Let's Talk Media with Vedant Akhauri

Vedant Akhauri
  • 5.0 (15)
  • Arts
  • Updated Biweekly

Let's Talk Media is an interview podcast hosted by media professional and award-winning podcaster, Vedant Akhauri. Learn from unfiltered conversations with creators and analysts across film, TV, and media about their craft, careers, and the chaos that follows. New episodes on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Follow @letstalkmediava on Instagram. Podcast Main Thumbnail and Style Guide by Brontë Cook.

  1. 1d ago

    Paradox Universe: Building an Independent Studio, Making Horror, and Securing Distribution (ft. Filmmaker, Joseph Mbah)

    How do you build a sustainable career as an independent filmmaker outside the major studio system, write compelling supernatural thrillers on a micro-budget, and navigate distribution to major streaming platforms without waiting for Hollywood's permission? In this episode of Let's Talk Media, host Vedant Akhauri sits down with independent director, cinematographer, and producer Joseph Mbah. Joseph shares his journey in independent cinema, the founding of his production banner Paradox Universe, and the release of his new supernatural psychological horror-thriller, Whispers Bind. In this episode, we discuss: Field Experience vs. Classroom Theory: Why Joseph's community college professor urged him to learn on active sets, plus a humorous look at his first PA gig.Building Paradox Universe: Joseph's vision to grow an independent studio model reminiscent of A24, specializing in a sweet spot of action, sci-fi, and horror.Authenticity, Faith, and Nigerian Roots: How Joseph infuses his Nigerian heritage and personal faith into his storytelling without being pigeonholed into the traditional "faith-based" genre.The Psychology of Whispers Bind: Exploring the film's central demon that targets human grief through friendly, subtle "whispers" rather than brute force.Micro-Budget Resource Inventory: How to write scripts around assets you already own, optimize production budgets, hire key locations for short windows, and maintain humane 6–8 hour shoot days.Set Safety and Catering: Why feeding your cast and crew well and respecting their rest is an indispensable golden rule of independent filmmaking.Horror as a Moral Playground: Why the horror genre provides a unique "breathing ground" to examine faith, trauma, and complex human belief systems.The Cold Outreach Distribution Blueprint: Practical advice on cutting high-impact trailers, contacting distributors via IMDb Pro, working with sales agents, and landing direct platform deals. Timestamps 00:00 – Introduction & Welcome02:15 – Hands-On Film Education: Transitioning from a high school project to Arizona film studies, and why volunteering on set beats classroom theory.04:10 – Learning Set Jargon05:30 – Paradox Universe06:45 – Nigerian Heritage & Faith in Film08:00 – The Premise of Whispers BindCasting & Micro-Budget Collaboration14:30 – Inventory-Based Writing & Set Ethics17:45 – Horror as a Moral & Spiritual PlaygroundDistribution Blueprint & Securing AgentsFuture Action-Horror Projects & Wrap-Up: Staying a student of cinema, upcoming projects, and where to follow Joseph Whispers Bind is available to stream on Roku, Fawsome, and Samsung TV Plus. You can explore Joseph's production banner at paradoxuniverse.net and connect with him on Instagram @joseph_mbah. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a rating to help us share more conversations about the craft of media. You can find Let's Talk Media with Vedant Akhauri on all major podcast directories and follow the show on Instagram @letstalkmediava. New episodes drop every Tuesday and Thursday!

    Paradox Universe: Building an Independent Studio, Making Horror, and Securing Distribution (ft. Filmmaker, Joseph Mbah)

  2. Oct 1

    HorrorFix: Championing Indie Horror, Micro-Budget Filmmaking, and Building a Genre Hub (ft. Founder, Ash Hamilton)

