Best in Fest

Contract negotiations got you down? Listen in as Leslie talks to Entertainment Attorney Nina Ameri the founder of the highly respected boutique law firm Ameri Law. Together, they discuss the ins and outs of drafting and negotiating talent agreements, Copyright law, development production and distribution deals, story rights and intellectual property, corporate selection and formation, investor agr...

Janeane Bernstein is a writer, speaker, radio host/producer at KUCI 88.9fm, and host of the new series, OUTSIDE THE BOX . She earned a doctorate from Boston University in Educational Media & Technology and graduated from Syracuse University with her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Education & Communications.  She is a 2021 Age Boom Academy Fellow with the Robert N. Butler Columbia Aging...

How do you get Hollywood interest in you script? Leslie's guest Attorney and Literary Agent Paul S Levine says, one very interesting way is to reverse engineer a book from your script, get it published creating the IPO and then go to the studios and distributors. The best part about it is that you get paid multiple times instead of just the $100K as a first time independent script writer. Les...

Dr. Rosanne Welch is the Executive Director of the Stephens College MFA in TV and Screenwriting, a program whose goal is to bring more female and underrepresented voices and female-focused stories into mainstream media. Her current books include Why The Monkees Matter: Teenagers, Television and American Pop Culture (McFarland Publishing, 2017) and Women in American History: A Social, Political, an...

"Actors are writers" says Leslie's guest Actor, Writer, Director, Producer, Rebekah Miskin. In this episode, Rebekah discusses her short film "Night Owl" as well as how to create a show bible and then a really strong pitch... and there's a difference between pitching to networks and pitching to streamers. More About Rebekah Actor/Director/Writer/Producer, Rebekah Misk...

Want to get paid for your Sci-FI or Horror short film?  Perhaps you can even get it made into a feature! In this episode, Leslie talks with Sophie Carrol the Senior Manager of Acquisitions at Gunpowder & Sky.  She drops some serious knowledge about what this groundbreaking short film platform is looking for from its content creators. Don't forget to have your materials prepared, you just...

Do you want tips from someone who's responsible for producing major motion pictures in Hollywood? In this episode, Leslie sits down with acclaimed producer Jennie Lew Tugend to discuss how to secure funding for a film during the pandemic, strategies for an exceptionally strong pitch, how to create the perfect log-line, writing for a budget, trends in the industry, adapting a book into a scree...

Get ready for some incredible Independent film marketing tips as Leslie and Ivana discuss navigating the film circuit, getting your film funded, short film vs. feature film marketing strategies, the structure of filming a documentary and how to create social revolution through filmmaking. Ivana Todorović is a director of short, socially-engaging films in Belgrade and New York City. Her fiction fil...

From Actor to Writer to Producer, Raeann Giles has done it all... or at least a lot. In this episode, Leslie and Raeann discuss how to find representation, tips to launch on Amazon, how to find your audience, casting challenges and choices, tragedy in filmmaking, leveraging into future projects, the structure of a film, the writing process and much more. Raeann Giles is a multi-ethnic writer/actor...

There is a massive push for diverse talent at Sony through the diversification and inclusion program run by VP, Creative Programming, Diversity & Inclusion Brett King.  If you are trying to break in to Hollywood, this episode is packed with information as Leslie and Brett discuss Sony's Diverse Writers Program and Diverse Directors Program, what types of writers and directors Sony is look...

There is the dream of finding funding for your film and then there's the reality of how it happens.  In this episode, Leslie and Sonya break down the process of making a documentary, discuss historical Jewish stories, working in Afghanistan, finding the right editor and much more. SONYA WINTERBERG is an award-winning writer and documentary director with roots in Finland and Germany. For most...

The world was largely unaware that there is a large Indian community in South Africa... until Judy Naidoo. In this episode, Leslie and Judy discuss feature film distribution, the film festival circuit, independent film grants,  the virtues of being a proactive filmmaker and much more. Judy Naidoo is a South African independent filmmaker. She holds a Masters Degree in Producing from the National Fi...

