Media Industry Conversations Podcast

Jessica Chou (MFA, Screenwriting), TV writer, CW's No Tomorrow Britta Lundin (MFA, Production), TV writer, CW’s Riverdale When: Thursday, March 30 - 3:30-4:45 p.m. Where: Belo Center for New Media (BMC) 5.208 (Seating is first come, first served.) Chou and Lundin will discuss their career trajectories from the time they received their degrees in the Department of Radio-TV-Film at UT-Austin up to their current employment as writers on prime-time television series. They will also share their thoughts on the current state of the media industries and offer advice to students hoping to pursue careers in television. Host: Cindy McCreery Producer: Kyle Wrather

When: Tuesday, February 21 - 3:30-4:45 p.m. Where: Belo Center for New Media (BMC) 5.208 (Seating is first come, first served.) Topics of discussion during this Q&A session include David W. Higgins’s career trajectory from his time as a student in RTF at UT-Austin, his perspectives on the craft and career of writing, as well as his experience producing for film. Host: Micah Barber Producer: Kyle Wrather

When: Thursday, November 10 - 3:30-5 p.m. Where: Belo Center for New Media (BMC) 5.208 (Seating is first come, first served.) Topics of discussion during this Q&A session include Philip Levens' career trajectory, his experiences writing and producing sci-fi and fantasy television, his thoughts on the exponential boom in popularity of superhero and science fiction media, and his perspectives on the changing landscape of television and media. Host: Alisa Perren Producer: Kyle Wrather

Lev Spiro holds a masters degree in film from the Radio-TV-Film Department at the University of Texas at Austin. He's an award winning director of TV and film who has been recognized for his work on celebrated television shows including 'Arrested Development,' 'Modern Family,' 'Weeds,' and many others. He discussed his career path in Hollywood as well as his thoughts on the changing business of making television. The event took place at the University of Texas at Austin on October 10, 2016. Host: Alisa Perren Producer/Editor: Kyle Wrather

Todd Nienkerk, (BS, Radio-TV-Film) and Aaron Staunsh (BS, Advertising) are partners with the Austin, Texas-based web design and publishing company Four Kitchens. Their company has produced websites and interactive online spaces for a wide variety of companies in and around the media industry including Entertainment Weekly, NBC, and TWiT.tv. The event took place at the University of Texas at Austin on November 30, 2015. Host: Alisa Perren Producer/Editor: Kyle Wrather

Jared Hoffman (BS, Radio-TV-Film) is the President of Generate, an online content and talent management company. He worked for years as an agent for CAA and the SVP of Video Programming for Defy Media. Hoffman spoke at the University of Texas at Austin on November 23, 2016 Host: Alisa Perren Producer and Editor: Kyle Wrather

This weeks' episode features Tim League, co-founder of the Alamo Drafthouse, a chain of theaters which combines film nostalgia, special events, and food. He's also a creator of Drafthouse Films, a film distribution company and the director of Fantastic Fest a genre movie festival in Austin, Texas. League discusses the creation of the Drafthouse as well as his own thoughts on the media ecosystem. Recorded on November 9, 2015 at the University of Texas at Austin. Host: Alisa Perren Producer and Editor: Kyle Wrather

Matt Hullum, CEO, Rooster Teeth (BS, Radio-TV-Film) Hullum discussed his experience developing and managing the popular online video and content MCN Rooster Teeth as well as his experiences at the University of Texas at Austin. Recorded at the University of Texas at Austin, Host: Alisa Perren Producer and editor: Kyle Wrather

Phil Oppenheim, Chief Curator, Comic-Con/Lionsgate SVOD Channel When: Monday, November 2 - 4:30-5:15 p.m. Where: University of Texas at Austin, Austin Texas Phil Oppenheim discussed his experience as a television programmer and SVP of programming for TNT and TBS. He also discussed his new role as Chief Curator for the Comic-Con Subscription-Video-on-Demand service and the challenges and opportunities of choosing content for new online media platforms. Interviewed by: Alisa Perren Podcast produced by: Kyle Wrather

Jennifer Howell - (BS, Radio-TV-Film) Head of Comedy Development, Paramount TV When: Monday, October 5 - 4:30 p.m. Where: The University of Texas at Austin, Department or Radio-Television-Film Jennifer Howell described her experience working with the creators of the comedy show South Park, her work as the head of comedy development at Paramount TV and the step-by-step process of developing television programs.

Christos Gage and Ruth Fletcher Gage, Writers, for Netflix's Daredevil Topics of discussion during this Q&A session included their perspectives on writing for different media including broadcast TV (Law & Order: SVU), streaming platforms (Netflix’s Daredevil), video games (Captain America Super Soldier mobile game), comic books (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) and beyond. They will also discuss the challenges involved in telling transmedia stories and their recent experiences in publishing a creator-owned comic book, The Lion of Rora. Recorded at the University of Texas at Austin Produced by Kyle Wrather

Don Stokes, CEO, Post Asylum When: Monday, October 26 - 4:30-5:15 p.m. Where: The University of Texas at Austin Topics of discussion during this Q&A session will include Don Stokes’s decades of both production and postproduction experiences (e.g., editor, sound recordist, still photographer, postproduction manager), his perspective on current media industry opportunities in Dallas and across Texas, and the diverse services offered by postproduction houses such as his, Post Asylum, for which he is both owner and CEO. For more information, visit our site: http://rtf.utexas.edu/mic

Brian Edwards, COO, United Artists Media Group/One Three Media (BS, Journalism) When: Monday, October 19 - 4:30-5:45 p.m. Topics of discussion during this Q&A session included Brian Edwards' career trajectory from his graduation from UT-Austin to his time as an entertainment attorney. We discussed his current work producing both unscripted (Survivor, Shark Tank) and scripted (History Channel mini-series The Bible, the forthcoming feature Ben-Hur) content across a variety of platforms in his role as Chief Operating Officer for Hearst/Mark Burnett joint venture, One Three Media. For more information, visit: http://rtf.utexas.edu/mic

Topics of discussion during this Q&A session included Christopher Lockhart’s career working as a story editor with A-list talent and his insights on screenwriting from his role in reviewing thousands of scripts at a talent agency. Julie Richardson will focus on how she found the screenplay for Collateral and ended up getting it made. Chris and Julie have also collaborated as producers on several projects; they will discuss this process and address alternative ways of getting films made outside the traditional Hollywood model. Recorded at the University of Texas at Austin as a production of the Department of Radio-TV-Film and the Moody College of Communication. For more information visit: rtf.utexas.edu/mic

Topics of discussion during this Q&A session included Patricia Torres-Burd's career trajectory since she graduated from UT’s RTF Department; her responsibilities in developing content, branding, and programming strategies for radio, TV, and new media platforms in Europe, Latin America, and the United States; and the challenges and opportunities involved in working in multiple media markets around the world.