IN THE ROOM - The Cast Station

This week on In the Room, we sit down with Andy Fisher, five-time Emmy-nominated and DGA Award-winning director of Jimmy Kimmel Live.
Andy takes us from his Austin comedy roots, where he was making strange DIY films with friends on whatever equipment they could find, to his early editing days in Los Angeles, to the moment he was asked to step into the director’s chair at one of late night’s biggest shows.
It’s a conversation about live television, creative confidence, comedy, collaboration, the future of broadcast, and the strange little moments that turn into a career. Andy also shares stories about the Duplass brothers, the Matt Damon joke, directing awards-show segments, and why the best advice might be: say yes, then figure it out.
Funny, loose, deeply specific, and full of filmmaker gold, this one is for anyone who has ever tried to make something before they felt ready.

In this episode of In the Room, John Williams and Christopher Shea sit down with the team behind Kill Me, which premiered at SXSW 2026.
Director Peter Warren, producer Natalie Metzger, and producer Keith Goldberg discuss the film’s unusual premise, a murder mystery where the body becomes the detective, and how that idea opened the door to a story about mental health, depression, comedy, mystery, and survival.
The conversation explores how Charlie Day came aboard, why Allison Williams, Giancarlo Esposito, and Aya Cash were such powerful additions to the cast, and what it takes to support a first-time director without diluting the filmmaker’s vision. They also break down the realities of indie production, shooting in Utah, designing a lean but ambitious set, and protecting performance at every stage.
For filmmakers, actors, producers, and anyone curious about how a movie moves from script to screen, this episode offers a rare look inside the creative and practical decisions that shape a film before it meets an audience.

What does it really take to make a feature film when you don’t have the system behind you?
In this episode, SXSW filmmakers Lauren Noll and Dalia Rooni share how Same Same But Different came together, from early concept to production, through persistence, unconventional problem-solving, and complete creative ownership.
This is a conversation about building momentum when nothing is guaranteed, and why creating your own work is often the only way forward.

Filmmaker John Valley joins In the Room to share his journey from a small town in Iowa to premiering films at SXSW, and what it really takes to build a career in independent film.
He breaks down the making of The Pizzagate Massacre, how the film went from festival rejection to viral controversy, and how self-distribution, SEO, and timing changed everything.
The conversation also dives into his latest project, American Dollhouse, a psychological horror film, along with lessons on raising money, navigating the industry without connections, and creating work that actually gets seen.
This episode is an honest look at indie filmmaking, creative risk, and what happens when you stop waiting for permission and make the film anyway.

Anne Hollister—actress, writer, and producer at Happy Bad Bungalow—joins In the Room to discuss her evolution from Broadway performer to independent film producer.
Anne shares the six-year journey of bringing Mattress Mack to life, the realities of financing independent films, and what it takes to build a production company from the ground up. She opens up about stepping away from representation to focus on writing, developing her thriller The Housesitter, and navigating the microaggressions and systemic bias that still exist for women in Hollywood.
The conversation explores:
• The actor-to-producer transition
• Indie film financing and attaching talent
• Why female-led stories are still labeled “unrelatable”
• Manifestation as creative inspiration
• Building community in film and television
This episode offers an honest look at persistence, authorship, and claiming creative control in a shifting industry.