Balancing Acts

In this conversation I chat to Cally Beaton, a stand-up comedian, writer, public speaker and executive coach (http://callybeaton.com).

Cally worked as a TV executive at MTV, UKTV and Viacom as a Senior Vice President, where she was responsible for shows including South Park. Cally is also a Master Practitioner in Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP*), and a fully qualified coach with a successful private coaching practice, Road Trip Media. She is a BAFTA voting member and holds a seat on the Development Board of MTV’s Staying Alive Foundation.

While working at Comedy Central in 2015 she began performing as a stand-up comedian. She has since has appeared on BBC2’s QI and as a guest on Radio 4’s Museum Of Curiosity, as well as BBC Radio 6 Music and as a regular contributor on BBC London. For her solo show at the 2017 Edinburgh Fringe, Super Cally Fragile Lipstick, Cally received further 4 star reviews and won the Piccadilly Comedy Club "New Comedian Of The Year" 2017/8. 

Cally explains why she left her job as Vice President of Viacom, to pursue her career in public speaking and stand up comedy. She says that when reinventing yourself you can upsize rather than downsize, no matter what age you are. Cally explains why everyone who wants to perform should do their stint as a barista, or equivalent, in terms of a developing a work ethic. How marketing TV shows has given her instinct on how to market herself as a comedian and why perception is everything.

Cally also breaksdown what NLP is and how her curiosity of people and the world led her to study it and the impact it’s had on her. Why she writes projects at the last minute and why it’s so important to turn up everyday, even when you’re not feeling creatively inspired. She tells the story of how a group of working builders inspired Seinfeld to stick with his stand up career, at the point he was thinking of giving up. We talk about our addictions to our phone's and Cally describes her experiences of the Hoffman process, a retreat where she was cut off from all technology for a week.

Cally describes the experience of juggling being a single mother of two, with working full time and then becoming a stand up comedian. She breakdown the Eisenhower matrix and how she applies it to her time management and why time spent on the wrong thing, blocks you from allowing the right things or opportunities into your life. She talks about her debut Edinburgh Fringe Fesrival experience and the transition from being a TV exec, that everyone wanted at their party, to being a comedian that’s not getting to the same level of attention. We also discuss the struggle of dealing with Edinburgh Fringe, both emotionally and mentally. Cally also breaksdown the experience of being on panel shows such as QI and loads more!

If you like this episode please do rate and review the podcast on Apple.

Happy listening :)

Steve - @offkeysteve

#apple #spotify #comedy #podcast #balancingacts #stevewhiteley #callybeaton

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In this conversation I chat to Kwame Kwaten (https://www.instagram.com/kwamekwaten), founder of Ferocious Talent and a co-founder of Cr8ing Vision.

Kwame began his career in the music industry as a band member in D-Influence, who supported the likes of Prince, Michael Jackson and produced tracks for a number of prominent musicians including Jay-Z and Mick Jagger. He was also the founder of the biggest European Urban Music Seminar, which featured speakers such as Kanye West and Damon Dash. Kwame then transitioned to artist management and became a partner at ATC Management, home to Radiohead, Faithless and many other hugely successful acts. Kwame now heads up Ferocious Talent, looking after an array of artists. He has given a Ted Talk on following your intuition and has helped 1000's of young people get into the arts and creative industries.

We kick things off talking about Kwame's harrowing experience of getting corona virus and he describes what it was like and how it’s given him a new appreciation for life. He explains why surrounding himself with family helps him deal with anxiety. We discuss about why he went vegan and the benefits he’s noticed as a result, including memory recall. Kwame emphasises the importance of paying attention to your intuition. He also explains how self belief has helped me throughout his career and why taking massive action beats perfection every time.

Kwame breaks down why failure will make you creatively stronger, why it's important not to be the smartest person in the room and why success takes years. He describes the experience of managing Steve Brown (Glen Ponder from Knowing Me, Knowing You). He also explains why the artists that make it are usually reckless with fear and why it's important to adapt your approach to the way your brain works. And loads more!

If you like this episode please do rate and review the podcast on Apple.

Happy listening :)

Steve - @offkeysteve

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In this conversation I chat to Tibo Travers, producer and founder of Sweet Doh! (https://www.sweetdoh.com).

The short films Tibo has produced have been funded by BFI, Creative England, been broadcast by Canal+ and RTE and distributed by NiTV and Shorts International. They have screened at festivals around the world. His most short film release 'Contractor 014352', features Jonny Flynn, star of Netflix’s 'Love Sick' and amassed over 35,000 views in a week.

