The FilmUp Podcast

You may recognize today's guest from one of the many great show's and movies she's been in. This week we have the pleasure of welcoming Ayden Mayeri!
Ayden is an Actor and Director from Northern California. With performances in dozens of shows and movies including Paul Feig’s Jackpot!, Mr. Throwback with Steph Curry, New Girl, and Veep, just to name a few, she has quickly established herself as a star on the rise. Her directorial debut, Summer 2000: The X-Cetra Story, had its world premiere at SXSW Film Festival 2026 and won the Jury Award for Documentary Feature Film.
Most recently she starred in the Tribeca 2025 Untold Stories feature film, Honeyjoon, and can be seen opposite Cameron Diaz in Netflix’s upcoming action comedy Bad Day, and the Rachel Bloom ABC series Do You Want Kids.

Ayden is also a big supporter of The Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights, or CHIRLA, a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering immigrants to push policies that promote freedom of movement, full human rights, and the vigorous civic action that strengthens this democracy.

To learn about ways you can support CHIRLA, visit https://www.chirla.org

Today’s guest is a true talent who’s work can be seen all over the big and small screen. This week we’re thrilled to be joined by Valerie Weiss!
Valerie is an award winning director, writer, and producer of film and television. After receiving her PhD from Harvard Medical School, she decided to embark into the entertainment industry, and it seems like she made the right choice. Valerie has directed dozens of episodes of some of the most popular shows on television such as Outer Banks, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, and Ginny & Georgia, as well as directed multiple features like Mixtape and The Archer. She is also co-chair of the DGA’s Women’s Steering Committee.
Valerie is also a big supporter of the World Wildlife Fund, a non-profit dedicated to building a future in which people live in harmony with nature by conserving and restoring biodiversity, reducing humans’ environmental footprint, and ensuring the sustainable use of natural resources.
To learn more about ways you can contribute to the World Wildlife Fund, visit https://www.worldwildlife.org/support

This week we are thrilled to have Paris Schulman on the podcast! Paris began his career as a record producer and film composer. In 2010, he founded RiTE MEDIA, a creative content studio based in Atlanta. Over the years, RiTE has developed and produced hundreds of stories spanning commercials, narrative, and music visuals.
Rite Media’s expertise and resources are on emerging technologies like Virtual Production and Bolt CineBot robotic cameras, and they have deployed these solutions on some of the most notable films and series of the last decade, including Spider-Man: No Way Home, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 & 3, Stranger Things, and many more.
Paris is also a big supporter of Earth Echo International, a non-profit that collaborates with youth around the world to provide knowledge and develop tools that drive meaningful environmental action to protect and restore our ocean planet. 
You can learn more about ways to support them by visiting earthecho.org

This week Aryeh is sitting down to talk with the talented and accomplished director, Justin Jarrett!
Justin is an Emmy Award-Winning writer, director, and producer based in Philadelphia. He has written and directed over 200 television shows, commercials, shorts, and feature-length documentaries across five different continents while acting as the Principal Director of JTWO, a full service production house based out of Philly and Chicago. 
Justin is also a big supporter of Fred’s Footsteps, a non-profit that provides financial relief to working families in the Philadelphia region who find themselves in a crisis due to the costs associated with caring for seriously ill, injured, or disabled children.
To learn more about ways to support Fred's Footsteps, visit https://fredsfootsteps.org.

This week we're excited to be joined by Dale "Rage" Resteghini. He's a legendary Music Video and Feature Film Director who's worked with some of the biggest names in both Hollywood and the music industry.
Dale was born into a blue-collar Boston family, and traded a future in labor for a legendary career in film and television. He got his start on the set of School Ties and spent his early years in New York City, working alongside masters like Alfonso Cuarón and Sidney Lumet.
Driven by a relentless 'Balboa' work ethic, Dale has helmed countless iconic music videos—amassing over 10 billion views for artists like Fall Out Boy, Lil Wayne, Soulja Boy, Guns N’ Roses, and so many more. With more than 200 feature film credits to his name, including a Co-Executive Producer role on Al Pacino’s Lear Rex, Dale continues to bridge the gap between gritty independent storytelling and global cinematic spectacles.

Dale is also a big supporter of Father John’s Animal House, a non-profit dedicated to providing quality, humane care to the cats and dogs at our shelter, to find loving homes for otherwise homeless animals, and facilitate spay/neuter procedures to reduce the over-population and suffering of unwanted or homeless animals. To learn more about ways to help Father John's Animal House, visit https://www.fatherjohns.org.