Miles has helped create over 1,100 jobs while founding, financing, building and exiting three digital media companies. Before doing that he spent time in venture capital, hosted a precursor to Shark Tank called MoneyHunt on PBS , led over 1,500 people across 14 miles of open sea on kayak, and trekked 1,100 miles through the deserts of Saudi Arabia , Jordan and Syria. He also published a novel called  A Line in the Sand that ended up being an Amazon bestseller in the Middle East.

We had an engaging conversation about his early inspirations, his professional path, and the philosophical considerations around ethical AI.

Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey.

Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey.

Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey.

Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey.

"All the Empty Rooms" is a 33-minute documentary that follows CBS News correspondent Steve Hartman on a seven-year journey visiting families who have lost a child, photographing each child’s room as it was on their last day. These “sacred spaces frozen in time” form an intimate portrait of grief, love, and the enduring need for empathy.

Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey.

Narrated by renowned meteorologist John Morales, "Third Degree Burnout" uncovers the hidden connections between personal burnout and the climate crisis, revealing them as symptoms of a larger socio-economic metacrisis.

With world-class animation, engaging interviews with over 20 experts, and playful humor woven into thought-provoking skits, the film breaks down complex ideas into something accessible, relatable, and impactful.

From the history of our food systems to the ripple effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and the intersections of healthcare, politics, and society, this documentary offers a fresh lens on the systemic forces shaping burnout.

In 2020, Nivi lost her father to COVID-19 while she was in the process of struggling through her own burnout after 15 years in high-pressure global marketing and strategy roles across consumer packaged goods, life sciences, and media.

That dual reckoning — grief and exhaustion — became the catalyst for her life’s new direction: uncovering the connections between personal well-being, food systems, and planetary health, all of which a explored in "Third Degree Burnout."

Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey.

Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey.

Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey.

Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey.

Joining host Michael Azevedo on this episode is Ben Flaherty, the director of Shuffle, a film that won the documentary jury award at the 2025 SXSW festival. 

This powerful documentary provides a look into the lives of three Florida residents who struggle to free themselves from a predatory system of for-profit recovery centers that benefit from their reliance on substances.

The film depicts a depressingly familiar pattern of institutions failing the very individuals they exist to help.

A former addict himself, Ben Flaherty uses his own sobriety journey as a starting point to discuss the ways that corrupt facilities can play with patients’ lives as a means of scamming insurance companies, ultimately making the argument that true recovery can only be accomplished through a communal effort of people who genuinely care about each other.

Learn more at www.stoptheshuffle.com

Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey.

Joining host Michael Azevedo on this episode is Rick Goldsmith, the director of the documentary “Stripped for Parts: American Journalism on the Brink.

Rick’s film offers a clear-eyed look at the current state of journalism in the United States with a focus on the insidious threat from a secretive hedge fund that has put America’s free press at risk.  

Alden Global Capital, operating in the shadows, has managed to upend countless local newsrooms in the past 15 years. But their profit-at-all-costs efforts have not gone un-checked.  

This powerful, eye-opening 90-minute documentary tracks the courageous efforts of investigative reporter Julie Reynolds, Denver Post editorialist Chuck Plunkett and a handful of others, backed by the NewsGuild union, who go toe- to-toe, at great personal risk, with Wall Street interests in a battle to save local journalism across the United States.  

• Streaming – From October 1st to December 31st, the film is available for free at PBS.org or the PBS app (sometimes called “PBS video”) through Roku, Apple TV, Google Play or most smart TVs
• Broadcast – check our website here for more dates and times, which we will be updating periodically. You can also check your local listings.    
• October 20th at 5pm PT/8pm ET, (and then 3 repeat airings that week) on the PBS World Channel broadcast everywhere, check your local listings to see if your local station carries the World Channel or check the schedule on our website. 

Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey.

Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey.

Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey.

Andy has a belief that most news thrives on outrage, fear, and conflict. And he created "Granite Goodness" in order to take a different approach.

The podcast and newsletter highlights what Andy calls real progress happening across New England in science, tech, sustainability, business, economics, infrastructure, and more.

It’s Andy’s contention that when people see a better world is possible, they are more likely to build it. At the core of "Granite Goodness" is a belief that optimism is pragmatic, not naive. And it just may contagious!

Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey.

Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey.

Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey.

Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey.

Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey.

Documentary filmmakers Ellen Martinez and Steph Ching join host Michael Azevedo to discuss Slumlord Millionaire, winner of the Audience Award at the 2024 DOC NYC Film Festival. The film explores the rapid gentrification of New York City neighborhoods and the housing crisis sweeping not only New York but the nation.

Told through the stories of a group of fearless residents, activists and nonprofit attorneys who fight corrupt landlords and developers for the basic human right to a home, the film premieres on the PBS series VOCES on Monday, July 28. It will also be available on all PBS digital streaming platforms starting on that same date.

Ellen Martinez and Steph Ching previously directed and produced After Spring, a feature documentary about the Syrian refugee crisis. The film was executive produced by Jon Stewart, had its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival, was broadcast on Starz and received a Frontline Award for Documentary Journalism. Additionally, Ellen & Steph were both honorees on DOC NYC’s inaugural "40 Under 40" list as directors.

Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey.

Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey.

Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey.

“If everybody always lies to you, the consequence is not that you believe the lies, but rather that nobody believes anything any longer. And the people that no longer believe anything cannot make up its mind. It is deprived not only of its capacity to act, but also of its capacity to think and to judge. And with such a people, you can then do what you please.”

Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey.

Joining host Michael Azevedo on this episode is Chad Freidrichs, the director and editor of a fascinating and intriguing film called "The Cinema Within."

"The Cinema Within," which is now streaming on Amazon Prime Video and on Vimeo, is a feature-length documentary that delves into the psychology of film editing – the mystery of how and why an edited movie feels so natural and so effortlessly makes sense.

Drawing on the insights of famed movie editor Walter Murch, scholar David Bordwell, and a varied group of perceptual scientists, "The Cinema Within" explores the idea that in film’s earliest years, the most common edits were instinctively shaped to fit the contours of human perception — and that this might explain why, more than a century later, most modern-day filmmakers still rely on these exact same techniques.

But in the remote mountains of Turkey, a young researcher – and a group of people who have never seen a film before – put this deepest of cinematic ideas to the test.

Playfully inventive in its construction and striking in its visuals, the documentary dives deep into the deliberately hidden language of film editing – a language so seemingly natural it usually goes unnoticed.  

Drawing on dozens of examples from both well-known and obscure films across cinema history, it explores not only the essential grammar of the world’s most popular art form, but the very mechanics of how we perceive reality.

Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey.

Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey.

Host Michael Azevedo is joined by two guests to discuss recent funding cuts to the National Endowment for the Humanities, the NEH, and the National Endowment for the Arts, the NEA. To provide insight into the topic, Michael is  joined by documentary filmmaker and television producer Marisa Fox, who in a recent article in the Hollywood Reporter described what she and many of her peers have been going through as the Trump administration makes drastic cuts to the NEH and the NEA.

Also joining the conversation is Laura Azevedo, executive director of Filmmakers Collaborative, which sponsors this podcast, to share how these cuts have impacted documentary filmmakers working with FC and how FC, as an organization that also runs educational programs around filmmaking and media literacy, has been impacted.

Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey.

Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey.

It is a story of courage and determination, betrayal and corruption, death threats and murder, and of unexpected victories in the countryside and in the courts. It is a story that asks how economic development can grow in harmony with environmental protections. Above all, Water For Life illuminates a growing recognition of Indigenous rights and a rising demand for corporate responsibility and environmental justice. It is a story that begins and ends with water.

Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey.

Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey.

Joining host Michael Azevedo on this episode is Signe Taylor, the director of a documentary called It’s Criminal. "It's Criminal" highlights the economic and social inequities that divide the United States and offers a vision of how separated communities can learn to speak to each other.

Poignant and personal, the 80-minute feature documentary shares the life-changing journeys of incarcerated women and Dartmouth College students working together to write and perform an original play that explores the often painful and troubled paths that landed the women behind bars and also shares some of their fragile visions for the future. 

While film is currently available to stream on Prime Video, listeners in the New Hampshire area are invited to attend a special screening and Q&A with the director and several of the film’s participants on Saturday, April 26 at 2pm at Pembroke City Limits, the beating heart and cultural hub of Suncook Village, located at 134 Main Street, Pembroke NH. Check out the Pembroke City Limits website or Facebook page for more information.

Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey.

Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey.

Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey.

