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Patrick Lawler has had anything but a traditional career in filmmaking. What started with making skate videos and teaching himself After Effects eventually led to directing music videos, buying one of the earliest RED cameras, teaching himself motion graphics, making NFTs, and eventually finding his way back to music videos. Tune in as we talk to Patrick about following whatever creative opportunity comes next, reinventing himself when one path stops working, and how an obsession with learning new tools has allowed him to build a career in some very unexpected places. ----- ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Buy us a drink!⁠⁠⁠

Natasha Braier's passion for cinematography began with a roll of 110 film that she got while on a family vacation. Her humble beginnings in Argentina informed her resourcefulness with the medium. With Deep Light, Natasha is tapping into years of experience to provide the tools to the next generation of DPs so that they can navigate on set politics and other responsibilities you don't learn about in film school. Tune in as we chat with Natasha about shooting The Neon Demon chronologically and the camera setups required to work on I Love Boosters. ----- ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Buy us a drink!⁠⁠⁠

Skydiving cinematographer Joe Jennings has been jumping out of planes for fun since the early 90s. For some people that might be enough adrenaline, but Joe needed another task while plummeting to the ground. Throughout his career, Joe has captured some incredible shots with his former X Games skydiving partner Rob Harris, an iconic Superbowl Pepsi commercial, and for feature films like Point Break. Tune in as we get nerdy with Joe and ask about his skydiving helmet rig and all the pressures that come with rolling on a camera during freefall. ----- ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Buy us a drink!⁠⁠⁠

WARNING: This episode includes SPOILERS from Macon's new film "IDIOTS", in theaters now. Director, writer, and actor Macon Blair doesn't just love movies—he loves being on set and making them. From Blue Ruin to The Toxic Avenger and his new feature Idiots, Macon joins us to talk about his creative journey and how his experiences as an actor continue to shape the way he writes and directs. ----- ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Buy us a drink!⁠⁠⁠

Long before he was building wacky props for Boots Riley's "I Love Boosters", Christopher was storyboarding for commercials and feature films. His work has given him the opportunity to work with directors such as Sam Raimi, Ang Lee, Ron Howard, Spike Jonze, and more! Today, Christopher's love for film is expressed in the ability to create the suspension of disbelief through practical set builds and VFX elements. Tune in as we chat with Christopher about his career blending physical with virtual and why he keeps turning down the opportunity to work with Jon Favreau. ----- ⁠⁠⁠⁠Buy us a drink!⁠⁠⁠

Chloe Badner is a production designer best known for her work on Dropout TV's shows Game Changer and Make Some Noise. Ten years ago, Chloe was just starting to figure out how to even do the job she was destined for. From building a cardboard couch, to teaching herself how to make puppets, Chloe quickly realized her skills were perfect for designing improbable props. Tune in as we talk to Chloe about bringing an absurd idea to life, the challenges of meeting deadlines for game shows, and how being neurodivergent is a double edged sword. ----- ⁠⁠⁠⁠Buy us a drink!⁠⁠⁠

What makes a great directing duo? Is it balancing each other out with a deep knowledge of skills while reeling each other back creatively? Or does it just help to be twins? For the Diamond Bros. it's both. After years of working in post production, Jason and Josh decided to launch their careers into directing. Tune in as we talk to them about how they took a gamble on their creative futures and how it led to working on some exciting commercial productions with Red Cameras and VR/AR technology. ----- ⁠⁠⁠Buy us a drink!⁠⁠⁠

Imagine if you could land a dream job through a series of tweets. Well that's how Supervising Director Simon Chong got hired to work on Bob's Burgers! Join us as we chat with Simon about how he uprooted his life from the UK and moved to LA , the different roles he took on before directing his first episode, and why it takes 9 months to put together one animated episode. ----- ⁠⁠⁠Buy us a drink!⁠⁠⁠

