A podcast about
‍how great projects get made.

We sit down with Steven Fishman, a veteran in entertainment payroll and a Wrapbook team member. With more than 26 years of experience at companies like Media Services and Cast & Crew, Steven brings a wealth of institutional knowledge to the conversation. He shares the story of how he broke into the industry on Sunset Beach, and how he’s since played a key role in serving nearly every format—from commercials and music videos to reality TV and high-budget streaming shows.

Steven takes us behind the scenes of his decades in the business, reflecting on the evolution of entertainment payroll and the critical lessons he’s learned—like why software readiness can make or break a company, and how strong industry relationships can be the key to long-term success. He also opens up about the importance of scalable, purpose-built tools for modern productions, explaining why Wrapbook’s technology-first approach offers a refreshing contrast to the legacy systems he worked with for years.

The episode explores how technology is raising expectations across the industry—from always-available support to feature-rich apps for crew members—and how Wrapbook is uniquely positioned to meet those demands.

Join us for a candid, thoughtful conversation with someone who has not only witnessed the transformation of entertainment payroll firsthand, but who is also actively shaping its future.

We sit down with the filmmakers behind the indie horror feature Dream Eater—Jay Drakulic, Mallory Drumm, and Alex Lee Williams—to break down how they turned weather limitations into creative fuel. Shot in just nine days on a modest budget high in the snowy mountains of Quebec, Dream Eater pushes the boundaries of DIY horror.

The team shares how they used the weather, location, and constraints to their advantage—filming in sequence, capturing real sound on site, and turning production challenges into storytelling opportunities. They also discuss directing while acting, editing on the fly, and how tight collaboration kept morale high when conditions turned brutal. Executive Producer Eli Roth explains why the film stood out, how its ending evolved, and what it teaches about creative vision under pressure.

Few films show the power of planning and adaptability like Dream Eater. If you’re serious about horror filmmaking, this is an episode you wouldn’t want to miss!

We sit down with filmmaker Elliott Hasler about the making of Vindication Swim, a period sports drama inspired by Mercedes Gleitze—the first British woman to swim the English Channel in 1927. Shot over three years entirely in open water, the film demanded extraordinary perseverance from its cast and crew, with lead actor Kirsten Callaghan performing all her own swims and no visual effects or body doubles in sight.

Elliott shares how the team navigated unpredictable tides, safety challenges, and a micro-budget while maintaining historical authenticity and cinematic scale. From coordinating small, agile crews to rebuilding the film’s entire soundscape in post, Vindication Swim became a testament in indie filmmaking ingenuity. Despite its modest resources, the film went on to play in over 300 cinemas for 18 weeks and break into the UK box office top 20.

Elliott reflects on the resilience, creativity, and community spirit that powered the project—and how telling real stories of perseverance mirrors his own journey as a filmmaker. Vindication Swim opens in New York City on October 17, followed by select U.S. screenings and a digital release in November.

We sit down once again with Will French from Fallbrook Financial Services, a pioneering figure in film tax credits and global production finance. Will has overseen hundreds of projects and is widely regarded as a thought leader in the intersection of film, policy, and economics. During the last conversation, we laid important groundwork on international incentives, tariffs, and the cost structures shaping production worldwide. This time, the stakes are even higher as the film industry faces an unprecedented policy debate.

With President Trump’s former announcement of a proposed 100% tariff on all foreign-made films distributed in the U.S., Cameron and Will dive into the legality, feasibility, and far-reaching consequences of such a move. Will explains how tariffs typically function in manufacturing sectors and why film—largely a digital export industry—presents unique enforcement challenges. He walks listeners through the ripple effects tariffs could trigger, from reciprocal taxes by foreign governments to the potential hollowing out of one of America’s strongest export industries.

The discussion also explores the economic realities driving production overseas, including the rising cost of domestic labor following recent guild strikes and the powerful pull of international tax incentives. Will highlights the vulnerabilities of the U.S. model and sketches out a potential path forward—arguing for a federal incentive program that could complement state-level tax credits and help retain production jobs at home. By comparing U.S. policy gaps with systems in Canada and Australia, he demonstrates what a practical, enforceable approach might look like.

This is a conversation about more than just tariffs. It’s about the future of American filmmaking, cultural export, and the global chessboard of film finance. Join us for an insightful, nonpartisan discussion that pulls back the curtain on how policy decisions made in Washington could reverberate through studios, streaming platforms, and sets across the world.