Art vs. Commerce

Jay Wadley is a musician and film composer with credits that include the hit series The OA on Netflix and feature films such as Indignation. His score for James Schamus' Indignation was listed in IndieWire's "10 Best Scores of 2016". Indignation premiered with critical acclaim at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival where it was acquired by Lionsgate. Recent projects include The OA (Netflix) and Anu Valia's Lucia, Before & After, winner of the 2017 Sundance Jury Prize: U.S. Short Fiction. Other TV credits include Lie to Me (FOX), Crazy Sexy Cool: The TLC Story (VH1), The Nine Lives of Chloe King (ABC Family) and orchestrations for Doctor Who (BBC). A graduate of the Yale School of Music (MM, AD), Jay has won two Charles Ives awards from the Academy of Arts and Letters as well as an ASCAP/SCI Student Composer Award. He's been commissioned by Carnegie Hall's Ensemble ACJW, the Yale and Williams College among others. His films have been featured at Sundance, Berlin, BFI London, Rotterdam, Tribeca and Montreal film festivals. His arrangements and orchestrations for Rufus Wainwright, Mark Ronson and Calexico have been performed by The San Francisco Symphony, New York City Opera, The Royal Ballet and the Louisville Symphony Orchestra, among others.

James Burns is a film director with a career that includes multiple short films in Tribeca film festival and has been working with Vice directing content for over a year. James has a unique story having been in and out of the prison system since he was 6 years old. He has spent time in solitary confinement which has shaped his perspective and current drive to bring to light issues within the prison system. After turning his situation around, his life’s story was written and produced into a Hollywood movie titled “Jamesy Boy.” Following the film James worked to create a career in film as a writer and director. Now with years of success under his belt, James focuses a lot of his storytelling on the underprivileged and marginalized trying to give a voice to the voiceless. Using his unique vantage-point, James gains access to subcultures shining a light on society’s problems in an attempt to start conversations on ways to improve these issues.

Ricky Staub is a film and commercial director as well as the founder of the production company Neighborhood Film Co. His most recent work, The Cage, was the first in a new series of works from Film Supply called Film Supply Originals. The project served as Ricky’s first narrative film that he wrote, directed and edited. In the episode we discuss this project at length going into the details behind how it came to fruition and the challenges faced from ideation to completion. Neighborhood Film Co. is unique in that it works with the formerly incarcerated through a paid apprenticeship program that teaches the ins and outs of the film business and offers real responsibilities and opportunities to those involved. With three apprentices per year in an eight month program, Ricky’s company helps create a new foundation for the participants.

Shal Ngo is a director and writer splitting his time between narrative and commercial work. He is on the directing roster at Acres having been there from its inception as the company’s first director. One of Shal’s notable projects for Acres was his work on the Bill DeBlasio for Mayor campaign. The campaign has been credited for a significant boost in DeBlasio’s polling and was viewed as a beneficial factor in his election win. Narratively Shal has been working on an ongoing short film series called Tangents. This podcast episode takes on a special approach as we recorded it on-location in Vietnam where Shal and I were filming his latest sci-fi short film. Having just wrapped production the day prior, we sat down to discuss the project, our collaboration between director and cinematographer as well as the usual podcast journey of chronology and discussion about moments throughout Shal’s life.

Oren Soffer is a cinematographer primarily working on narrative in addition to commercials and documentaries. After growing up in Israel, Oren studied at NYU’s film school where he spent time working under Reed Morano ASC. Upon graduating it has been a constant stream of narrative and commercial work building his chops and aesthetic. Some commercial clients include Discovery Channel, Bloomberg News, Time Inc, Refinery 29, Target, MTV, Nickelodeon, L’Oreal and Skype. In the podcast we take a deep dive into the craft of cinematography. Not just the technical aspects but the mental ones as well both in the micro view of being on set and the macro view of how to shape a career as a director of photography.

Michael Tringe is a filmmaker, business owner and all around industry thinker who has spent the majority of his career democratizing film. Working in both the creative and business aspects, Mike has seen the power of the internet as a transformative tool for creators. A tool that allows for education, monetization and of course distribution. An interesting career with stints at CAA, Vuguru and Blip among others, he eventually co-founded his own company called CreatorUp! which is a self described digital storytelling academy. In the podcast we discuss Mike’s path from teaching film to students in Morocco to his current role teaching creators globally through his CreatorUp! platform. Along the way we discuss the influence of the internet on Hollywood, the rise of Youtube and the Youtube star, the pitfalls of the early years of internet filmmaking and the steps the industry has taken in trying to create an ecosystem that works for the creator and platforms alike.

