Balancing Acts

In this conversation I chat with actor, writer and director Khyan Mansley (https://www.youtube.com/Khyan).

Khyan was one of the early YouTubers, launching his channel in 2009 and releasing sketches and vlogs. He soon built up a following and started to making bigger and more ambitious projects, which eventually led to him writing, directing and starring in his short film The Ministry, The short received a Vimeo Staff Pick and US network TBS (FYI I incorrectly said CBS in the intro) commissioned Khyan to write a script pilot based on The Ministry.

Khyan talks about his love for video games and why if he was 15 now he’d consider becoming a pro-gamer. He explains why he got into making videos and how it changed the course of his life. The challenges he was faced with by attempting to make each project he was making on YouTube more ambitious than the last. Khyan breaks down the process of how his short film The Ministry led to him receiving representation from an agency and manager in the US and ultimately a script commission from US network CBS. He also explains the process of packaging, how agencies make a script or project attractive to a network. He describes what the transition was like going from making Youtube videos in his bedroom to finding himself pitching his show to a room full of US TV industry executives. We discuss Khyan's analytical approach to productivity, why he went travelling during ongoing negotiations with CBS 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 #khyanmansley #youtuber

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In this conversation I chat with comedian, actor and writer Seán Burke (https://twitter.com/SeanBurkeShow).

Seán starred in the Radio 1 comedy sketch show ‘What is Music Videos?’ on BBC iPlayer, he was the host of Channel 4’s ‘Hollywood Hijack’, an online comedy series based around celebrity interviews. He's also the the head writer/performer for ‘Dream Team FC’, a football comedy site with over 3 million followers and was a winner of the ‘Comedy Crowd TV's Chorts’ competition, for his character creation, ‘Danny K’, an idiotic, sell-out Youtuber.

Sean discusses the benefits of sticking to a consistent release schedule of one sketch a week. He talks about how questioning what he should be writing and releasing, led to a bout of anxiety and explains how he got past it. Sean also breaks down how he tests different types of videos on the various platforms to see what works for that particular audience. We discuss why he doesn’t feel ready to set up a patreon page, the experience of interviewing the Rock and Kevin Hart and consequently and going viral. Sean talks about his his love for solo cinema trips, long walks 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 #seánburke

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

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In this conversation I chat with comedian and writer Amir Khoshsokhan (https://twitter.com/amirk17).

Amir is a BBC Comedy Award Nominee and has reached the finals of many stand up competitions including, So You Think You're Funny, Leicester Square New Comedian, English Comedian of the Year and wining the title of the Piccadilly Comedy Club’s New Comedian Award.

He discusses his thought process of reaching a place in his stand up career where he felt it was time to take a step back. We get into why he arrived at this decision and how he intends on spending the time that was previously spent gigging 3-4 nights a week. Amir talks about the struggles of writing every day and balancing that whilst working in a full time job. He shares his thoughts on fame and why it doesn’t appeal to him, how important it is to have collaborators around you who’s instinct you respect and trust 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 #amirkhoshsokhan

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

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In this conversation I chat with award winning comedian Tom Ward (https://www.instagram.com/tomwardcomedian). Tom won the Chortle Award for Best Newcomer in 2017. He has been seen on Comedy Central’s ‘Roast Battle’, ‘Stand up Central’ and ‘Live From The Comedy Store’. In 2018 he was Joe Lycett’s official tour support and recently supported Jack Whitehall on tour.

We went real deep in this conversation and covered a lot of ground. Tom talks about his battles with depression and how he went from verging on suicidal to being in a place where he now feels grounded and present. He cites much of this down to reading the teachings of Osho and developing a regular meditation practice. Tom describes this need in our society for us all to be busy all of the time and why it’s so important to take some time out and try and be present. We talk about the high’s and low’s of being on the road as a comedian. We also cover how Tom went from working in a charity shop to becoming a full time comedian, his former life as the lead singer of an indie band 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 #tomward #comedian

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

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In this conversation I chat with the multi-hyphenate actor, writer and director Emily Seale-Jones (https://www.instagram.com/emilysealejones).

Emily started acting from a young age, training at North London Performing Arts School from the age of 14, but it wasn’t long before she had the urge to direct. She talks about how a comment from a pesky boyfriend stoped her from pursuing becoming a writer/director. But when she did finally make the jump and started writing, things progressed very quickly. She describes how learning Meisner as an actor helped her connect with other performers both as an actor and later as a director and writing. Emily tells her journey from writing, directing and starring in her web series Franke and Emma, to getting signed to an agent. And then writing and directing her short film and getting her series ‘brunch bitches’ commissioned with Comedy Central, which ultimately led to being broadcast on Funny Or Die and another series commission. Emily breaks down the whole development process, explains why she can’t write at home and we discuss whether being on social media is essential for your career or is it just something we convince ourselves we should be doing. We also compare our respective aunt and uncle duties and it turns out we both suck! Lots here to enjoy, Emily is great and funny and talented, you will love her.

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

Happy listening :)

Steve - @offkeysteve

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

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

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In this conversation I chat with the very lovely and talented actress and writer Zara Symes (@zarasymesfilm) on how she transitioned from being an actor to an actor/writer. She explains how she managed to hustle her way into a meeting with a TV network executive, which ultimately let her to getting representation as a writer. Zara discusses the reasons why she decided to write, which were partly down to the challenges she faced as an actor. She breaks down what a general meet is and how she felt she blew opportunities with the likes of C4 as she wasn’t yet ‘pitch ready’. Zara also gives a very honest and open account of her struggles with anxiety and how work related stress led to a bout of ‘de-personalizaion’, which she explains in more detail. We discuss the highs of your project receiving industry interest and the ongoing pressures it brings, including suffering imposters syndrome and being expected to have all the answers to questions being fired at you from development execs. She talks about her love for foraging and we chat about the time I mugged her...in character of course.  

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

Happy listening :)

Steve - @Offkeysteve

#apple #spotify #comedy #podcast #balancingacts #stevewhiteley #zarasymes #writer

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

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this conversation I chat with the very funny Michael Orton-Toliver (https://twitter.com/michael_ot), who happens to be the co-creator and co-writer of Channel 5 and Netflix sitcom 'Borderline'.

Michael talks about his early days performing improv and moving to amsterdam to perform as part of Chicago Boom. We talk about our shared horror for...horror films, my appreciation for Michael’s improv mind and his days performing improv shows on a cruise ship. He explains why LA isn’t the central hub of the entertainment industry it once was and why you don’t have to live there to pursue a career in the entertainment industry. We discuss how the collaborative nature of improv has helped shape Michael as a writer, how his experience with a Border Force patrol office led to him being put in a cell and was ultimately the inspiration for the C5 and now Netflix sitcom Borderline.

Michael breaks down his writing process, he explains how improv led him to meeting Chris Gau his writing partner and co-creator of borderline. We discuss the process of developing a show from writing it to eventually shooting it and the struggle of handing over your script to a director. We talk about the balance between making sure your cast hit all the beats and lines on the script and also allowing enough room to improv. Michael talks about how being a new Dad has affected his writing and general approach to work. There’s 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 #michaelortontoliver #writer

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

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In this conversation I chat with the multi-hyphenate actor, writer and director, Florence Keith Roach (https://www.instagram.com/florencekeithroach).

Florence breaks down what she loves about each role and how her processes vary between acting, writing and directing.

She offers a detailed overview from pre-production to the post of writing/directing her debut short 'A Family Affair'.

We discuss Florence's writing process, from journaling every morning to what type of environment she enjoys writing in.

Florence explains how to develop a mindset as an actor, that helps you feel comfortable with seeing yourself on screen.

We talk about Florence's breakthrough of just letting her career unfold naturally and not being overly driven to succeed.

We cover the joys of solo travelling, solitary writing retreats, walks 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 #florencekeithroach #filmmaker

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

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In episode 12 I sit down for a really interesting conversation, with Ian Robertson (https://www.twitter.com/ianr0b), an award winning director of music videos, commercials and short films.

Ian talks about his process as a director, particularly as he directs different forms of content, from music video’s, to commercials and short films. And he discusses how his approach varies in terms of the work process, going in deep on what goes on behind directing a music video. Ian also talks about his experiences of directing TV commercials and branded content and what the dynamics are like between working with creatives at ad agencies and clients and how that differs from working on music videos, where he comes to get up with the ideas himself. We also discuss Ian’s love for directing short films and scripted projects.

Ian explain's his creative process behind pitching on music video's and the pressure he felt from constantly having come up with new ideas. We talk about his hobbies outside of directing. This is a really fascinating conversation with somebody who has started at the ground level as a director and worked his way up, creating award winning music videos for the likes of Dizzee Rascal.

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

Happy listening :)

Steve - @offkeysteve

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

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

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In episode 11 (Aka episode 1 of series 2) I talk with Mark O'Sullivan (https://twitter.com/immarkosullivan), a man of many talents. Mark is an actor, writer, director, producer and co-creator of the Channel 4 sitcom 'Lee and Dean'.

In this conversation Mark talks about the challenges he faces having to wear so many hats. And how he manages to switch mindsets between the roles of doing the fun creative side of things, to co-running a production company (alongside Lee and Dean co-creator and co-star Miles Chapman) and the responsibilities that go with that. We talk about the impact it's had on Mark's mental health and discuss strategies that he uses to counteract against bouts of anxiety and depression. Mark also talks about his love for long walks and how they can be conducive to having moments of creative inspiration and how they help him deal with anxiety and depression. We discuss the challenges Mark faces of being a Husband and Father and balancing that with his all encompassing career. We also talk about Mark's journey from working as a teacher, to finally fulfilling his dreams in his late 30's and how finding success at a later stage has been beneficial. This episode is really useful for all the 'multihyphenate's' out there and for anyone getting into a creative career at a later stage in life.

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

Happy listening.

Steve - @offkeysteve

#apple #spotify #comedy #podcast #balancingacts #stevewhiteley #markosullivan

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

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.