{"podcast":{"title":"Documentary First","slug":"documentary-first-1033526","podcast_index_feed_id":1033526,"rss_url":"https://feeds.captivate.fm/documentary-first/","website_url":"https://tinyurl.com/DocFirstPod","image_url":"https://artwork.captivate.fm/f3d2ce0b-222e-47a7-9438-74dd3423112f/DF-logo-circle-whitebg.jpg","author":"Documentary First | Christian Taylor","episode_count":290,"summary":"The craft and business of documentary filmmaking — from people who actually do it. Documentary First is a weekly podcast for working and aspiring documentary filmmakers who want honest, in-depth conversations about how documentaries get funded, made, and seen. Hosted by Christian Taylor — award-winning director of The Girl Who Wore Freedom (25+ international awards, distributed through Virgil Films, Swank, and Canal+) — the show draws on 270+ interviews with documentary filmmakers, editors, producers, distributors, and composers across HBO, Netflix, PBS, and the independent doc world. Past guests include Ken Burns, PBS American Masters creator Susan Lacy, Emmy and Peabody Award-winning editor Charles Olivier (HBO's The Jinx, The Redeem Team), and Emmy-nominated director Nick Bruckman (Netflix's Minted). Every week, Documentary First delivers two formats in one feed. The main show features long-form interviews exploring how filmmakers approach their craft, navigate distribution, and build sustainable careers. On alternating weeks, Documentary First: The Deep Dive takes a single insight from a recent guest conversation and goes further — drawing on psychology, philosophy, and real-w…","last_synced_at":null,"page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/documentary-first-1033526"},"episode":{"title":"Episode 264 | Billy Joel: Telling the Story Behind the Musician (with Jessica Levin)","slug":"episode-264-billy-joel-telling-the-story-behind-the-musician-with-jessica-levin","published_at":"2025-11-06T21:40:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/documentary-first-1033526/episode-264-billy-joel-telling-the-story-behind-the-musician-with-jessica-levin","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/documentary-first-1033526","url":"https://tinyurl.com/DocFirstPod","audio_url":"https://episodes.captivate.fm/episode/d1d1872c-151a-4b9f-a5b9-185a67f0b0ca.mp3","summary":"In this episode of Documentary First, Christian sits down with filmmaker Jessica Levin, co-director and producer of the Critics Choice Documentary Awards in the Best Music Documentary-nominated HBO documentary Billy Joel: And So It Goes. Jessica shares what it was like to tell the story of Billy Joel—not just as a legendary musician, but as a human being full of depth, contradiction, humor, and heart. Together, they explore the craft of music documentary filmmaking: how to build trust during intimate interviews, how to follow emotional truth rather than timeline, and how music itself can become the spine of a narrative. Jessica opens up about the collaborative process behind shaping the film’s nonlinear structure, as well as the responsibility that comes with telling a story about someone the world already feels like they know. Whether you are a filmmaker, a musician, or someone whose life has ever been held by a song — this conversation is creative, heartfelt, and filled with insights about storytelling, memory, and what it means to truly listen. Links: American Masters: American Masters (TV Series 1985– ) - Reference view - IMDb Billy Joel: And So It Goes: Billy Joel: And So It Goes (TV Mini Series 2025) - Reference view - IMDb Inventing David Geffen: \"American Masters\" Inventing David Geffen (TV Episode 2012) - Reference view - IMDb Joni Mitchell: A Women of Heart and Mind: \"American Masters\" Joni Mitchell: A Woman of Heart and Mind (TV Episode 2003) - Reference view - IMDb The Janes: The Janes (2022) - Reference view - IMDb DocuView Déjà Vu The Andy Warhol Diaries, 2022, Limited Series with 6 episodes, watch on Netflix, IMDB Link: The Andy Warhol Diaries (TV Mini Series 2022) - Reference view - IMDb Time Codes 00:00 — Opening Reflections 02:54 — Early Relationships…","meta_description":"In this episode of Documentary First, Christian sits down with filmmaker Jessica Levin, co-director and producer of the Critics Choice Documentary Awards…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":4168,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/documentary-first-1033526/episodes/episode-264-billy-joel-telling-the-story-behind-the-musician-with-jessica-levin/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/documentary-first-1033526/episode-264-billy-joel-telling-the-story-behind-the-musician-with-jessica-levin.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}