Latest Womeninfilm Podcast Episodes
Jennifer Podemski & Naomi Sneickus believe there’s comedy to be found in trauma
The Firecracker Department - The Blaze Sessions Season 02 - May 15, 2024 10:00 - 35 minutesIn our kickoff episode for the second season of The Blaze Sessions, Naomi sits down with this season's curator, Jennifer Podemski. As a multi-hyphenate artist, Jennifer’s creativity knows no bounds, and she’s committed to highlighting the importance of cultural sensitivity when it comes to Indi...
The Blaze Sessions Season 2 Trailer
The Firecracker Department - The Blaze Sessions Season 02 - May 01, 2024 10:00 - 3 minutesWelcome back to The Blaze Sessions brought to you by the Firecracker Department! Season two is here, and we're thrilled! Hosts Naomi Snieckus (Mr.D, The Madness, The Social, Second City Toronto) and the incredible Jennifer Podemski, ("Little Bird", "Reservation Dogs" and founder of Red Cloud Pro...
Alana Johnston wants to be the funniest she’s ever been
The Firecracker Department - The Blaze Sessions Season 02 - April 17, 2024 15:24 - 1 hourFor the past few years, performer and writer Alana Johnston has made it her mission to incorporate the theme of self-esteem into her artistic work. As the host of The Self-Esteem Party Podcast (on which this episode was first featured), she’s learned that the things we struggle with in regards t...
Anne Rab finds bravery in being bold on stage & in life
The Firecracker Department - The Blaze Sessions Season 02 - April 03, 2024 10:00 - 57 minutesAnne Rab’s improv career all started when she met a clown and stumbled into the art form that would change her life. Although it was difficult to make the transition from a city where she had stability and comfort to one completely unknown, she tells Naomi that learned that she didn’t want to ...
Nadine Antler gives herself permission to do the things she loves
The Firecracker Department - The Blaze Sessions Season 02 - March 20, 2024 10:00 - 1 hourOne thing’s for certain about improviser Nadine Antler is that her strength lies in taking care of people. From studying to be a social worker to putting on a decade-long improv festival and now running her own improv school, Nadine tells Naomi about her desire to help both actors and non-act...
Vanessa Matsui is a pro at taking things frame by frame
The Firecracker Department - The Blaze Sessions Season 02 - March 06, 2024 11:00 - 58 minutesWith her wealth of experience as an actor, writer, improviser, and now a director, Vanessa Matsui always finds time to look back and thank her younger self for having the gumption and bravery to take chances. By stumbling through her experience creating, writing, directing, and acting in the awa...
Inbal Lori has a plan to not have a plan
The Firecracker Department - The Blaze Sessions Season 02 - February 21, 2024 11:00 - 1 hourGrowing up in Israel, the multi-faceted Inbal Lori always knew she would be in the arts and fully embraced the holy trinity of acting, writing, and directing. But amidst her love for creation, she tells Naomi that before she moved to Berlin, she suffered when she played parts that she didn’t wr...
Maria del Mar paved the way for all of us with power and passion
The Firecracker Department - The Blaze Sessions Season 02 - February 07, 2024 14:42 - 1 hourMaria del Mar has never let fear hold her back from anything in her extensive career and expansive life. As a young actress with a passion growing up in Ottawa, Maria took a chance and moved to Toronto to fake it ‘till she made it, with roles on incredible shows like Frasier, 24, and Hudson & R...
Beatrix Brunschko navigates life with her three “me”s
The Firecracker Department - The Blaze Sessions Season 02 - January 24, 2024 11:00 - 1 hourBeatrix Brunschko, aka Trixie, dives headfirst into every twist and turn of her incredible career. She's not just a director of the stage and screen – Trixie's a founding member of Theatre Bahnhof, a professor at the University of Hamburg, and the go-to guru for all things improv. Starting fr...
Firecracker Department 2024 Trailer
The Firecracker Department - The Blaze Sessions Season 02 - January 10, 2024 11:00 - 2 minutesRev up your year with a brand new season of The Firecracker Department Podcast! Let's ignite 2024 with an explosive lineup of captivating conversations. Join our sensational host, Naomi Snieckus, and an array of global artists as they take you on a heart-pounding journey into the depths of creat...
