Creativity in Captivity: Recent Episodes
Sweetwood Creative
An insider dialogue that invites the listener to pull up a seat at the table with A-list creatives from a variety of disciplines. They share their insights on the process, craft, and inspiration. Join us for a better understanding of this elusive muse every Thursday with Pat Hazell (Seinfeld, The Tonight Show) and his friends as they demystify the transferable nature of creativity.
Produced by: Amanda Rosenberg In Partnership with Sweetwood Creative & Stoney Island Audio
More backstage banter from the green room of The Lucille Ball Comedy Festival presented by The National Comedy Center in Lucy’s hometown of Jamestown, NY. Comics from across the U.S. whose credits include Saturday Night Live, The Tonight Show, Last Comic Standing, Conan, Late Night with Seth Meyers and The Late Show with David Letterman bring their unique brand of humor to the podcast and take the audience on a journey into their creative process. This episode features observations, insight and inspirations from Paul Morrisey, Eitan Levine, Marcus Monroe, Dean Edwards, Chris Martin and Rachel Feinstein.
Backstage at The Lucille Ball Comedy Festival presented by The National Comedy Center in Jamestown, New York. Comics from around the nation who have appeared on Comedy Central, MTV, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, and The Late Late Show with James Corden will be performing their newest and often truest material. This episode features Tony Deyo, Ashley Austin Morris, Adam Mamawala, Turner Sparks, Sarah Tollemache and Jon Laster. After their sets in The Tropicana Club (a re-creation of Ricky Ricardo's famous Manhattan Night Club) the comics join Pat Hazell on the podcast to discuss their creative process, career development and views on the world of comedy.
An award-winning theatrical costume designer who has collaborated with The American Conservatory Theater, Teatro Zinzanni, The Roundabout Theatre Company, Cabaret Zazou, California Shakespeare Theater, Berkeley Repertory Theatre, Walnut Street Theatre, Cleveland Playhouse, TheatreWorks, Classic Stage Company, Northlight Theatre, The Papermill Playhouse and The Pasadena Playhouse. She has created costumes for A Christmas Carol, Comedy of Errors, Test Match, Tales of the City, Scapin, The Government Inspector, The Merry Widow, Crowns, Blue, Everything’s Ducky and The Cherry Orchard.
A troupe of interdisciplinary performing artists from Pittsburgh that create original outdoor interactive music spectacles that have toured to Europe and Asia, performed Off-Broadway and on Broadway, from Lincoln Center to Stanford University, in over 250 venues in 36 of the United States and throughout Canada. Led by co-artistic directors Jackie Dempsey and Steve O’Hearn, Squonk creates joyful, boisterous events by fusing fantastical visual design with playful staging and high-energy original music. They have been awarded scores of grants, including 10 NEA awards. The New York Times called Squonk “Ingenious, Hallucinatory, and Hypnotic.”
Often credited with single-handedly reviving the lost art of the concert poster, his creative career rose largely out of his enthusiasm for Austin’s growing underground punk rock scene in the early eighties. In 1981, he began designing and posting black and white flyers for friends’ bands on telephone poles. His reputation quickly grew as an artist whose work was graphically compelling and culturally gripping. An entirely self-taught artist, Kozik eventually transitioned into producing large, colorful silkscreen concert posters, which found international success. He has created artwork for musicians such as Soundgarden, Pearl Jam, The White Stripes, The Beastie Boys, Green Day, Neil Young and Nirvana. In the mid-nineties he directed several music videos, including Soundgarden’s “Pretty Noose”. In 1993, he moved to San Francisco. Within two years he had started his own record label, Man’s Ruin Records. The majority of his posters and album art during this era were hand silkscreened and numbered at his studio. During this time he designed and released over 200 singles and full-length albums including a record by the Sex Pistols and the first Queens of the Stone Age single. In 2001, Kozik closed Man’s Ruin to devote himself full time to fine art, design and the newly emerging art toy movement. He served as the Chief Creative Officer of kidrobot to produce vinyl toys including many versions of his iconic Labbit character. He designed over 500 different limited edition figures. Kozik also designed products and campaigns for a spectrum of major media and lifestyle brands including a pair of NikeSB Dunk Quickstrike sneakers, a special edition Swatch watch, the 2007 Spike TV Video Games Award trophy, and an “Absolut Kozik” print ad. In addition to his outside clients, 2007 saw him launch his own brand, Ultraviolence. Under this imprint, Kozik produces limited edition art objects in vinyl, fiberglass, bronze and Limoges porcelain that are often more complex in content and larger in scale than his other vinyl toys. Kozik’s work has been exhibited in over 40 group shows and 35 one-man gallery exhibits worldwide. His impact as the godfather of lowbrow art will live on through the legacy of his signature creations.
Rachel Bloom is best known as the co-creator and star of the CW musical dramedy, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. She has won the 2016 Golden Globe for Best Actress in a TV Series – Musical or Comedy, the 2016 Critics’ Choice Award for Best Actress in a TV Comedy, and the 2016 TCA Award for Individual Achievement in Comedy. In 2019, Rachel won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics alongside songwriting partners Jack Dolgen and the late Adam Schlesinger for Antidepressants Are So Not a Big Deal. Currently, Rachel is touring in her live show, Death Let Me Do My Special. In 2019, she sold out Radio City Music Hall performing Crazy Ex-Girlfriend: Live as part of a multi-show tour. In the same year she also starred in her own solo tour, What Am I Going to Do with My Life Now? which included a week-long residency at the Just For Laughs comedy festival. Rachel recently co-starred in the Critics’ Choice nominated Hulu comedy series, Reboot, alongside Keegan-Michael Key, Johnny Knoxville, and Paul Reiser. Her upcoming projects include guest starring in season 2 of HBO’s Julia as well as appearing in the new Muppets Mayhem Musical Series on Disney+. She has also appeared in numerous films including co-starring in IFC’s Bar Fight! and SXSW’s Most Likely to Murder. Her voice acting resume includes the role of “Silver” in The Angry Birds Movie 2 opposite Jason Sudeikis, “Queen Barb” in Trolls: World Tour opposite Anna Kendrick and Justin Timberlake, and “Op” in the movie Extinct opposite Adam Devine and Ken Jeong. She’s also done VO work for television including The Simpsons and Bojack Horseman. Rachel got her start performing at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater at which she put up two live musical sketch comedy shows, Rachel Bloom is a Triple Threat!!! and Sing Out Loud, Louise. She self-released two albums of comedy music: PLEASE LOVE ME and SUCK IT, CHRISTMAS!!! (A CHANUKAH ALBUM). For tour updates go to www.racheldoesstuff.com
Jeremy Davis and Clay Johnson and their fiery 17 piece big band are collectively known as The Fabulous Equinox Orchestra. All across North America, audiences have fallen in love with these sophisticated Southern gentleman and their high-energy show. A collection of the greatest songs, the best original arrangements and phenomenal musicianship, is the signature of these two exceptional musicians as they bring their rich friendship and charm to the stage. Fashioned in the style and swagger of the legendary entertainers lead by Frank Sinatra, Davis & Johnson are putting their own stamp on the Great American songbook, graced with a touch of Motown, Ray Charles, Johnny Cash, Elvis and more, offering a freshness and relevance that speaks to every soul. Music has carried them from coast to coast, to Europe, India, Canada, and soon for their third tour of Israel. Jeremy & Clay are most enthusiastic about their nonprofit Equinox Global Missions where the use music to ENTERTAIN, CONNECT AND SERVE. Learn more at www.EquinoxKrewe.com
Seth is a director, actor, teacher, and the co-founder & co-artistic director of The Barrow Group in New York City. In his storied career as a director he was involved with the award-winning shows My Girlfriend's Boyfriend (Lucille Lortel Award for Best Solo Show, Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle nominations for Best Solo Show), Sleepwalk With Me (Nightlife Award for Outstanding Comedian in a Major Performance), The Tricky Part (Obie Award, Drama Desk nominations for Best Play and Best Solo Show), Pentecost (Drama Desk nomination for Best Play), Old Wicked Songs (Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award and Garland Award for Best Direction), and Good (Straw Hat Award for Best Direction), and Mike Birbiglia:The Old Man and The Pool. For television he co-directed Mike Birbiglia:Thank God for Jokes. He directed My Girlfriend’s Boyfriend for Netflix, Mike Birbiglia:The New One and he co-directed and co-wrote the film Sleep Walk with Me. As well as being a consulting producer for the film Don’t Think Twice. He is the author of the book An Actor’s Companion – Tools for the Working Actor published by TCG. As an actor, Seth appears regularly in film and on television.
An artist, cartoonist, and the author of the book Skip to the Fun Parts: Cartoons and Complaints About Creativity. Dana has been a contributor to the New Yorker Daily Shouts since 2018. Her online cartoon series The Worried Well was syndicated by Andrews McMeel Universal in 2016 and can be seen online on GoComics.com. She has illustrated for The Phillips Collection, the DC Public Library, Politics and Prose, and Museum Hack, and her artwork and murals can be seen at various restaurants in the DC area. In 2019 she invented the highly popular (and unauthorized) Ladies Drawing Night Against Humanity workshop series. She lives with her husband and their two cats in Washington, DC.
Tom Dudzick is one of the few playwrights who makes a living at it. His first play, a Christmas tale called Greetings!, opened at New York’s John Houseman Theatre and starred Darren McGavin and Greg Edelman. It is now a holiday favorite across the country and has had well over one hundred productions. His next play, Over the Tavern, the first in a semi- autobiographical trilogy, has over three hundred productions under its belt, with many box office records broken throughout the U.S. Tavern has recently spawned a holiday musical as well, entitled Christmas Over the Tavern. The Irish adaptation, Over the Pub, also broke the box office record at Cork Arts Theatre in Ireland. Tom has written eight plays to date, most published by Playscripts, Inc. He was recently honored with a memorial plaque embedded in front of his boyhood home in Buffalo. And an even greater honor – he was once a question on Jeopardy!
