Making Media Now

Host Michael Azevedo's guest on this episode is award-winning documentary filmmaker, former Olympian, and Filmmakers Collaborative member Mary Mazzio.

 

Mary’s latest film, conveniently titled "Mighty Mary" has been garnering all sorts of accolades and attention since it began its run in AMC theaters across the nation on September 11.

 

The response has been so enthusiastic that its big screen run has been extended!

 

Narrated by Elizabeth Banks and Hugh Jackman, "Mighty Mary" chronicles an amazing group of “we eat nails for breakfast” type of women: the first all-women’s sailing team to contend for the famed America’s Cup, the holy grail for one of sport’s most elite and exclusive racing events.  

This groundbreaking team was comprised of a group of world class and Olympic sailors as well as Olympic rowers and included a deaf sailor, a Native Hawaiian sailor, and the first African American sailor to ever win an America’s Cup race.

 

What had been dismissed as a publicity stunt turned into something unimaginable.

 

In all her films, Mary Mazzio explores the concept of overcoming obstacles, whether it is a fight for social change, or issues of poverty and lack of opportunity.

 

All of Mary’s films are about ordinary people doing extraordinary things – defying expectations and challenging assumptions of what they can achieve.

 

Making Media Now—which is available on all podcast platforms including YouTube--is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey.

 

About the host: www.writevoicecreative.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/

 

Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead

 

Host Michael Azevedo's guest on this episode is writer, director, and actor Ed Burns.

 

Ed has been a force in the movie world since his debut film "The Brothers McMullen" which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival back in 1995.

 

Over the ensuing 30 years, Ed has written and directed more than 15 films and has acted in numerous others, including Steven Spielberg’s "Saving Private Ryan."

 

Ed’s latest film—Beneath The Blue Suburban Skies—will make its US premiere on Sunday, September 20 at 42nd Boston Film Festival (for which Filmmakers Collaborative is the fiscal sponsor).

 

During the festival, Ed will be presented with the inaugural Boston Film Festival Award for Excellence in Cinematic Storytelling.

 

"Beneath the Blue Suburban Skies" tells the story of the Collins family, where the mother Tina feels stuck in a middle-aged rut and struggles with feelings of shame and anger she has toward her two grown children who live at home. And she holds resentment toward her husband, played by Ed Burns himself, who may have held her back. 

 

As an added bonus, Ed Burns will be in attendance during the Sunday, September 20 screening and will participate in a Q&A. 

 

Making Media Now—which is available on all podcast platforms including YouTube--is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey.

 

About the host: www.writevoicecreative.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/

 

Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead

Joining host Michael Azevedo on this episode is Nadia Gill the co-director of an insightful and thought-provoking documentary called The [Conserv]atives.

 

From summer 2021 through Donald Trump's re-election campaign, four Republican insiders wage an uphill battle to transform their party's stance on climate change from within.

As extreme weather intensifies and the 2024 election approaches, they confront a political machine built on denial, testing whether personal conviction can overcome tribal loyalty.

This is a deeply personal story about the cost of defying your own side and the haunting question that drives them all: will their efforts be enough before time runs out? 

Nadia Gill is an award-winning filmmaker and co-founder of Encompass Films, known for crafting visually rich, socially resonant documentaries that explore the environment, American identity, and ideological complexity.

Her work has been featured by Netflix, the Los Angeles Times, Bloomberg Originals, the Smithsonian Channel and the Redford Center.

Nadia co-directed Planetwalker, a critically acclaimed documentary shortlisted for the Academy Awards.

The [Conserv]atives is her feature directorial debut. 

A former attorney and native Angeleno, she now lives in Lake Tahoe, where in addition to making films she runs the Bristlecone Film Collective, a nonprofit dedicated to fostering a local film culture in the Northern Sierras.

Making Media Now—which is available on all podcast platforms including YouTube--is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey.

 

About the host: www.writevoicecreative.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/

 

Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead

Director Valerie Veatch joins host Michael Azevedo on this episode to discuss her provocative documentary "Ghost in the Machine," which will have its broadcast debut on the PBS series Independent Lens on Sept. 14. 

 

Valerie's film will also be available on the PBS Documentaries YouTube channel.

 

Valerie’s film examines AI’s troubled history and its present day impact.

 

"Ghost in the Machine" reveals how the human values, biases and power structures behind artificial intelligence are shaping our world—and its societal and environmental consequences.

 

Valerie Veatch is writer and director of documentaries Me@The Zoo (HBO) and Love Child (HBO). She is a graduate of the New School for Social Research with a degree in culture and media studies. Her award-winning work deals with the intersection of technology and society.

 

Making Media Now—which is available on all podcast platforms including YouTube--is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey.

 

About the host: www.writevoicecreative.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/

 

Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead

 

Host Michael Azevedo recently had the pleasure of watching a captivating, thrilling and inspiring documentary called Women & The Wind (which is currently streaming for rent on Vimeo).

 

This intimate and beautifully made and thrilling film tells the story of 3 young women who literally throw caution to the wind and set out on a 2200 nautical mile voyage across the North Atlantic—from South Carolina to Portugal--on a 50-year-old wooden catamaran. 

