Avocado Toast the series

Today Avocado Toast the series co-creator, Perrie Voss (she/her) chats with actor and producer, Wayne Burns (he/him). Wayne plays the incredible Katharine Hepburn in the series during the infamous "Diner Dream" in season 1 episode 4. The two have a really interesting conversation around Wayne accepting the role and his concerns about appropriating drag culture as a non-drag performer. He remembers his first interaction with drag in the film starring Patrick Swayze To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar and his first time seeing Allysin Chains perform at The Gladstone Hotel. Wayne also starred in Slo Pitch and he joyfully compares Avocado Toast and Slo Pitch, with Avocado Toast being the beginners entrance into understanding queerness and Slo Pitch dropping us right in the middle of the culture! Wayne has produced several projects recently including "Body So Fluorescent" (Best Emerging Artist, InsideOut Festival), "A Revolution of Love" (created with participation of the City of Toronto), and the upcoming Grandma was a Cowgirl with Vivien Endicott-Douglas.

Follow Wayne on instagram @wayne.burns and his website www.wayneburns.ca 

Thank you so much to Ontario Creates for their support of this podcast!

Today Avocado Toast co-creator  Perrie Voss chats with Kiki Divic (she/her), production designer extraordinaire! Kiki was our production designer on Avocado Toast the series and the magic that she produced in every single location is mind boggling. Kiki started out in the advertising agency world as a graphic and web designer. Kiki chats about her departure from an unsatisfying position in the commercial ad-world to enter the film industry as a production designer. Kiki also designed our Avocado Toast logo and revamped our website, and Perrie and Kiki talk about the process and how they arrived at the final product. The two chat about the nuance of creating a world on screen and how that can inform the emotion of a scene just through the details. Basically Kiki is incredible. We're obsessed with her and you're about to be too.

Check out more of Kiki's work at her website www.kdivic.com and on Instagram @kikzilla and literally EVERY MOMENT AND VISUAL DETAIL of watching Avocado Toast the series!!

Thank you so much to Ontario Creates for their support of this podcast!

Heidi Lynch chats with actor and writer Nelu Handa (she/her). Nelu plays the wry and very pregnant bar owner 'Rosie' on Avocado Toast the series, and is also well known for her roles on hit shows such as Workin Moms, Baroness Von Sketch Show, Decoys , Jann and Star Trek: Discovery.

Heidi and Nelu chat about working as a writer and actor in comedy and her experience with creating her own sketch comedy show. Back when acting work wasn't giving her the space she needed Nelu created it herself! Mirchi Comedy was born to give voice to women of colour because... women are funny! Nelu also speaks about her decision in 2020 to rename it (formerly Yas Kween) you can read her instagram post about that decision here.

We also get to hear about Nelu's experience as a writer on the new CBC show "Sort Of" which explores gender fluidity and authenticity which is set to air this year (2021).

Check out more on Nelu Handa on her website (currently under getting a makeover) www.neluhanda.com and on Instagram @neluhanda and Twitter @NeluHanda and check out Mirchi Comedy @mirchicomedyto for upcoming shows and announcements.

Perrie Voss chats with editor Anna Catley (she/her). Anna is a film editor and total film buff! Both Anna and Perrie worked side by side (or literally back to back, one foot away from each other!!) as the co-editors of Avocado Toast the series Season 1!

Anna started out thinking that she would go into film in a much different way. But once she discovered that editing was actually a career she  launched ahead going from editing assistant, to editor!

Anna has worked on projects such as New Eden , Hazy Little Thing and the upcoming The Surrealtor . As an editor she has worked on a multitude of music videos for artists such as Gord Downie "Traffic is Magic", and Monowhales for their upcoming album and many more!

Anna and Perrie talk about their love of tarot cards and reading tarot as an aid in their editing process with Mystic Mondays Tarot . Anna talks about her love of Jaws as "the perfect movie", her childhood fear of Jumanji (the original film), and her incredible collaboration with editor/director Kat Webber and editor Leah Lalich in their new venture COVEN which was created to work with and uplift female filmmaking voices. www.covenco.tv and on instagram @covenco.tv

You can find out more about Anna's work on her on Instagram @annacatley and Twitter @annacatley as well as her website www.annacatley.com

Heidi Lynch chats with actor, writer and producer Gwenlyn Cumyn (she/her). You'll recognize Gwen most recently on the OUTtv/ KindaTV series. Slo Pitch, as well as Barbelle on KindaTV and fans will also know her from the web series All for One. Gwen and Heidi chat about wearing multiple hats on your own projects and balancing producing and acting. The two also discuss what it's like to identify as bisexual and chat about some unexpected bi-icons including Xena Warrior Princess, Sandra Bernhard from Roseanne, and Transparent. Gwen also talks about the newsletter Bi-Monthly by Jen Winston.

You can find out more about Gwen's work on Instagram @gwenlyn.cumyn and Twitter @gwenlyn.cumyn

Perrie Voss chats with actor and filmmaker, Knox (she/her). Also known as Karen Knox in her acting life. You will recognize her from Barbelle, Slo Pitch, and Cons & Pros and most recently starred in the Syfy Network film, Letters to Satan Claus (which also stars our own Avocado Toast the series co-creator and star, Perrie Voss) and  premiered this past December 2020.

Knox has been creating tv and film content for the past 3 years as a writer, producer, director, actor and all around bad-ass. The two discuss constantly having film projects on the go, as well as Knox's upcoming projects that are bubbling for 2021 with her co-creator Gwenlyn Cumyn (stay tuned for her interview with Heidi next week!). Perrie and Knox chat about how they met doing a play together called The Skriker and how both came to film after being brought up in the theatre and how to learn  to "love what loves you back".

You can find out more about Knox's work (and her excellent autofiction) on her website www.karen-knox.com and on Instagram @knox.x.x.x  and Twitter @knox.x.x.x 

Heidi Lynch chats with actor, drag artist and producer Champagna (they/them/he/him and she/her in drag). Champagna and Heidi talk about the experience of being on the Avocado Toast the series set (Champagna joined us as our behind the scenes on set for season 1). Hailing originally from Alberta, Champagna’s background is as a trained actor and now is touted as successful drag queen in Canada. Most recently found a way to merge their acting ability with their drag performance and you can catch them on stage (virtually during our time of pandemic) as the drag queen “Champagna” but also on screen on CBC Gem’s “Queens”. Champagna also has been working  with Border2Border Entertainment founder, Charlie David on a web series called “Womb Envy”, on which Champagna is a writer and performer. Champagna talks about what they continue to work on as a performer and artist and how they’re finding a way to keep the art of drag going in the pandemic - especially with the closure of two predominant queer spaces for drag artists in Toronto, “The Beaver” and “The Gladstone”, which is under renovation.

You can find out more about Champagna’s work on Instagram @champagna_papi 

Perrie Voss chats with film director and photographer, Leah Vlemmiks. Leah chats about her experience on our Avocado Toast the series season 1 set as our 2nd Assistant Director, and how her ability to mulit-task under pressure while staying calm made her such an incredible asset on our set. Leah comes from an Advertising background and has transitioned into film over the past year. Leah also talks about directing a music video for the musician Witch Prophet on their recent music video 'Tesfay', which Leah directed this past summer. Witch Prophet was subsequently a part of the Polaris Finalist screening on CBC. Leah touches on what aspects of storytelling on film speaks to her and one of her favourite directors, Chloé Zhao, who most recently directed Nomadland starring Frances McDormand. Leah and Perrie also discuss their mutual experience of having their parents divorce while they were adults (which led to Elle's parental divorce storyline in Avocado Toast season 1), and the unexpected and profound effect it can have on your life, even as an adult. 

You can follow Leah's work including her photography on her website www.leahvlemmiks.com  and on Instagram @leah_vlemmiks_photo 

Heidi Lynch chats with actor and writer, Maika Harper (she/her). Maika is known largely for her role on Mohawk Girls (available on CBC Gem), Kim’s Convenience and Burden of Truth. Heidi and Maika talk about meeting in theatre school, working as an actor and writer as well as being a mother, and the challenges and rewards within that. Maika talks about her recent role on the film The Education of Fredrick Fitzell, and the crossing our fingers that Maika will be able to join us in the cast of season 2 of Avocado Toast the series.

You can find out more about Maika’s work on IMDB and and follow her on Instagram @inukinthecity and Twitter @Maikaharper 

Perrie Voss chats with Alexander Nunez who plays Jordan’ on Avocado Toast the series. Alex is an actor and filmmaker who’s work includes “The Umbrella Academy",  "Grand Army" and will star in the upcoming CBC series "Feudal" which just wrapped filming in the fall of 2020. Alex and Perrie chat about his audition for Avocado Toast and why our production team jumped at the opportunity to make his part bigger during filming. Alex also creates his own work and Perrie and Alex chat about his short 'Diversity Hire' and how he is now in the process of turning it into a series. The two talk about working hard and how to keep going in an industry that can be tricky at times and how you never know how one thing can lead to another. Why it's important to create your own work and believe in what you have to offer when you're hired. Alex is also one of our writers on Avocado Toast season 2!

You can follow Alex on Instagram @alexjonunez and you can see another interview Alex and Perrie did on YouTube during filming here and here! and Twitter (because he's wonderful and hilarious @alexander_jnun