CINEMACTIVIST

Support CINEMACTIVIST by becoming a Patron at www.patreon.com/lyonsdenproductions

Support CINEMACTIVIST by becoming a Patron at www.patreon.com/lyonsdenproductions

Support CINEMACTIVIST by becoming a Patron at www.patreon.com/lyonsdenproductions

Support CINEMACTIVIST and Lyons Den Productions by becoming a Patron at www.patreon.com/lyonsdenproductions

Support CINEMACTIVIST and Lyons Den Productions by becoming a Patron at www.patreon.com/lyonsdenproductions

Support CINEMACTIVIST and Lyons Den Productions by becoming a Patron at www.patreon.com/lyonsdenproductions

Support CINEMACTIVIST and Lyons Den Productions by becoming a Patron at www.patreon.com/lyonsdenproductions

According to stats from 2021 WGA West’s Screen Inclusion Report, LGBTQ+ screenwriters are faring relatively well compared to other underrepresented groups. “The best data available puts LGBTQ+ Americans at roughly 8% of the U.S. adult population,” the report says. “In 2020, LGBTQ+ writers were hired for 6% of screenwriting jobs. “However, the fact that LGBTQ+ screenwriters fare better in this chart than other underrepresented groups does not mean that they do not face discrimination in the workplace and erasure of LGBTQ+ characters in their stories. According to a recent survey of 158 members of the LGBTQ+ Writers Committee, 22% report having been the target of overt discrimination and/or harassment in an industry setting. Meanwhile, over half of the surveyed writers reported experiencing microaggressions based on their identity. Unfortunately, the most targeted individuals are often the most underrepresented and those who have multiple intersectional identities: transgender, non-binary, intersex, BIPOC, disabled, over 55, etc.” For the full report go to https://www.wga.org/uploadedfiles/the-guild/inclusion-and-equity/2021_Screen_Inclusion_Report.pdf

[00:00] Meet Dr. Tyler Titus and Liz Koromaus

[08:55] Fear of the Unknown and Othering People

[13:00] What is Cisgender and how well are we portraying trans people today in media?

[17:05] Should a cisgendered person write a trans story? What questions should they be asking?

[24:27] What moves the social needle

[26:30] Earliest memories of Trans characters in Media

[32:40] Boys Don’t Cry

[40:10] Laurence Anyways and Casting choices

[46:02] Film, TV and Game Recommendations

[55:54] Contributing to the Trans Narrative

[57:32] Don’t just tell a transness story (Euphoria, Single Drunk Female, Life & Beth)

[1:03:38] Advice for Creatives

Check out the Netflix documentary "Disclosure": https://www.netflix.com/title/81284247

| Published on April 13, 2022 | Produced by Lyons Den Productions | Hosted by John C. Lyons | Music by Tony Grey |

Support CINEMACTIVIST and Lyons Den Productions by becoming a Patron at www.patreon.com/lyonsdenproductions

In this episode, we bring you Part 2 of our conversation with Jane Saunders. Jane Saunders is a New York based composer, arranger, musician and educator.  As a music technology & musicology enthusiast, she has toured extensively throughout the United States and Europe with various projects and is the creator of the Avant-Garde Metal project The Greatest Fear (recipient of The Independent Music Awards Hard Rock/ Heavy Metal Album of the year). Jane composed the awesome film score for our feature film, Unearth. Check out her work at http://www.janesaunders.org

Please note we get into some light spoilers for Unearth in this discussion. The Unearth: Ultimate Edition Blu-ray features Jane's score as an isolated track option in the audio features. The Blu-ray releases April 19, 2022 but you can order it today at all major online retailers with 2 cover choices:

Green Mold at Amazon - https://www.amazon.com/Unearth-Ultimate-Green-Mold-Blu-ray/dp/B09T78X6P1
Red Rust at Amazon - https://www.amazon.com/Unearth-Ultimate-Rust-Red-Blu-ray/dp/B09T75S1H9

[00:00] With technological advancements in music and sound our minds are the only limitation

[06:25] The horrors of progress, constant pressure of perfection and Analog vs. Electric debate

[11:58] Music Technology: Measuring earthquake magnitudes for An Agitated Earth

[18:02] Unearth Origin Story and the impossible choice of livelihood vs. uninhabitable planet

