CK Café: Conversations with Indie Creatives

What do magic, music, and sound design have in common? Nathan Rantala. This week on CK Café, we're joined by Nathan Rantala ; a sound designer, musician, and magician (yes, you read that right). Nathan joins us for a conversation about building a creative career that refuses to fit into one box. He has designed sound for independent films, performs and records music as one half of the indie d...

What does it really take to make the leap from actor to producer? This week on CK Café, Ethan Felizzari-Castillo & Rosie Dean sit down with Nicole Rivera , producer and co-founder of Dead Horse Productions , to talk about building a career on both sides of the camera and the stage. From producing independent theatre and film to balancing the demands of acting while leading productions, Nicole...

This week on CK Café, Ethan Felizzari-Castillo and Rosie Dean sit down with filmmaking duo, brothers Grant and Adam Conversano, the team behind Apple House Pictures. Together, they discuss the realities of independent filmmaking today, their work in documentary, and the exciting challenge of making the leap from short films to feature filmmaking. The conversation explores building a production com...

CK Café is back with an all-new episode featuring filmmaker, producer, photographer, and all-around creative force Joy Walsh. In this conversation, Joy joins the show to discuss the realities of being a multi-hyphenate artist in today's film industry, what it means to wear multiple hats on set, and how embracing a wide range of creative skills has shaped her career. From producing independent...

CK Café is back with all-new episodes for Season 2! For our latest conversation, we sit down with filmmaker, theatre artist, and educator Nelson Isava to discuss his journey from Venezuela to New York City and the path that led him to a life dedicated to storytelling. Nelson shares insights from his work as a producer, director, and creative leader across film and theatre, reflecting on the challe...

In this episode of CK Café , Ethan Felizzari-Castillo sits down with musical theatre composer and songwriter Julia Segal for a thoughtful conversation about creating in today’s theatre landscape. Julia opens up about her upcoming musical theatre work, her journey as a songwriter, social media and how she balances artistic integrity with the realities of commercial production. Together, they explor...

CK Café welcomes musician and creator, Diana Bidea, for an honest conversation about carving out your own lane in today’s music industry. From her journey as an independent artist to building a powerful presence as a TikToker, Diana opens up about the risks, reinvention, and resilience it takes to make your own path - without waiting for permission. Joined by Rosie Dean , the episode dives into cr...

In this episode of CK Café, we sit down with actor and writer Peter-William Jamieson to explore the new CK/Street Kid collaboration, "Sea Wall" by Simon Stephens and the artistic fire behind 'Borderless' - his award-winning one-man play about a soldier confronting the emotional and spiritual aftershocks of war - that CK co-produced and is now turning into a feature film! Dive i...

In this episode of CK Café , we sit down with viral creator and writer  Jessica Vill (@JBunzie) to talk about her bold new project - a Marilyn Monroe biopic ( Becoming Her) produced by our team at CK! Jessica opens up about the pressures of life as a social media creator, finding her artistic voice beyond the algorithm, and what it means to bring new life to an icon To learn more about BECOMING HE...

In this episode of CK Café, we sit down with Nory and his creative director, filmmaker, Eduardo Machado, to talk about resilience, creativity, and pushing past the limitations that so often hold artists back. From navigating obstacles to finding joy in the process, this conversation is all about creating your own rhythm and refusing to be stopped! Nory’s new album F**K THAT THIS THE RHYTHM is out...

This week’s CK Café episode is a special one. We sat down with Paul Zaentz — yes, from The Talented Mr. Ripley and Amadeus — who's now serving as an Executive Producer on Backyard/Desert through his company Teatro Della Pace Films. We talk legacy, the importance of subversive films in today’s political climate, the evolution of independent film, and his family’s iconic film One Flew Over The...

In this candid episode, we sit down with fellow producers of our first large-scale feature film,  Backyard/Desert, to unpack the emotional rollercoaster of indie film fundraising. Backyard/Desert follows a young border patrol agent who discovers a dying migrant in the Yuma desert - forcing her to confront the harsh realities of her job and her identity. We open up about the grind of raising funds...

In today's CK Café , we dive into The Importance of Local Film Festivals with a special spotlight on the Queens Film Festival , happening July 7–13th at Court Square Theater in Long Island City, Queens. We sit down with festival founder Mridul Sharma to talk about the power of community-driven cinema, why festivals like Queens FF matter for emerging filmmakers, and how they're shaping th...

In this special episode of CK Café , we sit down with the co-founders of the new screening series Her Voice (on June 10, 2025 in NYC) - Miu Sato, Carlotta Romano, and Katherine Beggs - to talk about the realities of composing for film and TV, and the challenges of navigating a male-dominated industry as women creators.  This honest and inspiring conversation dives into how Her Voice is building co...

Welcome to CK Café: the show about film & independent artistry created by acclaimed indie production company, ⁠CK Films . Join a variety of hosts every Monday as we welcome indie creatives to talk about their work, the film world and independent filmmaking. More of a visual person? Watch our show here. This week, host Rosie Dean (⁠⁠ @rosiedean21 ) is joined by musician Rob Eberle ( @RobEberle...

Welcome to CK Café: the show about film & independent artistry created by acclaimed indie production company, ⁠CK Films ⁠ ( ⁠@CKFilmsNY⁠ ). Join a variety of hosts every Monday as we welcome indie creatives to talk about their work, the film world and independent filmmaking. More of a visual person? Watch our podcast on our YouTube channel ⁠here⁠ .  This week, host Ethan Felizzari-Castillo ( ⁠...

Welcome to CK Café: the show about film & independent artistry created by acclaimed indie production company, ⁠CK Films ⁠ ( ⁠@CKFilmsNY⁠ ). Join a variety of hosts every Monday as we welcome indie creatives to talk about their work, the film world and independent filmmaking. More of a visual person? Watch our podcast on our YouTube channel ⁠here⁠ .  This week, hosts Stefanie Colón ( @stefaniec...

Welcome to CK Café: the show about film & independent artistry created by acclaimed indie production company, CK Films ( @CKFilmsNY ). Join a variety of hosts every Monday as we welcome indie creatives to talk about their work, the film world and independent filmmaking. More of a visual person? Watch our podcast on our YouTube channel here . This week, hosts Ethan Felizzari-Castillo ( @ethanfe...