Excelsior Journeys: Behind the Scenes

Years after I graduated from college, I heard how writer/director Robert Rodriguez declared indie filmmakers need to write to their budgets. When he wrote El Mariachi, he had a bus, a guitar case, and a turtle, so he knew all of that would be in his movie. However, in 1994-1995, I saw this strategy used to its fullest by filmmakers B. Anthony Gibson, Jay Atkins, and Nathan Perry with their studio Tatum Pictures. And their tactics inspired me to write a no-budget short film of my own, which would become Phoenix Rising.

Excelsior Journeys: The Road to Creativity exists primarily as a platform for creatives of all kinds (authors, filmmakers, stand-up comics, musicians, voice artists, painters, podcasters, etc) to share their journeys to personal success. It is very important to celebrate those voices as much as possible to not only provide encouragement to up-and-coming talent, but to say thank you to the established men & women for inspiring the current generation of artists.

If you agree that the Excelsior Journeys podcast serves a positive purpose and would like to show your appreciation, you can give back to the show by clicking HERE.

Excelsior Journeys: The Road to Creativity is now a proud member of the Podmatch Podcast Network, and you can access all shows in the network by clicking HERE.

The final project of Playwriting class was to write our own one-act play, and I had something in particular that happened to me recently that I thought would make for a funny story... something very personal...

Excelsior Journeys: The Road to Creativity exists primarily as a platform for creatives of all kinds (authors, filmmakers, stand-up comics, musicians, voice artists, painters, podcasters, etc) to share their journeys to personal success. It is very important to celebrate those voices as much as possible to not only provide encouragement to up-and-coming talent, but to say thank you to the established men & women for inspiring the current generation of artists.

If you agree that the Excelsior Journeys podcast serves a positive purpose and would like to show your appreciation, you can give back to the show by clicking HERE.

Excelsior Journeys: The Road to Creativity is now a proud member of the Podmatch Podcast Network, and you can access all shows in the network by clicking HERE.

After a decent (not great, but decent) first semester at Marymount Manhattan College, I went into the second semester feeling much more confident in myself. Thankfully, my first Playwriting class would be waiting for me.

Excelsior Journeys: The Road to Creativity exists primarily as a platform for creatives of all kinds (authors, filmmakers, stand-up comics, musicians, voice artists, painters, podcasters, etc) to share their journeys to personal success. It is very important to celebrate those voices as much as possible to not only provide encouragement to up-and-coming talent, but to say thank you to the established men & women for inspiring the current generation of artists.

If you agree that the Excelsior Journeys podcast serves a positive purpose and would like to show your appreciation, you can give back to the show by clicking HERE.

Excelsior Journeys: The Road to Creativity is now a proud member of the Podmatch Podcast Network, and you can access all shows in the network by clicking HERE.

My senior year started with a journal that would be a very important factor in my life. That and the support and encouragement from my teacher.

Excelsior Journeys: The Road to Creativity exists primarily as a platform for creatives of all kinds (authors, filmmakers, stand-up comics, musicians, voice artists, painters, podcasters, etc) to share their journeys to personal success. It is very important to celebrate those voices as much as possible to not only provide encouragement to up-and-coming talent, but to say thank you to the established men & women for inspiring the current generation of artists.

If you agree that the Excelsior Journeys podcast serves a positive purpose and would like to show your appreciation, you can give back to the show by clicking HERE.

Excelsior Journeys: The Road to Creativity is now a proud member of the Podmatch Podcast Network, and you can access all shows in the network by clicking HERE.

There was something special about getting back on the stage after a five-year hiatus with a sketch that I would wind up writing for myself. To this day, that laugh still gives me chills...

Excelsior Journeys: The Road to Creativity exists primarily as a platform for creatives of all kinds (authors, filmmakers, stand-up comics, musicians, voice artists, painters, podcasters, etc) to share their journeys to personal success. It is very important to celebrate those voices as much as possible to not only provide encouragement to up-and-coming talent, but to say thank you to the established men & women for inspiring the current generation of artists.

If you agree that the Excelsior Journeys podcast serves a positive purpose and would like to show your appreciation, you can give back to the show by clicking HERE.

Excelsior Journeys: The Road to Creativity is now a proud member of the Podmatch Podcast Network, and you can access all shows in the network by clicking HERE.

I was thrilled to be part of the writing staff for the Junior Class Variety Show. But I didn't expect it to be the springboard to put me back on the stage for the first time in nearly five years.

Excelsior Journeys: The Road to Creativity exists primarily as a platform for creatives of all kinds (authors, filmmakers, stand-up comics, musicians, voice artists, painters, podcasters, etc) to share their journeys to personal success. It is very important to celebrate those voices as much as possible to not only provide encouragement to up-and-coming talent, but to say thank you to the established men & women for inspiring the current generation of artists.

If you agree that the Excelsior Journeys podcast serves a positive purpose and would like to show your appreciation, you can give back to the show by clicking HERE.

Excelsior Journeys: The Road to Creativity is now a proud member of the Podmatch Podcast Network, and you can access all shows in the network by clicking HERE.

Sometimes it takes someone else nudging you to get you in the right direction in life. I honestly don't know where I'd be if a specific classmate didn't invite me to be part of the writing staff for the Junior Class Variety Show, but thankfully I'll never have to find out.

Excelsior Journeys: The Road to Creativity exists primarily as a platform for creatives of all kinds (authors, filmmakers, stand-up comics, musicians, voice artists, painters, podcasters, etc) to share their journeys to personal success. It is very important to celebrate those voices as much as possible to not only provide encouragement to up-and-coming talent, but to say thank you to the established men & women for inspiring the current generation of artists.

If you agree that the Excelsior Journeys podcast serves a positive purpose and would like to show your appreciation, you can give back to the show by clicking HERE.

Excelsior Journeys: The Road to Creativity is now a proud member of the Podmatch Podcast Network, and you can access all shows in the network by clicking HERE.

Everyone manifests what they want to do in life in their own way. For me, it was all about deciding what would make the best opening credits to open up a film based on the characters I had created allllllll the way back in grade school.

Excelsior Journeys: The Road to Creativity exists primarily as a platform for creatives of all kinds (authors, filmmakers, stand-up comics, musicians, voice artists, painters, podcasters, etc) to share their journeys to personal success. It is very important to celebrate those voices as much as possible to not only provide encouragement to up-and-coming talent, but to say thank you to the established men & women for inspiring the current generation of artists.

If you agree that the Excelsior Journeys podcast serves a positive purpose and would like to show your appreciation, you can give back to the show by clicking HERE.

Excelsior Journeys: The Road to Creativity is now a proud member of the Podmatch Podcast Network, and you can access all shows in the network by clicking HERE.

If you were to ask me what the closest thing to "the ancient Jedi texts" there is in my own life, it would be the steno notebooks I would fill on a constant basis in high school. Based on the characters I created back in grade school, the stories and character design became so much more detailed, I could no longer draw them. But what really made my life turn a corner happened because the right people were reading them.

Excelsior Journeys: The Road to Creativity exists primarily as a platform for creatives of all kinds (authors, filmmakers, stand-up comics, musicians, voice artists, painters, podcasters, etc) to share their journeys to personal success. It is very important to celebrate those voices as much as possible to not only provide encouragement to up-and-coming talent, but to say thank you to the established men & women for inspiring the current generation of artists.

If you agree that the Excelsior Journeys podcast serves a positive purpose and would like to show your appreciation, you can give back to the show by clicking HERE.

Excelsior Journeys: The Road to Creativity is now a proud member of the Podmatch Podcast Network, and you can access all shows in the network by clicking HERE.

Welcome to the Season 2 Premiere of Excelsior Journeys: Behind the Scenes. As part of the 2025 National Podcast Post Month Challenge, host & producer George Sirois is starting this new season with a breakdown of what will be discussed this month: Adventures in the Stage & Screen Trade.

Excelsior Journeys: The Road to Creativity exists primarily as a platform for creatives of all kinds (authors, filmmakers, stand-up comics, musicians, voice artists, painters, podcasters, etc) to share their journeys to personal success. It is very important to celebrate those voices as much as possible to not only provide encouragement to up-and-coming talent, but to say thank you to the established men & women for inspiring the current generation of artists.

If you agree that the Excelsior Journeys podcast serves a positive purpose and would like to show your appreciation, you can give back to the show by clicking HERE.

Excelsior Journeys: The Road to Creativity is now a proud member of the Podmatch Podcast Network, and you can access all shows in the network by clicking HERE.