Uncommon Convos: Recent Episodes
Dennis VanDerGinst
Join Dennis VanDerGinst as he interviews interesting and entertaining people, including national and local celebrities. We will explore various aspects of the human experience and what makes life more fun.
Jason Fechner joins us to talk about fake news, growing up in the Midwest, and what it’s like to be a journalist in times of political uncertainty.
Join us for Uncommon Convos with Beau Davidson. Beau talks about his experience with the music industry, and why you may not know Beau.
Lisa McCormick Eveleth joins us to discuss living a fit and active life while having multiple autoimmune diseases.
Brad Nye stops by to tell us some stories from his days helping out Van Halen, building his own music career, and his own experience as a movie writer and podcast host.
Coach Acie Earl stops by to talk about playing for the Hawkeyes, the NBA, and playing overseas, as well as his post-player career as a coach.
Erik Maitland is here to talk about everyone’s favorite subject: the weather. Erik shares his experience as a meteorologist.
Kim Furness is an actor who has also run a theater company, starred in films, survived cancer, and inspired many.
Jason Fechner joins us to talk about fake news, growing up in the Midwest, and what it’s like to be a journalist in times of political uncertainty.
Bobby Hansen discusses basketball, playing with Michael Jordan, his career at the BBB and doing color commentary for Iowa Hawkeyes basketball.
Katie Castillo-Wilson joins us this week as we talk about building a tech company from the ground up, and the impact of 2020 on businesses.
Jason London talks, Dazed and Confused, his new projects, and the truth behind the TMZ issue, his mugshot photo, and being arrested.
Bodybuilder Dale Ruplinger stops by the podcast to talk about training, determination, and coming back from injury.
Jessie Henry (Sulidis) of Bachelor fame stops by to discuss a life of dancing, singing, reality tv, and running a cosmetic empire.
Matt Garard talks about his career in theater, working in standup and improv comedy, and his current stint with Thunder Bulge in this weeks podcast episode.
Summary
Matt Garard talks about his career in theater, working in standup and improv comedy, and his current stint with Thunder Bulge in this weeks podcast episode.
In This Episode
- When and why Matt started to perform
- Why Matt turned down a scholarship for theater
- Matt’s work with Comedy Sports
- Working in a murder mystery show
- Winning The World Comedy Championships
- The difference between standup comedy and improv
- How to handle hecklers while doing comedy
- How Matt got into teaching Junior Theater classes
- Working in long-form improv in Chicago
- Learning at Second City Conservatory with improv legends
- Gilda’s Club, a cancer support organization named after Gilda Radner, an American comedian who got her start in Second City and eventually went on to star on SNL, ensures that people impacted by cancer have the knowledge and community that they need. If you’d like to support Gilda’s Club, you can donate here: https://www.gildasclubchicago.org/donate
- Touring with Mission Improvable and working in edutainment
- How to get out of not having professional headshots
- Playing clean vs. going blue
- Working shows behind-the-scenes to learn that end of the business
- Working with Thunder Bulge to promote body positivity and comedy
- Thunder Bulge on the Gong Show
- Auditioning for America’s Got Talent
- Getting kicked out of a bridal convention
- Doing virtual events during the pandemic
- Shout out to Lance Bass, and getting Thunder Bulge to perform at Rage
- Starting Rose Entertainment group while doing shows and planning a wedding
- Matt’s comedic and theatric heroes that propelled his career
- Matt’s best advice to aspiring actors and comedians
- Check out Matt’s show: https://thunderbulge.com
Dr. Marissa Pei (Pay) is certainly a renaissance woman in the same was as Oprah. She is an organizational psychologist who has consulted with and assisted businesses improve in a wide variety of ways over the past 30 years.
Art Bell, original pitchman for The Comedy Channel from HBO (which later became Comedy Central) stops by the podcast to talk about working in the entertainment industry, his lessons in competition, and how to get through a battle of the titans.
Brian McFayden stops by to talk about working in the entertainment industry, the time he met Robin Williams, and the worst job he’s ever had.
