NOLA Film Scene with Tj & Plaideau

Want to connect with Tj & Plaideau? Send us a text message.

A cartoon bear, a toe fungus poem, and a “take care of your dongle” callback should not add up to a creative masterclass, but somehow it does. We sit down with Rick Overton, Stephanie Hodge, and Mark DiCarlo for a wild, warm conversation that keeps swerving from big laughs into the stuff performers don’t always say out loud: fear, anxiety, boundaries, and the pressure ...

Want to connect with Tj & Plaideau? Send us a text message.

The moment a voice actor speaks and you feel eight years old again is pure magic, but the craft behind it is surprisingly human. We sit down with legendary performers Greg Berger, Larry Kenney, and Paul Rugg to get specific about how iconic animation performances are actually made: the audition room pressure, the decisions that shape a character, and the odd inspiratio...

Want to connect with Tj & Plaideau? Send us a text message.

A lot of people say they want to make a movie. Jeff Van Gerwen actually did it and he did it the messy, honest, wildly resourceful way that most filmmakers will recognize. We sit down with Jeff, a director and cinematographer, to talk about how a DIY spark (including a memorable Kevin Smith moment) turns into real momentum, real craft, and a real release on streaming.

S...

Want to connect with Tj & Plaideau? Send us a text message.

Episode 100 hits a real milestone for us, so we brought on someone who lives inside one of the most intense creative weekends in New Orleans: Tori Register, assistant city producer for the 48 Hour Film Project New Orleans. Tori joins the guys with a special announcement regarding this year's 48 Hour Film Project competition. If you’ve ever wanted to make a short f...

Want to connect with Tj & Plaideau? Send us a text message.

Production in Louisiana doesn’t just rise and fall with headlines, it follows incentives, infrastructure, and cold budget math. We talk with Jason Waggenspack, founder and CEO of Ranch Film Studios in Chalmette and president of Film Louisiana, about what he’s seeing on the ground right now and why the industry still feels “slow” even after the strikes ended. Jason brea...

Want to connect with Tj & Plaideau? Send us a text message.

You can feel it the moment you hit record on a self-tape: your scene is strong, but the slate makes you stiff, your hands look weird, and suddenly you’re worried casting will click away in five seconds. We sit down with Grace LaRacca to talk through that exact spiral, and then we pull it apart piece by piece. From simple slate mindset tricks to cleaner self-tape presen...

Want to connect with Tj & Plaideau? Send us a text message.

A full-size 1967 Chevy Impala rolling into a convention hall is already a statement. When it’s built around Supernatural fandom and backed by a crew that loves talking to strangers, it turns into something bigger: a moving meetup spot where car nerds, cosplayers, and longtime fans all end up in the same conversation. We’re joined again by Artemis the Impala, Emily, and...

Want to connect with Tj & Plaideau? Send us a text message.

A black 1967 Chevrolet Impala pulls up, the trunk pops, and suddenly strangers are smiling like they just got drafted into a hunt. We’re joined by Emily and Chris from Fandom Natural, the duo behind Artemis the Impala, a lovingly built Supernatural “Baby” replica from Supernatural that has become a full-blown convention attraction across the South.

@artemisimpala on Tik...

Want to connect with Tj & Plaideau? Send us a text message.

What does it take to build a durable career in film when the wins come slow and the stakes feel sky high? We sit down with actor and stunt performer Christian Stokes to map a path from Monster with Charlize Theron to a whirlwind turn in Five Nights at Freddy’s—plus 13,000 high falls, a phone-breaking blast of fandom, and the quiet discipline that keeps you ready when l...

Want to connect with Tj & Plaideau? Send us a text message.

What if the thing you’ve been hiding is the thing that books you? We sit down with actor and singer Nick Marchan, who turned a smile he once avoided into thirty-plus commercial credits, a speaking role on Peacock’s Twisted Metal, and a blueprint for building a career in the Southeast film scene. The thread that runs through his story is simple and hard to practice: lea...

Want to connect with Tj & Plaideau? Send us a text message.

The mics heat up with a New Orleans cadence and a grin, and we waste no time jumping from name quirks and Yat roots into the gritty, funny truth of Mardi Gras season. Bathroom strategy, king cake experiments, and parade math set the scene before we pivot into the bigger story: how a small show and two local creatives grew from early credits and live invites to landing ...

Want to connect with Tj & Plaideau? Send us a text message.

A rainy four-hour trade day, a handful of CRTs, and a line out the door—Louisiana RetroCon started small but struck a nerve. We sit down with founder Davey Lusco to unpack how a community-first retro gaming convention grew from neighborhood roots into a two-city schedule with Morgan City this winter and a flagship weekend in Gonzales on August 1–2. If you’ve ever wishe...

Want to connect with Tj & Plaideau? Send us a text message.

A travel itch turned into a life shift. We sit down with Terin from Traveling with Terin to trace how a family plan to tent-camp through lockdown became a mission to spotlight Louisiana’s culture, hidden eats, and small-town stories—then veered into indie filmmaking.

Voiced by Brian Plaideau

Have you been injured? New Orleans based actor, Jana McCaffery, has been practi...

Want to connect with Tj & Plaideau? Send us a text message.

A guitar class, a choir stand, and a daydream: that’s where our conversation with filmmaker Warren Mitchell begins—and it quickly unfolds into the raw, unvarnished story behind his debut feature, Aspire. Warren opens up about discovering his autism diagnosis, choosing transparency as a creative tool, and shaping a story about independence, work, and love in New Orleans...

Want to connect with Tj & Plaideau? Send us a text message.

Blood doesn’t just happen on camera; it’s engineered, tested, and coaxed into place under brutal lighting and tighter timelines. We bring SFX artist Danielle Lanoux into the studio to explore how a New Orleans special effects and makeup artist turns scripts into convincing wounds, old-age transformations, and head-turning practical effects without breaking budgets or s...

Want to connect with Tj & Plaideau? Send us a text message.

A haunted gumbo, a bayou curse, and an indie crew determined to pull off the wildest horror-comedy to come out of South Louisiana—this conversation goes deep into how “The Fois” became a full-on feature. We sit down with writer-director David Rabalais to unpack the origin of the cursed recipe, the family story at its center, and the gleefully gross folklore that turns ...

Want to connect with Tj & Plaideau? Send us a text message.

A nun with a net, a waffle iron payday, and a catchphrase that almost got cut—our time with Bob Zany is a masterclass in how comedy actually works. We trace his arc from a 15-year-old on The Gong Show to a weekly radio presence and a Las Vegas residency, pulling apart the craft choices that keep a room laughing even when everything around the show goes sideways.

Voiced ...

Want to connect with Tj & Plaideau? Send us a text message.

What if your best shot at booking arrives the moment you stop trying to impress? We sit down with actor John Dylan Atkins to unpack how he booked two Super Bowl commercials in the same year, the surprising freedom of low‑pressure auditions, and why grounded reactions often beat big choices. From super bowl commercial spots to a director who rewrote on the fly after Joh...

Want to connect with Tj & Plaideau? Send us a text message.

Some stories are heavy because they’re true. Wet Paint, Matt Carroll’s new film, follows three 17-year-old girls whose friend dies by suicide—and their decision to push back when the adults and institutions around them default to silence. We invited Matt on to talk about the project, and the conversation went deep fast: real loss, real stigma, and a real plan to make s...