This week on On Story, Miss Juneteenth writer/director Channing Godfrey Peoples discusses her feature directorial debut and her work as a multi-hyphenate independent filmmaker.

Peoples is the writer-director of the 2020 drama Miss Juneteenth, which follows a former beauty queen and single mom as she prepares her rebellious daughter for a life-changing pageant. Having grown up in Fort Worth, Texas, Peoples attended pageants where “Miss Juneteenth” is a real contest held there. A gripping story of poverty, the film has appeared on dozens of critics’ year-end top ten lists, including TIME, Washington Post, and IndieWire, among others.

Moderator Ya’Ke Smith sat down with Channing Godfrey Peoples for a panel about her work as a multi-hyphenate independent filmmaker at the Austin Film Festival.

Clips of Miss Juneteenth courtesy of Ley Line Entertainment.

This week on On Story writer Derek Kolstad, creator of the John Wick franchise reflects on his thrilling career, how he weaves emotion and humanity into action set pieces, as well as crafting characters you cannot help but root for.

Derek Kolstad is the writer/creator of the popular John Wick franchise with the latest installment: John Wick: Chapter 4 set to be released in 2023. He also wrote on Marvel’s hit limited series The Falcon and Winter Soldier, which has been nominated for 5 Primetime Emmys. 2021 also saw the release of Derek’s action-thriller Nobody. Nobody sheds light on a docile family man struggling with aging and encroaching feelings of irrelevance as his children grow up. His new tv adaptation of the popular video game, Splinter Cell, is currently in production and will be airing on Netflix in the following year.  Most recently, Kolstad produced the film The Princess for Hulu, which follows the action-packed story of a strong-willed princess who refuses an arranged marriage alliance to an especially cruel sociopath.

Barbara Morgan sat down with Derek Kolstad for a panel about his work at the Austin Film Festival.

Clips of John Wick courtesy of Thunder Road Pictures

Clips of Nobody courtesy of Universal City Studios

Hey podcast listeners, this week on On Story we’re foraging for insight into Pig with writer and director Michael Sarnoski.

Michael Sarnoski is a writer, director, and a producer best known for writing 2020’s Pig. The film, starring Nicholas Cage, tells the story of a man searching for his pig, while dealing with the effects of prolonged grief. As director, Sarnoski revealed that he only had around twenty days to make the movie and there was no budget for re-shoots or delays. He is currently slated to direct the upcoming A Quiet Place: Day One, the anticipated prequel in the A Quiet Place series. 

We sat down with Michael Sarnoski for a panel about the film at the Austin Film Festival.