146. Nostalgia 101: Behind the Scenes of The Last Deal w/ Director Jonathan Salemi

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May 6, 2025 • 61 mins

Dan, Manny, & Billy welcome writer and director Jonathan Salemi to talk all about filming the indie action drama film The Last Deal.

“A couple places ran with the headline, [The Last Deal] is the biggest guerrilla film in the last two decades. I have no proof of that or against it, but I'd say we're definitely in the running.” -Jonathan Salemi

This episode of Nostalgia 101 is a detailed lesson from writer and director Jonathan Salemi on what it takes to make an indie film in the recent state of the movie industry. Jonathan starts with his experience interning at Sony Pictures to field producing for major networks like Lifetime and History Channel. He talks about the many stories behind filming The Last Deal guerrilla style in LA during the COVID-19 lockdowns, the true story that inspired the movie, and his experience shooting in various LA locations without permits. Jonathan answers the guys’ questions about specific scenes in the movie, he shares some behind-the-scenes anecdotes and what went into casting. They end the episode with Jonathan’s upcoming project and his ranking of the Rocky movies. There’s so much more!

Email us (thenostalgiatest@gmail.com) your thoughts and opinions about this episode and we'll talk about them on a future episode.

Jonathan Salemi is a feature film director, writer and producer. The complete filmmaker. His recent feature THE LAST DEAL screened in theaters across the U.S. in 2023 and was picked up by Starz and Encore. The film was featured in The New York Times “5 Action Films to Stream Now”. Previously, Jonathan hasproduced for network television ("Married at First Sight" on LIFETIME), directed three Academy Award qualifying short films including a short-listed Best Live Action Short Film at the Academy Awards, and he’s directed three feature documentaries. He got his start as an intern at Sony Picture Studios for Academy Award winning producer Douglas Wick. During that time, Jonathan directed his first feature film via a grant from Panavision and Kodak and four walled the film for a week on Sunset Blvd. The Last Deal on Tubi and Amazon. www.TheLastDealMovie.com The Last Deal Socials IG: @TheLastDealMovie FB: @TheLastDealMovie Twitter: @TheLastDealFilm TikTok: @TheLastDealMovie

APPROXIMATE RUN OF SHOW:

00:00 Introduction and Welcoming the Guest

01:28 Discussing the Movie 'The Last Deal'

03:12 Jonathan's Background and Filmmaking Journey

09:15 Making a Movie During COVID-19

14:40 Gorilla Filmmaking Techniques

17:31 Behind the Scenes and Challenges

23:15 Character and Scene Insights

35:04 Discussing the Hitman Scene

36:16 Writing and Filmmaking Insights

36:52 Alternate Movie Universes

37:20 Unexpected Plot Twists