Making Media Now

As voters across the nation head out to cast their ballot on November 3, polling indicates that concerns about healthcare—how to obtain it and pay for it—ranks just beneath overall concerns about the economy. Joining host Michael Azevedo on this episode is Scott Pressler, one of the producers of an eye-opening, compelling, and somewhat infuriating new documentary called Suck It Up, Buttercup which lifts the veil on dangerous dysfunctions that have remained hidden for far too long, from unsafe staffing to financial pressures, to the moral injury felt by those trying to provide care in a broken system and reveals how naked greed is driving decisions about healthcare access, coverage, and quality. Making Media Now—which is available on all podcast platforms including YouTube--is sponsored byFilmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey. About the host: www.writevoicecreative.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/ Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead

Paul Burger, an Emmy-winning documentary producer and the founder ofEarly Days Studios, joins host Michael Azevedo on this episode.

Paul shares with Michael how Early Days was created to build premium nonfiction for a changing media landscape.

After 25 years of producing cinematic non-fiction for the world’s leading networks and streamers, Paul started Early Days to develop stories that seamlessly travel across digital, series, and feature distribution. The production studio is able to fund its work by having brands finance production while Early Days retains full ownership of the films, and everything is released on YouTube channels they own. Take a listen and learn more about this innovative approach. Making Media Now—which is available on all podcast platforms including YouTube--is sponsored byFilmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey. About the host: www.writevoicecreative.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/ Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead

Joining host Michael Azevedo on this episode is first-time filmmaker Rogan O’Donnell to discuss his documentary InHuMAINE, a feature-length film examining the homelessness crisis in Bangor, Maine. Developed over 19 months, the documentary weaves together narrative advocacy and applied clinical training to spotlight the humanity, resilience, and systemic inequities at the heart of this crisis. InhuMAINE has been recognized at film festivals, academic conferences, and professional gatherings, including the Maine International Film Festival and the Maine Mental Health Counselors Association Conference. Beyond filmmaking, Rogan is the Founder of Common Ground Friends, a nonprofit that opened Maine’s first licensed behavioral and mental health Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP) within a homeless shelter. He brings more than three decades of recovery, lived experience, and leadership in behavioral health and housing initiatives, including the creation of innovative recovery housing programs and advocacy at the state and national levels. Making Media Now—which is available on all podcast platforms including YouTube--is sponsored byFilmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey. About the host: www.writevoicecreative.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/ Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead

Joining host Michael Azevedo on this episode is journalist Addie Morfoot.

Addie covers media, entertainment and film for various publications. We reached out to ask her to chat after reading a recent article of her’s in The Ankler titled “2 Million Viewers or Bust: Inside Documentary’s Darwinian Collapse”.

According to Addie’s reporting, the Darwinian collapse referenced in that attention-grabbing headline started with algorithms and finished with the White House.

As listeners to this podcast already know, getting a documentary film out in the world and in front of audiences involves many interdependent steps: Funding production to get it made, finding a distributor who can deliver it to audiences, and most importantly…the audience itself.

That fragile ecosystem has always been fraught with challenges at every step. But recent economic and political forces have made it even more so.

Addie’s article and our conversation supplied some real insight into this dynamic.

Making Media Now—which is available on all podcast platforms including YouTube--is sponsored byFilmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey.

About the host: www.writevoicecreative.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/

Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead

Joining host Michael Azevedo on this episode is documentary filmmaker Nick Beaulieu, the director of a personal and thought-provoking film called "My Omaha," which will have its broadcast premiere on the PBS series Independent Lenson Oct 5. The film will also be available on the PBS app and its YouTube channel on the same day.

Set in Omaha, Nebraska — where the legacies of Malcolm X, racial segregation, and political division still shape everyday life — the film follows filmmaker Nick as he documents his city’s racial justice movement while attempting to reconnect with his terminally ill father Randy, a staunch Trump supporter.

