The Austin Meyer Podcast

Austin Meyer: Documentary Filmmaker, National Geographic Explorer
  • 4.5 (41)
  • VISUAL ARTS

Conversations with the world’s best documentary filmmakers — directors, cinematographers, audio experts, editors, producers, writers — about how they got their start and how they tell stories.

  1. 01/27/2025

    10 Simple Filmmaking Habits to Save You DAYS in the Edit

    I really believe that shooting stories with our final edit in mind is super important. You can have the best idea, and the best access, but if you don't have the shots to piece together the story, you're gonna lose your mind in the edit. So in this video, I share 10 of my favorite habits that help me save days in the edit. Enjoy :) Follow Austin Meyer's socials: ⁠Youtube⁠ | ⁠Instagram⁠ | ⁠LinkedIn⁠ | ⁠Facebook⁠ | ⁠Website⁠ WHO AM I? If we haven’t met yet before - Hey 👋 I'm Austin Meyer and I am a documentary filmmaker based in Berkeley, California. I'm a National Geographic Explorer and my work has been featured by HBO, Hulu, Apple TV, The New York Times, National Geographic, The Washington Post, The Atlantic, and PBS among others. Through my videos here on this channel, and my podcast called The Austin Meyer Podcast, I share skills, mindsets, and lessons to help you become a better documentary filmmaker and build the life full of creativity that you aspire towards.

    13 min

  2. 01/20/2025

    14 TRICKS to Find Your Next Documentary Story Idea

    Finding the perfect documentary film idea is like being in the world's biggest scavenger hunt! Here are 14 tricks that I use to find my story ideas. Follow Austin Meyer's socials: ⁠Youtube⁠ | ⁠Instagram⁠ | ⁠LinkedIn⁠ | ⁠Facebook⁠ | ⁠Website⁠ WHO AM I? If we haven’t met yet before - Hey 👋 I'm Austin Meyer and I am a documentary filmmaker based in Berkeley, California. I'm a National Geographic Explorer and my work has been featured by HBO, Hulu, Apple TV, The New York Times, National Geographic, The Washington Post, The Atlantic, and PBS among others. Through my videos here on this channel, and my podcast called The Austin Meyer Podcast, I share skills, mindsets, and lessons to help you become a better documentary filmmaker and build the life full of creativity that you aspire towards.

    11 min

  3. 01/13/2025

    10 Controversial Rules of Documentary Filmmaking You NEED To Know

    A set of rules and principles can be incredibly useful to help guide our decision making in the world of documentary filmmaking. That's why, when I saw award winning documentary director Victor Kossakovsky write up the 10 rules he follows in his filmmaking, I had to check them out. In this video, I share those 10 rules, respond to them, and say which 3 have been most helpful to me in my career. Follow Austin Meyer's socials: ⁠Youtube⁠ | ⁠Instagram⁠ | ⁠LinkedIn⁠ | ⁠Facebook⁠ | ⁠Website⁠ WHO AM I? If we haven’t met yet before - Hey 👋 I'm Austin Meyer and I am a documentary filmmaker based in Berkeley, California. I'm a National Geographic Explorer and my work has been featured by HBO, Hulu, Apple TV, The New York Times, National Geographic, The Washington Post, The Atlantic, and PBS among others. Through my videos here on this channel, and my podcast called The Austin Meyer Podcast, I share skills, mindsets, and lessons to help you become a better documentary filmmaker and build the life full of creativity that you aspire towards.

    9 min

  4. 01/06/2025

    5 Interview Mistakes New Filmmakers Don’t Know They’re Making

    Interviews are the backbone of so many documentaries. They are also very challenging to nail. Especially when you are working as a solo shooter or in small teams, like I do a lot, the amount of things that can go wrong can feel overwhelming. In this video I go over 5 mistakes I see documentary filmmakers, which, if you keep in mind, can dramatically increase the odds that you'll walk away from your next interview feeling good! Follow Austin Meyer's socials: Youtube | Instagram | LinkedIn | Facebook | Website WHO AM I? If we haven’t met yet before - Hey 👋 I'm Austin Meyer and I am a documentary filmmaker based in Berkeley, California. I'm a National Geographic Explorer and my work has been featured by HBO, Hulu, Apple TV, The New York Times, National Geographic, The Washington Post, The Atlantic, and PBS among others. Through my videos here on this channel, and my podcast called The Austin Meyer Podcast, I share skills, mindsets, and lessons to help you become a better documentary filmmaker and build the life full of creativity that you aspire towards.

