Press Play and Surrender

This week I chat to Ameet Shukla. Ameet is a film producer recently Emmy-nominated for the Neflix film Nonnas. He has also produced 2 Tony-nominated Broadway plays - POTUS and For Colored Girls. He has previously produced and executive produced features such as Freeheld with Julianne Moore and Cold Pursuit with Liam Neeson. In this interview we discuss his career and approach to producing, including his mission to have diverse representation and hopeful stories on screen through his role as Head of Content at production company 1 Community. You don’t want to miss this episode.

Kyle Ridley is an Emmy-winning television producer and podcast creator. His show Tangled with Kyle Ridley is a fantastic source of interviews with luminaries of the entertainment industry and media, it’s one of my favourite pods so it was an honour to get Kyle to appear on Press Play and Surrender and get to turn the tables on him and discuss his own background and current pop culture obsessions. In this conversation we talk about his background in television and his approach to podcasting, his coming out process and journey finding his tribe in the gay community, along with thoughts on all kinds of current happenings including Lena Dunham’s memoir, Rosie O’Donnell’s One Woman Show and Lisa Kudrow’s Emmy chances.

My guest this week is Steven Puri. Steven is a former studio executive with Dreamworks and 20th Century Fox. He’s overseen productions like Die Hard 5 and The Wolverine. In recent years he’s become a speaker and developed the Sukha app, which helps people focus and get into flow state. Hugely experienced in developing major films and the art of storytelling, you don’t want to miss this conversation with Steven.

This week I chat to Day Magee - Day is a performance artist based in Dublin. Since 2011, they have performed as part of live art events such as Livestock and the Dublin Live Art Festival, Galway’s Tulca Festival, and they were also shortlisted for the RDS Visual Arts Awards. Their latest show On the Way in the Project Arts Centre was a big success and we delve into that during this conversation, as well as more existential topics. You don’t want to miss this conversation.

This week I chat to Annie Ryan. Annie is a theatre director originally from Chicago and through her company The Corn Exchange has a vast array of credits spanning the past 30 years, including Dublin by Lamplight and The Seagull, and now for the Abbey Theatre, The Whiteheaded Boy, which is currently running until July 25th. It features a fantastic ensemble of actors, one of whom, Fionnuala Gygax, has previously appeared on this podcast. During our chat Annie and I delve deep into her process and I think like me you’ll be struck by her deft turn of phrase and passion for the medium. You don’t want to miss this conversation.

This week I chat to Chris Grieder, also known as Aspiring Alchemist. He is a creator based in LA, who aside from directing music videos and composing songs, also posts content to his TikTok, Instagram and YouTube pages — where he discusses mindset and spirituality in-depth. Our chat covers a wide-range of subjects including how he came to build his presence online, his personal evolution, his approach to filmmaking and we also get to delve into some of the ideas that he’s presented through his channels. It’s a conversation unlike any I’ve had, you don’t want to miss it.

This week my guest is Jean-Marc Barr, an actor and filmmaker best known for starring in The Big Blue and several Lars Von Trier films including Europa, Breaking the Waves and Dogville. This is a wide-ranging discussion about his background, his love of Shakespeare, his approach to acting and his outlook on the political landscape of today.

This week I chat to bestselling author Patricia Cornwell, a master of the crime genre and the writer of the Scarpetta series — recently adapted into a limited series with Nicole Kidman — and this week she has a fantastic new memoir out "True Crime", a deeply insightful account of her upbringing, personal life and illustrious career. You don't want to miss this episode.

This week I chat to Seth Abramovitch. Seth is an entertainment journalist based in LA who has been a Senior Writer at the Hollywood Reporter since 2012. He has interviewed and written cover stories about a host of A-list actors and filmmakers and has his own podcast It Happened in Hollywood where he discusses the history of the business with many high profile guests. During this episode we discuss his thoughts on the Warner Brothers Paramount merger, Liza Minnelli’s new memoir, predictions for the upcoming 2026 Oscars and much more. You don't want to miss this episode.

This week I chat to Ali Fox. Ali is an actress and writer from Dublin who is a regular player Fair City for the past 2 years and also creates comedy content online. She is an experience theatre actress and trained at DIT Performance where we both auditioned when we were in our late teens. It was fantastic to catch up with her and learn more about her craft, you don’t want to miss conversation!

On this episode I chat to Bethany Berg, Jennifer Estlin and Sara Sevigny. They are the director, co-writer and stars of the new movie Everything Fun You Could Possibly Do in Aledo Illinois. This is a beautiful story of friendship between two women in small town America and it is available now on Amazon Prime. You don't want to miss this conversation!

This week I chat to filmmaker Roge Stack. We discuss their feature video diary documentary Another Annette Bening Mug, as well as their influences in low-fi underground filmmaking, and their formative film experiences through mainstream movies and actresses like Charlize Theron, Nicole Kidman and Isabelle Huppert. Listen up!

This week I chat with veteran prop master Dean Goodine. Dean’s credits include Open Range, The Assassination of Jesse James, Netflix’s Lemony Snicket A Series of Unfortunate events and countless others. In 2022 he released a book about his career and his craft “They Don’t Pay Me to Say No” which is a wonderful account of the work that he does. You don't want to miss this conversation.

This week I chat with filmmaker Daniel V. Masciari, the writer and director behind the acclaimed independent film “Stationed at Home”, which is a beautifully realised mini-odyssey through one night in a small town in New York State featuring a cast of eccentric characters. You don't want to miss this conversation!

This week I chat to filmmakers Kyle and Zuzu Weingart, the writer director and actor producer behind the acclaimed independent film “Cuisine de la ‘Pocalypse”. We talk about the genesis of the project, juggling the moving parts of production, dealing with the elements while shooting exteriors in Montana, as well the reception to the film and what they gleaned from the experience. You don’t want to miss this conversation!

This week I chat to filmmaker Jon Hill, writer and director behind the acclaimed independent film “Above the Clouds”, which is a tender yet funny depiction of grief, healing and human connection. We discuss the origins of the project, the challenges in bringing it to the screen and our respective experiences making indie projects.

This week I chat to bestselling writer SJ Watson, author of the hugely successful "Before I Go to Sleep", which was adapted into a film with Nicole Kidman and Colin Firth. We talk about his process, thoughts on classic fiction, the importance of a good twist and the making of the movie version of his novel.

This week I chat to LA-based film producer Ben Empey about his career working for major film studios and the steps he is taking in establishing his own company. We also discuss his short film "Faces", the Best Picture winners of the 90s, and his appreciation for the films of John Cassavetes and Martin Scorsese.

This week I chat to Oscar-nominated US film producer Christine Vachon about her career in independent filmmaking. From Safe, Velvet Goldmine, Kids, Happiness, Far From Heaven, I'm Not There and Carol, to Mildred Pierce, Halston, First Reformed and Past Lives - her track record is impressive and here she offers insights into her process and the industry today.

This week I chat to illustrator, comic book artist and muralist Neil Ballard, about his creative process and the source of his ideas. We also get into Al Pacino's career, cinema etiquette and the capabilities of the medium to bring people together and depict our greatest desires and revulsions. Listen up!