WINDOW CHATS with ROBYN: Recent Episodes
Robyn Deverett
The podcast where Robyn Deverett sits by her window, and chats with very interesting people!
Why the name, “Window Chats” you ask? Well Robyn doesn't have a balcony, hence her window, and a “chat” seemed less intimidating than “interrogation” 😛 What can you expect? Random conversation/technical glitches/awkward silences and lot of laughs with various guests 🥰⠀
Greatly appreciate David Fournier @mythfournier taking the time to chat with me about Israel on @windowchatswithrobyn
He’s a self-proclaimed history buff, and shared some very insightful knowledge into the history of the state of Israel.
Take-aways: Please be wary of the misinformation you might be spreading on social media. Try to challenge your personal biases, and take more of a pragmatic approach when it comes to the situation in the Middle East. Understand that this is not a black and white situation, and both sides are hurting.
windowchatswithrobyn #toughconversations #notblackandwhite #history #israel #educateyourself #challengeyourself #beopenminded #keeplearning #learnandgrow
BIO:
This is David Fournier. He is an accomplished actor, writer, poet, editor and performance artist. He has had the leading role in numerous films, plays, acted in commercials, episodic television, and has trained in improvisational humour. He is poised to publish his first book, 31 Days to Find Her.
He is in development on a children’s series called Monstervainia. He has always romanticized every aspect of his life and beliefs ever since he was 7 years old. His child-like belief in magic has never dissipated as he grew up as he realized that romance was the adult equivalent.
David is first and foremost a people person as he loves the adventure of discovering new places and faces. The thing that drives him the most is his ability to make people laugh and deliver a smile that is infectious.
Chatted with Anat Kriger @anatkriger about the situation in Israel.
Take-aways: reach out to your Jewish friends, question the anti-Semitic content you see online, and don’t be afraid to speak out in support of Israel.
Gina Louise Phillips is a Toronto actor, improviser and TV host, with roles in popular shows like The Last of Us (HBO), Guilty Party (Paramount +) and American Gods (Starz). Gina is a longtime broadcaster and most recently enjoyed touring beautiful golf courses as co-host of SCOREGolf TV on TSN.
Julie Miguel is a television cook, a Food Content Producer, a Food Stylist, a Recipe Developer and a Food Blogger, and so much more!
She was on Masterchef Canada, Breakfast Television, the Marilyn Denis Show, CityLine, Fridge Wars…pretty much anywhere there’s a kitchen, you will find Julie!
We spoke about her journey into the world of food and the importance of finding a healthy balance between work and play (no easy feat!)
Follow Julie on IG @julesaujus where she is cooking, sharing recipes, living her authentic life and being awesome 🥰
Tiffany Babiak @tiffdianne shares her journey to becoming the face that you see every time you turn on your TV and your favourite show gets interrupted! 😂Thanks so much for chatting with me Tiffany, and for inspiring so many people to pursue their dreams at any age!!We spoke about auditioning, being your authentic self, and some fun behind-the-scenes stories from her Downy, Systane eye drops, and Nissan commercials!Some insight into Tiffany's acting journey, in her own words:After 20 years in fashion and luxury goods retail sales and management, I stepped away to start a family. I have 2 sons. I've been with my husband for almost 22 years now. He's well known in Toronto for his Vintage musical instrument store, Paul's Boutique, in Kensington Market. I have a goldendoodle named Aero Minty.I didn't want to go back to retail after my kids were born, but needed a job, so did random things here and there, bookkeeping (which I had no business doing!) office manager for a Contractor (learned a lot for my own home renovation). Interior design work and eventually client care at a Pilates studio. After putting it off for a while, I finally took the teacher training and began teaching at a local studio part-time. After an unexpected event, I decided to get off my ass and start pursuing the things I had always wanted to try. Posed for a life drawing class with the incredibly talented Kagan McLeod. Ended up sitting for him a few times. Signed up with Milo Casting real people and booked a few print jobs which led to getting an agent, Nathan Ciprick, about 5 years ago. He plucked me off IG and I am super lucky he did! He taught me so much as I had zero idea. Thought I was just going to be doing some lifestyle modelling and then auditions for commercials came up. I had no idea what a self-tape was but luckily a colleague at the pilates studio was an actress and helped me. I ended up booking my first job for Buzzfeed, a Mother's Day ad. After an audition with the very encouraging casting director Sevag Segharian, I decided to properly pursue acting and started taking classes at LB. It was an a-hah moment and I was hooked. The rest, as they say, is history.I've worked with some really incredible people now. Trained with Lewis Baumander, Daniel Baumander, Steven Yaffee (LB Acting) Meredith McGeachie (formerly AMAW, now MAP), Kate Ashby (Kate Ashby Acting Academy & Improv Goddess), Shaun Benson Meisner Technique and Kim Hurdon & Wendy Lands for Voice Training. Creative geniuses, Daniel Ehrenworth, Mike Ford, Regina Garcia to name but a few. Casting Directors who have been amazing and have my back, Stephen Milo (Milo Casting) Steven Mann & team at Mann Casting, Andrew Deiters at Groundglass, Shasta Lutz at Jigsaw, the Powerhouse crew, Milestone, etc. AANd of course Sevag Segharian (Impact Films) who pushed me to pursue acting as he felt I would do really well. Forever grateful. @kaganmcleod@nathanciprick@manncasting@milocasting@jigsawcasting@powerhouse_casting@sevagsagherian @lbactingstudio@stevenyaffee@_mikefordphoto@danielehrenworth@reggiepics@shooter78@groundglasscasting @shaunmbenson@mapactors@k8_ashby@that.wendylands.vo@khvoice@seancisterna
It’s the 125th Episode of “Window Chats with Robyn” @windowchatswithrobyn and this episode was full of surprises. You’ve got a potential no-show guest, who was pretty great to chat with, and taught me how to smoke! The one-and-only Victor Jackson On @yellow.wolf.victor
And remember kids - smoking is bad…unless you look cool doing it 😂😛
Shout-outs to Paper Padlock Productions @paperpadlock @dave.m.james @rayhoang_
where Victor and I connected on set, and shout-outs to the director Michael @michaeluccello my co-stars Mark @markmanchurek and Miu Miu @itsyanomg and HMU Veronica @veedoesmakeup (we got distracted and didn’t mention everyone, but you were all fabulous!)
Apologies for the tech issues - I’m a second ahead of Mark!
Mark Manchurek is an actor and social media influencer based in Toronto. He went to the University of Windsor for Film, Media, & Acting and then moved out to Toronto about 4 years ago to pursue his film and acting career further. He has been featured in short films, feature films, and several commercials and has plans to continue his ambitions as an actor in the years to come.
Mark is also an identical triplet and he and his brothers have a huge social media following with millions of followers on each platform. Most notably, TikTok with 12 Million. Mark and his identical brothers specialize in comedy videos, mainly triplet pranks involving the public but also like to challenge and compete with each other which their fans seem to love. Mark hopes to dedicate himself as an actor and social media influencer for as long as he can and has ambitions to keep providing entertainment with anyone who comes across his videos.
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/markmanchurek/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/manchurektriplets
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@manchurektriplets
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqR-PZA_9Z22QuytcIrhRhQ?app=desktop
Loved chatting with Dianne Aguilar @dianneaguilar - Fabulous artist and incredible human ❤️
We chat about living in the moment, setting boundaries and self-love, finding your tribe and creating opportunities for yourself, the importance of giving back and so much more! I feel very fulfilled right now!!
Sameer Jafar is a stubborn filmmaker based in Toronto. In his first year of working on set, he made an impressive rise from volunteer production assistant to paid producer. He went on to write and direct several short films that explore universal themes of self-identity and he plans to direct one of his feature screenplays by next year. Sameer continues to grow as an artist, taking different kinds of acting classes which has recently led to him secure talent representation. He also hosts street interviews where he gets to know strangers in Toronto. With Sameer’s unique background and dedication to his craft, he’s set to make a lasting impression as a storyteller.
Check out his stuff:
https://linktr.ee/swjafar
And we finally address the actors! From auditioning, to the business of acting, we try to cover it all ❤️
Millie shares advice on actors understanding the business of acting, and shares tips on how to audition - at home and in the room.
We talk about the dreaded “slate” (i.e. saying your name) - slating at the end is their preference.
Rachel touches on some great points with the actor-agent relationship. And Millie shares an example of an agent messing up an opportunity for their actor.
I hope actors find this episode as helpful as I did!
Watch Part 5, and find out: https://youtu.be/ulxeoyNDik0
Or listen here: https://linktr.ee/windowchatswithrobyn
And check out Millie Tom’s projects on IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1138387/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1
And here’s a little more info on Rachel Osbourne: https://bdscvrd.com/
And you can catch more content from Robyn Deverett here:
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/RobynDeverett
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/robyndeverett/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RobynDeverett.FanPage/
Linktree: https://linktr.ee/robyndeverett
Website: https://www.robyndeverett.com
IMDb: imdb.me/robyn-deverett
Why isn’t Millie Tom on social media?
What’s the best platform to be on as an actor, so Casting Directors can find you?
Why don’t all actors have an IMDb page?
Millie and Rachel talk about inclusivity and specificity when creating casting calls. Some great conversation was generated!
Watch Season 7, Episode 4 and join the conversation: https://youtu.be/RbVN92xPCzE
Check out Millie Tom’s projects on IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1138387/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1
And here’s a little more info on Rachel Osbourne: https://bdscvrd.com/
And you can catch more content from Robyn Deverett here:
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/RobynDeverett
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/robyndeverett/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RobynDeverett.FanPage/
Linktree: https://linktr.ee/robyndeverett
Website: https://www.robyndeverett.com
IMDb: imdb.me/robyn-deverett
How important is it to have a mentor? How do you find a mentor? Where can you find a BIPOC Casting Director for a mentor? And why is it important to hire the right Casting Director to authentically tell your story?
Watch Part 3, and find out: https://youtu.be/2XmoQX87Hqk
Or listen here: https://linktr.ee/windowchatswithrobyn
And check out Millie Tom’s projects on IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1138387/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1
And here’s a little more info on Rachel Osbourne: https://bdscvrd.com/
And you can catch more content from Robyn Deverett here:
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/RobynDeverett
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/robyndeverett/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RobynDeverett.FanPage/
Linktree: https://linktr.ee/robyndeverett
Website: https://www.robyndeverett.com
IMDb: imdb.me/robyn-deverett
How do you cast a video game? And what’s it like to audition for a video game? And who has the final say in who books the gig?
Watch Part 2, and find out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5dlUDsxAz84
Millie shares her experience with casting a video-game for Ubisoft. And Millie reflects on a past project that she didn’t get the opportunity to cast.
Rachel notes the Casting Directors are artists, and she is Millie’s #1 cheerleader (I’ve been demoted to #2). And believe it or not, we still haven’t really spoken about actors!
Millie and Rachel reflect on their recent non-union casting experience. And Millie explains that casting doesn’t have the final say in who books the role…it’s usually people that are higher up!
Actors - CDs are impressed by you! If you did a good audition, but it’s just not your role, you’re going to be added to their database for another project. So hang in there!!
And check out Millie Tom’s projects on IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1138387/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1
And here’s a little more info on Rachel Osbourne: https://bdscvrd.com/
And you can catch more content from Robyn Deverett here:
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/RobynDeverett
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/robyndeverett/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RobynDeverett.FanPage/
Linktree: https://linktr.ee/robyndeverett
Website: https://www.robyndeverett.com
IMDb: imdb.me/robyn-deverett
What does it mean to be a BIPOC Casting Director?
What does it mean to tell a story authentically?
What does it mean to see yourself represented on the big screen?
All these questions, answered!
***WATCH CHAT HERE: https://youtu.be/SxjxPnyjOzg
Other options for ***AUDIO-ONLY here: https://linktr.ee/windowchatswithrobyn
Shout-outs to Paul Sun-Hyung Lee & Jean Yoon on Kim's Convenience, and Hamza Haq on Transplant.
And check out Millie Tom’s projects on IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1138387/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1
And here’s a little more info on Rachel Osbourne - Website: https://bdscvrd.com/
And you can catch more content from Robyn Deverett here:
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/RobynDeverett
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/robyndeverett/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RobynDeverett.FanPage/
Linktree: https://linktr.ee/robyndeverett
Website: https://www.robyndeverett.com
IMDb: imdb.me/robyn-deverett
Loved chatting with Matt about his film “Boy City” - check it out at The Royal, Wednesday December 28 at 7pm. Shout-out to some awesome people involved in the film including: Sean Cisterna @seancisterna and Mariah Owen @mariahowen and more!