We kick things off talking about the Last Dance and debate whether MJ’s mentality is transferable to a creative career. Tibo explains how a director is the MJ of the production world and the producer is the team manager. He breakdown his journey into filmmaking and how he became a producer. Tibo talks about why it’s so important to work with people he gets on with and can connect with creatively.

He explains why it’s important for a director to have a producer and how they can help shape the project/film. Why it’s essential to give the right type of feedback to writer/directors and how and why feedback is so underrated in the whole process. Tibo also breaks down his process of applying and receiving funding for film projects with the likes of the BFI and Creative England. And the benefits of the funding application process. We discuss the challenge of striking a balance between working on corporate jobs and reinvesting money to produce shorts.

Tibo covers the decision making that goes into short film selections at festivals. And breaks down the type of submission strategy to implement for your first short. Why it’s a good idea to release your short on a bigger online platform rather than your own channel. And why it’s not the right move to buy views for your short. He defines what the actual role of the producer is. We discuss how the role affects his mental health and why he tries to have a balanced approach to life. The importance of having time off and why deadlines are a must for any project. He also highlights the importance of having role models and remembering that those same people you aspire to, were once a beginner starting out. Tibo also explains why you should avoid comparisons on social media and loads more!

If you like this episode please do rate and review the podcast on Apple.

Happy listening :)

Steve - @offkeysteve

#apple #spotify #comedy #podcast #balancingacts #stevewhiteley #filmmaking #tibotravers

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In this conversation I chat to Ara Bozadjian the co-founder of The Jump Off and So Incredible TV.

Ara launched the Jump Off with his brother and business partner Harry. Within a short period of time it became the number one hip hop battle event in the UK and Europe, expanding to territories worldwide. Their YouTube channel Jump Off TV has over 500,000 subscribers and approximately 270 million views. Ara is also the co-founder (with Harry) of So Incredible TV, a global talent management company and marketing agency specialising in creative branded experiences, viral videos and influencer marketing.

Ara and I kick things off talking about conspiracy theories and why it’s important to research opinions and not to hold onto your own opinion too tightly. We discuss routines and how we’re both doing creatively during lockdown. Ara describes his experience of being a parent in lockdown and we discuss the idea of wrestling with anxiety due to a lack of creative output. And why it’s so important to get inspired by absorbing other peoples work or through new experiences.

Ara talks about his start in the advertising industry and how he realised you could get paid for your creativity. And why he regrets leaving the advertising industry prematurely. He explains how him and his brother Harry launched Jump Off TV and the experience of being one of the first paid partners on YouTube. The downsides of being a pioneer and ahead of your game and why it's important not to be bitter about it. Instead having the ability to shift, evolve and learn from your mistakes. Ara breaks down the experience of having tapes stolen from the Jump Off final, being held to ransom and having to work side hustles, to save money to pay the £50k prize to the winners.

He explains what his company So Incredible TV does and describes the running traits needed to be a successful talent.

The difference between log term creative careers and accidental talents. Why it’s important to learn from audience online reactions and move quickly and develop formats as you go along, based on feedback. Why it’s essential to know which game you’re in, whether you’re producing high quality art but less frequently or releasing more regularly. How being a workaholic protected his mental health. The importance of just having time to think. Why it’s ok to now legitimately copy someone online and do it better, whereas in the past you’d be accused of plagiarism. Ara also emphasises why it’s so important as a creative to keep the momentum going and to understand that you have to publish your work eventually. Why you have to be ok with not everyone liking you and everything you do and loads more!

If you like this episode please do rate and review the podcast on Apple.

Happy listening :)

Steve - @offkeysteve

#apple #spotify #comedy #podcast #balancingacts #stevewhiteley #sonincredibletv #youtuber

Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/balancing-acts.

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In this conversation I chat to actor, comedian, presenter and writer Jen Wakefield (https://www.jenwakefield.co.uk).

Jen's debut solo Edinburgh Fringe Show ‘Girl in da Corner’ was transferred to Soho Theatre and she has performed stand-up on the BBC Asian Network comedy showcase. Jen starred in Channel 4's hidden camera show 'Riot Girl's' and BBC 3’s ‘Blindboy Understroys the World’. She has also presented on numerous radio stations and hosted BBC Radio 1's podcast series ‘The Comeback', interviewing comedians and personalities such as London Hughes, Jamali Maddix and Amelia Dimoldenberg.

Jen explains how she went from being a full time teacher to an actor and comedian. We share our debut Edinburgh Fringe experiences and Jen describes how her first solo character show Girl in da Corner led to numerous opportunities, from getting signed to an agent and starring in Channel 4's Riot Girls. Jen very honestly breakdowns how all this success led to a feeling of overwhelm and left her struggling with imposters syndrome.

