OFFSCREEN with Jillian and Sophia

Anthony Abaci, founder of MIASEEN, joins Jillian and Sophia to discuss how he got into the entertainment industry and his experience as an Armenian in Hollywood, what inspires him, the ins and outs of his new media startup MIASEEN, and his goals for the future.

Created and Produced by Jillian Chilingerian and Sophia Badalian. Artwork by Mike De Angelis. Music Produced by Stoic For reviews and playlists check us out on offscreen.weebly.com Follow us: @offscreenwithjillandsoph @Jillianchilingerian @sophia.badalian @miaseen_inc

Roza Melkumyan returns to discuss her experience as a member of the diaspora coming to Armenia, connecting with her Armenian roots and family in new ways, rediscovering her identity and finding herself in the midst of a war. 

Created and Produced by Jillian Chilingerian and Sophia Badalian. Artwork by Mike De Angelis. Music Produced by Stoic For reviews and playlists check us out on offscreen.weebly.com Follow us: @offscreenwithjillandsoph @Jillianchilingerian @sophia.badalian

Armen Karaoghlanian, founder of the Armenian Film Society joins Jillian and Sophia to explore the Armenian identity through film, beyond the stories of tragedy, highlighting the aspects of Armenian identity and culture that are so dynamic and beautiful. They discuss the work of three Armenian filmmakers, with three different perspectives and backgrounds: Naré Mkrtchyan, Oksana Mirzoyan, and Jivan Avetisyan.

Created and Produced by Jillian Chilingerian and Sophia Badalian. Artwork by Mike De Angelis. Music Produced by Stoic For reviews and playlists check us out on offscreen.weebly.com Follow us: @offscreenwithjillandsoph @Jillianchilingerian @sophia.badalian @armenianfilmsociety

This week marks the beginning of our celebration of Armenian History Month!

In this episode, we want to re-introduce ourselves and tell you a bit more about our stories and experiences growing up as Armenian-Americans– and how our identities have shifted and changed as we’ve gotten older. This year was a very difficult one for Armenians around the world and led both of us to re-examine what it means to be Armenian. Now, more than ever is time for us to put everything aside and put our homeland first. At the end of the day, what matters the most isn’t if you go to church every Sunday or if you can speak the language perfectly. What we’ve learned over this year is that those things don’t matter if you don’t do the work to support your country and to support your people and your community.

Created and Produced by Jillian Chilingerian and Sophia Badalian. Artwork by Mike De Angelis. Music Produced by Stoic For reviews and playlists check us out on offscreen.weebly.com Follow us: @offscreenwithjillandsoph @Jillianchilingerian @sophia.badalian

 International and intersectional perspectives and stories are essential to learning and understanding more about each other as women-  and we have a responsibility to be aware of the experiences of women across the world.   Women abroad endure hurdles or dangers to have their voices heard and their stories told. These stories can highlight not only differences that we weren’t aware of, but also shared experiences that can open our eyes to similarities we may not have ever thought we’d relate to.

Katusha Jin and Dayna Hagewood join us to discuss four international films that are directed by women. Two of these films focus on young women in their home countries: The 2014 Saudi Arabian Film, Wadjda, Written and Directed by Haifaa Al-Mansour, also the First Female-Directed Saudi Film, and the 2008 Argentinian Film, XXY, Written and Directed by Lucía Puenzo. The other two films shed light on the experiences of young women dealing with the consequences of emigration:  The 2017 Norwegian-Pakistani Film, What Will People Say, written and directed by Norwegian-Pakistani screenwriter and director Iram Haq, and The 2009 German Film, Desert Flower, directed by Sherry Hormann.

