PODCAST · tv
How Did They Get There
by Penn Media Group
"For a decade, How Did They Get There has been a space where artists and filmmakers reflect on their work, their relationships, and their search for meaning. Hosted by Dr. Penn (Jon Penn Junejo, DNP-BC), a Columbia-trained psychiatry provider, the show brings together creativity and mental health in unfiltered, existential conversation."
Episodes
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Ep. 71 – Marques Johnson on The Crenshaw Chronicles, Ice-T and Don Nelson
2026 Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame finalist, author, actor, and Emmy-winning broadcaster Marques Johnson is a five-time NBA All-Star, First Team All-NBA selection, and one of the greatest players in Milwaukee Bucks history. In The Crenshaw Chronicles, Marques turns his attention to the…
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Ep. 70 – Katie McQuerrey on De Gaulle: Résistance, Inside Llewyn Davis and Jessica Chastain
Editor Katie McQuerrey has collaborated with Joel and Ethan Coen on several significant films over the past 25 years, including Intolerable Cruelty, No Country for Old Men, A Serious Man, True Grit, and Inside Llewyn Davis. Their partnership began during the Coens' transition from film to digital…
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Ep. 69 – John Stewart Muller on Fling, Mira Sorvino and Trent Reznor
John Stewart Muller directs films that explore themes of commitment, abandonment, unrequited love, obsession, and emotional emptiness through psychologically complex characters. The son of the noted creative and graphic designer of the same name, John moved to Los Angeles following his upbringing...
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Ep. 68 – Basic Vocab on Power Book III: Raising Kanan, The General Dynamic and Thundercat
Hip hop group Basic Vocab's trajectory shifted rapidly when their signature track, "Come Get With It," was discovered by HBO and featured during the closing credits of Season 5 of Entourage. In doing so, they joined artists such as Saigon, Gang Starr, Alice Smith, Outkast, Radiohead, and Jay-Z,...
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Ep. 67 - Jared Isaac on An Autumn Summer, Spike Lee and Joe Swanberg
Filmmaker Jared Isaac’s debut feature, An Autumn Summer, is currently in theatrical release in select cities ahead of its digital release on June 9 on Apple TV and all major VOD platforms, including Vudu and Fandango at Home. Recently featured in Deadline, the coming-of-age romance stars Sing...
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Ep. 66 - Laura Veirs on Temple Songs, Flying into Darkness and Sufjan Stevens
Laura Veirs crafts musical portraits shaped by daily life, family, and the broader dynamics she encounters through international touring, the record business, and motherhood. Her 15th studio album, Temple Songs, arrives August 14 and features the single “Flying Into Darkness,” which she describes...
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Ep. 65 - Cara Ronzetti on Group: The Schopenhauer Effect, Alexis Lloyd and Emotional Vulnerability
Actor and filmmaker Cara Ronzetti brings a striking sense of human intensity to her performance in Group: The Schopenhauer Effect, now in theatrical release, continuing her work from seasons 1 and 2 of the web series. Her portrayal of Tilda carries a raw authenticity that continually shifts the...
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Ep. 64 - Alexis Lloyd on Group: The Schopenhauer Effect, 30 Beats and Thomas Sadoski
Filmmaker Alexis Lloyd has made a distinctive impact on contemporary cinema with Group: The Schopenhauer Effect, currently in its theatrical run at The Quad Cinema in Greenwich Village, NYC. The film draws deeply from his upbringing immersed in psychiatry and psychoanalysis, blending that...
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Ep. 63 - Tom Epperson on Baby Hawk, A Family Thing and The Gift
Trying to pigeonhole Tom Epperson into a single category is impossible—and that’s part of what makes his career so compelling. His path as a novelist and screenwriter has been anything but linear, weaving through genres and mediums with equal parts grit and curiosity. He knew early on that…
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Ep. 62 - Philip Andelman on Khruangbin, Lenny Kravitz and Waiting on the World to Change
Philip Andelman’s inspired take on the language and rhythm of music videos has impacted the medium in countless ways. The results are evident in his collaborations with contemporary artists, including Usher, Melissa Etheridge, Ludacris, Maxwell, d4vd, James Bay and Taylor Swift. Formative...
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Ep. 61 - Nabil Elderkin on Gully, The People and Kendrick Lamar
Director Nabil Elderkin shoots music videos and films governed by vision, collaboration and diversity. While thematic similarities connect the dots between his projects, each video is different and a product of the stellar combination of the right artist, the right lighting, and maybe most...
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Ep. 60 - Onur Tukel on Poundcake, Richard's Wedding and Anne Heche
As an actor and filmmaker, Onur Tukel challenges the audience to delve into the frightening parts of who they are by, at times, leading them to live vicariously through his protagonists’ colorful experiences. From exploring the joy of mortality in Drawing Blood, to the perils of masculinity in...
