Sista Brunch

TruJuLo Productions

Whether you’re a seasoned professional in the film industry, an aspiring filmmaker, or a media enthusiast, Sista Brunch offers a rare glimpse into the professional lives of those who shape contemporary entertainment. It's an essential resource for understanding the role of an inclusive lens in crafting stories that resonate across audiences. Tune into Sista Brunch to hear the powerful voices of those leading the way in Hollywood and beyond. Learn from their experiences, get inspired by their stories, and gain insights into making your mark in the entertainment world.

  1. The UCLA Hollywood Diversity Report: What the 2026 Data Actually Says (with Dr. Ana-Christina Ramón & Jade Abston)

    -1 j ·  Vidéo bonus

    The UCLA Hollywood Diversity Report: What the 2026 Data Actually Says (with Dr. Ana-Christina Ramón & Jade Abston)

    Four years running, the most-watched films on streaming have been led by Women of Color. So why is Hollywood still treating diverse stories as a risk? On this bonus episode of Sista Brunch, we sit down with Dr. Ana-Christina Ramón and Jade Abston, two of the researchers behind UCLA's Hollywood Diversity Report, to break down what the 2026 data actually shows about who gets to lead, direct, write, and who's actually watching. Dr. Ramón runs UCLA's Entertainment and Media Research Initiative and has spent more than two decades studying equity in Hollywood. Jade Abston is a PhD candidate at UCLA and a co-author on the report, whose own dissertation research looks at Black women's innovation in music videos and visual albums. We talk through the history of the report and why it had to be built independently of the studios, the numbers behind this year's findings for Black women in lead roles, directing, and writing, and the audience data that keeps proving the same point: Women of Color aren't just watching, they're driving the ratings. This conversation also unpacks something the headline numbers don't always show: how streaming algorithms shape what gets seen in the first place, and why visibility and sustainability are two different problems. Read the full UCLA Hollywood Diversity Report at socialsciences.ucla.edu Hosted by Fanshen Cox (she/they) Guests: Dr. Ana-Christina Ramón, Jade Abston Sista Brunch is brought to you by TruJuLo Productions. Watch on YouTube: youtube.com/trujulomedia Follow on Instagram: @SistaBrunchPodcast Support the show: patreon.com/sistabrunch GiveButter.com/SistaBrunch sistabrunch.com

    45 min
  2. 16 juin ·  Bonus

    Luchina Fisher on "The Dads," Storytelling as Activism, and Why Everything Starts With the Word

    Show Notes How does an "army brat" with no Hollywood connections become an Emmy-winning documentarian whose work sits at the center of one of the most urgent conversations in America? In this bonus brunch, filmmaker Luchina Fisher pulls up a chair to talk about the long, unexpected road from journalism to the director's chair—and the craft, ethics, and relationships that carry a story from the page to the screen to the front lines. Luchina is an Emmy-winning filmmaker, educator, and 2026 North Carolina Media and Journalism Hall of Fame inductee. She's the director behind the new feature documentary The Dads—a follow-up to her Emmy-winning 2023 Netflix short of the same name, executive produced by Dwyane Wade—which follows fathers of trans and gender-expansive kids deciding whether to stay and fight or leave the country. If you make things, fund things, or care about stories that move people toward action, this one's for you. Luchina shares the three questions every filmmaker should ask before any project, why "everything starts with the word" no matter how the technology changes, how an 11-minute short sparked a movement and a foundation, and an honest look at the money—including why the starving-artist myth has to go and what it actually took to pay her team. Pull up a chair. Don't cry. Eat your chicken biscuit. (You'll understand by the end.) In This Episode [00:00] – Big news: Sista Brunch joins the 2026 AIR New Voices AMPLIFY cohort (supported by Apple Podcasts), plus shout-outs to cohort shows worth your follow [02:30] – Welcome to the brunch table: meet Luchina Fisher [04:00] – Her Journey: growing up an army brat, the '70s–'80s golden age of screen, and a big brother directing the neighborhood kids in backyard Star Trek [06:00] – Childhood in Germany, learning the language, and watching reel after reel on the military base [08:00] – UNC Chapel Hill, journalism, the Miami Herald, a lifelong friendship with Tananarive Due, and the leap to study film at the University of Bristol [12:00] – The three questions every filmmaker must ask: Why this? Why now? Why me? On bias, ethics, and "can I sleep at night?" [14:00] – Her brother's charge to "do something," her mother's story, and seeing firsthand the power and urgency of story [16:00] – Becoming a mother, parenting a trans child, and how Gloria Allen became Mama Gloria [18:00] – Why The Dads: the fathers who show up, and the narrative we don't hear enough [19:30] – Let's Talk Tech: from journalist to documentarian, shooting on everything from 16mm to digital, and why the story—not the gear—is the thing [24:30] – The short as poetry: getting it under 12 minutes, designing for middle America, and the Netflix call the day after the SXSW premiere [28:00] – Filmmaking is relationships: how the retreat itself grew out of Luchina's idea to film these dads [31:30] – Financials: paying your team a livable wage, the post–George Floyd commission wave, her 2024 Daytime Emmy, the lean stretch after, and teaching at Yale and Fairfield [36:30] – Building the feature: Stephen Chukumba's "let's keep filming," house-party fundraising, Dwyane Wade, and Elevate Studios [42:00] – Support Sista Brunch + a peek at this summer's Sista Sessions [42:50] – Where and how to see The Dads: festival run, Pride Month screenings, and community screenings you can bring to your own town [44:30] – Sista Brunch: Luchina sits down with her 19-year-old self in Chapel Hill—a chicken biscuit, and the words she needed to hear [46:30] – Closing love and gratitude Resource Stack Luchina Fisher & her work Director's site: luchinafisher.comProduction company: Little Light ProductionsThe Dads (feature): thedadsfilm.comThe Dads Foundation: thedadsfoundation.orgThe Dads (2023 Emmy-winning short) — on NetflixMama Gloria — Luchina's documentary on Black trans elder activist Gloria AllenTeam Dream — short documentary People & partners mentioned Dwyane Wade (executive producer) and Elevate StudiosStephen Chukumba, producer and Dads Foundation co-founderTananarive Due, novelist, screenwriter, and directorHuman Rights Campaign / Parents for Transgender Equality Council AIR New Voices AMPLIFY cohort shows mentioned (links in the episode description) Consider This For Comfort — Eteng EttahReality Blurred — Andy Dehnart (President, Television Critics Association)Femme and Furious — Julia Rose PortelaSuper Sorry — Amber JankeOut of the Ashes — Vince Comegys-DavisWith thanks to AIR (Association of Independents in Radio), Captain TK Dutes, and Lynn Casper Support Sista Brunch Donate: givebutter.com/SistaBrunchPatreon (including this summer's Sista Sessions): patreon.com/SistaBrunch

