Episodes

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 ...

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 ...

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:/...

Rob Alicea is the Director of Serena (2026), a critically acclaimed science fiction screenlife thriller in which a down-on-his-luck rock star (Steven Strait - The Expanse) becomes a beta tester for a revolutionary new chat bot (Andi Matichak - Halloween, Halloween Kills, Halloween Ends). Serena premiered at CineQuest 2026 to rave reviews. Rob was nominated for Best First Feature at the 2026 Miami Film Festival. At the age of 19, Rob wrote and directed his first film, End of Our Day, based on the...

Falling Into Film by Paul Weston. If you are interested in the stunt industry and action filmmaking (and as a fan of this show, we know you are), you will want to pick up this book. Paul is a legend in the film industry, and his book is, in our opinion, one of the best on the business and history of action filmmaking. He has hundreds of stunt performer, coordinator and second unit director credits spanning Casino Royale (1967), The Dirty Dozen (1967), A Bridge too Far (1977), Superman (1978), Ra...

Jude Poyer is the 2nd Unit Director and Action Designer for Marvel Television’s special presentation The Punisher: One Last Kill (2026), his first time shooting in New York City. From his early days as a performer in Hong Kong, and throughout his career, he has shared the screen with some of action film’s greatest, including Jackie Chan, Jet Li, Van Damme, Scott Adkins, Yuen Biao and more. Since his emergence in the 1990s as a stunt performer, Jude has established himself as a top action designe...

S3 Ep2 – The Pope of New York Stephen Pope is an Emmy winning stunt coordinator (Mr. & Mrs. Smith, 2024) and 9-time SAG Award nominee. His most recent Emmy nomination, Outstanding Stunt Coordination for Drama Programming, was for HBO’s The Penguin. Our discussion starts with the challenges of coordinating The Penguin and proceeds to dive deep into the importance of mentorship, leadership, set culture and ongoing changes in the stunt and film industries. MENTIONS: Car Chase and Fight Scene/Oz v...

Callie Schuttera and Gabriela Ledesma are the married couple behind the award-winning production company Poison Pictures. Callie is an actress, writer, and producer, known for her breakthrough role in Zach Cregger’s, WEAPONS. Gabriela is a director, writer, and producer who has directed 3 feature films, as well as multiple short films and music videos. In this interview, we dive into their new co-written and produced feature film, THE EXIT STATE. Set in a United States spiraling toward authorit...

Eric Sun is Steven Yeun’s stunt double on Netflix’s The Rip. Eric, Steve, and Paul have a long history together in the stunt business, starting 10 years back when all were rookies in the industry and training together in NYC. In this season’s finale episode, we sit down with Eric and chew the fat about his work on The Rip and the decade-long journey that has brought him from a potential life as an accountant to where he is today in Hollywood. MENTIONS: Feeding America Drive: https://teamfeed.f...

As Paul and Steve conclude their second season, they review their episode rankings, comparing episodes favorites between their audio listeners and YouTube viewers. What killer episodes are these different audiences missing out on? MENTIONS: Feeding America Drive: https://teamfeed.feedingamerica.org/participants/NYCombatSambo FILM FIGHTS WITH FRIENDS Do you listen to our show as an audio podcast? Give video a try. Subscribe to our YouTube for the video version with awesome behind the scenes pics...

As Paul and Steve come to the conclusion of their first feature screenplay’s 3rd draft, share their nearly four year writing experience, how it evolved from short film to feature, their goals, and how they overcame the challenges of putting ego aside and story to paper. MENTIONS: Feeding America Drive: https://teamfeed.feedingamerica.org/participants/NYCombatSambo Those Who Face Death: https://www.markgrdovic.com/ Austin Film Festival Interview with Rian Johnson: https://youtu.be/0EKO38_kuqQ FI...

Garrett Schulte is known for his role as Wilmot Dow in the western drama about a young Teddy Roosevelt, ELKHORN (2024-2025). Garrett also appears in THE SKY’S FOREST (2025), which he also wrote, directed and edited. THE SKY’S FOREST is now available on-demand on Amazon and Apple. Schulte has a background in engineering and is a graduate of the University of California, San Diego. He has been involved in various projects, including volunteering with Fresh-Go to donate food during events. MENTION...

Robert Radler is the director of the cult classic Best of the Best (1989) starring Eric Roberts, Phillip Rhee and James Earl Jones. Numerous guests have cited this film as a pivotal moment in their martial art and film careers, not the least of which are our two co-hosts! This film, Radler’s debut feature, was also a launching pad for the likes of debut stunt coordinator Simon Rhee and performer James Lew. Rhee went on to receive SAG Award nominations for Heroes in 2008 and Transformers: Dark of...