    How can independent filmmakers break through an oversaturated media market to bring micro-budget horror stories to life? In this episode of Let's Talk Media, host Vedant Akhauri sits down with Ash Hamilton, founder of HorrorFix, an online hub dedicated to giving the "indie-est of indie" horror creators visibility, resources, and a platform to reach wider audiences. Ash shares his journey from watching midnight Saturday horror movies with his mother as a child to launching his own film projects and media ecosystem. Together, we explore the pragmatic realities of low-budget filmmaking, the art of creating memorable characters over subgenre gimmicks, and how to pitch investors in the modern digital age. In this episode, we discuss: The Saturday Night Ceremony: How watching late-night horror films with his mother sparked a lifelong passion for the genre, alongside his love for 1980s "rockstar" horror, Universal Monsters, Hammer Horror, and Italian Giallo cinema.Building HorrorFix: Why Ash created a dedicated digital platform to elevate independent horror projects that get overlooked by mainstream media outlets."Write a $700 Movie": Crucial advice for aspiring filmmakers on assessing assets versus limitations.Character First, Device Second: Why relying solely on horror tropes (slasher, werewolf, creature feature) falls flat without characters that audiences love or love to hate.Pitching Investors Realistically: What investors and executive producers actually look for.Inside the Horror Fix Slate: A look at Ash's alien abduction mockumentary Holes in the Sky: The Sean Miller Story, the apocalyptic anthology Final Days: Tales from the End Times, his upcoming documentary Examining Evil, and his 1984 nuclear-scare audio drama Dislocated. Timestamps: 00:00 – Introduction to Horror Fix & Giving Indie Creators a Platform02:15 – Childhood Saturday Nights: The Origin of Ash's Love for Horror04:10 – The "Rockstar" Era: '80s Horror, Heavy Metal, & Practical FX06:00 – Ash's Fine Art Roots: From '90s Indie Comics to Hot Rod Airbrushing09:00 – Oversaturation & Overcoming Challenges in Modern Media11:00 – Inside the Horror Fix Slate: Holes in the Sky, Final Days, & Mangled15:00 – The "Write a $700 Movie" Rule: Balancing Assets vs. Limitations17:00 – Why Horror Remains the Ultimate Launch Vehicle for Indie Directors21:00 – Avoiding Cliches: Why Character Investment Beats Subgenre Devices22:30 – How to Pitch Horror Investors: ROI, Marketing Reach, & Attached Talent24:30 – Audio Dramas & Publishing: Dislocated and Upcoming Horror Books26:00 – Where to Connect with Horror Fix & Closing Remarks To explore indie horror reviews, podcasts, and upcoming releases, visit horror-fix.com. If you enjoyed this conversation, please subscribe and leave a rating to help us share more stories from creators across media. You can follow the show on Instagram @letstalkmediava. New episodes drop every Tuesday and Thursday.

    HorrorFix: Championing Indie Horror, Micro-Budget Filmmaking, and Building a Genre Hub (ft. Founder, Ash Hamilton)

  3. Sep 24

    The Business of Podcasting: Booking Guests, Studio Production, and Fighting Burnout (ft. Richard Wilmore)

    In this episode of Let's Talk Media, host Vedant Akhauri sits down with podcast producer and host Richard Wilmore (founder of Make Your Day Richer LLC) for an unfiltered look into the behind-the-scenes craft of podcast production and guest booking. Inspired as an 11-year-old by the celebratory, judgment-free warmth of The Rosie O'Donnell Show in 1997, Richard discusses his mission to bring classic daytime talk show energy into modern digital media. The conversation explores what makes a guest stand out beyond their job title, how solo creators can navigate burnout by redefining creative "seasons", and why human stumbles and unscripted moments remain far more compelling than hyper-polished AI content. Timestamps 00:00 – Intro & Podcasting Craft: Vedant introduces Richard Wilmore to explore guest booking and studio production.02:15 – The 1997 Rosie O'Donnell Spark: How 1990s daytime television inspired Richard's approach to inclusive media.05:00 – Studio Logistics & Booking Strategy08:00 – What Makes a Standout Guest10:00 – Consistency & Creator Fatigue13:00 – Studio Aesthetics vs. Authenticity16:00 – Human Imperfection vs. AI20:00 – Preventing Burnout as a Podcaster26:00 – Monetization & Industry Trends31:00 – Wrap-Up: Final reflections and where to find Richard's workIf you like what you hear, please subscribe and leave a rating to help us share more vital stories. You can find Let's Talk Media with Vedant Akhauri on all major podcast directories and follow the show on Instagram @letstalkmediava.

