Making Media Now

"Brainstorm" Examines Living with Bipolar

Back in 2023, Making Media Now host Michael Azevedo was joined by filmmaker Bonnie Waltch and writer Sara Schley to talk about a film project for which Filmmakers Collaborative was the fiscal sponsor.

 

The film was called "Brainstorm" and it’s now complete and will be featured in a global virtual screening on March 30 as part of World Bipolar Day.

 

Bonnie is the film’s writer, director, and producer. And Sara served as co-writer and co-producer.

 

BrainStorm follows six compelling people living with bipolar in their journey from devastation to recovery. The film connects their experiences with the latest bipolar brain science to shed light on potential causes and successful treatments.

 

Making Media Now 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

Feeding The Rage Machine: Andrew Goldberg's "White With Fear"

Joining host Michael Azevedo on episode is writer and director Andrew Goldberg, whose documentary "White with Fear" will premiere on PBS on March 24. 

 

Told by the operatives in the rooms where it happened, "White With Fear" is an explosive deep dive into the decades-long quest by America’s conservative political machine to amass power by exploiting racial fault lines and stoking narratives of White victimization.

 

The documentary examines how some American conservatives and political operatives have successfully weaponized racism and fear for decades and uncovers the real-world consequences of deploying tactics that seek to demonize immigrants, spread Islamophobia, and devise a strategic media campaign of racist rhetoric with real-world effects.

 

The film, which premiered at New York’s Chelsea Film Festival, recently earned a Writers Guild Award nomination.

 

"White with Fear" will stream simultaneously with broadcast and be available on all station-branded PBS platforms. 

 

An Emmy-Award-winning investigative producer, Andrew Goldberg has directed 14 prime-time documentaries. His work has appeared on major networks on every continent, and has been supported by more than 250 foundations, corporations and major donors around the world.

 

Making Media Now 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 Big Dig Podcast Team Dives Into the Story of "The Codfather"

On this episode host Michael Azevedo takes a dive into season three of the award-winning podcast series, The Big Dig, produced by GBH News and distributed by PRX. Season three is called "Catching The Codfather."

 

Joining Michael are series’ host Ian Coss and the GBH Managing Producer of Podcasts, Devin Maverick Robins.

 

Season Three of The Big Dig™ podcast, “Catching The Codfather,” goes down to the docks. It’s a place  where food, work, nature, money and politics all meet – where dreams are born, fortunes ruined, and where the watchful eye of the government is always present.

 

The series traces the rise of Carlos Rafael and his escalating conflict with the government. 

 

Making Media Now 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

"Recovery City" Examines Addiction, Community, and Resilience

On this episode, host Michael Azevedo chats with award-winning documentary filmmaker Lisa Olivieri about her film, "Recovery City," a raw exploration of what it means to be in recovery as seen through the eyes of four women whose lives share a common thread: addiction.

 

Set in the working class city of Worcester MA, the film is a real and honest portrait of resilience, grit and camaraderie presenting women who use their lived experience to lift up those still struggling while refusing to give up hope.

 

"Recovery City" will screen on March 28 at GBH Studios in Boston as part of the Vinfen Film Festival. 

 

Making Media Now 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

PBS Doc Details How Trailblazer Barbara Jordan Became "The Inquisitor"

Joining host Michael Azevedo on this episode is Angela Lynn Tucker, the director of an inspiring and informative new documentary called "The Inquisitor," which tells the story of the life and career of Barbara Jordan.

 

As a young girl growing up in Houston’s Fifth Ward, Barbara Jordan was taught to defy expectations. She understood that to succeed, she would need to forge her own path.

 

With relentless determination and unyielding tenacity, Barbara Jordan made history as Texas’s first Black state senator and in 1972 the first Southern Black woman elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. 

 

At a time when the idea of a Black woman holding power seemed inconceivable, Barbara Jordan created a roadmap for change.

 

"The Inquisitor" chronicles the life of Congresswoman Barbara Jordan, whose electrifying voice and moral clarity during President Richard Nixon’s impeachment captivated the nation. Earning her the moniker “The Inquisitor.”

 

The film will premiere on 2/23 on PBS as part of the Independent Lens series.

 

Making Media Now 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

Media Entrepreneur Miles Spencer Keeps the Conversation Going

Joining host Michael Azevedo on this episode is Miles Spencer, the co-founder of an innovative AI start-up called Reflekta. A few weeks back, Mile’s team reached out to me to say that they’ve enjoyed the conversations I've had with various types of storytellers…and how they especially liked how our conversations revealed the stories within the stories.

