Actor Daniel Dae Kim is no stranger to breaking barriers. From his groundbreaking role on Lost, to his Tony-nominated turn in Yellow Face, Kim continues to affirm his title as one of Time Magazine’s 100 most influential people. With his new show, Butterfly, he steps into the spotlight as the leading man of a high-stakes international spy thriller.

In this episode, Daniel Dae Kim reflects on his upbringing and how an early fascination with American pop culture became the foundation for a career in the arts. He explores television’s power to foster empathy across cultural divides, shares the story behind developing Butterfly, and opens up a new dialogue on the issue of ethnic-specific casting.

Writer, producer and host Phil Rosenthal makes television for the whole family. First, he created the Emmy Award-winning sitcom classic, Everybody Loves Raymond. Now he has taken his vision to food and travel with Somebody Feed Phil. Through his global travels - to places as close to home as Las Vegas, Nevada, and as far away as Sydney, Australia - Phil Rosenthal aims to emphasize our shared humanity through food and comedy.

In this episode, Rosenthal talks about the importance of his everyman persona in Somebody Feed Phil, how to be a respectful tourist, and how humor and a good meal can bridge any cultural divide. We also discuss the important role of the diner in America, how his childhood influenced his career in comedy, and how immigrants enrich the world around us.

TV on the Radio co-founder Tunde Adebimpe is a force of positivity. In the face of unimaginable loss, Adebimpe has channeled his grief into Thee Black Boltz, an upbeat, high-energy solo debut.

You might know Tunde Adebimpe from TV on the Radio, the band whose era-defining hits like “Wolf Like Me” helped shape the 2000s New York indie scene. Or you’ve seen his work in film and television, with standout roles in projects like Star Wars: Skeleton Crew, Twisters, and Spider-Man: Homecoming. But this is his first time going solo, and he’s poured years of personal loss and growth into Thee Black Boltz.

In this episode, Adebimpe opens up about that journey. We learn how underground cartoonists like Robert Crumb, Joe Matt, Mary Fleener, and Maurice Vellekoop taught him to mine the personal for his art, and how a lifelong DIY punk ethos continues to shape his multidisciplinary practice. He reflects on hitting the reset button, rediscovering the basics, and finding the joy of creating art once again.

For Tony-winning playwright and theater director George C. Wolfe, the “landscape of America is rich and complicated and messy.” He takes the greatest joy in putting that messiness on the Broadway stage. This time, he’s directing the Broadway revival of “Gypsy,” widely considered the best of the Golden Age musicals. Alongside the show’s lead actor Audra McDonald, Wolfe has dug into the past to modernize Rose, the most famous stage mother in history. Their work has been nominated for a Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical.

In this episode, George C. Wolfe talks to us about the harrowing photographs he unearthed during his research into the Great Depression and the economic uncertainty of the era in which “Gypsy” takes place. He shares how he reshaped the production to portray Rose as a more sympathetic and modernized character. Wolfe reflects on the importance of finding joy in troubled times, both on the stage and off.

You can also learn more about the choreographer of “Gypsy” in our new short documentary, “Camille A. Brown: Giant Steps” here. This film is part of our digital series called “In The Making” and directed by Michelle Parkerson and Shellée M. Haynesworth.

You might know rapper and actor Daveed Diggs from his performances in Broadway’s “Hamilton” or 2024’s “Nickel Boys.” But he is also one-third of the hip-hop group clipping. Known for their love of genre storytelling, the group’s new album “Dead Channel Sky” is not their first foray into science fiction. Along with William Hutson and Jonathan Snipes, the trio was previously nominated for a Hugo Award for their 2016 rap space opera “Splendor & Misery.”

Now, the group is turning its attention to cyberpunk for the first time. Aesthetically, “Dead Channel Sky” is a clear nod to inspirations ranging from Blade Runner and The Matrix to William Gibson’s Neuromancer. The noisy, glitchy, and dense album presents itself conceptually as a mixtape found in the dustbins of a dystopian future - but it also doubles as prescient commentary on our current moment.

In this episode, Daveed Diggs talks to us about his creative process behind writing and rapping on “Dead Channel Sky.” He confesses that we might already be living in the middle of our own “pretty mundane” cyberpunk apocalypse - and it’s “just not that cool.” Through hip-hop, he seeks to craft an alternate present that feels just a little bit more exciting. Diggs also talks to us about growing up in an artistically vibrant Bay Area, the rappers who influenced his creative approach, and why it’s so important that we all keep making things with our immediate community.

Singer-songwriter Lucy Dacus has been building up to this moment her entire career. With her new album, “Forever Is a Feeling,” she is ready to write about love. Coming off the heels of a Grammy Award-winning run with her supergroup, boygenius, Dacus has signed a major label contract with Geffen for her solo work.

In this episode, Lucy Dacus talks to us about growing up playing house shows in Richmond, Virginia, how her religious upbringing has shaped her today, and how she put together the music and lyrics that form her most romantic songs to date.

American Masters: Creative Spark is back with new episodes! For the very first time, you can now watch the podcast! Video is the new audio, after all. Starting this season, you can watch our new episodes on Spotify and YouTube.

Alicia Graf Mack has been entrusted with carrying the torch of ballet and modern dance into the future. As a dancer, she has battled through adversity to perform alongside artists like Beyoncé, John Legend and Andre 3000. As a teacher, she has helped bridge the past into the future, educating new generations of students. 

In this episode, Alicia Graf Mack shares the journey that brought her to this moment. We catch her at a pivotal point in her career as she prepares to transition from her role at The Juilliard School to become the next artistic director of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. She reflects on the mentors like Judith Jamison who shaped her artistry and the responsibility she feels to honor their legacy. We also discuss how she hopes to expand Ailey’s reach while staying true to its roots, ensuring that dance remains a powerful force for storytelling, expression, and community.

Author Min Jin Lee talks to us about the power of the social novel. Her epic historical fiction novel, “Pachinko,” is frequently cited as one of the best books of the 21st century. Lee’s exploration of the immigrant experience, identity and empathy has a timeless quality that feels as relevant as ever in our current moment.  

In this episode, Min Jin Lee breaks down her nearly 30-year journey in writing the novel. She describes how the many obstacles and detours in her life only further helped to clarify her vision. We explore why she needed to move to Japan to really understand the Korean immigrant experience at the center of “Pachinko.” Through first-person interviews and deep research, she shows how “our curiosity is what is going to, in the end, allow us to have a higher quality” of love for each other.

Actor Michael Urie is a breath of fresh air. He talks to us about his journey in acting from the suburbs of Dallas, Texas to the Broadway stage. It was an unlikely path filled with generous doses of hard work, talent and passion. Urie explains how he first fell in love with musical comedies and how it changed everything for him. Even if you’ve never been a fan of the genre before, his love for it is truly infectious.

In this episode, Michael Urie breaks down his creative process behind his performance as Prince Dauntless in the Broadway revival of “Once Upon a Mattress.” He explains how his training at Juilliard prepared him for the physical demands of theater and how acting for musicals can be a truly “athletic” endeavor. He shares how early experiences seeing performances from stars like Jerry Lewis, Michael Keaton and Tommy Tune sparked his creative journey.

You can see Michael Urie now through November 30th in “Once Upon a Mattress” on Broadway. He is also in the newest season of the Apple TV+ show, “Shrinking.”

Singer-songwriter Conor Oberst talks to us about the joy of making music. He describes his music and artistic mission as both a “release of negative feelings” and “a way to rejoice.” With their new album, “Five Dice, All Threes,” Oberst’s work with his band Bright Eyes is as emotionally expressive as ever. He breaks down the collaborative process behind that record and the joy it brings to simply have fun making art with friends.

In this episode, we also learn about Conor Oberst’s history as a prodigy of the indie music scene. He has been making music since he was 13 years old and first catapulted to international recognition as a teenager through his work with Bright Eyes. Talking to us from his hometown in Omaha, Nebraska, Oberst describes coming of age in a regional music scene that made room for all genres of music. That freeform environment laid the groundwork for bands like The Faint, Cursive and Bright Eyes to blossom together in the 1990s. It’s a communal spirit that is still central to Conor Oberst’s creative process to this day.