The J-WAT Podcast

The official podcast of J-Wat Productions. Hosted by Tim Drake and Alex Watson, writer, directors, and producers at J-Wat Productions, a horror and comedy based film company in Los Angeles. Featuring an array of talent working on J-Wat productions, as well as featured guest hosts, Producers Terrence Kiriokos and Clyde Ratliff. The show takes you behind the scenes of their awards winning feature film process, as well as their new horror shorts series, "Screams from the Dark".

Episode 28 - Making Writing Easier 08/05/2025

Episode 28 - Making Writing Easier On today's episode J-WAT producers Alex Watson and Tim Drake sit down to talke about how they make writing easier and share tips to help it become easier for you. Outside of producing their feature films, Alex and Tim both write and direct and share the tips that help them get past writers block and figure out the story they going to tell. /episode/index/show/80f42b59-fdee-4f82-ad10-bbe26184b8ac/id/37678440

Episode 27 - Beware of Film Scams 07/07/2025

Episode 27 - Beware of Film Scams On today's episode, producers Alex Watson and Tim Drake discuss how to avoid running into scams while trying to start your filmmaking career. Everything from film festivals, contests, investors and more! We've run into so many of these and want to share our experiences to try and help you avoid them. As always, if you have any questions, feel free to reach out! /episode/index/show/80f42b59-fdee-4f82-ad10-bbe26184b8ac/id/37301480

Episode 26 - It's a Watty McBirthday Episode! 05/27/2025

Episode 26 - It's a Watty McBirthday Episode! On today's episode of the J-WAT Podcast, Producers Alex Watson and Tim Drake are celebrating Alex's birthday by taking a look back on all of the J-WAT milestones over the years. Join us on this J-WAT retrospective to celebrate Watson's birthday and talk about what we have learned along the way! /episode/index/show/80f42b59-fdee-4f82-ad10-bbe26184b8ac/id/36723135

Episode 25 - Talent vs. Hustle 04/08/2025

Episode 25 - Talent vs. Hustle On today's episode of the J-WAT Podcast, Producers Alex Watson and Tim Drake sit down and talk about the balance of talent vs. hustle. So often we see incredibly talented people not reach their true potential because they lack the hustle of putting themselves out there and proving they have what it takes. Alex was inspired to cover this topic after hearing a speech while watching "Entourage" where Ari has a heart to heart with Turtle telling him how to make something of himself. Follow Watson, Tim and J-WAT on all of their socials! /episode/index/show/80f42b59-fdee-4f82-ad10-bbe26184b8ac/id/36048455

Episode 24 - Planning for What's Next 03/18/2025

Episode 24 - Planning for What's Next On today's episode of the J-WAT Podcast, producers Alex Watson and Tim Drake chat about how to plan for your future. When you're making your current film, all anybody seems to want to know is, "What's Next?" The next film we're about to embark on came by happenstance because we were ready to answer that question. The more you build your career, the more people will approach you and be interested in working with you, but maybe your current project isn't what they're interested in. If you have other projects, especially in a variety of genres, this can help you be more versitle in knowing what you're doing next, as well as make you more attractive to potential financiers and studios. Alex and Tim breakdown how they continue to plan for what's next while staying focused on their current project at hand. *Please note, yes, we are aware that there is a weird audio issue on Watson's audio that gives him an occasional echo. We have no idea why it does this from time to time and it was not able to be removed as there was no echo or noise print for it. /episode/index/show/80f42b59-fdee-4f82-ad10-bbe26184b8ac/id/35745850

Episode 23 - Meet Creative Producer Joshua Bragg 02/25/2025

Episode 23 - Meet Creative Producer Joshua Bragg On today's episode, J-WAT Producers Alex Watson and Tim Drake invite on thier friend and "Demonetize" Creative Producer, Joshua Bragg! You may know Josh from his successful YouTube and Social channel "Haunting Season", which is how Alex and Tim first got to know Josh. We talked with Josh about how we got to know each other, Josh's background in producing and filmmaking, the importance of the creative producer, how to help elevate a film project, and so much more! Enjoy! /episode/index/show/80f42b59-fdee-4f82-ad10-bbe26184b8ac/id/35403005

Episode 22 - Learning From Our Favorite Films 02/11/2025

Episode 22 - Learning From Our Favorite Films On today's episode on the J-WAT Podcast, producers Alex Watson and Tim Drake sit down to discuss how watching some of their favorite movies influence the techniques in how they approach filmmaking. Each one of the films picked has a different element that has nurtured different areas of the filmmaking process from writing, directing, selecting the score, and so much more. Alex and Tim also talk about what their currently watching and what upcoming films they are excited for. Thank you for listening! /episode/index/show/80f42b59-fdee-4f82-ad10-bbe26184b8ac/id/35237560