Jennifer Holness immerses herself in stories
The Firecracker Department - The Blaze Sessions Season 02 - June 14, 2023 10:00 - 1 hourJennifer Holness is not only a force to be reckoned with, but she is a beacon of change in the industry. An award-winning filmmaker and the co-founder of Hungry Eyes Media (with her partner Sudz Sutherland), she is the first ever recipient of the Firecracker Department's Red Point Award, going t...
Wendy Crewson stands up for herself
The Firecracker Department - The Blaze Sessions Season 02 - June 07, 2023 10:00 - 1 hourWith a career spanning decades and a multitude of incredible roles in beautiful shows, it’s no wonder actor Wendy Crewson is one of Canada’s brightest and most beloved stars. With credits like Air Force One, Good Sam, Pretty Hard Cases, she is also known as a staunch advocate for ACTRA and F...
Mary Young Leckie lives for her lightbulb moments
The Firecracker Department - The Blaze Sessions Season 02 - May 31, 2023 10:00 - 1 hourIn the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia, Mary Young Leckie had one of her infamous lightbulb moments, which inspired her to produce such amazing shows as M.V.P and the brilliant and award- winning film Maudie. With an immense passion for telling Canadian stories and steadfast activism througho...
Jennifer Podemski acknowledges all her little wins
The Firecracker Department - The Blaze Sessions Season 02 - May 24, 2023 10:00 - 1 hourJuggling a work-life balance is difficult for many of us, but perhaps even more so for the multi-hyphenate extraordinary talent that is Jennifer Podemski. As she has navigated her career through acting, writing, directing, producing and showrunning (with her beautiful film Little Bird comin...
Sheila McCarthy is just going to pretend
The Firecracker Department - The Blaze Sessions Season 02 - May 17, 2023 10:00 - 1 hourSheila McCarthy’s résumé truly reads like an adventure book with twists, turns and surprises that makes her one of the most versatile and unique artists in our community. From playing a maid in The Littlest Hobo to her profound performance as Greta Loewen in Sarah Polley’s Oscar award winn...
Adrienne C. Moore never wants to be a GOAT
The Firecracker Department - The Blaze Sessions Season 02 - May 10, 2023 10:00 - 1 hourWhatever Adrienne C. Moore is selling - we’re buying! As the unpredictable drug squad detective Kelly Duff on Pretty Hard Cases, with some other pretty big roles under her belt (hello, Orange is the New Black!) we’d assume Adrienne had achieved GOAT status. But she proudly proclaims that sh...
Grace Lynn Kung doesn't like labels
The Firecracker Department - The Blaze Sessions Season 02 - May 03, 2023 10:00 - 1 hourGrace Lynn Kung has reached a milestone in her life and career - being number one on the call sheet for the very first time as Marissa Wong in the new crime dramedy Wong and Winchester - and she’s celebrating every moment!. The road to get there hasn’t been easy, but Grace tells Naomi and...
Meredith MacNeill is best friends with failure
The Firecracker Department - The Blaze Sessions Season 02 - April 26, 2023 10:00 - 1 hourWe know Meredith MacNeill as by-the-book, yet frazzled detective Sam Wazowski on Pretty Hard Cases and for her absurd and hilarious comedic sketches on Baroness Von Sketch Show which she wrote and starred in….but the truth is - she’s more than just the wild roles she plays on screen. The...
The Blaze Sessions Season 1 Trailer
The Firecracker Department - The Blaze Sessions Season 02 - April 19, 2023 10:00 - 2 minutesGet ready for The Blaze Sessions! Award-winning actors and friends Amanda Brugel and Naomi Snieckus kick off their shoes and dive into honest conversation with eight women at the top of their game in the entertainment industry. It's a showbiz cheat sheet, a dose of creative inspiration and a gre...
Amanda Brugel finds beauty in her daily “delights”
The Firecracker Department - The Blaze Sessions Season 02 - April 12, 2023 10:00 - 1 hourThe incomparable Amanda Brugel should truly be recognized as an artistic chameleon. With her seamless ability to transition from comedy to drama - in roles like Karina Duff on Pretty Hard Cases and Rita Blue and then effortlessly to her work on The Handmaid’s Tale - Amanda is constantly r...
