The Viewfinder Podcast with Chris Hadley

In what would be his last on-camera conversation before his passing in 2018 at the age of 82, the legendary actor/filmmaker Burt Reynolds reminisced about the highs and lows of his time in Tinseltown, offered unmistakably blunt perspectives on the present-day entertainment industry, presented invaluable lessons on acting for stars-to-be, and told never before-heard stories of life on and off the s...

This week’s guest is not just an incredibly talented actor, screenwriter, producer, director, stuntwoman, singer, songwriter and author. As you’ll hear shortly, Marneen Fields is also a survivor - in more ways than one. Born in Minot, North Dakota, she survived a childhood diagnosis of emphysema and an enlarged heart, plus the loss of 80% of her hearing in her left ear.  Despite those physical str...

Cryptocurrency. Blockchain. Non-fungible tokens. What do these popular and often perplexing terms have in common with a dystopian sci-fi serial? Here to answer that question is our guest on today’s Viewfinder Podcast, actor, writer and filmmaker David Bianchi - the creator, executive producer, star and co-writer of the dark high-tech drama RZR, debuting later this year on Gala Film (a division of...

Now streaming on Amazon Video for rent or purchase, and co-produced by Dane Moreton (who also directed) and Lauren Durr (who also edited), CAILLOUX: THE FIGHT TO FREEDOM vividly and informatively presents the extraordinary story of Andre Cailloux, an ex-slave turned Union Army soldier who led a Black battalion against the White Confederate Army during the Siege of Port Hudson, and whose heroism an...

For newcomers to the entertainment industry, such as those who’ve come to Hollywood after years of learning their chosen crafts in colleges across the country, staying in the business is frequently more difficult than breaking into it. Yet today’s guests on The Viewfinder Podcast - Sam Butlien and Dani Simmons - know as much about the pitfalls of life in showbiz as they do the possibilities, which...

This week, we continue our recap of the 2022 Louisiana Film Prize by bringing you my interview with actor and filmmaker David Long, whose bittersweet drama Betty Lou Had A Son (which was part of the 2022 Film Prize top 5 finalists and will soon debut nationally on cable channel ShortsHD) tells the story of a musician, Louis (played by Long) who’s been forced to deal with the most heartbreaking cri...

A few weeks ago in Shreveport, the 2022 Louisiana Film Prize celebrated another remarkable collection of both films shot in the Pelican State and the remarkable artists who created them. On this week’s Viewfinder Podcast I'm honored to bring you my chats with some of the great filmmakers who shared their cinematic stories with audiences both in-person and virtually as part of this year’s top 20 fi...

This week, we’re talking to filmmaker Rick Ives, and though may be a newcomer to the director's chair, he's learned that good storytelling depends as much on strong pacing as it does on strong narrative thanks to his time spent as part of the editing staff for Marvel Studios on shows like Loki , The Falcon and The Winter Soldier , and Ms. Marvel.   That knowledge paid off as Ives completed hi...

Writer/director Levi Wilson is my guest on this week's podcast. He joins me to discuss his bittersweet coming-of-age short film LUKE AND EMMA AND A GAS STATION ON FRANKLIN AVENUE, which takes the traditional "boy meets girl" tale and puts it in a realistic setting - 1986-era small town America - where, as it sadly still is in 2022, romantic crises all but pale in comparison to the cruelty and disc...

My guest on today’s show is the amazing Alonge Hawes, who previously joined me on the show a few years ago to talk about the first 2 seasons of his critically acclaimed drama BLACK ON BOTH SIDES, which, like his equally honored debut series BLUE COLLAR HUSTLE, he created, co-starred in, wrote and co-produced. Now he’s back with a new series that, while more lighthearted in tone than his previous t...

In the high profile world of tech startups, integrity and honesty are as important to the success of everyone who's created the latest hot app or website as it is the products themselves. Yet for three out entrepreneurs and best friends who’ve reaped the rewards of immediate fame and success for themselves and the groundbreaking sex app they’ve created for LGBTQ women, their personal challenges th...

What if you suddenly had to start your life all over again after not just losing someone you loved, but losing the very person who took care of all your needs? What if you had to not just cope with that overwhelming loss but to do so while learning the ins and outs of being a fully independent person?  Anyone would obviously see this extraordinary situation as an overwhelming challenge, inclu...