[25:00] Living a Mindful Life and affects of the Industrial Revolution

[29:30] Inspired by composer Jóhann Jóhannsson (Arrival), Alien, The Shining

[36:34] The Sound Balance and Scoring stories & tips

[48:04] Post-production on Unearth and Chris Bell’s sound work and importance of a comfortable working environment

[52:48] Hearing Unearth in a real Cinema and talk about specific moments and motivations

| Published on April 6, 2022 | Produced by Lyons Den Productions | Hosted by John C. Lyons | Music by Tony Grey |

Support CINEMACTIVIST and Lyons Den Productions by becoming a Patron at www.patreon.com/lyonsdenproductions

In this episode, John sounds off about our reliance on fossil fuels, an update on a plastics processing plant in Erie Pennsylvania, and more. For more information go to www.patreon.com/lyonsdenproductions. This episode references:

The Guardian

Exclusive: oil companies’ profits soared to $174bn this year as US gas prices rose

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2021/dec/06/oil-companies-profits-exxon-chevron-shell-exclusive

Breaking Points

https://www.youtube.com/c/breakingpoints

Breaking Points with Krystal and Saagar is a fearless anti-establishment Youtube show and podcast.

Does FOX News want to Nationalize Big Oil? — Krystal Ball

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-AlxvlATfQ

Bad Faith

https://www.youtube.com/c/BadFaithPodcast

Bad Faith is two shows in one: it's a panel show about politics and pop culture with a rotating cast of performers and politicians, artists and activists, writers and radicals; and it's a two-way podcast where two people from two very different parts of the left make the case for one less terrible world.

Film Society of Northwestern Pennsylvania

Film Grain Virtual Cinema: The Story of Plastic - Panel Discussion

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hbujChY98EU

Filmed across three continents and featuring interviews with experts and activists on the frontlines, THE STORY OF PLASTIC presents a cohesive timeline of how we got to our current global plastic pollution crisis and how the oil and gas industry has successfully manipulated the narrative around it.

Panelists:

Stiv J. Wilson - Producer, The Story of Plastic

Monica Wilson - Policy and Research Coordinator and the Associate Director for the Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives

Sherri A. “Sam” Mason, Ph. D. - Sustainability Coordinator for Penn State Behrend

| Published on March 17, 2022 | Produced by Lyons Den Productions | Hosted by John C. Lyons | Music by Tony Grey |

Support CINEMACTIVIST and Lyons Den Productions by becoming a Patron at www.patreon.com/lyonsdenproductions

Support CINEMACTIVIST and Lyons Den Productions by becoming a Patron at www.patreon.com/lyonsdenproductions

For more information go to www.patreon.com/lyonsdenproductions.

NARRATIVES:

Nine Days

The Power of the Dog

Nightmare Alley

See for Me

The Novice

Dune: Part One

Coming Home in the Dark

The Last Duel

Bergman Island

Malcolm & Marie

Don’t Look Up

Boiling Point

Test Pattern

Last Night in Soho

CODA

Rurouni Kenshin: Final Chapter Part I - The Final

Candyman

The Dark and the Wicked

Saint Maud

The Night House

NARRATIVE HONORABLE MENTIONS:

The Hunt

In the Heights

Passing

Judas and the Black Messiah

The Suicide Squad

The Beta Test

The Lost Daughter

tick, tick…BOOM!

King Richard

No Time to Die

Identifying Features

Shiva Baby

DOCUMENTARIES:

Val

Woodstock 99: Peace Love and Rage

Summer of Soul (…or, When the Revolution Could Not be Televised)

Billie Eilish: The World’s a Little Blurry

Mayor

Woodlands Dark and Days Bewitched: A History of Folk Horror

Flee

| Published on February 16, 2022 | Produced by Lyons Den Productions | Hosted by John C. Lyons | Music by Tony Grey |

Support CINEMACTIVIST and Lyons Den Productions by becoming a Patron at www.patreon.com/lyonsdenproductions

Support CINEMACTIVIST and Lyons Den Productions by becoming a Patron at www.patreon.com/lyonsdenproductions

Support CINEMACTIVIST and Lyons Den Productions by becoming a Patron at www.patreon.com/lyonsdenproductions

These days it's rare for independent filmmakers to have the opportunity to release special features for their films. That's why we held onto the Blu-ray distribution rights for Unearth. Today we are happy to share with you some of the details of what to expect on the Ultimate Edition Blu-ray of Unearth, available April 19, 2022! The package will be available through the websites of all major retailers in US & Canada as well as www.unearthmovie.com. 

