Gael Chandler, based in Los Angeles, was nominated twice for a Cable Emmy for comedy editing and has trained hundreds of professionals on digital editing systems and students on editing systems, practices, and theory. Additionally, she taught editing practices and history at Loyola Marymount University and California State Universities at Long Beach, Los Angeles, and Northridge. She is the co-writer of the topic of the show, Scripting a Sermon. The Rev. Dr. Shauna Hannan is Professor of Homiletics at Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary. This year she is celebrating 25+ years of ordained ministry and the publication of a new book, Scripting a Sermon:Using the Wisdom of Filmmaking for Impactful Preaching (WJKP, 2024) co-authored with filmmaker, Gael Chandler. Scripting a sermon is a book for preachers encouraging them to look at and try the techniques film makers use to reach and impact audiences in creating their sermons. For more information about Carole Dean and From the Heart Productions please visit www.FromtheHeartProductions.com. 

Our special guest today is Karla Murthy, an Emmy-nominated producer who has been working on news documentaries for over 15 years. She began her career working for the veteran journalist Bill Moyers and has been a producer, cinematographer, and correspondent for several news programs on PBS. Her award-winning work was described in the Columbia Journalism Review as “compelling, informative, and compassionate.” Her directorial debut, the feature documentary The Place That Makes Us screened at numerous film festivals and had its national broadcast premiere on America ReFramed. She is now working on her next feature documentary film called The Gas Station Attendant, a co-production with ITVS for public television. Karla is of Filipino and South Asian descent. She grew up in Texas studying classical piano and graduated from Oberlin College with a degree in Religion and Computer Science. Today we’ll discuss her recent short film Love, Jamie, about a transgender artist incarcerated in Texas.

Adam Heyes is a multidisciplinary creative and business developer, working primarily with filmmakers, artists, authors, transformational teachers, and non-profit organizations. Adam has worked with From the Heart Productions for over a decade, helping the organization and its clients with pitch decks, design, editing, film and event production, website development, marketing, course design, and fundraising. He worked extensively with two award-winning From the Heart documentaries, Ground Operations about sustainable farming for veterans, and Take Back Your Power about the dangers of smart meters. Adam graduated Summa Cum Laude and Phi Beta Kappa from UCLA’s Honors Program with a degree in Psychology, and holds a Master’s Degree in Spiritual Psychology from the University of Santa Monica. He also runs a thriving heart-centered counseling practice in Seattle. To reach out to Adam send an email to [email protected], or visit http://www.adamheyesdesign.com To learn more about Carole Dean and From the Heart Productions please visit www.FromtheHeartProductions.com. 

Our special guest today is Eleanor Church, a UK based award-winning filmmaker and photographer who has been making films and using photography to tell stories for the past 20 years. She has worked on a wide range of projects, both documentary and commercial, with a particular emphasis on stories that focus on society, environment, women, human rights, migration and supply chains. Among her accomplishments, Eleanor is pleased that her filmmaking work has led to policy change. Today we’ll discuss her first feature film, X Trillion. It’s a documentary about an all-female team including sailors and scientists led by environmental activist Emily Penn, as they sail across the North Pacific Ocean to carry out cutting edge microplastics research.

This program is for creators of color in documentary filmmaking or nonfiction new media who identify as living with a disability. We seek to bring visibility to creators who are oftentimes overlooked through our 10 yearly grants of $5000.00 each.   To learn more about Carole Dean and From the Heart Productions please visit www.FromtheHeartProductions.com. 

