Byron Reese is a futurist and an optimist. His new book We Are Agora: How Humanity Functions as a Single Superorganism That Shapes Our World and Our Future is named after the Ancient Greek marketplace and suggests that we might be part of a bigger entity that shapes our ends. Does the book have the insights we need to revitalize a sense of optimism…

Hello again. The podcast has been on hiatus for a bit. I'm bringing it back in video form at least for a limited season. In this episode, I will discuss why I stopped doing the show, what brought me back, and where I hope to head in context of the films Gattaca, Begin Again, and Jerry Maguire. If you're trying to find your way or just trying to sta…

BONUS – Todd Lamb of Lamb Investments, LLC traded a bucket of chicken and some beer for an education in how to own and manage mobile home parks. From that slightly inauspicious beginning, Todd and his investors own over thirty mobile home parks in Texas and Louisiana, overseeing the communities and approximately 4,500 homesites. Todd sits down with…

BONUS – We’ve hinted at it in some past episodes, but our very own host, Calvert Stone has the experience of physically moving not one but two houses. In this bonus episode, Calvert is joined by top-producing realtors Alissa Jenkins and Katy Caldwell to discuss what exactly goes into cutting, lifting, and relocating homes, followed by restoration. …

In this episode I expand on some ideas that came up in my discussion with Brian A. Loschiavo about his documentary about the Bluebird Cafe, a now iconic music in Nashville. After I did the interview, certain subsequent news stories involving Taylor Swift came out, and they did affect my take on the film. Since Taylor Swift was prominently featured …

Brian A. Loschiavo, the director-producer-editor of the Bluebird documentary, was first exposed to The Bluebird Cafe through the show Nashville, a series for which he developed supplemental digital content. The now iconic country-music venue that has been instrumental to the careers of so many musicians including Faith Hill, Garth Brooks, and Taylo…

Af Calvert Stone | Commerce Title

Af Nick Savides, director Jason Ressler

Af Nick Savides, Byron Reese

What's Eating Ralphie May won Best of the Fest at Nashville Film Festival and Documentary of the Year at Los Angeles Documentary Film Festival. The film was initially intended to be a weight-loss documentary that followed beloved comedian Ralphie May and his family, but it turned into a raw and intimate portrait of a family dealing with addiction d…

My podcast coverage of Nashville Film Festival continues in this short-films episode where I interview the directors for two different short films that got my attention at the festival. One has more of a documentary feel while the other one is a more stylized film with elaborate production design, so I paired the two interviews to explore how short…

Hannah Leder has a variety of acting credits including Deep Impact, Pay it Forward, and Judd Apatow’s Love series. She also has a recurring role on Apple TV+'s The Morning Show. On this podcast episode I interview Hannah about her work on The Planters, a quirky, character-driven comedy that won Best of the Fest, Best Cinematography, and Best Song a…

This is Part III of my podcast recap of Nashville Film Festival 2019. In it, I share my top five films from Nashville Film Festival and why I picked them. It's a more personal take, so I also share some related things that came up when trying to put together the list. Sponsor for this Episode nsavides productions – I make friendly, engaging videos …

A couple of weeks ago I had the opportunity to attend and do podcast coverage at the 50th Nashville Film Festival. While there, I interviewed a number of filmmakers and filled an entire notebook with observations about the various films and events I attended. My Nashville Film Festival podcast coverage began with this interview I did with some of t…

A couple of weeks ago I had the opportunity to attend and do podcast coverage at the 50th Nashville Film Festival. While there, I interviewed a number of filmmakers and filled an entire notebook with observations about the various films and events I attended. My Nashville Film Festival podcast coverage began with this interview I did with some of t…

My podcast coverage of Nashville Film Festival begins with Lost Bayou, a film that premiered at Tribeca and went on to win Best Picture at the El Dorado Film Festival. Lost Bayou tells the story of a struggling addict who returns home to the Louisiana bayou to reconnect with her faith healer father, only to discover he’s hiding a troubling secret a…

Just a quick update about the recent hiatus, and where I'm at with the show. Short version: the podcast will return with my coverage at the 50th Nashville Film Festival. Special thanks to Stephen T. Hoover. His script Damage Control made it into the top-four finalist round for half-hour pilots in the festival's screenwriting contest, and he was the…

In this episode I reflect on my podcast interview with writer Tom Piazza and share more of my thoughts about HBO's Tremeand how it compares to The Wire, both of which were created by David Simon. Afterwards I share some updates about some possibilities on the horizon. # Sponsor for this Episode nsavides productions – I make friendly, engaging video…

Even in the early days of the internet, Brian Solis was advising prominent companies about how to use social media to connect with potential customers. He's been called "one of the greatest digital analysts of our time” and has been sought out by the likes of Oprah, Shaq and Ashton Kutcher. Brian is also an award-winning author and world-renowned k…

