Crew Call 3:05

This conversation with composer Carlos Rafael Rivera might be my favorite conversation yet from either the podcast or our Filmcraft Series. Carlos is not only hilarious but an incredible teacher and this conversation exemplifies his incredible talent and generosity. It is no wonder he leads the Media Scoring & Production Faculty at the University of Miami in addition to winning numerous Emmy’s and...

In honor of the recently announced program for the Miami Film Festival we would like to share our conversation with the festival’s Director of Programming Lauren Cohen . Film Festivals are playgrounds for cinephiles and filmmakers alike. For the most part it is a week of an entire community sitting together in the dark experiencing a story together and then chatting about it in lines, over drinks...

Mitch Kaplan has been a driving force for our cultural community in Miami since the 1980’s. If you don’t know his face you for sure know the institutions he has created. First Books and Books our cherished local bookstore and then the Miami International Book Fair, widely considered the largest and most diverse book fair in the United States. Then why did we have this book seller on our Filmcraft...

It has been awhile since we put anything up on our Podcast feed, because well… life. Luckily we had an incredible Filmcraft Series last year and I am so happy to be sharing those conversations on this feed. First up is Brenda Moe , the CEO and Programming Director of the Coral Gables Art Cinema . I can’t say enough about her. She is one of my favorite people to talk shop with and she has been one...

In 2022 Rob and Pedro released their documentary South Beach Shark Club which tells the story of a group of Miami fisherman that spent the 1970s catching sharks. The film is fantastic and you can rent/buy it now on Amazon . But our Filmcraft conversation with them was not about the making of the film but the marketing of the film. The two filmmakers embarked on a unique marketing campaign that inc...

Director Victoria Collado and acting legend Ruben Rabasa have been an unlikely duo since they began working together in 2019. Ruben was cast in Vicky’s incredibly successful immersive play Amparo that took Miami by storm in 2019. But she like me, and so many others in Miami, have been watching Ruben’s work since we were little. If you are hispanic and grew up in Miami you almost certainly grew up...

As soon as we got the grant form the Coral Gables Community Foundation to start our Filmcraft Series I knew that I wanted Danny Davila to be one of our speakers. So many industry talks always focus on directors, writers, and actors and I knew there was so much more to learn from all the other disciplines of our industry and that so many careers start in below the line crew positions. And for anyon...

For the next few weeks we will be brining the recordings of our Filmcraft Series to our podcast feed. These conversations with Miami filmmakers is meant to illuminate what real careers look like, delving into both the artistic craft and business reality of the industry. It was amazing to kick off the series with writer/director/producer Phil Lord . This conversation was led by writer/director and...

I met Frankie Midnight at the 20204 Miami Film Festival where he made his directorial debut with MUMBLE: FATE OF A LOST ICON which is streaming now on Tubi ( and we talk about the profits he is actually making from streaming it there). Shortly after he was one of the first Actors to participate in our Actor Showcase, a program designed to help more actors land local film gigs, you can see his incr...

After a longer than expected break we are back with new episodes of our Podcast Crew Call 3:05 . If you are new here our podcast is conversations with local cast and crew about what earning a living as a filmmaker in South Florida actually looks like. We hope this podcasts helps you feel better about the job prospects in our community, inspires you to take chances in your career and allows us to c...

Meet writer/director Gabe de Varona. One of the many locals who went off to college and then found himself back in Miami thanks to the pandemic. Since moving back he has had a string of hit short films and was recently names one of Oolite’s Cinematic Residents where he is working his first feature film. In this conversation we discuss among other things: how different his career in NY looked like...

Meet Bianka Krausch, Talent Agent and CEO of the Talent Direct Agency as well as Co-chair of the South Florida Branch of Women in Film and Television Florida. Our conversation really centered on connecting and building the South Florida film community. Her commitment to growing what we have here and strong belief at the incredible talent our community has cultivated shines through. WE have been so...

Meet Adrian Cardenas, Writer/Director, University of Miami screenwriting professor and former MLB baseball player. After making it all the way to the MLB Adrian took a career detour to become a filmmaker with undergraduate and graduate degrees in film from NYU ( go violets!). We talk about what drove his big career s**t, the difficulties of getting paid to be a filmmaker, and how taking jobs away...

Meet Dan Abrusci, sound mixer and designer. In our conversation we spent a lot of time discussing what it takes to build a freelance career, learn the skills you need to be an asset to a production and keep clients knocking on your door. It was refreshing to have Dan talk openly about his rates and the fact that you can make a living working in indie film even from here in Miami. I think we would...

Meet Krystal Millie Valdes, Actress/Singer-Songwriter and Hialeah native. I had so much fun with this conversation, Krystal is such a joy to talk to in addition to being incredibly talented! We discuss what it has taken to gain the self confidence needed to pursue her many creative talents. The pride for Miami she exudes and the joy of working here where she grew up makes her the perfect first gue...

Introducing Miami Film Lab's new podcast, Crew Call 3:05. Here we will interview the cast & crew who are making a life and a living in south Florida as filmmakers. This is part of our mission to not only elevate the profiles of the incredible talent working in our community but to also provide the mentorship needed to ensure more artists can make their lives and their careers right here! Miami Fil...