An award-winning storyteller, comedian, motivational speaker, Huffington Post Contributor, and cast member of The Fashion Hero television show on Amazon Prime. She is the author of Who Hijacked My Fairy Tale, The Land of If Only, The Story Formula, and The Gutsy Girls Pocket Guide to Public Speaking. Kelly was a featured entertainer for Holland America Cruise Lines and the keynote speaker for the International Toastmasters Convention. Kelly’s wacky wit and powerful stories have charmed hearts and tickled funny bones for over 18 years. In addition to her role as a funny motivational speaker, Kelly teaches people how she does it by sharing what she has learned about connecting and engaging to have more influence in business, through the use of one tool – strategic storytelling. Sharing her own powerful journey through story and the formula she discovered, you come to that magical place where the art of story meets the business of persuasion. In July of 2022 she was inducted into the National Speakers Association Speaker Hall of Fame.
Beowulf Boritt is currently represented on Broadway by the Tony Award® winning set for Susan Stroman's production of New York, New York. He designed the Tony Award® winning set for James Lapine's Act One. He has received four additional Tony Award® nominations for his designs of The Scottsboro Boys, POTUS, Therese Raquin, and Flying Over Sunset, for which he won a Drama Desk award. His book about set design, Transforming Space Over Time, is available on Amazon. He is the founder and manager of The 1/52 Project which provides financial support to encourage early career designers from historically excluded groups, with the aim of diversifying and strengthening the Broadway design community. Beowulf designed Harold Prince's final Broadway shows: Prince of Broadway and LoveMusik. In addition, he designed the sets for Sondheim on Sondheim, The Twenty-Fifth Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Steve Martin's Meteor Shower, A Bronx Tale, August Wilson's The Piano Lesson, Come From Away. Freestyle Love Supreme, Ohio State Murders, Mike Birbiglia's The New One and The Old Man and The Pool. Other highlights include the New York and Russian productions of Chaplin, the revival of On The Town, Rob Askins' Hand To God and the long running hit Rock of Ages. Off-Broadway, he has designed over one hundred shows, including Much Ado About Nothing, Merry Wives, and Coriolanus for Shakespeare in the Park, Fiddler on The Roof (in Yiddish), The Last Five Years, Mike Birbiglia's The New One, Sleepwalk With Me, My Girlfriend's Boyfriend, Thank God For Jokes and Strindberg’s Miss Julie. His designs are in the permanent collections of The Smithsonian Museum of American History and the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts as well as several private collections. In addition to a Tony Award he has been honored with an 2007 OBIE Award for Sustained Excellence in Set Design, an Audelco Award, a Barrymore award, a Live Design Award for Innovation in Scenic Design, a Broadway Beacon Award, and a St. Louis Theater Circle Award. He has been nominated for four Drama Desk Awards, three Lucille Lortel Awards, four NY Outer Critic's Circle Awards, an LA Ovation Award, an LA NAACP Award, a San Francisco Critic's Circle Award and six Henry Hewes Awards.
Marja Harmon plays Angelica Schuyler on the "And Peggy" tour of Hamilton. Her Broadway credits include Book of Mormon, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, and New York City Center’s Merrily We Roll Along. She starred as Nala in the national tour of The Lion King, as well as regional productions of Aida, Ragtime, Hairspray, Dreamgirls, Grease, and more. Her TV appearances include God Friended Me, Murphy Brown, and Jessica Jones. Stay up-to-date with Marja by visiting her @marjaharmony on Instagram or her website at marjaharmon.me.
An award-winning solo show artist and nationally recognized writing coach who is making a big impact everywhere from off-Broadway to The Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Ann’s show Loveland, played for two years in San Francisco where it won the SF Weekly Award for Best Solo Show and garnered the SF Bay Critic’s Award for Best Original Script. In LA it won the LA Weekly award for Best Solo Show. Her solo show, Squeeze Box, was produced by Mel Brooks and Anne Bancroft and enjoyed a successful off-Broadway run before touring the US, where it received both the Los Angeles Ovation Award and the LA Weekly Award for Best Solo Show. Ann’s other solo works include Down Home, Shelter and Miss America, for which she won the LA Weekly award for Best Solo Performer. Her current solo show, Inappropriate in All the Right Ways, has been described by The Huffington Post as “a show like no other.” A favorite spoken word artist, Ann is a Moth StorySLAM winner and has been a regular on LA’s long running spoken word series including Tasty Words, SPARK and Gorgeous Stories. Her personal essays and interviews have been featured on NPR, PBS and the BBC. As a member of the WGA, she has written scripts for Gullane Pictures, Lifetime TV, Brooksfilms, PAX, and Klasky-Csupo. Her widely popular writing workshop Unmute Yourself is offered in cities across the US and now online.
An award-winning musician and published author who is active in the Austin music scene on vocals, cello, acoustic and electric guitar, keyboards, electric bass, banjo, dobro, human beatbox and drums. John has produced, performed and recorded with Ozomatli, BoomBoxATX, Schrödinger's Cat, Woodwork, Trio Los Vigilantes, The House Jacks, The Swingle Singers and Sixpence None the Richer. He has eleven Austin Music Awards including “Best Acoustic Guitar” and “Best Miscellaneous Instrument – Human Beatbox.” He is in the Cirque du Soleil talent pool and his national commercial credits include principal appearances as a beatboxer for Chili’s, Schlotzsky’s Austin City Limits and Southwest Airlines, as well as music for Walmart. His acting credits include Judas in Jesus Christ Superstar, Roger in RENT, a co-starring role on Fox's Prison Break and he played himself opposite Harry Connick, Jr. in the movie Angels Sing. John’s book Yesterday Was Weird, co-written with his dog Benny, has been featured on Today and in Good Housekeeping and Southern Living.
The author of Immersive Storytelling for Real and Imagined Worlds: A Writer’s Guide. Margaret was born in Indonesia and raised in Singapore and received her Master of Fine Arts degree in Screenwriting from USC School of Cinematic Arts. Her career spans television, film, digital media, games, brand storytelling, location-based entertainment and immersive experiences. Margaret has served as a story lead, story consultant and writer for multiple projects around the world, including Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, Star Wars: Launch Bay, Hyperspace Mountain, Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser, Avengers Campus, Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind, National Geographic HQ, NASA Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex’s Journey to Mars: Explorers Wanted, Heineken Experience, Story Garden by AMOREPACIFIC and the Information and Communications Pavilion ( Expo 2010 Shanghai). She was a Disney Imagineer from 2014-2021 and is currently a senior experiential creative lead at Airbnb.
Steven Banks is a multi-disciplinary artist — a writer, musician, comedian and actor. He was head writer on SpongeBob SquarePants and also wrote on CatDog and Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius. He is the New York Times bestselling author of the middle grade series Middle School Bites. He wrote and starred in the cult classic Home Entertainment Center on Amazon, and co-created Shadowland with the dance/theater company Pilobolus, which has been performed in 40 countries. Steven’s second identity is the irrepressible Billy the Mime who appeared in the movie The Aristocrats and also paints folk art for Billy’s Moving Art Gallery. His latest projects include Stan Lee’s Superhero Kindergarten, Shaq’s Garage and the book for the Broadway musical Save The Last Dance For Me – The Doc Pomus Story. On this episode of the podcast, Steven shares his love of The Music Man and explains the concept of reverse shoplifting in museum gift shops.
A Grammy Award-winning singer songwriter, touring musician and philanthropist who started her career with the platinum-selling hit song Stay (I Missed You) from the film Reality Bites. A trailblazing independent artist, Lisa was the first pop musician to have a Number 1 single while not signed to a recording contract. She followed that remarkable feat with several hit singles and six albums, two of which were certified gold. Lisa is well known to parents and kids for her five children’s albums and two illustrated children’s books with music. Lisa recently collaborated to develop and write the children’s musical Camp Kappawanna which debuted at New York City’s Atlantic Theater Company. Inspired by her own love of summer camp, in 2008, Lisa started The Camp Lisa Foundation, which sends underserved kids to summer camp. In January 2018, her family friendly album, Feel What U Feel, won the Grammy for Best Children’s Album, along with rave reviews and The Parents Choice Award. Among other shows, Lisa provides voice talent for the animated series Creative Galaxy and composes the original songs for the Emmy nominated, If You Give a Mouse a Cookie series. Often recognized for her iconic cat-eyed glasses, Lisa redefines how women accessorize with her own eyewear line. As an entrepreneur, Lisa oversees the business and eyewear design of Lisa Loeb Eyewear. As an actor, Lisa’s recent film and television appearances include AP Bio, John Oliver’s Last Week Tonight, About a Boy, Hot Tub Time Machine 2, King of The Nerds and Sprout Channel’s Sunny Side Up Show (now Sprout House on Universal Kids). You might have also heard her voice on commercials including Alfa Romeo, Foster Farms Chicken and Chili’s.
An Emmy Award-winning writer, producer, actor and comedian currently serving as the announcer of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and a writer/producer of Saturday Night Live. Prior to The Tonight Show, Higgins was the announcer for Late Night with Jimmy Fallon from 2009 to 2014. Early in his career, he was part of the sketch comedy trio The Higgins Boys and Gruber, who had their own eponymous sketch series on Comedy Central from 1989 to 1991. Steve voiced the character Chadwick The Edible Blargmonger in the 2014 animated special ELF: Buddy’s Musical Christmas. He is a member of the Higgins comedy dynasty of Des Moines, IA. Steve tells what the average work week is like on SNL and recommends the book “The War of Art” by Steve Pressfield as required reading for young people pursuing a life in creativity.
An Emmy-nominated television writer and executive producer who is a native of Des Moines, Iowa, currently living in Los Angeles. Prior to co-creating Bob Hearts Abishola, Al Higgins was best known for writing and producing the acclaimed series Malcolm in the Middle, for which he was nominated for both an Emmy and Producers Guild Award with his close associate Chuck Lorre; taking on the role of showrunner for Mike & Molly for the last three seasons; and executive producing, with Lorre and Michael Douglas, The Kominsky Method, which won them a Golden Globe for Best Comedy Series. On this episode he shares the importance of a good burn to put your brothers in place by disarming them with words, his passion for food and travel and what he has learned about living in the moment from his trips to Italy.
