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Send us a textActress Brandi Burkhardt shares her journey from pageantry to acting, discussing how playing various characters ultimately led her to discover her authentic self. She reflects on her education at NYU's Strasberg program, her television roles including Heart of Dixie, and exciting projects like her upcoming music EP.• Started as a shy child who entered pageants to fulfill her princess dreams• Studied method acting at NYU's Tisch School where she had to overcome her polite upbringing• Played Cricket on Heart of Dixie, filming on Warner Brothers' famous backlot• Performed motion capture for Red Dead Redemption as a "zombie prostitute"• Flew as Mary Poppins for Julie Andrews' lifetime achievement ceremony• Stars alongside Paul Rudd in the upcoming buddy comedy "Friendship" (releasing May 9th)• Features in "Rosemary Street," a web series highlighting Baltimore's art and music scene• Releasing her EP "Just Like This" with the first single dropping June 1stCheck out Brandi's new EP "Just Like This" on all streaming platforms starting this summer!Support the show
Join Katie for an inspiring conversation with Treger Strasberg, Founder of Humble Design (humbledesign.org), about how every person can make a positive difference in the world, real steps to affecting change, and the power of empathy in leadership and life.
Send us a textThe middle ages sucked. The people of Strasberg, France had it particularly rough. And then? They started dancing. And they didn't stop until they died. Join us for this fascinating tale! That's true!((sorry for the late upload, I had NO internet cause of the winter 'storm' My net goes out if you fart at it cross ways)https://linktr.ee/cruelteaSupport the show
Jim talks with Philipp Strasberg about his simulations of branching and recombining processes in the evolution of quantum states, and their meaning for not only for the many worlds interpretation but also for understanding quantum mechanics in general.Show Notes: http://frontiers.physicsfm.com/80
Michelle Danner, film director and founder, “The Creative Center for the Arts” & “The Los Angeles Acting Conservatory,” has had a remarkable career in multiple areas of the arts, and she joins us today to talk about longevity, how the business is changing, and how a good story always rules. Michelle is behind some of the industry's most notable films, from “The Italians,” “Miranda's Victim,” and “The Runner.” She is also set to direct the outer-space, sci-fi action thriller, “Helios.” Michelle is also a gifted acting instructor, and says this may be one of the best times to get into the business and hone your craft. With film and various network and streaming opportunities for actors, she teaches actors how to be their best, and teaches various techniques from Adler to Strasberg, Meisner, and Hagen. She's also had an eclectic and interesting career starting at a young age, and she talks about that, in addition to being a women in a business that had been primarily male-centric when it came to making decisions, but that's changed. A lot. Also, Michelle is Italian, and we ask her about growing up Italian and those influences on her as a young professional until now. Please join us on our #DeborahKobyltLIVE, #LittleItalyPodcast, & #LittleItalyOfLAPodcast on all video and audio platforms. I'm your host, #DeborahZaraKobylt, and it's my pleasure to have you here to enjoy our show. @michelledannerla #italiandirector #italianfilms #italiantalent #acting #actingcoach #director
Hoy con Janett Arceo y La Mujer Actual:El Dr. Juan antonio López Benedí con el tema: "La Buena Onda". Mauricio Rendón, Green coach, nos dice: "Animalizándonos Humanamente". José Antonio Valdés Peña y lo mejor de la cartelera cinematográfica. Tendremos un espacio dedicado a la salud con David Manrique, especialista en naturismo y acupuntura. TecnoLocura con Gianluca Ullúa y Tomás Strasberg. Platicaré con el periodista Juan Pablo Pérez Díaz. Janett Arceo y La Mujer Actual es uno de los pocos programas radiofónicos que desde 1982 y hasta la fecha actual se mantiene en el cuadrante,constituyéndose en un concepto de gran éxito gracias al talento y experiencia de la mujer que le da vida a la radio y televisión y a su gran familia de especialistas quienes, diariamente, apoyan al auditorio y lo motivan a elevar su calidad de vida.La Mujer Actual es el único concepto radiofónico que ayuda a lograr la superación integral de la familia en las diferentes etapas de su vida y, diariamente, realiza un recorrido por ámbitos tan diversos como desarrollo humano, nutrición, salud (en todas las especialidades), asesoría legal, neurociencias, finanzas personales, estimulación temprana, escuela para padres, hábitos y técnicas de estudio, bolsa de trabajo, turismo, entretenimiento, gastronomía, sexualidad, tecnología, astronomía, belleza, moda, astrología y más.La Mujer Actual siempre está a la vanguardia, por eso atendemos puntualmente las necesidades del público con teléfonos abiertos y nuestras redes sociales, creando así una completísima revista radiofónica en vivo. La Mujer Actual es pionera en programas de contenido para la familia, por eso muchos han intentado imitarlo, sin embargo, gracias a su estilo único no solo ha permanecido sino que continúa siendo uno de los programas preferidos que ha evolucionado al ritmo de los tiempos. Esto se debe en gran medida a su conductora Janett Arceo, que gracias a su frescura y a su capacidad de convertirse en la voz del auditorio, ha logrado consolidar una fórmula de omunicación verdaderamente exitosa, donde interactúan el público, la conductora y el especialista, basándose en un principio fundamental: ¡la prevención!
Fast-talking and feisty-looking John Leguizamo has continued to impress movie audiences with his versatility: he can play sensitive and naïve young men, such as Johnny in Hangin' with the Homeboys; cold-blooded killers like Benny Blanco in Carlito's Way; a heroic Army Green Beret, stopping aerial terrorists in Executive Decision; and drag queen Chi-Chi Rodriguez in To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar.Arguably, not since ill-fated actor and comedian Freddie Prinze starred in the smash TV series Chico and the Man had a youthful Latino personality had such a powerful impact on critics and fans alike. John Alberto Leguizamo Peláez was born July 22, 1960, in Bogotá, Colombia, to Luz Marina Peláez and Alberto Rudolfo Leguizamo.He was a child when his family emigrated to the United States. He was raised in Queens, New York, attended New York University and studied under legendary acting coach Lee Strasberg for only one day before Strasberg passed away.The extroverted Leguizamo started working the comedy club circuit in New York and first appeared in front of the cameras in an episode of Miami Vice. His first film appearance was a small part in Mixed Blood, and he had minor roles in Casualties of War and Die Hard 2 before playing a liquor store thief who shoots Harrison Ford in Regarding Henry.His career really started to soar after his first-rate performance in the independent film Hangin' with the Homeboys as a nervous young teenager from the Bronx out for a night in brightly lit Manhattan with his buddies, facing the career choice of staying in a supermarket or heading off to college and finding out that the girl he loves from afar isn't quite what he thought she was.The year 1991 was also memorable for other reasons, as he hit the stage with his show John Leguizamo: Mambo Mouth, in which he portrayed seven different Latino characters. The witty and incisive show was a smash hit and won the Obie and Outer Circle Critics Award, and later was filmed for HBO, where it picked up a CableACE Award.He returned to the stage two years later with another satirical production poking fun at Latino stereotypes titled John Leguizamo: Spic-O-Rama. It played in Chicago and New York, and won the Drama Desk Award and four CableACE Awards. In 1995 he created and starred in the short-lived TV series House of Buggin', an all-Latino-cast comedy variety show featuring hilarious sketches and comedic routines.The show scored two Emmy nominations and received positive reviews from critics, but it was canceled after only one season. The gifted Leguizamo was still keeping busy in films, with key appearances in Super Mario Bros., Romeo + Juliet and Spawn. In 1998 he made his Broadway debut in John Leguizamo: Freak, a "demi-semi-quasi-pseudo-autobiographical" one-man show, which was filmed for HBO by Spike Lee.Utilizing his distinctive vocal talents, he next voiced a pesky rat in Doctor Dolittle before appearing in the dynamic Spike Lee-directed Summer of Sam as a guilt-ridden womanizer, as the Genie of The Lamp in the exciting Arabian Nights and as Henri DE Toulouse Lautrec in the visually spectacular Moulin Rouge!.He also voiced Sid in the animated Ice Age, co-starred alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger in Collateral Damage and directed and starred in the boxing film Undefeated. Subsequently, Leguizamo starred in the remake of the John Carpenter hit Assault on Precinct 13 and George A. Romero's long-awaited fourth "Dead" film, Land of the Dead.There can be no doubt that the remarkably talented Leguizamo has been a breakthrough performer for the Latino community in mainstream Hollywood, in much the same way that Sidney Poitier crashed through celluloid barriers for African-Americans in the early 1960s.Among his many strengths lies his ability to not take his ethnic background too seriously but also to take pride in his Latino heritage.Please enjoy my conversation with John Leguizamo.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/indie-film-hustle-a-filmmaking-podcast--2664729/support.
Renton Kirk Learmont was a Trinidadian American who pursued a career as an actor trainer and casting director. He studied acting in Strasberg and Susan Batson in LA and NY and was represented by the Carson Organization. Renton was also a strong swimmer, swing dancer, roller-skater and Brazilian martial artist. Renton unexpectedly passed away at age 34 in 2004. His memorial was held on October 3, 2004, at Riverside Memorial Chapel and was attended by over 500 friends, family, skaters, singers, drummers, Rumi poetry, steel pan player, and Capoeira music. GET A GRIP is the product of a short film entitled: THE END OF THE RUN which was screened at the NY FILM ANTHOLOGY + SAN FRANCISCO FESTIVAL. It was written by Renton, in which he played a NY quad skater whose life spirals out of control because of alcohol and prescription drugs. The film consisted of a diverse cast and varied story lines, addressing issues of racism, nationalism, and sexuality. It was shot in the fall of 2023, Upstate and Manhattan with approximately 30 actors. Fifty cast and crew members came together to help with funding. Winsome is a highly respected Casting Director and Founder of the global casting agency, Winsome Sinclair and Associates. She began her career in the film and television industry under Spike Lee and has gained over 57 casting credits such as "Barber Shop," "All Eyez On Me," “The Cookout,” “Crooklyn,” "Hating Obama." Winsome is also a producer, motivational speaker, content creator, brand ambassador and published author of "You Are My SONshines". Follow her: @thesomeysinclair Lynna Davis is an accomplished actress, dancer, and skater. She has various credits on TV, film, commercials, concerts, and professional dance roller-skating, having worked with notable clients such as Aviccii, Black Girls Rock and AOL Summer Stage. Lynna is recognized by the media, with features in Daily News, LA Times, and Good Day NY. She has skated in Get A Grip, choreographed and casted in14 cities worldwide including France and Japan. Follow her at: @Lynna'movingstar Http://lynnamovingstar.wixsite.com/lynnamovingstar https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hgc0MwZQd6Y Ed Holley, a former youth baseball coach in New York City, met Kanard Lewis in 2010. After working together, Kanard's mother trusted Ed to care for him in case of an emergency. He became known as Preacherman through his soulful music blends prophetic lore with ironic metaphor. Preacherman's live performances are considered must-see underground gems in NYC. He was an actor on Get A Grip. www.sonicbids.com/epk/epk_printable.asp?epk_id= Deb S excels in crafting compelling narratives for corporations, nonprofits, and entertainment properties based on her over 20 years of experience. Her background in project and IT management gives her a unique perspective and skillset to deliver rewarding results. Deb specializes in creating digital experiences for a global healthcare company. She was a producer on Get A Grip/ She is passionate about cultivating solutions and promoting ethical and social responsibility in the digital space, as well as capturing nature and culture through photography. Follow her at: @The_Hudson_Photographer Jason Maradik is a former Ford Model with international experience in Hamburg, Munich, Germany, Cape Town, London, and Tokyo. He relocated from Miami to NYC in September 2003 and began studying acting, signing with The Glasser Group for Personal Management. He also played Officer Hal on Get A Grip and was Renton's roommate at the time. Follow him at: @i_am_j_lee **WE WISH TO THANK BERNADETTE DONAWA [RENTON's MOTHER] AND CAROL ARCHER [RENTON's AUNT]** -Creator/Host: Ozzie Stewart - onthecallpodcast.com -Guest: Sharu KJ Jackson @kayessejay -Exec. Producer - Ozzie Stewart @otc_podcast20 -Camera: "Cheeze" -Graphics Design: Kevin Tinsley -Editor/Music: Cheese Slice Films @cheeseslicefilms -Photography by: Deb S/The Hudson Photographer @the_hudson_photographer -Website: James Bailey
Actor-director Michelle Danner is also an acting coach at the Los Angeles Acting School who specializes in the Meisner, Strasberg, Adler, Hagen, Chekhov and Stanislavsky techniques. Alongside Larry Moss, she's also the founding and Artistic Director of the Edgemar Center for the Arts.In 2006, Michelle made her feature film directing debut with, How to Go Out on a Date in Queens, winning the L.A. Film Awards' Best Acting and Best Movie awards. Her 2013 film, HelloHerman, catalogs the effect that peer abuse, parental neglect and the general coarsening of society has on a typical high school student. Michelle has acted in and directed over thirty plays in Los Angeles and New York, with her favorite acting credit cited as the Dramalogue award-winning Tennessee Williams' The Rose Tattoo. Among her other award-winning stage work, she produced The Night of the Black Cat at Edgemar, she directed the world premiere of Mental the Musical, and she wrote and directed You're on the Air, an improvisation-based comedy.Michelle also produced and acted in the award-winning short Dos Corazones, directed by Larry Moss. And she was voted favorite acting coach by the readers of Backstage. Notable projects Michelle has directed include: Bad Impulse with Paul Sorvino, Ticket to the Circus, a one-woman play about the life of Norris Church Mailer, starring Anne Archer. And most recently she produced and directed the feature, Miranda's Victim, a biographical crime drama depicting the origins of the well-known Miranda warning. The movie stars Abigail Breslin, Luke Wilson, Andy Garcia, Donald Sutherland, Ryan Phillippe, Kyle MacLachlan, Mireille Enos, Taryn Manning, and Emily VanCamp. I've seen Miranda's Victim and can tell you it's an intense and deeply emotional story about how the legal system can be impacted and changed by overcoming injustice amid challenging circumstances. www.michelledanner.comwww.edgemarcenter.org
Are you looking for fresh ideas to shake up your nonprofit and grow your impact? If so, then you're in luck! Special guest and founder of Humble Design, Treger Strasberg, is sharing all the different ways she's shaking up the nonprofit world like… how she communicates with her donors, and using empathy, dignity, and creativity as part of her nonprofit's mission. She also dives into how she's been able to grow her nonprofit beyond Detroit to Chicago, Cleveland, Seattle, and San Diego by having set standard operating procedures. Treger also tells us how she's inspiring those outside of her organization to get involved and sharing a huge mindset shift she experienced that completely changed the way she communicates with donors. About Treger Treger did not set out to create a national nonprofit or fill a hole in the continuum of care for homeless individuals. She did not plan on establishing a system that would help thousands of veterans, women, children, and families to stop the revolving door of homelessness for them. She had no intention of connecting with countless volunteers and supporters who shared her life view of leading with empathy and dignity. She just wanted to help a friend in need. To date, Humble Design has furnished over 3,200 homes for over 9,100 hard-working moms, dads, kids, and veterans exiting homeless shelters. Families who have benefited from the home furnishings from Humble Design have had a 99 percent success rate of remaining in their homes. Humble Design was born out of the belief that families emerging from homelessness deserve to come home each day to a clean, friendly, and dignified home. Treger is honored to have been nominated for two Emmys for the TV show “Welcome Home,” which follows Treger and her husband Rob through the process of changing a family's life through design. She has been awarded ABC World News Person of the Week, Volunteer of the Year in Michigan, Woman of Distinction in California, IIDA Business Innovator, TCH Diversity Award, the Lighthouse Salute America Award, Optimist Club's Ruby Award, Girl Scout of America's One Tough Cookie Award, Make your Marc award by Marc Fisher, and Oakland County Executive's Elite 40 Under 40, and others. Read the podcast transcript here. Episode Summary In this episode, you'll learn how Treger Strasberg of Humble Design is shaking up the nonprofit world including: Diving head first into the nonprofit world (5:55) Changing the nonprofit landscape with creativity (8:30) Providing dignity and empathy to families experiencing homelessness (13:00) Growing your nonprofit's impact and empowering others across the country to help (18:40) The importance of SOPs (Standard Operating Procedures) (23:30) Finding inspiration in the nonprofit world (25:55) Changing the way you communicate with donors (28:00) Teasers “I didn't want to just stick with any furniture that came my way. I wanted it to be dignified and respectful because she was my friend.” “Those stories, for me, have opened up my eyes that this is an epidemic in this country that's coming down, whether we like it or not. Ans it is not just drug-addicted, mentally ill individuals who are struggling with being unhoused. One in four individuals in the United States are going to struggle with homelessness at some point in their life.” “We're still governed by this archaic system that feels frustrating because our minds are living in this one world yet our financial statements are being judged in this other world.” Resources Visit the Humble Design website: www.humbledesign.org Connect with Treger on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/treger-strasberg-80020841/ Follow all five Humble Design cities on Instagram: @humbledesignsandiego @humbledesigndetroit @humbledesignnational @humbledesignchitown @humbledesignseattle @humbledesigncleveland FREE Finance Routine Checklist: https://100degreesconsulting.com/routine/ Keep up to date with the podcast: @100degreesconsulting Follow Stephanie on Instagram: @stephanie.skry/ Connect with Stephanie on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephanieskryzowski/ Visit the podcast page: https://100degreesconsulting.com/shaking-up-the-nonprofit-world Want more of the podcast? New episodes are released weekly! Find them all plus show notes and exclusive bonus content at 100degreesconsulting.com/podcast. Leave us a review! Click here, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select “Write a Review.” Let me know what you loved most about this episode! Subscribe to the show so you don't miss a thing!
What exactly is corporate social responsibility? Ever heard of Humble Design? This organization furnishes and decorates up to 13 homes each week in five cities across the country. Back in 2009, Treger Strasberg created a nonprofit and established a system that helps thousands of veterans, women, children, and families stop the revolving door of homelessness. The belief is simple: individuals emerging from homelessness deserve to come home each day to a clean, friendly, and dignified home. How does the 99% success rate of Humble Design really impact a family and a community? I can't think of a more beautiful way to celebrate the day after Thanksgiving than by realizing we are all so incredibly blessed. And the responsibility and privilege that comes with that blessing is giving back to others through corporate social responsibility. Hear all that and more in today's conversation!In this episode, you will be able to:Learn how Humble Design came to be and how they support those exiting homelessness.Discover ways you can give back to your local community.Uncover the benefits of corporate social responsibility—for your firm, yourself, & those in need.Full Show Notes Here
Gabe Neitzel joins the program and Gabe will be heading to Madison to call the D1 state championship game in Camp Randall. We talk about the Strasberg foreign exchange student from Germany was the hero to nail the game winner. We also talk about deer hunting season and Gabe
Mark Tauscher joins the program and we cover the awesomeness of high school football. It is state championship week and we tralka bout the German Foreign exchange student who helped Strasberg win their state championship with a walk-off field goal.
Welcome to another episode of Filmmaking Conversations with Damien Swaby. In this episode, we are thrilled to have the talented Method actress, Mathilde Dehaye, as our guest.Mathilde is a graduate of The Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute in New York City, where she mastered The Method, a technique that has significantly influenced her acting career.She has an impressive portfolio, having portrayed the key character of Amity in both seasons of the J.J. Abrams & Stephen King hit anthology series Castle Rock for Hulu from 2018 to 2019.Her performance was instrumental in shaping the series' narrative and left a lasting impact on its audience.More recently, from 2022 to 2023, Mathilde took on the intriguing role of Snake in the final two seasons of Servant, the gripping Apple TV+ series directed by M. Night Shyamalan. Her portrayal added a layer of mystery and intensity to the series, keeping viewers on the edge of their seats.Mathilde's performances have not gone unnoticed. She has been lauded by critics for her captivating presence on screen. John Saavedra of Den of Geek! described her as "absolutely hypnotic", Cheryl Eddy of Io9 found her "magnetic", and Darek Thomas of Monday Morning Critic Podcast hailed her as "fearless".In this episode, we delve into Mathilde's journey, exploring her experiences, the stories behind her mesmerizing performances, and her approach to Method acting. Stay tuned for an insightful conversation with one of the most exciting talents in the industry today.W: https://www.mathildedehaye.com/mediaAlso, you can check out my documentary The People of Brixton, on Kwelitv here: The People of Brixton Damien Swaby Social Media Links:Instagram:InstagramTwitter:twitterWebsite: http://filmmakingconversations.com/If you enjoy listening to Filmmaking Conversations with Damien Swaby, I would love a coffee. Podcasting is thirsty work: Buy Me A Coffee .This show is part of the Spreaker Prime Network, if you are interested in advertising on this podcast, contact us at https://www.spreaker.com/show/4532542/advertisement
Former San Diego Padres executive Andy Strasberg returns to talk to the boys about his 60-plus year bond with the family of Roger Maris, the relationship he had with the late-Tony Gwynn, Tony's quest to honor baseball history (even though he was afraid to meet a certain “legend”) and the one thing Tony doesn't get any credit for.
Proud theatre geek turned Army Special Forces Green Beret, turned 'Medal of Valor'-earning firefighter and now back to actor, Jeff Bosley is a film and television actor. During his years in theatre performing on stage Jeff's studies focused on The Meisner Technique. As he transitioned to film & television his education expanded to Stanislavski's 'Method' while studying for nearly 5 years at the Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Conservatory. He continues to train and study at Strasberg, the American Film Institute, the SAG-AFTRA Conservatory and multiple studios in the Los Angeles area.His current work and projects have earned him major roles transporting him to international movie sets and Cannes Film Festival Screenings. His indie feature film 'Parallax' (which he starred in and produced) has been making the festival rounds for the last several years with 11 awards as of December 2021- including multiple winners of Best Actor, Best Producer, Best Short Film and Best Thriller.
Andy Strasberg is the author of My 1961. Andy grew up in the Bronx and unlike all of his friends who were Mickey Mantle fans, Strasberg loved Roger Maris. In 1961 he began to make daily journal entries that chronicled his life as a 13 year old Yankee fan, trips to Yankee Stadium with his Father and friends and vivid details of his dreams to 1. Meet Roger Maris. 2. Be given a game used bat by Roger Maris. 3. Be given one of Roger's home run balls. What followed that year and beyond, greatly exceeded even Strasberg's wild expectations. If there was ever a story that should be made into a movie, this is it!Click here to view Strasberg's book My 1961Click here to view Strasberg's book Home Runs: Tales of Tonks, Taters, Contests and DerbiesSupport the show
Proud theatre geek turned Army Special Forces Green Beret, turned 'Medal of Valor'-earning firefighter and now back to actor, Jeff Bosley is a film and television actor. During his years in theatre performing on stage Jeff's studies focused on The Meisner Technique. As he transitioned to film & television his education expanded to Stanislavski's 'Method' while studying for nearly 5 years at the Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Conservatory. He continues to train and study at Strasberg, the American Film Institute, the SAG-AFTRA Conservatory and multiple studios in the Los Angeles area.His current work and projects have earned him major roles transporting him to international movie sets and Cannes Film Festival Screenings. His indie feature film 'Parallax' (which he starred in and produced) has been making the festival rounds for the last several years with 11 awards as of December 2021- including multiple winners of Best Actor, Best Producer, Best Short Film and Best Thriller.
In the highly anticipated second part of Katie's conversation with ChangeMaker Treger Strasberg, the Founder & CEO of Humble Design, get ready to be uplifted by this incredible organization's unwavering determination and transformative impact. In this episode, we delve deeper into the geographic impact of Humble Design. Join us as Treger shares the inspiration behind the organization's evolved motto, which encapsulates its unwavering commitment to changing lives. Discover how Humble Design provides hope and a fresh start to families and veterans emerging from homelessness by furnishing their homes free of charge. This episode will leave you inspired and motivated to embrace empathy, kindness, and the power of community in creating lasting change. Don't miss out on this empowering conclusion to Katie's conversation with Treger Strasberg, the visionary leader behind Humble Design.
Get ready for an incredible story of compassion, transformation, and the power of a single act of kindness on this week's episode of ChangeMakers, hosted by Katie Goar. Our featured ChangeMaker didn't set out to change the world or create a national nonprofit. It all began with a heartfelt act of kindness towards a friend in need. Join us as we dive into the inspiring journey of Treger Strasberg, the remarkable individual behind Humble Design. What started as a small endeavor has now blossomed into a national nonprofit and a worldwide movement. Humble Design is revolutionizing the way we approach homelessness by providing not just shelter, but also hope, dignity, and a fresh start. The impact is astounding—families who have been touched by Humble Design now boast an incredible 99% success rate of remaining in their homes, breaking the cycle of homelessness. This episode of ChangeMakers will inspire you to embrace kindness, compassion, and the potential we all possess to make a difference. Prepare to be moved as we witness the incredible ripple effect that a single act of kindness can create. Tune in now to ChangeMakers, hosted by Katie Goar, and be inspired to become a catalyst for change in your own community.
Oggi a Break a Leg vi parliamo dei metodi recitativi più famosi da Diderot a Stanislavskij, da Mejerchol'd a Strasberg, per passare per il mondo del teatrodanza, dove tecniche del corpo e della voce si incontrano.
It can't rain all the time, Slackers.It's hard to believe that it has been 30 years since we lost Brandon Lee at the ridiculously young age of 28 - while filming the movie that would ultimately cement his legacy.As a third generation performer, Lee had the looks, charisma, and the acting chops (he was a Strasberg alum), to become a massive superstar.After a number of Hong Kong produced films, and TV movies, Lee started to make a name for himself in Hollywood with a role opposite action icon Dolph Lundgren - Showdown in Little Tokyo.Looking to avoid being typecast, Lee went all in for his big starring role as Eric Draven, a dead rockstar looking for vengeance - The Crow.After a tragic accident on set took his life, Lee's legend was solidified - and much like his father Bruce, his star only burned brighter after death.Here's to the life and legacy of Gen X's own - Brandon Lee.
The Setting Trick: Conversations with World Class Bridge Players
This week's episode of the Setting Trick: Conversations with World-Class Bridge Players turns the tables and features professional player Greg Hinze interviewing host John McAllister. In this conversation, we cover John's background, his favorite bridge books, his experiences at the national and world championships, his documentary movie about bridge, the reasons why he started the podcast, and more. [01.29] John's background – Starting the conversation, John discusses his Virginia roots, where he lives, where he went to college, and why he wants to stay there. [08.40] Books – John and Greg talk about some of the best books about bridge. [20.43] The summer nationals – We talk about John's experience with mixed board-a-match teams in Providence at the summer nationals and the open BAM at the fall NABC. [23.31] The movie – We talk about the movie called ‘Double Dummy' produced by John, about bridge. [32.10] The podcast – John shares the reasons behind starting his podcast and continuing until now. [33:48] Meeting Migry – John remembers meeting partner Migry Zur Campanile and playing mixed teams at the world championships. [43.50] Bridge conventions – John chooses his desert island bridge convention. Transcript [00:00:00] Greg Hinze: Hello everybody. Welcome to the Setting Trick. Uh, I'm your guest host, uh, Greg Hinsey. Uh, our normal host with the most will not be available today as a host. So without further ado, let me introduce our special guest star today. Creator of the Setting Trick Podcast, producer of the new movie, double Dummy and newly crowned N A B C Champion, my friend, John McAllister. [00:00:36] Hi John. Hey [00:00:36] John McAllister: Greg . Thanks for having me. , should I think I cut you off there at the end, . [00:00:43] Greg Hinze: So how you feel being on the other side of [00:00:45] John McAllister: you? Nervous? I am, I'm definitely nervous. I didn't know what to expect and I, I definitely like, probably 20 minutes before I got home I was. And I was definitely like, okay, this is, uh, I get nervous before I host the show. [00:00:59] But, uh, to be this is a real honor to have you do this, uh, to have you do this for me. I feel a great honor for [00:01:06] Greg Hinze: you having me, uh, do this. Uh, so, uh, I, I'm nervous too, so , so we just dive right in? Yeah, sure. Okay. Uh, yeah, just tell me a little bit about yourself. Cause I like, where are you from? Where'd you grow up? [00:01:19] And uh, okay. [00:01:20] John McAllister: How, how'd you, I'm gonna start, I'm gonna go back. This is where you're now just a brief, so in Phoenix, the, the way this conversation came to pass is in Phoenix, after we won the Mitchell Board of Match, my first N A B C victory, you, Greg offered to, to flip the script here on the setting trick and to interview me. [00:01:39] And so that's how this conversation came to pass. And when I texted you about, You were like, I wasn't sure if you were totally committed to it, but you sent me a list of questions and you and you, you know, you had your intro planned, so I really appreciate that. I, um, it says a lot about you and just to go from there, I grew up, and I still live in Charlottesville, Virginia. [00:02:05] I went to college at the University of Virginia, which is here. My mom is originally from Charlottesville and. It's a great place to live. I've thought about living elsewhere, but haven't really found a compelling reason to, uh, to move just yet. I get a lot of travel playing bridge, so I, I get to vi see the world through bridge tournaments, which is, I think is a, as you probably would attest, a great way to, to see the world. [00:02:33] Greg Hinze: Yeah. I haven't seen much of the world myself. Uh, mainly just America. I've seen . But, uh, so what, you mentioned you gave 'em to college there, uh, as well. What, what did you study? Study [00:02:43] John McAllister: when you, I like to joke when people ask me what I studied in college, that I was in a fraternity, , because I really, I was a good student in. [00:02:54] Like I went to a very academically rigorous high school, a boarding school, all, all male boarding school, about an hour from here called Woodbury Forest. And the, the teachers there really challenged me to work hard to learn the material. And then by the time I got to U V A, I sort of crapped out on school. [00:03:12] I was technically a history major. I tried to get into the undergraduate commerce school and my, uh, they didn't accept me and. Yeah, so I was technically a history major, but I had worse grades in history than I did in other subjects. It was sort of a last minute thing. My, one of my best friend's dad was a history professor, and so he could be my advisor and it was sort of the easy, easy thing to do when it was time to declare a major at the end of my second year. [00:03:42] And so [00:03:42] Greg Hinze: outta school, you went, I had read that you were on involved in the hedge fund company or something. Yeah. You did that for, [00:03:50] John McAllister: yeah. So. There's this guy named Jeffrey Woodruff, who is a hedge fund manager here in Charlottesville. And my parents, my, were actually friends with Jeffery's parents when, when we were younger. [00:04:06] And so I got interested in trading because I played a lot of backgammon after I graduated from uva. My roommate and I in New York City would play backgammon all the time, and we played for pretty decent stake. And so through backgammon I heard a, uh, I heard a recording where somebody was talking about trading, and that really appealed to me from like the same sort of thinking logic as backgammon. [00:04:34] And so I got a. The reason I brought up Jeffrey's name is because three different people, my mother, my piano teacher, and then a woman that my piano teacher had set me up with all suggested they knew I was interested in trading, that I should reach out to this guy, Jeffrey Woodruff, and I didn't do it. I never reached out to any of those through any of those people suggesting it. [00:04:56] Only when he, his company, appeared on the U V A. Uh, job site looking for interns. Did I actually reach out? And then I had a seven and a half year career working there, which ended in, in, in 2012. And, uh, I just got, I just was tired of working for, uh, doing that at that time. Had you, uh, played bridge yet? [00:05:19] Yeah, so I played, I started playing bridge when I was 18. My parents knew how to play and my aunt suggested it and. I loved it immediately, but I didn't really have an outlet for it. Like in New York City, for example, I lived, after I graduated U V A, I lived probably two blocks from honors, and it never even occurred to me to seek out a bridge game in, in, uh, in the city. [00:05:46] You didn't know it existed, but you were right nearby it. Yeah. Yeah. There was a backgammon club that I never went to, but I was, I wanted to try to go there to play backgammon for money against other players, and I never got the courage up to do it, but it didn't even occur to me to think like I loved bridge. [00:06:03] Like it, it was something I did with my parents when I came home and it didn't, like I played spades with co, with friends in college, but I didn't actually occur to, to explain bridge. To them, how, how did you [00:06:18] Greg Hinze: find the Bridge Club or whatever to get into the A C B L? [00:06:21] John McAllister: So, my older sister had three friends that were looking for her fourth for bridge classes when I moved back to Charlottesville. [00:06:29] And she knew I loved it and she suggested it. And then that woman took me to the, uh, to the local Bridge Club for the first. And have you, uh, [00:06:41] Greg Hinze: thought about making a movie at this point yet at [00:06:43] John McAllister: all, or no? No. Podcast or No, no, no. This is probably, this is, this was in like 2000. And [00:06:49] Greg Hinze: so you learned, you learned from your, your, your [00:06:51] John McAllister: sister, you said? [00:06:52] So my sister would be our fourth. So my parents kind of knew how to play and my sister would be our fourth, but she wasn't, she never really got into it. She was just willing, a willing participant. And then she had friends that were looking for a fourth, for a, like a weekly bridge class. Oh, [00:07:09] Greg Hinze: that's good. [00:07:10] And, uh, what did you start reading about Bridge? Like, uh, do you read books? Did you play online? So [00:07:17] John McAllister: we had a Bridge for Dummies book that I bought and we would, when I played with my parents, we would sort of have that out. They had like a two page cheat sheet maybe. And I had bridge books, uh, that I would read. [00:07:32] Yeah, I don't exactly remember what, what my first bridge books were or how it all, but I mean, I like, I like consuming information about bridge. Like that is one of the things I, I love playing Bridge. Like to this day I love playing bridge. I love consuming information about Bridge and reading Bridge books is a big part. [00:07:56] What's your favorite, [00:07:57] Greg Hinze: uh, couple [00:07:58] John McAllister: Bridge books? Uh, well, that's a good question. I'm reading right now Bridge with Another Perfect partner, which I think was the I B P A book of the year. And so that's by John Caruthers, who I don't actually know. I don't think I know him. I, I don't know if he plays tournaments or not. [00:08:17] He's Canadian. And it's like a at the table book where, you know, they give you the deal and he's got this partner who is a real, like a real expert. And so that guy explains the, uh, how the deal should be played or how he did play it, or how he created an illusion to, you know, to beat the contract. It's not something that you can read. [00:08:46] I'll read, you know, a couple of deals at a time and then like, do something else cuz it's Bridge Books are not like Rare. Is the Bridge book, uh, um, what's the name of that book? Uh, with the unlucky expert. Oh, uh, the, the Men. Oh. Why You Lose a Bridge? Why You Lose a Bridge? That's probably the, that is a rare bridge book and that you can read it. [00:09:11] Like I can read that book all the way. Without, I've always enjoyed [00:09:16] Greg Hinze: like, uh, the Bridge and the Menagerie series. Uh, and they had the carpa, I think he was a unlucky expert or whatever. Uh, he was labeled as such. But, uh, that was always fun to read. Uh, they, they could, you could read through those things. Uh, just kind of, I just enjoyed the characters and it was a good bridge. [00:09:33] Uh, like a lot of non bridge stuff [00:09:35] John McAllister: at the same time. Yeah, yeah, exactly. And hilarious. So well written Victor Ma. . So, uh, [00:09:42] Greg Hinze: you just got into the A C B O and then you started, uh, going to tournaments. [00:09:47] John McAllister: Uh uh so, uh, traveling the world, playing bridge everywhere. No, no, no. So shook the, my first Bridge teacher was a woman named Shook, and she was pretty eccentric French woman, and she could play with me once a month at the local bridge. [00:10:04] And so then she found this guy who was younger than me who was a UVA student, and she started playing with him. And then I started playing with him. His name's Jason Holderness, and he was better than I was. And we then went, uh, Jason and I, when the D