{"podcast":{"title":"First Time Go","slug":"first-time-go-6464248","podcast_index_feed_id":6464248,"rss_url":"https://feeds.redcircle.com/9ddc691d-2273-47d5-a1b9-5a4acb0670f5","website_url":"https://redcircle.com/shows/first-time-go","image_url":"https://media.redcircle.com/images/2023/7/16/21/0c15e674-8c90-4b18-8b97-c53f23462b2f_230528_110552_88def817163bbbaf04b3c82bcdb5bd9f.jpg","author":"Benjamin Duchek","episode_count":118,"summary":"A weekly podcast highlighting the creators of independent film and the business behind it. Hosted by Ben Duchek.","last_synced_at":"2026-06-13T10:19:10.852638+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/first-time-go-6464248"},"episode":{"title":"Brandyn Johnson","slug":"brandyn-johnson","published_at":"2026-05-01T22:00:04+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/first-time-go-6464248/brandyn-johnson","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/first-time-go-6464248","url":"https://redcircle.com/shows/9ddc691d-2273-47d5-a1b9-5a4acb0670f5/episodes/59bd498a-8c6f-481c-b7b2-6de0bfc9f991","audio_url":"https://audio4.redcircle.com/episodes/59bd498a-8c6f-481c-b7b2-6de0bfc9f991/stream.mp3","summary":"Watch This Episode On YouTube The film SEAWEED SNACKS (2026), which screened at Slamdance this year, was so moving for me as a father that I wanted to talk with the person that directed it -- Sylvia Ray , a great episode, you can find it linked in the show notes -- and my guest today, the writer, Brandyn Johnson. What does it feel like when someone else directs your words? Why the focus on fatherhood? What is it like mentoring young up and coming filmmakers at Ghetto Film School? Is a USC grad education worth it? We get into all this and more with Brandyn, a brilliant filmmaker and writer currently based in Los Angeles. Finally, we talk about suicide in this episode. If you're struggling, there are resources, starting with 988 if you need someone to talk with about your journey. Kindness truly is currency, as Brandyn says on the show; we want you sitting next to us at the birthday party. n this episode, Brandyn and I talk about: why the topic of fatherhood is so important to him; how much he believes in \"write what you know\"; his start in filmmaking and the incredible work he does for Ghetto Film School; whether teenagers are benefiting from a filmmaking perspective from constant access to video-making devices; his recommendations on an MFA from USC; the experience of watching someone else direct your work as he did in SEAWEED SNACKS; the honesty he tried to imbue in the film; as a writer, what kind of story would he not be comfortable giving away? is it an ego thing connected with just being \"writer/director\"? the humility associated with giving up your story as a writer in order to get it made; his personal new film, COPARENTING STOREY ; what's next for him and why he's so passionate about storytelling. Memorable Quotes: On fatherhood: \"Just generally speaking, it's…","meta_description":"Watch This Episode On YouTube The film SEAWEED SNACKS (2026), which screened at Slamdance this year, was so moving for me as a father that I wanted to tal…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":2548,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/first-time-go-6464248/episodes/brandyn-johnson/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/first-time-go-6464248/brandyn-johnson.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}