#37 - Anna Smith, BBC Film Critic on Interviewing A-Listers, Cultivating Taste, YouTube Film Critics and the Power of Networking

Red Carpet Rookies

#Cinema #Mike Battle #Film #Content #Film Making #Camera #Awards #Hollywood #Careers #Business #Interviews #YouTube #Oscar #Podcasting Education

26:18

How do you know when it’s time to make your next big career move? With International Women’s Day around the corner, we are excited to feature Avni Patel Thompson, Founder and CEO of Milo. Avni is building technology that directly supports the often overlooked emotional and logistical labor that falls on parents—especially women. Milo is an AI assistant designed to help families manage that invisible load more efficiently. In this episode, Avni shares her journey from studying chemistry to holding leadership roles at global brands like Adidas and Starbucks, to launching her own ventures. She discusses how she approaches career transitions, the importance of unpleasant experiences, and why she’s focused on making everyday life easier for parents. [01:26] Avni's University Days and Early Career [04:36] Non-Linear Career Paths [05:16] Pursuing Steep Learning Curves [11:51] Entrepreneurship and Safety Nets [15:22] Lived Experiences and Milo [19:55] Avni’s In Her Ellement Moment [20:03] Reflections Links: Avni Patel Thompson on LinkedIn Suchi Srinivasan on LinkedIn Kamila Rakhimova on LinkedIn Ipsos report on the future of parenting About In Her Ellement: In Her Ellement highlights the women and allies leading the charge in digital, business, and technology innovation. Through engaging conversations, the podcast explores their journeys—celebrating successes and acknowledging the balance between work and family. Most importantly, it asks: when was the moment you realized you hadn’t just arrived—you were truly in your element? About The Hosts: Suchi Srinivasan is an expert in AI and digital transformation. Originally from India, her career includes roles at trailblazing organizations like Bell Labs and Microsoft. In 2011, she co-founded the Cleanweb Hackathon, a global initiative driving IT-powered climate solutions with over 10,000 members across 25+ countries. She also advises Women in Cloud, aiming to create $1B in economic opportunities for women entrepreneurs by 2030. Kamila Rakhimova is a fintech leader whose journey took her from Tajikistan to the U.S., where she built a career on her own terms. Leveraging her English proficiency and international relations expertise, she discovered the power of microfinance and moved to the U.S., eventually leading Amazon's Alexa Fund to support underrepresented founders. Subscribe to In Her Ellement on your podcast app of choice to hear meaningful conversations with women in digital, business, and technology.…

for 2 år siden 30:56

MP3•Episode hjem

Today’s guest is something new for the show, our first film critic! Beginning her career in the world of music magazine editing, she soon transitioned to freelance writing on her favourite topic: movies. In the years since she’s graced every publication and TV channel you can imagine from the likes of Deadline Hollywood, Sight & Sound, the BBC, Sky News and many more.
In addition to her day job, she is also co-founder and host of the chart-topping interview podcast ‘Girls on Film’ and former president of the UK Critics Circle. My guest is Anna Smith.

53 episoder

Red Carpet Rookies

#37 - Anna Smith, BBC Film Critic on Interviewing A-Listers, Cultivating Taste, YouTube Film Critics and the Power of Networking

Red Carpet Rookies

published for 2 år siden

Del

MP3•Episode hjem

53 episoder

#Cinema #Mike Battle #Film #Content #Film Making #Camera #Awards #Hollywood #Careers #Business #Interviews #YouTube #Oscar #Podcasting Education

Alle afleveringen

Red Carpet Rookies

1
#51 - Ronan Bennett: Creating Top Boy, Working with Michael Mann, Following Obsession, Stamina, and Why Screenwriting is like Playing Tennis with Novak Djokovic 26:21

for 46 weeks siden26:21

26:21

Today’s guest began his career writing novels informed by his experiences growing up in the troubles of 1970s Northern Ireland such as The Second Prison which was shortlisted for the 1991 Irish Times prize. Soon after, he began writing for television and film, again bringing signature realism to his work in later projects including Michael Mann’s gangster pic Public Enemies, Gunpowder starring Kit Harrington and most notably his creation of cultural phenomenon, Top Boy, for which he was also nominated for a BAFTA. My guest is Ronan Bennett.…

Red Carpet Rookies

1
#50 - Lorien McKenna: How the The Pixar Story Department Actually Works, Creating Career Agency, Writing For Visuals, Challenging Shame and The Power of Vulnerability 38:09

for 49 weeks siden38:09

38:09

Today’s guest began her creative journey in the world of theatre before moving to Pixar where she worked in the story department of hits including Ratatouille, Up, Brave, The Good Dinosaur and Inside Out. Having now transitioned to writing and showrunning her own projects, most recently the double Emmy nominated Tab Time as well as co-hosting mega-popular podcast The Screenwriting Life alongside fellow Red Carpet Rookies alumni, Meg LeFauve, I don’t know how she finds the time! My guest is Lorien McKenna.…