    48 min
  3. Effie Brown on Project Greenlight, Producer Pay & Why Distribution Eats First | Sista Brunch S7

    12 mai ·  Vidéo

    Effie Brown on Project Greenlight, Producer Pay & Why Distribution Eats First | Sista Brunch S7

    Effie T. Brown is an award-winning producer, CEO of Game Changer Films, and a Governor of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Her producing credits include Real Women Have Curves and Dear White People, and she made history when she challenged the lack of diversity on HBO's Project Greenlight -- a moment that helped spark the creation of the Inclusion Rider. In this season seven finale of Sista Brunch, Effie delivers one of the most transparent and unfiltered conversations we've ever had: -- Growing up as a latchkey kid in New Jersey and seeing Alien as a child -- the moment she realized women can save themselves and storytelling can bring everyone together -- Getting into the LMU film school on sheer audacity: "I'm gonna be bigger than Jerry Bruckheimer and Oprah Winfrey" -- The first class of Film Independent's Project Involve -- The full Project Greenlight story: what happened at the premiere, reading Matt Damon's microexpressions, and learning that she'd never hear from them again -- How that moment led directly to the Inclusion Rider and now state-level inclusion policy through the California Film Commission -- Real producer pay: $75K on Real Women Have Curves, underpaying herself on Dear White People, and doing Project Greenlight because her house was about to be foreclosed on -- Why producers should never defer their 5%: "You know who doesn't put their fee back? The director. The actors. The writers." -- Producers United and the fight for development fees and commencement fees -- Her quilting practice, Conjure Quilts: putting disparate pieces together to make something whole -- What verticals are and why they're the future: "Candy Crush with a narrative" -- Her vision for a collective fund where multiple companies pool resources and replenish the pot -- 18 years sober, gumbo, and the advice to her younger self: have a lot of sex and learn about distribution because they eat first and eat the most Effie was born at Fort Dix, New Jersey, attended Loyola Marymount University on a theater scholarship, and has spent her career making sure overlooked voices get heard, seen, paid, and credited. Keywords: Effie Brown, Sista Brunch Podcast, Game Changer Films, Project Greenlight, Inclusion Rider, Real Women Have Curves, Dear White People, producer salary, film producer, Academy Governor, micro drama, verticals, AKUNA, Idris Elba, Conjure Quilts, Film Independent, Project Involve, Producers United, independent film, Black women in Hollywood, distribution, entertainment business, HBO, diversity inclusion, California Film Commission, LMU, circular leadership

    38 min

À propos

Whether you’re a seasoned professional in the film industry, an aspiring filmmaker, or a media enthusiast, Sista Brunch offers a rare glimpse into the professional lives of those who shape contemporary entertainment. It's an essential resource for understanding the role of an inclusive lens in crafting stories that resonate across audiences. Tune into Sista Brunch to hear the powerful voices of those leading the way in Hollywood and beyond. Learn from their experiences, get inspired by their stories, and gain insights into making your mark in the entertainment world.

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