The Hollywood Hang

Welcome to The Hollywood Hang! A podcast about the highs, lows, and hell nos of this crazy industry. Hosted by Nicolas Curcio & Kristen Tepper. Social & Promotion by Rodrigo Caraveo.This week, we are joined by producer and director Haley Nicole Johnson, whose film Obsession is now in theaters! We get into how Haley went from competitive dancer to one of indie film’s most exciting emerging producers. But don’t worry, Haley didn’t need a One Wish Willow to make her Hollywood dreams come true. She’s just that good.We also talk about her next project, 4x4: The Event, which is set to be distributed by Neon, what it actually takes to crew a debut feature the right way, and why waiting for $3 to $5 million might be killing your career before it even starts.If you want to know what building a career in independent film actually looks like right now, you won’t want to miss this hang! And you definitely don’t want to miss Obsession!Listen now on Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts!

Welcome to The Hollywood Hang! A podcast about the highs, lows, and hell nos of this crazy industry. Hosted by Nicolas Curcio & Kristen Tepper. Social and Promotion by Rodrigo Caraveo.We’re back!Season 2 kicks off by catching up on everything Nic and Tepper have been up to since the last time we hung out. From being on set, to Nic’s wedding, to Tepper’s writing journey, and everything in between.We talk growth, setbacks, new opportunities, and what it means to keep going in an industry that doesn’t always make it easy. Whether you’ve been following along or are just jumping in, this is the perfect place to start.New season means new highs, lows, and hell nos. Let’s get into it!

Welcome to The Hollywood Hang! A podcast about the highs, lows, and hell nos of this crazy industry. Hosted by Nicolas Curcio & Kristen Tepper. Edited by Luke Hellyer. Social and Promotion by Rodrigo Caraveo.Helen Shang was most recently a writer on seasons 2 and 3 of Netflix’s upcoming AVATAR: THE LAST AIRBENDER series. Previously, she worked on HBO's WELCOME TO DERRY and two seasons of RINGS OF POWER for Amazon. Helen was born in Beijing, China, and grew up in the Silicon Valley, California. She was a certified counselor for Crisis Text Line, a text-based mental health hotline, and enjoys hiking, karaoke nights, and being an amateur ethical taxidermist.

Welcome to The Hollywood Hang! A podcast about the highs, lows, and hell nos of this crazy industry. Hosted by Nicolas Curcio & Kristen Tepper. Edited by Luke Hellyer. Social and Promotion by Rodrigo Caraveo.Spencer Lackey made his name in the online horror world, where his unsettling videos earned him millions of followers. With YOU ARE HERE, his new short film, he's taken a clear step from the small screen to the big screen, bringing his stripped down style into a more cinematic space.

Welcome to The Hollywood Hang! A podcast about the highs, lows, and hell nos of this crazy industry. Hosted by Nicolas Curcio & Kristen Tepper. Edited by Luke Hellyer. Rae Benjamin is a TV/film writer and proud LA native. She finds humor in awkward, uncomfortable situations. Things that might not seem funny at first, things you maybe shouldn’t laugh at... and ultimately, things that have the power to broaden perspectives and empathy. Most recently, she was a co-producer on THE WITCHER (Netflix) and served as co-writer and co-executive producer for THE WITCHER: SIRENS OF THE DEEP, an animated feature which debuted on Netflix in early 2025. In 2020, Rae founded In the Cut, an organization that provides education, training, and resources for BIPOC writers and filmmakers. Her company has partnered with companies such as Sundance Collab, NBCUniversal, Final Draft and more to produce more than 200 virtual and live events. She is represented by UTA.

Welcome to The Hollywood Hang! A podcast about the highs, lows, and hell nos of this crazy industry. Hosted by Nicolas Curcio & Kristen Tepper. Edited by Luke Hellyer. Maggie Levin is a genre writer & filmmaker with rock n’ roll roots. Recently, she wrote & directed her debut feature MY VALENTINE (Hulu/Blumhouse) and an original segment for V/H/S/99 (Shudder) which premiered at TIFF in 2022. She also served as second unit director & title concept designer for Universal's THE BLACK PHONE and its upcoming sequel, BLACK PHONE 2. Maggie’s work as a screenwriter includes CASTER for Paramount Pictures. She’s currently adapting Clay McLeod Chapman’s GHOST EATERS for Sony Screen Gems. Awards include Best Director at Austin Indie Festfor the short film HEEL.

Welcome to The Hollywood Hang! A podcast about the highs, lows, and hell nos of this crazy industry. Hosted by Nicolas Curcio & Kristen Tepper. Edited by Luke Hellyer. Music by Stevia Sphere.Reece Feldman, aka @guywithamoviecamera, has quickly become the Gen-Z authority and aficionado in all things film, TV, and entertainment. His TikTok account took off as he was working on-set as a Production Assistant for Amazon’s, “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,” and he has since been tapped across all major studios, streamers, and award shows (Oscars, Emmys, Golden Globes, Critics’ Choice) to create content for titles in-production, new releases, and carpets/press events to share with his over 3 million total followers. Whether on a movie set, hosting a red carpet, or just casually chatting about his new favorite movie or TV show, Reece’s passion for the industry is unparalleled. Through his account, Reece has cultivated an audience that is highly interested in experiencing the world of entertainment through his unique lens, thus singlehandedly changing the relationship between film marketing and social media.

Welcome to The Hollywood Hang! A podcast about the highs, lows, and hell nos of this crazy industry. Hosted by Nicolas Curcio & Kristen Tepper. Edited by Luke Hellyer. Music by Stevia Sphere.Ben Semanoff is a TV and film director. Most recently, his work has been featured in episode 5 of season 2 of FX’s The Old Man, episode 9 of season 3 of Yellowjackets, and Netflix’s new drama Black Rabbit, starring Jude Law and Jason Bateman. Semanoff received an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Direction For A Drama Series for his work on Netflix’s Emmy-wining drama Ozark. His other directing credits include season 2 of Showtime’s critically acclaimed Yellowjackets; Tulsa King, starring Sylvester Stallone, for Paramount+; and Hulu’s Candy, featuring Jessica Biel. He transitioned to directing after a successful career as an A-camera operator. He was nominated for the Camera Operator of the Year for three consecutive years for his work on HBO’s The Night Of and the first two seasons of Netflix’s Ozark. His other credits as an A- camera operator include films such as Creed, Collateral Beauty, and The Upside, as well as TV series like The Leftovers, The Outsider, and The Affair. Semanoff is a graduate of Temple University. He currently lives in Doylestown, PA, with his wife Erica and two children.

Welcome to The Hollywood Hang! A podcast about the highs, lows, and hell nos of this crazy industry. Hosted by Nicolas Curcio & Kristen Tepper. Edited by Luke Hellyer. Music by Stevia Sphere.

Welcome to The Hollywood Hang! A podcast about the highs, lows, and hell nos of this crazy industry. Hosted by Nicolas Curcio & Kristen Tepper. Edited by Luke Hellyer. Music by Stevia Sphere.Clara Sterling is a comedian, screenwriter, and certified yapper. You may have seen her performing stand up around Los Angeles or haunting your tiktok FYP with jokes, social commentary, and all things Strike Tea. When she's not writing, she can be found begging the local barista for a triple shot at 8am.

Welcome to The Hollywood Hang! A podcast about the highs, lows, and hell nos of this crazy industry. Hosted by Nicolas Curcio & Kristen Tepper. Edited by Luke Hellyer. Music by Stevia Sphere.Kit Lazer is a creator on Tiktok, Instagram, and YouTube, host of the Streaming Things podcast, writer, and life enthusiast that has a passion for stories. Follow him for TV and Film news, reviews, and bad jokes.

Welcome to The Hollywood Hang! A podcast about the highs, lows, and hell nos of this crazy industry. Hosted by Nicolas Curcio & Kristen Tepper. Edited by Luke Hellyer. Music by Stevia Sphere.Writer/Director Jennifer Harrington’s (DGA/WGA) most recent scripts, HELL’S BELLES (Hollywood Reporter), and THE END OF LIZ AS WE KNOW IT (Hollywood Reporter), were sold to Amazon Studios and Sony Pictures, respectively, with Jake Kasdan and Melvin Mar attached to produce. Previously, she wrote and directed the horror feature SHOOK, acquired by the streamer Shudder and reviewed by the Wall Street Journal as a "guilty pleasure.” Her first feature, HOUSEKEEPING, was released by Lionsgate and After Dark Films. In the documentary world, she was co-executive producer and a director for the doc-series DEAR… for Apple TV+ (Variety) and RJ Cutler. As an editor, she has edited several award-winning documentary features and countless television shows: GAGA: FIVE FOOT TWO for Netflix which premiered at TIFF, the Emmy-nominated feature documentary BANKSY DOES NEW YORK for HBO, THE SOURCE FAMILY premiering at SXSW, and BOGALUSA CHARM premiering at Slamdance, on which she was credited as a writer for as well. She has two film degrees: a BFA from UCLA and an MFA from USC.Tara Anaïse is an Indian American writer/director, a Sundance Feature Film Program Fellow, and an Emmy nominee. Her most recent work includes writing and directing on the season finale of Shudder’s Queer for Fear (from EP Bryan Fuller), a docuseries about the history of horror told through a queer lens, and producing all four episodes of the series. Queer for Fear was nominated for a 2023 Emmy for Outstanding Arts and Culture Documentary, a 2023 GLAAD Award for Outstanding Documentary, and the winner of two 2023 Dorian Awards for Best TV Documentary and Best LGBTQ Documentary. Anaïse’s début feature, Dark Mountain, was released by Gravitas Ventures and peaked at number 8 in iTunes top horror. Anaïse also wrote and story produced on Dear… for Apple TV+ (nominated for a 2022 IDA doc award) and ran the story department on Seduced: Inside the NXIVM Cult for STARZ. Her upcoming projects include the features Bombay Blood, which she workshopped at the Sundance Screenwriters Intensive in Los Angeles, and Wildcats, a dark coming-of-age crime drama set in the California desert. She holds an MFA in film production from USC’s School of Cinematic Arts and a BA in English from the University of Pennsylvania. She lives and works in Los Angeles.