B Smith's Second Sticks

Brett Smith
  • 5.0 (14)
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Welcome to B Smith's Second Sticks! It's a podcast! We talk to the creative and essential people that are responsible for the non-scripted and reality shows you work on and watch. The industry is in a period of tumult, and we dig into what these workers are feeling, how they are coping, and what is happening next for the industry.

  1. 2d ago

    B Smith's Second Sticks- Ruben Avendano

    Having your camera stolen is indeed an unorthodox method to find your way into a budding second career as a photographer, but that's essentially what happened to Ruben Avendano, this week's guest on B Smith's Second Sticks. Ruben has been a cameraman in non-scripted for years; indeed we talk about meeting on the show Switched, an short-lived but memorable ABC Family show which depicted teenagers switching lives with one another. We also got into the specifics regarding the first season of Lego Masters, where Ruben captured the rarest of reality tv animals, the Double Bird. Like many people during the period of Covid, Ruben searched for alternate modes of expression, and found photography. It was at a protest in 2020 that he had his camera stolen from him, which first demoralized him, but ultimately helped him find the motivation to pursue the art of photography even more passionately than he originally intended. Since then, he has created an amazing display of images that has lead to him being featured in a number of exhibitions and winning prizes in various photo competitions. Additionally, Ruben and I got to revisit one of our favorite things we did together while on set, delving into political conversations. As you can imagine, there was a veritable shit-ton to unpack. We also talked about the upcoming fantasy football season (we are in the same league), and at the time of publishing this, B Smith had defeating Ruben's team in the season opener (sorry pal)! It was an amazing conversation, both wide-ranging and inspiring. If you haven't yet, please check out Ruben's work at the links in the show notes. Show notes: Ruben's website: https://www.rubenavendano.art Ruben's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cameraruben/ Additional Note: Friend of the pod Ryan Rude's film "Wilma, Wu and Lorraine" is a double nominee at the Simi Film Fest! Unfortunately the last screening may have been September 15, but if you are interested, go to https://www.simiff.com/ for ticket info and support independent film! Ad links: F22 Studios for all your equipment and studio needs, support local industry! https://f22studiosla.com/ Take 30% off now on fresh and delicious Indian food delivered to your door from The Cumin Club https://www.thecuminclub.com/discount/STICKS Take 15% off all items at Old Glory, iconic music and sports merch, and much more! https://oldglory.com/discount/STICKS

  2. Sep 9

    B Smith's Second Sticks- Charlie Ruffner

    In the midst of the collective uncertainty and re-invention of what is currently the non-scripted Industry, you could be forgiven if you are contemplating a future different from what you had envisioned. Some of you might even be thinking about whether you are closer to retirement than you imagined. I'll be honest, I've thought about retirement more the past year than I have collectively throughout my entire career. Do we even understand what it means to retire, and how to go about it? B Smith's Second Sticks has a great conversation with Charlie Ruffner, longtime Local 80 grip who decided to retire this year. Although he could have kept working, Charlie decided that it was time to invest himself in his life with his wife. We talk about that decision and the involved process of filing for retirement with MPIPH, as well as Charlie's career, which started at the CBS grip rental house at CBS Television City and evolved into many years as an on-set grip on such shows as Seinfeld and Will and Grace. Charlie understands how fortunate he is to have worked so long in an industry that is now evolving into something drastically different, and has the requisite appreciation and gravitas one can develop over time (if things break right, and they did for Charlie). We recount his never having to leave town to work for 26 years, sleeping in his own bed every night, until his late foray into the non-scripted world. We also chat about our dogs, and about the magnanimous nature of Ru Paul Charles. A lot is covered, and we hope it's a fitting send-off for an amazing career (and a new chapter)! Ad links: F22 Studios for all your equipment and studio needs, support local industry! https://f22studiosla.com/ Take 30% off now on fresh and delicious Indian food delivered to your door from The Cumin Club https://www.thecuminclub.com/discount/STICKS Take 15% off all items at Old Glory, iconic music and sports merch, and much more! https://oldglory.com/discount/STICKS

