World Premiere

The World Premiere of The Messengers: A Podcast Documentary was held at the historic Tampa Theatre on March 22, 2017.

Many of the podcasters featured in the film traveled to Tampa for the premiere, including Lily Wong, who flew in from an expedition in Japan. Danny Peña and his family drove up from South Florida. Dave Jackson flew in from Ohio, and graciously volunteered to MC the event. Seeing the countless podcasters they’d interviewed in such disparate locations around the world come together in such a glamourous setting made the filmmakers feel as though they’d truly come full circle.

As the credits rolled, the applause, whistles and cheers were deafening. The filmmakers had a hit movie! The screening was followed by an informative and often touching Q&A with the filmmmakers. One of the most heartfelt moments came when Niel Guilarte thanked his father for supporting Niel in his 25-year quest to create a feature length film.

Behind-The-Scenes Trivia

Man Overboard!

During the filming of Christy Haussler’s segment in the Florida Keys, Christy generously offered the crew a ride on her boat. Willie Harper decided to jump overboard and hang off the front of the boat. Suddenly realizing he is no longer in his twenties, Willie struggled mightily to climb back in. The sight of him worming his way back on the boat gave Christy and the crew a great laugh.