The podcast was conjured up by talented, Queens-bred documentary filmmakers, comedians and longtime friends Jeff Cerulli<\/a> (a hip Long Island City<\/a> dude) and Barry Rothbart<\/a> (formerly, a cool Forest Hills<\/a> kid, who found greener pastures in LA).<\/p>\n Indeed, doc filmmakers are storytellers at heart, using different modes and approaches of storytelling, based on the styles and genres they choose.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re hungry for all things documentaries, get your fix here! Taking a deep dive into the documentary world, with intriguing weekly episodes, the hosts offer their creative, insider perspectives and eye-opening observations about today\u2019s most-watched docs, spanning a diverse range of genres, from true crime to mysteries to compelling stories exploring events as they happen in real life and everything in between.<\/p>\n Enjoy enlightening, exclusive interviews with movers and shakers \u2013 celebrated filmmakers, directors, producers -about the ins and outs of crafting doc films, AI\u2019s role in shaping docs and other interesting topics, as well as chats with doc fans about their favorite watches and getting their take on which ones are worth your while.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve had so many directors and filmmakers on, from Director Charlotte Kaufman of HBO\u2019s \u2018The Alabama Solution\u2019 (Oscar-nominated doc exposing systemic abuse and corruption in Alabama\u2019s prison system) to Madison Hamburg, the director and star of HBO\u2019s \u2018Murder on Middle Beach\u2019 (about the unsolved murder of his mother) to the director of Netflix\u2019s \u2018Titan\u2019 (about the submersible disaster) and so many others,\u201d Rothbart told QNS, adding, \u201cWe also chatted with legendary doc filmmakers Andrew Jenks and Jeremy Workman, who directed the 2024 film \u2018Secret Mall Apartment<\/a>.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n This stranger-than-fiction story had been an urban legend for many years. It followed a group of artists, who lived, undetected, for four years (since 2003) in a shopping mall in Providence, Rhode Island \u2013 until getting caught and charged with trespassing in 2007. By January 2026, it had become one of the top five most viewed programs on Netflix.<\/p>\n Workman also made a doc film in 2018, about Matt Green, who decided to walk every single street in New York City \u2013 a journey of over 8,000 miles \u2013 called \u201cThe World Before Your Feet<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n As the youngest person in history to sell a completed feature-length film to a mainstream distributor, Andrew Jenks gained fame for his film about residents\u2019 lives at an assisted living facility. At 19, he moved into the facility and starred, directed and produced the feature film \u201cAndrew Jenks, Room 335.\u201d HBO bought the rights to the doc and released the film in 2008, after Jenks edited the 200 hours of footage in his parents\u2019 basement.<\/p>\n \u201cWe like to mix it up with a balance of also having some of our comedian friends on to discuss docs, and we also have special segments for each episode that make the show unique,\u201d Cerulli told QNS, adding, \u201cWe\u2019ve been doing this for about two years and are so happy with the growth it has shown!\u201d<\/p>\n You can enjoy The Podcumentary on Spotify and Apple Podcasts and catch up on the docs you crave.\n<\/p>\n Free new episodes every Tuesday. Barry and Jeff also invite their guests to share their three favorite doc picks of all time with listeners every week.\n<\/p>\n Visit podcasts.apple.com \u203a us \u203a podcast \u203a the-podcumentary<\/a> to watch the trailer.\n<\/p>\n Follow them at instagram.com\/thepodcumentary<\/a>.\n<\/p>\n \u2018The Best Summer\u2019 with director Tamra Davis<\/p>\n A recent episode: Jeff Cerulli and Barry Rothbart are back, and they can\u2019t believe the Knicks actually did it! They talk about seeing the Knicks win the first championship in their lifetime and what it meant to them. Afterwards, the hosts invite Davis to the show to take a deep dive into her new documentary \u201cThe Best Summer,\u201d which is a found footage-style doc from a concert tour in 1995 that featured amazing bands, like The Beastie Boys, Beck and Foo Fighters. Tamra has an impressive resume that includes directing classic films, such as \u201cHalf Baked,\u201d \u201cBilly Madison\u201d and \u201cCB4,\u201d along with some of the most iconic music videos from Sonic Youth, Tone Loc and Young MC. For more information, go to thebestsummer1995.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n The Podcumentary x Tribeca Film Festival<\/p>\n In 2025, hosts Barry and Jeff attended the Tribeca Film Festival to cover the famous event for The Podcumentary, snagging coveted director interviews and first looks at the world premieres of highly anticipated documentaries. Through a series of mini episodes, Rothbart and Cerulli gave listeners an exclusive look at the best documentaries to come out of Tribeca 2025.