DreamPath Podcast

Ken Kinnear is an artist manager, concert promoter and author. He managed the band Heart for more than a decade and is the creator/developer of The Gorge Amphitheater in George, Washington, considered by many to be the most iconic outdoor music venue in the world. Ken is featured in the documentary Enormous: The Gorge Story (now streaming on Amazon Prime, Apple TV, YouTube and Vudu), and his book, There’s An Ass For Every Seat , will be released in March. Ken is also the host of a podcast of the same name, where Season 1 is focused on his campaign to “Induct the Gorge” into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. He is scheduled to interview a number of Rock Hall artists, more than 60 of whom have performed at the Gorge. The Gorge Amphitheatre would be the first venue—ever—to be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

What you will learn:

• Why Kencreated a podcast focusing on the Gorge amphitheater, which guests he’s planning to interview and why he is campaigning to induct the Gorge into the Roll and Roll Hall of Fame. [0:00-16:14]
• How Ken found and settled on the breathtaking location for The Gorge, the logistical challenges presented by the geography of the area, and how he was able to spark artists’ interestin performing there. [16:14-31:59]
• What led to the infamous 1988Bob Dylan and Tracy Chapman performance at the Gorge that would solidify the venue’s place in history, why concert-goers often compare concert experiences at The Gorge to Woodstock, and the endearing and lasting memory the venue has created for millions of fans. Ken also discussesBrandi Carlile’s recent performance at The Gorge and what it was like seeing that show finally come together after being postponed due to covid. [31:59-45:06]
• Bryan shares his personal connection to Ken, reflecting on the Gorge concerts he saw in his teens and their connection to his late father, Greg Smith, who was good friends with Ken. Ken talks about the power of shared experiences and the sense of community that live performances foster. Ken also discusses the filmEnormous: The Gorge Story, which features him talking about the origin of this venue. [45:06-58:05]
• Ken reflects on how he got started in the entertainment industry: from high school to a military career, to business school, to car sales, and finally arriving at artist promotion/management. Ken also talks about what it was like managing the bandHeart for more than a decade, including Ken’s role with the band, and how he meshed with Heart foundersAnn Wilson,Nancy Wilson,Roger Fisher, Steve Fossen, Michael Derosier and Michael Fisher. [58:05-1:17:17]
• Going back to their personal connection, Ken reveals when he met Bryan’s dad, Greg, and Bryan shares a story about his dad being kidnapped by Yasser Arafat. Ken also shares his own stories and touches on a fateful flight with Greg that inspired a scene inCameron Crowe’s filmAlmost Famous. [1:17:17-1:39:28]
• Why Ken sold The Gorge to Live Nation in 1993, and what he has planned in 2022. [1:39:28-1:49:00]

Resources:

• Ken Kinnear’s: LinkedIn, IMDb

Bryan and Jason discuss takeaways from Bryan's chat with Michael Price, who co-created F Is For Family with Bill Burr for Netflix, and has written and co-executive produced on The Simpsons for over 20 years. Bryan and Jason also discuss Peter Jackson's new documentary on The Beatles, talk about plans for Sundance 2022, and preview next week's interview with artist manager and concert promoter Ken Kinnear.

Michael Price has been writing and producing for the beloved and iconic television show The Simpsons for the past 20 years. In 2014 he co-created F is For Family, a serialized, animated series for Netflix, with comedian Bill Burr. Starring Bill Burr, Laura Dern, Justin Long, and Sam Rockwell, the series just concluded its fifth and final season. Michael has written for numerous other shows, including Teacher’s Pet, Aaahh!!! Real Monsters, the Hercules tv series, and many Lego Star Wars projects.