A maker of things, a creative entrepreneur and a photographer who was born and raised in Northwest Indiana. She uses her whole toolkit to create custom art, jewelry, leather, metal and retro pinup photography. Aubrey learned the traditional Native American and Mountain Man leather making techniques from her family, and she makes everything in her workshop by hand from handpicked materials. She was professionally trained in television, film, make-up and hair, and has worked on many commercials, movies and photo shoots. Her specialty is in pinup and boudoir. She is the owner of Live Free Leather, Tokyo Rose Pinups and TR Collective. The best word to describe her is indescribable.
A five-time Emmy Award winning actor, writer and host of a weekly PBS series. John spent nine seasons hosting Around the Corner with John McGivern. His new show John McGivern’s Main Streets will air on PBS stations in Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota, Michigan and Iowa beginning in January of 2023. He has written articles for The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and Milwaukee Magazine about his travels around the state of Wisconsin. John’s one man shows, The Early Stories of John McGivern, Midsummer Night McGivern and John McGivern’s Home for the Holidays tell the stories of being the third born of six kids in a working-class Irish Catholic family in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. His stories are personal, funny, touching and familiar. His themes are based in family and remind us all that as specific as we might believe our experiences are, we all share a universal human experience. John is proud to have been part of We’re Funny That Way on HBO and Out There ll on Comedy Central. He was sitting next to Sally Field on Politically Incorrect and knighted by Julie Andrews in the film The Princess Diaries. John’s starring roles in theatrical productions include Shear Madness, The Wonder Bread Years, Bunk Bed Brothers, American Fiesta and A Kodachrome Christmas.
An executive creative director, UX practitioner, brand strategist and visual designer who designs for the tech world but encourages everyone to always be designing their life. Lisa started her design life as a self-proclaimed creative through painting and photography, then regrettably sold all her work at a garage sale during a confidence crisis in her early 20s. She switched to graphic design and founded a web design studio where she was discovered online by Ernst & Young Consulting who were building a Center for Technology Enablement practice. After a rigorous stint building a bi-coastal team of creatives for the center, Lisa went on to find her place as an entrepreneur using a colorful mix of art, technology and business. She helped Hewlett Packard's education division build a global e-commerce experience. She opened an invitation company in Santa Barbara that was selected to be part of a television series for The Learning Channel focused on high-end wedding designers, their lifestyle and how they run their design business - winning features in InStyle, Destination Weddings and Your Wedding Day Magazines. Lisa led the brand and communication department at Stanford Law School, building an online solution recognized as a finalist by the Society for New Communications Research for Innovation of Year. She now runs an underground studio for her company called razpberrizoo creative where she strengthens brands, designs digital products and strategizes on UX for the likes of 20th Century Studios (Walt Disney), Stanford University, Jones Lang LaSalle, Farmgirl Flowers, First Republic Bank, Pfizer, Hewlett Packard, Beckman Coulter, CSC and Hot Topic. She also co-owns an early-stage AI-based health and wellness start-up where her team is attempting to change everyone’s mindset about exercise. You can find out more at designinglisapeacock.com
For almost two decades Jacob Rajan and Justin Lewis, the founders of Indian Ink Theatre Company, have pursued their idea of the ‘Serious Laugh’- opening mouths with laughter in order to slip something serious in along with a love of mask and story. The company blends western theatrical traditions with eastern flavors and has been critically acclaimed for their use of live music, heightened theatricality, humor, pathos and great storytelling. Together with a team of long-term collaborators Jacob and Justin have created an extraordinary series of award-winning plays that have delighted audiences throughout New Zealand and around the world. Indian Ink has won three Production of the Year awards, two Edinburgh Festival Fringe First Awards, won Best Play, Best Composer and Best Actor at the Chapman Tripp Theatre Awards and broken box office records with tours throughout New Zealand, to Australia, Singapore and Edinburgh. "We aim to make theatre that is beautiful, funny, sad and true. We go to the theatre to be transported by a great story and to enjoy characters who live large in our imaginations. We want the experience to leave an indelible imprint on your hearts. That’s why we’re called Indian Ink!”
A Canadian figure skater and choreographer who has won two Emmy Awards for Scott Hamilton: Upside Down and for choreographing the opening and closing of the 2002 Winter Olympics. Kawahara joined the Ice Capades at age 17 and skated with them for seven years. In 1997, she became the first skater to win the Best Choreography Emmy Award. Sarah has choreographed for numerous competitive skaters, including Michelle Kwan, Kristi Yamaguchi, Dorothy Hamill, Peggy Fleming, Kurt Browning, Nancy Kerrigan, Oksana Baiul, Robin Cousins, Victor Petrenko and Tia Babilonia & Randy Gardner. She was coach and choreographer for the films Go Figure, Blades of Glory and I, Tonya, and for the television series Spinning Out. On this episode Sarah tells us when ice rinks were first added to cruise ships and about watching her daughter Hayley Kiyoko perform recently at Kamala Harris’s home.
The founder of Accidental Creative, a company that helps creative people and teams be prolific, brilliant and healthy. Todd speaks, consults and advises regularly with companies about how to develop best practices that lead to everyday brilliance. He is the author of six books including Daily Creative, Herding Tigers, Die Empty, The Accidental Creative, Louder Than Words and The Motivation Code, which have been translated into more than a dozen languages. His podcast, The Accidental Creative, has been downloaded more than 15 million times and offers weekly tips and insights for being brilliant at a moment’s notice.
A former network executive who oversaw emerging artists for HBO, HBO Max and Turner. Kelly transformed herself into a full-time author, writer and producer under her Edwardian Pictures banner. In her executive role, the pilots she produced through the HBOAccess Writing and Directing Fellowships have screened at major festivals including Tribeca and SXSW garnering multiple awards. Prior to HBO, Edwards was a key corporate diversity executive at Comcast/NBCUniversal for over five years where she oversaw 20 divisions, launched employee resource groups and introduced diverse creative talent to NBC, USA, Syfy, Bravo and Telemundo. In 2000, Edwards co-founded the non-profit organization Colour Entertainment, a networking group for diverse creative executives in TV, Film and Digital, as well as assistants, all designed to connect current and future industry executives with one another.
Rosston Meyer is a designer, paper engineer and publisher who creates pop-up books, cards and prints with contemporary visual artists through his company Poposition Press. He’s gained a reputation among collectors for projects like Pop-Up Funk and The Pop-Up Art Book. Creating pop ups out of existing or new works, Rosston has released books from artists ranging from Andy Warhol, Junko Mizuno, Jim Mahfood, Kristen Liu-Wong, Mike Giant, Skinner, Dalek and Sandra Chevrier. On this episode, he explains that the greatest challenge in design is not making the art pop up but rather being able to get it to return into the page mechanically time after time.
An outdoor journalist, bowhunter, forager and angler who founded Wildkind Academy with the desire to learn, share and grow in community with others drawn to expand and challenge themselves into a more integrated partnership with the natural world. A nature lover and professional rewilder in pursuit of a more joyful and adventurous life with a multi-disciplinary approach to optimal health. On this episode, Jess shares some of the essentials you should have when planning an outing and reveals the radical change in her own thinking when it comes to being ready for anything.
A San Francisco-based designer who creates innovative drill, staging and artistic visual projects for marching bands, winter color guards and indoor percussion ensembles around the world. Michael performed with Pride of Cincinnati Winter Guard, won a WGI World Championship with State Street Review and performed with The Cavaliers Drum & Bugle Corps for four years in the color guard. He started an independent world class winter guard called Escapade and was on the design team of Bands of America National Champion Centerville HS. Michael attended the San Francisco Academy of Art University, earning a Fine Arts degree in Computer Arts/New Media. Michael was the drill designer and visual coordinator for The Cavaliers Drum and Bugle Corps and served on the design team for all seven of their Drum Corps International World Championship titles. He currently writes for some of the top high school marching bands and winter color guards in the United States. His designs have been featured by several high school Bands of America National Champions, the most recent being the 2012 BOA Grand National Champion Carmel HS, as well as four-time WGI World Champion Pride of Cincinnati, and two-time WGI Scholastic World Champion Carmel High School. Michael’s international design experience includes two-time WGI Bronze Medalist Aimachi Color Guard, and three time WGI Bronze Medalist Aimachi Percussion Ensemble from Nagoya, Japan. In 2007, Michael was inducted into the WGI Hall of Fame, and in 2011 he was inducted into the Drum Corps International Hall of Fame.
A pianist, conductor, recording artist, composer, and arranger whose work as a music director and keyboardist led her to conduct and play with touring Broadway productions of Jersey Boys, Six & Motown: The Musical. Jo Ann Daugherty loves making all kinds of music. Her most recent jazz trio album Bring Joy earned a 4-star review from Downbeat Magazine and was listed as one of their “Best Albums of 2017.” Her work with jazz multireedist Victor Goines has included performing in beautiful spaces such as Dizzy’s Club and Smoke in NYC, Satchmo Summerfest in New Orleans, Jazz at Lincoln Center Shanghai, and most recently Havana, Cuba. Jo Ann music-supervised and played on the orchestral soundtrack of the wildlife documentary To The Ends of the Earth and provided music direction and played on tour with An Unforgettable Nat King Cole Christmas.
Bob Blumer is a professional gastronaut with an adrenaline addiction. He has created and hosted three award-winning TV series that have aired in over 20 countries, written seven acclaimed cookbooks, including his latest “Flavorbomb: A Rogue Guide to Making Everything Taste Better”, and broken eight food-related Guinness World Records. In his books and appearances around the globe, Bob transforms ordinary ingredients into wow-inspiring dishes through simple cooking methods and whimsical presentations that have become his culinary trademark. Bob’s first series, Surreal Gourmet, was a pioneering Food Network instructional show. It featured his signature recipes and was anchored by his iconic Toastermobile—an Airstream trailer tricked out with a professional kitchen and topped with two eight-foot-long slices of toast. In his genre-pushing competition series, Glutton for Punishment, Bob had five days to train for a physically daunting, food-related challenge, then had to compete against highly trained professionals with his newfound skill. Bob is an ambassador for Second Harvest in Toronto. He has personally raised over $250,000 to help alleviate hunger for the perishable food bank, and several other noble causes. When he is not traveling for work or pleasure—which is most of the time—the transplanted Canadian cycles daily in the canyons near his home under the “D” of the Hollywood sign, doing his best to stay in shape for his next big adventure.
