Angle on Producers with Carolina Groppa

Today, we are joined by actor and producer Jennifer LaFleur. She was recently in the HULU original film THE DROP and, just this past weekend, the psychological horror film she also co-produced, BIRTHRITE, directed by Ross Partridge. In a blast from the past, Jen and I met in 2011 on the set of a feature film where I was shadowing the producer. It's a gentle reminder of how much the path zigs and z...

Monday vibes got you down? Let's flip that energy! 🎬 We are gearing up to launch a new season of the show, but in the meantime, I wanted to share what I've been up to behind the scenes. We've been focused on elevating all across the board--from our content, to our vibrant new set by Sara Silkwood (https://www.sarasilkwood.me/), and intentional community engagement. After 6 years of a mostly solo...

Kicking off August with a very special episode with the the brilliant minds behind Zello and Cinelease.  They just announced a game-changing acquisition that's bringing our industry back to its roots - where crews are empowered and things get done without red tape. As someone who's filmed in LA most of my career, I know Hollywood's real magic isn't what's on screen—it's the thousands of passionate...

This is a very fun special crossover of AOP  and  Daddy Dailies  with host  Vika Stubblebine .  She actor, writer, director and stand up comedian who most recently wrote on CBS's S.W.A.T.. She is a co-founder of Not Your Daddy's Films , a social impact organization dedicated to empowering and educating women and nonbinary filmmakers through events, screenings and podcasts. The community they've bu...

Earlier this week I shared part 1 of my conversation with Hollywood icon Steve Papazian. He is the former President of Worldwide Physical Production at Warner Bros. That chat was recorded back in April of 2019 and chronicles his rise from the mailroom to The Matrix.  If you missed part one, I highly recommend you hit pause and go check that out.  To refresh your memory, he started in the mailroom...

Delighted to share a truly remarkable conversation I had back in April 2019 with Steve Papazian - a Hollywood executive whose career spans nearly five decades and reads like a masterclass in entertainment industry evolution. When you look at his filmography, you're looking at some of cinema's most defining moments - The Matrix, The Hobbit trilogy, the Harry Potter films. He's been the trusted prod...

A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of hosting a panel at UTA for a screening of ANDOR - the Star Wars spinoff series from creator Tony Gilroy. It was there that I met today's guest, executive producer, Sanne Wohlenberg. Check that out here: https://youtu.be/mGe1Ec3nhv8 Sanne is a German-born television producer working primarily in the United Kingdom. After working on multiple episodes of the cri...

What happens when you combine the brilliant mind of Ryan Coogler and a bunch of blood-thirsty vampires? You get SINNERS, one of the most original and entertaining films of the year. A theatrical feat at the box office, it's grossed over 285 million dollars since its April 16th release. It was my absolute pleasure to talk to producer Sev Ohanian about how this monster movie gem came to fruition. Se...

Christine Davila is a trailblazing TV executive and producer with an unexpected passion—she knows all the words to the musical CABARET.  From her early days at prestigious film festivals like Sundance and Tribeca to building the vibrant Latina Squad community, Christine's journey is a masterclass in resilience, vision, and the power of authentic narratives. This Mexican-born industry leader is als...

In celebration of tax day here in the US, as if there is such a thing, haha, today's episode of Angle on Producers Podcast dives into the sexy and crucial world of production tax incentives. If you find yourself intimated by the jargon, confused by the process, or unsure of where to start, then look no further! Michele Miller is the VP of Production Tax Incentives and Accounting Services at GreenS...

There's nothing Hollywood loves more than putting people in boxes. Comedy or drama. Actor or director. But with the fall of the old studio system and the rise of the indie, we're seeing more blurred lines than ever before. Everywhere you look today you can find genre blends and multi-hyphenates in every aspect of the industry, and our next guest is no exception. The oh so lovely Yvonne Strahovski...

Today's episode marks an exciting milestone as we launch a brand new segment called The Sun Dial with the brilliant Rebecca Sun. An acclaimed journalist and cultural critic, she is a guiding light in media commentary, so we are lucky to have her on the show!  There will be MANY hot takes and sun puns, so prepare to bask in her insightful radiance. A sundial is often used metaphorically to represen...

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 spa...

*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 h...

*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,...

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,...

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 de...

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 becom...

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 d...

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...

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 pl...

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"....

As 2024 comes to a close, we couldn't end the year without one final episode drop. This one is especially fitting for New Year's Eve, as today's guest is none other than Alexandra Loewy, EP of Coralie Fargeat's critically acclaimed film, "The Substance." No spoilers, but NYE plays a special role in the third act! Ali began as an assistant at Miramax and eventually worked her way up to President of...

**This episode is brought to you by ICEX-Invest in Spain** Sara Spring is an incredible producer and former studio executive with a penchant for Luther Vandross.  Some may call her an international woman of mystery as she has shot all over the world in places like Spain, France, Italy, England, Ireland, Jordan, Morocco, Greenland, South Korea, and Tahiti. Her uniquely holistic approach to producti...

This week, host Carolina Groppa and Fassa Sar unpack all the gems from #ContentLondon, a three days development marketplace and conference. It attracts more than 3000 leading content executives from all over the world, with a focus on creating fresh partnerships around the most progressive ideas and initiatives. Fassa is the founder of Callo, a digital platform that matches experienced, above-the-...