Podcasts about Shopkins

David Zwier is the founder of Bonny, an eCommerce brand making comfortable, luxurious, yet affordable doonas. Before he founded Bonny, David was the global brand manager at Moose Toys, which was a 5-year masterclass in branding. In his time there, David got to work on massive projects involving licensing deals with Disney and Marvel and making Shopkins a $1b brand in its own right. He got incredible opportunities like flying to LA to shoot TV commercials, pitching to Walmart executives, attending toy fares in Hong Kong, and so much more. He then went out on his own, founding Bonny. After searching for a product idea, he found a niche but broad gap in the market. Niche as in no one was doing it, and broad as in it's a product for everyone. He realised that there are so many doona types and brands out there, but no one is known as the #1 donna brand. Bonny makes doonas for summer, winter, and the months in-between. Part 1 of this interview (in previous episode) will be a branding masterclass, with a focus on the lessons and insights David accumulated while working at Moose Toys. Part 2 (this episode) will focus on the eCommerce side of things, and how to build a successful online business from nothing.David is a very logical thinker, and this 2-part interview is absolutely packed with insight, advice, and wisdom. Let's get into it. –Follow The Founder Tapes on Instagram, TikTok and LinkedInSubscribe to The Founder Tapes on YouTube! Full video episodes are coming soon. –Find Bonny on Instagram: @chillwithbonny and TikTok: @chillwithbonnyFind Bonny's doonas: https://bonny.com.au/ –Music License Number - QK7rZS Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

David Zwier is the founder of Bonny, an eCommerce brand making comfortable, luxurious, yet affordable doonas. Before he founded Bonny, David was the global brand manager at Moose Toys, which was a 5-year masterclass in branding. In his time there, David got to work on massive projects involving licensing deals with Disney and Marvel and making Shopkins a $1b brand in its own right. He got incredible opportunities like flying to LA to shoot TV commercials, pitching to Walmart executives, attending toy fares in Hong Kong, and so much more. He then went out on his own, founding Bonny. After searching for a product idea, he found a niche but broad gap in the market. Niche as in no one was doing it, and broad as in it's a product for everyone. He realised that there are so many doona types and brands out there, but no one is known as the #1 donna brand. Bonny makes doonas for summer, winter, and the months in-between. Part 1 of this interview (which is this episode) will be a branding masterclass, with a focus on the lessons and insights David accumulated while working at Moose Toys. Part 2 will focus on the eCommerce side of things, and how to build a successful business from nothing. David is a very logical thinker, and this 2-part interview is absolutely packed with insight, advice, and wisdom. Let's get into it. –Follow The Founder Tapes on Instagram, TikTok and LinkedInSubscribe to The Founder Tapes on YouTube! Full video episodes are coming soon. –Find Bonny on Instagram: @chillwithbonny and TikTok: @chillwithbonnyFind Bonny's doonas: https://bonny.com.au/ –Music License Number - QK7rZS Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Cheeky asks the Shopkins to help her plan a vacation but they all have different ideas about where she should go. Will Cheeky go skiing in the mountains, see the latest fashions in Paris, or relax on the beach?

