Oscar winners Cord Jefferson (“American Fiction”) and Jordan Peele (“Get Out”) will join “Black Panther” and “Creed” franchise mastermind Ryan Coogler for candid filmmaker-on-filmmaker conversations during Season 2 of the “In Proximity” podcast.
Coogler executive produces the Webby award-nominated podcast alongside his Proximity Media co-founders Zinzi Coogler and Sev Ohanian and the company’s head of audio Paola Mardo.
“It’s been thrilling to see our Proximity community grow with our podcast, with a listenership that ranges from emerging creatives and industry veterans to passionate fans of film, TV, and audio,” said Mardo. “We can’t wait to continue serving our community with more craft conversations with Ryan and our Proximity crew, along with some fun surprises and trips behind the scenes.”
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Coogler’s sit down with Jefferson launches on Sept. 8 and serves as the season premiere. New this season, as featured in a clip from the episode (shown above), is an icebreaker segment called “Get Reel,” in which the host and guest answer surprise questions pulled out of film canister reels. Jefferson selects the question, “Most memorable interaction with an audience member who saw your film” and shares an anecdote about meeting Robert Townsend, whose 1987 film “Hollywood Shuffle” he describes as a “spiritual predecessor” to “American Fiction.”
about meeting Townsend, Jefferson shares, “The first time we met, he gave me a big hug and a kiss on the cheek, and he said, ‘I’m very proud of you.’ He said, ‘I love your movie, and I love you.'”
Connecting with one of his heroes was an emotional, full-circle moment for Jefferson, who also says, “I had never made anything before and this industry can feel incredibly intimidating and exclusionary, and to feel the warmth of that reception, it meant the world to me. … I’ll remember that for the rest of my life.”
In addition to Jefferson and Peele, the lineup of Season 2 guests include filmmaking duo Juel Taylor and Tony Rettenmaier (“They Cloned Tyrone,” “Space Jam: A New Legacy”) in conversation with Proximity founder and writer/producer Sev Ohanian; Proximity head of film development and production Rebecca Cho interviews New York Times bestselling author/illustrator and screenwriter Jonny Sun, and later Amazon MGM Studios head of film, streaming and theatrical Courtenay Valenti; documentarians Pete Nicks and Jon Else; and more. The season will also give insight on Coogler’s highly-anticipated next film, starring Michael B. Jordan and dated for release March 7, 2025, plus special episodes tackling relevant issues in the entertainment industry including the state of independent movie theaters.
New episodes release biweekly through February on all podcast platforms, including Apple Podcasts and Spotify, as well as on the company’s website.
Season 1 of “In Proximity” featured conversations with Michael B. Jordan, Steph Curry, Tessa Thompson, Ta-Nehisi Coates, Charles D. King, Tara Duncan, Roman Mars, Aneesh Chaganty and Natalie Qasabian, among others. The show is produced by Proximity Media’s audio division, which also runs the Webby and NAACP Image Award-winning podcast “Wakanda Forever: The Official Black Panther Podcast,” written and hosted by Coates.
