We pick up right where we left off last episode: the first AD just pulled a real gun. This raises a storm of questions about safety measures, responsibility, and ethics. We unpack this incident, empathizing with the line producer's reaction, and explore the gray areas of accountability when guns make their way onto a film set. In this whirlwind of conflict, controversy, and collective action, we witness the ripple effects shaking Hollywood's foundation.  We also discuss the significance of...

A producer walks onto a movie set and takes out a gun. Why? Our confessor has a lot to say about that. In this week's episode of the Hollywood Confessional, we hear the first part of an intense behind-the-scenes tale from a Second AD on an independent film where a run-and-gun approach led to a dangerous situation. We discuss safety on set, the importance of engaged leadership, and how group dynamics can shape events in ways perhaps no individual expects. This confession was recorded prior...

Ever wondered what happens behind the scenes in the world of commercial production? Tune in to this episode of The Hollywood Confessional as we hear stories about the immense pressure of juggling time, budget, and creativity while producing commercials.  We have three stories this week: a worldwide search for a model, a client who didn't understand that English and Spanish are different languages, and a scrappy producer just trying to get his job done.  We also talk about the WGA strike as...

INT. MAJOR AGENCY - TV LIT DESK - DAY (2007) A dedicated ASSISTANT discovers a plan detailing exactly when all support staffers will be let go to save the agency money during the 2007 Writers Strike. Join us in the confessional booth as we hear this support staffer’s tale of seeing exactly how much their agency valued support staff… and their clients. In a parallel to some actions taking place during the WGA strike today, their agency seeks positive PR on the picket lines but turns cutthroat...

Ever felt like you were just another horse being traded in the entertainment business? Join us this week as our confessor shares their story of becoming a hot commodity as a writer... and then losing steam. Through the emotional rollercoaster of selling a pilot and several pitches but never getting anything made, they uncover some invaluable lessons about creativity, self-belief, and various ways to stay human in this highly transactional industry. In this episode, we also explore the...

Hello Hollywood Faithful! This episode features a Rigger telling some tales from the road. Everything from rigging across mountain tops to almost killing someone with a tree. Join us in the confessional booth! Connect with us: Instagram Facebook Twitter Website Hollywood Confessional is a Ninth Way Media production, produced by Meagan Daine and J.R. Zamora-Thal. Sound Effects and Music provided by Zapsplat and Pixabay. Keywords: filmmaking podcast, film podcast, screenwriting podcast,...

Hello Hollywood Faithful! Thanks for tuning into another episode of the Hollywood Confessional. Today, our confessor talks about their experience with one of the biggest screenwriting competitions out there. Spoiler alert: things didn't go as planned.  We also have a special intro, talking about the strike and what we as writers are fighting for.  Thanks for tuning in!  Connect with us: Instagram Facebook Twitter Website Hollywood Confessional is a Ninth Way Media production, produced...

TRIGGER WARNING: This week's story involves drug use. If this could be distressing to you, please skip this episode and join us next week. “I’m at a party. Somebody goes into their pocket and pulls out five or six pills. And I take all of them, and I eat them. About 15 minutes later, I’m not feeling good. I think I’m about to throw up. I’m by the sink. I look in the cupboard, and there’s a filter. So I grab a coffee filter. I lean over the sink, and I throw up into the coffee filter. And...

Ever thought about making your own movie? Maybe considered the advice “If you want to be a filmmaker, just shoot a film!” It sounds simple. But take it from our confessor: Do-it-yourselfing can be a dangerous (and expensive) business! In this week’s confession, we hear from a gung-ho aspiring director who gets tired of waiting for something to happen in their career and decides to take action to achieve theirdream. Unlike some Hollywood hucksters, however, our confessor isn’t comfortable...

Money. Fame. That nagging feeling that you might have given up everything you believed in to get the one thing you wanted.  In this week’s confession, we hear from a feature film writer who experienced all this and more. Well, maybe not the fame part. And… not a ton of money, now that we think about it. But they definitely sold out for a glimpse of Hollywood glory. “The whole ‘artist’ thing – whatever I once felt like I needed to say – that was completely gone. I was ready to make a deal. A...

Hustlers will stop at nothing to make it in Hollywood. So what happens when something stops them?  In this week’s confession, a determined up-and-coming actor decides to break into the business by any means necessary. Stealing passwords, going through garbage – they’ll do anything to achieve their goal. And at first, the hustle pays off! “I would go from casting office to casting office with a bag of different clothes – like I had a ‘bad girl’ outfit and a ‘nerdy secretary’ – and see who...

What if you got your first big break in Hollywood at age 24… and then didn’t get another for 25 years?   In this incredible first confession of our second season, we hear from a fearless aspiring filmmaker who scored a job directing a studio feature film when they were barely out of college. But as thrilling as it sounds, the experience wasn’t what they expected…   "One day about halfway through, I woke up in my hotel room after 12 hours of sleep, and I couldn’t move. I laid in the bed....

Hollywood Faithful! We are back and better than ever. Please join us in Season 2 for higher highs, lower lows, and crazier stories of everything that happens in Hollywood. We'll hear from writers, directors, crew members, people who have found fame, and those still chasing it. It's going to be a wild ride! Hollywood Confessional is a Ninth Way Media production, produced by Meagan Daine and J.R. Zamora-Thal.  IG/Twitter: @fessuphollywood Sound Effects and Music provided by Zapsplat and...

