About this podcast
Veteran Made with Carey Kight is where military grit meets the heart of arts, entertainment, and culture. Hosted by filmmaker and veteran storyteller Carey Kight, this podcast delivers unfiltered conversations with guests at the top of their fields — Hollywood directors, acclaimed actors, visionary producers, and best-selling authors who are redefining how American culture bridges the military-civilian divide.
This isn’t polite small talk — it’s bold, revealing, and relentless. Veteran Made fuses the intensity of military discipline with the creative pulse of media and storytelling. Carey’s sharp, cinematic interviewing style cuts past surface talk to expose how creativity, courage, and conviction collide behind the scenes of today’s biggest cultural moments.
Listen to Veteran Made with Carey Kight for the conversations other shows won’t touch.
Episodes
The newest 20 of 185 episodes
- The Best Set in Hollywood: Justin Lubin on the Brotherhood Behind The Terminal List · 37 min · Episode 185On episode 185, I’m joined by Justin Lubin, a Hollywood stills photographer who's spent more than 25 years working on productions like Star Wars, Get Out, and The Terminal List…
- The Creative Brotherhood: How The Terminal List Helped Christian Brunetti Build a Filmmaking Family of his Own · 44 min · Episode 184Christian Brunetti is back on episode 184. Christian is an Army special operations veteran, stunt performer, military advisor, and filmmaker who's worked on projects like The…
- Aerial Perspective: How TJ Millard Went from Flying Apaches in Combat to Drones in Hollywood · 54 min · Episode 183TJ Millard flew Apache helicopters in the Army. Now he flies camera-mounted drones for some of the biggest shows on television. On episode 183 of Veteran Made, TJ joins Carey…
- Battlefield Promotion: How One Unexpected Moment on a Hit Show Kickstarted Michael Broderick's Career · 60 min · Episode 182On episode 182, I’m joined by actor and Marine Corps veteran Michael Broderick. Michael has built the kind of career a lot of actors dream about but not overnight, not through…
- Ancient History, Modern Operator: How Alex Dekker Fuses History and Mystery with High Adventure in Desert Heist · 54 min · Episode 181Episode 181 features Army Special Forces veteran, Alex Dekker, debut author of Desert Heist, a high-adventure thriller in the vein of Indiana Jones and National Treasure. Desert…
- Lights, Camera, Violence of Action: How Christian Brunetti Uses Tactics and Truth to Tell Stories · 1 h 15 min · Episode 180Christian Brunetti joins Carey Kight for a deep-dive conversation on military realism, Hollywood stunts, veteran storytelling, and the hard transition from special operations…
- The Punisher: How Nick Koumalatsos Breathed Humanity Back Into Jon Bernthal's Frank Castle · 55 min · Episode 179Do it right, or don’t do it at all. In episode 179, Nick Koumalatsos returns to Veteran Made to talk about his work as a consulting producer on The Punisher: One Last Kill and…
- Dancing with Text: How Ray Porter Brings Jack Carr's Books to Life by Getting Out of the Way · 1 h 4 min · Episode 178Discipline, humility, resilience, and what it means to serve the story first. In episode 178, I sit down with acclaimed actor and audiobook narrator Ray Porter for a wide-ranging…
- Forward Thrust: How Douglas Brunt Uses Narrative to Draw Connections Historians Have Missed · 51 min · Episode 177Forgotten history, political complexity, storytelling, and the strange ways oil, empire, and ideology have shaped the modern world. In episode 177, I sit down with bestselling…
- The Fourth Option: How Jack Carr Navigated Collaboration and Control to Build a New Universe · 33 min · Episode 176Jack Carr is back on episode 176 to talk about The Fourth Option — his first thriller outside of the James Reece and Terminal List universe. This one still has all the flavor…
- No Heroic Measures: Jessica Danger on Telling the Truth About Grief, Addiction, and Shared Humanity · 1 h 2 min · Episode 175On episode 175, I’m joined by writer, educator, and friend Jessica Danger to talk about her memoir, No Heroic Measures. This conversation is about grief, addiction, caregiving…
- Crafting Humanity: How Luke Tennie Worked with Shrinking's Writers to Create a Whole Character · 32 min · Episode 174Responsible storytelling + creative collaboration = veteran characters who have depth, purpose, and a future. In episode 174, I sit down with Luke Tennie to talk about his role…
- Authenticity Isn't Optional: How Rudy Reyes Brings All of Himself to his Roles in Film, Television, and Advertising · 57 min · Episode 173We must be the ones telling these stories. Not just consulting. Not just advising. Leading. Creating. Producing. Representing ourselves with precision and truth across every…
- Tell Your Own Story: How Mark Harper Built a Powerhouse Team of Veterans to Produce the VA's Most-Ever Viewed PSA Campaign · 56 min · Episode 172On episode 172, I sit down with my friend Mark Harper — Air Force veteran, executive producer, and founder of GigLine Media — to unpack how a group of military storytellers…
- Face Your Dragon: How Ryan Curtis Convinced the VA to Meet Veterans Where They Are · 1 h 8 min · Episode 171Does it matter who’s telling the story? In episode 171, I sit down with my friend, Ryan Curtis — an accomplished director, filmmaker, and producer — to unpack the creative and…
- BattleLab: Where Modern Warfare Meets Modern Media with Ethan Nagel · 49 min · Episode 170Can we build a blueprint for how the right content can pressure institutions to evolve? In episode 170, I sat down with my buddy Ethan Nagel — veteran infantryman and lethal…
- Cold Zero: Brad Thor & Ward Larsen on Cinematic Storytelling Through Thriller Novels · 47 min · Episode 169What really makes great storytelling work in the modern thriller genre? In episode 169, I sit down with two powerhouse thriller authors — Brad Thor and Ward Larsen in a…
- Sheepdog: Matt Dallas on the Power and Importance of Independent Filmmaking · 47 min · Episode 168In episode 168 of Veteran Made, I sit down with actor and indie film producer Matt Dallas to dig into what it really means to commit more than a decade of your life to one movie…
- Sheepdog: Steven Grayhm on Telling the Truth and not Bending the Knee to Hollywood · 59 min · Episode 167In episode 167, I sit down with actor, writer, director, and producer Steven Grayhm to dig into the 14-year journey behind his new movie Sheepdog and why truthful storytelling…
- Full Metal Jacket: Matthew Modine on Working with Stanley Kubrick to Tell a War Story · 57 min · Episode 166In episode 166, I sit down with Matthew Modine who played Private Joker in Stanley Kubrick’s Full Metal Jacket, for a direct and powerful conversation about the intersection of…