    The Business of Podcasting: Booking Guests, Studio Production, and Fighting Burnout (ft. Richard Wilmore)

  4. Sep 11

    Inherited Grief: Being Gen Z in a Post-9/11 World

    Marking the 25th anniversary of September 11th, host Vedant Akhauri breaks from the standard interview format of Let's Talk Media for a solemn reflection on how Gen Z carries the weight of 9/11. For those who were infants in cribs or born into the post-9/11 era, the tragedy doesn't exist as a personal "where were you" memory, but as a world understood secondhand through stories, history textbooks, and media artifacts. In this episode, we discuss: Media as a History Teacher: How a generation pieced together a national tragedy through pop culture - from Bollywood cinema like My Name is Khan, Kathryn Bigelow's Zero Dark Thirty, and Jon Stewart’s raw Daily Show monologue.The Generational Watershed: Tracing the razor-thin boundary between high school cohorts (such as the Class of 2018 and 2019) that marked the final transition between high-school students born before 9/11 and those born entirely into its aftermath.Living in the Aftermath: A candid reflection on growing up Indian-American in a post-9/11 America without any personal memory of the world before it.Preserving Living Memory: A respectful call for older generations to step up as "historians" for younger listeners, ensuring the human weight, empathy, and memory of the nearly 3,000 lives lost are preserved for generations to come. If you like what you hear, please subscribe and leave a rating to help us share more vital stories. You can find Let's Talk Media with Vedant Akhauri on all major podcast directories and follow the show on Instagram @letstalkmediava. New episodes drop every Tuesday and Thursday! This episode is dedicated to the innocent lives lost in the September 11th attacks, the troops lost in the War on Terror, and to those who carry their memories with grief and remembrance. Released on September 11th, 2026 at 8:46 A.M Eastern Time.

    Inherited Grief: Being Gen Z in a Post-9/11 World

  5. Sep 7

    Not a Real Enemy: The True Story of a Hungarian Jewish Man’s Fight for Freedom (ft. Co-Author, Robert Wolf)

    How does one family survive the brutal Nazi forced labor camps of World War II, only to find themselves trapped under the paranoid surveillance and repression of Stalin’s Soviet regime? In this episode of Let's Talk Media, host Vedant Akhauri sits down with retired radiologist and co-author Dr. Robert Wolf. Dr. Wolf joins the show to discuss his award-winning biography of his father, Not a Real Enemy: The True Story of a Hungarian Jewish Man’s Fight for Freedom (co-authored with Janice Harper). The book, currently stocked at the US Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington DC, recounts the incredible life of Robert's father, Ervin Wolf: A Hungarian Jewish physician who, with his wife, had to survive two back-to-back nightmares: the physical horror of the Nazi occupation, followed immediately by the soul-crushing political surveillance of Stalinist communism. In this episode, we discuss: The Realities of the Forced Labor Service: Dr. Wolf sheds light on the brutal, mobile Hungarian labor camps, grueling paramilitary services with a mere 5% survival rate where Jewish men were used as human landmine detectors.A Four-Time Escape Artist: Ervin's survival, including the bizarre, miraculous moment a "missed" escape attempt actually saved his life.Friendship in the Darkest Times: How Ervin's best friend, Frank, used his skills as an architect to map their grueling steps and keep them both alive.Frontliners in the 1956 Hungarian Revolution: A behind-the-scenes look at the uprising against the Soviets, where Ervin worked 24/7 as a trauma surgeon and Robert's mother ran the Budapest blood bank as a medical student.The War on Historical Denial: A passionate call to action on why preserving firsthand family memoirs is our strongest weapon against modern, rising global antisemitism and the digital spread of misinformation. Not a Real Enemy has won four major book awards and is available now on Amazon in Paperback, Hardcover, Kindle, and as an Audiobook. You can also find it stocked at the US Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington DC. To learn more about the upcoming documentary and Dr. Wolf's work, visit notarealenemy.com. If you like what you hear, please subscribe and leave a rating to help us share more vital stories. You can find Let's Talk Media with Vedant Akhauri on all major podcast directories and follow the show on Instagram @letstalkmediava. New episodes drop every Tuesday and Thursday!

