092: CCI Considers New Approaches to the Film Studio Model

Catalyst is a Creative Industries podcast, from Chapman University. Each episode features Chapman students who have completed a Podcasting course through the Center for Creative and Cultural Industries at the university. Students who had no podcasting experience or technical ability in the genre before taking the course were able to contribute all the segments to Catalyst this season with the goal being that they will take this ‘hands-on’ experience and carry it over to the launching of their very own series. Each episode of Season 11 will feature one to two different interviews conducted by CCI students, exploring different aspects of the Creative and Cultural Industries.

Catalyst begins this week with an interview of Skye Bleu and Savannah Rae the co-founders of Skye Film Studios in Glendale CA. The sisters sat down with Rose Steele to discuss the dynamics of running a film studio as well as the larger processes of funding projects, producing content, and building the business side of a company in the creative and cultural industries. Savannah and Skye provide insights into how they have been able to use art events as a method of fundraising for their film projects as well as delving deeper into what it's like building a catalog of intellectual property for their studio. They conclude the interview with a discussion of some upcoming projects for the studio at the time of recording.

To round out this week’s episode, Jackie Rahimzadeh presents her interview with Kylie Billings, a Production Coordinator for A24, an American independent entertainment company that specializes in film and television production, as well as film distribution. In addition to learning about how Billings started in the film industry and made her way up to her current position, she also gives the audience a breakdown of all things A24 and touches on the significance of new and different voices being represented in film. The pair also discuss what Billings finds to be the most fulfilling aspect of her production coordinator job and whether the challenges of the job has diminished her love of movie making. They share their perspectives on why A24 has become such an adored player in film culture and look at what lies ahead for Kylie in the industry.