Ep. 275 I Erik & Chris Ewers on PBS Funding, AI & Directing Goldblum, Clooney & Streep

Even with Ken Burns and Don Henley attached, funding a PBS documentary is brutal. So what hope do the rest of us have?Erik and Christopher Ewers get real about PBS funding, AI’s impact on filmmaking, and how they landed George Clooney, Jeff Goldblum, Ted Danson, Tate Donovan and Meryl Streep for their new PBS documentary Henry David Thoreau.In Part 2 of this conversation, the Ewers Brothers open up about the financial realities of documentary funding, even with Ken Burns and Don Henley attached, why Chris sees AI as the next revolution instead of the apocalypse, how broadcast is giving way to streaming, and the stories behind casting some of Hollywood’s biggest voices. This is Part 2 of a two-part conversation.In Part 2, you’ll learn:— Why having Ken Burns and Don Henley as executive producers doesn’t make funding easy and who actually made the Thoreau film possible— Chris’s case for why AI is the digital camera revolution all over again, not the death of filmmaking— The best professional advice Chris ever received and why it will never change— How Chris kept his mouth shut on a commercial set with Jeff Goldblum and how that silence led to Goldblum voicing Thoreau— The story of how Don Henley quietly recruited George Clooney as narrator and Clooney’s reaction when asked how long he’d known Henley— Ken Burns’s advice on directing Meryl Streep: “You don’t.”— How streaming is changing episode length and why “the director’s cut” isn't what it used to be.— Erik’s approach to pre-planning edit cuts for PBS broadcast time slots without sacrificing the story— Why Ken Burns treats his mentorship like tough love — and why Erik is grateful for it— One thing filmmakers need to know about getting a documentary on PBSTimestamps:0:00 Introduction1:21 Unpacking the Thoreauvian mindset2:46 Thoreau’s prescience on consumerism3:50 Erik on Thoreau’s “cost of life” quote and the iPhone4:40 Thoreau and the birth of the Industrial Revolution6:03 Christian’s advice: think from the end back6:50 Chris on the state of the industry — Industrial Revolution to AI10:20 Christian: as a voice actor, AI is a challenge10:53 The best professional advice Chris ever received11:36 Christian on the struggle to fund the next film12:54 Money is always the biggest hurdle13:15 How the Ewers Brothers fund PBS docs without federal money14:49 Ken Burns’s two binders of rejection letters15:07 The Movies That Made Us — encouragement for indie filmmakers16:26 The reality: it’s hard for everybody17:52 Erik on Ken Burns’s legacy projects and the privilege of the brand20:58 Erik on earning the gift — Ken’s tough love mentorship22:00 Broadcast vs. streaming — why episode length is changing23:52 Erik’s editing strategy for PBS time slots25:37 Celebrity voice talent — how they landed Jeff Goldblum27:43 Don Henley’s connections — Ted Danson and Meryl Streep29:09 The George Clooney reveal — “If Don Henley calls, you say yes”30:43 What it’s like to direct celebrity voice talent30:55 Jeff Goldblum in the booth — pure instinct31:26 Ken Burns’s advice on directing Meryl Streep31:52 George Clooney: “Tell me if I suck”32:42 DocuVue Deja Vu — Erik’s picks and Chris’s all-time favoriteDocuView DejaVu Picks:Erik Ewers: Crumb (1994), Hearts of Darkness: