In Proximity

• SINNERS Script Supervisor on Working with Ryan Coogler and Christopher Nolan

  When Ryan Coogler needed someone to track every detail on SINNERS – including Michael B. Jordan playing twin brothers Smoke and Stack – he called Steve Gehrke, the veteran script supervisor and longtime collaborator of Christopher Nolan. With credits that span MEMENTO, INCEPTION, THE DARK NIGHT, OPPENHEIMER, and the upcoming THE ODYSSEY, Gehrke shares what a Nolan set is like, how he keeps time straight in “Chris Nolan world,” meeting Coogler and working on SINNERS, what a scripty actually does, and why he still takes notes with an old school pencil. Learn more and read the transcript of this conversation at ProximityMedia.com.(00:00) Meeting Christopher Nolan in 1989 for MEMENTO(02:09) Voice Memo from producer Emma Thomas(04:06) Why Steve “doesn’t care” about the words in a script(05:10) Time and continuity in Chris Nolan world and MEMENTO(06:57) “Every movie that we do makes you think”: INCEPTION, DUNKIRK(07:55) Meeting Christopher Nolan (continued) and getting hired on the spot(08:20) Process for collaborating with Nolan as a script supervisor(09:42) THE ODYSSEY and the 25-year relationship(11:14) What a Nolan set is like(12:10) Preparing for a film, reading TENET(14:04) Breaking down a nonlinear script and making “paper dolls”(17:22) Story order vs. script order(18:44) Why the script supervisor is the on-set editor and keeping track of kisses(21:48) Continuity mental list, issues, eyelines(24:29) Meeting Ryan Coogler and working on SINNERS(28:11) Steve’s script supervisor toolkit and keeping it old school(30:46) The Script Supervising Process: Smoke & Stack Scene(35:03) The squiggles(35:33) How Steve learned the job(37:11) Prox RecsIN PROXIMITYNow playing in video on YouTube and in audio on all podcast platforms.For transcripts and more information: ProximityMedia.comPROXIMITY MEDIAFollow us @ProximityMedia on Instagram and TikTok.IN PROXIMITY IS A PRODUCTION OF PROXIMITY MEDIAHost, Director, Producer: Paola MardoExecutive Producers: Ryan Coogler, Zinzi Coogler, Sev OhanianTheme Song and Additional Music: Ludwig GöranssonCo-Director and Director of Photography: Patrick EpinoSound Designer and Mix Engineer: Ken NanaEditors: Patrick Epino, Brittani Brown, Ken Nana, A.J. CalomayProduction Assistants: Isabella Miller, Devin SaddlerSound Production Assistant: Isabella MillerPost-Production Coordinator: Celine MendiolaSocial Media Coordinator: Alexandria SantanaProduction Intern: Jun Sawada

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• Ryan Coogler’s Assistant on SINNERS, WAKANDA FOREVER, Set Life, and Learning from Mistakes

  What’s a crafty run? Why wear a chest vest? What would you do if you lost your boss’ ID? Ammar Mohamed – assistant to Ryan Coogler, SINNERS associate producer, and filmmaker – joins IN PROXIMITY host Paola Mardo to share what it’s really like supporting one of Hollywood’s busiest directors today. From locking in on set to hard lessons learned on the job, Ammar takes us behind the scenes of SINNERS and BLACK PANTHER: WAKANDA FOREVER, while sharing his career journey and offering his perspective and thoughtful advice for other assistants. Learn more and read the transcript of this conversation at ProximityMedia.com.(00:00) One of the things about Ryan(02:00) Voice Memo from Hannah Beachler(09:30) Working on BLACK PANTHER: WAKANDA FOREVER(11:00) Becoming Ryan Coogler’s assistant(12:27) Everyday was like climbing Mt. Everest(15:12) Scary moment on the job... a.k.a. ID story part 1(19:30) The bag… and ID story part 2(21:25) Advice for assistants(24:17) Learning from Ryan and Hannah(25:56) Working on SINNERS(30:40) Understanding the moment, locking in, and being in step or a step ahead(32:46) Locked in SINNERS scenes(34:25) Craziest thing he saw on set(36:03) Prox RecsIN PROXIMITYNow playing in video on YouTube and in audio on all podcast platforms.For transcripts and more information: ProximityMedia.comPROXIMITY MEDIAFollow us @ProximityMedia on Instagram and TikTok.IN PROXIMITY IS A PRODUCTION OF PROXIMITY MEDIAHost, Director, Producer: Paola MardoExecutive Producers: Ryan Coogler, Zinzi Coogler, Sev OhanianTheme Song and Additional Music: Ludwig GöranssonCo-Director and Director of Photography: Patrick EpinoSound Designer and Mix Engineer: Ken NanaEditors: Patrick Epino, Brittani Brown, Ken Nana, Ben CalozaProduction Assistant: Isabella MillerSound Production Assistant: Isabella MillerPost-Production Coordinator: Celine MendiolaSocial Media Coordinator: Alexandria SantanaProduction Intern: Jun Sawada, Ben Caloza