What you will learn:

• What it’s like working again on The Simpsons full time after the series finale of F is For Family. How Michael was able to bounce between the two shows throughout the creation and production of F is For Family for five seasons. [0:00-5:56]
• Michael reveals how he broke into Hollywood as a writer, with no backup plan, starting as a theater major, doing improv in New York, and then auditioning for acting roles before discovering that his true calling was writing. [5:56-15:10]
• Michael reflects on what has changed (and what remains the same) in Hollywood for writers over the last 30 years. The pros and cons of the seemingly limitless television content available due to streaming, and the logistics of making a show for Netflix. [15:10-24:25]
• The nostalgia that F is For Family evokes for fans and how Michael was mindful of maintaining that tone, while also calling attention to problematic social issues of that era (the 70s). How F is For Family attracted such an amazing cast of voice actors. [24:25-34:43]
• Michael goes into detail about what staffing for The Simpsons is like and what “breaking story” means in the writer’s room. [34:43-41:34]
• What it was like getting hired as a writer at theSimpsonsin 2002 and how he ended up working on such a popular, beloved show. His personal dos and don’ts in writer’s rooms. [41:34-52:16]

Resources:

• Michael’s: IMDb, Twitter

ENCORE EPISODE (Replay of Episode 3, April 9, 2019):

We are replaying this interview as a tribute to Rayka, whose film Long Line of Ladies is premiering at Sundance 2022. We want to contratulate Rayka and her co-director Shaandiin Tome on this achievement and wish them all the best in Park City.

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Rayka Zehtabchi is an Iranian-American film director based in Los Angeles. Her directorial debut, Madaran, is an Iranian language short film that has screened worldwide at established film festivals, winning jury awards at Hollyshorts, Urbanworld, and Cleveland International. Madaran qualified for the 89th Academy Awards in 2016.

Rayka’s documentary short, Period. End of Sentence., is about a group of village women in Northern India who start a sanitary pad business in an effort to improve feminine hygiene and de-stigmatize menstruation. Along with the film’s release, the Period team co-founded the non-profit “The Pad Project” to fight the stigma of menstruation and improve feminine hygiene worldwide. Period double-qualified for the academy awards in 2018, winning Jury and audience awards at Michael Moore’s Traverse City Film Festival and Cleveland International. The film also took home Jury and audience awards from AFI Fest among many others and won the Oscar in the Documentary Short category of the 91st Academy Awards®.

What you’ll learn about in this episode:

• Where Rayka went to film school, and how she was approached to direct her short documentary “Period. End of Sentence.” right out of film school
• How Rayka’s first film festival in high school shaped her interests in filmmaking, and how she found purpose and community in filmmaking
• Rayka shares the experience of losing her father while she was attending USC film school, and how she felt pulled in different directions
• Rayka discusses her Iranian-language short film Madaran and why filming it helped her feel connected to her father and her Iranian heritage
• How Rayka was approached to direct “Period. End of Sentence.” while she was in her senior year at film school, and why the subject matter was a reality check for her
• Why “Period. End of Sentence.” was a powerful and necessary story to shine a light on an unspoken issue, and how Rayka directed it to be organic and authentic
• What impact filming “Period. End of Sentence.” had on Rayka personally and emotionally, and how she was inspired by the women she filmed
• How Rayka and the filmmakers got involved with and launched the Pad Project, and how the film has exploded and created global awareness of this issue
• How Rayka and her team turned forty hours of raw film footage into a 25-minute short documentary
• What challenges Rayka faced in getting visibility for her film, and her thoughts on when she realized the film qualified to be submitted to the Academy Awards
• What it was like accepting her Oscar, and what Rayka has planned for the future going forward

Bryan and Jason discuss highlights from 2021 and recap Bryan's interviews with Naomi Grossman, Justin Connor, Keith Thomas, Niki Pilkington, Sue Ennis, Moby, Mark Pickerel, Tommy Chong, Al Di, Jeff Fielder, Onur Tukel, and Justine Bateman. Throughout the interview Bryan and Jason play clips from these interviews, reflect on lessons learned from each guest, and preview what to expect in early 2022.

Bryan and Jason discuss takeaways from Bryan's interview with director and screenwriter Tim Sutton, whose most recent film, The Last Son, starring Heather Graham, Sam Worthington, Machine Gun Kelly, and Thomas Jane, premiered on December 10. They also talk about the upcoming end-of-the-year recap, and preview Bryan's upcoming coverage of the Sundance Film Festival in late January.

