Academy Award winners Cord Jefferson (“American Fiction”) and Jordan Peele (“Get Out”) will join “Black Panther” and “Creed” franchise mastermind Ryan Coogler for candid conversations between filmmakers during Season 2 of the “In Proximity” podcast.

Coogler serves as executive producer on the Webby award-nominated podcast alongside his Proximity Media co-founders Zinzi Coogler and Sev Ohanian, and the company's audio director Paola Mardo.

“It’s been thrilling to see our Proximity community grow with our podcast, with a listenership that ranges from emerging creatives and industry veterans to passionate fans of film, TV, and audio,” said Mardo. “We can’t wait to continue serving our community with more craft conversations with Ryan and our Proximity crew, along with some fun surprises and trips behind the scenes.”

Coogler's conversation with Jefferson begins on Sept. 8 and marks the season premiere. A new addition to this season, as seen in a clip from the episode (shown above), is an icebreaker segment called “Get Reel,” where the host and guest answer unexpected questions chosen from film canister reels. Jefferson picks the question, “Most memorable interaction with an audience member who saw your film” and shares a story about meeting Robert Townsend, whose 1987 film “Hollywood Shuffle” he considers a “spiritual predecessor” to “American Fiction.”

About meeting Townsend, Jefferson shares, “The first time we met, he gave me a big hug and a kiss on the cheek, and he said, ‘I am very proud of you.’ He said, ‘I love your movie, and I love you.'”

Connecting with one of his heroes was a deeply moving experience for Jefferson, who also says, “I had never made anything before and this industry can feel incredibly intimidating and exclusive. To feel the warmth of that reception meant the world to me. … I’ll cherish that memory for the rest of my life.”

In addition to Jefferson and Peele, Season 2 guests include filmmaking duo Juel Taylor and Tony Rettenmaier (“They Cloned Tyrone,” “Space Jam: A New Legacy”) in conversation with Proximity founder and writer/producer Sev Ohanian; Proximity head of film development and production Rebecca Cho interviews New York Times bestselling author/illustrator and screenwriter Jonny Sun, and later Amazon MGM Studios head of film, streaming and theatrical Courtenay Valenti; documentarians Pete Nicks and Jon Else; and more. The season will also provide insights into Coogler’s highly-anticipated upcoming film , starring Michael B. Jordan and scheduled for release on March 7, 2025, plus special episodes addressing important issues in the entertainment industry including the state of independent movie theaters.

New episodes are released every two weeks through February on all podcast platforms, including Apple Podcasts and Spotify, as well as on the company’s website.

The first season of “In Proximity” featured discussions with notable figures like Michael B. Jordan, Steph Curry, Tessa Thompson, Ta-Nehisi Coates, Charles D. King, Tara Duncan, Roman Mars, Aneesh Chaganty, and Natalie Qasabian, among others. The show is produced by Proximity Media's audio division, which also oversees the Webby and NAACP Image Award-winning podcast “Wakanda Forever: The Official Black Panther Podcast,” written and hosted by Coates.