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Talkhouse

Melissa Navia is currently starring in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, out now on Paramount+, which follows Captain Pike, Science Officer Spock and Number One in the years before Captain Kirk boarded the U.S.S. Enterprise, as they explore new worlds around the galaxy. Melissa plays Lt. Erica Ortegas. the Enterprise’s helmsman. Melissa’s recent television credits include a recurring role on AMC’s Dietland and guest roles on Showtime’s Billions and Homeland. In March 2020, she made her Off-Broadway debut in the praised Bundle of Sticks at INTAR Theatre. (Photo by Francis Hills.)

Melissa Navia

Film

An Actor, a Helmsman, and My Brian: Boldly Going Where No Widow Has Gone Before

Jim Archer&#8216;s debut feature as director, <a href="https://www.focusfeatures.com/brian-and-charles/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Brian and Charles</a>, is out now in theaters and on digital through Focus Features. Jim cut his teeth shooting comedy sketches with friends before writing and directing his debut short film Intervention. He has since gone on to win gold at the Young Director Awards in Cannes, be awarded three Vimeo Staff Picks (one a &#8220;best of the month&#8221; Staff Pick) for his short films and earn plaudits for his television work. He directed the second series of the hit BBC sitcom The Young Offenders and most recently wrapped on new Channel 4 series Big Boys.

Jim Archer

Intelligent Stupidity: On Garth Marenghi’s Darkplace

Born to hippie artists, Jeremiah Zagar grew up in South Philly spending most afternoons in a dark movie theater or wandering the aisles of his local TLA video store. Later, on trips home from Emerson College, he started filming his parents, resulting in the documentary, In A Dream, which premiered at the SXSW Film Festival and screened theatrically across the US and in film festivals around the world. It was broadcast on HBO, shortlisted for an Academy Award and received two Emmy nominations, including Best Documentary. His next feature-length documentary, Captivated: The Trials of Pamela Smart, premiered in competition at the Sundance Film Festival and aired on HBO to much fanfare in 2014. He directed and co-wrote the feature We The Animals – based on Justin Torres&#8217; best-selling novel of the same name – which was selected for the Sundance Directing and Screenwriting Lab fellowships and premiered at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival. His latest work, the documentary series <a href="https://bit.ly/3qMu0my" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Fix</a>, based on Johann Hari&#8217;s book Chasing the Scream: The First and Last Days of the War on Drugs, is now streaming on Roku.j

Jeremiah Zagar

Ball Screen

Puerto Rican actress Natasha López can currently be seen as Charisse on HBO’s sci-fi romantic drama series The Time Traveler’s Wife, which has earned her acclaim for her outstanding performance alongside costar Desmin Borges. She has also appeared on the comedy series How Did That Happen? as well as NBC’s hit crime drama series Law And Order: Special Victims Unit. López made her feature film debut in 2013 in the crime thriller Runner Runner alongside Justin Timberlake and Ben Affleck. López received her bachelor’s degree in communications with a minor in theatre from Sagarado Corazon University. Lopez currently resides in New York. (Photo by Sam Ortiz.)

Natasha López

Pelo Malo, or How Wearing My Natural Hair on TV Helped Heal My Self-Image

Nico Muhly is a New York-based composer and songwriter. He has collaborated with Björk, the National, Philip Glass, Usher, Antony and the Johnsons and Bonnie &#8220;Prince&#8221; Billy, among others. You can follow him on Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/nicomuhly">here</a> and visit his website <a href="http://nicomuhly.com/">here</a>.

Nico Muhly

Three Great Things: Nico Muhly

James Lee Hernandez is a multi-Emmy® and PGA Award-nominated filmmaker and critically acclaimed podcaster who with his creative partner Brian Lazarte wrote, direct, and executive produced the Apple TV+ original documentary series The Big Conn, which is now available to stream. Hernandez and Lazarte recently directed, wrote, and edited the five-time Emmy® nominated HBO original documentary series McMillion$ (Sundance 2020), and their upcoming project, The Jet, another Apple TV+ original documentary series, is forthcoming later this year. Hernandez is a founding partner of FunMeter, a TV &amp; Film production company specializing in stranger-than-fiction scripted and non-scripted content. Hernandez is a self-taught filmmaker who began his career in the industry writing, editing, and directing content for Hulu, Hallmark, and other major, national brands.
Brian Lazarte is an Emmy-nominated filmmaker and editor whose new four-part Apple TV+ original documentary series made with James Lee Hernandez, The Big Conn is now available to stream. His credits include a variety of award-winning documentaries and series, most notably McMillion$ for HBO, which he wrote, directed, executive produced, and edited alongside James Lee Hernandez. Additional notable credits include Katy Perry: Part of Me 3D, HBO&#8217;s Emmy award-winning Sonic Highways, Fed Up, ESPN&#8217;s Emmy award-winning “30 for 30” Hawaiian: The Legend of Eddie Aikau, The Price of Free (Grand Jury Prize, Sundance 2018), and Showtime&#8217;s Time of Death, which won IDA&#8217;s Best Limited Series in 2014. A recipient of the Panavision New Filmmaker grant, he is a founding partner with Hernandez of FunMeter, a TV and film production company specializing in stranger-than-fiction scripted and non-scripted content. (Photo courtesy HBO.)

