Welcome Actor David Shapiro!

Welcome Actress Kasia Skolasa!

In this episode of I Saw You In That Thing I Saw You, host Stephen Lomer uncovers a journey that spans decades and continents, tracking a child performer who knew her calling at five years old, pivoted through a corporate detour in the United States, and returned to the craft with immense power. From navigating the film festival circuit alongside her creative partner KJ Traynor to high-stakes red carpets and a legendary, star-struck encounter with Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, Kasia proves that when it comes to raw ambition, there are absolutely no limits. Inside This Episode: 📌 The Five-Year-Old Visionary & The LA Detour A Kindergarten Calling: Kasia recalls the exact, vivid memory of standing up in her kindergarten class at age five to confidently announce she was going to be an actress—a calling she backed up by staging childhood plays and demanding her cousins build makeshift theater sets. 📌 The Monster Management Meeting: Kasia drops a fascinating "what if" story from 2005. At age 23, she put herself on a plane to Los Angeles, marched directly to the doorstep of an acting manager she met in New York City, and secured an open invitation to join her office. Kasia opens up about the fear, heavy accent barriers, and a lack of a regional support system that ultimately led her to choose a stable, corporate life over the immediate Hollywood grind. 📌 The Rock Taps a Shoulder: A Gillette Stadium Legend In one of the most charming stories told on the podcast, Kasia takes us back to her early days as a background extra filling the stadium seats for Disney's The Game Plan at Gillette Stadium. Despite explicit Assistant Director rules ordering extras to stay far away from the principal cast, Kasia gracefully lobbied an AD for a single moment to meet her ultimate idol. The result? Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson personally waving her over, greeting her warmly, kissing her on the cheek, and posing for an unforgettable (and tragically lost) digital photo. 📌 The Power of the Accent & Audition Mindsets Kasia flips the script on the standard actor's insecurity regarding accents and cold reads. Instead of looking at English as a barrier, she embraces her native phrasing as a unique signature that brings specific, truthful roles directly to her. She treats self-tapes as an immediate daily playground to live as a new character, rather than a system of empty rejections. 📌 Advice for Aspiring Actors:"Be your own best fan. Be incredibly kind to yourself and do not self-sabotage, because this industry will knock you down many times. Don't look for outside validation or wait for other people to tell you that you are good at it—just feel the spark, trust your performance, and send the tape." 📌 What's Coming Next: Kasia announces a major creative milestone: she and KJ Traynor officially completed the first draft last night for a brand-new feature-length family dramedy slated for production at the end of the summer. Additionally, Kasia details a high-stakes weekend self-tape audition for a major Netflix series requiring fluent, non-faked Polish dialogue. Support the Show & Our Sponsors: 🎯 Parody News Network (PNN): From satirical news broadcasts to legendary script parodies, PNN features the absolute best of New England's creative circle. Subscribe to watch your favorite film 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 drop a review if you loved Kasia's inspiring journey of reclaiming her cinematic dreams! ⁠#KasiaSkolasa⁠ [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/kasiaskolasa] ⁠#StephenLomer⁠ [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/stephenlomer] ⁠#SayHelloShortFilm⁠ [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/sayhelloshortfilm] ⁠#RoxysBoys⁠ [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/roxysboys] ⁠#TheWinterStorm⁠ [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/thewinterstorm] ⁠#DwayneJohnson⁠ [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/dwaynejohnson] ⁠#TheRock⁠ [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/therock] ⁠#JLo⁠ [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/jlo] ⁠#BostonInternationalFilmFestival⁠ [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/bostoninternationalfilm] ⁠#PolishActors⁠ [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/polishactors] ⁠#SAGAFTRA⁠ [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/sagaftra] ⁠#BostonCasting⁠ [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/bostoncasting] ⁠#NewEnglandActors⁠ [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/newenglandactors] ⁠#IndieFilmmaking⁠ [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/indiefilmmaking] ⁠#SelfTapeTips⁠ [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/selftapetips] ⁠#GilletteStadium⁠ [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/gillettestadium] ⁠#ISawYouInThatThing ⁠ [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/isawyouinthatthing]⁠I Saw You In That Thing I Saw You In!⁠ [https://www.youtube.com/@ISYITTISYI]

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]