As Nick delves deeper into North Omaha’s struggle and resilience, the film becomes an intimate portrait of family, race, and the uneasy search for truth inside modern America.

At the same time, Nick begins filming a series of increasingly difficult conversations with his father Randy, a conservative Christian and devoted Trump supporter, whose sudden diagnosis of stage-4 cancer forces both men to confront the emotional and political distance between them before time runs out.

What begins as a documentary about political division gradually becomes something more intimate and unsettling: a reckoning with identity, legacy, community, and the unresolved contradictions at the heart of America.

Making Media Now—which is available on all podcast platforms including YouTube--is sponsored byFilmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey.

About the host: www.writevoicecreative.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/

Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead

Joining host Michael Azevedo on this episode are Filmmakers Collaborative members Kerthy Fix and Paul Kloss to discuss their documentary "More Than Medicine" which follows four therapists navigating the emerging field of psychedelic-assisted therapy. Paul and Kerthy have worked for the past 8 years doing the research, conducting the interviews, shooting and editing their documentary. They made the film because—as you’ll hear in our conversation— they saw people suffering and discovered how in many cases psychedelic-assisted therapy really worked.

"More Than Medicine" will be premiering at the Woodstock Film Festivalon Oct 17th, 2026.

And Kerthy and Paul are continuing in their fundraising efforts to get the film in front of police chiefs, lawmakers, therapists, medical students, and the folks who are losing hope and giving up.

Making Media Now—which is available on all podcast platforms including YouTube--is sponsored byFilmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey. About the host: www.writevoicecreative.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/ Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead

Host Michael Azevedo's guest on this episode is award-winning documentary filmmaker, former Olympian, and Filmmakers Collaborative member Mary Mazzio. Mary’s latest film, conveniently titled "Mighty Mary" has been garnering all sorts of accolades and attention since it began its run in AMC theaters across the nation on September 11. The response has been so enthusiastic that its big screen run has been extended!

Narrated by Elizabeth Banks and Hugh Jackman, "Mighty Mary" chronicles an amazing group of “we eat nails for breakfast” type of women: the first all-women’s sailing team to contend for the famed America’s Cup, the holy grail for one of sport’s most elite and exclusive racing events.

This groundbreaking team was comprised of a group of world class and Olympic sailors as well as Olympic rowers and included a deaf sailor, a Native Hawaiian sailor, and the first African American sailor to ever win an America’s Cup race. What had been dismissed as a publicity stunt turned into something unimaginable. In all her films, Mary Mazzio explores the concept of overcoming obstacles, whether it is a fight for social change, or issues of poverty and lack of opportunity. All of Mary’s films are about ordinary people doing extraordinary things – defying expectations and challenging assumptions of what they can achieve. Making Media Now—which is available on all podcast platforms including YouTube--is sponsored byFilmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey. About the host: www.writevoicecreative.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/ Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead

Host Michael Azevedo's guest on this episode is writer, director, and actor Ed Burns.

Ed has been a force in the movie world since his debut film "The Brothers McMullen" which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival back in 1995.

Over the ensuing 30 years, Ed has written and directed more than 15 films and has acted in numerous others, including Steven Spielberg’s "Saving Private Ryan."

Ed’s latest film—Beneath The Blue Suburban Skies—will make its US premiere on Sunday, September 20 at 42nd Boston Film Festival (for which Filmmakers Collaborative is the fiscal sponsor).

During the festival, Ed will be presented with the inaugural Boston Film Festival Award for Excellence in Cinematic Storytelling.

"Beneath the Blue Suburban Skies" tells the story of the Collins family, where the mother Tina feels stuck in a middle-aged rut and struggles with feelings of shame and anger she has toward her two grown children who live at home. And she holds resentment toward her husband, played by Ed Burns himself, who may have held her back.

As an added bonus, Ed Burns will be in attendance during the Sunday, September 20 screening and will participate in a Q&A.