James Lee Hernandez and Brian Lazarte

The Music of Collaboration

Mei Makino is a screenwriter and director. She grew up at the intersection of several identities, but never felt like any of them fully fit. This feeling was the seed for her coming-of-age debut feature, <a href="https://www.inbetweengirlfilm.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Inbetween Girl </a>(2021 SXSW Visions’ Audience Award and New York Times Critics&#8217; Pick). The Cut praised the film for its “nuance and curiosity” and RogerEbert.com remarked on the film having a “stand out directorial approach.” Outside of developing films and screenplays rooted in empathy, diversity, and humor, you can find her social media managing.

Mei Makino

Discoveries While Editing a Microbudget: Inbetween Girl

Adam Conover is the creator, writer and host of truTV’s hit series Adam Ruins Everything, an educational comedy that dispels common misconceptions and encourages the audience to think critically about the world around them. The show airs on Tuesday nights at 10/9 C on TruTV.

Adam Conover

Three Great Things: Adam Conover

Zachary Ray Sherman is an actor, director, writer, and producer from Portland, Oregon, whose new film <a href="https://tubitv.com/movies/100022519/all-that-fall" target="_blank" rel="noopener">All That Fall</a> is now streaming. After early success opposite Kirsten Dunst in Lifetime’s Fifteen and Pregnant, and as Jasper on the CW’s reboot of 90210, Sherman has gone on to build an impressive acting resume balancing television work (Netflix’s Everything Sucks!) with edgy roles in independent films (Archie’s Final Project, West Virginia Stories, Cuck). Sherman has also directed three feature films to date: Particular Crowd and Mar Vista’s upcoming Do You Hear What I Hear, the award-winning indie All That Fall and HBO’s Young Hearts, a sweet and touching coming-of-age film executive-produced by the Duplass brothers. He will soon be seen in the indie dramas The Send-Off, produced by Glenn Howerton, and Can’t Seem to Make You Mine, opposite Lindsay Burdge, and is currently starring in Hulu’s Under the Banner of Heaven starring Andrew Garfield, created by Dustin Lance Black from the book of the same name by Jon Krakauer, and executive-produced by Jason Bateman and Brian Grazer. (Photo by David Zaugh.)

Zachary Ray Sherman

20 Years of Tenacity

Actor, writer and comedian Rell Battle stars opposite Craig Robinson in the new comedy series Killing It, now streaming on Peacock. He also recently appeared Will Smith’s comedy stand-up series, This Joka, where a diverse group of comedians come together in Vegas to showcase their material and explore the nature of comedy and its unique ability to unite people. Battle is maybe best known for his two seasons on CBS’ Superior Donuts, playing Franco’s best friend and fan favorite, Sweatpants, as well as appearances on ABC’s The Good Doctor and Black-ish. In addition to his acting resume, Rell is behind multiple projects in the works including Peacock and LOL&#8217;s So Dumb, It&#8217;s Criminal with Snoop Dog and NBC’s Uncivil Law, which he is co-writing alongside Pardis Parker for Hazy Mills. Rell also created and executive produced Comedy Central’s Jeff Ross Presents Roast Battle.

Rell Battle

I Used to Love H.E.R.

Matt Walsh is a two-time Emmy-nominated actor from HBO’s award-winning comedy series Veep. He can currently be seen in the comedy Unplugging, which he produced, co-wrote and stars in opposite Eva Longoria. He is one of the UCB 4, the founding members of the famed national improv-sketch comedy theatre Upright Citizens Brigade. In addition to his film and TV work, Walsh is a charitable founder with his wife Morgan of Gender Nation, which puts LGBTQ-affirming books in elementary schools around the country, and also organizes the Turkey Bird Classic, an annual golf charity tournament which benefits Defy Ventures, an organization helping formerly incarcerated people “transform their hustle,” teaching them life skills, providing education and mentorship that gives them a second chance. Walsh currently resides in Los Angeles with his wife Morgan Walsh and their three children.

Matt Walsh

Three Great Things: Matt Walsh

Jessica Dimmock is an award winning filmmaker and photographer based in Brooklyn, New York and the director of the new Hulu true-crime series <a href="https://www.hulu.com/series/captive-audience-a-real-american-horror-story-d840873f-211e-47a8-864b-8aa7c54d193c" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Captive Audience</a>. She is the recipient of numerous international awards including an Emmy for The Gallagher Effect (FX/Hulu), a Guggenheim Fellowship, the Inge Morath Award from Magnum and the Infinity Award from the International Center of Photography. Her directing credits include Flint Town (Netflix), Unsolved Mysteries (Netflix), The Weekly (FX/Hulu) and Home (Apple TV). When she is not working on her photography or film work, Jessica is leading a campaign to ensure that members of the Directors Guild of America retain their healthcare when they have a child.
Piper Weiss is a writer and the co-executive producer of Hulu&#8217;s Captive Audience. Her memoir, You All Grow Up and Leave Me, published by HarperCollins, was included in best books lists for Marie-Claire, CrimeReads and Vulture. She recently adapted the book into a feature-length screenplay for JAX Media.

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