WRAP DRINKS

When most people hear the title makeup artist, they think this responsibility only focuses on beauty, but luckily for us, Anna Stachow came on the podcast to clarify this misconception. As a makeup designer, Anna's job is to figure out how best to visualize a character's backstory. Whether that's a fighter that needs special effect bruises, a creature that needs prosthetics, or a teenager who just...

Earlier this year, 4Wall hosted us at their 2025 Vendor Showcase. This year, they went above and beyond to work with their team putting together a volume set just for us. We sat down with Ben and Mat, who were kind enough to explain how the setup works and tell us how their relationship with 4Wall came to be.

While most cinematographers seem to have a fixed trajectory that eventually lands them a tentpole Marvel series, Hillary Spera's came almost from left-field. Before her contribution to the the Daredevil Born Again series, Hillary was traveling the world as a documentary DP filming on fishing boats, documenting Insane Clown Posse shows, and filming in abortion clinics in the Mid-west. Still, the pu...

Bill Almeida is gaffer known for his work on the John Wick Franchise, Fallout, and Instigators. In June 2025, he made some time to stop by the 4 Wall Vendor showcase in Moonachie NJ. Tune in as we pick Bill's brain while we sit on the volume that the 4wall team designed just for Wrap Drinks!

Like most of us breaking into the film industry, Jamie Rice's career began with PA work. Although she quickly knew she didn't want to be an AD, she found a path assisting both directors and producers. When the writer's strike happened, Jamie pivoted and began photographing bands like Meet Me @ The Altar and Daisy Grenade. Tune in as Jamie shares all the lessons she learned during her many shifts i...

Jose Ramirez is a Sound Mixer born and raised in Queens NY. You’ve probably heard some of his work on Funny Pages, 2nd Chance, and Bad Shabbos. Unlike most of his peers in SVA, Jose chose the path of sound guy instead of a Director during his undergrad education. He found himself working so much while attending school that he nearly dropped out to work full time. Join us as we pick Jose’s brain ab...

With a career spanning across 40 years, DP and ASC member Wolfgang Held has been traveling the world photographing award winning films. Whether it's a narrative feature or documentary film, Wolf's choices for lighting, framing, and even how many cameras are on a set are dictated by his verite approach. We talked with Wolf about some of his most notable work, his early projects, and what it's like...

Anni Abbruzzese is a union loader and 2nd AC who has worked on projects such as Hocus Pocus 2, Castle Rock, and The Instigators. Anni's journey into the camera department began when they were scooped up from their role as a PA by a camera team person who saw their potential. Anni quickly learned the camera department can be a challenging experience that tests your limits, but this taught them...

Stratton Bailey is an underwater key grip and cinematographer whose credits include Nanny, Rosemead, and Thalassophobia. Growing up, diving and being in the water became second nature to Stratton. Little did he know he was developing an integral skill for his future career. As the guard for set safety, being a key grip is already a complex line of work and when you add water it can easily become a...

Although she is a bit softspoken, Food Stylist Jen Beauchesne is not afraid to dish out the truth on styling food for camera. Before venturing into this craft, Jen was working as a photo assist. After realizing her calling, Jen took the steps to transition careers and has collaborated with innovators such as Victoria Granof and Steve Giralt. Jen's years of experience include commercial work for Du...

Originally based in Ohio, Jeremy dropped out of film school and moved to Florida to pursue his career in film. After several years working in indie production, he joined the union where we was able to work on productions like Elementary, Cold Souls, and Hello Tomorrow. We spoke with Jeremy about his journey and learn about what the prop exam for the union is like, learning to work with big celebri...

If you've worked on a New York Production, the chance that you've bumped into Smitty on your set is pretty high. If you haven't - it's likely the Key Grip on your set probably trained under him. Born and raised in the Bronx, Rob Smith says he was saved by the film industry after years of getting into trouble on the streets. After a friend brought him to set of a music video in 1990s, he was immedi...

Perhaps best known for working with the Polish Brothers on Northfork and Twin Falls Idaho, David Mullen has shot over 40 other independent feature films; Jennifer’s Body and the Love Witch to name a few. David's resume also includes television series such as United States of Tara, West World, and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. David is not only renowned for his work, but he also has a reputation for b...