A Belgian born multi-media artist and designer residing in the Los Angeles Arts District. Her design projects and artwork include numerous permanent and temporary murals and installations, as well as exhibiting in galleries. She works on multiple pieces in various media simultaneously, fueling the velocity of her creativity as she sways between the commercial and fine arts worlds. Her work focuses on the exploration of color, topography, geometry, nature’s phenomenons, architectural amalgamations, and optimism. In 2017, after a 12 year career in marketing for architecture, interior design, and real estate firms, she ventured off to start Caroline Geys Design Studio. She counts among her clients: Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, Dunn-Edwards Paints, ROW DTLA, Reebok West Hollywood and Santa Monica Collectives, City of Los Angeles Parks and Recreation, Arts District Brewery, Global Inheritance in association with Coachella Music Festival, MASAYA, Uprooted Dance Company, and Infuse Wellness. She shares the time and dedication that it takes from concept to execution with any mural and what working in a studio with three cats is like.
Puerto Rican born Rick Negron made his professional debut at age ten in a production of the musical The Me Nobody Knows in San Juan. By the time he graduated high school he had performed in musicals and danced on television with some of Puerto Rico’s top celebrities. He graduated from Sarah Lawrence College and briefly pursued a concert dance career before setting his sights on Broadway. His Broadway credits include: Leader of the Pack, Drood, Legs Diamond, Man of La Mancha, The Goodbye Girl, Ragtime (L.A.), Mamma Mia! (Sam Carmichael/LasVegas), In The Heights (Kevin Rosario). National Tours: West Side Story (Action, Riff, Bernardo), Man of La Mancha with Robert Goulet. Rick also danced in Michael Jackson’s Bad video and Chicago the movie. Currently he plays King George III in the "And Peggy Tour" of Hamilton. He is a proud member of AEA & SAG/AFTRA. Follow him on Instagram @1stpuertoricanking and learn more at ricknegron.com
One of the world’s greatest ventriloquists who also happens to be an extraordinary writer, comic, actor, cartoonist, poet and puppeteer. Jay considers his real job to be a tour guide on a journey into the imagination. He is best known for playing the schizophrenic role of Bob & Chuck Campbell on the classic television series Soap. His one man show Jay Johnson: The Two and Only! ran on Broadway and won the American Theatre Wing Tony Award for “Best Special Theatrical Event” in 2007. The show also won the Los Angeles Ovation Award for “Best Solo Show.” In high school he produced and starred in his own local television show sponsored by a car dealership that lead to summers performing in theme park shows at Six Flags over Texas, Astroworld and Six Flags over Georgia where he logged in 918 performances at the Crystal Pistol theater (that’s 10 shows a day for 13 weeks). Jay moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career in television, landing over 30 national commercials, hosting three comedy specials, producing and performing in two network TV specials, two HBO specials, appearing as a guest on hundreds of variety shows and starring in four television series. On this episode of the podcast, Jay vents with Pat Hazell about creativity, theater and writing scenes where he plays all the characters.
A writer, actor, filmmaker, and activist all embodied in one talented muti-disciplinary artist. Candice is a soul-centered entrepreneur from Houston, Texas who believes in the transformative power of belief. She is the creator of Fatherland, WAIL and 30 Ways To Get Free. In Candice’s artistic productions she merges her academic background (B.A., Black Studies; Master of Public Administration) with a deep rooting in African spiritual traditions and the metaphysical world. She is currently commissioned to write a new play for Catastrophic Theatre, and is working on a new collection of poetry under the title INITIATION. She joins me to express her affection for the Oxford comma, to discuss her shows being created as a ceremony with a ritual attached and how along the way she learned to hold love & anger in the same hand.
A New York City based director, choreographer and educator who recently directed the London premiere of On The Edge, a new musical from composer Sam Hall. On Broadway he served as the Associate Choreographer of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s hit musical School of Rock, which he also had the privilege of staging in Sydney, Melbourne, and Seoul. He currently serves as the Associate Choreographer on the Broadway bound musical The Heart of Rock & Roll, celebrating the music of Huey Lewis, and on Ever After, a musical adaptation of the 1998 film. As a director, he staged readings of Nicolas Greco’s Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Marrying a Big-Breasted American Woman starring Anupam Kher and Grounded For Life at the York Theatre. He is currently choreographing Radio 930, a new musical centered around a group of young rebels in East Germany who used banned western rock music to bring about the fall of the Berlin Wall. As an Assistant Choreographer, he helped develop Barry Manilow’s Harmony for Center Theatre Group and The Alliance Theatre, The Nutty Professor with Jerry Lewis and Marvin Hamlisch, and the Broadway revival of On A Clear Day You Can See Forever starring Harry Connick, Jr. Patrick has staged concerts for Tony Award winner Kelli O’Hara with the Boston Pops and for Mario Cantone on ABC’s “The View.” As a teacher, he has served on staff for Britney Spears’ and Usher’s performing arts intensives.
A master chocolatier who makes European-style chocolates and is recognized for igniting the artesian chocolate renaissance. Fran’s smoked salted caramels are reported to be a favorite of President Obama who frequently shared them with visitors to the White House. Fran’s passion for life underscores her appreciation of pure flavors paired with superb, fresh ingredients. Her joie d'vie and devotion to her art has been an inspiration for others. Her Gold Bars are considered the gold standard for sophisticated candy bars and are sold in specialty markets from coast to coast. She is the author of Pure Chocolate: Divine Desserts and Sweets from the Creator of Fran’s Chocolates and the owner of Fran’s Chocolates Ltd., located in Seattle and Bellevue, Washington.
A visual artist and designer that plants his flag at the center of art, nature & science. Christopher works with reclaimed organisms and natural elements to create breathtaking museum exhibits by transforming exotic insects and tropical sea creatures into astounding works of art. Marley’s artwork has been exhibited in hundreds of galleries worldwide. His solo exhibitions have been featured at The Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University, The Beaty Biodiversity Museum in Vancouver B.C., The Houston Museum of Natural Science, The Oregon Museum of Science and Industry, the Stamford Art Museum, Los Angeles Museum of Art, WMODA and the Queens Museum. Many of the world’s most exclusive retailers such as Bergdorf Goodman, Saks 5th Avenue (NYC), Gumps (San Francisco), Barney’s (NYC) and La Galerie du Bon Marche (Paris) have also hosted solo exhibitions. His first book Pheromone, The Insect Art of Christopher Marley (Pomegranate, 2008) was named one of the Best Books of 2008 by The Times (UK) and his second book, Biophilia (Abrams, 2015) is a New York Times Bestseller. He maintains design studios in Willamette Valley, Oregon and in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. On this episode Christopher shares what it was like to grow up with his dad’s dead birds in the freezer next to the popsicles, what he now keeps in his many freezers around the world and how important lighting is to displaying elements of nature.
A visual artist known for her hand-cut, wall-mounted paper forms and immersive, site-specific sculptures. Crystal’s colorful work exudes wonder and whimsy while being constructed from humble everyday materials like chicken wire and repurposed children’s birthday party tablecloths. Her sprawling installations can be seen bursting off of gallery walls and engulfing the outside of buildings from Lodz, Poland to Burlington, Vermont. She earned a BFA from the Atlanta College of Art in 2004 and received her MFA from the University of Tennessee in 2008. After a brief stint of teaching art at a college-level for five years, Crystal left academia to focus exclusively on her studio practice. She achieved her greatest notoriety for her immense, biomorphic site works that envelop the interiors and exteriors of buildings. These exuberant, boldly colored forms have a robust, eye-popping appeal. She is booked for installations in Miami, Arizona, Italy, Switzerland and France. On this episode, multi-dimensional wonder worker Crystal Wagner explains how she produced some of her most explosive works, tells us what it means to be an art generator and reveals that she has a tattoo of an exacto knife.
A Vice News Tonight correspondent covering stories at the intersection of politics and culture. Dexter is an Emmy-winning journalist plus two nominations and has contributed to Pulitzer Prize-winning coverage while working with the Los Angeles Times. He has a PhD in East Asian studies at Cornell University and is currently splitting his time between a pos-doctorate at Princeton and as documentary filmmaker. Dexter established the world’s largest public collection of Japanese hip-hop at UC Riverside and is writing a book on the topic. He began working in new media as a student director of programming at KUCR Radio, independently producing podcasts as well as music and news programs. He has written on topics as diverse as Internet and youth culture, social justice and video games. On this episode he shares how asking questions leads him to the stories he covers, the unfortunate number of times he has been confused for a protester while out with his camera crew and trying to get his father to crossover from Jazz to Rap.
A musician and songwriter for over 40 years who rose to the top of the charts as a member of the iconic band The Go-Go’s. Kathy wrote or co-wrote some of the bands most renowned tunes, including the hits Vacation and Head Over Heels. Her journey went from opening for The Rolling Stones to the cover of Rolling Stone Magazine. She returned to Austin to pursue creative opportunities as a public speaker, spokesperson, producer and actor. Kathy is the author of a compelling memoir called All I Ever Wanted—a soundtrack of original music accompanies the book. Several of her songs are featured in the Broadway musical based on The Go-Go’s catalog Head over Heels, currently in regional productions across the country. She still finds time to play guitar in the all-female rock ‘n’ roll band she started called The Bluebonnets. On this episode we hear the story of John Belushi following her band to gigs around the country, how she finishes writing her songs incrementally and how being in a band was like being a member of a family that she really needed.
The Experience Architect for Virgin Galatic who was a 40-year veteran of Walt Disney’s Imagineering, the lead designer of Disney’s Animal Kingdom and the principal creative force behind Walt Disney World Resort’s Expedition Everest thrill ride. Rohde was one of the lead designers on the Disney Vacation Club property Aulani in Oahu, Hawaii and is recognized as the creator of Pandora - The World of Avatar. He joined Disney Imagineering in 1980 during the development of Epcot as a model designer and scenic painter for the theme park's Mexico pavilion. He became a designer on the refurbishment of Fantasyland at Disneyland, the Captain EO 3D film attraction starring Michael Jackson, the Norway Pavilion at Epcot and the Adventurers Club within Pleasure Island entertainment district. Joe led the team that transformed the former Tower of Terror at Disney California Adventure into Guardians of the Galaxy - Mission: BREAKOUT!. On this episode, Rohde shares stories of his world travel and wanderlust, the power of details for creating a sense of place and the importance of a crooked palm tree.
