Mariana van Zeller — Inside the Underworld with a Peabody Award-Winning Journalist

Jeff Buchanan’s career as an editor has been nothing short of extraordinary. Known for his long-time collaborations with visionary directors Michel Gondry and Spike Jonze, Jeff has helped shape some of the most inventive and genre-defying films and music videos of our time. His work seamlessly blends artistry, rhythm, and emotion—turning raw footage into unforgettable cinematic experiences. In this episode, Jeff takes us inside his journey from early breaks in the industry to becoming a trusted creative partner to two of cinema’s most original voices. He shares stories from the cutting room, insights into the delicate dance between editor and director, and how he approaches storytelling with both precision and playfulness. Whether you’re a film buff, aspiring editor, or simply curious about the creative process behind iconic work, this conversation pulls back the curtain on a career built on vision, trust, and collaboration.

Mariana van Zeller has built her career by venturing into some of the world’s most dangerous black markets and criminal underworlds. A Peabody Award–winning journalist and the fearless host of National Geographic’s acclaimed series Trafficked, she has been focused on uncovering the human stories behind global illicit trades. In this episode, Mariana shares harrowing accounts from the field—moments when risk and danger were ever-present—and how she balances personal safety with the pursuit of truth. She also opens up about her unique storytelling approach: building trust with sources, capturing nuance in high-stakes environments, and making sense of complex systems that shape our world in hidden ways. If you’ve ever wondered what it takes to shine a light on stories few dare to tell, this conversation offers a candid look into the courage, empathy, and relentless curiosity that define Mariana’s work.

Season II of The We Are Official Podcast is coming! Mariana van Zeller takes us inside the world’s black markets, chasing truth with empathy and grit. Jeff Buchanan shows us how storytelling takes shape in the edit room, drawing from years of collaboration with Spike Jonze and Michel Gondry. Josh Shelton pulls back the curtain on life at Sundance, where he helps independent voices find their audience. And Dave Bushore brings us into the future where storytelling, technology, and imagination collide in his latest VR worlds.  It’s a season about curiosity, craft, and the people who remind us why great stories matter more than ever. Hosted by Mark Rinehart, Tony Franklin, and Matthew Sultan. Follow @weareofficialLA on insta for active updates on episode drops. Go to www.weareofficial.com for more info on the company.

Commercial and narrative filmmaker Carlyn Hudson swung by the Official studio to talk shop with hosts Mark Rinehart, Tony Franklin, and Matthew Sultan. Carlyn Hudson is a left-of-center comedy director and writer from a little bitty town in Texas who now calls Los Angeles home. Her horror/comedy short WAFFLE premiered in competition at SXSW in 2020 and has since been played on thousands of laptops (and hopefully a few TV screens) across the globe, picking up multiple best director awards in the process. Another reviewer compared her to Jordan Peele but she's too embarrassed to cite that one here. Other recent shorts include the dark comedy/sci-fi THE WORKPLACE, distributed by Dust and Gunpowder and Sky, and NICE ASS, another SXSW premiere about, you guessed it, a giant butt. As a commercial director, Carlyn specializes in stylish dialogue comedy and has worked with brands such as JIF (one of Source Creative’s top campaigns of 2020), Lexus, Hasbro, Kroger, and Annovera, whose campaign starring Whitney Cummings won a Cannes Silver Lion in 2021. In 2020, Carlyn received the high honor of being in the top 2% of Taylor's Swift's Spotify listeners *in the world.* When she’s not listening to Folklore on repeat, she’s likely bossing around her partner, Alexandria, and attempting to train their growing cadre of rescue pets. 

Director Sam French graced us with is presence at the Official Studios in Atwater Village to talk some shop with hosts @rinestar, @tony_franklin, and @sultanavicci. An Oscar-nominated filmmaker and founding director of the documentary production company Development Pictures, Sam’s work has appeared on HBO, BBC, CNN, Channel 4 News, Al Jazeera, National Geographic, and other broadcast outlets. Sam spent five years in Afghanistan, where he directed the Oscar-nominated narrative short film Buzkashi Boys. His documentary With This Breath I Fly, about two Afghan women fighting for their freedom after being imprisoned for “moral crimes,” has won over a dozen awards at major film festivals. Sam has directed episodes of the Emmy-nominated documentary series Religion of Sports, the Emmy-nominated series Why We Fight, and the Red Bull series All In and Life of Kai. He is currently working on Dominion, a documentary about a new generation of evangelical climate activists, and Skinhead, a narrative feature film about former neo-Nazi Frank Meeink, exploring one man’s fall to power and rise into grace.Sam believes that storytelling has the power to connect people across different cultures, and by sharing our stories, we can change the world. He lives in Los Angeles. 

The illustrious director Jordan Brady dropped by the Official studios (www.weareofficial.com) in Atwater Village to talk shop with hosts Matt Sultan, Tony Franklin and Mark Rinehart. Jordan began as a stand-up comedian touring nightclubs and colleges across America. A 100% self-taught filmmaker, he’s directed four narrative feature films, three full documentaries and over 1200 national & regional commercials and Maria Bamford’s acclaimed Netflix Comedy Special.. Jordan directs advertising campaigns for brands and agencies from all over the world. Given his background, it’s no surprise he has directed comedy giants as Will Ferrell, Kevin Hart, Keegan-Michael Key, Rory Scovel and more. Other notable celebrities include international star Arnold Schwarzenegger and country music legend Brad Paisley, campaigns starring actress Kathryn Hahn for Chrysler and Lamorne Morris for Buick. Equally as nimble with visual effects, he’s shot over 50 sleight-of-hand magic trick spots for Toyota Saatchi Los Angeles that effortless combine in-camera and digital trickery. Notable advertising awards include multiple Clios, National Gold, ADDY’s, Gold Promax Award, One Show, D Show, Pencil, AICP Awards, and more. Mr. Brady’s work is routinely spotlighted on AdWeek, Ads of The World and Agency Spy.  www.jordanbrady.com @thatjordanbrady

Commercial and narrative filmmaker Oren Kaplan swung by the Official studio to talk shop with hosts Mark Rinehart, Tony Franklin, and Matthew Sultan. Oren is a commercial and narrative filmmaker that grew up in Israel and now lives in LA. He's directed commercials for some of your favorite things, like Delimex Taquitos, Nestle Drumsticks, Jeeps, Lotteries, Concussions, Tax Firms and even Toasty Quiznos Subs, where he also served as a creative director. On the narrative end he directed a bunch of episodic shows for Disney, Turner, Comedy Central, and Verizon. Oren’s debut feature, THE HAMMER, premiered at the AFI Film Festival, winning the Breakthrough Film Award. The movie is based on the life of UFC Fighter Matt Hamill and features a cast of primarily Deaf actors. It won seven consecutive audience awards before its theatrical run and release on Netflix. He followed it up with the pulpy action thriller, A MOTHER’S RAGE starring everyone’s favorite aunt and college admissions advisor Lori Loughlin. Between directing jobs, bugging his two children, and reviewing new Trader Joe's snacks, Oren moonlights as a Visual Effects Artist on films such as Oscar-bait Nomadland, C'mon C'mon, and 20th Century Women. To procrastinate Oren talks to other directors and has hosted over 382 episodes of "Just Shoot It," a podcast about the craft and business of being a filmmaker. He is repped by ArtClass Content in the US and Undivided in Canada.  www.weareofficial.com https://directedbyoren.com @okaplan  

Cinematographer Lucas Gath came to the Official Studio to talk shop with hosts Mark Rinehart, Tony Franklin, and Matt Sultan.  Lucas Gath is a filmmaker and visual artist from Buenos Aires, Argentina. His work has taken him to more than 80 countries shooting feature films, documentaries, Virtual Reality films, and commercials and working with Spike Jonze, Luca Guadagnino, and Lucy Walker among others. His recent projects have been at the Sundance film festival, SXSW, Cannes, NYT, HBO, BBC, and Netflix.The crisp quality of his camera work has resulted in an extensive and diverse reel, which has yielded 14 domestic and international awards, an Emmy nomination, and a Goya Nomination. www.weareofficial.com  https://www.lucasgath.com/press-3/2018/10/3/ghost-fleet-at-tiff.   https://www.lucasgath.com