Making Media Now—which is available on all podcast platforms including YouTube--is sponsored byFilmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey.

About the host: www.writevoicecreative.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/

Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead

Joining host Michael Azevedo on this episode is Nadia Gill the co-director of an insightful and thought-provoking documentary called The [Conserv]atives.

From summer 2021 through Donald Trump's re-election campaign, four Republican insiders wage an uphill battle to transform their party's stance on climate change from within.

As extreme weather intensifies and the 2024 election approaches, they confront a political machine built on denial, testing whether personal conviction can overcome tribal loyalty.

This is a deeply personal story about the cost of defying your own side and the haunting question that drives them all: will their efforts be enough before time runs out?

Nadia Gill is an award-winning filmmaker and co-founder of Encompass Films, known for crafting visually rich, socially resonant documentaries that explore the environment, American identity, and ideological complexity.

Her work has been featured by Netflix, the Los Angeles Times, Bloomberg Originals, the Smithsonian Channel and the Redford Center.

Nadia co-directed Planetwalker, a critically acclaimed documentary shortlisted for the Academy Awards.

The [Conserv]atives is her feature directorial debut.

A former attorney and native Angeleno, she now lives in Lake Tahoe, where in addition to making films she runs the Bristlecone Film Collective, a nonprofit dedicated to fostering a local film culture in the Northern Sierras.

Making Media Now—which is available on all podcast platforms including YouTube--is sponsored byFilmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey. About the host: www.writevoicecreative.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/ Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead

Director Valerie Veatch joins host Michael Azevedo on this episode to discuss her provocative documentary "Ghost in the Machine," which will have its broadcast debut on the PBS series Independent Lenson Sept. 14. Valerie's film will also be available on the PBS Documentaries YouTube channel. Valerie’s film examines AI’s troubled history and its present day impact. "Ghost in the Machine" reveals how the human values, biases and power structures behind artificial intelligence are shaping our world—and its societal and environmental consequences. Valerie Veatch is writer and director of documentaries Me@The Zoo (HBO) and Love Child (HBO). She is a graduate of the New School for Social Research with a degree in culture and media studies. Her award-winning work deals with the intersection of technology and society. Making Media Now—which is available on all podcast platforms including YouTube--is sponsored byFilmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey. About the host: www.writevoicecreative.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/ Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead

Host Michael Azevedo recently had the pleasure of watching a captivating, thrilling and inspiring documentary called Women & The Wind (which is currently streaming for rent on Vimeo). This intimate and beautifully made and thrilling film tells the story of 3 young women who literally throw caution to the wind and set out on a 2200 nautical mile voyage across the North Atlantic—from South Carolina to Portugal--on a 50-year-old wooden catamaran. Michael's guest on this episode is one of those 3 women: the film’s director—filmmaker and photographer Alize Jireh. Not only is Women & The Wind Alize’s debut film, the 30-day sailing voyage—which featured challenges anticipated and unexpected—was her first sailing experience! Talk about diving in with all you’ve got! Making Media Now—which is available on all podcast platforms including YouTube--is sponsored byFilmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey. About the host: www.writevoicecreative.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/ Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead

Host Michael Azevedo is joined on this episode by Jenny Carchman, director of the riveting true-crime documentary “Whatever It Takes: Inside the eBay Scandal,” which is now streaming on Amazon Prime. Jenny’s film unspools the chilling true crime saga of suburban bloggers from Natick, MA who were targeted in a terrifying cyberstalking campaign orchestrated by senior security executives at global tech giant eBay. “Whatever It Takes” is a story of corporate espionage and escalating threats that terrorized an ordinary couple. Jenny Carchman has made documentaries for both theatrical release and broadcast television, including PBS’s “Frontline,” “American Masters” and “American Experience,” as well as programming for HBO. Her wide ranging films have brought viewers closer to subjects such as former NYC mayor Ed Koch to The New York Times and to the Grateful Dead. Making Media Now—which is available on all podcast platforms including YouTube--is sponsored byFilmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey. About the host: www.writevoicecreative.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/ Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead

On episode #200 of Making Media Now host Michael Azevedo chats with Sophie Vershbow the co-host, along with Rudi Greenberg, of a new podcast called It Was A Book First, which as you might guess from the title is all about new book-to-screen adaptations.

