No Set Path: Entertainment Break-In Stories

Rebecca Doyle
  • 5.0 (7)
  • FILM INTERVIEWS
  • UPDATED BIWEEKLY

No Set Path is a biweekly podcast exploring how to succeed in film & TV by talking to people who have actually done it.

  1. 2D AGO

    69 - From Screenwriter to Writer/Director with Faith Liu (Blumhouse, Disney, Sony Animation)

    Faith Liu is a writer/director who has written feature films for Blumhouse, FilmNation, Sony Pictures Animation, and Disney. Her directorial debut short “Sundowning” is available online at CryptTV’s YouTube channel after a successful festival run. She was a member of the CAPE New Writers Fellowship and Christina Hodson and Margot Robbie’s Lucky Exports Pitch Program. Today we are getting into how Faith landed paid distribution for her short film, how she got connected with opportunities to write features for major studios in traditional Hollywood and what she thinks there is to gain from the film festival circuit.  EPISODE BREAKDOWN: 1:31 START 2:00 - Sundowning, Faith’s horror-with-a-heart proof of concept short now out on CryptTV 4:10 - Getting paid distribution for a short: CryptTV 6:07 - What to gain from film festivals (especially genre festivals) 13:20 - Winning the Wes Craven Award 16:44 - Going from screenwriter to writer-director 19:10 - Crowdfunding $40k for Sundowning 23:20 - Signing with Faith’s longtime manager Max Goldfarb 26:33 - First jobs in support staff on writers rooms of “Warrior” and “Better Call Saul” 29:59 - Caren Dulles?  33:50 - CAPE (Coalition for Asian Pacific in Entertainment) New Writers Program & how to pitch yourself in 3 minutes 42:15 - Getting connected with writing for multiple Hollywood studios & landing Open Writing Assignment pitches 48:10 - Getting into Margot Robbie’s Lucky Chap Pitch Program & women who write action 51:40 - Faith’s advice for screenwriters 54:14 - How living situation has impacted creativity  56:00 - What helped Faith persevere  59:04 - TIME CAPSULE

    1h 16m

  2. JAN 23

    68 - One Year Post LA Fires with Veronica Powers (Conan, Content Machine, The Misfits)

    Veronica Powers is a SAG actress, singer, and USC Summa Cum Laude graduate who has transitioned from a child performer on Conan to a viral comedy star for creators like Content Machine and Adam W. A versatile multi-hyphenate, she also lends her voice to global Netflix hits and works as a professional coach for aspiring talent. In this episode, we discuss the profound life lessons she learned after losing her home in the Palisades fire and the specific DM strategies she used to land major roles in the digital space. BREAKDOWN: 11:28 - Veronica’s origins, from Old Hollywood grandmother to acting as a child 18:11 - What Veronica DM’d to get cast in Instagram comedy sketches 19:23 - IG as the modern day business card 20:38 - opportunities & negotiations over Instagram DMs 25:38 - creating your own social content 26:38 - leaning into being a multi-hyphenate 29:28 - pursuing music through voiceover/dubbing contacts & training 32:38 - should new actors go SAG? 39:07 - TIME CAPSULE KEEP UP WITH VERONICA: IG: @officalvpowers | @confidencecoach101  KEEP UP WITH THE SHOW:  All platforms: @NoSetPathShow    www.NoSetPathShow.com www.bio.site/NoSetPath

    53 min

  3. JAN 8

    67 - Adapting True Stories for Movies with Austin Kolodney (Dead Man's Wire)

    Austin Kolodney is the screenwriter of “Dead Man’s Wire,” based on a true story and directed by Gus Van Sant, in theaters January 2026. He was named one of Variety’s 2025 Screenwriters to Watch. A director as well as writer, Austin’s work has been featured across major platforms including Funny Or Die, Syfy, Audible, Almost Friday TV, and Comedy Central. His narrative shorts, Two Chairs, Not One and Kiwi, earned prestigious Vimeo Staff Pick honors. Today we get into why Austin walked twenty miles round trip across LA to meet with Werner Herzog; working at the LA Zoo after the industry was ravaged by strikes and the pandemic; how he put himself through USC film school after two years at a community college; and the things he had in place to make reps pursue him for professional relationships that have lasted.  SEE “DEAD MAN’S WIRE:” Limited Release 1/07/26 | Out Nationwide 1/16/26 KEEP UP WITH AUSTIN:  IG: @awwwwstin KEEP UP WITH THE SHOW:  All Platforms: @NoSetPathShow www.bio.site/NoSetPath ANDREA’S GAMBIT PREMIERE TICKETS: https://mpi.swoogo.com/andreasgambit-la-premiere/10598619

