Mircea Monroe is an actor who is perhaps best known for her stand-out series regular role as “Morning” in Showtime’s critically acclaimed comedy EPISODES, created by David Crane and Jeffrey Klarik and starring opposite Matt LeBlanc for five seasons. She also starred as Tansy Truitt on The CW’s HART OF DIXIE and was a series regular on TV Land’s IMPASTOR opposite Michael Rosenbaum. 

Most recently, Mircea appeared in a recurring role on ABC’s THE ROOKIE with Nathan Fillion, CBS’s DINNER WITH THE PARENTS and the BBC/Amazon series THE OUTLAWS. Her feature film credits include THE CHANGE-UP opposite Ryan Reynolds, MAGIC MIKE with Channing Tatum, directed by Steven Soderbergh and BOOK CLUB opposite Jane Fonda, Diane Keaton, and Andy Garcia. Across her career, Mircea has starred in numerous network pilots and appeared in a wide range of television and film projects, excelling in both comedic roles (on shows including SCRUBS and HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER) as well as dramatic performances (SONS OF ANARCHY and MADSO’S WAR, directed by Walter Hill).

We chat about creativity for creativity's sake, Whose Line Is It Anyway? Spirituality, creative shifts, being in 10+ shows that don’t go ahead, rejection, doing standup, validation, visualisation, trying new things, moving beyond fear plus plenty more.

Check Mircea out on:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mirceamonroe/ -------------------------------------------

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Jonathan Frakes is a prolific director, producer and actor. He is best known to audiences for his portrayal as ‘Commander William Riker’ on “Star Trek: The Next Generation.” Frakes has most recently returned to the Star Trek family by directing episodes of “Star Trek: Discovery", "Star Trek: Picard," and "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds" for CBS All Access as well as the new LEVERAGE: REDEMPTION for ELECTRIC ENTERTAINMENT on IMDB TV.  

He discovered his love and talent in directing during his seven years starring on “Star Trek: Next Generation” and ended up directing eight episodes of the series and was also invited to direct episodes from the spin-off series “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine” and “Star Trek: Voyager.”  

His other directing roles include “NCIS: Los Angeles,” “The Orville,” “Girlfriend’s Guide to Divorce,” “Castle,” ”Falling Skies, “Leverage,” ”The Glades,” “Burn Notice,” “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.,” “Hit the Floor” among others. In addition, he was a producing director for seasons three and four of the TNT hit show “The Librarians” and directed two movies within the Librarian franchise for TNT: “The Librarian: The Curse of the Judas Chalice” and “The Librarian: Return to King Soloman’s Mine.”   

The role of ‘Commander William Riker’ brought him worldwide fame which led to other acting roles in several television series including “NCIS: Los Angeles,” “Angie Tribeca,” “Hit the Floor,” “Criminal Minds,” and “The Glades.” Frakes will next be seen in the Hallmark movie "A Biltmore Christmas." He has also appeared as the lead in the primetime soap ”Bare Essence” and guest-starred on several classic hit primetime series including ”Charlie’s Angels,” “Fantasy Island” and ”The Dukes of Hazzard.”   

Frakes received critical praise for his work as the director on the feature “Star Trek: First Contact,” making it the highest-grossing film of the franchise to date. He also directed the follow-up, ”Star Trek: Insurrection,” and the sci-fi feature “Clockstoppers.” He is an accomplished voiceover actor, with recent credits that include J'Son, king of the Spartax galactic empire and father of Peter Quill/Star-Lord on the Disney XD animated show “Guardians of the Galaxy.” His previous voice credits include “Gargoyles,” “Family Guy,” “Adventure Time,” “The Super Hero Squad Show,” “Futurama” and several Star Trek video games.  

We chat about Directing and Being in Movie Jail, Star Trek, Imposter Syndrome, Thunderbirds, Gratitude, Meditation, Christopher Reeves, Acting plus plenty more!

Check Jonathan out on:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jonathansfrakes/ Team Trek & Pancreatic Cancer (click the link on top right to donate): https://secure.pancan.org/site/TR?company_id=7699&pg=national_company

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Albert Bramante is the CEO of Bramante Artists, where he’s guided talent across Broadway, film, and television. He’s also a psychology professor and certified hypnotist, blending mental performance tools with creative strategy. Lately, he’s been teaching creators how to harness AI tools like ChatGPT to boost productivity and content creation. His book, "Rise Above the Script," focuses on breaking through fear and building success.