 

Michael's guest on this episode is one of those 3 women: the film’s director—filmmaker and photographer Alize Jireh.

 

Not only is Women & The Wind Alize’s debut film, the 30-day sailing voyage—which featured challenges anticipated and unexpected—was her first sailing experience! Talk about diving in with all you’ve got!

 

Making Media Now—which is available on all podcast platforms including YouTube--is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey.

 

About the host: www.writevoicecreative.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/

 

Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead

 

Host Michael Azevedo is joined on this episode by Jenny Carchman, director of the riveting true-crime documentary “Whatever It Takes: Inside the eBay Scandal,” which is now streaming on Amazon Prime. 

 

Jenny’s film unspools the chilling true crime saga of suburban bloggers from Natick, MA who were targeted in a terrifying cyberstalking campaign orchestrated by senior security executives at global tech giant eBay.

 

“Whatever It Takes” is a story of corporate espionage and escalating threats that terrorized an ordinary couple.

 

Jenny Carchman has made documentaries for both theatrical release and broadcast television, including PBS’s “Frontline,” “American Masters” and “American Experience,” as well as programming for HBO.

 

Her wide ranging films have brought viewers closer to subjects such as former NYC mayor Ed Koch to The New York Times and to the Grateful Dead.

 

Making Media Now—which is available on all podcast platforms including YouTube--is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey.

 

About the host: www.writevoicecreative.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/

 

Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead

 

 

On episode #200 of Making Media Now host Michael Azevedo chats with Sophie Vershbow the co-host, along with Rudi Greenberg, of a new podcast called It Was A Book First, which as you might guess from the title is all about new book-to-screen adaptations. 

On each episode Sofie and Rudi dissect the TV and film adaptations that are all across your feeds, what you'll be reading and watching next, and the business behind what actually makes it off the page.

Along with co-hosting the podcast, Sophie is a freelance journalist and former-Big 5 publishing employee writing about books, the publishing industry, tv/film, and internet culture. Her work has appeared in  Esquire,  New York Magazine,  Elle,  The Atlantic,  Literary Hub, and  beyond.

 

Making Media Now—which is available on all podcast platforms including YouTube--is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey.

 

About the host: www.writevoicecreative.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/

 

Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead

 

Joining host Michael Azevedo on this episode is former Hollywood studio executive and serial entrepreneur Steven Puri.

 

After working as an executive at three film studios and a producer on films such as "Die Hard 5" and "The Wolverine," raising $21MM of venture capital, and running 3 start-ups, Steven has learned some vital lessons about high-performancers and how nurturing focus—particularly for creatives and entrepreneurs is more important than ever as AI presents challenges…and when approached correctly…presents opportunities.

 

Steven’s latest entrepreneurial pursuit is The Sukha Company, a website and app designed to help creatives tap into their deepest focus and extract their greatest potential. 

 

Making Media Now—which is available on all podcast platforms including YouTube--is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey.

 

About the host: www.writevoicecreative.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/

 

Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead

We continue our 2-episode series of conversations with filmmakers who have documentaries playing at the 35th Annual Woods Hole Film Festival in scenic Woods Hole, MA which runs from July 25 to August 1 this year.

 

In this episode, I’m talking with award-winning cinematographer and director Cynthia Matty-Huber about her film "Hard Twist: Through The Lens of Barbara Van Cleve," which presents the life story of the famous western photographer, Barbara Van Cleve.

 

Barbara is a fifth-generation Montanan with a century of family history going back to the early 1900s. Upon their arrival in Montana, the Van Cleves began operating a guest ranch, where Barbara grew up and spent most of her summers as an adult.

 

Barbara's story offers insight into a hardy western ranching lifestyle many have not experienced, with striking archive footage of early Montana and stunning original cinematography shot by Cynthia Matty-Huber.

 

This film is not only about Barbara's life, but tells a story of how her family history was intertwined with the changing landscape of the West.

 

Making Media Now—which is available on all podcast platforms including YouTube--is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey.

 

About the host: www.writevoicecreative.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/

 

Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead

The 35th Annual Woods Hole Film Festival in scenic Woods Hole, MA runs from July 25 to August 1 this year and we’re devoting a couple of episodes of Making Media Now to conversations with filmmakers who have documentaries playing at the festival.

 

First up is Michael Azevedo's conversation with 2-time Emmy winner Marilyn Ness, the director of The Endless Frontier an intimate, urgent portrait of three scientists working to solve some of the most pressing challenges of our time, from disease to climate change, while revealing the growing threat to the American research engine and what is at stake for us all if it falters.

 

Marilyn Ness is a two-time Emmy, Peabody, and DuPont Award-winning documentary director and producer. As director, Ness is interested in complex, social justice stories from multiple viewpoints. Marilyn also produced Kirsten Johnson’s groundbreaking films DICK JOHNSON IS DEAD and CAMERAPERSON, along with the Netflix film BECOMING, the hugely popular documentary about Michelle Obama.

 

Making Media Now—which is available on all podcast platforms including YouTube--is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey.

 

About the host: www.writevoicecreative.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/

 

Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead