The road to The Concession Stand wasn’t paved with popcorn—at first, it barely had gravel.
Last fall, I was gearing up for my Senior Project: a short film titled Spaceman and Pickles. It was quirky, heartfelt, and ready for liftoff… until it wasn’t. The launch sequence fizzled somewhere around phase two, leaving me staring at the smoking remains of a dream and wondering what to build from the ashes.
But the creative gears never really stop turning, do they? Somewhere in the back of my mind—wedged between half-written scripts and that one joke I still think is funny—lived the idea of a movie podcast. And then, as fate would have it, I met a friend who hadn’t seen many films at all. A cinematic blank slate. A popcorn-eating prodigy waiting to be awakened. Suddenly the idea wasn’t just a whisper. It had a heartbeat.
And so The Concession Stand was born.
The premise blossomed quickly: each week I’d bring on a guest or co-host, and together we’d either convince each other—or the audience—to watch the film of the week. Not a review show, not a book report. Just a rolling conversation about the movies that spark our imaginations, light up our nostalgia, or make us question our sanity… in the best possible way.
Thanks to Steven Vest and the wonderful team at the BYU-I Production Office, I had access to a full broadcast studio to film the first three episodes, plus a tech rehearsal (yes, the one immortalized in that picture). The space felt like home: lights humming, cameras blinking awake, the air thick with possibility.
Episode 1
The shoot started like any new adventure—mild turbulence, a few bumps of awkwardness, and a host trying to remember how to be a human being on camera. But once the conversation drifted into the twin suns of Tatooine and the mythic heartbeat of that galaxy far, far away, the nerves melted. It became exactly what it was meant to be: two people talking about a story that mattered.
Episode 2
By Episode 2—Tron—I’d found firmer footing. Even when my planned guest had to cancel, the show simply… adapted. Like a good script rewrite or a panicked editor with a deadline. The set evolved. The lighting shifted. The show began to find its identity.
Episode 3
And then came Episode 3.
A Christmas release called for a Christmas film, and truly, what better cinematic gift is there than Frank Capra’s It’s a Wonderful Life? Somewhere in that conversation, something clicked. The rhythm, the tone, the ease—it felt like finding the sweet spot on a guitar string. The show wasn’t just working. It was singing.
The Takeaway
If this whole experience taught me anything, it’s this:
If you’ve got an idea tugging at your sleeve—some creative spark that won’t leave you alone—follow it. Chase it. And when the universe throws a curveball, make concessions where you need to. (Yes, I know. But a pun left on the table is a tragedy.)
Films matter. Stories matter. They have a way of slipping past our defenses and teaching us things we didn’t know we needed to learn. And if I can help share even a sliver of that magic, I’ll gladly hand you a ticket and point you toward the nearest aisle.
So please join me when The Concession Stand premieres December 11th on Spotify, YouTube, and Apple Podcasts, complete with a special presentation at the Communication Senior Showcase.
I’ll save you a seat. And maybe a piece of candy—if I don’t eat it first.