Red Carpet Rookies

Mike Battle

Every great film and TV maker began as a Red Carpet Rookie. In this podcast each episode you’ll learn from the life and career story of someone who’s grown to the top of the entertainment business, hearing how they mastered their craft with lessons you can apply to harness your own creative talent in your own career and everyday life.

From lessons given by Spielberg to Oscar-winners tips on imposter syndrome, and some pretty crazy on-set anecdotes thrown in for good measure…

My name is Mike Battle a film crew member turned screenwriter and I’ll be your host…and this is Red Carpet Rookies.

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20 episodes
Updated Apr 29, 2024

Episodes20

Newest first

Apr 29, 2024 · 26 min
#51 - Ronan Bennett: Creating Top Boy, Working with Michael Mann, Following Obsession, Stamina, and Why Screenwriting is like Playing Tennis with Novak Djokovic
Today’s guest began his career writing novels informed by his experiences growing up in the troubles of 1970s Northern Ireland such as The Second Prison which was shortlisted for the 1991 Irish Times prize. Soon after, he began writing for television and film, again bringing signature realism to his work in later projects including Michael Mann’s gangster pic Public Enemies, Gunpowder starring Kit Harrington and most notably his creation of cultural phenomenon, Top Boy, for which he was also nominated for a BAFTA. My guest is Ronan Bennett.
Apr 8, 2024 · 38 min
#50 - Lorien McKenna: How the The Pixar Story Department Actually Works, Creating Career Agency, Writing For Visuals, Challenging Shame and The Power of Vulnerability
Today’s guest began her creative journey in the world of theatre before moving to Pixar where she worked in the story department of hits including Ratatouille, Up, Brave, The Good Dinosaur and Inside Out. Having now transitioned to writing and showrunning her own projects, most recently the double Emmy nominated Tab Time as well as co-hosting mega-popular podcast The Screenwriting Life alongside fellow Red Carpet Rookies alumni, Meg LeFauve, I don’t know how she finds the time! My guest is Lorien McKenna.
Feb 19, 2024 · 36 min
#49 - Simon Blackwell: Writing Veep & The Thick of It, Julia Louis-Dreyfus’ Scary Phrase, Emergency Plane Writing, The Genius of Armando Iannucci, Sweary Grannies, & Why Parenting Makes You A Better Creative
I am lucky to introduce today’s guest who has been at the forefront of British comedy for the last two decades. The man behind hit shows such as Back starring Mitchell and Webb and Sky’s Breeders, his career is long and celebrated but it is his partnership with Armando Innaucci for which he is probably best known. Together they have brought movies like In The Loop and The Personal History of David Copperfield into the world as well as the now legendary sitcom The Thick of It and its ridiculously acclaimed US cousin Veep which won seventeen Emmy awards during its run. Along the way, he picked up two of them for himself, as well as four BAFTA nominations and an Oscar nomination for In The Loop. My guest is Mr Simon Blackwell.
Dec 17, 2023 · 36 min
#48 - John Zaozirny, Literary Manager on The ‘Magic’ That Makes a Hollywood Script, Screenwriting Lessons from Tony Gilroy, How He Finds Clients, Network Building, and Why Not to Write for the Market
Hello and welcome to Red Carpet Rookies, today’s guest earned his early entertainment industry stripes working at Village Roadshow and Leonardo DiCaprio’s production company Appian Way, later transitioning to the world of literary management, where he has since set up his own management and production company Bellevue Productions. There his clients have had projects set up at Warner Brothers, Paramount Pictures, Fox, and more, some of which he has taken to producing himself, for example, Infinite starring Mark Wahlberg and Netflix’s Eli. My guest is John Zaozirny.
Dec 12, 2023 · 47 min
#47 - Rhys Thomas: Directing SNL, Secret Marvel Security Meetings, The Handiness of a British Accent, & Making Documentary Now with Bill Hader and Fred Armisen
Born to a sleepy town in South Wales, after university, he swapped the countryside for the Big Apple where he made his name as the film unit director at New York institution, Saturday Night Live. In addition to his time at 30 Rock, he’s also managed to peel off and create the hilarious documentary satire series Documentary Now with friends Bill Hader, Fred Armisen and Seth Myers, and more recently, took a step into the Marvel Cinematic universe helming the pilot and multiple episodes of the hit Hawkeye TV show and much more. My guest is Rhys Thomas.
