Trailer Geeks and Teaser Gods

Trailer Park's theatrical division has closed its doors, so we gathered five of the people who were there at the very beginning. Tim Nett, Jim Hale, Ann Mugglebee, Mike Southerly, and Tommy Gargotta trace the company from a single rented edit bay on Cahuenga to a sign you could spot from miles away. Part origin story, part reunion, and a fitting tribute to where it all started. In this episode: On...

Logan Gruidl is Senior Producer at Picture Head and the founder of The Trailer Brief, a bi-weekly newsletter covering trailer craft, industry news, and the campaigns shaping entertainment advertising. After coming up as an AE at Outpost and Grandson, Logan built his finishing expertise at Picturehead while quietly becoming one of the industry's most thoughtful new voices. Key Takeaways: The finish...

Monica Brady has spent 26 years doing something that didn't exist when she started: honoring the people who make movie trailers. Co-founded with her sister Evelyn on a boat to Fort Sumter in 1999, the Golden Trailer Awards grew from a scrappy DGA screening room show (running on two Avids, fingers crossed) into the industry's premier celebration of trailer craft. In this episode, Monica traces the...

Kris McDonald is a Creative Director and Senior Editor at XAV, and the founder of Behind the Trailer — a free educational platform dedicated to helping aspiring trailer editors break into the business and level up their craft. He came up through Open Road and Trailer Park before landing at XAV (which was Project X at the time), where he's built a career cutting campaigns for major studio and strea...

Before founding Rubber Sole Creative, Stav Ozdoba came to the U.S. with one goal: become a filmmaker. Within months, he was in meetings to direct a feature. Not long after, he learned just how brutal that path could be. What followed wasn't a straight line. It was a pivot. From indie films to editing weddings. From teaching himself Final Cut to landing at Sony. From cutting sizzles and promos to l...

Before Benj Thall was cutting trailers at some of the most influential shops in the business, he was a working child actor starring in Disney's Homeward Bound films alongside legends like Leslie Nielsen and Ned Beatty. That early life on film sets didn't just give him screen credits — it gave him a love for every corner of the craft that eventually led him behind the camera, through film school at...

Jordan Hayman has sat in almost every seat in this industry. Jumbotron editor for the Lakers during their championship run. Creative executive at Alkemi, working indie theatrical. Client-side at Lifetime under the legendary Bob and Lew. Broadcast division builder at AV Squad. And now, founder of The Shop, the boutique he always knew he'd build from the moment he was running packages around town fo...

What does it sound like when a trailer editor thinks in rhythm, builds in silence, and treats every scene break like a musical beat? Lead editor Lauren Zoller of X/AV traces her path from a Chapman BFA to a Lionsgate internship, through Ignition (where she shadowed some of the greats) and nearly nine years at Mocean before landing at X/AV in 2021. She's become one of the most versatile editors in...

What happens when a technology-minded New Yorker stumbles into Hollywood and ends up reshaping how the industry makes trailers, title sequences, and motion graphics for the next three decades? This week, Eric Ladd joins the show to talk about his winding path from floppy disk drives and Bank of America to running Novocom, building Pittard Sullivan into a global powerhouse, and founding Picture Mil...

What does it take to break into the trailer business, survive the agency grind, and help shape campaigns for some of the biggest films of the last two decades? This week on Trailer Geeks and Teaser Gods , we sit down with Creative Director, Producer and Creative Executive Kazadi Katambwa to discuss craft, career, and creative instinct. Kazadi walks through his journey from film-loving college stud...

What do trailers, legendary movie posters, streaming era strategy, and a deep love for theatrical storytelling have in common? This week on Trailer Geeks & Teaser Gods , Corey is joined by Debi Struzan and Dana Flowers-Mitchell for a deeply personal conversation about careers shaped by creativity, collaboration, and conviction. From Debi's early days at Seiniger Advertising and her connection to t...

What does it mean to truly feel a trailer—and how do you translate that feeling into something that moves an audience? In this Best Of Trailer Geeks & Teaser Gods episode, Corey Nathan revisits his wide-ranging, deeply personal conversation with Robert Walker , one of the most influential and respected trailer editors working today. From his early experiments with cassette-tape collages and experi...

What does it take to market movies that shape culture—and to lead with integrity when the stakes are highest? In this Best Of Trailer Geeks & Teaser Gods episode, Corey Nathan revisits his powerful conversation with Dwight Caines , President of Domestic Marketing at Universal Pictures and one of the most respected voices in modern film marketing. One of our "best of's" since we brought this progra...

