With a firm background in journalism and publicity, Ava seamlessly transitioned her marketing expertise into crafting compelling cinematic narratives spanning documentary, television, and feature films. Ava DuVernay is a versatile Director best known for ‘Origin’, ‘When They See Us’, ‘Selma’, and ‘Queen Sugar’. In this special New Year's Day episode, Pete is joined by Ava as they discuss discovering the magical power of storytelling, the intentions behind her Array community, the intimate...

Directors Anya Adams, Carl Seaton, and Jeff Byrd make their return to the pod as we welcome Morenike Joela Evans and Daniel Willis for our first ever Director's Round Table with Pete! These multi-faceted television Directors have a diverse portfolio spanning various genres including The Flight Attendant, Snowfall, Yellowjackets, The Blacklist, The Neighborhood, Grey’s Anatomy, and more. In this special season finale, Pete is joined by his peers as they discuss signs of bad directing, their...

In 2017, Bola wrote, starred in, and directed the short film ‘The Water Phoenix’ which quickly became her calling card. It also helped her identify her voice and tone as a Director. Bola Ogun is a first-generation Nigerian American Director best known for ‘Queen Sugar’, ‘The Witcher’, ‘Raising Dion’, and ‘Are We Good Parents?”. In this episode, Bola and Pete dive into the benefits of shadowing Directors and activating your network, crowdfunding for independent films, understanding the meaning...

After years of theater directing, Allison made the transition into television bringing a keen understanding of performance and stagecraft to the small screen. Allison Liddi-Brown is a Director best known for ‘Grey’s Anatomy’, ‘CSI: Miami’, ‘The Good Doctor’, ‘Scandal’, and ‘The Secret World of Alex Mack’. In this episode, Allison joins Pete to discuss tips and tricks when directing the untrained actor, the importance of deep collaboration, the art of blocking and movement, tone meetings and...

With a focus on identifying the best way to tell a story, Jonathan showcases a diverse skill set that enriches the visual, technical and narrative aspects of a production. Jonathan Judge is a television director best known for “Blues Clues'', “LazyTown”, “Young Sheldon'', and “The Really Loud House''. In this episode, Jonathan sits down with Pete to discuss the undeclared responsibilities when working in children’s programming, the Unreal Engine and how it compares to the Volume technology,...

Guided by her faith and persistence, Princess Monique Filmz has engaged in a diverse range of creative pursuits, forging a unique path for her Director’s journey. Princess Monique Filmz is a Director best known for “The Goldbergs”, “Grand Crew”, “BMF” and her award winning short film, “The Call”. In this episode, Princess sits down with Pete to discuss how she transformed her personal journals into a 15 chapter autobiography, the importance of being resourceful and finding out what you don’t...

Fascinated by the magic of filmmaking at the age of 8, Maurice became a committed matinee moviegoer. Mo Marable is a Television Director best known for ‘Veep’, ‘Brockmire’, ‘’Woke, and ‘Grand Crew. In this episode, Mo joins Pete to discuss the process of designing a main title sequence, battling with logistics and budgeting hurdles, relationship building and taking care of your team, technical presentations vs. emotional presentations when booking for a pilot episode, the importance of being...

From running base camp to sitting in the Director's chair, Anya navigates her journey with great communication, intention and leadership. Anya Adams is a Canadian-American director best known for ‘Black-ish’, ‘Ginny and Georgia', ‘Yellowjackets’ and her feature film directorial debut, ‘Prom Pact’. In this episode, Anya sits down with Pete to discuss how she transitioned from Psychology major to DGA trainee, a day in the life of the 1st AD and being the main source of communication, navigating...

Influenced by the skateboard to surfing pipeline, Garrett hit the waves at the age of 11 after moving to Hawaii. From there he has gone on to travel the world, leaving his name in the sand as the world's preeminent (and record breaking) big wave surfer. On this episode, Garrett joins Pete to discuss how 3 years of footage led to the creation of the multiple Emmy-nominated HBO series “100 Foot Wave”, the powerhouse team behind the series, how to identify a “good” wave, 3 characteristics to...

From “Another World” to “A Different World” and everything in between, Reggie has learned the value of being a passionate truth seeker. Reggie Rock Bythewood is a Writer, Director, and Producer best known for “Get On The Bus'', “Notorious”, “Gun Hill” and the Apple TV+ series, “Swagger”. In this episode, Pete is joined by Reggie as he discusses his transition from Staff Writer to Director, the power of connection and safe space, the importance of allowing collaboration to inspire you, moments...

With the original plan to pursue a career as a musical theater composer still in his back pocket, Paris has created a life for himself as a “coordinator of brilliance”. Paris Barclay is an award winning Director and Producer, known for “Dahmer”, “Sons of Anarchy”, “The West Wing”, “NYPD Blue” and the list goes on. He's also a two-term former president of the DGA and is currently Emmy-nominated for his work on "Dahmer". In this episode, Paris shares with Pete what he looks for when hiring...

In between takes of “It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia”, Charlie would spend his time writing and rewriting what would be his directorial debut, "Fool's Paradise". In this episode, Charlie and Pete dive into the realities of filmmaking from script to screen, the importance of discovering a character's wants and needs, lessons learned from the making of “Fool’s Paradise”, taking risks to tell the stories that don't get told, and more… (00:00:00 - 00:05:25) -- Podcast Intro (00:05:25 -...