Remi Kessler began documenting homelessness in Los Angeles in 2015. He produced and directed THE ADVOCATES, a full-length feature documentary providing a sweeping look at the history and causes of LA’s homeless crisis and an intimate view of the tireless work of advocates striving to create better lives for their homeless clients. The film premiered at the 2018 Los Angeles Film Festival, followed by a successful festival run, multiple community screenings frequently moderated by Remi, and worldwide distribution and streaming. Since THE ADVOCATES, Remi produced and directed a series of six films for UCLA and the Los Angeles Department of Mental Health which are utilized to educate social workers and graduate students on mental illness and homelessness. He is currently producing "Homele$$, Inc" on the high cost of housing and why is it so high?  For more information about Carole Dean and From the Heart Productions visit www.FromtheHeartProductions.com. 

Our special guest today is John Onderdonk, the Co-Founder and CEO of Flume TV, an innovative ad-supported streaming service dedicated to independent content. Prior to founding Flume TV, John accumulated five years of media strategy experience at Comcast NBCUniversal. During this tenure, he held roles in Corporate Development, Corporate Strategy, Cable FP&A, and NBCU Corporate Strategy and Business Development, with a focus on forming the company's direct-to-consumer streaming strategy. Currently based in Palo Alto, California, John is originally from Dallas, Texas. John holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with Highest Distinction from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He is currently pursuing an MBA at the Stanford Graduate School of Business, where he also serves as the Student Body Co-President, leading various initiatives to enhance the student experience and foster a vibrant community. Today we’ll discuss Flume TV.

Christie Marchese is the founder and CEO of Kinema. Kinema revolutionizes how films are distributed, opening new opportunities for filmmakers and studios to reach their audiences and maximizing revenue through screening tours, virtual events, and TVOD. Christie has won several industry recognitions, including being named one of Fortune’s Rising Female Founders in 2023 and Fast Company’s Most Creative People in 2021. Currently she is managing Kinema and has just released the Distribution Playbook for filmmakers.  https://thedistributionplaybook.notion.site To learn more about Carole Dean and From the Heart Productions visit www.FromtheHeartProductions.com. 

Jonathon M. Smith, is an actor/writer/producer who has been involved in the film industry for over 15 years Recently he produced, starred, and wrote an independent feature that is part of the Amazon Prime catalog called "Broken City." At this time, Jonathon is currently producing and starring in a vertical series called "Collapse of America." He hopes to discover new trends with the series and show the industry a fresh way to deliver content and great stories to modern audiences. It will be released in all major social media platforms next month.  Free Class: Jonathon also has a special promotion for From The Heart members. It's an exclusive free film financing course that will teach you different ways to raise money for your short films and features.  Click the link, click I want this, and enter "FROMTHEHEART" as the discount code to receive it for free: https://malibucinema.gumroad.com/l/filmfunding   

The information that Largo provides is an invaluable tool for pitching your film to investors and distributors, hiring crew, and making casting decisions. A recent case study found that having a Largo report can improve salability of a project by up to 300%. We believe that major streaming platforms are increasingly prioritizing projects that have strong analysis based financial forecasts and other key metrics the system provides.  The information in the report lets a potential distributor or investor know exactly what the project might be worth to them and how to most successfully package it. Largo can tell you how an audience will react to your film and characters emotionally, which is a strong indicator of audience engagement that all distributors want. It can show you if the emotion dips in a certain scene or if your characters are likable and relatable or not. It will show how your film compares to other similar films in many different metrics so that distributors can clearly see the market potential.  If you would like to contact Alex reach out through his email at [email protected] To learn more about Carole Dean and From the Heart Productions visit www.FromtheHeartProductions.com.

Brynn Lucas is an award-winning producer with extensive expertise in post-production supervision, delivery, electronic press kit (EPK), and feature film development and production. She has led numerous successful projects to completion, leveraging her deep knowledge in music videos, film production, and documentaries. Her client list includes Independent Filmmakers, Studios such as WB, Universal, and Paramount, Major Streamers like Hulu, Netflix, and Apple, and Sales Teams/Distributors such as Studio Canal, S&R Films, Saban Films, and Lionsgate. ([email protected]) To learn more about Carole Dean and From the Heart Productions please visit www.FromtheHeartProductions.com.