But that's not all -- we've also got new poster art coming in April as well from artist, Christopher Shy.

If you're a fan of Unearth and our work, this Blu-ray edition will be a great way to support us. Dealing directly with the manufacturer means we receive a higher percentage of each sale. We hope you'll consider ordering one for your library.

We'll be back next week with Part 2 of our conversation with Andrea Londo and Adam Stilwell of The Free Fall.

| Published on January 26, 2022 | Produced by Lyons Den Productions | Hosted by John C. Lyons | Music by Tony Grey |

Support CINEMACTIVIST and Lyons Den Productions by becoming a Patron at www.patreon.com/lyonsdenproductions

Patrons of Lyons Den Productions will receive the complete conversation in the coming weeks. For more information go to www.patreon.com/lyonsdenproductions.

[00:00] The Free Fall and Eerie Horror Fest

[7:42] Demonic Possession and Domestic Abuse - The multiple layers of the story

[11:12] Bringing Andrea onboard

[15:48] Benefits of the Horror space and a freeing genre for Writing

[21:34] John recs: Devil’s Backbone, Tigers Are Not Afraid, La Llorona, Identifying Features, Culture Shock

[23:52] The Devil as a Writer and Shawn Ashmore

[27:41] Challenges and progression of Sara character

[34:43] The challenges of an 18 day Production and bonus Horror boost

[39:18] Andrea compares experiences on Narcos on Netflix and other studio projects vs. Indie film

| Published on January 19, 2022 | Produced by Lyons Den Productions | Hosted by John C. Lyons | Music by Tony Grey |

Support CINEMACTIVIST and Lyons Den Productions by becoming a Patron at www.patreon.com/lyonsdenproductions

Patrons of Lyons Den Productions will receive the complete conversation in the coming weeks. For more information go to www.patreon.com/lyonsdenproductions.

[0:00] Social Media, Politics and Morality

[7:30] The Arts as a Tool against Corruption and a way to present differing views

[13:43] Adrienne’s story about The Fog script and do filmmaker have an obligation to create more socially-conscious material

[18:13] Alice Jacobs is Dead, Relic and Alzheimers

[23:24] How the She Kills podcast on Shudder came to be and podcasting in general

[24:57] Voicing Catwoman on Batman: The Animated Series

[26:43] Lots of love for Carnivale on HBO

[32:42] How did Unearth land on her radar? a George Romero story and a Devil’s Rejects story

[39:10] The difference between and Agent and a Manager

[44:29] Playing Kathryn in Unearth

[48:16] Collaboration, Unearth’s Production and working in Indie Film

[52:31] Geri Olszewski and Kathryn’s wardrobe

[56:40] Lechefsky Farm, Sweet Corn and Presque Isle

[57:30] The World to Come musical audio series, Cowboy Bebop and the Grease book

[1:00:00] Video describing for the Blind

| Published on January 12, 2022 | Produced by Lyons Den Productions | Hosted by John C. Lyons | Music by Tony Grey |

Support CINEMACTIVIST and Lyons Den Productions by becoming a Patron at www.patreon.com/lyonsdenproductions

Patrons of Lyons Den Productions will receive the complete conversation in the coming weeks. For more information go to www.patreon.com/lyonsdenproductions.

00:00 - Meet Chris More

11:55 - Revisiting The Matrix Trilogy

20:37 - Preparations for The Matrix Resurrections

25:12 - The Matrix Resurrections, Bugs and Nostalgia

29:40 - What’s a Modal?

32:01 - nu-Morpheus

40:33 - Original and Fresh Meta Commentary and Digital Self Images

47:48 - Truth, Control and the Analyst

51:21 - Neo and Trinity 4ever

56:21 - Weaponizing Everything and Everything is Fiction

1:02:44 - Overall Impressions

1:10:39 - Possible Glitches in The Matrix Resurrections

1:19:48 - Agent Smith

1:22:58 - Closing Thoughts and Animatrix 2.0 Wish

| Published on January 5, 2022 | Produced by Lyons Den Productions | Hosted by John C. Lyons | Music by Tony Grey |

Support CINEMACTIVIST and Lyons Den Productions by becoming a Patron at www.patreon.com/lyonsdenproductions

In this episode, Part 2 of my conversation with filmmaker, podcaster, journalist, musician, all-around creative radical, Eleanor Goldfield. Eleanor directed "Hard Road of Hope" (www.hardroadofhope.com), a documentary about coal miners and frackers in West Virginia who time and time again find themselves on the frontlines of labor issues and industrial repercussions. We dive into post production, self-releasing your film, how art can be insidious (in a good way) and much more.