Even though independent film and TV production company Cordell Productions is a somewhat new entrant into the entertainment industry, it's already working to bring audiences quality content while also providing a much-needed space for actors and filmmakers from diverse backgrounds to develop that content. Its talented owner and co-managing partner is filmmaker and screenwriter Alice Wells, who joi...

This week’s show features a pair of interviews with two extremely talented filmmakers. First, we begin with actor and comedian Rell Battle (Peacock's KILLING IT, SUPERIOR DONUTS, THE GOOD DOCTOR, KEY AND PEELE, BLACK-ISH), who created and stars in the new comedy/mystery web series OFF FAIRFAX. The pilot episode made its world premiere at the recent Tribeca Film Festival in New York, and two more s...

Beauty, as they say, is always skin deep. Sometimes, the most grotesque-looking individuals are blessed with qualities that are even more gorgeous and invaluable than appearance: kindness, love, care and concern for everyone they meet. That’s how it is with the half man/half whale protagonist of an incredible new web series called BEACHED, co-written and co-created by this week’s guest on The View...

Every year in summer camps throughout the country, millions of kids play, learn and gain as many lasting friendships as they do memories. The same is also true for the adult counselors who teach, encourage and occasionally discipline their young charges during their stay. Surprisingly, as you'll see in the soon-to-debut comedy series TIMBERWOOD, summer camp is as much a coming-of-age experience fo...

Picking up where JUSTICE left off is author and playwright Dyanna Morrison’s LIBERTY, which the second in a trilogy of currently unproduced plays that she’s published in literary form. In LIBERTY, Judge Grace Porter Haverhill - now married and about to become a mother - will try a case that puts another one of this country’s highly revered yet constantly contested rights under a harsh microscope:...

Over the past few years on The Viewfinder Podcast, we've brought you great interviews with very talented actors, writers and filmmakers who ply their respective trades in the cinematic world. Yet, there are other brilliant artists doing amazing work outside the world of the moving image. One of them is author and playwright Dyanna Morrison, whose dramatic literary presentation of her as-yet un-pro...

When you're trying to respond to an emotionally difficult situation, how you deal with it on the outside is as important as what you feel inside, but as you'll see in the wacky new comedy web series INNARDS, what happens in our brains as we attempt to make sense of life's weirdest crises. Produced by legendary schlockmeisters Troma, and streaming on the studio’s YouTube channel TromaMovies, INNARD...

This week's guests, filmmakers and podcasters Logan Austin and Dustin Bergmann of Crazy Ant Media, are using the power of cinematic storytelling to fight back against hate, violence and suicide through their directorial debut, the suspenseful yet timely short film drama DEADLINES. The film takes place in the immediate aftermath of a school shooting, where a bitter argument between two young women...

This week, we're joined by an up-and-coming actor and filmmaker whose growing filmography represents both his outstanding talent and his remarkable commitment to his craft. It's a commitment that's motivated and inspired by someone who's a very important source in his life, as we'll discuss with our guest, Gio Drasconi. Check out Gio's official web site: https://www.giodrasconi.com/ Connect with h...

Today’s guest, Jeff Knoll, the co-creator and showrunner of a hilarious yet charming new comedy web series called COMING DISTRACTIONS, is someone who’s seen more than his share of interesting and entertaining moments both on and off the silver screen.  His memories of working in several local movie theaters, including the one he currently runs in his hometown of Oakville, Ontario, Canada - Fi...

Almost 30 years before shows like Hulu’s ONLY MURDERS IN THE BUILDING and the box office hit KNIVES OUT grabbed audiences and awards while bringing a comic edge to the old-fashioned whodunit genre, actor and filmmaker Beau Marie brought together a zany but skilled company of actors to create one of the most twisted murder mystery comedies put on 16mm film: WHO KILLED TIZZLE?, originally shot in 19...

A few months ago, The Viewfinder Podcast brought you some great conversations with several of the brilliant actors and filmmakers who took part in the 2021 Louisiana Film Prize. Now with the eleventh annual edition of this incredible showcase taking place in Shreveport later this year, there's never been a better time - nor have there been better incentives - for filmmakers from Louisiana, the nat...

Great characters in film and TV, and the brilliant actors who portray them, are often remembered as much for their spectacular looks as they are their masterful performances. Creating many of those looks for shows like Orphan Black , Shadowhunters , The Expanse , Hemlock Grove , Cardinal and the hit Netflix thriller Locke and Key is veteran hairstylist Stefanie Terzo, our guest on this week’s View...