Ep.14 - Independent Spirit, Independent Struggle

In part 2 of this three-part episode I chat with cinematographer and part-time teacher/instructor Jeffrey Hagerman.

There’s a lot of mixed feelings about “film school” these days. In this three-part episode I chat with three separate guests about the state of film education and training as well as the industry as a whole.

First up in part 1 is Randall Dottin, professor and chairperson of the screenwriting department at New York Film Academy,

We all can use therapy these days and if you're a creative/artist, perhaps you can use a professional who understands and even has some experience your field. I chat with two NYC-based therapists to mine the depths of this type of specialization.

We continue our conversation with my guests Brian De la Cruz and Derek Stalley in part two of our sprawling conversation about people of color in Hollywood, on and off set. 

If 2020 didn’t deliver us enough drama with the pandemic and lockdown, along came nationwide protests against police brutality and racism.

With this as the backdrop, I recorded an interview back in June over Zoom with fellow freelancers Derek Stalley and Brian De La Cruz about the state of things socially. They open up about their experiences as people of color working in film/television as well as in their day to day personal lives.

We further touch upon diversity and minority representation on screen and behind the camera. This is a two-part episode.

There has always existed the independent factions of any artistic mediums whether it be cinema, music, or fine arts. But does theater has have it’s own established independent scene?

Theater guys like Michael Pagano and his mentor and former high school teacher Dave Coonan weigh in as they have carved out their own scene out on Long Island.

According to them, their approach parallels garage and punk rock bands in philosophy. They follow their rules when it comes to producing, writing, casting, set building, self-funding, and self-promoting these theater pieces. Adding to the mix is the raw, edgy, sometimes shocking, sometimes dark bite associated with their storytelling and you can see why the term “garage theater” is totally appropriate.

Continuing from episode 27, I chat with composer Patrick Kirst. To showcase the collaboration with director on any given film project, we engage in a little creative musical workshop.