Behind the Scenes

Karissa Tuthill Akin co-founded Après Visuals video production studio based in Jackson, WY with Amon Barker. The two were first introduced through their mutual love of the outdoors and soon realized their unique talents made a great team. Karissa studied marketing and was drawn to the creativity of production. Since beginning they have had the opportunity to bring on other inspiring creatives, tra...

Andrei Zinca has worked, and successfully worn many hats, within the film industry over the last 40 years, from director to CEO of several field-related companies, including the Miami and Los Angeles based Double 4 Studios ( www.double4studios.com ). He has thoroughly sown his creative industrial oats, making him highly knowledgeable and well connected with many pioneers and tastemakers in the glo...

Three time Telly Award-winning filmmaker Sue Vicory has been creating community-based films and projects within her not for profit production company Heartland Films, Inc. since 2003. Her works include “Homelessness & the Power of One,” feature documentaries “One” and “Kansas City Jazz & Blues; Past, Present & Future” and short films “Absent” and “1898, The W.F. Norman Story. In 2015, she founded...

Steve La Rue is a veteran television development executive with 20+ years experience having championed such iconic series as Buffy The Vampire Slayer, The X-Files, The Simpsons, King of the Hill, Battlestar Galactica and Farscape. He is also a writer/performer having logged many hours onstage at The Groundlings, Pinata, Muse Literary Salon, and To Whom It May Concern. We discussed what's hot in tv...

Diane Bell’s first film as writer/director, Obselidia, premiered at the Sundance Film Festival 2010 in Dramatic Narrative Competition and won two awards, the Alfred P. Sloan Award and Excellence in Cinematography. She was selected for Sundance Screenwriting Lab 2011, with STEM, for which she was awarded the Sloan Development Fund at the Tribeca Film Institute. Her second film, Bleeding Heart (film...

Merhia Wiese Meow Wolf is an arts and entertainment group based in Santa Fe, New Mexico. They are dedicated to creating and supporting art across a variety of media, including architecture, sculpture, painting, photography, video production, cross-reality (AR/VR/MR), music, audio engineering, narrative writing, costuming, performance, and more. As a certified Benefit Corporation, Meow Wolf champio...

Claire Taylor is the director of programming at SeriesFest, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting the art of episodic storytelling. With year-round initiatives and professional development opportunities focused on diverse and under-served voices, education programs for students, and an annual festival, which gives emerging artists a platform and place for discovery, SeriesFest is where...

Audrey Elling is the Executive Director of the heartland chapter of NATAS (The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences). It is the only non-profit organization dedicated to recognizing outstanding achievement, raising industry standards, and improving the quality of television. Learn more at https://emmyawards.tv . To find out more about Laura and her work please visit her website at www....

Mariel Rodriguez-McGill is an Emmy Award-Winning creative producer, director and editor focused on documentary filmmaking with a passion for telling inspirational and compelling stories. At Rocky Mountain PBS in Denver, Colorado, Mariel helped develop the web-series Great Ingredients, and the historical documentary series Colorado Experience, which launched its fifth season in 2017. Currently, Mar...

Shari O’Donnell is a producer, private equity broker and the founder of Nantosuelta Entertainment ( www.nantosueltaentertainment.com ). Her company offers the world's leading film incentive package for filming in Ireland. With over a decade of experience as head of production at leading production companies such as Zanzibar Films and Olympia Films, she has produced and sold several film slates. Sh...

Larry Namer is an entertainment and media entrepreneur who co-founded E! Entertainment Television and Movies USA Magazine. He has also founded several other media companies around the globe and currently heads Metan Global Entertainment Group. Find out more about Larry’s work at https://metanglobal.com/ To find out more about Laura and her work please visit her website at www.laurapowers.net . You...

Matthew Joubert is a Marketing Manager at Shift72, an OTT media management and delivery platform. I met him at AFM and we talked about how to distribute and monetize your films. You can visit them at www.shift72.com and find them on Facebook and Twitter @Shift72. To find out more about Laura and her work please visit her website at www.laurapowers.net . You can also find Laura on twitter @thatlaur...

I met up with writer Isa Mazzei and director Daniel Goldhaber at the Denver Film Festival to talk about their recent psychological thriller, CAM. You can find them on Twitter: Daniel @chronopictures, Isa @isaiswrong, as well as @camthefilm. To find out more about Laura and her work please visit her website at www.laurapowers.net . You can also find Laura on twitter @thatlaurapowers, on Facebook @t...