    14 min

  5. 01/08/2024

    Making PLANET EARTH III with Mike Gunton & Prakash Matada | Ep. 52

    Planet Earth III, the world's premiere natural history documentary series, is back with its third installment, presented and narrated by Sir David Attenborough. The series represents five years of work. The eight episodes comprise 134 total shoots across 1,904 shooting days and took place in 43 countries across six continents. In this episode, I interview executive producer Mike Gunton and freelance cinematographer Prakash Matada about the making of this remarkable series. the creative director for the BBC's natural history unit and the executive producer of Planet Earth 3. Prakash Matada is a freelance cinematographer, National Geographic Explorer, and wildlife filmmaker who filmed a wild dog sequence in the Forests episode of the series. WHO AM I? If we haven’t met yet before - Hey 👋 I'm Austin Meyer and I am a documentary filmmaker based in Oakland, California. I'm a National Geographic Explorer and my work has been featured by HBO, Hulu, Apple TV, The New York Times, National Geographic, The Washington Post, The Atlantic, and PBS among others. Through my videos here on this channel, and my podcast called The Austin Meyer Podcast, I share skills, mindsets, and lessons to help you become a better documentary filmmaker and build the life full of creativity that you aspire towards.

    1h 45m

  6. 04/13/2022

    James Honeyborne & Sophie Todd on Producing Netflix’s Our Great National Parks | Ep. 051

    Our Great National Parks is a beautiful five-part Netflix documentary series that invites viewers to experience nature in the world's most iconic national parks. Today on the podcast, my guests are executive producer James Honeyborne and series producer Sophie Todd. James Honeyborne is the creative director of Freeborne Media, having previously worked as an executive producer at the BBC Natural History Unit where he oversaw some 35 films, including Blue Planet II. Sophie Todd works on everything from high-end natural history films, to science and observational documentary, most recently writing, directing and series producing on Netflix’s Formula 1: Drive To Survive. In this conversation, James, Sophie and I discuss the vast amount of research, planning, and scripting that went into this series, how they managed a global production team during the peak of the pandemic, and why natural history documentaries are so important when it comes to illustrating how interconnected we all are with the natural world and animals around us. Check out the Wild For All impact campaign Watch this interview on Youtube Say hello to Austin Meyer

    48 min

  7. 03/29/2022

    Vera Krichevskaya on Independent News & Documentaries in Russia | Ep. 50

    Vera Krichevskaya is a documentary filmmaker from Russia who co-founded TV Dozhd (TV Rain), which is the only independent private television channel in Russia. Her most recent documentary titled “F**k This Job,” is an incredibly timely story that documents the ten-year journey of that television station that made it one of the top media targets of Putin's government. In this conversation, Vera and I discuss what it’s like to be an independent documentary filmmaker in Russia, what happened when the war broke out right before her film’s premiere in Russia, and the value of independent news and documentaries in a just society. Follow Vera on twitter Watch this episode on Youtube Austin's website Austin's instagram

    45 min

  8. 03/22/2022

    2022 Documentary Oscars Preview with IndieWire’s Anne Thompson | Ep. 49

    The Oscars are coming up on March 27, 2022. To preview the documentary feature category I am joined this week by IndieWire's editor-at-large, Anne Thompson. In this episode we talk about each of the nominated documentaries, reflect on the snubs that missed out on the big show (I see you, The Rescue and The First Wave), and give our predictions on what documentary will take home the Academy Award. Follow Anne Thompson on Twitter Watch this episode on Youtube

    32 min
See All (56)

4.5
out of 5
41 Ratings

About

Conversations with the world’s best documentary filmmakers — directors, cinematographers, audio experts, editors, producers, writers — about how they got their start and how they tell stories.

Information

  • Creator
    Austin Meyer: Documentary Filmmaker, National Geographic Explorer
  • Years Active
    2018 - 2025
  • Episodes
    56
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Austin Meyer: Documentary Filmmaker, National Geographic Explorer
  • Show Website
    The Austin Meyer Podcast