SINNERS is only in theaters April 18 and we made a special two-part miniseries about the making of the film! Composer and executive producer Ludwig Göransson spoke with director, writer, and producer Ryan Coogler at his studio to talk about how the Delta blues and their family history inspired the film’s story and sound. They also break down the so…

SINNERS is only in theaters April 18 and we made a special two-part miniseries about the making of the film! Cinematographer Autumn Durald Arkapaw sat down with director, writer, and producer Ryan Coogler at IMAX headquarters to discuss their collaboration as director and DP, how they called Christopher Nolan and Hoyte van Hoytema for advice, and h…

From FRUITVALE STATION to BLACK PANTHER, Rachel Morrison and Ryan Coogler are longtime friends and collaborators. Rachel is a groundbreaking director and cinematographer who made history as the first woman nominated for an Academy Award for Best Cinematography for MUDBOUND and the first to lens a Marvel film with BLACK PANTHER_._ Her feature direct…

Veteran studio executive Courtenay Valenti began her career as an assistant at Warner Bros. in the 1980s, eventually rising to President of Production and Development. During her tenure, she championed major hits including BARBIE, THE COLOR PURPLE, and Proximity’s JUDAS AND THE BLACK MESSIAH. Today, Courtenay is Head of Theatrical and Streaming Fil…

We took a trip to Gardena Cinema, one of the last family-owned, independent movie theaters in Los Angeles, to try and answer a simple question: What’s it like to own and operate an indie movie theater today? Proximity’s Head of Audio Paola Mardo talks with owner Judy Kim about how her immigrant parents built their business after they bought the sin…

GMORNING, GNITE! everyone's a aliebn when ur a aliebn too. BOJACK HORSEMAN. GOODBYE, AGAIN. Jonny Sun is a film and TV writer, producer, author, and illustrator who has worked with Lin-Manuel Miranda and Damon Lindelof. His background is in architecture and engineering as a doctoral candidate at MIT and a creative researcher at the Harvard metaLAB.…

Jon Else is an award-winning documentarian, cinematographer, and MacArthur Genius grant recipient. Over 40 years before Christopher Nolan’s OPPENHEIMER, Jon directed THE DAY AFTER TRINITY, a documentary film about J. Robert Oppenheimer. For almost two decades, Jon led the documentary program at UC Berkeley’s Graduate School of Journalism where he m…

GET OUT. US. NOPE. Jordan Peele is an award-winning writer, director, and producer of these groundbreaking films, and founder of Monkeypaw Productions. On this episode, Jordan walks Ryan Coogler through his early career, trading filmmaker dreams for comedy then finding his way to directing, genre filmmaking, how he wrote GET OUT but almost didn’t d…

When Sev Ohanian first read a script by Tony Rettenmaier, he was blown away. Tony was then fresh out of film school and working as a PA for an indie film Sev was producing. Just a few years later, Tony and his writing partner Juel Taylor would go on to write the screenplays for CREED II and SPACE JAM: A NEW LEGACY. On this episode, Juel and Tony sh…

Cord Jefferson’s directorial debut AMERICAN FICTION premiered at Toronto International Film Festival last year where it won the People’s Choice Award. The film grossed $23 million and won several accolades including the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay. In his Oscar speech, Cord implored the industry to take more creative risks. Just weeks…

Don’t miss Jordan Peele, Cord Jefferson, Courtenay Valenti, Jonny Sun, and others in conversation with Ryan Coogler, Sev Ohanian, and the rest of our Proximity crew. Follow IN PROXIMITY on your favorite podcast app to stay up-to-date on new episodes. Follow @ProximityMedia on all social media platforms for video exclusives including a new video tra…

On our season finale, we’re going all in on Stephen Curry: Underrated, an inspiring coming-of-age story documenting the rise of NBA superstar, Golden State Warrior, and Davidson legend Stephen Curry from Proximity Media and our partners at Unanimous, A24, and Apple TV+. The film’s creative minds team up for an intimate and epic conversation about m…

Fruitvale Station was released 10 years ago this month. This was Ryan Coogler’s first feature film and it’s how he met fellow Bay Area director Pete Nicks. On this episode, they discuss meeting on Fruitvale Station (1:35); directing fiction and nonfiction films, the idea of “naive audacity,” and Pete’s Oakland trilogy (16:35); and collaborating on …

Have a seat at the executive table with Kalia King, Proximity’s head of TV, and Tara Duncan, president of Onyx Collective, a premium content brand under Disney Entertainment. At Onyx, Tara’s slate includes Reasonable Doubt, The 1619 Project Docuseries, the Academy Award-winning documentary feature Summer of Soul, and Anthem, produced by Proximity M…