Host Michael Azevedo speaks with acclaimed filmmakers Tom Jennings and Annie Wong, the co-producers and co-directors of "The Rise and Fall of Terrorgram," a FRONTLINE/ProPublica collaboration that investigates how an online network known as Terrorgram spread extremism and violence.

The documentary traces the rise of a global community of white supremacists and the anonymous, loosely moderated platforms used to spread hate and promote terror attacks.premieres Tuesday, March 25, 2025, on PBS and online.

Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey.

The magazine has featured pretty much every prominent moviemaker you can think of on its cover. Its print edition is published quarterly, while its digital home, MovieMaker.com is continually updating its features and late-breaking content.

Tim and Michael had a wide-ranging chat where we discussed the 2025 Oscar winners, the pros and cons of watching movies in movie theaters, what movies Tim is looking forward to in 2025 and what makes for the perfect movie trailer!

Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey.

Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey.

Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey.

Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey.

Host Michael Azevedo is joined on this episode by Nicholas Bruckman the writer, producer, and director of a new documentary called Minted, which provides an insider’s look at the rise and fall of the NFT (non-fungible token) phenomenon and how technology transformed the traditional art world, for better and worse.

Featuring verité footage and candid interviews with groundbreaking artists at the center of this phenomenon, Minted delves into the complex world of the $40 billion NFT digital art market.

Minted will have its broadcast premiere as part of the PBS Independent Lens series on January 6 and will be available to stream via the PBS app for 90 days thereafter.

Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey.

Joining host Michael Azevedo on this episode is Amy Schatz the Emmy and Peabody award-winning director of a soul-stirring musical documentary called "Stand Up & Shout: Songs from a Philly High School."

The film, which is now streaming on Max, tells the tale of an annual music program in the city’s Hill-Freedman World Academy. The 54-minute documentary, which was executive produced by the award-winning team at Get Lifted Film Co. and the music superstar John Legend features 10th-grade students learning to write, compose, produce, and perform original songs.

Together with local musicians, the students pitch concepts, work out arrangements, and eventually create an album that captures the challenges they are living through and the joy music brings to their respective lives.

The underpinnings of maneuvers and machinations by aggrieved white citizens and business owners of the south reached a boiling point in North Carolina in 1898 and culminated in the events depicted in "American Coup: Wilmington 1898," an American Experience film that will be broadcast on November 12.

Joining host Michael Azevedo on this episode are the film’s co-directors Yoruba Richen and Brad Lichtenstein. Their film tells the story of how “self-described white supremacists used intimidation and violence to destroy Black political and economic power and overthrow Wilmington's democratically-elected, multi-racial, Reconstruction era government.

That’s why host Michael Azevedo invited Brandon Katz, senior entertainment industry strategist at Parrot Analytics, on to the podcast to discuss this vexing issues for streaming channels and audiences alike: why do the services have such a difficult time helping people find more things on their services to watch? 

The documentary weaves together candid interviews with technicians, union representatives, public health experts, and notable performers including Jon Hamm and John Malkovich, with the story of Dr. Paul's effort to conduct research into health and safety in the film industry.

In the podcast series, which debuted in mid-September, Josh and his fellow producers talk to the hosts, reporters, and producers who built Fox News, many of whom have never spoken publicly.

Josh Levine is the editorial director of the Slow Burn podcast. He was also the host of the Slow Burn seasons on David Duke and co-hosts the sports podcast Hang Up and Listen. He is the author of The Queen: The Forgotten Life Behind an American Myth.

At the time, Jodi was in her early 30s, living in Chicago and working her way up the corporate rungs at a fitness club chain. But, over the course of five years, that work began to feel empty.

Determined not to stagnate like her mother, Jodi quit her job to become an executive coach, eventually entering a master’s degree program in positive psychology. There, she developed a strategy for living fully: Think about death, a lot.

Now also a speaker and the author of “You Only Die Once,” Jodi believes that focusing on how short life is makes you less likely to squander it. 

To help her clients figure out how to spend their limited time, she asks them dozens of questions, organized by life phase — things like what activities made them happiest as a child, and what they would change about their 40s and 50s.

Her approach is a twist on the practice of conducting a “life review,” where people systematically reflect on their past, through conversations or in writing, to identify character strengths and develop self-awareness and acceptance.

