B Smith's Second Sticks

The concept of "Verticals" has become a hot and polarizing topic in the creator space. Verticals, or Micro-Dramas, is content created and meant to be consumed in a vertical, rather than a horizontal, manner. Think Quibi, which was the most prominent attempt in the US at vertical content, and although failing, was perhaps ahead of it's time. Now, studios and streamers in the United Sates are climbi...

In part 2 of a 2 part podcast, B Smith's Second Sticks and Jon "Sarge" Schneider delve into the Ru Paul's Drag Race phenomena, the culture surrounding the show, and the unique energy that allowed Sarge to be comfortable enough to allow himself to transform into the character "Wintergreen" during a makeover challenge. We also talk about his short foray as a postal worker, as we encounter the realit...

B Smith's Second Stick's chops it up with friend of the pod Jon "Sarge" Schneider, in this two-part podcast! Sometimes it goes off the rails a little (like at the start) but it is a fun and in-depth ride as we dig into the origins of the name "Sarge", and his transition from Tank Commander in the military (for real!) to his short-lived radio career to ultimately his start in the non-scripted indus...

I'm always surprised as to how little that union members understand the inner workings of their unions. Therefore it is one of our goals at B Smith's Second Sticks to try and provide as much information from as many reliable sources as possible! We have a long talk with Selene Preston, Eastern Region Director of Photography/Camera Operator and National Assistant Secretary Treasurer of the Internat...

In the mid 2010's (you can debate the timeline), increased film and television production inspired more than a few workers in our industry to pick up and move to Georgia, seeking a cheaper cost of living and more industry work. By 2023, the production boom in Georgia started to dissipate for a number of reasons, not the least being an exodus of productions moving out of the United States. With thi...

Bitcoin in 2026 is a highly polarizing concept. For those who laud it with an almost religious fervor for its qualities of autonomy and decentralization, as well as for others who see it as akin to a global money-laundering scheme, Bitcoin is, nonetheless, volatile and fascinating. In this episode of B Smith's Second Sticks, we spend some time with Adrian Pruett, friend of the pod, long-time DP/Di...

It would not be unusual, and perhaps even expected, that JD Roth would settle into a relatively isolated and restful retirement after a long and successful career in non-scripted television as a on-camera talent, producer and businessman who launched one of the most renowned non-scripted production companies in the 2000's. But he still continues to pass along the lessons of his legacy while servin...

Despite the uncertain labor situation that we as non-scripted workers are facing, I think it's important to take a break, take a breath, and appreciate the historical importance of someone like David Nolte. B Smith's Second Sticks got to take a deep dive into Nolte's varied career as a musician and producer, as well as his time as an audio technician in Reality TV. Nolte is a friend, as decent and...

As members of a much maligned genre as non-scripted, it's imperative that we arm ourselves with as much information as possible so as to understand the moment we are in now. B Smith's Second Sticks recently sat down with Denise Gutches, the CEO/COO/CFO of FilmLA, and we covered a lot of ground. We talked about FilmLA's role in the current landscape of production in Los Angeles and California, and...

In the intro for today's podcast, I refer to Jesse Krim as a "YouTube Creative Director", which in retrospect I think might not be accurate. I think she's more a YouTube "architect", in that she plans, designs, and oversees the various platforms she creates for her clients. With knowledge that belies her still relatively young age, she is sharing her insights (along with other creators) through Th...

It's been discussed on this very podcast that Assistant Directors are the engine that powers productions. But we've only had a former-AD-turned-Director on the pod... until now! B Smith's Second Sticks welcomes Corky Cronin, as we explore his beginnings from wanna-be-actor to stage manager at House of Blues to literally starting over in TV and movie production, working his way up the ranks to 1st...

Georgia was the new production frontier in the late teens and early 20's; the state tax incentives and growing infrastructure made it too attractive for production companies to pass up. Then, strikes and growing costs rendered Georgia into just another expensive American location, and networks started taking their shows out of the state and country. Carrie Dufresne, (former) camera operator talks...

Everyone works hard on a non-scripted TV show, but probably no group of people work harder than the Art department. Constantly under the gun, dealing with near-impossible asks and pressing deadlines, the Art department coalesces to always deliver. B Smith's Second Sticks talks with prop master Scottie DeSantis (Scottie D to those in the know) about working together on classic reality cooking shows...

