The 50/50 Podcast

This week, we're joined by filmmaker, actor, and singer/songwriter Nathan Xia, who we got to know through his short FLAVOR OF THE MONTH, which was an Official Selection of our 50/50 Comedy Fest in May. Nathan kicks things off with a heartfelt, original song dedicated to the roommates he's spent years living with—a fitting tribute as the six friends, who first met at LMU, begin going their separate...

This week, it's a 50/50 re-release! We harken back to Episode 18 of the pod, where we welcomed our bud Alaman Diadhiou (actor/singer/dancer) on the pod. Just a couple days ago, Alaman wrapped a successful run of La Cage aux Folles at the NY City Center, where he starred opposite Wayne Brady and Billy Porter in the highly regarded musical.  ANNE ON MY ARM (w/ Alaman, Wayne Brady, Rachel Webb) PLAYB...

This week, we're joined by composer Nicolas Snyder, whose work can be heard in acclaimed animated series like SCAVENGERS REIGN and COMMON SIDE EFFECTS ,  both on HBO Max. Nicolas reflects on his path to composing—from playing in bands and studying narrative writing to discovering that his meticulous, trained approach to crafting sentences was secretly training him to become a songwriter. We also d...

This week, we're joined by writer/director, and 50/50 selectee Kate Saltel. From the formative experience of screening a student film at the Austin Film Festival while growing up in Texas to secretly creating a viral YouTube alter ego that forever changed her relationship with social media, Kate reflects on the unconventional path that's shaped her voice and her approach to connecting directly wit...

This week, we're joined by Variety TV reporter Ethan Shanfeld.  From his early days studying journalism at Northwestern and freelancing for outlets like Nylon and Pitchfork to landing major cover stories at his current employer, Variety, Ethan breaks down what makes a great pitch email, how he prepares for interviews without over-preparing, and why every celebrity requires a completely different a...

Andrew Gerstenblatt and Arthur Goldbart of Silver & Gold Pictures are back on the Pod! The longtime roommates and creative collaborators join us to discuss their latest short film, The Extraordinaries , which recently screened at 50/50 Comedy AND won the Audience Award at NFFTY.  We dive into the making of the short, from crafting its timeless aesthetic to maximizing the possibilities of a sin...

This week, we speak with Mahalia Latortue-Pridgett, director's assistant on ABBOTT ELEMENTARY. She breaks down her journey from interning at Viola Davis’s production company in its early days to now carving out her own path as a writer in television. She talks about starting her career in Atlanta, realizing she needed to make the leap to Los Angeles, and balancing a day job at a management company...

This week , we sit down with Janie Kahan to trace her path through the animation industry — from learning the studio pipeline at DreamWorks on TROLLS WORLD TOUR and CROODS 2, to Nickelodeon’s PLANKTON: THE MOVIE, and eventually Netflix Animation, where she found a creative home working on Charlie Kaufman’s ORION AND THE DARK. Along the way, Janie reflects on gravitating toward more emotionally mat...

This week, we sit down with 50/50 FESTIVAL WINNER Myles Hodder! We dive into his upbringing in Newfoundland — “straight off the rock” — to becoming an award-winning comedy director. A Second City-trained performer who originally started as an actor, Myles breaks down how a small addition to his commercial directing reel unexpectedly became the project that won him 50/50 Comedy, and why simplicity...

This week, we sit down with writer and animator Anca Vlasan -- we start by discussing how her Romanian heritage shaped her love of storytelling, particularly her pull toward “fish out of water” narratives. She reflects on her debut short Lizard Queen, which became her calling card and helped her break into Adult Swim, where she also formed a close creative partnership with Mike Lazzo.  We also get...

This week, we sit down with writer and comedian Grace Guy to unpack the complicated, often unspoken dynamics of assistant culture in the entertainment industry. Drawing from her own experience as a former assistant, Grace shares the inspiration behind her deeply personal play Deckhand —a sharp, emotionally charged story about a boss and assistant trapped together on a boat. We dive into the love/h...

This week, Chloë Kerwin reflects on church basements, circuses, ghost-hunting, and oh yeah... acting! Chloë grew up dreaming of Broadway, later finding herself drawn to films like True Grit and Moonrise Kingdom . After high school, she brought that curiosity to Emerson , where she collaborated with filmmakers like her cousin (previous podcast guest) Wylie Anderson, and began building the kind of r...

This week, we sit down with director/producer Talia Light Rake to talk about what it really means to self-empower as an artist. Talia dives into redefining her creative identity, how aligning who you are with what you make can unlock new momentum, and the unexpected ways social media gave her work legitimacy and reach. We also get into her algorithm-driven networking events—bringing creatives toge...

This week, we’re joined by Allie Kahan, producer at Headgum, who carved out her own lane into entertainment by doing something deceptively simple—paying close attention. After immersing herself in podcasts about the industry, Allie found an authentic entry point that led her to Artists First, where she began building both her career and her creative voice in tandem. We talk through her transition...

This week, we sit down with Jared Corwin, Co-Executive Director of Silverlake Shorts. After feeling stuck following his first feature, Jared found renewed purpose by helping launch a monthly, sold-out, non-profit film festival alongside collaborator Benjamin Sharpe. What started as a grassroots community event has grown into a meaningful creative engine—one that’s not only spotlighting emerging fi...

This week, we’re joined by John Li (Development at Amazon TV) where we dive deep into how careers in entertainment really take shape. From being the guy who’s always grabbing drinks to mastering the art of authentic networking, John shares how genuine relationships—not transactional ones—have driven his path. He reflects on landing at USC just as the industry was being flipped upside down, and why...

This week, we sit down with actor/comedian Natalie Ortega to talk about carving out your own lane in an industry that rarely hands you one. Natalie shares how she found her niche in musical comedy (and why it’s not just because the bar is low), her complicated relationship with stand-up, and why she believes actors shouldn’t sit around waiting for the next audition. We get into her time performing...

This week, 50/50 Festival WINNER Ali Rosenthal traces her path towards comedic purpose; after cutting her teeth in New York City, she forged her voice as a comedy filmmaker at Stanford, where she made ICE QUEENS a self-described “fiercely feminist fantasy.” We then dive into her breakout short TEEN MARY   -   making the film at AFI while managing the creative risk of approaching religion from a fr...

This week, filmmaker Elijah Davis breaks down how he swung big on his debut feature, Three Colors: Pan African — and what it actually took to get it made. We talk about the influence of French cinema on the film’s visual language, and Elijah’s larger mission: creating real authorship opportunities for Black creatives across every department. He shares how funding the first portion of the project a...

This week, we sit down with Chris Rutledge , whose knowledge of animation extends far beyond his own work and into the underground, deeply influential network of visual artists shaping the medium from the edges. What stands out immediately is Chris’s ability to recognize artistic movements before they even have names , mapping out how ideas circulate through communities long before they surface in...

This week, we sit down with director Posy Dixon — currently deep in production on a documentary about cult musician Planningtorock — a project that’s evolved into something far more collaborative than traditional nonfiction. In a rare creative dynamic, Posy's subject is actively writing the film alongside her, shaping a kind of career-long retrospective that blurs the line between observer and par...

This week, we sit down with David Jacobson, marketing director at Cherry Lane Theatre — freshly reopened under A24 — to talk shepherding one of downtown New York’s most historic stages into its next era. David cut his teeth in sports marketing with the New York Knicks and New York Rangers (not to mention a brief, glorious stint working the second floor of the old times square NikeTown — RIP). Alon...

This week, we sit down with 50/50 writer-director duo Aimee Hoffman and Elinor Howells about building a creative partnership that’s as honest as it is motivating. From their first days meeting at AFI to developing a shorthand that allows them to pitch wild swings and terrible ideas without judgment, they break down how trust — and taste — sharpen each other’s work. We talk about walking into every...

This week, we’re joined by Arman Yaghmai, a coordinator at Verve, for a candid, nuts-and-bolts look at how the literary side of the industry actually works. We begin with discussing why coverage is such a crucial entry point for assistants—and how to know when you’re ready to graduate out of it. We then pull back the curtain on the inner mechanics of a lit-forward talent agency, from weekly Open W...

Before Rotten Tomatoes became a cultural barometer for movies and TV, it was just a silly side project built by someone obsessed with community. In this episode, Patrick Lee traces his entrepreneurial instincts back to early adulthood — from reselling computers to launching what would become one of the most influential platforms in entertainment. He opens up about how close Rotten Tomatoes came to...