The Take

Jacob Grodnik

The Take is an entertainment podcast fueled by the industry’s most innovative filmmakers, artists and world class raconteurs. It is an everyday journey, rich with stories of life in the biz, and professional advice on what it takes to ‘make it’ in Hollywood.

  1. 01/07/2020

    Steven Luke

    An authentic jack of all trades, Steven Luke has mastered it all. Having spent the duration of his career exploring cinema as a writer, director, actor and producer, he has crafted a niche style of filmmaking within the war film genre. Imagine the challenge of capturing a compelling and striking war piece with budget restrictions and a need for innovative creativity; Steven has orchestrated a process that continues to amaze. In his feature, War Pigs, Steven finds himself acting alongside cinematic veterans, Mickey Rourke, Dolph Lundgren and Luke Goss. His most recent feature, The Great War, starring Ron Perlman and Billy Zane, is one in which Steven flexed all of his filmmaking talents behind the screen, as writer, director, and producer.  Be sure to check out his work on Amazon Prime and most other streaming services.

    53 min

  2. 08/08/2019

    Marc Buckland

    My Name is Earl, Ed, Sports Night, Scrubs, Santa Clarita Diet. We've all heard of them. This is just a handful of the shows on an extensive roster that Emmy award winning Director/Producer, Marc Buckland, has built over his career. Marc has an invaluable advantage, having broken into the TV industry as a director and producer, filling every role in between. After directing and producing his own short film, he captured the attention of a producer on the TV show, Murder One, where he got his first shot at TV directing. In my conversation with Marc, he invites us into his process and reveals how he taught himself the craft by studying movies and TV shows on repeat, remote in one hand hand, note pad in the other. Marc’s toolbox is packed with keys to success; his journey has led him from the VHS aisles of a movie store, directly onto the screen. Having spent part of his career as an actor, he knows the language of filmmaking from every vantage point. But the most valuable tip for success Marc shares is that it pays to be generous and personable.

    39 min

  3. 04/23/2019

    Stan Spry

    An unstoppable force of filmdom by day, a vigilante of the Sunset Strip by night, Stan Spry has made an undeniable name for himself in the heart of Hollywood. As founding member of the Cartel, a feature film and television production and management company, Stan Spry is no less than a mastermind behind a successful film and media empire. In 2018 alone, Stan produced over 20 feature films, and promises to infiltrate the industry with far more projects in 2019. Stan and the Cartel are at the helm of the reboot of the 1982 phenomenon, Creepshow, written by Stephen King. Stan is a harrowing inspiration to anyone looking to make their way onto the screens of LA. Beginning his journey to the City of Angels with no connections, Stan pioneered his way to the top through persistence and networking. Stan is also a mogul of the Sunset Strip, as part owner of Rock and Reily’s Whiskey and Pearl’s Liquor Bar. Keep your eyes peeled; Stan Spry and his band of filmmakers aren’t going anywhere.

    46 min

  4. 02/18/2019

    Sean King & Ray Starmann

    Sean King and Ray Starmann are a writing team based out of Los Angeles and the owners of Sheer Bravado Productions. They previously wrote the film, Generation Gap which holds the award for the highest rated movie on the Hallmark channel for the month of October. They are currently in pre-production for a World War 2 film titled, Citizen Soldiers which has Dale Dye attached. Citizen Soldiers is in the spirit of Saving Private Ryan and Band of Brothers. It is a small, human story set in the largest battle the U.S. Army has ever fought, The Battle of The Bulge in 1944.

    1h 8m

  5. 12/17/2018

    Dale Dye (Hollywood's Drill Sergeant)

    Dale Dye is venerated for his boots on the ground, method acting tactics. In the words of Tom Hanks, “he takes foo-foo actors and turns them into something that vaguely resembles a Marine.” Dale's legacy began with Oliver Stone’s, Platoon, where he uprooted Hollywood legends like Charlie Sheen, Johnny Depp, William Dafoe (along with 25 other actors), unleashing them to the jungle ridden mountains of the Philippines for 3 weeks. Here, they got to know the taste of war. Following Platoon’s success, a call from Steven Spielberg cemented Dale's legacy in Hollywood, when he was asked to conduct a similar bootcamp for the actors in Saving Private Ryan. He would continue to collaborate with Spielberg and Tom Hanks on Band of Brothers and The Pacific. Dale is a living archive, bringing realism to war movies, having served as a war correspondent in the Vietnam war. With 3 purple hearts and an expansive list of award winning films in his arsenal, he has a thing or two to contribute. Dale is currently in pre-production for a his own film, No Better Place to Die, which he is slated to direct. His primary goal is to fulfill as many roles as possible with US veterans. You can find out more about Dale Dye and his company, Warriors Inc. at http://www.warriorsinc.com/

    52 min

  6. 12/11/2018

    Kevin Weisman

    A veteran in the world of television, Kevin has appeared and starred in over 48 shows. Acclaimed for his role of Marshal Flinkman through all 5 seasons of JJ Abram’s Alias, and beloved for his hilarious portrayal of Kives on HBO’s Hello Ladies, Kevin has made a household name for himself on screen. Other notable roles include Ned Berring on Amazon’s Goliath, Ray Spiewack on CBS’s Scorpion and currently the title character of Dale Yorkes on Hulu’s Marvel series, Runaways. Kevin was also the drummer for the rock band Trainwreck.

    1h 30m

  7. 12/04/2018

    Nicco Quiñones

    Nicco is an accomplished director, producer and the young founder of Quiñones Productions, a full service production company based in Miami, Florida. Nicco has a unique, innate ability to combine his journalistic roots with a cinematic lens in order to create compelling and visually stunning masterpieces of storytelling. His most recent commercial project starred Zoe Saldana, Rosari Dawson, Eva Longoria and aimed to promote Latino voting. Nicco is currently working on an episodic series, titled Under the Influence, which delves into the obsessive psyche that lies underneath our infatuation with social media and explores the consequences these mediums are causing to our society as a whole.

    51 min

  8. 11/06/2018

    Jonah Feingold

    Jonah’s directorial work online has accumulated over 100 million views. His viral Kickstarter backed short film BANGARANG (a prequel to Rufio from HOOK) broke the internet trending number one on Reddit, and number four on Twitter global.  He created the show 'High School Cupid, a Cupid Inc. Story' for Awesomeness TV, wrote 'Reality Quest' starring Dwayne the Rock Johnson, 'Bad Roommate' with Jason Segal, and recently directed an 8 part series called 'Stars with Cars' for Facebook Watch. Jonah is currently in post production for his feature debut, 'What are we?'

    59 min
See All (16)

5
out of 5
7 Ratings

About

The Take is an entertainment podcast fueled by the industry’s most innovative filmmakers, artists and world class raconteurs. It is an everyday journey, rich with stories of life in the biz, and professional advice on what it takes to ‘make it’ in Hollywood.

Information

  • Creator
    Jacob Grodnik
  • Years Active
    2018 - 2020
  • Episodes
    16
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Jacob Grodnik
  • Show Website
    The Take