REEL INDIE
The Garage Productions and Man of the Crowd Productions present REEL INDIE, Beyond the Studio System: Discovering the Soul of Indie Filmmaking. Join filmmakers Adrienne Acevedo Lovette and John A. Rice as they dive deep with real indie filmmakers—those creating outside the studio system—sharing raw, unfiltered stories about their artistic vision, personal growth, and spiritual evolution. This isn’t about Hollywood’s version of ‘indie’; it’s about the true heart and hustle of independent artistry, where bold dreams meet purpose, and art defines the journey. www.TheGarageProductions.com
Episodes

Sunday Dec 07, 2025
Sunday Dec 07, 2025
Laurie Collyer has been making movies and television for 24 years. Her debut feature, DGA nominated documentary Nuyorican Dream premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and later broadcast on HBO. Writing and directing credits include Sherrybaby which also premiered at Sundance and won numerous awards including a Golden Globe nomination for actress Maggie Gyllenhaal. Sunlight Jr. starring Naomi Watts and Matt Dillon which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival and later broadcast on Showtime. Collyer also directed the miniseries The Secret Life of Marilyn Monroe, featuring Kelli Garner, Susan Sarandon and Emily Watson. She earned her second DGA nomination for the show, as well as three Emmy nominations and a SAG award nom for Susan Sarandon. Furlough starring Tessa Thompson, Melissa Leo, Whoopi Goldberg and Edgar Ramirez which is now streaming on Hulu. Episodes of Billions and Law and Order SVU and multiple segments for the Oprah Winfrey and Prince Harry produced mental health documentary series The Me You Can’t See on Apple+. Other writing credits include Story of a Girl for Kyra Sedgwick and Lifetime TV, Cowgirl Ranch for LD Entertainment, and Bootstrapper for Rachel Weisz and Archer Grey Entertainment. She has also directed music videos for Dinosaur Jr. and Bill Nace.
Follow him on Instagram @LaurieCollyer
Meet your hosts, award-winning indie filmmakers Adrienne Acevedo Lovette and John A. Rice, as they pull back the curtain on their creative worlds. Discover the story behind REEL INDIE, get the inside scoop on their current film projects, and find out what exciting, unfiltered conversations await you this season.
Follow them on instagram at @AdrienneAcevedoLovette and @John.A.Rice
Follow the show everywhere you get your podcasts & on instagram at @TheGarageProductions
www.TheGarageProductions.com
www.ManoftheCrowdProductions.com
www.DirectedByAdrienneAcevedoLovette.com
www.AdrienneAcevedoLovette.com
www.john-rice.net
www.jarstudionyc.com

Friday Oct 10, 2025
Friday Oct 10, 2025
Gisela Chípe is an award-winning actor, writer, audiobook narrator, public speaker, and producer. A selection of her credits: Producer on the Award-Winning pilot This Boy’s Vida: Made in America by Joseph Castillo-Midyett, the award-winning Black?, Con Dios, and The Graduate Series (Co-writer). Gisela’s Film/TV Acting: There She Goes, Good Burger 2, The Last Day, AWKWAFINA is Nora from Queens, The Equalizer, Law and Order: SVU, and Manifest. In Spanish: Wasp Network, Bel Canto. In Portuguese: The Olympic Games in Brazil. Broadway debut: POTUS… (d. Susan Stroman) She has worked Off-Broadway and in prestigious Regional Theaters including Papermill Playhouse, The Guthrie, Actors Theatre of Louisville, & Studio Theatre DC. She is a multiple AudioFile Earphones Award winner for her audiobooks: The Soul of a Woman (Allende), Velvet Was The Night, Horror Movie, Goodnight Stories for Rebel Girls (to name a few). As an often-engaged public speaker, Gisela has lectured to hundreds of corporate executives and college students on branding and presentation. University of Delaware—PTTP (M.F.A.) @Giselachipe
JOSEPH CASTILLO-MIDYETT: FILM: Collateral Beauty, Beyond the Night, From Nowhere. TELEVISION: Endgame, Marvel, Equalizer, City on a Hill, Fear the Walking Dead, Queen of the South, Homeland, FBI, New Amsterdam, Plot Against America, The Following, Divorce, Master of None, MacGyver, Jessica Jones, The Resident, City on the Hill, The Path. OFF-BROADWAY: The Acting Company: Of Mice and Men, Julius Caesar, As You Like It, The Comedy of Errors. @jcastillomidyett www.josephcastillomidyett.com
Meet your hosts, award-winning indie filmmakers Adrienne Acevedo Lovette and John A. Rice, as they pull back the curtain on their creative worlds. Discover the story behind REEL INDIE, get the inside scoop on their current film projects, and find out what exciting, unfiltered conversations await you this season.
Follow them on instagram at @AdrienneAcevedoLovette and @John.A.Rice
Follow the show everywhere you get your podcasts & on instagram at @TheGarageProductions
www.TheGarageProductions.com
www.ManoftheCrowdProductions.com
www.DirectedByAdrienneAcevedoLovette.com
www.AdrienneAcevedoLovette.com
www.john-rice.net
www.jarstudionyc.com