On each episode Sofie and Rudi dissect the TV and film adaptations that are all across your feeds, what you'll be reading and watching next, and the business behind what actually makes it off the page.

Along with co-hosting the podcast, Sophie is a freelance journalist and former-Big 5 publishing employee writing about books, the publishing industry, tv/film, and internet culture. Her work has appeared in Esquire, New York Magazine, Elle, The Atlantic, Literary Hub, and beyond. Making Media Now—which is available on all podcast platforms including YouTube--is sponsored byFilmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey. About the host: www.writevoicecreative.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/ Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead

Joining host Michael Azevedo on this episode is former Hollywood studio executive and serial entrepreneur Steven Puri.

After working as an executive at three film studios and a producer on films such as "Die Hard 5" and "The Wolverine," raising $21MM of venture capital, and running 3 start-ups, Steven has learned some vital lessons about high-performancers and how nurturing focus—particularly for creatives and entrepreneurs is more important than ever as AI presents challenges…and when approached correctly…presents opportunities.

Steven’s latest entrepreneurial pursuit is The Sukha Company, a website and app designed to help creatives tap into their deepest focus and extract their greatest potential.

Making Media Now—which is available on all podcast platforms including YouTube--is sponsored byFilmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey.

About the host: www.writevoicecreative.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/

Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead

We continue our 2-episode series of conversations with filmmakers who have documentaries playing at the 35th Annual Woods Hole Film Festival in scenic Woods Hole, MA which runs from July 25 to August 1 this year.

In this episode, I’m talking with award-winning cinematographer and director Cynthia Matty-Huber about her film "Hard Twist: Through The Lens of Barbara Van Cleve," which presents the life story of the famous western photographer, Barbara Van Cleve.

Barbara is a fifth-generation Montanan with a century of family history going back to the early 1900s. Upon their arrival in Montana, the Van Cleves began operating a guest ranch, where Barbara grew up and spent most of her summers as an adult.

Barbara's story offers insight into a hardy western ranching lifestyle many have not experienced, with striking archive footage of early Montana and stunning original cinematography shot by Cynthia Matty-Huber.

This film is not only about Barbara's life, but tells a story of how her family history was intertwined with the changing landscape of the West.

Making Media Now—which is available on all podcast platforms including YouTube--is sponsored byFilmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey.

About the host: www.writevoicecreative.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/

Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead

The 35th Annual Woods Hole Film Festivalin scenic Woods Hole, MA runs from July 25 to August 1 this year and we’re devoting a couple of episodes of Making Media Now to conversations with filmmakers who have documentaries playing at the festival. First up is Michael Azevedo's conversation with 2-time Emmy winner Marilyn Ness, the director of The Endless Frontieran intimate, urgent portrait of three scientists working to solve some of the most pressing challenges of our time, from disease to climate change, while revealing the growing threat to the American research engine and what is at stake for us all if it falters. Marilyn Ness is a two-time Emmy, Peabody, and DuPont Award-winning documentary director and producer. As director, Ness is interested in complex, social justice stories from multiple viewpoints. Marilyn also produced Kirsten Johnson’s groundbreaking films DICK JOHNSON IS DEAD and CAMERAPERSON, along with the Netflix film BECOMING, the hugely popular documentary about Michelle Obama. Making Media Now—which is available on all podcast platforms including YouTube--is sponsored byFilmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey. About the host: www.writevoicecreative.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/ Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead

Host Michael Azevedo is joined by Nicholas Bruckman the co-director and producer of a fascinating documentary series currently airing on the Documentary+ platform calledThe Price of Milk, which dives into the untold story behind the '90s "Got Milk" campaign and leads a four-part investigative romp from the dairy farm to the White House, diving into Americans’ love/hate relationship with milk and the dairy industry's impact on pop culture.

