IN THE ROOM - The Cast Station

What does it actually take to turn an idea into a film, build a career around it, and still protect the reason you wanted to make movies in the first place? Filmmaker Erin Brown Thomas joins  In the Room  to talk about  Chasers , her ambitious one-take pilot that made history at Sundance and Slamdance, and the deeper questions about ambition, exploitation, survival, and success hiding underneath t...

Joe Swanberg returns to In the Room with a lot to catch up on. As THE SUN NEVER SETS arrives in theaters September 4, Joe takes us inside his new film starring Dakota Fanning, Jake Johnson and Cory Michael Smith, including shooting on 35mm in Alaska, building scenes from real relationships and making a movie while parts of the emotional story were still unfolding in his own life. But we also go de...

Award-winning director, cinematographer and producer Taylor Washington joins Heather Kofka and John Williams to discuss the winding, collaborative and often unpredictable road toward building a sustainable life in filmmaking. Taylor takes us behind the scenes of  Grind , the SXSW horror satire anthology that transforms the anxieties of modern work culture into four increasingly unhinged stories. H...

This week on In the Room, we sit down with Andy Fisher, five-time Emmy-nominated and DGA Award-winning director of Jimmy Kimmel Live. Andy takes us from his Austin comedy roots, where he was making strange DIY films with friends on whatever equipment they could find, to his early editing days in Los Angeles, to the moment he was asked to step into the director’s chair at one of late night’s bigges...

In this episode of  In the Room , John Williams and Christopher Shea sit down with the team behind  Kill Me , which premiered at SXSW 2026. Director Peter Warren, producer Natalie Metzger, and producer Keith Goldberg discuss the film’s unusual premise, a murder mystery where the body becomes the detective, and how that idea opened the door to a story about mental health, depression, comedy, myster...

What does it really take to make a feature film when you don’t have the system behind you? In this episode, SXSW filmmakers Lauren Noll and Dalia Rooni share how  Same Same But Different  came together, from early concept to production, through persistence, unconventional problem-solving, and complete creative ownership. This is a conversation about building momentum when nothing is guaranteed, an...

Filmmaker John Valley joins  In the Room  to share his journey from a small town in Iowa to premiering films at SXSW, and what it really takes to build a career in independent film. He breaks down the making of  The Pizzagate Massacre , how the film went from festival rejection to viral controversy, and how self-distribution, SEO, and timing changed everything. The conversation also dives into his...

Anne Hollister—actress, writer, and producer at Happy Bad Bungalow—joins  In the Room  to discuss her evolution from Broadway performer to independent film producer. Anne shares the six-year journey of bringing  Mattress Mack  to life, the realities of financing independent films, and what it takes to build a production company from the ground up. She opens up about stepping away from representati...

Elizabeth Tabish, renowned for portraying Mary Magdalene on  The Chosen , joins  In the Room  for an unfiltered conversation about casting, ambition, and staying human inside a business that constantly evaluates you. She reflects on growing up in Oklahoma, building a career through commercials and indie work in Austin, and the psychological wear of auditions, self tapes, and the approval cycle. El...

A bluefin tuna leaves cold Nova Scotia waters and ends at a sushi table in Tokyo, and along the way, Bite to Bite reveals the human machinery behind one of the world’s most coveted fish. Director Kelly Lipscomb joins In the Room to talk about making a documentary that lets the audience feel first, then decide what they believe. We dig into the real “casting” of non-fiction, how you find characters...

On this episode of In the Room, casting director John Williams sits down with filmmaker Andrew Davies Gaines to talk about Voices, his deeply personal documentary about his father and Las Vegas legend, Danny Gans. Andrew shares how a career ending shoulder injury cut short his path in professional baseball and led him toward acting, writing, producing, and finally directing his own work. Together,...

Steven Bernstein sits with John Williams, Heather Kofka, and Christopher Shea for a luminous, craft-first conversation on the art of filmmaking. Bernstein traces his path from cinematography to the director’s chair, reflecting on  Monster ,  Last Call ,  Decoding Annie Parker ,  White Chicks ,  Half Baked ,  SWAT , and  Blade , and why the most enduring work begins with human chemistry. They unpac...

Writer-director Todd Rohal and actor-filmmaker Tipper Newton join us to unpack the wild ride of “F My Son,” from adapting a taboo comic into a kinetic midnight movie to crafting practical effects with Robert Kurtzman. We discuss casting at the edges, protecting a child actor on set, navigating love-it or hate-it reactions, and why they chose a slow, theater-first rollout instead of streaming. Tipp...

