General Meeting with Becky Sloviter

This week, Becky is joined by an old friend with an incredible career trajectory. Maradith Frenkel spent 15 years as a top studio executive at Universal Pictures — working on films including Bridesmaids, Mamma Mia!, and Snow White and the Huntsman — before her entrepreneurial instincts and a desire to solve a problem for her newborn son led her to launch the wildly successful clothing company Little Sleepies.
Through Maradith's drive and perseverance, Little Sleepies developed a unique bamboo-based fabric that almost immediately soothed her son's irritated skin while reinventing a category in the baby clothing space. From there, she built the company from a scrappy start-up in her garage into the ever-expanding success story it is today: with billboards in Times Square, collaborations with Disney, Warner Bros., Paw Patrol, and (of course) Bluey, and a sizable headquarters in Hollywood.
Becky and Maradith reminisce about their days together at Universal Pictures before diving into Maradith's storied career path, how the skills she picked up in the film industry proved surprisingly transferable to launching a company all on her own, how — as Maradith puts it — "you never get anywhere without taking a risk," and why she's so proud to be part of people's happiest memories (or "go the f**k to sleep," as the case may be).

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Host: Becky Sloviter
Guest: Maradith Frenkel - https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2724059/
Little Sleepies: https://littlesleepies.com/
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This week's episode marks a first for Becky: a true 'general meeting' with a filmmaker she'd never met before and was delighted to sit down with: DGA-nominated director Jeff Wadlow (Imaginary, The Curse of Bridge Hollow), whose new survival thriller The Devil's Mouth, starring Kathryn Newton and Lana Condor, just premiered July 29th on Amazon Prime.
Jeff takes Becky through his journey from growing up in Virginia to majoring in film at Dartmouth to earning his MFA from USC's Peter Stark Producing Program — but first, they dive (pun intended) into his experience making The Devil's Mouth in Thailand, including why he was drawn to this wholly original take on a shark movie and the challenges of filming on the open ocean.
Jeff then shares some incredible stories from his film school days — including the time he brought his mentor Warren Beatty to class — before getting into the backstory of the Adrenaline Film Project, a 72-hour filmmaking competition that Jeff launched more than 20 years ago in his hometown of Charlottesville, Virginia.
And poignantly, Jeff opens up about his close relationship with his aunt, Katie Couric, and what it meant to show up for his family when he moved in with Katie and her daughters following the tragic death of her husband, Jay, just a few years before Jeff's mother, Emily Couric, would also pass away from cancer — one of the many reasons Katie's work with Stand Up To Cancer is so personally meaningful to their family.

Check out our episodes on YouTube as well! https://www.youtube.com/@generalmeetingpod
If you enjoyed this podcast, please follow, share, like, comment, all the things - thank you for your support!
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/generalmeetingpod/
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Host: Becky Sloviter
Guest: Jeff Wadlow - https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0905592/
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week's episode got deep, vulnerable AND featured a perfect dog — so Becky has never been happier as she welcomes screenwriter, author and all-around wonderful human, Eliot Glazer (Broad City, New Girl) to the pod, whose new book of hilarious and poignant essays, The Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Gay, will be released by Simon & Schuster on August 11th — pre-order ASAP if you have great taste.
First, Eliot takes Becky back to his upbringing on Long Island, the intense fear of his queer identity being discovered that plagued him on a daily basis, and what ultimately prompted him to write his laugh-out-loud forthcoming book of essays — a book that would have meant so much to him when he was younger and that he hopes (and Becky is certain!) will be a balm to so many people's souls.
Then Eliot and Becky get very candid about the realities of having a career in Hollywood these days, the internal and external voices that get in the way (and how hard those voices are to quiet down), and how the nature of being an artist comes with an inability to suppress your creativity — no surprise, Becky quotes Brené Brown for the millionth time as she and Eliot explore what "unused creativity is not benign" really means.

Check out our episodes on YouTube as well! https://www.youtube.com/@generalmeetingpod
If you enjoyed this podcast, please follow, share, like, comment, all the things - thank you for your support!
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/generalmeetingpod/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@generalmeetingpod
Website: https://www.generalmeetingpod.com

Host: Becky Sloviter
Guest: Eliot Glazer - https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2513282/

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week, Becky welcomes a brilliant friend to the pod: bestselling author, screenwriter, and award-winning journalist Amy Chozick (The Girls On the Bus) — whose new novel "With Friends Like You", a darkly comedic thriller about motherhood and identity, launches today!
Amy takes Becky through the first part of her career — when she was a renowned journalist covering some of the biggest stories in politics, business and media for The New York Times — before taking the advice of her mentor, the late David Carr, to "put that newspapering aside and go to the magical place where writers live" to pursue a career in screenwriting. In her initial transition to Hollywood, Amy shares what it was like working alongside Greg Berlanti to adapt her bestselling memoir "Chasing Hillary" — which ultimately became the acclaimed HBO Max series, The Girls on the Bus — and how she's continued to work closely with Berlanti, currently on his highly anticipated new show, How to Survive Without Me, starring Ray Romano, Kaley Cuoco, Joshua Jackson and Rita Wilson.
Amy also takes Becky behind the scenes of her notable New York Times profiles over the years — including the only interview Elizabeth Holmes gave before going to prison, as well as Stormy Daniels, Lorena Bobbitt and, most recently, her piece on Lauren Sanchez Bezos — as Amy continues to explore her strong interest in controversial women in the bright light of public scrutiny.

Check out our episodes on YouTube as well! https://www.youtube.com/@generalmeetingpod
If you enjoyed this podcast, please follow, share, like, comment, all the things - thank you for your support!
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/generalmeetingpod/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@generalmeetingpod
Website: https://www.generalmeetingpod.com

Host: Becky Sloviter
Guest: Amy Chozick - https://www.imdb.com/name/nm6884591/

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

It's women supporting women on a very special episode this week as Becky is joined by comedians, influencers and New York Times bestselling authors Kristin Hensley & Jen Smedley — also known as the hilarious creators and stars of 'I Mom So Hard'.
Kristin and Jen take Becky back to their Nebraska roots and ultimate meet-cute after a Hollywood improv show, before sharing the genesis of what initially prompted them to launch their web series 10 years ago, and how 'I Mom So Hard' has since evolved into a robust community for women — complete with bestselling books, live shows around the country, and a wildly successful podcast.
With their trademark delightful candor, Kristin and Jen talk about letting go of the idea of perfect motherhood, the inspiring power of female friendship, the gains that can only come from hard work and hustle, and why mom's are just f**ing tough (spoiler alert: no other choice).

Check out our episodes on YouTube as well! https://www.youtube.com/@generalmeetingpod
If you enjoyed this podcast, please follow, share, like, comment, all the things - thank you for your support!
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/generalmeetingpod/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@generalmeetingpod
Website: https://www.generalmeetingpod.com

Host: Becky Sloviter
Guests: Kristin Hensley & Jen Smedley
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1199386/
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3614380/
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.