Patrons of Lyons Den Productions will receive the complete conversation in the coming weeks. For more information go to www.patreon.com/lyonsdenproductions.

[0:00] Spending the extra time on Interviews

[7:52] Getting Feedback and Calling in Favors

[13:03] Release Plan, COVID Pivot and Film as an Organizing Tool

[19:02] Wearing the Business Hat and Finding the Side Door

[25:22] Art Killing Apathy, Mutual Aid and RIghts of Nature

[33:55] The Role of Artists

| Published on December 23, 2021 | Produced by Lyons Den Productions | Hosted by John C. Lyons | Music by Tony Grey |

Support CINEMACTIVIST and Lyons Den Productions by becoming a Patron at www.patreon.com/lyonsdenproductions

On the Fenceline: A Fight for Clean Air follows Philly Thrive, a South Philadelphia activist organization, as they mobilize to shut down all operations of Philadelphia Energy Solutions oil refinery. The largest on the east coast of the United States. On the Fenceline just screened at the UN Global Climate Summit in November. In this episode, we bring you Part 2 of our conversation with filmmaker, Tara Eng. Tara is a former Working Films George F. Stoney Fellow and has produced and directed short documentaries about abusive trust in gymnastics ("The Lucky Ones") and urban sustainability in New York City ("Growing Justice").

Picture 2 Picture Productions is a team of journalists, photographers, researchers, and producers committed to illuminating pressing issues through documentary storytelling. Learn more at: www.picture2pictureproductions.com 

Listen wherever you podcast. Patrons of Lyons Den Productions will receive the complete conversation in the coming weeks. For more information go to www.patreon.com/lyonsdenproductions.

[0:00] Choosing where to focus a documentary story

[3:58] The demographics of activist groups: Gen X is MIA

[10:09] Moving forward with the site after the explosion

[15:37] A website as a companion piece and a way to contextualize a story, and plans for the film

[20:49] Pandemic film release experience and what’s next

[26:46] Recognizing change back home after a Sunoco pipeline project and childhood memories

[33:45] Inspirations for Unearth and importance of authenticity

| Published on December 15, 2021 | Produced by Lyons Den Productions | Hosted by John C. Lyons | Music by Tony Grey |

Support CINEMACTIVIST and Lyons Den Productions by becoming a Patron at www.patreon.com/lyonsdenproductions

Tertius references Pentti Linkola, Finnish deep ecologist in this conversation. Learn more at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pentti_Linkola

[00:00] Background, Partnerships and Kernels of the Idea

[14:21] - Nature, Fungi and Filming in the Wild

[21:57] - Filmmaking in South Africa, Film Initiative Africa, Funding and Distribution

[33:46] - Themes in Gaia (spoilers)

[42:38] - The Cast, filming on the Water and Product Placement

[47:23] - The Script, VFX enhancements (spoilers for Gaia and Unearth), Writing for your Readers & Crew

[59:09] - Production changes due to COVID, Compromises and releasing this story during a Pandemic

[1:06:20] - The State of Horror, Eco-Horror / Eco-Terror and Future projects

CINEMACTIVIST explores the films and filmmakers who use the art form to bring about political or social change, inform their audiences of important issues and perspectives, and whose goal is to ultimately make the world a better, more informed and empathetic place.

| Published on December 8, 2021 | Produced by Lyons Den Productions | Hosted by John C. Lyons | Music by Tony Grey |

Support CINEMACTIVIST and Lyons Den Productions by becoming a Patron at www.patreon.com/lyonsdenproductions

Support CINEMACTIVIST and Lyons Den Productions by becoming a Patron at www.patreon.com/lyonsdenproductions

Support CINEMACTIVIST and Lyons Den Productions by becoming a Patron at www.patreon.com/lyonsdenproductions

Support CINEMACTIVIST and Lyons Den Productions by becoming a Patron at www.patreon.com/lyonsdenproductions