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Ep. 59 - Joe Boyd on And the Roots of Rhythm Remain, Salamat Ali and Nick Drake
Joe Boyd’s revered productions of artists ranging from Pink Floyd, The Incredible String Band and Nick Drake had been widely-circulated and universally-acclaimed. He had worked with Stanley Kubrick at Warner Bros to assemble the soundtrack to A Clockwork Orange. He founded the UFO Club which...
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Ep. 58 - Arizona O'Neill on CBC's Creator Network, Organ Donation and Patrick Watson
Arizona O’Neill’s art delves into topics derived from her Montreal upbringing and French-Quebec culture, and include the ramifications of gentrification, the vibrancy of music, and the origins of revolt. She has contributed several pieces to The CBC Creator Network, which include Hockey Riots,...
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Ep. 57 - Bernardo Cubria on Acapulco, The Hispanic/Latino/Latina/Latinx/Latine Vote and Gene Wilder
Cultural incongruence and its consequences is a theme which has shaped Bernardo Cubria’s work in several different ways. As an actor, in television shows like Group, his work explores what it means to be misunderstood, and delves into the epiphany which often arises when one realizes his peers’...
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Ep. 56 - Matt Williams on Glimpses, Roseanne and Tim Allen
Matt Williams utilizes a character-centric approach in creating and developing iconic television series, including Roseanne and Home Improvement. The Humanitas Prize and 6-time Emmy nominated Evansville native received graduate degrees in directing and acting, and embarked on a host of television...
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Ep. 55 - Stephen Suettinger on A Year and Change, Waiting and James Cameron
Stephen Suettinger directs and writes projects which address complicated themes, such as substance use, depression and unrequited love. His unique portrayals have a tendency to delve deeper into their most intimate desires, which occasionally blur the line between fiction and reality and makes…
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Ep. 54 - Wade Allain-Marcus on Eric, French Dirty and Insecure
Actor and filmmaker Wade Allain-Marcus has a unique approach toward his involvement in a variety of films and television projects. It derives from factors like his mixed background, training in the Experimental Theatre Wing (ETW) at NYU, and growing up with parents in the business. The approach…
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Ep. 53 - Idan Ravin on Winning Time, The Hoops Whisperer and Kevin Hart
Idan Ravin is the elite NBA trainer who has individually worked with over 100 NBA players, including LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Dwight Howard and Kobe Bryant. When an NBA player realizes a flaw in their game is keeping them from being able to operate at their full potential, they call Idan for...
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Ep. 52 - Max Azulay on 5 Doctors, Carmen and Moony, and Mel Brooks
Actor, writer and director Max Azulay leveraged his obsession with filmmaking to create unique, irreverent films armed with his comedic sensibility. The influence of the legendary Mel Brooks seeped in early on in his Suburban upbringing, which happened to take place 40 minutes from New York City,...
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Ep. 51 - Elisha Lawson on Syncing Ink, Chicago Improv and Marlon Brando
Elisha Lawson has acted in a number of projects through the years, including Boardwalk Empire, Shades of Blue, NCIS: New Orleans, and Group. In addition to his work on television, he has worked on several plays such as productions of A Raisin in the Sun and To Kill A Mockingbird, where he first…
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Ep. 50 - Andromeda Turre on From the Earth, Growing up Jazz and Charlie Parker
Jazz is not only a second language for vocalist, composer and SiriusXM radio personality, Andromeda Turre — it’s her mother tongue. She grew up in a world raised by two of the finest Jazz OGs, world-renowned cellist Akua Dixon and legendary trombonist Steve Turre, and formed formative…
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Ep. 49 - Todd Louiso on Hello I Must Be Going, Love Liza and High Fidelity
Todd Louiso has acted in several notable projects over the years, such as films which include Scent of a Woman, Apollo 13, The Rock, Jerry Maguire, and Thank You for Smoking. He has made guest appearances on television shows like Fraiser, Silicon Valley, House, Angie Tribeca and Married. While…
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Ep. 48 - Mark Pellington on The Severing, I Melt with You and Nada Surf
Mark Pellington’s pioneering influence on music videos as a modality to convey emotion, story and feeling will never be forgotten. From Leonard Cohen to Linkin Park, Michael Jackson to Public Enemy, Foo Fighters and Alice in Chains to Chelsea Wolfe and Bruce Springsteen, MP had penultimate...
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Ep. 47 - Jonathan Parker on Carol Doda Topless at the Condor, (Untitled) and The Architect
Jonathan Parker writes, directs and produces films which blend together the aspects of art he gravitates toward, including architecture, music, storytelling and intricate attention to detail. The Northern California native grew up in an artistic family, and studied English at Stanford. It was…
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Ep. 46 - Dito Montiel on A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints, Son of No One and Reagan Youth
Dito Montiel’s upbringing in Astoria was filled with so many unique characters which affected him on a lot of different levels. His memoir, A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints, is a collage of these visceral experiences and how they shaped how he sees the world through music, writing and film. He...