Meet Kathleen Kim, you might have seen her on SNL, Awkwafina is Nora from Queens, Helpsters, or even Sesame Street, but you probably didn't know it was her. Kathleen is a puppeteer who's been the talent behind some incredible characters. Puppeteering wasn't always a part of Kathleen's original career trajectory but this changed when she took a "puppetry for comedy" improv class. Kathleen's witty s...

Larry Fessenden is a producer, director, and the founder of Glass Eye Pix. Above all, he is a lover of cinema and not afraid to get involved in the technical process and do the work. In fact, he prefers it. A performer in his own right, when Larry isn't making films, he's starring in them. In many ways, Larry is a local legend and icon of the horror genre. His career spans over 40+ years and 20+ f...

Tony Pettine has worked as a Script Supervisor on 50+ films. Tony is also the co-creator of ScriptE, which is the market leader in Script Supervision software with over 5000 users worldwide. On today's episode, we get to dive down the rabbit hole of what it's like to work as a script supervisor on films and television. We get to hear the ins and outs of being a department of one and learn about ho...

On this episode, we have a 2 guest segment lined up. First up, Smokey Nelson is back in the studio to co-host. Smokey was the Gaffer on "Half Nelson" and "Blue Valentine". He's also the DP on "Neon Joe Werewolf Hunter". Our featured guest is a good friend of Smokey's, Luke Geissbühler. Luke Geissbühler is a Director of Photography best known for his work on Helvetica, The Borat Films, and Robots....

Visiting all the way from the UK, Director of Photography Spike Morris stopped by the Wrap Drinks set to chat with us about all things cinematography related. Spike's love for photography and working with analogy technology morphed into a passion for filmmaking. Spike's desire for experimentation has led him to work on some exciting projects like Moses Boyd's "Stranger than Fiction" music to video...

Ad agencies, lighting design, non-profit work, special effects, protests, and psychedelic art shows; these two have seemingly done it all. Natalie Cleveland currently finds herself as a Producer & Industry Advocate, while Simon Cleveland is working under the title of Lighting & Effects Wizard. In this episode of Wrap Drinks we sit down with the industry power couple to talk about understan...

Blake's eventual role as a cinematographer didn't happen through the most traditional route. In fact, Blake's stint in the film industry began as a Production Assistant - infamously on the huge sets like "The Dark Knight Rises". Blake's ambitions however took him beyond this when he transitioned to AC work. In recent years, his accomplishments include being the Tech Producer for the NFL featurette...

Heidi Koleto is a Prop Master with experience working on TV Shows such as Barry, Julia, and Kevin Can Fuck Himself. On today's episode, she gives us insight on what it's like to work on these large productions and how she handles the day to day tasks and responsibilities to keep a show running. Throughout this conversation we also learn about some of her amazing quirks that contribute to h...

Demian Neufeld is a Drone Pilot and the co-owner of Ryders Alley. Before DJI was breaking ground with their cinematic drones, Demian was attempting to fly cameras using RC helicopters. At the age of 12, he started his passion for photography before changing his focus to something more financially secure, pre-med. However, it wasn't long after he graduated that he decided to leave this career and g...

In the era before digital movie theaters, film projectionists were integral part of the movie theater experience. Adrianne Jorge began her journey as a projectionist in college doing film screening in classrooms before moving to local theaters. Adrianne landed her spot in the union through a film festival after proving her value, and would later work for Woody Allen in his private screening room....

Before Valerie Armstrong was able to sell her show "Kevin Can F**k Himself" (spoilers ahead of you haven't watched yet) to AMC, she worked a number of different jobs to pay the rent. Whether it was being an assistant to the owner of a Pistachio farm, working as an NBC Page, or being a writing assistant on "Masters of Sex", these jobs prepared Valerie for the daunting task o...

Jeff Brink might currently be known as the CEO of Blackout Lighting Console, but his exploits as a disruptor in the film industry goes back to his days at NYU. In the days when attaching a cinema camera to a drone was unheard of, Jeff and his team were determined to innovate and find a path, paving the way for drone photography as we know it today. Ultimately, this pursuit reached its end and Jeff...