Nicholas, who joined Michael on the podcast last year to talk about his film Minted, is an award-winning director and producer and the founder of People’s Television, a creative studio that produces independent films and commercial content for global brands.

Making Media Now—which is available on all podcast platforms including YouTube--is sponsored byFilmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey. About the host: www.writevoicecreative.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/ Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead

Host Michael Azevedo is joined by Sasha Waters, the director of “Mary Oliver: Saved by the Beauty of the World” a biographical documentary about poet Mary Oliver that is now playing in a limited theatrical release and which will broadcast on the PBS series American Masters in August.

Celebrated best-selling poet, Pulitzer Prize-winner, lover of dogs and long walks in the woods, openly queer but intensely private, Mary Oliver was America’s unlikely contemporary mystic, stalking the ponds and forests of Cape Cod for nearly fifty years in order to open herself – and her readers – to the known and unknowable world.

From a lonely childhood to literary fame, Oliver’s life was shaped by devotion to nature, paying attention, and the long journey toward learning to love and to be loved.

Her poems inspire liberals and conservatives, atheists and believers, naturalists and urbanites, speaking directly to contemporary anxieties about attention, presence, and the human relationship with the natural world.

Sasha Water’s film features interviews with Mary Oliver's close friends, including John Waters, never-before-seen personal photos, notebooks, and correspondence from her archive, and recitations of her work by Stephen Colbert, Lucy Dacus, Steve Buscemi, and Oprah Winfrey.

Making Media Now—which is available on all podcast platforms including YouTube--is sponsored byFilmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey.

About the host: www.writevoicecreative.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/

Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead

Award-winning documentary filmmaker and photojournalist Jessica Earnshaw joins host Michael Azevedo to discuss her latest film,"Baby Doe," which is currently playing in a limited theatrical release.

"Baby Doe" tells the story of Gail Ritchey who, 30 years ago, as a young woman from a conservative Christian community in rural Ohio, gave birth alone and left her newborn in the woods.

Now a mother of three, her quiet suburban life is shattered when DNA evidence links her to what came to be known as “Geauga’s Child,”and she is arrested for murder - despite saying the baby was stillborn.

Facing a life sentence, Gail leans on her family for support as she confronts the weight of societal and religious pressures.

"Baby Doe" cuts through the headlines to uncover the human complexity of Gail’s case - examining the intersection of women’s health, justice, and the outside forces that continue to shape stories like hers.

Making Media Now—which is available on all podcast platforms including YouTube--is sponsored byFilmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey.

About the host: www.writevoicecreative.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/

Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead

Director Alison Ellwood, whose latest music documentary is “Boy George & Culture Club”—which is now streaming on Apple TV and Amazon Prime Video, joins host Michael Azevedo on this episode. Alison’s documentary serves up an intimate and unfiltered look at Boy George’s meteoric rise to fame, the cultural impact of Culture Club, and the personal and professional challenges that shaped one of the most distinctive voices and images in pop music history. Through rare archival footage, candid interviews, and behind-the-scenes access, the film explores themes of identity, artistry, resilience, and reinvention. Alison Ellwood is known for her similarly culture-focused music documentaries “The Go-Go’s,” “Laurel Canyon” and “Cyndi Lauper: Let the Canary Sing,” all of which premiered to critical acclaim, as well as her work as an executive producer on “Totally Under Control.” Earlier in her career, she served as an editor and producer on landmark documentaries including “Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room” and “Gonzo,” which explored the life and work of Hunter S. Thompson. Making Media Now—which is available on all podcast platforms including YouTube--is sponsored byFilmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey. About the host: www.writevoicecreative.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/ Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead