In this insightful episode of Go for Production, host Brandon Riley sits down with Dori Zavala as they talk everything legal. With over 23 years of experience in legal, business, and finance, Dori has made it her mission to guide filmmakers through the often-overlooked yet critical world of film financing, legalities, and production clearances. She shares how her consulting practice, Open For Show Business, equips creatives with the strategic tools they need to bring a script to life—all while avoiding costly legal pitfalls. Dori and Brandon delve into the foundational steps every producer should take before cameras roll, starting with setting up an LLC to protect personal assets, establishing a business bank account, and getting key investor documents in order. They discuss essential contracts—everything from cast and crew agreements to location releases—and underscore the importance of transparency and clarity in every deal. Dori explains the complexities of copyright law, particularly for artwork and music, showing why seemingly small details can make or break a film’s distribution potential. Whether you’re an independent filmmaker piecing together a million-dollar budget or a producer looking to safeguard your project for future distribution, Dori's expertise offers invaluable guidance. Learn how to streamline your production’s legal workflow, handle complicated negotiations with agents, and ensure you have a clear roadmap for financing, music licensing, and more. By the end of this conversation, you’ll understand why having an entertainment attorney on board early can save you time, money, and stress in the long run.

In this episode we talk with Jens Jacob CEO of Sypher Studios and CEO of Saturation.io

Jens is an experienced Producer. Some of his films include After Death, The Heart of Man and Don't Feed the Children.

Saturation.io offers a user-friendly, comprehensive, and efficient solution for film budgeting, payments, and actualization. Their platform is designed to cater to various types of productions, including films, TV, commercials, and music videos. With advanced collaboration features and accurate budget management, Saturation.io is the go-to choice for film producers and professionals in the industry.

Visit his website at Saturation.io

In this episode we talk with Robert "Skid" Skidmore about his experience working with background actors. Skid is an experienced Assistant Director and host of the Below The Line Podcast. A few of the shows that Skid has worked on include Veep, Entourage, Spider Man 2, Arrested Development, Big Fish, The West Wing and many more..

Visit his website at https://www.belowtheline.biz/

In this episode we speak with Rose Beale (@laurenrosebeale on Instagram) about using people skills when solving problems and working in production. Rose has worked as a Production Coordinator, Supervisor & Production Manager on numerous film and tv shows. Some of her credits include Just Mercy, The First Purge, Kidnap, LBJ, The Expendables 2 and many more...

In this episode we talk with John Francis Collins about his experience working as a Location Scout, Location Manager and ALM.

John is a veteran Locations Expert who has worked on countless movies. A few of the films that John has worked on include Emancipation, 12 years of slave, One night in Miami, Your Honor and Mississippi Grind.

In this episode we talk with David H. Venghaus Jr. (@davidvenghaus on instagram) about his experience working as an AD on films that encompass VFX, Virtual Production and new technology.

Dave is a veteran DGA 1st Assistant Director who has worked on countless movies. A few of the films that Dave has worked on include two of the Pirates of the Caribbean films, The Jungle Book, The Lion King, A Quiet Place Part II, Spider-Man: No Way Home and many more...

In this episode we chat with Mirko Urania (CEO of WrapTime) about going digital with out-times and creating a production report in minutes.

Visit the website http://www.wraptime.io

In this episode we chat with Brent Emery (@brentalanemery on instagram) about packaging and financing projects.

About Brent Emery
Sundance award-winning producer Brent Emery brings over fifteen years of international film strategy and business consulting experience to Resonate Entertainment. He has worked extensively as an independent film finance, sales and production specialist at multiple executive posts, including U.S. Head of Co-Productions for ECI (a global entertainment company focused on Chinese Co-Productions) and Executive Vice President of Production and Development at Madonna’s Maverick Films.

During his seven years at Maverick Films, Emery oversaw development of a slate of over fifty studio and independent film and television projects. He also managed the deals of a dozen independent producers with deals at Maverick. Some projects that emerged from Emery’s tenure as an executive overseeing development include box office record breaking Twilight, which was eventually financed by Summit Entertainment, the hit film Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief, and the young adult hit movies Agent Cody Banks I and II.

Emery’s critically acclaimed 2015 film, The Stanford Prison Experiment, won the Alfred P. Sloan Award and Waldo Salt screenwriting award at The Sundance Film Festival. The Road Within, starring Kyra Sedgwick, produced by Emery and written and directed by Emery’s wife, Gren Wells, has garnered multiple international awards, including Best Youth Film at The Rome Film Festival.

Emery recently produced Carrie Pilby with his Resonate cofounders, Suzanne Farwell and Susan Cartsonis.

About Resonate Entertainment (@resonateentertainment on instagram)
Resonate Entertainment is an innovative new entertainment company formed by film industry leaders who bring their unparalleled combination of creative filmmaking, technical production and film finance expertise to their company. They have a commitment to female gender representation and inclusion, and develop, finance and produce high-quality commercial films in all genres for the underserved yet highly lucrative female audience.

In this episode we chat with Luke DeBoer (CEO of Set Hero) about all things digital with call sheets, production reports and more....

Visit the website https://setheroapp.com and https://moviemagictoexcel.com/

In this episode we check in with Josh Weinberg and Ashlyn Hodges (RABS team) to see how the pandemic has effected their business and what new and interesting insights they have learned.

Visit the website to sign up and learn more about their APP https://runabetterset.com/

In this Episode we speak with Robin Kincade (@kincadeproductions on instagram) about working as a successful production assistant in film and tv.