Jenna Suru's early film career involved working for Gaumont, one of the major French film studios and the world's first and oldest film company. There she was in charge of distributing Gaumont new releases to film festivals around the world. Later she went on to work for SND Groupe M6, a French distributor that also distributes American films in Fr…

S2E5 – A fabulous and elegant bar, well appointed refurbished rooms, and a homemade fried chicken that will make you come back for more. The St. Francisville Inn is under new ownership and is experiencing new life as a premiere place to stay in wonderful St. Francisville. Owners (and masterminds) Jim Johnston and Brandon Branch join host Calvert St…

S2E4 – In West Feliciana Parish sits lovely St. Francisville where Owen Couhig Kemp is a Realtor, yoga instructor, and Airbnb Superhost. The Rousing Housing podcast goes on the road to St. Francisville and speaks with Owen from the gorgeous St. Francisville Inn. Owen shares her experience (good and bad) as a real estate investor and how she’s found…

S2E3 - Maybe you have seen a historic building or a structure with some architectural interest getting restored to its former glory. While the restorer may have purely aesthetic interests, they also may have a little help from Historic Tax Credits. Michael Craven of Enhanced Capital demystifies this perhaps little known and probably misunderstood p…

Author Tom Piazza has written 12 books, many of which feature New Orleans, music, or both. His post-Katrina manifesto Why New Orleans Mattershelped to inspire the HBO show Treme, and the show's co-creator David Simon brought him on as a staff writer largely because of it. Tom received a Grammy Award for his album notes to Martin Scorsese Presents T…

S2E2 - Mid City is happening and one of the best places to hear music in this revitalized part of Baton Rouge is the Mid City Ballroom. James Fogle is one of the proprietors of the Mid City Ballroom, he also happens to be a real estate professional, and he's our guest on Rousing Housing. James and Rousing Housing host Calvert Stone talk about seein…

Renting film equipment can seem intimidating, but it doesn't have to be. John Baumgartner, the rental manager at Expressway Cinema Rentals in Philadelphia, came on the podcast to walk filmmakers through the rental process. "... at the end of the day I'm not going to let you walk out of my rental house not being able to make your picture." -John Bau…

S2E1 - Welcome back to Rousing Housing, the podcast of Commerce Title. To kick-off Season 2, host Calvert Stone walks listeners through a real estate disaster that appeared (at first) to be an $80,000 blunder. This episode is dedicated to the idea that talking about problems is just as important as sharing successes, also bolstering the mindset tha…

Kate Krantz, the Chief Content Officer for Crypt TV, began her career by working for William Morris Endeavor. From there, she went to work for Walt Disney Studios in live-action production. That gave her a chance to observe how Disney developed characters and intellectual property beloved by millions around the world. Those observations helped her …

For the past 23 years, Cyber PR Founder Ariel Hyatt has been helping prominent musicians and creative people use public relations, marketing, and social media to connect with fans and be more engaging. She's also written four books on the music industry and is an internationally recognized speaker who has spoken at conferences around the world incl…

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse developed a new approach to computer animation so as to translate the comic-book experience for the big screen. Academy voters took notice and awarded the film an Oscar for Best Animated Feature. One of the last things that moviegoers see before leaving the film is the hyperkinetic title sequence animated by visual…

On this episode, I explore some of the big ideas and political discussions I heard at SXSW 2019. While this is not an inherently political show, political outlooks inform the films, music, and art we take in and strive to create, whether directly or indirectly. SXSW isn't just a prominent film and music festival. It's also where presidential hopefu…

First-time directors face all kinds of unexpected challenges. For Alex Ferrari, host of the Indie Film Hustle podcast, that meant trying to shoot a $20 million feature film in Louisiana and across the country for a bipolar, egomaniacal gangster. The dream of becoming a feature-film director turned into a nightmare for Alex, and it led to a textbook…

Our SXSW 2019 podcast coverage continues with two representatives from film-financing company Forest Road. The company sponsored one of the filmmaker dinners at SXSW this year. More importantly, they are a financing company that puts the filmmakers first. Forest Road Company's CEO Zach Tarica and Director of West Coast Operations Eric Boshart came …

Recently I had the opportunity to do podcast coverage at SXSW 2019, my third time doing coverage at Austin's preeminent film and music festival. (Before, I did coverage there as The nsavides Podcast. I changed the name to NICKSAV Film & Music SHOW for clarity and because nicksav.show is easier to remember then podcast.nsavides.com.) Part I of my co…

