Episodes
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5 years of Reality of Reality – a farewell
It’s a bittersweet day as I say goodbye to Reality of Reality. It feels fitting that this farewell is on the 5th anniversary of my podcast — which started as a fun whim with Jenny Daly and turned into over 200 episodes of interviews with the best in the business. The why is simple: I’m just too...
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Diona Vaughan Mankowitz & Ray Dotch – Divergent Content
Diona Vaughan Mankowitz is an Emmy nominated producer and casting director who founded Divergent Content in 2020. Soon after she founded the company, Ray Dotch, an Emmy winning Executive Producer and Showrunner, came on board and became Diona’s ipso facto partner. The goal at Divergent is to use...
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David Eilenberg – CCO ITV America
Today on the podcast – everyone’s favorite producer and all around human David Eilenberg. Dave is now Chief Creative Officer at ITV America where he’s guiding creative strategy, leveraging intellectual property, and helping grow the group’s six vertical production labels, including ITV...
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Mioshi Hill – President, Sirens Media
Today on the podcast, Sirens Media President Mioshi Hill. Mioshi is a long time producer, starting on the production company side then going to Lifetime were she was VP of development overseeing shows like Little Women: LA, Finding Justice, Making a Model with Yolanda Hadid and Vivica’s Black...
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Andrea Blaugrund Nevins – Director FX/Hulu’s HYSTERICAL
Andrea Blaugrund Nevins is a writer, producer and director who’s helmed the new documentary on FX/Hulu called Hysterical. This film is a great portrait of what obstacles female comedians face in the very male-dominated world of comedy. It profiles a wide range of hilarious and thoughtful women…
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Erika Bryant – Showrunner and Author: Doing it Scared
Today on the podcast, Showrunner and now author Erika Bryant. Erika’s a seasoned Executive Producer who’s worked on shows like Bravo’s Real Housewives of Atlanta and Married to Medicine and is now show running the third season of Family or Fiancé on OWN -a show Erika’s been with the show since…
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Lauren Lazin & Dave Sambucchi – For Real: The Story of Reality TV on E!
Showrunner and Oscar and Emmy nominated director Lauren Lazin and Vice President of Development for Bunim Murray Dave Sambuchi are both are Executive Producers of the new 7 part series on E! called FOR REAL: THE STORY OF REALITY TV. I was lucky enough to help develop this series that drops on…
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Sabrina Soto – TV Designer, Lifestyle Influencer and Podcaster
Excited to have my friend Sabrina Soto back on the podcast to talk about what she’s been up to the last four years – and it’s a lot! Sabrina is a designer on the HGTV show Ty Breaker, Secret Celebrity Renovation on CBS and hosts her own podcast Re-Designing life. We talk about the shows, vision...
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Allen vs. Farrow HBO documentary series – w/Evolution Media President Alex Baskin
It’s the long awaited breakdown of the 4-part HBO series ALLEN v FARROW with my friend and President of Evolution Media Alex Baskin. We get into ALL of it so be forewarned that “spoilers” abound and we talk about intense subjects like sexual assault and incest which can be triggering for some. As...
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Billie Mintz – Filmmaker/Guardianship Expert & #freebritney
Filmmaker and social justice warrior Billie Mintz has directed and produced many award winning films. I was blown away by his 2018 film The Guardians – now on Amazon Prime – which exposes a criminal enterprise running through family court where the legal kidnapping of elderly people took place in...
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Justin Lacob – Head of Development, XTR Studios
Justin Lacob has the dream job of many people in our business. He’s the Head of Development for XTR – a studio that helps filmmakers on their journeys to get their films made. Justin also co-founded Documentary+, the Netflix of documentaries. Justin’s a veteran producer who got started on old...
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Non Fiction United: Johanna Vanderspool, Toni-Ann Lagana & Jason Martinez
The Non-Fiction United group is fighting for better conditions for our industry: from fair pay to safe work environments. Today I have on the founder of the NFU, Johanna Vanderspool, who is a showrunner and director who’s worked on shows like the BET Awards and Undressed. She’s joined by Toni-Ann...
