General Meeting with Becky Sloviter

This week is another first as Becky welcomes young talent manager Matt Rosen to the pod. Matt represents Hollywood screenwriters and filmmakers, but that's not the main reason why Becky invited him onto the pod.
Driven by a desire to showcase underrepresented writers and help his clients share their stories, Matt has made a name for himself in Hollywood by doing something very unusual for someone in his position: posting hot takes, strong opinions and hilarious commentary about Hollywood every day on his Instagram stories — the movies he loves and which ones he thinks are garbage, the directors he thinks are hacks, the films people don't talk about enough, the stars who are overrated.
But as he and Becky go a little deeper, Matt reveals why his friendships make some movies and TV shows off-limits to his commentary, how Mr. Thomas Cruise is the only person in the world they'd close down Times Square for, and why Philadelphia sports fans can sometimes (often?) be described as mentally ill.
Matt and Becky also chat about the state of show business and the importance of keeping it real during these trying times, while Matt references some classics (that anyone interested in Hollywood will know or can seek out): 'What Makes Sammy Run' by Budd Schulberg, the 'karmic debt' that Steven Soderbergh famously talked about in his 'State of Cinema' speech in 2013 (link below), and why Dawn Steel's "they can kill you...but they can't eat you" has become a mantra for Matt.

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: Matt Rosen - https://www.instagram.com/mattyrosen21/
Steven Soderbergh's 'State of Cinema' Speech - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQrFSUwFwUM&t=16s

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

It's another one of Philadelphia's finest as acclaimed writer/director Dan Trachtenberg (Predator: Badlands, 10 Cloverfield Lane) joins Becky as she wears a Sixers t-shirt in honor of LeBron (still can't believe it!) for a wide-ranging conversation about creative collaborations, leaps of faith and where underdog mentality really comes from.
First, Dan takes Becky back to growing up in Philly: working at Suncoast Video in the Willow Grove Mall, leaning into his passion for comic books and movies that laid the foundation for his directing career. Then Dan shares his path from film school at Temple University (go Owls!) to years of trying to make it in Los Angeles directing commercials, before his buzzy short films and a fortuitous connection from Philly helped him land the job directing his first film, 10 Cloverfield Lane — produced by one of Dan's biggest filmmaker influences, J.J. Abrams.
Dan then shares the backstory of how he found a fresh and original way into the Predator franchise and how he's continued to build out the Predator universe in distinct ways — prequels, animated films, and not one but two incredible roles for Elle Fanning — and what else he's working on next.
Dan and Becky also bond over their shared love of movies that try to show the full human experience — especially '80s and '90s movies, anything Spielberg touched, and definitely if John Cusack holds up a boombox.

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: Dan Trachtenberg - https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0870469/
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

It's a damn fine episode this week as Becky is joined by acclaimed filmmaker and actor Macon Blair (Blue Ruin, I Don't Feel at Home in This World Anymore), whose latest film, Idiots — a darkly comedic road trip movie starring Dave Franco, O'Shea Jackson Jr., Mason Thames, Kiernan Shipka, and Peter Dinklage — comes out in theaters this Friday, August 28th from IFC.
Macon shares the initial inspiration for Idiots while giving a peek into how fruitful his collaboration with Dave Franco in particular was on the path to getting the movie made. Macon then indulges Becky's fandom over his previous films, sharing the backstory of how his collaboration with filmmaker Jeremy Saulnier (Rebel Ridge, Green Room) dates back to their childhoods in Virginia, and continues today with their production company, Bonneville Pictures.
Macon also talks about his work as an actor — how playing his first deeply dramatic role in Blue Ruin didn't allow him to rely on his usual acting tricks, and how special it was to work with legendary filmmaker Christopher Nolan on Oppenheimer as well as acclaimed showrunner Sterlin Harjo on both Reservation Dogs and The Lowdown.
And finally, should you want to see Becky lose her mind with happiness, stay until the final "Last Looks" question, where Twin Peaks FINALLY gets its due from fellow die-hard fan Macon as they discuss a place both wonderful and strange.

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: Macon Blair - https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0086301/
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

For the 50th episode of the pod, Becky is joined by someone very special to her family: writer/director Amy Talkington (Little Fires Everywhere, Valley Girl), who went on a 12 year odyssey with an incredible producer to bring the remake of the classic film Valley Girl to life as a jukebox musical for MGM.
Amy shares the juxtaposition of being raised in a prominent Dallas family while also being the "goth girl at cotillion," and how the countercultural music scene in Deep Ellum in the '80s saved her during those tumultuous teen years — ultimately inspiring her to leave Dallas and chase her dreams.
She then shares a few incredible stories from her encounters with legendary filmmakers: first, Milos Forman — while Amy was in graduate school at Columbia — whose feedback on her short film helped forge her fairytale launch into Hollywood; and then with the master himself, Francis Ford Coppola, and why their meeting was lovely but not at all what she expected.
Amy and Becky then reminisce about the commitment and dedication it took to get Valley Girl made and the many obstacles along the way — studio bankruptcies, multiple directors, a Logan Paul scandal, and a global pandemic, just to name a few — before connecting on the challenges of balancing motherhood and identity while navigating an artistic career.

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 Talkington - https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0848090/

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 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).

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: Maradith Frenkel - https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2724059/
Little Sleepies: https://littlesleepies.com/
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.