Let’s Shoot! with Pete Chatmon Podcast Live Event
Featuring Yellowjackets Screening and Panel

After five years, Let’s Shoot! with Pete Chatmon hosted its first live podcast event at Dynasty Typewriter in Los Angeles on March 19th. All proceeds went to The Altadena Community Preservation Fund to support families impacted by the California wildfires.

It was a special night, while raising funds for the California wildfire victims, Pete Chatmon, who directed the Yellowjackets episode, 'Thanksgiving (Canada)', was hosting in support of his podcast. It was Chatmon's first time directing for the show, but during the panel, it definitely sounded like he'll be back behind the camera.

The event began with Chatmon thanking his team and supporters, then launched into the screening of the Yellowjackets episode. The audience, filled with dedicated fans, reacted strongly to the events on screen.

The panel discussion followed the screening. The panel included Co-creators and Executive Producers, Ashley Lyle and Bart Nickerson, Executive Producer and Director, Jeffrey W. Byrd (Episode 305), Courtney Eaton (“Teen Lottie”), and Warren Kole (“Jeff Sadecki”).

Ashley Lyle and Bart Nickerson, the Executive Producers, discussed the genesis of Yellowjackets, detailing its development before their pitch. They described a tense 35-minute pitch to Showtime, where they initially believed it was unsuccessful, based on the executive's perceived negative reaction. This, they later discovered, was merely a result of the sun's glare.

When considered for directing in season two, Executive Producer and Director Jeffrey W. Byrd intended to watch Yellowjackets as background noise while preparing dinner. However, he quickly became engrossed, abandoning his cooking to fully engage with the show.

Courtney Eaton provided insight into the contrasting filming environments, comparing the confined cabin set of season two to the expansive outdoors featured in seasons one and three. She described the outdoors as a distinct character and noted a collective aversion to the cabin. Eaton also shared that the late-night 'witching hours' during outdoor shoots, often involving mud, intensified their scenes.

Warren Kole spoke fondly of his experience on set, highlighting the creative freedom to ad-lib and considers Melanie Lynskey a fantastic scene partner.

The panel included Yellowjackets trivia that challenged both the panelists and the audience, with Ashley Lyle excelling. They wrapped up the panel with a Q&A from the audience. The Q&A included a revelation from the executive producers: they had shot an entire day of footage for Repo Divorcees, the in-universe series directed by panelist Jeffrey W. Byrd.

“Let’s Shoot! with Pete Chatmon is a podcast on directing for anybody that’s, quite simply, ever watched anything. Pete Chatmon converses with a wide range of fellow directors, writers, actors, showrunners, producers, executives, and more on a journey to determine just what makes a good director and why we’ll always need stories…”

Let’s Shoot! with Pete Chatmon is available on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and more.  Follow @letsshootwithpetechatmon on Instagram. #LetsShootLive

More about the Atladena Community Peservation Fund (ACPF).

Watch our interview and check out a few photos from the event below.


SciFi Vision event photos, © Christiane Elin

Official photos of the event, © their respective owners

You can also now view the recording of the live event on Youtube.

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