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Ep. 45 - Ezra Barnes on Group, Jessica Jones and Count Basie
Film, television and theatre are each modalities in the performing arts Ezra Barnes has been directly immersed into, both as an actor and director. Using performance as a curiosity valve for the preservation of ideals, such as imagination and spirited curiosity, are an important element of Ezra’s...
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Ep. 44 - Dana Kuznetzkoff on Omara, Forrest Gump and The Wire
As a versatile producer and assistant director, Dana Kuznetzkoff has worked on legendary projects which include Forrest Gump, 2 Days in the Valley and The Wire. Dana wears several hats in the film industry, and her approach toward selecting projects has a lot to do with the value of the...
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Ep. 43 - Janet Grillo on The Warm Season, Spanking the Monkey and Hip Hop Culture
Janet Grillo’s latest directorial effort — The Warm Season — is a testament to being conscious in a changing time. It is true the landscape of film has evolved over the years; however, it’s the consistency of Janet’s track record as a multifaceted filmmaker which exudes the contrast between black...
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Ep. 41 - Angela Zhou on Death and Other Details, Hell on Wheels and Auckland Cuisine
Actress and writer Angela Zhou stars in the upcoming Hulu show, Death and Other Details (formerly Career Opportunities in Murder & Mayhem) which is set to premiere this year. She previously starred in AMC’s Hell on Wheels, opposite Anson Mount, playing a character trying to make a fresh start…
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Ep. 40 - Jesse Gustafson on Day 39, Black Site Delta and Army Peacekeeping Missions
Unique experiences affecting disparate individuals, from the marginalized to the privileged, form the template for the types of stories filmmaker Jesse Gustafson conveys in his projects. After graduating high school in Florida, Jesse enlisted in the US Army at age 17, and was deployed on a...
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Ep. 39 - Topper Lilien on Low Down, Where the Money Is and Fisher Stevens
Screenwriter Topper Lilien has a lens shaped with extraordinary life experiences, which have a symbiotic relationship with his diverse array of film projects. In other words, the two feed off of each other, and push forward the creation of something truly unique. The New York native has seen it…
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Ep. 38 - Helen Schulman on Lucky Dogs, P.S. and Gordon Lish
As a renowned author and screenwriter, Helen Schulman’s work makes the isolated feel less alone. Her latest novel, Lucky Dogs, is a perfect example in its deep navigation of themes like mental illness, social media, duplicity and betrayal. In her novels and short story collections, which include…
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Ep. 37 - Joel Stein on Story of the Week, I Love the '80s and Martha Stewart
After finding his voice as a columnist for The Stanford Daily, journalist, commentator and podcast host Joel Stein headed off to New York City to begin his career as a fact-checker and writer at Martha Stewart Living. Since then, he has written for publications such as Time Out New York; Time...
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Ep. 36 - Lauren Wolkstein on Dead Ringers, A Friend of the Family and The Strange Ones
One of the signatures which differentiates filmmaker Lauren Wolkstein’s work is adaptability through medium. Lauren’s approach toward narrative and storytelling harbors a rare versatility, which allows her to nearly seamlessly transition from film to television; short to feature; thriller to…
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Ep. 35 - Selina Fillinger on The Morning Show, POTUS and Faceless
Selina Fillinger is the playwright behind renowned theatrical works like POTUS: Or, Behind Every Great Dumbass are Seven Women Trying To Keep him Alive; Something Clean; Faceless; and the Armor plays: Cinched/Strapped. The former marked her Broadway debut at the Shubert Theatre in 2022; was...
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Ep. 34 - Josh Pais on Joker, Committed Impulse and Ray Donovan
The dynamic nature of actor Josh Pais’s approach toward constructing performance; harnessing creativity; and retaining the spontaneity associated with each moment on-screen is part of his signature. With over 100 roles to his credit, the Lower East Side native grew up in a culturally vibrant,...
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Ep. 33 - Shrimoyee Chakraborty on India Bites, Calcutta Street and Chicken Curry
Host of the Tastemade Travel docuseries, India Bites on Apple TV, Chef Shrim Chakraborty transcends the “chop and chat” model by placing her own stamp on the food travel show genre. From being a talk show host, to honing her culinary craft in graduate school in Manchester, to opening her own...
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Ep. 32 - Maureen A. Ryan on Becoming, Man on Wire and James Marsh
Maureen Ryan is a veteran producer who has made a number of seminal, impactful films throughout her versatile career. Her several documentary collaborations with acclaimed British director James Marsh (The Theory of Everything) are among them, and began with Wisconsin Death Trip (1999).…
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Ep. 31 - Avy Kaufman on Succession, Capote and Steven Spielberg
Avy Kaufman’s filmography includes projects which changed the landscape of cinema. The three-time Emmy winning casting director has worked on over 300 films and television shows including The Sixth Sense, Artificial Intelligence, Brokeback Mountain, American Gangster and Capote. In television…
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Ep. 30 - George Stroumboulopoulos on World Food Programme, The Clash, and Larry King
As a globally renowned television and radio personality, broadcaster, filmmaker and activist George Stroumboulopoulos believes retaining credibility in the creative process is an important tenet to live by. Throughout the past 30 years, he has forayed successfully into his vast endeavors in...
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Ep. 29 - Anna Maria Cianciulli on Hamlet/Horatio, Stay and Sanford Meisner
Anna Maria Cianciulli pushes the boundaries of filmmaking as an actress, director, writer and artist. Her acclaimed performance as Queen Gertrude of Denmark in Hamlet/Horatio, a feature film adaptation, was released theatrically in the summer of 2021 and is now streaming on all the major film...
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Ep. 28 - Sam Lipsyte on No One Left to Come Looking for You, 90's NYC and a Corrupt Mayor
As an acclaimed novelist, essayist and author of short stories, writer Sam Lipsyte knows what it’s like to push the boundaries of form in the context of bold, irreverent and iconoclastic situations. In each of his literary masterpieces, he provides a glimpse into the humanity which surrounds the...
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Ep. 27 - Hilary Brougher on South Mountain, Stephanie Daley and The Sticky Fingers of Time
Hilary Brougher writes and directs films which blend the mechanics of original storytelling with gritty development of character. Through incisive dialogue; emotional harbingers of hope followed by inevitable glimpses of realism, Hilary’s projects each carry with them a distinct piece of the era…
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Ep. 26 - Madeline Taylor on John Adams, The Girl Next Door and Changeover
Madeline Taylor knew she wanted to become an actress from an early age, and she transferred drive toward action in a swift series of steps at the age of 8. As a 10 year old, she made her feature film debut in The Girl Next Door (Blanche Baker; Mark Margolis; Blythe Auffarth) as the sister of a...
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Ep. 25 - Andrew Hafitz on Bully, Naz & Maalik and Todd Solondz
Andrew Hafitz is a veteran editor who has worked on some of the most unique films of all time. After graduating from Yale, and parleying a foray into copywriting, the New Jersey native gained experience in apprentice and assistant editor roles on several films, including Ang Lee’s Sense and...
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Ep. 24 - Stephen Molton on The Drowning, Brave Talk and Elvis Meets Nixon
Acclaimed screenwriter and novelist Stephen Molton has amassed a lauded portfolio of impactful credits in several media. After breaking into television through writing screenplays for the Paul Newman-produced PBS's Children's Television Workshop, Stephen wrote his first novel, Brave Talk, which…
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Ep. 23 - David Soldier on The Kropotkins, John Cale and Kurt Vonnegut
David Soldier has achieved a rare distinction — not only is he an accomplished Columbia University neuroscientist with over 200 papers and publications, several research grants and numerous prestigious awards to his credit, he is an equally successful and prolific musician in almost every genre…
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Ep. 22 - Kevin Isola on Billions, The New Bozena and Shakespearean Clowning
Kevin Isola is a self-described journeyman actor, who has experienced great longevity in several media, including theatre, television and film. The Pasadena native attended Duke University, and consequently studied acting at NYU-Tisch, where he discovered the value of being freed-up creatively...
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Ep. 21 - Jeremy Robbins on The Purge, Aftermath and Barry Sonnenfeld
Writer and director Jeremy Robbins was Story Editor for two seasons of the Blumhouse horror anthology series — The Purge — based on the successful film franchise (grossing $500M+ worldwide) of the same name; he worked closely with James DeMonaco, creator of the franchise, in allowing viewers to...
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
"For a decade, How Did They Get There has been a space where artists and filmmakers reflect on their work, their relationships, and their search for meaning. Hosted by Dr. Penn (Jon Penn Junejo, DNP-BC), a Columbia-trained psychiatry provider, the show brings together creativity and mental health in unfiltered, existential conversation."
HOSTED BY
Penn Media Group
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does How Did They Get There have?
How Did They Get There currently has 71 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is How Did They Get There about?
"For a decade, How Did They Get There has been a space where artists and filmmakers reflect on their work, their relationships, and their search for meaning. Hosted by Dr. Penn (Jon Penn Junejo, DNP-BC), a Columbia-trained psychiatry provider, the show brings together creativity and mental health...
How often does How Did They Get There release new episodes?
How Did They Get There has 71 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
Where can I listen to How Did They Get There?
You can listen to How Did They Get There on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts How Did They Get There?
How Did They Get There is created and hosted by Penn Media Group.
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