With over 20 years of experience at the intersection of psychology, entertainment, and education, Albert has helped countless performers and creators overcome the mental blocks that hold them back. He’s worked with actors, educators, and students to push through fear, imposter syndrome, and self-sabotage while building sustainable, purpose-driven careers. 

We chat about mindset shifts, hypnosis, collaboration, his new book, mastermind groups, combining being a talent agent with psychology, imposter syndrome, Brian Weiss, people pleasing, accountability, being let go and moving forward, spirituality plus plenty more!

Check Albert out on:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dralbramante/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/albertbramante/ Rise Above the Script: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CY1XJMKM/?bestFormat=true&k=rise%20above%20the%20script&ref_=nb_sb_ss_w_scx-ent-pd-bk-d_de_k0_1_17&crid=2M3QW4QS9LC27&sprefix=Rise%20Above%20The%20Sc Website: https://albertbramante.com/ Bramante Artists: https://bramanteartists.com/?fbclid=IwY2xjawMXfUNleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETE0dGJhemFLVlM4ZUZBcHhaAR6KF40V_DDLwp_lAuCpRI_bGKk13G2eMtBFa8S94n50Hmy8EuMv0NJfD2n1kQ_aem_H9vwyyo_-K1uyeJ9t2-7sw

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/albert.bramante/ -------------------------------------------

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Anthony Brandon Wong is an award winning actor, who has worked for 40 years in movies, TV and theatre all over the world, a singer-songwriter and one of Australia’s most sought- after acting teachers and coaches.

His numerous film and TV credits include: the role of Ghost in “The Matrix Reloaded”, “The Matrix Revolutions” and the “Enter the Matrix” video game, opposite Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss, Jada Pinkett Smith and Hugo Weaving, Steven Soderbergh’s “Haywire” opposite Channing Tatum and Antonio Banderas, “Guns, Girls and Gambling” opposite Gary Oldman and Christian Slater, “Hemingway and Gellhorn” opposite Nicole Kidman and Clive Owen, “Queen of Oz” opposite Catherine Tate, “Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire”, “Glee”, “NCIS”, “Hawaii Five-0”, “Flight of the Phoenix”, “Harrow”, “Upright” and “The Twelve” Season 2 as series regular Winston Hang. 

Anthony played the role of Danny Law in “The Family Law” and he and his fellow cast won 3 consecutive Equity Ensemble Awards for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series.

On stage, Anthony has played lead and major roles for Sydney Theatre Company, Melbourne Theatre Company, The Malthouse and State Theatre Company of South Australia and he won The Victorian Green Room Award for Best Actor in “Sex Diary of an Infidel”. Anthony played the role of the outrageous maid/butler Jacob in the stage musical "La Cage Aux Folles". 

As an acting teacher, Anthony has taught at the National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA), Actors Centre Australia, Screenwise and the Q Theatre in Sydney, Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA), Melbourne’s 16th Street Studios, Queensland University of Technology (QUT), Australian Theatre for Young People (ATYP), as well as in Los Angeles at TVI Studios, in Brisbane at the Australian Acting Academy, on the Gold Coast at The Warehouse Workshop Screen Acting Studio and in Byron Bay at the Actors Room. 

Anthony's thousands of acting students over his 30 year teaching and coaching career include Magda Szubanski, Delta Goodrem, Angus McLaren (Packed to the Rafters), Aaron Glenane (Snowpiercer), Shareena Clanton (Wentworth), Natalie Mendoza (Moulin Rouge) and Stef Dawson (The Hunger Games).

Anthony is the most senior Certified Teacher of the Ivana Chubbuck Technique in Australia. Ivana Chubbuck is the world renowned coach of Oscar winners Halle Berry, Charlize Theron and Jared Leto, and Oscar nominated actors Brad Pitt, Jake Gyllenhaal, Catherine Keener, Djimon Hounsou, Kate Hudson, America Ferrera, Elisabeth Shue, Terrence Howard and Sylvester Stallone. Ivana personally trained Anthony over a period of 14 years in Los Angeles and in Australia.

Anthony has also worked extensively with master teacher Larry Moss, who is the coach of Leonardo di Caprio, Hilary Swank, Tobey Maguire, Helen Hunt and Austin Butler.

