Film Fights With Friends

Film Fights with Friends is the premiere action filmmaking podcast and film festival. Join filmmaker stuntmen Paul Varacchi and Stephen Koepfer on a show that was nominated for Best TV/Film Podcast at the 2025 Podcast Awards and won the Dramatic Action Awards for the past 2 years running! In 2015 Paul and Steve founded Breakfall Studios, New York’s top action design studio. Get a view behind the camera as they sit with industry guests, break down cinematic fight scenes and action sequences, explore the filmmaking craft, and share their own filmmaking journeys.

STEPHEN KOEPFER

Stunt performer, filmmaker, renowned coach and martial artist. Stephen has stunt doubled for the likes of Jonanthan Banks, Eddie Marsan, Henry Winkler and Tom Hollander as well as performed stunts on productions including Ray Donovan, Caught Stealing, The Beast in Me and John Wick 2 & 3. As a filmmaker, he has produced and directed several narrative films and documentaries that reflect his passion for storytelling.

PAUL VARACCHI

Martial artist, stunt & motion capture performer, and celebrity chef. Paul has appeared in such shows as Daredevil, The Punisher, Walking Dead: Dead City and World Beyond, The Night Agent and Gotham. Behind the camera, Paul has many years of production involvement in roles ranging from PA to department head including extensive Health and Safety experience at Marvel and Disney. At the age of 8, Paul’s dad took him to see Robocop and the rest is history!

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Film Fights With Friends

Film Fights with Friends was nominated for Best TV/Film Podcast at the 2025 Podcast Awards and winner at the 2024 Dramatic Action Awards! Paul and Steve are martial artists, stuntmen and filmmakers who founded Breakfall Studios in 2015. In this action filmmaking podcast they sit with an industry guest to breakdown a fight scene from a film or television program they were involved in, explore the filmmaking craft and their guest's career.

STEPHEN KOEPFER
Stunt performer, filmmaker, renowned coach and martial artist. Stephen is the head coach of NY Combat Sambo. As a filmmaker, he has produced and directed several films that reflect his passion for storytelling.

PAUL VARACCHI
Martial artist, stunt and motion capture performer, celebrity chef and has worked extensively in television production in various roles from PA to department head. At the age of 8 Paul’s dad took him to see Robocop and the rest is history!

Recent Episodes

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Oct. 25, 2026

Special Episode – The Commissioner is In

New York City’s newly appointed Commissioner of the Mayor's Office of Media and Entertainment (MOME) joins Film Fights with Friends to share what he has learned on his New York Filmmaker Listening Tour. Commissioner Espinal gives us a state of the industry in NY as he sees it, answers listener questions, and shares how the city plans to build on existing programs and create new initiatives to support independent and big-budget film, television, and the local creative economy. We discussed how st

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Oct. 9, 2026

313: Rough Cuts with Colt and Tejas

Tejas Hullur and Colt Kirwan are filmmakers who have written, directed, and produced a new three-episode pilot series for Adobe called Rough Cut! Colt and Tejas offer up an unfiltered and revealing journey of exploration into the craft of filmmaking. Steve and Paul first met Tejas when he trained at Breakfall Studios for Paramount Pictures’ Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning digital campaign. This time they have reunited to stunt coordinate the finale’ episode of Rough Cut! This interview

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Sept. 25, 2026

312: T. Ryan Mooney on Zombies and Mindfulness

T. Ryan Mooney, an accomplished stunt double and performer, has made a name for himself through his exceptional skills and versatility. With a passion for thrilling action, dedication to his craft, and meticulous planning and execution of stunts, Mooney has become an integral part of numerous film and television projects, delivering outstanding performances that captivate audiences. He has received multiple nominations for Outstanding Action Performances by a Stunt Ensemble, including Loki (2022

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Sept. 11, 2026

311: Beyond Animation with Peter Lawrence

Peter Lawrence is a writer known for Thundercats, Sabrina: Secrets of a Teenage Witch, Silverhawks, The Burning, and more! He is also a co-host of the Beyond Thundera Podcast. In this interview, we explore Peter’s winding career path, the differences of writing for animation and live action, and how his childhood may have set the stage for his creative life. In the latter half of our discussion, we take a more serious tone than usual on the show with a frank talk about the politics of race in th

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Aug. 28, 2026

310: We Are Not Resting On Our Laurels

Steve and Paul announce the launch of the Film Fights with Friends action short film festival. After years of breaking down the action for our audience over the internet, hosting live film screenings and networking sessions, it is time to raise the bar and honor practical action filmmaking in a way only Film Fights with Friends can! MENTIONS: Festival Information: https://www.patreon.com/FilmFightsFriendsPod/posts/film-fights-with-162886277 Submit to our festival on FilmFreeway: https://filmfre

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Aug. 14, 2026

309: A Shot in the Dark with Kayla Windsor

Kayla Windsor is a producer, cinematographer, camera operator and FAA Part 107-licensed drone operator with experience across film, media, and production management. Alongside her creative and technical production work, Kayla also works as a project manager and serves as the Executive Educational Partner at Arizona Filmmakers. She is additionally a board member of the Arizona Production Association, supporting industry growth, collaboration, and opportunities within the filmmaking community. Her

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July 31, 2026

308: Everybody’s Hustlin’

Steve and Paul follow up on listener mail, shout out cool social media engagers and review some do’s and don’ts of cold contacting stunt coordinators. MENTIONS: Seven Snipers review: https://youtu.be/l_CX-O6x5-w Learn more about the TSP: https://tsp.esta.org/tsp/index.html Support the TSP: https://tsp.esta.org/tsp/inv_in_innovation/sponsor.html?v=eUNc33MfXgI Support our food drive: https://teamfeed.feedingamerica.org/participant/NYCombatSambo FILM FIGHTS WITH FRIENDS Do you listen to our show

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July 17, 2026

307: The Man Behind the Voices

Larry Kenney began his career when he was 15 in 1963 as a disc jockey at a radio station in Peoria, Illinois. He went on to work in New York, Cleveland, and Chicago. He later became a cast member on the radio show 'Imus in the Morning' in 1973. There, he made fun of political figures and famous people such as Elvis Presley, Ross Perot, and Richard Nixon. He made his way into TV when he became the host of the New York show "Bowling for Dollars" from 1976 to 1979. He also does the voice for Sonny

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July 3, 2026

306: It’s Not How Well You Can Fight, It’s How Well You Can’t

So, your fight skills got you in the door. But how do you unlearn what you have learned to be bad enough to be good? Steve and Paul dissect the challenges of transitioning from real fighter to fake fighter, share advice from seasoned pros, and offer tips for increasing your on-screen skill. MENTIONS: IG Discussion: https://www.instagram.com/p/DYafW81M_uz/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA== Facebook Discussion: https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1BPnhcV2hU/ Jack Ryan Review: https:/

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About the Hosts

STEPHEN KOEPFER

Host

Stunt performer, filmmaker, renowned coach, and martial artist. Stephen is the head coach and owner of NY Combat Sambo in NYC. As an independent filmmaker, he has produced and directed several documentaries and short films that reflect his passion for collaborative storytelling.

Paul Varacchi

Host

Martial artist, stunt and motion capture performer, celebrity chef and has worked extensively in television production in various roles from PA to department head. At the age of 8 Paul’s dad took him to see Robocop and the rest is history!