Thursday Sep 11, 2025
Thursday Sep 11, 2025
Daniel Armando is an award-winning filmmaker and producer, raised in California, now residing in New York City. He has produced 8 micro-budget indie films, including DADDY’S BOY (Official Selection Cinequest Film Festival), WHAT IT WAS (Official Selection HBO Urbanworld, Outfest, NewFest, and Frameline film festivals), THE BREEDING (Winner, Best Feature, Harlem Int’l Film Festival), and BWOY (starring RENT & STAR TREK: DISCOVERY’S Anthony Rapp). His first project, the short BOYS LIKE YOU, won him “Best Short” at the 2011 North Carolina Gay & Lesbian Film Festival.
Follow him on Instagram @officialdanielarmando
www.DanielArmando.com
www.NovoNovus.com
Meet your hosts, award-winning indie filmmakers Adrienne Acevedo Lovette and John A. Rice, as they pull back the curtain on their creative worlds. Discover the story behind REEL INDIE, get the inside scoop on their current film projects, and find out what exciting, unfiltered conversations await you this season.
Follow them on instagram at @AdrienneAcevedoLovette and @John.A.Rice
Follow the show everywhere you get your podcasts & on instagram at @TheGarageProductions
www.TheGarageProductions.com
www.ManoftheCrowdProductions.com
www.DirectedByAdrienneAcevedoLovette.com
www.AdrienneAcevedoLovette.com
www.john-rice.net
www.jarstudionyc.com

Tuesday Sep 02, 2025
Tuesday Sep 02, 2025
Lenny Thomas is an award-winning producer, actor, and director born and raised in NYC. Known widely for his role as 'Dikahn' on the TV series "Ruthless", Lenny is a creative force on various sides of the entertainment industry. His movie BEGGARMAN, which he produced and starred in, will be available to stream Sept. 5th on FANDANGO!
Follow him on instagram @LennyThomas
www.BeggarmanMovie.com
Meet your hosts, award-winning indie filmmakers Adrienne Acevedo Lovette and John A. Rice, as they pull back the curtain on their creative worlds. Discover the story behind REEL INDIE, get the inside scoop on their current film projects, and find out what exciting, unfiltered conversations await you this season.
Follow them on instagram at @AdrienneAcevedoLovette and @John.A.Rice
Follow the show everywhere you get your podcasts & on instagram at @TheGarageProductions
www.TheGarageProductions.com
www.ManoftheCrowdProductions.com
www.DirectedByAdrienneAcevedoLovette.com
www.AdrienneAcevedoLovette.com
www.john-rice.net
www.jarstudionyc.com

Sunday Aug 17, 2025
Sunday Aug 17, 2025
For 15 years, Ryan has been behind the camera as a director, producer, and cinematographer on over 40 indie films.
For more of his work, visit: www.thebalasbrothers.com
Meet your hosts, award-winning indie filmmakers Adrienne Acevedo Lovette and John A. Rice, as they pull back the curtain on their creative worlds. Discover the story behind REEL INDIE, get the inside scoop on their current film projects, and find out what exciting, unfiltered conversations await you this season.
Follow them on instagram at @AdrienneAcevedoLovette and @John.A.Rice
Follow the show everywhere you get your podcasts & on instagram at @TheGarageProductions
www.TheGarageProductions.com
www.ManoftheCrowdProductions.com
www.DirectedByAdrienneAcevedoLovette.com
www.AdrienneAcevedoLovette.com
www.john-rice.net
www.jarstudionyc.com

Monday Aug 11, 2025
Monday Aug 11, 2025
Meet your hosts, award-winning indie filmmakers Adrienne Acevedo Lovette and John A. Rice, as they pull back the curtain on their creative worlds. Discover the story behind REEL INDIE, get the inside scoop on their current film projects, and find out what exciting, unfiltered conversations await you this season.
Follow them on instagram at @AdrienneAcevedoLovette and @John.A.Rice
Follow the show everywhere you get your podcasts & on instagram at @TheGarageProductions
www.TheGarageProductions.com
www.ManoftheCrowdProductions.com
www.DirectedByAdrienneAcevedoLovette.com
www.AdrienneAcevedoLovette.com
www.john-rice.net
www.jarstudionyc.com

Wednesday Jul 23, 2025
Wednesday Jul 23, 2025
Join filmmakers Adrienne Acevedo Lovette and John A. Rice as they dive deep with real indie filmmakers—those creating outside the studio system—sharing raw, unfiltered stories about their artistic vision, personal growth, and spiritual evolution. This isn’t about Hollywood’s version of ‘indie’; it’s about the true heart and hustle of independent artistry, where bold dreams meet purpose, and art defines the journey.