A little about Matt:
Matthew Karzis is a writer/actor/producer. His debut feature film Boy City premiered at the Whistler Film Festival and will be available for rental on Rogers VOD, Shaw VOD, iTunes, Xbox, and Google Play/YouTube at the end of December.
He has written three television projects and two additional features slated for production in 2023. He is also an an award winning sketch comedian with acclaimed troupes, The Riot and The Sketchersons.
Maarika Freund is a professionally trained actor who graduated from the University of Toronto with a Specialist's Degree in Theatre. NOW! Magazine once described her as "ultimately formidable". Maarika was also one of the many, many, many women negatively affected by r*pe culture in a pre-#MeToo movement world.
Her new podcast, peaches, with the tagline: "everything I learned while dedicating my life to never being rped again", is a couple of things. First and foremost, it's a social experiment. It's an attempt to tackle the sticky subject of rpe culture in a way that's more accessible, as Maarika would love to see people wanting to engage with the human right's issue in a way that's less complacent. Secondly, peaches is her opportunity to finally tell her story, in her own words, after coming forward.
As intense as the subject matter is, Maarika, who is also an amateur stand-up comedian, does her absolute best to infuse humour into her storytelling whenever and wherever possible, as she wants to make the not-funny-at-all subject matter easier to digest. But most of all, she never wants what happened to her to happen to another woman ever again. So her goal with this highly risk tolerant podcast, created from the sincerest place in her heart, is to help move the needle towards when it comes to finally eradicating r*pe culture.
More about a publication ban:
- Unwanted publication bans can give the impression that abusers are protected and benefit from the restrictions on the victim-complainants as they prevent open communication about the offense and harm experienced.
Sign the petition to rectify section 486.4 of the Criminal Code Publication Ban:
https://petitions.ourcommons.ca/en/Petition/Details?Petition=e-4192
For a Publication Ban Guide:
https://www.torontomu.ca/content/dam/sexual-violence/images/YCWTDNPublicationBanGuide.pdf
It all began when Kathy's elementary school teacher said, "Why don't you write that story down." Forty years and thirty books later, that's exactly what Kathy is still trying to do - write the story. Her many books focus on the Second World War and the Holocaust, and include The Secret of Gabi’s Dresser, Hiding Edith, To Look a Nazi in the Eye, Call Across the Sea, The Brushmaker's Daughter, Broken Strings, and Under the Iron Bridge.
A winner of numerous Forest of Reading Awards and the Jewish Book Award in Canada and the U.S., Kathy has written unforgettable stories inspired by real events. She is published in 20 countries, and travels the world speaking to young people in schools and libraries about the importance of the Holocaust and keeping its memory alive. She dreams of singing and dancing but has decided to leave that to her talented kids.
Rachel Salsberg is an actress, writer, and producer.
Since graduating from Seneca College'sActing for Camera and Voice program, Rachel has continued to develop her craft at both The Second City Training Centre and LB Acting Studios. She has acted in television, student, and independent films, as well as in a music video.
In May-June 2022, Rachel co-produced her first short film Movie Night, which she wrote and starred in. Following that, Rachel produced her second film Missing Max for the 48 Hour Film Project.
Rachel loves working in front of the camera and behind the scenes. Apart from Producer, other roles she has filled on set include 1st AD, Production Assistant, Set Stills Photographer, and 2nd AC.
Currently she is in development of a new short film, As We Fall Silent, written by a fellow LB Creative.
TW: The entirety of this chat is two white women consistently talking over each other. Viewer discretion is advised.
Had a lovely time chatting with James Smith (the 184th on IMDb, but the #1 James Smith on "Window Chats with Robyn") ❤️
You are officially listening to a typical phone call that Esther and I have. It's ridiculous and it's all over the place, and that's just how we roll! Enjoy!! Note: no actual tea was spilled during the making of this conversation! 😛
IG: @estherthechung
FB: https://www.facebook.com/estherchung1
Elisa McRae is a "colourful" BC actor and a hard-working writer. One of her self-published novels sold enough copies that she could pay for one expensive hair cut. Her comedy web series, "Hooray for Hazel" has 5 mini-episodes now streaming on YouTube. Her production company is called Yellowbelt Productions Inc. She has won awards and been nominated for her screenplay writing and for her performances in several short films including "Colour Me Jane" and "Tom and Meredith." Her play "Carriage" debuted at the 2018 Vancouver Fringe Festival. She spends her time writing screenplays and being an awesome aunty, when she's not at work teaching today's youths.
Twitter: @Elisa_McRae
Instagram: @elisamcrae
YouTube: Yellowbelt Productions
Julie Nolke is an award-winning Actor, Writer, filmmaker and the creator of her self-titled comedy YouTube channel (~1 million subscribers). In 2021 Julie won three Webby Awards for Best Individual Performance, Audience Choice for Best Viral Video, and Best Writing for her video “Explaining the Pandemic to my Past Self”, and in 2020 she was named a Top Canadian Breakout Creator by YouTube. Additionally, Julie has been nominated for a 2021 Streamy Award for Best Writing. In 2019, her short film, Are We Bad Feminists, screened at Buffer Festival where she won overall “Excellence in Writing”.
While writing, producing, editing and acting in content for the web, Julie also works in film and TV. Recent credits include: Murdoch Mysteries (CBC), What We Do in the Shadows (FX), Coroner (CBC), Odd Squad (PBS), TallBoyz (CBC), Workin’ Moms (CBC/Netflix), and Cabin Connection (Super Channel). Currently Julie is filming season 2 of CBC comedy series Run the Burbs, where she plays the recurring role of Sam.
Check out her YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/FeelingPeckish
And her brand new comedy sketch show, Pulp Comedy!: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjnrbTISBUbFoGeqULsBzhw
Adam Murciano is all about creating his own opportunities. He chats about the making of his podcasts (through his production company 911 Podcasts): Cascadia and Ice-Cream. And we chat about the biz they call show and so much more! Thanks for chatting with me Adam!!
Follow Adam on all the socials: Twitter & Instagram - @AdamMurciano
And follow 911 Podcasts socials: Twitter - @911_Podcasts & Instagram - @911Podcasts
Hailing from rainy London England, Tanu is an actor and new writer based in Toronto. She is an alum of the Acting for Film and TV program at Humber College and her goal is to be a working actor between the UK and North America. As a passionate advocate for destigmatizing mental health, Tanu is finding as many ways as possible to tackle the stereotypes and discrimination associated with it through her writing projects.
Like many others in this city, Tanu feels strongly compelled to create her own work to provide as many opportunities for underrepresented groups within the industry, many of whom are insanely talented.....she should know, she works in casting ;)
Ryan Koo is a comedian, actor, and musician from Seoul, South Korea. He has performed in various comedy clubs and festivals across the nation such as the New York Comedy Festival and the Crazy Woke Asians Festival where he received the Rising Star Award. Ryan’s acapella cover of the Spider Man theme song was featured on Inside the Magic and he also has a 15 minute comedy special with Funny Media Productions called Subtle Asian Comedy. Ryan has multiple stand up clips that have garnered more than a million views on Instagram (@hankyolkoo) and has done various commercial/print work for popular brands such as Twitter, BetterHelp, and Amazon. When he’s not performing, he can most likely be found at 24 hour fitness playing basketball because ball is the life.
Social Media Handles:
Instagram: @hankyolkoo
Facebook: @hankyolkoo
Tik Tok: @hankyolkoo
Twitter: @hankyolkoo
YouTube: Hankyol Koo
Upcoming Projects:
Koo & The Gang Stand Up Show on Nov 5
New York Comedy Festival on Nov 9 and Nov 11
Watson is a Toronto-based actress hailing from the small town of Acton, ON. She studied acting at LAMDA, where she graduated with her MA in 2018. When she's not working on the stage or screen, you can find Watson writing and editing for a number of independent Toronto Magazines, developing screenplays with local artists, baking sourdough, or re-watching Lord of the Rings for the umpteenth time. Watson has what many have described as "too many plants," but she insists that she still has space for more, and besides, 100 isn't thaaaaaat many, right?
Leighton Alexander Williams is an award-winning stage and screen actor, writer, and director based in Toronto, Ontario. He's a graduate of York University's Acting Conservatory (BFA Theatre 2015). His most notable theatre credit would be his role of 'Satan' in his adaptation "Judas Noir", which gained him his first Dora Nomination, Toronto Critics Pick Nomination (Outstanding Supporting Performance), and Doug Ford's Emerging Artist of the Year Award.
Throughout the pandemic, Leighton has shifted his focus to Film/Television, and is now a recent graduate of the CFC's Actors Conservatory. He has wrapped two feature films slated to be released later this year, and he'll be a recurring character in the Canadian Screen Award-winning series: Avocado Toast (season 2).
Up Next: Avocado Toast (OutTv), Christmas Plus One (Hallmark), Designing Christmas (Discovery+)
Follow via Instagram @livingwithlaw for further updates
Ryan Rosery is not only an amazing human, but a talented actor and businessman. He’s doing a lot of stuff, so follow him to stay up-to-date, and follow BDB Productions. Also Trevor Noah - if you’re looking for a replacement for "The Daily Show" Ryan’s got you covered!!
The 1st of its kind...a pre-recorded WINDOW CHATS with ROBYN episode! Endless thanks to Anne-Marie for testing this out with me ❤️
A little about Anne-Marie Krytiuk:
Anne-Marie feels her best when she’s being creative. She is a Dora nominated Toronto-based actor, singer, dancer, and writer. She’s done a variety of voice-over gigs across Canada, as well as performed in multiple plays, musicals, readings, and improv shows, locally in Toronto. Anne-Marie is a proud member of the Firecracker Writing Department (where she met Robyn!) and has written over a hundred monologues during the pandemic. She is the creative force behind #AMKdoesAMK on Instagram, singing a cappella mashups of musical theatre songs. Anne-Marie has been on multiple tours, performing Ukrainian dance, both nationally and internationally.
Favourite past theatre credits include: Cheshire Cat/March Hare in Alice in Wonderland * (Guild Festival Theatre), Sam in The Mad Ones Lab (Kerrigan-Lowdermilk), The Musical Episode (Fabulist Theatre), Operation 24: Switch (Assembly Theatre), Eugenie in A Flea in Her Ear (Toronto Fringe), Tales of Amusement (Process Theatre), Counting Sheep (SummerWorks), and Silvia in The Living Library (New Ideas). *2022 Jon Kaplan Audience Choice Award Recipient, Dora Nomination for Outstanding Production and Outstanding Ensemble - TYA Division
Her favourite sound is laughter, she loves pie and she frequently waves at dogs and says hi to them before acknowledging their owners. Instagram: @itsannemariek Website: www.anne-mariekrytiuk.com
Robyn Deverett celebrates her 100th episode.
Thank you to all past/present/future podcast guests and viewers...I truly appreciate you and am humbled by all your support.
Such a pleasure chatting with Katie Uhlmann. We spoke about Katie Chats, My Roommate is an Escort web-series, her recurring role on Nurses, writing a feature script, and everything in between. Thanks for chatting with me!!!
It’s not drama if it’s hilarious! Dylan Mahaney’s life is full of plot twists, and hilarity is sure to ensue with his larger than life personality to back it all up! You already know and love as the sassy TikToker from the Maritimes. Dylan has been featured on CTV, CBC, Entertainment Tonight, and you can't wait to take his picture.
Tracey Beltrano is a lover of all things quirk; especially idiosyncratic behavior. She feels inspired by comedy greats like Carol Burnett, Gilda Radner, Andrea Martin, and Kristin Wiig.
Having graduated from The American Academy of Dramatic Arts in NYC where she "learned some stuff", she had plenty of opportunity to see some of the greatest characters around. She even got to meet Al Pacino once, who was dressed in red from head to toe. CHARACTER!
You can Google/IMDB her for the "boring" stuff or tune in to commercial breaks to see some of her finest work as "angry teacher", "disgruntled wife", "eager diner", or even, "talking wall".
Such a pleasure chatting with Twayne & Zeik. They are doing some amazing things, and if you want to work with them, reach out to Twayne. A little more info about these guys:
Twayne Pereira is an aspiring cinematographer and colourist based out of Toronto. He initially picked up the camera during his university years as a way to relax in between classes. After graduating he found himself working in various roles within neuroscience research and was excited by the potential of the research, but knew lab life was not his calling. However, his career would steer him toward science communications, where his abilities behind the camera and with a pen has allowed him to tell the exciting stories behind ground-breaking scientific research going on right here in Canada. In addition, Twayne has a fascination with the science of filmmaking. You'll find him often analyzing cinematography styles, lighting diagrams or coding his own tools within the realm of colour science. In addition to his 9-5 job, check out some of his other projects:
https://www.uhn.ca/Krembil/Complex-Brain-Podcast
https://www.uhn.ca/corporate/News/UHN_Podcasts/Behind_the_Breakthrough
Zeik Inocencio is a photographer and graphic designer based in Toronto. While studying electrical engineering, he picked up photography and design as a way to make extra income through undergrad while still finding a creative outlet between classes. Zeik now works as an engineer and as a creative, often finding overlap between the two industries. He is a passionately curious individual and is constantly in the pursuit of creativity. Zeik also often works with long time collaborator Twayne and the two of them are often found bickering about colour science and light.