Anton Cropper is a director and producer known for ’Monk’, ‘Black-ish’, ’Suits’, and his recent feature film ‘Fantasy Football’. In this episode, Anton joins Pete to discuss the role of the Stage Manager, directing actors and applying writer's notes, the importance of relationships, creating new worlds when directing pilots, pitch deck preparation, and more… (00:00:00 - 00:05:45) -- Podcast Intro (00:05:45 - 00:14:00) -- First Story To Have An Impact (00:14:00 - 00:17:45) -- Getting His...

During a time when there was no clear blueprint for becoming a filmmaker in Hollywood, Charles Murray devoted his youth to educating himself via self-help handbooks from his local libraries. Charles is a writer, director, and producer best known for ’Sons of Anarchy’, ‘Luke Cage’, ‘Star Wars: The Clone Wars’, and ‘Tales of Jedi’. He serves as showrunner on season two of Amazon Studios' 'Outer Range'. In this episode, Charles and Pete discuss the importance of doing your own research and...

To avoid having to write a final paper for a Philosophy and Religion Studies course, Brian put his creativity to the test and presented a short film. Now an Emmy-nominated VFX supervisor, Brian Kubovcik is the Head of Studio for FuseFX and known for “She-Hulk: Attorney at Law”, “Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan”, and “Criminal Minds”. In this episode, Brian and Pete enter the world of visual effects as they explore the process from making a bid to working in post, the importance of understanding camera...

Shiri Appleby began her acting journey at age 5, working on the set of numerous television shows and commercials. An actress and director born in Calabasas, California, Shiri is best known for her breakout roles in “Roswell” and “Life Unexpected”, and her directorial work on “Grown-ish” and “UnPrisoned”. In this episode, Shiri and Pete discuss the performance of the Director, good vs. bad notes to give an actor, the importance of prepping and how it is your protection, adjusting to the new...

Writing and selling a screenplay about a lawyer while working at a law firm is how Ellen became a writer best known for ‘Desperados’, ‘Clifford the Big Red Dog’, and her hit series ’Minx’. In this episode, Ellen and Pete discuss her transition into storytelling, how she discovered and developed the story of “Minx”, the process of pitching a story to a studio and network, her experience directing for the first time, running the show, and more… (00:00:00 - 00:07:25) -- Podcast Intro (00:07:25...

On this special episode, Pete combines previous podcast conversations with a variety of actors to spotlight their perspectives. Join us as we revisit why Issa Rae enjoys the writers room, the first story that impacted Dorian Missick, the best note Keith Powell gave to an actor, how Aya Cash prepares for character roles vs. personal interviews, Kaley Cuoco’s introduction to acting, and more… Complete Guest List: Issa Rae, Keith Powell, Aya Cash, Simone Missick, Spencer Garrett, Dorian...

Shannon Baker Davis is an award-winning television and film editor best known for ‘Grown-ish’, ‘Queen Sugar’, ’Top Chef’, ‘The Photograph’, and “Prom Pact”. In this episode, Pete gains access to the mind of an editor as Shannon describes what she looks for when navigating through various cuts, her transition from reality tv to scripted editing, the importance of pacing in a scene, and more… (00:00:00 - 00:05:00) -- Podcast Intro (00:03:45 - 00:10:30) -- How Did You Get Your Start? (00:10:30...

Valerie Weiss is an award-winning director and scientist known for “Star Trek: Strange New Worlds”, “Outer Banks” and “Chicago Med”. In this episode, Valerie and Pete discuss the future of filmmaking as they explore the benefits of using volume technology and Scriptation, the importance of allowing your life experiences to influence your perspective, being comfortable with uncertainty, marrying her love of science with her love for directing, and more… (00:00:00 - 00:03:45) -- Podcast Intro...

Showing up to set as an intern in your Sunday’s Best is not your average story, but the impression certainly impacted his journey. Jeff Byrd is a Director known for "Star Trek: Discovery", "Black Lightning”, and the 7 Emmy award nominated show, “Yellowjackets”. Tune in as Jeff joins the discussion, sharing how he transitioned from music video directing to film and television, guerrilla filmmaking vs. doing the “right” thing, the time he shared a New York alley location with F. Gary Gray, his...

After almost a year-long hiatus, Pete welcomes you back with Episode 40 of Let's Shoot With Pete Chatmon. Join Pete as he goes from 0-100, revisiting just what he's been up to, diving into some mail bag questions submitted by listeners like you, and sharing a sneek peek of what to expect this "season", including a list of upcoming podcast guests... (00:00 - 03:40) -- Podcast Intro (03:40 - 13:05) -- Eleven Things Pete’s Been Up To (13:05 - 14:50) -- What’s Next For Pete? (14:50 - 15:50) --...

This week we have a special crossover podcast with the good folks over at JUST SHOOT IT. Pete sat down with Matt Enlow and Oren Kaplan for a second time to chat episodic directing television and how he's been bringing his unique vision to projects since they last talked in August of 2020. When three directors get together things go super in depth, up, down, and sideways. Enjoy! SHOW NOTES: (00:00:00- 00:03:45) -- Pete's Intro (00:03:45- 00:15:30) — Directing “Mythic Quest” & “It’s...

Kaley Cuoco is an actress, best known for her work in "8 Simple Rules", "Charmed", and "The Big Bang Theory". After discovering the unreleased novel while scrolling through Amazon, "The Flight Attendant" became Cuoco’s first project as a producer. In this episode, Kaley joins Pete to discuss the lessons learned from working with John Ritter, landing her role as “Penny Hofstadter” in ‘The Big Bang Theory’, transitioning out of sitcoms, mastering the art of multitasking, and more… SHOW...