Kickstart Connections is back, and host Marc Boudreau welcomes Jon Mann (the first ever guest of BNV Media's first podcast Brand New View!) — filmmaker, storyteller, and creator of the award-winning short film Popsy, based on a Stephen King story.

Popsy is being honoured next week at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures where the Academy will be honouring 5 Stephen King shorts that were created through the Dollar Baby program.

Marc and Jon dig into the creative process behind horror filmmaking, why fear connects audiences universally, and how Mann's Atlantic roots helped shape his voice. Jon also teases his latest project, Sweetie — a new horror feature exploring the next chapter of his storytelling evolution.

Jon Mann is a Canadian writer-director and producer whose work spans narrative, documentary, and television. His 2018 Stephen King adaptation Popsy was selected as one of only six films to screen at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures' celebration of the 47-year history of the Dollar Baby program, where he was the sole Canadian filmmaker featured. Mann's projects have premiered at festivals worldwide, earned dozens of awards, and include credits across film, music videos, and series development for Canadian broadcasters.

Show notes:

0:00 – The return of Kickstart Connections

2:00 – Revisiting Popsy seven years later

6:00 – The legend of Stephen King's Dollar Baby Program

10:00 – From Fredericton to New York Film Academy

18:00 – Getting emails from @theoscars

27:00 – Why horror still matters

40:00 – What's next: Sweetie and the future of Canadian horror

44:00 – Jon's best advice for filmmakers and entrepreneurs