US residents can find convenient links to Pre-order Unearth at www.unearthmovie.com 

[0:39] All of our Unearth VOD, DVD and Blu-ray release news for USA, UK and Ireland residents

[6:19] Check us out as guests on other podcasts

[8:38] The ways you can help us today

[11:50] Full breakdown of our Theatrical and Virtual Cinema grassroots run

| Published on June 23, 2021 | Produced by Lyons Den Productions | Hosted by John C. Lyons | Music by Tony Grey |

Support CINEMACTIVIST and Lyons Den Productions by becoming a Patron at www.patreon.com/lyonsdenproductions

In this episode, I got to catch-up with actress, Monica Wyche. Monica plays "Aubrey" in Unearth and you're sure to recognize her from TV Series like The Path, The Sinner and For Life. She was a joy both on screen and off. Check out her website at www.monicawyche.com. 

[3:58] South Carolina to NYC

[18:07] Collaboration with your Partner

[20:26] Transitioning into TV

[24:42] The On Location Experience

[27:58] Does Where you Reside Matter for Actors?

[41:19] Directing Stylesds on the Page to Life

[39:37] Working with SAG

[41:19] Directing styles

[44:32] Writing

[48:34] Memories of Unearth

| Published on June 16, 2021 | Produced by Lyons Den Productions | Hosted by John C. Lyons | Music by Tony Grey |

Support CINEMACTIVIST and Lyons Den Productions by becoming a Patron at www.patreon.com/lyonsdenproductions

Patrons of Lyons Den Productions will receive the complete conversation in the coming weeks. For more information go to www.patreon.com/lyonsdenproductions.

| Published on June 9, 2021 | Produced by Lyons Den Productions | Hosted by John C. Lyons | Music by Tony Grey |

Support CINEMACTIVIST and Lyons Den Productions by becoming a Patron at www.patreon.com/lyonsdenproductions

[30:00] Navigating the Industry

Patrons of Lyons Den Productions will receive the complete conversation in the coming weeks. For more information go to www.patreon.com/lyonsdenproductions. 

| Published on May 19, 2021 | Produced by Lyons Den Productions | Hosted by John C. Lyons | Music by Tony Grey |

Support CINEMACTIVIST and Lyons Den Productions by becoming a Patron at www.patreon.com/lyonsdenproductions

On the Fenceline: A Fight for Clean Air follows Philly Thrive, a South Philadelphia activist organization, as they mobilize to shut down all operations of Philadelphia Energy Solutions oil refinery. The largest on the east coast of the United States. In this episode, we bring you Part 1 of our conversation with filmmaker, Tara Eng. Tara is a former Working Films George F. Stoney Fellow and has produced and directed short documentaries about abusive trust in gymnastics ("The Lucky Ones") and urban sustainability in New York City ("Growing Justice"). 

Listen wherever you podcast. Patrons of Lyons Den Productions will receive the complete conversation in the coming weeks. For more information go to www.patreon.com/lyonsdenproductions.

About Picture 2 Picture Productions:

Picture 2 Picture Productions is a team of journalists, photographers, researchers, and producers committed to illuminating pressing issues through documentary storytelling. 

Our process holds space to reflect often on our identities and biases, and how they might shape our decision-making and filmmaking approach. As outsiders, we are conscious of the history of oppressive power between white folks and communities of color, and we continue to seek resources about non-extractive filmmaking practices and environmental racism that might inform our own approach. While two of our directors are from the Greater Philadelphia area, their experiences of growing up in their respective communities do not parallel growing up in South Philly. Our four directors do not know the lived experiences of being Black in South Philly. When we traveled to Philadelphia to film, we knew we were showing up to listen.

Engaging with the community without cameras was imperative to listening and learning. We joined Philly Thrive and our documentary participants for various fundraisers, actions, and slices of pizza in the park to learn about the organization’s history, goals, and membership so that we might understand the full scope of Thrive before constructing a story. During this time, we learned of our documentary participants’ neighborhood communities, and their rich family roots in the South Philly area, which gave us a different understanding of the urgency and stakes of shutting the refinery down for good.

We believe it is important to center the voices and experiences of people of color and fenceline residents. People of color and fenceline residents bear the brunt of refinery pollution, and as their voices have been swept over for years, our goal is to amplify their calls for justice and the stories they shared. Throughout the making of the film, we continue to consult the community and our documentary participants about the representations in our film in order to maintain transparency, authenticity, and dignity.

Although our praxis is nowhere near perfect, we are committed to taking an active role in decolonizing documentary. We welcome and continue to seek learning opportunities about non-extractive filmmaking practices and issues of power.

For additional information about non-extractive filmmaking:

Story Shift – Working Films

Collective Wisdom – MIT Open Documentary Lab

| Published on May 12, 2021 | Produced by Lyons Den Productions | Hosted by John C. Lyons | Music by Tony Grey |

Support CINEMACTIVIST and Lyons Den Productions by becoming a Patron at www.patreon.com/lyonsdenproductions

As we announced in last week's episode, Unearth is releasing theatrically on Earth Day: Thursday, April 22, 2021. In this episode, we bring you our full conversation with Gregory Laemmle, the President of Laemmle Theatres in Los Angeles county. Greg saw our pitch email and Laemmle Theatres became the first venue in the USA & Canada to agree to program Unearth. Tickets available now! We talk about meeting the arthouse demand in Los Angeles, the importance of curation, pandemic shutdown, challenges, pivoting to virtual cinema and re-opening. 

Listen wherever you podcast. Patrons of Lyons Den Productions will receive the complete conversation in the coming weeks. For more information go to www.patreon.com/lyonsdenproductions.

About Laemmle Theatres (from their website):

Laemmle, pronounced "LEM-lee", is synonymous with great independent, foreign, and art house cinema. In over 75 years of operation, we have been guided by our commitment to exhibit "quality film without regard to genre or provenance". Our theaters serve over a million film patrons each year from several locations in the greater Los Angeles region including West Los Angeles, Santa Monica, Pasadena,  North Hollywood, Claremont, and Santa Clarita.

In addition to standard movie-going, Laemmle provides unique cinematic experiences such as one-night screenings, special events, premieres, and Academy qualifications. These events reflect Laemmle's commitment to being an artistic resource and gathering place for the entire Los Angeles community. In addition, our popular Sneaks Club gives over 60,000 cinephiles access to movies prior to their release, helping to create a buzz for an eclectic range of films that may rate high on artistry yet lack the marketing reach of big Hollywood releases.

Laemmle is a scion of cinema's golden age. The company was established in 1938 by Kurt and Max Laemmle, nephews of legendary Universal Pictures founder Carl Laemmle (click here for an amazing video of Carl Laemmle and Albert Einstein! speaking in German together). The company is currently run by Robert Laemmle and his son, Greg Laemmle.

| Published on April 14, 2021 | Produced by Lyons Den Productions | Hosted by John C. Lyons | Music by Tony Grey |

Support CINEMACTIVIST and Lyons Den Productions by becoming a Patron at www.patreon.com/lyonsdenproductions

Support CINEMACTIVIST and Lyons Den Productions by becoming a Patron at www.patreon.com/lyonsdenproductions

When we heard actor/author, Adrienne Barbeau, was interested in being in our upcoming feature film, Unearth, we were over the moon. Her involvement, passion for the material, and efforts as a collaborator took our production to the next level. In this episode, we bring you Part 1 of our conversation. Listen wherever you podcast. Patrons of Lyons Den Productions will receive the complete conversation in the coming weeks. For more information go to www.patreon.com/lyonsdenproductions.

Adrienne began her career in 1963. She's travelled the world many times over for the stage and screen. She received a Tony nomination and a Theatre World Award for her creation of Rizzo in the original Broadway production of Grease. She played the role of Bea Arthur’s daughter, Carol, in the hit series Maude. She has become a best selling author, a recording artist, and the star of numerous features, films for television, concert performances, musicals and plays.

Adrienne has a Golden Globe nomination, over 450 screen performances to her credit and has starred in over 25 theatrical productions. Movie fans know her best for her performances in The Fog, Escape From New York, Creepshow, Swamp Thing, Back to School, Cannonball Run and the Academy Award winning, ARGO. She starred as Ruthie, the Snake Dancer, on HBO’s fascinating series, Carnivale. She was Oswald’s mom on Drew Carey, Victoria Grayson’s mom on Revenge, and Venus’s mom on Sons of Anarchy. Daytime viewers know her as Suzanne Stanwyck on General Hospital. Her recent television appearances include Criminal Minds, Grey’s Anatomy, and the Netflix series A.J. and the Queen, starring RuPaul.