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Unscripted Development Executives – Matt Shanfield, Michelle Byars & Tom Huffman
Today on the podcast – a trio of development executives who go way back. They all sell shows for competing companies – but have strong friendships and rely on each other as sounding boards and support: Matt Shanfield – EVP of Development at IPC, Tom Huffman – EVP of original content at Pilgrim...
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Ricki Stern – Director/Executive Producer of Surviving Death on Netflix
The new six part series Surviving Death on Netflix blew me away so I knew I had to talk to the Director and Executive Producer who also happened to be behind many other stellar films and series. Ricki Stern talks about what attracted her to the subject matter, how she chose the stories to profile...
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Tiger Woods HBO documentary – with golfer and husband Bryan Clobes
The two-part documentary Tiger on HBO/HBO Max requires a deep dive and who better to do it with than golfer extraordinaire and my husband Bryan Clobes. Bryan’s not only a gifted golfer (not biased – he actually is a 3 or 4 handicap – whatever that means) but a documentary fan who has great…
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Susan Horowitz & Irina Grobman – From Reality to Real Estate
On this very special episode, two of my all time favorite people talk about the transition from reality TV to real estate. Both Susan and Irina worked in television before switching careers to become realtors and own their own brokerage firm. They talk about why they made the move, what skills…
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Rosie Mercado – Curvy Girls, Life Coach and TV/podcast host
Rosie Mercado is a true inspiration – a proud Latina woman who’s struggled with self esteem issues her whole life. When she decided to join the cast of Curvy Girls (now streaming on Peacock), she got serious about losing weight and changing her life. She talks about her journey to losing 240lbs,...
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End of 2020 TV recap with blogger Brian Samuels
It’s our bi-annual end of year TV recap with my friend and TV blogger Brian Samuels. We’re talking about all the shows we’re watching and recommend. From The Queens Gambit to Murder at Middle Beach to Shark Tank, we tell you about everything we love from the last few months. And of course we’ll...
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Vanessa Grigoriadis – Hollywood Con Queen podcast and more
Journalist, writer and podcast host Vanessa Grigoriadis joins me to talk about her new podcast Chameleon: Hollywood Con Queen about a con artist who fooled Hollywood players big and small for years with elaborate and often nefarious schemes. We also talk about her podcast about Ivanka Trump on...
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Matt Tyrnauer – The Reagans documentary series
You don’t want to miss the four part documentary THE REAGANS on Showtime directed by my guest Matt Tyrnauer. We do a deep dive about shattering the mythology around Reagan and his presidency and what it was like to produce this film in a pandemic. What is happening in politics today makes a lot...
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The Crown Season 4 recap with Sarah Kanter and Miriam Kanter
The cousins – Sarah and Miriam Kanter – are back for another fun recap- this time of THE CROWN. The incredible Netflix series dropped it’s fourth season recently. It’s based on real events in the royal family and we try and separate fact from fiction (with the help of other podcasts…
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Cecilia Peck & Inbal Lessner – Seduced: Inside the Nxivm Cult
Today on the podcast, the women who brought you new Starz documentary Seduced: Inside the Nxivm Cult. I had the pleasure of talking with the Executive Producers Cecilia Peck and Inbal Lessner about how this four part series came to be. The first order of business was telling the women’s stories…
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Real Housewives of Salt Lake City w/ podcaster Ryan Bailey
Drama is going down in Salt Lake City Utah! Never thought I’d say those words – but that is what’s happening on the new Bravo franchise Real Housewives of Salt Lake City. Fellow podcaster and hilarious tweeter Ryan Bailey and I break down all the shenanigans. We cover burning questions like is…
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Sharon Liese & Sasha Alpert – TRANSHOOD (HBO)
Today on the podcast, Sharon Liese and Sasha Alpert. Sharon directed and Sasha produced the amazing new film TRANSHOOD – premiering on HBO and HBO Max on November 14th. It’s a beautiful story following 4 trans kids over the span of five years, documenting their lives and their families, amidst...