Episode 21 - 2024 Recap 01/28/2025

Episode 21 - 2024 Recap On today's episode of the J-WAT Podcast, Producers Alex Watson and Tim Drake sit down to recap all that they experienced and learned throughout 2024. They also talk about some of the great movies and TV shows they've watched, a little Oscar nominations chat, Watson has become a coffee fiend, and so much more. /episode/index/show/80f42b59-fdee-4f82-ad10-bbe26184b8ac/id/35047965

Episode 20 - LIVE from Los Angeles Comic Con w/ DEMONETIZE: Tim Drake, Alex Watson, Janine Hogan, and Terrence Kirokos 12/18/2024

Episode 20 - LIVE from Los Angeles Comic Con w/ DEMONETIZE: Tim Drake, Alex Watson, Janine Hogan, and Terrence Kirokos On today's episode we are coming to you LIVE from Los Angeles Comic-Con! This episode was recorded as part of Tim's show On the Mic Podcast with Tim Drake, but since it was 100% J-WAT focused and talking about our new film Demonetize, we're making it available here as well! Producer Tim Drake, Director and Co-Writer Alex Watson, Actress and Co-Writer Janine Hogan, and Producer Terrence Kiriokos are the guests for this episode. We were two days from our first prep week on the film and this was a great way to really get things going. This episode was recorded back in October, but since we immediately went right into production on Demonetize it's just seeing the light of day now. On the episode we talked about how the film came about, what inspired Alex and Janine while writing the film, how Terrence approaches our budget, ghost hunting and location scouting, finding our crew, and so much more. Thank you to Los Angeles Comic Con for having us and allowing us to do the show. I was thrilled I was able to bring Alex, Janine, and Terrence to the convention and to be able to talk about making Demonetize. As we wrapped on the film back in November, we couldn't not have asked for a better shoot. Our cast and crew were absolutely phenomenal. Please make sure to follow Alex, Janine, Terrence, and Demonetize on all of the links at We will eventually have an episode all about making the film, but for now, I hope you guys enjoy this episode LIVE from Los Angeles Comic Con. Thanks for having us! Enjoy the episode. /episode/index/show/80f42b59-fdee-4f82-ad10-bbe26184b8ac/id/34477945

Episode 19 - Casting 12/17/2024

Episode 19 - Casting On today's episode of the J-WAT Podcast, Tim Drake and Alex Watson bring on their fellow producer Clyde Ratliff to talk about how they cast thier most recent film, Demonetize! Clyde was a critical role in our casting process as he reached out to agents and managers to bring their clients on the film. We talk about the long process and the details of what we provided to talent and reps to get them to take us seriously. Since our last epiosde we are happy to say DEMONETIZE HAS WRAPPED! We spent October and November making the film and could not be happier! We will talk more about that later. But for now, enjoy the episode! /episode/index/show/80f42b59-fdee-4f82-ad10-bbe26184b8ac/id/34480540

Episode 18 - Finding Investors 11/22/2024

Episode 18 - Finding Investors On today's episode J-WAT producers Tim Drake and Alex Watson talk about how they found investors to make their second feature film, "Demonetize". ** This episode was recorded 2 months ago, but we kinda went and made a movie. So ignore the timeliness of some of the references and dates. /episode/index/show/80f42b59-fdee-4f82-ad10-bbe26184b8ac/id/34102786

Episode 17 - Making the Pitch Deck 09/17/2024

Episode 17 - Making the Pitch Deck On today's episode producers Alex Watson and Tim Drake dive into what goes into making a pitch deck to pitch your project. Tim and Watson also talk about what they've been watching, as well as their upcoming feature film "Demonetize", that starts filming later this year. /episode/index/show/80f42b59-fdee-4f82-ad10-bbe26184b8ac/id/33094987

Episode 16 - Building the Business Plan 07/23/2024

Episode 16 - Building the Business Plan On today's episode of the J-WAT Podcast, Producers Alex Watson and Tim Drake sit down to take you through how to build a business plan to attract investors and bring attention to your film. We are currently financing our next feature horror film, "Demonetize", and this is the business plan approach we have taken to start bringing investors on board. This is a very detailed episode, and if you have questions, or maybe even advice, please feel free to reach out! Enjoy the episode! /episode/index/show/80f42b59-fdee-4f82-ad10-bbe26184b8ac/id/32215577

Episode 15 - We're Back! Updates! Pre-Production! And More! 07/09/2024

Episode 15 - We're Back! Updates! Pre-Production! And More! The J-Wat Podcast is back! It's been 7 months since our last episode and boy have we been busy! Producers Alex Watson and Tim Drake sit down to talk about everything that has been going on for the past 7 months. Our new feature horror film, "Demonetize" is in heavy pre-production, and we give an overview of everything we have been encountering from casting, to financing, business plans, executive producers and more. (We will be diving into each of these topics in much greater depth in future episodes). Alex and Tim also talk about what they've been watching and some of their favorite films so far in 2024. /episode/index/show/80f42b59-fdee-4f82-ad10-bbe26184b8ac/id/32064477

