In Proximity

SINNERS is only in theaters April 18 and we made a special two-part miniseries about the making of the film! Composer and executive producer Ludwig Göransson spoke with director, writer, and producer Ryan Coogler at his studio to talk about how the Delta blues and their family history inspired the film’s story and sound. They also break down the song “I Lied To You,” written by Ludwig and Raphael Saadiq, and performed by Miles Caton as Sammie in the film. Stay until the end for a special musical demonstration by Ludwig himself.

SINNERS marks Ludwig’s fifth feature collaboration with Ryan Coogler, following BLACK PANTHER, CREED, and FRUITVALE STATION. A globally recognized composer and producer, Ludwig has earned multiple awards, including two Academy Awards for BLACK PANTHER and OPPENHEIMER. His film and TV credits include VENOM, THE MANDALORIAN, and TURNING RED. As a record producer and songwriter, he has collaborated with artists like Chance the Rapper, Adele, HAIM, and Childish Gambino. He is also a co-founder of Proximity Media.

SINNERS is produced by Proximity Media and Warner Brothers.

To hear the songs that inspired the SINNERS score and soundtrack, including artists discussed in this episode, listen here.

Listen to the first episode of this special SINNERS series with Ryan Coogler and cinematographer Autumn Durald Arkapaw here.

Learn more and read the transcript of this conversation at ProximityMedia.com.

(02:19) Get Reel
(07:44) Blues Music
(22:22) Writing & Composing “I Lied To You”
(32:17) The Hero Guitar
(35:42) Prox Recs

CONNECT WITH PROXIMITY MEDIA:

Follow us on Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok. We’re also on YouTube.

Learn more at ProximityMedia.com.

Text PROX to 510-998-3176 or head to subtext.to/prox for updates on new episodes and latest projects from Proximity Media.

CREDITS:

In Proximity is a production of Proximity Media

Director: Paola Mardo

Executive Producers: Ryan Coogler, Zinzi Coogler, Sev Ohanian, Paola Mardo

Film Score, Theme Song, and Additional Music: Ludwig Göransson

Video Producer: Bianca Catbagan

Director of Photography: Andrea Walter

Associate Producer: Celine Mendiola

Video Editors: Bianca Catbagan and Andrea Walter

Audio Editors: Cedric Wilson, Judybelle Camangyan

Sound Designer and Mix Engineer: Ken Nana

Sound Recordist: Marcelo de Oliveira

Gaffer: Chris Boulos

Key Grip: Kevin “Chui” Chiu

Production Assistant: Isabella Miller

Design and Social Media: Alexandria Santana

Production Intern: Faith Wang

Charles D. King is the founder and CEO of MACRO, a multi-platform media company representing the voice and perspectives of Black people, indigenous people, and people of color. Some of their projects include Dear Mama, Mudbound, Fences, and Judas and the Black Messiah, produced with Proximity Media and Warner Brothers. Formerly a partner/senior agent at William Morris Endeavor, Charles was the first Black partner in the company’s 100+ year history and the first ever Black partner at any major talent agency. In 2021, when Judas and the Black Messiah was nominated for Best Picture, Charles became part of the first ever all-Black team of producers nominated for an Academy Award alongside director Shaka King and Proximity founder Ryan Coogler. The team worked closely with an esteemed group of Black creatives, activists, and executives including Chairman Fred Hampton Jr. and Niija Kuykendall, then SVP of Production at Warner Brothers, now VP of Film at Netflix. Charles and Ryan talk about how they first met (2:40), the role of an agent (5:34), Charles’ transition to founding MACRO (10:27), Charles’ role in the launch of Proximity (23:30), the making of Judas the Black Messiah (26:00), and their Prox Recs for working in the entertainment business (40:03).

Learn more and read the transcript of this conversation at ProximityMedia.com.

CONNECT WITH PROXIMITY MEDIA:

Follow us on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok. We’re also on YouTube.

Learn more at ProximityMedia.com.

Text PROX to 510-998-3176 or head to subtext.to/prox for updates on new episodes and latest projects from Proximity Media.

CREDITS:

In Proximity is a production of Proximity Media.

