WRAP DRINKS

Skydiving cinematographer Joe Jennings has been jumping out of planes for fun since the early 90s. For some people that might be enough adrenaline, but Joe needed another task while plummeting to the ground. Throughout his career, Joe has captured some incredible shots with his former X Games skydiving partner Rob Harris, an iconic Superbowl Pepsi commercial, and for feature films like Point Break. Tune in as we get nerdy with Joe and ask about his skydiving helmet rig and all the pressures that come with rolling on a camera during freefall. ----- ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Buy us a drink!⁠⁠⁠

WARNING: This episode includes SPOILERS from Macon's new film "IDIOTS", in theaters now. Director, writer, and actor Macon Blair doesn't just love movies—he loves being on set and making them. From Blue Ruin to The Toxic Avenger and his new feature Idiots, Macon joins us to talk about his creative journey and how his experiences as an actor continue to shape the way he writes and directs. ----- ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Buy us a drink!⁠⁠⁠

Long before he was building wacky props for Boots Riley's "I Love Boosters", Christopher was storyboarding for commercials and feature films. His work has given him the opportunity to work with directors such as Sam Raimi, Ang Lee, Ron Howard, Spike Jonze, and more! Today, Christopher's love for film is expressed in the ability to create the suspension of disbelief through practical set builds and VFX elements. Tune in as we chat with Christopher about his career blending physical with virtual and why he keeps turning down the opportunity to work with Jon Favreau. ----- ⁠⁠⁠⁠Buy us a drink!⁠⁠⁠

Chloe Badner is a production designer best known for her work on Dropout TV's shows Game Changer and Make Some Noise. Ten years ago, Chloe was just starting to figure out how to even do the job she was destined for. From building a cardboard couch, to teaching herself how to make puppets, Chloe quickly realized her skills were perfect for designing improbable props. Tune in as we talk to Chloe about bringing an absurd idea to life, the challenges of meeting deadlines for game shows, and how being neurodivergent is a double edged sword. ----- ⁠⁠⁠⁠Buy us a drink!⁠⁠⁠

What makes a great directing duo? Is it balancing each other out with a deep knowledge of skills while reeling each other back creatively? Or does it just help to be twins? For the Diamond Bros. it's both. After years of working in post production, Jason and Josh decided to launch their careers into directing. Tune in as we talk to them about how they took a gamble on their creative futures and how it led to working on some exciting commercial productions with Red Cameras and VR/AR technology. ----- ⁠⁠⁠Buy us a drink!⁠⁠⁠

Imagine if you could land a dream job through a series of tweets. Well that's how Supervising Director Simon Chong got hired to work on Bob's Burgers! Join us as we chat with Simon about how he uprooted his life from the UK and moved to LA , the different roles he took on before directing his first episode, and why it takes 9 months to put together one animated episode. ----- ⁠⁠⁠Buy us a drink!⁠⁠⁠

Before he escaped set life, Matthew Borgatti was working for legendary set shops designing animatronic props for films like Snakes on a Plane, Garfield, and Alien vs. Predator. Tune in as we chat with Matthew about the elements that go into deciding how much function an animatronic prop needs in order to be picture ready and what some of the on the fly solutions are that this type of work inspires. ----- ⁠⁠⁠Buy us a drink!⁠⁠⁠

You ever wonder how a beautiful "oner" gets shot? Well it's talented operators like BJ McDonnell who use their techniques and skills to capture those elaborate long takes. When he's not operating the steadicam rig, BJ works as the A camera operator on films like The Interview, Fall Guy, and the latest Naked Gun. BJ's love for working on set means that he's less interested in going to work and more interested in having a great time with the people he's working with. Tragically, BJ's home was destroyed by the Palisades fires in 2025. Although he's working to rebuild his life from scratch, he maintains a positive outlook on the future of his home life and the industry he works in. Tune in as we chat with BJ about how he got into steadicam, some of the BTS stories of working as a camera operator, and where he sees the industry going. ----- ⁠⁠⁠Buy us a drink!⁠⁠⁠

If you're down in South Florida, chances are your production has rented gear from Unique Producers Service. On this mini episode, we chat with Adam Roback, the Operations Manager and what it's like to work with local productions to provide equipment. We touch a bit on their history as a rental house, the importance of maintaining their gear, and their customer service approach. ----- This episode of Wrap Drinks is sponsored by Unique Producers Grip & Lighting based in South Florida. Thank you Unique for supporting our podcast and for hosting us at your wonderful warehouse. For more info on their grip & lighting rentals visit their website - https://uniqueproducers.com/ ----- ⁠⁠⁠Buy us a drink!⁠⁠⁠

You've definitely seen the stickers, Vinny Raffa has a posse. But for his day time job he's a balloon tech. Both he and Mario Pignard Jr. have been illuminating scenes from above with balloons for over 25 years. Tune in as we chat with these lighting techs about how light balloons work on set, the expectations from production, and how they collaborate with other departments to set up scenes. ----- ⁠⁠⁠Buy us a drink!⁠⁠⁠

Before he was working on nonlinear edits, NYC based editor Davy Gomez was taking the commercials out of VHS rips of his favorite TV shows. Today, Davy's resume includes work on music videos, commercials, and a popular TV show called "The Bear." Tune in as we pick Davy's brain about post production teams, workflows, bin management, and his methodology when approaching a project. ----- ⁠⁠⁠Buy us a drink!⁠⁠⁠

