Inside Pop Amita Patel & Sean David Johnson

In honor of the premiere of the Netflix series Rhythm + Flow we bring you an encore of our interview with the producer who worked to find the amazing talent featured on this show.

In this episode, we chat with Casting Director Evan Majors to find out his approach to finding talent worthy of TV screens and pop culture obsessions. He shares how he approaches meeting and interviewing talent, the need for more representation in film and TV and a little insider info on his latest project, Rhythm + Flow for Netflix featuring Cardi B, Chance the Rapper and T.I. as judges. He also reveals the one casting video he'd love to get his hands on.

Links:

Find and follow Evan Majors on Twitter, Instagram and check out his website here.

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram @PopInsiders

Like us on Facebook

And you can also find us on MaximumFun.org

Fresh off of the multiple Emmy wins for Fleabag and Killing Eve, we discuss our love of one of the smartest writer/director/actors in TV - Phoebe Waller-Bridge.

We discuss the second seasons of Killing Eve and Fleabag, two creations of this absurdly talented multi-hyphenate (ok – and maybe we go on a teeny tiny tangent and discuss how some series are better than others at concluding).

Then, Amita interviews costume designer Marci Rodgers about her work on Spike Lee’s She’s Gotta Have it and BlacKkKlansman.

Finally, Amita reviews Sean’s Big Sell from last week – the Netflix series, Special, and then sells him a new singer, Masego, who is headed to the Afropunk stage later this summer.

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram @PopInsiders

Like us on Facebook

And you can also find us on MaximumFun.org

In this episode we speak to Warren Alan Young, the production designer of some of the most visually captivating television shows and films. From Fargo to Strange Angel to American Crime to the upcoming film Harriet, Warren has been responsible for creating, designing and executing a look that propels the plot, illuminates the characters and elevates the overall storytelling of all of his projects. He discusses his process to approach each unique project and shares his thoughts on being one of the only production designers of color in Hollywood.
And in this week’s Big Sell, Sean rates an article on Hollywood’s Disability problem and recommends the Oscar nominated animated short, “Bao”, to Amita.
Follow us on Twitter & Instagram @PopInsiders
Like us on Facebook
And you can also find us on MaximumFun.org

If you've ever admired the soundtrack to a film or TV show and wondered who was behind the music, we've got you covered! Sean sat down with Music Supervisor Matthew Hearon-Smith, who has selected songs for the award winning films Tangerine and The Florida Project and also has curated the soundtracks for various television shows including Viceland’s My House. We discuss his process for finding the right song for the right moment and how he collaborates with directors and showrunners to create the mood for specific scenes.
Then, we share some of our top picks for popular songs that have been featured in films and TV programs and have indelibly changed the memory of that song for us.
Plus, Amita gives her rating and review of Sean’s Big Sell- Fantastic Negrito’s latest album, Please Don’t Be Dead and big sells an honest and revealing interview from The Good Place actress Jameela Jamil about the standard of beauty that women have been held up to and how she’s trying to rise above to help women love themselves for who they are, as they are.
Links:
Matthew Hearon-Smith- IMDb | Website | Twitter
Sense8‘s use of the song- “What’s Up?”
Blue Velvet’s use of the song – “In Dreams”
Blue Velvet’s use of the song – “Blue Velvet”
Captain Fantastic‘s use of the song- “Sweet Child o’Mine”
Little Miss Sunshine‘s use of the song- “Super Freak”
Jameela Jamil Channel 4 Interview
Follow us on Twitter & Instagram @PopInsiders
Like us on Facebook
And you can also find us on Maximumfun.org

Why is it still rare to see a romantic relationship between a black man and a white woman on TV? Is Netflix more progressive depicting interracial relationships than other networks?  How did the casting of a Cheerios commercial ignite a racist backlash?

In this week’s episode, we chat with Lori Tharps, a former Entertainment Weekly and Vibe Magazine writer, novelist and Associate Professor of Journalism at Temple University about how interracial relationships are portrayed on film and TV.

Lori breaks down the positive and negative aspects about the depiction of some of the more memorable interracial relationships in pop culture including Tom and Helen Willis on The Jeffersons, Whitney Houston and Kevin Costner in The Bodyguard and Aziz Ansari’s love interests in Master of None.

Then, Amita gives her rating and review of Jose James’ latest covers album Lean on Me and sells Sean on a new single from her multi-talented fantasy husband- Riz MC aka Riz Ahmed.

Links:
Follow Lori on Twitter & Instagram
Lori’s blog- My American Melting Pot

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram @PopInsiders

Like us on Facebook

And you can also find us on MaximumFun.org

Riz MC- “Mogambo” 

Summer movie blockbuster season is well underway and there's no better time to revisit our episode that focuses on what goes in to making movie trailers. Have you ever wondered how a movie trailer is created? Have you ever questioned why you see a shot in a trailer that doesn't exist in the film or fretted over the amount of plot detail a trailer reveals? Well wonder no more! This week, we speak to Nati Braunstein, Co-President and Creative Director at the Creative Advertising agency, Aspect, and get a look inside the process of making memorable movie trailers.

Nati discusses the collaborative effort behind the production of trailers and reveals some inside info about the trailers and TV spots for Aquaman and Mary Poppins Returns.

Plus, in the Big Sell, Sean reviews the new Riz MC single, "Mogambo" and sells Amita on an article about Stan Lee after his passing.

Aspect Website

Aspect on Twitter

Aspect Instagram

If you enjoyed this episode check out:

Our conversation with the Music Supervisor of The Florida Project and Tangerine

Our conversation with the Cinematographer of 20 Feet From Stardom and Won't You Be My Neighbor?

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram @PopInsiders

Like us on Facebook

And you can also find us on MaximumFun.org