The TV Campfire

TV & Film
Arts
Society & Culture

ATX
TV Camp
Austin
Austin, Texas
Austin TV Festival
ATX Festival
ATX TV Festival

Welcome to THE TV CAMPFIRE – your official podcast for all things ATX TV Festival!

Lovingly referred to as “TV Camp for Grown Ups” – this is the place where showrunners, actors, producers, industry, and ALL kinds of TV fans come together each June in Austin, TX to celebrate TV with panels and screenings, indulge in tacos and BBQ, have a margarita or a Topo Chico… you get the picture.

Because not everyone can make it to Austin – this podcast brings the magic of TV Camp to you! Hosted by ATX TV Festival co-founders Caitlin McFarland and Emily Gipson, The TV Campfire will take you inside the festival with behind-the-scenes stories, a look into our programming process, and full-length releases of some our favorites conversations and Q&As from the festival. Whether you watch TV, work in TV, or both – The TV Campfire has something for you.

Subscribe and tune in weekly each Wednesday for a new episode + conversation from ATX TV Festival Season 11, wherever you get your podcasts!

The TV Campfire is an ATX TV Podcast, co-hosted by Caitlin McFarland and Emily Gipson. Season 11 Episodes are produced by Sara Light.

For more information about the festival and year-round ATX TV events, visit atxfestival.com.

For more exclusive TV conversations and Q&As, visit our ATX TV YouTube Channel.

Coming Soon: The TV Campfire

Welcome to ATX Festival's first original podcast! Pull up a log, start roasting those marshmallows, and settle in for The TV Campfire.

Get 20% off your new favorite pair of jeans @ DSTLD.com with promo code: TVCAMPFIRE

Visit atvxp.com/podcasts

A Showrunner Defined

"show·run·ner ˈSHōˌrənər/ Noun the person who has overall creative authority and management responsibility for a television program." Despite its clear and succinct definition, the job of the showrunner is anything but concise. Every series is run differently, and every job has a new set of perks and challenges. In this episode, Carlton Cuse (Lost, Bates Motel) and Kerry Ehrin (Bates Motel, Friday Night Lights) discuss what their job actually is, swap on-set stories, ask each other for advice, and share a little insight on the lessons they’ve learned along the way.

Episode Guests: Carlton Cuse & Kerry Ehrin

Get 20% off your new favorite pair of jeans @ DSTLD.com with promo code: TVCAMPFIRE

Visit atvxp.com/podcasts

TV Mixtape

Music for television is a distinct language that creates a vivid world for viewers. The music for a show is critical. It can be charming and catchy, subtle and haunting, powerfully cinematic, and even create a story or character. These guests discuss their journeys in the television industry, the relationship music plays in both their work and everyday lives, and how their roles as series creator, music supervisor, and editor combined create the perfect TV mixtape, one that stays with the viewer long after the episode ends.

Episode Guests: Jason Katims, Liza Richardson, Angela Catanzaro

Visit atvxp.com/podcasts

Complex, Not Complicated

Now more than ever, television is home to a range of increasingly complex female characters: ones that are bold, funny, fierce, sensitive, loyal, fragile, complicated, and kick ass (sometimes all in the same moment). Prepare to hear from two powerhouse women as they discuss the legacy of female characters before them, the necessity of diverse representation at this particular moment, and why there’s no one way to write or portray a strong woman.

Episode Guests: Gloria Calderon Kellett, Justina Machado

Get 20% off your new favorite pair of jeans @ DSTLD.com with promo code: TVCAMPFIRE

Visit atvxp.com/podcasts

First Gigs, Big Breaks

Breaking into this industry requires that perfect storm of timing, luck, talent, and relationships. This episode explores that moment in everyone’s career from both sides: the waiting, the tipping point, the first big gig, and what motivates someone to take a risk on a fresh face. Packed with tips and perspective, this episode should not be missed.

Episode Guests: Bill Lawrence, Kevin Biegel

Get 20% off your new favorite pair of jeans @ DSTLD.com with promo code: TVCAMPFIRE

Visit atvxp.com/podcasts

What's Your Pitch?

Ever wonder how your favorite series was first pitched in the room? You’d be surprised how many tv darlings started with a few scribbled lines on a napkin. We delve into the moment of inspiration, the bizarre pitch traditions, and go way behind the scenes of Friends and Grace and Frankie. Listen to the origin stories, learn how a pitch transforms into a show, and a surprising look at a creative collaboration between a mother and daughter.

Episode Guests: Marta Kauffman, Hannah Canter

Get 20% off your new favorite pair of jeans @ DSTLD.com with promo code: TVCAMPFIRE

Visit atvxp.com/podcasts

Politically Minded

Real world politics continues to be a relentless barrage on our Twitter feeds and real lives, filling the role of ‘reality is stranger than fiction.’ In this era, TV’s imaginary political landscape struggles to feel escapist. Creatives can’t help but incorporate true political upheaval into their fictional worlds and characters. But how is this changing the way we are informed and entertained?

Episode Guests: David Simon (The Wire, The Deuce, Treme), Robert & Michelle King (The Good Fight, The Good Wife, Braindead)

Moderator: Daniel Fienberg (The Hollywood Reporter)

Get 20% off your new favorite pair of jeans @ DSTLD.com with promo code: TVCAMPFIRE

Visit atvxp.com/podcasts

Breaking Bad: Saul's Origin Story (Live from ATX)

Great television comes from great characters, and as proven by both Breaking Bad‘s Walter White and Better Call Saul‘s Saul Goodman (aka Slippin’ Jimmy), Vince Gilligan is nothing short of a genius when it comes to creating the unlikely hero. Coupled with an acute sense of tone and timing, it’s no wonder that the rise and demise of these characters lend themselves to some of television’s greatest success. In celebration of the 10-year anniversary of Breaking Bad and the highly anticipated season four premiere of Better Call Saul, ATX and Entertainment Weekly revisit the origins of fan favorite Saul Goodman in this conversation with executive producer Vince Gilligan and star Bob Odenkirk, recorded live at ATX Television Festival Season 7.

Episode Guests: Vince Gilligan (Creator/Executive Producer), Bob Odenkirk (Cast)

Moderator: Sarah Rodman (Entertainment Weekly)

ATX Season 8 | June 6-9, 2019 | atxfestival.com

Visit atvxp.com/podcasts for more TV Camp goodness and audio from ATX!

-----

Get 20% offyour new favorite pair of jeans @ DSTLD.com with promo code: TVCAMPFIRE

Nash Bridges Writers Room (Live from ATX)

CBS’ 1996 procedural dramedy Nash Bridges, starring Don Johnson and Cheech Marin as San Francisco’s finest (and often dysfunctional) buddy-cop detectives, was not only a ratings and critical success -- but also boasted a powerhouse room of writers that would go on to create, write, and show-run some of TV’s most influential series. Listen in on this conversation with prolific creator Carlton Cuse (Lost, Bates Motel, Jack Ryan) and the writers that went on to create and/or run The Shield, Timeless, The Walking Dead, CSI:NY, Hell on Wheels, and Damien (to name a few) for a look back at the series’ 122-episode run, and what they learned from their time in that room.

Episode Guests: Carlton Cuse, Shawn Ryan, Glen Mazzara, John Wirth, Pam Veasey, Jed Seidel

Moderator: Ben Blacker (The Writers Panel)

ATX Season 8 | June 6-9, 2019 | atxfestival.com

Visit atvxp.com for more TV Camp goodness and audio from ATX!

-----

Get 20% off your new favorite pair of jeans @ DSTLD.com with promo code: TVCAMPFIRE

It's a Power Play (Live from ATX)

This Moment in entertainment has brought to light an undeniable abundance of wrongs. From sexual harassment to misogyny, sexism and racism to lack of inclusion, it is all wrapped up in a single word: Power. The TV industry has been host to a litany of these issues, showcasing what happens when power is imbalanced, and the repercussions that follow when it goes unchecked. So who has the Power? How are they keeping and using it? Are things getting easier (and safer) for those historically at risk when they speak out? Most importantly, where do we go from here? Join us as we sit down with executives and creatives to discuss their own experiences with Power (both having it or being victim to it), the new strides towards inclusion, and where they see this Moment going next.

Episode Guests: Salim Akil (Black Lightning), Jessica Rhoades (Sharp Objects), Mauricio Mota (East Los High), Pam Veasey (CSI: New York), Kathleen McCaffrey (SVP, HBO Programming)

Moderator: Maureen Ryan

ATX Season 8 | June 6-9, 2019 | atxfestival.com

Visit atvxp.com for more TV Camp goodness and audio from ATX!

-----

Get 20% off your new favorite pair of jeans @ DSTLD.com with promo code: TVCAMPFIRE