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Holly Carter – Producer – The Clark Sisters (and much more)
Today on the podcast – Producer extraordinaire Holly Carter. Dr. Holly Carter to be precise. Holly is a force to be reckoned with! Starting out in casting, then transitioning to managing little acts like Usher, then creating hits in unscripted like Preachers of LA and Atlanta to recently bringing...
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Eric Evangelista & Naimah Holmes – Deaf U on Netflix
It’s a behind the scenes look at the new Netflix documentary-series Deaf U that follows students at Gallaudet University – a deaf college based in Washington DC. Executive Producer Eric Evangelista (Hot Snakes Media) and Supervising Producer Naimah Holmes talk about how the show was conceived…
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The Real Housewives vs Reality – with Vulture’s Brian Moylan
Can Bravo’s Real Housewives survive a global pandemic and the racial justice movement? RH recap writer Brian Moylan tackled that in his brilliant piece in Vulture this past week and we break it all down in this podcast. Should we cancel housewives like Ramona and Kelly Dodd for their attitude...
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Real Housewives of Potomac recap with LaKendra Tookes
The country’s falling apart – but at least we have Potomac!!! I’m recapping all the drama, madness and hilarity that is the Real Housewives of Potomac with writer, comedian and TV & podcast personality LaKendra Tookes. We get into the fight to end all fights, the aftermath, the Pastor, his wife…
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Beth Belew – VP Funny or Die
Beth Belew is a delightful guest AND a talented producer. She’s currently the Vice President of Long Form Development and Current Programming for Funny Or Die and has spent most of her career producing and developing comedic unscripted shows on her own and on the network side. We cover it all –...
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Dan Partland – Director of #UNFIT the documentary
Dan Partland is a talented documentary filmmaker who directed and produced an important film you must see now: #Unfit (link below). The first half is medical doctors, mental health professionals and leading Republican influencers talking on the record about the behavior, psyche, condition, and...
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Dometi Pongo – MTV’s True Life Crime
Dometi Pongo is a journalist and host the MTV series True Life Crime, MTV News’ Need to Know and Conversations in Context on the Smithsonian Channel. He’s already done a ton in his short career and we get into how it all happened so fast for him (hint: he’s really smart and talented) and what his...
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Stefanie Ziev – Permission to Choose
A lot of people in our industry know Stefanie Ziev, not just from her time as a network executive, but as their personal life coach. Stef’ coaches lots of people inside and outside our industry and now she’s launching a new podcast called Permission to Choose with guests like Mario Lopez and…
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Jazzy Collins – “White-washing” on the Bachelor
Casting director Jazzy Collins made headlines when she came out publicly to renounce ABC’s The Bachelor for not doing enough to cast people of color and criticize their lack of diversity behind the camera as well. Jazzy breaks down her powerful post, talks about how she experienced the show as a...
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Courtney Sexton – SVP of CNN Films
Courtney Sexton has the best job on the planet! As Senior Vice President for CNN Films since 2013, Courtney works day-to-day with filmmakers to supervise the production of documentary films for theatrical exhibition and distribution across CNN’s platforms. Some of the films we talk about include...
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Karina Longworth – You Must Remember This podcast
I’m thrilled to have Karina Longworth on the podcast today. Karina is the host of the very successful podcast YOU MUST REMEMBER THIS–every season is another deep dive into a story about old Hollywood. This latest season, THE INVISIBLE WOMAN, is about the life and career of producer Polly Platt. I...
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Best TV you should be watching w/ Brian Samuels
My friend and TV blogger Brian Samuels is back for another recap of all the best shows we’re watching and recommend. From Fauda to Lenox Hill to Outcry to The Last Dance, we tell you about everything we love from the last few months. And of course we’ll tell you what we love to hate watch…
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Tracy Tutor – Million Dollar Listing LA/Fear is a Four Letter Word
Tracy Tutor’s back for another round on the podcast! Tracy is the only female real estate agent on MILLION DOLLAR LISTING LA and a powerhouse rock star bad ass boss woman. Today we’re talking about her new book – Fear is a Four Letter Word – which is already a best seller (and a book I think…
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Carlos King – Showrunner/Production Company Owner
Carlos King is an uber successful Executive Producer who owns Kingdom Reign – a full service production company here in Los Angeles. He cut his teeth running shows like The Real Housewives of Atlanta and of course my favorite reality show ever Oprah: Season 25 Behind the Scenes. He created and…
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Laura Richards – Crime Analysis on Filthy Rich & Athlete A
Back for the third time on the podcast: Laura Richards. Laura is a Criminal Profiler, Behavioral Analyst and Victims Rights Advocate. Today she’s back to talk about the recurring subject of serial predators and how they’re portrayed in unscripted content. I wanted to have Laura back on since...
