In this episode of In the Room, John Williams and Christopher Shea sit down with the team behind Kill Me, which premiered at SXSW 2026.

Director Peter Warren, producer Natalie Metzger, and producer Keith Goldberg discuss the film’s unusual premise, a murder mystery where the body becomes the detective, and how that idea opened the door to a story about mental health, depression, comedy, mystery, and survival.

The conversation explores how Charlie Day came aboard, why Allison Williams, Giancarlo Esposito, and Aya Cash were such powerful additions to the cast, and what it takes to support a first-time director without diluting the filmmaker’s vision. They also break down the realities of indie production, shooting in Utah, designing a lean but ambitious set, and protecting performance at every stage.

For filmmakers, actors, producers, and anyone curious about how a movie moves from script to screen, this episode offers a rare look inside the creative and practical decisions that shape a film before it meets an audience.

What does it really take to make a feature film when you don’t have the system behind you?

In this episode, SXSW filmmakers Lauren Noll and Dalia Rooni share how Same Same But Different came together, from early concept to production, through persistence, unconventional problem-solving, and complete creative ownership.

This is a conversation about building momentum when nothing is guaranteed, and why creating your own work is often the only way forward.

Filmmaker John Valley joins In the Room to share his journey from a small town in Iowa to premiering films at SXSW, and what it really takes to build a career in independent film.

He breaks down the making of The Pizzagate Massacre, how the film went from festival rejection to viral controversy, and how self-distribution, SEO, and timing changed everything.

The conversation also dives into his latest project, American Dollhouse, a psychological horror film, along with lessons on raising money, navigating the industry without connections, and creating work that actually gets seen.

This episode is an honest look at indie filmmaking, creative risk, and what happens when you stop waiting for permission and make the film anyway.

Anne Hollister—actress, writer, and producer at Happy Bad Bungalow—joins In the Room to discuss her evolution from Broadway performer to independent film producer.

Anne shares the six-year journey of bringing Mattress Mack to life, the realities of financing independent films, and what it takes to build a production company from the ground up. She opens up about stepping away from representation to focus on writing, developing her thriller The Housesitter, and navigating the microaggressions and systemic bias that still exist for women in Hollywood.

The conversation explores:

• The actor-to-producer transition
• Indie film financing and attaching talent
• Why female-led stories are still labeled “unrelatable”
• Manifestation as creative inspiration
• Building community in film and television

This episode offers an honest look at persistence, authorship, and claiming creative control in a shifting industry.

Elizabeth Tabish, renowned for portraying Mary Magdalene on The Chosen, joins In the Room for an unfiltered conversation about casting, ambition, and staying human inside a business that constantly evaluates you.

She reflects on growing up in Oklahoma, building a career through commercials and indie work in Austin, and the psychological wear of auditions, self tapes, and the approval cycle. Elizabeth opens up about the moment she stepped back to protect her health, and how The Chosen arrived at the exact intersection of her life and craft. The conversation also explores women’s creative authority, why making your own work matters, and how platforms like YouTube and the internet are reshaping who gets to be heard.

A grounded, revealing episode about artistry, survival, and choosing your own voice.

A bluefin tuna leaves cold Nova Scotia waters and ends at a sushi table in Tokyo, and along the way, Bite to Bite reveals the human machinery behind one of the world’s most coveted fish. Director Kelly Lipscomb joins In the Room to talk about making a documentary that lets the audience feel first, then decide what they believe.

We dig into the real “casting” of non-fiction, how you find characters worth following, how you earn trust, and why the edit is where the story finally confesses itself. Kelly also breaks down the practical truth of funding, why commercial work often keeps passion projects alive, and what it takes to keep your creative integrity intact while still building a sustainable career.

Bite to Bite received an Honorable Mention for Documentary Feature at the 2025 Austin Film Festival.

On this episode of In the Room, casting director John Williams sits down with filmmaker Andrew Davies Gaines to talk about Voices, his deeply personal documentary about his father and Las Vegas legend, Danny Gans.

Andrew shares how a career ending shoulder injury cut short his path in professional baseball and led him toward acting, writing, producing, and finally directing his own work. Together, he and John explore what it means to turn family history into cinema, how to handle sensitive truths about someone you love, and the realities of chronic pain, performance pressure, and responsibility at the top of the Vegas entertainment world.

Listeners will hear:
• The rise of Danny Gans, from corporate arenas to the biggest room in Las Vegas
• How Andrew moved from athlete to actor to producer to director
• The emotional challenge of putting himself on camera as the subject’s son
• The editing choices that kept Voices from becoming a simple tribute piece
• How understanding his father’s failures changed Andrew’s own relationship to ambition

In the Room offers a rare look at legacy, craft, and the quiet spaces where art and family collide.

Steven Bernstein sits with John Williams, Heather Kofka, and Christopher Shea for a luminous, craft-first conversation on the art of filmmaking. Bernstein traces his path from cinematography to the director’s chair, reflecting on Monster, Last Call, Decoding Annie Parker, White Chicks, Half Baked, SWAT, and Blade, and why the most enduring work begins with human chemistry.

They unpack the family that forms on set, the ache of wrap day, and how to protect performance when time and money press in. Bernstein explains why intuition often beats orthodoxy, how executives chase safety while art asks for risk, and why story should serve character, not the other way around. He shares practical tools for actors and directors, from freeing marks and lighting to invite truth, to building backstory that unlocks authentic choices.

The table dives into post control, color grading, and the quiet power of tone, then pivots to Bernstein’s novel GRQ and its meta leap to the screen. It is a talk about collaboration, presence, courage, and the strange alchemy that turns effort into feeling. If you love the work behind the work, this one is a masterclass that hums with lived experience.

Keywords: Steven Bernstein, filmmaking, cinematography, directing, acting craft, color grading, creative process, indie film, Monster, Last Call, Decoding Annie Parker, GRQ, John Williams, Heather Kofka, Christopher Shea, In the Room