Created and Produced by Jillian Chilingerian and Sophia Badalian. Artwork by Mike De Angelis. Music Produced by Stoic For reviews and playlists check us out on offscreen.weebly.com Follow us: @offscreenwithjillandsoph @Jillianchilingerian @sophia.badalian @ff2media

When we think of film, and often when we reward a film, we focus on and think about the actors, directors, and writers being the ones who bring a world to life, and take it from an idea to a reality. But less often recognized is the work of costume designers, makeup artists, hairdressers, special effects artists, set designers and those who work on the craft behind the film. They are the ones who build the world that is brought to life on screen, who curate the physicality of the characters, and communicate details that tell the story whether we notice them or not. The work of costume designers can illustrate the personality or growth of a character, while also giving the viewers information about the time period, socioeconomic class, and location of the characters in the story being told. The creation of the body and the space that the body is in is essential to setting the stage of the story being told. In this episode special guests FF2 contributor Roza Melkumyan, and Media Associate, Nicole Ackmanwe join us to highlight the work of costume designers in the film industry and just how important it is to recognize the work that is often performed by women behind the scenes, and often overlooked by audiences and critics.

Created and Produced by Jillian Chilingerian and Sophia Badalian. Artwork by Mike De Angelis. Music Produced by Stoic For reviews and playlists check us out on offscreen.weebly.com Follow us: @offscreenwithjillandsoph @Jillianchilingerian @sophia.badalian @ff2media

Sarah Baldino, marketing buff, joins Jillian and Sophia to discuss how the role of celebrities in the consumer market has shifted dramatically in recent years, from endorsements to brand deals to entrepreneurial ventures. Instagram and its influencers have created a whole new celebrity arena it seems, and mainstream media wants a slice for itself. But after a year like 2020, normal people are now more aware than ever of the luxuries celebrities flaunt. In the economy’s current state, will celebrities continue to peddle their fit teas and makeup lines, or will the consumer demand for authenticity get in the way?

Created and Produced by Jillian Chilingerian and Sophia Badalian. Artwork by Mike De Angelis. Music Produced by Stoic For reviews and playlists check us out on offscreen.weebly.com Follow us: @offscreenwithjillandsoph @sarahbaldino @Jillianchilingerian @sophia.badalian

We share our thoughts and opinions on all the snubs and surprises in the 2020 Emmy nominations. Nominations mean more than just an award- they can make and break careers. In the history of awards shows there has been a constant lack of diversity in nominees but after the events of the Black Lives Matter protests, #MeToo and #Oscarssowhite there is pressure on voting bodies to be more inclusive on who they nominate. We touch on what representation really means for the voters and winners, and how diversity is shifting in recent years. Created and produced by Jillian Chilingerian & Sophia Badalian Artwork by Alex DaSilva

Jillian and Sophia bring friend and fellow music enthusiast, Tanji S Chavez on the show to discuss the rise of Latin music in America. The global expansion of Latin music, propelled by genre-blurring collaborations and the impacts of streaming on taste, has led to historic representation of the Latin community in the U.S. They address topics including the impact of streaming on Latin artists and songs, the significance of the Shakira and Jennifer Lopez headlined Super Bowl 54 halftime show, the influence of other genres on Latin artists, and representation of Latin artists at the Grammy’s. Created and Produced by Jillian Chilingerian and Sophia Badalian. Artwork by Alex DaSilva. Music Produced by Kiyoto. Follow us @offscreenwithjillandsoph

Hello everyone! I’m Jillian, and I’m Sophia and you’re listening to OFFSCREEN the show where two Armenian women discuss the intersectionality of social issues and media. Jillian is a film and TV enthusiast and critic. She started OFFSCREEN as a blog and platform to shed light on new genres, cultures, and creators. Sophia is a musician and she’s always on the lookout for under-the-radar artists and ideas. I met her in 2019 volunteering, and we connected through our shared curiosity and passion for exploration. Our heritage…alongside our international affairs major… influences our story selection and the way we approach them when we share them with you. Our goal is to have important conversations that unravel misunderstood perspectives in music, television, film, and everything in between.

 Follow us on Instagram @offscreenwithjillandsoph.