Making Media Now

Crews For A Cause: Using Film and Media to Make a Difference

On this episode, host Michael Azevedo is joined by filmmaker Stebs Schinnerer to discuss his career as a director, cinematographer, and editor as well as his work as one of the founding members of a group called Crews for a Cause.

 

Crews for a Cause is a 100% volunteer run nonprofit production group made up of production assistants, producers, makeup artists, directors, cinematographers and everyone in between.

 

The organization specializes in creating short form video content for great causes in need of telling their story. Their goal is to support and bring together passionate and empowered entertainment professionals to produce, film & edit videos benefiting good causes and people in need—at little or no cost to them.

 

You can learn more about Crews for a Cause at crewsforacause.org

 

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

"Sea Change: The Gulf of Maine": Monitoring Climate Change on New England's Coast

On this episode, host Michael Azevedo is joined by the makers of a new three-part documentary series called “Sea Change: The Gulf of Maine” which premiered on US Public Television stations in late July. Joining Michael are co-director Chun-Wei Yi and series producer Brian Skerry.

“Sea Change” explores a body of water that is warming 97 percent faster than the global ocean, and what that means for the Gulf of Maine – for the animals, for the jobs dependent upon it and the millions of people along its shores – and may serve as a preview of what could happen worldwide due to climate change.

“Sea Change” blends science, exploration, stunning natural history and stories of human experience to illuminate how what happens here could have profound global implications.

Viewers will encounter the spectacular wilderness and wildlife that still teems in these waters.

The series also documents the range of people including scientists, Native Americans, fishers and entrepreneurs working to reveal the Gulf’s complex history and helping to understand what role the ocean plays in all of our lives.

All 3 episodes are available via the PBS App and via NOVA on YouTube. 

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.

"Two American Families, 1991-2024": 3 Decades of Struggle & Determination

Joining host Michael Azevedo on this episode are documentary filmmakers Tom Casciato and Kathleen Hughes. Tom and Kathleen join Michael to discuss their latest film for PBS’s Frontline series called "Two American Families, 1991-2024." The film follows two Milwaukee families, one black, one white, over the last thirty-odd years. 

Two American Families 1991-2024 premiered on Frontline on July 23 but is still available for streaming via the Frontline website, the PBS App and on YouTube, where at the time of this recording, it has received more than 360k views.

 

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.

Sarah T. Schwab & Brian Long Declare Filmmaking Independence with Cardinal Flix

Joining host Michael Azevedo on this episode are Sarah T. Schwab and Brian Long, the co-founders of Cardinal Flix, an independent film production company, seeking to change the film industry for the better by creating authentic & personal narrative films, while also maintaining a determined commitment to social responsibility in the filmmaking industry.

 

Cardinal Flix produces films in a variety of genres, ranging from family dramas to psychological thrillers and tell stories about love, fear, sexuality and death. Their most recent film, “A Stage of Twilight” was written and directed by Sarah Schwab and stars Karen Allen ("Raiders of the Lost Ark," "Animal House," “Indiana Jones and “The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull,” “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny”) and William Sadler (“Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey,” “The Comey Rule,” “The Shawshank Redemption,” Iron Man 3,” “Die Hard 2”).

 

Sarah and Brian are currently in post production on a psychological thriller called "Crybaby Bridge," which Sarah co-wrote and directed. The film stars two-time Emmy-nominated actress Sydney Mikayla and Erik King from the long-running Showtime series Dexter. 

 

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

Rob Apse Rolls Out "The Freelancers" on Substack

Joining host Michael Azevedo on this episode is filmmaker Rob Apse. Rob was on the podcast way back in 2021 to talk about his beautifully made documentary The Last Lightkeepers, which chronicles the preservation of New England lighthouses and profiles some of those who have taken on the responsibility of caring for and occupying them. You can still check out that documentary on Amazon Prime. 

 

Rob and Michael discuss a new venture that he launched earlier this year: a substack newsletter called "The Freelancers." Rob launched the substack with the goal of profiling and interviewing creatives of all sorts and helping fellow creative freelancers connect and learn through shared stories and experiences.

 

Since its inception earlier this year, The Freelancers has featured stories about animators, voice-over artists, and cinematographers and offered practical and useful advice for those embarking on the freelancing route. 

 

You can check it out at the freelancers.substack.com.

 

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

Documentary Sets Out to Investigate a "Broken" Child Welfare System

On this episode, host Michael Azevedo is joined by Bill Lichtenstein and Brooke Lewitas, the team behind a documentary-in-process called "Broken," a film which intends to identify and expose the underlying systemic problems in the child welfare system, nationally, and more specifically in the state of MA. 

"Broken" follows Brooke as she investigates and exposes the fatally-flawed child protection, foster care and family court systems in Massachusetts – where despite a $1.3 billion annual budget, hundreds of children have died in the care of the state child welfare system in recent years.