Dec 3, 2023 · 29 min
#46 - Sam Bain: Writing Peep Show, Crafting Four Lions With Chris Morris, Pre Success ‘Disasters’, Screenwriting Myths, And How Kids TV Made Him
Hello and welcome to Red Carpet Rookies. I’m very excited to introduce today’s guest who cut his teeth working on the British children’s TV that made up my childhood with shows like The Queens Nose, Tracey Beaker and My Parents are Aliens, before transitioning to his own creations like Fresh Meat and most notably the one and only, the great Peep Show which he co-created with longtime collaborator Jesse Armstrong and won a BAFTA for. In the years since he has had a lauded and varied career with work on projects including Chris Morris’s incredible category of one terroism-based comedy Four Lions, material for The Thick of It and more recently, even his own movies such as Corporate Animals with Demi Moore and The Stand In with Drew Barrymore. My guest is Sam Bain.
Nov 25, 2023 · 38 min
#45 - Julian Caldow: Designing Tim Burton’s Batmobile, World Building Game of Thrones, Bond Gadgets, Proof of Work, & The James Cameron KY Jelly Incident
Today’s guest began his career working as a runner on James Cameron’s legendary action movie Aliens but found his home in the art department where he honed the skill of concept art becoming one of the foremost illustrators in the business. With a resume that includes movies such as Star Wars Rogue Rogue, The Martian, Gravity, Casino Royale, Tim Burton’s Batman, Game of Thrones and even a few Harry Potters thrown in for good measure, I’m looking forward to delving into his creative process. My guest is Julian Caldow.
Oct 16, 2023 · 31 min
#44 - Charles Steel: Producing Top Boy, Meetings With Drake, Importance of Hustle, Finding Your Why, & Putting Jude Law on a Russian Submarine
Today’s guest has one of the most varied resumes of anyone in the film and TV business. Having produced everything from megahit Top Boy to winning a BAFTA for The Last King of Scotland, making documentaries and more, I can’t wait to hear his story and learn from his journey to success in the industry. He also has one of the coolest names of any guest I’ve ever had! My guest is Charles Steel.
Sep 26, 2023 · 28 min
#43 - Adam Epstein: Editing The Bear's Best Episode, The Addictive Life of Saturday Night Live, Compounding Relationships & The Music of Editing
Hello and welcome to Red Carpet Rookies. Today’s guest is a first for a the show. Someone who began his career in the world of comedy editing. With eight years at the legendary Saturday Night Live to his name, he’s been in the cutting room for skits featuring Margot Robbie as a murderous librarian, Ed Norton in a Wes Anderson themed horror movie parody, Andrew Garfield as a Beyonce Fan on the run and so many more. Whilst there he picked up two primetime emmy nominations before moving onto more recent shows including Tina Fey’s Mr Mayor and breakout culinary hit, The Bear. My guest is Adam Epstein.
Sep 12, 2023 · 36 min
#42 - Juliet Taylor: Legendary Casting Director on Taxi Driver & The Exorcist, Discovering Meryl Streep, Spielberg's Pot Smoking 80s Crew, Career Luck, Woody Allen, & Collaborating With A Holocaust Survivor on Schindler’s List
Today’s guest is one of the most notable casting directors in the history of movie making. Beginning her career under the tutelage of legendary casting director Marion Doughtery, our guest then transitioned to making a name for herself and by god did she. Now retired, during her epic career she was responsible for the casting of films including but not limited to, DEEP BREATH NOW - Taxi Driver, Schindler’s List, The Exorcist, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Network, Terms of Endearment, Big, The Killing Fields, Dangerous Liaisons, The Mission and Sleepless in Seattle. Not to mention her longstanding collaboration of over 40 movies with Woody Allen including Annie Hall and Manhattan AND finally she was also the woman to cast Meryl Street in her first motion picture. My guest is Juliet Taylor.
Jul 2, 2023 · 39 min
#41 - Andy Horwitz: Assisting Christopher Nolan's Producer on The Dark Knight, Getting Kathryn Bigelow into Brazil, Producing American Hustle & How A Movie Script Gets Bought
