filmmaker

June 3 2024

Vinnie Tortorich #6 – Documentary Filmmaker (Dirty Keto) / Podcaster (Fitness Confidential)

Steve Owens podcast adam carolla, Anna Vocino, beyond impossible, cancer, Certified Keto, Dirty Keto, documentary, Dr. Drew, Fat 2, Fat: A Documentary, filmmaker, fitness confidential, gina grad, glycemic index, Gravitas Ventures, insulin, keto, Keto Certified, leukemia, Mike Rowe, NIH, No sugar no grain, nsng, PubMed, serena scott thomas, shadowbanned, tortorich, vinnie tortorich

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Vinnie Tortorich #6
Take a walk with me down Fascination Street as I get to know even more about SIX TIME guest; Vinnie Tortorich. Known in some circles as “The Angriest Trainer”; Cinnie is: a podcaster, an author, fitness guru, a celebrity trainer, a multiple business owner, and a documentary filmmaker. In this episode, we chat a little about why he wrote his best-selling book “Fitness Confidential”, we touch a bit on his podcast “Fitness Confidential”, and then get into some of his previous documentaries. Vinnie’s first documentary is called “Fat: A Documentary”; and was the best-selling film in the history of Gravitas Ventures. His follow up to that was “Fat 2” two years later. In 2022 Vinnie released his third documentary titled “Beyond Impossible”; where he did a deep dive into the meat substitute industry. We talk a bit more about this one, as it had some odd effects on his social media accounts. Finally, we get to the goods. Vinnie’s FOURTH documentary, in his words, “Goes right at the Keto community”. This new film “Dirty Keto” expounds on the latest Keto fad, and what the term ‘keto’ actually means. He also does some digging to find out what official governing body authorizes the term “Certified Keto” and allows it to be placed on packaging. I give him a neat suggestion for this newer film, and I think he likes it! At one point he explains the glycemic index to me and why I should care. We also touch on the newest trend of freezing bread and pasta before reheating and eating it, and why this changes the glycemic scale of these foods. Finally, Vinnie shares the details of his most recent health concerns and what his plans are going forward with it. Vinie is rad as hell. He is a great guy, and has the record for the most appearances on Fascination Street Podcast! Check out his newest film “Dirty Keto” available ONLY on Amazon; beginning June 1, 2024.

May 27 2024

Charles Agron – Writer / Actor/ Producer (Altered Reality)

Steve Owens podcast actor, Alex and Eve, Altered Reality, art, Charles Agron, Dark House, distributor, Doctors rights, Dylan Thomas, ed asner, filmmaker, K Street Pictures, lance henriksen, Last Call, Lizzo, lobbyist, Monday at 1101 AM, nascar, producer, tobin bell, writer

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Charles Agron
Take a walk with me down Fascination Street as I get to know Charles Agron. Charles is a writer, actor, director, and producer of independent films. In this episode, we discuss his previous career as a Washington Lobbyist, and what made him get out of that business. Then we talk about why he decided to not only be an actor; but also a writer, and producer. He shares stories about working with some of the greats; like Ed Asner, Tobin Bell, and Lance Henriksen in his newest film Altered Reality. Along the way, we touch on a couple of his previous films like Dark Horse & Monday At 11:01 A.M. Finally, we get into why it is important to be a distributer with his company K Street Pictures, and where that name comes from. I ask him why he decided to distribute films like Alex and Eve, and Last Call; and at what point he got involved with those projects. Charles also explains what the Covid pandemic did to the box office numbers of one of these films. He does explain some paintings and artists at the beginning to satisfy my nosey questions about the wall art at his home! Thanks for that Charles!

April 29 2024

Rudy Pavich – Comedian / Podcaster / Video & Graphics Producer

Steve Owens podcast adam carolla, adam carolla show, adam ray, Chillin With Ice, comedian, comedy, comic, filmmaker, graphics production, interview, Listenable, Lori Fetrick, louis anderson, meghan trainor, minnesota, podcaster, producer, radio, rudy pavich, Smartless, stand up, video production, wood sporn

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Rudy Pavich
Take a walk with me down Fascination Street as I get to know Rudy Pavich. Born and raised in Hibbing, Minnesota, Rudy SHOULD have been a roofer; as his family owns a roofing company. Rudy decided to go another route. Spending 23 years in the radio business, he had a life changing event in his immediate family; then took a break. That break afforded Rudy the opportunity to focus his passion in another direction……. stand up comedy. In this episode, we chat about how and why he decided to become a comic, we discuss his time in radio a bit, and then we discuss some of the big breaks that have come his way. Rudy is also a film maker with a couple of short films under his belt; one of them having won the prestigious ‘Louis Anderson Award’ at the Minnesota Film Festival. This was the final film selected by Louis before his passing. Of course I take this chance to pitch my short film idea to Rudy, which he graciously plays along with. Rudy gives most of the credit for his growing fan base and various opportunities to fellow comedian Adam Ray, for inspiring and lending a helping hand. I ask Rudy to tell me more about his video editing & graphic production with Adam Ray, Adam Carolla, Meghan Trainor, and others. Some big opportunities have come his way, and Rudy was ready and eager to meet those head on. We touch a bit on his podcast ‘A Long Walk to Cleveland’; which is currently on hiatus.
Rudy is currently touring his stand up with various other well known comedians, so be sure to check RudyPavichComedy.com for tour dates near you, and tell him you heard him on Fascination Street Podcast!
Special thanks to Lori Fetrick (Ice, from American Gladiators) for helping make this happen.

