52 episodes

Every great film and TV maker began as a Red Carpet Rookie. In this podcast each episode you’ll learn from the life and career story of someone who’s grown to the top of the entertainment business, hearing how they mastered their craft with lessons you can apply to harness your own creative talent in your own career and everyday life.
From lessons given by Spielberg to Oscar-winners tips on imposter syndrome, and some pretty crazy on-set anecdotes thrown in for good measure…
My name is Mike Battle a film crew member turned screenwriter and I’ll be your host…and this is Red Carpet Rookies.

Red Carpet Rookies Mike Battle

    • TV & Film
    • 5.0 • 72 Ratings

Every great film and TV maker began as a Red Carpet Rookie. In this podcast each episode you’ll learn from the life and career story of someone who’s grown to the top of the entertainment business, hearing how they mastered their craft with lessons you can apply to harness your own creative talent in your own career and everyday life.
From lessons given by Spielberg to Oscar-winners tips on imposter syndrome, and some pretty crazy on-set anecdotes thrown in for good measure…
My name is Mike Battle a film crew member turned screenwriter and I’ll be your host…and this is Red Carpet Rookies.

    #50 - Lorien McKenna: How the The Pixar Story Department Actually Works, Creating Career Agency, Writing For Visuals, Challenging Shame and The Power of Vulnerability

    #50 - Lorien McKenna: How the The Pixar Story Department Actually Works, Creating Career Agency, Writing For Visuals, Challenging Shame and The Power of Vulnerability

    Today’s guest began her creative journey in the world of theatre before moving to Pixar where she worked in the story department of hits including Ratatouille, Up, Brave, The Good Dinosaur and Inside Out.
    Having now transitioned to writing and showrunning her own projects, most recently the double Emmy nominated Tab Time as well as co-hosting mega-popular podcast The Screenwriting Life alongside fellow Red Carpet Rookies alumni, Meg LeFauve, I don’t know how she finds the time!
    My guest is Lorien McKenna. 

    • 38 min
    #49 - Simon Blackwell: Writing Veep & The Thick of It, Julia Louis-Dreyfus’ Scary Phrase, Emergency Plane Writing, The Genius of Armando Iannucci, Sweary Grannies, & Why Parenting Makes You A Better Creative

    #49 - Simon Blackwell: Writing Veep & The Thick of It, Julia Louis-Dreyfus’ Scary Phrase, Emergency Plane Writing, The Genius of Armando Iannucci, Sweary Grannies, & Why Parenting Makes You A Better Creative

    I am lucky to introduce today’s guest who has been at the forefront of British comedy for the last two decades.
    The man behind hit shows such as Back starring Mitchell and Webb and Sky’s Breeders, his career is long and celebrated but it is his partnership with Armando Innaucci for which he is probably best known.
    Together they have brought movies like In The Loop and The Personal History of David Copperfield into the world as well as the now legendary sitcom The Thick of It and its ridiculously acclaimed US cousin Veep which won seventeen Emmy awards during its run. Along the way, he picked up two of them for himself, as well as four BAFTA nominations and an Oscar nomination for In The Loop.
    My guest is Mr Simon Blackwell.

    • 36 min
    #48 - John Zaozirny, Literary Manager on The ‘Magic’ That Makes a Hollywood Script, Screenwriting Lessons from Tony Gilroy, How He Finds Clients, Network Building, and Why Not to Write for the Market

    #48 - John Zaozirny, Literary Manager on The ‘Magic’ That Makes a Hollywood Script, Screenwriting Lessons from Tony Gilroy, How He Finds Clients, Network Building, and Why Not to Write for the Market

    Hello and welcome to Red Carpet Rookies, today’s guest earned his early entertainment industry stripes working at Village Roadshow and Leonardo DiCaprio’s production company Appian Way, later transitioning to the world of literary management, where he has since set up his own management and production company Bellevue Productions.
    There his clients have had projects set up at Warner Brothers, Paramount Pictures, Fox, and more, some of which he has taken to producing himself, for example, Infinite starring Mark Wahlberg and Netflix’s Eli. My guest is John Zaozirny. 

    • 36 min
    #47 - Rhys Thomas: Directing SNL, Secret Marvel Security Meetings, The Handiness of a British Accent, & Making Documentary Now with Bill Hader and Fred Armisen

    #47 - Rhys Thomas: Directing SNL, Secret Marvel Security Meetings, The Handiness of a British Accent, & Making Documentary Now with Bill Hader and Fred Armisen

    Born to a sleepy town in South Wales, after university, he swapped the countryside for the Big Apple where he made his name as the film unit director at New York institution, Saturday Night Live.
    In addition to his time at 30 Rock, he’s also managed to peel off and create the hilarious documentary satire series Documentary Now with friends Bill Hader, Fred Armisen and Seth Myers, and more recently, took a step into the Marvel Cinematic universe helming the pilot and multiple episodes of the hit Hawkeye TV show and much more. 

    My guest is Rhys Thomas.

    • 47 min
    #46 - Sam Bain: Writing Peep Show, Crafting Four Lions With Chris Morris, Pre Success ‘Disasters’, Screenwriting Myths, And How Kids TV Made Him

    #46 - Sam Bain: Writing Peep Show, Crafting Four Lions With Chris Morris, Pre Success ‘Disasters’, Screenwriting Myths, And How Kids TV Made Him

    Hello and welcome to Red Carpet Rookies.
    I’m very excited to introduce today’s guest who cut his teeth working on the British children’s TV that made up my childhood with shows like The Queens Nose, Tracey Beaker and My Parents are Aliens, before transitioning to his own creations like Fresh Meat and most notably the one and only, the great Peep Show which he co-created with longtime collaborator Jesse Armstrong and won a BAFTA for.
    In the years since he has had a lauded and varied career with work on projects including Chris Morris’s incredible category of one terroism-based comedy Four Lions, material for The Thick of It and more recently, even his own movies such as Corporate Animals with Demi Moore and The Stand In with Drew Barrymore.
    My guest is Sam Bain.

    • 29 min
    #45 - Julian Caldow: Designing Tim Burton’s Batmobile, World Building Game of Thrones, Bond Gadgets, Proof of Work, & The James Cameron KY Jelly Incident

    #45 - Julian Caldow: Designing Tim Burton’s Batmobile, World Building Game of Thrones, Bond Gadgets, Proof of Work, & The James Cameron KY Jelly Incident

    Today’s guest began his career working as a runner on James Cameron’s legendary action movie Aliens but found his home in the art department where he honed the skill of concept art becoming one of the foremost illustrators in the business.
    With a resume that includes movies such as Star Wars Rogue Rogue, The Martian, Gravity, Casino Royale, Tim Burton’s Batman, Game of Thrones and even a few Harry Potters thrown in for good measure, I’m looking forward to delving into his creative process.
    My guest is Julian Caldow.

    • 38 min

Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5
72 Ratings

72 Ratings

Bob Hillis ,

Red Carpet Rookies - review

Having just written my first screenplay, I have found Mike’s podcasts very inspiring. An excellent insight into the world that one day I hope to inhabit.

Rossappleby ,

Great Podcast

Mike offers some great insight into the industry and to add to it, the guests he brings on are top notch! Great podcast.

blittttz ,

Extremely helpful

I was able to get extremely useful advice to help me get into the film industry.

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