Media Industry Conversations Podcast

This week's guest is Christopher Casanova. At the time of recording, Christopher was the Vice President of Film and Television at Black Bear Entertainment, where he oversaw production for Dumb Money, starring Seth Rogan and Paul Dano. Other upcoming Black Bear titles that Christopher has developed include horror-thriller Immaculate starring Sydney Sweeney and The Rivals of Amziah King, starring Ma...

This week's guest is Neal Moritz. Neal H. Moritz is the founder of Original Film and one of the most prolific producers in Hollywood today. After graduating from UCLA with a Bachelor's in Economics, Moritz earned a graduate degree from the prestigious Peter Stark Producing Program at USC. Moritz's credits include some of the best-known titles in film, including the Fast and Furious franchise, 21 a...

Pastor Alvarado spoke to UT students on October 30th, 2023 and the conversation was hosted by Dr. Alisa Perren. They discussed his career trajectory, the scope of his work as Co-Founder and Creative Director at Riverside, and his views on the current state of the media industries.

Dr. Tom Schatz visited on October 2, 2023 and discussed the history of the Hollywood Studio System, the nature of research into historic media industries, and his thoughts on the current state of the industry.

Iger visited Moody earlier this fall—before he announced his return to Disney as its CEO in November 2022—to share his insights on his career trajectory, how the Walt Disney Company evolved under his leadership, and his views on the current state of the media industries. When: Friday, September 9, 2022 - 12 - 1:15 p.m. Where: University of Texas at Austin Host: Alisa Perren Producer: Kate Cronin

Topics of discussion during this Q&A session include the role of an entertainment industry lawyer, the process of negotiating contracts, and some significant shifts in media industry business models that have occurred over the past few decades. When: Monday, October 12, 2020 - 5 - 6:15 p.m. Where: Zoom, University of Texas at Austin Host: Alisa Perren Producer: Kate Cronin MIC - PJ Shapiro, Entert...

Topics of discussion during this Q&A session include Jerren Wright's diverse experiences as a a multimedia/technology businessman and attorney in the entertainment industry. Jerren Wright, Business Affairs Executive, Amazon Studios When: Monday, September 28, 2020 - 5 - 6:15 p.m. Where: Zoom, University of Texas at Austin Host: Alisa Perren Producer: Kate Cronin MIC - Jerren Wright, Business Affai...

Ray Mansfield's (RTF BS, '00)discusses his career trajectory, his roles and responsibilities as Partner for QC Entertainment, and his views on the current state of film financing, production, and distribution. Who: Raymond Mansfield — Partner, QC Entertainment; Executive Producer, Get Out (2017); Producer, BlacKkKlansman (2018) When: Monday, April 23, 2018 - 3-4:15 p.m. Where: BMC 5.208, Universit...

We discuss Hall Hood's career trajectory since his time as an RTF major, his roles and responsibilities as studio lead writer at BioWare, and his views on the current state of the video game industry. Who: Hall Hood, Studio Lead Writer, BioWare When: Monday, November 27, 2017 - 6 - 7:15 p.m. Where: CMA 2.306, University of Texas at Austin Host: Alisa Perren Producer: Kyle Wrather

We discuss Luke Pebler’s career trajectory, his roles and responsibilities as an editor at Detour Films, and his views on the current state of media industries. Luke Pebler, Editor/Post-production at Detour Films When: Monday, November 20, 2017 - 6 - 7:15 p.m. Where: CMA 2.306, University of Texas at Austin Host: Alisa Perren Producer: Kyle Wrather

We discuss Andrew Wang's career trajectory since his time as an RTF major, his roles and responsibilities as Head of TV Development and Production at JuVee Productions, and his views on the current state of television industry. Andrew Wang, Head of TV, Development and Production, JuVee Productions When: Monday, November 13, 2017 - 6 - 7:15 p.m. Where: CMA 2.306, University of Texas at Austin Host;...

We discuss Gaylyn Fraiche’s career trajectory since her time as an RTF major, her roles and responsibilities as Vice President for Movies at MarVista Entertainment, and her views on the current state of the film and TV industries. Gaylyn Fraiche, Vice President of Movies, Mar Vista Entertainment When: Monday, November 6, 2017 - 6 - 7:15 p.m. Where: CMA 2.306, University of Texas at Austin, USA Hos...