With over 180 episodes of ScamWow (HELL YEAH) we can't thank you enough!!!!!! Thank you to all our listeners and fans and guests who have supported ScamWow from the beginning! We are not going anywhere, don't worry. We explain it all in the episode and how you can have special and additional access to even more!  We covered so much today, so let's start with our listener Dabney's Book!  And sadly Caitlin does not understand that Shopkins are not Neopets. For a great resource everyone should check out the podcast What The Hack with Adam Levin with great tips and tricks to protect yourself from scams.  Caitlin receives a visit from The Fly that sucks, the invasive insect all New Yorkers hate. We have important questions being asked about our Summer Of Scam Movies: Never Been Kissed or Never Been Convicted? With Sarah Grace Welbourn.  And some extra NFT help as you attempt to venture into the world of NFTs from another brilliant friend of the pod.    Plus hear exclusive episodes on our Patreon.  RESOURCES:  @caitybrodnick  @scamwowpodcast Scamwowpodcast.com DISCLAIMER: We are comedians and this is satire. C'mon Send us your scams! scamwowpodcast@gmail.com Or call: 347-509-9414 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Intro: Amtrak, you can't afford to live anywhere, where am I trying to go?, being of service, Legacy, Fresh and FancyLet Me Run This By You: We get feedback from Dave, talk about Jeff Garlin, NO ONE IS HIDING ANYTHINGCOMPLETE TRANSCRIPT (unedited):1 (10s):And I'm Gina Pulice. We went to theater school2 (12s):Together. We survived it.1 (14s):You didn't quite understand it. 20 years later, we're digging deep talking to our guests about their experiences and trying to make sense of it all2 (21s):Survived theater school. And you will too. Are we famous yet?1 (31s):Hello survivors. It is Gina. Just wanted to let you know that today, boss and I are guest lists. We are without a guest and we instead had a conversation, just the two of us, chickens about a ton of things, including the fact that nothing is a secret. Even the things that we think are and talking about legacy. This is a topic that boss has been really interested in recently. And I guess I'm starting to get interested in it too. At some point in one's life, one starts to think, Hmm, did it matter that I was here? What did I do? What, what proof or evidence of is there? What I did, or maybe you don't think that way, maybe your legacy is just that you lived a contented and happy life and, and it doesn't matter if it is written in the stars in any way, either way.1 (1m 22s):It's fine with me. Just interesting to learn about what people's philosophies or the thoughts are about legacy. And as we come to this end of the year and we're reflecting on, wow, we're reflecting on, I guess these last two crazy years, hopefully everybody is entering this time of reflection with a lot more clarity. Maybe I think the pandemic has been clarifying among many other things. And so hopefully you're feeling, I don't know, clear, and hopefully you are enjoying this podcast.1 (2m 4s):And if you are enjoying it, you are hopefully subscribed. And if you're subscribed, hopefully you have left us a review. Honestly, I don't even care what the review says. I think just having reviews is the thing that helps us with the king algorithm. And that's important only because we want to be able to keep doing this podcast. We enjoy doing it. We, we get a lot out of it. And we've heard from people that people are getting a lot out of it in return. So it's a mutually great thing that we'll be able to continue. If you are able to put your love for our podcast, not just in your heart, but in the world, tell the public, shout it from the rooftops.1 (2m 47s):I'm not going to stop you from shouting it from the rooftops. I'll tell you that much right now. Anyway, that's all for that. Please enjoy.3 (3m 10s):I'm going to take it to all those places. Cause those are like some of my favorite places in Southern California. And I didn't know that. So I'm learning a lot. And so I took it to San Francisco to Oakland and my cousin picked me up. But what is fantastic and sad about Amtrak for people that don't know? Like nobody knows shit about Amtrak, but Amtrak is a government funded. So rail is government funded. It was supposed to be like the thing of the future. It was supposed to be just rail. We weren't like flying and, and, and, and train travel was supposed to be comparable like it was going to be, but it just like, it has a lot to do. Someone was telling me like w who I met on the Amtrak.3 (3m 51s):Cause you eat in community eating. So these two amazing women that I met told me that like something with world war two and trains, the trains all had to be used for, for like ammunition, like the war Fs. And so then it became less of a, a passenger situation. And then when flying really anyway. So, but it's gorgeous. So w and what you can do is, so I bought a coach ticket, which is literally like, you know, I don't know, 50 bucks, a hundred bucks round trip from, but then you can bid to upgrade your seat because Amtrak has no money.3 (4m 32s):So what you can do is say, okay, well, like I'm willing to pay. They give you a range I'm willing to pay. And I did the lowest $20 more to go to business class, which is like super much nicer. Right. So I bid, and then they said, of course they accepted my bid because it's not a full train. Nobody trained travels by train. And so business classes dope. And it is like, you get two seats. It, they reclined almost all the way. There's, it's just, it's quiet. Like coaches, coaches, loud as hell, where people are eating, like, you know, Funyuns and like Takis chips the whole time. And like, you know, a lot of people like down on their luck and stuff like that.3 (5m 15s):Okay. So, you know, I did business class on the way there and lovely. I mean, there's wifi. I mean, it's like dope. And the bathrooms were relative are clean. I don't in business class anyway. All right. So it literally goes up the coast. And so you, you, you're on the ocean. It's the weirdest thing you're like, this is I'm, I'm traveling right next to the ocean. It's a long time. The whole time. Almost long as hell though. Okay. So like, you know, the flight is 45 minutes from Burbank to, to, to San Francisco. And the train ride is 10 hours. Like, that's just how it is. Like, that's, if you are in a hurry, you do not take the Amtrak.3 (5m 57s):You know what I mean? So there is like, I do have some shame, like, people think I'm ridiculous a little bit. They're like, I'm like, where am I going? I, it's not like I have pressing meetings. I am not. Yeah.1 (6m 9s):And for, for the life, so many of us are living right now, which is working from home or working remotely or making your own schedule. Why shouldn't you it's much better for the environment to take the train. Yeah.3 (6m 23s):It is it, you take the airplane. Yes. So, so it was amazing. And then I had a wonderful, wonderful time in San Francisco. Like I never really liked San Francisco. I don't know what my problem was. Like, I never really got into San Francisco even though like people cause1 (6m 41s):Your mom left you a spree for, oh3 (6m 43s):My God. Yeah. If you listen to this podcast, you know that like, you know, my mom was having an affair and, and, and we went to San Francisco and she literally left my sister and I at the esprit outlet, which thank God, had a restaurant in the outlet for like what felt like forever. But it, it was a work day. It was a full work day at a spree. It was like eight hours. So I just really, in the last couple years have really grown to love the shit out of the bay area. Like I know the tech bros have taken over. I know that you can't afford to live there. Okay. All those things are true. I still, because maybe I'm not from there.3 (7m 23s):I know I'm not so butt hurt about that. Like I, you know, and my aunt and uncle this beautiful, beautiful condo in north beach and my cousin lives in the inner inner Richmond, I don't know. Anyway. So she's on Clement street and it's gorgeous. And I walked everywhere and we went hiking in Moran and we drove to Marin. So I would live there. I would live. I mean, I, you know, who can afford to live there, but here's the thing that I think a lot of us too are, are, are really looking at. Most of us in my circle are like, we, we really literally can't afford to live anywhere. Like the, the world is becoming unaffordable on a, so many ways. And so many levels that the thing of like, oh, it's so expensive in blank.3 (8m 6s):City becomes less sort of exciting or like less sensational because it's like, look around what, what are you talking about? You can't live anywhere. It's all, it's all terrible. So, so all this to say, like, it was, it was a great trip. And then on the way back, I got smart and I was like, okay, well, let me see if I can upgrade to a room. You can bid on rooms on the train, right. Cause it's 10 hours or whatever. And I was like, okay, let me, and they took my bid of, you know, $40 or something to upgrade to a room. And that has all the amazing meals included. So two meals, which lunches, if you just paid for it is 25.3 (8m 49s):Dinner is 45. So I got lunch and dinner free. And I just tipped to the, and it was delicious salmon. I mean like this, and I got my own room and I wrote, and I, I like lived, lived my best life on the train1 (9m 5s):Girl. I need to do this, but I don't live in California. I mean, maybe I'll just pick a, maybe I'll pick it east coast version of that.3 (9m 16s):It doesn't matter. Like you could, you can also take it like they have specials. Like there's apparently a really beautiful ride between DC and New York. So1 (9m 29s):Yeah, no. So I also love or have loved the idea of train travel. And I always really wanted to take, there's a, there's a train that goes somehow through the Rockies. That's the one I really want to go on. But the first time I treated myself to a train trip. Oh, that's right. The worst possible3 (9m 53s):You were pregnant. Right.1 (9m 55s):I was the worst possible route to, we went from Chicago to Texas. So there's nothing to look at. The train was disgusting. It was so dirty and I was pregnant. So my, you know, my sense of smell, which is already very heightened was even, was just off the chain. And as a result of being on that train, I developed3 (10m 24s):Vertigo. I'm like, God, I mean,1 (10m 26s):It was coincidental. I never, we never did figure out what the deal was. But I developed a kind of vertigo when I was pregnant, where I had to crawl on the floor because I couldn't, you know, cause I couldn't walk and thankfully knock on wood that has not returned to me. And it also didn't return to my next two pregnancies, but yet it soured me and us on trains. But I think it's just the route we picked. We need to pick3 (10m 57s):It's the route and yeah, definitely don't have, don't be pregnant, but that's not going to happen for you again. So you don't have to worry about that. But like I'm all done with that. And so I had a great trip and I actually had like these huge realizations while I was there about, about working about money, about the entertainment industry, it was really, it was I, and I went with the intention of really looking at what is it that I'm going for in life? I mean, that's such a huge question, but like what, where am I trying to go? And, and the idea of service, right? So I always thought being of service was about other people, but really what it is for me is being of service in the way that I want to be of service is actually for me, like I didn't realize that I feel is good for my mental, physical, and emotional health when I'm being of service in a way that feels not to pleading, but all, but like really energizing and also like a, like thinking about legacy, I've also been thinking about legacy, like what is my, what is going to be my legacy?3 (12m 12s):And it tied into like, I was really, you know, I spend because the holidays are coming up way too much. It will not wait too much, but a lot of money on my nieces and nephew for Christmas gifts, right? Like thousands of dollars, right. Dish, I love giving gifts. It's my jam. But then I realized that like, and you probably, you know, I'd be so interested to hear what you have to say, but having children, but like a lot of this stuff, I got them, they outgrow, they don't care about very soon is cheaply made and is garbagey. And it has a very, very little lasting effect on their lives. And that's just the truth and I'm not judging it.3 (12m 52s):I'm just saying that seemed, that was the data I was picking up. And I'm like, that's literally like just throwing money away after a while year after year. So there's a, let me get smart about this. So we started a trust for each kid where we put that and I said to that shutter dude, I wish someone had done that for my ass. So I said to them, you can choose, we can keep going the way we're doing with gifts for Christmas and blah, blah, blah. Or you can, we can put donate every year and you could literally get very, very, very few gifts. But your huge gift is that each year we put a certain amount of money. And then basically by the time you're 30, you'll be millionaires.3 (13m 36s):I mean, just because of the way money grows, not even because we're putting that much in. And they were like, what? And so miles really educated me and them on the power of, of the investing money in a way that is with the interest and all that shit. And so that's what we're doing. And I, I got to say like, it tied into this idea of legacy and like, I would watch rather have those kiddos like be able to use it. And it's not like one of these things where they have to use it for college because fuck it, man, not everyone goes to goddamn college right away or ever, but they can't touch it until they're a certain age or they can choose to keep it in there and roll it over to another kind of account or whatever.3 (14m 17s):So, but I'm thinking about this shit differently in terms of legacy based on like, what do I want to leave this earth? Like, do I want to, you know, have, have my legacy be that I gave my, my niece to like a fake Dior ring that turned her finger green or right, right. It's fine. But it's so that's how we started it this Christmas. Cause I was like enough, enough, enough. Yeah. Yeah. Well, what you've just given us here in this conversation is like the center of a1 (14m 51s):Bicycle wheel by the goal wheel. And we have a, there's a bunch of spokes there. There's like talking about what's your purpose in life and where are you going? And there's talking about your legacy and then there's talking about consumption. And then there's talking about instant gratification that we give to kids in the form of gifts. And there's talking about that a lot, the pressures that we put on ourselves on Christmas, I mean just suffice it to say, I have been on the sometimes what feels like the circular journey of, you know, from, I mean, you know, when, when I first had kids, when we first had kids, it was really exciting to give the gifts.1 (15m 33s):It was exciting to create a Christmas that I remember from my childhood, the excitement of coming downstairs3 (15m 40s):And magic magic1 (15m 43s):1000%. And, and that sustained me for the period of time that the kids are literally happy to get whatever the minute it turned. And it turned when the oldest one was not that old. Yeah. I'm going to say like seven. Yeah. Yeah. And he, they had a bunch of presents and they opened everything up. And then he said, is that it? Yeah. And I went, oh damn, we're doing this wrong. We're doing it completely wrong. And so we've had a few Christmases and this is one of them where we're not doing gifts, which is to say, there will be stockings, you know, and maybe one little thing, but we're not doing the multiple presents under the trees.1 (16m 31s):We didn't do multiple Eddy presents for Hanukkah because of exactly what you said, toys is five to 15 minutes of joy for a lifetime, literally a lifetime of trash that I then, then it becomes my job to get rid of organized, find a space for a blood body block. And now the kids are pretty much almost all of them at an age where they don't want any of those things anymore. They want money, they want electronics. They want, so we have the way that we save money for them is not in the, for like Christmas, but that's actually a really good idea.1 (17m 12s):And something going to bring up with my husband and says,3 (17m 15s):Yeah, I mean, for those of us, I think it's a great idea. And also it's so much easier, not easy. Well, I don't know for miles and I don't have kids, so it's not in our face all the time. And we moved away from them. It's a different story when you're in under the same roof with being with children, with beings, small beings that, you know, are you so I, I am very aware that we have like the we're the aunt and uncle to different, it's a different deal. But like we just thought, wait a minute.1 (17m 44s):Yeah. And the thing that you're really after when you give a gift or at least I think is the joy that it brings to the person and, and that's great, but like you're saying most of the time, it's a, it's a very fleeting. And also like you don't want to teach kids that this is the way to direct your joy, right? Like from getting things, right. I'm not saying that that's, that's what you're definitely doing. If you give Christmas present, I'm not saying that. But you know, we just live in this very like consumer oriented culture,3 (18m 17s):The kid's fault. It's nobody's fault. It's a system, it's a systemic situation, but it hit me last. When I really, when I really was like, okay, I want to do this differently. It was last Christmas. My youngest niece wanted and got it is not knocking anyone involved, but it was very clear to me that we, it was really stark about what was going on. She wanted a claw machine, a mini Kalama machine from an arcade that literally just had candy in it, candy bars. And you made this loudest noise you've ever heard, took 10 batteries, 10 big ass batteries.3 (19m 7s):And literally there's candy in it. That's killing us all the sugar and look, you know, whatever. That was the least of my worries. But I was like, this is wait, what?1 (19m 16s):That's interesting. That has me3 (19m 20s):Wait. And it was a, probably a really expensive machine. It's not cheap, but that's what she wanted. My sister got it. And look, I'm not knocking anyone involved, but for me, I was like, it was so, so striking about what was going on. Cause it was so loud and obnoxious.1 (19m 39s):Let me ask you this. What do you remember getting for Christmas? Okay.3 (19m 42s):My favorite thing I ever got, this is so crazy in my life when I was a kid kid was okay. Two things I can tell the first gift that I like went Gaga, Google over was something, it was a makeup kit called fresh and fancy. And it had, it had perfumes. It had, and it was probably, you know, 9 99, 99 at Kmart. But like my sister and I each got one and it, what, what it was, was super fun, super adult, super smelled. So good. And I, there is a picture of me opening it up and in, in my I'm saying fresh and fancy.3 (20m 27s):And then I take the picture.1 (20m 30s):Do you have that picture accessible?3 (20m 33s):Yeah, I think so. I can send it, send it, send1 (20m 36s):It. Yeah.3 (20m 38s):I will send that and to fresh and fancy. Okay. That was number one. And then the second gift I remember as an adult getting that was really moving to was my mother who traveled all the time and who I really sort of labeled as a selfish, kind of a human at times gave my sister and I each a ticket, a plane ticket to go anywhere in the world because she had so many miles. But like the fact that she, she thought about us and the fact that her travel, which as a child brought so much grief to me because she was gone all the time that she was then turning it around and giving my sister and I each a plane ticket to anywhere was really moving to me and also was really abundant and felt like that's awesome.3 (21m 25s):You know, is that when you went to Columbia, that's when I went to Prague by myself for a week and a half, which was insane or two weeks, it was crazy, but1 (21m 34s):Oh yeah,3 (21m 37s):It was in, when I lived in LA, it was a long time ago. So, and I, I, I, it just, so I wish I had gone with somebody else. It was the most lonely, it was beautiful and Prague is crazy and, and fun, but I went alone, but that's like really just indicative of where I was at in my LA life. So it doesn't, that's not shocking to me. What about you? Like, what do you remember being like, oh my God,1 (22m 0s):I got to speak and spell. I, I really, I really coveted speak and spell. And for those of you who don't know a speak and spell is just, would be an app now. And it wouldn't be nearly as fun. This was a self-contained. It was like a really thick version, like a three inch thick version, maybe note or two of an iPad. And it was orange and it had a handle built into the top and it would say a word in a computerized voice, like structure, and then you'd have to spell it. And if you got it right, this is the, so this tells you a lot about my psychology, the high, I got that little sound telling me I spelled something, right.1 (22m 43s):I just felt like I could, I was vanquishing Rome. It was, I felt so powerful that I got a bike one year. That was amazing. And I kind of lip gloss that smelled like root beer.3 (22m 57s):Oh, I know that those1 (22m 59s):Are the things that just like off the top of my head. I remember just falling in love with, and, and being, you know, unequivocally joyful, happy with moments. And that's the thing that you're always after, like for yourself or the people that you love, you want to impart this joy. That's what I was going to get you. Like, you want to impart this joy and then there's this tacit thing about like, you better feel joy from this. At least that's what I find myself, you know, evaluate whether or not this person is feeling joy from it, because that's what I want. I want to give them joy of this present. And then I feel sad if it doesn't work out.3 (23m 38s):Yeah. And, and, and, and, and it, it usually doesn't work out like that only because people aren't mind readers people don't, everyone's different. And Joy's so, so personal. And so, so specific to that person. And it's like, it's just such a setup, but it's also, we keep trying and I'm going to still, I still love giving presents, but I now am like, oh, okay. Can't be for me, like the mass quantity of just, yeah. Crap. Like, it really hit me too. Like I bought one year, my niece was really into Shopkins.3 (24m 19s):Remember, oh yeah. I bought like $200 worth of Shopkins for her.1 (24m 23s): lasted for that year. And then she makes, never picked up shots.3 (24m 29s):Not even the whole year, maybe a month.1 (24m 32s):That's the thing, man. They get, and they get, and I, I, I was going to say, this is especially true for girls, but I'm, I'm going to re revise that because the boys did it too. When they love that thing, it's all they care about. It's their whole world. You know, my daughter said to me all, I, the only thing I want you to get me is just tons and tons of puppets. What's a3 (24m 58s):Pocket.1 (24m 59s):A pocket is a PLA silicone flat toy that has these half hemisphere, a half a hemisphere that you put, like you, it's a satisfying sensation to push it in. And then you flip it over and push it the other way. Shit.3 (25m 24s):What's in that what's in the pocket, like a little creatures,1 (25m 28s):Zero, nothing. It's in the shape of whatever you want it to be in the shape of it's a fidget choice. Essentially. I3 (25m 36s):Understand. It's like an ASMR founding,1 (25m 39s):Totally tile. It doesn't make a sound. It's all about it being tactile. Yeah. And, and, you know, go to the stores and they're everywhere. Puppets. You'll see if you start looking for now, you'll see that they're everywhere. And so that's what she wants. And a half of me completely wants to indulge that wish. And the other half of me says, I'll be throwing these all away in six months. And then I'll feel like an asshole because I spent a bunch of money on something that I knew was a fool's errand.3 (26m 10s):Yeah, I'm right. It's like so hard because they believe they really want it.1 (26m 18s):They really, it's3 (26m 18s):Not, it's not a joke. It's not a, it's not a joke. Like that's their jam.1 (26m 24s):Yeah. So this year we're going skiing for Christmas. That's3 (26m 27s):Our part of New Hampshire.1 (26m 29s):We're going to Vermont. And I think I've told everybody on the podcast I do. That's right.3 (26m 35s):You'd like the ski lodge into, right?1 (26m 38s):Yes ma'am. So I go and I get everybody off in the morning to their little activities and it's as, you know, a huge amount of work, then the gear and the schlepping. So I help everybody get to that. And I get back to my little cozy spot and read and write and just hang out that sound. So I'm really looking forward to it. Yeah. And honestly, that's the thing that people I I'm banking on. Cause this will be the third time we've done a trip instead of presence. And, and these are trips that we still talk about. So I think it is a good investment experiences are a better investment than3 (27m 14s):I absolutely agree. And I feel like that's the trust starting for these kids. It's like, we're gifting them with the experience of maybe like a down payment on a fricking home, a car to get them from here to there a education, like a real thing, like a thing that you need to like live your life versus a fricking fake Cuban Linx chain. I didn't even know what Cuban links were. I didn't know what was happening.1 (27m 42s):I don't know what that3 (27m 42s):Is. What is Cuban links? I oh, those1 (27m 45s):Big, Easy.3 (27m 51s):And it's just ugly. And it's also $6,006,000. What did Jackie about? Oh anyway,1 (27m 59s):I, you, you just did yourself, such a favor. I mean, you did them mostly a favor, but you did yourself such a favor because also the other thing is, you know, I have experienced, I go out shopping and I'm immediately overwhelmed and I'm trying, okay, now this one, I got this,3 (28m 14s):I asked who gets one and did, is it equal? And like,1 (28m 18s):Oh my God, it's just, it's like a, it's a hell3 (28m 33s):I thought we might start out with, I got some feedback on the, okay. So my, on the podcast from, so my, my parents' best friends, Nancy and Dave, they like helped raise me and blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. And they've really become like second parents. And, you know, they, they hadn't heard the podcast. So they were like, send us an episode. And I said, okay. And you know, it's always tricky because they really know me. They really know my parents. They really know my life in some ways in my childhood. So I was like, well, so I sent them an episode. I sent them the does small ocean Hooga knocker episode because Dave is a therapist and he works with people with addictions.3 (29m 13s):And I thought, oh, that might be interesting. And so the feedback is so interesting. The feedback I got was I'll read it on air because it's good. It's a podcast. Podcasts was good. Felt like a reunion. Sounds like David was deep into self-destruction before he recovered a talented guy was hoping to hear more from you. But that's for selfish reasons. I like how you identified the macro themes in your Roundup at the end. And then I wrote, thank you so much. We're we Gina and I are always aware that like, like, you know, we don't want it just to be us and we don't want to just to be guests.3 (29m 54s):So we're trying to find a mix. So his feedback it's so funny. He liked, he likes to give feedback. You know, if you and Gina are willing to talk about what life experiences brought you to embrace the arts and try and make a decent living, I liked the way you have reconstructed your family life so that you don't have to be an emotional casualty. There's a lot to talk about how you both learn to think from, from psychodynamic and systems orientation. I don't even know what that means. I'm not smart enough. The best stories are the stuff of good soap operas, good screenwriting can teach people how to better understand and navigate within their interpersonal worlds.3 (30m 36s):I'd like to hear another one, if you don't mind the feedback. So Loves our inter you know, he's, he's a therapist, obviously. So he loves that. But it was interesting. I mean, I seriously don't know what half of that means, but like,1 (30m 54s):No, he just means no, he just means like the thing, I mean here, here's this big secret that we've never told anybody, this podcast is not really about theaters. Right. And so what you saying is the, the, the psychodynamic for, you know, background that we have influences and informs our conversation so that we, we think about things dynamic and that's it. And that would be interesting to a therapist. Therapist thinks about things dynamically too. And yeah, I mean, honestly, it there's so much it's, so there's always so much to talk about. There's so much to talk about. Like, and I, well, the thing I, this ties into the thing that I kind of wanted to talk to you about, which is that when we first started recording a podcast, it was not, I survived theater school.1 (31m 44s):We were calling undeniable, right.3 (31m 46s):That's right.1 (31m 47s):And we had about eight, you know, hour long conversations that were about this concept of being undeniable. So I kind of wanted to clarify for people who may not know why is our company called undeniable? Why is not the website? Because when you told the great story about it, we didn't never air that till we did. So, no, because it was, it was for,3 (32m 20s):We never found and they tried to send to you and then it got1 (32m 23s):No, no, no, no, no. I'm just saying like, we recorded those and then we changed our mind about what the3 (32m 29s):Right. Yes. Okay. Yes. That makes sense. Oh, should we tell the story? Yeah. So it's so funny because I wonder if he ever heard this, if he would even remember, you know, it's so funny, like who remembers telling people what? All right. So the story is this. So I, well, first to say that, like you and I were talking about like, what, what is the thing of life? Like, what is again, where I'm at now, which is what are we going after, right. Like, what is the quality of life that I'm going after that you're going after that we're going after as a team. Okay. So it reminded me of this story of I did a solo show and it was called why not me love cancer and Jack White and the woman who was, and it was a solo show basically about cancer and about working for Nick cage and all kinds of things.3 (33m 19s):Just like I surprised theater school is not about theater. School is not really about Jack White, my show, you know, it's whatever. So, okay. So I'm doing this show. And my, the director of my show is this woman named Alison lion. And she happens to be good friends with the comedian and storyteller and actor, Jeff Garlin who I, I didn't know from Adam, like I wasn't a curb, your enthusiasm fan. So I didn't know, but I knew he of him. And I knew he's like a famous guy. Right. So she said, you know, how would you feel about Jeff? Garlin coming to see a dress rehearsal and giving notes. And I was like, oh, sure. Literally being like, oh, a famous person wants to come see my show.3 (34m 0s):That's cool. You know, not like, what can I glean from this artist? You know, just cause that's, that's where my mind went. I would've have been the same. I mean, I just am not mature enough for whatever, so, okay. So I do the, it was, it, it was real nerve and it was an empty house, but him, he and Alison were sitting up there at stage 7 73 on Belmont in Chicago. And so I did the show and whatever, and it was an okay show. I mean, I look, I don't know, but afterwards, if such an interesting story afterwards, he was giving notes to Alison, but not me. And I thought, well, that's weird, but he was really there for her.3 (34m 42s):That was her mentor kind of, you know, her comedy mentor. But then I came out of the house into the house and met and met Jeff and he was lovely. And he said, well, do you want notes? Or somehow it came up like, do I want actor notes? And I was like, of course, which is shocking to me because I never want notes. Right. And I always say, I would love feedback. And by feedback, I mean, compliments, like, that's my . I did say of course, because that's what you say when a fancy person wants to give you notes. And he gave me some great notes, which was stopped swearing so much. And he compared me to Robin Williams, which was amazing.3 (35m 22s):He said, because I could tell he called him by his first name. I do believe he was like, when Robin would swear a lot, I would know that he was, he was, was dying on stage, was off. Yeah. And I was like, that's fascinating or pushing, like I push when I'm swearing. Okay. Great note. I've I've kept that note and blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. All right. So then, then I have to tell us, because it's so interesting because I would have done the same thing. So then after he gave notes, which I kind of blacked out some of them, cause it was a lot, but then he, Alison, we're going to go out to eat at clerks on Belmont, but they didn't invite me. Right. And I was like, oh, and then I was in the bathroom and Alison called and she's like, I'm an idiot.3 (36m 5s):I didn't invite you. Do you want to come? And I was like, oh, of course. Yeah. She, and I think what happens is when you're around famous people, you forget, you1 (36m 13s):Lose your census. It's3 (36m 15s):Very weird. It's a weird thing. I think that's what happened for, so we went to Clark's on Belmont and he, we taught he's so what is he? He's he's a generous. No, he's, he's a big personality. So he takes over rooms. Right? So at clerks, he's the center of the show and it is not anything he's doing. It's just, that's how some people are like,1 (36m 42s):He's not trying to lay low. Right. He's3 (36m 45s):Not trying to lay low. And he also loves people I think, and loves human interaction. I mean, from what I know, as we got into this conversation and somehow, and he said, and he said to me, we were talking about acting and we were talking and he said, I'm going to make a movie and you're going to be in it one day. And I said, that's fantastic. I love that. That's great. That sounds great. And then we talked about other stuff and then he said, you know what you are? And I said, what? And he said, you are undeniable. And I was like, what is even happening? And I was like, okay, thanks. Great. He's like, no, no, no. You're undeniable. Like that show is undeniable.3 (37m 26s):And I was like, what does that mean? And he said, well, it just means that like eat exists in its truest form unapologetically. And I'm totally paraphrasing here, of course. But it was like, it exists in its truest form. It's just is you don't have to like it. You don't have to like, you, you don't have to like what you're saying, but there is a quality that cannot be taken away about the show. It's more than unique. It's more than that. It's undeniable. You don't have to like it. You don't have to dislike it, but it, it exists on its own. And it cannot be basically cannot be fucked with in, in, in that way, you know? And I was like, whoa, that is awesome. And that I feel like is what I'm going for in my life.1 (38m 10s):Yeah. And, and when you told the story before you also said that, that he said, you know, be undeniable continue to be undeniable because that, that is ultimately the only thing that lasts in terms of, you know, the industry or whatever. And as long as you're holding true to, you know, your own undeniable truth or whatever, you can, you know, you can't go wrong. It may not mean that you, whatever, get fame and fortune, but, but you'll be doing, you'll be on the right track.3 (38m 40s):You won't be led astray by your undeniable city. Like you, you won't be, it won't be, you won't go in the wrong direction for too long. If you use an deniability as your north star kind of a thing. And it really, and he, he later told Alison, you know, she's, you know, he kept reiterating like she's undeniable, she's undeniable. And he, and Alison had told me, and I, of course, because, you know, I just figure people say that about everybody analysis and no, he does not do that. And also he stands by his word. So you will one day be in a movie with Jeff Garlin and I was like, cool, great. That's fine. But I it's interesting looking back on the story, it's like, I wish everyone is so scared.3 (39m 24s):Like I wish that I would have used those quotes in my press, but Alison didn't want to use them because she felt she was already asking too. We're all, we always feel like we're asking too much. So she felt that she, she was asking too much just having him come to the show and having him give notes was enough and having him. And I remember at the time I had a musician as part of the show, you know, his name is Philip Michael scales. He's amazing. And he was like, we should totally use Garland's quotes to get more people to come to the show and both Alison and I, it's interesting, both Alex and I were like, oh no, no, no, no, like he's done enough.3 (40m 4s):You know, it's just so1 (40m 5s):Like, yeah. Like, and all I'll do to Alison I would've made probably the same choice, but you know, it's like, what are we so afraid of? What skin is it off of his nose? If you say that he said something that he said, you know what I mean? It's not like his reputation is living or dying on your show. It's just,3 (40m 25s):I mean, yeah. I would have done the same thing too. And I1 (40m 30s):That's the mentality that we've talked about so much on here, and it's definitely true for Hollywood entertainment, whatever, but it may also just be true for life that we kind of inherently have this idea that there's a finite pie. Sure. And you know, it's kind of like the people who think that only whatever 7,000 people are going to heaven, you know, what kind of cockamamie thing is that like you believe in heaven, you believe that all of this is God's plan and that people have been alive for millions of years and yet only 7,000 feet. Right. That to me is like a perfect evidence of the way in which we make ourselves and our, and the possibility so much smaller than they need to be.1 (41m 15s):Yes. So you think there's a finite amount of pie and you say, well, I can't take my one, one thousandths of a sliver, you know, that's Jeff Garlin because then there won't be any Jeff Garlin left. Like that's just simply not how it works. It's just simply, you know, anyway, the reason I said generous is because, I mean, you know, whatever, he has a friendship with her, but, but offering the feedback to you and then offering this truth about identifying your and deniability, which I'm guessing was one is one of the things that you carry with you. Okay.3 (41m 53s):Yeah. I mean, I do think, I do think that he's, that that was very generous of him. Like, and, and I do think that he and I do carry it with me and, and it obviously had an effect on me because I tell the story and because, you know, we, that you and I started a whole company around the idea of being undeniable, but like, and yeah, it, it really was like an affirmation, right. To just fucking pick a side already, like, like take a stand, like do something like th th th the gold boldly in one direction, because this sort of, this sort of, wishy-washy trying to please everybody, it, it, it not only does it not, it's not, it's a totally unpleasant, it actually doesn't work for the thing that you think you want.3 (42m 45s):Like, if you want notoriety power, fame, fortune, you have to pick a side at some point. Okay. But if you also want to feel good and be led, like we're saying by your north star, you could, you could use your, and deniability as a north star to eventually mean that sometimes quickly, sometimes slowly to get to a place where you really feel like you're doing right by yourself. If you follow your undeniable, whatever that means to you. So, yeah, he changed my life. Like that changed my life. I mean, the show did the sh you know, looking back on the show, I spent so much money. I would say, like, to be, if I'm completely honest, it was like a $25,000 investment I made over from 2012 to 2015 or whatever.3 (43m 31s):And, and I didn't bring in one dime, you know, I didn't make, make a dime, but it was, I would've done things differently, but I still I'm glad I did it. And, and that's one of the reasons stories. And one of the reasons I'm glad I did it was because I learned that lesson about being undeniable from Jeff Garlin. And yeah,1 (43m 55s):I don't think he went to theater school, but he needs to come on the podcast, you know, tell him that and, and, and hear more about his, his thoughts about, and deniability. So, so that you have shared that story with me, which really even moved me. I mean, it's, it's affected me. And then we linked it to this crooked, let's say path that we made, where we were pursuing this creative, creative career. And then we couldn't pursue it because we needed to make money. And we thought it would be okay to do else. And ultimately wasn't. And so the creative urge or whatever is undeniable in us.1 (44m 39s):And we're basically having to listen to it instead of, you know, pushing it away. And, and we also have a belief that many, many, many people are in that exact same position at this age in life, they were pursuing something. It wasn't financially viable. They had to do something else. And that when, what we're talking to a lot of