Nerdhat

Nerdhat Productions
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Across the spectrum of arts and entertainment, from fine art films to our favorite graphic novel, we share creative experiences which electrify our inner nerd, engage our nostalgia, or enliven our mildly inappropriate humor. This is Nerdhat. 

  1. RiverRun, 2026, Bonus: "Hotline" (w/Ricki Stern & Jesse Sweet)

    2D AGO ·  BONUS

    RiverRun, 2026, Bonus: "Hotline" (w/Ricki Stern & Jesse Sweet)

    WHAT’S IN YOUR NERDHAT? "Fentanyl overdose is the number one cause of death for 18–44-year-olds. Fentanyl can be as inexpensive as a cigarette and more than 100 times more powerful than morphine.  As overdose rates rise and stigma persists, THE HOTLINE is not just a story about crisis—it's a story about listening. Grounded in real-world harm reduction efforts, THE HOTLINE is a film about connection in the darkest moments, the power of empathy, and the quiet heroes working in the shadows to keep people breathing, one call at a time."     ~ breakthrufilms.org On a more serious note*, we decided to cover the documentary short film "Hotline" (2026), which won Honorable Mention in the documentary short film category at the RiverRun International Film Festival. It was co-directed by Ricki Stern and Jesse Sweet, who agreed to come on the podcast to talk about their most recent venture.  If you or someone you know is battling an opioid addiction, help is available. Here are two resources which the filmmakers recommend:  https://www.samhsa.gov/ The "Never Use Alone" Hotline: 1-877-696-1996 *The views and opinions expressed by guests do not necessarily represent the views and opinions of the Nerdhat podcast or its hosts.* Love the podcast? Want to join the community? Head over to our Patreon and sign up today!  https://patreon.com/TheNerdhatPodcast?utm_medium=unknown&utm_source=join_link&utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator&utm_content=copyLink

    37 min
  2. RiverRun 2026, Part 3: "Over Your Dead Body" (w/Keith Jardine)

    2D AGO

    RiverRun 2026, Part 3: "Over Your Dead Body" (w/Keith Jardine)

    WHAT’S IN YOUR NERDHAT? The dark comedy thriller "Over Your Dead Body" was the Centerpiece screening at the 2026 RiverRun International Film Festival. We had a chance to sit down with actor Keith Jardine, who plays Todd in the film, to talk about his experience working on set with director Jorma Taccone and actors Jason Segel, Samara Weaving, Timothy Olyphont, and Juliette Lewis.  https://www.imdb.com/title/tt34685692/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0_tt_7_nm_1_in_0_q_over%20your%20dead%20b *The views and opinions expressed by guests do not necessarily represent the views and opinions of the Nerdhat podcast or its hosts.* Love the podcast? Want to join the community? Head over to our Patreon and sign up today!  https://patreon.com/TheNerdhatPodcast?utm_medium=unknown&utm_source=join_link&utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator&utm_content=copyLink

    53 min
  3. RiverRun 2026, Part 2: Writer-Director Will Thwaites

    APR 20

    RiverRun 2026, Part 2: Writer-Director Will Thwaites

    WHAT’S IN YOUR NERDHAT? On day 2 of the RiverRun International Film Festival, we sat down with filmmaker @willthwaites to discuss the documentary film @crimeandparody which he wrote, directed, filmed, and co-edited. "Crime + Parody" begins with an account of Anthony Novak's legal conflict with his local police department in Parma, Ohio and expands to cover the story of another Ohio resident, Omar Arrington Bay, whose encounters with law enforcement ultimately led to his death. Along the way, the film addresses issues like freedom of speech, the importance of comedy as a check on governmental power, and the controversial legal principle of qualified immunity.       In addition to discussing the film, we also talked with Will about his career in the film industry, which has included projects as varied as Animal Planet's "Zoo" and James Cameron's "The Story of Science Fiction." "Crime + Parody" is his feature length directorial debut, and has already won him an award for best Director (at the Atlanta Documentary Film Festival) during its festival run. If you are listening to this episode prior to April 24th, you may be able to catch the final showing of "Crime + Parody" at the Marketplace Cinema here in our very own Winston Salem, NC.  *The views and opinions expressed by guests do not necessarily represent the views and opinions of the Nerdhat podcast or its hosts.* Buy a ticket for the Friday, April 24th Showing of Crime + Parody:  https://riverrunfilm.com/events/crimeandparody/#buynow Follow the Film on Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/crimeandparody/ Follow Will Thwaites on Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/willthwaites/ Love the podcast? Want to join the community? Head over to our Patreon and sign up today!  https://patreon.com/TheNerdhatPodcast?utm_medium=unknown&utm_source=join_link&utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator&utm_content=copyLink

    49 min
  4. Bonus: Catching up with T.J. Sandella

    APR 14 ·  BONUS

    Bonus: Catching up with T.J. Sandella

    WHAT’S IN YOUR NERDHAT? T.J. Sandella, the co-writer and co-director of the feature film "Battersea," which played at the 2025 RiverRun International Film Festival, came back on the podcast to share how the film has faired since we last spoke.  Learn More About Battersea:  https://www.tjsandella.com/battersea Learn More About T.J.:  https://www.tjsandella.com/ *The views and opinions expressed by guests do not necessarily represent the views and opinions of the Nerdhat podcast or its hosts.* Love the podcast? Want to join the community? Head over to our Patreon and sign up today!  https://patreon.com/TheNerdhatPodcast?utm_medium=unknown&utm_source=join_link&utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator&utm_content=copyLink