In addition to being a speaker, coach, and author, Jodi is the force behind the website Four Thousand Mondays which helps visitors vividly calculate approximately how many Mondays they have left and use that information as a catalyst to live life on purpose, inspired and totally alive.

Jodi joined Michael from her home in Palm Springs, CA. 

On this episode, host Michael Azevedo is joined by the makers of a new three-part documentary series called “Sea Change: The Gulf of Maine” which premiered on US Public Television stations in late July. Joining Michael are co-director Chun-Wei Yi and series producer Brian Skerry.

“Sea Change” explores a body of water that is warming 97 percent faster than the global ocean, and what that means for the Gulf of Maine – for the animals, for the jobs dependent upon it and the millions of people along its shores – and may serve as a preview of what could happen worldwide due to climate change.

“Sea Change” blends science, exploration, stunning natural history and stories of human experience to illuminate how what happens here could have profound global implications.

Viewers will encounter the spectacular wilderness and wildlife that still teems in these waters.

The series also documents the range of people including scientists, Native Americans, fishers and entrepreneurs working to reveal the Gulf’s complex history and helping to understand what role the ocean plays in all of our lives.

All 3 episodes are available via the PBS App and via NOVA on YouTube. 

Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey.

Joining host Michael Azevedo on this episode are documentary filmmakers Tom Casciato and Kathleen Hughes. Tom and Kathleen join Michael to discuss their latest film for PBS’s Frontline series called "Two American Families, 1991-2024." The film follows two Milwaukee families, one black, one white, over the last thirty-odd years. 

"Broken" follows Brooke as she investigates and exposes the fatally-flawed child protection, foster care and family court systems in Massachusetts – where despite a $1.3 billion annual budget, hundreds of children have died in the care of the state child welfare system in recent years.

Susan has spent more than a decade investigating the September 2011 murder of Brendan Mess, Raphael Teken, and her friend Erik Weissman in Waltham, Massachusetts and the connection between the officially still-open homicide case and the Boston Marathon bombing. 

Her book The Waltham Murders: One Woman’s Pursuit to Expose the Truth Behind a Murder and a National Tragedy was published in March 2024.

Library Journal hailed the book as “a definitive resource” in a starred review. Publishers Weekly called the book “gripping” and predicted that “readers will be captivated.”

A true-crime memoir and the culmination of more than ten years of reporting, The Waltham Murders is an in-depth probe into a dark American underworld by a journalist coming to grips with both personal grief and the collective anguish of a nation in her tireless pursuit of the truth.

Joining host Michael Azevedo on this episode are Sarah Perkins and Josh Sabey, the co-directors of "The Basement Talks," a riveting documentary series now available on Amazon Prime and Apple TV  that tells the story of two murders, secret meetings, and impossible friendships.

On December 30, 1994, a man carrying a black duffel bag entered an abortion clinic in Brookline, Massachusetts. By the day’s end, two women were dead, a manhunt was underway, a traumatized community was in mourning, and leaders on both sides of a divide wondered what they could have done to prevent it. It was at that juncture that a six year clandestine dialogue between enemies began.

Set against the backdrop of the Salvi murders and the contentious court case that followed, "The Basement Talks," follows six women—leaders on opposing sides of the abortion debate—who meet secretly and under threat of violence in an effort to replace dangerous and divisive stereotypes, strategies, and rhetoric with empathy, tolerance, and genuine friendship. 

"Bad River" chronicles the Wisconsin-based Bad River Band, which is a group within a tribe of native Americans, and their ongoing fight for sovereignty, which unfolds in a groundbreaking way through a series of shocking revelations, devastating losses, and a powerful legacy of defiance and resilience.

This inspiring project brings us through the epic sweep of history into the present, with a David and Goliath battle over a 70-year-old pipeline on the brink of rupture into Lake Superior, the largest freshwater resource in America. 

"Bad River" is currently enjoying a successful limited theatrical run and is available for streaming for Xfinity customers and is also available via Vimeo.

Mary Mazzio’s credits include A Hero for Daisy, I Am Jane Doe, A Most Beautiful Thing, Ten9Eight, and Underwater Dreams.

Her work “explores the concept of overcoming obstacles, whether it is a fight for social change… or issues of poverty and lack of opportunity...and sheds light on ordinary people doing extraordinary things – defying expectations and challenging assumptions of who and what they can achieve. Mazzio’s powerful new documentary Bad River is no exception.