Vikki’s been around a while, creating shows about sex and shit. She is a graduate of the University of Windsor and hold a BFA in Acting. Vikki is the founder and CEO of Space Space Revolution, a company that provides affordable production solutions and performance space to self-producing performing artists. She is a self-worth coach and offers business consulting for artists who want to re-imagine themselves as creative-entrepreneurs. She also is the proud owner of a children’s entertainment company…but we don’t need to mix these two things here...
Past Toronto Fringe credits include: The Princess of Porn: The Musical (Writer/Producer/Actor-Pandora), Real Actors. Not People. (Writer/Producer/Actor)
Alisse Lee Goldenberg is an award winning author of Children's Lit, Horror, Young Adult Paranormal Romance, and Young Adult Fantasy fiction. She is currently working on four series: The Sitnalta Series, The Children of Colonodona, The Dybbuk Scrolls, and The Bath Salts Journals (co-authored with An Tran). Her latest Middle Grade novel Lucky At Bat was co-written with her son Joseph, and comes out this November with Koëhler Books. She has her Bachelors of Education and a Fine Arts degree, and has studied fantasy and folk lore since she was a child. Alisse is also a screenwriter and playwright, creating the world of Jay & Shilo. She also wrote the book for the Toronto Fringe Festival's KidsFest musical The Princess of the Tower, as well as the short film for the Digital Fringe Jay & Shilo: Phrantic Phone Call. She is currently living in Toronto with her husband Brian, and their triplets Joseph, Phillip, and Hailey.
Check out Ali’s website for more awesomeness: www.alisseleegoldenberg.com
Instagram: @AliLGoldenberg @jayandshilo
Twitter: @AliLGoldenberg
We’re gonna be talking about all things Jay & Shilo Fringe show-related: Jay & Shilo: Nightmare Neighbours, and Jay & Shilo: Prop Catastrophe: http://www.goldenbergproductions.com/jay--shilo-2022.html
JAY & SHILO: NIGHTMARE NEIGHBOURS
Book by Alisse Lee Goldenberg
Music by Jake Schindler | Lyrics by Brett McCaig
Theme Song by Anthony Bastianon and Brett McCaig
Featuring…
Lise Cormier as Jay | Khalen Moodie-Powell as Shilo
Kenton Blythe as Phantom | Jada Rifkin as The Narrator
Directed and Choreographed by Chantal Forde
Music Directed by Jake Schindler
Stage/Sound Managed by Montserrat Cadena,
Hussein Esmail, Shania Mendes
Lighting/Audio Designed by Jeff Jones
Produced by Brian Goldenberg, Alisse Lee Goldenberg
Assistant Produced by Shania Mendes
Assistant Marketing by Serena Lam
Junior Produced by Hailey Goldenberg
JAY & SHILO: PROP CATASTROPHE
Book by Alisse Lee Goldenberg
Music by William Bastianon and Anthony Bastianon
Lyrics by Brett McCaig
Featuring…
Lise Cormier as Jay | Khalen Moodie-Powell as Shilo
Kenton Blythe as Igor | Jada Rifkin as The Narrator
Directed and Choreographed by Chantal Forde
Music Directed by Anthony Bastianon
Stage/Sound Managed by Montserrat Cadena,
Hussein Esmail, Shania Mendes
Lighting/Audio Designed by Jeff Jones
Produced by Brian Goldenberg, Alisse Lee Goldenberg
Assistant Produced by Shania Mendes
Assistant Marketing by Serena Lam
Junior Produced by Hailey Goldenberg
Elana is a Canadian based actress and voiceover artist. She was recently a supporting lead in Hallmark's Road Trip Romance. She also starred as the title role, Fenyx, in Ubisoft's action adventure video game Immortals Fenyx Rising. When she's not acting she's either brainstorming movie pitches with her writing partner or coaching actors through her self tape studio Sumach Studios. Elana makes Toronto her home but jets back to her hometown of Montreal to work both on camera and in the voice booth, and of course, to eat bagels. She obtained a performing degree from Dawson College and continues her studies with Matthew Harrison of the Actor’s Foundry.
So grateful to have the opportunity to chat with Simone Jetsun (pronounced Sea-monn Ju-su-n)
We discussed her journey into the business (from politics to acting…fascinating!) And we covered a lot of important topics such as Tibetan representation, name pronunciation, and Bipolar Disorder.
Shout-outs to coaches Daniel Baumander (LB Acting Studios), Grisha Pasternak and Sophie Ann Rooney (RAW Actor Studio).
And a huge shout-out to agent extraordinaire, Chris Oldfield (Oldfield Management).
(I’m definitely missing some people that Simone mentioned, but to everyone who has been a part of her journey, you all sound like incredible people!)
Thank you for sharing your story/your journey with me Simone ❤️
Shockingly a very insightful chat with Grisha Pasternak. We spoke a lot about the biz and being human and his journey in the industry.
Check out RAW for RAW Reels and some pretty awesome upcoming workshops: https://www.rawactorstudio.com/
Had a hilarious chat with Michael Joseph Delaney. It was both thrilling and terrifying, and I loved it!
Shout-outs to Monologue Slam, where Delaney literally made his debut as an actor, and to Sophie Ann Rooney (RAW Actors Studio) for being an awesome coach/human being
Michael was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada and grew up in Scarborough, North York, and Richmond Hill. With the original intention of becoming a doctor, Michael studied Human Biology and Sociology at the University of Toronto. In his second year, he was asked to voice characters for a couple of student productions, which is how he caught the "acting bug". After graduating, he enrolled at the Toronto Film School, which was part of the International Academy of Design and Technology in the CBC Building, and began auditioning for roles in theatre and independent film productions. He often volunteered to perform in student projects from the Film Production and Sound Engineering programs at the school and was interviewed by CBC Radio 1 for his work.
Michael’s first role was as a Chinese pirate in the Toronto Pirate Festival's stage show. This was followed by Forward Theatre's critically acclaimed production of William Shakespeare's "Macbeth" where he played Angus, and then the leading role in the Toronto Chinese Business Association's production of "The Legend of the Dragon Boat Festival". Michael's transition to an on-screen career began when he started doing background work on major productions. What he learned from those experiences prepared him for when he found an agent in order to audition professionally.
Now, Michael is an ACTRA member who works predominantly in film and television. He has appeared in many productions, including "Star Trek: Discovery", "The Hardy Boys", "The Kids in the Hall", "Blood & Treasure", “Mayday”, and "Unsettled". He is also the co-host of "The Hellbound Podcast", where he and Alex Blackburn discuss all things horror each week.
During the COVID-19 Pandemic, Michael began to try his hand at filmmaking. His second film, the micro short "The ONLY Asian", has won a multitude of awards at international film festivals, including a Best Actor award for Michael at Calcutta International Cult Film Festival. He has since teamed up with some of the industry's finest to found the production company Psychopomp Dreams Entertainment.
Audition Bootcamp Class
In today’s world of virtual communication, putting yourself out there as an actor and improviser can be challenging. Landing a commercial audition is one thing…but consistently delivering best-in-class performances geared towards specific audiences and commercial needs is critical.
The Commercial Audition Boot Camp from The Second City gives students a behind-the-scenes look at the virtual audition process while delivering personalized insights and direction in a highly-interactive and supportive workshop environment. Designed as a 4-week intensive built to focus on every type of speaking and non-speaking commercial audition, the boot camp will deliver perspectives and best practices for virtual self-tapes, audition etiquette, 1-1 casting interviews, callbacks, effective resumes & headshots, dynamic slating, working with agents, and even social media do’s and don’ts. Students will be expected to workshop their craft: and in the final class, have an opportunity to showcase their skills for real-time feedback from a well-known Casting Director in Canada’s television and commercial industry. The final class will include a evaluations from guest casting agent Shasta Lutz.
About the instructor: Janet is a Faculty Member at The Second City Training Centre, and an alumni of Vancouver TheatreSports League Mainstage & Instant Theatre. She created the hit improv show #NoFilter, which ran for over a year at Vancouver TheatreSports and delved into our oversharing digital lives. She also directed Canadiano, a 1-act improvised play at the Hideout Theatre’s Improvised Play Festival. Janet has also appeared on-camera in numerous commercials, including a recent spot for Crispers.
About the agent: Shasta Lutz is a Casting Director and Founder of Jigsaw Casting Ltd. She's cast over 8,000 commercials in her career. Under Shasta’s wing, clients are assured access to the best negotiator in town who is an expert in all the rules of engagement, all the while benefiting from her long-standing industry relationships. Her thumbprint is on every aspect of each casting experience: aiming for the best performers' turnout, ever mindful of budgets, and always creating space for fresh faces.
Dates: Wednesday, June 22, 2022 6-9pm – Wednesday, July 13, 2022 6-9pm
Fringe Show: Blast From The Past Presents… One Night Only
Description: Inspired by childhood show-and-tell, we journey back in time to when life was simpler. Storytellers share real-life memories, which are reimagined into a completely unscripted improv comedy. Featuring some of Toronto’s best comedians and storytellers.
Venue: Native Earth and Aki Studio 585 Dundas St E
Dates: Thursday July 7th 6:00PM
Saturday July 9th 10:00PM
Sunday July 10th 6:30PM
Tuesday July 12th 7:00PM
Wednesday July 13th 6:00PM
Friday July 15th 2:00PM
Saturday July 16th 3:00PM
Lockdown Jam
The Lockdown Jam is a fun, welcoming and encouraging improv jam for students of the Second City Community held on the first and third Friday of every month. It's founded in Second City's "Yes And, Creativity & Respect" philosophy and is led by Second City improv instructors Janet Davidson & Brie Watson. It’s a place to learn and grow while staying safe at home.
Link:
https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=cTzyvPoDoESeFAs4pifF7qPjmgERKqBDn5F0dtbArEZUQ1k4QlQ3RDA2MDMxUEJEVFhWMUJLMjY2UC4u
MING-BO LAM (she/her) is a mixie. She is Chinese and Canadian, artist and entrepreneur, city slicker and island lover. She loves her name: Ming means "bright" and Bo means "treasure". You can call her Ming-Bo or Bo.
Lam graduated with an Honours BFA in Theatre Performance Dance, from the Toronto Metropolitan University, as Valedictorian. Since graduating, she crossed the line between classical dance genres and the commercial industry, choreographing for theatre productions (SeXT: Sex Education by Theatre; Mixie and the Halfbreeds, produced by fu-GEN Theatre Company) and independent dance projects and commissions.
Select performance credits include the Much Music Video Awards, the Toronto Raptors’ Dance Pak, The Umbrella Academy, Sogand, PSY, and the NBA All Star Weekend 2016.
Lam is currently a graduate student at Queen's University, Smith School of Business, Master of Management Innovation and Entrepreneurship program.
You can follow her on Instagram @love.mingbo, where she gets vulnerable and honest about all things LIFE and the journey that comes with it.
Social handles:
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IG @love.mingbo
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FB @love.mingbo
Ming-Bo’s Beginner Contemporary workshops:
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May 22nd, 28th, & June 5th
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1-3PM at Society Clubhouse TO (967 College Street)
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All levels welcome - no experience necessary - see link in IG bio to register
Derek aka DJ D-Rock is a fascinating individual! He has a dancing background, he is a DJ, and he’s an incredible actor!! He shared some amazing behind the scene stories and audition stories in our chat ❤️ We had some minor tech glitches during the live, but definitely worth a listen! Thanks for chatting with me Derek!!
Derek's IMDb: https://m.imdb.com/name/nm1978395/
Derek's Mixcloud: https://www.mixcloud.com/derek-gilroy/
**Addendum: While Derek has yet to write a bio (his girlfriend is on it!), I have to share that in the time since we finished our chat at around 2:30pm to before our class at 6:30pm, Derek received, filmed and submitted a 9-page audition...this guy is the real deal folks!
Ryan is an actor, improviser, and instructor based out of Toronto from Calgary, Alberta. In addition to teaching at Bad Dog and being an alumni of its Season 3 Featured Players, Ryan has performed in The Second City House Company, done shows all over the Carribean with BeerProv on the MSC Seaside, and has been featured in Globehead, Big City Improv Festival, Toronto and Montreal Sketchfest, Calgary and Toronto Fringe Festivals, Improvaganza 2015 & 2019 (Rapid Fire Theatre), and every sleepy hour of The Kinkonauts' 26-Hour Improv Marathon.
Ryan has taught with The Second City, The Kinkonauts, Calgary Young People's Theatre, TELUS SPARK: Calgary's Science Center, and the Calgary Improv School.
Anna Gustafson is a born storyteller who grew up in the tiny, predominantly Scandinavian, fishing town of Lund, BC and now makes her home in Canada’s largest city, Toronto. Her stories come from the places in between.
A touring professional comedian for more than two decades, she has appeared on Just For Laughs, CBC’s Comics!, The George Stroumboulopoulos Show, Cracking Up The Capital Comedy Festival, CBC Radio’s Laugh Out Loud, Madly Off In All Directions and The Debaters to name a few good ones.
Anna’s public speaking began at TEDx, she has co-produced two comedy festivals, two “virtual” Red Carpets for Toronto International Film Festival, and is leaning hard into the screenwriting craft.
As the Comedian in Residence at Gilda’s Club Toronto, Anna is producer and host of Never Mind Comedy which airs monthly within the Gilda’s Club world, and then later online. She has a supporting role in the startup initiative Gathering for Goodness, and is on the verge of launching a live, female-focused monthly show, Spring 2022, named "The Betty".
Her stories are published in the quarterly “Barnacle”, and is undecided on whether or not her indoor cycling side hustle will resume once gyms are open. Until then, spinning yarns.
https://annagustafson.ca/betty
Rachel Claudette Sellan is a French Canadian born in Welland and raised in Fort Erie. Rachel always knew she wanted to be an actor and at an early age mentioned to her mother who then helped her start her journey to stardom. Rachel was very proactive getting involved with acting classes and competitions. She applied to Niagara College for Acting for Film and Television and was accepted in 2008. In the following year she signed with her first agency and was auditioning in Toronto throughout her schooling. Once Rachel graduated in 2010 she relocated to Toronto where she landed her first role in a major film; Silent Hill 2: Revelation (2012). She continued her studies taking acting, voice and accent classes to broaden her knowledge and expand her resume. Rachel then received a principle role in a feature titled The Sublet (2015) playing a French character named Alex. The film had its first debut premiering at the Whistler Film Festival. Her drive and determination then put her in the front running for the lead role of Rachel in the indie feature, We Came to Wreck Everything (2020). Rachel was on a hot streak booking yet another small role in a new Netflix show; VWars (2019). Although, there have been many up’s and down’s, Rachel continued to strive for greatness. In 2020, she landed her first large principle role in a Hallmark movie. Shortly, after that Rachel landed a great spot on the new Star Trek series titled Strange New Worlds. Using this momentum Rachel has signed up to be a producer and lead in an upcoming film shooting this April. This is just the beginning for this incredibly talented actor as she has her sights set high and continues to fulfill her dream of dazzling audiences across the world with her impetuous passion.
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rachelsellan/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rachel.sellan/
IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm4174439/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0
Tik Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@rachelsellan
Celestine Caravaggio is an award winning actress based in Toronto, Canada. She is best known for her debut playing the lead role of Ruby in the feature film, Pur Laine, which premiered at The Ottawa Canadian Film Festival in 2018 and closed the festival to a standing ovation. She went on to win an award for Best Actress at the Singkwuento International Film Festival in Manila, Philippines in 2019. Pur Laine was directed by Ottawa based, award winning director, Alexander Cruz and the film won 21 out of 23 awards at Singkwuento. Pur Laine also won five awards at Creation International Film Festival Ottawa in 2019 and is a finalist at FACINE International Cine Festival screening on October 19, 2019 in San Francisco, California.
Recently, Celestine has booked principal roles in the following TV series: Ghostwriter Season 1 (Apple TV), The Boys Season 2 (Amazon Prime) and Coroner Season 2 (CBC). Recent feature film projects include: Baby In A Manger (UpTV, 2019), Christmas Recipe For Romance (UpTV, 2019), Revenge Delivered (Lifetime Network, 2020) and The Time Is Right (Network TBD, 2020), Christmas on 5th Avenue (UpTV, 2021)
Since 2018, Celestine has booked over 30 commercials including US National campaigns for Spectrum Mobile with Ellen DeGeneres, Oh Oh Oh Ozempic, Walmart, Uber and Go Daddy with NBA pro-athlete, CJ Miles. Currently, she is the North American face of P&G brands Bounce and Downy with 15 commercials featured in english, french and spanish.
For more information on Celestine Caravaggio's credits, please visit:www.imdb.me/celestinecaravaggio
Website: https://www.celestinecaravaggio.ca/
Instagram: @celecara
Dorrett White is a classically trained actress who has made viewers laugh as an outspoken teen on The Boys, an eager vampire's assistant on What We Do In The Shadows, and an over excited strip club patron in The Salt N Pepa Biopic! Dorrett White graduated from the Humber College Acting for Film and Television program and has since continued to work on her craft at the LB Studio, Bongo Productions and with The Actors Work Studio. Most recently Dorrett landed a principal role on a Lifetime Movie set to premiere early 2022!
Instagram: @itsmedoor
Facebook: Dorrett White
Website: www.dorrettwhite.com
Donavon LeNabat is a Toronto-based Piano Entertainer, choir director, and live streamer.
Donavon has been performing at the professional level for 20 years, and enjoys a wide variety of musical interests. He is a classically trained pianist, who went to school for jazz, and then ended up working in Musical Theatre, the whole while playing pop music and top 40 hits, entertaining at piano bars and playing in various corporate/wedding bands.
The past two years has seen Donavon Live Streaming for most of his work. It’s been a great way to engage a new audience and continue to refine his skill set. In addition to performing for the internet, Donavon has also managed to keep his own community choir engaged by creating a number of Virtual Choir Videos. (http://AltVox.ca)
Donavon is excited to get back to “normal”, and play live, in-person shows again!”
Various projects Donavon is involved in:
- In-Home Concert Series: Every Sunday, he’s been inviting people over to perform a 60-90 minute cabaret/concert, which is live streamed to Facebook/YouTube. (It’s free, but tips are always accepted from the online audience)
- In-Home Open Mic nights: 10-12 people come over to Donavon’s house every week and sing around the piano, which is live streamed to Facebook/YouTube.
- Alt Vox (http://AltVox.ca) end-of-season concert on June 11: In-person rock choir concert with 5-piece band. ~300 seats available, but will also be live streaming the event. Tickets will go on sale soon.
- Alt Vox is producing another virtual choir video, due out soon!
Check out all his social media handles:
- http://FaceBook.com/dono69
- Insta/Twitter: @thebiglenabski
- Facebook group: http://Facebook.com/groups/DonavonsASG
- YouTube: http://YouTube.com/user/dlenabat
And this is the YouTube video referenced in the chat: “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JAw6HHS7NVI
And just like that...Season 4 of WINDOW CHATS with ROBYN begins! Loved chatting with Libby Amber Walker.
A little about Libby, in her own words: “I pride myself on being a natural networker and a quick learner. In March of 2020, I posted my first TikTok video, in which I acted as a Jewish mother named Sheryl Cohen. The persona of Sheryl Cohen is loosely based on conversations with my mother. Sheryl Cohen was an instant success. I was humbled when TikTok shared one of my earliest videos on their own Instagram story. Getting direct messages from all over the world, I was amazed at how much of an impact I was making as a social media influencer. Part of what made me successful is that I quickly learned and mastered the art of short, enticing content. Now, two years later, I have grown to over 30K followers.
By applying my love of performance with a broad social network, I began coordinating large “live” events on Instagram by collaborating with both established organizations and newer ad hoc groups. It was rewarding to meet fans of all ages and establish some lasting friendships too. I was soon overwhelmed with requests from companies and organizations reaching out for branding deals and collaborations.
Following my TikTok persona gaining traction, I was given the opportunity to run multiple social media accounts as an ambassador such as The Chosen One, KiiNYC, Lost Tribe Esports, MeetJew, Brooklyn Hilton, Hillel International and Aish. This eventually led to Forbes producing an article about my work in social media.”
Season 3 of WINDOW CHATS with ROBYN started off with a bang! Such a pleasure chatting with Sophie Ann Rooney.
Sophie Ann Rooney is a Director / CEO & RAW Coach (20yrs experience) she was born in France and residing in Toronto, Canada. Her Training includes the International Film school of Paris-Eicar, Atelier de Blanche Salant, Lee Strasberg's protege Amy Werba, Valerie Landsburg, Central School of Speech & Drama, and the Oxford School of Speech & Drama Sophie Ann Rooney’s credits include directing & casting NETFLIX animation series DANIEL SPELLBOUND, hot off the heels of working, as a Lead Voice Director, on the AAA game 'Assassin's Creed Odyssey", rated 30th in the top 100 games of the decade by Polygon, BAFTA nominated and nominated Video Game Awards for “Game of the Year” 2018. Sophie has a tv series in development (under NDA) and is set to be directing a feature in 2022. Sophie has also directed several multilingual voice commercial spots in English, French, Spanish, Italian, German, Portuguese and Japanese. Her films have travelled the festival circuit garnering awards and recognition. One of Toronto's top acting coaches, her actors are the most booked actors in the city.
Be sure to join us on Sunday Dec. 12, 9:00 p.m. – Dec. 13, 2:00 a.m. at Track & Field Bar: https://www.rawactorstudio.com/event-details/y2k-raw-holiday-party-track-field
This event is sponsored by BDB Productions, DJ D-Rock, Self Tapes in the Six and Monologue Slam (shout-out to Andre Newell and Olunike Adeliyi). Red Carpet Sponsored by Brad McRae and hosted by yours truly. Can’t wait to see you there!!!
Additional shout-outs in the chat include: Warren P. Sonoda and Jen Pogue
And I know you all were wondering where to find Sophie’s hat. Check out Lovebot the robot. And also Sophie’s usual attire Family Over Fame.
And we ran out of time but Sophie conveyed the following: “Sophie would like to personally thank community leader Steven Mann Steven Mann for all his generosity to RAW. Please cherish leaders like Steven”
Val Mervis, Laurent Pitre, and I chatted about their film “Give Time” in the “Toronto Lift-Off Film Festival”.
Val Mervis: co-creator, co-producer, lead actress
Val Mervis is an actress, recently appearing as the recurring redheaded Fille du Roi, Angélique, in National Geographic series "Barkskins". In 2021, she has already manifested her dream role, a tough female mobster, in an upcoming feature film by Adam Alberts, and hopes "GIVE TIME" will inspire people to find love and hope in these challenging times.
Laurent Pitre: co-creator, writer, producer, lead actor
Laurent Pitre is an actor, filmmaker, writer, poet, teacher, coach, and hopeful romantic. Recent appearances onscreen include the main antagonist of Future Man's final season “BIG TIME” on Hulu and iTunes, a cold-blooded killer named Andrew Kay in the true-crime CBC series “The Detectives”, and the GOODFOOD caveman who's stuck in the past, munching on sticks instead of ordering fresh food from the delivery service. To follow his work, check out his website: www.laurentpitre.com
IG Handles/Website: Laurent Pitre: @thelaurentpitre; Val Mervis: @valmervis; "Give Time": @givetime.thefilm - https://www.givetimethefilm.com/
A little more information regarding their film ”Give Time”:
Based on a true moment shared between lovers, "Give Time" tells the story of Alice, a young woman grieving the loss of her lover, Leo. As she returns home to her apartment, the place where their relationship began, past and present merge as she is unable to deal with the guilt of living past the one she loved. As she moves through the space, she eventually discovers that the only way forward is by allowing the pain to emerge and beginning the near-impossible process of letting go.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rkqK2vTbVH4&ab_channel=LaurentPitre
Tickets for their film (available in their Instagram bios as well):
https://checkout.liftoff.network/page2-trendsetter-shorts-toronto-2021/
Steve is a self-taught Toronto based accompanist, keyboard player, and Music Director specializing in music theatre with 20+ years experience. He's worked extensively in Scarborough, Mississauga, and the surrounding GTA. Most recently, he worked for Drayton Entertainment on shows including Hairspray, Beauty and the Beast, and Annie. Some other hobbies include gaming, GarageBand, Lego, and wasting time on YouTube!
Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/pianosteve88
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC20cMhiWCop2t_CBQVTX04A
Website: https://www.theaccidentalaccompanist.com/
Such a pleasure chatting with Romy. We spoke about being child actors, and how much we appreciate the parents of child actors. And we discussed her journey to becoming an actor from CharActors Theatre Troup to “Judy and David” shows and getting an agent to LB Acting Studios and booking “Backstage” and much more! I can’t wait to see how far Romy goes in this business!
Julia and Sean are not only an adorable couple, but very talented actors. I had such a blast chatting with them! 🥰
Some things we referenced in our chat include Julia and Sean's demo reels, available on their IMDb.
Julia's IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm6284842/
Sean's IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm6567290/
As well, we spoke about Sean's YouTube Channel (Sean Colby): https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuUPk3v5YktuVxMAixmvRVA
and Sean's Company: https://playbackproductions.ca/
And check out their IG handles:
Julia: @julia.in.wanderlust
Sean: @sean.colby
With more than 20 years of dance and fitness experience, Amanda brings an overabundance of energy and passion to every client she works with. Her ability to motivate, educate and inspire those around her has led her to become a leader within the Fitness Industry. After graduating from Ryerson University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Performance Dance, Amanda began her career teaching fitness classes and working with the largest provider of fitness education in Canada. She has traveled Internationally presenting at conferences, and educating Fitness Professionals to gain skills to enhance their career.
Amanda educates her clients on the positive benefits of exercise including the physical, mental and emotional changes exercise can bring to their life. Amanda believes we need to be both mentally and physically STRONG and to do that we must train both our body and our mind on a daily basis.
Amanda is a contributing author in the newly released, canfitpro Fitness Instructor Specialist Certification Manual (2019), a certified Coach Practitioner with the Certified Coaches Federation, STRONG NATION Master Trainer, Technique Coach (STRONG TECH) and Instructor, founder and creator of HYPE, Studio Manager and Head Trainer at F45 Ajax Central, ZYIA Rep and a proud hockey mom.
Check out her website: https://www.grantedtobe.com/
STEVEN YAFFEE has been a working actor based out of Toronto for the past 18 years. He has been a feature film lead in Growing Op opposite Rosanna Arquette, Total Frat Movie, Space and Time, and A Fish Story. Most recently he Recurred on Apple Tv's Ghostwriter, playing the iconic character; Dr. Victor Frankenstein. A career highlight was recurring on The Mist, opposite Francis Conroy. Other selected film and television credits include Supernatural, Ransom, The Expanse, Rookie Blue, Lost Girl, Twelve Trees of Christmas, Combat Hospital, Serialized, Against the Wall, Murdoch Mysteries, Warehouse 13 and Flashpoint.
Yaffee made his stage debut playing Billy Narracott in the highly acclaimed stage production of “War Horse” in Toronto, the longest running and most successful play in Canadian history directed by Tom Morris and Marianne Elliott.
Chantal Cousineau (she/her) was born in Canada. Raised in Ottawa, she spent her childhood training/becoming a ITF Tae Kwon-Do champion. Achieving her first-degree black belt at the age of 15, she won gold at the Canadian and North American Championships. Modelling at the age of 17 she landed before the lens of famed photographers, shooting for Abercrombie & Fitch, Aveda, Italian Vogue, Elle, Cosmopolitan, Roots and many more.
Moving to Los Angeles in 2001, she carved out a successful career as an actor in 100+ television commercials. Since 2017, she has become a grounded voice within the MeToo advocacy community, helping 1,400+ survivors of sexual harassment, assault, and abuse. A longtime member of SAG-AFTRA, Chantal serves on several national safety committees to consult on ways the industry can expand its best practices to move closer towards equal treatment, pay parity, representation, and improving safety standards on sets.
She has combined her many years of experience as a performer, with her advocacy work, to pivot to her career as a certified film/television Intimacy Coordinator. Chantal is a dual citizen of Canada and the US and she speaks both French and English fluently.
Danielle and I chat about her Indiegogo Campaign for her film "Charlie and Jack - A 90's Nostalgic Love Story": https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/charlie-and-jack-a-90-s-nostalgic-love-story?create_edit=true&fbclid=IwAR0YGZ5CeF0urzRjSQWYjMBCBXGVmtj8d9NtUcJqYz3CmK6y0610S149uAo#/
Danielle LeBlanc is a Toronto-based writer, actor and producer hailing from Nova Scotia who proudly steers the wheel of her own career and creativity. Whether it be drama, romantic comedy, or horror, Danielle continues to unapologetically tell the stories she feels compelled to tell through narrative films, and fully immerses herself in the entire filmmaking process. From writing the scripts and acting in her projects, to sourcing locations and props, to being her own films' publicist, Danielle's talents and efforts extend both on and off camera.
In addition to independent films, over the last decade Danielle has lent her creative talents to a multitude of artistic endeavours such as commercials, voice over for cartoons, theatre, stand up comedy, and even puppeteering! She's trained at acting studios across Toronto, including The Second City for improv, stand up and writing.
From her days touring internationally as a professional step dancer and musician, to now paving her way as an actor and filmmaker, this triple-threat is excited to continue to blaze her own trail, one story at a time. There is much more to come from this East Coaster.
Loved chatting with Patrick Daquah tonight!! We covered serious topics regarding mindset with a little bit of silliness thrown in the mix! His podcast “Next Up in the Spotlight” is an incredible podcast where Patrick discusses mindset and mental health among many other important topics. Check it out!
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8sPmXcOjxG5B89zwo0VDIA/videos
IG: @nextup_inthespotlight
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/pdanquahengineeringconfidence
Chad Darnell’s feature film THE UNDERTAKER’S WIFE (Shannyn Sossamon, John Brotherton) will premiere in early 2022. He is currently in pre-production to direct his follow-up feature, THE INTELLIGENT, which will begin filming in Los Angeles in August.
As an actor, he most recently appeared in HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY INCH, MOONLIGHT AND MAGNOLIAS, and FORCED. Recently retired from casting, he spent thirty years in extras and principal casting on over a hundred films and television series including SELMA, MAGIC MIKE XXL, ALIAS, CROSSING JORDAN, and SPIDER-MAN.
He is currently developing the series THE CASTRO, the television movie MURDER CLUB and will direct and star in INSTALLATION in early 2022.
An actor / writer / improviser / producer/director Naomi was a regular for 8 seasons on CBC’s hit comedy, ‘Mr. D’ (two time ACTRA nominated, four time CSA nominated and Canadian Comedy Award winner). She is an alumnus of 'The Second City Toronto' where she wrote and performed in five hit shows. She is a producer and founder of the new podcast Firecracker Department and half of the award winning duo Baram & Snieckus. Her TV and film credits include Designated Survivor, I Martin Short Go Home, ‘Drunk and On Drugs Happy Fun Time Hour’ (co-starring the cast of 'Trailer Park Boys'), ‘The Listener’, ‘Degrassi’, ‘Being Erica’, ‘Wingin’ It’, and ‘Dino Dan’. She is the voice of ‘Aunt Turtle’ on the cartoon ‘Franklin the Turtle’ and ‘June’ on Monsters. She co-created the digital show ‘Doing it With Brian and Darla’ for CBC Comedy and ‘The Casting Room’ Web Series (LA WebFest and CCA winner). Naomi has also won a Canadian Comedy Award in the category of Best Female Improviser. She was a regular on ‘George Stroumboulopoulos Tonight’ on CBC, and is the host of the popular podcast Firecracker Department. She is a founding member and Co-Artistic Director of the five-time Canadian Comedy Award winning troupe ‘The National Theatre of the World. You can see her in the feature films such as : “Disney Zombies 1,2,3”, “Kiss and Cry” , ‘Happily Ever After’ with Alex Kingston and Peter Firth and ‘Two for One’ with Gavin Crawford, “SAW 3D”, “The Swap”, and most recently in ‘Canadian Strain’ with Colin Mochrie. She currently is a recurring character on CTV’s Carter and can be seen in Disney Zombies 2 and Work It on Netflix. You can catch her and her comedy partner/husband Matt Baram on their comedy podcast “Baram & Snieckus” @baramsnieckus and #SomeoneStoleSomething as well as the engaging and inspiring discussions on her podcast/community the Firecracker Department. @firecrackerdept @snieckus
Brian Goldenberg is a professional theatre producer, music director, songwriter/arranger, performer, and educator. He is the Artistic Director/Producer for Vanier College Productions at York University, and also serves as the Artistic & Executive Director for Angelwalk Theatre, and the Artistic & Executive Producer for Goldenberg Productions. Previously, Brian worked as a Business Consultant for Dancap Productions, the Director of Business and Development for the Herbert H. Carnegie Future Aces Foundation, Assistant Producer for Acting Up Stage Company (now The Musical Stage Company), and Executive Director for Theatre 20.
An accomplished songwriter, Brian won first-place in an In Front Magazine Music Contest for his song “Music Will Always Lead Me Home”, and wrote the music and additional lyrics for the Herbert H. Carnegie Future Aces Foundation Theme Song. His original musical Seven of Us made its Toronto debut in the 2010 Toronto Fringe Festival and he conceived the 2017 original musical Maddie’s Karaoke Birthday Party. Brian is a recipient of the Herbert H. Carnegie Future Aces Citizenship Award, the Herbert H. Carnegie Future Aces Foundation Aces in Action Award, and three SINGular Sensation BackDoora Awards for contributions to the Toronto theatre community. Brian is a two-time graduate of York University, with a BFA in Music and a Schulich MBA specializing in Arts & Media Management.
Seth and I discuss the biz they call show. From male modelling to on-camera auditioning and getting buried alive, this chat was super random! We joke that it took Seth a little while to warm-up, so I'd just skip ahead to at least 30 minutes into the chat when we start having an actual conversation!
If you are more of a visual person, check out our chat on YouTube: https://youtu.be/BqwHP7Y-8X0
Aubrey is a children’s book author, playwright, illustrator and artist. Alongside publishing his first children’s book, "Belina Bloom, It’s Time to Grow Up!" he has also started a small online custom painting business called A.R Creations. Check out his website: https://aubreyrothman.com/
Full chat on YouTube: https://youtu.be/c6zvqv1A3LI
I know Hilary from Second City, always auditioning in-person for the same role, and I gave her a role in my web-series "The Self-Tape Perils" (she played the accordion and she was awesome!)
Exciting things about Hilary:
- she is double vaxxed and super excited to see people in person again
- She is flying to Saskatchewan to see her family June 26th-July 10th. She misses them terribly and hasn’t seen them in person since January 2020.
- Her and her husband are getting a puppy in August. It’s a chocolate brown field bred English cocker spaniel.
- Hilary just got new headshots with Tim Leyes and is very happy with the shoot on this past Saturday
- Hilary is hosting an online piano recital this Friday the 25th for her students
- Hilary is starring in a short film called Sound of Space. She plays a space captain of a cargo ship delivering medical supplies to a Mars settlement, she ends up losing her hearing along the way.
- With a crew of 8 people, the short film was recently shot in one day in an space Escape Room in Toronto. https://proximacommand.com/
- The film will premiere in the Toronto Digital Fringe Festival July 21-31
Other facts about Hilary
Hilary’s performed in past Toronto Fringe Festivals in: The Killing Game (2010, Red Handed/ Randolph Entertainment), Love is a Poverty You Can Sell II (2013, Soupcan Theatre), and Mullet’s Ghost Story (2016, MeMullet Productions).
Hilary’s film company Cackle Comedy Productions won Audience Choice award in the blue block of the Great Canadian Sketch Comedy Film Festival for the short Witchcraft Wednesday which Hilary wrote and acted in.
Along with acting, Hilary is known for her singing and musicianship. She played June Carter Cash in Magnus Theatre’s production of “The Ring of Fire: the Music of Johnny Cash”. Hilary and the four men cast in the show played all the music live on stage. Hilary played the piano, guitar, ukulele, trumpet, melodica, accordion, and drums.
Hilary is frequently recognized for her appearance on a tennis court in a recent Stelara commercial.
If you prefer seeing the chat visually, full chat is on YouTube: https://youtu.be/5_AKnPjNXTM
Eric Johnston is a Canadian Stand-Up Comedian, Actor and M.C. from Hamilton, Ontario. A professionally trained entertainer, he was educated at both Humber College Theatre Arts and the prestigious Vancouver Film School. An agile, high energy and diverse performer, Eric stars in the International Children’s show “Splatalot”, which is seen on major networks in over 170 Countries around the world (including Netflix) by day, and performs nightly on some of the top comedy stages and Comedy Festivals in North America. Eric has begun to make a splash in the American market with sold out shows in Chicago, New York City, New Jersey, Detroit, and Atlanta. Eric was invited to The World Famous Comedy Store in Hollywood where he performed alongside world-renowned comedians including fellow Canucks Russell Peters, Tom Green and Jeremy Hotz. Most recently Eric toured Canada coast to coast on his 3 month long 75 show “Small Town Tour” where he performed his full hour one man show in major markets and in towns as small as 150 people! Every day is different for Eric but one thing is for sure, he shows no signs of slowing down.
Twitter / Instagram: @ericjohnstonwho
Jenna Warriner is a Social Media Specialist and Instagram Educator. Through her program Instagram: Your Magic Marketing Machine she simplifies Instagram marketing, and teaches small business owners and freelancers how to create a gorgeous, sustainable online presence and turn their followers into customers.
She has extensive experience in the entertainment industry and has worked with films at TIFF, Sundance, Slamdance, Hot Docs, and CBC, for award-winning local and international films (Sundance Special Jury, Sundance Audience Award, Oscar consideration/nominations). She approaches social media from a public image perspective. Your social media presence is the most forward-facing element of your public image and gives you complete control of your messaging.
Always a dreamer, Nir began his career in the spotlight as a young boy making impersonations and skits in front of his family during the holidays and reunions, with aspirations of being on the big screen and on stage in front of large audiences.
With appearances on Bravo’s “19-2” and the CBC’s “This Life”, along with numerous independent productions, Nir has come a long way since his memorable holiday performances in his living room as a child.
Over the past 10 years, Nir has been a part of numerous plays with Brave New Productions, from one of his most challenging roles (Aaron McKinney) in the Laramie Project: 10 years later, to Yazmina Reza’s ART, to the META nominated Ensemble cast of 33 Variations by Moises Kaufman. He has also helped direct and produce several of BNP’s productions (Mistakes Were Made, Sylvia, and the upcoming Vanya and Sonya and Masha and Spike).
Nir also founded “Nearly Funny”, an online Sketch comedy show that can be viewed on most Social Media platforms, with a mission to make people laugh and provide Montreal actors with a creative space/community to perform and tell some fun stories. With over 350 sketches and 50K followers, across all platforms, there is "nearly" enough funny to go around!
With a strong belief in hard work and training, he continues to develop and hone his craft by attending workshops, learning new techniques and continuously performing, whenever and wherever he can.
Danielle and I go way back, and I had the lovely opportunity to re-connect with her in her “Chocolate Circle” Zoom classes! She’s a pretty phenomenal human being!
It was indeed an epic reunion with Danielle chatting about our child actor days, our elementary school days, her journey to doing comedy and everything in between!
Check out Danielle’s weekly her “Chocolate Circle” Zoom classes (every Wednesday evening 8:30pm ET) https://www.facebook.com/groups/654557328327577 and on July 4-9 a not-to-be-missed Yarchei Kallah https://www.facebook.com/JETOttawa/posts/4104378422942059
Rose Rosen CSA, consistently rated among Florida's most distinguished casting directors, provides talent for both episodic and unscripted TV shows, movies, commercials and print campaigns nationwide. Ms. Rosen's 25-year track record earned her membership in the prestigious Casting Society of America and the respect of countless aspiring actors for furthering their careers.
Ms. Rosen credits her work casting Edward Scissorhands for advancing her own industry credentials. Beyond the Tim Burton classic, additional credits include Not Alone, Extreme Weight Loss, Cowboy U, Bridezillas and numerous other television commercials for clients such as Century 21, Canon, Nationwide Insurance, Publisher’s Clearing House and Corona Beer.
Rosen has worked in the virtual casting world for many years, casting both films and commercials using self tape and virtual casting rooms. During the pandemic, she teamed up with LA based casting director, Kim Swanson to create a YouTube show for actors called "Casting Notes From Rosen and Kim." Rosen takes great pride in her tireless work ethic, vast personal connections and remarkable ability to bring her client's vision to life.
Follow her on all her socials here: https://linktr.ee/roserosencsa
Starting his 20 year voice over career after falling ass backwards into a voice director and audio engineering role in his late teens at one of the country’s top voice agencies, Darryl has expanded his broad knowledge of the voice over industry working as a voice agent, audio engineer, demo producer, voice director and VO consultant. Added to this, is his strong skillset in the IT and telecommunications fields. Darryl is a jack of all trades and a master of more than you’d think. His creative outlets range from cooking to music production and performing, even if it’s only for the mirror since becoming a Dad. Darryl possesses the super power of problem solving, offering creative and effective solutions for any situation that arises. If he can’t solve it, he knows someone who can.
Loved chatting with Kerry today! Way too hard to summarize our random talking points, so I guess you'll just have to listen to the entire chat 😛
Kerry has been acting and improvising around Toronto for over 20 years. After training at the famed Second City, Kerry went on to be a cofounder of improv troupe Slap Happy which has performed at festivals across North America and even a couple in Europe. He was also a founding member of the Bad Dog Theatre company which opened its doors in 2003, and remains a mainstay of the Toronto improv Community.
In 2008 Kerry returned to the Second City, joining its mainstage cast where he wrote and performed in two award winning revues, Barack to the Future and 0% Down, 100% Screwed. Since 2011 he has also directed 5 mainstage revues at the Second City as well.
Currently, Kerry regularly performs at the award winning improv talk show, Monkey Toast and he pops up on improv stages all over Toronto, often with one of many troupes including The Coincidence Men, and even occasionally still with Slap Happy!
Besides making stuff up, Kerry is also an accomplished actor having appeared in television shows like Baroness Von Sketch (CBC), Schitt's Creek (CBC), The Expanse (Amazon Prime) Designated Survivor (ABC), The Beaverton (CTV), Murdoch Mysteries (CBC), Max And Shred (YTV), Degrassi: The Next Generation (CBC), Connor Undercover (Family Channel), Covert Affairs (USA), Mayday (Discovery) and Cracked (CBC). He has also been seen or heard in over 100 television and radio commercials, perhaps most recognized as ‘the Diamond Shreddies guy’ ,‘the insurance guy’ or 'that guy from that commercial'.
Kerry has won 10 Canadian Comedy Awards over the years, twice being named Best Male Improviser, and winning for Best Improv Troupe four times with both Slap Happy and Monkey Toast, as well as winning for Best Comedic Play and Best Sketch Troupe with the Second City.
www.kerry-griffin.com
So lovely catching up with Carrie and Lauren - 2 fabulous entrepreneurs! They have found some amazing ways to pivot during this pandemic.
Their bios were too extensive to fit into this description, but you can find their bios on my YouTube channel (Robyn Deverett) https://youtu.be/dEebQ6c4D2s or on my Facebook page (Window Chats with Robyn) https://www.facebook.com/WindowChatsWithRobyn/
A Canadian entertainment staple growing up for me was that the Shillings were everywhere! From “Ricky’s Room”, to “Mean Girls” to “The Umbrella Academy”…alright that last one is just Benny, and I guess it was just Elana in Mean Girls…but they were definitely all in “Ricky’s Room” - a right of passage on every child actor’s resume 🥰
Lewis Baumander is a well-established fixture in the Canadian Film +TV industry. He’s been in this industry for over 48 years working as both a successful Director and Acting Coach. If there’s anyone in this country who knows what Casting wants and has a quantifiable and verifiable way to transmit this knowledge to actors, it is Lewis Baumander.
Lewis is the owner of LB Acting Studio and sister studio Casting Central where Casting Directors such as RDC, Forrest and Forrest, Buchan Knight, Lewis Kay Casting and Gloria Mann have come to rely on Lewis and the studio to attend to their Casting needs.
Lewis and his team have successfully moved LB Acting Studio and Casting Central onto the virtual space. Casting Central has designed the go-to system for these high-level Casting Directors. If you have received instructions for a virtual audition from any of the above, then know that Lewis has had a hand in writing them. Casting Central has conducted hundreds of hours of virtual auditions since March 2020. No one else in the country has that kind of “in the Virtual Audition Room” insight.
Lewis founded the LB Acting Studio where he teaches weekly group classes and coaches actors individually daily. He is a go-to coach for Canada’s top tier talent agencies including Noble Caplan Abrams, AMI, OAZ, and many others. He has conducted workshops for numerous ACTRA conferences and maintains an active relationship with the Association.
He has been an On-Set Acting Coach (Scary Stories, Titans, Degrassi and The Strain), amongst the highlights and currently two series for which he has signed NDA’s. Lewis continues to work with Canadian’s most notable actors on both their audition prep and pre-production coaching. Some of these actors include: Shamier Anderson (Awake, Goliath, Race, Brutal with Halle Berry), Keeya King (Van Helsing, Batwoman, Handmaids Tale), Ellen Wong (Scott Pilgrim, Glow, Condor) and Kate Drummond (Wynonna Earp, and Nowhere - where she won Best Actress at the Canadian Screen Awards).
Lewis continues to work with actors on Riverdale, Frankie Drake, The Flash, Orange is the New Black, Arrow, and dozens more. Hundreds of actors, each year have been cast from coaching done by Lewis and his coaches.
Sarah is such a delightful human, and she's so supportive of all us actors! Thanks so much for chatting with me today!!
Words of wisdom include: be kind and be your authentic self!
Yaw Attuah: Yaw is a prolific stand-up comedian who has opened for comics like Josh Gondelman (Headwriter for Deus and Mero), Sam Jay ("3 in the Morning" on Netflix and writer for SNL), Anna Drezden (Headwriter for SNL), and more. Yaw is also a writer and actor who's appeared on stage and screen. He is a graduate of the renowned Second City Conservatory program. Yaw has produced acclaimed work for the Toronto Fringe Festival (read a review of 2018's "Rhymes With Wow”). Yaw has been a finalist at Toronto Comedy Brawl, been featured on CBC Radio, and has performed stand-up across North America, including being a competitor at the San Diego Comedy Festival.
Ashley Medeiros-Felix: A Toronto native & theatre school graduate. When Ashley is not furthering her training or performing herself, she can be found working as a Theatre Director, Choreographer & Audition Coach. She is a Resident Director/Choreographer for the Bravo Academy's advanced musical theatre program, is the Resident Choreographer for Soundcrowd- Toronto’s first large-scale acapella vocal ensemble and has completed the Directing Comedy for Digital course at Second City. This will be Ashley's second time collaborating with Yaw, as she was the director/lighting designer of the hit show "Rhymes With Wow".
Check out their Kickstarter Campaign: http://kck.st/3xAlBEj
Also check out Yaw’s YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHYJA4_JyN4VAfd_8iGqi5g
In this chat, I unveiled my new "Window Chats with Robyn" theme song! Pretty exciting stuff!! Oh yeah...and Andre is a pretty incredible guy!
Andre Newell is a Writer, Director, Producer and the Executive Producer of North America’s largest acting showcase, Monologue Slam Canada. Andre has written, directed, produced, shot and edited over 60 short film projects. His directorial debut film “War on Love,” was selected for the American Black Film Festival (ABFF) and licensed by the inspireNetwork, which is owned by Magic Johnson.
Monologue Slam Canada, which celebrates its 10th year anniversary in 2021, is the premiere networking event for Canada's Film, Television and Theatre Industry. For over a decade the event has attracted the industries most influential casting directors, producers, directors, while showcasing thousands of actors. A 10 episode Monologue Slam series was released on Bell TV in 2017.
Such a pleasure chatting with Randy today! And we pushed through all the IG Live tech fails, because we're awesome like that!!
A little about Randy: Randy Phipps is a public relations professional and the Founder and Principal of RP Communications. With an exceptional eye for detail and a constant finger on the pulse, Randy has a natural talent for curating specialized content, coordinating brand partnerships, facilitating speaking engagements, and guiding clients through the everchanging media landscape.
Constantly working to keep names and brands top of mind for consumers, Randy’s clients are regularly featured in print, broadcast and digital publications and platforms. With an extensive roster of award-winning clients, Randy is responsible for representing some of the most renowned entertainment figures, industry experts, and business leaders.
Believing strongly in giving back and passionate about working with his own community, Randy is an avid volunteer, as well as an involved Board member of numerous charities in and around Toronto. Randy works closely with Free-Them, an initiative dedicated to combatting human trafficking in Canada. He also sits on the Board of Directors for MJKO (Mentoring Junior Kids Organization), a charity which helps at-risk youth learn valuable life skills through the sport of non-contact boxing. In 2015, Randy was awarded the prestigious Legacy Award by Volunteer Toronto for his continued dedication to the community.
Tara and I tackled the challenge that was Facebook Live! 8 tries later and we nailed it!! Thanks so much for chatting with me Tara!!!
A little about Tara:
Tara Paterson is a dynamic stage and screen actor. She received critical acclaim for her performance as #7 in “The Wolves,” which won the Prix Rideau Best Director and Jury award. Tara also starred as Alice Sycamore in "You Can't Take it With You," Jerry in "Zoo Story,” and her Film & TV credits include “The Hardy Boys " (Hulu/YTV) and the indie “Goodbye, Papi” which was screened at the International Film Festival of Ottawa.
Tara is an inaugural member of the production company CreativeDifference & Co., and is set to have her Directorial Debut of the show “Antigone, presented by the girls of St. Catherine’s - an Excerpt” at the Toronto Fringe Festival this July 21st-31st. She will also be playing the role of Tamsin.
Tara is looking forward to putting out more content honouring, promoting, and showcasing underrepresented and women-led stories. She urges us all to stay open and surprisable.
Recently she won the April 2021 Scene Slam Edition for Monologue Slam Canada with her scene partner, friend, and collaborator, Andrea Cabeza. Check out her winning scene: https://youtu.be/seYE9cttOsc
And check out her IMDb: imdb.me/tarapaterson
Mike and I discuss all things theatre, including the “Hunchback of Norte Dame”, “American Idiot”, and the Confidential Musical Theatre Project where we met; and then reminisced about our childhood days re: cartoons, anime, iPod shuffles, CDs, etc. And the usually "Window Chats with Robyn" randomness, including how Mike chose his user name for IG.
Check out Out There Theatre (some cool projects in the works!) and check out Mike on TikTok @mikebuchananactor
A little about Mike: Mike Buchanan is an actor, singer, musician currently residing in Toronto, Ontario. A graduate of the Musical Theatre Program of St. Clair College in Windsor Ontario, Mike has performed in many different shows in Toronto. Favourite credits include Quasimodo in The Hunchback Of Notre Dame, Robbie Hart in The Wedding Singer, Johnny in American Idiot, and Bernstein in Dogfight. Mike is also the Founder of Out There Theatre Company with hopes to produce its first full length musical sometime in the near future.
Connor and I had a very random and ridiculous chat, including some potential future Hallmark plots, worm farms, and some Second City discussions.
A little about Connor: Connor is an actor, writer, director, and improvisor. At Second City, he wrote and performed in three mainstage revues, including the Dora-nominated and Canadian Comedy Award-winning Sixteen Scandals. As an improvisor he has travelled the world, teaching and performing at festivals in exotic places like Cape Town, Copenhagen, Detroit, London, Barcelona, Athens, Hamburg, and Dublin. In 2019 his sketch troupe, the Lusty Mannequins, performed to sold out audiences at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. (Okay, there were only two sold out audiences, but there were still lots of people at all the shows, he swears.) He also writes short stories, some of which can be found in print and online at various fun magazines. He lives in Toronto with his wife, Ashley, and dog, Toby, and he is currently patiently awaiting June, when the peonies bloom, which he considers to be the nicest time of year. Find him, if you like, at @cpethompson
Al and I chat about so many past and future projects. He’s a pretty awesome individual, putting out so much positive energy! Thanks for chatting with me!!
Little about Al: Al Braatz is a human being, an artist, a philosopher and friend. He has performed on many stages throughout the world; enjoying the company of all manner of people. Every moment is an opportunity. Take from it what you will. Let's experience life together.
Such a delight chatting with Herbie (aka Aaron) Sax! He is a fascinating entrepreneur, with an awesome musical theatre background! As an aside, I thoroughly enjoyed how every time Aaron mentioned someone, they then tuned into our IG Live!
Bio: Herbie is currently the owner of Manhattan Trophies, an awards and recognition company based in Toronto. Herbie, a graduate of the Sheridan College Music Theatre Performance Program in 2010, was a regular in the Toronto theatre scene, until he pursued a short lived broadcasting career in 2017.
Paul Vato is an ACTOR & IMPROVISOR from CHICAGO & has appeared in such hit shows as MADtv, The Sarah Silverman Program, Cedric The Entertainer Presents:, THE BOLD & THE BEAUTIFUL & most recently appeared in The Trust w/ NICHOLAS CAGE.
Trained at iO Theater, The Second City & The Annoyance Theater in CHICAGO & had the amazing opportunity to study & learn from improv comedy guru & legend, DEL CLOSE, who directed him in several hit shows at iO.
Co-founded ¡Salsation! (Comedy w/ a Latin Flavor) in Chicago & BARRIO SPEEDWAGON in LA, the world’s first LATINX improv & sketch comedy groups. Their hit show, “TOUCHED BY AN ANGLO” ran in Chicago & LA to critical acclaim.
Paul Vato owns Vato Cigars inside Binion’s Casino on the Fremont Street Experience in LV.
Recently lost 60lbs by doing yoga & changing his lifestyle. He owns the lifestyle brand, BAD hOMbre YOGA (emphasis on OOOMMM).

FILMS
The Trust • Last Vegas • For Christ’s Sake • UCB’s Wild Girls Gone • Almost Vegas
TV
MADtv • The Sarah Silverman Program • Cedric The Entertainer Presents: • The Bold & The Beautiful • Reno 911 • Grenzenlos: Las Vegas (German TV) • Rita Rocks! • What About Joan? • La Corte Familiar
VO
The App (Graphic Audio Novel) •
Big Stan (Looping: ADR)
COMMERCIAL
Uber Eats (Super Bowl) • Sears • Archer Daniels Midland • Sports Soup • Simon Malls • Visa • Texas DOT • NFL Network • Toyota RAV4 • Dodge Caravan • Disney • Netscape • Del Taco • Cricket
Check out: PaulVato.com for all contact information as well as headshots and resume.
Despite the tech fails, it was so lovely catching up with Berkley. We spoke about a lot of her past projects, including “Paw Patrol” and “Workin’ Moms”; as well as the fact that she got into Sheridan!!!
Jordan is such a fascinating and driven individual. We discussed some of his thoughts on air travel (given his history of being a flight attendant), how he's staying motivated these days, and we reminiscence over all things theatre/live performance.
So much fun chatting with Lindsey today! Topics included: Lindsey’s experience working on both sides of the mic, how she stays so positive when directing talent, and the most important question: why did Lindsey choose to be Mystique on the Kim Hurdon Casting website?
Bio: Lindsey has been flexing her creative muscles in the entertainment industry since the age of 9. A trained actress and VO performer, Lindsey works on both sides of the mic. As a voice director and coach the word "can’t" is absent from her vocabulary. She enjoys directing talent in all forms of VO. From commercial to video game and audiobooks to animation, her passion, is working with actors and helping them craft their performances.
So lovely chatting with Jesse Griffiths (from Jesse Griffiths Casting)! Such a positive and supportive individual!!
A little about Jesse: After over a decade working as an actor in film, tv and theatre, Jesse switched his focus to behind the camera. Learning the trade from some of the busiest and most respected Toronto Casting Directors, he opened Jesse Griffiths Casting (JGC) with the goal of combining his passion for the arts and knowledge of local talent. His focus is, and will always be, to push for more inclusion and diversity in the casting process and to nurture the next generation of artists. Jesse is a graduate of Ryerson Theatre School with a BFA in Theatre Performance.
If you want to feel inspired, listen to this chat I had with Kat. She is a real go-getter and doesn't take no for an answer! We discuss the importance of working behind-the-scenes in addition to being in front of the camera, and creating your own work.
Check out her online Zoom-reads (Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/zoomreads)
Actor, singer, and voice over artist Alicia Ryan has spent the majority of her life living on beautiful Georgian Bay but has also called Toronto "home" for the last decade! In terms of her performance work, she is best known for the series "Dian Fossey: Secrets in the Mist," her singing with musician "Urban Waters," and for her voiceover work for "Sobeys," "Bailey's," and the upcoming feature film, "Wish."
Had such an amazing time chatting with Jenna! We discussed everything from Bye Bye Birdie to Hamilton, to our favourite emojis (I like this one: 😛) Jenna is a singer, dancer, actor, hospitality professional, and Hamilton enthusiast. In her personal time, she dedicates herself to reading, yoga, podcasts, and Netflix. She hopes to return to the theatre in any capacity and continue to create memorable experiences for people through her work in the hospitality industry.
Tej was fascinating to chat with. We may not have completed the majority of our thoughts, but I loved the rants nonetheless!
Tej Sangani is an Indian-Canadian actor and storyteller. Born in Mumbai, India, Tej Sangani's family immigrated to Markham, Ontario, Canada where he grew up with an affinity of visual arts and science. He is the oldest of 2 boys, his mother was a professional henna artist and his father an entrepreneur. Earning a Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering Science from the University of Western Ontario. Tej was a successful electrical designer before deciding to leave it behind to pursue his talents in the Film & Television industry. Outside of acting, he's passionate about staying physically and mentally healthy. Sports like tennis and meditation have always been an important part of his life. He's a science-fiction and film score aficionado. (Bio Eloquently written by Tej Sangani)
I had the pleasure of meeting Janet in a Zoom meeting a while back, and we connected in the fields of health and acting (classic combo)!
Janet is a doctor who started acting during the pandemic to prevent burnout. In terms of her acting experience, she’s done some background and stunt work, booked her first commercial and just recently booked a theatre gig that will go if our region is in the orange zone.
Topics include: the future of sports medicine (a nice, light subject), our thoughts on background work, and everything in between!!
Daryl Ledwon is the Canadian representative for Mandy.com and has been in the Film and Television industry for years both in front and behind the camera. As an actor, he has worked on various Discovery ID programs such as MurderBoard, Paranormal Survivor and Killer Affair as well as indie films like A Song for Us, Snowed Inn and others. He has a love for theatre and has performed in various musical and theatre productions around Ontario.
Mark Selby and I chat about a lot of randomness including Passover, haircuts, Hart House Theatre, Canadian Screen Awards, Air Farce and the Howie Mandel special “But Enough About Me” (available on Crave)
A little about Mark Selby (as taken from his website): "Currently in production on Oscar Peterson: Black + White, a new feature documentary from Barry Avrich for Bell Media, my recent credits include From Ontario With Love, a live all-star New Year’s Eve concert; the critically-acclaimed feature documentary Howie Mandel: But Enough About Me; live primetime specials for the Scotiabank Giller Prize with FRANK Content for CBC; the Canadian Screen Awards with Insight Productions; and the retrospective documentary Beyond Famous: Canada's Walk of Fame. In the comedy world, I was the inaugural comedy programmer for Canada’s Stratford Festival, programming a diverse roster of international talent for the Festival’s first-ever stand-up comedy showcase, prior to the season’s cancellation due to the pandemic. Previously, for the Just For Laughs comedy festival, I programmed events, shows, and screenings, including the first Just For Laughs Film Festival; organized an all-star comedy fundraiser; and produced a short film competition and digital stand-up series in collaboration with Lionsgate and Kevin Hart’s Laugh Out Loud Network. My long association with the legendary Air Farce sketch comedy troupe lasted over 15 years, from the weekly series to the annual New Year’s Eve specials that regularly ranked as CBC’s highest-rated comedy show. I am an Honours B.A. graduate with Distinction from the University of Toronto, where I produced and directed shows for the historic U.C. Follies and Hart House Theatre. Occasionally, you can also find me at the piano as a musical director, composer, performance coach, and accompanist for theatre, cabaret, auditions, and workshops. TL;DR: I help execute high-rated, award-winning, talent-driven projects for major networks, distributors, and events – especially for live TV; I create and manage relationships with high-level talent; and I develop new work and strengthen existing content as a producer, programmer, or consultant."
Marcus Colby is one hilarious individual! Check out his side hustle "Side Hu$tle Comedy", "The Isolationists" web-series and his political diatribe on TikTok!!
Back the day, David Sazant had a role in the movie "Mean Girls"...he's kind of a big deal! I thoroughly enjoyed his audition story! Goes to show you that you should never second guess your audition!! Shout-out to Sid Kroach (awesome agent turned choreographer extraordinaire!)
Michael is a real go-getter, and always pushes himself to be better. Such a pleasure chatting with him!
Michael Masurkevitch spends his time acting, writing and producing, parenting and doing yoga and meditation in innapropriately public spaces. Recently he wrapped a feature he was co-producing "Snow Blind" and is releasing a song on spotify, "Decompress." He enjoys rolls that push him to the limits of human emotion and experience - like his descent into madness for "Snow Blind", his cathartic breakdown in "Anxiety Feast" and different cathartic breakdown in "Beyond the Veil," and his upcoming role of a man who deals with anxiety through BDSM sexual masochism in "Bad Filmmaker."
I’ve had the pleasure of playing Halle’s mom back in the day when live theatre was a thing (“her mom?! But Robyn, you’re so young!”; “I know right!”). You may know her from a very recent Swiss Chalet commercial where her acting was so good that I almost considered not keeping kosher.
Halle and I discussed what it's like being in university during Covid, random theatre thoughts, and reminisced about the good ol' days!
Mixing things up a bit, I chatted with my fellow Physiotherapist Nav Grewal! We discussed important topics such as mental health, pelvic floor physiotherapy, and women's health.
Christian is a true jack-of-all-trades who is so inspirational and just an amazingly positive and kind human being. This is the my first live that involved impromptu piano playing and beat boxing, and I loved every second of it!
Robert is a creative genius and he’s always working on his craft! I look forward to saying “I remember doing an IG Live with him”.
Thanks for pushing through the epic tech fails. We figured things out in the end!
Ilona (Smyth Casting) and I discuss all things casting. Check out her workshops for more information...she's pretty awesome!
David and I had some intense movie chats, plus a discussion on his views re: living with Aspergers Syndrome and Cutis Marmorata Telangiectatica Congenita
Check out David's Documentary "My Life So Far": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MNG12-V_zyU
This episode started on IG Live and moved to Facebook Live for the 1st time. I'm not sure if I love the Facebook platform, but I appreciate Jinny being adventurous with me!!
We chatted a lot about auditions, our ongoing desire to keep learning new things, our Disney Princess life, and a whole lot of randomness!
Thet Win is the best! For yet another Window Chat first, we had to re-do this morning’s IG Live, and Thet was a total champ about it!
Take-aways for actors: keep working on your craft, try working behind the scenes, and check out Toronto Actors Studio!
That’s right folks...I chatted with myself! This is what happens when your guest doesn’t show up. This is a first for my window chats, but these IG Lives really keep me on my toes. Luckily the audio was getting weird at the end, so I got to end it quicker!
Theatre performer turned Software Engineer Maren Sigson, is a true gem. So lovely chatting with her about finding happiness, coding and software terms (I’m still learning!) and keeping a positive mindset!
Jeni is one of the hardest workers I know! Take-away points from today's chat include: it’s ok to not be perfect, focus on your mental health and keep creating your own opportunities
Tune in tonight at 8pm EST to Singular Sensation Online!
Jennifer is a Toronto based actor, director, producer, and voice actor. She is also the host/co-producer of Singular Sensation Online. A graduate of Sheridan College's Musical Theatre Performance program, Jennifer's diverse career spans almost two decades. She has been featured in the Globe and Mail and the cover of NOW Magazine for her work in Toronto theatre and gained critical acclaim for both her portrayal as Liza Minnelli in her solo show Liza Live! as well as her autobiographical rock cabaret Jagged Little Me, based on the music of Alanis Morissette. Before the pandemic hit she was slated to make her debut as a writer at The Victoria Playhouse Petrolia. As a director, she led the teams behind Hart House Theatre's hit productions of Heathers the Musical and The Rocky Horror Show as well as Mandy Goodhandy's Just Call Me Lady. She was also the Assistant Director with Talk As Free Theatres' production of Into The Woods. As a producer she has worked with many Fringe solo artists including Rebecca Perry and Adam Proulx as well as with Tweed and Co., The Musical Stage Company, The Toronto Fringe, Pride Toronto and Second City Toronto. She was also a producer for the Sunday Cabaret Series at the 120 Diner which was forced to close its doors due to the pandemic. As a voice actor she is the voice of the Family Channel networks.
I know what you're wondering and, yes we did coordinate pink shirts! In honour of "Pink is In" a new comedy series: https://www.pinkisin.net/
Tricia (aka Trish) Rainone co-created and starred as Heather in two seasons of the comedy, ‘My Roommate’s an Escort.’ She is the co-founder of the Sault Film Festival, the co-host of Drunk-Read Thrus podcast and co-owner of 180 Sisterhood productions. She can be seen in the new comedy series, ‘Pink Is In’ as Nikki/Top Dog.
Topics discussed included: competitive napping, her teaching job, and creating our own content If you're able to, please support her Indiegogo campaign: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/demonstration-sport-the-film
Cari is an actor and screenwriter in Toronto. You may recognize her from her popular Home Hardware Shark Shovel Commercial, where, like a true Canadian, she shovelled snow and ice for 12 hours. Other favourite roles include Honey in 'Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf' and Lusia in 'A Shayna Maidel'. In her 'day job', Cari works as a teacher of Deaf and Hard of Hearing children. Her dream role would involve playing a hearing woman with a heart of gold who knows how to use ASL.
Topics discussed included: Cory's favourite characters that he’s created; directing live theatre (live theatre? What’s that?!); and life during the pandemic
Cory Doran is an Award-Winning Voice Actor whose credits include Jimmy Two Shoes, Luna Petunia, Hotel Transylvania, Wild Kratts, Total Drama Island, Numbchucks, Freaktown, The 3 Amigonauts, Top Wings, Cat In the Hat, Doodlebops, Fangbone, Fugget About It and many more. He also is the voice of the TV network CHRGD. Cory’s side job is as a theatre director and occasional on camera actor.
Topics discussed include how his cat Felix’s life has improved since starring in “The Self-Tape Perils”, behind-the-scene stories of some of his epic photos, including his photo with Alan Cumming. We also covered more serious topics such as: does "No Frills" have too many frills?, the difference between highland and Irish dancing (who knew), and Ian’s experience in Jerry Springer the Opera!!
Chris James: Actor, Singer, Dancer, Voice Actor, Fight Coordinator...he’s kind of a big deal!!
Chris is an emerging on camera talent and a powerhouse presence on screen. Not only is he a skilled actor and dancer, but he broke into the TV and film industry using a wide variety of martial arts skills, and has since been a stunt and fight choreographer for various productions. With a variety of performance skills from an extensive theatrical background, he has a host of performance tools in the tool box.
Chris has soaked up every life experience that he could find. A world traveler; he has tried to experience every adventure possible.
Training in several Martial Arts, languages, stage combat, and several performance styles, Chris is striving not only to be a great performer, but a truly diverse human being.
Taz Garcia is a Former Manchester United Jr squad player, corporate executive, school teacher turned 22x International Award Winning Actor-Director that recently wrapped a mobile game with Sylvester Stallone and a supporting role as "Paddock's Mercenary", Pilou Asbek "Paddock" (Euron - Game of Thrones) muscle in Project Xtraction, starring Jackie Chan and John Cena. He is also the Co-Founder of Movie Expo and avid multi-charity supporter.
Broadway World Award Winner Daniel Karp is a triple threat! He is always pushing and creating. Professionally, I’ve had the pleasure of collaborating with Daniel in an ambitious group called “The Actors Playground”; personally I know Daniel from growing up in the T-hill! Topics discussed include: the Toronto Fringe Festival, how cool we were in elementary school, and all things Pokemon…has he indeed caught them all?
Topics to be discussed include: getting our PAL gun license (and living to tell the tale), horseback riding, and how she manages to nail the Monologue Slam Online competitions!
A little about Angela:
Angela Bell was born and raised in Toronto, Ontario, Canada and went to McGill University in Montreal. She studied acting at The Barrow Group in New York City and Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA). Shortly thereafter, she made her acting debut in Fox Live Action's Age of the Living Dead. She is of Canadian and Caymanian (Grand Cayman Islands) descent.
Jen and I will discuss our mid-life crisis career changes, and what it means to be a Certified Sugar Artist…I honestly didn’t know this was a certification, and I’m intrigued! Fun fact: This is literally the 1st time Jen and I are talking/meeting “in-person”, so that should be entertaining to say the least.
A little about Jen:
Jen Gardiner is a Canadian Actress, Cake Artist and Entrepreneur from Kitchener, Ontario, Canada. Jen is best known for her acting role as Modwenna in 'Martyrs - The Chronicles of The Blood’ and her cake business Sweet Treats By Jen. Jen also ran a second company for 5 years teaching marketing online.
She spent her school years participating in the arts (plays, musicals, bands, choirs and drama club) and sports and dreamed of becoming a doctor. Specifically a neo-natal surgeon. She did a 180 at the age of 20 after a cake decorating hobby started to take off as a business and she opened her first business at the age of 20. She became a Certified Sugar Artist and Pastry Chef.
From that business she learned so much about marketing that she opened a second online business teaching marketing at the age of 26. Jen was no stranger to TV as she had a monthly teaching segment on Rogers Daytime TV for her cake business for over a year and was even offered her own TV show for her cake project the "Smile Project".
Remembering her love for the arts she started enrolling in acting classes in August 2018 and landed her first lead role in January 2019.
Delightful chat with John Beauchemin aka the “Commercial King”. You may know him from every commercial on television. I know him from confusing him with another John whom I auditioned with, and then becoming friends (classic #actorslife moment, am I right?).
Topics discussed included: beard grooming (I’m trying to grow mine out), how to be funny without trying too hard (classic John), and what’s the deal with airplane food (homage to Seinfeld for the younger generation out there)
Gabi Epstein and I discussed all things theatre, our mutual love of Barbra Streisand, and how we miraculously haven’t killed our husbands during quarantine!
Gabi is a DORA Award winner and one of Canada's leading stage and cabaret performers best known for playing Audrey in "Little Shop of Horrors" with the Stratford Festival and Fanny Brice in "Funny Girl" with the Segal Centre/Harold Green Jewish Theatre.
Other credits include “Once” (Mirvish Productions-- DORA AWARD Ensemble/Production), "Billy Elliot" (Stratford), “Fiddler on the Roof” (Stage West/Capitol Theatre), “Hedwig and the Angry Inch”, “Candide”, “Dani Girl” (TIFT), “The Sound of Music”, “Blood Brothers” “Perfect Wedding” (Drayton), “City of Angels” (Theatre by the Bay), “To Life” (HGJT-- DORA AWARD Nomination for Outstanding Performance), and “Edges” (Musical Stage Co.). Gabi’s CD Show Off is available on Spotify and iTunes and her infamous “Gabarets” have been performed all over North America garnering her praise such as “Best Cabaret of the Year” by the Times Square Chronicles in NYC.
She and her husband Jeremy are the co-founders of “The New Local: Dine In, Sing Out!” which partners with local restaurants to provide live virtual dinner & show events.
Follow Gabi on Instagram for all performance updates and to inquire about singing lessons. @gabifayepstein
I personally know Nadia from multiple audition waiting rooms (remember those?!) and she is such a supportive and amazing human being!
Nadia George is an award winning Mi’kmaq-Canadian Actress & Media personality based in Toronto. Nadia’s work focuses on uplifting young voices and addressing stigmas around contemporary Indigenous identity. In addition Nadia advocates for the equity of Indigenous Communities and People.
But when she isn’t out and about doing good for the community, she is stuffing her face with doughnuts and binge watching Harry Potter
Auntie Jillian is Canada’s First Black Caribbean Reality TV Show, as seen on CTV and Fibe TV. Topics discussed included: the highs and lows of being a reality TV star, her experience on Family Feud, and the origin of her saying “it’s a real ting” (is it real…we’ll find out)!
I’m posting this because this was an epic internet connection fail, but I truly appreciate Jillian taking the time for the chat! The interview was continued on Jillian’s IG Live!!
Alexandra is a woman of many talents. I personally know her from acting class (in-person and online); but what solidified this friendship was seeing a video that Alexandra made whilst wearing a cow onesie! She is fearless, and hilarious, and has quite the impressive YouTube Channel persona (Alexandra the Great). Topics discussed included: Alexandra’s intense wig collection, our resume-worthy foreign language skills, and how she came up with the name “Alexandra the Great” (is she really that great…tune in and find out!)
Stefano Pucciano is a self-described film guy, social media guy and a creative mastermind! I personally know him as the man who gave me my first paid commercial (he even paid for my parking, cuz he’s classy like that). We discussed topics such as: how to keep pushing, his thoughts on working with newbie actors, and what it means to be a self-described creative mastermind!
Sean Cisterna and I lamented over having our names spelled incorrectly, debated the merits of gymnastics vs figure skating, and discussed the origin of Sean’s stylish hat!
Sean Cisterna is a multi award-winning director whose most recent film is From the Vine (2020), an international coproduction starring Emmy winner Joe Pantoliano, and distributed by Samuel Goldwyn Films. Cisterna directed the acclaimed cancer drama Kiss and Cry (2017), which topped the Canadian box office, and is currently streaming on Netflix worldwide. His 2015 feature Full Out, starring Jennifer Beals, is based on the true story of gymnast Ariana Berlin. The film was broadcast on NBC, now residing with Netflix Worldwide and Disney Europe. Cisterna was awarded a Canada 150 Citizenship Award by the Federal Government for his dedication to and community engagement in the arts.