Nationals were in DC in like 2009, I think Jason and I went up there and we played in like a two session. [00:10:30] 1 99 or pair game that we won. And so we got little trophies from that, which unfortunately I threw away, I think. I think I threw away the photo that they took too. . But I forget what your original question. Just like, [00:10:43] Greg Hinze: you know, when you started playing tournaments and, you know, traveling a bit more, uh, as, as opposed [00:10:48] John McAllister: to just going to the local. [00:10:49] So like, uh, my first national was in 2012, so I quit my job at Quantitative Investment Management and I gave, like, they said, will you give us two weeks? And so the last day of my two weeks was, Like that day, literally that day I left for Memphis to play in my first national, that was in spring of 2012. [00:11:12] And there was a sectional the weekend before and I hired this kid named Rob Brady, who was a UVA student who was a, a pro to be my partner. And I forget who our teammates were, but we won the Swiss and that was my first time winning a sectional Swiss. And winning the Swiss made me a life master. Oh wow. [00:11:36] That's [00:11:36] Greg Hinze: a, that was a good timing for everything. pretty, pretty fun. Pretty fun. So, uh, so, so then after that you were just like hooked on nationals? Uh, I mean cuz nationals are pretty fun experience. Uh, I mean, if you haven't been to one, I think they're really fun things to go to. [00:11:54] John McAllister: So, Yes. I mean, essentially yes, I, before I played my first national, I was in at a conference for work in February of 2012, and it was in Palm Beach and Gavin Wilpert lives near there. [00:12:10] And so I knew about Gavin from Bridge Winners and I messaged him on B B O and asked him if I could play with him. And so I played two days with him in the sectional. And he said, which I think is a great piece of advice that I like to give out to people is play against the best competition that you can play against, and that's playing at the Nationals. [00:12:31] So, uh, I've been fortunate to, I've gone to every national but won since then. And I've also played in, uh, one, two, played in four World championships now. Very good. Uh, where was your favorite place to play Bridge? I think Tromso Norway, I played in the European championships there, and it's inside of the Arctic Circle. [00:12:58] So it's, it was in the summer and literally the sun didn't go down. Um, that was a pretty unique, a unique experience. So how is [00:13:10] Greg Hinze: bridge over there like, uh, run differently than it is here? Like, uh, is cuz it feels like it, you know, we may be a little bit outdated in, uh, some of the technology available. is when you played like in the world championships, uh, over [00:13:25] John McAllister: how did, well I think the first time I played behind screens was at a bridge tournament in a Bulgaria. [00:13:31] And the top seven tables were behind screens, and they had like plastic boards. And I remember the, the further that we got in down in the table ranking, we had never seen this before. We had like these leather, little leather sleeves that had the cards in them, but the European championships. And the world Championships, as I imagine, you know, are like, they're all screens, all the tables are screens. [00:14:01] You're playing the same deals at the same time. Everybody's playing the same deals. It's, uh, it's cool because there's a lot of people there that I, that are new to me. So, you know, the national, the US nationals tends to be, tends to be a lot of the same people. But in Europe it was like a whole new, whole new crew of people. [00:14:24] More, uh, uh, [00:14:25] Greg Hinze: foreigners come to America than Americans go to the foreign countries. It seems, um, there's not very many Americans that really do much traveling to play bridge over there as, as far as, as over here seems. Do you find it that way or do you know a lot of Americans that are going all over [00:14:42] John McAllister: these? [00:14:42] Uh, you know, the, the, the Americans that are hiring real, like good teams for the nationals tend to probably play over there. , I would think like there's a tournament. The European Open is this summer in Strasberg, uh, which I think is in France, and the head of the E B L was telling me that he wants to get 200 teams in the open, which would be amazing. [00:15:09] I would really like to go for it, but I don't have firm plans yet for planning that. Also, it feels like in Europe that the. The main events are really the main events like the, the A C B L does a good job of making the events that are going on concurrent to the soloway, like the Board of Match that we won. [00:15:29] They make a good, they do a good job of making those like standalone. Whereas I feel like when you get knocked out in Europe of an event, it's, it's not really a title and an event like that doesn't really carry the same magnitude of that. It might in the A C B L. I see. So, [00:15:48] Greg Hinze: What kind of, uh, systems do you like to play? [00:15:50] John McAllister: Um, . I like to play pretty basic, uh, two over one natural bidding. Not a lot of complexity. I don't have a, like, I don't have a strong long-term partnership with one individual, so I've noticed over the years [00:16:09] Greg Hinze: you do play with a lot of, a lot of different, uh, players, and I think that's a good thing. What do you feel. [00:16:16] You learn like a little bit of something from, you know, everybody [00:16:19] John McAllister: you play with. I mean, one thing I'll say about Bridge, I think I really like to play with people that I enjoy their company and I feel like that we're a good, I feel like, like it's important for me to be able to discuss like the, the, my partner has the right mentality and that we can discuss the boards that we didn't do well and not get, not get angry with each other. [00:16:45] Greg Hinze: So, uh, yeah. Okay. We've been mentioning, uh, the Mitchell Border match, which you just recently won. Yeah. There you were playing with a, a relatively new partnership. Yeah. I [00:16:53] John McAllister: was playing with, uh, spinny Erickson, who I met. I played the Icelandic, uh, the VEC Bridge Festival a couple years ago, and I met s Spinny there and he was playing with this guy named Neils, who's Danish. [00:17:10] And the two of them were just pure comedy. Like Neils had tried to rent a car for the tournament and it had all gone haywire. And he had gone through all these, all this effort to get this car that eventually really just sat in a parking garage in vec. Like he didn't even use it after spending all this energy and time trying to get this car. [00:17:33] And so that story, being told that story over the course of like the days of the event, really, I mean, we laughed so hard about. So much. And so I really enjoyed him. And then in Austin, uh, the first N A B C Post Covid, he was there and I needed a partner for the Swiss. And so we got to talking and we did pretty well in that. [00:17:59] And then we played the Swiss again in Providence and we did well on that. And so, We played the same teammates this, uh, whole time. Uh, the teammates for the Swiss and Providence and, and for Phoenix were the same. Uh, Jovi, uh, Jovi Smatter of, uh, and Sasha Warn, they're Austrian a mixed pair, Jovi's a woman. [00:18:26] Greg Hinze: And uh, so was that, uh, everybody, everybody's first, uh, been there on your team? Yes. That's pretty exciting for you all to experience it at the same time. So like how, how long were you just on the moon? [00:18:39] John McAllister: Uh, you know, probably like a good, good 10 days through the rest of the nationals for sure. Yeah, definitely. [00:18:45] definitely it, it's, I, I mean I playing with Jovi and Sasha in a mixed board of Match in Providence, the summer national, we came in second and we were leading after every segment of the, of the event. But the last one, And that was the first time I'd ever come in second and the first time I'd ever really even been close to winning in one of these events. [00:19:08] And so we had a really good session in the, on the second day of the board of Match, the Mitchell's a two day event. And I had been in the position before and I really wanted to win this time. And then during the session, spinny and I, we just didn't seem like it was going well. We got to probably. Third from Final Round and we played against Curtis Cheek and we got to Issa and Curtis's table and they're like, how's it going? [00:19:41] And Spinny is like, no, we don't have a chance. . So, but yeah, I mean we just didn't, but you know, Jovi and Sasha play this canape system, strong club, so. I don't know how we won, but we won comfortably. It, it was, it was like, uh, yeah, when, when the woman from the A C V L told, told me that we had won, she goes, John, you won. [00:20:09] And I went like, like I had to cut myself off from really squealing like I wanted to. I think a lot of people. I think a lot of people did hear you. And that was, that was like probably one half or one third of what I like if I really had Yeah. Yeah. [00:20:32] Greg Hinze: I just remember seeing you that, uh, day right afterwards and uh, whenever to say, look, and you were just like beeping, like, I mean [00:20:38] John McAllister: it was like, you still [00:20:41] Greg Hinze: happy? [00:20:43] So you went from first National 2012 to winning national like 10 years later. Um, but it's somewhere in between there. You decided that you were going to produce a movie about Bridge called Double Dummy. So [00:21:00] John McAllister: why, what happened there? So my first national event was the IMP pairs in Memphis, and I played with a local guy from Charlottesville named Greg Humphreys, who I'm sure you know. [00:21:13] And Greg, he has a Emmy, right? He has a, he has a Academy Award. He has like an Academy award, I think for create, for writing a book about motion graphics or something like that. So Memphis was my first national, I didn't know anybody, and he invited me to this brainstorming session on how do we get new players? [00:21:42] Uh, young people playing bridge and I, I really didn't even know what the event was, but he said, there's a free dinner, there's gonna be people there. And so I thought, I thought, okay, great. I, I need to meet some people. I want to make some friends and free dinner sounds okay. I mean, maybe it won't be the best food, but whatever. [00:22:00] And so that was, I had just quit my job. I did marketing for the hedge fund, so I knew, like I knew how to sell things or what. . And so that was kind of the, that was the free dinner. [00:22:14] Greg Hinze: I see. So, but the no experience or anything, you just up and like this is gonna be brand new, like the whole movie industry, uh, outta nowhere. [00:22:23] Like, I mean, you didn't go to school for this and you just, so, I mean it just a lot involved, I, I'm sure in, in ma like finding the right people and making a [00:22:33] John McAllister: movie. So it wasn't, it wasn't at that brainstorming session that I had the idea for the movie. But it was at that brainstorming session. I didn't have another job lined up. [00:22:43] I just knew that I wanted to stop, I needed to stop doing what I was doing. And so I thought I could be involved in helping introduce Bridge to more young people. And then I came home and two of my friends were making a movie about a, a scripted film. And we, they took me out to dinner and they, one of 'em said, I think we're, you're the only person we know that plays bridge. [00:23:08] And so I told him about some of the statistics from this brainstorming session, and he said, that sounds like a documentary movie. And then that was, that was where that, that came from. And so you [00:23:20] Greg Hinze: just began filming, was it? Uh, just pretty much all, all at one. Uh, Youth World Championships, right? Uh, most of it. [00:23:29] Or is there There was a lot of, [00:23:31] John McAllister: uh, outside, so I had, I had met Adam Kaplan through Greg at the, uh, at the N A B C, the spring 1, 20 12. And he really, I was really impressed with, in spite of him being 20 years younger than Greg, Greg's my age, and Adam was 16 at the time, and. That the way he was making fun of Greg, talking about how Greg thought about these bridge deals that we were playing, that we were, you know, talking about after the round. [00:23:59] And I knew about Adam from Bridge winners and so he was already like kind of a star to me when I first met him. I'm like, oh, that's Adam Kaplan. And so he became the focal point of the film and he was, he was kind of the leader of a group that included the gross X. And the Jeng brothers and his partner Zach Brisco of like an under 21 team playing the junior world championships that took place in, in August of, uh, of 2012. [00:24:30] So yeah, that's the focal point of the film. Where are these, uh, world World Championships? It was in, uh, in Ta song China, which is about two hours from Shanghai. And this is a, like a, [00:24:43] Greg Hinze: a really long tournament, right? With a big round robin phase and everything similar to like [00:24:47] John McAllister: the B removal. Yeah, there was, uh, I think there was 17 teams in their, in their division, and you play all 16 other teams and then you have, uh, full day knockout matches. [00:24:59] And the finals actually a day and a half. So it was 12 days, 12 days of filming that we were 12 days of play. So you [00:25:07] Greg Hinze: took a lot of this footage and you, you made it, made a movie of it. And, uh, you're trying to, uh, attract some young people. That's, uh, that's really nice. So, uh, the Gross Act also in this, uh, movie, they've done really phenomenal since then as well. [00:25:22] So they've, uh, really had quite a lot of success together and, and even, uh, part and, uh, particularly Zach Groza, uh, just recently cover the Bulletin for winning a Player of the Year. Um, so what. Think about how that is gonna impact the movie. You know, like cuz Zach is in this movie and then now here he is proving himself again later. [00:25:45] You know? I mean, what do you think? [00:25:47] John McAllister: What are your thoughts on that? So the movie's now freely available on pbs.org. If you search for Double Dummy, it'll come up. You can watch it anywhere in the world. It's not geo blocked, obviously, as a filmmaker to have for the, the kids team in the tournament itself. [00:26:06] The way that went down was really great for us. I don't wanna spoil it for anybody. We can't. We can't, don't worry. I'm not, I'm not gonna spoil it. But it was really a great event from the kid standpoint. And then when I originally Adam Kaplan was like, Zach has really turned into what I hoped Adam Kaplan would, would become. [00:26:26] I didn't even know Zach before we got to China and. I was hoping that Adam Kaplan would be the next Jeff Max Troth. Really? And Zach has really, I mean, you know, as you said, like he's player of the year. Like, you know, that's, I mean, [00:26:45] Greg Hinze: it's such a young age. I mean, uh, just really such a great [00:26:48] John McAllister: accomplishment. [00:26:48] Yeah. But it's hard. Like it, one of the things about this film is we send an email out to everybody that is on like a board, like a unit board. Or a district board or that owns a club, or is it a member of the A P T A and I probably got like 20 emails back from, you know, maybe, I don't know how, I don't even know how many emails that was that we sent out. [00:27:13] So if like getting people to actually pay attention to the film is challenging and I'm really grateful that it's on P B s. So it's airing on specific P B S stations. And you can find that on our website, doubled dummy movie.com, but it's also freely available. I'm just glad that it's like that we have this p b s distribution arm cuz, you know, having spent 11 years working on this project, I just want people to see it. [00:27:42] I want, and it, it, it's beyond me at this point. And hopefully it'll be me. It'll, there'll be a meaningful impact. You know, like, uh, there was a post on bridge winners today by somebody talking about the Nebraska airtime. It's, it's, but it's been frustrating, like doing this and not always feeling like people are taking, you know, taking the reigns like, of the film. [00:28:08] So, uh, [00:28:10] Greg Hinze: I remember many years I would always come up to you go like, how's the movie going? How's the movie going, , how's the movie going like year after year? And then, uh, to finally he, and then to finally get to, I saw, uh, you put, you did, uh, some kind of thing at a Nationals, I think where we aired it in. [00:28:26] There was a group of people, I mean, I don't know, maybe 50 to a hundred people, something [00:28:30] John McAllister: in Toronto that was a longer version of the, this is actually a shorter version than if you ask my mother, she would say it's much better, which I agree with a [00:28:38] Greg Hinze: shorter version's better. Okay. I hadn't seen the new, I, I just saw the one, uh, at the, at the time, uh, where you put it. [00:28:44] Uh, yeah. Okay. Toronto Nationals, I don't remember. So 11 years in the process. And, uh, podcast. Podcast now. So sometime, and now you're like, a movie wasn't, I'm going to also make a podcast. And is it, is it, is it the same type of a deal trying to draw a bridge into, to the world? Expand a bridge, or what, what's the reason for the, so the [00:29:06] John McAllister: original reason, rationale for the podcast was to spread the word about the movie, and then it just became fun. [00:29:13] Like I, I enjoy the opportunity to have conversations like this. It's fun, it's challenging. It's a great way to share my passion for bridge. One consistent piece of feedback I've gotten though is from non-player that listen to the podcast is they don't really know what we're talking about. Like it's too high level bridge. [00:29:33] There's too many specific [00:29:34] Greg Hinze: names of people and Yes. Like things that, uh, we take for granted. Like we talk about a Vanderbilt Yes. Or whatever, and they're like, what's the Vanderbilt? Yes. You know, something like that. [00:29:43] John McAllister: Yeah. I underst. And I've tried at points to, to be more inclusive and it's challenging. Like it's, it's definitely challenging and I don't necessarily wanna water it down. [00:29:57] Like, uh, I enjoy the high level of it and we definitely have our fans, you know, like, I'm gonna give a shout out to, uh, one of your partners, Josh Dunn's dad, cliff. Is a regular listener. Hope you don't fall off your mountain bike when you hear this reference. Uh, we actually started doing a segment cuz Josh told me that Cliff listens to all the shows and then he, if Josh has ever mentioned, he'll send him a, a like thing from the transcript. [00:30:26] And so we started doing a Cliff Don, where somebody had the Cliff don segment where somebody would tell a story about Josh. So my story about Josh, not that you asked. Was at my first nationals playing in the Vanderbilt for the first time, cuz Gavin suggested it. We, it was a three-way and we lost in the, uh, afternoon. [00:30:49] So we were playing Josh Dunn's team in the evening and it was, I think Kit Wooey was on the team. Perhaps. I don't remember who Josh was playing with. I think Josh was playing with Roger Lee. And I remember thinking after the second segment that we won and they beat us by like 40 in that segment. [00:31:25] Greg Hinze: So anyway, uh, yeah. So you had a lot of, you ended up having a lot of, uh, you know, great people on, uh, on your, your podcast, uh, you know, great players, uh, like, you