    Not a Real Enemy: The True Story of a Hungarian Jewish Man’s Fight for Freedom (ft. Co-Author, Robert Wolf)

  6. Sep 6

    Courtroom Realism vs. Fiction Thrillers: How to Write Legal Suspense (ft. Author, Jon Gegenheimer)

    How does a former military counterintelligence interrogator and veteran trial lawyer use his high-stakes real-world experience to write authentic, deeply gripping legal suspense, and what does Hollywood get completely wrong about the courtroom? In this episode of the media interview series, Let's Talk Media, host Vedant Akhauri sits down with veteran trial attorney, elected court official, and former counterintelligence specialist Jon Gagenheimer. Jon discusses the intersection of law, history, and creative writing, showing how his decades in the judicial system fuel his career as a literary novelist. We explore how real-world military interrogation training translates directly to cross-examining witnesses on the stand, why popular television legal dramas violate basic rules of evidence, and how to build authentic, realistic suspense across a narrative without overwhelming your readers with dry legal jargon. (Note: As with all our guest interviews, Jon’s discussion of history, world relations, and modern politics are entirely his own personal opinions, shared here in the spirit of open, thoughtful dialogue) In this episode, we discuss: The Interrogator in the Courtroom: How Jon’s military counterintelligence background in the U.S. Army trained him to read physical mannerisms, decode body language, and spot lies on the witness stand.Calling Out Unrealism in TV: Why standard TV legal dramas are fundamentally unrealistic, and how Jon uses actual direct examinations, objections, and realistic judicial temperaments to construct authentic trial scenes.Ripped from New Orleans History: How the real-life, controversial 1960s Clay Shaw trial in New Orleans, and the booming baritone of DA Jim Garrison inspired the central murder mystery in Jon's whodunit, The Griffin Murders.Sigmund Freud & C.S. Lewis Team Up: Inside Jon’s novel The Canon Code, which takes a highly analytical, empirical approach to solving Charles Dickens' unfinished final book, The Mystery of Edwin Drood.Churchill vs. H*tler: The wild, high-concept premise behind Churchill vs H*tler, featuring a high-stakes, secret golf match in neutral Sweden patterned after the iconic cheating match in James Bond's Goldfinger.Ditching the Outline: Why Jon rejects rigid paper outlines when writing fiction, choosing instead to write freely and navigate narrative surprises the same way a trial lawyer must pivot on their feet when caught off guard. Jon's novels are available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and through regional book distributors. If you like what you hear, please subscribe and leave a rating to help us share more vital stories. You can find Let's Talk Media with Vedant Akhauri on all major podcast directories and follow the show on Instagram @letstalkmediava. New episodes drop every Tuesday and Thursday!

    Courtroom Realism vs. Fiction Thrillers: How to Write Legal Suspense (ft. Author, Jon Gegenheimer)

  7. Sep 5

    Alternative Historical Fiction : The Joel Knight Menace Series (ft. Author, Jeff Kildow)

    How does a retired aerospace engineer and Air Force veteran use his technical expertise and family military heritage to write gripping, historically authentic espionage fiction? In this episode of Let's Talk Media, host Vedant Akhauri sits down with Jeff Kildow. Jeff served in the U.S. Air Force maintaining the supersonic "Hound Dog" cruise missile during the Cold War and grew up on his father's stories of flying transport missions in Alaska during World War II. Today, he translates those rich historical textures into his thrilling Joel Knight Menace Series, alternative history adventures set during World War II, The Korean War, and The Suez Canal Crisis. Jeff shares his secrets for combining hard science with creative imagination, tracking down vintage World War II telephone books to find period-accurate business names, and ensuring his thrillers balance high-intensity action with realistic, mundane everyday moments. In this episode, we discuss: The "Hound Dog" Cruise Missile: Jeff's Cold War service maintaining a 43-foot-long supersonic nuclear missile, and the highly unique reason it got its name, because it was one of the first missiles that could "make a turn" to throw off Soviet radar defenses.The 11th Air Force in Alaska: How Jeff's father flew Douglas C-47 transport missions down the Aleutian island chain to Atu: The only U.S. territory invaded during WWII, battling some of the worst flying weather on Earth."Get Your Plane Off the Road!": The legendary, hilarious story told to Jeff by famous aerobatic pilot Bob Hoover, who had to execute a dangerous emergency landing with his yellow P-51 Mustang on a narrow Canadian highway, only to have a local woman in a Buick honk at him to get out of her rway.The Packard Protocol: Why a junior officer in his novels has to ask his colonel's permission before buying a prestigious Packard car, and how unwritten military etiquette can make or break a historical fiction story.No Trevors in 1944: Jeff's meticulous naming research using vintage baby name directories to ensure his characters' names perfectly match their historical decades.Designing the Perfect Antagonist: How Jeff solved the challenge of a cross-Atlantic narrative distance by creating a brilliant, double-PhD physically disabled antagonist of short stature who is too scientifically invaluable to be sent to the camps.The Coma Bureaucracy: The fascinating "what-if" premise of his first book, which explores how a terrified, personality-cult-driven high command is frozen in place when their leader suddenly slips into a coma.Jeff Kildow's novels, including the Joel Knight Menace Series, are available on Amazon and detailed on his website at jeffkildow.com. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a rating to help us share more conversations about the craft of storytelling. You can follow the podcast on Instagram @letstalkmediava. New episodes drop every Tuesday and Thursday.

