Women in Entertainment

What happens when women finally set down their armor and make space for honesty, grief, courage, and one another?

Director Minkie Spiro joins Women in Entertainment for an intimate conversation about bringing The Five-Star Weekend from page to screen. Minkie shares why she was drawn to the female-centered story, how she elevated its emotional and visual language, and why Nantucket needed to feel like a character rather than simply a beautiful backdrop.

She also takes listeners behind the scenes of building chemistry among the show’s powerhouse ensemble. Her secret? An intentionally uncomfortable game of Pictionary that encouraged vulnerability, generosity, and genuine connection. That early bonding carried onto the set, where the cast supported one another through demanding performances and ultimately developed lasting friendships.

Minkie also reflects on growing up as one of nine children, her beginnings as a photographer covering the war in Bosnia, and the discovery that combining images with words could tell a fuller story. Throughout the conversation, she returns to one guiding purpose: creating work that moves audiences to think differently, invest in their relationships, and courageously reassess what no longer feels right.

Listen to learn:
- Why female-centered stories deserve cinematic scale and emotional depth
- How Minkie created authentic chemistry within an ensemble cast
- The techniques used to make Nantucket central to the storytelling
- How photography and journaling led her to filmmaking
- Why friendship and reinvention can transform any stage of life

The Women in Entertainment Podcast presents thoughtful conversations with leaders across entertainment, from film and television to media and gaming, and everything in between, as we talk about what it takes to make your mark in the industry, lessons these incredible people have learned along the way, and how they have found their way in an ever-changing environment.

With in-depth conversations and pre-submitted listener questions, each episode provides candid advice for navigating today’s entertainment industry, giving listeners an inside look at how key players got their start, and guidance for building the necessary toolkit to bring careers to life in film, TV, music, theater, graphics, writing, animation, and beyond.

Listen on Spotify: ⁠https://open.spotify.com/show/5AfPfPQ...
Listen on Apple Podcasts: ⁠https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast..
Listen on Audible: ⁠https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/a85..

#MinkieSpiro #TheFiveStarWeekend #WomenInEntertainment #FemaleFriendship #WomenDirectors #Nantucket #Filmmaking #WomenInFilm #JenniferGarner #GemmaChan #ReginaHall

Jessica Knoll is back with Helpless, a provocative, twist-filled return to the sharp, psychologically charged storytelling that made Luckiest Girl Alive unforgettable.

In this episode of the Women in Entertainment Podcast, Jessica sits down for a candid conversation about the making of Helpless, a novel she describes as a spiritual successor to Luckiest Girl Alive. She shares how the idea began with her fascination around “forced proximity” stories, why she loves characters readers can root for on the page but might run from in real life, and how the book became her answer to the erotic thriller she wanted to read but couldn’t find.

Jessica also opens up about the realities behind a successful writing career: the heavy revision process, the anxiety that comes before publication, the challenge of breaking through writer’s block, and what she has learned from adapting her work for the screen. From Bright Young Women’s limited series development to advice for authors hoping to stay involved in adaptations, this conversation is honest, generous, and deeply encouraging.

Listen to learn:
- Why Helpless feels like a return to form for Jessica Knoll
- How forced proximity shaped the novel’s central relationship
- Why erotic thrillers may be ready for a new era
- What Jessica has learned from book-to-screen development
- Her advice for writers navigating fear, ambition, and creative blocks

The Women in Entertainment Podcast presents thoughtful conversations with leaders across entertainment, from film and television to media and gaming, and everything in between, as we talk about what it takes to make your mark in the industry, lessons these incredible people have learned along the way, and how they have found their way in an ever-changing environment.

With in-depth conversations and pre-submitted listener questions, each episode provides candid advice for navigating today’s entertainment industry, giving listeners an inside look at how key players got their start, and guidance for building the necessary toolkit to bring careers to life in film, TV, music, theater, graphics, writing, animation, and beyond.

Listen on Spotify: ⁠https://open.spotify.com/show/5AfPfPQ...
Listen on Apple Podcasts: ⁠https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast..
Listen on Audible: ⁠https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/a85..

Purchase the book here: https://amzn.to/4fsgtdb

#JessicaKnoll #Helpless #LuckiestGirlAlive #BrightYoungWomen #WomenInEntertainment #WomenInEntertainmentPodcast #EroticThriller #BookToScreen #WomenWriters #AuthorInterview

What if AI is not here to replace creativity, but to unlock more of it?

In this episode of the Women in Entertainment Podcast, Renee Rossi and Jocelyn Westerhold sit down with Michelle Kwon of Runway, the AI research and creative technology company helping shape the future of audiovisual storytelling. Michelle explains how Runway works across video generation, image generation, audio, editing, pre-visualization, post-production, and enterprise partnerships with major studios and companies.

Michelle also takes listeners inside Runway’s expanded partnership with Lionsgate, sharing how the technology is being used across film, scripted television, games, education, legal, and security teams. She breaks down common misconceptions around generative AI, including the idea that it can instantly create a full movie, copy existing works, or replace the entertainment industry. Instead, Michelle frames AI as a powerful, iterative creative tool that still depends on strong storytelling, collaboration, and human talent.

The conversation explores how independent filmmakers, students, studios, marketers, and creative teams are adopting AI, why accessibility matters, and how tools like Runway may help more original stories find their way to audiences.

