In this episode of Best in Fest, host Leslie LaPage sits down with Sandhya Hermon — an award-winning screenwriter and former research psychologist — to explore how a second career in storytelling can emerge from lived experience, global identity, and persistence.

Sandhya shares her journey from earning a doctorate in psychology to pursuing an MFA in screenwriting at UT Austin, and how her scripts have gone on to place at top competitions including Austin Film Festival, PAGE Awards, BlueCat, Nichols Fellowship, and more.

In this episode, we explore:

• 🧠 Transitioning from psychology to screenwriting later in life
• ✍️ How life experience strengthens character and theme
• 🏆 Navigating screenwriting fellowships, contests, and labs
• 📚 The difference between fellowships, competitions, and coverage
• 🌍 Writing culturally specific stories with universal appeal
• 🎬 Why global and diaspora stories are gaining traction
• 🐕 Turning personal memory into an animated short
• 🧩 Developing a sustainable writing process and slate
• 🎥 Breaking into the industry without traditional connections
• 💡 Why community and mentorship matter for emerging writers

Sandhya also discusses her feature scripts set in India, her latest project Once Upon a Time in Bombay, the realities of today’s screenwriting market, and why streaming platforms have opened new doors for diverse voices and international stories.

In this episode of Best in Fest, host Leslie LaPage sits down with Arden Theresa Lewis — Emmy-winning documentary filmmaker, playwright, and former educator — for a powerful conversation about creative reinvention, historical storytelling, and why it’s never too late to make meaningful work.

Arden shares the eight-year journey behind her Daytime Emmy Award–winning documentary Leveling Lincoln, a film that explores school integration in the North and the hidden history of systemic inequality. What began as a learning experience became her film school — proving that passion, persistence, and purpose can outperform traditional industry paths.

In this episode, we explore:

• 🏆 How Leveling Lincoln won a Daytime Emmy after an eight-year production
• 🎓 Transitioning from teaching to professional filmmaking later in life
• 📱 Why story matters more than gear — and how a phone can start a film career
• 🎥 Learning documentary filmmaking while making the documentary
• 🧠 Using history to humanize modern social issues
• 🌍 Her next documentary on WWII civilian prison camps in the Philippines
• 🎭 Blending documentary, theater, and narrative storytelling
• 🎬 Turning stage work into potential film and TV projects
• 💡 Advice for creatives afraid to start because they feel “too late”
• ❤️ Why creativity is rooted in reconnecting with the inner child

Arden also discusses her current stage production Cassatt at Theater West in Hollywood, her upcoming documentary currently filming overseas, and how hybrid creators can build sustainable creative lives across multiple mediums.

In this episode of Best in Fest, host Leslie LaPage sits down with Linda Arroz — lifestyle writer, speaker, advisor, former plus-size spokesmodel, and media strategist — for a wide-ranging conversation on reinvention, branding, and storytelling in today’s entertainment landscape.

Linda shares her unconventional journey from working at General Motors to becoming a nationally recognized fashion and media authority, styling hundreds of TV shows and commercials, appearing on major networks, publishing books, and now developing podcasts and documentaries at the intersection of media, technology, and culture.

In this episode, we explore:

• 🎥 How to break into media and entertainment without a traditional path
• 🧠 Why storytelling and communication skills matter more than credentials
• 👗 Branding yourself like an influencer — lessons filmmakers can apply
• 📣 Why filmmakers must market themselves, not just their films
• 📚 Turning expertise into books, speaking, and multi-platform projects
• 🎙️ Developing podcasts as IP for future documentaries and films
• 🤖 Technology, blockchain, and AI as tools for modern creators
• 🎬 Building visibility through Q&As, public appearances, and media
• 🌱 The power of mentorship, adaptability, and lifelong reinvention

Linda also discusses her current work developing narrative-driven podcasts, including true crime and documentary projects, and why creators must evolve their skill sets to stay relevant in an ever-changing industry.

This episode is essential listening for filmmakers, creatives, entrepreneurs, and women in media looking to build sustainable careers by combining storytelling, branding, and strategic visibility.

In this episode of Best in Fest, host Leslie LaPage sits down with Debra Gilels — a veteran film PR strategist, producer’s rep, and distribution consultant who has helped launch award-winning documentaries and indie features into global release.

With over 20 years of experience guiding films from festivals to streaming platforms, Debra breaks down how distribution really works today, why most filmmakers misunderstand the process, and what creators must do before seeking a distribution deal.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• 🎯 How to use the film festival circuit to build an audience before distribution
• 📣 Why PR and marketing must start long before your release date
• 🧩 How documentaries secure advocacy groups and partner communities
• 💼 What distributors actually look for when acquiring indie films
• 💰 Minimum guarantees, contract terms, and revenue splits explained
• 📊 Why social media presence affects your distribution leverage
• 🚀 How to drive visibility on VOD and streaming platforms
• 🏆 Real-world case studies of documentaries and indie features that succeeded
• 🔍 The difference between self-distribution and professional sales agents

Debra explains why simply uploading a film to Amazon Prime is not a distribution strategy — and how smart filmmakers combine festival exposure, PR outreach, audience-building, and sales representation to maximize both impact and revenue.

If you're a filmmaker, producer, documentary creator, or festival director trying to understand how films get picked up, marketed, and monetized in today’s crowded content landscape — this episode is essential listening.

