{"podcast":{"title":"The 50/50 Podcast","slug":"the-50-50-podcast-7299121","podcast_index_feed_id":7299121,"rss_url":"https://feeds.castos.com/nz69q","website_url":"https://www.5050fest.com","image_url":"https://episodes.castos.com/67e9c4924ee350-83326482/images/podcast/covers/c1a-zq59d-gp3w6v90idxz-ezwbbs.jpg","author":"Wyatt Sarkisian","episode_count":59,"summary":"50% Business, 50% Creative. Hosted by 50/50 founder Luke Steinfeld, and 50/50 Head of Talent Wyatt Sarkisian, the podcast builds on the mission of the platform: to nurture and empower the next generation of industry talent. Join us every tuesday as we sit down with voices from all corners of the entertainment industry, offering educational insight into process, production, and execution.","last_synced_at":"2026-06-10T06:18:49.704680+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-50-50-podcast-7299121"},"episode":{"title":"HOW TO: Interview High-Profile Talent (w/ Ethan Shanfeld)","slug":"how-to-interview-high-profile-talent-w-ethan-shanfeld","published_at":"2026-06-09T15:56:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-50-50-podcast-7299121/how-to-interview-high-profile-talent-w-ethan-shanfeld","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-50-50-podcast-7299121","url":"https://the-5050-podcast.castos.com/episodes/how-to-interview-high-profile-talent-w-ethan-shanfield","audio_url":"https://episodes.castos.com/67e9c4924ee350-83326482/2487275/c1e-5w5k1b7v2kvbr09k8-ok0xm806aqn9-2kcjp1.mp3","summary":"This week, we're joined by Variety TV reporter Ethan Shanfeld. From his early days studying journalism at Northwestern and freelancing for outlets like Nylon and Pitchfork to landing major cover stories at his current employer, Variety, Ethan breaks down what makes a great pitch email, how he prepares for interviews without over-preparing, and why every celebrity requires a completely different approach. We dive deep into his unforgettable SEVERANCE cover story, including the surreal experience of interviewing Ben Stiller and Adam Scott over a 4pm dinner at an Italian restaurant on Manhattan's West Side Highway—without quite knowing what he was walking into. Along the way, we discuss building trust with interview subjects, broaching the tough questions, and navigating the ever-present publicists in the room. Plus: stories from interviewing a silver-handed Benny Safdie, an incredibly candid Miley Cyrus, and the unique challenge of sitting down with Nintendo's notoriously guarded president through a translator. Welcome to the 50/50 fam, Ethan! Ethan Shanfeld - Variety Page Ethan Shanfeld - Twitter Subit your Horror Short!","meta_description":"This week, we're joined by Variety TV reporter Ethan Shanfeld. From his early days studying journalism at Northwestern and freelancing for outlets like Ny…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":4217,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-50-50-podcast-7299121/episodes/how-to-interview-high-profile-talent-w-ethan-shanfeld/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-50-50-podcast-7299121/how-to-interview-high-profile-talent-w-ethan-shanfeld.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}