    14 min
  5. Bonus: Catching up with Timothy Michael Cooper

    APR 14 ·  BONUS

    Bonus: Catching up with Timothy Michael Cooper

    WHAT’S IN YOUR NERDHAT? Timothy Cooper reached out to us leading up to last year's RiverRun International Film Festival. He was our first official interview. This past week he came back on the podcast to share how "Knead," the short film he wrote and directed and which played at RiverRun last year, has faired. He also talked about an upcoming short film for which he wrote the screenplay, "Rock, Paper, Destiny."  Watch "Knead" on the Omeleto Channel:  https://youtu.be/gkvTQzMRrIw?si=lWgn4G-Ar2GQAS7n *The views and opinions expressed by guests do not necessarily represent the views and opinions of the Nerdhat podcast or its hosts.* Love the podcast? Want to join the community? Head over to our Patreon and sign up today!  https://patreon.com/TheNerdhatPodcast?utm_medium=unknown&utm_source=join_link&utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator&utm_content=copyLink

    19 min
  6. RiverRun 2026, Part 1: Michael Morin Comes to Town

    APR 7

    RiverRun 2026, Part 1: Michael Morin Comes to Town

    WHAT’S IN YOUR NERDHAT? This past week Richard had the privilege of sitting down for a conversation with Michael Morin, the new Executive Director of the RiverRun International Film Festival.      Michael hails from California, where he grew up loving both music and movies, though music was his first love. After attending Junior college and film school in California, he began the first phase of his multi-faceted career which saw him touring with bands, filming concerts, and, eventually, working as an assistant to filmmaker David O. Russell, who directed The Fighter, Silver Linings Playbook, and American Hustle, among other films. After taking some time off from working in and around Hollywood, the film industry came calling Michael again, but this from a different place - the world of Film Festivals. Specifically, the Slamdance Film Festival, which was based in Park City, Utah at the time. Michael’s spent 7 years working there (2018-2025) which prepared him well for his current role, which he began back in December of 2025.  Peruse the Offerings for the 2026 RiverRun Int'l Film Festival: https://riverrunfilm.com/2026-films-events/Read Michael's Interview with the Winston Salem Journal: https://journalnow.com/winstonsalemmonthly/article_4c9d42d2-e4f1-44b9-944c-50f9883d84d6.html?utm_source=ig&utm_medium=social&utm_content=link_in_bio&fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQMMjU2MjgxMDQwNTU4AAGnlBpQI4gNrRbhh1dvIcgAw8sumMs0cT5sL7cforqJ-ceQTiWut6kmuHYXF4U_aem_2pOK-5CNexmV51Y1P0DnzQRead Michael's Interview with Moviemaker Magazine: https://www.moviemaker.com/michael-morin-riverrun/?utm_source=ig&utm_medium=social&utm_content=link_in_bio&fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQMMjU2MjgxMDQwNTU4AAGnY38kQ2KiXfQ_9oZsESDQFoK165dSEQtL0fpUcrudn6nJAZo7HYhQOdpRiYc_aem_GNxBIVdKDaJvUPO0MxapegLearn More About the Slamdance Film Festival: https://slamdance.com/ *The views and opinions expressed by guests do not necessarily represent the views and opinions of the Nerdhat podcast or its hosts.* Love the podcast? Want to join the community? Head over to our Patreon and sign up today!  https://patreon.com/TheNerdhatPodcast?utm_medium=unknown&utm_source=join_link&utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator&utm_content=copyLink

    1h 38m
  7. Bonus: Women in Film

    MAR 31 ·  BONUS

    Bonus: Women in Film

    WHAT’S IN YOUR NERDHAT? In honor of Women's history month, we are re-releasing two interviews originally recorded following the 2025 RiverRun International Film Festival. The first is with Yvonne Chan, MD. Phd. who came to RiverRun to promote the short film "We Are Kings," in which she played Jeri, the mother of the film's protagonist. The second interview is with Danielle Goldwert, whom Will and Richard met following the screening of her animated short, "Waterlogged."  Learn More about Yvonne Chan's Body of Work:  https://www.imdb.com/name/nm13258603/?ref_=fn_t_1 Learn More about Danielle Goldwert's Film "Waterlogged:"  https://www.instagram.com/p/DWcN1ZQj19F/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA== *The views and opinions expressed by guests do not necessarily represent the views and opinions of the Nerdhat podcast or its hosts.* Love the podcast? Want to join the community? Head over to our Patreon and sign up today!  https://patreon.com/TheNerdhatPodcast?utm_medium=unknown&utm_source=join_link&utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator&utm_content=copyLink

    56 min
  8. Retro Console Games: NBA Live '96

    MAR 24

    Retro Console Games: NBA Live '96

    WHAT’S IN YOUR NERDHAT? This week's episode is dedicated to the memory of Ken Best, who passed away in March of 2025. In addition to teaching his son Richard how to play basketball in real life, he also took the time to sit down and play games like this one with his son (whom he always tried to defeat!).  What games did you play with your fathers? Did they introduce you to sports? Did they kick your ass in NBA Jam (or perhaps let you kick theirs?). :et us know in the comments.  Sources:  https://youtu.be/AYfoToYVoQ0?si=x1Gn_VPBRaWHlrlm https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NBA_Live_96 https://archive.org/details/nextgen-issue-014/page/n135/mode/2up Love the podcast? Want to join the community? Head over to our Patreon and sign up today!  https://patreon.com/TheNerdhatPodcast?utm_medium=unknown&utm_source=join_link&utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator&utm_content=copyLink

    1h 16m
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About

Across the spectrum of arts and entertainment, from fine art films to our favorite graphic novel, we share creative experiences which electrify our inner nerd, engage our nostalgia, or enliven our mildly inappropriate humor. This is Nerdhat. 

Information

  • Creator
    Nerdhat Productions
  • Years Active
    2022 - 2026
  • Episodes
    165
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Nerdhat Productions
  • Show Website
    Nerdhat