As a stunt coordinator on student films from nearly every film school in NYC and guest lecturer at the School of Visual Arts Masters in Directing program, our co-host Stephen Koepfer has noticed that up-and-coming filmmakers seem to be more attracted to practical action than ever before. This seems contrary to what one might assume to be the case in today’s film industry. There is a weird paradox in the action filmmaking community. Practical action has never been more popular. It is actively us...

As a stunt coordinator on student films from nearly every film school in NYC and a guest lecturer at the School of Visual Arts' Master's in Directing program, our co-host Stephen Koepfer has noticed that up-and-coming filmmakers seem to be more attracted to practical action than ever before. This seems contrary to what one might assume to be the case in today’s film industry. There is a weird paradox in the action filmmaking community. Practical action has never been more popular. It is activel...

Laiko Foroughi has been stunt-doubling Christina Chong (La'an Noonien-Singh) on Star Trek: Strange New Worlds for the run of the show. She joins us on Film Fights with Friends to break down the epic dance-fight scene with Spock in S3 Ep8 (a throwback to the Spock vs Khan fight in Star Trek Into Darkness). Laiko is a career martial artist, stunt performer, and actor who has also appeared in What We Do in the Shadows, Gen V, The Handmaid's Tale, Murderbot, The Boys, Scream VI and many other produc...

Walker Hare is an actor and filmmaker who has appeared in Taylor Sheridan’s 1923 (2023), Artist Unknown (2024), The Sinner (2020) and most recently HBO Max’s Task and Netflix’s Black Rabbit. In episode 7 of Black Rabbit, Walker performs in a brutal fight scene, which is the starting point of our interview. We break down that scene from script to screen, how his Black Rabbit role related to his Artist Unknown role, his overall experience on the show, and his acting career. Our co-host Paul is als...

Evelyn Vaccaro is an actor and stunt performer known for her work in John Wick 3 (2019), Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022), The Naked Gun (2025), and countless television programs including Endgame (2022), Outer Banks (2021) and her 2025 Emmy Award nominated fire burn on FBI: Most Wanted. Dancing, horseback riding, snowboarding are just a few of her skills. However, she is known for her expertise in water stunts and safety. An avid lover of extreme sports, she thrives on physically exhilara...

“How do I get into stunts?” The eternal question anyone working in the stunt business will be faced with repeatedly. The question often leaves us in a predicament. After all, we don’t want to crush anyone’s dreams. Everyone should be able to try making a living how they want. Having said that, there is no one path, quick fix or cheat code for getting into this business. What is very clear, however, is what NOT to do if you want to become a stunt performer. The simple fact is that people who ask ...

Creating a television show is no easy task. The vast majority of television pilots, even the great ones, do not result in a series being produced. It is a labor of love and dedication to the craft of storytelling. Jamie Kilstein is an actor, comedian, podcaster, jiu-jitsu black belt, creator, and star of Blue Belts, his first scripted television project. In this interview, we dig into Blue Belts, what it took to get the pilot made, where it is going, its autobiographical influences, and the peop...

Hank Bedford is the co-writer and director of Eugene the Marine, a genre-bending horror giallo film starring Scott Glenn, Jim Gaffigan, Shioli Kutsuna and Annette O’Toole. The film premiered at the 2025 Oldenburg International Film Festival to standing ovations and high praise for Scott Glenn’s performance, a performance Glenn has called the best of his career. This is Bedford’s second feature film, his first being the critically acclaimed Dixieland (2015). In this interview we dive deep into th...

Clay found his way into unit photography when Zack Snyder gave him a chance to shoot Watchmen. That lucky break has led to nearly 20 years of work, including Sucker Punch (2011), Man of Steel (2013), 300: Rise of an Empire (2014), Suicide Squad (2016), Justice League (2017), A Star is Born (2018), I am the Night (2019), and Rebel Moon Parts One and Two (2023/24). His enthusiasm has never waned. While his credits include big-budget superhero films, he treats every project as a unique opportunity ...

With a background in AMA motocross racing and competitive gymnastics, Kevin Rogers has been pursuing a career in the stunt industry since 2005. Soon after, in 2006, he started working at Drivers East. With countless hours of practice and an intensely competitive spirit, he has earned the reputation as a car and motorcycle specialist. His professionalism and experience have helped him achieve an ever-growing list of over 200 film, television and commercial credits in his 20-year career. Kevin is ...

Returning guests Becca GT (S1 Ep1) and Hugh Fitzgerald (S1 Ep4) return to join Paul and Steve and rip into what some of our favorite and worst remakes are! What constitutes a remake? Can a television show truly be a remake of a film? Can a film accurately remake a TV show? Is a reboot a remake? Is a spin-off off a remake? What films should never be remade? Join us and find out what these industry insiders really think about some of the movies you love (or hate)! MENTIONS: Becca on Film Fights ...