In this episode of Best in Fest, host Leslie LaPage sits down with Emilio Hughes Martinez — award-winning filmmaker, writer, and former Vice President of Development at Eclectic Pictures (Olympus Has Fallen, The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard, Lovelace).

Emilio shares his journey from studio development executive to independent filmmaker, revealing what production companies really look for in scripts, how to finance films without studio backing, and why the next wave of cinema belongs to bold indie creators.

In this episode, we explore:

• 🎥 What studio development executives actually look for in scripts
• 📝 Common mistakes new screenwriters make when pitching producers
• 🏆 How his award-winning shorts (The Method and The Fourth Branch) were created on micro-budgets
• 💰 Financing indie films through friends, family, and creative resourcefulness
• 🎬 Guerrilla filmmaking tactics to bypass costly permits
• 🌎 Why more productions are leaving California — and what comes next
• 🤖 AI’s impact on screenwriting and why human storytelling still matters
• 🔥 The shift from $200M studio films to smaller, high-impact indie projects
• 🚀 His upcoming feature about fame, exploitation, and AI-generated performance

Emilio also breaks down his writing process, working with Oscar-winning co-writer Nick Vallelonga (Green Book), and why instinct-driven storytelling often beats rigid outlining.

In this episode of Best in Fest, host Leslie LaPage welcomes Rabbi Noam Raucher — educator, divorce coach, and Executive Director of FJMC International (Friendship, Judaism, Mentorship & Community) — to explore an unexpected but urgent topic: how media, masculinity, and meaning intersect in today’s culture.

Noam shares his personal journey through divorce, career loss, and men’s support groups — experiences that inspired him to launch Mama’s Boy, a bold new podcast co-hosted with comedy writer Rob Kutner. Together, they’re creating content that challenges toxic masculinity, offers healthier models of brotherhood, and brings Jewish wisdom into modern conversations about manhood.

In this episode, we explore:

• 🎧 Why a rabbi entered entertainment and podcasting
• 🧠 The rise of toxic masculinity in digital media
• 🤝 Men’s support groups and the power of authentic brotherhood
• 📺 Podcasting as the new modern pulpit
• 🎭 How humor and storytelling open men to vulnerability
• 🕍 Jewish tradition as a framework for healthy masculinity
• 🎥 Why film and entertainment shape cultural identity
• 🔥 Countering the manosphere with meaningful media
• 🚀 Building a global movement for men’s emotional growth

Noam explains how today’s media landscape floods young men with damaging messages about dominance, success, and power — and why it’s critical to offer alternative narratives rooted in compassion, accountability, and connection.

In this episode of Best in Fest, host Leslie LaPage sits down with Lauren Reins — director, producer, choreographer, and Enneagram coach — to explore how self-awareness fuels creativity and why understanding your inner motivations may be the key to creating meaningful, sustainable work.

Lauren shares her journey from professional dancer to educator and filmmaker, and how a life-altering accident led her to psychology, coaching, and ultimately the Enneagram, a nine-type personality framework now central to her new dance-driven docuseries.

In this episode, we discuss:

• 🧠 What the Enneagram is and how the nine personality types work
• 🎭 How creatives can use the Enneagram to build better characters
• 💃 Why dance is the perfect medium to express personality and psychology
• 🎬 Turning personal growth into a docuseries concept
• 🧩 Using self-knowledge to overcome creative blocks
• 🏢 How companies like Nike, Amazon, and State Farm use the Enneagram
• 🎥 Why self-awareness matters more than talent alone
• 🌱 Balancing creativity, leadership, and life as a working artist
• 🏆 Premiering an Enneagram-based series at Dances With Films New York

Lauren explains how creatives often struggle not because of the industry — but because they haven’t fully understood their own fears, motivations, and strengths. By using the Enneagram as a framework, artists can move forward with clarity, compassion, and confidence.

In this episode of Best in Fest, host Leslie LaPage sits down with Alan Green, Head of Sales & Acquisitions at 123 Media, to break down how film distribution actually works — and why most indie filmmakers misunderstand it.

With decades of experience spanning 20th Century Fox, Pathé, international sales, and producing, Alan offers a brutally honest look at what sells, what doesn’t, and how filmmakers can avoid costly mistakes when trying to monetize their films.

In this episode, we cover:

• 🎥 Which film genres are most distributable (and why drama is the hardest sell)
• 📊 SVOD vs AVOD vs TVOD — how platforms really pay filmmakers
• 💰 Why Netflix deals are flat fees (and not per-view payouts)
• 🧠 The myth of self-distribution on Amazon Prime
• 🎯 Why distributors sell film packages, not individual titles
• 🧾 Presales, minimum guarantees (MGs), and why names still matter
• 🎬 How production quality impacts distribution decisions
• 📱 Vertical content, short-form storytelling, and the future of film
• 🎞️ Turning genre films into viable distribution assets
• 🏆 Festival strategy as a business tool — not just prestige

Alan also discusses producing the WWII revenge thriller Vindictive, opening at Dances With Films New York, and explains how hybrid genre films can bridge the gap between festivals and commercial success.

If you’re an independent filmmaker, producer, or content creator trying to understand how films make money after they’re finished — this episode is essential listening.