I Saw You In That Thing I Saw You In!

Welcome Actress Alyssa Botelho!

🎬 Whiskey, Cocaine Legends & Production PTSD | Alyssa Botelho on I Saw You In That Thing I Saw You In! Inside This Episode: 📌 The "Trophy Chaser" Origins & Overachiever Blues Stephen kicks off the show by playfully confronting Alyssa with her glistening academic and festival record. Alyssa opens up about growing up in a hardworking, blue-collar family outside the film industry, admitting that in her early 20s she became a relentless "trophy chaser" to visually prove she belonged on the same sets as filmmakers from generational Hollywood wealth. 📌 Whiskey Shots, Gingerbread, and the Azores Fulbright As the interview completely devolves into a live party, Stephen and Alyssa match drinks, transitioning from cough-syrup-flavored blackberry brandy to a highly praised gingerbread formulation. Alyssa details her recent eight-month stint living in San Miguel, Azores, on a Fulbright grant to write her World War I historical feature script, The Last Frontier. She shares the striking history of the Portuguese islands (often called the "10th Island" of New England) and hilariously digresses into a local legend about a massive early-2000s shoreline cocaine wash-up that had local grandmothers unknowingly seasoning fish with narcotics. 📌 The "Every December" Acting Epiphany Alyssa drops an exclusive studio revelation: despite establishing her professional career behind the camera as a powerhouse director, she harbors a deep, unyielding passion for screen acting. She confesses to a bizarre, five-year running psychological cycle where every single December, like clockwork, she has a massive artistic epiphany prompting her to drop everything and act full-time—only to get swept right back into logistical production work by January. Stephen happily charges her a hypothetical $500 therapy fee to prescribe a massive push for her next winter cycle. 📌 Production PTSD: The Medium vs. Small Coffee Incident When asked for an embarrassing behind-the-scenes story from her early days as a production assistant in Providence, Alyssa details the sheer, soul-crushing anxiety of the PA grind. Eager to please a high-profile producer, Alyssa accidentally brought back a medium specialty iced coffee instead of a small. She describes the utter terror of watching the producer stare at the cup like it had green bubbles coming out of it, sending Alyssa into a spiral where she was entirely convinced she was going to be fired on the spot. 📌 Alyssa's Masterclass Advice for Filmmakers "Cross-train and learn the other craft. If you are an actor, learn what it takes to actually write a script and see how a director blocks a scene. If you are a director, force yourself into a vulnerable position and take an acting class. Stepping into each other's shoes is the absolute only way to build long-term empathy and make yourself a better storyteller." 📌Racking Up the Grants & What's Next: Alyssa outlines a beautifully ambitious slate of upcoming historical and genre projects. Support the Show & Our Sponsors: 🎯 Parody News Network (PNN): The ultimate comedy playground tracking the local New England acting elite. Subscribe to watch your favorite movie plots completely dismantled as breaking news broadcasts! Subscribe here: ⁠   / parodynewsnetwork  ⁠ 🎙️ I Saw You In That Thing I Saw You In: Follow us on Spotify and leave a review if you loved this hilariously chaotic, freewheeling peek inside the indie film machine! ⁠#AlyssaBotelho⁠ ⁠#StephenLomer⁠ ⁠#FulbrightFellowship⁠ ⁠#TheLastFrontier⁠ ⁠#SweetFreedom⁠ ⁠#IndieDirector⁠ ⁠#WomenInFilm⁠ ⁠#BostonCasting⁠ ⁠#NewEnglandActors⁠ ⁠#RhodeIslandFilm⁠ ⁠#ProductionAssistant⁠ ⁠#ScreenwritingTips⁠ ⁠#Hereditary⁠ ⁠#TheGoonies⁠ ⁠#ParodyNewsNetwork⁠ ⁠#ISawYouInThatThingISawYouIn⁠Transcript

Welcome Actress Rachel Thomas-Medwin!

🎬 Award-Winning Independent Screenwriter, Director, and Producer Rachel Thomas-Medwin | I Saw You In That Thing I Saw You In! Host Stephen Lomer sits down with the podcast's very first primarily behind-the-camera guest! For the internet trolls tracking the show's actor-only criteria, Rachel completely qualifies — having met Stephen's strict rule by getting her face brutally pulverized on screen in Face Crusher Legends and appearing in the film Ambition. In this deeply engaging conversation, Rachel pulls back the curtain on transitioning from an introverted English major to an accomplished auteur dominating the indie horror and psychological thriller festival circuits. Inside This Episode From Short Stories to Formatting Freedom Rachel tracks her artistic evolution from writing complex prose in college to picking up a book on screenwriting structure. The LA Meeting That Changed Everything After her first feature script won a major screenwriting contest, Rachel naively thought Hollywood would automatically step in to produce it. Later, a New York company optioned a script for a table read, but a blunt piece of advice from a film programmer in Los Angeles completely altered her trajectory. The Low-Budget Production Masterclass Rachel gives a comprehensive breakdown of bringing a film from early concept to the cinema screen. Dances with Films & The Festival Circuit Strategy Stephen and Rachel discuss the strategic reality of marketing a completed film. Rachel reveals that her short film Dissection Day was officially accepted into the prestigious Dances with Films festival in Los Angeles—a massive feat considering the festival pulls in over 6,000 global submissions. The Introverted Director & Q&A Anxiety In a highly relatable segment, Stephen and Rachel bond over a surprising shared trait: they are both deeply introverted creatives. Rachel opens up about the exhaustion of forcing herself into the spotlight for podcast appearances, directing large sets of eccentric personalities, and conquering the paralyzing fear of public Q&A panels where unexpected questions trigger a literal fight-or-flight response. Sneak Peek at What's Next Rachel shares a teaser for her upcoming short film, Sever, a haunting New England gothic horror project. The story follows a pregnant woman escaping an abusive relationship who hides out inside her grandmother's antique farmhouse, only to find herself slowly ensnared by a dark, surreal childhood fairy tale inspired by The Red Shoes. Support the Show & Our Sponsors 🎯 Parody News Network (PNN): Parodying your favorite movie plots as breaking global news events. Subscribe to laugh at the mainstream headlines again! Subscribe here: youtube.com/ParodyNewsNetwork 🎙️ I Saw You In That Thing I Saw You In: Follow us on Spotify and drop a review if you loved Rachel’s deep dive into the screenwriting and directing hustle! #RachelThomasMedwin #StephenLomer #ScreenwritingTips #IndieFilmmaking #DirectorLife #DancesWithFilms #DissectionDay #SeverMovie #WomenInFilm #BostonCasting #NewEnglandFilmmakers #HorrorDirector #PsychologicalThriller #StudioBinder #PaulKandarian #ISawYouInThatThingISawYouIn

Welcome Actress Katya Zykina!

