The Prelim Podcast

Send us Fan Mail This week on The Prelim Podcast, our guest is the legendary key grip, dolly grip, and crane operator Eric Zucker—known across sets everywhere simply as “EZ.” Growing up surfing the waves of Huntington Beach and Venice, EZ originally entered the industry through the electric department after running three successful surf shops in Manhattan Beach. But once he got his hands on a doll...

Send us Fan Mail Ever wonder how the massive, jaw-dropping light shows in Marvel blockbusters come to life? This week on The Prelim Podcast, host duo Tony Muller and Pablo Jara sit down with veteran Lighting Console Programmer Scott Barnes—the wizard behind the boards for Avengers: Endgame, Captain America: Civil War, and Spider-Man: No Way Home to name only a few of the blockbusters films he has...

Send us Fan Mail Department of One: Legendary Script Supervisor Edye Rice-George is our guest this week on The Prelim Podcast! Ever wonder how Hollywood’s biggest directors—from Spike Lee and David Fincher to Joe Pytka and Antoine Fuqua—keep their sets running seamlessly? In this episode, we sit down with iconic script supervisor Edye Rice-George, a true Hollywood powerhouse whose career reads lik...

Send us Fan Mail What does it really take to survive—and thrive—at the top of the makeup department on major Hollywood sets? In this masterclass of an episode, we sit down with veteran Key Makeup Artist and Department Head Laverne Caracuzzi-Milazzo (The Office, Freaks and Geeks, All American: Homecoming, Freakier Friday). From turning down a retail post under Emilio Pucci in Florence to spending t...

Send us Fan Mail What happens when Hollywood isn't just a dream, but your actual backyard? 🎬 In Part 1 of this wild, unfiltered ride, camera department veteran Lou Demarco AC joins The Prelim Podcast to trace his unreal journey from hanging out with Fonzie and Ron Howard on a 6th-grade field trip to pulling focus on massive Hollywood blockbusters. Lou’s father was a true industry pioneer—the...

Send us Fan Mail On-Set Dresser Bobby Garofalo stops by the studio to spill the inner-workings, fast-paced madness of a career in the Hollywood art department.   From landing a college football scholarship to pulling grueling 48-hour shifts waiting on Mariah Carey, Bobby breaks down the hidden mechanics of film sets in the art department—and why saying "no" to a Director of Photography m...

Send us Fan Mail He's been punched, thrown, and set on fire in some of the biggest movies of the last two decades — and lived to tell every story.💥 This week on The Prelim Podcast, Tony and Pablo sit down with veteran stunt performer and coordinator Colin Follenweider, whose résumé reads like a highlight reel of modern Hollywood action adventure movies: Avengers: Endgame, Deadpool & Wolv...

Send us Fan Mail You've seen his photos on billboard posters and across the internet - now hear how this Unit Stills Photographer gets the shot. 📸 Behind every blockbuster poster, every teaser image splashed across the internet — someone was standing feet away from the actors capturing it, invisible, while the cameras rolled for the movie itself. Meet our good friend and Unit Still Photograp...

Send us Fan Mail Behind every legendary movie frame lies a legacy —and sometimes, that legacy is family.🎬❤️ This week on The Prelim Podcast, we proudly present a milestone moment in our show's history: our very first generational episode!  Joining our host Pablo Jara (Tony is away on assignment this week) in the studio is a man whose hands helped shape 45 years of cinema history—and who also...

Send us Fan Mail History in the Making: Episode 13: For the first time ever, Panavision joins the podcast world and is our special guest this week.  In this milestone episode, we are thrilled to welcome Panavision Marketing Executive Amanda Sasaki to The Prelim Podcast for an unprecedented look behind the desk of Hollywood’s most iconic camera house!  We are lucky to have Amanda all to ourselves f...

Send us Fan Mail Master of the Track —The incomparable Jamie Young, Dolly Grip, joins The Prelim Podcast on Episode 12. This week, we are joined by our good friend and veteran Dolly Grip, Jamie Young, for an insider’s look into the art, grit and career mechanics of IATSE Local 80.  Jamie has held virtually every seat in the grip department—serving as Key Grip, Crane Operator, Technician, Best Boy,...