Sync With Us On Pre-Production
Femme Regard Podcast - March 31, 2023 13:00 - 52 minutes ★★★★★ - 50 ratingsHosts Tessa Markle and Carolina Alvarez of Femme Regard Productions spill the tea on this week's topic: pre-production! We break it all down for you. The ups and downs. The progress and the setback. All things pre-production on our first feature film, Sync! IG Shoutouts: @syncthemovie @sushi.khar...
Storytelling From the Editing Bay with Kristi Shimek
Femme Regard Podcast - March 24, 2023 13:00 - 1 hour ★★★★★ - 50 ratingsHosts Tessa Markle and Carolina Alvarez of Femme Regard Productions spill the tea on this week's topic: editing! We chat with Kristi Shemik, independent editor extraordinaire on how she fell in love with editing and movie making in general. She walks us through the process of what is expected fro...
Scirens Take the Stage with Taryn O’Neill
Femme Regard Podcast - March 17, 2023 13:00 - 1 hour ★★★★★ - 50 ratingsHosts Tessa Markle and Carolina Alvarez of Femme Regard Productions spill the tea on this week's topic: SciFi's, science, and entertainment! We chat with Taryn O'Neill about how her passions for both the arts and science intertwined and how that led her to educating the masses through entertainme...
Managing the Multi-hyphenate Life with Stacia Crawford
Femme Regard Podcast - March 10, 2023 14:00 - 1 hour ★★★★★ - 50 ratingsHosts Tessa Markle and Carolina Alvarez of Femme Regard Productions spill the tea on this week's topic: managing multiple projects! We chat with Stacia Crawford about her progression from actor to director and everything in between. Stacia is constantly busy, with television on the docket right n...
A Look into A Lone Star Love with DeeDee Woche and Ben Myers
Femme Regard Podcast - March 03, 2023 14:00 - 1 hour ★★★★★ - 50 ratingsHosts Tessa Markle and Carolina Alvarez of Femme Regard Productions spill the tea on this week's topic: shooting a short film outside of LA! We chat with DeeDee Woche and Ben Myers, the creators of A Lone Star Love, a short film with sci-fi elements that tackles social media addiction and human c...
Breaking Down Breakdowns
Femme Regard Podcast - February 24, 2023 14:00 - 37 minutes ★★★★★ - 50 ratingsHosts Tessa Markle and Carolina Alvarez of Femme Regard Productions spill the tea on this week's topic: auditions! We bring you up to speed on our casting process for Sync. We talk about what we're doing on the casting end and share lots of things we've learned about auditions from the actor side...
Productivity is Sexy with Charlotte Atkinson
Femme Regard Podcast - February 17, 2023 14:00 - 1 hour ★★★★★ - 50 ratingsHosts Tessa Markle and Carolina Alvarez of Femme Regard Productions spill the tea on this week's topic: producing and productivity! We chat with Charlotte Atkinson. A producer herself, she coaches other producers as well as filmmakers on how to be productive and how to turn your filmmaking into a...
How to Be a Successful Director with Ryan Little
Femme Regard Podcast - February 10, 2023 14:00 - 1 hour ★★★★★ - 50 ratingsHosts Tessa Markle and Carolina Alvarez of Femme Regard Productions spill the tea on this week's topic: directing! We chat with Ryan Little, filmmaker, director, and podcaster. We had a blast talking director talk with Ryan - what's important on set, in your work, and in your personal interaction...
Making Artistry the Priority with Pirooz Kalayeh
Femme Regard Podcast - February 03, 2023 14:00 - 1 hour ★★★★★ - 50 ratingsHosts Tessa Markle and Carolina Alvarez of Femme Regard Productions spill the tea on this week's topic: using your inspiration to your advantage! We chat with Iranian filmmaker, Pirooz Kalayeh, who happened to be Carolina's film professor. He shares his journey from immigrant kid to musician to s...
Demystifying Distribution with Sana Soni
Femme Regard Podcast - January 27, 2023 14:00 - 1 hour ★★★★★ - 50 ratingsHosts Tessa Markle and Carolina Alvarez of Femme Regard Productions spill the tea on this week's topic: distribution! We chat with Sana Soni, head of distribution and sales at Giant Pictures. With years of experience in the distribution world AND as a producer herself, she gets it. Sana understan...