Bill Lichtenstein previously worked for ABC News producing investigative reports for “20/20,” “World News Tonight” and “Nightline,” and has written extensively for the Huffington Post, Nation, New York Times, New York Daily News, Village Voice, and the Boston Globe on child welfare, health and media issues.

 

Bill's latest film, "WBCN and The American Revolution" and companion book on MIT Press/Penguin Random House, tells the untold story of the early days of the legendary Boston radio station to examine how media can create social change.  Both the film, which aired on PBS, and the book received multiple award.

 

Reporter Brooke Lewitas is a recent graduate of Boston University School of Journalism. Brooke’s master’s thesis involved identifying, interviewing, and forming journalistic relationships with families affected by the Massachusetts child welfare system, as well as experts in the field. Her thesis paper forms the approach and scope of the film. Brooke has worked in university, local, and national newsrooms, including a stint as a reporter and columnist for the Virginia-based Fairfax Times, and as the editor-in-chief of the Boston University News Service.

 

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

Susan Zalkind Reveals Connection Between 2011 Triple Murder & Boston Marathon Bombing

Host Michael Azevedo welcomes back journalist Susan Zalkind. Susan joined us back in late 2022 to talk about the Hulu documentary series, "Murders Before the Marathon," which she created, wrote, and co-produced. The springboard for that documentary series was actually a book proposal about a triple murder that took place in Waltham mass on 9/11/11 and that horrific crime’s eventual connection to the Boston Marathon bombing in April 2013. 

 

Susan has spent more than a decade investigating the September 2011 murder of Brendan Mess, Raphael Teken, and her friend Erik Weissman in Waltham, Massachusetts and the connection between the officially still-open homicide case and the Boston Marathon bombing. 

Her book The Waltham Murders: One Woman’s Pursuit to Expose the Truth Behind a Murder and a National Tragedy was published in March 2024.

Library Journal hailed the book as “a definitive resource” in a starred review. Publishers Weekly called the book “gripping” and predicted that “readers will be captivated.”

A true-crime memoir and the culmination of more than ten years of reporting, The Waltham Murders is an in-depth probe into a dark American underworld by a journalist coming to grips with both personal grief and the collective anguish of a nation in her tireless pursuit of the truth.

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 Basement Talks" Details How Public Enemies Became Private Friends

Joining host Michael Azevedo on this episode are Sarah Perkins and Josh Sabey, the co-directors of "The Basement Talks," a riveting documentary series now available on Amazon Prime and Apple TV  that tells the story of two murders, secret meetings, and impossible friendships.

On December 30, 1994, a man carrying a black duffel bag entered an abortion clinic in Brookline, Massachusetts. By the day’s end, two women were dead, a manhunt was underway, a traumatized community was in mourning, and leaders on both sides of a divide wondered what they could have done to prevent it. It was at that juncture that a six year clandestine dialogue between enemies began.

Set against the backdrop of the Salvi murders and the contentious court case that followed, "The Basement Talks," follows six women—leaders on opposing sides of the abortion debate—who meet secretly and under threat of violence in an effort to replace dangerous and divisive stereotypes, strategies, and rhetoric with empathy, tolerance, and genuine friendship. 

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 

Stephen Ujlaki Exposes the "Bad Faith" Behind Christian Nationalism

Host Michael Azevedo is joined by Stephen Ujlaki, the director of "Bad Faith," a new documentary exploring the roots and the growing reach of Christian Nationalism. It’s a film that Ken Burns has called  “a great and powerful and timely film," filled with the dread this moment engenders; the cynical misuse of religion to advance aims diametrically the opposite of Christianity’s mission. 

 

BAD FAITH endeavors to reveal how Christian Nationalist leaders have spread fear and anger for decades, distorting political issues into Biblical battles between good and evil. Financed through the secretive Council for National Policy, Christian Nationalists have succeeded in taking over the Republican Party, turning it into a powerful weapon to demolish democracy from within. The film traces the origins of this organized grasp for power and the grassroots coalition of secular and interfaith leaders bravely confronting the unholy forces threatening democracy.

 

"Bad Faith" is now available to stream on demand.

 

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 

"Space: The Longest Goodbye" Looks at Psychological Challenges Faced by Astronauts

Host Michael Azevedo speaks with Ido Mizrahy, the director of "Space: The Longest Goodbye," which will be broadcast on PBS on May 6 as part of the Independent Lens series. 

 

In 1994, with the building of the International Space Station under way, NASA formed a psychological unit. Now, NASA astronauts may soon embark on even longer trips into deep space. Long-distance relationships are hard enough on Earth. On a three-year, round trip trek to Mars, navigating the unparalleled separation from home could be one of the biggest challenges to a successful mission. 

 

Space: The Longest Goodbye, follows the journey of mentally preparing astronauts for such an unprecedented trip and reflects on the history of the NASA psychological unit.

 

In addition to its May 6 PBS broadcast, the film is also currently available for streaming on demand.

 

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