Kris Lefcoe! Filmmaker! Writer! Director! Musician! Friend! Delight! More! We have a great chat! You can have a great listen! About Kris, from her website: "Kris Lefcoe (DGA) is a Canadian-American director and writer based in New York City. Her work has screened at TIFF, SXSW, Tribeca, British Film Institute, Art Basel Miami, IFC and on the Sundance Channel. 



Kris is co-creator, writer and EP of “Making Plans For Nigel,” a comedy series in network development with Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Mary Rohlich (“Atypical”). Lefcoe's half-hour comedy “Giving Up,” about a New York couple facing their own deadline to either ‘make it’ or give up their dreams, won top prizes at Seriesfest and New York Television Festival, and just had a theatrical premiere at the Roxy Cinema in NYC. The series was executive produced by David Wain and developed with Imagine Television. In 2020, Kris made her network directing debut on the NBC comedy “Superstore.”



Pitch-black comedy “Public Domain,” Kris’ audacious audience-award-winning feature debut about a surveillance-based game show, was hailed as "creepy-funny and well-acted" (Variety), and "an assured debut" (Austin Chronicle). The film premiered at SXSW and was installed at Art Basel Miami.


Lefcoe’s stop motion short “Tiny Riot Project,” featuring a riot squad of corporate mascots in a violent face off with endearing anarchists, premiered at IFF Rotterdam, was installed at Galerie Tomas Schulte Berlin, Havana Biennale, and Art Basel Miami, then sold to the Sundance Channel. Her acclaimed Twilight Zone-esque short “Can I Get a Witness?” starring Scott Speedman, screened at TIFF, BFI and Anthology Film Archives.



Kris' explosive music videos have garnered numerous nominations and awards, including the Peaches smash “Boys Wanna Be Her” which has over 3 million views on YouTube.
She recently won Best Director at New York Cinefest, and Best Director and Best Comedy at Deluxe Film Festival in Rome, for the sex-robot comedy “Technical Support” starring Aparna Nancherla and Courtney Pauroso, which quickly racked up almost million views on YouTube. 

As a musician, Kris performs haunting original songs at live venues around NYC on a vintage keyboard she found in the garbage. Her first solo album will be released in Fall 2025. The advance single “Booked A Room” came out in 2024 with a hallucinatory stop motion video directed by Kris that premiered at the 2024 Tribeca Festival and just won Best Video and the Audience Award at San Luis Obispo Festival. 

Kris is also a professor in the MFA Film and Television program at Stony Brook University, SUNY. In 2024 she created and launched the Post-MFA Pilot Incubator Lab to shepherd alumni into the industry. She lives with her husband and daughter in a long-forgotten borough called Manhattan." And this is just the first HALF of our conversation! For part two, subscribe via Apple Podcasts OR simply click on over here to Patreon! Enjoy!

Ivan Rubenstein-Gillis! Singer! Songwriter! Producer! Dear old friend! Delight! I've known Ivan for decades and I've always loved his music AND talking to him, so having him on my podcast to talk about his music AND MORE was perfect. Under the band name 500 Suns, he's got a new album "Hungry Man" coming out in July 2025! Stay tuned for that, and also stay tuned at the end of this podcast episode for a sneak peek of some music from that project! We have a great chat and you can have a great listen! PS This is only the first HALF of our chat. For the second half, subscribe via Apple Podcasts or merely click on over here to Patreon! Also, here's more about Ivan in Ivan's website's own words:

"Ivan Rubenstein-Gillis is a singer, songwriter, producer and multi-instrumentalist based out of New York. With deep roots in folk, rock, jazz, world music and modern poetics, Ivan brings a rare sense of craft, intellectual provocation and emotional expression to his work.​

Ivan grew up in a creative family and from an early age was exposed to great music, books and visual art from all around the world. He played piano as a kid and began putting lyrics and chord patterns together around the age of 10 ... Bought his first guitar in high school and later added mandolin, banjo, harmonica, bass and other instruments to the mix.