Listen to learn:
- How Runway is being used in pre-production, production, and post
- What the Lionsgate and Runway partnership looks like in practice
- The biggest misconceptions about AI in entertainment
- How AI tools helped projects like Everything Everywhere All at Once and The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
- Why generative AI may open doors for more independent and original storytelling

The Women in Entertainment Podcast presents thoughtful conversations with leaders across entertainment, from film and television to media and gaming, and everything in between, as we talk about what it takes to make your mark in the industry, lessons these incredible people have learned along the way, and how they have found their way in an ever-changing environment.

With in-depth conversations and pre-submitted listener questions, each episode provides candid advice for navigating today’s entertainment industry, giving listeners an inside look at how key players got their start, and guidance for building the necessary toolkit to bring careers to life in film, TV, music, theater, graphics, writing, animation, and beyond.

Listen on Spotify: ⁠https://open.spotify.com/show/5AfPfPQ...
Listen on Apple Podcasts: ⁠https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast..
Listen on Audible: ⁠https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/a85..

#WomenInEntertainment #MichelleKwon #RunwayAI #Runway #GenerativeAI #AIInEntertainment #Filmmaking #FutureOfFilm #CreativeTechnology #Lionsgate

Jane Musky has spent decades creating the rooms, streets, seasons, and visual worlds that make unforgettable stories feel alive.

In this episode of the Women in Entertainment Podcast, Jane looks back on the creative path that began with a fifth-grade vision for a Mary Poppins set and grew into an extraordinary career in production design. She shares how theater training shaped her hands-on approach, how early collaborations with Ethan and Joel Coen led to Blood Simple and Raising Arizona, and how films like Ghost, Glengarry Glen Ross, and When Harry Met Sally became defining chapters in a career built on instinct, research, collaboration, and craft.

Jane also opens up about her creative process, from reading the beginning and ending of a script first to mapping characters through the spaces they inhabit. She reflects on advocating for When Harry Met Sally to be filmed in New York, designing the rainy, kinetic world of Glengarry Glen Ross, and stepping into a new role as director of her documentary Off Season, a portrait of Block Island life, community, and what it means to get along across difference.

Listen to learn:
- How Jane Musky first discovered scenic design
- Why When Harry Met Sally had to be a New York story
- How production design shapes character, tone, and memory
- What makes a set, location, and crew creatively click
- Why her documentary Off Season focuses on community and connection

The Women in Entertainment Podcast presents thoughtful conversations with leaders across entertainment, from film and television to media and gaming, and everything in between; as we talk about what it takes to make your mark in the industry, lessons these incredible people have learned along the way, and how they have found their way in an ever-changing environment.

With in-depth conversations and pre-submitted listener questions, each episode provides candid advice for navigating today’s entertainment industry, giving listeners an inside look at how key players got their start, and guidance for building the necessary toolkit to bring careers to life in film, TV, music, theater, graphics, writing, animation, and beyond.

Listen on Spotify: ⁠https://open.spotify.com/show/5AfPfPQ...
Listen on Apple Podcasts: ⁠https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast..
Listen on Audible: ⁠https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/a85..

#JaneMusky #WomenInEntertainment #ProductionDesign #WhenHarryMetSally #Ghost #GlengarryGlenRoss #BloodSimple #RaisingArizona #BlockIsland #OffSeason #WomenInFilm #FilmDesign #EntertainmentPodcast

Jenny Jackson knows books from every angle as a longtime editor, a bestselling novelist, and a storyteller fascinated by the complicated ties that shape us.

In this episode of Women in Entertainment, Jenny joins us to discuss The Shampoo Effect, her highly anticipated follow-up to Pineapple Street. She opens up about rediscovering writing during the pandemic, why her creative process changed dramatically between books, and how she learned to let go of scenes that helped her understand her characters but did not ultimately belong on the page.

Jenny also shares a thoughtful look at the emotional architecture of friendship: the childhood bonds, family friendships, secrets, tensions, and trust that inspired the world of The Shampoo Effect. As both an editor and author, she reflects on revision, bad reviews, the pressure of a second novel, book tours, screen adaptations, and the strange vulnerability of putting fiction into the world.

Listen to learn:
- Why Jenny believes there is no single “right” writing routine
- How "The Shampoo Effect" explores lifelong friendship and family dynamics
- What becoming an author taught her about editing with more empathy
- Why second books come with a different kind of publishing pressure
- How Jenny thinks about adapting her novels for television

The Women in Entertainment Podcast presents thoughtful conversations with leaders across entertainment from film and television, to media and gaming, and everything in between; as we talk about what it takes to make your mark in the industry, lessons these incredible people have learned along the way, and how they have found their way in an ever-changing environment.

With in-depth conversations and pre-submitted listener questions, each episode provides candid advice for navigating today’s entertainment industry, giving listeners an inside look at how key players got their start, and guidance for building the necessary toolkit to bring careers to life in film, TV, music, theater, graphics, writing, animation, and beyond.

Purchase "The Shampoo Effect" at https://amzn.to/4evHNH7

Listen on Spotify: ⁠https://open.spotify.com/show/5AfPfPQ...
Listen on Apple Podcasts: ⁠https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast..
Listen on Audible: ⁠https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/a85..

#JennyJackson #TheShampooEffect #PineappleStreet #WomenInEntertainment #WomenInEntertainmentPodcast #Books #Authors #WritingLife #Publishing #BookPodcast #WomenWriters