Making Media Now

Andy DeMeo's "Granite Goodness": News Stories of Progress & Innovation

Joining host Michael Azevedo on this episode is Andy DeMeo, the creator and host of the Granite Goodness podcast and Substack newsletter.

 

Andy has a belief that most news thrives on outrage, fear, and conflict. And he created "Granite Goodness" in order to take a different approach.

The podcast and newsletter highlights what Andy calls real progress happening across New England in science, tech, sustainability, business, economics, infrastructure, and more.

It’s Andy’s contention that when people see a better world is possible, they are more likely to build it. At the core of "Granite Goodness" is a belief that optimism is pragmatic, not naive. And it just may contagious!

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 Spera Wrote the "Anti-Textbook" of Film & TV Directing

Host Michael Azevedo is joined by veteran film and television director Rob Spera.

 

Rob’s been on the faculty at the American Film Institute for over 20 years. His feature films include The Sweet Life, Fathers and Sons, and the cult classic Leprechaun in the Hood. 

 

His numerous television credits include Criminal Minds, Supernatural, Suspect Behavior, and Army Wives. During four seasons as Resident Director at the Tony award-winning Actors Theatre of Louisville, he directed over 75 productions. And he is currently the Head of Directing at Rideback Rise, a Fellowship Program for mid-career screenwriters who are making the move to directing. 

 

Rob discusses his book called the Film/TV Director's Field Manual: 70 Maxims to Change Your Filmmaking. Rob considers the manual to be an "anti-textbook" meant to be kept in a filmmaker's back pocket on set to provide distilled guidance with far-reaching results.

 

The roughly 200 page book is a collection of 70 maxims that distill filmcraft techniques to their essence, making them readily accessible to the filmmaker. The book is filled with valuable first-hand insight and guidance. 

 

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

"Make A Circle" Shines a Light on the Joys & Challenges of Childcare Workers

Joining host Michael Azevedo on this episode are Jen Bradwell and Todd Boekelheide, the married co-directors of "Make A Circle," a new documentary that offers a rare, inside look at the lives of child care providers and early educators — the backbone of a child care system on the brink.

 

The film premieres Monday, September 1 streaming nationally on PBS.org, the PBS app and on PBS TV stations (check local listings) across the country. 

 

As Jen Bradwell says: “Make A Circle is a love letter to early educators and a portrait of a child care system in crisis. The film delves into one of the greatest disconnects in American society: the importance of a child’s first five years versus how the work of early care and education is valued.”

 

Often viewed as “babysitters,” the dedicated educators in Make A Circle create magic in the classroom, face struggles at home, and remain passionate about their profession. The film gives voice to these educators and their ideas on the best ways to improve the system. 

 

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

"Free Land for Free People": Jonathan Berman Presents a Restored "Commune"

Joining host Michael Azevedo on this episode is Jonathan Berman, director of the newly restored documentary "Commune." Originally released in 2005, the film has been newly restored with vibrant sound and picture quality and is currently making the rounds at movie houses across the US. 

 

Commune chronicles the story of Black Bear Ranch, launched in 1968 with help from luminaries like The Doors, Frank Zappa, and The Monkees. This abandoned goldmine transformed into a hub for radical living, fueled by the motto "Free Land for Free People."

 

The film is packed with rare interviews—including with well-know actor and frequent documentary narrator Peter Coyote—as well as home movies and candid stories that unpack the contradictions, challenges, and wild hope behind the commune movement.

 

From free love and experiments in co-parenting, to the practical struggles of survival, "Commune" lets viewers consider what it really takes to build, and sustain, genuine community.

 

Learn more about screenings near you: https://www.opensignalstudios.com/films/commune

 

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

 

A Brief Update on the State of Public Media

Here's a brief update on the current status of public media.

 

In short: it ain’t good.

 

If you’re a regular listener to MMN, you probably know that over the more than 150 episodes that we’ve produced a sizable chunk of them involved conversations with documentary filmmakers whose work was broadcast on public media outlets like PBS and NPR. 

 

Much of the reason that these documentaries have found a home at places like PBS is because they deal with important issues—issues that impact the health of our democracy, our natural environment, the rights of marginalized groups, and often compelling human interest stories that the commercial broadcast networks (ABC, CBS, NBC, and Fox) fear won’t attract a big enough audience to sell to advertisers.

 

That’s not to say that thoughtful, well-made, and illuminating documentaries can’t be found on commercial broadcast networks or subscription-funded streaming platforms like Netflix, Apple TV, or Amazon Prime. 

 

But public media is often the last bastion of informational and educational programming that is (or was) available to all: free of charge and free of advertiser oversight.

 

On August 1, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting announced that it would shut down after nearly 6 decades of services. In the aftermath of the announcement, I read and heard lots of concern—and no small amount of confusion—about what that means and why it matters.

 

Lucky for me, later on that same day, I read, in the online publication Vulture, an extremely helpful overview of what CPB is and how its relationship to public media works written by journalist Nicholas Quah.

