The Business

KCRW
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Jun 13, 2015 • 30min

A Producer's Past in Reality TV Led to Lifetime's 'UnREAL'

The new dramedy UnREAL is a major departure from the typical Lifetime fare. The series co-creator Sarah Gertrude Shapiro tells us how her past experience working on The Bachelor led to the creation of a show all about the behind-the-scenes machinations of a reality TV producer.
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Jun 6, 2015 • 30min

Cristela Alonzo: 'It's Weird to Have Your Life Canceled'

Comedian Cristela Alonzo created and starred in an ABC sitcom based on her own life -- which made getting canceled after just one season that much harder. She reflects on the past year and tells us why she won't be joining The View.
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May 30, 2015 • 30min

"Orson Welles's Last Movie;" Battling Runaway Production

Journalist Josh Karp tells us why the Orson Welles movie The Other Side of the Wind has been so troubled for decades. And KCRW's Saul Gonzalez checks in on California's latest attempt to keep movie-making in Hollywood. 
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May 23, 2015 • 30min

Revisiting George Takei on Activism and 'To Be Takei'

Best known for his role at Lieutenant Sulu on Star Trek, George Takei is now the subject of the documentary, To Be Takei. The actor and activist talks about the chaos behind the first Star Trek movie and why William Shatner is like the crazy uncle of the Star Trek family.
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May 16, 2015 • 30min

TV Package Fees: A Boon for Agencies, a Bummer for Others

If you came up with a hit TV show, would you want your agent to make more money than you? According to agent-turned-producer Gavin Polone, that's exactly what can happen thanks to what's known as the TV package fee. Polone and writer-producer Rob Long help us examine the long-standing system of fees.
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May 9, 2015 • 30min

Director Brett Morgen on 'Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck'

As Brett Morgen has learned, people have powerful feelings about the mere idea of his new Kurt Cobain documentary, Montage of Heck. He tells us why Courtney Love first approached him about a film, and how having the cooperation of Love and her daughter, Frances Cobain, doesn't mean he had to give up control.
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May 2, 2015 • 30min

In a Changing Industry, Brian Grazer Keeps 'A Curious Mind'

Brian Grazer has produced some of the most memorable movies of the last 30 years. He tells us how he's adapting to a rapidly changing film world and shares stories from his new book, A Curious Mind.
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Apr 25, 2015 • 30min

'Fresh Off the Boat;' Prepping Pups for a Big Screen Debut

Showrunner Nahnatchka Khan reflects on a successful freshman season of her ABC comedy Fresh Off the Boat, and KCRW's Matt Holzman meets the top dogs of the new Hungarian movie White God.
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Apr 18, 2015 • 30min

The Daily Show's Aasif Mandvi on 'Halal in the Family'

When he switched from theater to film and television, Aasif Mandvi found himself relegated to roles as cab drivers and deli owners. Now The Daily Show correspondent created a new web sitcom, Halal in the Family, in an effort to tackle anti-Muslim bias.
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Apr 11, 2015 • 30min

Lacey Schwartz Unearths Family Secrets in 'Little White Lie'

Filmmaker Lacey Schwartz always had the darkest skin in her nice Jewish family. Her documentary Little White Lie reveals the reason for that. She tells Kim Masters about revealing her family's drama in her new PBS documentary.

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