Sifter

Joe Masher is the Chief Operating Officer of Bow Tie Management, which owns and operates Bow Tie Cinemas in 6 states. On the previous podcast, Joe discussed the origins of the family that started and still owns the chain, as well as the evolution of Movieland in Richmond. Subjects this time include: – How streaming affects movie theaters – His collection of thousands of vinyl records &...

Joe Masher is the Co-Owner/Operating Partner of Bow Tie Management, which owns and operates Movieland in 6 states, including right here in Richmond. Our discussion includes: – Magic In The Dark : The origin of the Bow Tie name (It’s actually a place in NYC) – Why the chain moved to Richmond – What’s going on with the Richmond property, including a drive-in and new lux...

The Richmond Film Network also includes a Short Film Series that started in November. Lisa Giles, who created the network, explains what the network is and how the series evolved. The Virginia Video Network is an affiliate of the Richmond Times-Dispatch, but the videos they produce go beyond the newspaper. Creative Services Director Matt Pochily talks about their approach and more. LINKS Tickets t...

The Dominion Energy Christmas Parade is celebrating it’s 39 th year and we went behind the scenes to talk about what’s involved in running the parade and getting it on TV. Guests are CBS 6 anchor Cheryl Miller, who’s co hosted the parade for many years, and Beth Karrer, who’s been the parade director for 9 years. Topics include: – The parade’s history – Ho...

Mary Sader is a successful Richmonder in the TV biz. Her work as a set designer includes a number of high profile shows (see below). She talks about: – Whether theatre or art came first – Power shopping for a shoot – Designing for: HBO hits Succession, Rap Sh!t, Westworld & Big Little Lies CW’s All American and All American: Homecoming Netflix’s You LINKS Mary&#82...

Since Duke Lafoon moved to New York, he’s been in big-name TV series, movies and the lead in an Off-Broadway musical. We talk about: – His stage and screen origins in Richmond – Playing the President in Clinton, The Musical – The appeal of doing commercials – Director David Fincher’s multiple takes in Mindhunter – Being a father in FBI: Most Wanted –...

Constance Wu grew up in Richmond before moving to LA and becoming the star of the sitcom Fresh Off the Boat and the hit movie Crazy Rich Asians . We chat about: – Shooting a video with Jerry in middle school – Why she wrote a book despite her English teacher trauma – Her book’s unabashed approach to sex – Memories of Richmond theatre – Spitballs – Spending...

Kirk Schroder has been recognized in The Best Lawyers in America® in the field of entertainment law and he lives right here in Virginia. Even though he’s worked on numerous local movies and TV shows, his practice draws entertainment and arts-related clients from around the world. We discuss: – How he discovered entertainment as a specialty – Why IPs have they become so important...

Picturing the Obamas was produced by Richmonders Hannah Brown Ayers & Lance Warren for the Smithsonian Channel. It follows the portraits of Barack and Michelle Obama from the National Gallery on a tour of 5 cities throughout the country. This the latest of several compelling documentaries they’ve created. We discuss: – How they met and how it evolved into a partnership – How...

This week’s show features a quartet of interviews:             Brian Morrison, secretary of Free Blockbuster, talks about the idea of creating “little libraries” for people to exchange DVDs and VHS tapes. Click here to see the map of all locations (including 6 in Richmond). Lowrie Fawley, co-founder of The Magic of Horror, gives us the facts about th...

Ray Bentley started the legendary midnight movies in 1974. In those days, if you wanted to see an art film or an edgy indie or even something outrageous, the cinema was just about the only place (this was pre-VHS). Ray was also a co-owner of the famed Cha Chas during the height of the disco scene. Our fascinating discussion includes: – How he started by showing movies to the neighborhood kid...

TyRuben Ellingson was a conceptual designer on Avatar, Jurassic Park, Star Wars: A New Hope and numerous other impressive credits. Currently, he’s an Associate Professor in VCU’s Communition Arts and the Program Director of VCU’s Cinema program. Here are some of the things we discuss: – The origin of his unique first name – Discovering cinema and special effects &#821...

