Angle on Producers with Carolina Groppa

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Tara Miele - Writer/Director of WANDER DARKLY and Director of LESSONS IN CHEMISTRY Apr 30, 2024

Show notes

We often talk about how the path is not linear, and today's guest reminds us to stop and smell the roses on the way to wherever we are headed!

The lovely Tara Miele is a filmmaker originally from Long Island. Her widely acclaimed film, WANDER DARKLY, starring Sienna Miller and Diego Luna, premiered in competition at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival and was distributed by Lionsgate. Currently, Tara is writing and is attached to direct a Carol Burnett biopic that Tina Fey is producing.

Most recently, Tara directed two episodes of LESSONS IN CHEMISTRY, one of my fav shows of last year, for which she was nominated for a DGA award! She is also well known for her 2016 viral video, MEET A MUSLIM, which she created to combat Islamophobia and has garnered 45 million views.

Tara is a Co-Chair of the Women's Steering Committee at the Directors Guild of America, where she helped launch the DGA's first peer-to-peer mentorship program for women, The WSC Squad.

I've been eager to open up the aperture and invite other accomplished professionals onto the show so we can hear from them, "What makes an exceptional producer?"

In this episode, we dive into her unique path, producer red flags, and how she's been able to balance her impressive body of work with her most rewarding job thus far - being a mother.

Minisode 05 - Hot Tips on Short Film Funding, Budgeting and Producing Apr 23, 2024

Show notes

This week, host Carolina Groppa and Associate Producer Sarah Bockian dive into the fun world of short film financing, budgeting and producing. Hot tips! Do's and Don'ts! And why production insurance is #sexy.

Tune in!

Minisode 04 - Reese Witherspoon's controversial comments on AI and the Sora Generated Short "Airhead" Apr 16, 2024

Show notes

This week, host Carolina Groppa and Associate Producer Sarah Bockian debate Reese Witherspoon's controversial comments on AI, and "Airhead", a short made using Sora that still required many humans.

Links Discussed: thewrap.com/reese-witherspoon-artificial-intelligence-morning-show-paleyfest/

nofilmschool.com/sora-ai-filmmaker-interview

youtube.com/watch?v=NXpdyAWLDas&ab_channel=MarquesBrownlee

Dr. Rachel Raimist - Television Director on Process and Exceptional Producing Directors Apr 09, 2024

Show notes

Thrilled to share this inspiring and electric convo with Dr. Rachel Raimist. Rachel is an episodic television director and college professor who's recently directed episodes of the family fantasy THE SPIDERWICK CHRONICLES (Disney+), the musical UP HERE (Hulu) and the soapy drama SEX/LIFE (Netflix). She has also directed beloved episodes of THE SEX LIVES OF COLLEGE GIRLS (HBO Max), WU-TANG: AN AMERICAN SAGA (Hulu), FANTASY ISLAND (Fox), and DIARY OF A FUTURE PRESIDENT (Disney+).

We are opening up the aperture and hearing from other disciplines on what they think makes an exceptional producer, so tune in!

Her journey is a masterclass in rolling with the punches…and her resilience is inspiring to say the least. She's one of those people you can talk to for hours and never run out of things to say. I hope you enjoy and get as much out of our conversation as I did.

Takeaways!

The importance of a supportive community
So much of the directing process happens before you set foot on set
The environment you foster on set is just as important as your talent and skill

Minisode - Q&A Short Films with Directors, Networking Intentionally, and The Best Route to Producing Apr 02, 2024

Show notes

This week, host Carolina Groppa answers listener questions! Tune in as we breakdown:

How to set up contracts with directors for short films and not get pushed out of projects
How to networking intentionally and effectively
Pros and cons of the indie vs assistant route to producing

SAY HI

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Minisode 02 - Melinda Gates, Women's History Month, and AI Mar 26, 2024

Show notes

We are trying something a little different for the next two months and will be bringing you weekly minisodes to compliment the monthy guest drops.

This week, host Carolina Groppa and Associate Producer Sarah Bockian celebrate Women's History Month, Carolina takes us behind the scenes of her panel discussion with Melinda Gates and we explore how AI could empower women and people of color.