 

So I thought I’d take some time to share excerpts from that article to help those concerned understand exactly where things stand. The article, which I’ve linked to in our episode notes, is titled “The Future of Public Media Looks Rocky”

 

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

"Slumlord Millionaire": Fighting for Tenants Rights & Affordable Housing in NYC

Documentary filmmakers Ellen Martinez and Steph Ching join host Michael Azevedo to discuss Slumlord Millionaire, winner of the Audience Award at the 2024 DOC NYC Film Festival. The film explores the rapid gentrification of New York City neighborhoods and the housing crisis sweeping not only New York but the nation.

Told through the stories of a group of fearless residents, activists and nonprofit attorneys who fight corrupt landlords and developers for the basic human right to a home, the film premieres on the PBS series VOCES on Monday, July 28. It will also be available on all PBS digital streaming platforms starting on that same date.

Ellen Martinez and Steph Ching previously directed and produced After Spring, a feature documentary about the Syrian refugee crisis. The film was executive produced by Jon Stewart, had its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival, was broadcast on Starz and received a Frontline Award for Documentary Journalism. Additionally, Ellen & Steph were both honorees on DOC NYC’s inaugural "40 Under 40" list as directors.

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

Troy Farkas Delivers a Treasure Trove of "Seacoast Stories"

Joining host Michael Azevedo on this episode is Troy Farkas, the creator, producer, and host of "Seacoast Stories," a podcast featuring compelling stories about the unique people, businesses, and newsmakers of New Hampshire and southern Maine.

 

This weekly podcast takes on sometimes controversial issues, highlights local businesses, tells entertaining stories, and seeks to uncover what makes the northern NE Seacoast such a hidden gem.

 

Prior to creating the "Seacoast Stories" podcast, Troy spent 7 years producing top-performing podcasts at ESPN and The Ringer podcast network on Spotify which were hosted by some of the most high-profile sports media personalities in the world. Troy spoke to me from, as expected, his home on the New Hampshire seacoast.

 

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

 

"Gone Guys" Reveals The Struggles Facing Boys and Young Men

Host Michael Azevedo is joined by members of the team behind a compelling and eye-opening short documentary called “Gone Guys.”  Chad Ervin  is the film’s director & producer. Also joining the conversation is the film's executive producer, Lauren Curry, of the Richard E and Deborah L Tarrant Foundation.

 

The documentary draws on the influential work of writer & social scientist Richard Reeves. Reeves is the author of the 2022 best seller “Of Boys and Men”, which illuminates these challenges through powerful data and compelling personal stories. 

 

NOTE: In the interest of accuracy, we note that a slight misstatement was made at the 54min, 24sec mark of this interview. A more accurate statement would be: "In 1980, 40% of the US elementary and middle school educator workforce was male. Today that's 20%.”

 

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

Tracing the Roots & Rise of Totalitarianism in "Hannah Arendt: Facing Tyranny"

“If everybody always lies to you, the consequence is not that you believe the lies, but rather that nobody believes anything any longer. And the people that no longer believe anything cannot make up its mind. It is deprived not only of its capacity to act, but also of its capacity to think and to judge. And with such a people, you can then do what you please.”

Those are the words, written more than 6 decades ago, of political philosopher Hannah Arendt, whose life and work is vividly explored in "Hannah Arendt: Facing Tyranny," which will premiere on PBS broadcast and digital channels on June 27 as part of the "American Masters" series.

 

Jeff Bieber, the executive producer and co-writer/director of this timely and compelling documentary, joins host Michael Azevedo on this episode of Making Media Now.

 

The film explores Arendt’s fearless examination of power, propaganda and moral responsibility in the face of authoritarianism.

 

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

Exploring "The Cinema Within"

Joining host Michael Azevedo on this episode is Chad Freidrichs, the director and editor of a fascinating and intriguing film called "The Cinema Within."

"The Cinema Within," which is now streaming on Amazon Prime Video and on Vimeo, is a feature-length documentary that delves into the psychology of film editing – the mystery of how and why an edited movie feels so natural and so effortlessly makes sense.

Drawing on the insights of famed movie editor Walter Murch, scholar David Bordwell, and a varied group of perceptual scientists, "The Cinema Within" explores the idea that in film’s earliest years, the most common edits were instinctively shaped to fit the contours of human perception — and that this might explain why, more than a century later, most modern-day filmmakers still rely on these exact same techniques.

But in the remote mountains of Turkey, a young researcher – and a group of people who have never seen a film before – put this deepest of cinematic ideas to the test.

Playfully inventive in its construction and striking in its visuals, the documentary dives deep into the deliberately hidden language of film editing – a language so seemingly natural it usually goes unnoticed.  

Drawing on dozens of examples from both well-known and obscure films across cinema history, it explores not only the essential grammar of the world’s most popular art form, but the very mechanics of how we perceive reality.

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