In addition, Anthony has studied with Eric Morris (Jack Nicholson’s coach), Elisabeth Kemp (Bradley Cooper, Hugh Jackman and Lady Gaga's coach), Margie Haber (coach of Vince Vaughan and Tea Leoni), Rowena Balos (voice trainer to Judy Davis), the Steppenwolf Company and in the Meisner and Strasberg Techniques. 

As a singer-songwriter, Anthony released a dance pop single "Emancipate", which can be played on all music platforms. The music video can be seen on YouTube and Vevo.

We chat about the Matrix, not working for periods, handling rejection, his amazing acting classes, food, mindset, his win spreadsheet, being who you are, learning new things, gratitude plus plenty more!

Check Anthony out on:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/anthony_brandon_wong/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/p/Anthony-Brandon-Wong-100063593643833/ Actors Room Byron Bay (Masterclass workshop): https://www.actorsroombyronbay.com/august-23rd-24th-chubbuck-with-anthony-brandon-wong?fbclid=IwY2xjawMJULdleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETE4TGVRTVNCTWtvaGJYdGRPAR71_DVmVHvzhlfXPlx0j1JXiY8X1iq8r_RfnXTwUtqk33bc0b__lK5KtZcKJg_aem_xD0UJ0YlVdDoP6P_N5gFuQ Anthony Brandon Wong's Acting Troupe: https://www.facebook.com/groups/55344248581

Food Blog: https://www.instagram.com/universe_of_taste/ -------------------------------------------

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Episode 300! thank's so much.

Emmy, Peabody, and Writers’ Guild of America Award winning writer/producer Mike Scully has written many forms of comedy: animation, single-cam, multi-cam, hidden-cam, award shows, and live performance.

After seven years of writing for shows you’ve never heard of, he joined The Simpsons writing staff as a producer in 1993. He was promoted to showrunner in 1997 for Seasons 9 thru 12 (considered the four most consecutive seasons of the show) and co-wrote and co-produced The Simpsons Movie, released in 2007. He was a consulting producer on the show until 2021 and recently wrote a new episode.

Mike also served as writer/producer on the Emmy-winning Everybody Loves Raymond, as well as Parks & Recreation, starring Amy Poehler. (He also appeared on the show several times as a disgruntled citizen asking stupid questions at town meetings.) He was a writer/producer on the critically acclaimed NBC series “The Carmichael Show” starring comedian Jerrod Carmichael.

He co-created (with wife Julie Thacker-Scully & Amy Poehler) the animated Fox/Hulu show Duncanville starring Poehler, Ty Burrell, and Rashida Jones, which ran three seasons. He also co-created some quickly cancelled shows such as “The Pitts”, “Complete Savages”, and an animated version of Napoleon Dynamite.” He and Julie wrote the pilot for the ABC/Hulu show Shifting Gears.

He is a Consulting Producer on the upcoming second season of the Netflix series, A Man On The Inside starring Ted Danson. He has written jokes for Tina Fey and Amy Poehler when they hosted the Golden Globes and for their current live Restless Leg tour.

In 1998, he organized writing staffs of all the Fox animated shows to win Writers Guild of America union coverage for the writers, who had previously been underpaid and without healthcare and pension contributions, unlike their live action counterparts.

He has five daughters who provide him a never-ending financial reason to keep working.

We chat about the Simpsons and being a show runner, leadership style and empowerment, moving to LA, his many ‘odd’ jobs, cancelled shows and rejection, false promises, Everybody loves Raymond, creating shows, art vs the business, doing comedy after Robin Williams, point of view, working on Parks and Recreation, moving forward plus much more!

Check Mike out on:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mike_skullzz Twitter / X: https://x.com/scullymike -------------------------------------------

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Matt Tilley is a former comedian and radio presenter and now the CEO of FightMND. He was one of Australia’s most respected radio personalities, with more than 20 years on air on major stations like FOX FM and Triple M. Many remember from his famous Gotcha Calls which were a national hit across Australia.

Matt’s Melbourne breakfast shows have consistently reached number one for over 14 of his 20 years in breakfast radio. The Matt and Jo Show on Fox FM was a long running breakfast show that was known for holding the highest ratings over many years between 2003 and 2013. In 2014 Matt moved to Triple M to take on National Drive time for the Triple M network alongside Joe Hildebrand in a ground-breaking news and entertainment show The One Percenters.