In This Episode
- Brian’s eulogy as read by Dennis
- Why you’re always out of a job in the entertainment business
- How COVID got Brian off the movie set and back into radio
- When Brian worked for a President and a Vice President
- Where to Dennis and Brian lie on the political spectrum
- Working with Current Television under Al Gore
- What it was like growing up in Omaha with television dreams
- Why Brian become know as Alter Boy in his circles
- The weird transition from radio DJ to MTV
- Getting recognized in public
- Being friends with Mandy Moore and other leading ladies Brian hung out with
- The time that Brian met Robin Williams at the Tribeca Film Festival
- The time that Dennis met Robin Williams at an airport
- A short talk about depression in the entertainment industry
- Brian’s favorite thing to do in the entertainment industry
- Brian does impressions of Matthew McConaughey, Johnny Carson, and Casey Kasem
- Why Brian won’t do stand-up comedy
- When Brian met Simon Cowell and got the job hosting Cupid
- Looking for America’s worst singer for Superstar USA and why Brian regrets it
- Getting fired from hosting Beauty and the Geek
- A little bit about Brian’s son and what it’s like to be a dad
- Brian’s tips on how to succeed in the entertainment industry and how to deal with failure
- The best and worst experience Brian has had
- Brian’s favorite decade of music
- What’s next for Brian McFayden
https://www.vlaw.com/uncommon-convos-the-brian-mcfayden-interview/
Pat Miletich stops by the Uncommon Convos podcast today to talk about winning championships in UFC and boxing, early days of the sport, his coaching gym, family life, and aliens.
In This Episode
- Pat’s career starting as a wrestler and a football player
- From kickboxing titles to mixed martial arts
- Going to college with one of the American Pickers
- How a Rivertown and farmer mentality helps in developing fighting skills
- Becoming a welterweight champion in UFC
- Giving up the chance at retaining a title to help a trainee
- What made Pat walk away from the UFC
- Getting shut out to be a coach on a season of Tough
- The benefit of being an early UFC champion to help become a great trainer in a young sport
- Why Pat sold his successful UFC training gym and retired from coaching
- What life is all about according to Pat
- Pat’s views on law enforcement and their relationship with society
- What Pat thinks about mainstream media and the “End Game”
- Why citizens need to “Wake up” according to Pat
- How Pat got into investigating and questioning common rhetoric
- Why Pat defines himself as an “equal opportunity offender”
- How MMA has helped Pat see all people as equal
- Why Pat was at the January 6 riot at the capitol
- How Pat believes the media isn’t informed, and the reason anchors just read what’s on the prompter
- Pat’s thoughts on the Covid-19 vaccine and its validity
- Weaponized viruses and why Pat thinks it’s all an “end game”
- Theories of space, aliens, and artificial intelligence
- Similarities between the careers of Pat and Dale Ruplinger
- When Pat met Mike Tyson in the locker room
- Would Pat consider going into politics?
- Why Pat fought Michael Nunn last summer
- Pat talks about the importance of the getting the nutrients our body needs
Art Bell, original pitchman for The Comedy Channel from HBO (which later became Comedy Central) stops by the podcast to talk about working in the entertainment industry, his lessons in competition, and how to get through a battle of the titans.
Dr. Rich Blundell talks about the interconnection between nature and creativity. The Surfer Dude Scientist. Watch or listen to this interesting and entertaining podcast now.
Watch the full episode at www.uncommonconvos.com
Thank you to our sponsor VanDerGinst Law www.vlaw.com
On this episode of Uncommon Convos Dennis talks with two very talented men. Rowan Joseph and Shane Partlow are business partners who have had some great successes together over the years, which we will certainly explore. But separately and individually, they have each had amazing careers in the entertainment industry.
Shane has excelled on stage as well as the big and small screens. His numerous stage roles included a stint playing Will Rogers in The Will Rogers Follies, for which he received the The Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle Award for Best Actor in a Musical.
On television he has appeared in such notable programs as Will and Grace, Gilmore Girls, iCarly, Roots and Scream Queens, among others
And on film he was in the Best Picture Oscar winner, Green Book, as well as numerous other films such as Princess Diaries 2, Knucklehead, and we can’t forget the cult classic, Beauty Queen Butcher!
Rowan has also been a successful film, TV, and stage actor. He has worked alongside such notable figures as Oscar winners Anne Hathaway, Rami Malek, Julie Andrews, F. Murray Abraham, Anthony Hopkins and one of my personal all-time favorites, the legendary Katharine Hepburn, with whom he shared a long-term personal relationship.
In addition to being cast in leading roles on stage across the country, Rowan’s television credits include roles on the Emmy Award-winning HBO series, Veep, opposite Julia Louis Dreyfus & Hugh Laurie, Gilmore Girls, and Boston Legal, among others.
His film credits include The Campaign with Will Ferrell & Zach Galifianakis, The Princess Diaries 2, Raising Helen, Grudge Match and Barefoot
Rowan has also been a director, producer, screenwriter and voiceover artist, all of which I intend to explore more fully
From 1993 until 2020, together Shane and Rowan were producing partners in Theater A Go-Go, a nationally recognized theatrical touring production company which presented national tours of such shows as The Queen of Bingo, An Evening with Jack Klugman, Forever Plaid and The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas.