🎬 Standing In, Bright Skirts, and Being a Mail-Order Bride | Katya Zykina on I Saw You In That Thing I Saw You In! Katya is a Russian-born actress, musician, union activist, and premier industry stand-in. Moving to the United States eight years ago, she has built an incredible reputation as the ultimate "secret weapon" on massive television sets. From growing up watching Soviet cinema classics to navigating high-stakes stunt days and enduring painful behind-the-scenes wardrobe hazards, Katya brings an incredibly authentic, joyful, and hard-working energy to the studio. Inside This Episode: 📌The Mechanics of the Stand-In & Photo Double Katya breaks down her true "bread and butter" role in the industry. As the number-one stand-in for Hollywood star Lauren Cohan on the hit television series The Walking Dead: Dead City, Katya explains the immense physical discipline and focus required to track blocking, lighting alignments, and camera angles for 12-hour days. She reveals how embedded she has become across multiple production departments over two intense seasons. 📌An Over-the-Phone SAG Invitation Katya tells the surreal story of how she randomly achieved SAG-AFTRA eligibility. After a casting director called her out of the blue to fill a last-minute five-night overnight shift as a wedding waiter, she found herself on the Boston set of About Fate (2022). In an incredible twist of destiny, the romantic comedy was directed by Marius Weisberg as a Hollywood remake of The Irony of Fate—the ultimate iconic Soviet movie that Katya's family watched every single New Year's Eve back in Russia! 📌The Anti-Human Horror Dream While Katya loves exploring high-stakes comedy (and recently knocked her scene out of the park as a mail-order bride in a Boston 48-Hour Film Project short), she reveals her deep-seated, ultimate cinematic dream. Inspired by actors with unmatched chameleonic ranges like Ralph Fiennes and Willem Dafoe, Katya drops a passionate plea to casting directors: she wants to be cast behind heavy prosthetics as a completely non-human, terrifyingly evil creature, alien, or ghost in a major horror feature. The M. Night Shyamalan Skirt Sabotage In one of the most painful yet hilarious set stories ever told on the podcast, Katya recounts working as a background artist on a recent, high-profile M. Night Shyamalan film production. Right before a crew member shouted "background action," a wasp flew directly into the hidden folds of her heavily layered, colorful summer skirt. Forced to remain entirely in character, Katya spent the entire take smiling and blowing bubbles on camera while being repeatedly stung on her leg and belly! The Boston vs. Los Angeles Conundrum Katya weighs the classic regional actor's dilemma. While her absolute hatred for freezing New England winters draws her toward the sunny climates of Los Angeles, she reveals the logistical advantage of staying in the Massachusetts ecosystem. As Katya notes: "If somebody needs a Russian actor here in Boston, I'm on speed dial. In LA, there are thousands of us." Support the Show & Our Sponsors: 🎯 Parody News Network (PNN): As a premier actor in the local community, Katya hints at her upcoming, highly anticipated crossover into the PNN comedy space. Watch your favorite television and movie plots satirized for your protection! Subscribe here: ⁠   / parodynewsnetwork  ⁠ [https://youtube.com/ParodyNewsNetwork] 🎙️ I Saw You In That Thing I Saw You In: Follow us on Spotify and leave a review if you loved Katya's brilliant set stories and unique career trajectory! ⁠#KatyaZykina⁠ [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/katyazykina] ⁠#StephenLomer⁠ [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/stephenlomer] ⁠#TheWalkingDead⁠ [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/thewalkingdead] ⁠#DeadCity⁠ [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/deadcity] ⁠#LaurenCohan⁠ [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/laurencohan] ⁠#AboutFate⁠ [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/aboutfate] ⁠#MNightShyamalan⁠ [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/mnightshyamalan] ⁠#ActorsAccess⁠ [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/actorsaccess] ⁠#SAGAFTRA⁠ [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/sagaftra] ⁠#BostonCasting⁠ [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/bostoncasting] ⁠#NewEnglandActors⁠ [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/newenglandactors] ⁠#StandInActor⁠ [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/standinactor] ⁠#IndieFilmmaking⁠ [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/indiefilmmaking] ⁠#HorrorProsthetics⁠ [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/horrorprosthetics] ⁠#48HourFilmProject⁠ [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/48hourfilmproject] ⁠#ISawYouInThatThingISawYouIn⁠ [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/isawyouinthatthingisawyouin]

Welcome Actress Kate Eppers!

