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PODCAST

Making Media Now

Filmmakers Collaborative

Making Media Now, presented by Filmmakers Collaborative and hosted by Michael Azevedo, is a podcast dedicated to presenting informative and enlightening conversations with creators of all stripes--filmmakers, writers, directors, editors, technical experts--about their process, their vision, their joys and challenges. Listen in to meet visionaries crafting media in a range of genres and for the full spectrum of distribution platforms.

tv & film film interviews

All Episodes

46:12

"We Are Guardians" Showcases Battle to Save Amazon

Making Media Now ·

2026/04/19

Joining host Michael Azevedo on this episode are Chelsea Greene and Rob Grobman, two of the three co-directors on Academy Award-winning filmmaker and activist Fisher Stevens's (The Cove) timely environmental documentary called "We Are Guardians" which he produced alongside Executive Producer and fellow Academy-award winner and activist Leonardo DiCarprio.The film which follows Indigenous forest defenders protecting the Brazilian Amazon, will expand its global streaming release on Earth Day,

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37:19

Director Raúl O. Paz-Pastrana Discusses "Backside:...

Making Media Now ·

2026/04/09

Host Michael Azevedo is joined by Raúl O. Paz Pastrana, the director of a new documentary airing on PBS’ Independent Lens series on April 13. Raul’s film, "Backside: The Unseen Hands of Horseracing," set amidst the pageantry of horseracing’s premier event—The Kentucky Derby—goes behind the glamour to present a portrait of the unseen workers whose tireless efforts are key to the event’s success.Backside offers an intimate and tender glimpse into the lives of immigrant workers who begin their days

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45:57

"Brainstorm" Examines Living with Bipolar

Making Media Now ·

2026/03/27

Back in 2023, Making Media Now host Michael Azevedo was joined by filmmaker Bonnie Waltch and writer Sara Schley to talk about a film project for which Filmmakers Collaborative was the fiscal sponsor.The film was called "Brainstorm" and it’s now complete and will be featured in a global virtual screening on March 30 as part of World Bipolar Day. Bonnie is the film’s writer, director, and producer. And Sara served as co-writer and co-producer. BrainStorm follows six compelling people living

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71:03

Feeding The Rage Machine: Andrew Goldberg's "White...

Making Media Now ·

2026/03/20

Joining host Michael Azevedo on episode is writer and director Andrew Goldberg, whose documentary "White with Fear" will premiere on PBS on March 24. Told by the operatives in the rooms where it happened, "White With Fear" is an explosive deep dive into the decades-long quest by America’s conservative political machine to amass power by exploiting racial fault lines and stoking narratives of White victimization. The documentary examines how some American conservatives and political operatives

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50:59

The Big Dig Podcast Team Dives Into the Story of "The...

Making Media Now ·

2026/03/12

On this episode host Michael Azevedo takes a dive into season three of the award-winning podcast series, The Big Dig, produced by GBH News and distributed by PRX. Season three is called "Catching The Codfather." Joining Michael are series’ host Ian Coss and the GBH Managing Producer of Podcasts, Devin Maverick Robins. Season Three of The Big Dig™ podcast, “Catching The Codfather,” goes down to the docks. It’s a place where food, work, nature, money and politics all meet – where dreams are

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40:52

"Recovery City" Examines Addiction, Community, and...

Making Media Now ·

2026/03/04

On this episode, host Michael Azevedo chats with award-winning documentary filmmaker Lisa Olivieri about her film, "Recovery City," a raw exploration of what it means to be in recovery as seen through the eyes of four women whose lives share a common thread: addiction.Set in the working class city of Worcester MA, the film is a real and honest portrait of resilience, grit and camaraderie presenting women who use their lived experience to lift up those still struggling while refusing to give up

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42:42

PBS Doc Details How Trailblazer Barbara Jordan Became...

Making Media Now ·

2026/02/20

Joining host Michael Azevedo on this episode is Angela Lynn Tucker, the director of an inspiring and informative new documentary called "The Inquisitor," which tells the story of the life and career of Barbara Jordan.As a young girl growing up in Houston’s Fifth Ward, Barbara Jordan was taught to defy expectations. She understood that to succeed, she would need to forge her own path. With relentless determination and unyielding tenacity, Barbara Jordan made history as Texas’s first Black state

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42:29

Media Entrepreneur Miles Spencer Keeps the...

Making Media Now ·

2026/02/09

Joining host Michael Azevedo on this episode is Miles Spencer, the co-founder of an innovative AI start-up called Reflekta. A few weeks back, Mile’s team reached out to me to say that they’ve enjoyed the conversations I've had with various types of storytellers…and how they especially liked how our conversations revealed the stories within the stories.Miles has helped create over 1,100 jobs while founding, financing, building and exiting three digital media companies. Before doing that he spent

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57:20

Filmmaking, Motherhood, Love, and Loss: "Vivien's...

Making Media Now ·

2026/01/22

Host Michael Azevedo is joined on this episode by first-time director Vivien Hillgrove and producer Deann Borshay Liem to discuss a truly engaging and poignant personal documentary called “Vivien’s Wild Ride,” which will premiere on PBS on January 26. Vivien Hillgrove has been a film and sound editor all her adult life. She's worked with many filmmaking greats including: Francis Ford Coppola, Phillip Kaufman, Milos Forman, and Walter Murch, along with a who’s who of celebrated documentary

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46:24

"American Sons": A Fallen Marine's Story Unites His...

