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What do fragile dreams, public grief, and indie film have in common? More than you might think. Mo & Matt Lathrom (from the last guest episode) start with an unsettling “protect the tiny creature” dreams and move through the losses of cultural icons, asking what kind of space opens when giants leave—and who has the courage to fill it. Along the way, they talk illness, resilience, and why a single look in a scene can change how you feel about a character more than any speech ever could.

Matt, a visual effects artist, writer, and producer, joins Mo to unpack what really happens behind the Sundance mystique: submissions with unfinished shots, the quiet bravery of showing work-in-progress to people who can truly see it, and the unspoken rule of respecting the room. From there they wade into today’s biggest creative fault line—AI. They challenge the myth of “AI actors,” the promise of cheap, automated storytelling, and why those projects become expensive VFX pipelines the moment you ask for continuity, pores, light, and soul. Productivity without purpose is a trap; the point isn’t more output, it’s better outcomes.

They also get practical. Where AI can help—scaffolding ideas, clarifying structure, reducing noise—it’s a tool. Where it starts replacing performance, editing intuition, or the moral labor of choosing what to show and why, it’s a cost we shouldn’t hide. Film remains our best empathy engine, letting us sit with people we’d otherwise never understand. If you’ve been waiting to start your script, short, or show, consider this your nudge. Begin messy. Share early. Keep the room respectful. And keep showing up, because the space our legends leave won’t fill itself.

If this spoke to you, follow the show, share it with a friend, and leave a quick review—what part changed how you see the creative future?

Instagram: @this.is.a.metaphor & @joyscout.mo

Email Mo: mo@joyscoutstudio.com

Cover Design by: Joyscout Studio // For commissioned art & design inquiries: Joyscout Studio

“Don’t get Deterred, get Inspired”

October has a way of shaking the dust off creativity. In this episode, Mo looks at how Halloween’s built-in weirdness gives people an excuse to show sides of themselves they usually keep hidden. It’s not about spells or candy — it’s about the rare moment when performance, play, and belonging overlap.

She traces that spark into the rest of the year, sharing small rituals that keep curiosity alive — Sunday-night cards, moon journaling, neighborhood costume swaps — the kind of repeatable moments that turn time into texture and help you craft a life that feels like your own.

Hit play, then tell us your favorite ritual or the tiny celebration you’ll start this week. If it lands, share it with a friend who loves a good theme, and leave a review so we can keep bringing a little make-believe to the everyday.

Instagram: @this.is.a.metaphor & @joyscout.mo

“Don’t get Deterred, get Inspired”

Cover Design by: Joyscout Studio // For commissioned art & design inquiries: Joyscout Studio

Email Mo: mo@joyscoutstudio.com

They came for Visual Effects, but stayed for coffee shop politics. On this episode Mo chats with fellow creative, and friend, Matt Lathrom. Agencies thin out while indie film gets louder, scrappier, and—somehow—more fun. Lathrom, a multi-hyphenate VFX artist and producer whose credits include HBO, Netflix, and a growing list of indie features aiming at Sundance. Together they get candid about the gap between plan and reality, the strange relief of admitting you’re done for the day, and the gravity of trust when deadlines tighten.

Mo & Matt pull apart what makes creative collaboration work: leaders who ask questions instead of prescribing, teams that reward taste over tweaks, and the difference between micromanagement and meaningful direction. Matt shares where he finds the most freedom on set and in post, why some shows invite you to invent while others reduce you to a cursor, and how letting go can unlock better work. They also look upstream, at the industry’s bigger shifts—studio consolidation, the indie boom’s artistic payoff but thinner paychecks, and the evergreen tug-of-war between art and business that dates back to Wenders, Lucas, and Spielberg.

This is part 1

TIMESTAMPS, BABY

0:00 – Matt

2:36 – Sundance

6:48 – Meltdowns

9:06 – Time vs Reality

15:10 – Perfectionism

18:10 – Client vs Personal

26:20 – Dry Spells

32:20 – Community

36:40 – Recession

52:12 – AI (The Horror. The Brilliance! The Audacity)

Instagram: @this.is.a.metaphor & @joyscout.mo

“Don’t get Deterred, get Inspired”

Cover Design by: Joyscout Studio // For commissioned art & design inquiries: Joyscout Studio

Email Mo: mo@joyscoutstudio.com