A Grammy-nominated comedian and podcaster with 10 appearances on the Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon and 4 appearances on Conan. His debut Comedy Central special, Full-Time Magic, and his debut album, Yelled At By a Clown, reached #1 on the iTunes Comedy Charts and remained on Billboard’s Top Ten Comedy Charts for weeks. Bargatze’s half-hour Netflix special on The Standups, premiered in 2017, and his first solo one-hour Netflix special, The Tennessee Kid, premiered globally to rave reviews in 2019. In 2021, he released his second Netflix special, The Greatest Average American, which received a Grammy nomination for Best Comedy Album. He regularly performs at Bonnaroo, SXSW, Oddball Comedy & Curiosity Festival, and Sasquatch! Music Festival, Clusterfest, and the JFL Montreal Comedy Festival. Nate was featured as one of Esquire's ‘Best New Comedians’ by Jim Gaffigan, one of Marc Maron's ‘Comedians to Watch’ in Rolling Stone, one of Variety’s ‘10 Comics to Watch’ for 2015, and as #1 on Vulture's ‘50 Comedians You Should Know’ in 2015. His weekly podcast, Nateland, tackles the meaningless issues that we face day to day. In this episode Nate shares what it is like to be from a funny family, he gives his picks for the Mount Rushmore of Comedy and we explore the notion of starting a sanctuary in Nate’s name to protect gummy bears.
A visual designer born in Montreal, raised in Cincinnati, now living in Las Vegas where he serves as co-director with David Copperfield and as David’s design director. Homer is often multi-tasking between conceptual drawing and design, cinematography, theatrical lighting design, script development, illusion staging, and video/music editing and sound design. Homer's illusion designs and cinematography have been featured in David's live show since 1993, several Emmy-award-winning television specials on CBS, and with David's top-rated luxury private island - Musha Cay. Red Safe, David Copperfield's new movie production company, finds Homer collaborating on design, camera blocking, and original concepts for films such as Steve Carell's comedy, The Incredible Burt Wonderstone (hangman illusion), the hit Now You See Me and Paranormal Activity 4. Homer also designed the featured explosive escape in The Amazing Race season finale on CBS, as well as helped devise David Copperfield's vanish and reappearance with Robin Williams on The Crazy Ones. In this episode of the podcast, we discuss Homer’s design style and extraordinary attention to detail, and he shares stories of the responsibility of shooting all the photographs for the book David Copperfield’s History of Magic.
A producer, executive creative director, and Imagineer for over 31 years, Doris Hardoon, has just received the Buzz Price Thea Award recognizing her for “a lifetime of distinguished achievements.” Beginning her themed entertainment career in 1975 at Marine World Africa USA as a graphic designer, Doris was hired four years later by WED Enterprises (now known as Walt Disney Imagineering), working on projects including EPCOT’s The Land Pavilion, Tokyo Disneyland, and Disneyland Paris. Hardoon became a senior executive creative director, producer, and creative lead for a varied portfolio of investments, working at some point on all six Magic Kingdom-style Disney parks on three continents. Realizing the “Authentically Disney and Distinctly Chinese” philosophy, Doris lead the successful realization of the Shanghai Disney Resort that opened in 2016. She also served as a creative executive for WestCOT, Long Beach’s DisneySea, and Hong Kong Disneyland. Doris recently retired as an Imagineer and continues her work in the themed entertainment industry through her own design company DDesign Consultancy. On the podcast, she shares the cultural significance of her design choices, discusses how she came to be an Imagineer and she reveals hiding the names of some of her cherished teammates in the ironwork of Disneytown.
Anna Condo is a filmmaker and a photographer born in Armenia and raised in France. From a young age, Anna enjoyed a passion for the arts and a love for the natural world's mysteries. As a teenager, she took art classes at the École des Arts Appliqués in Paris. Upon graduation, she enrolled at the Université Paris Nanterre for Art History and Archeology. That same year, she landed a TV role, transferred to the drama school Cours Florent and launched an acting career. In 1989, Anna began living between New York City and Paris. While in New York, she attended the Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute, raised two beautiful daughters, collaborated with numerous artists, wrote and directed four short films and three feature films, and published her first book, "AH Allen," a powerful tribute to her friend, poet Allen Ginsberg. In 2013, Anna rekindled a fascination with photography choosing flowers as the ultimate muse. The medium and the models became a creative outlet in solitude, counterbalancing her filmmaking's collaborative spirit. Learn more on Instagram: @anna.condo.
A “Solo Show Powerhouse” and consummate storyteller with a full toolkit of characters, sound effects, impersonations and improvisation. Reed was nominated for three Primetime Emmy Awards for Dream On, The Cosby Show and Robert Townsend and His Partners in Crime. Reed was an advertising & promotion executive at NBC for two years, then did voice-work for cartoons such as Disney’s Gargoyles, Spider-Man and The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest. In 2008, he debuted a solo autobiographical show titled East 14th: True Tales of a Reluctant Player and has presented a total of 5 solo shows altogether. In 2009, he became the warm-up comic for The Tonight Show with Jay Leno – and performed stand-up to warm up the studio audience for over 1,000 episodes. NPR/WNYC’s Snap Judgment recognized his storytelling for Performance of the Year in 2016. Later that year Theater Bay Area gave his show East 14th the 2016 TBA award for Outstanding Solo Show. The same year, Reed co-starred in the streaming comedy series, Bartlett, with Broadway phenom Lin-Manuel Miranda, creator of Hamilton. In 2019, Don Reed was approached by writer/director/filmmaker Robert Townsend to co-produce his one man, theatrical hit Living the Shuffle. On this episode he shares the importance of truth in storytelling, explains how he writes on the move in his car, and encourages anyone who does stand-up to try a night of storytelling.
An award-winning American playwright, author, essayist, poet and professor at the David Geffen School of Drama at Yale. Her plays include The Oldest Boy, Dear Elizabeth, Stage Kiss, In the Next Room, (or The Vibrator Play) (Pulitzer Prize finalist, 2010); The Clean House (Pulitzer Prize finalist, 2005; Susan Smith Blackburn Prize, 2004); Passion Play (Pen American Award, Fourth Freedom Forum Playwriting Award from the Kennedy Center); Dead Man’s Cell Phone (Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding New Play); Demeter in the City (nine NAACP Image Award nominations); Melancholy Play; Scenes From Court Life; How to Transcend a Happy Marriage, For Peter Pan on Her 70th Birthday; Eurydice; Orlando and Late: A Cowboy Song. On this episode Sarah explains why it isn’t very cozy for a person to sit and read a play, she introduces the concept of Title Diagnosis to find the core of a story and she shares insights about her book “Smile: The Story of a Face”.
An established Hollywood screenwriter and novelist whose credits include Arachnophobia, True Believer, Final Analysis, Wolf, A Nightmare on Elm Streetand the Martin Scorsese remake of Cape Fear. As a “script doctor” he has done production polishes on such films as Batman Returns, Face/Off and Mission: Impossible 2. Strick wrote the original script for Tim Burton’s unproduced Superman Lives. His first novel Out There in the Dark was published by St. Martin’s Publishing Group and his second novel Whirlybird is available as a Kindle book. Since 1995, Wesley has served as a creative advisor at the Sundance Institute Screenwriters Lab. Strick is a writer/executive producer on the Amazon drama series, The Man in the High Castle. On this episode he talks about collaborating on projects with Tim Burton, studying creative writing with poet Thom Gunn and his early days as a rock journalist for Rolling Stone, Circus and Creem.
An award-winning creative director for cultural attractions, theme parks, and destinations. Cynthia is a principal for Thinkwell Group, a global experience design company. She has gained a reputation for combining creative approaches to exhibition and education development with a focused understanding of experiences as a means of advancing equity, inclusion, early education, and visitor behavior. Her adventures have put her in cahoots with Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History and National Museum of Natural History, Google, Warner Bros. Entertainment, San Diego Zoo, Adler Planetarium, Fernbank Museum of Natural History, the U.S. Marshals Museum, Wahat Al Karama, Universal, and Space Center Houston. She shines a light on immersive audience experiences, the importance of decolonizing museum exhibits, and strives to tell more inclusive stories that are accessible to all.
An exceptional Photographer, Creative Director and Visual Storyteller known for his signature style with Beauty, Celebrity & Fashion Photography. His list of clients include Cardi B, Billy Porter, Priyanka Chopra, Lewis Hamilton, Ruby Rose, Kim Kardashian, Katy Perry, Prince, Taraji P. Henson, Jim Parsons, Queen Latifah, Betty White & Kelly Clarkson. He has gone on to direct music videos for Kelly Rowland, Vanessa Williams & Erika Jayne. Mike made his feature film directorial debut with RuPaul’s uproarious comedy Starrbooty. He was recently named creative director and principal photographer for L’Officiel Fashion Book Australia, L’Officiel Fashion Book Monte Carlo and PhotoBook Magazine. Mike supports the Ali Forney Center, GMHC, The Trevor Project, Housing Works, It Gets Better Project, Live Out Loud, Project Angel Food, Stand Up for Pits Foundation and GLAAD. He serves on the honorary board of the “Let There Be Hope” research foundation. On this episode he shares what it was like shooting with Prince at Paisley Park, he explains his rich fantasy life as a kid and how the discovery of his first camera allowed him to express his vision of the world. To learn more go to MikeRuiz.com.
A professional, confessional writer and producer who created the TV series The New Adventures of Old Christine and Call Your Mother. She served as co-executive producer on Will & Grace and is the author of a book of humorous and unflinching essays on midlife called Aren’t You Forgetting Someone? Essays from my Mid-Life Revenge. Kari started her career writing for the series Weird Science and creating the TV show Maggie Winters. She tells us the responsibilities required to be a television showrunner, explains how her face got covered in poison oak and reveals the lies she told as a kid.
