Veteran Made with Carey Kight

Christian Brunetti joins Carey Kight for a deep-dive conversation on military realism, Hollywood stunts, veteran storytelling, and the hard transition from special operations into the film industry. Known for his work on Army Wives, A24's Civil War, Marvel's Falcon and the Winter Soldier, and The Terminal List universe, including Dark Wolf and True Believer, Brunetti breaks down how his Army and s...

Do it right, or don’t do it at all. In episode 179, Nick Koumalatsos returns to Veteran Made to talk about his work as a consulting producer on The Punisher: One Last Kill and his collaboration with Jon Bernthal to bring Frank Castle back to the screen with honesty, weight, and realism. Nick shares how his own background as a Force Recon Marine and special operations veteran helped shape the chara...

Discipline, humility, resilience, and what it means to serve the story first. In episode 178, I sit down with acclaimed actor and audiobook narrator Ray Porter for a wide-ranging conversation about storytelling, performance, and how a workmanlike approach to the craft has shaped his career. Ray discusses narrating Jack Carr’s The Fourth Option , the start of a new series and character outside the...

Forgotten history, political complexity, storytelling, and the strange ways oil, empire, and ideology have shaped the modern world. In episode 177, I sit down with bestselling author Douglas Brunt to discuss The Lost Empire of Emanuel Nobel , a sweeping narrative history about oil, revolution, and the forgotten Nobel heir who helped power the war machine. Doug shares how Emanuel Nobel’s story emer...

Jack Carr is back on episode 176 to talk about The Fourth Option — his first thriller outside of the James Reece and Terminal List universe. This one still has all the flavor: authenticity, action, and the kind of detail that only comes from lived experience. But it also introduces a new character, Chris Walker, who brings a very different energy — part warfighter, part searcher, part philosopher,...

On episode 175, I’m joined by writer, educator, and friend Jessica Danger to talk about her memoir, No Heroic Measures . This conversation is about grief, addiction, caregiving, estrangement, sobriety, and the responsibility that comes with telling the truth on the page. Jessica and I talk about how she shaped an incredibly personal story into a memoir, what it means to tell the truth, and why spe...

Responsible storytelling + creative collaboration = veteran characters who have depth, purpose, and a future. In episode 174, I sit down with Luke Tennie to talk about his role as Sean on Apple TV's Shrinking and why the character has resonated so deeply. Luke shares how he approached playing Sean with care, how he and one of the writers on the show, Bill Posley, crafted him Sean as a full human b...

We must be the ones telling these stories. Not just consulting. Not just advising. Leading. Creating. Producing. Representing ourselves with precision and truth across every level and in every facet of the industry. If we don’t step up, culture will continue to get it wrong. In episode 173, I sit down with the wild man himself, Rudy Reyes — Marine Corps veteran, actor, stunt coordinator, producer,...

On episode 172, I sit down with my friend Mark Harper — Air Force veteran, executive producer, and founder of GigLine Media — to unpack how a group of military storytellers pulled off one of the most ambitious PSA campaigns the VA has ever attempted. Mark’s journey runs from combat camera documenting the wars in Iraq and Africa to helping build We Are The Mighty into one of the most influential on...

Does it matter who’s telling the story? In episode 171, I sit down with my friend, Ryan Curtis — an accomplished director, filmmaker, and producer — to unpack the creative and emotional mission behind the powerful new PSA campaign for the VA and DoW, “Face Your Dragon.” This campaign tackles one of the hardest conversations in the veteran and military community: suicide prevention. Ryan walks me t...

Can we build a blueprint for how the right content can pressure institutions to evolve? In episode 170, I sat down with my buddy Ethan Nagel — veteran infantryman and lethal filmmaker who lives at the intersection of modern warfare and modern media. He breaks down exactly what he and the team at VET TV are building with BattleLab, a new live action show that drops two teams of elite operators into...

What really makes great storytelling work in the modern thriller genre? In episode 169, I sit down with two powerhouse thriller authors — Brad Thor and Ward Larsen in a conversation about COLD ZERO, their latest thriller. Centered on shared experience, military service, discipline, and a relentless respect for the craft, our conversation explores why authenticity matters in thrillers and how deep...

