The Projection Booth
· Season 1 · Episode 788 · Latest episodeSpecial Report: Clean Hands (2026)
Mike talks with Jake Allyn, writer-director of Clean Hands (2026), a true-crime drama about a celebrated Hagerstown, Maryland narcotics sergeant fighting the opioid pipeline he polices by day while his own daughter is consumed by it at home.
Allyn found the story on YouTube during COVID and became close enough with the real Kevin and Dana Simmers that he calls them second parents; they and the police officers who served with Kevin were on set throughout the 20-day Atlanta and Hagerstown shoot, alongside Brooke’s actual drug counselor, who appears in the film herself. Zach Braff, taking his first dramatic lead as a real person and a cop, reportedly came to need Kevin’s presence on set by the second week after initially asking for space; Esther McGregor carried the weight of standing in for every woman who’s passed through the recovery home the real story inspired. Allyn structured the film’s financing so that a third of its profits go directly to Brooke’s House, the real nonprofit recovery residence Kevin founded after his daughter’s story played out.
The film is Allyn’s second directing credit, made with his brother Conor, following their earlier border drama Ride; it opens Friday, October 16th, after premiering at this year’s Tribeca Festival.
Follow the film on Instagram, and visit Brooke’s House to support the recovery program.
Allyn found the story on YouTube during COVID and became close enough with the real Kevin and Dana Simmers that he calls them second parents; they and the police officers who served with Kevin were on set throughout the 20-day Atlanta and Hagerstown shoot, alongside Brooke’s actual drug counselor, who appears in the film herself. Zach Braff, taking his first dramatic lead as a real person and a cop, reportedly came to need Kevin’s presence on set by the second week after initially asking for space; Esther McGregor carried the weight of standing in for every woman who’s passed through the recovery home the real story inspired. Allyn structured the film’s financing so that a third of its profits go directly to Brooke’s House, the real nonprofit recovery residence Kevin founded after his daughter’s story played out.
The film is Allyn’s second directing credit, made with his brother Conor, following their earlier border drama Ride; it opens Friday, October 16th, after premiering at this year’s Tribeca Festival.
Follow the film on Instagram, and visit Brooke’s House to support the recovery program.
Latest episodes
Start with what's new.
About this show
Mike White's flagship film podcast, pairing scholarly discussion with original interviews of directors, writers, actors, and craftspeople, with a focus on cult, international, regional, and independent cinema. Recognized by The Washington Post, The A.V. Club, IndieWire, Entertainment Weekly, and Filmmaker Magazine.
Hosts
- Mike WhiteHost, producer and editor
All episodes (1,551)
-
38:15Season 1 · Episode 674Special Report: Saving Ferris Butler (2026)
-
25:40Season 1 · Episode 673Special Report: A Safe Distance (2026)
-
27:11Season 1 · Episode 672Special Report: Permanent Damage (2026)
-
35:14Season 1 · Episode 671Special Report: Ancestral Beasts (2026)
-
4:23:17Season 1 · Episode 808Episode 808: The Wild Bunch (1969)
-
1:28:38Season 1 · Episode 670Special Report: Spider-Man - Brand New Day (2026)
-
28:58Season 1 · Episode 669Special Report: Georgia O’Keeffe: The Brightness of Light (2024)
-
1:03:37Season 1 · Episode 812Episode 812: Cut-Throats Nine (1972)
-
30:47Season 1 · Episode 668Special Report: Never Change (2026)
-
49:25Season 1 · Episode 667Special Report: Zodiactually: The Real Story of a Fake Serial Killer
-
1:26:25Season 1 · Episode 811Episode 811: The Outfit (1973)
-
28:28Season 1 · Episode 666Special Report: A Century of Hitchcock
-
17:03Season 1 · Episode 665Special Report: Rubberhead (2026)
-
1:30:39Season 1 · Episode 810Episode 810: Deadlock (1970)
-
1:46:03Season 1 · Episode 809Episode 809: Cemetery Without Crosses (1969)
-
24:10Season 1 · Episode 664Special Report: We Are Pat (2025)
-
10:22Season 1 · Episode 663Special Report: Fantasia 2026
-
1:19:44Season 1 · Episode 662Special Report: Mortal Kombat II (2026)
-
37:28Season 1 · Episode 661Special Report: We Are Guardians (2023)
-
1:09:51Season 1 · Episode 660Special Report: Supergirl (2026)
-
37:56Season 1 · Episode 659Special Report: King Kong - The History of a Movie Icon
-
1:10:40Season 1 · Episode 658Special Report: The Mandalorian and Grogu (2026)
-
1:32:35Season 1 · Episode 807Episode 807: Massacre Time (1966)
-
1:19:50Season 1 · Episode 657Special Report: Disclosure Day (2026)
-
19:14Season 1 · Episode 656Special Report: Doc Meets World (2026)
More from the network
See all shows-
Chasing Chevy Chase
A completed 26-episode filmography retrospective on Chevy Chase's film career.
Explore the show -
80s TV Ladies
Four-time award-winning podcast revisits your favorite 80s TV legends!
Explore the show -
The Kulturecast
Chris Stachiw, the Doctor of Podcasting, on where film and culture meet — and how each one bends the other.
Explore the show -
Wake Up Heavy
Wake Up Heavy is a podcast about the hosts' memories of strange horror movies from the '70s and '80s.
Explore the show -
Dreams for Sale: Twilight Zone '85
A completed retrospective on the 1985 revival of The Twilight Zone.
Explore the show
