MICHAEL NAKAN | Strengthening the China-UK Creative Connection
Michael Nakan is the founder of Clipper Media Capital, a London-based production and packaging company. He cut his Hollywood teeth on the US version of “House of Cards” and then in NYC at HBO before returning home to the UK to work in development for DARKEST HOUR director Joe Wright. He's also established a China office of his UK firm and is successfully bridging the gap between the two markets. A great talk!
MICHAEL NAKAN / Clipper Media Capital: https://www.clippermedia.co.uk
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APPLE: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/if-i-knew-you-better/id1457785319
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LINKS https://www.crazyinagoodway.com/knew-resources
WEIKO LIN | Screenwriting Between Hollywood & China
Weiko Lin was born in Taipei, Taiwan, & he continues to work throughout Asia, but it’s in Hollywood that he’s really made his name. His upcoming book, Crazy Screenwriting Secrets (Michael Weise Productions, avail July 1) is both a solid art & craft writing manual, AND a knowledgable how-to on navigating the often-treacherous waters between China and the global cinema industry, as epitomized by Hollywood. If you follow the world entertainment business with any degree of seriousness, YOU MUST LISTEN TO THIS SHOW. Just sayin’. Enjoy!
WEIKO LIN book:
Crazy Screenwriting Secrets - Pre-Order now on AMAZON:
https://www.amazon.com/Crazy-Screenwriting-Secrets-Capture-Audience/dp/1615933018
BRENDAN DAVIS on “The Carl King Podcast”:
Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-carl-king-podcast/id1202709564?i=1000440895085
SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/carlkingdom/brendan-davis-interview-carl-king-podcast-15-060619
or SEARCH “The Carl King Podcast” in your favorite podcatcher
SEARCH “If I Knew You Better” in all podcatchers OR listen / learn more here:
APPLE: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/if-i-knew-you-better/id1457785319 / WEB PLAYER: http://ifiknewyoubetter.libsyn.com/website/ LINKS https://www.crazyinagoodway.com/knew-resources
STEVEN D. KATZ | Writing A Classic, Teaching Michael Jackson, & More
Steve Katz has possibly the most eclectic background and resume of anyone I’ve ever spoken to. His early influences in the 1960s, like Ray Harryhausen and Famous Monsters magazine, mixed with watching rehearsals at the nearby Westport Country Playhouse with visiting directors like Woody Allen to the influence and support of his parents to propel him into an artistic life from the very beginning. That led him to, among other things: learning film cameras via a cousin in New York who worked on TV shows like “Car 54, Where Are You?”; putting together psychedelic light shows in NYC at places like the Fillmore East and working with bands like The Grateful Dead, The Doors, The Byrds, and Sly & The Family Stone starting at age 19; playing bluegrass banjo; working on John McTiernan’s first film; befriending “Saturday Night Live” writing legend Michael O’Donoghue and seeing a legendary short film he directed, “The Clams”, go on to open a season of “SNL” and catch a big break as a TV writer; he continued to work and grow and eventually established himself as a writer-director-producer in Hollywood; created the first digital previz on the feature Clear and Present Danger; and eventually, all his experience brought him to - yes - China, where he has been involved in many projects big and small. But of all the references I just name-checked, the one that originally cemented Steve’s name in my mind back in the day was that he wrote a truly legendary cinema book called Film Directing: Shot by Shot, published by the then-upstart Michael Weise Productions. It was released in 1992, which is when I was in film school, and it instantly became required reading in my Film Production courses! It’s familiar blue cover was updated a few years ago to announce the new, 25th anniversary edition, which was freshly and thoroughly revised for the digital age. It’s easily the film book I have gifted to more people than any other, and it was a real treat to get to hear some of Steve’s stories in-depth. Among the crazy but true tales already mentioned, we scratch the surface on Steve’s several engagements as Michael Jackson’s personal filmmaking tutor - a story he has NEVER told before! Steve was resident at the Neverland Ranch for months at a time, was flown into luxury hotels to work with the star, sometimes just watching movies late at night. He also saw things in his time around MJ that will likely merit another show entirely, but we will have much more on that topic another day. We even overlap on his interest in the intersection between art and neuroscience, among many other wonky and highly specific topics. To top it off, he’s also a good friend of one of my best friends, Kevin Geiger, so the “small world” meter is off the charts with this one for me. More on all that later. For now, though, you can visit the blog post at https://www.crazyinagoodway.com/knew-resources for links, contact information, and I hope you enjoy this epic conversation with Steven Katz!
STEVEN KATZ links:
BOOK - Film Directing: Shot by Shot - 25th Anniversary Edition: Visualizing from Concept to Screen by Steven D. Katz: https://mwp.com/product/film-directing-shot-shot-25th-anniversary-edition-visualizing-concept-screen/
WEB - https://www.shotbyshotbook.com
SEARCH “If I Knew You Better” in all podcatchers OR LISTEN here - APPLE: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/if-i-knew-you-better/id1457785319 / WEB PLAYER: http://ifiknewyoubetter.libsyn.com/website/ LINKS https://www.crazyinagoodway.com/knew-resources
MIKE WESTER: True Run Media
#032 - True Run Media | Mike Wester
My guest this week is Mike Wester, co-founder of True Run Media, which publishes The Beijinger, Jing Kids, and more. In the episode we talk about Mike's journey from the Boston area to Taiwan, back to the US for grad school, and then his ultimate move to Beijing, a city he's called home for 17 years. Pictured above are Mike with his daughter Eloise and his wife, Toni. Mike and his team have built quite a publishing presence in China, and his thoughtful insights on society reflect a deep passion for quality journalism and the people it impacts - i.e., all of us.
In this episode I also discuss my upcoming special New Year’s show, an appearance I’ll be making on CGTN soon talking about film in China, the podcast’s holiday fundraising drive, and much more. Full details are in the show intro and all the links are available in the show notes below or via the blog post at https://www.crazyinagoodway.com/home/2017/12/27/mike-wester so check it out. Enjoy!
Mike Wester contact:
mwinchina
True Run Media brands:
thebeijinger.com
beijing-kids.com
jingkids.com
TheBeijinger QR code
Beijing-Kids QR code
Jing Shanghai QR Code
Jing Beijing QR code
AWA Health (mention the show and get a 20% discount):
4th Floor, THE PLACE mall
Guanhua Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing China
137-1618-2745 (Chinese)
186-0083-9624 (English)
Holiday FUNDRAISING Drive - SUPPORT BFMK via PayPal or WeChat:
https://www.crazyinagoodway.com/donate/
Brendan Davis on WeChat:
BrendanDavis
Brendan Davis on Twitter:
@VeritasInLux
BFMK website:
https://www.crazyinagoodway.com
Other links to LISTEN:
https://www.crazyinagoodway.com/podcast-links/