Greenlit

Jeff Sackman joins us on the podcast exuding an air of calm. His keep-it-cool attitude is what made Jeff successful as a producer of American Psycho (2000) and the other 96 movies he’s made over his career. Preaching a gospel of “cutting through,” which he describes as having the smarts to compete without big studio capital, his former company Think Films afforded Ryan Gosling an Oscar nomination and led to the inception of A24. In this episode, Jeff talks about the biggest disappointment of his career, being a serial entrepreneur, and why doing projects differently goes further than throwing money at them. 

Jeff’s collaborations with BondIt and Buffalo 8 include the Buffalo 8 Post-Production and BondIt financed and Executive Produced film Becky (2020) as well as the BondIt financed and Executive Produced film Social Animals (2018).

Today on the podcast we have another legendary industry veteran, producer, and manager: Craig Baumgarten (@craig_baumgarten). Craig’s story makes Hollywood dreams seem possible. He moved to Hollywood because of a “feeling” and met superstars like Richard Gere by hosting parties at a fancy house he was crashing at. Though jobless at the time, he climbed his way to an executive role at Paramount, and went on to produce classic films like Hook (1991) with Robin Williams and Shattered Glass (2003). In this episode of the podcast, Craig talks about working with Speilberg, getting fired at an abandoned nuclear power plant, and what it’s like to file a lawsuit against some of the most notorious giants in the entertainment business.

Craig’s collaborations with BondIt include the Buffalo 8 Post Production and BondIt financed and Executive Produced film Castle Falls (2021). 

Kris Rey (@kriseykrisrey) is known for her improv-heavy, run-and-gun indie films that have established her as one of the most unique modern filmmakers to watch today. Brought up in the state of Illinois, Rey began her career studying documentary filmmaking, which gave her an eye for naturalistic performances and grounded narratives that now saturate her films. In this episode, she breaks down her inspiration for creating her upcoming feature I Used to Go Here; the effect of COVID-19 on releasing her film that was set to debut at SXSW; the unexpected benefits to not living in LA or NY as a filmmaker; and more!

Kris’s collaborations with BondIt and Buffalo 8 include the Buffalo 8 Post Production and BondIt financed and Executive Produced film I Used to Go Here (2020). 

David Dalsmalchian (@dastmalchian) is a triple threat – writer, actor and producer, appearing in independent films and major blockbuster hits alike. This quality makes him the perfect actor for films like The Dark Night (2008), Ant Man (2015) and Prisoners (2015) where he plays disquieting yet distinctive characters. However, success was not easy. His persistent persona, which brought Animals (2013) to SXSW, comes from pulling himself up by the bootstraps after battling his heroin addiction. In this episode, David gets real about finding success after addiction, what it is like to make a successful indie film SXSW-ready film, and his non-linear path as an actor.

David’s collaborations with Buffalo 8 include the Buffalo 8 Post-Production and Produced film Teacher (2019). 

“They don’t thank you for being a good little boy or girl. They thank you for results,” says today’s guest Mike Paseornek. If you don’t know Mike by name, you definitely know him for his work. From American Psycho (2000) to Hunger Games (2012) to La La Land (2016), there is no genre outside of Mike’s repertoire. Now, after 25 prolific years as Lionsgate’s President, Mike leaves his executive title behind for a three-year producing deal with Lionsgate. In this episode, Mike talks about the “start up” days of Lionsgate, the new chapter in his career, and the importance of having your own opinion. 

Kim Winther is one of the most respected and well known Assistant Directors in the business. Beginning his career as the Third Assistant Director in 1981 on the film Silence of the North (1981), he worked his way up to becoming the 1st AD on massive films such as Independence Day (1996), Godzilla (1998) and Mr. and Mrs. Smith (2005). He has worked in a vast variety of genres, from classics and comedies, including Little Women (1994) and Cool Runnings (1993) to apocalyptic actions, such as The Day After Tomorrow (2004). In today’s special episode, Kim discusses working with Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, some of the difficulties he has faced over years in the business, Westworld (2016–), and much much more.

Kim’s collaborations with Buffalo 8 / BondIt Media Capital include the BondIt financed project Finding Steve McQueen (2019).

If you thought you were an industry veteran, try stacking yourself up to Mark Damon. Starting his entertainment career in 1954, Mark has bounced from stage acting, to starring in Westerns in Italy, to executive producing his own films. Mark has produced and acted in over 70 films and has been awarded 10 Oscar nominations for films like Das Boot (1981) and Monster (2003). “A businessman at heart,” Mark left his acting career behind and founded the Producers Sales Organization to distribute domestic films abroad. In this episode, Mark talks about why he left behind his movie star title for producing, how COVID is highlighting changes in the industry, how he pioneered the still used foreign sales technique known for making independent films possible, and much, much more. 

