Blockbuster (2019)

This is a music-only track. Blockbuster arrives April 16. Set in the 1970s, this six-part original series tells the story of two big-dreaming filmmakers and friends, Steven Spielberg and George Lucas, and how their personal, career and health struggles led to a movie revolution, and the greatest box office flop-turned-triumph of all time: Star Wars. Blockbuster is presented ad-interruption free for your listening pleasure. Please consider a small donation to the creators at http://GetBlockbuster.com/support and receive bonus perks, and your name in the credits!

Season 1 Trailer. Set in the 1970s, this six-part original series tells the story of two big-dreaming filmmakers and friends, Steven Spielberg and George Lucas, and how their personal, career and health struggles led to a movie revolution, and the greatest box office flop-turned-triumph of all time: Star Wars.

Before the release of Season 2, creator Matt Schrader is joined by sound designer Peter Bawiec and producer Elena Bawiec to discuss the origin of Blockbuster (new season coming June 2020) and discuss their own entrepreneurial struggles in this special release for Dell Technologies Small Business PodFerence, a virtual conference of podcast creators. Matt details how he left his career in broadcast journalism with CBS and NBC to self-finance his own feature documentary (2017's Score: A Film Music Documentary, a New York Times Critics Pick), and the challenges the Blockbuster team faced tryiing to create a new model of high-end "biopic podcast" (biopod) storytelling, which parallels some of the struggles of many entrepreneurs, not to mention filmmakers George Lucas and Steven Spielberg.

This award-winning 10-part original miniseries stars Ross Marquand (The Walking Dead, Avengers: Endgame) as up-and-coming writer-director James Cameron, and tells the story of how he fought through decades of personal struggles and career setbacks to assemble the most expensive and grueling movie production of all-time, Titanic, that nearly sank two film studios.

Bonus Interview. BLOCKBUSTER series creator Matt Schrader asks James Cameron friend and screenwriter Bill Wisher about their early interests and motivations, and about starring in James and Randy Frakes' short film Xenogenesis.

Bonus Interview. BLOCKBUSTER series creator Matt Schrader asks author and co-director of James' short film Xenogenesis Randy Frakes about James' early motivations, nearly electrocuting Bill Wisher on set, and James rising through the ranks of Roger Corman's studio.

Bonus Interview. BLOCKBUSTER series creator Matt Schrader asks legendary producer and Academy Award honoree Roger Corman about James Cameron's rapid rise through New World Pictures in the 1980s, and about his disappointment with James being fired from Piranha II.

Bonus Archival. This special extended episode contains original news reports of the "greatest ocean discovery in history" on September 1, 1985. First is CTV's original report the evening of the discovery, and then ABC's World News Tonight with Peter Jennings, and the CBS Evening News with Dan Rather. After this, CBS News and ABC News continue their coverage with the questions around who owns the ship, and excerpts from the 1986 documentary "Titanic: The Nightmare and the Dream." Lastly, Dr. Robert Ballard speaks about his discovery, and the top-secret military origins of the mission that found Titanic.

Bonus Interview. BLOCKBUSTER series creator Matt Schrader asks friend Randy Frakes about James Cameron's frustrations filming Aliens, their discovery of the Fairlight Synthesizer for sound effects (or was it music?), and speaking with James' father Philip about his son's career.

Bonus Interview. BLOCKBUSTER series creator Matt Schrader asks college best friend and screenwriter Bill Wisher about co-writing Terminator 2: Judgment Day with James Cameron, and James' career trajectory leading into Titanic.

Bonus Interview. BLOCKBUSTER series creator Matt Schrader asks underwater cinematography pioneer Al Giddings about working with James Cameron on The Abyss, filming the documentary that inspired Titanic, and his dangerous dives to the ocean floor with James.

Bonus Interview. BLOCKBUSTER series creator Matt Schrader asks producer Bill Mechanic, former head of 20th Century Fox Motion Pictures, about the PCP incident in Nova Scotia, and the face-to-face confrontation in James Cameron's trailer that nearly shut down Titanic.

Bonus Interview. BLOCKBUSTER series creator Matt Schrader reveals an interview with James Cameron from his film Score: A Film Music Documentary about the life and legacy of James Horner.