Tim Sutton is the screenwriter and director behind five critically acclaimed films, including Funny Face, Donnybrook, Dark Night, Memphis, and Pavilion. His most recent film, The Last Son, which premiered on December 10, stars Sam Worthington, Heather Graham, and Machine Gun Kelly.

What you will learn:

• How the screenplay for The Last Son came to him during the pandemic, and how themes in the film reflect the state of the world during such an unprecedented time. [0:00-7:52]
• How Tim juxtaposed natural, beautiful light in The Last Son with the dark themes of fearing the unknown and existentialism. Tim also reflects on his views on the power of minimalism in film and in storytelling in general. [7:52-15:56]
• What Tim is working on next, including an adaptation of a Tobias Wolff novel, The Chain, why he never thought he would make a western, and how he approached gun safety on set. [15:56-21:12]
• What it was like working with Machine Gun Kelly, Sam Worthington, Heather Graham, and Thomas Jane on The Last Son. [21:12-30:09]
• Tim reveals his screenwriting process and the logistics of writing lingering scenes with no dialogue in a script, while still keeping producers and potential investors invested in the story. [30:09-35:36]
• Tim’s experience with obtaining financing for indie films and the importance of finding your audience. What Tim has planned for 2022. [35:36-43:52]

Resources:

• Tim Sutton’s: Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn

Bryan and Jason discuss takeaways from Bryan's interview with film composer Roman Molino Dunn, reminisce about Stephen Sondheim, who passed away last week, talk about Bryan's return to the upcoming 2022 Sundance Film Festival as a member of the press, and preview Bryan's upcoming interview with film director Tim Sutton, whose western starring Sam Worthington, Heather Graham, and Machine Gun Kelly, premiers on December 10.

Roman Molino Dunn is a Billboard-charting music producer and an award-winning film and television composer. His film and television work includes scoring HBO Max’s Huracán, Ru Paul’s Drag Race, Snakehead, and music producingThe Card Counter, starring Oscar Isaac, directed by Paul Schrader, and executive produced by Martin Scorsese. Roman has also worked with popular brands such as Burger King, Michael Kors, NBC, andClinique, among many others, and is the co-founder of Mirrortone Studios in NYC.

What you will learn:

• ​​Roman reflects on his long journey to working on acclaimed films and television shows, starting with a classical music education as a child, learning the "language of music," and ultimately studying music theory at university. [0:00-8:02]
• How formal music education has benefited him as a film composer and music producer. Roman also breaks down the distinction between film composers, music editors, music producers, and music engineers. [8:02-17:33]
• Getting technical, Roman reveals the computer programs he uses for scoring and what that process is like, from making musical “sketches” based on an early read of a script to the nitty gritty of payment for his services, including payment on “the backend” of a film or recording. [17:33-28:56]
• The benefits of collaboration when co-running his recording studio Mirrortone. How Roman got the opportunity to work with Paul Schrader on The Card Counter and what working with such acclaimed directors is like. [28:56-36:12]
• How film directors and music supervisors work together, and the research that goes into choosing musical instruments, sounds, and tones for each project. Roman also shares his go-to harmonies and instruments for particular types of scenes, depending on the emotions the director wants to evoke in those moments. Roman further elaborates on his trajectory in becoming a film composer. [36:12-47:28]
• Finally, Roman touches on the difference between the work performed by film composers vs. sound designers on films like Mad Max: Fury Road. [47:28-52:23]

Resources:

• Roman’s: IMDb, website, Instagram, Twitter (Roman Molino Dunn), Twitter (Electropoint), Facebook, Youtube, LinkedIn

Bryan talks about postponing (until January of 2022, due to some cool upcoming promotional events) the launch of his interview with artist manager, concert promoter Ken Kinnear, who is also the creator and developer of the iconic Gorge Amphitheater in George, Washington.

Happy Thanksgiving folks!