Todd Wiseman Jr. is a producer, director and the co-owner of NYC based production company Hayden 5. Having skill sets in both the creative and business aspects of the industry, Todd is that rare character who is equally comfortable and happy creating his own work or helping facilitate others. Having directed or produced works with screenings at Tribeca Film Festival and with big names such as Oscar Isaac, Kristen Wiig and Fred Armisen, Todd is a true industry professional maximizing the advantages of Hayden 5’s indie-like approach to the craft. In the podcast we discuss how his time at NYU Film School helped set him on his path to owning a production company from an early age and how he navigated the early years. We also delve into how he balances his producing/directing mindsets and goals while managing big projects and talent.

Molly Kaplan is the Head of Multimedia at ACLU National. The job is unique within the ACLU in that while the majority of its employees are lawyers, Molly is one part artist, one part campaign specialist. Her job is to help captivate the American public bringing to their attention the issues the ACLU is undertaking on their behalf. Her more formal film roles would include executive producer, creative director, director, producer, editor… every project requires a different hat. I’ve known Molly for a few years now having first worked on a project with Joey L. for the ACLU. It was not until our current collaboration, the Know Your Rights Campaign, that our working relationship manifested into something much greater. To cut straight to the point, working with Molly is nothing short of fantastic. A true collaborative partner, the power of her inclusive and open minded nature is evident in the final products she creates working alongside talented filmmakers. In the podcast we discuss the somewhat meandering path Molly took to get to her current role. Having started in the food industry traveling around the world studying olives, her way in life has never been concrete or straight forward. I believe it’s important to note and discuss this fact for everyone out there who thinks success comes from clear and definite goals. We also discuss our working relationship and what makes for optimal client/vendor collaboration. Lastly, given the outcome of the election, we discuss the importance of the ACLU specifically examining the role film pieces play in legal cases that are under the national spotlight.

Patrick Lawler is a director, cinematographer, editor, motion graphics artist… the list is long. It’s honestly best to describe him as an artist who uses film as his medium. Having a background in music videos, the genre’s flexible rules allow him to try out new ideas and interesting tricks without worrying about the confines of more traditional storytelling. Having now started a production company called DECA, Patrick is looking to expand into narrative film work after spending the last decade honing in on his unique visual aesthetic. Patrick was one of the first big users on Vimeo back in the platform’s infancy. No coincidence that social media is how we first met and it’s fascinating to see how being a part of that first internet wave influenced and helped shape our careers. We discuss this interesting time in our lives and the industry in the episode along with Patrick’s approach to internet relevancy and how he likes to engage his captive audience. Patrick has worked with bands like Smashing Pumpkins, Run The Jewels, Big Sean, Riff Raff, Deadmau5, Steve Aoki, Raekwon and DJ Shadow among others. He's worked on commercials for LRG x Star Wars, Audi, Honda, Cadillac and Intel among others and has been teaching courses and giving lectures for the RED camera company for three years.

Ezra Cimino-Hurt is an artist, craftsman and small business owner. He is the proud mastermind behind Case of Bass, a shop that turns vintage luggage into beautiful boomboxes. Ezra grew up a capable carpenter without a real understanding of what he wanted to do in life. He spent time in the film industry as well as construction before stumbling into what would eventually become a dream job he made for himself. I first met Ezra in 2012 at the Portland Design Week screening of my documentary Graffiti Fine Art. Case of Bass was only a year old at that point but the idea and execution felt like an obvious hit. It’s been a long road since then and this episode delves into the trials and tribulations any creative faces when committing to their ideas. Straight up, Ezra is an inspiring guy. His positive attitude and zest for life make him a pleasure to be around, the good vibes are infectious and they are clearly the foundation of his company and the cases. This episode is slightly different in that we are not speaking directly with a filmmaker but I’m encouraged by the conversation we were able to have and draw parallels from one type of freelance life to another. We recently collaborated on a short film about Ezra and Case of Bass called Updating Philosophies - There Is No Away, please check that out beforehand to get an even better sense of the products and Ezra’s life philosophy.

