sit down with Sarah Adina Smith and Alexandra Pechman, the two filmmakers helming the #StayinLA movement. At the time of this recording, their petition to keep production in LA has garnered just over 20,000 signatures.

We discuss the impact of the production exodus, the civic responsibility on the studios' shoulders to keep our LA neighbors working, and specific action items for anyone who wants to get involved, starting at the local level.

Please consider adding your name to the petition and helping the cause by visiting stayinla.org.

Honeywagons to Hollywood: Rebuilding LA with Zello Support Feb 18, 2025

Show notes

In this minisode, CEO Louis Dargenzio and President John Pollak share the inspiring story of how they pivoted their business model help our community. Alongside an incredible group of volunteers, they sprung into action and created a furniture showroom for families affected by the Los Angeles wildfires.

Louis began his career as a Teamster Local 399 Honeywagon Driver and worked his way up to become the founder of Zio Studio Services, a leading production services company, and later served as President of Sunset Studios.

John is an entertainment executive using his skills to unite the community and help rebuild Los Angeles.

Learn More at: https://zellosupport.com/

Alex Coco - Producer of the Academy Award Nominated ANORA Feb 11, 2025

Show notes

It's not everyday you get to sit down with a producer who found out only hours earlier that he is Oscar-nominated and could very well win best picture. That's exactly how my January 23rd began chatting with Alex Coco, producer of ANORA.

I saw the film IN THEATERS with my husband and as a Sean Baker fan, I naturally had to get his producer on the show. Lucky for us, he said yes! 😃

In between a diaper change for his 3 month old son, Alex was astonished, to say the least, when he heard his name announced.

He's been having quite the ride. This past weekend ANORA scooped 7 Critic's Choice Awards, including Best Picture AND the Eagles won the Superbowl. He's def #winning.

What transpired is an illuminating conversation on the genesis of his working relationship with Sean Baker, the importance of shooting your shot, and the value of leaving your ego at the door.

Alex has produced multiple Cannes premieres such as Red Rocket and The Sweet East, as well as Pet Shop Days, which debuted at the Venice Film Festival. He also produced Champ (2022) and Power Signal (2023), both Sundance Film Festival selections. Other producing credits include music videos for Childish Gambino's "Lithonia" (2024) and Addison Rae's "Diet Pepsi" (2024).

Minisode - Jamie Bovshow (FBoy Island) Unpacks Who Is Responsible For Scrubbing Karla Sofia Gascón's Digital Footprint? Feb 04, 2025

Show notes

In this Minisode, non-fiction executive Jamie Bovshow ("FBoy Island") and I unpack the trouble with Karla Sofia Gascón's racists tweets. Who is responsible for scrubbing a public figure's digital footprint? Is that even legal? And how can we hold individuals accountable while giving them the space and grace to evolve? Tune in! Bio: Jamie Bovshow has spent the last 14 years climbing the ranks across both nonfiction development and current programming, seeing projects through early stages of ideation all the way to production and post. She's developed, sold, and produced a wide variety of projects, including an adventure series starring Orlando Bloom, premium docs, dating, true crime, formats, competition, and reality. The biggest show she developed and produced was "FBoy Island", a $17million series which had 3 seasons on HBO Max and CW, a spin-off series called "Lovers & Liars", and is now being produced in 8+ territories across the globe. Before going in-house Jamie was a freelance producer and takes her experience as a boots-on-the-ground executor into every project she oversees and develops. In addition to creative, Jamie also went to law school and has a masters in legal studies with a specialization in entertainment law. She loves finding creative solutions to legal issues, and has expertise in contract drafting, negotiation, diligence, S&P, and fair use.

Kate Gersten - Screenwriter of Gia Coppola's "The Last Showgirl" starring Pamela Anderson Jan 28, 2025

Show notes

According to Larry David, it is much too late to still wish you a happy new year. Since January has felt a million years long and many of us are yearning to press that RESET button, I'm breaking all the rules and wishing you a good start to 2025!

It was a delight to chat with Kate Gersten, screenwriter of "The Last Showgirl." Kate originally conceptualized the story for the stage while studying playwriting at Juilliard. As a play, THE LAST SHOWGIRL was optioned for Broadway and the West End, but never went further as the team could never find the perfect, "Shelly." After spending years in a drawer, Kate brought the script to Gia Coppola, who got the script to Pamela Anderson directly. In their first table read, Pam said every line exactly how Kate had heard them in her head all those years earlier.

Tune in as we discuss her playwright beginnings, the kismet of marrying into a legendary film family, and the importance of leading roles for women over the age of 50.

Carolina

Lynnette Ramirez - President of Bassett Vance Productions on Leadership and Negotiating Jan 07, 2025

Show notes

Kicking of 2025 with one of my favorite humans in Hollywood, Lynnette Ramirez. A friend and mentor, she is also a powerhouse producer, development executive, and champion of underrepresented voices.

Lynnette graduated from LMU's screenwriting undergrad program and began her career in development at Sean Connery's Fountainbridge Films, working on films such as "Entrapment" and "Finding Forrester".

In 2002, she launched a production company named Vida Films that produced two independent features: "The Blue Hour" starring Alyssa Milano and "2 Days" starring Paul Rudd and Adam Scott.

In 2007, Lynnette became SVP of Development and Production for George Lopez Presents housed at Warner Bros. During her tenure, she produced several projects including the Nickelodeon hit original movie "Mr. Troop Mom".

She is currently the President of Bassett Vance Productions, where Lynnette isn't just creating content - she's creating opportunities. She's also a writer, having sold romantic comedy screenplays to Walt Disney and Lionsgate Studios.

From her roots as an independent filmmaker to her current role nurturing women and BIPOC voices, Lynnette is not just breaking barriers, but demolishing them completely!

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