Episoder
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Christin Marie Baker is an American producer, director, and screenwriter from Nashville, Tennessee. She is the founder and CEO of Tello Films, a streaming network, production, and distribution company of films and web series with a lesbian focus.
www.instagram.com/christintello/
www.tellofilms.com
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Produced by Stuart W. Volkow P.G.A.
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In this episode Kaia interviews Kristen Baker, a pioneering lesbian filmmaker, Emmy-nominated producer, and CEO of Tello Films—the longest-running LGBTQ streaming platform dedicated to showcasing diverse queer narratives. Our discussion explores her rich career, which spans over the years as she has dedicated herself to amplifying authentic lesbian stories in film and television. Kristen’s work is a testament to her commitment to increasing visibility for LGBTQ narratives, especially in a landscape where such stories are frequently sidelined.
As Kristen recounts her journey into the film industry, she shares how a serendipitous opportunity as an extra on a film set ignited her passion for storytelling and led her to pursue a career in filmmaking. We delve into her educational background and early work experiences, which include invaluable insights gained from her time at Regency Productions and the Writers Guild of America. Kristen reflects on her pivot to non-profit work and eventual return to the industry as she founded Tello Films in 2007, recognizing the urgent need for a platform offering queer narratives.
The conversation transitions to the importance of representation in holiday rom-coms, a genre historically dominated by cisgender heterosexual narratives. Kristen highlights Tello Films’ groundbreaking contributions, including "Season of Love," the first lesbian holiday rom-com focused on main protagonistic characters rather than side roles. She expresses her frustration over the industry's slow progress concerning funding and supporting LGBTQ projects, emphasizing Tello's mission to provide a space for stories that resonate with queer audiences.
Kristen further discusses her current projects, showcasing Tello's latest festive releases and their emphasis on authentic representation. We explore her dual role as a creative producer, where she not only manages projects but actively participates in scriptwriting, encouraging a collaborative environment that nurtures the next wave of queer storytellers. Her work on a travel show focusing on lesbian festivals marks a refreshing expansion into unscripted content, revealing the vital need for safe spaces for queer women to connect and celebrate.
Throughout our conversation, Kristen thoughtfully addresses challenges faced by LGBTQ filmmakers, particularly in securing financing and building a supportive audience. She emphasizes the importance of perseverance, networking, and finding mentors as essential tools for budding creators. Reflecting on her personal experiences, Kristen suggests that cultivating a dedicated following through smaller projects can help aspiring filmmakers gain recognition and funding for larger works.
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Daniela Saioni is an award-winning comedy writer and script supervisor originally from Toronto, Canada. She has script supervised major motion pictures and TV series in 10 countries, and has served both A-list and first-time directors alike, with a specialization in comedy.
https://saioni.co/
www.instagram.com/hellaciousdee/
outube.com/channel/UC_ad8eRqGWYreiPCfxqslZA
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Produced by Stuart W. Volkow P.G.A.
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Kaia Alexander live at www.micheauxfilmfest.com
Kaia is a thought leader who has coached stars like Garry Shandling, Ashley Judd, Jamie Lee Curtis, and the San Francisco 49ers. As the founder of the Entertainment Business School, her students have sold TV shows and had movies funded. Her coaching moves the needle with a joyful thunder that moves your career forward. She offers public figure coaching and career coaching, in private sessions.
Get your ticket today: Elevate Hollywood Live in Los Angeles Nov 10 2024
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Produced by Stuart W. Volkow P.G.A.
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Kawan Glover is a survivor because at age 20 he lived through a stroke and three brain surgeries. He’s the author of the Amazon bestselling memoir “Favor.” He is a Victory coach, public speaker, screenwriter. Despite these hardships, he started his own company, Overcome Adversity, LLC. He wrote his first feature film screenplay in 72 hours and hasn’t looked back since. He has a bachelor’s from the University of Maryland and has taken TV writing courses with Sterling Anderson, and Michael Jamin. He holds a certification from the Entertainment Business School with Kaia Alexander, and went on to be hired as the Chief of Business Development for the company.
As a genre writer, he loves Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, and anime, which are an escape from his sometimes-unfair reality of living with a disability. He found his home in sci-fi and fantasy, inspired by shows like, ARCANE, STRANGER THINGS, and THE MANDOLORIAN.Most recently, he’s taken inspiration from shows like FALLOUT” and THE RINGS OF POWER”.
Kawan has a glass-half-full disposition and often says, “I’m not really disabled, I’m just able to do things differently.” His life mission is to positively impact over eight billion people through storytelling.
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Produced by Stuart W. Volkow P.G.A.
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Neville L. Johnson is the Senior Partner and co-founder of Johnson & Johnson LLP. He has spent nearly 50 years as a talent-side litigator in the entertainment industry, recovering hundreds of millions of dollars for artists and strengthening privacy law for all Californians.
www.jjllplaw.com/home
www.youtube.com/@TrevorMcshaneLA
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Produced by Stuart W. Volkow P.G.A.
