From Passion to Paycheck

Blockhouse34
  • 5.0 (6)
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Updated Weekly

"From Passion to Paycheck" highlights creative professionals who make a living off of the crafts they love. From film and television to music and every creative profession you can imagine, these entrepreneurial artists are doing amazing work every day, in fields that a lot of people might consider impossible. We hope you enjoy hearing their stories as much as we do. And maybe, just maybe, it will ignite creative passion in you as well.

  1. 3d ago

    Steven Esteb, Writer, Director, Podcast Producer & Host of JOURNALISTA: covering “the insane world of combat journalism”

    Steven Esteb is a WGA screenwriter who's sold TV and film projects to places like MGM and RKO Pictures, directed 6 feature films, from an AIDS documentary to a political comedy starring Beau Bridges and Judd Nelson, even a gangsta rap cult favorite for Cash Money Records starring Lil Wayne, Birdman, Juvenile.  And he created and hosted the totally insane Journalista Podcast for iHeart Radio, which might just be on a streamer in the near future.  With all that he's a popular script consultant and screenwriting coach, even taught screenwriting and film production at Loyola University in New Orleans.  He's the ultimate survivor, still writing and still pitching, and when the shit hits the fan, he'll be the last man standing.

    1 hr

  2. May 29

    Kevin Clark-Ryan, Showrunner Assistant, Writer, Director

    This is a fun conversation with the badass Kevin Clark-Ryan who recently released VIPERS, the short film he co-wrote and shot in LA, and who is currently a TV Showrunner’s assistant. With extensive experience in both New York and LA as a production assistant, driver, writer, director and bringing the deeply appreciated paychecks to set - Kevin’s point of view, coming directly from the trenches, is both wise and entertaining. He even let me ask him about the best time to take bathroom breaks - an essential topic in many a writer’s life.

    59 min

  3. May 22

    Karen Huie, Actor (Grandma Tanaka in Disney Pixar’s HOPPERS): Voiceovers, Looping, Screen, Stage

    With experience on close to 3000 TV, Film, Video Game and Stage projects, Karen Huie is a veteran actor who plays the role of Grandma Tanaka in the 2026 Disney Pixar film, HOPPERS. She also has extensive experience in looping as well as teaching classes at places like the Groundlings and has written and sold TV pilots. I met Karen many years ago and must admit I wanted to just sit back and keep listening to all of her engaging stories about such a long, and dedicated creative life. One, which began with her childhood in New York City’s Chinatown. NOTE - warning, spoiler alert if you haven’t seen HOPPERS yet!

    58 min

  4. May 12

    Jason Shuman, Executive Producer, WINNING TIME: THE RISE OF THE LAKERS DYNASTY and ACAPULCO

    Jason Shuman has had a prolific film and television career as both a writer and producer. From his beginning days, producing a horror film about the tooth fairy in Australia through projects from BANGKOK DANGEROUS to REBEL IN THE RYE, LONE SURVIVOR, ARE WE THERE YET, HALF BROTHERS, ACAPULCO, and the HBO Series WINNING TIME: THE RISE OF THE LAKERS DYNASTY - he is the embodiment of a story machine. This is even more clear with his upcoming projects, feature pitch, COLA WARS, and DRIFT - which he first co-wrote as a short story with one of his partners, Ben Queen. Both of these projects sold in recent bidding wars. Success aside, Jason manages to be a funny, humble and thoughtful human being as you will see in today’s discussion.

    1h 7m

  5. May 7

    Carole Kirschner, Director: WGA Showrunner Training Program & Paramount Writers Mentoring program

    Carole Kirschner has been a Career Coach in Hollywood for over 25 years and is the Director of the WGA Showrunner Training Program & the Paramount Writers Mentoring Program. She actually started off as a stand-up comic and then spent 15 years as a senior-level development executive, including at CBS and Steven Spielberg’s Amblin Television. And this episode is pretty special because not only is she a much beloved figure in the entertainment industry, but I also worked with Carole for over a decade and I consider her one of my greatest influences.

    48 min

  6. Apr 26

    Jeane Phan Wong, TV Writer, Wizard of pitch sales

    Jeane Phan Wong has sold numerous pilots, a feature, and has experience producing television from prep to post including episodes she wrote on freelance for ARROW. She staffed on Freemantle's SANDOKAN and consulted for Freeform's pilot AZNBBYGRL. She previously worked as an assistant in representation and in television, and has a unique perspective in that she has sold more than staffed. In this episode we discuss many of Jeane’s effective practices including the financial elements that allow her to say yes or no to opportunities with confidence, trusting her instincts and lateral networking.

    52 min

  7. Apr 17

    Adrien Prevost, Film & TV Composer

    Known for multiple award-winning concepts, Adrien Prevost has scored custom work for companies like A24, Sony Pictures Classics, Amazon Studios, Disney / Pixar, Focus Features, Aviron, Hulu, FX, Universal, Warner Brothers and AMC and his work is a testament to the magic that only comes to storytelling through music.

    55 min

  8. Apr 11

    Helen Shang, Co-Executive Producer, TV & Streaming

    Fresh off runs on the series “Avatar: The Last Airbender” and “IT: Welcome to Derry,” Helen Shang rose from Researcher and EP assistant to Co-Executive Producer with writing and producing work on shows including “Hannibal,” “The Lord of the Rings: Rings of Power,” “Hawaii Five-O,” and “13 Reasons Why.” Part of her journey included a stint in David Mamet’s corner office on the FOX lot - and one of the massively important skills Helen has mastered is: staying in touch with all of the good people she has met along the way.

    54 min
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
6 Ratings

About

"From Passion to Paycheck" highlights creative professionals who make a living off of the crafts they love. From film and television to music and every creative profession you can imagine, these entrepreneurial artists are doing amazing work every day, in fields that a lot of people might consider impossible. We hope you enjoy hearing their stories as much as we do. And maybe, just maybe, it will ignite creative passion in you as well.

Information

  • Creator
    Blockhouse34
  • Years Active
    2K
  • Episodes
    30
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Blockhouse34
  • Show Website
    From Passion to Paycheck

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