Filmmaker, shapeshifter, chameleon, survivor: all and more could describe Director/Producer/Cinematographer Mark Jacobs, who joined B Smith's Second Sticks recently for an look at his career, both past and present. We do a deep dive into the show "Breaking Bonaduce", a short-lived but groundbreaking non-scripted show that re-shaped both the reality genre and Mark's career in the mid 2000's. We als...

The path to success is inherently unique to every single individual, and comes with its own specific challenges. For director Anna Moulaison, she advanced herself from a very successful career as an assistant director by, simply speaking, putting in the work. On the strength of one directing gig, Anna knocked on doors, made calls, sent hundreds of emails, and virtually pushed her way through the g...

John Armstrong loves the outdoors, always has. The Harvard grad was a documentarian early on, creating multiple films for outlets such as National Geographic. John also worked for years in the non-scripted genre as a cameraman, shooting (often handheld) on such rugged shows as Eco Challenge, Survivor, The Amazing Race, American Ninja Warrior, and Tough as Nails. Working on these shows helped cause...

I think it's ok to characterize what's happening to those of us working in the non-scripted genre of production as a failure to the American Worker. When unprotected jobs leave the state (and the country), workers are left in stasis: waiting for the phone to ring, not knowing if it will ever ring. Ultimately it can affect our mental health, as well as those of our partners and our families. We tal...

B Smith's Second Sticks gets to catch up with an old friend, Ronnie Ali, who has made a successful transition out of the non-scripted television world into his Softball Catchers Academy. Ronnie and I touch on his early years working at Location Sound in North Hollywood and his transition into audio and audio supervising, starting with The Apprentice, early in his career. We recount his decision to...

B Smith's Second Sticks catches up with a rare commodity- an production person with a actual production job! Mario Panagiotopoulos (hard "G") joins us on the pod to talk about his origins that ultimately brought him to World of Wonder, and the iconic Ru Paul's Drag Race. We reminisce about Reality Bites Back, a show that parodied reality shows that featured some of the (now) heavier hitters in com...

B Smith's Second Sticks is joined by a long-time friend and colleague, TV's Nick Murray! The two-time Emmy winning director joins the pod today to discuss a myriad of subjects. We get deep into Nick's origin story, when as a teenager, he knew right away he wanted to be a director. We chat about his career ascent overseas, including a stint on the original Big Brother. And we of course spend some t...

Lighting Director and Emmy multi-nominee Gus Dominguez joins B Smith's Second Sticks on the pod! We travel back in time to Gus' humble beginnings, pivoting from work in a Mexican restaurant to climbing the production ladder, to yet another disciple of the Stu Segall Production Company in San Diego. Vendors are facing unique circumstances in this current market, and Gus outlines the challenges of w...

There have been a number of people who have helped advance the cause of reality workers in the past 25 years; prominent among those people would be Mande Whitaker. B Smith's Second Sticks caught up with Mande for a lengthy talk. We dipped into her origin story and long career in non-scripted, where a flyer intended for origami became her entry into The Real World Seattle. We recounted her desire t...

B Smith's Second Sticks chops it up with Jon Dockery, an assistant cameraman and old co-worker from the Hell's Kitchen days. We check in to see what's up with Doc, reminisce about the old days of HK (long seasons and two-day episodes), and try to figure out what's next. Doc gives us an honest appraisal of where he sees himself now, as well as for the immediate future. He is ready to work, in case...

B Smith's Second Sticks gets a shot of adrenaline with our guest today, Jeff "Bone" Hamby! The surfer-for-life joins us to talk about his illustrious history in the business, from starting as a fight coordinator for films and tv to working as a Grip to his eventual transition behind the camera. Jeff speaks candidly and energetically with us about relationships on sets, his feelings about the union...

We had a great chat with audio person Christina Chin on B Smith's Second Sticks! Christina and I got into the current production environment, talked about her beginnings in the music biz, and her long engagement with both the Survivor and the Bachelor franchises. Christina is choosing hope as way out of the current malaise; we have a frank and earnest conversation about that. And we take a pause m...