Episode 14 - End of Year Wrap Up 2023 12/11/2023

Episode 14 - End of Year Wrap Up 2023 On today's eouside Alex and J-WAT Producer Clyde Ratliff reflect on all that we've done in 2023. /episode/index/show/80f42b59-fdee-4f82-ad10-bbe26184b8ac/id/29013558

Episode 13 - Behind the Scenes of Bundy Manor (SPOILERS) 09/12/2023

Episode 13 - Behind the Scenes of Bundy Manor (SPOILERS) Today's episode of the J-WAT Podcast is a long one full of Bundy Manor spoilers! So if you don't want the movie spoiled, don't listen yet! Today Tim and Alex bring on their co-producers of the film, Terrence Kiriokos and Clyde Ratliff, as well as the man, the myth the legend, Siddiq Maginn. On the this episde we went through the entire movie, talking about our favorite moments from making the film, behind the scene facts, techniques that made the film happen, and so much more! We also received a few voice memos from our cast members sharing their favorite scens from the movie to film and some of their favorite memories as well. Bundy Manor is now streaming on Amazon, VUDU, Comcast, Spectrum, and Verizon. /episode/index/show/80f42b59-fdee-4f82-ad10-bbe26184b8ac/id/28007748

Episode 12 - Getting Your First Job 08/29/2023

Episode 12 - Getting Your First Job On today's episode of the J-WAT Podcast Tim and Alex talk about how to find your first job in the industry. They discuss the first jobs they had, how to make a good impression, finding work, staying busy, where to find jobs, and so much more. Dont miss Bundy Manor streaming September 8th! /episode/index/show/80f42b59-fdee-4f82-ad10-bbe26184b8ac/id/28007574

Episode 11 - Script Breakdowns 08/15/2023

Episode 11 - Script Breakdowns On today's episode of the J-WAT Podcast, Alex and Tim talk about the importance of the script breakdown. Having a throurough script breakdown is critical to the success of your film, and Tim and Alex talk about what goes into a good breakdown, software and tools they use, recognizing all of the departments needs, and so much more! Enjoy! /episode/index/show/80f42b59-fdee-4f82-ad10-bbe26184b8ac/id/27836232

Episode 10 - LIVE from San Diego Comic-Con 2023 08/04/2023

Episode 10 - LIVE from San Diego Comic-Con 2023 On today's episode we are coming to you LIVE from San Diego Comic-Con! This episode is a little different as this is actually a live episode of Tim's long-running show, On the Mic Podcast. This is the 8th year SDCC has invited Tim to be a part of the show and he decided to bring the J-WAT producing team, Alex Watson, Clyde Ratliff, and one of our crew members, and comic book writer, Christian Martin! We were excited to officially introduce J-WAT Productions to San Diego. Sadly, Terrence Kiriokos couldn't make it as he had a prior commitment. We had two big announcements for San Diego Comic-Con this year. We announced our feature horror film Bundy Manor would be released September 8th, as well as the new comic book we are working on called, The Cleaning Club! You can find the trailer for Bundy Manor on YouTube. Thank you for having us, San Diego! Enjoy the epiosde. /episode/index/show/80f42b59-fdee-4f82-ad10-bbe26184b8ac/id/27655845

Episode 9 - Directing (Part 2) 07/12/2023

Episode 9 - Directing (Part 2) ACTION! Today on the J-WAT Pordcast is Part 2 on our chat about Directing in film and TV. During Part 1 we walked you through our process of getting to set, in Part 2 we are ready to roll! Tim and Alex walk you through how the manage the set when they are Directing and how to make sure that you prepare yourselves for the inevitable bumps you will encounter. They also discuss recent travel, another film fesitval win for Bundy Manor, the long list of the things they've been watching, and so much more! /episode/index/show/80f42b59-fdee-4f82-ad10-bbe26184b8ac/id/27444831

Episode 8 - Directing (Part 1) 07/11/2023

Episode 8 - Directing (Part 1) Today's episode of The J-WAT Podcast is Part 1 of our approach to Directing. Tim and Alex start off the episode talking about what they've been watching, film festivals, and more. Tim corrects Alex's Utah accent while struggling to say a word as well, and then we dive in Directing for film. In Part 1 we go through all of the pre-prodcution as a director. Everything from assembling our crew, understanding set synergy, setting yourself up for success, respecting everybody, and so much more. In Part 2 - ACTION! /episode/index/show/80f42b59-fdee-4f82-ad10-bbe26184b8ac/id/27430722