Host Michael Azevedo speaks with Amanda McBaine and Jesse Moss, the co-producers and directors of “Girls State,” a revealing and inspiring documentary follow up to their award-winning 2020 film "Boys State."

"Girls State" poses the question: What would American democracy look like in the hands of teenage girls? A political coming-of-age story and a stirring re-imagination of what it means to govern, “Girls State" follows young female leaders — from wildly different backgrounds across Missouri — as they navigate an immersive experiment to build a government from the ground up, form a Supreme Court, and debate the divisive issues of the day.

Jesse Moss and Amanda McBaine have collaborated on several high profile film projects in addition to "Girls State" and "Boys State," including "The Mission," "The Overnighters," "Mayor Pete" and "The Bandit," among others. And they just so happen to be husband and wife. 

Charlie Sadoff is a producer, director and editor. Documentaries he has produced include The Mind of Mark Defriest which aired on Showtime, Dream Riders for Discovery, and the 10-part series The Rites of Autumn for ESPN.

Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey.

Making Media Now host Michael Azevedo speaks with documentary filmmakers Anna Moot-Levin and Laura Green about the second in their 3-film Matter of Mind series. Their first film looked at ALS, or Lou Gehrig’s disease.

Their latest film, which debuts on PBS’s Independent Lens on April 8, tell the story of  Three people—a political cartoonist, a mother turned boxing coach, and an optician—as they navigate their lives with resourcefulness and determination in the face of a different degenerative illness, Parkinson’s disease.

On this episode, host Michael Azevedo chats with Noam Osband & Sebastián Díaz, the co-directors and co-producers of a documentary called "A Thousand Pines."

On this episode of Making Media Now, host Michael Azevedo speaks with documentary filmmaker Peter Yost, whose film, "Nazi Town, USA" uncovers the unsettling story of Nazi sympathizers on American soil. 

The discussion navigates through America's history in the '20s and '30s - the polarized political climate, the dominant ideologies, and prominent American figures like Henry Ford and Charles Lindbergh, whose influence kindled such anti-Semitic movements. Around this era, the terrifyingly real German-American Bund fearlessly demonstrated a blend of American ideals with swastikas, exemplifying a racially divided America.

A dive into the profoundly extraordinary acts of the Bund includes running Nazi camps and parades in front of Jewish homes, casting a shadow over the interpretation of patriotism. This gripping exploration of an almost forgotten part of American history unveils its lasting influences and the issues our society continues to grapple with today.

On this episode host Michael Azevedo navigates an insightful conversation on the creation of the Oscar-nominated documentary, "20 Days in Mariupol." The engrossing film, a co-production of PBS' Frontline and the Associated Press, unflinchingly captures the initial 20 days of Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine, seen through the eyes of Ukrainian filmmaker and AP video journalist, Mstyslav Chernov, who directed the film.

This episode features Raney Aronson-Rath, Frontline's executive producer, and Michelle Mizner, the film's editor and co-producer. They share the excruciating details behind the making of the film, which has been widely acclaimed for its courage and authenticity in showcasing the harsh realities of war. The film, later awarded the 2023 Pulitzer Prize for reporting, is currently available for streaming online across various platforms including the PBS app, Frontline's YouTube channel, and Amazon Prime.

Michelle Mizner's insights into her journey of transforming raw footage into a compelling narrative offer interesting takeaways. The conversation provides a glimpse into the process of creating a powerful documentary amidst chaos, highlighting ethical considerations, creative dilemmas, and an emotional toll that comes with dealing with heart-wrenching war footage.

Mónica Guzmán is Senior Fellow for Public Practice at Braver Angels, a nonprofit working to depolarize America; host of A Braver Way, a podcast that equips people with the tools they need to bridge the political divide in their everyday lives; founder and CEO of Reclaim Curiosity, an organization working to build a more curious world; and author of "I Never Thought Of It That Way: How to Have Fearlessly Curious Conversations in Dangerously Divided Times."

​Monica is the inaugural McGurn Fellow at the University of Florida, working with researchers at the UF College of Journalism and Communications and beyond to better understand ways to employ techniques described in her book to boost understanding. She was a 2019 fellow at the Henry M. Jackson Foundation, where she studied social and political division, and a 2016 fellow at the Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard University, where she studied how journalists can better meet the needs of a participatory public. 

Her work has been featured in The New York Times, the Glenn Beck Podcast, Reader's Digest, BookTV, and EconTalk, and she is an advisor for Starts With Us and the Generations Over Dinner project.

The film examines how the past few generations of workers in the US have experienced income inequality and how once-powerful unions have been crushed by big business and its government influence. Wages aren’t keeping up, yet productivity has skyrocketed, largely on the backs of the American middle class. 

The rich are getting richer, the middle class is seeing the bottom drop out. Why? "Americonned" explores what seismic shifts in wealth mean for the future of members of the middle class as consumers and citizens. The documentary is available to stream on Amazon Prime and on YouTube. 

The magazine has featured pretty much every prominent moviemaker you can think of on its cover. Its print edition is published quarterly, while its digital home, MovieMaker.com is continually updating its features and late-breaking content.

Tim and Michael discussed this year’s Oscar nominations, revisited the Barbie and Oppenheimer phenomenons, pondered what constitutes cinematic television and Tim laid out how MovieMaker magazine distinguishes itself among other publications covering the entertainment industry.

Host Michael Azevedo is joined by director Denny Tedesco to talk about his enthralling music documentary "Immediate Family," which is a follow-up to his acclaimed 2008 documentary “The Wrecking Crew.” 

That earlier film followed the first wave of studio musicians in the 1960s, including Denny’s father, guitar virtuoso Tommy Tedesco. “Immediate Family” takes up the story where “The Wrecking Crew” ended, taking a deep dive through some of the most famous and influential session musicians from the 1970s. 

To that end, the new documentary includes commentary from the likes of Carole King, James Taylor, Linda Ronstadt, David Crosby, Jackson Browne, Lyle Lovett, Keith Richards, Don Henley, Stevie Nicks, and Phil Collins. 

In addition to talking to those music legends, “Immediate Family” tracks the rise and collaborations of session musicians Danny Kortchmar, Leland Sklar, Russ Kunkel, and Waddy Wachtel as they help craft some of the decade’s most enduring hits. 

Host Michael Azevedo is joined by director Beth Murphy to discuss the documentary film and podcast "Our Turn to Talk," which will kick off the 11th annual Boston International Kids Film Festival on November 10. 

The "Our Turn to Talk" multi-media initiative focuses on teenagers who say they’re the generation to put an end to mental health stigma. To do it, they’re telling their own stories – raw and unfiltered. From skyrocketing rates of anxiety and depression to the impacts of racial and intergenerational trauma, these teens share their struggles and triumphs and carry a powerful message: Storytelling saves lives.

A little later in the episode, Michael chats with Laura Azevedo, the director of the BIKFF--and his sister--about what attendees can expect to see and experience at this year’s festival.

Joining host Michael Azevedo on this episode is writer, producer and director Christine Yoo. Christine joins Michael to talk about her documentary "26.2 to Life," which brings viewers to San Quentin State Prison to watch prisoners train for a marathon that’s run inside the prison walls.

The film has been enthusiastically received at numerous film festivals across the country, winning the Audience Award at the Santa Barbara Int'l Film Festival and the Seattle Int'l Film Festival.

It will be featured at the Woods Hole Film Festival, held in Falmouth, MA, from July 29 to August 13. Additionally, the film will be opening in theaters in LA NY SF and Seattle on 9/22, followed by a 48-hour nationwide virtual premiere at Sept 29-Oct 1. Ticket information here.

In addition to directing "26.2 to Life," Christine is the Co-Executive Producer of "The Winning Spirit," from Executive Producer Michael Strahan and The Story Lab, a 6-part docu-series that follows the Ka-Who-Ku High School football team on the North Shore of Oahu through their 2021 championship season. She has produced non-fiction series on National Geographic, The History Channel, and Oxygen. 

Her background as a broadcast journalist, marketing executive, and social advocate uniquely positions her as the architect of successful media-driven productions and social impact campaigns. She has stewarded iconic documentary, drama, lifestyle and children’s series and specials for PBS. She’s also produced news for CBS, managed consumer brands for national marketing firms, and has served in government and on political campaigns. Integrating all of these perspectives, Anne founded Azure Media, which develops high profile projects for broadcast and digital platforms that fuel social impact in communities, schools, and capitols.