How do you convince risk adverse people to fund your film? Some filmmakers go as far as actually shooting a short to use as a proof of concept, In this episode, Leslie and Veronika talk about the best ways to advance your career in film like choosing between big film festivals vs. targeted film festivals, how to work with kids on set, finding the right collaborators, putting story and characters f...

The Parkland shooting was an incredible tragedy and too often the shooter is the one people remember.  Emily Evan Rae made it her mission to make sure the families of the victims get a chance to remember their lost loved ones.  Her documentary film "Stop the Bleed" is a stunning achievement and in this episode she tells us how she did it.

Have you ever heard of a film festival curator? If you're doing the festival circuit a good curator can mean the difference between success and failure.  Leslie and Kymberly get deep into the details as well as how to find the perfect director of photography and specific techniques for actors who are blocked.

How does a successful TV and Film actress become an inspired Director/Producer of a powerful documentary that breaks through. Magi Avila is best known for her rolls in "My American Family" and with Nicholas Cage and William Defoe in "Dog Eat Dog", but turned her sights on becoming a filmmaker after a chance meeting with a man in a wheelchair who has an incredible story to tell....

Leslie talks with ex-development exec and current TV and Film writer Cynthia Riddle about what Hollywood is looking for in today's environment, how to get in the door and find management and agent representation, the value of film festivals and writing contests, how to get staffed on a show and much, much more... This episode is a bit longer, but the flow of information is fantastic! CYNTHIA...

This episode writes itself!  Actress/Producer Desiree Staples is a charming guest with great stories and incredibly valuable information about the business of producing feature films and networking your way through the film festival circuit to great success. Desiree Staples is a seasoned producer, filmmaker, and actress multi-hyphenate, experienced in both short-form and feature film content. Circ...

Leslie and Crystal dive deep as they discuss Crystal's path from her character Olivia on Guiding Light to producing her very successful web series "Venice." Crystal has  taken control of her career by launching Open book Productions,  a digital production company., which is currently making their first feature film. But that's not all, Crystal also co-founded the streaming plat...

Film Noir wasn't always cool, but thanks to the success of Jeanne Marie Spicuzza's film "The Scarapist", filmmakers have been inspired to take up the mantle... and Hollywood has noticed. In this episode Leslie has a fun conversation with the passionate Writer/Director/Actor about financing an Independent Film, the struggles of being a female Director, the Me Too movement and di...

How do you get Hollywood to pay attention to your Independent short or Feature Film? In this episode Leslie gets the blueprint from successful Publicist/Producer Deborah Gilels.  From the Festival Circuit to Packaging a Feature with a major studio, this conversation has it all from two professionals who know the industry. Deborah Gilels has run a successful PR/Media Consulting company for the past...

How the heck do you get a period piece financed as an Independent Filmmaker? Well Writer/Producer/Casting Director Valerie McCaffrey knows and in this episode she shares her secrets with Leslie in a frank discussion about the creative business of filmmaking. But wait, she's also a Hollywood casting Director? That's right, and a very successful one. Don't miss this episode. From Apri...

Don't do that! In this episode Leslie gets to the straight talk with acclaimed Hollywood agent Rima Greer about what agents will and will not look for from writers who want representation. They also discuss the differences between large agencies and boutique agencies, contract negotiation, the different paths a writer can take in their career and with each project, and much more... Rima Greer...

So you wanna be a storyteller? Would you be surprised to learn that storytelling is selling? In this episode, Leslie talks to Screenwriter/Producer/Director Caytha Jentis about all the things writers don't, but should know about the business of writing. From development of a project to the launch of a very successful web series, this episode is packed with great tidbits for you. Caytha is a s...

In this episode Leslie talks to Writer/Director Nicole Conn about life as a filmmaker in the LGBTQ community.  From breaking barriers to thriving in the new world this is not an episode you'll wanna miss.  More about Nicole: Nicole has just released her 8th film, More Beauitful for Having Been Broken, which has won over 30 Best Awards from the 2019/20 Festival Circuit. The Advocate calls it “...