We talk about how Jen got Soho Theatre onboard for her debut fringe show and the experience of joining their comedy lab course. What it was like starring in Riot Girls and ‘Blindboy Understroys the World’. Why Jen decided to stop performing and focus solely on being a writer, what writing projects she's been working on. We also discuss why she's strict about how she spends her time, what she does when she hits a creative brick wall and loads more!

If you like this episode please do rate and review the podcast on Apple.

Happy listening :)

Steve - @offkeysteve

#apple #spotify #comedy #podcast #balancingacts #stevewhiteley #jenwakefield

Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/balancing-acts.

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In this conversation I chat to comedian and podcaster Carl Donnelly (https://twitter.com/CarlDonnelly).

Carl has twice been nominated for the Edinburgh Comedy Award and has appeared on a selection of TV shows including Mock The Week, Russell Howard’s Good News and more. He's performed all over the world including at the Just For Laughs Festival in Montreal, The Melbourne International Comedy Festival, The New Zealand Comedy Festival and loads more. Carl also co-hosts Two Vegan Idiots with Julian Dean.

Carl and I talk about how getting into meditation helped him become an all round more content person.

He describes how the end of his last relationship led to some important life changes and how he dealt with anxiety, stress and having suicidal thoughts. We cover the importance of finding the right therapist, how Carl got into spirituality and is particularly drawn towards Buddhism. Carl describes his experience of doing ayahuasca and the positive impact it’s had on him and why he hasn't done it again since. We discuss the dangers of taking spirituality too seriously and talk about our own travelling experiences in India.

Carl breaks down how his approach to performing stand up comedy has changed since he got into spirituality. We also cover the challenges of doing TV panel shows and what performing comedy will look like after lockdown is lifted.

We explain why we’re both enjoying our individual lockdowns and how it's led Carl to realising that he doesn’t need to spend money on trivial things. We agree on the importance of going to bed early and lots more! Oh and in the intro I mention that we discuss veganism but that was after we'd officially stopped the podchat, so I've decided to leave it out, as that's a whole other episode!

If you like this episode please do rate and review the podcast on Apple.

Happy listening :)

Steve - @offkeysteve

#apple #spotify #comedy #podcast #balancingacts #stevewhiteley #carldonnelly #psychedelics

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In this conversation I chat to writer/director Craig Ainsley (https://twitter.com/CraigSomersault).

Craig's debut short film 'Leslie' received a Vimeo staff pick and was an official selection in numerous short film festivals and premiered on Nowness.com. His second short 'Whenever You’re Ready' also received a Vimeo staff pick, was featured on Short Of The Week and was again an official selection at numerous BAFTA and Oscar qualifying festivals. Craig also directed '12 Days Of Christmas', an animated short featuring Phoebe Waller-Bridge. He has written for BBC Radio 4, Have I Got News For You and has numerous sitcom projects in development.

We kick off talking about the challenge in deciding which projects to prioritise. Craig breaks down what he does in his life as a Creative Director in the advertising industry. He explains why it’s important to make those early mistakes and be shit for a bit before you get better. We discuss Craig's experience of making his first short film, winning a Vimeo staff pick and learning and understanding about the eco-system of film festivals and trying to navigate been the good and bad festivals. The experience and learning curve of watching your short on the big screen and why Vimeo feels more like a short film makers community than YouTube.

Why it’s important to make your first short achievable to shoot and how Craig got a production company onboard. Why you should approach production companies with your script rather than wait for them to come to you. Why making shorts leads to more opportunities and changes the conversations you have with industry execs. We talk about imposters syndrome, Craigs approach to working with actors. He mentions the sitcom pilots he’s got in development with TV production co’s, including one with Babycow. And we talk about the challenges of turning a short into 6 x 30 min episodes and the signs to look out for when you might have stumbled across a good idea.

How to balance between earning money to fund your passion projects, the experience of directing Phone Waller-Bridge, Craigs relationship with his editor and why he sends him his storyboard prior to shooting. We also discuss Craigs transition of becoming a Dad and the positive impact it’s had on his productivity as a writer and on multi tasking in general. And how parenting has opened him up to new ways of thinking and lots more!

If you like this episode please do rate and review the podcast on Apple.

Happy listening :)

Steve - @offkeysteve

#apple #spotify #comedy #podcast #balancingacts #stevewhiteley #craigainsley #filmmaker

Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/balancing-acts.

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In this conversation I chat to life coach Olly Carter (https://www.boldliving.life).

Through his company BOLD, Balanced Organic Lifestyle Design, Olly is encouraging people to become their authentic selves.