Episode 7 - Writing 05/09/2023

Episode 7 - Writing On today's episode of the J-WAT Podcast, Alex and Tim are discussing writing. We talked about how we find inspiration and come up with new ideas, our process for sitting down to get the actual writing done, ways to speak creativity, and our journey to getting us to where we are at now. We also talked about the upcoming WGA strike and some of the key things to understand about why a writers stike is most likely going to happen (this was recorded before May 2nd. By the time you're listening to this, the stike will most likely have started). We hope that the AMPTP will resolve this sooner rather than later and get the writers the fair contract they are owed. WGASTRONG! /episode/index/show/80f42b59-fdee-4f82-ad10-bbe26184b8ac/id/26867799

Episode 6 - Film Festivals 04/25/2023

Episode 6 - Film Festivals On today's episode of the J-WAT Podcast, Tim and Alex discuss film festivals! Alex just returned from the Horrifc Hope Festival in Virginia where we had Bundy Manor screening. We thought this would be a good time to talk about submitting to festivals, the fesitval experience, knowing where your film fits, understanding festival programming, and so much more. We have had such a great experience with Bundy Manor on the festival circuit over the past year. We've learned a lot over that time as filmmakers, but also share the insight that we've gained being a part of major festivals such as Sundance in other areas of production and broadcasting. Keep in mind, these aren't the set rules or anything of that nature when it comes to film festivals. This is purely based off our experience and what we've learned over the years. If you have any questions about our experience or want any advice, as always please reach out to us on social media! *Our apologies for some minor audio issues in about the first 10ish minutes of the podcast. A setting was messed up on our board but we corrected as we went along. /episode/index/show/80f42b59-fdee-4f82-ad10-bbe26184b8ac/id/26673567

Episode 5 - Editing for Social Media 04/18/2023

Episode 5 - Editing for Social Media On today's episode of the J-WAT Podcast we are talking all about editing! Exciting, right? Tim and Alex talk about how they make a plan when filming to work with the unique 9X16 requirements for most social media site. Before diving into the editing chat, they also discuss screening three of the newest episodes of "Screams from the Dark" as part of the Warner Brothers 100th Anniversary Employee Film Festival. Absolutely surreal to have 3 of our shorts scream on the legendary Warner Brothers lot as part of the WB100 celebrations. The 3 that screened were "The Chair", "Cold Ankles" (coming in May), and "Apartment Tour" (coming in June). Tim and Alex also discuss everything they have been watching and Alex's preperations to fly out to Virginia for the Horriffic Hope Film Festival where our film Bundy Manor is playing at the Alamo Drafthouse. /episode/index/show/80f42b59-fdee-4f82-ad10-bbe26184b8ac/id/26573997

Episode 4 - Making A Plan 04/04/2023

Episode 4 - Making A Plan Tim Drake and Alexander Watson get ready to film new episodes of their series "Screams From the Dark". The newest episode called "The Chair" is being directed by Tim, and the second episode "Apartment Tour" is directed by Alex. Tim and Alex discuss how they prep for their episodes, planning out shots and preparring to direct their episodes. Tim's episode "The Chair" will release on the J-WAT Films social media pages on April 5th, following this episodes release. /episode/index/show/80f42b59-fdee-4f82-ad10-bbe26184b8ac/id/26436558

Episode 3 - Meet Christian Martin 03/07/2023

Episode 3 - Meet Christian Martin Tim and Alex sit down with one of their crew members and writers, Christian Martin. We gave you a brief introduction to Christian in our welcome episode, but now it's time to get to know him better! We learn about his writing inspirations and the unique way that Christian and Alex became friends. Christian is also the writer for the first episode of the new J-WAT short series, "Screams From The Dark", titled, "TikTok Demon". /episode/index/show/80f42b59-fdee-4f82-ad10-bbe26184b8ac/id/25949271

Episode 2 - Our Story So Far 02/21/2023

Episode 2 - Our Story So Far Tim and Alex talk about their backgrounds and how they got into filmmaking. They also tell the story of how they met and started working together and how they plan to continue to build J-Wat Productions. /episode/index/show/80f42b59-fdee-4f82-ad10-bbe26184b8ac/id/25949190

Episode 1 - Welcome to J-Wat Productions 02/07/2023

Episode 1 - Welcome to J-Wat Productions In the debut episode, Tim Drake and Alex Watson welcome you to their new podcasting venture, The J-Wat Podcast! A quick intro before a long day of filming, we learn more about their new series "Screams from the Dark", a few words of advice for new filmmakers, and briefly meet two of their crew members, Siddiq Maginn and Christian Martin. /episode/index/show/80f42b59-fdee-4f82-ad10-bbe26184b8ac/id/25839027

The J-WAT Podcast

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