🎬 Exeter City Hall & The Early Late Night Live Days | Kate Eppers on I Saw You In That Thing I Saw You In! Stephen and Kate take a nostalgic trip down memory lane to decipher the exact origin story of their friendship. They track it back to their collaborative days on The Early Late Night Live Show — a public access staple hosted by Terry Trainor and co-hosted by KJ Traynor and Mitch Fortier. Stephen breaks down his memories of a hilarious Exeter City Hall filming mix-up, rocking matching sunglasses with his Typo Squad co-star Christa, and Kate recalls once successfully executing a solo "takeover" of the entire talk show. 📌 The Ig Nobel Awards: Scientific Comedy at Harvard In a fascinating look at her childhood, Kate shares what it was like growing up with her uncle, Marc Abrahams, the founder and master of ceremonies of the world-famous Ig Nobel Prize Awards. 📌 Unlocking Potiphar’s Wife & The Music DreamKate maps out her journey through school chorus lines and regional musical theater, admitting to a 20-year-old "grudge" over being passed over for a prime role in high school. She shares the ultimate artistic redemption of finally being cast as Potiphar’s Wife in a mid-20s production of Andrew Lloyd Webber's Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat with the Neverland Theatre in Danvers. 📌 Christmasforce: Symphonic Power Metal Holiday Cover Bands Alongside her fiancé Brian Murphy (of the band One Time Mountain), Kate pulls back the curtain on their epic holiday project: Christmasforce. Inspired by the high-octane symphonic metal of bands like DragonForce, the duo successfully arranged and recorded an entire heavy metal cover of the classic Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer soundtrack, featuring guest rock star vocalists from Germany! 📌 IMDb Known-Fors & Pageant Reality Check Stephen plays a round of IMDb roulette to see if Kate's algorithmic "Known For" listings hold up. 🌟 Apocalypse Party: A peaceful, existential short film by Smoking Bottle Entertainment where Kate's character literally just sits and eats chocolate cookies while a comet approaches Earth. 🌟 Amber Oak: Writing and recording the official '80s-inspired sci-fi theme song, "Within My Reach," for creator Ceara Comeau. 🌟 Groundhog: A cold, chaotic, winter-themed horror movie that served as her very first extra gig. 📌 Tapdancing on a Landmine: Heritage, Identity, and Safety In a deeply candid and serious segment, Stephen asks Kate about navigating her public identity as a proud Ashkenazi Jew. Kate opens up about the complex realities of facing intense online anti-Semitism and scary messages on Facebook simply for sharing personal trip photos or celebrating her heritage. She breaks down the nuances of ethno-religions, her family's roots from Iran to Israel, and why she ultimately chose to pull back from being overly vocal online purely for the safety of her children. 📌 What's Next Kate details her exciting return to the King Serpent Variety Troop with David Breen, teasing upcoming dinner theater residencies at the Pearl Street Station in Malden and regional PorchFests across the North Shore. Support the Show & Our Sponsors: 🎯 Parody News Network (PNN): With 9 appearances under her belt, Kate is officially eligible to join the elusive PNN Niners Club and sign the historic sign at Port Nine Studios. See her comedic work and enjoy your favorite movie plots satirized for your protection! Subscribe here: ⁠   / parodynewsnetwork  ⁠ [https://youtube.com/ParodyNewsNetwork] 🎙️ I Saw You In That Thing I Saw You In: Follow us on Spotify and leave a review if you loved Kate's incredible life and career stories! ⁠#KateEppers⁠ [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/kateeppers] ⁠#StephenLomer⁠ [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/stephenlomer] ⁠#IgNobelAwards⁠ [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/ignobelawards] ⁠#ChristmasForce⁠ [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/christmasforce] ⁠#PowerMetal⁠ [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/powermetal] ⁠#TheDinnerParty⁠ [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/thedinnerparty] ⁠#NewEnglandPetitePageant⁠ [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/newenglandpetitepageant] ⁠#ApocalypseParty⁠ [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/apocalypseparty] ⁠#AmberOak⁠ [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/amberoak] ⁠#BostonCasting⁠ [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/bostoncasting] ⁠#NewEnglandActors⁠ [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/newenglandactors] ⁠#KingSerpentVarietyTroop⁠ [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/kingserpentvarietytroop] ⁠#NeverlandTheatre⁠ [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/neverlandtheatre] ⁠#DeadSeaSpas⁠ [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/deadseaspas] ⁠#ISawYouInThatThingISawYouIn⁠ [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/isawyouinthatthingisawyouin]

Welcome Actor Brennan Fromm!

