THE HOLLYWOOD PODCAST

Writer/ director Nicola Keppens & producer Brecht Van Elslande are Oscar-nominated for Best Animated Short for their film BEAUTIFUL MEN. The film is about three brothers who travel to Turkey to each get hair transplants. The film explores the brothers' insecurities and dynamics as the day of the transplant approaches, putting to the test their own brotherhood.

Filmmaker Nebojša Slijepčević is Oscar-nominated for Best Live Action Short for his latest film THE MAN WHO COULD NOT REMAIN SILENT which dramatizes the true events of a passenger train stopped by paramilitary forces in Bosnia as part of an ethnic cleansing operation. As they haul off innocent civilians, just one man out of 500 passengers stands up on behalf of everyone innocently on that train.

Producer Trent is nominated for Best Live Action Short for his film I’M NOT A ROBOT. The film is about music producer Lara who, after repeatedly failing those CAPTCHA tests on the internet, becomes obsessed with a disturbing question about whether she could be a robot.

The writer/director duo of David Cutler-Kreutz and Sam Cutler-Kreutz are nominated for Best Live Action Short for their film A LIEN. The film showcases a young couple confronting the immigration process on the day of their green card interview.

Writer/director Loïc Espuche is nominated for Best Animated Short at this year's Oscars for his film "Yuck!". The film is about a 7 year old boy Leon who initially finds couples kissing as gross and laughs at them, but later learns that he wants to give kissing a try, particularly with a girl at the summer camp that he’s in.

Eric Barba is an Oscar-winning visual effects artist. His past film credits include Zodiac, The Fifth Element, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (for which he earned his Oscar for), Tron: Legacy, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Oblivion, Gone Girl, Terminator: Dark Fate and The Killer. He’s now nominated for his second Oscar for his work in Alien: Romulus directed by Fede Alvarez.

Emmy & Oscar-winning producer Mark Nielsen ( Toy Story 4 )  and newly-minted Oscar nominated director Kelsey Mann (Pixar short Party Central ) are both nominated this year for Best Animated Feature Film for Pixar’s INSIDE OUT 2.

Erik Winquist is an Academy Award- and BAFTA Award-nominated  visual effects supervisor. His film credits include The Lord of the Rings: The Twin Towers & Return of the King, King Kong, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Avatar, Rampage, and the Planet of the Apes trilogy. His contribution to “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes” (2014) was recognized with an Academy Award® nomination for...

Michael & Bre are currently starring in the national touring production of DEAR EVAN HANSEN. The show will be stopping at the Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts on Feb 14 at 8pm, Feb 15 at 2p & 8p, and Feb 16 at 2p. For tickets, please visit the Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts' website at https://ccpa.cerritos.gov/

Calvin Leon Smith is currently on Broadway as Clifford Bradshaw in the hit musical revival Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club now playing at the August Wilson Theater in New York. He previously co-starred in the Pulitzer Prize-winning play Fat Ham on Broadway, following an acclaimed run at the Public Theater. Television credits include Barry Jenkins’ award-winning Amazon series “The Underground Railroad,...

Ruka Johnson is the costume designer of the new HBO crime drama series GET MILLIE BACK, which is about a former Scotland Yard detective Millie-Jean Black who returns to Kingston to work on missing persons cases. The series is now streaming on Max.

Werner Pretorius is the special effects makeup designer of Osgood Perkins' LONGLEGS, the NEON indie horror hit from this last summer starring Nicolas Cage. Werner's previous credits include ELYSIUM, ROBOCOP, STAR TREK BEYOND, SWAN SONG, YELLOWJACKETS, THE ADAM PROJECT, BATWOMAN, SUPERMAN & LOIS, GOOSEBUMPS, and SNOWPIERCER.

Composer Batu Sener discusses his latest project - Michael Gracey’s highly anticipated Robbie Williams music biopic titled BETTER MAN. Better Man is a satirical musical based on the true story of the meteoric rise, dramatic fall, and remarkable resurgence of British pop superstar Robbie Williams who is portrayed as a chimpanzee in the film.

