{"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":"Vanessa Esteves","slug":"vanessa-esteves","published_at":"2026-05-08T09:00:17+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/first-time-go-6464248/vanessa-esteves","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/first-time-go-6464248","url":"https://redcircle.com/shows/9ddc691d-2273-47d5-a1b9-5a4acb0670f5/episodes/3deff852-e461-4aef-9843-2c0be76a7bf1","audio_url":"https://audio4.redcircle.com/episodes/3deff852-e461-4aef-9843-2c0be76a7bf1/stream.mp3","summary":"The kind of filmmaking that my guest, Vanessa Esteves, does is all encompassing -- job, hobby, passion. And that shows through in her latest work, CHRISTOPHER & THE BUG (2025), a \"heartwarming short film about a reclusive owl whose peaceful solitude is disrupted when a tiny bug unknowingly moves into his home.\" We talk about why we don't see the bug, what college roommate inspired her to write this story -- not in a good way!; animated films and screentime for kids, and more. If all of our films were given the thought and love Vanessa gives her directorial debut, we would be in such a better place. In this episode, Vanessa and I discuss: do we see the bug in CHRISTOPHER & THE BUG? how she got started in filmmaking and why she decided this would be her directorial debut; what is it like producing animated films and if it is an easy jump back to live action; the lessons she's learned from producing films that she brought to CHRISTOPHER; how to tell the story on a run time of 11 minutes!; the challenges of specifically an animated film; why sound design and score were so huge for this film; the idea that animation is just for kids and how it is different in the short film world; how we can improve families and filmmaking; her day job at Boatrocker Studios as a senior director for creative affairs, kids & family, and how she feels about screentime for kids; what it's like being a filmmaker in Toronto and what's next for her. Vanessa's Indie Film Highlight: GYMNASTICS (2025) dir. by Nikki Buziak and Leo Fafard Memorable Quotes: \" We call it a bedtime story for adults.\" \" The reason that you never see the bug is because I don't want it to necessarily just be a bug, right? If we showed the bug, then it's a film about an owl and a bug, and then it definitely feels…","meta_description":"The kind of filmmaking that my guest, Vanessa Esteves, does is all encompassing -- job, hobby, passion. And that shows through in her latest work, CHRISTO…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":1313,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/first-time-go-6464248/episodes/vanessa-esteves/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/vanessa-esteves.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}