In episode 168 of Veteran Made, I sit down with actor and indie film producer Matt Dallas to dig into what it really means to commit more than a decade of your life to one movie and one story.  We talk about how Sheepdog grew over a 10-year journey across the country, sitting with veterans, Gold Star families, and mental health professionals in living rooms, dive bars, and VA clinics .  Matt opens...

In episode 167, I sit down with actor, writer, director, and producer Steven Grayhm to dig into the 14-year journey behind his new movie Sheepdog and why truthful storytelling about veterans and combat trauma cannot afford to be filtered through a political lens. From his first encounter with a struggling tow truck driver in 2011 to years embedded with veterans, families, and VA clinicians, Steven...

In episode 166, I sit down with Matthew Modine who played Private Joker in Stanley Kubrick’s Full Metal Jacket, for a direct and powerful conversation about the intersection of art, memoir, and the real experiences of Veterans. Our discussion went past surface nostalgia and straight into war, trauma, and the lifelong transition veterans face after leaving service. Matthew’s journey as both an acto...

In episode 165, I sit down with my friend Stan Lake — author, poet, naturalist, filmmaker, and veteran — to dig into his new poetry collection, “Toad in a Glass Jar,” published by Dead Reckoning Collective . Stan and I have shared campfires, conversations about art, music, and nature, and countless stories about the weird, wild intersections of service and life after the military. His writing pull...

In episode 164, I sat down with Jake Tapper, acclaimed journalist, author, and host of The Lead with Jake Tapper and State of the Union on CNN, to dive deep into his forthcoming book “Race Against Terror.” Our conversation covered why history, especially the stories of terrorism and the global war on terror, must be told through the human perspective. Jake  talked about how he blends journalistic...

In episode 163, I sit down with Jack Carr — veteran, bestselling author, and screenwriter — to talk about Cry Havoc , his latest addition to The Terminal List series of novels and the evolving journey from page to screen. Our conversation dives into how Jack’s relentless world building isn’t just about crafting thrillers; it’s about intentionally seeding story elements that let him explore multipl...

Episode 162 is a recording from conversation with my friend, Michael Jerome Plunkett, at Storyline Bookshop in Upper Arlington, Ohio. Michael shares the journey behind his debut novel “Zone Rouge,” (published by Unnamed Press) chronicling his fascination with Verdun, France and the lingering effects of World War I on its people and landscape. We dive deep into Michael’s unique approach to writing...

In episode 161, I dive deep into the heart of life after service, exploring what it means to transition from the military into the creative world of media and storytelling. I sit down with my friend, Martin Foster, a retiring Air Force Chief Master Sergeant, podcaster, speaker, and actor, to unpack the journey of moving from rigid military identity to embracing a brand new chapter fueled by passio...

In episode 160, I sit down with Marine Corps captain and children’s book author, Riley Tejcek, to dive into what it really takes for a veteran to step into the world of publishing. Riley shares her journey from serving as an officer and competing for Team USA as a bobsled pilot, to becoming a children’s book author with You Can Dream It, Be It!” published by End Game Press . We dig into how her mi...

In episode 159, I spoke with Ryan Curtis , an Army veteran and the writer, director, and producer of Hollywood Grit . Ryan shares his journey from growing up in a working-class town outside Boston, serving in the Army during the height of the Global War on Terror, and ultimately finding his calling as a storyteller and director. We dive into his path of learning the movie business the hard way — b...

In episode 158, we pick up where we left off with Daril Fannin, founder of KINO — the highs and lows of Hollywood, lessons learned from working with icons like Jimmy Kimmel and Matt Damon, and navigating the collapse of promising projects. Daril opens up about personal rock bottom moments, the resilience built in military service, and how those skills power success in the entertainment industry. T...

In episode 157, I sit down with Daril Fannin — Army veteran, award-winning screenwriter, producer, and the founder of KINO — for a raw, energetic conversation about his path from military life to Hollywood and the power of authentic human interaction. We dive deep into Daril’s upbringing in a fundamentalist Pentecostal cult, his eye-opening introduction to the world of movies, and how storytelling...

In episode 156, I dive deep with Patrick Mate, founder of Patriot Jean Co., exploring what it truly means to be a veteran entrepreneur committed to leadership and building a small business rooted in American values. Patrick shares his journey from military service to civilian life, emphasizing the challenges and rewards of the military to civilian transition and how those skillsets translate to en...