people about these days is I think a lot of people who come on the podcast are reckoning with that question. Whether it be when we ask them to come on or while we're having the conversation or in the time after.1 (45m 21s):And we hear a variety of things from, from, you know, genuine like bridge equipment is a good example of somebody who went and did something else. And I think she found her thing. Yeah. I feel like therapy. She found the right thing for her. Yeah.3 (45m 37s):And she's now taking classes again, though. Acting classes, remember? Cause she wrote us.1 (45m 43s):Oh, that's right. Okay. Well, all right. So maybe, so maybe so maybe everybody, but what, we also talked to, a lot of people who I feel are trying to convince themselves, us, that they have moved on and you know, what, if that's true for you, I don't want to take that away from anybody, but it's hard for me to believe that's true for as many people as say it is true because if you, right, if you just, if you have, if you're born with this desire to express, and then you don't exp and you don't do it, it doesn't go away. And,3 (46m 19s):And here's the kicker too, is like the secret Willie, we can let everybody in a secret that you and I, because of our childhoods. And then on top of the childhood, the training that we received as actors, and then on top of that, the training we received as clinicians, we are able, here's the secret. We can see things in you that you may not be able to see in yourself or that you think you're hiding. Like that is just the secret.1 (46m 45s):And, and I'll say as a person who is fully does this all the time, nobody's hiding anything. I'm sorry to inform you. Nobody, you whoever's walking around. They're saying nobody knows that I, blah, blah, blah. Right? Yes, they do. I mean, they may not say it to you. They may not even have that thought in the front of their mind to everybody does truly know everything. And you're only kidding yourself, right? To, to hide behind, you know, dishonesty,3 (47m 20s):You're kidding yourself that you were hiding it and you're kidding yourself that other people can't see it. And you're kidding yourself that it's working for to hide it. But it's easier said than done to not hide it. I'm not saying coming out, coming clean about your truth is easy at all. But I just want to say like, cause people always ask like, and I, I run up against this a lot in Hollywood of like, how could you tell that? Like, so-and-so really, didn't like this script. I'm like, dude, body language. Blahbity blah, blah. And they're like, I didn't get that.3 (48m 0s):I'm like, dude, you just have to like, I have training. But also you just have to really, I always say this, but like you have to be sort of a neglected child that then decided that people pleasing was the way to freedom. Then learn that that is actually not true. But then use those skills to actually be like an emotional detective for other people. It's a whole process, but you could do it if you spent enough time, but I can tell like I can, I even at coworking, like I'm going to soundproof booth. So no one could hear me. But like I, I spent five minutes with somebody and I'm like, oh my God, they hate themselves. They hate themselves a passion they're pretending not to, but they hate themselves.3 (48m 42s):And that is unfortunate because I know they have redeeming qualities. I haven't talked to them for more than five minutes. So I don't know what that is. And I don't want to talk to them for more than five minutes because I'm not their therapist or friend, but I get it. I get it. It is a super power that I think people who really have trauma and then have chosen to work through the trauma. It's a super power that we have that we can, and it's also can be a burden, like any superpower to really see what the fuck is going on with people and call it out if need be. But we don't always call it out because it's not our job.3 (49m 23s):And you know, that is something we run into on this podcast too. It's like, there are times on the podcast where I want to be like, you know, this is just full transparency where I want to be like, you're full of shit. You're full of shit. Totally terrible. You, you, you hate blahbity blah, but you don't want to tell us you hate blabbity, blah. And I understand that because I've been in the same boat and I still am in the same boat, but just know that if you come on this podcast that it kind of behooves you to just tell the truth because what? Yeah. We all see it anyway. Right, right. We just do. We all see it anyway. Yeah. In your voice, we don't even have to look at your face.3 (50m 3s):Here's the other thing about human experience? So people think, I think because it's a podcast and it's not, we don't air the video that like, they can also hide shit. Well, your voice and the, and the PA I mean, I'm giving away all the secrets here, but there are no real secrets. Like the pauses in between watching the next person we have come on is gonna be like, okay, anyway. So I feel really bad about everything in my life. And I put the pauses, the pauses in between questions and answers. It's all part of the deal. And so I just encourage people. Like, I want you to come on this podcast and feel like you can, that you you're able to be undeniable and FYI on deniability does not mean everything is great about you.3 (50m 48s):Right? Like it doesn't mean, it just means that you're telling the truth about who you are. Good, bad, ugly, weird.1 (50m 56s):Yeah. You, you could be an undeniable asshole. There's no, it's a, it doesn't have a necessarily positive connotation, but you know, if you are an asshole and you're, well, that's not a good example. If you are, if you hate yourself, let's say that's a good example. If you hate yourself, you know, you're never going to get to a place where you don't hate yourself by pretending that you don't hate yourself. You have to start with the idea that, okay, here's what I'm up against right now. Hearn's out. I really hate myself. And you know, and I'm going to have to get real about that before I can, because how could you begin to interrogate a problem that you haven't named at all? That's like, that's like, you know, getting, I don't know that to the end of a math problem without having like what the3 (51m 43s):She's learning a new language without studying one minute of the language in your life. It doesn't, it's not possible. I mean, you might get one word. Right. But by luck. But1 (51m 55s):Yeah. And my thing, and I think this is your thing too in life is just encouraging people and the reason, and I understand why people want to lie to themselves about it because it's painful or because you don't want to be a person who hates yourself. You don't want to be a person who feels unfulfilled by career traces. I get that. But, but it's like that, that you are unfulfilled or you are that you just haven't done the work of accepting.3 (52m 23s):Right. And I, and I, I definitely feel like for me, the turning point, literally in my life had to, had to do with, when I had a physical problem with my heart, where I was like, oh, this is what is happening. I haven't taken care of my body for whatever reason. Not because I'm a bad person, but because I've always shit going on and all these issues and hereditary, but I haven't done the work to, to look at this. And so now it's coming, it's now it's, it's, it's a problem. And, and, and when you're laying in the hospitals hooked up to machines and you and people are telling you, it's a problem that are trained specifically in this problem.3 (53m 7s):And you finally are faced with, oh, either I'm going to believe this or not, and acknowledge it or not. And I just was like, okay, I acknowledge it. I need to lose weight. I need to move my body and I need to eat less shitty foods and okay. That's it. It's in my face. It's in my face. It's in my face. I'm the1 (53m 25s):Hospital. Yeah. My, my wish for it to be something other than it isn't has, it helped me to have it be something other than it isn't. But my, my courage, if, if you can summon the courage to face it, then it might actually be different. So the other thing that you were talking about before was legacy, and that is, that has been a theme in my life recently too, because, you know, I realized after my sister died, like it's all over for her. I, you know how a lot of times when people die, then people will go on their Facebook account and like, write these messages to them.1 (54m 16s):You know, I miss you, blah, blah, blah. No, nobody did that on my sister's Facebook page. Nobody and no, nobody and her kids, you know, who are too young, really to use Facebook there that's because it's an old person's thing, but they have Facebook accounts and they had each written something about their mom when she died. And periodically, I checked back in to see like, what the comments are at for first of all, I don't know, 95% of the people who were making the comments, cause I haven't been in their lives, but it really ended like a few, you know, a few days after she died, it ended.1 (54m 58s):And I just thought, wow, man, there's just no trace of this first. God, I don't like that. There's yeah. It's it's really unsettling. And so recently we came in to possession of unpublished manuscript that Aaron's grandfather wrote on which sirens grandfather, his dad's dad. Okay. Aaron's grandfather was a, you know, hardcore Chicago in, he was a tool and die maker. He worked in one of these factories where whenever there was factories in Chicago and he retired when he was 70, 70 or 75 and went back and went to college and he was the oldest graduate from Roosevelt university where I teach by the way weird.1 (55m 58s):Yeah. And he was a writer and a poet and he wrote a book. Now, dear listeners, I regret to inform you. It's not a great book. You know, he could have used an editor. I'm sure. And, but it doesn't matter. The point is we receive this cream and a half of paper that's wrapped up in like a grocery bag and bound with string and it hasn't been touched3 (56m 34s):How'd you get it? How'd you get it?1 (56m 37s):His mom had it. And she sent him a bunch of stuff in that, and that was in there. So we opened it up and, and I thought to myself, okay, this is fascinating because one of the things that I think compels people to write is a desire to leave some kind of an imprint. And I'm curious how other people think or don't think or feel, or don't feel about their legacy. I mean, I guess people do it in other ways you get really rich and you name a building after yourself or by the way, they took the Sackler name off the mat. Finally they took the Sackler name off the met. Yes. And oh God.1 (57m 18s):Yes. That's a whole other thing. Watch dope. Sick with John who can aprons really good. Yeah. Anyway, people do use philanthropy. I mean, it kind of seems like, unless you're in the arts or rich, how do you have a legacy? What's your, what is,3 (57m 33s):This is a great freaking question. Like this is the question that I really been thinking about in my brain. And I, I think I have the answer for me, but I'm not exactly sure. So, all right. So I love to teach, but I love to teach a very specific population. It's a population that is underrepresented in colleges. So I I'm trying to narrow down like what I want to do with my life basically. And I think I want, I know I want to be a writer, but I was like, okay. But my realtor says I have to make 80 to a hundred thousand dollars if I want a house in California.3 (58m 17s):Okay. And I'm tired of sitting around, waiting for Hollywood to discover me. Okay. Fine. And us. So what do I do? Okay, fine. So then I've been teaching right at Roosevelt and other places and I love it. I love the 1819 year olds. Okay. Fine. I love teaching acting. I don't know. I feel like I don't really know shit about acting, but I know I do when it's mixed with psychology. Does that make sense? Okay.1 (58m 44s):A hundred percent then the other3 (58m 45s):Day I was like, and then I was like, okay, but I don't want to teach at a fancy conservatory. Like I don't, that's just, I just don't. So I was like, all right. All right. All right. So then someone sent me a listing to teach a community college, making a $90,000 a year. Community colleges paid better than a lot of colleges. And so I'm applying to teach first year actors at a community college in Glendale. And I don't know, and I don't know, and I actually think it's going to make my writing. And I think it's going to make me hustle in a different way. I don't know if I'll get the job, but I gotta say my legacy might be, cause I thought, okay.3 (59m 30s):At first I thought my legacy was going to be, and we could track it with the podcast. Right. Like I thought my legacy was going to be famous actor even though like, I don't know if that's, that is a legacy like Brando and you know, that's a legacy. That's what I thought. I thought, oh, that'll be my legacy. I'll be fancy, famous lady. Okay, fine. That did not happen. Then I thought, okay, my legacy is going to be that I'm a very sort of famous PR prolific addictions counselor, like at a social service agency. Yeah. That's going to be my legacy, but that's what I thought, like, that's my mark. That's where I'm going to leave my mark. That did not happen. Then I thought, okay, I'm going to be again, a famous actor, but maybe a solo artist. Right.3 (1h 0m 10s):And, and then, and then a screenwriter and I'll get really famous as a television writer, which still could happen. But I was like, I'm not sure that is the flavor of legacy that we're talking. I'm talking about here in terms of service, right. Service. What I want is to teach, I could teach 18, 19 year olds tangible skills that they can use then and move on in their lives and then teach their kids. Like, like that seems more in alignment with what I'm talking about in terms of legacy than just fancy screenwriter.3 (1h 0m 50s):That makes a lot of money. So, yeah.1 (1h 0m 53s):Yeah, because actually I was just having this thought yesterday, if I was ever given an award that was related in any way to theater, the first person I would think is my junior high acting teacher and teachers truly do leave some of the biggest, like good and bad. Some of the biggest legacies. I remember every single teacher I've ever had. Yeah. And w I mean, I mostly remember the ones who were really good or really bad, but they, I can think of five people off the top of my head who should be canonized as saints, because really Mrs. McDaniels, you were a prima ballerina who ended up teaching math in junior high.1 (1h 1m 37s):And you know what she did, she knew that I had just a, I was having a really hard time in junior high. And she invited me to eat lunch in her classroom every day, because I think she was at a Mexican, she didn't eat. And so she could go over the math with me cause I was having a hard time getting it. And I was just having a hard time. Sure. In general, this is seventh grade. And she provided all under the guise of teaching me math. Of course she gave me mentorship. She gave me attention. She showed me love.1 (1h 2m 19s):Right. Like what's3 (1h 2m 20s):What more could you ask for legacy I'm looking for? I'm not, I decided like, especially during COVID times, I've really been thinking, I think a lot of us have about like, what is obviously important, but also what is lasting and what is, and I thought, yeah. Okay. So, so I don't have a desire to like go into the classroom and teach, you know, I don't wanna teach psychology. I don't want to teach, but I was like maybe. And the thing that like the community colleges in California in Southern California, like I believe Pasadena city college and Glendale community college are two of the best community colleges in the country. So I'm like, okay.3 (1h 3m 0s):And it's cheap to go there. And it's a bunch of different kinds of learners and it's not just white kids that are like, I'm fucking going to be the next, I don't know whoever it's like kids that actually want to learn. And I, I mean, look, there's going to be some real assholes in there. I know it. But like I thought, oh, okay. Like also I really, really need a house with a yard. And I don't know how, I don't want to do it by, by getting an office job that I'm gonna die at. And I, and I, and then try to write on top of that.3 (1h 3m 45s):So like, I really need more space. And we were looking at houses and this all really was, was sparked by talking to a realtor, a really great realtor who also was like a very therapeutic and his approach. And he was like, listen, do you want a house in California? Yes. Okay. Do you want a two bedroom, two bath? Yes. This is how much money you each need to bring in a year. And this is how much your down payment is going to be act accordingly. He just told me that like, it's not,1 (1h 4m 16s):It's not a mystery. It's not an unknowable path. It's just like, no, no, no.3 (1h 4m 22s):It's very clear. And he was very loving, but he was also like, you, you piecemealing the piecemealing, your salary together is not going to work for this. And I was like, and I, I needed him to say that too, to know that like, it's time for me to bring in a decent amount of money. Now, if it comes, if it, if, if, if somehow it comes from your mind getting a television show or our documentary taking off. Great. But like, in the meantime, I need to feel like I am, I am not just piecemealing my shit together.1 (1h 5m 8s):Right. Because in addition to all the other things we've mentioned, you have a lot other needs that are undeniable and it is much your responsibility to meet those needs your, your need to have, you know, your own space. You need to have address, you know, that's as important to listen to as anything else.3 (1h 5m 27s):I had no idea. Like I just thought it's interesting. I, I thought that I did not have those needs. Like I thought, who cares where you live literally. I mean, I've moved 15 times. So it's like, who cares if you live in a one bedroom with two people and a dog, I care. I care a lot now I really care. And it's really, really important to me to be out. So having an outside space,1 (1h 5m 55s):And what I hear in this for you is a shift from what does it look like to other people to, what does it feel like inside of me? And it was always more important,3 (1h 6m 8s):More important. And it's also super interesting. And I think we run up against this all the time. People think that they're like, oh, you're not going to be an actor anymore. Like you're not going to audition anymore. And I'm like, I don't think so. It's not like it's like I had the other night. I had the experience. So I get off the train right at eight o'clock the day before I got an audition from my agent for self-tape for a show in Chicago, that's a procedural show, you know, and that everyone auditions for in Chicago. And I got a self-tape quick turnaround. I had to get off and I chose to, I got off the train, dropped my stuff, picked up.3 (1h 6m 50s):My friend came to coworking and was up til midnight filming this scene. It's not a good scene. I'm not good. I'm not good in the scene because I don't, I'm, I'm not, I was having trouble memorizing because it's late at night. And then, and then I turned to my friend and I just said, you know, and, and I'm not paid, obviously we're not paid for the audition. If I book it, I have to go to Chicago on my own dime, stay in a hotel on my own, or place my own plane fare. I hate to fly to do this thing. That's going to terrorize me on set for a day to make $900.3 (1h 7m 32s):What the fuck am I doing? So I turned to my friend and I just said, who was nice enough to stay up with me till midnight, taping this in the fucking coworking space. I turned to her and I said, I don't want to do this anymore. And she said, okay. And she said, okay. I mean, she doesn't give a shit. She's a writer. She's not an actor. She doesn't, but she's like, okay. And I was like, yeah, this is no, no, no, it's not. That is not my legacy.1 (1h 8m 0s):Right.3 (1h 8m 1s):So it's very clear. So now I'm going to, I'm just, I'm not, I'm having calling my agents1 (1h 8m 8s):And you can't know until, you know, I mean, like that reality couldn't hit you until it did. I'm like, no, so yeah, yeah, yeah. Well, good for you. I mean, part of life is figuring out what it's not, and as much as it is figuring out what it is. Yeah. So4 (1h 8m 34s):If you liked what you heard today, please give us a positive five star review and subscribe and tell your friends. I survived. Theater school is an undeniable in production. Jen Bosworth, Ramirez and Gina plegia are the co-hosts. This episode was produced, edited, and sound mixed by Gina Culichi for more information about this podcast or other goings on of undeniable, Inc. Please visit our website@undeniablewriters.com. You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Thank you. 