Hello Hollywood Faithful! We here at Hollywood Confessional are very thankful that you've stuck with us for the entirety of our first season. We are going to come back in January, but before we go, we are leaving you with one final confession. This week, our confessor did everything she could to get on set, only for something to go terribly wrong on her first day. But with determination and perseverance, she was able to gain a lot from this experience, despite her setback.  Hollywood...

Hello faithful, my old friends. We've come to confess with you again!  This week we've got one big confession. Our confessor worked with one of the most famous people on earth, and it was a disaster. The lesson here: if your boss sets you up for failure, sometimes, all you can do is learn from the experience. Hollywood Confessional is a Ninth Way Media production, produced by Meagan Daine and J.R. Zamora-Thal.  IG/Twitter: @fessuphollywood Sound Effects and Music provided by Zapsplat and...

Welcome back to the confessional booth! This week we've got two spooky confessions. The first confession is about a nightmare pitch that turns into a dream as our confessor watches his partner take down an old school creep. The second confession is about a Halloween party that ends up exposing the racist behavior of a powerful executive. Hollywood Confessional is a Ninth Way Media production, produced by Meagan Daine and J.R. Zamora-Thal.  IG/Twitter: @fessuphollywood Sound Effects and...

Welcome back to the confessional booth! This week we've got one big confession. Our confessor worked on a mega-hit TV show, and had to navigate a tricky situation involving two of their bosses and what went on behind closed doors. Hollywood Confessional is a Ninth Way Media production, produced by Meagan Daine and J.R. Zamora-Thal.  IG/Twitter: @fessuphollywood Sound Effects and Music provided by Zapsplat and Pixabay. Keywords: Hollywood, Writing, Acting, Directing, Narrative, Interview,...

Welcome back to the confessional booth! This week we've got two fascinating confessions for you! First up,  an actor learns the truth in the saying "If at first you don't succeed, try, try again." After that, our second confessor peels back the curtain on film and television composing, revealing the machine behind the man. Hollywood Confessional is a Ninth Way Media production, produced by Meagan Daine and J.R. Zamora-Thal.  IG/Twitter: @fessuphollywood Sound Effects and Music provided by...

Welcome back to the confessional booth! This week we've got two fascinating confessions for you! First up,  a PA learns that their friendly face might encourage assholes to ask for favors, and how to deal with that. After that, our next confessor deals with a horrible acting teacher who was really only teaching people how to bully. Hollywood Confessional is a Ninth Way Media production, produced by Meagan Daine and J.R. Zamora-Thal.  IG/Twitter: @fessuphollywood Sound Effects and Music...

Welcome back to the confessional booth! This week we've got two courageous confessions for you! First up,  a PA, desperate to find work, gets abandoned by a producer in the wilderness. After that, our next confessor deals with a CEO who would rather save money than treat his employees well. Hollywood Confessional is a Ninth Way Media production, produced by Meagan Daine and J.R. Zamora-Thal.  IG/Twitter: @fessuphollywood Sound Effects and Music provided by Zapsplat and Pixabay. Keywords:...

Welcome back to the confessional booth! It's a single confession kind of week, but this confession comes with some shocking realizations! Our confessor talks to us about a job that they took at a time when they were willing to do anything to break in, and the creepy boss who operated out of two tiny rooms in a giant house. Hollywood Confessional is a Ninth Way Media production, produced by Meagan Daine and J.R. Zamora-Thal.  IG/Twitter: @fessuphollywood Sound Effects and Music provided by...

Welcome back to the confessional booth! This week is our Kayla episode! Our amazing voice actor Kayla Ferkingstad is featured on both stories this week. The first is about an Eastern European Oligarch who mistakenly believes his power means that the women he employs owe him their careers and more. The second is about a horrible, salad throwing boss in Canada of all places.  Staying on brand, our shoutout comes to us from Kayla, who shouts out her acting coach Lauren Patrice Nadler for...

Welcome back to the confessional booth! This week we have just one confession, but it's a wild one! It comes to us from someone who has been around the block and has had time to process everything they've been through. Littered throughout this hilarious story are red flags all of us have seen and blown right past in the name of working in this industry.  Our shoutout comes to us from Amy Baklini, who gives a shout out to indie film producer Matt Miller. This episode is brought to you by...

Welcome back to the confessional booth! Our first story is about a guy who just lost his mother and an egotistical commercial director who though he was God's gift to animation. In our second story, we have a woman who joined a writing class that would eventually take her to the center of an abuser's web. And though she thankfully didn't suffer any abuse herself, she gives a first hand account of how an abuser finds people to prey on.  Hollywood Confessional is a Ninth Way Media...

Welcome to the first episode of Hollywood Confessional!  This week, our first segment is The Can Lady. Our confessor deals with a condescending boss who treats them like a little child.  In our second segment, This is a Man's World, our confessor deals with sexual harassment, wage theft, and general abuse, and finds the strength to get out of the situation. Hollywood Confessional is a Ninth Way Media production, produced by Meagan Daine and J.R. Zamora-Thal.  IG/Twitter:...