Sifter

Rita McClenny was the Director of the Virginia Film Office for 21 years from 1991 to 2012. During her tenure, she grew the office and it’s burgeoning production capabilities. In 2012, she was promoted to President & CEO of Virginia Tourism Corporation, selling film and lots more for the Commonwealth. Our lively discussion includes: – Driving that Tourism truck in her high heels – W...

Virginia Home Grown was created by VPM in 2000, to serve as a resource to enrich growers and gardeners, while highlighting the richness of gardens and natural ecosystems throughout Virginia. We’ll talk with current host Peggy Singlemann, Senior Producer Bryant Dameron and Executive Producer Shawn Freude, along with some additional input from the original host Richard Nunnally. Our discussion...

Michael Gottwald was born and raised in Richmond. After he left, he got involved as a producer and the first major film was “Beasts of the Southern Wild,” which was nominated for four Oscars, including Best Picture. He’s been involved in a number of projects since then and the latest is “O’Dessa,” a a sci-fi musical with a rock score that dropped on Hulu in April. Our discussion includes: –...

John Bernier came to Richmond in 1984, as Chief Meterologist for WRIC-TV (actually WXEX when he arrived). He retired on April 23, exactly 41 years since the day he started. Our chat includes: – How he got into weather at age 2 – His first impressions of Richmond – Winning an Emmy – Memorable weather events – The weather apps he uses – Weird fan encounters &#8211...

Andy Edmunds is the Director of the Virginia Film Office. He was actually the first guest on this show when it launched in January 2022 and he’s back this year for his 4 th annual look back what happened with film and TV production in 2024. Our discussion includes: – The upcoming film “Griffin in Summer” – Max Fischer’s production “Saturnalia” – Film festivals around the state &#...

Dean King is best known as an award-winning author of ten nonfiction books. In 2020, he teamed up with James Campbell and former IBM executive Sam Williamson to produce GOLD & GREED: THE HUNT FOR FENN’S TREASURE. This documentary is about the craze around Forrest Fenn, who hid a treasure box worth at least a million dollars somewhere in the US. He also published a memoir with clues to the trea...

Patrick Clark created and narrated a documentary about a notorious Richmond gangster, LEO KOURY: THE GAY BAR GODFATHER OF RICHMOND, VIRGINIA. It looks at the history of this noted character and some of the crimes he committed locally. It’s currently airing on his special YouTube channel called “Esoteric History.” We talk about: – Where he got the idea – How he compiled the...

BLACKBIRD: LEGACY OF INNOVATION is a documentary about the famed SR-71 jet (there’s one hanging at the Science Museum of Virginia). It played nationally on PBS stations from 2018 to 2021 and is now streaming. Producer Todd Hervey talks about his “flight” to finish the doc: – Who is Fuel & 19Red? – How this project come about – The use of an auto pen for graphics – Shoot...

Kent Eanes spent years working as a grip for movies and TV before he started his career as an on-set photographer, where he had some great experiences, including: – Transitioning from Style Weekly to gripping – Special equipment for on-set photography – Staying out of the actors’ eyelines – Hiding on sets under a couch, in a fireplace and more – Paul Giamatti ne...

Janet Scagnelli, who made her career as an animator for dozens of commercials and TV shows, has created A HISTORY OF ANIMTATED TV COMMERCIALS. This one time only event features a variety of hand-drawn and puppet-animated techniques. It screens at this year’s James River Film Festival on 3/23, 3:30 at the VMFA. We’ll talk about: – Getting paid to animate at age 13 – Creating numerous co...

Roger Beebe is a filmmaker whose work consists primarily of multiple-projector performances and essayistic videos that explore the world of found images. He will presenting several of his performance pieces at VCU’s The Anderson (formerly Anderson Gallery) on March 20. We discuss: – How his love for film evolved – Starting multi-projector shows – Using film loops in his work &#82...

Eric Brown started writing women’s romance novels under pen name Cinnamon Brown, which sold well on Amazon. Since then, he’s written the three screenplays which have been produced: “Cuffs,” “Toxic” and his newest “Sundays After Church,” which is the pilot of a new series. It’ll have a premiere at the Hippodrome Theatre on March 8. We talk about: – How working for the CIA inspired him to writ...