April 15 2024

Michael Lukk Litwak – Writer / Director (Molli and Max in the Future)

Steve Owens podcast aristotle athari, director, Easter Eggs, fantasy, feature, feature film, filmmaker, green screen, greenscreen, litwak, michael litwak, Michael Lukk Litwak, miniatures, Molli and Max, Molli and Max in the Future, nyu tisch, paul feig, romcom, scifi, short films, space, sxsw, Zosia Mamet

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Michael Lukk Litwak
Take a walk with me down Fascination Street as I get to know Michael Lukk Litwak. Michael is the writer & director of the new science fiction romantic comedy (sci-fi-rom-com); Molli and Max in the Future. This film stars Zosia Mamet and Aristotle Athari, and debuted at the SXSW film festival. In this episode, we chat about shat made Michael want to become a filmmaker, and why he chose to study at NYU Tisch. Then we get into his film making career. He started with several short films before his first feature film, Molli and Max in the Future. Michael shares some of his behind the scenes process with regard to some of the practical effects used in this fantasy space love story. Michael also lets us in on a little secret about putting the final touches on the film just days before its SXSW debut. Of course I ask him how Zosia and Aristotle came to be in the picture, and what he hopes this inventive film will do for his career going forward.
Be sure to check out Molli and Max in the Future, streaming everywhere!

March 15 2024

Shawn’s Picks #11 Carolyn Jones

Steve Owens podcast aids, american nurse, amish, carolyn jones, catalysts, defining hope, documentarian, documentary, emergency, emergency nurse association, filmmaker, hiv/aids, hospice, in case of emergency, maternal mortality, nurses, nursing, paris to dakar, photographer, Shawn's Picks

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Shawn’s Picks: Carolyn Jones.

Hey Streetwalkers. THANK YOU SO MUCH for inspiring me to get to 400 episodes!
As you may have guessed; lm taking March “off” from releasing new episodes.
HOWEVER; all month long, l will be releasing some of my wife’s very favorite episodes, in a “Best Of” style.

So expect a re-release of an older favorite every weekday; with an all new intro from my wife, explaining why she chose each specific episode.

Keep in mind that these are in no particular order, and l’ll be back in April with all new episodes.

Like, follow, subscribe and tell a friend!

-Steve Owens
Fascination Street Podcast

Carolyn Jones
Take a walk with me down Fascination Street as I get to know author & filmmaker Carolyn Jones. In this episode, we chat about how growing up surrounded by the Amish inspired her to become a storyteller. Then we get into a small tangent about her being a rally car co-driver in the Paris to Dakar Rally! We get back on track and talk about some of her books, and then dive headfirst into her films. Carolyn is a documentary filmmaker who has a passion for telling stories of hope, inspiration, and heroism. We discuss her films: Defining Hope, The American Nurse, In Case of Emergency, and her upcoming documentary Catalysts. We go all over the place here folks; from sharing stories of those affected by HIV/AIDS, to hospice care, and the role that nurses play in all of our lives. This episode is at once touching and sorrowful, and I hope you enjoy every single bit of it as much as I did.

January 15 2024

Raffaello Degruttola Returns! – Filmmaker (To Love A Narcissist)

Steve Owens podcast Controvento, Controvento films, director, divorce, filmmaker, Free movies, Independent film, Indie film, Lindsay Marshall, love, love story, Narcissist, Psychological thriller, Raffaello Degruttola, Scoop, Socially relevant film festival, spotify, story teller, sxsw, The Killers Game, thriller, To Love a Narcissist, transferrence, Trauma bond, youtube

[Powerpress]

Take a walk with me down Fascination Street, as l get to know even more about Raffaello Degruttola, in this RETURN visit! Raffaello was last on the show in June of 2019. This time, we don’t do the ‘get to know you’ thing; so go back and check that out.
In this episode, we catch up on how Raff spent his Covid lockdown, and how well his previous film performed. It’s called Transference, and it did gangbusters on YouTube.
I ask him about one of his early projects called “The Other Side of My Sleep, as well as a television series he is working on.
We also discuss his new film project called ‘To Love a Narcissist’, and stars Lindsay Marshall alongside him, and others. Toward the end, we chat about the disposable nature of the current culture, and how we can learn to focus on the things that are important to us.
Of course, we touch on an upcoming film he is acting in, where he got to work with the great David Bautista called ‘The Killer’s Game’s and a Netflix movie called ‘Scoop’ that when worked on too!
Stay tuned for ‘To Love a Narcissist’ to come out midway through the year, and check out Controvento Films for other great independent projects!