Mark’s collaborations with BondIt and Buffalo 8 include the BondIt Executive Produced films The Last Full Measure (2019) and Wally’s Wonderland (2020). 

Ever wonder who makes made-for-TV-movies, frequently seen on the SyFy channel? Meet Paul Bales, whose charming self deprecation makes you want to love every poorly rated film he’s ever produced. Paul is one of the masterminds behind Sharknado as the COO of The Asylum, a low budget film production company, distributor and studio. He has produced over 200 films and written 10 more. While producing low-budget monster movies may not seem as glamorous as winning your ticket to the Oscars, as Paul says, “Quality has little to do with the equation of success.” In this episode, Paul talks about the friction between art and business, designing convincing flood scenes, and whether or not there are any more Sharknado’s in the works.

Paul’s collaboration with BondIt include the BondIt financed and Executive Produced films Sharknado 2, Sharknado: The 4th Awakens and The Doctor Will Kill You Now.

You may not recognize the company, but you will certainly recognize the shows. Andrew Fried (@Andrew_Fried) is the founder and CEO of Boardwalk Pictures, the premiere unscripted television company behind shows such as Chef’s Table (2015-2019), Cheer (2020) and The Goop Lab (2020). A pioneer in the short form docu-series’ that you see all over Netflix and Hulu today, Andrew has traveled across the world making content  and has earned three Emmy nominations for Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Series for Chef's Table (2015). In today’s fascinating conversation, we sit down with Andrew and discuss one of the first Netflix originals in Chef’s Table, what brought Fried to unscripted work, “docu-tainment,” and more!

Contact Information:

@Andrew_Fried

Boardwalkpics.com

Neil Marshall (@neilmarshall_director) is an Emmy-nominated director, writer, editor and producer, known for cult films such as The Descent and his work on hit shows like Game of Thrones. Marshall supported himself for eight years as a freelance editor before hitting his stride with two films: Dog Soldiers and The Descent, which put him on the map as a top-notch horror director who blends hyper-stylized violence with thematic complexity. After his success with the latter, Marshall was listed on Variety’s 10 Directors to Watch and described as “the most exciting genre filmmaker to arrive on the British scene for many years.”

Charlotte Kirk (@charlottekirkofficial) is an English actress and singer who has already carved a path for herself in Hollywood. After studying theatre in England, she moved to New York at the age of 19, where she got her big break in 2015 when she landed a starring role in sci-fi thriller Vice, alongside Bruce Willis and Thomas Jane. From there, she went on to star in films such as The Depths, How to be Single and Ocean’s 8. Her upcoming roles include Nicole Simpson in OJ Simpson biopic Nicole & OJ, as well as The Reckoning, which she co-wrote with Neil Marshall and Edward Swindell.

In this episode, Marshall breaks down the story behind creating Dog Soldiers, his Emmy-nominated directing on Game of Thrones and the films that inspired him as a teenager; Kirk joins him to discuss her burgeoning career as well as how they developed and produced their upcoming film The Reckoning.

Neil and Charlotte’s collaborations with BondIt and Buffalo 8 include the Buffalo 8 Post-Production and BondIt financed and Executive Produced film The Reckoning (2020). 

Known for her director driven work, you have surely seen her star-studded casts on the silver screen. Jessica Kelly has been a casting director for over 10 years and worked on over 140 titles, casting across acclaimed television projects such as Ramy (2020) and Euphoria (2019) to independent and blockbuster films including John Wick (2014), Midsommar (2019), Hereditary (2020) and Precious (2009). Jessica takes us through packaging and casting in today’s world, her creative process, how she assesses scripts, screen tests, and much much more!

Jessica’s collaborations with Buffalo 8 include the Sundance winning Buffalo 8 produced film As You Are (2016). 

Contact Information:

In this episode, we talked to Barry Josephson (@barryjayj), the man whose five-year persistence made the iconic Men In Black (1997) possible. For all of you in the wrong field, Barry is living proof you can still make it big in entertainment. Before he was working with stars like Will Smith and Harrison Ford, he worked in the music industry. He’s found success as President of Columbia Pictures and executive producer on noteworthy productions such as Enchanted (2007) and Bones (2005-2017). However, he will always say he learned more from his failures. In this episode, Barry talks about why his failures make him successful, the five year process of making Men In Black, and why right now is the Golden Era of television. 

