Making Media Now

Catching Up with Mike Silva and the Stories He Tells

On this episode of Making Media Now, host Michael Azevedo catches up with multi-talented Filmmakers Collaborative member Mike Silva of Vessel Productions to learn about the path he took to becoming a filmmaker and editor. Mike brings us up to date on the making of his latest documentary, JUMP,  which tells the story of 26-year-old Maria Smirnova as she strives to high dive professionally for Cirque Du Soleil and Red Bull. The film will explore the sport of high diving as well as the recreational, and often dangerous, counterculture of freestyle cliff diving. 

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, FC supports creatives at every step in their journey.

 

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

 

Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead 

Filmmaker Fax Bahr Charts a Course with Waterkeeper Diane Wilson

Joining host Michael Azevedo on this episode are filmmaker Fax Bahr and activist and fisherwoman Diane Wilson who discuss their documentary "Waterkeeper," which is now in production

"Waterkeeper" explores the astonishing and uplifting life of environmental activist Diane Wilson, Waterkeeper for the San Antonio Bay Estuarine system.

As writer, director, and producer, Fax Bahr won a Directing Emmy for Hearts Of Darkness, A Filmmaker’s Apocalypse. That film also won Best Documentary from the National Board of Review. Fax has also served as a Community Organizer in the Sierra Club’s Beyond Coal campaign. He currently volunteers for InsideOUT Writers, teaching creative writing to incarcerated youth in Los Angeles.

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, FC supports creatives at every step in their journey.

 

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

 

Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead 

Meet Reality TV Powerhouse Mark Cronin

Joining host Michael Azevedo on episode #52 of Making Media Now is Mark Cronin, one of Hollywood’s most successful and prolific reality television producers. He is widely credited with co-creating the celeb-reality sub-genre with the breakout hit of “The Surreal Life” (The WB) in 2003.

As one of the most innovative creators and producers of reality television, Mark has founded three successful production companies, and served as show-runner on 44 separate TV series on 13 different networks. He created or co-created 46 series more than half of which went to multiple seasons and 23 of which were spin-offs due to the successes of their original flagship series.

 

After co-founding the reality production company, Mindless Entertainment, Cronin joined forces with 51 Pictures, to form the reality powerhouse 51 Minds Entertainment in 2004. Under that banner, Cronin created and co-created some of the most popular content in reality television serving as show-runner on such hits as “Flavor of Love,” “Rock of Love,” and “Charm School.” 

 

Cronin continued to develop new programming, including Bravo’s highest rated series premiere, “Below Deck,” now in post-production for it’s ninth season as well as the successful spin-offs “Below Deck Mediterranean” currently airing its sixth season, “Below Deck Down Under” which just wrapped production in Australia, and “Below Deck Adventure” now in production in Norway.

 

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, FC supports creatives at every step in their journey.

 

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

 

Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead 

Journalist Dan Kennedy: Seeing The World From a Local Angle

It's episode number 51 of Making Media Now and host Michael Azevedo is talking with journalist Dan Kennedy.

Dan is a professor at Northeastern University’s School of Journalism and writes a weekly column on media and politics for the GBH News website. From 1991 through 2005  he worked at The Boston Phoenix, mostly as the alt-weekly’s media columnist. Dan has also contributed articles to a number of other publications, including The Washington Post, The Boston Globe and Nieman Lab. From 2007-2011 he  wrote a weekly online column for The Guardian.

His book on a new breed of wealthy newspaper owners, “The Return of the Moguls: How Jeff Bezos and John Henry Are Remaking Newspapers for the Twenty-First Century,” was published in 2018. “The Return of the Moguls” has been critically praised by the academic publication Journalism, the trade magazine Editor & Publisher, The Boston Globe and other publications.

And from 1998 to just this year he was regular panelist on “Beat the Press,” a weekly roundtable program on media issues broadcast on GBH-TV. Most recently, Dan entered the world of podcasting with "What Works," a podcast about the future of local news. Dan’s collaborator in that effort is former Boston Globe editor Ellen Clegg.

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, FC supports creatives at every step in their journey.

 

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

 

Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead 

”Duty Free”-- A Love Letter from a Son to His Mother

It's episode number 50 of Making Media Now and host Michael Azevedo is talking with the director and the star of an engaging film called Duty Free. 

 

Duty Free is a fascinating and very personal documentary about a man who set out to take his 75-mom on an epic quest to fulfill her bucket list. Director Sian-Pierre Regis' mother Rebecca was 75 years-old when she was fired without cause from her lifelong job as a hotel housekeeper. That’s when Sian decided to take her on a bucket-list adventure to reclaim her life. As she struggles to find work, he documents a journey that uncovers the economic insecurity shaping not only her future, but that of an entire generation.