Making Media Now ·

2026/01/11

Host Michael Azevedo is joined on this episode by Laura Varela and Andrew Gonzales, the producer and producer/director of "American Sons," a new documentary that follows a brotherhood of Marines a decade after their deployment to Afghanistan, as they struggle to overcome the trauma of combat and the loss of many of their comrades. The film will premiere on PBS on January 12 and will stream simultaneously with broadcast and be available on all station-branded PBS platforms The story of their

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58:51

"Bombshell" Reveals Military Propaganda in Aftermath...

Making Media Now ·

2026/01/05

Host Michael Azevedo is joined on this episode by Ben Loeterman, the writer and director of Bombshell, a new documentary that Explores How The U.S. government manipulated the narrative around the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Ben’s film will premiere on PBS as part of the American Experience series on January 6 and will be available on the PBS app and the American Experience website thereafter. Through propaganda, censorship and the co-opting of the press, the government presented

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51:13

Joshua Seftel Enters "All The Empty Rooms"

Making Media Now ·

2025/12/26

On this episode host Michael Azevedo welcomes back Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Joshua Seftel to discuss his latest documentary, "All the Empty Rooms," which is currently available on Netflix and has been short-listed for the 2025 Oscars in the category of best documentary short.Across America, bedrooms sit untouched — walls still covered in posters, clothes folded neatly in drawers — silent memorials to children lost to gun violence. "All the Empty Rooms" is a 33-minute documentary that

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77:39

"Third Degree Burnout" Documentary Connects the...

Making Media Now ·

2025/12/16

Joining host Michael Azevedo on this episode is first-time filmmaker Nivi Jaswal-Wirtjes, the director & executive producer of a powerful and thought-provoking new documentary called “Third Degree Burnout”Narrated by renowned meteorologist John Morales, "Third Degree Burnout" uncovers the hidden connections between personal burnout and the climate crisis, revealing them as symptoms of a larger socio-economic metacrisis. With world-class animation, engaging interviews with over 20 experts,

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63:35

Pixela Films' "The Last Yztari" Merges Innovation &...

Making Media Now ·

2025/12/09

On this episode, host Michael Azevedo joined by long-time friend of the podcast Tim O’Donnell of Pixela Films and by first-time guest Mary Dague to discuss the just-completed film, "The Last Yztari."This innovative and moving film tells the story of how after using her body as a shield to protect her unit from an IED in Iraq, Mary Dague is left medically retired, missing both arms from the elbow down. Many years after returning home, she finds a new place in online gaming communities as she

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36:59

Daniel Masciari Makes Film Directing Debut with...

Making Media Now ·

2025/11/25

Director Daniel Masciari who joins host Michael Azevedo to discuss "Stationed at Home," his debut feature film. Set on a clear and frigid Christmas Eve in 1998, in a small, forgotten city, "Stationed at Home" tells the tale of a solitary taxi driver on the graveyard shift breathlessly awaiting the sight of the International Space Station. As the hours count down, a parade of offbeat misfits derail his plans, propelling the story to its exhilarating climax. Daniel Masciari grew up outside of

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57:22

"In Waves and War" Explores Potential of Psychedelics...

Making Media Now ·

2025/11/15

Host Michael Azevedo is joined on this episode by Jon Shenk co-director of a powerful documentary now streaming on Netflix called In Waves and War.Blending observational scenes and animation, "In Waves and War" traces the journey of three Navy SEALs, tormented by trauma, to Mexico where they embark on a mission to rescue one another with powerful psychedelics whose effects shake them to the core and open a path toward healing. Alongside intimate interviews, captivating animation, and

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59:34

"The Green Box": A Tale of War, Heroism, and a Son's...

Making Media Now ·

2025/11/03

Host Michael Azevedo is joined on this episode by Vicki Hughes and Holly Stadtler, two veterans of the documentary filmmaking world who’ve teamed up to produce The Green Box: At The Heart of War, a film based on a memoir by Jim Kurtz that tells the story of his decades long search to learn more about his father, 2nd Lt. Robert Kurtz, who died when Jim was just 2 years old. All Jim knew of his father was that he was a bomber pilot in the European theater during WWII. And because of his mother’s

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51:50

Addicts Seeking Recovery Get Caught in the "Shuffle"

Making Media Now ·

2025/10/22

Joining host Michael Azevedo on this episode is Ben Flaherty, the director of Shuffle, a film that won the documentary jury award at the 2025 SXSW festival. This powerful documentary provides a look into the lives of three Florida residents who struggle to free themselves from a predatory system of for-profit recovery centers that benefit from their reliance on substances. The film depicts a depressingly familiar pattern of institutions failing the very individuals they exist to help. A former

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51:30

Documentary Examines How US Newspapers Are Being...

Making Media Now ·

2025/10/15

Joining host Michael Azevedo on this episode is Rick Goldsmith, the director of the documentary “Stripped for Parts: American Journalism on the Brink.Rick’s film offers a clear-eyed look at the current state of journalism in the United States with a focus on the insidious threat from a secretive hedge fund that has put America’s free press at risk. Alden Global Capital, operating in the shadows, has managed to upend countless local newsrooms in the past 15 years. But their profit-at-all-costs

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40:55

Director Clay Tweel Delivers "The Bitter Pill": One...

Making Media Now ·

2025/10/04

Host Michael Azevedo is joined on this episode is Clay Tweel, director of a powerful new documentary called "The Bitter Pill." Clay’s film—which debuted on PBS on 9/22 and will be available to stream on PBS digital until December 10-- follows the charismatic West Virginian plaintiff attorney Paul Farrell, Jr, as he wages a legal war against some of the world’s largest pharmaceutical companies in a landmark battle fueled by personal stakes. A powerful chronicle of justice, accountability, and

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173 results

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