At this year’s WonderCon, 3 panels allowed excited film, and television fans, to step into the world of entertainment at Impact24 PR’s Superblock. It was the ultimate destination for a behind-the-scenes look at projects like One Piece, The Artful Dodger, KPop Demon Hunters, Nobody Wants This, and more!
And these three panels will be exclusively available on Impact24 PR’s YouTube channel in April 2026: https://www.youtube.com/@impact24pr
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(1). The “4th Annual Scene Breakdown: Behind the Camera of Film and TV Shows panel “ gave audiences a look at the filmmaking process, from development to post-production. The panel featured producer/actor Edgar Damatian (A Winter’s Song), director Gedaly Guberek (Shadow of the Mages), creator/showrunner James McNamara (The Artful Dodger), film director/ producer/ CEO Kelley Kali (Kaliwood Entertainment), cinematographer Wesley Cardino (Nobody Wants This), and composer Kenny Wood (Locker Diaries: Zombies), and was moderated by writer/ director Chris Rodriguez (Puffing Iron, They’ll Find Him in the River).
Creator/ showrunner James McNamara talked about what his role looked like on The Artful Dodger and letting his team do their best work. “For me, I see it as my key responsibility to protect the heart and soul of the show, know what the show is, and be able to communicate that in a clear and distinct way. I have to set up parameters for what the project is and hire department heads we trust. My approach as a creator/ executive producer is set out where I’m very clear on the situation you’re looking for. I don’t get involved in what lens to swing because that’s the cinematographer’s thing. I set a clear parameter of here’s what the show is, then get out of people’s way and let people cook. Let professionals do their best work; that’s what heightens the show. Television is a team sport, but it’s about trusting people and doing the work.”
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(2). The “It’s Alive!’: Designing Sci-Fi, Horror, and Comic Book Genre Film and TV panel” returned for its 6th year at WonderCon
The panel featured composer Daniel Rojas (Marvel’s Hit-Monkey, songwriter on KPop Demon Hunters), editor Eric Litman, ACE (One Piece), composer Ian Arber (Drops of God Season 2), editor Kristi Shimek (Wardriver), composer Sam Boase-Miller (Good Boy), and composer Sam Jones (Didn’t Die), and was moderated by editor Maura Corey, ACE (Gen V).
Editor Eric Litman, ACE talked about how One Piece was a unique editing experience for him. “Usually, I cut the show, then talk to composers or sound people. This one, as early as the editors cut, I was talking to composers and sound people. So much of our show was people against blue screen, the CGI characters we were creating weren’t there, or an empty frame or storyboards. I worked closely with all those departments early on. By the time we got to the director’s cut, we were able to make more informed decisions. Always a back-and-forth collaboration, and as more and more advanced visual effects were coming in, we were constantly changing the length to accommodate that.”
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(3) And last, but not least; New to WonderCon was the “1st Annual Behind the Cut: Post-Production in Film and TV” panel, spotlighting the post-production artists who shape stories into the final project.
The panel featured editor Chris Rodriguez, ACE (Love is Blind, Project Runway), editor Daysha Broadway, ACE (The AI DOC or How I Became an Apocaloptimist), editor/ director Jon Dudkowski (Star Trek: Starfleet Academy), composer Joy Ngiaw (WondLa), composer Kristen Personius (Tyler Perry’s Finding Joy), and Max Davidoff-Grey (The Witcher Season 4), and was moderated by Ben Urquhart (California Post Alliance, Board Member & Post Production Executive).
Editor/ director Jon Dudkowski highlighted the importance of editors and their roles on a project, saying, “Film is discovered in post-production. Editors try to bring everyone together. They have a knack for understanding how people are feeling. They put themselves in the place of the audience and help that process of discovery along.”
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*And here I am with STARFLEET ACADEMY’s Jon Didkowski, and Max Davidoff-Grey from THE WITCHER.
And after the panel I was able to talk to Jon about the challenges that Starfleet Academy is going through at the moment. AND we discussed the episode in the upcoming second and final season that he Directed. Then Max talked to me about the joys and challenges of composing music for a series with big action elements married to magical moments… It was an informative event that you need to catch when it comes to YouTube in April…
These 3 panels will be exclusively available on Impact24 PR’s YouTube channel in April 2026: https://www.youtube.com/@impact24pr