Filmmaking Confidential

While Season Two is being produced, I'd love to share an excerpt from the Audible version of my book "Filmmaking Confidential."  Today I'll read the chapters: "Distribution Middlemen" "You Don't Need to Yell" "What Festival Premieres Mean" "A Chair is a Chair is a Chair" For more information: https://www.dikenga.com/books Get the Boo...

While Season Two is being produced, I'd love to share an excerpt from the Audible version of my book "Filmmaking Confidential."  Today I'll read the chapters: "Marketing: You vs The Big Boys" "How to Read a Screenplay" "Musicians are Famous Too!" "Waiting to Work" For more information: https://www.dikenga.com/books https://www.amazon.com/...

While Season Two is being produced, I'd love to share an excerpt from the Audible version of my book "Filmmaking Confidential."  Today I'll read the Introduction, followed by the chapters: "Finding Your Perception," and "The Floor Plan" (with some secret screenwriting tips!). For more information: https://www.dikenga.com/books https://www.amazon.com/dp/17354...

Today's special Season One finale is The One & Only Betti O!  Betti O. has appeared on stage from New York to Japan, performing with incredible people including Sally Struthers, Ben Vereen and Sandy Duncan. In 2008 she opened for Hillary Rodham Clinton at a political rally in Iowa and was the lead in the Asian tour of “Ain’t Misbehavin’.” Her soulful voice has appeared on music projects w...

Today's guest is actress and writer Jennifer Grace . Jennifer received her BA from Kansas State University in 1997. She has been working as a professional actor since, most notably in a record-shattering run as Emily Webb in Tony award-winning director David Cromer’s critically acclaimed production of OUR TOWN, which she performed in Chicago, New York and Los Angeles, opposite actors such as...

Today's guest is actor Aaron Dean Eisenberg . He is best known for portraying "Todd Lang" in HBO Series The Deuce alongside James Franco and Maggie Gyllenhaal; and "Richard Kane" in Ed Burns' series Public Morals. Eisenberg made his acting debut in 2006, Nathaniel Nose-directed comedy, Talent. The following year he was seen as "Aaron Dean" in Reggie Banniste...

Today's guest is the fabulous Rena Riffel . Rena is an American actress, singer, dancer, model, writer, producer, and director. She is best known for her supporting roles in films such as Showgirls, Striptease, and Mulholland Drive. Riffel landed her breakthrough role in the 1995 film Showgirls starring Elizabeth Berkley, Gina Gershon, and Kyle MacLachlan. Initially reading for the lead role...

Today's guest is filmmaker and actor Doug Hurley.  Doug is originally from Kansas, lived in New York City for a while, and now calls Los Angeles home. As a writer/director, his most recent short film, Suicide Date, premiered at the Dances with Films Festival in Los Angeles, winning the Audience Award for its category as well as the Overall Audience Award for the entire fest, qualifying it for...

Today's guest is photographer, writer, and filmmaker Emma Elizabeth Tillman. Her family lived on a sailboat from the time she was born. Tillman grew up on the water in Southern California, and the ocean has informed and engaged her work in its symbolic attributes; as well as her own confrontation with mystery, intimacy and fear. She graduated with an Masters of Fine Art in Film Directing from...

Today's guests are Renny Grames and Boston McConnaughey - the team behind the new film ALIEN COUNTRY. Boston McConnaughey - Director, Writer With a background in filmmaking and next generation VR storytelling, Boston and Renny have 30 million views on their sci-fi action YouTube series and have created short films online for Sony Pictures, Google, Coca-cola, Nokia, and more... Alien Country’s...

Today's guest is Preston Taylor - an American comedian, actor, producer and writer from Gatesville, Texas. Preston started his illustrious career in Los Angeles with a brief appearance as himself on RuPaul’s Drag Race (2009) as part of the pit crew. He also appeared as an outlaw and stuntman in the award winning short film Valley of the Scorned (2011), as well as, his unbelievable one line, o...

Adam Barnick attended New York's School of Visual Arts for filmmaking, while assisting in production and special effects for theater and independent films. Afterwards he began his career assisting on commercials produced locally for Japanese television. As a writer/director, Adam’s short film MAINSTREAM has played seven international festivals and opened the New York City Horror Film Festival...

Join film directors Elizabeth Spear & Steve Balderson as they discuss the sometimes insane behavior and on-set antics of other Directors, Primadonnas, Assistant Directors, Explosive Producers, Egomaniacs, and how one can navigate all this and still manage to have a creative, warm, and welcoming film set. Elizabeth Spear is an award winning filmmaker from Austin, Texas.  She earned her M.A. in...

William Clift, a Hollywood native, started his career as a Make-up and Hair man for the fashion, film, television and Music Video industry. In mid 2000 he decided to follow his life long dream of becoming a director, writer and produced his first short film, The Fairy Tale, soon after a documentary, The Pure Eccentrics; San Francisco. This led to his first feature film Baby Jane? shot on a shoestr...

In an industry where the word "Producer" is misused and overused, it's nearly impossible to tell what it means anymore. Amazon Studios Social Producer Rebecca Breithaupt discusses the different kinds of producers (Executive, Co, Creative, Associate, and so on) along with the different roles producers play in various fields within entertainment (film, TV, commercial and music industr...

Adrian is an Australian film director, screenwriter and editor.  His film BROLGA is a short film which has just completed a successful international festival run, and has been released for streaming online. The response to the film across the world has been wonderful, and the story of the project's journey to the screen is both unique and full of interesting lessons for those interested in in...

Starina Johnson is a multidisciplinary artist who can be seen in award-winning films such as “West Hollywood Motel”, “More Scenes from a Gay Marriage”, “A Measure of the Sin”, “Stuck!”, “Casserole Club”, “Watch Out”, and “Roundball.”  Theatre projects include Hollywood Fringe darlings Piñata, directed by Stan Zimmerman, complex[ion] woman, directed by Ebony Gilbert, as well as numerous Towne Stree...

Nathan Adloff's feature film “Miles” is semi-autobiographical and centers on a high school senior who joins the girls volleyball team in hopes of winning a college scholarship after his father's untimely death. It stars Molly Shannon, Paul Reiser, Missi Pyle, Tim Boardman, Annie Golden, Yeardley Smith and Stephen Root. “Miles” won the Audience Choice Award in Outfest Los Angeles, receive...

Eric Himan is an award-winning nationally-touring soulful/folk/rock artist.  His music has been featured on Sirius/XM's Coffeehouse radio station.  Eric has toured with Leon Russell and Ani DiFranco.  He has shared the stage with Patty Griffin, India. Arie, Edwin McCain, and many more.  He has appeared in the The Advocate, Huffington Post, OUT, newspapers nationwide, won the Singer/Songwriter...

Elliot Diviney began editing for Best Buy and the Minnesota Orchestra. In 2009, Elliot directed his first feature film, an indie crime comedy called “Paper-Maché.” Between 2011 and 2012, Elliot directed two sequels, “Potpourri” and “American “Rescue Squad.” After those films were released, Elliot moved to Los Angeles where he continued to pursue editing and writing. His editing clients include Net...

By the early 1990s, Debbie was working with multiple theatre companies in NYC including The Tribeca Lab where she played multiple characters in Stephen DiLauro’s play The Secret Warhol Rituals. In 1993 Debbie began her career in radio co-producing and co-hosting Oblique Strategies on the terrestrial channel WBAI. 1994 was the beginning for Debbie to land lead roles in film. Abducted II: The Reunio...

Garrett Swann is a Santa Barbara native, now New Yorker, full-time realist, gym rat, go-getter, and a wannabe millennial.  Obsessed with great convos over coffee, he spends his days inspiring younger generations with his personal style, poise and panache. A role model and GQ Insider, Garrett travels the world as a model in campaigns for IBM, T-Mobile, Amazon/Oprah Magazine, Brooks Brothers, Allen...

Like many film hopefuls, Ronni started making films at about 9 years old when his father bought one of the first camcorder backpack units that had come on the market.  He remade classics such as Faces of Death and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre with his Brooklyn neighborhood friends.  Since then, his films have screed at festivals around the world as well as museums and institutions ranging from Carn...

The Asylum is one of the world's leading brand-oriented motion picture and television studios. With a focus on high-concept, market-driven entertainment, like the SHARKNADO franchise and the popular BLACK SUMMER and Z NATION TV series.  The Asylum finances, produces and releases 25 films per year through its direct pipeline to the nation's top retailers and its network of international p...

Mink Stole is best known for her work in the films of John Waters . Her film career began as a party guest in Waters' film Roman Candles. Since then, she has appeared in all of John Waters' feature films from Pink Flamingos, Female Trouble, Desperate Living, Cry Baby, and Serial Mom (opposite Kathleen Turner) to name a few. She has appeared in a number of films and television shows, such...