Tonight I sit down with Michael Mandaville—writer, filmmaker, producer, and entrepreneur—for a deep dive into storytelling across film, novels, and independent media.Michael holds a Master’s degree from USC’s prestigious Professional Writing Program and has worked as a Producer, Line Producer (PGA), and Unit Production Manager (DGA) on major projects including the Taken series (produced by Luc Besson, starring Liam Neeson), Havoc with Anne Hathaway, The Kiss with Terence Stamp, and American History X. He also produced the indie feature The Almighty Fred and directed the award-winning films Into the Flames and Conviction, with Conviction winning Best Screenplay at the Culver City Film Festival.As a novelist, Michael is the author of the award-winning thriller series Stealing Thunder (Thrillspy Award winner), the murder mystery Murder in the City of Light, and the literary magical realism novel Journey So Dreams May Come. His work spans screenplays, plays, documentaries, commercials, and online media.With a background in philosophy (UC Santa Barbara) and formal film training at Columbia College–Hollywood, Michael brings a unique depth to his stories—blending action, mystery, meaning, and imagination.Guest:Michael Mandavillehttps://creativeexplorer-michaelmandaville.com/ Joe's GoFundMe: https://www.gofundme.com/f/raise-funds-to-cover-mortgage-escrow-shortageFOLLOW US ON:RUMBLE: https://rumble.com/joeroozYouTube: https://youtube.com/@joeroozTWITCH: https://twitch.tv/joeroozX: https://x.com/joeroozFacebook: https://facebook.com/joeroozshowMinds: https://minds.com/joeroozGETTR: https://gettr.com/joerooz Want to be a guest on The Joe Rooz Show? Send Joe a message on #PodMatch, here: https://www.podmatch.com/member/joe Music: https://youtube.com/@pogo(00:01:45) Cold open: cryptic lines and a teaser twist(00:03:09) Live from Asylum Studios: Friday vibes and show intro(00:04:12) Tonights guest setup: filmmaker and author Michael Mandeville(00:05:16) Weekend programming note: Sunday Bible study and dispensations(00:06:51) Live show cadence, growth goals, and audience asks(00:07:29) Housekeeping: platform tools and live podcasting workflow(00:11:24) Guest intro proper: Michael Mandevilles Hollywood career(00:12:10) Opening banter: voice, command presence, and bridge talk(00:14:04) Icebreaker: three must-keep phone apps and habits(00:17:19) Ambivert lives: cycles of film set chaos and quiet writing(00:22:29) Style and small rebellions: ties, Henleys, and defiance(00:23:39) Origin story: Aunt Molly at Fox and studio childhood(00:26:12) First set job: paid in a sandwich and Larry the Gaffer(00:28:16) Glass door disaster: blood, ash, and youre hired(00:33:59) Books vs screens: why paper still wins(00:37:42) Censorship, samizdat, and th