Over the course of his eclectic career, Ivan has written hundreds of songs and instrumental pieces, produced and recorded albums across various genres, composed for dance and theater and performed with great musicians in many styles.​

The primary focus of Ivan's creative life has been his songwriting. To date, he has recorded 11 albums of original material as a solo artist, collaborating with extraordinary rhythm sections, instrumentalists and singers along the way. His songs have won grants and awards, have been performed by numerous artists and choirs, have been featured in a number of movies, documentaries and PSAs, and have become part of the American musical landscape for his many admirers.​​ Two of his songs were featured in a worldwide viral video produced for the United Nations Environmental Program regarding the evils of single-use plastics.

Outside of his own material, Ivan enjoyed a very successful collaboration with legendary trombonist Roswell Rudd over the last decade of his life. Ivan played with Rudd's dynamic MaliCool band in 2007 and produced Feeling Good (a tribute to Nina Simone) - the lead track off of Rudd's 2011 album The Incredible Honk.  In 2013-2014, Ivan produced Trombone For Lovers, an epic collection of American standards which included the house band of John Medeski, Aaron Comess and Richard Hammond, plus guest appearances from Bob Dorough, Faye Victor, Gary Lucas, Michael Doucet, Steven Bernstein, The NYC Labor Choir and other luminaries. TFL received a four star review in Downbeat and generated raves around the world. Roswell performed with Ivan and his band on numerous occasions and guested on several of Ivan's albums, including in the guise of a braying elephant on dogz and katz, a choice cut from Ivan's 2016 album The Lion. Ivan and Roswell continued to work together on new compositions and arrangements right up until Roswell died in December of 2017.​

Ivan produced and played multiple instruments on "Songs From Home" - a well-received  'pandemic EP' with fellow Rudd collaborator (and wonderful singer ) Heather Masse, featuring some of their favorite classics, reimagined for quarantine.

Ivan's latest project - 500 Suns - is a collaboration with the great rhythm section of Craig Santiago and Scott Petito - an uplifting soulful band based out of the Hudson Valley featuring Shawn Dawn, Kendra McKinley and Leslie Ritter on vocals.

​Ivan's deep love for many different types of music has allowed him to play around the margins of numerous genres, and has led to longstanding musical relationships with Meyer Horn (drums), Adam Small (bass), Craig Santiago (drums), Scott Petito (bass), Aaron Comess (drums), Richard Hammond (bass), Heather Masse (voice), Cat Martino (voice), Leah Siegel (voice), Lexy Casano (cabaret artist), Clarence Ferrari (flame throwing fiddler), Arne Wendt (organist), Rod Sherwood (producer), David Grausman (piano) and David Brahinsky (NJ-based folksinger), among many others.

Ivan has also worked extensively as a music educator, concert producer and "musical activist" - utilizing his talent and experience in the service of providing musical opportunities to underserved populations. Ivan has played at countless benefit concerts, fundraisers and community events and always appreciates the opportunity to play music in the service of a worthy cause. 

Along with the music, Ivan writes satire, short stories, poems and the occasional expository essay. He also likes to draw funny sketches." Thanks and love, all!

Malaika Handa! Crossword constructor! Friend! Delight! More! In her own words from her website:

"My name is Malaika Handa and I've made 565 crossword puzzles. You'll find me in Vulture magazine several days a week, and writing for rexwordpuzzle about once a month. I'm also sporadically published in other outlets (see below); if you'd like to get an email when that happens, sign up here. In the past, I ran the 7xwords project and blogged for Diary of a Crossword Fiend.

When I'm not crossword-ing, I write code, play volleyball, teach high schoolers computer science, drink cocktails, and read romance novels. Find me on Twitter, bluesky or Instagram."

Also, she and I were on a show together a few months ago and here is the talk she gave at that show! It's great! We have a great chat! You can have a great listen! And this is only the first HALF of our chat! For part two, subscribe via Apple Podcasts OR simply head on over here to Patreon!