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• How Assistants vs. Agents Creator Warner Bailey Turned a Meme Page into a Media Brand and Business

  Are you a Hollywood assistant a.k.a. a rockstar with thick skin able to work in a fast-paced environment?! This is the episode for you! Assistants vs. Agents creator Warner Bailey joins IN PROXIMITY podcast host Paola Mardo to share how he turned his viral meme page into a community empowering the next generation of entertainment power players, and a business with a newsletter, job board, podcast, events, merch, creative projects, and partnerships with brands like Netflix, Warner Bros. Discovery, Apple TV+ and more. He also provides actionable tips for assistants and bosses alike, and reveals how he built a business that is helping redefine what success looks like in Hollywood today. Learn more and read the transcript of this conversation at ProximityMedia.com.(00:00) The email he caan’t believe was sent(01:58) Voice Memo from Kirk Sommer, WME Global Co-Head of Music(06:15) Warner’s assistant journey at WME Music(09:25) Building Assistants vs. Agents(14:10) The Assistants vs. Agents business model(15:30) Tools for young creatives and people breaking into the industry(16:30) Is the assistant path still the way?(19:00) Providing resources for a career roadmap in entertainment in today’s job market(20:20) Being the boss(24:08) Hard lessons learned about managing people(27:56) Responsibility to the AvA community(28:52) Crazy assistant stories and DMs(29:40) Laughter, group therapy, community, and feeling like we’re not alone(30:14) The Ari Emanuel story (a.k.a. the email you caan’t receive)(32:12) The process a.k.a. the manila envelope that inspires AvA(35:14) Prox RecsIN PROXIMITYNow playing in video on YouTube and in audio on all podcast platforms.For transcripts and more information: ProximityMedia.comPROXIMITY MEDIAFollow us @ProximityMedia on Instagram and TikTok.IN PROXIMITY IS A PRODUCTION OF PROXIMITY MEDIAHost, Director, Producer: Paola MardoExecutive Producers: Ryan Coogler, Zinzi Coogler, Sev OhanianTheme Song and Additional Music: Ludwig GöranssonCo-Director and Director of Photography: Patrick EpinoSound Designer and Mix Engineer: Ken NanaEditors: Patrick Epino, Brittani Brown, Ken NanaProduction Assistants: Isabella Miller, Devin SaddlerSound Production Assistant: Isabella MillerPost-Production Coordinator: Celine MendiolaSocial Media Coordinator: Alexandria SantanaProduction Intern: Jun Sawada

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• SINNERS Cultural Consultant Dolly Li on the Delta Chinese, Docs, and That Licking Line