Robin has over 20 years experience as a freelance producer, location scout and photographer for some of the biggest names in the business including NBC, ABC, MTV, CMT, Showtime, HBO, Reality Television and many more.
After 4 years in development, she launched Kincade Productions and is proud to launch this one of a kind course that gives step- by-step direction on how to break into the film industry.

Website: https://www.kincadeproductions.com/

In this episode we talk with Bruce Van Dusen (@brucevandusen1 on instagram) about his new book and his experience working as a Commercial Director.

Bruce has directed over a thousand commercials, three movies and a documentary. Recently he released a book titled 60 stories about 30 seconds that explores his four-decade long career and a ton of weird crazy stuff that happened along the way.

Buy the Book: https://amzn.to/33oN4uh
Bruce's Website: https://www.brucevandusen.com/
Bruce's Portfolio: http://assemblyfilms.com/directors/bruce-van-dusen

In this episode we talk with Phillip Rush about his recent adventure filming a movie during the Covid-19 Pandemic. 
Phillip Rush (@philliprush on instagram) is an experienced 1st AD based in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania who has worked on numerous independent films and series. 

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Abraham Martinez (_abemartinez_ on instagram) is a Director of Photography who has traveled across the world to nearly 60 countries. He started out working on many studio feature films in Hollywood within the camera department on movies such as Flight Plan, Spider-Man 3, and Fast and Furious to name a few.
Abe recently broke ground in television filming two shows back to back, Queen of the South and The Chi. He has experience filming internationally and has shot two independent feature films overseas, in India and Kenya. While on location in Kenya, along with his wife and two boys, Abraham resourcefully produced a children's show pilot targeting vulnerable children. Working on films has proved more than simply an adventurous career but has triggered a passion to impact culture and shoot compelling stories along the way.

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In this episode I’m going to share with you the latest books I’m reading that I highly recommend.
Deep Work by Cal Newport
The 15 Commitments of Conscious Leadership by Jim Dethmer, Diana Chapman and Kaley Warner Klemp
The Obstacle is the way by Ryan Holliday
Masterclass

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In this episode we talk with Gad Tisch.
Gad is the founder and president of Croogloo a film and television operations platform. He has a background in film production having worked on numerous films and tv shows. Currently Gad has a mission to remedy inefficient productions and costly practices by centralizing productions to unlock data and generate tax credits.

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In this episode we discuss the COVID-19 White Paper guidelines with Lisa Mall.
Lisa is a DGA 2nd AD-based in Dallas, TX but frequently works across the US in various cities such as New York City, Portland, OR and many others. Her recent projects include Halle Berry's "Bruised," Netflix's unreleased "Grand Army," USA Network's "Queen of the South," and a handful of indie feature films.  Past projects include IFC's "Portlandia," Marvel's "Daredevil" and "Jessica Jones," and a smattering of movies the likes of "Olympus Has Fallen," "The Maze Runner," and "Get On Up," to name a few.
Please enjoy!
Subscribe on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC01GJT61n1F7SWkrzw5vAqQ?sub_confirmation=1
About the Host - Brandon Riley:
Brandon Riley is a seasoned Producer, Line Producer, UPM and Assistant Director (1st AD & 2nd AD) with 10+ years’ experience creating and managing high-profile film, TV, digital media and live events. He’s worked with numerous a-list Actors and talented Directors in 10 states with budgets under $10 million.  His ability to problem solve, think clearly in difficult situations and continually pull off the impossible make him an invaluable team player. He holds a Bachelors degree in Radio/TV/Film and a minor in Philosophy from the University of North Texas and is currently a member of both the Directors Guild of America and the Producers Guild of America. In his spare time Brandon enjoys developing and packaging projects (features and tv series) under his company Radiant First Productions for various markets and is often hired as a consultant to assist with the development process for numerous companies.

Connect with Brandon Riley:
Visit the BLOG: http://www.assistantdirecting.com
Visit the SITE: https://www.thefilmfixer.us
Follow Brandon Riley on TWITTER: https://www.twitter.com/radiantfirst
Follow Brandon Riley on INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/radiantfirst
Follow Assistant Directing on FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/assistantdirecting

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In this episode Brent Barbano talks about his experience as a Cinematographer and journey as one of the Co-Founders of Sharegrid.
Sharegrid (@sharegrid on instagram) is the largest, most trusted camera sharing community in the world.

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In this episode we talk with Jules Kovisars (@JKovisars on twitter)
Jules is a Producer, Production Executive and DGA Unit Production Manager.
Following graduation from Vassar, Jules was admitted to the DGA trainee program and upon graduation worked as a Key 2nd AD for many years on shows ranging from lower budget TV to blockbuster feature films like Men In Black: 2.
She spent some time working in Spain as the Head of Production for Palma Pictures, the largest commercial service company in the EU.
Returning to Los Angeles, Jules continued to work as a UPM and Producer on acclaimed series including THE FOSTERS (Freeform TV) and EPISODES (Showtime), as well as myriad pilots and one-offs. From this experience, Jules was recruited to the rebranding of truTV network, based in New York City, where she remained until the finalization of the merger with AT&T.
Currently in LA Jules works as a producer and UPM on numerous scripted projects, and is repped by UTA.

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In this episode Brandon Riley (@radiantfirst on instagram) the host of Go For Production unpacks 20 ways to advance your entertainment career in 2020. 

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