  3. Sep 2

    B Smith's Second Sticks- Case Norton

    There's a lot to overcome in our current moment in time, both as non-scripted workers, and as citizens of the United States. Many of us have issue with the daily challenges we face, and there's plenty to complain about. But what if we go beyond our complaints, and take action, and attempt to do something about it? Case Norton, a Georgia-based camera tech, did just that, when he tossed his proverbial hat in the ring for a US House seat this spring. Case ran for election to represent Georgia's 7th district in the US House. He took some time to speak to B Smith's Second Sticks about his unlikely but absolutely inspired political run. We talked about how the process started through Case's desire to offer an alternative to the run-of-the-mill self-serving career politician, or as he put it in his Ballotpedia candidate statement, "I've lived the realities most families here face: rising costs, unaffordable healthcare, stagnant wages, and elected officials who talk at us instead of fighting for us. I'm running because I believe Congress needs fewer career politicians and more people who actually understand the struggles of working-class families." Despite starting his campaign relatively late, and with little start-up money, hIs mercurial run lead him to winning a spot in a run-off in the 2026 Democratic primary on May 19. Although he ultimately lost in the run-off, Case's story is inspirational in the best and most idealistic American way possible. We recount all that, talk about his beginnings in the film and television business in California, and end with his words of hope. Please give this one a listen from start to finish! Show notes: https://ballotpedia.org/Case_Norton#Campaign_themes https://www.case4congress.com/ Ad links: F22 Studios for all your equipment and studio needs, support local industry! https://f22studiosla.com/ Take 30% off now on fresh and delicious Indian food delivered to your door from The Cumin Club https://www.thecuminclub.com/discount/STICKS Take 15% off all items at Old Glory, iconic music and sports merch, and much more! https://oldglory.com/discount/STICKS

  4. Aug 25

    B Smith's Second Sticks- Dave Kanehann

    Before there was a group affiliated with the International Cinematographers Guild known as the Unscripted Work Group, there were individuals who were having involved conversations with the union prior to its creation. One of those people was Dave Kanehann. On this episode, B Smith's Second Sticks dug into the origins of that group with Dave, as well as the now-infamous meeting in 2018 (check me on that date) with the some of the National and Regional officers at the guild that sparked awareness of what was happening in the non-scripted genre, as well as increasing involvement of its non-scripted members. Dave was among those (John Armstrong was another, and I'm sure there were others) having talks with the union, which helped lead to that meeting, and ultimately the work group. That we as unscripted workers and union members now have representation within both the Executive Officers and the National Board years later is no small feat, but of course there is always more work to be done. Dave shares his thoughts on how safety concerns are actually the best and most immediate way to create conversations within IATSE and the guild. We also talk about his time as a teenager involved with James Cameron's production company AND the movie "Titantic", as well as our shared experiences with numerous reality shows. We finish up by looking ahead to next year's negotiations involving the both the Video Tape Agreement and the Hollywood Basic Agreement, and what our negotiating position might be. Where we've been has an influence on where we are going, so arm yourself with information and give this one a listen! Ad links: F22 Studios for all your equipment and studio needs, support local industry! https://f22studiosla.com/ Take 30% off now on fresh and delicious Indian food delivered to your door from The Cumin Club! https://www.thecuminclub.com/discount/STICKS Take 15% off all items at Old Glory, iconic music and sports merch, and much more! https://oldglory.com/discount/STICKS

  5. Aug 18

    B Smith's Second Sticks - Jason Farrell

    Chances are that if you served as a Director of Photography or Production Manager on a non-scripted show in the past 23 or so years, you have come into contact with Jason Farrell, either through ordering or negotiating gear, or, at the very least, seeing his name on your equipment rental list. Jason, currently the VP of TV/Cinema and Production Resource Group (PRG), has been at it since the 90's with Band Pro, then for many years at VER. Regardless of what your feelings might be about VER, the story of the reality TV boom couldn't be told without VER. They were one of the most prolific, if not the preeminent, vendors of production gear up until the late 20-tens, when they may have over-leveraged themselves following the departure of co-founder Vince Dundee III and ultimately filed for bankruptcy (they were acquired by PRG in 2018). We touch base about all of that, as well as Jason's long successful career, which he attributes to the personal relationships he forged with the many production people who have come through the doors at all his stops. We sometimes forget that vendors are a part of this story of the recent disappearance of non-scripted production both locally and nationally. Jason and B Smith's Second Sticks attempt to identify a solution and a possible way back for non-scripted in Hollywood. This man has literally seen it all; give it a listen! Ad links: F22 Studios for all your equipment and studio needs, support local industry! https://f22studiosla.com/ Take 30% off now on fresh and delicious Indian food delivered to your door from The Cumin Club https://www.thecuminclub.com/discount/STICKS Take 15% off all items at Old Glory, iconic music and sports merch, and much more! https://oldglory.com/discount/STICKS

  6. Aug 11

    B Smith's Second Sticks - Yetee Osunsanmi/California Film Commission

    B Smith's Second Sticks talks with Yetee Osunsanmi, Deputy Director from the California Film Commission. The CFC handles a multitude of tasks related to film and television production in the state of California, but their most prominent action is administering the tax incentives provided to productions through Program 4.0, the $750 million dollar state tax incentive. The government increased the amount of money with the intent of both keeping productions in California as well as luring others back to the golden state. There has been some positive movement, but unfortunately not for the non-scripted sector. As of this time, only one non-scripted program ("Schooled", which was produced by Jimmy Kimmel's company) has been approved under the onerous guidelines, which require reality competition shows with budgets of $1 million dollars per episode. We talked about that, as well as the 2nd quarter production numbers in Los Angeles provided by FilmLA, which continue to paint a gloomy picture for the non-scripted sector (reality production days in Los Angeles are currently down 39.9% over the course of the last two years). Not a lot of happy stuff, folks! We do get into a number of other topics, and search for a glimmer of hope. I do want to thank my guest for joining me for what I hope is an informative episode! Please give this a listen and share, knowledge is power. Show notes: Due to technical difficulties, the YouTube version of this episode will not be readily available. It will be posted at a later date, thanks. Read about the California state Program 4.0, the film and tv production tax incentive: https://film.ca.gov/tax-credit/ Read about FilmLA's 2nd quarter report regarding production statistics in the area: https://filmla.com/research/#quarterly-reports Ad links: F22 Studios for all your equipment and studio needs, support local industry! https://f22studiosla.com/ Take 30% off now on fresh and delicious Indian food delivered to your door from The Cumin Club https://www.thecuminclub.com/discount/STICKS Take 30% off this exclusive patented superfood with Zivolife! https://zivo.life/discount/STICKS

  7. Aug 4

    B Smith's Second Sticks - Lance Bowling

    To say that Lance Bowling lived a hard scrabble life growing up in a trailer in the midwest might be underplaying it. From the time Lance's dad broke his alarm clock on his 18th birthday, and sent him out into the world with a loan of $50, it was on Lance to home his own destiny. B Smith's Second Sticks recounts his journey which led him to Los Angeles and finally his forays in to tv production. With "a 5D and a dream," Lance and his partner built up F22 studios from the humble beginnings in his garage to the new resplendent F22 Studio and Rental Equipment Space, complete with a large soundstage and the Hill Valley Podcast Studio, which our YouTube subscribers will see on this episode. Lance and I talked about our humble midwest beginnings, our meeting on Hell's Kitchen, battling and finding purpose to keep working through Covid, the current state of non-scripted production in Los Angeles both for workers and vendors, and the specter of A.I. as described by the evolution of an A.I. Will Smith eating spaghetti. It's quite the ride! Come join us in this new space and time. Come check out F22 studios, home of the Hill Valley podcast studio! https://f22studiosla.com Enjoy delicious Indian food delivered to your day, prepared in just 5 minutes! 30% off with this promo code: https://www.thecuminclub.com/discount/STICKS Take 20% off the amazing T's and Polos with HyperNatural, the clean alternative to polyester! https://hypernaturalstyle.com/discount/STICKS

  8. Jul 29

    B Smith's Second Sticks - Shawn Kopelakis

    Sports is a reality show; heroes, villains, drama, intrigue, and a (usually) clear sense of winners and losers. Sports is also entertainment, with millions and billions of dollars in play. And the people who do the production work to televise these events are subject to the same turbulent seas that may ultimately affect their lives in challenging ways. B Smith's Second Sticks talks with Shawn Kopelakis, my former boss at Fox Sports Net for many years. Shawn has lived both sides of the production coin: a long-time staffer who finally was given the choice to stay in a tenuous situation at Fox with an obvious end game, or take the life raft offered. For the past 10 years, Shawn, like many of us in the non-scripted game, has lived with the ebb and flow of free-lance work, with predictably unpredictable results. His insights are valuable, as he's seen the production world from both perspectives. We take the time to reminisce about sharing the outfield and locker room following the Anaheim (now Los Angeles) Angels World Series win in '02, and speculate about the future, including that of a young kicker from the University of Florida, Shawn's alma mater (Gator Chomp!). I hope you enjoy this unique view of an industry that in many ways mirrors our own. Show notes: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shawnkopelakis/ Ad links: Take 30% off The Cumin Club, delicious cuisine delivered to your door! https://www.thecuminclub.com/discount/STICKS F22 Studios, local vendor for all your production needs! https://f22studiosla.com/ Take 20% off all items on HyperNatural, the clean alternative to plastic polyester https://hypernaturalstyle.com/discount/STICKS

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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
14 Ratings

About

Welcome to B Smith's Second Sticks! It's a podcast! We talk to the creative and essential people that are responsible for the non-scripted and reality shows you work on and watch. The industry is in a period of tumult, and we dig into what these workers are feeling, how they are coping, and what is happening next for the industry.

Information

  • Creator
    Brett Smith
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    40
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2026 B Smith's Second Sticks
  • Show Website
    B Smith's Second Sticks

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