Game-Changing Acquisition: Zello & Cinelease Partnership Explained
Angle on Producers with Carolina Groppa
Release Date: 08/01/2025
"HIM" Producer Jamal Watson - "I Started Making Films to Figure Out How Not to Die"
Angle on Producers with Carolina Groppa
Jamal Watson's journey from South Central to Hollywood executive exemplifies the power of storytelling to transform lives. After finding inspiration in film during his youth, he started at Sony Pictures as a tour guide in 2003, building industry connections that would prove invaluable. His career accelerated through roles at Deluxe Film Services and a pivotal 2010 internship at Overbrook Entertainment, where he spent a decade rising from intern to Vice President. During this time, he produced acclaimed projects including "SPRINTER" (ABFF winner, African Academy Award nominee), "HALA" (Sundance...
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Inside FilmLA's Much Needed Permitting Process Reform
Angle on Producers with Carolina Groppa
This week, we hear from Donna Washington, FilmLA's VP of Permit Operations. After the June 20th Board of Public Works hearing in Los Angeles, I was taken aback by the outrage and frustration permeating the halls of City Hall. So many folks I've grown up on set with voiced their extreme concern with the permitting process and costs in LA - one of the main blockers keeping productions from coming or staying here. Donna has been with FilmLA since its very beginning in 1995. She's witnessed firsthand the evolution from LA's golden era of production - when they were processing nearly 40,000 shoot...
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The Fight to Keep Hollywood in Hollywood
Angle on Producers with Carolina Groppa
Six months ago, Stay in LA co-founders Sarah Adina Smith and Alexandra Pechman came on the show to explain why their grassroots movement was desperately needed to keep film production in Los Angeles. Since then, they've racked up a good amount of wins —from helping secure California's $750 million tax incentive to advocating for permitting reform across LA County. Today we're joined by two other leaders driving this coalition: showrunner and co-founder Noelle Stehman, and social impact producer Kate Holguin. We break down their wins, setbacks, and what's next in the battle for Hollywood's...
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Adria Arjona Pivots into Producing
Angle on Producers with Carolina Groppa
Kicking off the new season with the spirited Adria Arjona for what was, incredibly, her first solo podcast ever. As someone whose face is literally on billboards outside my place currently, I found this fact both shocking and oddly kismet. It’s a special treat to share this unexpected and refreshing punk rock side of her with you all. What you'll discover about Adria is that beyond being gorgeous – which, obviously – she's a dynamic, perceptive citizen of the world with a penchant for doing "bad things." And I mean that in the best possible way. She's the kind of person who makes...
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Jennifer Lafleur: The Duplass Brothers Indie Darling
Angle on Producers with Carolina Groppa
Today, we are joined by actor and producer Jennifer LaFleur. She was recently in the HULU original film THE DROP and, just this past weekend, the psychological horror film she also co-produced, BIRTHRITE, directed by Ross Partridge. In a blast from the past, Jen and I met in 2011 on the set of a feature film where I was shadowing the producer. It’s a gentle reminder of how much the path zigs and zags. During our chat, Jen shares how she turned her Massachusetts hometown into a movie set for her latest film BIRTHRITE, why the Duplass Brothers' "you are the cavalry" philosophy changed her...
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August Updates + New Season!
Angle on Producers with Carolina Groppa
Monday vibes got you down? Let's flip that energy! 🎬 We are gearing up to launch a new season of the show, but in the meantime, I wanted to share what I've been up to behind the scenes. We've been focused on elevating all across the board--from our content, to our vibrant new set by Sara Silkwood (https://www.sarasilkwood.me/), and intentional community engagement. After 6 years of a mostly solo podcasting hustle, I'm finally ready to share what's been happening behind the scenes—from our incredible Summer Cafecito series to landing at a Hollywood soundstage where Lucille Ball once...
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Game-Changing Acquisition: Zello & Cinelease Partnership Explained
Angle on Producers with Carolina Groppa
Kicking off August with a very special episode with the the brilliant minds behind Zello and Cinelease. They just announced a game-changing acquisition that's bringing our industry back to its roots - where crews are empowered and things get done without red tape. As someone who's filmed in LA most of my career, I know Hollywood's real magic isn't what's on screen—it's the thousands of passionate people behind the scenes. Cinelease has been one of those constants for me. No matter the scope or budget, they always found a way to make it work. What makes this deal special? The timing is...
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Special Crossover with Daddy Dailies To Tackle The Chaos of Entertainment
Angle on Producers with Carolina Groppa
This is a very fun special crossover of AOP and Daddy Dailies with host Vika Stubblebine. She actor, writer, director and stand up comedian who most recently wrote on CBS's S.W.A.T.. She is a co-founder of , a social impact organization dedicated to empowering and educating women and nonbinary filmmakers through events, screenings and podcasts. The community they’ve built is truly remarkable. When you find your people - the ones who share your wavelength and want to build something meaningful together - the chaos becomes creative fuel rather than overwhelming...
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Steve Papazian - Part 2 - Hollywood Icon & Former President of Worldwide Physical Production at Warner Brothers
Angle on Producers with Carolina Groppa
Earlier this week I shared part 1 of my conversation with Hollywood icon Steve Papazian. He is the former President of Worldwide Physical Production at Warner Bros. That chat was recorded back in April of 2019 and If you missed part one, I highly recommend you hit pause and go check that out. To refresh your memory, he started in the mailroom and rose the ranks over the course of almost 50 years at Warner Brothers at Universal. YEARS! His impressive filmography includes some of cinema's most defining moments: The Matrix, The Hobbit trilogy, and the Harry Potter films. He's been the...
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Steve Papazian - Part 1 - Former President of Worldwide Physical Production at Warner Brothers
Angle on Producers with Carolina Groppa
Delighted to share a truly remarkable conversation I had back in April 2019 with Steve Papazian - a Hollywood executive whose career spans nearly five decades and reads like a masterclass in entertainment industry evolution. When you look at his filmography, you're looking at some of cinema's most defining moments - The Matrix, The Hobbit trilogy, the Harry Potter films. He's been the trusted production partner for visionaries like Clint Eastwood and Christopher Nolan across multiple projects, helping bring their creative visions to life on an unprecedented scale. Steve takes us inside one of...
info_outlineKicking off August with a very special episode with the the brilliant minds behind Zello and Cinelease.
They just announced a game-changing acquisition that's bringing our industry back to its roots - where crews are empowered and things get done without red tape.
As someone who's filmed in LA most of my career, I know Hollywood's real magic isn't what's on screen—it's the thousands of passionate people behind the scenes. Cinelease has been one of those constants for me. No matter the scope or budget, they always found a way to make it work.
What makes this deal special? The timing is everything. After strikes, productions fleeing overseas, and endless layoffs, while others consolidate into massive corporate machines, Zello is taking Cinelease private and back to its entrepreneurial roots.
This isn't just business—it's about people. Some Cinelease employees have been there 35 YEARS. That tells you everything about how they treat their team. Now with Zello's network backing them, they're expanding that family culture into new markets and creating more opportunities for all of us who make this industry run.
Tune in for this exclusive deep dive on how this acquisition came to be and what it means for the future. Spoiler: it's bright ✨