Today’s guest began his filmmaking career under the tutelage of legendary Producer Charles Roven where he was a producer’s assistant on Hollywood blockbusters such as Get Smart, The International and of course, Christopher Nolan’s, The Dark Knight. Following his apprenticeship, he was swiftly promoted through the ranks of Atlas Entertainment, soon becoming a leading producer for the company working on projects such as American Hustle, Triple Frontier and Suicide Squad. Now heading up his own exciting new venture, Big Swell Entertainment it’s a pleasure to have him here. My guest is Andy Horwitz.
Jun 26, 2023 · 29 min
#40 - Ali Plumb: Life as BBC Radio 1's Film Critic, Career Authenticity, Creating Great Media and How to Interview Harrison Ford
Today’s guest earned his early entertainment industry stripes working as a journalist for publications including Digital Spy and Empire before gaining what must be one of the world’s most fun jobs as Radio 1’s very own film critic, a position he has held since 2016. Since then, his career has only risen with recent projects such as hosting the red carpet of a little-known awards show called the BAFTAS and the BBC’s new series ‘The Film Fans Guide’. My guest is Ali Plumb.
Jun 19, 2023 · 29 min
#39 - Chris Lang: Writing Record-Breaking TV with Unforgotten, Screenwriting Rituals, Finding Humanity in Murderers, and Dealing With Failure in the Entertainment Business
Today’s guest is the king of British detective drama writing. Having discovered his talent for the written word whilst in a comedy troupe with a pre-movie star Hugh Grant, my guest later transitioned to drama where he has produced over 100 hours of primetime television including a multitude of hits including Innocent, which pulled in EIGHT MILLION viewers on ITV, The Thief His Wife and the Canoe which was watched by TEN million in 2022 and picked up our guest a BAFTA nomination as well as a pick of the year slot in The New York Times and of course his soon to be 6th series of record-breaking detective drama Unforgotten. Along the way, according to his IMDB at least, he also appears to have had a stint as a voice actor in the Harry Potter video game series. What can’t he do?! My guest is Mr Chris Lang
Jun 12, 2023 · 25 min
#38 - Fassa Sar: How I Became One of Sony Pictures Youngest Executives (And Why I Left To Change Hollywood Networking)
Today’s guest began her career as one of the youngest ever executives at Sony where she was part of the team that brought the now iconic ‘fully onscreen’ movie Searching to our screens, as well as many other projects such as Broken Hearts Gallery, executive produced by none other than Selena Gomez. Since then, like a young Reed Hastings she’s made the move into the world of media and technology with her film and tv networking company, Callo. My guest is Fassa Sar.
May 2, 2023 · 30 min
#37 - Anna Smith, BBC Film Critic on Interviewing A-Listers, Cultivating Taste, YouTube Film Critics and the Power of Networking
Today’s guest is something new for the show, our first film critic! Beginning her career in the world of music magazine editing, she soon transitioned to freelance writing on her favourite topic: movies. In the years since she’s graced every publication and TV channel you can imagine from the likes of Deadline Hollywood, Sight & Sound, the BBC, Sky News and many more. In addition to her day job, she is also co-founder and host of the chart-topping interview podcast ‘Girls on Film’ and former president of the UK Critics Circle. My guest is Anna Smith.
Apr 6, 2023 · 22 min
#36 - Ed Guiney, 'Normal People' Producer on Finding Your People, Childhood with Lenny Abrahamson, Hollywood Moguls, and Being An Advocate for Yourself
Today’s guest is one of Ireland’s most notable film producers. Beginning his life in the Irish capital, he pursued his passion into movie production during his time at Trinity College Dublin where he set up a film society with a certain Lenny Abrahamson. Today, he and his company Element Pictures have come a long way from those days though, having produced the likes of Yorgos Lanthimos’ The Favourite, and Lenny’s very own movie Room, both of which our guest picked up Oscar nominations for (and a BAFTA win for The Favourite). He’s also the man behind the international phenomenon of Normal People that exploded recent best actor nominee Paul Mescal onto our screens. I reached out to him after watching the amazing Calm with Horses that he produced with our mutual friend Kate and I’m very happy to have him here today. My guest is Mr Ed Guiney