This episode of I Saw You In That Thing I Saw You In is an absolute masterclass in artistic freedom, breaking stereotypes, and rejecting the labels the industry tries to slap on you. Host Stephen Lomer sits down with a multi-talented force in the New England creative scene: Brennan Fromm. Brennan is fresh off a massive milestone as the 2025 Boston Fashion Awards Top Male Model, but as Stephen uncovers, he is far more than just a sharp look on a runway. With an extensive background in classical piano, theater, commercial print, and television, Brennan brings a raw, unfiltered, and deeply philosophical energy to the studio. Inside This Episode: 📌 Backstage Surprises & The 2025 Boston Fashion Awards Brennan shares the hilarious, fast-paced reality of the night he was named Boston's top male model. Juggling rapid wardrobe changes for multiple designers, he didn't even hear his name announced—learning he won only when a chaotic crew member shouted the news at him backstage. 📌 The Mechanics of Hollywood Sets: Chaos vs. Order The Perfect Couple Brennan reflects on his time doing background work on the hit series. Filmed in Massachusetts right before the 2023 industry strikes, he breaks down the "organized chaos" of navigating a massive crowd of extras on a high-profile set. 📌 The Gilded Age By contrast, Brennan praises the seamless, ultra-professional production design and coordination of the HBO period drama, noting it as one of his absolute favorite set experiences. 📌 The Hasbro Super Hero Suite: Spider-Man, Hulk, and Cyclops Brennan talks about the surreal experience of being hired by toy giant Hasbro for major Marvel campaigns. He pulls back the curtain on crawling across fake brick layouts in a sweltering, high-tech Spider-Man: Homecoming mask with blinking eyes—an experience that led to his friends mercilessly teasing him at local clubs. Stephen uncovers that Brennan also modeled the packaging boxes for The Incredible Hulk and X-Men’s Cyclops. 📌 IMDb Roulette: The "Child Actor" Files Stephen plays a round of IMDb roulette, unearthing bizarre, un-updated project listings that leave Brennan scratching his head: You Are Here (2017): A project filmed inside a depressing, near-abandoned upstate New York mall. Tales to Line the Coffin: A dramatic childhood role where Brennan played the son of a lawyer and had to physically pee his pants on camera during an intense family screaming match. Pre-Production Paradoxes: The confusion of being "known for" unreleased indie features like Terror Don't Sleep and Elliot the Iron Mask. 📌 Advice for Aspiring Performers: "Dream big. Always dream big. You are authentic in yourself as it is. Do not change yourself or adjust for other people's standards. Don't dim your light, no matter what a director or producer says. At the end of the day, acting isn't even about us—it's about bringing another human being's story to life naturally." Support the Show & Our Sponsors: 🎯 Parody News Network (PNN): Satirizing your favorite cinema and television plots as real-world news broadcasts for your protection. Subscribe here: ⁠   / parodynewsnetwork  ⁠ [https://youtube.com/ParodyNewsNetwork] 🎙️ I Saw You In That Thing I Saw You In: Follow us on Spotify and leave a review if you love raw, authentic conversations about modeling, acting, and the creative hustle! ⁠#BrennanFromm⁠ [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/brennanfromm] ⁠#StephenLomer⁠ [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/stephenlomer] ⁠#BostonFashionAwards⁠ [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/bostonfashionawards] ⁠#TopMaleModel⁠ [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/topmale] ⁠#ThePerfectCouple⁠ [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/theperfectcouple] ⁠#TheGildedAge⁠ [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/thegildedage] ⁠#HasbroSpiderMan⁠ [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/hasbrospiderman] ⁠#MarvelHasbro⁠ [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/marvelhasbro] ⁠#Typecasting⁠ [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/typecasting] ⁠#IndieFilmmaking⁠ [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/indiefilmmaking] ⁠#SAGAFTRA⁠ [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/sagaftra] ⁠#BostonCasting⁠ [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/bostoncasting] ⁠#NewEnglandActors⁠ [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/newenglandactors] ⁠#ModelLife⁠ [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/modellife] ⁠#NoBoxes⁠ [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/noboxes] ⁠#ISawYouInThatThing⁠ [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/isawyouinthatthing]