Anthem is an upcoming documentary streaming on Hulu on June 28th, produced by Proximity Media and our partners, and directed by our head of nonfiction Pete Nicks (Stephen Curry: Underrated, The Waiting Room, The Force, Homeroom). The film features acclaimed composer Kris Bowers (Bridgerton, When They See Us, King Richard), and Grammy-winning music …

The second of a two-part conversation between Ta-Nehisi Coates and Ryan Coogler. Ta-Nehisi is a writer, journalist, and, most recently, host and writer of Proximity Media’s Wakanda Forever: The Official Black Panther Podcast. Ta-Nehisi and Ryan sat down for our show to discuss Ta-Nehisi’s writing career and process. In this second part, Ta-Nehisi s…

The first of a two-part conversation between Ta-Nehisi Coates and Ryan Coogler. Ta-Nehisi is an author, journalist, and, most recently, host and writer of Proximity Media’s Wakanda Forever: The Official Black Panther Podcast. Ta-Nehisi and Ryan sat down for our show to discuss Ta-Nehisi’s writing journey and influences. In this first part, Ta-Nehis…

Blitz Bazawule is a filmmaker, musician, visual artist, and author. Born in Ghana and based in New York, his directorial credits include The Burial Of Kojo, Beyoncé's Black Is King, and the upcoming The Color Purple Musical produced by Oprah Winfrey, Steven Spielberg, Quincy Jones, and Scott Sanders. Blitz speaks with Proximity founder Ryan Coogler…

Step inside Proximity Media as our team members discuss topics and answer listener questions about working in film and television at our company. D’Angelo “D’Lo” Louis and Dezi Gallegos sit with Paola Mardo at our office to discuss breaking into the industry (1:40), working at a production company (12:19), and their day-to-day jobs as executives an…

Before becoming a screenwriter and TV writer on HBO’s Succession, Jamie Carragher was a high school teacher turned graduate arts journalism student at USC Annenberg where he met Paola Mardo, then an aspiring film critic and podcast producer, now head of audio at Proximity Media, producer/executive producer of In Proximity, and host/creator of Long …

Charles D. King is the founder and CEO of MACRO, a multi-platform media company representing the voice and perspectives of Black people, indigenous people, and people of color. Some of their projects include Dear Mama, Mudbound, Fences, and Judas and the Black Messiah, produced with Proximity Media and Warner Brothers. Formerly a partner/senior age…

Natalie Qasabian is an award-winning film producer who has worked on independent and studio films including Searching, Run, and Missing. She is a frequent collaborator of writing partners Aneesh Chaganty and Sev Ohanian. (Aneesh and Sev are previous guests on this podcast – be sure to check out their episode if you haven’t already.) Natalie and Sev…

When Proximity’s co-founder and head of nonfiction Pete Nicks and creative executive D’Angelo “D’Lo” Louis met through their friend Ryan Coogler, they connected as Bay Area creatives and through their shared experience of incarceration. Pete is a director and producer whose award-winning films The Waiting Room, The Force, and Homeroom serve as a tr…

Proximity founder Ryan Coogler talks all about podcasts with Roman Mars, host and creator of 99% Invisible, a sound-rich narrative podcast about architecture and design. They discuss holding pandemic meetings about the business of podcasting (3:47), Roman’s journey from science to public radio to 99% Invisible (5:10), finding the balance between be…

From assistant desks at Interscope Records to the Def Jam C-suite, Tunji Balogun and Archie Davis share their journey as music industry executives. Tunji is CEO and Chairman of Def Jam Recordings while Archie is Def Jam’s Chief Creative Officer and Proximity Media’s Co-Founder and Co-Head of Music alongside Ludwig Göransson. Tunji was a rapper befo…

Grab your Moleskine and spreadsheets! It’s time for a screenwriting masterclass with writer, director, and producer Aneesh Chaganty and writer, producer, and Proximity founder Sev Ohanian. Aneesh and Sev first broke out with the independent thriller Searching which premiered in 2018 at Sundance where it won several awards and was acquired by Sony P…

Tessa Thompson has starred in television shows, independent films, and blockbuster Hollywood movies like Selma, Dear White People, Westworld, Thor: Ragnarok, Thor: Love and Thunder, and the Creed trilogy. She is also a producer and entrepreneur as the founder of the production company Viva Maude. She speaks with Proximity Media’s head of television…

From Fruitvale Station to Black Panther to Creed III, Michael B. Jordan and Ryan Coogler’s cinematic partnership has shaped culture and broken box-office records. They reflect on their first meeting for Fruitvale Station (2:41), going to their first boxing match to prep for Creed I (12:39), what they’ve learned from building and running their own p…

In Proximity is a podcast about craft, career, and creativity from Proximity Media, the production company whose credits include Creed III, Judas and the Black Messiah, Space Jam: A New Legacy, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever podcast and soundtrack, and more. New episodes drop every Sunday starting March 12th. Learn more and read transcripts at Prox…

A school project on the Abolition Movment.