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For over 40 years, Jay Silverman has excelled as a leading Director and Photographer specializing in award-winning television, digital, and print campaigns. His current dramatic feature ‘Camera’, stars Beau Bridges, Jessica Parker Kennedy, Scotty Tovar, Bruce Davison, and Miguel Gabriel, and is currently available on Amazon and AppleTV. Other notable films are the multi-award-winning dramatic feature “Girl on the Edge”, which premiered on Showtime; the charming romantic comedy “Off the Menu” which premiered on HBO & Amazon; and the true story drama “Saving Paradise” currently on Tubi and Amazon.www.jaysilvermanproductions.com/camerawww.instagram.com/silverman_jay/x.com/silvermanjayConnect with your host Kaia all Alexander:https://entertainmentbusinessleague.com/https://twitter.com/thisiskaia Produced by Stuart W. Volkow P.G.A.Get career training and a free ebook “How to Pitch Anything in 1 Min.” at www.EntertainmentBusinessLeague.comLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Emmy, WGA, and PGA award-nominated creator, showrunner, writer, and executive producer Monica Beletsky has become known in the entertainment industry through the dynamic characters and projects she has helped bring to life. Beletsky has worked on over 130 episodes of ensemble dramas, with three series landing on various critics "Best Television" lists.
Beletsky is set to debut as the creator, showrunner, and executive producer for the Apple TV+ limited true crime/drama series "Manhunt."
"Manhunt," a seven part limited true crime/drama series, portrays the investigation of one of the most widely known crimes but least understood cases; President Abraham Lincoln's assassination. The series follows Lincoln's war secretary and friend Edwin Stanton, played by Emmy Award-winning actor Tobias Menzies ("The Crown"), who was driven by his quest to catch assassin John Wilkes Booth and to carry out Lincoln's legacy. The series also stars Anthony Boyle, Lovie Simone, Will Harrison, Matt Walsh, Brandon Flynn, Hamish Linklater, and Patton Oswalt. Beletsky set out to tell the investigation with a compelling range of characters from a conspiracy and true crime perspective, breathing new life into the Lincoln assassination story. "Manhunt" made its global debut on Apple TV+ in 2024.
Aside from "Manhunt," Beletsky is well known in the industry for her roles as writer/producer on the third season of the Emmy Award nominated FX series "Fargo." The series was met with critical praise and went on to receive multiple nominations during its third season including 16 Primetime Emmy Award nominations. As the only woman writer/producer nominated in her category at the time, Beletsky received a shared nomination for Outstanding Limited Series for a Limited Series or a Movie. She also went on to receive a Writers' Guild Award nomination for Outstanding Long Form and PGA Award nomination for Outstanding Producer of Long-Form Television for her time on the series.
https://x.com/monicabeletsky
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Produced by Stuart W. Volkow P.G.A.
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Nick Terry started his career at Buena Vista Pictures Marketing before moving to Paradigm Talent & Literary Agency. He then transitioned into talent management under Jeri Scott and Bernie Brillstein's mentorship. Prior to World Builder Entertainment, Nick worked at Zero Gravity Management with actors, writers, and directors. At World Builder, he represents a wide range of clients, developing content and new opportunities. He's actively involved in his clients' day-to-day business, serving as a liaison with external partners. Nick is a member of the Television Academy, an HRTS member, and a Jr. Hollywood Radio and Television Society mentor.
www.worldbuilderent.com
X @NickTerryMgr
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Produced by Stuart W. Volkow P.G.A.
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Michael Jamin has been writing for television since 1996. His many credits include Just Shoot Me, King of the Hill, Beavis & Butthead, Wilfred, Out of Practice, Rules of Engagement, Lopez and Tacoma FD. He’s also served as Executive Producer/Showrunner on Glenn Martin DDS, Maron, and Rhett & Link’s Buddy System. Michael currently lives in Los Angeles where he continues to work in TV and is the author of his bestselling collection of personal essays, A Paper Orchestra. He tours with it as a one-man show.
https://michaeljamin.com/
@michaelJaminWriter
michaeljamin.substack.com
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Produced by Stuart W. Volkow P.G.A.
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JONATHON E. STEWART is a screenwriter best known for Pixar / Disney’s Cars 3, Smallfoot, Angry Birds 2 and 2020 Scooby-Doo reboot SCOOB. With writing partner Eyal Podell, Stewart has written screenplays for Dreamworks, Universal, Warner Bros., Paramount, ABC Studios, STX, Paramount Animation, Sony Animation, Fox Animation, Netflix Animation and served on Pixar's Braintrust from 2013-2014.