Adam “Tex” has had a successful career writing comedy for movies and TV shows. In the previous podcast we covered numerous great stories. This show covers more: – Punching up or rewriting a script – Fixing a car wash when a pimp endangered his life – Adam’s wife unknowingly shoving Martin Scorsese at a premiere – Oscar-nominated director Sean Baker was his class...

Tom Barrett has spent the majority of his career working on movies and TV shows as a Best Boy Grip. He’ll explain what that means plus: – His first big gig on “Dirty Dancing” – Getting chigger bites on “The WalkingDead” – Working on Dolly Parton’s shows – Advantages of commercials vs. feature films – Differences between shooting on...

This week features two shows about film and books. NOVEL FILM has 2 writers, Bridé Baker & her partner in Copenhagen, Moyna Soderstrand, who discuss a movie and the book that inspired it. LIGHTS, CAMERA, AUTHOR! ia a long-running podcast that features the authors of books about movies. Creator Jim Junot will talk about interviews that include Olivia Newton-John, Billy Dee Williams and Burt War...

Adam “Tex” has had a successful career writing comedy for movies and TV shows. As a matter of fact, he had so much good stuff that there will be a Part 2 (and he’ll give us the goods on his new Oscars podcast with Bruce Vilanch). In this part we discuss: – His Virginia connection with Pharrell Williams – Working with Jimmy Fallon while casting “Just Friends&#822...

Alan Scott Neal is a Virginia native, who’s worked for many years in casting. His first directorial feature “Last Straw” is now on AMC and Shudder. Our discussion includes: – How has work in casting affected his work as a director – Consulting experts on the opening crime scene – Shooting in the diner, which was floated up the river to New York – The light...

This week is a double feature with three interesting women talking about their involvement in a special aspect of the biz. First is Connie St John, president of Women in Film and Video (Washington, DC), which is celebrating it’s 45 th year. We’ll discuss: – The origins of WIFV – The Richmond connection – Highlights from more than 200 seminars – The membership ca...

To mark the beginning of the 4 th year of SIFTER FOR THE EAR, I went for a meta gimmick. Local cinematographer Bunt Young is known for his voice impressions of people in the production community, including yours truly. So, Jerry (aka Bunt) will be interviewing Jerry about: – Where TVJerry came from – When you started directing – How you got into video – The creation of The...

Steven Pressman was featured on this show for his previous film at the Israeli and Jewish Film Festival presented by the Weinstein Jewish Community Center. That film was “The Levys of Monticello” and he’s followed it up with a new documentary about a Richmond-born artist who became a world reknown sculptor. “Moses Ezekiel: Portrait of a Lost Artist” looks at this Jewi...

Local filmmaker Carter Amos wrote and directed Death Of A Child Star , about a young woman who’s haunted by her past TV show. The film will have a free premiere screening at the Byrd Theatre on January 11. Carter is joined by Sophia Anthony, his co-producer and star of the film, as they discuss: – Their cinematic influences – This “friends” production – The insp...

Kahil Dotay has been involved in more than 200 film and TV projects, many of them as an actor. He has stories about some of the fun things that he’s encountered on sets, including: – Playing “Creepy Guy #1” in Wonder Woman – Almost getting a good part on The Wire – Meeting Aaron Sorkin – Watching Steven Speilberg work – Career advice from Martin Shee...

Krystal Lowe graduated from VCUarts Theatre and has gone on to act on stage and in films. Her latest is Out of Spite , where she plays a New York Police Department Commander leading the search for a killer. We discuss: – How her experience at VCU helped her – How she fits acting into her full time job as an assistant principal – Dinner at Sylvia’s in Harlem – Working...

David Noble has made his career in the Army, but he’s also been writing and directing shorts and feature films. His latest feature is THE SECRET WITHIN THE SPHERE, a steampunk sci-fi advebture, but the distributor changed the name to FUTURE WAR. We’ll talk about: – The inspiration for movie – Visual effects from around the world – Shooting on unique locations in Phila...

After spending time at John Tyler Community College and Savannah College of Art and Design, Lindsey found herself in VCU’s cinema program, where she graduated in August 2022. One month later, she directed her first feature-length film, THE TRIP, which follows a group of friends with some relationship issues on a weekend getaway. The upcoming screening is part of the “First Features&#82...