Having enjoyed a whirlwind ascension into the games industry, Philip Mayes is taking all that he has learned and putting it to good use, these days, as the founder of Australia's biggest game developer, Mighty Kingdom. Philip joins Paul to discuss the rapid rise, and how important it is to give back in this new episode of Dev Diary! Follow Paul and submit your ideas for future guests on Twitter Visit the Player2 Website and the Player2 Youtube Channel where you can also follow his written and video exploits including reviews, feature pieces and shows such as Patched, The Insider and Gamer School Find out more at https://dev-diary.pinecast.co This podcast is powered by Pinecast. Try Pinecast for free, forever, no credit card required. If you decide to upgrade, use coupon code r-1862be for 40% off for 4 months, and support Dev Diary.

South Australia's Mighty Kingdom (CONAN CHOP CHOP, AVA'S MANOR, PETER RABBIT RUN!) is rapidly expanding and according to COO Tony Lawrence they want to be Australia's answer to an EA sized studio. Tony has worked previously as General Manager of 2K Australia (BIOSHOCK series, THE BUREAU: XCOM DECLASSIFIED, BORDERLANDS: THE PRE-SEQUEL!) and with industry representative groups GDAA and IGEA. Speaking broadly of the economic incentives for new studios, what it was like to see foreign companies shut down the studios he helmed and what the future might hold this conversation is a great insight from one of Australia's veteran game developers.  SIFTER is produced by Nicholas Kennedy, Scott Quigg, Sarah Ireland, Fiona Bartholomaeus, Daniel Ang & Adam Christou. Mitch Loh is our Senior Producer, Gianni Di Giovanni is our Executive Producer. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

So, we now have the equipment and software and are ready to take it to the next level!! Quickly we found that making DIY gummy videos was taking us too much time. We ended up more stressed than ever before. Fabu would start off very motivated to help but soon would lose interest and leave us making the gummy while she went off to watch TV or play. The good news was that we were still getting good results but needed to make some changes. By this point, we knew that the recipe for therapeutic success was creating the YouTube videos, not so much the actual content of the video. So, we started to look for what content would be next. We asked Fabu for other things that interested her and what she would like to do for her following videos. At that time, Fabu watched several channels that did toy unboxing videos and excitedly told us that she wanted to do it herself. We watched several of these videos and decided to take a trip to ToysRus. Yes, ToysRUs was still open at that time. We discovered many adorable new collectible toys like the Shopkins, Unicornios, Twozies, Squinkies dew drops, and so many others. What we found the most interesting was that each of the little toys had a specific name. We believed that her ability to pronounce each of the little toys' names would be an excellent therapeutic tool for her to practice and find fun and engaging. To keep Fabu engaged, we decided to switch up filming from home and go out to a new location. We knew that recording at home sometimes ended with us being frustrated due to the long hours. We wanted to improve the mood by making it fun and going to different places like the park and Chuck e cheese. This was when we started making toy unboxing videos.

My first ep!  In which I interview voice artist, actor, director and voiceover coach Kate Murphy.  We find out how Kate became a voice actor, how she managed to be the voice of ten different characters in the animated series Shopkins and play some seriously ridiculous script games.  If you're interested on finding out about the voices behind TV and radio ads, audiobooks or cartoons, then you're in the right place! woohooooo!

On this episode we are joined by our very first ever podcast guests, our friends Mike and Shelby!

Wait no longer, the VTS Holiday Special SquadCast has dropped! Tendo-Kid and Kid Cobra (aka The Squadsters) return to the panel once again to shed some light(saber) on what the kiddos are jonesing for this holiday season. After catching up with the junior squad members, we hear about new LEGO sets, Kingdom Hearts, Shopkins and L.O.L.s. We find out why the food has faces, and learn that there is a growing community of adult male L.O.L. Surprise! collectors, upon which we bestow the moniker "BROLs" (you're welcome). Then we scoot the kids off the panel and get down to the serious discussion: The Mandalorian! Fawn with us over "Baby Yoda" - you know you're doing it anyway. After pondering whether Salacious Crumb is a space lizard or moon monkey, we put to rest the question burning on everyone's mind: exactly what species IS baby Yoda? We don't actually ANSWER the question, we just put its sweet little fuzzy green head and big dark, doey eyes to rest. All this (and, did we mention, Baby Yoda???) on the second annual Vegas Toy SquadCast Holiday Special!

Carl has a Recipe for tarts. Andy and Selah have a Shopkins food fight, that would be funny if you could see it but you can only hear it. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/did-i-do-that---a-family-/support

It's electric-olytes! This week, we're joined by special guest Carissa Simmons. This episode ended being a confront on Capitalism... whoops! This week, Jane teaches Sarah what electrolytes are and why we (don't) need Gatorade! Carissa introduces us to Shopkins, a new toy sweeping the children's aisles. Sarah explains the pros and cons of the GMO industry, and answers the ultimate question: are they bad for you? Like what you're hearing? Consider donating to us at https://www.patreon.com/ykwibwpodcast!

Shopkins, Mighty Beans, Beados, AquaSand, Treasure X, Trash Pack, Lil’ Live Pets - you won’t want to miss this one! Today I talk to Glenn Abell, President & General Manager of Moose Toys. He brings tremendous experience into the role having spent over 16 years with LEGO group.   We discuss the changes and growth he saw in his years at LEGO. Glenn is very focused on employee engagement and development and he gives us some insight on how he manages his teams. We talk about his decision to be a part of Moose and his personal “why” in his new role. He tells us his perspective on the Shopkins phenomenon and how he plans to keep momentum rolling! Finally I ask him what he thinks are the greatest challenges facing the toy industry today. Join us for this great conversation!   www.moosetoys.com   We also discuss and I am happy to promote this amazing charity Glenn is involved in. Check it out here: www.k9youthalliance.org   Thank you for the recent 5-star reviews!

At the core of our human nature, It’s difficult to do something you don’t want to do, isn’t it.  For example, I see it in my daughter Madeline all the time…when she’s excited about something, it’s super easy to get her to do it.    So if I ask her pick out a new Shopkins toy at the store?  She’s like Heck Yes.    Or if I tell her to invite her best friends over for a play date?  She’ll say absolutely mom.    But if I ask her to do her homework and put away her laundry.  It’s not gonna happen.    When you’re passionate about something….it’s fun. It flows. It comes with ease. And the same idea applies to your business.    When you choose to do something you actually care about, that you’re actually interested in, that you’re ACTUALLY super passionate about — the work doesn’t feel so much like... work.  The dream is to have a job that doesn’t feel like a job. Am I right?! And I don’t know about you, but it’s also my dream to have my business make money for me long after I do the actual “work”. In other words, make residual (passive) income.

Poet Daniel Cockrill invites comedian and poet Rob Auton round his house for a chat. During this chat they colour in the visceral space between fact and fiction to reveal certain truths that can’t necessarily be explained by these other fields. They also attempt to answer the Poet Waffle Big Question: Is it a privilege to grow old? Topics covered include: Poem Hunter, criticism, The Lovely Eggs, Neil Young, Arctic Monkeys, Jean Cocteau, Wayne Coyne and the Flaming Lips, happiness, Niall O’Sullivan and Poetry Unplugged, writing, process, Martin Galton, Bang Said the Gun, LEGO, Shopkins, ice and art.

Oh! Hello again listeners! This week on the show, we talk about Kim Kardashian's lady parts and ask the obvious question:Is she a Robot/Human love child? Also we talk about the blind bag, gotcha toy craze that all the kids are into these days and Justin shares his Shopkin's movie with the world. Then we take a quiz regarding an Ariana Grande song that neither of us have heard! It's a good time and we hope you enjoy it! List 1: 6 Kardashian V Tips You Should Never Follow List 2: Surprise packs and blind bags: The latest collectible toy trend Quiz! We Know Which Lyric From Ariana Grande's "7 Rings" Describes Your Life Based On These 7 Questions

Discussion points this week: further uses for Shopkins toys, the actor known as "That Guy", and Baby's First Shawshank Redemption. Enjoy! Theme song is "Brave" from the album Solid State by Jonathan Coulton. www.jonathancoulton.com

For the 22nd episode of the Light Advice podcast, Light wanted to talk about her current favorite thing in the world (besides Shopkins) - and that's eating breakfast. If you're having trouble with making your kids eat breakfast, let light enlighten (see what I did there) you on what you need to do. Ready for more nonsense and laughter? Listen to episode 22 right now. 1. Questions for Light? Send it over at www.lightong.com/contact/ or DM her at www.instagram.com/itslightong/ 2. Be sure to leave a 5 star review as it helps Light learn and improve! 3. Want to support Light's future projects? Here's her Patreon www.patreon.com/itslightong 4. This episode was sponsored by Akeeva - Grab their awesome pocket strollers from Lazada (My Review www.lightong.com/akeeva-alvis-pocket-stroller-review-and-unboxing) 5. Mom's side hustle - www.curves.ph 6. Mom's new hustle with Essential Oils - ceeingisliving.com/young-living-essential-oils Gear Used For Recording: ATR 2100 - amzn.to/2EeGg97 Zoom H4N - amzn.to/2QJnRTq Presonus iTwo Studio - amzn.to/2EhA5kW --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/itslightong/message

For the 16th episode of the Light Advice podcast, Light wanted to talk about toys and giving some away. Light has given away toys each year but she keeps her favorite ones, like her Shopkins (https://www.lightong.com/episode5) and some select go-to toys. If your kids have too much toys, maybe it's time for them to follow Light and give some away, especially those left lying on the floor or in the corner of the room. Ready for more nonsense and laughter? Listen to episode 16 right now. 1. Questions for Light? Send it over at www.lightong.com/contact/ or DM her at www.instagram.com/itslightong/ 2. Be sure to leave a 5 star review as it helps Light learn and improve! 3. Want to support Light's future projects? Here's her Patreon www.patreon.com/itslightong 4. This episode was sponsored by Akeeva - Grab their awesome pocket strollers from Lazada (My Review www.lightong.com/akeeva-alvis-pocket-stroller-review-and-unboxing) 5. Mom's side hustle - www.curves.ph 6. Mom's new hustle with Essential Oils - ceeingisliving.com/young-living-essential-oils Gear Used For Recording: ATR 2100 - amzn.to/2EeGg97 Zoom H4N - amzn.to/2QJnRTq Presonus iTwo Studio - amzn.to/2EhA5kW --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/itslightong/message

This week on Radio Free Cybertron, yes Skylynx we're back. And this time no force in the universe can stop us. (Hey, we haven't taken a week off in like five years.) After a week off to rest and recuperate, not even Brian's pseudo-pneumonia is enough to stop us, mostly. On the show we talk about BOTBOTS. Yes, it's like Shopkins that transform, and it's the new hotness. We also talk about the news of Hasbro's potential layoffs and legal woes. We gush a bit more about BIG POWERED, discuss the sold-out Siege preorders from Amazon. All that plus more, on this week's episode of Radio Free Cybertron! The post Radio Free Cybertron 593 – Oh My God, You Killed Brian! appeared first on Radio Free Cybertron.

This is the 5th episode of the Light Advice podcast and this week, our topic is about Shopkins!! These toys are everywhere, at least in our house and with all the questions we got because of Episode 1 (where Light was shouting about Shopkins) we thought it would be a great topic for an episode. Ready for more nonsense and laughter? Listen to episode 5 right now. 1. Questions for Light? Send it over at www.lightong.com/contact/ or DM her at www.instagram.com/itslightong/ 2. Be sure to leave a 5 star review as it helps Light learn and improve! 3. Want to support Light's future projects? Here's her Patreon www.patreon.com/itslightong --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/itslightong/message

My entrepreneurial mindset doesn’t take a vacation. The other day my daughter reminded me of what an entrepreneurial mindset really is. She’s obsessed with these little dolls called Shoppies (they’re basically the love child of Shopkins). It’s insane how many of these dolls she’s collected. Her grandparents recently bought her a Shoppie house complete with couches, beds, and chairs with little animal faces. A week later when she asked me to buy her another Shoppie for her growing posse, you know what I said? I told my 8 year old doll obsessed daughter to get a j-o-b. I expected her to offer to do some work for me. But she didn’t. Instead she said “Okay mom, I’ll start a new series on my YouTube channel.” ...I'M SO PROUD!   Which got me thinking about the stark contrast between the employee mindset and the entrepreneurial mindset. Let me explain...

Adam, Ryan, and Chad discuss one of the most diverse components in modern board games - Dice! Starting with the history and spilling over onto modern design, we discuss the ways that little plastic geometric shapes are used in the design and play of games, and some stand out examples of clever dice usage. After the break we stick with the dice theme and discuss King of Tokyo and King of New York - two games that take the dice-rolling set-collection aspect of Yahtzee and turn it into a slug fest between monsters battling for control of their city. Finally Adam learns how to play cards with a Shopkins game, Ryan rolls some fancy custom dice in Quarriors, and Chad attempts to figure out what his coworkers are getting at in a game of Decrypto. (Image credit: https://boardgamegeek.com/image/3262707/king-tokyo) Of Dice and Men is broadcast live on 91.3 FM CJTR, Regina Community Radio - our next broadcast will be April 22nd at 8 PM CST.

The #1 kids toy in North America is live and on stage in Shopkins Live! Shop It Up! at State Theatre New Jersey on February 27. Your beloved Shoppies make their theatrical debut in an original new live show. Amy Jean, who is playing Bubbleisha, joins us to discuss the zany fun of the show and what it's like to be touring the U.S. for the first time!

Tony the Disney Dad and his two boys discuss Play Fair NY Part 1, Disney News, The Lost Weekend, Disney Maps, and more on episode 11 of Disney Discussions. 00:00 Welcome!01:24 Rebels episode 7 & 8 Review03:40 Thor makes $$$$$04:52 Stitch is getting toys!News05:37 Pirates of the Caribbean in WDW is closing in February - Source06:20 Cars 3 is out on Blu-ray - Source06:45 Last Coco trailer was released - Source07:22 Sunset seasons greetings premiered and it is awesome! - Source08:30 Houston Astros celebrated their win in WDW - Source08:57 The Edison in Disney Springs will open January 1st - Source09:24 Holiday treats in Hollywood studios - Source10:30 New ToyBox toys are in the Disney Store - Source12:08 2 Disney Holiday specials coming your way! - Source13:04 Pixar Pier details are here! - Source15:42 Star Wars movies for the next 10 years - Source16:52 Live action Lion King cast announced - Source18:30 Main Topic - Play Fair NY Part 118:31 Play fair first impressions19:45 Nerf Arena20:30 PlayDoh!21:03 Grossery Gang! http://www.grosserygang.com/22:30 OOnies! - https://www.ooniesworld.com/23:43 Shopkins! - https://shopkinsworld.com/25:16 Moose Booth thoughts25:25 Disney Trivia - The Lost Weekend28:34 Disney Tips & Tricks - use the http://www.touringplans.com30:43 Disney Media Pick brought to you by mickeychats.com - MAPS of the Disney Parks http://amzn.to/2hpxYAK 32:14 Good bye33:36 Bloopers Please check out http://amazon.disneydiscussions.com to help support us. Here's all the social sites you can follow us:Facebook: https://goo.gl/yAVFfpTwitter: https://twitter.com/disney_discussInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/disney_discussYouTube: https://goo.gl/9iyFcfWWW: http://www.disneydiscussions.com For feedback please email podcast@disneydiscussions.com

Listen in as we talk about the films Goodbye Christopher Robin, Transformers: The Last Knight, Shopkins: World Vacation, Little Wolfs Book of Badness, and ABC Monsters: Starring VWXYZ Hosts Keefer B. and Sahiba K. are joined by KIDS FIRST! Film Critics Samantha and Michelle.

Listen in as we talk about the films Goodbye Christopher Robin, Transformers: The Last Knight, Shopkins: World Vacation, Little Wolfs Book of Badness, and ABC Monsters: Starring VWXYZ Hosts Keefer B. and Sahiba K. are joined by KIDS FIRST! Film Critics Samantha and Michelle.

Noah and Bill are treating tiny collectible Shopkin toys as candies, and like any good toddler they’re choking on tiny pieces of plastic. Listen as we describe this childhood phenomenon. @noahandbillshow -- @williamscurry -- @noahtarnow 00:00 -- Introduction, and What are Shopkins? 16:39 -- Why are Shopkins so popular? 22:54 -- Would you have liked Shopkins if you were a kid? 26:57 -- Are Shopkins a sign of the apocalypse? 29:36 -- Is your irrational hatred of Shopkins based on jealousy, and conclusion This week's theme: "Candy” by Morphine. New episodes every Monday morning on Soundcloud, iTunes, Stitcher, and GooglePlay!

Robin Potanin has spent two decades in the world of games and entertainment while being based here in Adelaide. Tonight, we continue working our way through the many levels of her story and that of the industry itself as we say, Game On South Australia. This is Level Two. Last week, we began and level one and covered some gruelling territory with Robin, you might want to listen to episode 188 of The Adelaide Show Podcast before listening to this one. The cover image for this week's show is a portrait of Robin done by her husband, Stewart MacFarlane. This week, the SA Drink Of The Week is Love Symbol Grenache from Anna Fisher's Zonte's Footstep We also have a bonus interview with a local computer game coder, Ella Macintyre from Mighty Kingdom. Our in-house voiceover artists, AJ and Caitlin Davis do this interview about Mighty Kingdom's Shopkins games. In 100 Weeks Ago we relive the rivalry of the Wine vs Beer night at BV Brewing in the Barossa Valley And in the musical pilgrimage ... the Memphis Suns whet our appetites for this Sunday's Rock N Roll Rendezvous at the National Motor Museum, Birdwood And please consider becoming part of our podcast by joining our Inner Circle. It's an email list. Join it and you might get an email on a Sunday or Monday seeking question ideas, guest ideas and requests for other bits of feedback about YOUR podcast, The Adelaide Show. Email us directly and we'll add you to the list: podcast@theadelaideshow.com.au If you enjoy the show, please leave us a 5-star review in iTunes or other podcast sites, or buy some great merch from our Red Bubble store - The Adelaide Show Shop. We'd greatly appreciate it. Support the show: https://theadelaideshow.com.au/listen-or-download-the-podcast/adelaide-in-crowd/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

My size. Shopkins. Lets make a toy. Go fast enough. Pocket friend. Space doodie. turtle suits. butt strength. the methods. closing time. mouth adjacent. pussy fight. fruity atoll. agro no.

My size. Shopkins. Lets make a toy. Go fast enough. Pocket friend. Space doodie. turtle suits. butt strength. the methods. closing time. mouth adjacent. pussy fight. fruity atoll. agro no.

My size. Shopkins. Lets make a toy. Go fast enough. Pocket friend. Space doodie. turtle suits. butt strength. the methods. closing time. mouth adjacent. pussy fight. fruity atoll. agro no.

Phil and Brendo talk about Phil's crazy cleaning weekend, looking at old junk, Shopkins, Amazon stuff, the Nintendo Switch, Brendo's trip to San Diego, Black Mirror, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, South Park, SNL, the time Brendo and his brother put on a Bad Dudes skit at day camp, and lots more. […]

Phil and Brendo talk about Phil’s crazy cleaning weekend, looking at old junk, Shopkins, Amazon stuff, the Nintendo Switch, Brendo’s trip to San Diego, Black Mirror, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, South Park, SNL, the time Brendo and his brother put on a Bad Dudes skit at day camp, and lots more. […]

Biz and Theresa discuss our love for our kids' artistic creations and our simultaneous exasperation at the sheer volume of it. We explore ways to throw stuff out without traumatizing anyone! Plus, Biz has a Shopkins update and Theresa has a kindergarten breakdown. And we talk to the genius behind Theresa's all-time favorite children's book, Who Needs Donuts?, Mark Alan Stamaty! Share your genius and fail moments! Call 206-350-9485* *Be sure to tell us at the top of your message whether you're leaving a genius moment, a fail, or a rant! Thanks!! Share a personal or commercial message on the show! Subscribe to One Bad Mother in iTunes Join our mailing list!

Hey Guys! Today I talk about Toy Copy Cats, that means different people who take unique ideas from other toy factories. I talk about Monster High and Ever After High and how sometimes the dolls can be similar. Also other toys like Littlest Pet Shop and Shopkins.

Phil and Brendo discuss their limited knowledge of Canadian geography, Shopkins, uncomfortable childhood friend experiences, Pee-wee's Big Holiday, rude people at movie theaters, their upcoming live show at Mountain Room Escapes in Big Bear on May 22nd, Comic Con Palm Springs, and lots more.  They also have an actual Reader Mail!  Thanks for listening!

Phil and Brendo discuss their limited knowledge of Canadian geography, Shopkins, uncomfortable childhood friend experiences, Pee-wee’s Big Holiday, rude people at movie theaters, their upcoming live show at Mountain Room Escapes in Big Bear on May 22nd, Comic Con Palm Springs, and lots more.  They also have an actual Reader Mail!  Thanks for listening!

Microsoft has stopped making Xbox 360s and GameStop is moving into the game publishing business. Because, really, how much longer will their brick and mortar retail business last?After some discussion about our sponsor, LootCrate, we get into a discussion about non-game-related things like Shopkins and weaponizing toys for the greater good of parents everywhere. When we get back to games, we talk about the new Hearthstone expansion, and the changes that will be coming with it. And we also talk about why Peter Jackson loves augmented reality, what the Dark Souls board game might be like, and how cool Kirby is going to look in his new mech. This episode was sponsored by LootCrate. If you go to lootcrate.com/gamingwiththemoms and use the coupon code: gamingwiththemoms at checkout, you can get a discount on their subscription.

We promised (albeit accidentally) 33 episodes ago that Episode 66 was going to be special and one to look forward to, and I’m happy to report that we lived up to the hype! While it might have been a slow news week, this week’s show is full of goodness. One might say our cup is overflowing, thanks to a newfound Ally in our dedication to the toys-to-life genre. We welcome to the show, for the first time officially, Brandon Jones, Editor-in-Chief of Easy Allies!   Brandon chats about the formation of Easy Allies, how he fell in love with Disney Infinity originally, the current state of the toys-to-life genre, and much more regarding all things in this genre we love. We also talk about the trials and tribulations of collecting in general, good Disneyland food, and yes, even … SHOPKINS!   After we let Brandon go enjoy the rest of his evening, we get down to serious business with news in the toys-to-life franchises. We discuss the release of the Kylo Ren Light FX figure, breaking Skylanders news, more LEGO Dimensions rumor confirmation, and possible amiibo support in the upcoming “NX” Nintendo console via a new patent.   We also examine the #CommunityQuestion - WITH AN EXCITING ANNOUNCEMENT - and answer a bunch of great emails, as always, from the Best Community Ever. All this and more on Episode 66 of the Toys For Games ‘Cast!   Follow Brandon Jones on Twitter, @TrailerJones and @EasyAllies Check out everything Easy Allies is doing, and support them if interested, over on Patreon!   Executive Producers: Brett Cangemi (@Brettman79) & Jorge Torres!   Our Sponsors: SHOW SPONSOR - Devin Laschinski Ken Pescatore (@ProudGamerTweet), who’s in charge of the Toys For Games Facebook group James Holian (@InfinityMuseum) Matt Sonnenberg (@SCLMatt) from SkylandersCharacterList.com and Facebook.com/SkylandersCharacterList Micheal O'Driscoll (@amiibo_Museum) @AmiiboAmigo, from AmiiboAmigo.com. Also be sure to check him out on Instagram and his new project, @MiitomoDiaries!   Want to become a Sponsor as well? Check out our Patreon page!

Kicking off Episode 65 of the Toys For Games ‘Cast, we welcome a special guest to the show, Christian Spicer! Christian is a professional comedian and podcaster, who you may know from the DLC Podcast of the Department of Parenting Podcast. We spend time getting to know Christian and his many endeavours, before jumping into some serious Disney Infinity, amiibo, and yes, even Shopkins talk. After saying goodbye to Christian, we jump right into the news of the four - rather, FIVE - franchises in the toys-to-life genre! We discuss Josh’s review of Marvel Battlegrounds from Disney Infinity, dig for crumbs in Skylanders, talk about some exciting leaks in LEGO Dimensions, discuss a new use for amiibo, and finally, reveal a bunch of new information for Infinite Arms! We also examine the #CommunityQuestion and answer a bunch of great emails, and have a mic drop, speechless moment near the end! All this and more on Episode 65 of the Toys For Games ‘Cast!   Follow Christian Spicer on Twitter, @Spicer Download his album, “Moment in Time”,  from iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/moment-in-time/id965342897 Check out his two regular podcasts: DLC - https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/dlc/id794234509?mt=2Department of Parenting - https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/department-of-parenting/id1078028512?mt=2   Executive Producers: Brett Cangemi (@Brettman79) & Jorge Torres!   Our Sponsors: SHOW SPONSOR - Devin Laschinski Ken Pescatore (@ProudGamerTweet), who’s in charge of the Toys For Games Facebook group James Holian (@InfinityMuseum) Matt Sonnenberg (@SCLMatt) from SkylandersCharacterList.com and Facebook.com/SkylandersCharacterList Micheal O'Driscoll (@amiibo_Museum) @AmiiboAmigo, from AmiiboAmigo.com. Also be sure to check him out on Instagram and his other YouTube channel, 8Bit CR! Want to become a Sponsor as well? Check out our Patreon page!

Josh and Jason are back for their monthly Collector's Edition podcast, where they discuss all the crazy things they collect that aren't toys-to-life related! This episode they talk about Shopkins (of course), several subscription boxes, #TsumTsumTakeover, the Black Friday Funko madness, and the upcoming exclusive item (hopefully) coming to Toys For Games in 2016! Oh, and what Collector's Edition would be complete without showing love to the unofficial sponsor of the show, Walgreens! To check out Geek Fuel, please follow this direct link!  https://www.geekfuel.com/toysforgames      

Welcome to lucky Episode 13! This week, the Olive Garden Pasta Pass is back, and ready to take down your entire family. Todd's hearing is headed downhill a tad prematurely, and his doctor insists that he get a hearing aid before dementia sets in. Dave still has tinnitus, but only until he dies. Shopkins are worthless, but not as worthless as you'll feel if you don't buy them for your children. Dave's kids are very comfortable with the idea of death. A Shark Tale doesn't help the situation. Matt and Dave make fun of Todd's pronunciation of "eggs".  Then the dads lament the world-wide existence of the costumed panhandler. Lastly, Matt's daughter's Pre-K is full of hipster and hippie parents, and for once Matt is surrounded by the artistic parents he's always desired to know. Unfortunately, he's an egotistical narcissist and can't handle not being the standout father.  We want to hear from you!!!Call us at (657) BAD DADS or send us an e-mail at paternitypodcast@gmail.com. And follow us on Facebook,on Twitter at @thedadtest,and on Instagram at thepaternitytest. Please Subscribe on iTunes and leave us a review and tell your friends... this podcast is all we have!

Josh and Jason are back with another volume of the Collector’s Edition podcast - where they talk about everything collectible that has nothing to do with the normal toys-to-life franchises they normally cover. For volume 9, they invite a couple of special guests on - The Unboxers! The collecting duo making a splash on YouTube for (of course) unboxing stuff join the podcast to talk about subscription boxes, review the September Loot Crate, talk about the NYCC exclusive Funko Pops, and break down the madness that is always Tsum Tsum Tuesday including what to expect from Disney coming up.   Oh, and they may or may not make an effort to officially turn the podcast into the world’s number one Shopkins podcast. Sweet summer child! IT’S SHOPKINS ‘TILL YOU DROPKINS! Find The Unboxers on Twitter, @TheUnboxerrs24, or on their YouTube page!

Zu Pink Girl tells you all about one of the hottest new toys-Shopkins. She talks about the seasons 1, 2 and 3. She gives you the inside scoop on ultra rare figures and special editions.

Episode 36 features Josh and Jason once again, but just like last week, another special guest is crashing the party! This week, the dynamic duo of the toys-to-life genre is honored to be joined than none other than Brian Altano from IGN.com and The Comedy Button! As someone who has been leading the charge on the amiibo hype train since the beginning, Brian comes on to the show to talk about how and why he started collecting them, why he swears he’s just about done with them, and which amiibo he absolutely hates the most. Not to focus too much on just amiibo, they also ask him about Disney Infinity, Skylanders and possibly sell him on LEGO Dimensions. Oh, and don’t worry - Shopkins is discussed at much more length than anyone anticipated going into the podcast.   Thank you to Brian Altano for the laughs and the insight, and be sure to check him and all of his projects out at the various links down below!   Time Stamps: Interview with Brian Altano - The start, up until 1:13:35 LEGO Dimensions - 1:14:45 Disney Infinity - 1:20:17 Skylanders - 1:32:30 More amiibo - 1:43:40 Emails - 2:02:00   Brian can be found on Twitter at @AgentBizzle, over at IGN.com, his non-gaming podcast called The Comedy Button, or check out his music at MisanthropeAlbum.com! Or just show up to his apartment, and he’ll make you a pizza, apparently.   Our show music is courtesy of Ben Harris (@Sha_Near). Thank you to the #BestCommunityEver for supporting us continuously! Be sure to check out our Patreon page if you want to help us out! You all are awesome!

Josh and Jason are back with another Collector's Edition of the Toys For Games 'Cast, this time once again joined by the Legendary Collector and Enthusiast, Vince! The trio of collectors talk about Vince's trip to Otakon and the haul of collectibles he walked away with. Also, the horrific reality of the Tsum Tsum craze and what it meant for Tsum Tsum Tuesday with the Aladdin collection. They preview Jason’s upcoming trip to Disneyland and D23, as well as a full breakdown of the most recent Loot Crate. Oh, and there is some legitimate, unironic discussion regarding Shopkins, the #1 Kids Cooking Kits on Amazon!

Josh Brown (@TheNoyse) and Jason Grier (@JasonInquires) are back for yet another episode of the Toys For Games 'Cast. This week, the dynamic duo chat about Shopkins and Tsum Tsum scores, as well as plenty of toys-to-life news and notes.  -Skylanders 5 leaked prototypes -LEGO Dimensions' newly announced team and fun packs -Disney Infinity 3.0 Power Disc controversy  -Amiibo's calm before the storm   Also, the Twitter #CommunityQuestion and the always popular listener emails!