Media Industry Conversations Podcast

This week's MIC podcast features a panel on the anatomy of a production company. Guests Michael Garcia and Maddy Bilder join us to explore the production process and everyday workflows of 26 Keys Productions, a production company based right here in Austin. Michael Garcia, who is the President of 26 Keys, has extensive experience as an executive producer and studio executive, having worked with LucasFilm, Televisia USA, and HBO on projects like Andor, The Sopranos, and The Wire. Maddy Bilder, Project Director at 26 Keys, has a background in producing events and festivals, and has also worked in development at Texas Monthly on titles like Love and Death and Hitman. Michael and Maddy visited the UT Campus on March 25th, 2025 and the conversation was hosted by Dr. Alisa Perren.

Today, we’re bringing you the final episode in our special series about the Texas media industries. This podcast was recorded at the Texas Entertainment and Media Industries Symposium, which took place on September 20th, 2024 at the University of Texas at Austin. The symposium and this podcast were co-produced by the Center for Entertainment and Media Industries and the Department of Radio-Television-Film, and were made possible by the generous support of Wofford Denius. The Texas Entertainment and Media Industries Symposium showcased the breadth of film, TV, music, gaming, and digital media opportunities available in Texas in an all-day event on the UT Campus. We’re wrapping up our five-week series featuring discussions from that day, so check out our previously published episodes on Development, Production, Distribution and Exhibition, and Live Events and Experiential Entertainment. This podcast series is also part of the Center’s larger focus on Texas Media, and will be included in a white paper compil

Today, we’re bringing you the fourth episode in our special series about the Texas media industries. This podcast was recorded at the Texas Entertainment and Media Industries Symposium, which took place on September 20th, 2024 at the University of Texas at Austin. The symposium and this podcast were co-produced by the Center for Entertainment and Media Industries and the Department of Radio-Television-Film, and were made possible by the generous support of Wofford Denius. The Texas Entertainment and Media Industries Symposium showcased the breadth of film, TV, music, gaming, and digital media opportunities available in Texas in an all-day event on the UT Campus. We’re in the middle of our five-week series featuring discussions from that day, so check out our previously published episodes on Development, Production, and Distribution and Exhibition, and tune in next week for our concluding conversation with Elizabeth Avellán, a longtime leader in Texas film. This podcast series is also part of the Center’s

Today, we’re bringing you the third episode in our special series about the Texas media industries. This podcast was recorded at the Texas Entertainment and Media Industries Symposium, which took place on September 20th, 2024 at the University of Texas at Austin. The symposium and this podcast were co-produced by the Center for Entertainment and Media Industries and the Department of Radio-Television-Film, and were made possible by the generous support of Wofford Denius. The Texas Entertainment and Media Industries Symposium showcased the breadth of film, TV, music, gaming, and digital media opportunities available in Texas in an all-day event on the UT Campus. For the next several weeks, we’ll be bringing you podcasts from four panel discussions with industry leaders, which focused on Development, Production, Exhibition, and Live Events. Finally, we’ll conclude with our one-on-one with Elizabeth Avellán, a longtime leader in Texas film.   This podcast series is also part of the Center’s larger focus on Te

Today, we’re bringing you the second episode in our special series about the Texas media industries. This podcast was recorded at the Texas Entertainment and Media Industries Symposium, which took place on September 20th, 2024 at the University of Texas at Austin, which was made possible by the generous support of Wofford Denius. The Texas Entertainment and Media Industries Symposium showcased the breadth of film, TV, music, gaming, and digital media opportunities available in Texas in an all-day event on the UT Campus. This podcast series is also part of the Center’s larger focus on Texas Media, and will be included in a white paper compiling our research on the Texas media industries that will be published later this summer. Keep an eye out for that paper to learn more about what’s happening here in Texas! This episode of the series will feature the second panel of the symposium, which focused on the Texas production ecosystem. Panelists include Chip Rives (President of Texas Crew Productions), Red Sa