    Alternative Historical Fiction : The Joel Knight Menace Series (ft. Author, Jeff Kildow)

  8. Sep 4

    World War II: Family Stories Of Courage And Survival (ft. Author, Dr. Caroline Crocker)

    In this episode of the media interview series, Let's Talk Media, host Vedant Akhauri sits down with Dr. Caroline Crocker, a scientist turned author who has dedicated her retirement to preserving the raw, personal histories of her parents and grandparents during World War II. Dr. Crocker started with Early Dog Stories, but then pivoted into WWII books, focusing on civilian survival, systematic abuse, and wartime trauma that echo across generations. Brave Face: Chronicling her mother's survival through the occupied Netherlands and the starvation of the Hunger Winter.Unforgivable: Detailing her father Fritz's dual childhood traumas of systemic abuse and surviving wartime occupation.The Truth Was Different: Exploring her translation and deciphering of her grandmother's five out-of-print Dutch novels to uncover hidden family trauma, releasing November 2026.Ordinary Courage: Highlighting her upcoming 2028 biography about her maternal grandparents' resilient kindness during the occupation. In this episode, we discuss: The Craft of Family Preservation: How Dr. Crocker transitioned from a distinguished scientific career as an immunologist and medical researcher to writing creative biographies of her parents, balancing dark historical truths with lighthearted family memories.The Spat-In Dessert and Typewriter Authority: A humorous vignette from Brave Face about sibling rivalry and her mother's childhood in the occupied Netherlands, highlighting the power of the writer to preserve the unvarnished truth.The Starvation of the Hunger Winter: The devastating physical reality of living through the freezing winter of 1944–1945 in the Hague, where families were forced to eat toxic tulip bulbs and crawl across kitchen floors to find single grains of rice.The Miracle of Vera: The inspiring story of Dr. Crocker's premature uncle, who survived the starvation because his mother's best friend, Vera, who had lost her own sons to wartime bombings, walked through the ruins daily to nurse him.Double Traumas in Unforgivable: The childhood of Dr. Crocker's father, Fritz, who dealt with the dual traumas of systematic abuse and abandonment at a children's home alongside the outbreak of the war.Deciphering the Fiction: Dr. Crocker's meticulous process of translating her grandmother's five out-of-print Dutch novels and recognizing recurring, graphic scenes to piece together hidden, traumatic autobiographical realities.The Core Duty of Forgiveness: A profound philosophical discussion on how Dr. Crocker's father and her uncle, a survivor of Auschwitz who lost his first wife and four children there—chose a path of radical forgiveness to heal, famously teaching, "Forgive, forgive, and then forgive." If you would like to read chapters from Dr. Crocker's books or learn more about her research, visit her website at ramblingruminations.com. Brave Face and Unforgivable are available now, and her upcoming book, The Truth Was Different, releases in November 2026. If you enjoyed this conversation, please subscribe and leave a rating. Follow the podcast on Instagram @letstalkmediava for exclusive behind-the-scenes content. New episodes drop on Tuesdays and Thursdays. This episode is dedicated to Keetje van Zanten and her family (Mother Esther, Father Marcus, and Brothers Benjamin and Aron). Keetje became Fritz's friend at the secret orphange in Arnhehemsebovenweg. She and her entire family were murdered in the Holocaust. Keetje was 13 years old (May 16, 1930 - February 1944).

    World War II: Family Stories Of Courage And Survival (ft. Author, Dr. Caroline Crocker)
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Let's Talk Media is an interview podcast hosted by media professional and award-winning podcaster, Vedant Akhauri. Learn from unfiltered conversations with creators and analysts across film, TV, and media about their craft, careers, and the chaos that follows. New episodes on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Follow @letstalkmediava on Instagram. Podcast Main Thumbnail and Style Guide by Brontë Cook.

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