Red Carpet Rookies

1
#49 - Simon Blackwell: Writing Veep & The Thick of It, Julia Louis-Dreyfus’ Scary Phrase, Emergency Plane Writing, The Genius of Armando Iannucci, Sweary Grannies, & Why Parenting Makes You A Better… 36:05

for 1 year siden36:05

36:05

I am lucky to introduce today’s guest who has been at the forefront of British comedy for the last two decades. The man behind hit shows such as Back starring Mitchell and Webb and Sky’s Breeders, his career is long and celebrated but it is his partnership with Armando Innaucci for which he is probably best known. Together they have brought movies like In The Loop and The Personal History of David Copperfield into the world as well as the now legendary sitcom The Thick of It and its ridiculously acclaimed US cousin Veep which won seventeen Emmy awards during its run. Along the way, he picked up two of them for himself, as well as four BAFTA nominations and an Oscar nomination for In The Loop. My guest is Mr Simon Blackwell.…

Red Carpet Rookies

1
#48 - John Zaozirny, Literary Manager on The ‘Magic’ That Makes a Hollywood Script, Screenwriting Lessons from Tony Gilroy, How He Finds Clients, Network Building, and Why Not to Write for the Market 36:56

for 1 year siden36:56

36:56

Hello and welcome to Red Carpet Rookies, today’s guest earned his early entertainment industry stripes working at Village Roadshow and Leonardo DiCaprio’s production company Appian Way, later transitioning to the world of literary management, where he has since set up his own management and production company Bellevue Productions. There his clients have had projects set up at Warner Brothers, Paramount Pictures, Fox, and more, some of which he has taken to producing himself, for example, Infinite starring Mark Wahlberg and Netflix’s Eli. My guest is John Zaozirny.…

Red Carpet Rookies

1
#47 - Rhys Thomas: Directing SNL, Secret Marvel Security Meetings, The Handiness of a British Accent, & Making Documentary Now with Bill Hader and Fred Armisen 47:45

for 1 year siden47:45

47:45

Born to a sleepy town in South Wales, after university, he swapped the countryside for the Big Apple where he made his name as the film unit director at New York institution, Saturday Night Live. In addition to his time at 30 Rock, he’s also managed to peel off and create the hilarious documentary satire series Documentary Now with friends Bill Hader, Fred Armisen and Seth Myers, and more recently, took a step into the Marvel Cinematic universe helming the pilot and multiple episodes of the hit Hawkeye TV show and much more. My guest is Rhys Thomas.…

Red Carpet Rookies

1
#46 - Sam Bain: Writing Peep Show, Crafting Four Lions With Chris Morris, Pre Success ‘Disasters’, Screenwriting Myths, And How Kids TV Made Him 29:47

for 1 year siden29:47

29:47

Hello and welcome to Red Carpet Rookies. I’m very excited to introduce today’s guest who cut his teeth working on the British children’s TV that made up my childhood with shows like The Queens Nose, Tracey Beaker and My Parents are Aliens, before transitioning to his own creations like Fresh Meat and most notably the one and only, the great Peep Show which he co-created with longtime collaborator Jesse Armstrong and won a BAFTA for. In the years since he has had a lauded and varied career with work on projects including Chris Morris’s incredible category of one terroism-based comedy Four Lions, material for The Thick of It and more recently, even his own movies such as Corporate Animals with Demi Moore and The Stand In with Drew Barrymore. My guest is Sam Bain.…

Red Carpet Rookies

1
#45 - Julian Caldow: Designing Tim Burton’s Batmobile, World Building Game of Thrones, Bond Gadgets, Proof of Work, & The James Cameron KY Jelly Incident 38:30

for 1 year siden38:30

38:30

Today’s guest began his career working as a runner on James Cameron’s legendary action movie Aliens but found his home in the art department where he honed the skill of concept art becoming one of the foremost illustrators in the business. With a resume that includes movies such as Star Wars Rogue Rogue, The Martian, Gravity, Casino Royale, Tim Burton’s Batman, Game of Thrones and even a few Harry Potters thrown in for good measure, I’m looking forward to delving into his creative process. My guest is Julian Caldow.…

Red Carpet Rookies

1
#44 - Charles Steel: Producing Top Boy, Meetings With Drake, Importance of Hustle, Finding Your Why, & Putting Jude Law on a Russian Submarine 31:50

for 1 year siden31:50

31:50

Today’s guest has one of the most varied resumes of anyone in the film and TV business. Having produced everything from megahit Top Boy to winning a BAFTA for The Last King of Scotland, making documentaries and more, I can’t wait to hear his story and learn from his journey to success in the industry. He also has one of the coolest names of any guest I’ve ever had! My guest is Charles Steel .…

Red Carpet Rookies

1
#43 - Adam Epstein: Editing The Bear's Best Episode, The Addictive Life of Saturday Night Live, Compounding Relationships & The Music of Editing 28:54

for 1 year siden28:54

28:54

Hello and welcome to Red Carpet Rookies. Today’s guest is a first for a the show. Someone who began his career in the world of comedy editing. With eight years at the legendary Saturday Night Live to his name, he’s been in the cutting room for skits featuring Margot Robbie as a murderous librarian, Ed Norton in a Wes Anderson themed horror movie parody, Andrew Garfield as a Beyonce Fan on the run and so many more. Whilst there he picked up two primetime emmy nominations before moving onto more recent shows including Tina Fey’s Mr Mayor and breakout culinary hit, The Bear. My guest is Adam Epstein.…

Red Carpet Rookies

1
#42 - Juliet Taylor: Legendary Casting Director on Taxi Driver & The Exorcist, Discovering Meryl Streep, Spielberg's Pot Smoking 80s Crew, Career Luck, Woody Allen, & Collaborating With A Holocaust… 36:34

for 2 years siden36:34

36:34

Today’s guest is one of the most notable casting directors in the history of movie making. Beginning her career under the tutelage of legendary casting director Marion Doughtery, our guest then transitioned to making a name for herself and by god did she. Now retired, during her epic career she was responsible for the casting of films including but not limited to, DEEP BREATH NOW - Taxi Driver, Schindler’s List, The Exorcist, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Network, Terms of Endearment, Big, The Killing Fields, Dangerous Liaisons, The Mission and Sleepless in Seattle. Not to mention her longstanding collaboration of over 40 movies with Woody Allen including Annie Hall and Manhattan AND finally she was also the woman to cast Meryl Street in her first motion picture. My guest is Juliet Taylor.…

Red Carpet Rookies

1
#41 - Andy Horwitz: Assisting Christopher Nolan's Producer on The Dark Knight, Getting Kathryn Bigelow into Brazil, Producing American Hustle & How A Movie Script Gets Bought 39:53

for 2 years siden39:53

39:53

Today’s guest began his filmmaking career under the tutelage of legendary Producer Charles Roven where he was a producer’s assistant on Hollywood blockbusters such as Get Smart, The International and of course, Christopher Nolan’s, The Dark Knight. Following his apprenticeship, he was swiftly promoted through the ranks of Atlas Entertainment, soon becoming a leading producer for the company working on projects such as American Hustle, Triple Frontier and Suicide Squad. Now heading up his own exciting new venture, Big Swell Entertainment it’s a pleasure to have him here. My guest is Andy Horwitz.…

Red Carpet Rookies

1
#40 - Ali Plumb: Life as BBC Radio 1's Film Critic, Career Authenticity, Creating Great Media and How to Interview Harrison Ford 29:58

for 2 years siden29:58

29:58

Today’s guest earned his early entertainment industry stripes working as a journalist for publications including Digital Spy and Empire before gaining what must be one of the world’s most fun jobs as Radio 1’s very own film critic, a position he has held since 2016. Since then, his career has only risen with recent projects such as hosting the red carpet of a little-known awards show called the BAFTAS and the BBC’s new series ‘The Film Fans Guide’. My guest is Ali Plumb.…

Red Carpet Rookies

1
#39 - Chris Lang: Writing Record-Breaking TV with Unforgotten, Screenwriting Rituals, Finding Humanity in Murderers, and Dealing With Failure in the Entertainment Business 29:42

for 2 years siden29:42

29:42

Today’s guest is the king of British detective drama writing. Having discovered his talent for the written word whilst in a comedy troupe with a pre-movie star Hugh Grant, my guest later transitioned to drama where he has produced over 100 hours of primetime television including a multitude of hits including Innocent, which pulled in EIGHT MILLION viewers on ITV, The Thief His Wife and the Canoe which was watched by TEN million in 2022 and picked up our guest a BAFTA nomination as well as a pick of the year slot in The New York Times and of course his soon to be 6th series of record-breaking detective drama Unforgotten. Along the way, according to his IMDB at least, he also appears to have had a stint as a voice actor in the Harry Potter video game series. What can’t he do?! My guest is Mr Chris Lang…

Red Carpet Rookies

1
#38 - Fassa Sar: How I Became One of Sony Pictures Youngest Executives (And Why I Left To Change Hollywood Networking) 25:26

for 2 years siden25:26

25:26

Today’s guest began her career as one of the youngest ever executives at Sony where she was part of the team that brought the now iconic ‘fully onscreen’ movie Searching to our screens, as well as many other projects such as Broken Hearts Gallery , executive produced by none other than Selena Gomez. Since then, like a young Reed Hastings she’s made the move into the world of media and technology with her film and tv networking company, Callo. My guest is Fassa Sar.…

Red Carpet Rookies

1
#37 - Anna Smith, BBC Film Critic on Interviewing A-Listers, Cultivating Taste, YouTube Film Critics and the Power of Networking 30:56

for 2 years siden30:56