Today, we’re bringing you the first episode in a special series about the Texas media industries. This podcast was recorded at the Texas Entertainment and Media Industries Symposium, which took place on September 20th, 2024 at the University of Texas at Austin. The symposium and this podcast were co-produced by the Center for Entertainment and Media Industries and the Department of Radio-Television-Film, and were made possible by the generous support of Wofford Denius. The Texas Entertainment and Media Industries Symposium showcased the breadth of film, TV, music, gaming, and digital media opportunities available in Texas in an all-day event on the UT Campus. This podcast series is also part of the Center’s larger focus on Texas Media, and will be included in a white paper compiling our research on the Texas media industries that will be published later this summer. Keep an eye out for that paper to learn more about what’s happening here in Texas. This episode of the series will feature the first panel

This week's MIC podcast features James Emmanuel Shapiro, who was President of US Distribution at XYZ films at the time of this recording. James Emanuel Shapiro is an entertainment executive veteran of twenty years and has been the COO of both Drafthouse Films and NEON, where he helped build both distribution companies from the ground up. He's worked on several academy award campaigns including Bullhead, The Act of Killing, The Look of Silence, and I, Tonya. He most recently started the analytics department and helped build the booking department at the Alamo Drafthouse. He's also active in the festival world, having worked with both Fantastic Fest and Beyond Fest and he occasionally writes about the entertainment industry for Birth, Movies, Death and The Bulwark. James spoke to UT students on December 9, 2024 and the conversation was hosted by Dr. Alisa Perren. He discussed the scope of his work as a distribution executive, the methods and strategies that distributors use when acquiring films, and the chang

This week's MIC Podcast features a panel on the Screenwriter/Agent relationship with Jim Ehrich, literary agent, and Cindy McCreery, screenwriter and Chair of the Radio-Television-Film Department at UT Austin. Cindy McCreery is Chair of the Department of Radio-Television-Film here at UT Austin, where she teaches screenwriting. Cindy has written many feature and television scripts, and most recently wrote and produced I'll Be There, which premiered at the Austin Film Festival. She also just finished writing a film called Honey Girls for Sony Pictures. Jim Ehrich is a literary agent at Rothman Brecher Ehrich Livingston and represents both writers and directors in film, television, and IP. This Media Industry Conversation focuses on the relationship between a writer and their representation, and on how to navigate the world of professional screenwriting. Jim, and Cindy spoke to UT students on September 16th, 2024, and the conversation was hosted by Dr. Alisa Perren. They discussed their experiences breaking in

For this week’s MIC Podcast, we’re excited to present our conversation with Mark Shapiro, moderated by Dr. Alisa Perren and James Andrew Miller. For regular listeners of the MIC podcast, this episode will have a unique structure, as James Andrew Miller moderates the first half of the conversation and Alisa Perren moderates the second half. Mark Shapiro is President and Chief Operating Officer of Endeavor and TKO.  Endeavor is a global sports and entertainment company, and the Endeavor network specializes in talent representation through the entertainment agency WME. Prior to joining Endeavor in 2014, Mark Shapiro was CEO of Dick Clark Productions, where he managed its day to day operations while also developing and producing programming for linear and digital media. Shapiro began his career at ESPN, where he earned 16 Emmy Awards and two Peabody Awards in his role overseeing the production of sports and entertainment properties. He is a graduate of the University of Iowa. James Andrew Miller, the co-moderat

This week's guest is Elaine Frontain Bryant who is Executive Vice President and Head of Programming at A&E, Lifetime, and LMN. She manages the programming teams for all three networks and is responsible for overseeing the development, creation and execution of all programming.  Elaine has developed lots of groundbreaking unscripted programming, such as Storage Wars and Duck Dynasty, and her work on Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath garnered the show an Emmy.  Elaine previously held positions at the History Channel and Magna Global Entertainment, and she is a graduate of Texas Christian University. Elaine Frontain Bryant spoke to UT students on September 30, 2024 and the conversation was hosted by Dr. Alisa Perren. Their conversation focuses on Elaine's career trajectory, the challenges and opportunities that come from working in the industry during a period of contraction, and finding undeniable premises for unscripted shows.

This week's MIC podcast features a panel on Entertainment Law with attorneys PJ Shapiro and Greg Slewett. Both Slewett and Shapiro are founding partners at Johnson, Shapiro, Slewett, and Kole LLP, which was established in 2021 with philanthropy, civic engagement, and inclusion as its core tenants. JSSK LLP represents some of Hollywood's most in-demand talent, including Donald Glover, Florence Pugh, Emma Stone and Adam McKay. PJ earned his Bachelor's degree in Social Sciences from UCLA, and Greg graduated from our very own Radio-Television-Film department here at UT. PJ and Greg spoke to UT students on November 4, 2024 and the conversation was hosted by Dr. Alisa Perren. They discussed the scope of their work as entertainment lawyers, the evolving structures through which their clients can monetize media, and the impact of new developments in the industry, such as conglomeration and artificial intelligence.

This week’s guest is Colby Gaines, who is the Founder of Back Roads Entertainment. Colby, who produces unscripted series in his home state of Texas after 20 years in NYC, is an Emmy nominated executive producer and one of the top storytellers in unscripted entertainment. He’s well known for having co created cable’s longest-running hit show, Pawn Stars. He’s managed large teams and a variety of C-suite partners and famous personalities, developing, producing and distributing thousands of hours of content for television, brands and fortune 500 companies. Colby Gaines spoke to UT students on October 28th, 2024 and the conversation was hosted by Dr. Alisa Perren. They discussed his career trajectory, the nature of unscripted production, and the landscape of the Hollywood marketplace that studios must navigate. This episode of the MIC podcast is part of a series on the media-makers working right here in Texas. We’ll speak with more of the organizations and filmmakers that are creating around the state throughou

This week's guest is Brent Weinstein, Chief Development Officer of Candle Media. At Candle, Brent oversees brands like Moonbug, Faraway Road Productions, and Reese Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine. Before joining Candle Media, Brent worked at United Talent Agency, one of Hollywood’s largest and most influential agencies, for nearly 20 years. During his time at UTA, Brent served as Partner and Chief Innovation Officer, where he led the company’s entry into the Digital Talent business, and managed its Live Events, Podcasting, Ventures, Heartland and Web3 divisions. Brent graduated with his BA from USC, and earned his Law degree from the University of San Diego. Brent Weinstein visited UT on October 24, 2024 and spoke with students taking Dr. Alisa Perren's Business of Hollywood class. The conversation was hosted by Dr. Perren, and they discussed Brent's career trajectory, the impact of his work at UTA and Candle Media, and his views on the current state of the media industries.

This week's guest is Andrew Wang. Andrew Wang is Head of TV, Development & Production at JuVee Productions, a production company founded by Viola Davis and Julius Tenon that emphasizes artist driven projects from a diverse range of new and established voices. At JuVee, Andrew guides projects through all stages of the development process, seeing a title through from the early days of its conception to its premiere. Before joining the JuVee team in 2016, Andrew introduced scripted programming to the Bravo Network. He additionally worked in development at Alloy Entertainment on projects such as The Vampire Diaries, Gossip Girl, and Pretty Little Liars. Andrew is a graduate of the RTF department right here at UT Austin. Andrew Wang spoke with students on October 3, 2022, at a time when Hollywood was focused on the high demand for streaming original content, a rise in mergers and acquisitions, and the possible impacts of early AI developments. The conversation was hosted by Dr. Alisa Perren, and focused of Andr

This week, we're taking a look back at an MIC session with Elaine Frontain Bryant from Fall 2022. Elaine is Executive Vice President and Head of Programming at A&E Network, where she manages the A&E programming team and is responsible for overseeing the development, creation and execution of all programming for the network. In this role, Elaine won Emmy awards for launching the groundbreaking series Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath, as well as The Day I Picked My Parents. Shortly after this conversation, Elaine added the Lifetime and LMN networks to her purview as well. Elaine previously held positions at the History Channel and Magna Global Entertainment, and she is a graduate of Texas Christian University. Elaine Frontain Bryant spoke to UT students on November 7, 2022 over zoom and was hosted by Dr. Alisa Perren. In 2022, industry leaders were focused on streaming returns, mergers and acquisition, and were just beginning to consider the possible impacts of AI. This MIC session focuses on Elaine

This week's guest is Scot Cru, who works as an independent international television and media consultant and previously served as Executive Vice President of Global Formats and Unscripted Content at MGM Studios. In this role, Scot was responsible for the distribution of MGM formats worldwide and launched MGM UK. Before that, Scot worked as Executive Vice President of International for Mark Burnett Productions for fifteen years. In that time, Scot oversaw distribution and international production of United Artists Media Group shows and formats, including The Apprentice, The Bible, and Are you Smarter Than a Fifth Grader? In this position, Cru was responsible for the creation of international UAMG affiliate production companies, which have included those in France, Singapore and the United Kingdom. Scot Cru visited UT on February 20, 2024 and spoke with students taking a class on unscripted media. The conversation was Co- hosted by Dr. Alisa Perren and Brian Edwards, who worked with Scot at United Artists Medi

This week's podast features a panel of film festival leaders based right here in Austin. Neha Aziz, Alka Bhanot, David Finkel, Todd Hogan, and Gabriel Ornelas visited UT Austin on March 21st, 2024 to discuss the community-based film festivals that they lead. Neha is Artistic Director for the Austin Asian American Film Festival, as well an independent filmmaker and podcaster. Alka Bhanot is Co-Founder of the Indie Meme film festival showcasing Iranian & South Asian Films, and worked previously in the Indian Television industry and as an independent filmmaker. David Finkel is Director of the Austin Jewish Film Festival, and previously worked in international business management and tech. Todd Hogan is president of the Austin Gay and Lesbian International Film Festival, and works as a media and marketing executive. Gabriel Ornelas is Executive Director at Cine Las Americas and has a long career managing cultural arts programs and events, handling venue coordination, and supporting the performing arts. This week

We concluded the Fall 2023 semester with a panel featuring five leaders in the media industry right here in Austin. Alfred Gomez is a director of programming and development at Blind Nil Magnolia, an unscripted production company operating here in Texas. Jennifer Hutchins is a freelance producer and founder of All Entertainment Business, and has worked on series such as That Animal Rescue Show. Laura Kincaid is the Director of Operations for ATX, a thriving television festival here in Austin. Attia Rasul is a content hub editor for Atmosphere TV and a recent graduate of UT Austin. Finally, Vince Robinette is a Controller for Amazon Studios and Twentieth Century Fox, and has worked on shows like Friday Night Lights, Alias, and True Lies. Alfred, Jennifer, Laura, Attia, and Vince spoke to UT students on December 4th, 2023 and the conversation was hosted by Dr. Alisa Perren. They discussed their career trajectories, the scope of their work, and the Austin media industry landscape.

This week's podcast features a panel on the Screenwriter/Agent relationship with screenwriters Davia Carter and Cindy McCreery and literary agent Jim Ehrich, who visited UT on September 11, 2023. Davia Carter is an alumna of UT Austin's MFA Screenwriting program, and now works as a writer/producer for the Sylvester Stallone-led series, Tulsa King. Davia's other credits include Snowfall, Queen of the South, and Katy Keene. Cindy McCreery is Chair of the department of Radio-Television-Film at UT Austin, where she teaches screenwriting. Cindy recently premiered her independently produced film I'll Be There at 2023's Austin Film Festival and also just finished writing a film called Honey Girls for Sony Pictures. Finally, Jim Ehrich is a literary agent at Rothman Brecher Ehrich Livingston and represents both writers and directors in film, television, and IP, including Cindy and Davia. This panel focuses on the relationship between a writer and their representation, and on how to navigate the world of professional

This week's guest is Patrick Schumacker, who visited UT on April 1, 2024. Patrick is an Emmy-nominated Creator, Showrunner and Executive Producer at Delicious Non-Sequitur Productions, which he runs with his writing partner Justin Halpern with an overall deal at Warner Bros Television. Patrick is Executive Producer and Co-showrunner on the Emmy Award-winning hit series Abbott Elementary with Quinta Brunson, and also showruns Max’s five-season animated series Harley Quinn. Patrick has also been a writer-producer on TV series such as iZombie, Cougar Town, and How to be a Gentleman. Patrick Schumacker sat down with Dr. Alisa Perren to discuss how he got his start in Hollywood after graduating from UT, the differences between writing for live-action versus animated series, and the nuances of producing for broadcast television.