THE PENGUIN Showrunner Lauren LeFranc Creates Sympathy for Gotham's Devil
Angle on Producers with Carolina Groppa
Release Date: 03/04/2025
Paul Feig on Comedy, Cult Classics & The Housemaid
Angle on Producers with Carolina Groppa
When movie maestro and mixologist Paul Feig offers to teach you how to make a proper martini at 10a on a Wednesday, you say yes. It was thrilling to be tipsy before lunchtime. Almost as thrilling as it is to end 2025 with a conversation with the absolute icon that is director, producer, and comedy legend Paul Feig. Paul created the cult classic Freaks and Geeks, directed Bridesmaids, Spy, and A Simple Favor, and has helmed episodes of The Office, Parks and Recreation, 30 Rock, and Arrested Development. He's a delight and the fun you feel watching is 100% the fun we had IRL. We dig into his...
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Barbara Muschietti on 10 Years of Horror, TV Kicking Her Ass & What Actually Terrifies Her
Angle on Producers with Carolina Groppa
Barbara Muschietti is the phenomenal producer behind IT Chapter One & Two (combined $1.17B worldwide), The Flash, and the new Max series IT: Welcome to Derry. We actually met 5 years ago during my early podcast grind when I cold-emailed Barbara inviting her on the show. She said yes! She invited me to the Warner Brothers lot, to her office, and generously gave me almost 3 hours of her time. It was a real turning point for me and the show. The world, and certainly Hollywood, has changed tremendously since then. Full disclosure: we recorded this mere days before the audacious news that...
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Civil Co-Founder Alan Morales the Intersection of Coffee & Production in LA
Angle on Producers with Carolina Groppa
This week, I sit down with Alan Morales, co-founder of Civil Coffee, to explore the unexpected intersection of specialty coffee and film production in Los Angeles. Given LA's production crisis, I wanted to hear from someone on the ground—a small business owner in Highland Park who sees tons of filming and has thoughts on what producers and the city need to understand. Alan shares the espresso shot that changed his life, why he dropped out of electrical engineering one course away from graduating, and how Civil Coffee grew from mobile carts to three LA locations with their own roasting...
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Hannah Lux Davis - On Directing Ariana Grande, the Importance of Taste, and Working with Huge Artists
Angle on Producers with Carolina Groppa
Hannah Lux is a powerhouse music video and commercial director who's created iconic visuals for Ariana Grande, Demi Lovato, Katy Perry, Doja Cat, Nicki Minaj, and Lil Wayne. But her path to the director's chair wasn't traditional. Hannah shares her 20-plus-year journey in LA—from working as a makeup artist on set to directing Lil Wayne, Drake, and Future on "Love Me," which now has over 620 million views. We dive deep into the making of Ariana Grande's "Thank U, Next," the video that broke YouTube records with 50 million views in 24 hours, and how she navigated legal clearances, celebrity...
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Adamma & Adanne Ebo on Daniel Kaluuya's Advice, What Makes a Good Producer and the Power of Confidence
Angle on Producers with Carolina Groppa
Happy Tuesday! Today is 11/11, a series of numbers that many see as a symbol of spiritual awakening, synchronicity, and alignment with the universe. I'm not too superstitious about these things, but when I catch it, it brings a smile to my face. Is it divine intervention or coincidence? And does it matter? In thinking about alignment, it feels very apropos to be sharing this particular conversation today with self-described nerdy fangirls Adamma and Adanne Ebo, the identical twin powerhouse behind the indie breakout film Honk for Jesus. Save Your Soul. We met making this film back in 2021—I...
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LA Councilmember Adrin Nazarian On What Comes Next to Save Hollywood
Angle on Producers with Carolina Groppa
Today's guest is Adrin Nazarian—former California State Assemblyman who helped triple the film tax credit from $100 million to $330 million during his decade in Sacramento, and now an LA City Councilmember who's fought to get that credit up to $750 million. Back in March, Adrin filed a motion with ten specific permitting reforms that passed city council unanimously unanimously to direct the Chief Legislative Analyst (CLA) to report back within 30 days on the feasibility of these proposed changes using input from the LAFD, LAPD, Recreation & Parks, DWP, DOT, Bureau of Public Works, and...
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From Camera Department to Directing Your First Indie Film
Angle on Producers with Carolina Groppa
*Today's episode is brought to you by InkTip, a trusted cornerstone of the independent film industry, connecting talented filmmakers with visionary screenwriters. Head to InkTip.com to learn more.* What does it take to transition from behind the camera to the director's chair? In this inspiring conversation, Jihane Mrad Balaa shares her remarkable 20-year journey from Lebanese immigrant to working on major shows like American Horror Story, 9-1-1, and Bumblebee—before finally making the leap to directing her own feature film. Jihane opens up about: ✨ Why being "normal and pleasant" is her...
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Latina Executives Leading Hollywood | Roundtable Discussion with Erika Kennair, Sonia Gambaro, and Rocio Melara
Angle on Producers with Carolina Groppa
To celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month, we recorded a special roundtable episode to amplify three powerhouse Latina executives reshaping Hollywood: ✨ Erika Kennair - Head of Scripted for Mediapro Studios. Created NBC's Writers on the Verge, which helped launch many including Lauren LeFranc, showrunner of the Emmy award winning series The Penguin. ✨ Sonia Almanza Gambaro - Producer and President of Pollinate Entertainment. Executive Producer of Acapulco for Apple TV+ ✨ Rocio Melara - Producer. Former executive a Lena Waithe's Hillman Grad. We get into the juicy bits of what it's...
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Maryam Mehrtash: From Refugee to Hollywood Media Executive
Angle on Producers with Carolina Groppa
Delighted to share this chat with Maryam Mehrtash, an entertainment executive specializing in global marketing and brand partnerships. Her journey embodies the American dream - from fleeing Iran as a refugee at age two to becoming a key player behind one of the most successful streaming platform launches in recent history. Maryam helped traditional media companies pivot from linear to digital during the early days when digital was still treated as a "stepchild." She was part of the team at CBS Interactive that had the first-mover advantage in streaming with CBS All Access, then led the...
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Madelaine Petsch Is Here To Push Your Boundaries
Angle on Producers with Carolina Groppa
Madelaine Petsch has a penchant for divisive female characters.You may know her best as from her role as Cheryl Blossom in the CW’s hit series Riverdale," which ran for 7 seasons. She's recently been evolving into one of Hollywood's most promising young producers. She's currently starring in and producing the next installment of "The Strangers" horror trilogy for Lionsgate, which hits theaters this Friday, September 26th. You can also catch her in the Amazon rom-com "Maintenance Required" on October 8th. In one film she's being chased by masked strangers; in the other, she's running...
info_outline*Special thanks to Sunset Studios, where everyone is a VIP, for providing us with this gorgeous filming location*
Delighted to be joined by the Lauren LeFranc, the visionary showrunner and executive producer of HBO's THE PENGUIN, the gritty spin-off from Matt Reeves' THE BATMAN.
Her unique ability to blend innovative narratives with visual storytelling contributed to the series' critical success, achieving a 94% Certified Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes and attracting 10.4 million viewers within its first 11 days.
A television veteran, her body of work also includes credits on AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D., HEMLOCK GROVE, IMPULSE and CHUCK.
I may have spent the hour fangirling a little too hard, not sure, but our meet-cute story is pretty epic.
Tune in as we discuss career serendipity, what makes an exceptional producer, and how she made us all deeply care about Gotham’s devil, Oswald.
xx CG
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