Angle on Producers with Carolina Groppa

Ever wondered how festival programmers decide which films make the cut? For our first episode of 2026, I'm joined by two incredible women who've been shaping the landscape of independent cinema for over a decade.
Ana Souza has been with Sundance Film Festival for 10 years, working alongside some of the most exciting independent filmmakers in the world. Diana Cadavid is currently Director of Industry Programs for the Latino Film Institute (LFI) in Los Angeles, and International Programmer for the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) She helped build IFF Panama's programming department from scratch.
In this conversation, we break down:
→ The REAL selection process (spoiler: it's not about who you know)
→ How to map your premiere status strategy BEFORE you finish your film
→ The big film/small film balance that keeps festivals alive (and why you should stop resenting those studio movies)
→ Distribution in the post-COVID era: why the all-night bidding wars are gone, but deals are still happening
→ Why attending festivals WITHOUT a film might be the smartest career move you can make
🔗 READ MY SUBSTACK - The History of Film Festivals: [https://angleonproducers.substack.com/]
🎙️ LISTEN TO THE SHOW
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6UBux9R...
iTunes: https://apple.co/3FDyhmC
JOIN THE AOP COMMUNITY   / carolinagroppa   |   / angleonproducers   📱 TikTok: /   / carolina_groppa   👩🏻‍💻 LinkedIn: / bit.ly/2BqHs8L

When movie maestro and mixologist Paul Feig offers to teach you how to make a proper martini at 10a on a Wednesday, you say yes.
It was thrilling to be tipsy before lunchtime. Almost as thrilling as it is to end 2025 with a conversation with the absolute icon that is director, producer, and comedy legend Paul Feig.
Paul created the cult classic Freaks and Geeks, directed Bridesmaids, Spy, and A Simple Favor, and has helmed episodes of The Office, Parks and Recreation, 30 Rock, and Arrested Development. He's a delight and the fun you feel watching is 100% the fun we had IRL.
We dig into his journey from being the comedy outcast at USC Film School to becoming one of Hollywood's most successful directors. We talk about the brutal 'in-between' years that almost bankrupted him, why comedies get overlooked at awards shows, and his latest film "The Housemaid"—a dark thriller that marks the launch of his new production company, Pretty Dangerous Pictures.
I quite liked the film and hope everyone will get their tushies out into a theater to experience it in the company of loved ones, friends, and strangers!
Tune is as we discuss what makes a project "undeniable", the state of comedies in 2025, and why vanity projects ruin careers.
 
Join our Substack 📫 Musings, Mixers, Workshops, and Exclusive Content https://angleonproducers.substack.com/
🎬 Follow Angle on Producers:
Instagram: / https://instagram.com/carolinagroppa
https://instagram.com/angleonproducers
TikTok: / https://www.tiktok.com/@carolina_groppa
🎥 Website: www.angleonproducers.com

Barbara Muschietti is the phenomenal producer behind IT Chapter One & Two (combined $1.17B worldwide), The Flash, and the new Max series IT: Welcome to Derry.
We actually met 5 years ago during my early podcast grind when I cold-emailed Barbara inviting her on the show. She said yes! She invited me to the Warner Brothers lot, to her office, and generously gave me almost 3 hours of her time. It was a real turning point for me and the show.
The world, and certainly Hollywood, has changed tremendously since then.
Full disclosure: we recorded this mere days before the audacious news that Netflix won the bid to purchase Warner Bros. Discovery.
Five years later, we're back. Barbara opens up about "pushing a very, very heavy boulder" aka the reality of making movies even as an established producer with billions in box office success.
She talks about The Flash making $300 million worldwide and still being considered a disappointment. She gets raw about what she learned producing nine hours of IT: Welcome to Derry with child actors during the strikes. We also dig into the LA production crisis, why she still takes a photo of the Warner lot water tower every single morning, and she's terrified we might lose it.
Enjoy
xx cg
 
AOP SUBSTACK 📫 Musings, Mixers, Workshops, and Exclusive Content https://angleonproducers.substack.com/
LISTEN TO THE SHOW
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6UBux9RgxeW1MiQDXSMrnr
iTunes: https://apple.co/3FDyhmC
JOIN THE AOP COMMUNITY 📸
📸 Instagram: https://instagram.com/carolinagroppa https://instagram.com/angleonproducers
📱 TikTok: / https://www.tiktok.com/@carolina_groppa
❔Answering your questions on Tuesdays in our newsletter! Submit here: [email protected]

This week, I sit down with Alan Morales, co-founder of Civil Coffee, to explore the unexpected intersection of specialty coffee and film production in Los Angeles.
Given LA's production crisis, I wanted to hear from someone on the ground—a small business owner in Highland Park who sees tons of filming and has thoughts on what producers and the city need to understand.
Alan shares the espresso shot that changed his life, why he dropped out of electrical engineering one course away from graduating, and how Civil Coffee grew from mobile carts to three LA locations with their own roasting program focused exclusively on Mexican beans.
We dig into the value chain from coffee farms to your cup, why productions understand craft services better than wedding clients, what it's like to visit Mexico for the first time as an adult after obtaining citizenship, and how LA's production crisis looks from street level.
Alan's perspective on fair location fees, the human connection that makes or breaks production relationships, and what keeps him optimistic despite the current political climate offers valuable insights for anyone building something that requires invisible work to make magic happen. 
Tune in! xx
 🔗 CONNECT WITH ALAN & CIVIL COFFEE:
Civil Coffee Instagram:   / civilcoffee   Civil Coffee Website: https://www.civilcoffee.com Locations: Highland Park, Studio City, DTLA
📱 CONNECT WITH ANGLE ON PRODUCERS:
Subscribe to Angle on Producers: Substack: https://angleonproducers.substack.com/ Instagram:   / carolinagroppa     / angleonproducers   Website: https://www.angleonproducers.com
🎙️ ABOUT ANGLE ON PRODUCERS: Angle on Producers is a podcast hosted by Emmy-nominated producer Carolina Groppa pulls back the curtain on the producers and magic makers of Hollywood. With 150+ episodes, we explore what it really takes to be a producer, the invisible work behind finished films, and how to build a sustainable career in entertainment.

Hannah Lux is a powerhouse music video and commercial director who's created iconic visuals for Ariana Grande, Demi Lovato, Katy Perry, Doja Cat, Nicki Minaj, and Lil Wayne. But her path to the director's chair wasn't traditional.
Hannah shares her 20-plus-year journey in LA—from working as a makeup artist on set to directing Lil Wayne, Drake, and Future on "Love Me," which now has over 620 million views. We dive deep into the making of Ariana Grande's "Thank U, Next," the video that broke YouTube records with 50 million views in 24 hours, and how she navigated legal clearances, celebrity cameos, and a three-day shoot while pregnant.
We also talk about why communication and people management are often harder than the creative work, how to balance an artist's brand with your own vision, and what it takes to be a consistently working director.
 
xx
CG
AOP SUBSTACK
📫 Musings, Mixers, Workshops, and Exclusive Content
https://angleonproducers.substack.com/
 
WATCH ON YOUTUBE
 
JOIN THE AOP COMMUNITY
📸 Instagram: / https://instagram.com/carolinagroppa | https://instagram.com/angleonproducers
📱 TikTok:   / https://www.tiktok.com/@carolina_groppa
👩🏻‍💻 LinkedIn:   / bit.ly/2BqHs8L
 
QUESTIONS
❔Answering your questions on Tuesdays in our newsletter! Submit here:
[email protected]