Producer: Paola Mardo

Executive Producers: Ryan Coogler, Zinzi Coogler, Sev Ohanian, Paola Mardo

Theme Song and Additional Music: Ludwig Göransson

Sound Designer and Mix Engineer: Ken Nana

Episode Editor and Production Assistant: Polina Cherezova

We’d love to hear from you to help make our show even better. Please take our listener survey at proximitymedia.com/podcasts. We’re also looking for sponsors or partners who believe in our show and want to help us build and grow. If that’s you, email us at [email protected]. Thank you for your support and for listening to In Proximity!

Fruitvale Station was released 10 years ago this month. This was Ryan Coogler’s first feature film and it’s how he met fellow Bay Area director Pete Nicks. On this episode, they discuss meeting on Fruitvale Station (1:35); directing fiction and nonfiction films, the idea of “naive audacity,” and Pete’s Oakland trilogy (16:35); and collaborating on Proximity’s latest releases directed by Pete and produced by Ryan and our partners: Anthem, a musical journey across the U.S. experimenting to reimagine the National Anthem, and Stephen Curry: Underrated, a remarkable coming-of-age story about one of the most influential and unexpected players in basketball history (26:00). At the end, they answer listener questions (33:25) and share their Prox Recs (40:21).

Learn more and read the transcript of this conversation at ProximityMedia.com.

Stephen Curry: Underrated is now streaming on Apple TV+ and playing in select theaters.

Anthem is now streaming on Hulu.

CONNECT WITH PROXIMITY MEDIA:

Follow us on Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok. We’re also on YouTube.

Learn more at ProximityMedia.com.

Text PROX to 510-998-3176 or head to subtext.to/prox for updates on new episodes and latest projects from Proximity Media.

CREDITS:

In Proximity is a production of Proximity Media.

Producer: Paola Mardo

Executive Producers: Ryan Coogler, Zinzi Coogler, Sev Ohanian, Paola Mardo

Theme Song and Additional Music: Ludwig Göransson

Sound Designer and Mix Engineer: Ken Nana

Episode Editor: Judybelle Camangyan

With Production Assistance From: Courtney Archerd

Artwork and Social Media: Alexandria Santana

Have a seat at the executive table with Kalia King, Proximity’s head of TV, and Tara Duncan, president of Onyx Collective, a premium content brand under Disney Entertainment. At Onyx, Tara’s slate includes Reasonable Doubt, The 1619 Project Docuseries, the Academy Award-winning documentary feature Summer of Soul, and Anthem, produced by Proximity Media and directed by Pete Nicks. Previously, Tara served as president of Disney’s young adult TV network Freeform where she launched Cruel Summer and Single Drunk Female. She had a producing deal at Hulu where she developed projects like The Other Black Girl. She held executive positions at AMC and Netflix where she produced shows like Bosch, Narcos, and Orange is the New Black. She got her start at Section Eight, George Clooney and Steven Soderbergh’s production company. On this insightful episode, Tara and Kalia break down how they met and Tara’s executive journey (2:30), their community of Black women creatives in Hollywood (08:07), what it’s like to not have imposter syndrome (20:59), what goes into programming television for audiences (24:19), finding work-life balance as producers and executives (29:55), and their Prox Recs (34:07).

Learn more and read the transcript of this conversation at ProximityMedia.com.

Anthem is now streaming on Hulu.

Listen to the new song "We Are America" by Ruby Amanfu, Charity Bowden, Kris Bowers, Dahi, Joy Harjo, and Cecilia Peña-Govea out now.

CONNECT WITH PROXIMITY MEDIA:

Follow us on Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok. We’re also on YouTube.

Learn more at ProximityMedia.com.

Text PROX to 510-998-3176 or head to subtext.to/prox for updates on new episodes and latest projects from Proximity Media.

CREDITS:

In Proximity is a production of Proximity Media.

Producer: Paola Mardo

Executive Producers: Ryan Coogler, Zinzi Coogler, Sev Ohanian, Paola Mardo

Theme Song and Additional Music: Ludwig Göransson

Sound Designer and Mix Engineer: Ken Nana

Episode Editor: Cameron Kell

With Production Assistance From: Courtney Archerd

Artwork and Social Media: Alexandria Santana