Matt has also brought his comedy appeal to screen through his television appearances. He has been featured in Comedy Inc, Fast Forward and The Late Report. He has also co-hosted Channel 9’s show “Surprise, Surprise Gotcha!” and Channel 10’s “Thank God You’re Here”.

Matt’s voice has also featured as Zeke on the award-winning kids cartoon and movie feature Dogstar. His many character voices and impersonations have also featured on various platforms – from Neighbours to beer ads to inflight entertainment. Matt’s engaging manner, versatility and quick wit have also made him a much sought-after MC and host.

Matt transitioned to non for profit. He previously served as Chief Communications Officer at Foodbank Victoria and was the Founder and CEO of the Aussie Dollar Drop which supported homeless Australians. Matt has also held several Board positions across the NFP sector. Check out his great work at FightMND (links below).

We chat about being at the top of the game, life changing moments in urinals, chopping wood (surprisingly funny), riding, public scrutiny, charity work and FightMND, his famous gotcha calls, his drive plus plenty more.

Check Matt out on:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vegetative.state/ About FightMND: https://fightmnd.org.au/about/what-is-mnd/ Donate to FightMND: https://support.fightmnd.org.au/donate FightMND: https://fightmnd.org.au/ -------------------------------------------

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and @Michael_Kahan on Insta & Twitter to keep up to date with the latest info. https://www.instagram.com/michael_kahan/ https://twitter.com/Michael_Kahan

Brennan Brown is a stage and screen actor known for portraying complex and multifaceted characters. After graduating from Yale School of Drama, he landed roles on Broadway in revivals of Shaw’s Major Barbara, and Stoppard’s The Real Inspector Hound and The Fifteen Minute Hamlet, and in leading theatres throughout America.

On screen Brennan has worked with such visionary directors including Tim Hooper on HBO’s “John Adams”, John Requa and Glenn Ficarra on both of their films, I Love You Phillip Morris, and Focus, State of Play (dir. Kevin Macdonald), Detachment (dir. Tony Kaye), Midway (dir. Roland Emmerich), The Wolf Hour, and Not Okay.

He has appeared in dozens of primetime shows most notably as antique dealer Robert Childan on the acclaimed Amazon series “The Man in the High Castle”, Edward Biben on "Mozart in the Jungle", Agent Donnelly on "Person of Interest", and for the past ten seasons as Dr. Sam Abrams on "Chicago Med". He also appears in the upcoming Netflix series “The Beast In Me”. Other appearances on long running shows including ”Madam Secretary","Elementary","The Blacklist",“Damages",“Bull”, "Ugly Betty","The Good Wife”, "Breaking Bad” and others.

We chat about being an introvert, flow state, his medallion on circle cinemas walk of fame, moving around a lot as child, sobriety, auditioning, the Man in the High Castle, Chicago Med, perfectionism and wanting to get it ‘right’, unlearning, meditation + plenty more!

Check Brennan out on:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thebrennanbrown -------------------------------------------

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Maurice LaMarche is a Canadian comedian and voice actor from Toronto. He is most well-known for voicing The Brain from Steven Spielberg Presents Pinky and the Brain (for which he was nominated for a Daytime Emmy), Kif, Lrrr, Morbo and Calculon from Futurama (for which he has won two Primetime Emmys and been nominated for a third), Mr. Big from Zootopia, King Agnarr from Frozen, Mr. Freeze from Batman: Arkham City, Yosemite Sam from The Looney Tunes Show, Abradolph Lincoler from Rick & Morty, Toucan Sam for thirty three years in commercials for Froot Loops, and Orson Welles from The Critic. He was also the Voice of Lexus from 2009-2016.

We chat about meeting the Dalai Lama and the impact he had, his many voices, sobriety and moving forward, Futurama, professional autograph seekers, journey with live action, losing weight, voice over world post c0vid, listening plus plenty more!