Topics of discussion during this Q&A session include Felicia Henderson’s career trajectory from her time as a publicist to her time as a staff writer for shows on The WB up through her present experience as co-creator and Executive Producer for an acclaimed BET series, The Quad; her perspectives on the craft of writing for film, television, comic books, and more; and what it’s like to work in a co...

Topics of discussion during this Q&A session include Jordan Levin's career trajectory since his time as an RTF major as well as his current roles and responsibilities in his position as CEO of the multi-platform media company, Awesomeness. The conversation will also address the growing role of new media companies and multichannel networks, the new ways media talent is developed and discovered, and...

Topics of discussion during this Q&A session include Noah Hawley's history and career as an executive producer, writer, and showrunner. He will discuss his work on several acclaimed television series including Bones, Legion, and the FX limited series Fargo. He will also address how economics and technology have impacted TV’s production and storytelling practices. Noah Hawley, Television Producer/W...

Topics of discussion during this Q&A session include Luis Ribeiro's career trajectory from his time as an RTF major to his current role as Managing Partner/EP for LOBO post-production in New York City. The conversation will address how post-production and design companies like LOBO collaborate with creators for animation, VFX, 3D, and more along with his experiences connecting Brazilian and U.S. a...

Topics of discussion during this Q&A session include Hugh Forrest's career trajectory and current role as Chief Programming Officer for South by Southwest (SXSW), an annual gathering of music, technology and media voices and organizations. He will discuss the role of tech and media in Austin, organizing for an internationally-renowned festival and how SXSW has grown and connects to other parts of...

Topics of discussion during this Q&A session include Caroline Frick’s diverse experiences with media archiving and preservation, film licensing, and television programming for organizations as varied as American Movie Classics, Warner Bros., The George Eastman House, the Library of Congress, and, currently, the Texas Archive of the Moving Image. Caroline Frick, Founder, Texas Archive of the Moving...

Owen Shiflett, (BS, Radio-TV-Film), VP, Development for Sundance Now and Shudder at AMC Networks When: Thursday, April 27 - 3:30-4:45 p.m. Where: Belo Center for New Media (BMC) 5.208 (Seating is first come, first served.) Topics of discussion during this Q&A session include Owen Shiflett’s career trajectory from his time as a student in RTF at UT-Austin, as well as his experience developing and p...

Jessica Chou (MFA, Screenwriting), TV writer, CW's No Tomorrow Britta Lundin (MFA, Production), TV writer, CW’s Riverdale When: Thursday, March 30 - 3:30-4:45 p.m. Where: Belo Center for New Media (BMC) 5.208 (Seating is first come, first served.) Chou and Lundin will discuss their career trajectories from the time they received their degrees in the Department of Radio-TV-Film at UT-Austin up to t...

When: Tuesday, February 21 - 3:30-4:45 p.m. Where: Belo Center for New Media (BMC) 5.208 (Seating is first come, first served.) Topics of discussion during this Q&A session include David W. Higgins’s career trajectory from his time as a student in RTF at UT-Austin, his perspectives on the craft and career of writing, as well as his experience producing for film. Host: Micah Barber Producer: Kyle W...

When: Thursday, November 10 - 3:30-5 p.m. Where: Belo Center for New Media (BMC) 5.208 (Seating is first come, first served.) Topics of discussion during this Q&A session include Philip Levens' career trajectory, his experiences writing and producing sci-fi and fantasy television, his thoughts on the exponential boom in popularity of superhero and science fiction media, and his perspectives on the...

Lev Spiro holds a masters degree in film from the Radio-TV-Film Department at the University of Texas at Austin. He's an award winning director of TV and film who has been recognized for his work on celebrated television shows including 'Arrested Development,' 'Modern Family,' 'Weeds,' and many others. He discussed his career path in Hollywood as well as his thoughts on the changing business of ma...

Todd Nienkerk, (BS, Radio-TV-Film) and Aaron Staunsh (BS, Advertising) are partners with the Austin, Texas-based web design and publishing company Four Kitchens. Their company has produced websites and interactive online spaces for a wide variety of companies in and around the media industry including Entertainment Weekly, NBC, and TWiT.tv. The event took place at the University of Texas at Austin...

Jared Hoffman (BS, Radio-TV-Film) is the President of Generate, an online content and talent management company. He worked for years as an agent for CAA and the SVP of Video Programming for Defy Media. Hoffman spoke at the University of Texas at Austin on November 23, 2016 Host: Alisa Perren Producer and Editor: Kyle Wrather