Angle on Producers with Carolina Groppa

• "HIM" Producer Jamal Watson - "I Started Making Films to Figure Out How Not to Die"

  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 and TIFF selection), Disney's "ALADDIN," and Netflix's "AMEND."  At Monkeypaw Productions, Watson continued championing diverse voices through projects like the "SCARE TACTICS" reboot and upcoming film "HIM", which opens in theaters on September 19th. He also launched a music label imprint with Interscope Records, expanding his influence across entertainment sectors. Jamal's trajectory demonstrates how passion for storytelling, combined with strategic relationship-building and unwavering dedication, can create pathways to success in Hollywood's competitive landscape. Hope you takeaway as much as I did! xx cg

  --------  

  1:16:38

  --------

  1:16:38
• Inside FilmLA's Much Needed Permitting Process Reform

  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 days a year - to the current reality where production has dropped by 53% in just the last five years. While FilmLA is not the sole cause of the production exodus, it certainly has not helped. I wanted to invite Donna on to address this criticism head-on and discuss the misconceptions about who sets what fees, Film LA's 17-point plan to streamline the permitting process, and how FilmLA actually functions compared to film commissions in other states. This isn't about pointing fingers - it's about understanding the system, identifying the problems, and working together on solutions. Because as Donna puts it, FilmLA doesn't exist if the industry doesn't exist. And right now, with a 400% uptick in applications following California's increased tax incentives, we're at a critical moment that could determine the future of filmmaking in Los Angeles.   This impacts all of us and requires all of us to work towards a solution.

  --------  

  53:30

  --------

  53:30
• The Fight to Keep Hollywood in Hollywood

  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 future. But as both guests make clear, the wins so far are just the beginning. As Noelle puts it: "If we don't continue to put pressure on policymakers and studio execs... the industry is going to continue to disappear and deteriorate."

  --------  

  58:19

  --------

  58:19
• Adria Arjona Pivots into Producing

  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 you immediately start plotting how to become her best friend. Born in Puerto Rico, half Guatemalan, raised in Mexico, and shaped by a nomadic childhood following her father Ricardo Arjona on tour – one of the best-selling Latin American artists of all time – Adria learned early that home isn't a place, it's found in people and rituals. A lesson that serves her well in an industry that keeps her constantly moving between London, LA, and everywhere in between. There are SO many gems here, but a few that really stayed with me is how selling merch on her dad's tours taught her the art of hustling, a career-changing audition failure, and how producing has changed her as an actor for the better.   AOP SUBSTACK 📫 Musings, Mixers, Workshops, and Exclusive Content https://angleonproducers.substack.com/   JOIN AOP PATREON https://www.patreon.com/angleonproducers   JOIN THE AOP COMMUNITY 📸 Instagram: / https://instagram.com/carolinagroppa | https://instagram.com/angleonproducers 📱 TikTok:   / https://www.tiktok.com/@carolina_groppa 👩🏻‍💻 LinkedIn:   / bit.ly/2BqHs8L   QUESTIONS ❔Answering your questions on Tuesdays in our newsletter! Submit here: [email protected]

  --------  

  51:45

  --------

  51:45
• Jennifer Lafleur: The Duplass Brothers Indie Darling

  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 career, and what her ER doctor father taught her about perspective when film locations fall through days before shooting. Whether you're an aspiring filmmaker, working parent, or anyone trying to build something meaningful, Jen's story offers practical wisdom about creating opportunities, leveraging what you already have, and showing up as your best self - because you never know when a brief encounter will change your life years later. BIRTHRITE is playing in limited theaters in Los Angeles now!

  --------  

  1:06:20

  --------

  1:06:20

More Business podcasts

Trending Business podcasts

About Angle on Producers with Carolina Groppa