Writer and producer Brian Donovan has debut his latest project, the new Amazon/Blumhouse true-crime inspired TV series THE STICKY, starring Emmy winner Margo Martindale, which he co-created, writes and executive produces. This darkly comedic thriller—executive produced by Jamie Lee Curtis, Jason Blum and Jonathan Levine—is now streaming on Amazon Prime.

Two-time Oscar nominated production designer Jess Gonchor was nominated for his work in two Coen Brothers films: True Grit and Hail Caesar. His other film credits include Capote, The Devil Wears Prada, No Country for Old Men, Burn After Reading, A Serious Man, Moneyball, Inside Llewyn Davis, Foxcatcher, Little Women, A Quiet Place Part II and so much more. He’s now out with his latest film, SATURD...

I’m so excited to be joined by Tony-nominated director/co-writer Kristin Hanggi and Emmy-winning composer/lyricist/co-bookwriter Ben Decter who have recently debuted their new musical IT’S ALL YOUR FAULT, TYLER PRICE!, which is now running at the Hudson Theatre in Los Angeles through Dec 15. The show follows Jackson, a middle school boy who gets in trouble after punching his bullying classmate, Ty...

Lincoln Jones is the artistic director and choreographer of the American Contemporary Ballet. He discusses the innovative, immersive and popular Nutcracker Suite show that ACB has put on during the holiday season.

Actor Dash Mihok is known for films and TV series over the years such as Ray Donovan, Romeo + Juliet, The Thin Red Line, The Day After Tomorrow, I Am Legend, Silver Linings Playbook, Before I Wake and now he’s out with his latest film ARMOR which is about a father-and-son duo of armored truck drivers tasked with delivering a suspicious package who must outwit and outgun a team of thieves while tra...

Whistleblower, health-care advocate and NYT Best-Selling author, Wendell Potter, is the leading national advocate for major reforms of the health insurance industry. After having a “crisis of conscience” in 2008, Potter left his executive position at CIGNA, to blow the whistle on the insurance industry’s unfair and corrupt business practices. He’s testified multipel times before the House & Senate...

Gabriel Mann is the composer of season 4 of the hit Netflix series Emily In Paris, starring Lily Collins. Mann’s notable television and film credits include ABC's award-winning hit comedy series Modern Family; ABC/Hulu’s A Million Little Things; Disney+’s High School Musical: The Musical: The Series; and Cheryl Strayed/Hulu’s limited series Tiny Beautiful Things.

Known for his iconic breakout role as Damian in the film MEAN GIRLS, Daniel Franzese recently starred in “Blood/Love” a vampire rock popera musical experience at the Crimson Club in Hollywood which tells a tale of love, friendship, heartbreak, and redemption centering on a vampire on the brink of despair who falls in love with a mortal rock superstar.

Emily Koch is currently starting as Aunt Debra in the national touring production of the Tony-winning Broadway musical “Kimberly Akimbo”. Previously, Emily was on Broadway in hit musicals such as Wicked, Waitress, as well as Kimbely Akimbo. Kimberly Akimbo is currently playing at the Hollywood Pantages Theatre through November 3rd. The show will be in Costa Mesa next year at the Segerstrom Center...

Anand Tucker is the director of the British period thriller THE CRITIC, starring Sir Ian McKellen. Written by Oscar-nominated screenwriter Patrick Marber (NOTES ON A SCANDAL, CLOSER), the film is about a powerful London theatre critic who lures a struggling actress into a blackmail scheme that has deadly consequences. Tucker’s previous directing credits include LEAP YEAR, SHOPGIRL, and HILARY & JA...

Over the last few years, the immersive theatrical production company, JFI Productions, has quickly risen to prominence in producing one of the must-do haunted experiences in LA during Halloween time. This year, JFI is bringing back their iconic CREEP show, this time collaborating with CBS to theme the experience to the world of the network’s hit series GHOSTS. During the hour-long journey through...

Daril Fannin is the co-founder of the interactive streaming service KINO, a new innovative app that is revolutionizing how consumers and filmmakers experience film, providing an interactive digital cinema experience.