A world-class illusionist and the choreographer & artistic director of Austin’s long-running musical/comedy review Esther’s Follies. Ray is the featured performer in this theatrical juggernaut blending illusion, comedy, and audience participation into one of the most carefully constructed performances in the magic world today. There isn't a dull moment when Ray is onstage. Performing immaculate and inventive large-scale illusions, or parodying the genre, his talent shines as a Follies treasure. The Academy of Magical Arts recently recognized Ray with a prestigious Performing Fellowship. Ray shares stories of what he has seen through the picture window behind him on stage and how he develops his routines so effectively to music.
Journey is the Executive Director of the National Comedy Center, the nation’s official cultural institution dedicated to the art of comedy. Under Journey’s direction, the National Comedy Center leads the way in 21st Century museum design, featuring state-of-the-art technology, interactivity, and customization for visitors of all ages. Blooloop recognized Gunderson as one of the Top Museum Influencers in the world. Under her leadership, The National Comedy Center was named “Best New Museum” in the country in 2020 by USA Today, one of the “World’s Greatest Places” by TIME magazine, and one of “100 Reasons to Love America” by People magazine. The Interrobang named Journey and her design team second on its list of “Innovators Who Changed Comedy.” Gunderson also serves as Executive Director of Jamestown New York’s Lucille Ball Desi Arnaz Museum and the acclaimed Lucille Ball Comedy Festival. In this episode, she talks about the importance of maintaining the archives of George Carlin, Carl Reiner, Joan Rivers, The Smothers Brothers, and many others. She also recounts filling time on a microphone waiting for Dan Aykroyd to make an entrance on a motorcycle at the grand opening and introduces us to comedy karaoke. There is definitely something funny going on around her.
The director and writer of the comedy martial arts movie The Paper Tigers, Bao tells global stories that have universal appeal. Mentored by master action director Corey Yuen, Bao Tran’s approach draws on spectacle through story and character. Screen Anarchy commended his written-and-directed short Bookie for its “flawlessly realized world populated by entirely fleshed out and believable characters, driven by a compelling narrative and brought to sumptuous life.” His editing credits include Cho Lon, one of Southeast Asia’s highest-budgeted action blockbusters, and Jackpot, a heartfelt comedy selected as Vietnam’s official entry to the 2016 Oscars for Best Foreign Film. Bao's feature The Paper Tigers garnered praise from Collider as “an impressive feature debut with confident command of the narrative and action alike, it’s an absolutely lovely time at the movies.” Rotten Tomatoes ranks it as one of the top Action Comedies and Asian American Movies with a Certified Fresh rating. He tells us the impact that Corey Yuen had on him as a kid, he shares Brad Bird’s advice that the job of a storyteller is telling campfire stories as big as the world and together Bao and Pat take a shot at the first kung fu fight on a podcast.
An award-winning and accredited German art conservator for paintings and sculptures in Los Angeles with over 15 years of experience in the field of cultural heritage conservation. She completed graduate studies in Art Conservation and has held positions at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Balboa Art Conservation Center, the National Gallery of Denmark, and for the German Government. Kamila is the founder of LA Art Labs on Museum Row in Los Angeles that employs scientific techniques and instrumentation to achieve museum-quality results. In this week’s episode, Kamila tells us about her pigment collection, including colors from an Egyptian mummy, and she shares stories about working on restoring everything from Picasso to Banksy.
Brian Regan is one of the most respected comedians in America and a veteran of Late Night TV with multiple appearances on The Tonight Show, The Late Show with David Letterman and Late Night with Conan O’Brien. His Netflix stand-up specials include: Brian Regan: On The Rocks and Brian Regan: Nunchucks and Flamethrowers, which is also available as a vinyl album. Brian stars in his own original half-hour Netflix series, Stand Up and Away! With Brian Regan combining sketch and stand-up comedy, executive produced by himself and Jerry Seinfeld. His 30-plus year career of touring theaters has taken him to The Leicester Square Theatre in London, The Kennedy Center, Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center’s Avery Fisher Hall, The Beacon Theatre, Radio City Music Hall, Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Denver and the Vivant Arena in Salt Lake City. Brian’s other comedy releases include: Live From Radio City Music Hall, All By Myself, The Epitome of Hyperbole, Standing Up, I Walked on the Moon and Brian Regan Live. On this episode Brian impresses the importance of power napping, how he found his voice as a comic who avoided explicit material and why he considers himself ‘The Laziest Playwright’ of all time.
Colette is an award-winning short fiction writer, teacher and mentor. Her short story collection Once Removed won the Flannery O’Connor Award for Short Fiction, the NYC Big Book Award for Short Story Collections, and the Juror’s Choice Award and the Short Stories Award from the National Indie Excellence Awards. Her work has appeared in The Chicago Tribune, Harvard Review, Kenyon Review Online, Slice, Carve, The Rumpus, Prairie Schooner and Colorado Review. Her other awards include a Writers@Work Fiction Prize, a Glenna Luschei Award, a Reynolds Price Short Fiction Award, and a Truman Capote fellowship from the Iowa Writer’s Workshop, where she completed her MFA. She has taught writing for 20 years, currently at UCLA Extension Writers’ Program, as well as privately. She co-hosts the Literary Roadhouse Bookclub Podcast and is the Executive Director of The CineStory Foundation, a nonprofit mentoring organization for emerging TV writers and screenwriters. On this episode Colette discusses being an identical twin, the importance of a good opening line and the value of ass-in-the-chair time.
A versatile musician and the co-founder of the Brooklyn-based alt rock band “They Might Be Giants” known for their uniquely experimental and absurdist style using surreal, humorous lyrics and unconventional instruments in their songs. John is a singer/songwriter, who plays accordion, baritone, bass saxophone, clarinet and keyboards. TMBG has released 23 albums and has two Grammy Awards. John shares the impact his parents’ record collection had on him, the way his band found success in children’s music and he gives insight into TMBG’s newest album: “Book” with partner John Flansburgh.
An award-winning librettist and lyricist that serves on National Council of the Dramatists Guild of America. Cheryl has been a Resident Playwright at Chicago Dramatists since 2008, and serves as the company’s Director of New Musical Theatre Development. She has co-written more than a dozen musicals that have been developed and showcased at the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center’s National Music Theater Conference, the National Alliance for Musical Theatre’s Festival of New Works and the New York Musical Theatre Festival. Her original novelty songs have been featured on Good Morning America, the Today Show, and NPR’s Morning Edition. On this episode Cheryl breaks down the architecture of musical theatre, explains how getting someone to like a musical is like getting them to like sushi and shares Stephen Sondheim’s affinity for perfect rhyme.
A Southern California artist whose practice is focused mainly on abstract and figurative painting, as well as sculpture, printmaking and music. Tim studied fine art at Otis-Parsons before entering the animation and illustration industries where he honed his technical skills. His complex color and design theories pushed forward a decidedly populist aesthetic, which has continued to develop and morph over time. He’s the author of an extraordinary retrospective monograph/autobiography entitled Tree of Life. Tim shares the amazing sense of accomplishment he feels when filling up a sketchbook, his affection for the quality of estate sale paper and his ability to get out of the way so that art can be made.
Jackie is 35 year veteran of stand-up comedy whose albums have been #1 on Amazon and iTunes and have over fifty million views on Spotify and Pandora. She is the host of two podcasts, the long running The Dork Forest and her new show The Jackie & Laurie Show co-hosted with fellow comic/writer, Laurie Kilmartin. Kashian’s list of acclaimed comedy specials include This Will Make an Excellent Horcrux, which was named one of Vulture’s best stand-up comedy specials, and I Am Not The Hero of This Story. Her latest special is Stay-Kashian now available everywhere. On this episode we talk about the first joke she ever wrote, the invention of her childhood game “Imagination” and we break down the definitions of Dork, Nerd, Dweeb, Weirdo and Geek.
A world-class paleo artist who produces natural history and prehistoric life models for museums, publishing, and film. Gary has a degree in Art/Biology and he interned at the Smithsonian Institution and the British Museum of Natural History. He has created sculptures for National Geographic, the Carnegie Museum of Natural History, the BBC, The Discovery Channel, and The American Museum of Natural History. His work recreating the mummy of the “Iceman” can be seen on PBS, in the NOVA special Iceman Reborn. Gary is a mammoth talent in a bigger-than-life profession. We talk about the physical conundrum of getting a 52-foot Megaladon through a man-size door and how he often disturbed his teachers by bringing roadkill to school for show & tell.
This creative director, feminist researcher, and writer resides at the intersection of art, technology, and social justice. She is the Augmented and Virtual Realities Lead at the Atlantic Institute in Oxford, England. Alice is the founder of Herstory, a project that uses art and culture to engage people with women’s history. She has worked with Magic Leap, U2, The Gates Foundation, Tate, and Penguin Books. In this episode, she shares what it’s like to collaborate with the band U2, offers insights on her time developing Mica—the first digital human and she encourages Pat to join her in becoming an Accidental Technologist. Keep your AI on this bright talent and forward thinker.
The author of Crazy Screenwriting Secrets: How to Capture a Global Audience and an accomplished international storyteller who wrote and produced the Chinese-language romance film 100 Days. Weiko is an associate professor at Emerson College, a Fulbright Senior Specialist, a Samuel Goldwyn Writing Award recipient, and an AMPAS Nicholl Fellowship finalist. He has written projects for The Walt Disney Company, The Mark Gordon Company, Turner Broadcasting’s Super Deluxe, Ivanhoe Pictures (SK Global Entertainment), Don Mischer Productions, and Wanda Pictures. Weiko Lin shares the importance of comfort food in Eastern Culture, how much fear impacts the stories he tells, and why he has an affection for the movie Rain Man as he chats with Pat from Taipei.
An accomplished actor who is the computer voice of the Starship La Sirena in the CBS All Access series Star Trek: Picard, the voice of Bellroc in tandem with Piotr Michael in Wizards; the third installment of Guillermo Del Toro’s epic trilogy Tales of Arcadia and the voice of Ana in Lara Croft: Rise of the Tomb Raider. Kay has choice voice roles in renowned gaming franchises such as The Last of Us II, Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare, Mass Effect: Andromeda, Agents of MAYHEM, Skylanders: SuperChargers, State of Decay 2, Crackdown 3, Final Fantasy XV, and Fallout 76. She also voices roles in noted animation series such as The Loud House, Spirit Riding Free, and Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts. Kay is the host of The B-Hive Podcast: Women in VoiceOver. On today’s episode of Creativity in Captivity she reminds us that the audition really is the job, that there is no expiration date on your career and she reads Pat Hazell’s poem Kid’s Table as a Thanksgiving treat.