Neil Truglio has been with the Denver Film Society for thirteen years as the Director of Marketing and PR. After departing the organization in 2008 to seek an opportunity to teach in the public school, he returned this year as the Education Director to bring cinematic education programs to the community of Denver. Neil continues to be an avid part of the theatre and filmmaking communities of Denve...

Jeanne is the founder of Belles Fetes Productions and the director/producer of Look Don’t Tell, an immersive experience in New Orleans celebrating the city’s tricentennial. Learn more at https://www.lookdonttell.com/ , on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/LookDontTellNOLA/ , and Instagram, and Twitter @lookdonttell. If you are in the New Orleans area, be sure to check out screenings of Look Don...

Joanna Ke is an award-winning filmmaker that thrives in the industry fas an actor, writer, professional script reader, and producer. As a professional script reader and story analyst, Joanna has read hundreds of screenplays for studios, producers, and screenwriters. Her experience as an actor helps her have a keen eye for character and dialogue while her own experience as a writer helps her unders...

Founded in 2013 by actor/writer/producer Helenna Santos, Ms. In The Biz is the go-to resource for female entrepreneurs in the entertainment industry, focusing on creating career success while living a purpose-filled, passionate life. The site has a readership of almost half a million people all over the globe and hosts various events and meetup. Learn more at www.msinthebiz.com and follow Helenna...

Adam Chester works as a professional composer, arranger, pianist and singer/songwriter. Since 2005, he’s earned the title of the “Surrogate Elton John”, working exclusively with Sir Elton and his band as Elton’s only “stand-in” on the piano and vocals for various rehearsals, sound checks and concert appearances. Adam also composes, arranges and conducts for Elton. In 2007, Adam conducted the Brook...

Prescott Ellison is a Grammy Award-winning drummer who has toured and recorded with artists including Brian McKnight, Justin Timberlake, Christina Aguilera and Earth, Wind, and Fire. He is also an author of books on health and fitness as well as the inventor of The Body Bench. Learn more about his company Ellison Lifestyle Group at ellisonlifestylegroup.com and find him on Instagram @prescottellis...

Mick Garris is a filmmaker and author best known for his Stephen King adaptations and creating the "Masters Of Horror" television series. He is also the creator of the Post Mortem with Mick Garris podcast where he interviews directors of horror films. You can find the podcast on iTunes or any other service and follow the show on Instagram @postmortemgram, on Twitter @postmortemmg, and on Facebook...

London-based bestselling author and screenwriter Mark Stay is the host of the Bestseller Experiment podcast. He co-wrote the screenplay “Robot Overlords” which became a $21m movie with Sir Ben Kingsley and Gillian Anderson. Having worked in publishing for over twenty years, Mark is an “author-on-the-inside” and has seen the beauties and harsh realities of the publishing industry. Learn more at bes...

Krista Rafanello is the show manager for the New York Rights Fair, a new copyright trade and licensing show dedicated to publishing, international rights and licensing. The show, scheduled for May 30 – June 1, 2018, will bring US publishers and agents together with their global counterparts. The event is a way to celebrate the artistry, creativity, and innovation of the world’s publishing communit...

Zaki is the director of the recently released film The Concessionaires Must Die, now available on iTunes at http://bit.ly/CMD_iTunes . In this interview she shares how it came about, the challenges of distribution in today’s VOD marketplace, and persevering in pursuit of your dream. Learn more about the film at cmdthemovie.net and find them on Facebook @TheConcessionaires. You can connect with Lau...

Charlie Miller is the curator of Off-Center at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts where he upends audience expectations with tradition-breaking theatrical experiences. I connected with Charlie at a Playwright Slam event at the DCPA. Learn more at https://www.denvercenter.org/about-us/off-center and connect with Laura at www.laurapowers.net , on Facebook @thatlaurapowers, on Twitter @thatlau...

Alexandra Boylan is back on the show to talk about her book, "Create Your Own Career in Hollywood", which is now available on Amazon, as well as some additional words of wisdom. She has written, produced, and acted in several films. She wrote the screenplay for the recent action/adventure film "At Your Own Risk" directed by John K.D. Graham. You can follow her on Facebook and Instagram @alexandrab...