You know it goes. You make your first movie and you catch the filmmaking bug. Next thing you know, you're working as a PA and breaking into your department of choice and it's not too long before you're as grumpy as the guys that mentored you. For Dan Kanes, this trajectory changed for him when he went to see "Punch Drunk Love" and he fell in love with the look of anamorphic lenses. You would think the path to becoming a CEO would start right there but Dan decided to take a few side quests while also working as a set lighting technician. Join us as we talk with Dan about his side hustle of designing camera carts with renowned DP Erik Messerschmidt, starting the wireless video company Paralinx, and using the earnings from that company's sale to launch one of the most innovative lenses companies to date. ----- ⁠⁠⁠Buy us a drink!⁠⁠⁠

Miami based Director of Photography Alexandra Taupier discovered her passion for film making while in school. Through mentorship and on set learning, Alexandra quickly discovered that she has a natural talent for camera operating. This boost of confidence from other operators and cinematographers helped pave the way for her career as a DP. Tune in as we talk with Alexandra about her jump into camera department, what it’s like to learn to pull focus, and her work on the fan sponsored YouTube series, "Cassius". ----- This episode of Wrap Drinks is sponsored by Unique Producers Grip & Lighting based in South Florida. Thank you Unique for supporting our podcast and for hosting us at your wonderful warehouse. For more info on their grip & lighting rentals visit their website - https://uniqueproducers.com/ ----- ⁠⁠⁠Buy us a drink!⁠⁠⁠

A Florida based technician, Alex Chou marks the start of his career on the day he made an impulse buy on a camera. When he's not taking photos at Swim Week, he's working on set as a digitech, applying fast looks and ensuring that the client only sees the best take coming from the other end of the tether cable. Join us as we chat with Alex about what it's like to work in a city with a hurricane season and how he manages his work schedules when everyone is operating on "Miami time". ----- This episode of Wrap Drinks is sponsored by Unique Producers Grip & Lighting based in South Florida. Thank you Unique for supporting our podcast and for hosting us at your wonderful warehouse. For more info on their grip & lighting rentals visit their website - https://uniqueproducers.com/ ----- ⁠⁠⁠Buy us a drink!⁠⁠⁠

A trained dancer, Emily's career came to a halt after an injury kept her from performing. Luckily, her experience in the theater world made the transition to film & television easy when she was offered a costume PA gig. Fast forward to present day, Emily is costuming for popular films like Scream, Halloween, and TV shows like Daredevil: Born Again. Tune in as we talk with Emily about what it's like to rebuild costumes for established franchises, collaborate across a bunch of departments, and how her experience as a dancer helps her design clothing for stunt actors. ----- ⁠⁠⁠Buy us a drink!⁠⁠⁠

Chris Morgan & Andrew Lane's early days in production introduced them into the very niche world of Hidden Camera Television. They got their start as Production Assistant's on VH1's "Sledgehammer" where they discovered concealable tech, a market that they would become deeply invested in both technically and financially. After a few years of working together, they decided to start their own company, TV Boy, where they earned a reputation for capturing hidden camera, reality, and competition shows. Join us as we chat with them about what it takes to execute hidden camera shows from a technical standpoint, some of their successful prank shenanigans, and why they'll never get tired of filming the millionth shopper gag. ----- ⁠⁠⁠Buy us a drink!⁠⁠⁠

Although he isn't a native Floridian, Gaffer Chris Hill has made the sunshine state his home for the last 15+ years, but that doesn't keep him from traveling for work. In his trusty van, he often finds himself on the road moving to wherever the work is. Not surprising for someone who nearly joined the circus before deciding to enter the film business instead. Join us as we talk with Chris about his experience working on the Oscar winning film "Anora", his approach to working with local crews when he's not lighting in his backyard, and why Florida is such an important base of operations for him. ----- This episode of Wrap Drinks is sponsored by Unique Producers Grip & Lighting based in South Florida. Thank you Unique for supporting our podcast and for hosting us at your wonderful warehouse. For more info on their grip & lighting rentals visit their website - https://uniqueproducers.com/ ----- ⁠⁠⁠Buy us a drink!⁠⁠⁠

Dallas based Director and DP Alex Tellez has a made a career for herself by strategically curating her Instagram page. By posting the type of content she wanted to be hired to make, Alex found herself getting contacted directly by brands in the sports world to shoot, direct, and edit content for them. Tune in as we talk with Alex about the journey from her days as an intern to her current work directing a documentary for Salomon. We talk about the lessons she learned along the way and what choices helped her get noticed by brands she wanted to align her work with. ----- ⁠⁠⁠Buy us a drink!⁠⁠⁠

Rian Johnson has been making movies with his friends since he was a kid. By the time he graduated high school he had amassed a portfolio of over 100 shorts. Though he says, "they weren't all great," his tenacity proved to be essential in his career. After graduating he spent years looking for the money to finance his first feature, "Brick", which led him to make his own European romp-around feature "The Brother's Bloom" before taking off with "Looper". Today he's best known for directing whodunnit murder mystery films for his tentpole "Knives Out" series and producing other projects through his company T-Street. The scale of the work might have changed, but Rian's love for being on set and making films with friends remains at the core of his relationships on set. Tune in as we have a chat with Rian about his career as he tries to convince us that he's a fan of our show. ----- ⁠⁠⁠Buy us a drink!⁠⁠⁠

Chauvet Cinema Group Sales Manager Chad Tiller, sat with us at the 4Wall Vendor Showcase in 2025 to talk lighting, sales approach, and his love for chatting with crew to get feedback on their units. ----- ⁠⁠⁠Buy us a drink!⁠⁠⁠