This episode I was lucky enough to have a old good knees up with a friend I’ve got to know working in the video biz; Director of Photography / DJ / music producer / editor / creator extraordinaire Arlen Figgis!

Growing up in an incredibly creative household and leaving school at 16 to pursue DJing and rave culture during the birth of the drum and bass scene, it was clear Arlen was never going to have a boring life.

Since his early days DJing at Kool FM, he’s filmed years of Gumball 3000 with the likes of Dirty Sanchez and Tony Hawk, toured Europe making cult skate film Zootcircus, and even built a stage that now tours UK music festivals like Latitude, Boomtown and Bestival, so it’s no surprise that Arlen had more than a few stories to share when I joined him in his incredible self-built studio at his house in North London.

If you want to check out Arlen’s work or get in touch with him, be sure to check out his instagram @arlenrok and website www.arlenfiggis.com which also has photos of his amazing studio that I fail to do justice in describing at the top of the episode.

Finally, make sure you check out www.shack.events/ to find out which UK festival Arlen’s awesome Shack will be rocking next.

From hosting a ‘this is your life’ style show for her dad at age 10, to winning a Walkley on her first reporting shift and even finding a missing person before the police - Alice Matthews is a journalist who’s done it all.

I was fortunate enough to catch up with her over Zoom way back in May and we had a good old chin wag about her life, how she got into journalism in the first place, some very interesting stories she’s reported on over the years and most importantly, her favourite reddit threads.

I had a great time chatting to Alice back in May, so I’m sorry it’s taken so long for you to enjoy listening to her story too - moving countries takes it’s toll on side hustle productivity!

To keep up to date with all Alice’s antics as they happen, give her a follow on instagram @alice.k.matthews and of course follow her sterling work on SBS’s The Feed.

She tells stories that reveal the original in the overlooked and whether it be through the TV shows, commercials or films she’s directed or written, she inspires audiences to make emotional discoveries about the world and themselves. 

Julietta’s got awards and accolades coming out of her ears - winning the ‘Emerging Filmmaker Award’ at Melbourne’s International Film Festival for Let's See How Fast This Baby Will Go, an Australian Directors Guild Award for Sam’s Gold; and even having her feature project, The Sound of Light selected as one of only nine international projects, for the Venice International Film Festival’s Biennale College.

Back in January I coaxed Julietta into the studio and starting with the origins of her passion for directing - at school and at home entertaining her 5 siblings; we traced her remarkable life and career all the way up to the present day- where throwing off the shackles of stigma and shame she felt from her impoverished childhood has enabled her to tell powerful and unique stories that resonate with audiences around the World.

Julietta had much wisdom to dispense on a wide range of topics; from work ethic, to collaboration and her creative process, so this is a definite listen for anyone interested in following a creative path of their own. I had a great time chatting to Julietta so I hope there’s something in here for you too. Without further ado, I take you live to Bondi Beach Radio where our conversation was recorded.

You can keep up with her exciting projects on her instagram (@hoolib) and website and if you want to watch something right now; an episode of primetime hit drama, Doctor Doctor (The Heart Guy - US) she recently directed has just aired this week on Australia’s C9!

This episode I was joined by the comedic duo behind the instafamous Inspired Unemployed, self proclaimed ‘Aussie battlers’ Jack Steele and Matt Ford. Other than having  great names that make them sound like iconic Formula One drivers, the pair have recently come to fame, taking instagram by storm with their hilarious video skits.

The past year has been a whirlwind for the pair and the fruits of their labour have allowed them to leave their jobs and do what was (and still is) something they do for fun, full-time. To date, videos of the guys parodying everyone from surfers and tradies, to policemen and seamen have resulted in partnerships and fetures that they ‘just couldn’t have predicted’. Like for example, being the cover of GQ magazine’s online style issue in partnership with Italian luxury brand Fendi, working with Kayo Sports alongside Shane Warne, Adam Gilchrist and Brett Lee, or having a 4 page spread in Vogue Australia! 

The boys joined me in January to chat about their lives, friendship and the genesis of their project that took place in what sounds like a selection of some of the worst Airbnbs the French Alps has to offer! They speak humbly about the work that’s gone into creating the success they’ve seen to date, how they try to soak in and appreciate the barrage of insane opportunities that continue to come their way and their goals for the future. 

I had a great time chatting to the lads, so I hope this gives a behind the scenes look at how genuine they both are - as Jack says, what you see is what you get and I’m sure you can agree, it’s great.

Whenever you’re in need of a laugh be sure to check out their instagram (@theinspiredunemployed). 

Scott Findlay has been a professional chef for over 22 years. He’s trained under Gordon Ramsay, started a successful restaurant franchise in Australia and spent nearly a decade on the road, rustling up meals for some of the biggest musicians in the biz - from Beyonce to Paul McCartney as they tour the World playing gigs.

He’s great mates with Pink, like family to Rod Stuart, nearly died on a reef break off Tahiti, been to jail in Padang and lived to tell the (hungover) tale of surviving an 8.6 earthquake whilst working as the head chef on an exclusive surf resort in the Mentawi’s.  In short, he’s lived an epic life to date and continues to do so, with his next exciting venture, vegan restaurant Flave, soon to come to Sydney.

Scott had many a story (and even a few mouth-watering recipes) to share, so grab a notepad, kick back and enjoy!

You can follow Scotty on his personal instagram (scottyfinz) to have a drool at all of his home cooked food, follow Flave (flaveworld) to get in on the ground level of his new and exciting vegan adventure and finally, you can also watch the first episode of the series Scott shot with QOOQ in Paris about his time and recipes cooking for the stars here.

This episode I recorded in a park with theatre combat instructor and owner of Sons of Obiwan Saber Academy, Luke Boyton. I met Luke and was introduced to his school whilst filming at Sydney’s Comicon last September. Intrigued by the school’s ethos of teaching its students life skills and resilience through theatre combat and lightsaber skills, I visited their ‘The Temple’ training facility in Tuggerah, New South Wales. I shot a short doc about the school which you can see here. Whilst filming I learned about the great work Luke and his staff are doing through the school, but I also got a glimpse at the fascinating life that Luke has lived so far. 

    In our chat we trace Luke’s life and influences; from ‘the fire in which he was formed’ - dealing with his mum’s psychopathic behaviour as a child, to DJing professionally around Australia and the World from the age of 15, until later in life when he came to teaching. He’s an incredibly interesting, well-read and humble guy who had much wisdom to bestow, so I hope there’s some pearls that speak to you and if nothing else, a few reading recommendations to get around. I finished Dune recently and give it 3 thumbs up!

For those who don’t know; Theatre combat is a safe, non-contact activity that is suitable for all fitness levels and abilities for those aged ten years and above. Sons of Obiwan staff provide training in European Longsword, Balintawak (Filipino Stick Fighting), Spinning and Tricking combined with movement, athletic and performance skills.

You can look up Luke’s school and keep up to date with everything they’ve got going on via their website here. 

Marc Fennell is an Australian interviewer, journalist, tv/radio presenter, author and Rose d’Or nominated documentary maker. He’s also a very kind chap with an infectiously bubbly disposition. In November, he generously cut me out an hour of his time to chat in a park about his illustrious life and career journey to date. 

He’s worked with with nearly every big Ozzy broadcaster you can think of and has  hosted the national current affairs programme, The Feed for SBS Australia since 2013. 

Marc was introduced to global audiences this year when his Audible original podcast It Burns: The Scandal-Plagued Race to Breed the World’s Hottest Chilli shot up the Audible USA charts. At the time of writing, it has received over 6,500 reviews!

He’s reported all around the world, from the 2019 Hong Kong Protests to survivors of ISIS torture and Marc’s one-on-one interviews with celebrities and newsmakers like Al Gore, Tom Cruise and Julian Assange have garnered over 30 million online views and 3 United Nations Media Award Nominations.

Marc presents the award-winning ABC Australia podcast Download This Show, SBS Australia’s The Few Who Do and has written 2 books on all things movies. He’s the Creative Director of the not-for-profit group Media Diversity Australia, was named one of the 40 Under 40 Most Influential Asian-Australians and was even dubbed “a cheerful Aussie version of Louis Theroux” by The Times (UK).

In short he’s an epic guy and I was bloody lucky to sit down for a chat with him!! 

