Michael Melamedoff’s friend and collaborator, Maya Sharma, is ready to take on his five questions! You may know Maya from the comedy group The Ladies Who Ranch, or from her work as Associate Director of the Brooklyn Comedy Collective. But today, Michael and Maya discuss her perspective on creating a sense of play over a sense of being impressive, the philosophical connection that exists amongst comedians internationally, and how comedy can feel empty if you don’t have a sense of communion with your audience.

Calling all thriller fans, comedy lovers, and sports fanatics – we’ve got some television shows and films we think you’ll love. That’s right, we’re back with our Fall 2024 round-up of must-sees! Our watchlist really is a cornucopia of content…

Michael Melamedoff’s longtime collaborator and friend, Seth Porges, recently directed one of Michael’s favorite true crime films, so naturally he was eager to talk to Seth about what he’s been doing in the documentary space, how the ‘80s and ‘90s influence his work, and how chatting in a bathroom line helps a film get made.

Michael Melamedoff sits down with the infectiously joyful producer, director and podcast host Mike Kelton to discuss creating across different mediums, how Late Night is inherently queer, and how comedy is the antidote for today’s times.

Michael Melamedoff sits down with Cowboy Bear Ninja collaborator and talent manager Allen McRae to discuss childhood comedy influences, how to “make it” in the industry, and his winding path to becoming a talent manager.

As a queer DP, it is hard to find the words to describe what it means to me to work on projects like Queer Sex Ed. As a part of the LGBTQ+ community, I grew up not being able to find myself represented in any form of art, music, literature and society in general until recently.

Though conversations change minds, help us to understand our thoughts and feelings and introduce us to new ideas, I see a lot less of this form in advertising. I’d like to see that change.

Productions are dynamic and stressful, and often it’s the team’s ability to gracefully and productively respond to problems that determines the quality of our work. Set vibes, the team psychology, make an enormous difference. But how can we consciously build the right team psychology?

Covid changed the video creation game. Audiences now crave unfiltered videos, and agencies want pre-Covid systems and slick social ads. Is it possible to make both groups happy? Luckily, we’ve created a successful solution.

In my last blog on this topic, I suggested that financial transactions could help small businesses and individuals learn new behaviors to become more environmentally sustainable. There’s often a gap between the story we tell ourselves about our lives, and the reality.

I spend a good chunk of my time as a producer communicating complex, challenging ideas that often become politically divisive and climate change is one example. I’m also a partner in a small company with CFO obligations.

The majority of the stories we tell at CBN and what I’m most interested in as a director and producer rely on interviews to illuminate complex ideas or feelings. That’s a challenge. So how do we make these interviews great? What can we do to perform better while conducting them?

An article rounding up this blog and the different kinds of work we have been doing through the tough times of 2020 is on the No Film School site at this link. We have learned so much from NFS over the years so it is a real honor!