{"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":"What If You're Not Actually Failing? Deep Dive on Ep. 272 with Director Quinnolyn Benson-Yates","slug":"what-if-you-re-not-actually-failing-deep-dive-on-ep-272-with-director-quinnolyn-benson-yates","published_at":"2026-03-05T10:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/documentary-first-1033526/what-if-you-re-not-actually-failing-deep-dive-on-ep-272-with-director-quinnolyn-benson-yates","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/documentary-first-1033526","url":"https://tinyurl.com/DocFirstPod","audio_url":"https://episodes.captivate.fm/episode/57f4ad23-4ce4-4de1-8a18-a4d444fec25f.mp3","summary":"What if failure isn’t the enemy—but the training ground? That’s the question Christian Taylor explores in this episode of Documentary First: The Deep Dive, sparked by her conversation with filmmaker Quinnolyn Benson-Yates about the documentary Epic Bill. Bill Bradley lost his video rental empire to Netflix, went bankrupt, went through a divorce—and then rebuilt himself through extreme endurance athletics. His mantra? “Courage is a muscle.” And “Show up and suffer.” In this deeply personal episode, Christian connects Bill’s story to her own struggles as a filmmaker, podcast host, and business owner—and to the ancient wisdom of the Stoics, Scripture, and some of history’s greatest examples of failure-turned-triumph. What You’ll Learn: Why “courage is a muscle” is backed by actual science The mental tennis lesson that changed Christian’s relationship with failure What Thomas Edison and Michael Jordan understood about reframing failure How the 1980 “Miracle on Ice” wouldn’t have happened without a crushing 10-3 defeat What the Stoics and James 1:2-4 agree on about trials and perseverance Christian’s honest confession about feeling like a failure—and choosing to keep going Key Quotes: “I didn’t fail. I found out 2,000 ways how not to make a light bulb.” — Thomas Edison “I’ve failed over and over and over in my life. And that’s why I succeed.” — Michael Jordan “The impediment to action advances action. What stands in the way becomes the way.” — Marcus Aurelius “Valuing the courage to try again is a radical concept.” — Quinnolyn Benson-Yates Featured Documentary: Epic Bill, directed by Quinnolyn Benson-Yates. Now streaming on Amazon and Apple TV. PBS nationwide distribution. Resources Mentioned: Vic Braden’s Mental Tennis • The Obstacle Is the Way by Ryan Holiday • Miracle: T…","meta_description":"What if failure isn’t the enemy—but the training ground? That’s the question Christian Taylor explores in this episode of Documentary First: The Deep Dive…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":990,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/documentary-first-1033526/episodes/what-if-you-re-not-actually-failing-deep-dive-on-ep-272-with-director-quinnolyn-benson-yates/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/what-if-you-re-not-actually-failing-deep-dive-on-ep-272-with-director-quinnolyn-benson-yates.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}