CK Café: Conversations with Indie Creatives

CK Café welcomes musician and creator, Diana Bidea, for an honest conversation about carving out your own lane in today’s music industry. From her journey as an independent artist to building a powerful presence as a TikToker, Diana opens up about the risks, reinvention, and resilience it takes to make your own path - without waiting for permission. Joined by Rosie Dean, the episode dives into creativity, community, and what it rea...

In this episode of CK Café, we sit down with actor and writer Peter-William Jamieson to explore the new CK/Street Kid collaboration, "Sea Wall" by Simon Stephens and the artistic fire behind 'Borderless' - his award-winning one-man play about a soldier confronting the emotional and spiritual aftershocks of war - that CK co-produced and is now turning into a feature film! Dive into the meaning of the piece, its i...

In this episode of CK Café, we sit down with viral creator and writer Jessica Vill (@JBunzie) to talk about her bold new project - a Marilyn Monroe biopic (Becoming Her) produced by our team at CK! Jessica opens up about the pressures of life as a social media creator, finding her artistic voice beyond the algorithm, and what it means to bring new life to an icon

To learn more about BECOMING HER visit https://instagram.com/marilynfi...

In this episode of CK Café, we sit down with Nory and his creative director, filmmaker, Eduardo Machado, to talk about resilience, creativity, and pushing past the limitations that so often hold artists back. From navigating obstacles to finding joy in the process, this conversation is all about creating your own rhythm and refusing to be stopped!

Nory’s new album F**K THAT THIS THE RHYTHM is out now on all platforms!
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This week’s CK Café episode is a special one. We sat down with Paul Zaentz — yes, from The Talented Mr. Ripley and Amadeus — who's now serving as an Executive Producer on Backyard/Desert through his company Teatro Della Pace Films. We talk legacy, the importance of subversive films in today’s political climate, the evolution of independent film, and his family’s iconic film One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest - including some brea...

In this candid episode, we sit down with fellow producers of our first large-scale feature film, Backyard/Desert, to unpack the emotional rollercoaster of indie film fundraising. Backyard/Desert follows a young border patrol agent who discovers a dying migrant in the Yuma desert - forcing her to confront the harsh realities of her job and her identity. We open up about the grind of raising funds as first-time-feature filmmakers, sh...

In today's CK Café, we dive into The Importance of Local Film Festivals with a special spotlight on the Queens Film Festival, happening July 7–13th at Court Square Theater in Long Island City, Queens. We sit down with festival founder Mridul Sharma to talk about the power of community-driven cinema, why festivals like Queens FF matter for emerging filmmakers, and how they're shaping the future of indie film. Grab your tic...

In this special episode of CK Café, we sit down with the co-founders of the new screening series Her Voice (on June 10, 2025 in NYC) - Miu Sato, Carlotta Romano, and Katherine Beggs - to talk about the realities of composing for film and TV, and the challenges of navigating a male-dominated industry as women creators. 

This honest and inspiring conversation dives into how Her Voice is building community and changing the landscape fo...

Welcome to CK Café: the show about film & independent artistry created by acclaimed indie production company, ⁠CK Films . Join a variety of hosts every Monday as we welcome indie creatives to talk about their work, the film world and independent filmmaking. More of a visual person? Watch our show here.

This week, host Rosie Dean (⁠⁠@rosiedean21) is joined by musician Rob Eberle (@RobEberle ). Listen as they discuss Ro...

Welcome to CK Café: the show about film & independent artistry created by acclaimed indie production company, ⁠CK Films ⁠(⁠@CKFilmsNY⁠). Join a variety of hosts every Monday as we welcome indie creatives to talk about their work, the film world and independent filmmaking. More of a visual person? Watch our podcast on our YouTube channel ⁠here⁠. 

This week, host Ethan Felizzari-Castillo (⁠⁠@ethanfelizzari) is joined by our first ...

Welcome to CK Café: the show about film & independent artistry created by acclaimed indie production company, ⁠CK Films ⁠(⁠@CKFilmsNY⁠). Join a variety of hosts every Monday as we welcome indie creatives to talk about their work, the film world and independent filmmaking. More of a visual person? Watch our podcast on our YouTube channel ⁠here⁠. 

This week, hosts Stefanie Colón (@stefanieccolon) and Rosie Dean (@rosiedean21)...

Welcome to CK Café: the show about film & independent artistry created by acclaimed indie production company, CK Films (@CKFilmsNY). Join a variety of hosts every Monday as we welcome indie creatives to talk about their work, the film world and independent filmmaking. More of a visual person? Watch our podcast on our YouTube channel here.

This week, hosts Ethan Felizzari-Castillo (@ethanfelizzari) & Stefanie Colón (@st...