A stand-up comedian, actor, and visual artist who is a nine-year veteran of Saturday Night Live is known for his characters Mr. Subliminal, Tarzan, and Franz (of Hans and Franz), and as an anchor on Weekend Update. Kevin was a series regular on Weeds, Man with a Plan, and Glenn Martin, DDS. A frequent guest on The Tonight Show, Jimmy Kimmel Live! and Conan. Kevin has made numerous guest appearances on shows such as Curb Your Enthusiasm and The Larry Sanders Show. His feature films include All I want for Christmas, Happy Gilmore, The Wedding Singer, Anger Management, Little Nicky, and Daddy Daycare. He hosts Hiking with Kevin on YouTube. In this episode, he shares with us the secret to sketching a good caricature, his admiration of Leonardo da Vinci and advice he received from Joan Rivers about surviving life on the road.
A New York Times best-selling author of five books: Steal Like an Artist, Show Your Work!, Keep Going, The Steal Like an Artist Journal, and Newspaper Blackout. Austin has spoken as a guest presenter at Pixar, Google, Adobe, and TEDx, and at conferences such as The Economist’s Human Potential Summit and SXSW. His work focuses on creativity in today’s world. In this episode, we learn why he thinks it is important to keep unread books around, why he considers play to be serious business and why the greatest gift you can give an artist is space to do their work. Austin is a man who makes art with words and books with pictures.
A journalist, documentary filmmaker and the founder & CEO of Emblematic Group widely credited with helping create the genre of immersive journalism. Nonny combines Unity graphics with real witness audio to recreate powerful events the user can experience using virtual reality headsets. She was selected by Wired Magazine as a “Make Tech Human Agent of Change” and Fast Company listed her as one of the “13 People Who Made the World More Creative.” Nonny is also the program director of ASU’s Center for Emerging Media and Narrative. She is a 2018 New America Fellow, a member of the BAFTA VR Advisory Group, a Ted Talk speaker, and the 2016 recipient of the Knight Innovation Award. De la Peña is a former correspondent of Newsweek, a writer for The New York Times and other major news organizations. In this episode, she shares her views on empathy in storytelling, the importance of connection, and how the immersive experience can give a person the feeling of a duality of presence.
An actor, author, musician and magician who is the former frontman for the post punk-pop group Possum Dixon, and wrote the captivating memoir Strange Cures. Rob Zabrecky is a regular performer at the Magic Castle in Hollywood who frequently hosts séances for private events. As an actor, Rob landed a supporting role in the supernatural drama, A Ghost Story. His other film credits include a supporting role in Ryan Gosling’s directorial debut Lost River, and a starring role in the psychological thriller, Decay, portraying a troubled theme park groundskeeper who falls in love with a corpse. As a television actor he has been on GLOW, Strange Angel, Criminal Minds, CSI: NY, Comedy Bang! Bang! and Angie Tribeca. In 2019, he and his wife Tommi Zabrecky created the supernatural comedy series, Other Side with Zabrecky. In each episode, Zabrecky invites guests into his home to participate in a séance to contact a departed spirit of their choice. Guests have included Jack Black, Jason Sudeikis, Kate Flannery, Will Forte, and David Arquette. On this episode of the podcast Rob shares that he is never afraid to fail, he explains what art tears are, and he encourages us all to be “punk” in spirit. Pat and Rob are both very intrigued by the concept of a zombie paintball hayrack ride as Halloween approaches.
This five-time Tony Award-winning stage & film Director/Choreographer brought to life The Producers, Young Frankenstein, Crazy For You, Contact, The Scottsboro Boys, Bullets Over Broadway, Steel Pier, Big Fish, The Music Man and Prince of Broadway. For 10 years she choreographed Madison Square Garden’s annual spectacular A Christmas Carol. She made her Metropolitan Opera debut directing and choreographing The Merry Widow. For the New York City Ballet, she created Double Feature and For the Love of Duke. She has collaborated with the Kennedy Center, The Boston Pops, Martha Graham Company, and Pacific Northwest Ballet. Her choreography received an Emmy nomination for the HBO presentation of Liza Minnelli – Live from Radio City Music Hall, starring Liza Minnelli. She directed and choreographed the Broadway-bound Ahrens + Flaherty musical Little Dancer for The Kennedy Center and Seattle's 5th Avenue Theatre. In collaboration with the Williamstown Theatre Festival, she directed the play Photograph 51 for Audible. In this episode, Stro tells us what it is like to cast a show virtually, the difference between directing The Producers musical on stage and for film, and she reminisces about choreographing dancing beer cans for a Miller High Life industrial.
An award-winning character actor recognized for his salute to the lunacy and legacy of Groucho Marx and his portrayal of the outrageous Latin Lover Caesar in Teatro ZinZanni. Frank is a theatrical barnstormer and has performed lead roles at the Arena Stage, Goodspeed Opera House, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, Milwaukee Rep, Bucks County Playhouse, Pasadena Playhouse, Boston's Huntington Theatre, Paper Mill Playhouse and Alliance Theatre. Ferrante is the in-house director at the Walnut Street Theatre for the critically-acclaimed revivals of Neil Simon's Brighton Beach Memoirs, Biloxi Blues, Broadway Bound, Laughter on the 23rd Floor, The Sunshine Boys and Lost in Yonkers. The film version of his stage show Frank Ferrante's An Evening with Groucho premieres on public television in Spring, 2022. On this episode he shares insights on the importance of preparation when creating and channeling characters and the value of focusing on “quality of performance” in every show.
This poetic polymath was born in Cape Town, South Africa. The daughter of jazz musicians Sathima Bea Benjamin and Abdullah Ibrahim, she was raised in New York City and studied vocal performance at Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School. Jean was destined to be an entertainer from her earliest days dancing with the Alvin Ailey Dance Company. She is a versatile writer, musician, director, producer, actor, and lightning rod lyricist who enjoys expression in all mediums. Jean put rap music behind her in 2018, but has since self-released her music through her website and Bandcamp. Her latest album, Everything’s Fine, was a collaboration with partner Quelle Chris, with cameos from Hannibal Buress, Nick Offerman, Michael Che, and John Hodgman. Jean developed an online sitcom, wrote an audiobook, and created the non-denominational ministry called the Church of the Infinite You as a way of connecting and motivating people who don’t do church. In this episode, she reminds young artists of the importance of getting yourself a good lawyer, and we discuss the power of the “F” word. If you haven’t figured it out, Jean is a creative force; if she can dream it, she can deliver it. (Photo Credit: Mindy Tucker)
This iconic Hollywood talent manager that represented Jerry Seinfeld, Andy Kauffman & Carl Reiner began in the mailroom at the William Morris Agency in New York. He soon became an agent and accompanied Elvis to an early appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show. He served as a packaging agent for a series of hit shows: The Steve Allen Show, That Girl, Gomer Pyle and specials for Dick Van Dyke, Mary Tyler Moore and Carol Channing. He broke away from the agency life to form the personal management company Shapiro / West Productions with his partner Howard West and they executive produced NBC’s Seinfeld, Andy Kaufman at Carnegie Hall and the film Man on the Moon starring Jim Carrey. The David Lynch Foundation presented Shapiro with the Lifetime Bliss Award in 2012 at a starred-studded comedy fundraiser in Beverly Hills. George and Aimee Hyatt produced the documentaries The Bronx Boys, If You’re Not In the Obits, Eat Breakfast and The Bronx Boys Still Playing at 80. On this episode George shares stories of Andy Kaufman’s first appearance on SNL, he reveals the life highlights of being hugged by Paul McCartney and holding hands with Liz Taylor. He also tells young managers and agents that they need to fall in love with a comedian to represent them well.
Jerry Seinfeld is best known for playing a semi-fictionalized version of himself on NBC’s Seinfeld, which he co-created and wrote with Larry David. The show aired from 1989- 1998 becoming one of the most popular American sitcoms of all time. Seinfeld also produced and co-wrote the film Bee Movie, the reality series The Marriage Ref, the documentary Comedian, and is the host of the web series Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee. For his TV work, he received 20 Primetime Emmy Award nominations and has four Grammy nominations for his comedy albums. In October 2020, Jerry released his newest book, Is This Anything?, chronicling his 45 years working in comedy. His most recent Netflix special is titled 23 Hours to Kill. On the podcast, he shares how he approaches writing new material like he is viewing it with a drone, the powerful reset he gets from practicing transcendental meditation, and offers advice that to be a success you must learn to be your own boss and the employee at the same time.
An accomplished stage and TV actress, theatre educator, and singer who originated the Broadway roles of Vanessa in In The Heights and Satine in the stage adaptation of Moulin Rouge! She portrayed Angelica Schyler in the Chicago production of Hamilton and received a Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical for her role as Anita in West Side Story. Today she reveals what it means to be a “Swing” in a Broadway show, the intensity of performances once you are nominated for a Tony and she explains how important it is for her students to discover the intention in the material that leads to the passion and ultimately better performance. Whether she is performing, teaching, or engaging in activism, Karen Olivo knows how to shine.
This multi-talented comedian and podcast host served as a writer and Co-Executive Producer on The Simpsons. He has numerous HBO specials as well as appearances on Conan and Letterman. He appeared as an actor on Seinfeld and The Ben Stiller Show. He created the series Stan Against Evil and co-created MTV’s Super Adventure Team. He hosts his own podcast The Dana Gould Hour available everywhere in the known universe. In this episode, he shares his love of Planet of the Apes, Johnny Carson, and the genre of horror. He explains how laughter and screams both offer a way to relieve tension. Together he and Pat explore the clever names of animal groupings and birds of prey.
A dynamic award-winning Magicienne and the executive director of Magicana, a Toronto-based Arts Organization, dedicated to the study, exploration, and advancement of magic as a performing art. Julie was one of the founders of My Magic Hands a community outreach program for at-risk youth. She was also instrumental in launching Senior Sorcery an interactive magic program designed to engage and empower isolated seniors. Julie was featured in CBC’s The Nature of Things episode “The Science of Magic. On the podcast, she tells us about her life as a thriving archivist and what it’s like growing up in Victoria, BC behind the counter of her father’s Trick & Joke Shop.
An award-winning screenwriter, director, and author who has worked in film, television, and comic books for over 30 years. His book on story structure Invisible Ink has been translated into several languages and is required reading for interns at Pixar Animation Studios. He is also the author of The Golden Theme, Ink Spots, and Old Souls. As a story consultant Brian has taught story construction and consulted for Disney Feature Animation, Cirque Du Soleil, Amazon, Ford Motor Company, Sony Interactive, Future of Storytelling, and Microsoft. McDonald is a partner and the Chief Storyteller at Belief Agency in Seattle, Washington where he hosts the podcast You Are a Storyteller.
As an artist, songwriter & producer Maia is active in the music business. Her songs have been recorded by Bonnie Raitt, The Chicks, Trisha Yearwood, Keb’ Mo’, Cher, Edwin McCain, Art Garfunkel, and Lisa Loeb. She has appeared on NPR's All Things Considered, CBS Early Morning, and The Today Show. Maia has been writing for Songwriting with Soldiers since 2017. She wrote and sings the theme song for the Creativity in Captivity podcast. She has recorded eight solos records and recently released Mercy Rising, her boldest, most confessional album to date. She shares with Pat her experience of writing for Songwriting with Soldiers and reveals the inspiration behind the lyrics of her song “Death by Perfection.”
A Mid-century pop culture expert who is a performer, author of coffee table books, and collector celebrating classic and kitschy American life and style. Charles has appeared on Jay Leno’s Garage, Martha Stewart, Conan, and Queen Latifah Show; also serving as a judge on Cake Wars Christmas and Nailed It, as well as a vintage appraiser on Storage Wars. He is known for his spirited live slide shows, classic car JOYRIDE videos, and fun “field trip” tours. Join us to see why the New York Times refers to Charles Phoenix as “The King of Retro” and listen as he shares the secret to making the “The Mythical Food of the Gods” Ambrosia.
This Musical Pioneer has beamed her music into space, been appointed a United Nations Women role model for Innovation, and held an acclaimed solo exhibition of her ‘world first’ album designs at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London. Wired Magazine named Beatie one of the “22 People Changing The World.” She is at the forefront of delivering new formats for music that bridge the physical and the digital, including a 3D palm top theater, a wearable record jacket made from fabric woven with Wolfe’s music embedded in it, tailored by British style-maker Mr. Fish who created custom clothing for David Bowie, Jimi Hendrix, and The Rolling Stones. In this episode, she reminds us of the importance of a tangible experience with music to imprint memories on the brain and the powerful impact that working with people living with dementia is having on her work. Beatie Wolfe is sure to inspire you and offer new ways to look at the world around you and listen to life on a far deeper level.
An artist and iconic illustrator of pin-up art whose paintings appeared in Playboy and dominated the scene in periodicals, paperbacks, advertising, and movie posters. Olivia is known for painting burlesque goddesses, women warriors, fashion & fantasy. She brings to life such powerful screen sirens as Bettie Page, Cat Woman, Morticia Adams, and Wonder Woman. Her artwork has been shown in galleries throughout the United States and Japan. She and her partner Joel started the O Card Company to publish Olivia’s images as greeting cards and they created Ozone Productions to license her artwork worldwide. In this episode, she talks about how illustrating erotic fantasies for men’s magazines allowed her to make ends meet and learning the discipline of how to sit down and do the work rather than waiting for inspiration.
Check out her popular page on Instagram: @oliviapinupart Website: eOlivia.com
The Author of The War of Art, The Artist Journey, Do The Work, Turning Pro, The Legend of Bagger Vance, Gates of Fire, Tides of War, The Afghan Campaign, Killing Rommel, Last of The Amazons, and A Man at Arms. In addition to historical fiction and inspiring non-fiction books, Steven also wrote the screenplays for King Kong Lives, Above The Law, Feejack, and Joshua Tree/ Army of One. In this episode, he shares tips for avoiding “The Resistance” which plagues us all, and gives advice on how to maintain a healthy relationship with the muse. If you are an aspiring writer this is a great voice to hear talk about the creative process.
An influential artist in the modern resurgence of rock/pop poster art as well as serigraph and fine art production. Rogers has designed poster imagery for musical powerhouses such as Queens Of The Stone Age, Neil Young, Tool, Deftones, Radiohead, Tori Amos, David Bowie, Morrissey, The Cure, and Public Enemy. He is also a noted designer in the field of limited-edition vinyl art figures with releases through Strangeco, Jamungo and Kidrobot. His work is included in the permanent collections at The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In this episode, he shares the ins and outs of being a visual artist and reveals the way that he infects his artwork with words and ideas by continuously crafting images that push boundaries, whether social, cultural, or aesthetic. He is riding high on the top shelf of low-brow art.
A versatile actor and director best known for his role as George Costanza on NBC’s Seinfeld for which he was nominated for seven consecutive Primetime Emmy Awards and four Golden Globes. He is also recognized for his work in the films Pretty Woman, Disney’s The Hunchback of Notre Dame, and the title character in the animated series Duckman. Jason has guest-starred on many TV shows including Dream On, Curb Your Enthusiasm, and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. Alexander is an accomplished singer and dancer that has graced the boards of Broadway in Stephen Sondheim’s Merrily We Roll Along, Kander & Ebb’s The Rink, Neil Simon’s Broadway Bound, and Jerome Robbins’ Broadway for which he won both a Tony Award and a Grammy Award. He appeared with Martin Short in the Los Angeles production of Mel Brooks’s The Producers. He served as the artistic director of Reprise! Broadway's Best in Los Angeles, where he has directed several musicals. In this episode Jason lets us in on the advice he gave Larry David about the rigors and routine of being in a Broadway show and he tells us about the creative and therapeutic sensation of working in ceramics that quiets his mind.
A dynamic musical artist and film composer that takes cello to new heights with her visionary style of creating songs and inspiring young musicians through her mentoring, film scoring, and education in the arts. Jenn collaborates with double platinum billboard artist B.o.B.; Michael Malarkey of the hit TV series Vampire Diaries; and filmmaker, Chris Anthony Hamilton on the original music for his film Body and Son. In this episode of Creativity in Captivity she explains the art of looping when creating a film score and treats us to an impromptu concert by accepting a spontaneous cello challenge from Pat to underscore random scenes that he tosses out on the fly.
Jenn's Website and subscribe to her Patreon
The Iconic voice actor, puppeteer and filmmaker responsible for bringing to life Yoda, Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear & Cookie Monster as well as being the Legendary Director of the movies “What About Bob?” “The Score,” “Death at a Funeral,” “Bowfinger,” “Dirty Rotten Scoundrels,” “The Dark Crystal” and “Little Shop of Horrors.” You will hear why Frank is described by Steve Martin as being “Precise and Playful” and learn how with both drama and comedy he keeps his focus on the honest impulses.
An actress, producer & director whose talents and curiosity allow her to shape-shift to many mediums. Dreya is well known for being the Aerial Choreographer for Pink & Cher, but also produced and starred in the films The Gymnast, The Aerialist, and The Marine Story. Her directing credits include the stage and movie versions of Frank Ferrante’s Groucho. She is a former Olympian that starred in the P90X DVD fitness series and the immersive theatrical experience: Teatro ZinZanni. She has toured nationally with Rihana, Madonna, Britney Spears, and Christina Aguilera. In this episode, Dreya inspires us in a dynamic conversation infused with her vibrant energy as she explains the intoxication of being able to truly fly and the understanding of the catastrophic risk she undertakes. You will think you can achieve your wildest dreams after an hour with this uplifting artist.
A Hip Hop artist and comedian that hosts the popular podcast “What Had Happened Was.” This multi-talented indie recording artist with albums such as “Brick Body Kids Still Daydream,” “Dark Comedy” and “Anime, Trauma + Divorce” knows firsthand the difficulty of choosing the right clothes that allow you to teach during the day and do rap shows at night. He also shares with us how a war-of-words on Twitter escalated to a full contact face-off in the wrestling ring.
Open Mike Eagle also runs our partnering Network STONY ISLAND AUDIO. You can find more about Open Mike Eagle on his WEBSITE and INSTAGRAM.
Academy Award-nominated Producer of “Over The Moon,” known for her work on “Abominable” and “Kung Fu Panda 3” shares advice about the importance of writing just one page and introduces us to an original composition created by her son Bailey during quarantine. This Producer at Netflix Animation and the Director of the short film “Awakening: An Anthemic celebration of Asian Americans” knows how to tell a story that transports us to new worlds. Peilin Partnered with CAPE and other Asian American Artists to create AWAKENING: Am Anthemic Celebration of Asian American, it brought out the entire Podcast team to tears, please watch and enjoy. Watch Here.
Chief Creative Officer of Pixar & Academy Award-Winning Writer & Director of “Soul”, “Inside Out” and “Up”, Pete Docter, brings humor, heart, and humanity to the creative process and talks about the major influence that making flipbooks had on him growing up that lead to working on “Toy Story,” “Toy Story 2,” "A Bug’s Life” and “Monsters, Inc.”
Pat Hazell speaks to A-list creatives about their process, craft, inspiration, and incubation of ideas. An inspired insider dialogue on a variety of disciplines allows the listener to have a seat at the creative coffee table. Join us for a better understanding of this elusive muse every Thursday with Pat and his friends as they demystify the transferable nature of creativity.
Creativity is a powerful force that reveals itself unexpectedly, it often comes with a dose of imposter syndrome or feeling blocked from your full expression. Take a seat at the table to understand this seemingly elusive muse every Thursday with Pat and his friends, demystifying the transferable nature of creativity.
As the Chief Creative Officer at Sweetwood Creative: Your Humor Resources Department, Pat is in the unique position to collaborate with production companies, ad agencies, visual artists, screenwriters, theatre designers, comedians, directors, songwriters, magicians, and a variety of other masters of technical jiggery-pokery. Who will wander in from the wild this week? Find out by setting your sights on the play button now!