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The Black Female Producer’s Reality of Reality-Erika Bryant, Jamala Gaither, Nakia Williams
Today on the podcast, I’m continuing my conversation I started a few weeks ago with Black producers in the unscripted industry. I’m talking to another amazing group of women: Erika Bryant, Jamala Gaither and Nakia Williams-Richardson. Erika is a seasoned Executive Producer who’s worked on shows...
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Andy Dehnart – 20 years of Reality Blurred
Andy Dehnart is making his second appearance on the show! Today we’re celebrating 20 years of his blog REALITY BLURRED. We talk about shows that have been around since the beginning and of course the reboots, some of recent controversy with shows like Live PD and Vanderpump Rules, what new shows...
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LaNee Griffin-Carroll – Showrunner
Today on the podcast, LaNee Griffin-Carroll. LaNee always knew she wanted to be in television – growing up with a father in the business. She started hustling at an early age and hasn’t stopped. We get into her career, starting as an assistant at VH1 and working her way up the ranks and going…
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The Black Producer’s Reality in Reality – Toni Judkins, Sean Rankine, Anthony Sylvester & Bree Frank
It’s part one of my podcast with black producers in unscripted. I can’t even express how eye opening this was and how much I learned. I talk to four amazing producers and we cover a lot of ground including: what it’s like for them to work in this industry, why inclusion matters for the people...
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Luann De Lesseps – The Inside Scoop On RHONY
Ladies and Gentlemen, this is the Countess speaking. It’s Real Housewives of NY’s Luann De Lesseps back on the podcast for another fun chat! If you missed our first epic pod (done lying down in her hotel room) a year ago you definitely want to hear that one too (link below). Today we get into the...
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Jen O’Connell- HBO MAX
Jen O’Connell is Executive Vice President of non-fiction and kids and family programming at HBO Max. The first time Jen was on the podcast in 2016, we went in-depth on her career but today it’s all about the HBO Max Launch! They’ve got an amazing slate of unscripted shows including underground...
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Jason Evans- Producing Travel Shows (And In A Global Pandemic!)
Jason Evans is a long time producer who specializes in the travel show genre. He moved to Hawaii in 2005 and hasn’t looked back. He was able to funnel his love of travel into an exciting career – working all over the world – as recently as Botswana – where he got turned around after 3 days when...
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Evolyn Brooks – Show Runner/Experimental Producer
Evolyn Brooks is an award winning TV Show Runner and Experiential Events Producer and has worked for major networks and syndicators. She’s taken all her skills as a producer and turned into an entrepreneur who does inspiring events for corporations and small groups alike. We talk all about what...
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Brandon Alvarado- RHOBH Recap
Today on the podcast, my friend and Bravo guru Brandon Alvarado. Brandon is an encyclopedia of housewives knowledge, and we’re breaking down Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. Is Kyle a mean girl? Is Teddi a good housewife? Do we like the new additions? We mention it all and more. Enjoy! Follow...
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Producers In The Time of Covid-19: Dwight Smith, Michael Agbabian and Mark Kadin
It’s my part 3 (!) of producers in the the time of Covid-19. We’re in week 7 of quarantine in Los Angeles and how is everyone holding up? Where are we now with producing and developing content? First up, Dwight Smith and Michael Agbabian, founders and owners of Mission Control Media. They’re best...
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Alex Piper- Head of Unscripted at YouTube Originals
Alex Piper is the Head of Unscripted at YouTube Originals. Since joining YouTube, Alex and his team has launched many acclaimed projects including Justin Bieber: Seasons– a massive success worldwide. Alex got into this business through sports and the Olympics then eventually to Asylum…
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