Stewart’s inspired-by-true-LGBTQ-events TV drama pilot Grace sold to ABC Studios in the fall of 2016, and modern update on the Dickens classic Two Cities in fall 2017. In 2012, Podell & Stewart’s screenplay Seuss—a biopic about the legendary author—earned the #2 slot on Hollywood’s Black List.
Stewart is also currently working with New York Times best selling author and lifestyle entrepreneur, Lewis Howes, to develop a feature inspired by world-renowned jazz violinist, composer and educator, Christian Howes.
Stewart’s venture, NarrativeDrive.org, aims to mentor new, diverse and previously undiscovered voices in screenwriting, ultimately serving to have their work translated to the screen.
www.jstew.com
https://www.narrativedrive.org/
@JEStew3
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Produced by Stuart W. Volkow P.G.A.
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After paying her dues as an assistant, Katie White had the opportunity to write a couple episodes of NCIS. Upon completion, rather than staying on the network procedural, Katie gambled on herself and left the show to carve her own path in the industry. In this episode, we talk about writing on NCIS, what it takes to be part of a writer's room, how to navigate representation and much more!
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Produced by Stuart W. Volkow P.G.A.
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Danny Manus parlayed his career as a development executive in Hollywood to becoming an in-demand script consultant and founder of No BullScript Consulting, which has been helping writers since 2009.
The author of “No BS for Screenwriters: Advice from the Executive Perspective,” which is now in its 2nd Edition, Danny was ranked in the Top 15 “Cream of the Crop” Script Consultants by Creative Screenwriting Magazine.
His clients include finalists and winners of numerous prestigious contests including the ABC/Disney Fellowship, Austin Film Festival, PAGE Awards, Final Draft Big Break, Nashville Film Festival, and Scriptapalooza. He has worked with over 2,500 writers and has consulted on produced projects including Strangerlands starring Nicole Kidman, I, Frankenstein starring Aaron Eckhart, Satanic Panic starring Rebecca Romijn, and In-Lawfully Yours (Netflix) starring Marilu Henner. In 2017, he was a Consulting Producer on the TV pilot Millennial Rules, starring Olivia D’Abo.
Danny was previously a Development Consultant for Eclectic Pictures (Lovelace), which had a deal with Millennium Films, and the Director of Development for Sandstorm Films, formerly run by writer/director J.S. Cardone, which had a first-look deal at Sony Screen Gems and a development deal with Top Cow Comics. He was instrumental in developing a number of films for the company including the #1 Box Office hit The Covenant, as well as 8MM2 and Sniper 3. Danny interned at Columbia Tri-Star in the Television Development department and at 20th Century Fox Casting.
https://www.nobullscript.net/
@DannyManus
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Produced by Stuart W. Volkow P.G.A.
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Originally from Nebraska, Christine graduated from Lincoln East High School before receiving a BFA in Screenwriting from the University of Southern California’s Cinematic Arts program. She also holds a Masters degree in Criminal Justice from Boston University. With 75 screenwriting credits, Christine has been writing for television for over two decades. Her TV movies have aired on Showtime, Lifetime, Lifetime Movie Network, Hallmark, Hallmark Movies & Mysteries, Fox, Pureflix, Amazon, and UPtv.
Christine has directed seven feature-length films. The Bride He Bought Online (aka Flirting with Madness), which she also penned, Killer Mom, and Rooming with Danger all premiered on Lifetime Network. She also directed three rom-coms: 12 Days of Giving, the Christmas movie she also wrote, aired on UPtv, The Nature of Love and Love Game Match (aka Putting Love to the Test), both of which she also produced, are available on Pure Flix and Amazon/Hoopla respectively.
https://christineconradt.com/
https://www.facebook.com/ScreenwriterChristineConradt/
https://twitter.com/CConradt
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Produced by Stuart W. Volkow P.G.A.
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Kaia's market report with analysis on the influences that have slowed the industry.
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Produced by Stuart W. Volkow P.G.A.
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Madhu Mita is an Indian filmmaker who lived across 7 different countries in her formative years. Her exposure to different cultures and people gave her an acute realisation that emotions are universal. Madhumita believes she is genre-agnostic and therefore wants to explore different genres in different languages as long as they are rooted in human emotions. She has directed 7 features so far (4 in Tamil, 1 in Telugu, and 2 in Hindi) and has 2 web series (Tamil-Telugu) in development with leading OTT platforms. Her dream project is an international creature feature set in rural India.