Tiffany Chang is a film and commercial producer currently living in Vietnam. Originally a commercial editor at a boutique post production house she felt the need to get out of the edit bay and have a more varied working environment. Transitioning into freelance producing she found consistency working with production company Acres (previous guest Matt McLaughlin co-owns Acres). From there the desire to branch out even further has resulted in her moving abroad where she nows lives and works in Ho Chi Minh City. I’ve known Tiffany for 3 years originally through Acres and it’s creatives. Her wit and sharp commentary have always been a joy to witness. Now that she lives abroad it has been great getting to hear her stories and compare/contrast with the experience I had living in Brazil for two years. Our similar experiences were the reason why I wanted to sit down for an episode as I know many freelancers who have contemplated working and living abroad.

Joe Simon is a cinematographer and director based out of Austin, Texas. Originally a sponsored BMX rider, Joe took his need to film himself biking and turned it into a full blown career. From there he dominated the wedding film industry filming celebrity weddings such as Tony Romo’s as well as global destination weddings for high end clients. After reaching the top of the wedding world Joe transitioned into documentary and narrative filmwork. He started a production company called The Delivery Men and freelances as well, most notably for the CNN show The Wonder List with Bill Weir. I’ve known Joe for 6 years now having first met at the original Masters in Motion, hosted in his home of Austin, Texas. He has always been a laid back guy who never took himself too seriously. He’s simply a hard working talented dude who puts in the time to execute at a very high level. A real pleasure to be around, it is easy to see how people gravitate towards him for freelance work. In the episode we discuss his path from BMX to weddings to proper filmmaking. Within that journey we chat about the value of having a collaborative partner, his new passion project “Everything has a Feeling,” and the ins and outs of working on The Wonder List.

Timur Civan is a cinematographer working on commercials, documentaries, scripted narrative and experimental. Working his way through the craft and the New York film scene for over ten years, he sets himself apart with his experimental work. A notable example of this style being the music video for Nigel Stanford titled Cymatics. I’ve known Timur for the past 3 to 4 years meeting and hanging out in the same NYC film circles. We both frequent Vincent Laforet’s poker game where Timur acts like he doesn’t know how to play but miraculously ends up winning rather consistently. Somehow I felt this information was relevant and helps paint a picture for you all. In the podcast we discuss Timur’s current transitional state as he finds himself very close to joining the union as a DP. Reflective and thoughtful, this conversation provides insights into the lesser discussed aspects of craft building, the ways in which our talents and opportunities can feel cyclical and how to anticipate these cycles and make them work for you both artistically and financially.

Jason Wise is a film director and the driving force behind notable documentaries SOMM and SOMM: Into The Bottle. Both films take a deep dive into the world of wine, documenting the perspectives of the master sommelier and wine purveyors. The cultural impact of the original SOMM reached full strength after it’s release on Netflix becoming one of the go-to films on the subject. I’ve been speaking with Jason for a few years now on social media following his rise and his continued efforts at both documentary and narrative. He has always taken an inclusive approach with his commentary on various social media platforms creating a friendly vibe that makes you want to root for him. It comes as no surprise that our conversation continued this sentiment resulting in a discussion that went deep into the honest reflections that come from finding success. In the podcast we discuss his early career, how SOMM came to be, an incredible story about how it entered film festivals and distribution as well as his mission to switch back to shooting his next projects all on film and why.

Dallas Taylor is a sound designer and business owner of Defacto Sound, a sound design and mixing house based in Washington D.C. The shop takes on projects from a wide variety of genres including commercials, video games, network promos, short docs and feature length films. Clients include National Geographic, Audi, Redbull, Fallout and Skyroom (video game trailers). A recent feature doc they did titled Blood Brothers won Sundance and another titled Almost Holy is currently in theaters after screening at Tribeca. I’ve known Dallas for a few years now since he began working with fellow film collaborators (and podcast guests) Jon Bregel of Variable, Ryan Booth and Andy Baker of National Geographic. Dallas is always inquisitive, eager to steer conversation away from the mundane, diving into deeper discussion about the craft, the industry or life in general. I think this approach to people, wanting to get past the surface pleasantries, is at the root of his continued success. In the podcast Dallas takes us on his journey from aspiring jazz trumpet player to high end sound designer. Along the way we pick up advice and insight on how to make big life moves and how to build a successful company.