When writer-director  Bryan Poyser  decided to make a feature over winter break—with no finished script and a team of students—he had no idea it would premiere at  Tribeca Film Festival . In this episode of  In the Room , host  John Williams  sits down with Poyser and actors  Heather Kafka  ( The Leftovers ,  Friday Night Lights ) and  Justin Arnold  ( Spike Jonze’s Scenes from the Suburbs ) to un...

A&E’s  The Mother Flip  is equal parts grit, design, and disciplined budgets. Best friends  Kristy Etheredge  and  Rebecca Franchione  take us inside the real playbook: sourcing distressed Hill Country properties, structuring  all-cash deals , controlling scope, and sequencing trades to hit aggressive timelines. They explain how the show was sold, why  every house is different , and how they m...

In this episode of  In the Room , John Williams and guest co-host Joe Brundage sit down with  Nirav Murthy , co-founder and co-CEO of  Camp Network , to explore the future of intellectual property in the era of AI and blockchain. Nirav breaks down how Camp Network is building infrastructure at the intersection of AI and IP, why blockchain matters for provenance and royalties, and how creators, act...

In this episode of  In the Room , hosts John Williams and Heather Kofka welcome filmmaker  Ty McMahan  and producer  Brandon Kobs , the team behind the powerful new documentary  67 Bombs to Enid . With legendary documentarian  Errol Morris  as executive producer, the film sheds light on the Marshallese community in Enid, Oklahoma, displaced by U.S. nuclear testing in the Pacific, and the ongoing l...

Filmmaker and cinematographer  Clay Liford  ( Earthling, Wuss, Slash ) joins  In the Room  to share candid insights from a career in indie film. Clay reflects on his path from SXSW premieres to teaching film, why coverage is the most misunderstood part of directing, and how embracing happy accidents can change your filmmaking. He also unpacks the challenges of modern distribution and output deals,...

This week, director William Kaufman ( The Channel ,  Daylight’s End ) returns to  In the Room  to discuss his newest release:  Osiris —a gritty sci-fi thriller that’s part  Aliens , part  Black Hawk Down , and 100% badass. He’s joined by producer Christian Sosa to break down how they: Shot massive firefights on an indie budget Created terrifying practical aliens Landed Linda Hamilton for a critica...

This week  In the Room , Emmy-winning casting director Jessica Daniels joins us to pull back the curtain on one of the most essential—but misunderstood—roles in film and TV. From  The 40-Year-Old Version  to  Will Trent , Jessica has cast some of the most nuanced and compelling projects of the last two decades. We talk about her days at Disney and Fox, how casting has changed post-pandemic, and wh...

Jaime Schwarz has helped over 100 brands speak for themselves—but now, he’s building something bigger. From co-founding seven startups to inventing a patent for self-authenticating media, Jaime is a true pioneer in the next chapter of content creation. In this episode, he joins John Williams In the Room to break down how blockchain, remix rights, and smart contracts are giving power back to creato...

Filmmaker and creative producer Christopher Shea steps  In the Room  to reflect on the twists, pivots, and passion projects that have defined his multi-decade career in indie film, TV, and theater. From directing Berlin-premiering shorts to fixing chaotic sets, Shea unpacks what it really takes to survive—and thrive—in the creative trenches. We talk about: The realities of being a fixer in indie p...

Award-winning casting director Alyson Silverberg joins John to reflect on a career spanning two decades and some of television’s most beloved series. From  Jane the Virgin  to  Greek , Alyson has built iconic ensembles and discovered fresh talent with a sharp eye and heart-led intuition. They dive into: What it  really  takes to cast a hit show How the audition process has evolved from VHS tapes t...

On this episode of  In the Room , Sundance filmmaker Chelsea Christer joins John and Heather to share the wild true story that inspired her dark comedy short  Out for Delivery . From a real-life medical shipping disaster to shooting the film in just two days, Chelsea reveals how she brought her sharp, satirical vision to life with zero budget and total heart. We talk casting, making art with your...

What does it take to direct a sci-fi thriller with no script, no studio, and just 8 days of filming? In this week’s episode, John sits down with filmmaker  Chris Folkens , whose debut feature  Catalyst  is turning heads in the indie world. Shot guerrilla-style with an ensemble cast improvising every scene,  Catalyst  is more than a film—it’s a mirror to society, challenging everything from ego to...