  How did a documentary and Ryan Coogler’s Chinese family ancestry lead to a role consulting on the blockbuster film SINNERS? Journalist, documentary filmmaker, and SINNERS cultural consultant Dolly Li joins IN PROXIMITY podcast host Paola Mardo to talk about her work on SINNERS, her documentary THE UNTOLD STORY OF AMERICA’S SOUTHERN CHINESE, and why Remmick’s (Jack O’Connell) iconic lines about licking to Grace Chow (Li Jun Li) were so integral to the story. Learn more and read the transcript of this conversation at ProximityMedia.com.(00:00) These lines about licking(01:30) How Dolly started working on SINNERS(06:15) The Delta Chinese community's reaction to the film(08:00) How the Delta Chinese felt about the grocery stores in the film(08:35) Working with production design(09:10) The role of Chinese-owned grocery stores in the segregated south(09:50) What it was like for Dolly to see the film(12:00) These lines about licking (the full story)(14:36) Grace Chow (Li Jun Li) and the internet discussion around her role(21:30) The Mississippi Delta Chinese and Dolly's documentary with AJ+(29:42) Asian American representation in film today(31:08) Voice Memo from Jun Stinson Yamagishi (journalist, supervising producer)(35:06) The Process: "Are You Ornamental? Are We Always Foreigners?"(40:14) The Process: Chinese in Mississippi in 1960(41:55) The Process: Visual art, watercolor, and motion graphics(45:21) Shifting from producer to on-camera host(47:57) Prox RecsIN PROXIMITYNow playing in video on YouTube and in audio on all podcast platforms.For transcripts and more information: ProximityMedia.comPROXIMITY MEDIAFollow us @ProximityMedia on Instagram and TikTok.IN PROXIMITY IS A PRODUCTION OF PROXIMITY MEDIAHost, Director, Producer: Paola MardoExecutive Producers: Ryan Coogler, Zinzi Coogler, Sev OhanianTheme Song and Additional Music: Ludwig GöranssonCo-Director and Director of Photography: Patrick EpinoSound Designer and Mix Engineer: Ken NanaEditors: Patrick Epino, Brittani Brown, Ken NanaProduction Assistants: Isabella Miller, Devin SaddlerSound Production Assistant: Isabella MillerPost-Production Coordinator: Celine MendiolaSocial Media Coordinator: Alexandria SantanaProduction Intern: Jun Sawada

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• Making Hollywood Come to You with Talent Manager James Swoope (M88)

  How do you get a manager? What’s the difference between a manager and an agent? James Swoope, talent manager at M88, breaks it all down with IN PROXIMITY podcast host Paola Mardo. From Cleveland to Hollywood, Swoope has built a career managing talent like Dominique Thorne (IRONHEART), actor and singer Coco Jones, designer and entrepreneur Jeff Staple, and athlete and podcaster Matt Barnes. In this conversation, he shares his journey from casting intern to working on JUDAS AND THE BLACK MESSIAH with Charles D. King and Ryan Coogler, his approach to talent management, what artists should really be working on, why it’s important to “have something to manage,” and why Swoope calls himself a unicorn. Learn more and read the transcript of this conversation at ProximityMedia.com.(00:00) How does one get a manager?(01:34) Voice Memo from Charles D. King (Founder & CEO, MACRO)(05:25) Swoope’s unique sense of style and why he’s a unicorn(08:06) From casting intern to working on JUDAS AND THE BLACK MESSIAH(12:55) How to get a manager(14:35) What artists should be working on(16:25) “I’m the 10%. You’re the 90%.”(19:18) What does a manager do?(21:31) What’s the difference between a manager and an agent?(23:45) Rapid-Fire Questions and Advice(25:20) Show & Tell: 3 NINJAS and FORREST GUMP(30:07) Prox Recs IN PROXIMITYNow playing in video on YouTube and in audio on all podcast platforms.For transcripts and more information: ProximityMedia.com PROXIMITY MEDIAFollow us @ProximityMedia on Instagram and TikTok IN PROXIMITY IS A PRODUCTION OF PROXIMITY MEDIAHost/Director/Producer: Paola MardoExecutive Producers: Ryan Coogler, Zinzi Coogler, Sev OhanianTheme Song and Additional Music: Ludwig GöranssonCo-Director and Director of Photography: Patrick EpinoSound Designer and Mix Engineer: Ken NanaEditors: Patrick Epino, Brittani Brown, Ken Nana, Andrea WalterMotion Graphics Designer: Apollo BaldozProduction Assistants: Isabella Miller, Devin SaddlerSound Production Assistant: Isabella MillerPost-Production Coordinator: Celine MendiolaSocial Media Coordinator: Alexandria SantanaProduction Intern: Jun Sawada

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