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SAM BENJAMIN is the son of a hairdresser and a forklift truck driver in Liverpool, England, Sam Benjamin is an actor, screenwriter and director. He won the BBC Sponsored ‘Best Script Talent’ Award in 2016, wrote and stars in crime caper The Pay Day which is currently on Starz, and penned Roommate Regret a Lifetime Movie Network thriller. He’s also known for his acting roles in Doctor Who and BBC’s The War of the Worlds. His directorial debut Screwjob, a short that follows the struggles of a woman pro wrestler, gets it online on Vimeo. https://linktr.ee/sambenjaminnow
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Tilly & Susan Bridges are a trans woman/cis woman writing and producing team most recently writing for the MONSTER HIGH animated series. They’re writing a queer YA romcom graphic novel for Mad Cave Studios and are writers for the STAR TREK ADVENTURES and FALLOUT role-playing games. They’ve produced award winning scripted podcasts for over a decade at PendantAudio.com with six of their shows cracking Apple Podcasts top 60 all-time most popular scripted sci-fi podcasts. Tilly’s book BEGIN TRANSMISSION: THE TRANS ALLEGORIES OF THE MATRIX released last summer, and you can find Tilly’s essays on trans life at TillysTransTuesdays.com.
Writing credits and links to work: birdguest.com
Trans Tuesday essays: tillystranstuesdays.com
Twitter handles: @tillybridges and @susanlbridges
Bluesky handles: @tillybridges.bsky.social and @susanlbridges.bsky.social
Insta handles: @heckyeahtillybridges and @susanlbridges
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Tim is the creator of the horror comedy series Demonhuntr, available on HereTV and Amazon Prime. A display dedicated to Demonhuntr began its exhibition at the Hollywood Museum in 2022 as part of their focus on queer film and TV.
In 2019, he established Murder & Gay Stuff, a production company dedicated to inclusive genre projects. A graduate of the UCLA Professional Program in Television Writing, he founded the Los Angeles LGBTQIA TV Writers, which currently has over 700 members.
During his time in New York, he taught playwriting at the Harvey Milk High School, a school designed as a haven for LGBT youth. His play The Wrath of Aphrodite is taught in a theater class at John Jay College, and is featured in the textbooks Reclaiming Greek Drama for Diverse Audiences and Diversifying Greek Drama on the Contemporary US Stage.
When not writing or directing, Tim works as a fight coordinator, and his fights have appeared in such films as Disciple (Sebastian La Cause,) Agents of Change (Jett Garrison,) and Spookable (Jonathan Culliton.)
The three great loves of his life are his husband Robert Rice, his rescue dog Dexter, and collecting female-superhero-themed refrigerator magnets.
www.timolearyonline.com
https://x.com/timolearyonline
https://www.youtube.com/timolearyonline
https://www.instagram.com/timolearyonline
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STEVE HARPER’s TV writing includes Co-Executive Producer duties on Tracker and Stargirl and episodes of God Friended Me, Tell Me Your Secrets and American Crime. His web series SEND ME earned a 2016 Emmy Nomination for series lead Tracie Thoms. As an actor he’s appeared onstage at The Guthrie, and the Kennedy Center and on TV in Law & Order: SVU and 90210. Through his company Your Creative Life he coaches writers, posts advice on YouTube and co-hosts The Secret Writer Podcast - heard in 18 countries. He graduated from Yale, the A.R.T. Institute at Harvard and the Juilliard playwriting program.
Coaching website: www.yourcreativelife.com
Website: www.harpercreates.com
Harper Creates twitter: https://x.com/harpercreates
Your Creative Life twitter: https://x.com/yourcreatvlife
Podcast: The Secret Writer Podcast: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2086784
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TVsteve65/featured
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/creating4good/
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Seth Michael Donsky is one of the International Screenwriters' Association's top 25 writers to watch in 2024. He is a 2023 recipient of the ISA's Diversity Initiative award and on the ISA's distinguished development slate.
His feature screenplay Stardusk, about the life of transgender Andy Warhol Superstar Candy Darling is in pre-production with the Oscar-award winning producer Bruce Cohen. He is also adapting Kate Bornstein's A Queer and Pleasant Danger (Beacon Press) and Lauren Roedy Vaughn's OCD, The Dude and Me (Penguin Group) (Dial Press) for the screen. A Queer and Pleasant Danger advanced in consideration for the Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting and The Sundance Lab.
His feature screenplay Grit N' Glitter, the story of Allan Carr producing La Cage aux Folles (musical) on Broadway during the HIV/AIDS in the United States was one of five finalists for the Enderby Entertainment Award in the 2018 Austin Film Festival for screenplays with a unique voice and distinct vision. The finalists were selected by Rick Dugdale, Donald Petrie and Daniel Petrie, Jr. of Enderby Entertainment. It also placed in the Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting.
He holds an MFA in Film from Columbia University School of the Arts where he twice received the Dean's Fellowship, Columbia School of the Arts highest merit-based recognition. He wrote and directed the short film Loopy as his thesis film for graduation from Columbia. His feature film debut Twisted (1996 film), which he wrote and directed, was produced towards the tail end of the New Queer Cinema.
https://www.instagram.com/seth_michael_donsky/
https://x.com/donsquixote
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