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Welcome to Kicking the Seat!

Ian Simmons launched Kicking the Seat in 2009, one week after seeing Nora Ephron’s Julie & Julia. His wife proposed blogging as a healthier outlet for his anger than red-faced, twenty-minute tirades (Ian is no longer allowed to drive home from the movies).

The Kicking the Seat Podcast followed three years later and, despite its “undiscovered gem” status, Ian thoroughly enjoys hosting film critic discussions, creating themed shows, and interviewing such luminaries as Gaspar NoéRachel BrosnahanAmy Seimetz, and Richard Dreyfuss.

Ian is a member of the Chicago Film Critics Association. He also has a family, a day job, and conflicted feelings about referring to himself in the third person.

Ep214: HALFWAY to Your Dreams

The Kicking the Seat Podcast is in a movie! After a successful run on the festival circuit, Ben Caird's drama Halfway, starring The Blind Side's Quinton Aaron, debuts on-demand this Friday via Urban Movie Channel (as well as Amazon, Roku, and various other digital platforms). In this episode, Ian reunites with Matt Lazar to interview producer (and Matt's childhood friend) Jonny Paterson, who spares no details in recounting his film's unconventional journey from concept to completion.

How did a Carnegie Mellon business major end up working for a top Hollywood producer, and then forming his own production company? How does one maintain a positive attitude when facing competition and setbacks in pursuit of showbusiness dreams? And just how the hell did this happen:

The answers to these questions and more await in Episode 214!

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Ep215: What a Rush!

Ep213: The Kitchen Sinks