January 8 2024

J. Logan Austin – President & COO (Crazy Ant Media)

Steve Owens podcast anxiety, Crazy Ant Media, deadlines, depression, Dustin Bergman'crazy ants, emmy, Everything's Okay, film, film making, filmmaker, indy 500, Inside The Crazy Ant Farm, ITCAF, J. Logan Austin, loneliness, Martin Scorsese, mental health, New Orleans, nola, podcast, story telling, television, tv

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J. Logan Austin
Take a walk with me down Fascination Street as I get to know J. Logan Austin. In this episode, we chat about why Logan, and his partner Dustin created Crazy Ant Farm Media, and what they hope to accomplish with this production company. We also talk about film & television, being a storyteller, and his two podcasts. His first podcast is called ‘Inside The Crazy Ant Farm’, and it deals with entertainment news, rumors, stories, and general fun in and around show business. The second podcast is called ‘Everything’s Okay’, and it deals with anxiety, depression, loneliness, and overall mental health. We briefly touch on Logan’s upcoming wedding, and a bizarre and petty feud between Martin Scorsese and the rest of Hollywood. Logan tells me more about Crazy Ant Farm Media’s pending projects, including: an hour-long comedy, a short film, a feature film, and even a half hour animated comedy. This guy is BUSY! For some reason, Logan starts to interview me about halfway through; but what matters is that you should check out his two podcasts, and the cool stuff on their You Tube channel.

July 24 2023

Dale Peterson – Writer / Director (In Through The Out Door / Hello, My Name is Frank)

Steve Owens Author Interviews, podcast creator, dale peterson, detroit, director, documentarian, documentary, documentary filmmaker, dyslexia, filmmaker, H. H. Holmes, hello my name is frank, henry howard holmes, herman mudgett, HH Holmes, homelessness, horror, In Through the Out Door, Magic TP films, music video director, serial killer, skid row, time travel, wolves, writer, yellowstone

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Dale Peterson
Take a walk with me down Fascination Street as I get to know Dale Peterson.
Dale is the writer / director of the upcoming television series ‘In Through the Out Door’.
In this episode, we chat about his career. Starting as a music video director in the Detroit area, Dale made a name for himself in the music scene and quickly became a ‘go to’ for music videos. We touch on Dale’s early struggles with dyslexia, and how he overcame some of those obstacles. Then we talk about a couple of documentaries that Dale made a few years ago; one was about the homeless population on Skid Row in Los Angeles, and the other was for National geographic about the return of wolves into Yellowstone national park. Of course, I ask him all about his feature film Hello, My Name Is Frank, which is a road trip comedy about a man with Tourette Syndrome. Then we move onto his newest project: In Through the Out Door, which is In Through the Out Door stars: Garrett M. Brown, Martin Copping, Christine Kilmer, and Jesse C. Boyd. Dale is very frank, open, and honest about his struggles with dyslexia. I applaud him and appreciate his generosity and candor. Thank you, Dale.

June 26 2023

Carolyn Jones – Author / Filmmaker (The American Nurse / In Case of Emergency / Catalysts

Steve Owens podcast aids, american nurse, amish, carolyn jones, catalysts, defining hope, dociumentary, documentarian, emergency, emergency nurse association, film maker, filmmaker, hiv, hiv/aids, hospice, in case of emergency, maternal mortality, nurses, nursing, paris to dakar, photographer

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February 6 2023

Marilyn Ghigliotti – Actress (Clerks / Clerks 3)

Steve Owens podcast a mother's love, Brian O'Halloran, Clerks, clerks 3, director, film festival, film maker, filmmaker, galaxy con, Ghigliotti, interview, Kevin smith, marilyn ghigliotti, New jersey, producer, sctress, Shooting clerks, smodcastle film festival, streetwalker, thatclerksgirl, Thatkevinsmith, veronica from clerks

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Marilyn Ghigliotti
Take a walk with me down Fascination Street as I get to know Marilyn Ghigliotti. Most of you will recognize Marilyn as Veronica from Clerks and Clerks 3. In this episode, we chat about where she grew up and how her upbringing led her to become an actress. We also talk about how she came to be involved in Kevin Smith’s first film; Clerks. Marilyn shares some of her stage acting stories, and how she met Brian O’Halloran. I ask her about her experience acting in a film about a film that she starred in called Shooting Clerks, what a surreal moment that was, and where that project is now. Finally, we discuss her newest directing endeavor, a short film called A Mother’s love; some of the obstacles, and hurdles it took to get it made, and its premiere at the most appropriate film festival on the planet: Kevin Smith’s Smodcastle Film Festival in New Jersey!