 

Duty Free examines ageism, the care crisis, and economic insecurity in America. 

 

Duty Free will be shown on PBS’ Independent Lens beginning on November 22. Check your local listings for exact time.

 

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, FC supports creatives at every step in their journey.

 

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

 

Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead 

 

Saluting the ”American Veteran”

On episode 49 of Making Media Now, Michael Azevedo speaks with Elizabeth Deane and Judith Vecchione, co-executive producers of American Veteran, a multi-tiered project that traces the veteran experience through a four-part broadcast series, a nine-part podcast, and a ten-part series of digital shorts. 

From the citizen-soldiers returning from the Revolution to today’s warrior class, it is a deeply moving story, highlighting personal remembrances, drawing civilian viewers into an unfamiliar culture, and showcasing the evolving relationships between Americans who have served in the military and those who have not. 

Elizabeth Deane’s best-known work includes films she wrote and produced over two decades for PBS’s American Experience, notably Nixon; The Kennedys; Ulysses S. Grant; and Reconstruction: The Second Civil War.

Judith Vecchione is an executive producer at GBH Boston, where her most recent project was Blood Sugar Rising, an award-winning PBS special that explored the history and personal stories of America’s devastating diabetes epidemic. In her long career, Vecchione has contributed to major PBS documentary series including Vietnam: A Television History, Nova, American Experience, and Frontline.  

 

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, FC supports creatives at every step in their journey.

 

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

 

Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead 

Discovering ”The Lost Women of Science”

On this episode, host Michael Azevedo speaks with journalist and author Katie Hafner, and bioethicist Amy Scharf about the Lost Women of Science Initiative, a new educational nonprofit organization created to research and promote the stories of the forgotten women of science. The initiative's mission is to raise awareness of the pivotal role women have played in scientific discoveries and innovations, and to promote interest in STEM education and careers - especially among girls and young women. 

 

The Lost Women of Science podcast launches on November 4, in partnership with public media organization PRX and the award-winning Scientific American magazine. Katie Hafner is the host and Amy Scharf is one of the co-executive producers. The podcast series will present deeply reported narratives of female scientists previously unrecognized by the general public for their accomplishments. The first season will include four in-depth episodes centered on Dr. Dorothy Andersen (1901-1963), a brilliant pathologist and pediatrician who discovered and named cystic fibrosis in the 1930s. 

 

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, FC supports creatives at every step in their journey.

 

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

Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead 

Cynthia McKeown, Margaret Kripke, and Unacceptable Risks

On this episode, filmmaker Cynthia McKeown joins Michael Azevedo to talk about her short documentary "Unacceptable Risk: Dr. Margaret Kripke on Cancer and the Environment”, which has been selected for screening at the 2021 American Public Health Association (APHA) Annual Meeting and Expo (October 23 – 27).

 

Cynthia is a writer, producer, and director of award-winning documentary and educational films for digital and television broadcast platforms. She has also been a managing editor & creator of numerous health, medical, and educational websites. And her background  includes college-level teaching, non-profit fundraising and community organizing. 

 

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, FC supports creatives at every step in their journey.

 

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

Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead 

Meet Nick Hudson of E2AC (Entertainment to Affect Change)

Joining host Michael Azevedo on this episode is Nick Hudson, Executive Director of an organization called Entertainment to Affect Change, or E2AC.

 

Entertainment 2 Affect Change (E2AC) is a non-profit organization committed to producing high quality digital, cinematic, and live entertainment for the express purpose of bringing positive change to underserved health and social communities.

 

E2AC's vision is to revolutionize the way that organizations, content creators, and funders collaborate to tell meaningful and powerful stories that entertain, engage, educate, and inspire.

 

In their conversation, Nick and Michael discuss E2AC’s origins, its mission and how he came to be involved with the organization.

 

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, FC supports creatives at every step in their journey.

 

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

Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead 

Telling The Story of Those ”Missing in Brooks County”

Joining host Michael Azevedo on this episode are Lisa Molomot and Jeff Bemis, the co-directors and co-producers of an award-winning documentary called "Missing in Brooks County." The film follows two American families coming to Brooks County, Texas, in search of loved ones lost while attempting to cross into the United States from Mexico. According to the film, the area of Brooks County sees the highest quantity of migrant deaths in the country. Describing the area, the sheriff of Brooks County calls it “the largest cemetery in the United States.” 

 

The film also introduces us to Eddie Canales, the founder of the South Texas Human Rights Center, a bootstrap operation whose mission is to help reunite family members with their missing loved ones. Every week, between taking nonstop calls from concerned families, Canales drives around the area, refilling and checking in on water stations that he’s left throughout the brush to help dehydrated migrants stay alive.

 

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, FC supports creatives at every step in their journey.

 

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

Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead