It Pays the Bills

Welcome back to It Pays the Bills! This will be our last episode, and I want to thank all of our listeners and readers that have followed along this podcast’s journey.

All good things must come to an end, and while my curiosity about what creatives are doing to survive remains strong, the reality of running a regular podcast alongside my own creative pursuits and full-time work is too much at the moment. Maybe there will be a moment in the future when I’ll start It Pays the Bills up again, but, for now, it’s time to say goodbye.

I’d like to take a moment to say a few thank yous:

* Carys Wynn, who has always been a sounding board on any mad project idea I have, and also has always let me use her Canva. She also designed the logo for the podcast!

* Marissa Landy, for composing our theme tune.

* All of my exceptional and fascinating interviewees.

For our last episode, I thought I’d circle back to the start: I’ve asked my very first guest, Carys Wynn, to interview me. Hopefully I have some interesting things to say!

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit itpaysthebills.substack.com

Welcome back to It Pays the Bills! Today’s guest is Lucy Buncombe, an actor and workshop facilitator. We chatting about Lucy’s various and varying day jobs, her current pursuits (including facilitating weekly play reading workshops!), and more.

A bit about Lucy:

Lucy Buncombe is an actor based in London who graduated from Mountview last year. Her recent credits include INK Festival, NewsRevue, Real "Improvised" Housewives of Clapham. Recent short films include TICK, Troubleshooting, and The Last Drop.

Instagram | Linktree

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Welcome back to It Pays the Bills! Today’s guest is Holly Gibson, a singer, dancer, and choreographer. Holly and I chatted all about her life at sea, her life on land, and everything in between.

A bit about Holly:

Holly has worked as a dance teacher and choreographer for over 15 years. She has taught for multiple dance schools and franchises in both specialized dance and musical theatre, winning multiple awards for her choreography. She has coached students for All England Dance Competitions and finalists for ITDA Miss Dance of Great Britain.

As an artist, Holly completed her Master of Arts Degree at the prestigious Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts, with a thesis focus in ‘Choreography and Narrative in Musical Theatre’. Holly is a multi-skilled dance choreographer, working for Catapult Theatre Company London, having debuted work for the London Maiden Speech Festival and appearing as a guest performer and choreographer for the Shenandoah Conservatoire in Virginia, USA. Holly is qualified in Classical Ballet and Modern Dance tutoring with the I.S.T.D and regularly collaborates with professional dancers internationally in creating new works. She was employed as Dance Captain/Opera Vocalist for Silversea Cruises for five contracts and has just returned from an overseas contract for Mein Schiff Cruises as a Principal Vocalist.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit itpaysthebills.substack.com

Welcome back to It Pays the Bills! Today’s guest is Zoe Morris, a director, writer, and lawyer. She and I actually met years ago during a day job, so it was great to sit down with her and chat about her writing process, her winding career, and her next projects.

A bit about Zoe:

Zoe trained as a theatre director graduating from her Masters at Mountview in 2018. She has an interest in shows that deal with mental health, science and has a passion for equal representation.

Since graduating she has changed her focus to writing. Together with her co- writer Meg McGrady she won the Stiles and Drewe award for ‘Vision, Voice and Potential’ in 2020 for their song Broken Guitar, was featured in BEAM 2021, and has been a finalist twice for the BYMT New Musical Theatre Award. Zoe and Meg’s show ‘The Phase’ was performed in London as part of the Vault Festival 2023 where it won an Offcom and was nominated for Show of the Week.

Zoe and Meg are working on a number of work in progress shows including ‘Worn Out’ which will be performed at the Manchester Lowry in August 2025.

The Phase

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Welcome back to It Pays the Bills! Today’s guest is Niall Hemingway, a London-based actor and writer. We chatted about their journey as an actor, writer, and teacher, and the difference between writing for print and for stage!

A bit about Niall:

Niall Hemingway is an actor and writer based in London. They graduated from the Courtyard Theatre Training Company with a BA in Acting. Their debut novel The Son Of Circe Vol. 1 is available now.

The Son of Circe, Vol. 1 | Instagram | The Son of Circe Instagram

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit itpaysthebills.substack.com

Welcome back to It Pays the Bills! Today’s guest is Dillon Brown, a newly-graduated director and writer. We chatted about the state of film, Dillon’s university project, which was screened at the BFI, and more!

A bit about Dillon:

Dillon Brown is a Horror writer / director by day but a waiter at a French restaurant by night. Dillon recently graduated a film production course at London Metropolitan University. His Film 'Divine Hunger' was shown at the BFI and his other works have been shown at various film festivals. Dillon is also a men's mental health advocate, as he suffers with PTSD; his work explores darker themes that go places people tend to avoid.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit itpaysthebills.substack.com

Welcome back to It Pays the Bills! Today’s guest is Gabrielle MacPherson, whose love of performing and comedy finally led her to stand-up after a drunken bet with a friend. We chatted about comedy, the importance of youth arts, and all of Gabrielle’s previous day jobs.

A bit about Gabrielle:

Gabrielle is a proud working class, northerner who started stand up comedy a couple of years ago. Since then she has been a finalist in the Leicester Square New Comedian and the Get Up Stand Up Stand Up Club competitions. This summer she will be part of Best In Class in Edinburgh.

Instagram | Best in Class Fundraiser

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit itpaysthebills.substack.com

Welcome back to It Pays the Bills! Today’s guest is George Hider, who’s day job and creative pursuits merge brilliantly in his work at the London Dungeon. We chatted about staying creative, George’s cheesemongering experiences, and more.

A bit about George:

George never set out to become a “Scream Queen” - it just sort of happened. As a multi-hyphenate actor-writer-comedian-content creator, he is no stranger to finding different ways to express his creativity. He has worked on a variety of projects that all seem to have at least some horror-ific undertones to them, including HBO’s Avenue 5, Discovery’s Evil Live Here, and the worst-reviewed film of 2022, Jeepers Creepers: Reborn. In between these projects he has found a nice little niche working as a performer across various London attractions, including the London Dungeon and the Crystal Maze Live Experience. Beyond that he loves football (proper football), cheese, and long walks on the beach at sunset. Follow him on instagram @georgehideractor.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit itpaysthebills.substack.com

Welcome back to It Pays the Bills! Today’s guest is Bethany, an actor, singer, and small business owner. We chatted about how Bethany’s goals have changed through the years, why she enjoys teaching so much, and how she’s shaping the next generation through inclusive performing arts.

A bit about Bethany:

After graduating from Bird College, Bethany has gone on to work as a vocalist internationally, appearing in Priscilla Queen of the Desert, 2 Become 1, and in leading roles in various pantomimes. Bethany has also performed as the lead vocalist at London Cabaret Club for the past 5 years, including appearing at West End Live 2021. Bethany also works as a guest entertainer with classical crossover group Voce, performing internationally onboard cruise ships.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit itpaysthebills.substack.com

Welcome back to It Pays the Bills, and welcome to our first episode of 2025! Today’s guest is Arieta Visoka, an actor, poet, and barista. We chatted about Arieta’s past and present day jobs, her approach to comedy, and how she develops her characters.

A bit about Arieta:

Arieta is a British Albanian Actor from Kosova who graduated from The Royal Birmingham Conservatoire in 2019. Her credits include Eastern Angles Theatre Company, The Northern Stage, rehearsed readings at the National & The Mercury.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit itpaysthebills.substack.com