Years ago, I came to SXSW to see The Last Bison perform. Now with a few new hits and a refined sound, they're back, playing at Austin's esteemed film and music festival once more. Frontman Ben Hardesty came on the show to discuss The story behind their evolving sound What went into making their latest music video How they create a unified experienc…

This is the commentary track for my interview with singer-songwriter Lynn Drury, who has been performing in New Orleans for over 20 years. Some of the things I discuss include How to be more effective as a performer Building quality relationships over quantity The role of the artist in the world at large Things that get in the way of trying to make…

The seventh season of the NICKSAV Film & Music SHOW kicks off with Lynn Drury, a singer-songwriter who has played music in New Orleans for over 20 years. Those in the know about the New Orleans music community go out of their way to see Lynn perform, as do audiences across the country and around the world. Some of the things we discuss include How …

This is the commentary track for my interview with compositor Travis Nobles (Hugo, Game of Thrones, Mortal Engines). In it I share some of my takeaways from the interview, give my review of Mortal Engines and expand on my conflicted thoughts about Game of Thrones. The Lord of the Rings, The Nutcracker and the Four Realms, and Westworld Season 1 als…

Compositor Travis Nobles wanted to work on films ever since he saw The Lord of the Rings. Through an unexpected journey that led him from the United States to Germany and then to New Zealand, he finally got to work for the company that brought CG Gollum to life: Weta Digital. Before Weta, Travis's resume includes several Emmy-winning seasons of Gam…

This is my commentary track for my interviews at Cutting Edge C.E., an annual music conference in New Orleans that brings together prominent musicians, industry professionals, and filmmakers from across the country. Both episodes and show notes are here, or check feed for the prior episode with interviews. # If you'd like to hear from another band …

Cutting Edge C.E. is an annual music conference in New Orleans that brings together prominent musicians, industry professionals, and filmmakers from across the country. The 26th Cutting Edge conference concluded a few weeks ago, and for my podcast coverage I had the opportunity to interview the festival's founder Eric Cager, along with some musicia…

This is my commentary and takeaways from my conversation with Gordy Hoffman, the Sundance-winning writer of Love Liza (starred his brother, Philip Seymour Hoffman), and founder of BlueCat Screenwriting Competition. Check the feed for the interview. In this commentary I discuss What I appreciate about Gordy My thoughts on feedback and dealing with t…

Gordy Hoffman's first produced feature screenplay, Love Liza, won the prestigious Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award when it premiered at Sundance. The film also featured a memorable performance from his brother, Philip Seymour Hoffman, his first starring role in a film. Dog Bowl, a short film that Gordy wrote and directed, also premiered at Sundance, …

Alex V. Cook is a journalist and music critic who has written for an assortment of publications including The Believer, The Oxford American, DownBeat, and Paste Magazine. His book Darkness, Racket and Twang: Essential Listening from the Fringes of Popular and Unpopular Cultureis a compilation of his music essays, which includes commentary on artist…

Do U Want It? is a music documentary that tells the story of the New Orleans funk band, Papa Grows Funk, their residency at The Maple Leaf Bar, and then their indefinite hiatus that they announced in 2013. The film doesn't just capture a band in transition and the creative differences that came along though. It also offers an insider's glimpse into…

Wumbo is a word coined on SpongeBob SquarePants. It is also an indie-rcok band that The Advocaterecently included in their list of 10 bands to check out in Baton Rouge. The band has played at most of Baton Rouge's esteemed music venues including The Varsity, Spanish Moon, Mid City Ballroom, Happy's Irish Pub, 524 Studios, and more. In a few days th…

S1E5 - It's time to turn the tables on host Calvert Stone. Calvert is a Title Attorney with Commerce Title and the creator and host of Rousing Housing. Calvert is also a real estate investor. On this episode, Calvert speaks with Catherine O'Brien and discusses his own investment properties and how he's able to manage properties remotely. One unusua…

S1E4 - With a company name like Flips N More, LLC, you can guess that Sandy Scallan knows something about flipping properties in Baton Rouge. Sandy joins host Calvert Stone on Rousing Housing to talk about her experience flipping. Sandy also has a real flair for style and does a tremendous amount of designing and updating of her flips. Sandy talks …

S1E3 - Lots of words of wisdom and tips are featured in this episode of Rousing Housing with guest David Alello. David owns several properties and has a unique, slightly "old school" method of managing his portfolio. His professional life provides perspective as well: David is a Branch Manager and Loan Officer with Assurance Financial. Host Calvert…

S1E2 - Greg Beyer, CPA MBA of Laporte CPAs & Business Advisors has provided tax services and business consulting services to the construction industry for over 15 years, plus he holds his own investment properties as well. Greg joins host Calvert Stone on Rousing Housing to explore this unique perspective. Are you pretending that you know what rent…