We cover so much in our conversation; from Marc’s beginnings as an interviewer- just being ‘that approachable looking kid’ at school, to his creative process; how he finds and develops stories, prepares for interviews and even how he attempts to keep balance today, juggling his multitude of jobs with family life.

Keep up with his exciting upcoming projects by following him on his instagram @marcfennel

This week I was joined by Brent Wilson - founder and director of fashion and lifestyle brand of his namesake. Leaving school for full-time work to become an electrician at the tender age of 15, Brent’s career took an unexpected turn when he volunteered at Sydney Fashion week. In our chat, Brent talks me through the lessons in life and business that he’s learned to date, and how these have helped him build his brand and successful made to measure suiting service here in Sydney.

In our chat we talk about the process of suit making, how Brent got his start in fashion, his love of superbikes and cars and what it takes to run a successful business in the fashion industry today.

Check out his website if you’re in Sydney and in the market for a new suit and keep up with the tailored perfection at his instagram @mrbrentwilson

Don’t forget to share rate and review and as always, 

Emma Metcalf is first and foremost a wonderful human being. For work, she’s a Senior Producer, Director and Film-Maker with global experience spanning multiple platforms including live broadcast, documentary, branded content and traditional television.

She’s worked all over the shop with major brands like Discovery, MTV, Endemol Shine Australia and Red Bull, to help orchestrate everything from live-broadcasts of surf competitions and music festivals to shoots in the most remote parts of Oz involving herding hundreds of wild camel!

I’m lucky to have come to know Emma through working with her everyday - she joined Verizon Media in 2018 as a senior producer and general bosslady - responsible for the output of the company’s new in-house studio (her baby). Every week, she ensures Verizon’s Build Series Sydney and Yahoo Finance’s New Investors shows are chokka block with fantastic and interesting guests, as well as producing plenty of other exciting formats and projects.

We had a great lunch break chat and covered heaps in this episode. Emma shares how her upbringing on a cattle farm in Australia’s North-East Victoria influenced her work ethos, some career highlights on her journey to date and many pearls of wisdom from her wealth of knowledge and experience gained from well over a decade working as a creative in the media industry. We also talk about the importance of maintaining some form of work/life balance, mental health in the creative industry, mentors and the power of role models in helping encourage the next generation of female power-houses (like herself) in a traditionally male dominated industry.

You can keep up with Emma’s incredible work at Verizon with @buildseriessyd and elsewhere at her instagram @bondiproducerchick (although the name may be changing soon as she’s moved down the coast!) 

Make sure you share with a friend and reach out via reviews if any of Em’s wise words particularly resonated with you and as always, 

This week I had the pleasure of talking to improviser, teacher, actor, comedian, podcaster and dulcet toned wordsmith, Carlo Ritchie. He’s one of the founding directors (and current Artistic Director) of Improv Theatre Sydney - Sydney’s first and only dedicated improv theatre school. He’s also one half of acclaimed improv comedy duo ‘The Bear Pack’ alongside fellow ITS director Steen Raskopoulos and the pair have sold out shows at comedy festivals around the world from Melbourne to Edinburgh Fringe and even the coveted Cat Laughs Festival in Kilkenny.

Over the course of our chat, we trace the roots of Carlo’s affinity with language and see how this passion guided him through life to the founding of ITS; that 5 years and 840 students later, now has a physical home in Redfern. We talk about his strange obsession with the Titanic, how The Bear Pack was born and of course, he tells me about the year in Poland ‘drinking beer near the brewery and teaching English in the evenings’ that quite literally changed the course of his life.

I had heaps of fun chatting to Carlo and I hope you enjoy our chat too!

(A little FYI for those that don’t know - Improv aka Improvisation is a collaborative method of creating live, spontaneous theatre. Where people or ‘players’ conceive original scenes in the moment, spontaneously discovering ideas, relationships and worlds – all from a single audience suggestion. It’s pretty dreamy stuff.)


If this podcast has left you feeling inspired to do some improv and you live in Sydney - look up a class at the fantastic ITS (improvtheatresydney.com.au), now at its Redfern home, and if you want to keep up with the man himself - you can follow Carlo on instagram @carloritchie

If you enjoyed the chat please let me know with a pun infused comment and share the episode with a friend.

Thanks for listening!