Check out Rowan's film “Dalton Trumbo’s Johnny Got His Gun.”
It’s on iTunes for rental or purchase at https://tv.apple.com/us/movie/dalton-trumbos-johnny-got-his-gun/umc.cmc.1u6tpydfgvx5i1oig3qjkl5my
Listen to more episodes here or at www.uncommonconvos.com
Also check out our other podcast, Legal Squeaks at www.legalsqueaks.com.
Thank you to our sponsor VanDerGinst Law - www.vlaw.com
On this episode of Uncommon Convos Dennis talks with Tom Hart. He is a Emmy nominated writer, story editor, and producer. He mainly works with children's animation and has written for The Penguins of Madagascar, Kim Possible, Mouseworks, Get ED, Dave the Barbarian, Care Bears, and many more notable childrens shows. He has a very neat story on how his path lead him to the Quad Cities and then on to LA to start his career as a very successful writer, story teller, and producer.
Listen to more episodes here or at www.uncommonconvos.com
Also check out our other podcast, Legal Squeaks at www.legalsqueaks.com.
Thank you to our sponsor VanDerGinst Law - www.vlaw.com
On this episode of Uncommon Convos Dennis talks with former US Congressmen for the 1st District of Iowa, Bruce Braley. He was a successful trial lawyer in Iowa for 20 years. After serving in congress for 8 years he ran for the US Senate. In 2015 he returned to is roots as a trial lawyers in Denver Colorado. Bruce talks about his life and how he came to be a lawyer as well as his exciting path to congress and some of his most memorable stories.
Listen to more episodes here or at www.uncommonconvos.com
Also check out our other podcast, Legal Squeaks at www.legalsqueaks.com.
Thank you to our sponsor VanDerGinst Law - www.vlaw.com
On this episode of Uncommon Convos Dennis talks with long time friend and entrepreneur, Andy Sallee. He it the epitome of the rags to riches story. Andy came from very humble beginnings living in various trailer parks moving around often when he was young. He has built a amazing real-estate empire and continues to educate himself, attend mastermind events. Andy defines success as having freedom in time. Freedom to come and go as you please and do what you want. The biggest thing he can teach young entrepreneurs is pick one lane and go all in. Spreading yourself too thin will make it hard for you to get good at any one thing.
Watch the video episode here https://vimeo.com/776244955
Listen to more episodes here or at www.uncommonconvos.com
Also check out our other podcast, Legal Squeaks at www.legalsqueaks.com.
Thank you to our sponsor VanDerGinst Law - www.vlaw.com
In this episode of Uncommon Convos Dennis talks with Executive Director, Joy McMeekan of Gilda's Club Quad Cities. Joy left the corporate world after losing both her Husband and her mother to cancer. With this experience she was led to be a part of Gilda's Club. Joy talks about the struggles she had with dealing with the loss of her husband and mother to cancer and what resources Gilda's club offers to all those affected by cancer.
Check out www.gildasclubqc.org
Check out more episodes of Uncommon Convos at www.uncommonconvos.com
and our other podcast www.legalsqueaks.com
Thank you to our sponsor VanDerGinst Law. www.VLAW.com
In this episode of Uncommon Convos, Dennis talks with one of the hardest working men in America, Chad Pregracke. Chad is founder of Living Lands and Waters. Dennis talks to Chad about how he started on this mission of cleaning the rivers and how things have changed over the years. They also talk about several other projects Chad has going on like, The Bison Bridge Project, Million Trees Project and Adopt A River Mile to name a few. As a kid he started to notice all the garbage above and below the water. This led him to do something about it. He made many efforts to contact government agencies to tell them about the problem but could not get anyone to clean things up. So he decided to make the change and founded Living Lands $ Waters in 1998. He now has a full crew and fleet of equipment to aid in the clean up rivers and bodies of water all accross the United States.
On this episode of Uncommon Convos, Dennis talks with Emmy award-winning costume designer, Brian Hemesath. Brian has worked on many large projects including John Wick, SNL and West Side Story (2021). Currently, he is the costume designer for the guests on Sesame Street.
In this episode of Uncommon Convos, Dennis VanDerGinst talks with Robby & Kimi Fender. Robby is the CEO of Yoli and is a co founder along with his wife Kimi.
Robby Fender CEO and co founder with his wife of YOLI. Yoli is a international network marketing company that produces natural supplements designed to help increase vitality health and balance.
"If you are an awesome person, money just makes you do more awesome stuff" Robby says. They are passionate about Yoli and focusing on building people up with positivity and great high quality healthy products. Listen in to this very interesting and entertaining conversation.
www.Yoli.com