 

Miles has helped create over 1,100 jobs while founding, financing, building and exiting three digital media companies. Before doing that he spent time in venture capital, hosted a precursor to Shark Tank called MoneyHunt on PBS , led over 1,500 people across 14 miles of open sea on kayak, and trekked 1,100 miles through the deserts of Saudi Arabia , Jordan and Syria. He also published a novel called  A Line in the Sand that ended up being an Amazon bestseller in the Middle East.

We had an engaging conversation about his early inspirations, his professional path, and the philosophical considerations around ethical AI.

Making Media Now 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

Filmmaking, Motherhood, Love, and Loss: "Vivien's Wild Ride" Covers It All

Host Michael Azevedo is joined on this episode by first-time director Vivien Hillgrove and producer Deann Borshay Liem to discuss a truly engaging and poignant personal documentary called “Vivien’s Wild Ride,” which will premiere on PBS on January 26. 

 

Vivien Hillgrove has been a film and sound editor all her adult life. 

 

She's worked with many filmmaking greats including: Francis Ford Coppola, Phillip Kaufman, Milos Forman, and Walter Murch, along with a who’s who of celebrated documentary filmmakers. 

 

When Vivien’s eyesight starts to deteriorate, the shame and loneliness she felt in 1964, when she was forced to relinquish her baby as a teenage unwed mother, at at time when there were few choices for women, was a loss that resonated throughout her life.

 

Now she faces a new feeling of isolation and loss. Recalling her resilience as a young woman, Vivien summons it anew and reinvents herself as a person with a new way of being and seeing, an artist with a disability.

 

Making Media Now 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

"American Sons": A Fallen Marine's Story Unites His Comrades

Host Michael Azevedo is joined on this episode by Laura Varela and Andrew Gonzales, the producer and producer/director of "American Sons," a new documentary that follows a brotherhood of Marines a decade after their deployment to Afghanistan, as they struggle to overcome the trauma of combat and the loss of many of their comrades.

 

The film will premiere on PBS on January 12 and will stream simultaneously with broadcast and be available on all station-branded PBS platforms

 

The story of their time in Afghanistan is told through the video diary of Corporal JV Villarreal, who was killed in action by an IED. JV had kept the video diary for his family back home in Texas and his family generously shared it with the filmmakers.

 

This personal, powerful footage provides a haunting window into what these young Marines experienced together. Now, a decade after JV’s death, his brotherhood of Marines continues to get together, helping each other cope with lingering trauma and strengthening the unbreakable bonds formed in war.

 

A poignant exploration of grief and resilience, “American Sons” honors the service of these young men and spotlights the need for mental health support for veterans.

 

Making Media Now 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

"Bombshell" Reveals Military Propaganda in Aftermath of Hiroshima Destruction

Host Michael Azevedo is joined on this episode by Ben Loeterman, the writer and director of Bombshell, a new documentary that Explores How The U.S. government manipulated the narrative around the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

 

Ben’s film will premiere on PBS as part of the American Experience series on January 6 and will be available on the PBS app and the American Experience website thereafter. 

 

Through propaganda, censorship and the co-opting of the press, the government presented a benevolent picture of atomic power, minimizing the horrific human toll of the bombings. 

 

The U.S. media became pivotal in promoting — and then piercing — the official narrative.

 

While President Truman publicly declared that “it has never been the habit of the scientists of this country or this government to withhold from the world scientific knowledge,” that is precisely what General Groves, leader of the Manhattan Project, insisted upon.

 

Bombshell sheds light on the efforts of courageous journalists to inform the world about the human costs of nuclear weapons, despite government censorship. 

 

Making Media Now 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

Joshua Seftel Enters "All The Empty Rooms"

On this episode host Michael Azevedo welcomes back Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Joshua Seftel to discuss his latest documentary, "All the Empty Rooms," which is currently available on Netflix and has been short-listed for the 2025 Oscars in the category of best documentary short.

 

Across America, bedrooms sit untouched — walls still covered in posters, clothes folded neatly in drawers — silent memorials to children lost to gun violence.

 

"All the Empty Rooms" is a 33-minute documentary that follows CBS News correspondent Steve Hartman on a seven-year journey visiting families who have lost a child, photographing each child’s room as it was on their last day. These “sacred spaces frozen in time” form an intimate portrait of grief, love, and the enduring need for empathy.

Making Media Now 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