Julie Seabaugh! Journalist! Author! Producer! Friend! Delight! More! Long-time comedy journalist Julie Seabaugh is the producer, story editor and originator of Are We Good?, the new documentary about comic and podcast pioneer Marc Maron that makes its East Coast premiere at the Tribeca June 14 and 15. She is a journalist, author and documentarian who has covered stand-up and the ins-and-outs of the comedy industry for more than 20 years.

More about Julie Seabaugh and the new doc:

After covering Marc Maron many times in major news outlets, she was struck by his loss and honesty when his partner Lynn Shelton died unexpectedly in 2020. Seabaugh says the continuing Instagram videos voicing his grief was some of “the most touching stuff I’d ever seen publicly coming from a comedian,” and she knew the next stand-up material he created would be the most powerful he’d done to date and that someone ought to be documenting the next period in his life and career. She quickly realized that someone was her, and she sprung into action.

She produced the first Are We Good? shoot on May 7, 2021 at the Comedy Store, the night of Maron’s first time back on stage since the start of the Covid pandemic. 

Julie Seabaugh produced and hosted 2020’s Hope on Top: A Mitch Hedberg Oral History for SiriusXM and with Emmy-nominated filmmaker Nick Scown directed September 2021 feature documentary Too Soon: Comedy After 9/11 for Vice. Her film Are We Good? A Marc Maron Documentary made its world premiere in March 2025 at SXSW. A documentary on legendary performer Mitch Hedberg will debut in 2026.

As a professional comedy journalist for more than two decades, Seabaugh covered the art form for The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, Rolling Stone, The Hollywood Reporter, Variety, GQ and numerous other titles. Her expertise on modern roasting culminated in 2018 book Ringside at Roast Battle. 2022’s 50 Years of the Comedy Store vinyl box set features her liner notes. With comedian Byron Bowers, the memoir Beyond the Promised Land is out from Grand Central Publishing in summer 2026.   

Julie Seabaugh online:

Journalism

Films/Books

Are We Good? Online: 

Instagram

Tribeca screening Tickets and Info 

Press Letter

Julie and I had a great chat! You can have a great listen! And this is only the first HALF of our chat! For part two, subscribe via Apple Podcasts or simply click on over here to Patreon! Enjoy!

Mike Cachuela! Artist! Filmmaker! Animator! Director! Storyteller! Friend! Delight! More! Mike being on the show started with his sending me this message:

"Comedian, writer, and proud Las Vegas native Shanna Christmas is bringing the heat—and the heart—with her bold new comedy special. One hour of machine-gun punchlines and razor-sharp observations unpacking the horrors of working in healthcare, losing a parent to dementia, the struggles of being tall, and surviving sexual assault in the comedy scene

Shot live at an intimate jazz club in the heart of downtown Las Vegas, the special captures Shanna Christmas doing what she does best: making people laugh so hard they forget they’re in a dark room with strangers. With machine-gun punchlines, razor- sharp observations, and stories that swing from wild to wicked, Shanna invites audiences into a world that’s as smart as it is side-splitting. But this special isn’t just jokes.

In a stunning final turn, Shanna peels back the curtain to share a deeply personal, gut-wrenching story of surviving sexual assault. The room, once roaring with laughter, falls into a reverent, electric silence as she bravely reframes her trauma through the lens of resilience, truth, and yes—even humor.

'I wanted to make a special that felt like me,' Shanna says. 'Loud, fast, honest, funny—but also full of real life. Because comedy is how I take my power back. And I want people to feel theirs, too.'

Filmed in the city where she grew up, Highly Intelligent is more than just a comedy special; it’s a homecoming. And a reckoning. And a celebration of what it means to be funny, fearless, and female in today’s world.

The special is directed by Michael Malone, an award-winning filmmaker and comedian whose credits include Comedy Central, Showtime, and FOX. A veteran of the industry, Michael currently leads the creative team at Brad Garrett Presents, the comedy production division of Brad Garrett’s Entertainment. Through his own company, Glass Hammer Productions, he has directed over a dozen stand-up specials and three acclaimed comedy documentaries."

And here is more official information about Shanna:

"Shanna Christmas was born and raised in Las Vegas. She is a stand up comedian, writer (Reductress, Insider), actor and producer who stands at 6’3’’ and played volleyball in college, despite much protest. Her comedy style has been described as 'Edgy/Classy' as she finds ways to speak about complicated issues that can offend, but she’s so charming that you can’t be mad at her.

Shanna has performed across North America, including Montreal and Edmonton in Canada. You can see her on Season 10 of 'Coming To The Stage' on Pluto TV. She has appeared in comedy festivals including the 208 Festival, Altercation Festival, Black Girl Giggles, Black Women In Comedy Festival (NY). She was Devil Cup Comedy Festiva Winner in 2018 and a finalist in the inaugural ABFF Comedy Fest in 2021. 

In addition to producing successful all black women stand up shows, Shanna Christmas was also a co-host of the 'Topical Smoothie' podcast. In 2021, She self published a comic book about her life as an Occupational Therapy Assistant in nursing homes, and she can also be seen in a short film called, Dark Wolf Gang produced by the American Film Institute." We have a great chat! You can have a great listen! Thanks all! PS This is only the first HALF of our chat. For part two, subscribe via Apple Podcasts OR simply click on over here to Patreon!

​

Ahmed Khalaf! Comedian! Friend! Delight! More! His debut album is called "Hobble D. Hoy" and here is the official information about it: "Somalia-born, California-raised, and Minneapolis-based comic Ahmed Khalaf spent 8 years developing his comedy skills to build his first comedy album. On it, Ahmed shares how he beat tough odds like being born in a Somalian refugee camp but growing up to out-white the wife of a brewery owner, and learning how to walk again after breaking his leg at 30. His comedy blends short and long form jokes, observations, and storytelling to break down his life story and the unique culture of the Midwest." Now for the unofficial information about it: it's great!  AND Ahmed and I have a great chat on this podcast. So YOU can have a great listen! PS This is only the first HALF of our chat. For our chat part two, subscribe via Apple Podcasts OR simply click on over here to Patreon!

Rita Orlov! Game designer! Creative director! Puzzle creator! New friend! Delight! More! Rita makes games! One of them is Pandora's Legacy and the Kickstarter is underway as we speak! (As I type and you read!) Another is Emerald Echoes and the Kickstarter is soon to be launched! (At some point when I'll be typing again later, I imagine.)

Alex Rosenthal! Editorial director/producer at TED! Game/puzzle-maker! Old friend! Delight! More! Alex works at TED and has given a very enjoyable TED talk on puzzle hunts. He is the co-creator of a new game called Pandora's Legacy which is on Kickstarter right now! About the game: "Pandora’s Legacy, combines elements of jigsaw puzzles, escape rooms, puzzle hunts, and legacy board games into a 12-15 hour adventure. Perfect for mythology lovers, puzzle enthusiasts, and anyone who just loves a good challenge. Brought to you by the creators of TED-Ed's riddle and mythology series." So check out the game, support the Kickstarter, and listen to our chat! And this is just the first HALF of our chat! To complete the puzzle and get the second half, subscribe via Apple Podcasts or merely click on over here to Patreon! Enjoy!

Charlotte Clymer! Writer! Activist! Friend! Delight! More! Charlotte is a writer, activist, communications consultant, and military veteran. She writes about politics, religion, and culture in the award-winning Substack newsletter "Charlotte's Web Thoughts," which was recognized in 2024 with Best News/Political Blog by Editor & Publisher Magazine and for Excellence in Blogging by the National Gay & Lesbian Journalists Association. She has been widely published and quoted by numerous national and international outlets on topics ranging from foreign policy to gun reform to trans rights. She serves on several non-profit boards, including Voices for Progress and Victory Fund. In 2023, she became the first openly-transgender person elected to membership in the Council on Foreign Relations. You can find her work at charlotteclymer.substack.com and most social media sites. She is a proud graduate of Georgetown University and resides in Washington, D.C. Charlotte and I had a great talk. You can have a great listen! And this is only the first HALF of our chat.  For part two, just subscribe via Apple Podcasts OR click on over here to Patreon!