Off camera, Adrienne is the voice of Catwoman in Batman, The Animated Series, Ms. Simone in Scooby-Do on Zombie Island, and Scooter’s Mom in the 3-D animated film Fly Me To The Moon. She can be heard in a myriad of video games: God of War, Halo 4, and Fallout 76 among them. Adrienne is the author of four books: the best-selling memoir There Are Worse Things I Could Do; the comedic thriller Vampyres of Hollywood and its comedy romance sequels, Love Bites and Make Me Dead.  

[2:43] - Getting into writing, and (creatively) writing what you know

[9:38] - Screenplay writing and revisiting grease

[18:18] - Becoming a performer

[26:42] - Achieving the dream goal

[29:22] - Advice for entertainment industry newcomers

[36:02] - Collaboration between actor, director and writer

[41:15] - Working with John Carpenter on The Fog

[42:51] - Adrienne’s writing process

[50:54] - Always reading

[56:55] - Politics

| Published on March 31, 2021 | Produced by Lyons Den Productions | Hosted by John C. Lyons | Music by Tony Grey |

Support CINEMACTIVIST and Lyons Den Productions by becoming a Patron at www.patreon.com/lyonsdenproductions

We met filmmaker Justin McConnell, virtually, last year in the Discord filmmaker community space at the Fantasia International Film Festival, where our new feature film, Unearth, had its world premiere and his new documentary, Clapboard Jungle was in the middle of its festival run.

Clapboard Jungle follows five years in the life and career of an independent filmmaker (Justin McConnell), supported by dozens of interviews, posing one question: how does an indie filmmaker survive in the current film business? We feel the documentary is required viewing for creatives, especially filmmakers. In this episode, we bring you our complete conversation. Listen wherever you podcast.  

[00:00] Justin McConnell and his film industry background

[11:36] The Horror genre

[15:02] Recent changes in the film industry

[24:05] Does the cream rise to the top?

[30:58] How do you handle rejection? Was making Clapboard Jungle therapeutic?

[42:44] Ideas and Writing alone or with a Partner

[51:54] Considering your audience

[57: 22] Landing Interviews and Leveraging connections

[1:05:39] Raising Money, Benefits of a Sales Agent early in the process

[1:16:25] Watch out for Predators

[1:21:09] What to look for in a Sales Agent or Distributor and Contract tips

CINEMACTIVIST explores the films and filmmakers who use the art form to bring about political or social change, inform their audiences of important issues and perspectives, and whose goal is to ultimately make the world a better, more informed and empathetic place.

| Published on March 24, 2021 | Produced by Lyons Den Productions | Hosted by John C. Lyons | Music by Tony Grey |

Support CINEMACTIVIST and Lyons Den Productions by becoming a Patron at www.patreon.com/lyonsdenproductions

Our new feature film, Unearth, would not exist without the tireless work of Public Herald.

Co-founded in 2011 by investigative journalists Joshua Pribanic and Melissa Troutman, Public Herald’s mission is two-fold: truth + creativity. Their work uses investigative journalism and art to empower readers and hold accountable those who put the public at risk. Public Herald has garnered millions of readers, over 2,000 Lifetime Members, published exclusive investigations that reshaped the narrative on fracking, been cited in more than 20 peer-reviewed studies, regularly cited in national coverage, is licensed to more than 100 U.S. colleges, led to probes of criminal conduct, and produced three feature-length documentaries with international distribution.

This is Part 1/3 of our conversation. Listen wherever you podcast.

[00:00] Meet Joshua and Melissa
[15:52] Creating Public Herald and uncovering widespread water contamination cover-ups in Pennsylvania
[24:48] 30 sec. Intermission
[25:24] Making their first documentary feature: Triple Divide
[41:10] Collaboration

CINEMACTIVIST explores the films and filmmakers who use the art form to bring about political or social change, inform their audiences of important issues and perspectives, and whose goal is to ultimately make the world a better, more informed and empathetic place.

| Published on March 18, 2021 | Produced by Lyons Den Productions | Hosted by John C. Lyons | Music by Tony Grey |

Support CINEMACTIVIST and Lyons Den Productions by becoming a Patron at www.patreon.com/lyonsdenproductions