Send us Fan Mail This week, on The Prelim Podcast we pivot out of the camera department straight into the AD department.  We are lucky to spend time in the new studio with our very good friend and colleague — the illustrious Lon Takiguchi, Assistant Director and sometimes Director extraordinaire!   From growing up on a farm in Hawaii with a Beta-Max machine to getting his big break cold-calling B-...

Send us Fan Mail In Episode 4 of The Prelim Podcast , we sit down with Camera Assistant Danny Park, a man whose professional journey is an absolute masterclass in hustle and determination.  Danny shares the jaw-dropping story of how he broke into Hollywood using nothing but sheer willpower and relentless letter-writing.  From a game-changing partnership with one of his directorial heroes to windin...

Send us Fan Mail From Panavision Shipping Room to Hollywood Steadicam Operator and Gear Inventor - this week we bring you the incomperable Danny Brown!  In this episode, Danny joins us in studio and shares his relentless journey climbing up the camera department crew ladder.  An inspiring story for anyone looking to rise through the ranks in the industry.  He breaks down what it really takes to tr...

Send us Fan Mail This week, The Prelim Podcast proudly welcomes seasoned industry veteran, friend, and colleague Art (Arthur) Martin!  Art stops by to take us inside his distinguished Hollywood career in the camera department and share the scoop on a some of his most iconic projects.  From his early days breaking into the industry to becoming a premier focus puller, he shares exclusive behind-the-...

Send us Fan Mail The Prelim Podcast is super excited to welcome legendary AC Derek Edwards to the studio for Episode 7!  This week, we dive deep into the unbelievable stories that shape Derek’s massive career in the camera department. Talk about a Renaissance man—Derek has done it all, transitioning from actor, model, PA, and Panavision employee to a powerhouse force behind the lens. We take a nos...

Send us Fan Mail If you've watched a massive blockbuster over the last two decades, odds are Joey Cicio was the one framing the shot.  From breaking into the industry and learning the craft under his mentor, the iconic master cinematographer Alan Daviau, ASC, to his groundbreaking work with Canon that triggered an industry-wide revolution in digital filmmaking with the 5D, Joey has seen it al...

Send us Fan Mail This week on The Prelim Podcast, we bring the laughs with our good friend, 1st AC Andy Macat, who quite literally grew up inside a Hollywood camera department dynasty!    With legendary Director of Photography Julio Macat, ASC as a dad, an operator for an older brother, and his twin brother pulling focus as a 2nd AC, the film industry doesn't just run in Andy's blood—it...

Ever wonder how the massive action pieces in the Marvel Cinematic Universe or the high-stakes battles of Star Wars come together? It all hinges on the 2nd Unit—and we are sitting down with one of the absolute best in the business.  In Episode 4, we are excited to welcome our friend and veteran cinematographer Paul Hughen, ASC, whose incredible career as a 2nd Unit Director of Photography has shape...

Fight Club. Mad Men.  The world of David Lynch.  Lisa Guerriero has seen it all and she's dropping some gems in Episode 3! This week, Pablo and Tony talk with Lisa Guerriero, who as a female AC, is part of the first generation of women to break into the film industry in the late 1980s — long before that was a conversation anyone was having in Hollywood.  She shares her journey of breaking int...

What happens when old friends reminisce about working on some of the biggest productions in entertainment history?  Things get incredibly animated!  Hosts Tony and Pablo catch up with fellow AC Conrad Castor.    From the high-profile sets of Iron Man and Iron Man 2 to pinnacle live events like Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour and the 2025 Oscars, Conrad shares exclusive, hilarious stories from his set exp...

Welcome to The Prelim — Coming to you each week from Los Angeles, California. In this premiere episode, it’s just the hosts— no guests, no filters.  Just raw, honest conversations about what it takes to survive and thrive behind the lens.  Long time friends and camera assistants, Tony Muller and Pablo Jara reminisce about their early days on sets, moving up the ranks in the camera department, and...