If you don’t know him by name, you know him by his iconic film editing. Barry Brown is the Oscar-nominated editor whose work on classics like Do The Right Thing and BlaKKKlansman put him on the map as one of Spike Lee’s sharpest collaborators. Having grown up in the deep South, Brown’s work has always been rooted in social consciousness, striking a balance between engaging entertainment and important activism. In this episode, Brown breaks down the process behind getting his upcoming film Son of the South made; the experience of collaborating with Spike Lee; how cutting a love scene redefined his editing career; and more!

Barry’s collaborations with Buffalo 8 include Buffalo 8 Post-Production on Barry’s film Son of the South (2020).

Randall Emmett (@randallemmettfilms) is living out every film buff’s dream. He has produced hundreds of films, two Martin Scorsese films, The Irishman (2019) and Silence (2016), and he has the pleasure of affectionately calling him “Marty.” After working with Scorsese, Randall is more in touch with filmmaking than ever. He will make his directorial debut this year for Midnight in the Switchgrass starring Megan Fox and Bruce Willis. Plus, he has recently starred alongside his fiance La La Kent in the hit reality show Vanderpump Rules’. Despite his notoriety, Randall still envisions himself as the film-school nerd he was in college. In this episode, he tells Matt what it's like to be in a room with The Martin Scorsese, why directing feels like “his truth,” and how he was finally convinced to appear in an episode of Vanderpump Rules’. 

Randy’s collaborations with BondIt and Buffalo 8 include the Buffalo 8 Post-Production and BondIt financed and Executive Produced films Trauma Center (2019), Open Source 2020) and Midnight in the Switchgrass (2021). 

In today’s very special episode, we sit down with Swedish actor and action movie-star Dolph Lundgren (@Dolph_Lundgren). You’ve seen him “try to break” Rocky – but what you may not know is that he is a savant. After earning his Masters Degree in Chemical Engineering in Australia, Dolph turned down a PhD at MIT to pursue acting. The decision was well worth it – just a few years later, he would make his near feature debut as Ivan Drago in Rocky IV (1985), leaving behind a well paid engineering career to become an international action phenom. In this exciting episode, we talk about how Lundgren’s path led him to acting, hanging out with Andy Warhol, Michael Jackson and David Bowie in the 80s, his longtime friendship with Sylvester Stallone, and much much more.

Dolph’s collaborations with BondIt include the Buffalo 8 Post Production and BondIt financed and Executive Produced film Castle Falls (2021) and the BondIt financed project Blackwater (2018).

Contact Information: 

@Dolph_Lundgren

Today’s episode changes up the pace as we sit down with legendary Director of Photography Robert Yeoman. After Yeoman's first break into cinematography on To Live and Die in L.A. (1985) as a second unit director of photography, he became Wes Anderson’s go to live action DP, including films such as Bottle Rocket (1996), Rushmore (1998), and The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014), the latter of which he was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Cinematography. On today’s podcast, Yeoman discusses his work with Wes and other big name directors like Noah Baumbach and Paul Feig, Wes’s unique eye for locations, why he still shows up to set nervous, and much, much more!

Bob’s collaborations with Buffalo 8 include the very first Buffalo 8 project The Alumni Chapter (2011) advising Matthew Helderman on the production and release strategy - Bon has a “Special Thanks” credit on the film!

Vince Jolivette is an Emmy Award-nominated producer and actor who has established a unique path for himself in Hollywood. As co-founder of Rabbit Bandini Productions alongside his business partner James Franco, Jolivette has produced critically-acclaimed films like The Disaster Artist, Spring Breakers and BondIt-financed King Cobra. After arriving in Hollywood during the 1990s renaissance of independent filmmaking, Jolivette met Franco at Playhouse West, where their friendship turned into a creative partnership. Since then, their focus on niche original content has earned them a distinct spotlight in the film industry, which they are continuing with upcoming films The Rental and Zola. In this episode, Jolivette breaks down the path to creating The Disaster Artist, the evolving cinematic landscape, test audiences and more!

Vince’s collaborations with BondIt include the BondIt financed and Executive Produced film King Cobra (2016).

You definitely will recognize the name Creed Bratton (@CreedBratton) from the hit sitcom The Office (US). But what you may not know is that Creed plays a fictionalized version of himself, and his story goes far beyond his time cracking some of the most memorable jokes in the show. Creed came from a family of musicians, and went on to travel across Europe with the band The Young Californians. Later he joined the legendary band The Grass Roots before pursuing a career in acting – and the rest, as they say, is history. In today’s special podcast, Creed discusses navigating “the Summer of Love,” the process of building the character “Creed,” his favorite moments from The Office , and much, much more!

Contact Information:

@CreedBratton

https://www.instagram.com/creedbratton/?hl=en 

http://www.creedbratton.com/

Each week on Greenlit, we dive into how your favorite movies and TV shows were able to be made with stories from those who were there.