Before he escaped set life, Matthew Borgatti was working for legendary set shops designing animatronic props for films like Snakes on a Plane, Garfield, and Alien vs. Predator. Tune in as we chat with Matthew about the elements that go into deciding how much function an animatronic prop needs in order to be picture ready and what some of the on the fly solutions are that this type of work inspires. ----- ⁠⁠⁠Buy us a drink!⁠⁠⁠

You ever wonder how a beautiful "oner" gets shot? Well it's talented operators like BJ McDonnell who use their techniques and skills to capture those elaborate long takes. When he's not operating the steadicam rig, BJ works as the A camera operator on films like The Interview, Fall Guy, and the latest Naked Gun. BJ's love for working on set means that he's less interested in going to work and more interested in having a great time with the people he's working with. Tragically, BJ's home was destroyed by the Palisades fires in 2025. Although he's working to rebuild his life from scratch, he maintains a positive outlook on the future of his home life and the industry he works in. Tune in as we chat with BJ about how he got into steadicam, some of the BTS stories of working as a camera operator, and where he sees the industry going. ----- ⁠⁠⁠Buy us a drink!⁠⁠⁠

If you're down in South Florida, chances are your production has rented gear from Unique Producers Service. On this mini episode, we chat with Adam Roback, the Operations Manager and what it's like to work with local productions to provide equipment. We touch a bit on their history as a rental house, the importance of maintaining their gear, and their customer service approach. ----- This episode of Wrap Drinks is sponsored by Unique Producers Grip & Lighting based in South Florida. Thank you Unique for supporting our podcast and for hosting us at your wonderful warehouse. For more info on their grip & lighting rentals visit their website - https://uniqueproducers.com/ ----- ⁠⁠⁠Buy us a drink!⁠⁠⁠

You've definitely seen the stickers, Vinny Raffa has a posse. But for his day time job he's a balloon tech. Both he and Mario Pignard Jr. have been illuminating scenes from above with balloons for over 25 years. Tune in as we chat with these lighting techs about how light balloons work on set, the expectations from production, and how they collaborate with other departments to set up scenes. ----- ⁠⁠⁠Buy us a drink!⁠⁠⁠

Before he was working on nonlinear edits, NYC based editor Davy Gomez was taking the commercials out of VHS rips of his favorite TV shows. Today, Davy's resume includes work on music videos, commercials, and a popular TV show called "The Bear." Tune in as we pick Davy's brain about post production teams, workflows, bin management, and his methodology when approaching a project. ----- ⁠⁠⁠Buy us a drink!⁠⁠⁠

You know it goes. You make your first movie and you catch the filmmaking bug. Next thing you know, you're working as a PA and breaking into your department of choice and it's not too long before you're as grumpy as the guys that mentored you. For Dan Kanes, this trajectory changed for him when he went to see "Punch Drunk Love" and he fell in love with the look of anamorphic lenses. You would think the path to becoming a CEO would start right there but Dan decided to take a few side quests while also working as a set lighting technician. Join us as we talk with Dan about his side hustle of designing camera carts with renowned DP Erik Messerschmidt, starting the wireless video company Paralinx, and using the earnings from that company's sale to launch one of the most innovative lenses companies to date. ----- ⁠⁠⁠Buy us a drink!⁠⁠⁠

Miami based Director of Photography Alexandra Taupier discovered her passion for film making while in school. Through mentorship and on set learning, Alexandra quickly discovered that she has a natural talent for camera operating. This boost of confidence from other operators and cinematographers helped pave the way for her career as a DP. Tune in as we talk with Alexandra about her jump into camera department, what it’s like to learn to pull focus, and her work on the fan sponsored YouTube series, "Cassius". ----- This episode of Wrap Drinks is sponsored by Unique Producers Grip & Lighting based in South Florida. Thank you Unique for supporting our podcast and for hosting us at your wonderful warehouse. For more info on their grip & lighting rentals visit their website - https://uniqueproducers.com/ ----- ⁠⁠⁠Buy us a drink!⁠⁠⁠