The Austin Meyer Podcast

I'm so excited to welcome our first musician to the show: Max Cowan. Max is a keyboard player based out of Berkeley, California. In his music, Max uses elements of funk and jazz and blends them into grooves that will surely get you up and moving. Max co-leads the East Bay meets New Orleans funk group, Atta Kid, and has played alongside some of the most accomplished musicians out there today. In this conversation, Max and I talk about how he tells stories through chords, melodies, and by playing with the musical conventions that we all know so well. We talk about everything from creative process, to finding your authentic voice, to musical history, to what makes someone a composition wizard, and if you stick around until the end, you’ll even get to hear Max compose a song on the spot. I had so much fun with this one. Hope you enjoy!

This week I am joined on the podcast by Chris Smith. Chris Smith is a columnist at my hometown newspaper, The Press Democrat -- a paper which recently won the Pulitzer Prize for breaking news coverage. Chris has been working at the Press Democrat for 41 years, and his role is unique. Chris writes human-interest stories. He is a master of the vignette... of bringing these human-interest stories to life with vivid scenes, stakes, and emotions, all while fitting into the space constraints of a print newspaper. In this conversation Chris and I dive into the state of local newspapers, how he reports and crafts the stories he writes, and what their value is to the community. Hope you enjoy!

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Follow me @austinmeyerfilms on Instagram and Facebook to see behind-the-scenes content from the podcast and to follow my journey as a documentary filmmaker and photographer!

This week I am joined on the podcast by Chris Smith. Chris Smith is a columnist at my hometown newspaper, The Press Democrat -- a paper which recently won the Pulitzer Prize for breaking news coverage. Chris has been working at the Press Democrat for 41 years, and his role is unique. Chris writes human-interest stories. He is a master of the vignette... of bringing these human-interest stories to life with vivid scenes, stakes, and emotions, all while fitting into the space constraints of a print newspaper. In this conversation Chris and I dive into the state of local newspapers, how he reports and crafts the stories he writes, and what their value is to the community. Hope you enjoy!

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Follow me @austinmeyerfilms on Instagram and Facebook to see behind-the-scenes content from the podcast and to follow my journey as a documentary filmmaker and photographer!

On this week’s episode I am joined by academy award winning movie producer, Steve Starkey. Starkey, who always teams up with director Robert Zemeckis, has produced films such as: Allied, The Walk, Flight, The Polar Express, Cast Away, and Contact. In 1995 he won an Academy Award for Best Picture with Forrest Gump. Early in his career, Starkey was an associate producer and assistant editor on Back To The Future, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, and a couple of indie films called Star Wars Return of the Jedi and Empire Strikes Back. In this conversation, Starkey and I talk about his path into filmmaking and what storytelling strategies he uses to produce some of the greatest movies of our time.

On this week’s episode I am joined by academy award winning movie producer, Steve Starkey. Starkey, who always teams up with director Robert Zemeckis, has produced films such as: Allied, The Walk, Flight, The Polar Express, Cast Away, and Contact. In 1995 he won an Academy Award for Best Picture with Forrest Gump. Early in his career, Starkey was an associate producer and assistant editor on Back To The Future, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, and a couple of indie films called Star Wars Return of the Jedi and Empire Strikes Back. In this conversation, Starkey and I talk about his path into filmmaking and what storytelling strategies he uses to produce some of the greatest movies of our time.

"When we're playing really well together but we're also creating characters and moments that make the audience gasp, that's like... the best." Lisa Rowland is a professional theatrical improviser. She is a member of BATS Improv, Northern California's most acclaimed and longest running improvisational theatre company, and in 2012, Lisa was voted Best Actor by the SF Bay Guardian's Reader Poll. Off the stage, Lisa is a lecturer at Stanford University in the Theatre Department, teaching the same beginning improv class that put her on the path of improvisation. In this conversation Lisa and I discuss how she became a professional improviser, what it takes to captivate an audience when a story is being made up on the spot, and what other storytellers can learn from the spontaneity of theatrical improv.

"When we're playing really well together but we're also creating characters and moments that make the audience gasp, that's like... the best." Lisa Rowland is a professional theatrical improviser. She is a member of BATS Improv, Northern California's most acclaimed and longest running improvisational theatre company, and in 2012, Lisa was voted Best Actor by the SF Bay Guardian's Reader Poll. Off the stage, Lisa is a lecturer at Stanford University in the Theatre Department, teaching the same beginning improv class that put her on the path of improvisation. In this conversation Lisa and I discuss how she became a professional improviser, what it takes to captivate an audience when a story is being made up on the spot, and what other storytellers can learn from the spontaneity of theatrical improv.