What does it take to build a lasting career in horror and still protect your creative soul?

Director Natasha Kermani traces her path from editing neighborhood videos on an early iMac to premiering her first feature, Imitation Girl, and becoming a distinctive voice in genre filmmaking. A graduate of NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, Natasha shares how the horror community embraced her early work and why she found freedom in a genre that welcomes experimentation, new perspectives, and bold storytelling.

Her latest film, The Dreadful, was years in the making, written in the emotional aftermath of the 2016 election and inspired by a folktale about two women surviving brutal times. Natasha reflects on navigating industry resistance to period films, shelving and resurrecting the script, and ultimately bringing it to life with Sophie Turner, Kit Harington, and Marcia Gay Harden, all on a tight 17-day shoot.

In this candid conversation, she also shares her vulnerabilities as a director, the pressure of low-budget filmmaking, and her commitment to protecting time for process and imagination in an industry obsessed with speed.

Listen to learn:

- How the horror community became a launchpad for her career

- Why The Dreadful was shelved and how it came back to life

- The reality of directing a feature in just 17 days

- How collaboration (and preparation) fuels her sets

- Why “dreaming time” is essential to meaningful filmmaking

The Women in Entertainment Podcast presents thoughtful conversations with leaders across entertainment from film and television, to media and gaming, and everything in between; as we talk about what it takes to make your mark in the industry, lessons these incredible people have learned along the way, and how they have found their way in an ever-changing environment.

With in-depth conversations and pre-submitted listener questions, each episode provides candid advice for navigating today’s entertainment industry, giving listeners an inside look at how key players got their start, and guidance for building the necessary toolkit to bring careers to life in film, TV, music, theater, graphics, writing, animation, and beyond.

Listen on Spotify: ⁠https://open.spotify.com/show/5AfPfPQ...

Listen on Apple Podcasts: ⁠https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast..

Listen on Audible: ⁠https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/a85..

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Before she was an award-winning actress, Octavia Spencer wanted to be a producer, and that instinct to build, solve, and champion meaningful stories still guides her every move.

In this candid and inspiring conversation, Octavia opens up about balancing genres, from comedy and horror to true crime, and why she gravitates toward projects that resonate deeply rather than simply spotlight her performance. As executive producer and voice behind Feds and Lost Women of Alaska, she shares how both series act as powerful bookends: one honoring the voices of underserved women whose stories were overlooked, the other spotlighting the real-life “Avengers” working to bring justice to victims. For Octavia, producing isn’t about control; it’s about assembling the right storytellers and ensuring important narratives are told with care and intention.

She also reflects on her early days as a casting assistant, the mentors who shaped her career, and the importance of staying grounded in an industry that can easily pull you off-center. Her advice to the next generation? Embrace the discomfort. That’s where evolution lives.

Listen to learn:

- Why Octavia chooses entire stories, not just roles

- How producing allows her to create opportunities for others

- The intentional balance behind Feds and Lost Women of Alaska

- Why discomfort is essential to artistic growth

- How community and mentorship shaped her career

The Women in Entertainment Podcast presents thoughtful conversations with leaders across entertainment from film and television, to media and gaming, and everything in between; as we talk about what it takes to make your mark in the industry, lessons these incredible people have learned along the way, and how they have found their way in an ever-changing environment.

With in-depth conversations and pre-submitted listener questions, each episode provides candid advice for navigating today’s entertainment industry, giving listeners an inside look at how key players got their start, and guidance for building the necessary toolkit to bring careers to life in film, TV, music, theater, graphics, writing, animation, and beyond.

Listen on Spotify: ⁠https://open.spotify.com/show/5AfPfPQ...

Listen on Apple Podcasts: ⁠https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast..

Listen on Audible: ⁠https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/a85..

#OctaviaSpencer #WomenInEntertainment #WomenInFilm #WomenInHollywood #ExecutiveProducer #Storytelling #Feds #LostWomenOfAlaska #FilmIndustry #TVIndustry #EntertainmentPodcast #ProducerLife #HollywoodCareer #CreativeLeadership #WomenInMedia #MentorshipMatters #CareerInFilm #ArtisticGrowth #EmbraceDiscomfort #BehindTheScenes #WomenSupportingWomen #FilmAndTelevision #IndustryInsights #PodcastInterview

What happens when the story you thought had ended still has more to say?

Bestselling author Laura Dave opens up about the evolution of her breakout hit The Last Thing He Told Me and its powerful sequel, The First Time I Saw Him. Sparked by the Enron scandal and written over the course of a decade, Laura reveals how she unknowingly crafted two books at once and why making her heroine a survivor, not a victim, was non-negotiable. She shares the surreal experience of partnering with Hello Sunshine, developing the series for Apple TV+, and watching Jennifer Garner bring Hannah Hall to life on screen.

From researching Fisher Island to finding creative clarity in the medieval streets of Èze, France, Laura reflects on the themes that define her work: redemption, second chances, and the witnesses who hold up mirrors to our truest selves. She also shares insights into her Netflix adaptations of The Night We Lost Him and The Divorce Party, her 5 a.m. writing rituals, and the song that soundtracked each novel.

Listen to learn:

- How a real-life corporate scandal sparked a decade-long creative journey

- Why writing the sequel felt riskier than the original bestseller

- What it’s really like collaborating with Jennifer Garner and Reese Witherspoon

- Laura’s “day book/night book” reading method

- The grounding rituals that keep her focused eight books in

The Women in Entertainment Podcast presents thoughtful conversations with leaders across entertainment from film and television, to media and gaming, and everything in between; as we talk about what it takes to make your mark in the industry, lessons these incredible people have learned along the way, and how they have found their way in an ever-changing environment.

With in-depth conversations and pre-submitted listener questions, each episode provides candid advice for navigating today’s entertainment industry, giving listeners an inside look at how key players got their start, and guidance for building the necessary toolkit to bring careers to life in film, TV, music, theater, graphics, writing, animation, and beyond.

Listen on Spotify: ⁠https://open.spotify.com/show/5AfPfPQ...

Listen on Apple Podcasts: ⁠https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast..

Listen on Audible: ⁠https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/a85..

#LauraDave #WomenInEntertainment #AuthorInterview #BestsellingAuthor #BookToScreen #AppleTVPlus #JenniferGarner #ReeseWitherspoon #WritingLife #CreativeProcess #ScreenAdaptation #WritersOfYouTube #StorytellingPodcast #BehindTheScenesBooks #NovelToSeries #AuthorLife #WritingRituals #CreativeJourney #PodcastEpisode