This episode is a lockdown special, in which Olly gives some helpful tips and advice on how to get through this challenging period.

He explains that even though we are faced with such uncertain times, he questions how much of our lives before the pandemic were certain anyway. And that now is an opportunity to develop adaptability and versatility and for us to grow, pause and reflect and for it to become a moment of enlightenment. He explains the importance of developing rituals and routines and describes what he terms as the four pillars of wellness, 'nutrition, physical, emotional and spiritual’. He dives in deep breaking down each pillar and why they are so essential to our overall sense of wellbeing

Olly explains why we should focus on one task at a time and do that to the best of our ability rather than multi task. Why we should remember our tomorrow by honouring our today. Olly suggests waking up early and how we can make the most out of the time that would usually be lost via commuting. Why discipline brings you freedom, why we need mini breaks throughout the day. How understanding your values can help find your authentic self and why it’s so important to do so. He breaks down why we should try to understand our gremlins or self-limiting beliefs and when we do slip up, why we shouldn’t be so hard on ourselves. Olly explains the acronym of HALT and why it’s so useful to put it in place before taking action that may have a negative impact on us. He discusses the importance of having a gratitude journal, a regular meditation or breathing exercise programme and why we should be mindful of our echo chamber. There is loads here!

If you like this episode please do rate and review the podcast on Apple.

Happy listening :)

Steve - @offkeysteve

#apple #spotify #wellness #podcast #balancingacts #stevewhiteley #ollycarter #balance

Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/balancing-acts.

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In this conversation I chat to stand up comedian and writer Kelly Convey (https://www.instagram.com/kelly_convey).

Kelly was voted by The Metro as ‘1 of 9 Hilarious Women to Look Out for in 2017’. She was a finalist in the South Coast Comedian of the Year and So You Think You’re Funny competitions and has supported Russell Kane, Alan Carr and most recently Adam Hills on tour.

Kelly explains why no one needs to know her opinion on anything unless it’s funny and why it's career suicide to give your opinion at an early stage of your stand up career. She opens up about the challenges she faced moving up from paid spots to higher profile gigs, and being compared to more established and experienced comedians by both herself and her peers. And the pressure that came with that.

She describes how performing in market towns for older demographics, made her realise that if she wanted to be a mainstream comic, she needed to appeal to a wider audience. And how realising that, has changed her style of performance. She also explains why she purposely doesn’t wear anything to sexualise herself on stage to the audience and why she’s ok with that.

We talk about her former careers as a TV exec and working in the travel industry and how getting fired from her job led her committing to stand up and gigging every night for the first 6 months, which resulted in her getting signed to Off The Kerb. Then how her rapid progression from doing open mic gigs to performing 30 minute sets led to a bout of acute anxiety. She describes why it's important as a creative to be professional and have a plan of how you’re going to progress your career and realising that you are your own commodity.

We also talk about why Kelly doesn’t like performing at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, her approach to writing new material, finding her own rhythm and lots more!

If you like this episode please do rate and review the podcast on Apple.

Happy listening :)

Steve - @offkeysteve

#apple #spotify #comedy #podcast #balancingacts #stevewhiteley #kellyconvey #comedian

Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/balancing-acts.

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In this conversation I chat to actor, writer and comedian Dave Tozer (https://www.youtube.com/user/Wallop).

Dave went from having a corporate career in IT to jacking it all in and deciding to create a home recording studio and launch Wallop a comedy youtube channel. He explains what led him to that point and how he went on to perform in a sketch show at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, late at night in a bar with no door, that played drum n base throughout. The following year Dave returned to Edinburgh Fringe, this time in a paid venue with Abigail Burdess and performed one of their sketches live on BBC Radio 4. Dave opens up about his struggles with alcoholism and how temporarily moving to LA and enrolling in a UCB improv course helped him get sober.

He explains why he loved the LA improv scene. The process of writing an animation pilot and working with industrial scripts on getting notes. And how sobriety has led to lifestyle changes such as working out and meditating but also the struggles with wondering whether he will be as creative sober. Dave also describes what he terms as the creative dread, what it is and how he gets passed it. We discuss why perfectionism is an excuse not to create, why it’s sometimes ok to reward the monkey in your brain and learning the lesson of action over thinking. He also talks about Dan Harmon’s (co-writer and creator of Rick & Morty and Community) story circle which is based on Joseph Campbells The Hero Of A Thousand and how it has informed his writing process. There is loads here!

If you like this episode please do rate and review the podcast on Apple.

Happy listening :)

Steve - @offkeysteve

#apple #spotify #comedy #podcast #balancingacts #stevewhiteley #davetozer

Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/balancing-acts.

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