This week’s show is a double feature! First is a look at the American Civil War Museum’s new orientation film “A People’s Contest: America’s Civil War and Emancipation” with Dr. Rob Havers, the CEO of the Museum, and John Murphy, the writer/director behind the movie and Executive Creative Director of Solid Light. We discuss: – Why the Museum decided to create a new film – T...

Longtime local actor Bridget Gethins has a juicy part as the obnoxious neighbor on the new Freeve Covid comedy Sprung . We talk about: – How she transitioned from stage to screen – Her experience on Sprung – Being chosen by Robert Redford for A Walk in the Woods – Playing the court reporter on Loving – Improvising on Game Change & getting mentioned in 2 national r...

Grace Whiteside was a contestant on the 3 rd season of Netflix’s hit glass blowing competition Blown Away . They were raised in Virginia and attended VCU before moving to New York. We discuss: – Their unique clothes on the show – Their mullet and what it means as a non-binary person – Their experience at VCU – The combo of glass production and performance art –...

THE GOOD ROAD is getting ready for its 3 rd season on PBS, so co-hosts Craig Martin and Earl Bridges came on Sifter to discuss: – Their childhood in Thailand – How the show came about – Why Greg calls their guests “Batman, not Superman” – Earl’s definition of a philanthropologist – How they find the people to highlight – What they learned from Season 1 &#3...

Bob Spencer has been working as a set lighting technician in this area for many years, with numerous TV shows, commercials and movies to his credit. This second installment in the on-set vocabulary series covers these: – Greens – C-47s – Film Loader vs DIT – A honeywagon – COVID protocols – Unions in our right to work state – The history of video assist &#...

Bob Spencer has been working as a set lighting technican in this area for many years, having garned numerous TV shows, commercials and movies to his credit. Today he uses his own experiences and historical context to explain the jobs of numerous people on a set, including: – DP – Key Grip – Chief Lighting Technician or Gaffer – Best Boy – Different names different coa...

The Passing On is a documentary about an undertaker at one of the remaining Black funeral homes in the US. It was created by my RVA filmmakers Nathan Clarke & Tyler Trumbo. We’ll talk about: – The inspiration for the project – How they found the right undertaker – Shooting in Texas over 3 years – Working in an embalming room – Film festivals during Covid &#8...

Damian King & Malorie Mackey King had their first kiss in a play at Atlee High School in Mechanicsville, VA. Since then, they’ve had a successful career in LA making movies, TV shows and books. We cover lots: – Their first kiss in a high school play – His unique South American marriage proposal – The book she wrote about her experiences at Playboy – He produced an...

THE GREAT AMERICAN RECIPE is a new 8-part cooking competition that was produced in Ruther Glen, VA by our local public broadcast station, VPM. Steve Humble, Chief Content Officer at VPM, takes us behind the camera to learn about: – Steve’s background in advertising – What sets this cooking competition apart – How they found the cooks and judges – The shooting schedule...

THIS IS GWAR is a documentary about Richmond-based notorious heavy-metal art-concept band GWAR. Texas-based filmmaker Scott Barber directed and we discuss: – How he first encountered GWAR – His inspiration for this doc – Gathering and reviewing so much footage – The comic book design for animation – Getting famous people on board, including: Weird Al Yankovich, Thomas...

Chris Leary is a Norfolk native who attended VCU Theatre before heading to NYC, where he is currently a dresser on Hamilton and Saturday Night Live. On this second part: – Chris gets deeper into SNL (including COVID) – His drag persona Tequila Mockingbird – The latest RuPaul’s Drag Race – His favorite creations for the show (below)           &...

Chris Leary is a Norfolk native who attended VCU in theatre before heading to NYC, where he eventually landed a job as a dresser on Hamilton and now on Saturday Night Live . We talk about: – Getting from VCU to NYC – How he got on Hamilton – Behind the scenes at the Tony Awards – Working on Spielberg’s West Side Story – Dressing on SNL (including Bowen Yang) NOT...

Rex Miller was the co-director of CITIZEN ASHE, a documentary that looks at Richmond native Arthur Ashe. Our discussion covers: – His first experience with Ashe at age 6 – The inspiration behind the title – Working with Ashe’s widow – Bringing on Sam Pollard as co-director – Shooting scenes in RVA – The coincidental release of King Richard LINKS: The movie...