What do VHS edits, a childhood trumpet, and a passion for story-driven design have in common? This week on Trailer Geeks and Teaser Gods , Corey Nathan sits down with Greg Krupka , Vice President and Creative Director at AV Squad , to unpack a path paved with relentless creativity, smart collaboration, and iconic trailer moments. From his early days at Emerson College to cutting theatrical campaig...

From Strings to Screens: Aaron Gershman's Journey Across AV, Digital, and Design How does a former rock guitarist with zero design training become a creative force behind some of the most visually stunning and emotionally resonant film campaigns of our time? This week on Trailer Geeks and Teaser Gods , Corey Nathan sits down with Aaron Gershman , SVP of Creative Advertising at Lionsgate, whose jou...

Between the Beats: From Texas Roots to Trailer Rhythms What does it take to edit trailers that breathe emotion, humor, tension, and awe—all in a few short minutes? This week, we sit down with Shea Jones , a self-proclaimed "rhythm cutter" whose musical instincts have defined some of the most memorable trailer moments of the last decade. Shea shares his origin story—from math-loving student in San...

How a music-obsessed Midwesterner built a sonic legacy from the mix stages of Hollywood to the classrooms of tomorrow — and why the future of sound is still human. In this sound-rich episode, Corey sits down with  Lenny Jones , a virtuoso in the trailer audio world and founder of 24/96 Sound & Music Design . With over 190 feature film campaigns under his belt and a teaching post at the New York Fi...

🎬 From Posters to Powerhouses: The Legacy of Andy Kuehn Through BLT's Origins 📌 Episode Summary In this edition of our tribute series to Andy Kuehn—widely regarded as the father of the modern trailer industry—we're joined by special co-host Benedict Coulter and iconic guests Dawn Baillie and Clive Baillie , two of the co-founders of BLT Communications. Together, they retrace the creative and ent...

From Madison Ave to Hollywood: The Birth of a Trailer Empire 📌 Episode Summary This week, we continue our heartfelt tribute to Andy Kuehn , a visionary often considered the father of the modern trailer industry . This week, Corey and special co-host Benedict Coulter of REBEL welcome longtime industry luminary  Jim Gibbons (EVP of Paramount, founder of Flamingo Films) who takes us on a journey thr...

🎬 Spielberg, Scott, Streisand & the Trailers Behind the Legends This week, we continue our heartfelt tribute to Andy Kuehn , the visionary known as the father of the modern trailer industry . In this episode, we're joined by Greg McClatchy , President of Motor Entertainment and longtime Kaleidoscope editor, along with returning guest Benedict Coulter , co-founder of REBEL and the original rock-st...

The Words Behind the Magic – with special guest Margery Doppelt 🎙️ In this sixth installment of our special tribute to the legendary Andy Kuehn—founder of Kaleidoscope Films and godfather of the modern trailer—we're joined by a true industry icon: Margery Doppelt, one of the most influential and celebrated writers in motion picture advertising. 🎞️ Margery's iconic taglines and copy helped define d...

K-scope's Blueprint: Andy K. & The Architects of Modern Movie Advertising 🎙 Introduction: Joined by special guest Vincent Arcaro, President of Dark Light Pictures and a Kaleidoscope alum, and co-host Benedict Coulter. Together, they honor the legacy of Andy Kuehn, a creative force behind some of the most iconic trailers and a beloved mentor in the industry. Vince shares stories of his early days a...

Andy's Nurturing Legacy and the Aura of Old Hollywood So cool to sit down with veteran entertainment advertising executive  Mark Trugman to continue our tribute and honor the legacy of  Andy Kuehn — a pioneer of the modern movie trailer industry and beloved founder of Kaleidoscope Films. And we're joined once again by our special co-host,  Benedict Coulter . Mark shares his journey from graphic de...

🎙 Crafting Legends & Honoring the GOAT  For the 3rd installment of our tribute to Andy Kuehn, we're joined by legendary trailer editor Deborah Luster as well as our special co-host Benedict Coulter. We reflect on Deborah's incredible career in the film industry—and offer her memories and all the ways she was inspired by the late, great Andy Kuehn, the pioneering force behind Kaleidoscope Films. Fr...

"Kaleidoscope University" - The Trailer Industry's Wild Beginnings Continuing our Tribute to Andy Kuehn, we're joined by Mike Camp, who got his start at Kaleidoscope Films under Andy, went on to serve as EVP at Paramount, EVP at Fox on the International side, and ulitmately was co-founder of the boutique agency ACME. And we're once again fortunate to have special co-host Benedict Coulter—often tho...