know, or even early on you had like Chef Maroth and some. Who are your, some of your favorite, uh, episodes? Do you have standout episodes where it's just like, you know, wow, this is like, you know, bridge on a, on another level. [00:31:48] Like, I just getting to know somebody this like, is [00:31:50] John McAllister: just like, I think the three people that come to mind are Gavin because it was the first one and I've been wanting to do the podcast for a long time, probably three years. And so when I actually recorded the conversation, I thought, wow, this is, you know, it was just cool to actually finally do it. [00:32:07] And he tells a great story about ducking with King in one offside, and I mean, that was just why I wanted to do it. And then Hammond, you know, probably the most recognizable bridge name and then troth because he just was great. Like he told great stories and. You know, Jeff has really, uh, helped me become a, like, get more out of my bridge ability by challenging me to, to be a better player. [00:32:41] And, uh, so Jeff is always a very, uh, [00:32:47] Greg Hinze: like fierce competitor. I mean, he is like, yes, I mean, but he's always so friendly and helpful away from the game as well, you know, but. He is, uh, always at the table. It's like nothing. He doesn't miss anything. He is never phased. It's just like, how, how does this guy ever, never do anything wrong? [00:33:03] John McAllister: he was my partner for a regional last year in Hilton Head and at Fir it went from like being elated that I'm playing with Jeff Maxy. And so frustrated with him cuz he was frustrated with me and it took me a while. I was driving back to Virginia after the second day we played together, and I was listening to these podcasts and I thought, man, this, you know, eventually it got through to me that the reason that he was upset with me is I wasn't getting the best outta myself. [00:33:32] And that led me to have my best year of bridge ever last year, which, uh, yeah, was a really, really good [00:33:38] Greg Hinze: year. Capping it off. still, you still see you glowing, . Yeah. Uh, okay. Well, uh, some of your other favorite bridge [00:33:48] John McAllister: memories. Well, I'll tell a story. So, I played my first World championships in Sonya in 2014, and the way that I ended up doing that was Christina Lund Madson had emailed me and she said that her and Dennis Bilda, who's one of the, you know, great players, great young players, uh, in the world, they were looking for a partners for the mixed teams. [00:34:14] and that sounded like fun. I really liked Christina. I didn't know much about her, her playing, uh, but I knew Dennis was a really like a rising star, and so I needed to have a female partner. I said, I don't have a female partner, and she suggested mre, uh, MRE Campanile who's, who's also been a guest on the show. [00:34:37] And I remember when, when mcg. So I went up and met her in New York City. We had lunch on her birthday and we hit it off and we're like, let's do this. And, and then I remember when we talked on the phone or we tried to talk on the phone for the first time. Riss originally from, uh, well she immigrated Israel, but she's originally from Romania. [00:34:56] And I remember I couldn't understand her and I was like, I don't think this is gonna work. . So, uh, are you speaking English? Miri introduced me to a lot of her friends. . I think just, that's one of the things about Bridge is like, it's, it's kind of a strange dynamic because we're playing against the other people. [00:35:19] So there are more often than not, you know, people are your opponent, but at the same time there's a lot of, there's a lot of kinship and, you know, spirit and, uh, You know, like for example, you congratulating me in, in Phoenix for winning the national, for winning the event. Like so many people were so excited for, for me. [00:35:41] And, uh, [00:35:43] Greg Hinze: yeah, it, it, it's nice. I mean, uh, yeah, it's a lot of camaraderie, you know, it's, it's bitter competition at the table, but then away from it at the parties at night or whatever afterwards, you know, the drinking at the bars and going over the hands and so, Speaking of hands that you're like most [00:36:03] John McAllister: nightmare hand ever. [00:36:04] Uh, well, there was a hand at the, I played in the mixed world championships this year with, uh, Olivia Sheen as my partner and we were playing in the Paris. We didn't make it to the, uh, heads up matches for teams when we're playing in the pairs. And I had like, uh, a six of diamonds. Queen 10, double 10 of clubs, Jack, fourth of hearts. [00:36:33] So I had ace, queen jack, six of diamonds, queen 10, double 10 jack, fourth of hearts. So they opened a, I was fourth and they opened a Polish club on my right and every, nobody's vulnerable. So I bid three diamonds and it goes, What happened? I forget what happened, but they got to seven eventually, lefty did six hearts. [00:37:00] So Polish Club, you don't get, it's like a strong club in that you don't reveal your suit at first, or the fact that you, so I, I didn't have Jack fourth of hearts. I had, I had like 10, I think I had ten fourth of Harvey anyway now. So now the guy bids five hearts, then lefty bids six hearts, and then they bid seven. [00:37:22] and I'm kind of rooting for them to bid Seven Hearts . So I lead the ace of diamonds cuz I'm thinking, you know, there's no way that they're bidding this grand slam with the king of diamonds. You know, they're not valuing that. But lo and behold, lefty had King Fourth of Diamonds, . So now declare has a chance to make it. [00:37:44] And I'm like, shit. I was rooting for that and now I'm get about to get burned. So Dummy had Ace start of clubs and declare had King Jack nine fourth, and if they, so I'm like, am I gonna play the Queen of Clubs on the first round of clubs? So he drew Trumps and now he plays. I think I had three Trumps. I don't know I'm telling the story terribly, but he, on the first round of clubs, he plays club to the Ace and I played the Queen [00:38:18] And now [00:38:20] Greg Hinze: did he have like nine of 'em and [00:38:21] John McAllister: now he played No, no. It actually worked. He played, he played back and he thought, and he thought, now I played the nine and I won the 10. I was like, yeah. So it went from being a nightmare to. It was all, both your nightmare and your [00:38:36] Greg Hinze: first favorite hand All. Yeah. [00:38:39] John McAllister: Yeah. Nightmare hands. I mean so many nightmare hands. I remember a hand mire in the world championships. We were on the verge of qualifying for the finals of the world pairs in 2014. My first world championship, the World Bridge Series, and there was a hand where I had like, uh, king in one sp. and we had a two over one auction and then she bid two. [00:39:03] No. And now I just bid three. No, cuz you know, that was just the right thing to do. And they lead a spade through my king and it goes queen. And then the, and then my lefty plays the ACEs spades and mires. Jack Doubleton comes. Now they got the whole space suit and I'm like, God damn it nigger, why are you hogging the hand? [00:39:30] Oh, . [00:39:31] Greg Hinze: That's funny. Funny. So, uh, most important bridge convention if [00:39:37] John McAllister: you can only have one. Oh, wow. Probably negative double. I think. Uh, I played in London, used to talk about the bridge in the Menagerie series. I played rubber bridge for the first time over there and I felt like I was a character. I felt like I was in that. [00:39:52] when I was play. Which one were you? Well, I wasn't nec, I just felt like I, I didn't have a character myself, but I just felt like I was like playing with the characters in that book. And we, they don't let you play negative doubles there. They don't let you play. Don't [00:40:07] Greg Hinze: they all play like usually the same? [00:40:08] Everybody plays the same thing [00:40:09] John McAllister: like that. They don't play, they don't. You play Roman keycard. You can only, you can't find out about the King of Trump or the queen of Queen of Trump. Bobby, uh, Wolf was [00:40:20] Greg Hinze: a big, uh, advocator of, uh, not playing key card. He wouldn't mind being on, uh, in a slam on the finesse of the King of Trump. [00:40:28] So he would always know, although you may know you're off a key card, he would know that it was the king cuz he would know about the number of ACEs cuz he didn't count the king as a key card, counted that later in the Kings or whatever. So, so he would know that he would be on a finesse and he wouldn't mind. [00:40:46] Is it better than like, being there and like, oh, am I off the Ace ? It's not even on the Finesse, it's off the Ace. You lose the Ace . [00:40:54] John McAllister: Is he someone that's been a mentor to you? Like I know he is from Texas. I think we got to play with Bobby one [00:40:59] Greg Hinze: time and uh, I just remember that was like we, we, we wrote down like four things on the commissioner. [00:41:04] We had those, uh, the white com, the old fashioned white convention card. I think we wrote down like four things, like 15, 17 real big with transfer or something, and. We wrote down, you know, ACE asking, it was like not, it was not . We, and we wrote down carding or something. And, uh, so we, we played, uh, we played that one time. [00:41:24] And, uh, I played as a teammate of his, uh, a few times. He had some, uh, of his regular older partners, uh, that he played with some, some long ago. And, and I played against him many times from, uh, the area that I was playing in. Uh, I think he eventually moved to Vegas and, uh, I don't [00:41:43] John McAllister: dunno what's happening. I don't even know. [00:41:44] I, I'm sure I've played against him, but not, uh, I only have a couple more questions by the way. I just, who, I wanna say that Greg sent me a full list of questions, including like, the best hand. I, I don't know if the best hand was in there, but I wanted to be spontaneous. It would've been something like the best hand would've been good to think, or worst hand would've been good to think. [00:42:05] Before, uh, but you did send me like a full list. Yeah, that one. [00:42:08] Greg Hinze: I, I, I'm not even sure I included that. I did throw, I, I did have some questions that it weren't on your list that I asked you. So anyway, like this one who's faster, you or Justin Law, [00:42:21] John McAllister: were you at that tournament? No, but I heard about it. So you're referring to at the Williamsburg Regional some years ago. [00:42:31] We had a, a race in the hotel conference area and it was probably a 50 yard dash and Justin smoked me . Sad but true. [00:42:46] Greg Hinze: And question from my wife. You like pineapple on your [00:42:51] John McAllister: pizza? I used to like a Hawaiian pizza. I used to, that used to be on my order, but, uh, it's been a while. Why? Why is your wife asking? I don't know. [00:43:02] She [00:43:02] Greg Hinze: knew I was gonna be doing this interview and, uh, she just thought, uh, that was a, some silly question. Thought I would ask. [00:43:11] John McAllister: You can cut back out , cut out the pineapple pizza, . You got it. [00:43:18] Greg Hinze: Anyway, I don't, I don't have anything else. Okay. John, I going through my list of questions. [00:43:25] John McAllister: How, what do you, what is your setup there? [00:43:27] Do you have like a sheet of paper with all the questions on 'em? Do you have 'em like, uh, yeah, I, [00:43:32] Greg Hinze: I, I'm looking at my little questions here. Yeah. And then some of 'em, you know, I had to skip over cuz you kind of covered them already. You know, they were gonna be questions, but That's okay. I mean, that's great. [00:43:42] You know, it's great. I don't have to ask questions. You just knew what I was gonna ask you. Well. As if you knew, like, so somebody may have fed you the questions. [00:43:50] John McAllister: No, he did, but I mean, I really appreciate it. When I saw that list of questions, I wasn't sure if you were like, how committed you were to it and if, what if it was more like me saying, oh, you know, you offered to do this, but maybe, anyway, when I got that list of questions from you, I was really, it really touched me like that you were. [00:44:08] You were thinking about it so much. Well, I'm glad. [00:44:10] Greg Hinze: I mean, this went, I, I was a little nervous about how this may go cuz it's, you know, not so easy to just, to be, you know, talking and you're, you're used to it. I'm, I'm not, I'm not so used to it. . [00:44:21] John McAllister: It's funny how I'm used to it. It's funny how it's something that is so natural just to do. [00:44:28] Like me and you, for me and you to talk, but then when it becomes a Yeah, that's what made it [00:44:33] Greg Hinze: easy for me. Cuz I mean, you know, we're looking at each other on the camera or whatever, so we can see each other and it's just like, to me, it's not like really doing an interview at all. I mean, you know, it's more like just talking to a friend, you know, just like, tell me more about you tell me something. [00:44:47] John McAllister: Didn't know. Mm-hmm. , what was the most surprising? Like, what was the depth? What was the depth? Can you. Is there a way for you to explain the depths of the research that you did or ? Like what the depths, what do you think was like the most down a rabbit hole you went? I didn't [00:45:06] Greg Hinze: go that far, really. I was like, uh, you know, I, I, I, I just, yeah. [00:45:11] I found your police profiles and your mugshot. That, that was, that was the most surprising to me was when I found your mug. [00:45:21] John McAllister: I have never been arrested, by the way, for all my loyal listeners out there. I, I have not. Well, they should take that off [00:45:28] Greg Hinze: the internet [00:45:28] John McAllister: then, . Um, well, thank you. No, I, [00:45:32] Greg Hinze: I, I, I, seriously, I, I didn't, I didn't do that much research. [00:45:35] Um, and you know, I mean, just, I, I, I know a lot about you already, , you're a great guy and, and a lot of people, a lot of people know a lot about you. [00:45:46] John McAllister: Well, it's, it is, it is. I'm flattered and I really appreciate it and, uh, thank you so much. Oh, you're [00:45:52] Greg Hinze: quite welcome. And, uh, yeah, thanks. Thanks for having me once more. [00:45:57] I really enjoyed it. We'll see you again on the circuit. [00:46:00] John McAllister: Are you playing any tournaments next nationals? I, so here's your, here's your team. The next national. I've got some possibilities out there, but nothing is confirmed. Yeah. Okay, well, the intrigue, we'll see you there in New Orleans. We're going though, for sure, right? [00:46:15] Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, for sure. No, I'm definitely playing. You playing with Vinnie or, I don't think so. You don't know? They, nothing's [00:46:21] Greg Hinze: confirmed. Okay. [00:46:24] John McAllister: All right, man. I'll see you in New Orleans. I'm, I'm actually playing in the North American Paris. Are you gonna be there for that? No. No. Have you won that [00:46:33] Greg Hinze: Platinum Pierce? [00:46:34] No. I've, I've, I. I think I only entered one time to the national level. We made it and we got knocked out first day or something. What [00:46:45] John McAllister: was your first national win? Yeah. I've never done well in that event. [00:46:48] Greg Hinze: My first national win was in New Orleans where we're going now, and in 2004 we won the North American Swiss, but that was in the fall of 2004. [00:47:00] This is spring of [00:47:01] John McAllister: 2020, whatever. Had you been close before that? [00:47:06] Greg Hinze: I was fourth in the LMS once, uh, before that, the three day LM pair, like basically lost in the last round. Mm-hmm. , , it was pretty [00:47:17] John McAllister: close. Who is your partner? [00:47:20] Greg Hinze: Uh, guy with, uh, I don't play with him, haven't play with him long time, but Nagi came out from, uh, he's from Texas also. [00:47:28] He's one of my original players that I used to play with learning back in the day. Played a lot of bridge with. But not, not so much. In the last 15 [00:47:36] John McAllister: years, if you could, if you could teach bridge to one person on the planet, who would it be to teach to one person on the planet? You got to choose your bridge student. [00:47:47] Who would it be? [00:47:49] Greg Hinze: Yeah, it would be like he's my, yeah, so like somebody famous, like, uh, I don't know, maybe, uh, yeah, I don't know. That's too tough of a question. Something like famous actor [00:47:58] John McAllister: or something. That would be pretty cool. All right, well you gotta gimme an answer in New Orleans. Okay, I'll give you an answer. [00:48:03] New Orleans, [00:48:03] Greg Hinze: um, he put me on the spot [00:48:05] John McAllister: now. All right, man. Thanks. Resources Connect with John LinkedIn - linkedin.com/in/johnmca/ Website - thesettingtrick.com/ Book by John Carruthers Bridge with Another Perfect Partner – goodreads.com/book/show/60495965-bridge-with-another-perfect-partner Book by S.J. Simon Why You Lose at Bridge – goodreads.com/en/book/show/1141603 Movie - Double Dummy imdb.com/title/tt3531224/ doubledummymovie.com/
Rejoin the Bell Boys as they complete a two part interview with Andy Strasberg who realized a lifelong dream of working in Major League Baseball. Andy continues his special relationship with Roger Maris and his family and embarks on a long career in baseball that left a lasting impact on how we all experience the game.
Welcome to the Global Latin Factor podcast, where we explore the lives and careers of some of the most influential Latin musicians, artists of our time & Latino Culture. This week, we're diving into the incredible story of Latina Mexican American singer, songwriter, and activist Joan Baez & Columbian actor John Leguizamo.With over 60 years in the industry and more than 30 albums, Baez's music spans across genres such as folk, rock, pop, country, and gospel. She began her recording career in 1960 and achieved immediate success. Her first three albums, Joan Baez, Joan Baez, Vol. 2, and Joan Baez in Concert all achieved gold record status.Baez is known for interpreting other composers' work, having recorded songs by the Allman Brothers Band, the Beatles, Jackson Browne, Leonard Cohen, Woody Guthrie, Violeta Parra, the Rolling Stones, Pete Seeger, Paul Simon, Stevie Wonder, Bob Marley, and many others. She was one of the first major artists to record the songs of Bob Dylan in the early 1960s and helped popularize his early songwriting efforts.We also want to take a moment to recognize another influential Latin artist, John Leguizamo. He was born July 22, 1960, in Bogotá, Colombia, and is an actor, comedian, and film producer. He rose to fame with a co-starring role in Super Mario Bros. (1993) as Luigi, and a supporting role in the crime drama Carlito's Way (1993). He was a child when his family emigrated to the United States. He was raised in Queens, New York, attended New York University, and studied under legendary acting coach Lee Strasberg for only one day before Strasberg passed away. He began his theater career at#thegloballatinfactor #JoanBaez #JohnLeguizamo #hispanicheritagemonth #latinosmakingadifference ##LatinoCommunity #LatinoFood #LatinoHeritage#LatinoVoices #LatinoPride #LatinoEmpowerment #latinxpodcast Support the showSocial Media:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheGlobalLatinFactorPodcastTwitter: https://twitter.com/thegloballatin1Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thegloballatinfactorpodcastTiktok: ...
In this episode, Bob Dalton interviews Treger Strasberg, founder and executive director of Humble Design, a nonprofit that is changing lives and communities by custom designing and fully furnishing home interiors for individuals, families, and veterans emerging from homelessness in Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit, San Diego, and Seattle.Learn more by visiting: humbledesign.org
Award-winning, writer, director, actress Christina began her career acting in such cult films as Suburbia, Boys next door and Dudes. She was one of three women accepted into Fox Searchlights new director s program, her IFP nominated Best screenplay, debut feature, PERFECTION was part of their rough-cut labs, Independent film week and winner of The Adrienne Shelly female directing award.PERFECTION screened at The Oxford film festival where Christina won Best Actor and Best Narrative feature and also screened in the San Francisco International Women's film festival, the USA film festival in Dallas, Texas, The Egyptian theatre in Hollywood, CA, premiered at the RIO cinema London, The Quad cinema, New York and screened at The Laemmle' s Monica 4plex in Santa Monica, CA.Christina has sat on the juries for the London feminist film festival, the Eastern European film festival, the 100 word film festival, NC and has served head of the jury at the USA film festival, Dallas.Her upcoming projects include, EXPECTING GRACE set in Marseilles France, her short, HOOKER #2 and the punk rock pilot, POSEUR. Christina has lectured at The New York film academy, The Met School, London, Harvard Westlake, Cal State Fullerton and is an adjunct professor at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles in the film and television department.Show NotesChristina Beck's Website - https://www.christinabeck.comChristina Beck on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/cbrubylee_xtinabeck/Michael's Online Screenwriting Course - https://michaeljamin.com/courseFree Screenwriting Lesson - https://michaeljamin.com/freeJoin My Watchlist - https://michaeljamin.com/watchlistTranscripts Are Auto-GeneratedChristina Beck:I always say to my students, Pick stories that you love. Pick stories that you feel like you have to tell because you're gonna be living with that story and pitching that story way beyond the script. You're gonna be pitching it for grants, you're gonna be pitching it for festivals, you're gonna be pitching it for people to watch it online. You're forever pitching these stories. But to say something visually is powerful. I think it can change minds and hearts.Michael Jamin:You're listening to Screenwriters Need To Hear This with Michael Jen. Hey everyone, this is Michael Jamin and you're listening to Screenwriters. Need to Hear This. We got a special guest for you today. If you are an indie filmmaker, an aspiring indie filmmaker, you're gonna wanna listen to this. You're gonna wanna meet Christina Beck, who I've known forever. She's an old friend, independent filmmaker, but she's you. She also teaches at Loyola Marmont University and the Fame Stella Adler Theater where she teaches screen screenwriting as well as film producing filmmaking, all that stuff. Well Christina, welcome to the big show.Christina Beck:Thank you. Thank you so much. I was gonna call you Mr. Jam and it's a habit. I can't help it.Michael Jamin:It's a habit. There it is. Cause cuz Christina briefly worked for me as an assistant for me and my partner on a show. And then I force you to call me Mr. JaminChristina Beck:. it just kind of fell into this thing. Yeah, no, you did not force me. You didn't force me at all.Michael Jamin:I never did that.Christina Beck:But I will correct you Mr. Jamin. So I actually don't teach at Stella Adler. I teach at least Strassburg, but I could see where you would choose that. Oh, at least Strasberg. Yeah,Michael Jamin:Just I would think,Christina Beck:Right. Well, they're all,Michael Jamin:They're East Strasberg. Go to that one.Christina Beck:Yeah, but sad. They're not around anymore. But the legacies are for sure.Michael Jamin:I haven't been to West Hollywood forever. Yeah. And you guys see, you got your one sheet from, That's from Perfection. Let's talk about what you're at, some of your movies that you've done, cuz Christina is an indie filmmaker. She's a hustler. She makes her movie, she writes your stuff. You also started as an actor, right? Where, let's take me back to the beginning. You basically started, you wanted to be an actress, right?Christina Beck:Yes, yes. Yeah. So I grew up here in Hollywood, actually not in Hollywood. I grew up in the Valley. Let's get real about that. So I like to call it the main streets of Studio City. And although it was very different back then, I know today it's a unaffordable, you can't even get in there. But back in the day it was the suburbs, basically. And my folks were in show business. My father was a screenwriter and an actor, and my mother was an actress, a model kind of actress. She ended up studying in New York with some very significant people. Sandy Meisner had a full scholarship for the Neighborhood Playhouse, which was a big deal back in those days. But my beginning with acting really started just as a kid. being extremely bored in the valley and putting on shows. I was that kid. I was putting on shows, arranging the stuffed animals. If we ever had company, they were held hostage to my extravagant. Really? Yeah. It was Cabaret 24 7 and . I know. Yeah. You didn't know that about me. Yep. I didn't know that. Yeah.Michael Jamin:I also didn't know your dad was a screenwriter. I didn't know that as well. Did he work aChristina Beck:Lot? Yes, he didn't work a lot as a screenwriter. He worked a lot as an actor. So when he came out to Hollywood, he's from Texas originally, and he came out to Hollywood and straight away got signed to William Morris, got put under contract at Universal and did a bunch of movies. But then he did westerns. I always played the bad guy on Bonanza andMichael Jamin:Yeah, Christina, I didn't know your Hollywood royalty Well,Christina Beck:A little bit, yeah. Yeah. Oh wow. Definitely the lineage is there. Yeah. But his real love was screenwriting. He didn't love acting. He really did fall into it. And he had a great look and he was a cowboy, so he played a cowboy, but he wasn't even really a cowboy. He's just from Texas. But yeah, there's this really great story. So Robert Blake, who some of us know strange stuff all around that guy. But that said, back in the fifties, he was friends with my father was friends with him, and Robert Blake had a part where he had to ride a horse. And my dad said, All right buddy, I'll take you out. And they went to, I think probably, well, I don't know what it's called now, but it used to be called Pickwick, which is in Burbank near Disney. They went out over there and not only did he teach him how to ride a horse, he helped him learn his lines. And because I heard this story later after my father passed Robert said, Your father, he really sat with me in this tiny little apartment and he had me drill my dialogue and I got the roof because of him and just very sweet old school. Wow. Hollywood, stuff like that. But that said, when my father wasn't working as an actor, he was always in his, it was dad's den type, type type, type type. He was always working on screenplays and he loved writing.Michael Jamin:Yeah. Do you feel the same? Do you acting more, writing more for you? Well, are you like your dad orChristina Beck:Not? No. Yeah. No, I'm not like my dad. I, there's bits of me that I like him, but it's more acting was definitely the first bug. And like I said, putting on shows at home. But then I got kind of lucky, I was in the valley still. So on Ventura Boulevard near Vineland there was this place called Moral Landis Dance Studio. And my mother used to go and take a jazz class there. This is the late seventies. And next door was a place called the American National Academy of Performing Arts. So I kind of wandered over there and at this academy place, and I ended up joining an acting class. And my very first acting class, an acting teacher, was a man named Francis Letter. And I didn't notice at the time, so I'm like nine years old, 10 years old, and he is about 80 or maybe seven in his seventies. And so I joined this acting class and then he asked me to be in the adult acting class, and I gotta play all the juicy, the bad seed and just fun stuff like that. Oh wow. And so it turns out that later on I found out that he was a big deal and he was in Pandora's Box, the silent film starring opposite Louise Brooks. And he's, and he did a ton of stuff for a long time. And then he was part of the actor studio in New York, and he was from Eastern Europe, but came over here right before the war, I think, . So that's when I really just was in heaven as a kid acting in this class. And then I also did some commercials with my brother. We were in some commercials. And then I became a teenager, , and then I became really rebellious and mm-hmm got into the punk rock scene and completely fell in love with music and artistry. I mean, really at that time too, this was the early eighties when punk rock wasn't necessarily vi What's so funny,Michael Jamin:Cause I can't picture you doing being into punk rock. I guess it,Christina Beck:I got pictures. I got pictures, and I've actually written the whole show about it. Yeah, I . But all that to say, yeah, I, I never wasn't like the punk rock chick. I more, I liked the artistry of it. I liked the right, And when I say that, I mean there were a lot of wonderful, cool artist people that I'd met mostly, much older than me at the time, but they were musicians and writers and actors. But they were on this kind of rebellious thing where we don't need permission to do anything, we just get to be creative. And that's what I loved mostly about that whole scene. And then there were different facets of it that were cuckoo and, and intense and lots of drugs and lots of alcohol and lots of inappropriate stuff. But then I got cast in a movie, so now it's my late teens.And my best friend, she was well there is a woman named Penelope's Theorists who has made films that we know of Wayne's World and different Hollywood films. But at that time she had made a documentary called The Decline of the Western Civilization, which is a really amazing film even to this day because she really got into that la punk rock scene at that particular time in space. And it was an incredible film. And she wanted to make a narrative film. So she wrote a script and got it produced by a furniture salesman guy. And I think Roger Corman of course. And so I got cast in that. And like I said, I was in my late teens and at that time I was kind of over punk rock and I was like, Eh, don't wanna, this is stupid. But I ended up doing it. And that is where I really was like, okay, this is the way I wanna spend the rest of my life.I loved being on set. And to answer your question, it's really tricky. I love in the realm of all that we do in terms of writing has its moments and then the pre-production, but being on set to me is definitely my favorite. And post is a whole nother exploration. But yeah, so it was from that moment on that I was just like, Okay, this is what I wanna do. And I did a couple more films with Penelope and then I moved to New York City and I wanted to be a real, I also felt like, okay, I didn't really, I need to be a real actor. I really have. And soMichael Jamin:A theatrical actor, is that why you moved toChristina Beck:New York? Well, yeah, I mean I love theater and my very best friend, you might know her, Cynthia, Man. Oh, okay. Yeah, it's Shannon. Familiar . Yeah. So we wereMichael Jamin:Frozen. That's how I met my wife. That's how I met her. I met you through her. I met you honestly, Christina. That was the first time it was really, I met you really on real early on, but go on. When I was with Cynthia. Really? Yeah. Tour or something.Christina Beck:I know, it's so great. Michael Jamin:But go on. AndChristina Beck:So Cynthia was in New York and at that time, for me, I felt like I really wanted to study and be a serious actor because I come from more of a film background. I did study a bit with Francis, but I really wanted to pay my dues as an actor. And I, I studied with a bunch of different great people. I auditioned for everything that was there at the time. AndMichael Jamin:Tell me, I'm gonna interrupt for a second, hold on. But tell me what your thoughts are, the difference between acting for film or television and acting for the stage.Christina Beck:Well, in my experience and what I'm also kind of revisiting lately, well when you're acting in film, it's very subtle. There's a camera and the camera picks up everything. And so when you're on stage, you are playing to the back row. People in the back need to see and understand what's going on. And it's just a very different, and I think most actors can do both. Some are, I guess more comfortable doing one or the other.Michael Jamin:But when you study and you train, do you sometimes study specifically or did you specifically for film versusChristina Beck:No, no, I didn't. No.Michael Jamin:Are are classes like that? Yeah. Just forChristina Beck:Fun. Yeah. Yeah. There's like on camera classes where people, it's for auditions I think, but also to get to practice how you come off on camera. Yeah. I never did that . I never, yeah. Really did that. But here's a weird, maybe creepy thing. Ever since I was a kid though, I always felt like there was a camera on me. , I would visualize, I could almost disassociate a little bit, this is a psychological thing here, but I felt, I would kind of imagine walking to school, what would it be if this character was walking to school? I almost was above myself a little bit watching myself. And that's a weird thing to say cuz actually when you're acting in a film, you really shouldn't be watching yourself. But that's where I am also a director. SoMichael Jamin:In other words, you were visualizing visualize how you would shoot yourself or is it more of Yeah. Was it more of a fantasy thing or how would I appear on, I wanna shoot myself if I was walking down the street?Christina Beck:Yeah, it's more the that one. And of course a little bit of fantasy, but it was escapism. But it was also, I was sort of able to take myself little Christina walking to school fifth grade out of it and see it from this other angle. And I don't know what that's about, but I do now I I see things that way all the time.Michael Jamin:Really How you would shoot it, where you would place the camera Christina Beck:Or where is the camera? Yeah. And it's such a funny thing cuz we live in a world now where everyone has a phone and everyone is documenting, everyone is shooting themselves. And that's a little different. But I guess it's similar in a way.Michael Jamin:Did you have film equipment when you were that Young? Christina Beck:I mean, Well my dad I none. We really didn't. My dad, no, my dad did my made some super great films and actually. Yeah, we did a lot of home movies when I was little. So I was usedMichael Jamin:To with sound.Christina Beck:No, no sound. No, it'sMichael Jamin:Interesting.Christina Beck:So yeah, yeah, being tied up on a tree and then my brother coming up on a horse and all sorts of me crying. Yeah, I got it. I got it all.Michael Jamin:Wow. Then so after New York, so how long were you in New York?Christina Beck:Three years. I was there for three years. AndMichael Jamin:Then what made you decide to come back?Christina Beck:Well, I wrote a play and that's kind of what happened. So I'm in New York, I'm studying, I'm auditioning for Everything film. I remember that there was one year where I really went out for everything that was shot in New York or anywhere around there and didn't get anything. And at the time I was studying with a woman at Playwrights Horizons who was a writer and an actress. And she said, Listen, you guys really should start writing characters that you feel you could play or just more of an empowerment in terms of instead of waiting around for everyone to give you a role, write something. So a bunch of us did, and it really started out by writing monologues. So I was in a group of women and we formed a little theater company and so we wrote characters and monologues for these characters and then we put it up and that was really great. And then I gotMichael Jamin:You. Don't skip that step. How did you put it up? How do people stage playsChristina Beck:You a lot of time? Well, at that time, at that time, which was a long time ago we raised a little bit of money, kind of similar to a lot of independent film stuff. But we raised a little money, family and friends type of thing. We actually did it at the Samuel Beckett Theater, which was where Playwright Horizon, I think they're still there on 42nd Street, I think eighth and ninth, 42nd Street, . And we put it up for a weekend and we got reviewed and we got in. It was great. It was super fun. And it also felt like I started to feel more complete as stuff that I could do as an actress. I always, I didn't, waiting around, I don't waiting for, I just felt like I have more to do and I was always journaling and stuff as a kid and as I got in my teens.And so writing to me didn't feel that far off from what I was already doing. And coming into it as an actor, I knew I've read enough plays and I've read enough monologues to understand how to write in that form. So I ended up when I was living in New York, I'd come back to LA and visit in the summers. Cause summers are horrific in Manhattan. So there were some musicians that I met that were doing some kind of cool stuff. And this one guy played, he had a character that he did. And so I wrote a play. I kind of inspired me to write this play about him. He was playing a lounge singer and he, his friend had this group and it was kind of rock and roll stuff, but then they would go into a lounge sort of thing. And I thought, oh, that would be funny to, what would it be if these lounge singers had a kid and tried to live their life? And it was a little autobiographical, the father's alcoholic and the mother's sort of obsessed with her beauty. And so these themes started to come up in my work. So I wrote this full length play and there was music in it too. And then we also shot some video footage, so it was sort of like a multimedia thing. So I kind of had to come back to LA to do that.Michael Jamin:So you staged it?Christina Beck:Yes. I didn't direct it, so I wrote it and I starred in it. But a friend of mine this woman named Modi, who I met from the punk rock days, but also she was Penelope's assistant on some of the film stuff I worked on with her and was a video director in her own. And so she came in and she directed it and it was great. It was amazing. It was.Michael Jamin:And how do you even get the theater to put it up?Christina Beck:We raced a little bit of money and then we got producers and they put it up up.Michael Jamin:What do you mean? How does that work? You got producers, what doesChristina Beck:That mean? Yeah, so the woman who played my mother in this is an amazing singer, artist, actor. Her name is Jane Cotillion. And so she loved the play and she said, Oh, I know this guy Billy DeModa and he's a casting director and maybe he could produce it. And he didMichael Jamin:. This is just from being out here, just from honestly, just meeting people, being in circles, taking acting classes and because that's the thing about la everyone's trying to do something right?Christina Beck:Absolutely, yeah. I mean think it's now because of Zoom and different things in the world and there's so much more accessibility. I think it's possible to collaborate and not be here. But all that said, especially at that time, you had to be here. And I do think it's still important to be in the place where you wanna be if you can. And these people I knew, so I knew about the guy, his name is Manny Chevrolet and he and his friend had this act and they were opening up for the Red Hot Chili Peppers and I knew them from suburbia, which was the movie I did with Penelope I knew. And so it was kinda a group of people that I already knew. And then the musical directors, this guy named Tree, who's good friends with, and they were just all these people that kind of organically came on board.Michael Jamin:Interesting. And tell me, but how do, you're also, obviously you've written and directed and produced a bunch of movies, indie movies, some are shorts, some are full length, but do you go about, alright, so you work on the script. How long do you work on the script and when do you know it's done?Christina Beck:Yeah, that's a great question. And then everything's a little bit different. So with short films, well I'm teaching a course right now, so I feel like I already have this in my mind. Short film is one idea and that script can take a long time to write. It's not easy to write a short film because basically you're trying to squeeze in this one idea in a way that has a beginning, middle, and end. So you don't have the luxury of necessarily three acts, but you have to have this.Michael Jamin:How long is it short for you? Well,Christina Beck:Okay, so that's another great question because what I have learned now, I think a sweet spot for a short is anywhere from 10 to 12 minutes. I think if you can sit, do it in a shorter amount of time, even better because depending on what you wanna do with it. So there's a whole film festival world, which is pretty much the best place for your shorts to be seen if you can get them produced. So it's a matter of programming these films. So if you have a film that's 20, 25 minutes, that obviously takes up more time. And most film festivals, they program the short films in a block. So they're literally trying to pack in as many as they can and good ones. And it's all different too because the academy nominated films, they can be up to 40 minutes. But even again,Michael Jamin:When you say program, when they're looking for blocks, what is their intention?Christina Beck:Well, they'reMichael Jamin:Showcasing what I mean, you have to understand that right as well. How does the film festival, how do they make money so that they would want you?Christina Beck:Right. Well that's a whole other thing. So there's different kind of aspects to that. So there's short films that are star driven, meaning you can put a star name in it. Now that always brings money and cache to a festival but not you can make a great short film and not have a star in it, is really what I wanna say. Because a good short film is something that has a very original idea. Again, it's short enough where you want more basically. And it's not making a feature and then picking a scene from the feature and making a short out of it. Sometimes you can create characters or create a separate script. So I made a short film for Fox Searchlight, I got in this new director's program with a feature script and they would not let us just take us a scene from the feature.They were like, no, no, no, you have to make a short on its own, but with the same characters and the same relative premise. So that's kind of how I learned about that trap. But to answer your question the short films that get noticed at festivals or can even get into a festival are ones that are very authentic to whatever the genre is and the writer's vision. What are you talking about? Is it something, And that's also a weird trap too, because as a writer, I don't wanna be thinking about a festival, you know? I mean that's way down the line. But you have to live in both of those realities in a way. Because if this is a calling card as a writer or as a director of Indy films you have, it's good to keep in mind, okay, I'm not gonna write a 45 minute short film and expect it to be programmed. That would set myself up to fail if I could write. WhenMichael Jamin:You say programmed, you mean, what do you mean by programmed? Are they gonna play for that weekend?Christina Beck:Yeah, so in a film festival, they have a program of films they have, whether the festival is a week long or a weekend , depending on what festival it is. But for instance, let's just say Sundance, I believe a week. So there's some pretty intense statistics that I just found out from a friend of mine. So they had the largest amount of submissions of short films this past year than ever over 10,000 short films. And they only program 59 films. So wow. like, oh my God. And Sundance is wonderful and amazing and if you can get in, great, It's not the only festival. There's a gazillion festivals and anyone is a great experience to get in and go to have that festival experience. But to answer your question about programming , are we there? The people that program the festivals are people that watch the films and decide, we have a three short film programs, A, B, and C. This is just making this up, but it's kind of how they do it. We have 30 minutes in each block, so I gotta squeeze. It all depends. Sometimes there's a film that's a little longer, but they really like it, so they're gonna put that in there. And then there's less room for other films.Michael Jamin:. And how much does it cost to submit to a festival? Usually?Christina Beck:It varies. It definitely varies and it varies. Sometimes they have early submissions that are always a little cheaper. Also depending on you can always ask for a waiver. Sometimes they give them to you, sometimes they don't. So it can be anywhere from 20 bucks to 75 to 150 bucks. It definitely can add up.Michael Jamin:When you make a film, how many festivals will you submit to?Christina Beck:Again, that all depends. There's certain festivals that you can target for. Again, there's the big five seven festivals, Sundance and Berlin and Toronto Telluride and then those are kind of the biggies. But then there's everything that tears down from there. So yeah, it can get very expensive and super daunting. And that's a whole other conversation. The film festival world. Huge, big.Michael Jamin:Now let's say you get into a festival into a big prestigious one. What is the goal? Eventually I And what is the goal? You got, you're short, eight minute film is in Sundance. What are you hoping?Christina Beck:Right, right. Well you're hoping for Eyes on the Film and that's a really also interesting question that you asked because back when those festivals, especially Sundance is a very different festival today than it was when it first started as most things are. But those, that would be the eyes, all the, everyone would be there and you would get would just get the cache of this is a Sundance film. It would give you opportunities to meet agents and if you don't have representation it'll help with that. And it's still, those things can still happen, but now you can get eyes on your film, on the internet, you know, can generate that if that's what you really want, if that's your goal. So know we need those things, but we don't as much anymore. It's a very different business today. But initially you wanna get eyes on your film people to see your work, hire you for more stuff.Michael Jamin:And when you say on the internet, you mean YouTube or Vimeo or what's the platform? Both.Christina Beck:Yeah, I think YouTube is, I don't know if Jimmy I don't know how many people, I mean you can certainly send people there, but I think YouTube a little more, right,Michael Jamin:People find right. But what do you tell your kids in your class today? Are you telling to do more on social media? Are you like a TikTok or what else are you telling to get found?Christina Beck:Well don't more talking about the actual craft of the work, whether it's directing or screenwriting. I don't come up with all of that in terms of my work is as a writer director when I made my feature, I was very fortunate to I submitted the script to well I got into that Fox Searchlight program, which no longer exists. But there are other programs, there's lots of diversity programs, different studios have programs for emerging writers. And that one at the time I was one of two women, there were all men. There was like 40 men and two women. And nowadays it's definitely even doubt a lot. But all that to say that helped with, oh she was in that program, so let's take a look at her script. And then I submitted to an organization in New York called the If P, which now is called Gotham, but they do the spirit awards and Filmmaker magazine, which is something that I started reading very early on and I got nominated for best screenplay. So from that I got on their radar. So it's kind of just taking steps to be seen. It's always about people. Knowing what you're doing and what your vision is for this work,Michael Jamin:Do you go to a lot of film festivals even when you're not in them? Do you go just to watch or to meet people or anything?Christina Beck:I do in town. Yeah, in LA I will. I went to right Berlin when I didn't have anything in Berlin sadly. But I was there, I for a meeting with some European producers and then just happened to watch some amazing films. Film festivals are great cuz you meet like-minded people, whether it's people in the industry but also you meet other filmmakers, other writers, other directors, people that are maybe a little above you, maybe you've done a little more than them, but it's a really cool, cause the energy at most festivals I went to Can God, when was it 2006? I was trying to get my feature made and I was very naive. I made a short film version of my feature and I went to Can and I had my DVDs and I had my little pitch idea and I didn't really know that these meetings that they have, cuz there's a film market, some festivals have a film market and that's always really great. Berlin has one there's a film market here at afm. Kind of different energy though for sure, but can, it was like, oh my god, I was so lost. I was just like, what am I doing here? It was amazing and it was horrible and it was like that within each hour I just felt like I was in, was so over my head and yet really cool, wonderful things happened and I met people there that I'm still in touch with today.Michael Jamin:Hey, it's Michael Jam. If you like my videos and you want me to email them to you for free, join my watch list. Every Friday I send out my top three videos. These are for writers, actors, creative types. You could unsubscribe whenever you want. I'm not gonna spam you and it's absolutely free. Just go to michael jamin.com/watchlist. People ask me this a lot, but do you find from where are that, it's that right meeting writers and actors and directors. Do you feel it's like collaborative or is it competitive?Christina Beck:Well, I think it's collaborative and you can kind of sniff out people that are competitive. I, I've been in quite a few groups of women especially, so back a couple, one when my first short film screened with the American Cinema Tech, not my very first short film, but the first short that I directed. And I met a woman there named Kim Adelman and she's amazing. She's written a book about short films. She's incredible and she supports a lot of female directors. And her and this guy named Andrew Crane created a program at the cinema tech. And so through that we made this thing called the Female Filmmaking Collective. And so we would bring other women directors and this was kind of, well this is like 15, 16 years ago. And then there's been other women's filmmaking groups. The film Fatals, a member of the a w Alliance of Women Directors.So all that to say there's, for the most part, the energy is very much like, yay, how can I help you? And then there's a few people that are anywhere in the world. It is, it's their personalities, the spirit of, I try to stay in the spirit of that there's enough for all of us. Cause otherwise that makes me uptight and I don't wanna be uptight. But definitely, yeah, I think I don't write with other people. I haven't yet. I've tried to in different increments, but it just hasn't quite felt right. But I do collaborating for sure. And especially filmmaking when you're actually getting in production that's like all about collaboration,Michael Jamin:Especially with the good dp, you know, What are you shooting? What do you like to shoot on? Or do you care that much? What kind of camera?Christina Beck:Well, I like things to look like film . I mean, we shot my first short that I wrote Disco Man that was shot on 16. And my dp, I found him at USC Film School and he's a really good friend and we just shot something this last spring. So that was a long time ago. He became chair of the film school that I teach at now. But all that to say, yeah, again, it's the people that you meet here, you meet them there, we're all still here and still love film making. So that said, my DP for Perfection, my feature, his name's Robert Psal and he's amazing. Cause this guy, not only is he super talented, we shot that film for two years on the weekends, two and a half years. So to get someone to literally, okay, we got a little more money, Rob, come over, we gotta shoot this other would. And then a lot of times just he and I would jump on a bus and I'd borrow a camera from a friend. We had prime lenses, which if you put that on digital cameras, it gives a more cinematic look. So we had those for a while. We shot that film literally in four different formats, meaning four different cameras. And I DidMichael Jamin:You find it matched? Okay, Did itChristina Beck:Worked for the film? I don't know. Recently someone asked to see it, this wonderful DP that I was talking to, he lives in France and I felt a little self, cause I'm like, Oh my God, he's gonna see how, And he is like, Oh, it's shot so beautifully. And I'm like, wow, nobody knowsMichael Jamin:All this.Christina Beck:Yeah,Michael Jamin:Why you don't have to worry about that stuff. Well, and what aboutChristina Beck:It's gotta be in focus, let's put it that way, . Yeah. And sound is a big deal too,Michael Jamin:For sure. Absolutely. That's huge. It's hugely important if you can't hear it. Right. But what about how concerned are you when you shoot the stuff crossing the line or the cameras? Are you relying your DP for that, making sure that you know, don't have these jump cuts because the character's looking the wrong way? AndChristina Beck:IsMichael Jamin:That your concern or you let the DP handle that?Christina Beck:Well, because so far I've been mostly acting in the stuff that I've shot. I definitely rely on my DP as well as my script supervisor. . I mean, I can tell myself when we're setting up a shot and then sometimes you can cross that line and it's okay, it's not gonna be an editing nightmare, but you sort of have to gauge it. And I don't make those kind of decisions by myself. And I really do rely so much on my DP and my script D because it's, it's that funny thing for me. What the reason I became a director in film was because I made a short that another different short besides Disco Man that it's called Blow Me. And I didn't direct it. And I did a lot of directorial stuff on that project. And my director at the time was busy with other things.And so we weren't really able to finish the film for a long time. And actually my co-star was an editor as well. So he kind of got the film and he edited and we worked on it together. And what I learned, and this goes back to the film festival thing. So in film director has the say in everything in terms of how final say on music and different stuff. And being a screenwriter and an actor and even a producer, I didn't have the same access to the vision that I had. So I thought, ooh, I need to direct this stuff . SoMichael Jamin:Yeah,Christina Beck:That's how that shifted. HowMichael Jamin:Do you go about, but how do you go about fundraising for all this stuff and what kind of budget do you usually try to get?Christina Beck:Well, it's tricky. That's the hardest part. And I just was at a film festival here in la, it's the American French Film Festival. They have it every year at the dga. And I was listening to a panel of producers and directors and from Europe and the UK and Los Angeles. And the thing is, those foreign countries, they have film funding built into their system, literally the government. And there are different types of ways that those more character driven films. This is what I'm pretty much more interested in what we would call art house films. , especially right now, there's just this huge divide, which is very mm-hmm , much like the whole world that we're in right now. So there's tiny budgets and huge budgets and the middle size budget isn't really around anymore. No support for it. And it's happening in Europe too right now. So I was listening to see, okay, are they going through it too? So that said, yeah, there's different ways. And I would say for first time directors that are making a feature or a short film for the first time, Crowdfunding's great, there's amazing platforms. I did that with a company called Seed and Spark and they were really supportive and helpful. And we haveMichael Jamin:Some, Well what do they do? What do they do that's better than putting it up on what's some crowdfunding site?Christina Beck:Well they are a crowdfunding site, butMichael Jamin:Why not just use your own, I don't know what's the difference between, well go fund me or whatever.Christina Beck:Well I don't, yeah, get, well go Fund Me I thought was more for donations. Yeah, so there's fiscal sponsorship, which is something you'd need so that people that are donating to your project get an actual tax write off that's properly done. So you wanna do that but they help curate and they have a platform. I mean, look, you've written the thing, you're doing all this work. Are you gonna set up a website so people can give you money? So, and maybe you're really good at that. Places. Well indeed, Gogo and Kickstarter, and I mentioned Student Spark because they're someone that I did it with, but all those places haven't already. It's like, why reinvent the wheel? They've done all that work. So literally you can just send people there. They take a small percentage of whatever you get and different platforms have different things. I don't know. I know there's one that if you don't make your gold then you don't get any of the money. So I didn't do that one , butBut going back to someone who's starting out and wants to make something a short or a feature and hasn't already exhausted their family and friends, there's nothing wrong with doing that. Also there's grants and And those aren't easy to come by, but they're there. And depending on, there's different places. There's like in San Francisco, there's the San Francisco Film Society has very specific grants for people that shoot in the Bay Area. And a lot of films have gotten made through that grant. They give a significant amount of money. So there are ways, and it's not easy. I mean really, ideally a private investor is great and there's gonna be a loss. So now most of the indie films, and these aren't Es, and I'm not an expert, I'm just speaking from my own experience. But an indie film may not get a theatrical release. I did not with my feature. What I did get is I got the theatrical experience in film festivals and I was lucky to be programmed in Los Angeles through the American Cinema Tech. And I got to see my film at the Egyptian Theater, which was heaven. And I was there for that. You were there. So, and now it's available to stream. So most projects go to streaming and huge projects go to streaming now. So it's just in this very differentMichael Jamin:World. Is it, where is your playing, where is the streaming now?Christina Beck:On Tubby? Tubby . AndMichael Jamin:This is per perfectionist. Which one isChristina Beck:Yes. Perfection.Michael Jamin:Which, yeah,Christina Beck:Yeah. Okay. And all that's on my website. Christina Beck do com.Michael Jamin:Christina beck.com. Interesting. Wow, that's interest. ButChristina Beck:This is, and my shorts are on there too.Michael Jamin:All your short. Is there a down, getting to a big festival, that's gotta be a game changer. But can a little festival help you?Christina Beck:Well, yes, because again, you see your film on a big screen, you see your film with an audience, you meet other filmmakers and yeah, as you know, Mr. Jamin, everything in this business is preparation and luck. So you're honing your craft , you're doing what you love. There's no slam dunk guarantee. Even with the bigger festivals. I know people that have gotten into huge festivals and got big representation and then a year later nothing. So it's like nothing. Yeah. Yeah. I guess I always say to my students, pick stories that you love. Pick stories that you feel like you have to tell because you're gonna be living with that story and pitching that story way beyond the script. You're gonna be pitching it for grants, you're gonna be pitching it for festivals, you're gonna be pitching it for people to watch it online. You're forever pitching these stories.But to say something visually is powerful. I think it can change minds and hearts. So I come to it with that. And it is frustrating. I have a feature that I wrote last year that I have not made yet. We shot a few scenes in the spring with some of my students and my first dp, me, Kyle to kind of see where it lands and figure out do we wanna do a crowdfunding thing? Do we wanna try to get in Grant? Like what? And I don't know honestly, I don't know if I have the bandwidth to go through that hustle for getting financing right now. Right now. BecauseMichael Jamin:If not that, Oh well I was gonna say, if not that, then what? You know.Christina Beck:Well, right. Well, I mean look, ideally if we were all Henry Ja or somebody who has a trust fund, independent filmmaking is for people that have a trust fund basically.Michael Jamin:Or can fund, right? Or you,Christina Beck:Yeah, I'm teasing, right? Yeah.Michael Jamin:, how many, when you shoot, how many people on set, How many crew members do you wanna have? What's your skeleton crew?Christina Beck:My skeleton is probably 12 peopleMichael Jamin:That I'm surprised it's that big. So who,Christina Beck:WellMichael Jamin:Let's walk. You mean you've gotta skip supervisor DPChristina Beck:Happens fist. Yeah. Okay. Scripty, dp, ac sound mixer, boom. Makeup, hair. That could be one person blah. Who am I forgetting? Producer. Of courseMichael Jamin:You're gonna want someone with the lights.Christina Beck:Well, right. Lights, gaffer, grip. Then we have,Michael Jamin:How many cameras are you rolling at once?Christina Beck:Oh, one . Yeah, one. Okay. Yeah. Okay. Yeah. This isn't like tv, but I did actually, I made a short film with three cameras. Once I did that one I did for search site. Yeah, that's true. But that was a, people were like, Why did you do that?Michael Jamin:But that's still not even year 12. That might be, I don't know. I lost count.Christina Beck:Well, I'm missing people. I'm on the spot here. I'm trying to think. I'm totally missing people. I mean, there's craft service,Michael Jamin:Right?Christina Beck:Oh my God. Probably like the most You got people person, Yeah. Anyways, yeah. 10 to 12. It just adds a pa. You need a pa you need, yeah. Yes. But yes, you can do it with five people. I've done it with three. I mean,Michael Jamin:Are you pulling any permits or are you sort of shootingChristina Beck:That? I do permits when I am renting equipment. And I have, I've also completely gorilla so many things.Michael Jamin:Wait, if you have, why do you have to have a permit if you rent co equipment they requireChristina Beck:Because yeah, you have to have insurance and there's film LA and yeah, there's a whole thing that needsMichael Jamin:To happen. Yeah. People get paid off. Yeah.Christina Beck:. Well, it's kinda a, Yeah,Michael Jamin:It's hard and happens. Yeah, it's hard. It's a hustle. But you do it cuz you love doing it, right?Christina Beck:Yes. Yes. That is true. Right? That is true.Michael Jamin:And how many scripts do you have that are just sitting around that? Are you, I guess I won't even try with that one or,Christina Beck:Yeah, I know that breaks my heart cuz I was at a ratio of, at one point having everything produced. I was like, I don't remember everything's been produced. But now I've written more scripts. I like, Yeah, I have probably, but not a ton. I have a couple features and I've written a few series, so yeah, Not yet. Not yet. ButMichael Jamin:What about just something you could do and now we'll wrap it up cause I don't wanna keep for chill up. But what about doing something where you could just shoot it in your apartment? Write it specifically for your apartment?Christina Beck:Yeah, well I would still need to get permission from my landlord. I'd still need to get equipment. Cause you can't shoot without permission if you wanna have insurance and you have to have insurance. Now look, my , my feature perfection in my old apartment, I actually did have permission from my landlord, but we shot so much of it just really running gun. And that can be done. That can have, But you still, And also I wanna pay people. I'm at a place where I can't ask people to work for free. Now if it's your first project and stuff, I encourage everybody to ask people to work for free if you treat them well. And if they're newbies too and it's a shared experience of discovery and stuff and they feel connected to the work and you feed 'em well, you gotta feed well. You gotta giveMichael Jamin:'em some very, But it seems like you have the perfect person for that because you have a bunch of students who wanna just get their names on stuff.Christina Beck:That's true. That's true. Yeah. Well, and I would probably and probably will end up shooting this feature with, And look, my students are amazing. They are so talented and professional when I get on their set. So this year I've had two students cast me in their short films. So I got to show up really as an actor on these. That's fun. Well, it's great because I was talking to the other film professors, because we work with them on the scripts and we sign off the scripts and then they go off and shoot. So these, they're kind, they're on their own, they're chaperoned and then they come back and bring, and we work on the edit and stuff, but we don't know what really goes on in those sets. So I was saying to this other professor the other day, I'm like, Yeah, I was there. I gotta be there and see what, And the truth is these students are wildly professional and I wouldn't really honestly wanna work with anyone else. But then they are so good. SoMichael Jamin:Someone called me up a student, I don't wanna say where they needed a 50 year old man. Now I don't play 50. We all know that. I play mid thirties ofChristina Beck:Course.Michael Jamin:But I was like, right, I didn't really wanna do it. I was like, all right. And then he goes couple weeks later he's like he's like, Yeah, well we're gonna need you to read . I wasChristina Beck:Like,Michael Jamin:I'm off only . Oh my God. I didn't want it that bad. But I think that was part of the experience that they wanted to have was they wanted actors. I'm not reading dude Christina Beck:Great. Well they're trying out their stuff I guess. Who knows? In terms of, Yeah, but wrong guy. They got the wrong guy with you.Michael Jamin: offer only.Christina Beck:That's right. That's right. Mr. Jam .Michael Jamin:How funny. Yeah. So, alright. This is so fascinating cuz this is a world I know nothing about this whole people cause people ask me all the time I got India. I don't know, Ask Christina. So where do people follow Christina back on? How do they learn more about what you're doing?Christina Beck:Well, like I said, my website and then myMichael Jamin:Give it to you again so that,Christina Beck:Okay. It's christina beck.com. There you go. And yeah, and then I'm on Instagram X Beck. AndMichael Jamin:What do you mean wait, X dyna? How do you spell that?Christina Beck:X I don't remember that. T I n a.Michael Jamin:Oh it. So it's X.Christina Beck:Yeah.Michael Jamin:I dunno why you said Ina. We'll work on this later. Christina Beck:Put a little thing up there. We don't have to talk about it. Yeah, yeah. And I just wanna say lastly, I am so not an expert on this. Please. I've been just finding my way as I go. But you know, I've watched other writers, The path is just, it's just not a straight line. And I think to stay connected to purpose and okay, I feel like I gotta tell certain stories. And when I talk to my students about this, okay, why do you have to tell this story? And we ask ourselves those questions and why now and all those things. Which in as far as indie film goes, I feel like we're in a little bit of a dip right now where the character driven independent films, at least in America, are not being celebrated as they once were. . And I believe that that'll shift.And I talk, I've talked to many people about this and we've gone through so many different, you know, can look back in the 1970s where Paramount was like studios were making beautiful character driven films. And I don't know if we'll ever go back to that, but I do think like you said, you can have a tiny crew and you could make something. I could make something in my living room. Absolutely. And one of my favorite filmmakers is a woman named Barbara Loden. She sadly passed away a long time ago. She was an actress. She actually was married to Ilie Kaza and she made a film called Wanda. And it's an amazing film and you can find it online. It's on the Criterion Channel and different places like that. But she had a tiny crew. She had maybe six people. And , sometimes people besides the attacks right off, they wanna contribute. They wanna be a part of it. They wanna be a part of this passion storytelling.Michael Jamin:Sometimes they also wanna give you their notes. Right?Christina Beck:WellMichael Jamin:Sometimes that money goes and comes with strengthsChristina Beck:Or here's the other thing. Yeah. Find an actor who really wants a great part that has some dough that wants to coce or something. And you guys can collaborate on that and you can write something that's really great for them that they would never get cast in. There's a lotMichael Jamin:Of you recommended. That's a great idea. That's a great idea. You recommended to me to watch Thunder Road. Remember that? Oh yeah,Christina Beck:I watch that. The short.Michael Jamin:And I loved it That and I loved, and I didn't realize I didn't, it was actually, I watched the scene from it, but it was actually, I guess a feature or whatever, but the scene stood on its own. I go, this is a beautiful it short. But it was a beautiful scene.Christina Beck:Oh, so you watched from the feature or did you watch the short film?Michael Jamin:Yeah. Yeah. Cuz I think you gave me the link to Vimeo or something. OhChristina Beck:Okay.Michael Jamin:I just watched that one church scene where he wasChristina Beck:Like, Yeah, yeah.Michael Jamin:So over,Christina Beck:Yes. That guy is amazing. He's the real deal. He's a guy to follow. Cause he's Joe Independent film. He, Jim is his name actually . And he makes stuff and he works as an actor. He'll do commercials, whatever. And then he'll take that money and that's what caves did. Caves made whatever he was working in television stuff he wasn't crazy about. And then he would take that money and then he would just make the films he wanted to make. So maybe it hasn't changed at all. It just goes back to that thing again where if you have this story you gotta tell and it does start with theMichael Jamin:Story. What kinda stories do you feel you have to tell?Christina Beck:Well I feel like I almost keep telling the same story, but I, I'm reallyMichael Jamin:Love different versions ofChristina Beck:It. That's right. That's, as I get older, I get this different perspectives of it. But I do, I love the story of people, characters that have perceived limitations or real ones and they slowly find their way out of that predicament. And yeah, I like happy and things. I like to see the journey of someone of starting off in a place where they don't feel and they get a little better.Michael Jamin:And you said before I cut you off, you was, it all starts, the focus has to be on the script.Christina Beck:It's all about the script. That's the blueprint. That is the blueprint. Especially if you're shooting with no money and no time. And because you don't have the luxury and we never have the luxury. You see it all the time and any budget level. But the truth is, the script really is everything starts there. That's how you get anybody on board. That's how you can refer if a DP who's maybe a great DP and wants to do something small because he loves the story or he loves the subject matter and that script should be tight and ready to shootMichael Jamin:. Right. And because you could shoot something and you get the biggest crew and the biggest budget and it looks like a movie. But if the script sucks, so what? No, it's not anyone's gonna wanna watch it, but it may look like a movie. Yeah,Christina Beck:Yeah, that's right. And then it won't get programmed really in festivals cuz there's so much competition. I just think that thing that we kind of all know, make it a personal story, doesn't have to be autobiographical, but make it something that you really connect to or a topic that really you do have some experience in that you can bring something that maybe we haven't seen yet or we haven't seen from that angle, like you said. Yeah. That's the stuff that's really gold. I love that Thunder Road short. It's such a great example of a guy who just took a very, very simple premise. And the other kind of novelty of that short is he shot it in one take, which is pretty cool. That's not easy to do.Michael Jamin:That's not easy. What I'm saying. He did it and that's a novelty. But as you pointed that out, I forgot. I like the story of it.Christina Beck:Well that's the thing, you should just be looking at it like, oh, where's the cut? No, we wanna be engaged. And that was very engaging and that was a very personal story. I mean, I don't know about his personal story, but I know that I felt that in his work. Yeah,Michael Jamin:Yeah. It's all about that. It's all about being vulnerable and about sharing something that's that only you can do, right?Christina Beck:Yeah. Yeah. I mean hopefully, I mean, I don't know, I think it's two, there's too many topics now that people are dealing with in terms that need to, voices that need to be heard in the world, I believe. And yeah, this is a powerful way to get our voices out,Michael Jamin:But that means writing. So that's what I think cuz everyone's looking for diverse voices and voices that have been underrepresented. So that means writing about, I think your experience, that's what we want from youChristina Beck:Because Well, I think so too.Michael Jamin:Yeah. Now's your shot.Christina Beck:Yeah, I think so too. No one can steal your idea. That's a whole thing too. Sometimes people are like, Oh no, someone's gonna steal this idea. Well there's real, there's not that many ideas really when you think about it, the same story over and over. I'm still telling the story of someone overcoming. I love characters that overcome their limitation or their perceived limitations or their background. I come from alcoholism and all sorts of other things. And that doesn't mean that I'm gonna keep getting it on the nose with those topics, but it informs the way I look at the world growing up in that environment. And today I'm really grateful for that. But when I started writing, I was still very tortured by that. So , but keeping it, that process of keeping it personal and having that point of view with those circumstances makes it only something that I can sayMichael Jamin:I Christina, I think everyone should start taking your class one of either your classes, but the LMU one is a little difficult cause they have to enroll, but the other one Yeah.Christina Beck:Well, yes, is different. Yeah. I mean, I'm also, I do workshops too sometimes, so,Michael Jamin:Oh, you do private workshops?Christina Beck:I do screenwriting workshops.Michael Jamin:And Is that on your website as well?Christina Beck:Yeah, not right now, , but it was, Oh,Michael Jamin:How would that basically work? Yeah.Christina Beck:Well, I've worked, so I've done six weeks workshops where we really start off with, Okay, what's the story you wanna tell that's most personal to you? And so it's literally creating a character or that story from the point of view of the storyteller and the steps to take, whether it would turn into a series or a short film, or a feature or a play.Michael Jamin:And it's six weeks and it meets once a week or something.Christina Beck:Correct.Michael Jamin:That sounds really good. How many people are in that course, or outta time?Christina Beck:Well, it's different times I, It's been usually pretty intimate. Not a ton of people , but now we can do stuff on Zoom, which is great. Right.Michael Jamin:Wow, that sounds pretty cool. Yeah, people should check you. Yeah, you better put that up once this, IChristina Beck:Guess. I guess I'm Do that. Yeah, I guess so. ButMichael Jamin:Tell people where to find that again, so in case that you make that happen, that sounds like a beautiful thing.Christina Beck:Oh, thanks. Yes. Christinabeck.com.Michael Jamin:Christinabeck.com. Christina, thank you so much for joining me. This is a good talk. I thought this wasChristina Beck:Really helpful. Thanks, Mr. JaminMichael Jamin:Now I wanna be an independent filmmaker.Christina Beck:No, you don'tMichael Jamin:. No, you don't.Christina Beck:If you wanna make money. No. There are some that make money. There are some that make money, right? Yes, yes, yes, yes. But yeah, thank you. Thank you so much. It's so fun to talk with you, Mr.Michael Jamin:Yeah. Thank you. Thank you. I'm gonna sign up, right? Everyone, Thank you for listening. And yeah, for make sure you get on my free weekly newsletter michaeljamin.com/watchlist. What else we gotta talk about? We have a course. Yeah, we can check out my course at michaeljamin.com/course. And if we post this in time, I don't know, but I'll be doing two shows in Boston, November 12th and 13th from a paper orchestra. It's my stage reading, and then two shows in December 10th and 11th. And for tickets, go to michaeljamin.com/live. All right. Thank you again, Christina. Wonderful.Christina Beck:My pleasure. Thank you. Thank you. Thanks for asking. Yeah.Michael Jamin:Hey, it's Michael. One more thing. Come see me perform. I'm going to be in Boston area, actually, Amesbury, Massachusetts on November 12th and 13th at the Actor studio, performing my show, a paper orchestra. And then I'm gonna be back in Los Angeles on December 10th and 11th again at the Moving Arts Theater Company. So tickets are on sale. Go get 'em at michaeljamin.com/live. It's a small, intimate venue. I'm gonna be performing for my collection of personal essays, and each one's gonna be followed by like a 20 minute q and a. We get to talk about the work. It's a fun event. So I hope to see you there. Go get them tickets again are at michaeljamin.com/live, and of course, sign up to my weekly newsletter that's called the watchlist at michaeljamin.com/watchlist.Phil Hudson:This has been an episode of Screenwriters. Need to Hear This with Michael Jamin and Phil Hudson. If you'd like to support this podcast, please consider subscribing, leaving a review ,and sharing this podcast with someone who needs to hear today's subject. For free daily screenwriting tips, follow Michael on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok @MichaelJaminWriter. You can follow me on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok @PhillaHudson. This episode was produced by Phil Hudson and edited by Dallas Crane. Until next time, keep writing.
Next Level Soul with Alex Ferrari: A Spirituality & Personal Growth Podcast
Fast-talking and feisty-looking John Leguizamo has continued to impress movie audiences with his versatility: he can play sensitive and naïve young men, such as Johnny in Hangin' with the Homeboys; cold-blooded killers like Benny Blanco in Carlito's Way; a heroic Army Green Beret, stopping aerial terrorists in Executive Decision; and drag queen Chi-Chi Rodriguez in To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar.Arguably, not since ill-fated actor and comedian Freddie Prinze starred in the smash TV series Chico and the Man had a youthful Latino personality had such a powerful impact on critics and fans alike. John Alberto Leguizamo Peláez was born July 22, 1960, in Bogotá, Colombia, to Luz Marina Peláez and Alberto Rudolfo Leguizamo.He was a child when his family emigrated to the United States. He was raised in Queens, New York, attended New York University and studied under legendary acting coach Lee Strasberg for only one day before Strasberg passed away.The extroverted Leguizamo started working the comedy club circuit in New York and first appeared in front of the cameras in an episode of Miami Vice. His first film appearance was a small part in Mixed Blood, and he had minor roles in Casualties of War and Die Hard 2 before playing a liquor store thief who shoots Harrison Ford in Regarding Henry.His career really started to soar after his first-rate performance in the independent film Hangin' with the Homeboys as a nervous young teenager from the Bronx out for a night in brightly lit Manhattan with his buddies, facing the career choice of staying in a supermarket or heading off to college and finding out that the girl he loves from afar isn't quite what he thought she was.The year 1991 was also memorable for other reasons, as he hit the stage with his show John Leguizamo: Mambo Mouth, in which he portrayed seven different Latino characters. The witty and incisive show was a smash hit and won the Obie and Outer Circle Critics Award, and later was filmed for HBO, where it picked up a CableACE Award.He returned to the stage two years later with another satirical production poking fun at Latino stereotypes titled John Leguizamo: Spic-O-Rama. It played in Chicago and New York, and won the Drama Desk Award and four CableACE Awards. In 1995 he created and starred in the short-lived TV series House of Buggin', an all-Latino-cast comedy variety show featuring hilarious sketches and comedic routines.The show scored two Emmy nominations and received positive reviews from critics, but it was canceled after only one season. The gifted Leguizamo was still keeping busy in films, with key appearances in Super Mario Bros., Romeo + Juliet and Spawn. In 1998 he made his Broadway debut in John Leguizamo: Freak, a "demi-semi-quasi-pseudo-autobiographical" one-man show, which was filmed for HBO by Spike Lee.Utilizing his distinctive vocal talents, he next voiced a pesky rat in Doctor Dolittle before appearing in the dynamic Spike Lee-directed Summer of Sam as a guilt-ridden womanizer, as the Genie of The Lamp in the exciting Arabian Nights and as Henri DE Toulouse Lautrec in the visually spectacular Moulin Rouge!.He also voiced Sid in the animated Ice Age, co-starred alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger in Collateral Damage and directed and starred in the boxing film Undefeated. Subsequently, Leguizamo starred in the remake of the John Carpenter hit Assault on Precinct 13 and George A. Romero's long-awaited fourth "Dead" film, Land of the Dead.There can be no doubt that the remarkably talented Leguizamo has been a breakthrough performer for the Latino community in mainstream Hollywood, in much the same way that Sidney Poitier crashed through celluloid barriers for African-Americans in the early 1960s.Among his many strengths lies his ability to not take his ethnic background too seriously but also to take pride in his Latino heritage.Please enjoy my conversation with John Leguizamo.
Podcast for a deep examination into the career and life choices of Jack Nicholson. Lev negotiates a big-time sponsor partnership. Patrick perhaps too exuberantly embraces their new corporate overlords. Joe worries that the walls in his house are flooding. But if not from water... then what? Find out on this week's episode of 'What the Hell Happened to Them?' Email the cast at whathappenedtothem@gmail.com Disclaimer: This episode was recorded in September 2022. References may feel confusing and/or dated unusually quickly. 'Psyche-Out' is available on Blu-ray & DVD (also VHS for you hipsters): https://www.amazon.com/Psych-Out-Blu-ray-Dean-Stockwell/dp/B00R5TAXQU/ref=sr_1_1?crid=E8B3ELFGVTFY&keywords=psych+out+blu+ray&qid=1662854016&s=movies-tv&sprefix=%2Cmovies-tv%2C185&sr=1-1 Music from 'Psych Theme Song' by The Friendly Indians 'Incense and Peppermints' by Strawberry Alarm Clock Artwork from BJ West quixotic, united, skeyhill, vekeman, jack, nicholson, syzygy, watergate, erlichman, gyor, sharks, psych, hippies, rush, out, deaf, strasberg, stockwell
Welcome back! On today's episode, we tell true stories about our real-life uncles and the uncle-ish things that they say! After each story, we do an improvised phone call between a fictional uncle and his nephew/niece, in the hopes of finding some empathy for—or at least a better understanding of—these weirdos on our family trees. Also, yes nerds, Charlie meant "Strasberg" when she said "Stanislavsky."NOTE: We are specifically talking about cis uncles today. We may not have been clear about that in the episode. CONTENT WARNINGS: Discussions of sex and transphobia. The first improv scene contains a fictional instance of misgendering, because uncles.LINKS:Our Patreon (for $5/month, you get an episode of bonus content every other week!)Our TwitterAri's TwitterCover artist: Isabel PereiraAri's and Isabel's Webcomic: MothorialMusic composition and arrangement: FlorrifyTheme by Garrett Stein-SeroussiCo-produced by New 32 Productions (indie media company co-owned by Charlie)RESOURCES:TRANS LIFELINETHE TREVOR PROJECTBLACK TRANS ADVOCACY COALITIONIT GETS BETTER PROJECTFriendly reminder that we're NOT experts in gender studies, psychology, or trans history!Questions? Feedback? Email us at yesandrogyny@gmail.com! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Fast-talking and feisty-looking John Leguizamo has continued to impress movie audiences with his versatility: he can play sensitive and naïve young men, such as Johnny in Hangin' with the Homeboys; cold-blooded killers like Benny Blanco in Carlito's Way; a heroic Army Green Beret, stopping aerial terrorists in Executive Decision; and drag queen Chi-Chi Rodriguez in To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar.Arguably, not since ill-fated actor and comedian Freddie Prinze starred in the smash TV series Chico and the Man had a youthful Latino personality had such a powerful impact on critics and fans alike. John Alberto Leguizamo Peláez was born July 22, 1960, in Bogotá, Colombia, to Luz Marina Peláez and Alberto Rudolfo Leguizamo.He was a child when his family emigrated to the United States. He was raised in Queens, New York, attended New York University and studied under legendary acting coach Lee Strasberg for only one day before Strasberg passed away.The extroverted Leguizamo started working the comedy club circuit in New York and first appeared in front of the cameras in an episode of Miami Vice. His first film appearance was a small part in Mixed Blood, and he had minor roles in Casualties of War and Die Hard 2 before playing a liquor store thief who shoots Harrison Ford in Regarding Henry.His career really started to soar after his first-rate performance in the independent film Hangin' with the Homeboys as a nervous young teenager from the Bronx out for a night in brightly lit Manhattan with his buddies, facing the career choice of staying in a supermarket or heading off to college and finding out that the girl he loves from afar isn't quite what he thought she was.The year 1991 was also memorable for other reasons, as he hit the stage with his show John Leguizamo: Mambo Mouth, in which he portrayed seven different Latino characters. The witty and incisive show was a smash hit and won the Obie and Outer Circle Critics Award, and later was filmed for HBO, where it picked up a CableACE Award.He returned to the stage two years later with another satirical production poking fun at Latino stereotypes titled John Leguizamo: Spic-O-Rama. It played in Chicago and New York, and won the Drama Desk Award and four CableACE Awards. In 1995 he created and starred in the short-lived TV series House of Buggin', an all-Latino-cast comedy variety show featuring hilarious sketches and comedic routines.The show scored two Emmy nominations and received positive reviews from critics, but it was canceled after only one season. The gifted Leguizamo was still keeping busy in films, with key appearances in Super Mario Bros., Romeo + Juliet and Spawn. In 1998 he made his Broadway debut in John Leguizamo: Freak, a "demi-semi-quasi-pseudo-autobiographical" one-man show, which was filmed for HBO by Spike Lee.Utilizing his distinctive vocal talents, he next voiced a pesky rat in Doctor Dolittle before appearing in the dynamic Spike Lee-directed Summer of Sam as a guilt-ridden womanizer, as the Genie of The Lamp in the exciting Arabian Nights and as Henri DE Toulouse Lautrec in the visually spectacular Moulin Rouge!.He also voiced Sid in the animated Ice Age, co-starred alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger in Collateral Damage and directed and starred in the boxing film Undefeated. Subsequently, Leguizamo starred in the remake of the John Carpenter hit Assault on Precinct 13 and George A. Romero's long-awaited fourth "Dead" film, Land of the Dead.There can be no doubt that the remarkably talented Leguizamo has been a breakthrough performer for the Latino community in mainstream Hollywood, in much the same way that Sidney Poitier crashed through celluloid barriers for African-Americans in the early 1960s.Among his many strengths lies his ability to not take his ethnic background too seriously but also to take pride in his Latino heritage.
Fast-talking and feisty-looking John Leguizamo has continued to impress movie audiences with his versatility: he can play sensitive and naïve young men, such as Johnny in Hangin' with the Homeboys; cold-blooded killers like Benny Blanco in Carlito's Way; a heroic Army Green Beret, stopping aerial terrorists in Executive Decision; and drag queen Chi-Chi Rodriguez in To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar.Arguably, not since ill-fated actor and comedian Freddie Prinze starred in the smash TV series Chico and the Man had a youthful Latino personality had such a powerful impact on critics and fans alike. John Alberto Leguizamo Peláez was born July 22, 1960, in Bogotá, Colombia, to Luz Marina Peláez and Alberto Rudolfo Leguizamo.He was a child when his family emigrated to the United States. He was raised in Queens, New York, attended New York University and studied under legendary acting coach Lee Strasberg for only one day before Strasberg passed away.The extroverted Leguizamo started working the comedy club circuit in New York and first appeared in front of the cameras in an episode of Miami Vice. His first film appearance was a small part in Mixed Blood, and he had minor roles in Casualties of War and Die Hard 2 before playing a liquor store thief who shoots Harrison Ford in Regarding Henry.His career really started to soar after his first-rate performance in the independent film Hangin' with the Homeboys as a nervous young teenager from the Bronx out for a night in brightly lit Manhattan with his buddies, facing the career choice of staying in a supermarket or heading off to college and finding out that the girl he loves from afar isn't quite what he thought she was.The year 1991 was also memorable for other reasons, as he hit the stage with his show John Leguizamo: Mambo Mouth, in which he portrayed seven different Latino characters. The witty and incisive show was a smash hit and won the Obie and Outer Circle Critics Award, and later was filmed for HBO, where it picked up a CableACE Award.He returned to the stage two years later with another satirical production poking fun at Latino stereotypes titled John Leguizamo: Spic-O-Rama. It played in Chicago and New York, and won the Drama Desk Award and four CableACE Awards. In 1995 he created and starred in the short-lived TV series House of Buggin', an all-Latino-cast comedy variety show featuring hilarious sketches and comedic routines.The show scored two Emmy nominations and received positive reviews from critics, but it was canceled after only one season. The gifted Leguizamo was still keeping busy in films, with key appearances in Super Mario Bros., Romeo + Juliet and Spawn. In 1998 he made his Broadway debut in John Leguizamo: Freak, a "demi-semi-quasi-pseudo-autobiographical" one-man show, which was filmed for HBO by Spike Lee.Utilizing his distinctive vocal talents, he next voiced a pesky rat in Doctor Dolittle before appearing in the dynamic Spike Lee-directed Summer of Sam as a guilt-ridden womanizer, as the Genie of The Lamp in the exciting Arabian Nights and as Henri DE Toulouse Lautrec in the visually spectacular Moulin Rouge!.He also voiced Sid in the animated Ice Age, co-starred alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger in Collateral Damage and directed and starred in the boxing film Undefeated. Subsequently, Leguizamo starred in the remake of the John Carpenter hit Assault on Precinct 13 and George A. Romero's long-awaited fourth "Dead" film, Land of the Dead.There can be no doubt that the remarkably talented Leguizamo has been a breakthrough performer for the Latino community in mainstream Hollywood, in much the same way that Sidney Poitier crashed through celluloid barriers for African-Americans in the early 1960s.Among his many strengths lies his ability to not take his ethnic background too seriously but also to take pride in his Latino heritage.
Russell and Medhurst Hour 3
Learn about bodywork through the lens of Torah and chassidus.
Kassia Osset, the beloved founding co-host of this podcast, “Scandal Sheet”, and co-host of “From The Cheap Seats” for 2 years, now has her very own podcast. “Have We Met Before”. The pod is unique, surprising, and entertaining - highlighting stories of various people she met in her many years of world travel. She's sort of a 20-something Anthony Bourdain, sans cooking and heroin. Fans of Kassia since 2019 will appreciate this next level effort – with her amazing wit and penetrating insight, intact. Hope you enjoy! Now, before we get started with her show, we are giving listeners a BONUS! This is a short SNL style bit that Kassia recorded in 2019. We had an exclusive interview with Stephen Strasberg, phenom starting pitcher for the Washington Nationals baseball team. Later, the same year, he would become the World Series MVP and get the largest $$$ contract in sports history… and then afterward, almost never pitch again over 2 years. The bit is actually more relevant today than it was back in 2019. Kassia's talents are on display here as she plays both the interviewer and Strasberg himself. Subscribe to “Have We Met Before” on all major podcast player platforms.
Kassia Osset, the beloved founding co-host of this podcast, “Scandal Sheet”, and co-host of “From The Cheap Seats” for 2 years, now has her very own podcast. “Have We Met Before”. The pod is unique, surprising, and entertaining - featuring stories of various people she met in her many years of world travel. She's sort of a 20-something Anthony Bourdain, sans cooking and heroin. Fans of Kassia since 2019 will appreciate this next level effort – with her amazing wit and penetrating insight, intact. Hope you enjoy! Now, before we get started with her show, we are giving listeners a BONUS! This is a short SNL style bit that Kassia recorded in 2019. We had an exclusive interview with Stephen Strasberg, phenom starting pitcher for the Washington Nationals baseball team. Later, the same year, he would become the World Series MVP and get the largest $$$ contract in sports history… and then almost never pitch again over 2 years. The bit is actually more relevant today than it was back in 2019. Kassia's talents are on display here as she plays both the interviewer and Strasberg himself. Subscribe to “Have We Met Before” on all major podcast player platforms.
Recent data (from January 2020 – a little laggy due to the pandemic) showed there were 580,466 people experiencing homelessness in Amerca. 70% were individuals and the rest were people living in families with children. They lived in every state and territory and reflect the diversity of the US. Homelessness is a big topic that plays a role in individual and community wellbeing. In this episode we only scratch the surface of it. The part that answers a few questions – what are some of the solutions, what are the challenges related to those solutions and what can individuals and organizations do to help. My guest for this unique episode is Treger Strasberg, founder of Humble Design. Humble Design is an organization focused on chaing lives and communities by custom designing and fully furnishing home interiors for individuals, families and veterans emerging from homelessness. Listen in as we talk through the challenges and rewards of running a non-profit that's making a difference one home at a time. Website: https://www.tregerstrasberg.com/ Humble Design Website: https://www.humbledesign.org/ LinkedIn : https://www.linkedin.com/in/treger-strasberg-80020841/ Facebook National: @humbledesignnational Detroit: @humbledesigninc Chicago: @humblechitown Cleveland: @humbledesigncleveland San Diego: @humbledesignsandiego Seattle: @humbledesignseattle Instagram National: @humbledesignnational Detroit: @humbledesigndetroit Chicago: @humblechitown Cleveland: @humbledesigncleveland San Diego: @humbledesignsandiego Seattle: @humbledesignseattle Connect with Susan Morgan Bailey Email: susan.bailey@marshmma.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/susanmbailey/
Bueno, ¿y qué fue exactamente lo qué pasó la noche de los premios Óscares 2022? ¿Comedia? ¿Agresión? ¿Libertad de expresión? ¿Exceso? Acompáñenme en esta conversación con Tomás Strasberg, comediante, maestro y especialista en humor, en la que platicaremos sobre los límites de la comedia, la humanidad, la salud y la violencia.
16 mar 22: Karol Sevilla en cabina estrenando su nueva canción Dime, dime; Andrea Vargas y Adelaida Harrison con los nunca y siempre de la personalidad 8 del Eneagrama, Tomás Strasberg y su libro Muertitos, Stivi de Tivi con los estrenos de cine.
Humble Design is a Not4Profit that has designed and fitted out 2400 homes and helped 7,800 individuals in various American Cities have a home and not an empty house when relocating from homeless shelters. Mark speaks with Treger Strasberg TV Host and Founder of "Humble Design"TRANSFORMING THE LIVES OF THE HOMELESS Founder of Non-Profit that Furnishes Homes for the Previously Homeless Talks About Her Holiday Deco Day Reveals About Tregor Strasberg and Humble Design: Treger Strasberg founded the nonprofit Humble Design in 2009. What started out as a small nonprofit in Detroit offering design services, and furnishings to those exiting homelessness grew and expanded to five cities across the US, and led to a television show, "Welcome Home", which earned two Daytime Emmy nominations running on the CW Network in 2018-2019 and is still popular on-demand on the BYU TV app. Humble Design is a nonprofit that helps families transitioning out of homeless shelters by providing furnishings and design services. The organization turns empty houses into clean, dignified, and welcoming homes — a very simple idea that can change a family's future. The organization serves families and veterans leaving shelters. Humble Design has served over 2,000 families nationally through its chapters in Detroit, Chicago, Cleveland, Seattle, and San Diego. Their 2000th home was celebrated in August 2021. Please visit humbledesign.org
This week's Intermission focuses on the history of method acting. We talk about those who created and expanded upon it (Stanislavski, Strasberg and Adler) and we talk about those actors today dedicated to the craft and method (DeNiro, Pacino, DiCaprio).
Stanislavski! Strasberg! Stella! This week, Caroline and Ned go deep on the history of method acting as they look at James Dean's leading man debut in Elia Kazan's 1955 family drama, East of Eden. The hosts explore what it means to be an "actor's director," share some of their own experiences with acting and directing, and try to figure out why this movie is so goddamn stressful. As mentioned in the episode, you can watch James Dean act opposite Ronald Reagan in the 1954 TV drama " The Dark Dark Hours" (youtu.be/wzVdx-HTPDI). And you can also check out this really great collection of photos from Dean's life (medium.com/everythings-interesting/james-dean-a-life-in-pictures-5c0e0877472). Our theme music was created by Patrick Budde, and our logo was designed by Nick Wanserski. You can get in touch on Twitter (twitter.com/rolecalling) or email us at rolecalling@gmail.com.
American actor BoJesse Christopher was born and raised in San Francisco, CA and based in Los Angeles, CA. He was named after legendary blues guitarist Bo Diddley and infamous cowboy outlaw Jesse James. BoJesse is best known for his portrayal of Grommet/LBJ, the reckless younger brother of Patrick Swayze in the 20th Century Fox classic original feature film Point Break, directed by Academy Award winner Kathryn Bigelow (The Hurt Locker, Zero Dark Thirty), released in 1991. In 2016, he also appeared in the Warner Bros. $100 million dollar re-imagined Point Break directed by Ericson Core, as the FBI Director.BoJesse currently recurs as Max Fielder on the CBS hit TV series NCIS (season 12 in 2020-21). More recently, BoJesse reoccurred as Detective Richard Kitting on HBO's hit series, True Detective (season 3 in 2019), as well as Detective Johnson on FOX's new hit TV series, Deputy (season 1 in 2020).Over a thirty year span in the industry, BoJesse has appeared in 70 plus film and television projects in collaboration with a wide range of notable talent, including Mahershala Ali, Keanu Reeves, Patrick Swayze, J.K. Simmons, Christopher Walkin, Stephen Dorff, Norman Reedus and Neil Patrick Harris, to name a few. His additional memorable recurring roles on hit shows include Married with Children, Beverly Hills 90210, Picket Fences, Quantum Leap, Land's End, and more.BoJesse has also written, produced, and directed a number of projects, such as action crime drama Out In Fifty, starring Mickey Rourke.BoJesse's training began with legendary acting coach, Stella Adler, at the prestigious Stella Adler Conservatory Theatre. He continued on to be privately mentored by Academy Award-winning actress, Shelley Winters, at the Actors Studio West and is honored to be a lifetime member. BoJesse later trained with acclaimed acting coach Sandy Marshall, immersing himself into the Sanford Meisner repetition technique.In 2012, BoJesse founded Truth Be Told Acting Collective to support disciplined actors in achieving emotionally connected work. His process consists of a strong foundation based on Stanislavski's preparation of building a character, combined with Strasberg's method and Meisner's repetition exercise in the moment. BoJesse offers private, group, and on-set coaching for adult, teen, and child actors. BoJesse Christopher Acting Studio was established in 2018 to coach professional, disciplined, tv and film actors into their true potential.
Michelle Danner is an American acting coach at the Los Angeles Acting School who specializes in the Meisner, Strasberg, Adler, Hagen, Chekhov and Stanislavsky techniques. She is also the founding and artistic director of the Edgemar Center for the Arts. Ian Jenkins is a doctor, living in San Diego, a specialist in hospital medicine and a professor at a major university. He's been with his partner, Alan, for seventeen years. They've been with their partner, Jeremy, for eight. Ian, Alan, and Jeremy are a same-sex throuple. They have two biological children – Piper, who is three, and Parker, who is 14 months. Join Robert Manni, author of The Guys' Guy's Guide To Love as we discuss life, love and the pursuit of happiness. Subscribe to Guy's Guy Radio on iTunes! Buy The Guys' Guy's Guide to Love now!
Frank and Billy interview Andy Strasberg. Andy recounts his fascinating and bold moves to break his way into the Major League Baseball association as well as his captivating stories of how he became Roger Maris' biggest fan. In his 22 years with the San Diego Padres, Andy Strasberg established himself as one of the sports world's most innovative marketers. During his tenure in San Diego, Strasberg oversaw the marketing efforts for the Padres.
Crystal Loverro is a film and voice actor, a published model, and a photographer. She also has producing and directing experience, but she prefers being in front of the camera! Crystal was born and raised in Binghamton, NY; she began her acting and modeling career in 2017, after graduating from Binghamton University with a Bachelor of Science in neuroscience and pre-health. Crystal has extensive set and voice-over experience. She takes pride in her ambition, professionalism, and empathetic nature. Crystal has a wide variety of interests including: Krav Maga, Photography, Gothic Culture, Hiking, Backpacking, and Psychology. Crystal is currently acting and modeling in Portland, Oregon, where she takes on-going acting classes at Scott Rogers Studios. She has trained in scene study, improv, character analysis, voice-over, on camera acting, and acting techniques including: Meisner, Stella Adler, Strasberg, and Stanislavski. Contact CrystalLoverro@gmail.com for bookings https://crystalloverro.com/ https://www.instagram.com/crystalloverro/ This episode is proudly brought to you by: #Betterhelp : https://www.betterhelp.com/sipod for 10% off #CBD #Wildflowerhemp https://wildflowerhempco.com/ BUY MERCH!!!!! #Merch Store: https://www.dckproductions.com/shop Follow me: https://www.youtube.com/c/suckitpodcast https://www.instagram.com/suckitpodcast https://www.facebook.com/suckitpodcast https://www.twitter.com/suckit_podcast --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/thedarksideofmusic/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/thedarksideofmusic/support
In his 22 years with the San Diego Padres, Andy Strasberg established himself as one of the sports world's most innovative marketers. We discuss his amazing friendship with Roger Maris and sport's greatest mascot, San Diego's Famous Chicken. Join us for a memorable conversation with a special individual...Andy Strasberg.
In this week's show, Mike and Gino will be talking all things NFL as we approach season's end! Who's going to be left out of the playoff mix? Who wants to win the NFC East? * Bills vs Steelers * Weekly Picks * MLB Deals - Rendon, Strasberg, Gerrit Cole All this and more in this week's radio show! Call-in: 1-866-472-5787 Tweet us: @mikeabadir @ItsMeGinoB
Recently, I had the blessing of speaking to the soap opera legend, Ian Buchanan and wow... what fun that was. I was incredibly intimidated, possibly because I also realized I was speaking with Dick Tremayne from the early 90's ABC show, Twin Peaks. Who can't submit to the legendary smile and charms of everyone's favorite Dick? Between his career in modeling, to the many times he's shifted from soap opera to soap opera (being killed off, etc), he's created a mythos that's hard to overcome. Ian is intently focused on his work currently on The Bold and The Beautiful as well as his desire to support a few different charities benefiting education for the poor as well as a cancer foundation. Ian is the real deal, and I'm just so happy to have met him. I hope you'll enjoy as I stumble through the podcast and thankfully ended well. That's really all I can say. 2:00 Ian in Scotland. Ford Modeling. 3:40 Came to States in the early 80's. Poetry and music. 5:40 Spain in late teens. Japan over the years. 7:45 Color in Ian's life. Dreaming in color. Flowers. 9:00 Television commercials. Changing his accent. Strasberg! 11:50 Foreign observer at the Actor's Studio. 12:20 Method acting and disciplines. 13:55 Being fortunate and occasionally receiving unkind words. 15:30 General Hospital and being overwhelmed. 17:00 Days of our Lives. Bold and Beautiful. 18:45 Discovery for Twin Peaks. Lara Flynn Boyle and Obsession. David Lynch.20:00 Stumbling across the border. Dick Tremayne is a cad. 21:40 Melancholy and absurd. Favorite characters. 23:20 Dick was a consideration for Season 3. Milan.25:00 The Daytime Emmy. 27:00 Working on a film short. Reading a script. 29:00 Stage acting. 31:00 Gracious online presence. Forward thinking. Common decency. 34:45 Charities that matter to Ian. Alfalit promotes literacy in third world countries. 39:00 Rob's 17 weird questions. 50:00 Ian's photos and selling them online. Getty Images. 52:00 Child's help and abusive situations. Being lovely after all. Subscribe to the shows here:1) Rockstar Superhero:Itunes: https://apple.co/3u8wlI9Audible: https://adbl.co/3sCnfSkSpotify: https://spoti.fi/3qxjQDLGoogle: https://bit.ly/3kC66WaTumblr: https://bit.ly/3sGrLzfDeezer: https://bit.ly/2Zr5lW7JioSaavn: https://bit.ly/3k29jhvCastbox: https://bit.ly/3bunV6UiHeartRadio: https://ihr.fm/2PKvm172) Rockstar Radicals:Itunes: https://apple.co/2OR4kVx Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3qHHFZHDeezer: https://bit.ly/3srQ3grPodchaser: https://bit.ly/2NG2UwLGoogle: https://bit.ly/3uIQVzkJioSaavn: https://bit.ly/387Y2HGCastbox: https://bit.ly/3t0yCUliHeartRadio: https://ihr.fm/3vbWKFuBlog @ Tumblr: https://bit.ly/3ka5IhjWanna be on the show? Go here: https://calendly.com/rockstarsuperheroinstituteCopyright 2021 Rockstar Superhero Podcast - All Rights ReservedBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/rockstar-superhero--4792050/support.
From the Royal Ballet to The Actor's Studio, learn how Natalie Burn became an actress and eventually started her own production company… in this episode of The Doorpost Podcast Project! Natalie Burn was born in Kiev, Ukraine. She is an acclaimed dancer/choreographer turned actor. She studied at The Royal Ballet School. She choreographed acts like Nelly, Paula Abdul, Mario, and The Jackson Five. She eventually decided to express her creativity through acting. She was admitted into The Lee Strasberg Theater Institute and later The American Academy of Dramatic Arts and The Actor's Studio in West Hollywood. She appeared in the action thriller “Expendables 3”. She's also been in films that have premiered at the Cannes Film Festival. She recently won BEST ACTRESS at the Sunscreen Film Festival in Florida for her performance in the film, AWAKEN. She speaks five languages, and actively produces and stars in independent films through her company 7Heaven Productions. Her first project under her production company was a film called, “Fallen Angel,” which won The Merit Award at the 2014 Accolade Competition for the outstanding work by a female filmmaker.