Judalina Neira - Emmy Nominated Executive Producer of THE BOYS Mar 19, 2024

Show notes

Delighted to share this very special episode with the incredible lady that is Judalina Neira. I've been lucky to call her a friend for many years. We met during the early days of our LA journey and now she's a very impressive Emmy nominated writer/producer known for her work on critically acclaimed shows THE BOYS, DAISY JONES AND THE SIX and THE FLASH.

She is currently bringing BEWITCHED back to life on our TV screens in the not-too-distant future.

Judalina is also a proud alum of the ABC/NBC/National Hispanic Media Coalition's TV Writing Program, NBC's Writers on the Verge and the WGA Showrunner Training Program. Judalina is a Governor Emeritus for The Television Academy's Writers Peer Group.

One of the things I love most about her is how she continues to give back…case in point, she is also the co-founder of La Lista - a Latina TV Writers' brunch broup in LA.

Xoxo cg

SAY HI

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Minisode 01 - Oscars, RUST Verdict, and Is Hollywood Rebounding? Mar 14, 2024

Show notes

We are trying something a little different for the next two months and will be bringing you weekly minisodes to compliment the monthy guest drops.

This week, host Carolina Groppa and Associate Producer Sarah Bockian dive into the Oscars, the RUST verdict, and whether Hollywood is still in a steady decline or simply at the end of Act II.

Articles Referenced:

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/01/opinion/oscars-hollywood-extinction-event.html

https://deadline.com/2024/03/rust-movie-armorer-guilty-shooting-death-1235847983

LISTEN HERE

angleonproducers.com

spoti.fi/2XwATdT

apple.co/3dGscbf

SAY HI

instagram.com/carolinagroppa

instagram.com/angleonproducers

tiktok.com/@carolina_groppa

SUBSCRIBE TO MY NEWSLETTER!

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Cynthia Erivo - Producer of DRIFT Mar 05, 2024

Show notes

**This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Visit BetterHelp.com/AOP to get 10% off your first month of online therapy which you can do from the comfort of your home!**

Over the moon to share my chat with Grammy® Emmy® and Tony® Award-winning actress, singer, author and producer, Cynthia Erivo.

She is set to star as Elphaba in Universal's highly anticipated film adaptation of the hit musical WICKED.

But before we get to see her all in her green glory, I highly recommend catching her in DRIFT, a project that also happens to be her producorial debut. DRIFT follows a young Liberian refugee named Jacqueline (Erivo) who has barely escaped her war-torn country to a Greek island.

The film World Premiered at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival to rave reviews. It's a beautiful character piece and Erivo delivers a nuanced performance that's truly unforgettable. It's playing in select theaters across the US. Check out showtimes at drift.film

Cynthia was on our dream list of 2024 guests. We knew inviting her would be a reach and were fulled prepared for a firm "no thank you" but we got an excited "yes!" just days later, we couldn't believe it. Thrilled to now be able to share the product of that dream with all of you…which is fitting since one of the key takeaways of this episode is dream big.

Coco Francini - Producer & Partner at Dirty Films with Cate Blanchett and Creator "Proof of Concept" Feb 13, 2024

Show notes

**This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Visit BetterHelp.com/AOP to get 10% off your first month of online therapy which you can do from the comfort of your home!**

Delighted to share my chat with the inspiring, delightful, and Emmy nominated Coco Francini. An LA native, she began her career as a development intern, eventually becoming Quentin Tarantino's assistant in 2011 on Django Unchained They formed a solid working relationship and she eventually returned as associate producer on The Hateful Eight.

She spent a season of her career as the VP of Activision Blizzard Studios where she led the creative development and production of film and TV content for the world's largest video game and interactive media company, shepherding projects including the iconic Call of Duty game franchise.

Shortly after producing MRS. AMERICA for FX, she became a partner at Dirty Films, alongside Cate Blanchett and Andrew Upton.

On top of her prolific producing career, Coco is also one of the brilliant brains behind the Proof of Concept Accelerator Grant, a collaboration between Dirty Films, Netflix, and the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative. The grant is designed to accelerate the path for directors who give voice to the perspectives of women, trans and non-binary people. Eight filmmakers will receive $50,000 in funding to create short films that can act as springboards to feature films or TV series. Link in bio for me as the deadline is Friday 2/16.

Can't wait to hear your takeaway!

Beijos,

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