What filmmakers gain and risk at every level of production.

In this episode of Producers Without Borders, Kayvan Mashayekh speaks with Verena Wieditz, from the Apple TV Original Content Team, about the legal foundations that protect films from development through distribution. Drawing from her international background and experience in both independent and studio environments, Verena breaks down chain of title, music rights, streaming versus territory sales, union considerations, arbitration, and risk management. They explore the difference between studio precision and indie freedom, the rise of micro dramas, and why a strong legal strategy is essential to protecting creative work in today’s global film economy. The conversation continues as they both explore the future of filmmaking and it's potential impact on a variety of other interesting issues.

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A telemetry-based approach to maximizing efficiency in modern film production.

In this episode from January 2026 during the final Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah, Producers Without Borders founder Kayvan Mashayekh sits down with John Corser, former Senior Vice President of Global Production and Production Technology at NBCUniversal to discuss John's new technology company, Film IQ, focused on bringing real-time intelligence to film and television production.

John compares Film IQ’s approach to the telemetry used by Formula One teams. Just as F1 engineers analyze live data to optimize performance on the track, Film IQ aggregates and analyzes the constant stream of production data to provide immediate feedback on schedule, efficiency, and resource allocation.

The conversation explores how small to large scale productions can use data-driven insights to stay on time, control costs, and ultimately put more value on screen without sacrificing creative intent.

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Recorded live at Focus London 2025, this episode captures a timely conversation at the intersection of creativity, technology, and storytelling. As Large Language Models like ChatGPT rapidly reshape creative workflows, many filmmakers are asking how much of the creative process should be handed over to machines.

Producers Without Borders founder Kayvan Mashayekh sits down with renowned mathematician and bestselling author Edward Frenkel, Ph.D. (Love and Math) to explore why human intelligence, intuition, and lived experience remain irreplaceable in film creation. They examine the limits of AI, the risks of relying on tools trained on the past, and the responsibility artists carry to push culture forward through original vision and emotional truth.

Rather than resisting technology, this conversation re-frames AI as a tool that must serve human creativity, not replace it. In an age of algorithms, this episode is a reminder that the future of cinema still depends on the courage, imagination, and intent of filmmakers.

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