<\/p>\n Meet Barry Rothbart They say that you can take the boy out of Queens, but you can\u2019t take Queens out of this bi-coastal, multi-talented creative and doting dad, whose work spans documentary filmmaking, television, acting and writing. As a filmmaker, he created the gripping and darkly funny, 2025 ten-part Audible Original docuseries \u201cSearching for Allan Rothbart<\/a>\u201d \u2014 an intimate, unflinching investigation into the mystery of his father\u2019s sordid past. Listen here<\/a>.<\/p>\n In 2014, he co-directed a feature documentary with Jeff Cerulli called \u201cHungry<\/a>,\u201d which followed competitive eating legend Takeru Kobayashi over the course of one year. The film was streamed on Amazon, Hulu and Sports Illustrated TV.<\/p>\n And most recently, Rothbart produced, co-wrote and shot the 2026 SXSW Film & TV Festival Jury Award winner \u201cSummer 2000: The X-Cetra Story\u201d (directed by Ayden Mayeri). Described as a \u201cpure, unfiltered blast of joy\u201d on Rotten Tomatoes, this heartwarming doc follows four creative pre-teen girls from California, who were close childhood friends. In 2000, they had fun recording a homemade album, with the help of a musician mom\u2026but eventually drifted apart. Fast forward 20 years, when their forgotten music becomes a cult Internet hit and goes viral. Now, as adults, they reunite to find out if they can recapture their youthful magic.<\/p>\n Rothbart was named one of Variety magazine\u2019s \u201c10 Comics to Watch\u201d in 2013. That year, he played Peter DeBlasio in Martin Scorcese\u2019s \u201cThe Wolf of Wall Street.\u201d He also appeared on ABC\u2019s \u201cDownward Dog,\u201d Showtime\u2019s \u201cKidding,\u201d ABC\u2019s \u201cThe Conners\u201d and comedies like \u201cVacation Friends\u201d and \u201cThe Lovebirds.\u201d His background in stand-up includes his own Comedy Central special and appearances on The Tonight Show, Conan and The Late Late Show.<\/p>\n He told QNS that \u201ca balanced life means spending time with my wife and six-year-old daughter and my pet, while carving out time to play basketball with friends, as well as having the ability to work on the career things that I care about.\u201d<\/p>\n He added: \u201cSpend your time and energy doing what you want, not chasing what you think will work.\u201d\n<\/p>\n Meet Jeff Cerulli A highly creative filmmaker, editor and comedian, who\u2019s passionate about his work, Cerulli has performed all over the world as a stand-up comic\u2014from Los Angeles to London\u2014and appeared at the Laughing Skull Comedy Festival and New York Comedy Festival. He recently released his first one-hour comedy special, \u201cLive at the Bomb Shelter<\/a>,\u201d which is currently available on Amazon Prime and Apple TV.<\/p>\n It was filmed at The Bomb Shelter, which is home to the stand-up comedy show that he\u2019s been producing for 10-plus years at the Gaf West in the heart of Hell\u2019s Kitchen. Cerulli told QNS about another project he is most excited about, other than The Podcumentary: a screenplay that he just finished writing, about taking care of his father, who suffered from dementia. \u201cIt is deeply personal and I\u2019m hoping to film that in 2027,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n As a filmmaker, Cerulli has released two feature-length documentaries. His web series \u201cThe Feed,\u201d satirized the world of online journalism and was featured on Decider (a guide to the best movies and TV shows streaming online, updated daily).<\/p>\n QNS caught up with The Podcumentary fellas to schmooze about their popular podcast.\n<\/p>\n QNS: Talk about the spark that ignited your idea for this unique podcast.\n<\/p>\n Barry Rothbart: Jeff and I have always chatted about docs (we\u2019ve been best friends for 25 years!), plus we\u2019re documentary filmmakers and comedians, as well. We made a feature doc together 10 years ago, called \u2018Hungry.\u2019 We honestly, at first, just wanted an excuse to get together every week and chat about something we love, then it gradually became something more. We invited filmmakers, started leaning more into larger subjects, using documentaries as a way in and just nerded out, laughing and having a fun time.<\/p>\n Something we\u2019ve always wanted to emphasize is that this podcast isn\u2019t \u2018homework,\u2019 which is how some people see documentaries; we want it to be accessible, at a time where docs are more ubiquitous than ever, and not just for film nerds.<\/p>\n QNS: Describe your process for collaborating on this project.\n<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/image0.jpeg\")
<\/a>The Podcumentary hosts Jeff Cerulli (left) and Barry Rothbart (right) in their early days working together. Photo credit: Jeff Cerulli<\/p>\n
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<\/a>Barry Rothbart. Photo credit: Barry Rothbart<\/p>\n
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<\/a>The Podcumentary co-host Jeff Cerulli, filmmaker, comedian and longtime LIC resident. Photo credit: Jeff Cerulli<\/p>\n