    1h 34m

  4. 12/31/2025

    66 - 2026 New Year's Resolutions for Filmmakers with Becca Mann

    KEEP UP WITH BECCA: TikTok: @beccawmann Instagram: @becca__mann KEEP UP WITH THE SHOW: All Platforms: @NoSetPathShow www.NoSetPathShow.com bio.site/NoSetPath Last Year's Episode with Becca: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/47-new-years-resolutions-for-filmmakers-w-becca-mann/id1676370871?i=1000682375575

    56 min

  5. 12/26/2025

    65 - Industry Jobs in 2026 - Hollywood x Creator Economy

    With the Oscars broadcast headed to YouTube, studios including Fox hiring Head of Creator Studio, and YouTube surpassing Netflix to become the most watched streamer on TVs - where are the jobs headed in an industry that seems to be scaling back? The good news: there is one accessible sector that's growing, and may be replacing the bottom of the pyramid of traditional media. Mentioned articles/books: THR "Hollywood Is Dying—42000 Jobs Gone in Just 2 Years": https://nofilmschool.com/entertainment-industry-crisis Wall Street Journal: "L.A.’s Entertainment Economy Is Looking Like a Disaster Movie" https://www.wsj.com/business/media/los-angeles-entertainment-economy-downturn-7879105c Deloitte digital media trends data: https://www.deloitte.com/us/en/insights/industry/technology/digital-media-trends-consumption-habits-survey/2025.html The Women Who Built Hollywood by Susan Goldman Rubin: https://ccbc.education.wisc.edu/recommended-books/?bookId=24944 Scott Galloway on Colin & Samir: https://open.spotify.com/episode/7vNHGUPEVtJanMq6lXaxUr Dhar Mann: https://www.dharmann.com/about/ Kinigra Deon: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9HvSOvNpFpjydzDkAQJCNw Try Guys on Colin & Samir: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OsvyA7O9hiY Michelle Khare on Colin & Samir 2025: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5TlPHtxsBIA Zach Justice on the Karat Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/episode/2t2vq1kqfphXVXTew72ZA9 THR - Taylor Lorenz: "How Hollywood Learned to Love Influencers" https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/digital/hollywood-influencers-new-era-fame-1236400405/ The Town with Matt Belloni - Did Hollywood Ever Have a Chance Against YouTube? https://www.theringer.com/podcasts/the-town-with-matthew-belloni/2025/11/20/did-hollywood-ever-have-a-chance-against-youtube TV Upfronts Data: https://videoamp.com/press/tv-networks-embrace-their-aging-audience-with-a-new-mantra-age-doesnt-matter/?utm_source=chatgpt.com Tina Fey on Smartless: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Jc5ThwTxSM KEEP UP WITH THE SHOW: All Platforms: @NoSetPathShow www.NoSetPathShow.com www.bio.site/NoSetPath

    56 min

  6. 12/05/2025

    64 - Spotify Wrapped for No Set Path!

    KEEP UP WITH THE SHOW: All Platforms: @NoSetPathShow bio.site/NoSetPath www.NoSetPathShow.com

    6 min

  7. 10/30/2025

    63 - Directing an Indie Theatrical Release with Spencer King (The Wilderness, Time Now, Nickels)

    Today we get into how a film can land theatrical distribution without festival circuit buzz; how to leverage existing relationships into building a crew, cast, and distributors on your team; and how a cold email landed a distributor for two of his feature films. TICKETS FOR “THE WILDERNESS”: https://www.fandango.com/the-wilderness-2025-242791/movie-overview KEEP UP WITH SPENCER:  IG: @spencereking / @thewildernessmovie  KEEP UP WITH THE SHOW:  All Platforms: @NoSetPathShow  www.NoSetPathShow.com bio.site/NoSetPath

    49 min

  8. 10/16/2025

    62 - Hope After Projects Fall Apart!

    KEEP UP WITH THE SHOW: @NoSetPathShow bio.site/NoSetPath

    33 min
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5
out of 5
7 Ratings

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No Set Path is a biweekly podcast exploring how to succeed in film & TV by talking to people who have actually done it.

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