Michael Azevedo's guests on this episode—Eamon Little, Joan Pratt, and Christopher Lydon—are part of the team behind a documentary-in-progress call "Born That Way," for which Filmmakers Collaborative is the fiscal sponsor. 

"Born That Way" documents the final year in the life of Patrick Lydon, in which he looks back on a fascinating life, lays the ground for posthumous, ‘green-shoot’ projects and prepares for death. Director Eamon Little promises that the film will be an unflinching journey to the end of an exemplary life, probing ‘otherness’ in our society and asking searching questions about the future we want to create.

Joining Eamon to talk about the life and work of Patrick Lydon are, Joan Pratt, his friend from his days at Exeter Academy in New Hampshire and Patrick’s brother, Christopher Lydon, who covered politics for The New York Times from its Washington bureau in the 1970s, hosted The Ten O’Clock News on WGBH TV in Boston through the 1980s, and co-founded and hosted The Connection on WBUR in the ’90s, and is currently the host of Open Source, the world’s longest running podcast, having been established in 2003. 

For more information about the "Born That Way" film project, please check out its page in the projects section of the Filmmakers Collaborative website at www.filmmakerscoll.org.

Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey.

On this episode of Making Media Now, host Michael Azevedo is joined by writer, filmmaker and professor Michele Meek. 

Michele recently published the book, Consent Culture and Teen Films , and she has published several other books including Independent Female Filmmakers (2019) and The Mastermind Failure Club(2020). She presented a TEDx talk “Why we’re confused about consent—rewriting our stories of seduction” and has written for Ms. Magazine, Script Magazine, Entrepreneur, The Good Men Project, Salon.com, among others.

Michele has also directed numerous award-winning short films, including Imagine Kolle 37 (2017) and Red Sneakers (2008), and she worked as associate producer on the documentary feature Salvage (2019), which premiered at SXSW Film Festival. She has several creative projects in the works—including a short film Bay Creek Tennis Camp, a feature screenplay Cruisin‘ and a documentary The Impermanence of Everything.

She is a tenure-track Assistant Professor in the Communication Studies department at Bridgewater State University, where she teaches filmmaking, screenwriting, film studies, digital media, gender studies, and life design.

On this episode, we delve into the oldest forms of so-called media known to man: storytelling and writing as host Michael Azevedo welcomes first-time guest and award-winning actor and audiobook narrator Eduardo Ballerini and welcomes back best-selling author Jane Healey.

Edoardo Ballerini is a two-time winner (and five time nominee) of the Best Male Narrator "Audie" Award from the Audio Publishers Association, the industry's highest prize.

In a 2020 profile, The New York Times called Edoardo “a master in his field… at the forefront of a new kind of celebrity.” 

In 2019, Edoardo was named a “Golden Voice” by AudioFile Magazine, an honorific bestowed to only 40 narrators in the magazine’s 22 year history.

Jane Healey is the author of The Beantown Girls, a Washington Post and Amazon Charts bestseller, The Secret Stealers, which was an Amazon First Reads Editor’s Pick and a Historical Novel Society’s Editors’ Choice, and her debut, The Saturday Evening Girls Club. 

Jane joined us to talk about Goodnight from Paris, her newly released novel from Lake Union Publishing. Jane is also the host of Historical Happy Hour, a monthly webinar and podcast featuring interviews with premier historical fiction authors and their latest novels.

She is also the host of "Before It Happened," a leading narrative podcast featuring visionaries and the moments, events, and realizations that inspired them to change our lives for the better.

Donna and I talk about her roots in journalism and how knowing how to research thoroughly and ask questions intelligently played a huge role in creating a successful PR firm, we also discussed the difference between PR and advertising and what draws her to tell the stories of what she calls "acorns."

Host Michael Azevedo welcomes back director Josh Seftel. Josh and his team at Smarty Pants films have received an Oscar nomination in the category of best documentary short for their film "Stranger at the Gate," (for which Filmmakers Collaborative was the fiscal sponsor) a riveting story of redemption about Richard “Mac” McKinney, a former U.S. Marine, suffering from PTSD, who had fought in Afghanistan after 9/11.

Following his discharge from the military, McKinney returned home to Muncie, IN where he began to construct a plot to blow up the local mosque. "Stranger at the Gate" tells the remarkable story of what happened when McKinney set out to put his plan into motion.