Check Maurice out on:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/maurice_lamarche/ Twitter/ X: https://x.com/MAURICELAMARCHE -------------------------------------------

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and @Michael_Kahan on Insta & Twitter to keep up to date with the latest info. https://www.instagram.com/michael_kahan/ https://twitter.com/Michael_Kahan

Jena Friedman is an Academy Award-nominated writer, comedian, and creator behind critically acclaimed series such as TRUE CRIME STORY: INDEFENSIBLE on AMC+, SOFT FOCUS on Adult Swim, and co-writer of BORAT 2: Subsequent Movie Film, which garnered her an Oscar nomination. Her writing credits include Netflix’s NOBODY WANTS THIS, ABC’s THE CONNERS, and she served as a field producer for THE DAILY SHOW WITH JON STEWART and writer for THE LATE SHOW WITH DAVID LETTERMAN. A contributing writer to THE NEW YORKER, Jena’s bestselling debut book, Not Funny: Essays on Life, Comedy, Culture, Et Cetera., was published by Simon & Schuster in 2023. She has appeared on THE LATE SHOW WITH STEPHEN COLBERT, CONAN, THE NIGHTLY SHOW WITH LARRY WILMORE, and in the Sundance hit film PALM SPRINGS.

Her first stand-up special and Edinburgh show, AMERICAN C*NT, was named one of the Top Ten Comedy Specials by Paste Magazine in 2016, and her sold-out follow-up, MISCARRIAGE OF JUSTICE, was critically-acclaimed. Her 2022 show, LADYKILLER, was ranked #2 in Decider’s "Ten Best Stand-Up Specials of 2022."

Her new show MOTHERF*CKER is now out, also performing in Edinburgh so check it out!

We chat about her new comedy shows in Edinburgh, fake copies of her book, not playing the ‘game’, John McAfee, grief, writing for Roseanne*, working on Jon Stewart, life changing moments from Conan, being kicked out of improv, working on Borat 2 plus plenty more!

Check Jena out on:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jenafriedman

Website: http://www.jenafriedman.com/ Tickets including Edinburgh: http://www.jenafriedman.com/tour.html Book: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Not-Funny/Jena-Friedman/9781982178291?fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAac1mm--WCiwGjnjAeZhpZalCe-0A66YNFrdA6iA6QSWflvK-r0wpxmyBFqqGw_aem_NEQ4unGsoT17fMPMGVCbDg   TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@jenafriedman   Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/JenaFriedman2 John McAfee interview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tfe4Fjf3sds Substack: https://jenafriedman.substack.com/ -------------------------------------------

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Mike de la Rocha is visionary strategist, acclaimed artist and compelling voice for change. He is the co-founder of Revolve Impact, a globally recognised creative agency that merges art, activism and storytelling to drive social change, and Tepito Coffee, a company dedicated to providing meaningful jobs for formerly incarcerated individuals through its partnerships with Homeboy Industries, the largest gang intervention and rehabilitation organisation in the world.

Celebrated as one of the most influential change makers of our era, Mike has been instrumental in some of the largest policy victories and cultural shifts in modern history. He has been recognized as one of GOOD Magazine’s 100 people reshaping the world, a recipient of the AFL-CIO’s Justice, Peace & Freedom Award, a Shorty Social Good Award for Social Justice. His debut book, Sacred Lessons: Teaching My Father How to Love (Simon and Schuster) was just released!

The book explores how inherited definitions of manhood profoundly impacted Mike's ability to connect with his father, his family, and ultimately himself, inviting readers on a transformative journey of self-discovery, forgiveness, and love. It delves into the struggle men face in connecting with themselves and others, offering tools for personal growth and ways to build meaningful and authentic relationships in their lives. His personal experiences with loss and emotional vulnerability, combined with his professional success in creating impactful community-building initiatives with his company Revolve Impact, position him as a credible guide for those on a similar path of transformation. The lessons shared in his book are not only born from his own healing process but also enriched by his broader understanding of how we can heal collectively, making his voice resonate deeply with readers. 

We chat about his incredible book, the healing power of nature, music, performing and vulnerability, his Ted talk, Tepito Coffee - providing work for formerly incarcerated people, wanting to help everyone, acceptance plus plenty more!

Check Mike out on:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mrmikedelarocha/

Website + book: https://sacredlessons.com/ Tepito Coffee: https://www.tepitocoffee.com/ Revolve Impact: https://www.revolveimpact.com/ Sacred Lessons: Teaching My Father How To Love; https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Sacred-Lessons/Mike-de-la-Rocha/9798888454152 -------------------------------------------

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and @Michael_Kahan on Insta & Twitter to keep up to date with the latest info. https://www.instagram.com/michael_kahan/ https://twitter.com/Michael_Kahan