Feb 25, 2023 · 28 min
#35 - Set Design Special | James Chinlund (The Batman), Luke Hull (Andor), Neil Lamont (Secrets of Dumbledore), Jim Clay (House of the Dragon), Sarah Greenwood (Cyrano) - Live from the BFDG Awards
Today's podcast is something a little different. This weekend I was honoured to attend this year's British Film Designers Guild awards to speak to some of the very decorated production designers nominated. I managed to get a little time with the likes of six-time Oscar nominee Sarah Greenwood, who attended the awards with her recent film Cyrano. James Chinland who was there for The Batman, Luke Hull with Star Wars' Andor, Jim Clay with House of the Dragon and our second Lamont to grace the show, Neil Lamont who was nominated for Fantastic Beasts Secrets of Dumbledore. Yes, it's a pretty crazy list, I know. Naturally, I wasn't sitting down in 30-minute stints with these guys to go through their full careers at an awards event, but I did manage to get a few quick-fire questions in largely centring around how to make it in the art department. I'm sure they'll be on the show in the future to dig into their full stories, but for now, that's enough from me.
Feb 13, 2023 · 22 min
#34 - Stuart Craig, Legendary Set Designer on Creating Hogwarts, Surprising David Lynch, The Power of Teamwork and Crafting The Largest Movie Scene of All Time
Today’s guest is one of the most accomplished production designers in the world today. Starting his career under the tutelage of Star Wars designer John Barry, he worked his way through the art department on 1970s classics such as the original Christopher Reeve Superman and Richard Attenborough’s A Bridge too Far. Here he began a multi-decade collaboration with Attenborough which produced the likes of Gandhi, for which he picked up his first Oscar. As his career moved into the late 80s and 90s he added many other legendary works to his CV including Steven Frears Dangerous Liaisons and Anthony Minghella’s The English Patient, both of which he picked up Oscars for. It was in the 2000s though that he was introduced to his most famous project, designing Hogwarts. A job that he has done since 2001 on all 8 Harry Potter and 3 fantastic beast films. If you can believe it in amongst all of that he also found time to design David Lynch’s seminal film, The Elephant Man and much loved classic Notting Hill. My guest is Stuart Craig.
Dec 10, 2022 · 34 min
#33 - Colleen Atwood, Iconic Costume Designer on Crafting Hannibal Lecter’s Mask, Tim Burton, Sofia Loren, Influencing Pop Culture and Working Her Way Up From A French Fry Factory
Today’s guest is one of the most accomplished costume designers in the world today. Starting out on features including Michael Mann’s Manhunter she has since travelled the world designing tens of the our most beloved films including The Silence of the Lambs, Philadelphia and the Fantastic Beasts Series. Most notable about her career though, is her longstanding relationships with Directors Tim Burton and Rob Marshall which produced the likes of Edward Scissorhands, Chicago, Alice in Wonderland, Dumbo, Memoirs of a Geisha and next year, Disney’s Live action Little Mermaid. On that journey, she picked up 4 Oscars and 3 BAFTA wins making her one of the most decorated people we’ve ever had on the show, my guest is Colleen Atwood.
Nov 28, 2022 · 34 min
#32 - Ellen Lewis: Casting Goodfellas (& Dinner with the Real Mafia), Finding Forrest Gump, The Importance of Mentors, Scorcese, and Margot Robbie’s Wolf of Wall Street Audition
Go and grab your shine box people because today is a big one! Today's guest is one of the key creative decision-makers behind a number of the world's most well-loved movies. Beginning her career casting under the legendary Juliet Taylor, she later went out alone, casting beloved titles including Forrest Gump, The Devil Wears Prada, Mamma Mia and Scent of A Woman. It has been her collaborations though that have made up a bulk of her incredible career, notably her three films with Steven Spielberg, and a collaboration with Martin Scorsese, that runs all the way back to the 80s including Goodfellas, Casino, The Departed and many, many more. My guest is Ellen Lewis.