The Open Up Podcast

Zehra Fazal opens up her experience and exceptional talent in multiple industries of Entertainment in the Season One Finale: in Games, TV, Animation and Voiceover - navigating the perceptions and representations of Muslim identity, handling identity sensitivities and narrative censorship in media, the "culture of White supremacy" that has trodden down parts of her career and life, and the road she is passionately crafting for those like her to finally see themselves as heroes.

Zehra is an Muslim-American voice actress of Pakistani descent. She holds over 40 credits, perhaps best known for voicing 'Nadia Rizavi' in Voltron: Legendary Defender, Halo and 'Bluebird' in Young Justice: Outsiders, the narrator of gaming title Apex Legends, and 'General Yunan' in Amphibia. Prior to her voice acting career, Zehra was known for her irreverent comedy and self describes as ‘the Muslim Weird Al’. Her work in this genre includes her one-woman musical comedy show 'Headscarf and the Angry Bitch' which won the "Best Solo Performance Award" at the Capital Fringe Festival in 2009 and was sold out throughout its New York International Fringe Festival run in 2010.

Actor Natasha Liu Bordizzo opens up about her trajectory from Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword Of Destiny to Star Wars' Ahsoka - being first referred to by media as "Chinese takeaway", the truth of why she never wanted to be an actor, navigating her Mixed-Asian identity in life and work and the hope she's bringing to the table for the future of representation in Hollywood.

Born and raised in Sydney, Australia, Natasha left her studies in law at 19 to star in the sequel to ‘Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon’ - titled ‘Sword of Destiny’. This catapulted overnight fame for Natasha in China where she found great success in their film market. Natasha has since starred in projects such as ‘Hotel Mumbai’, Netflix’s ‘The Society’ and ‘Wish Dragon’, Amazon’s dark thriller ‘The Voyeurs’ and Netflix #1 movie ‘Day Shift’ alongside Jamie Foxx and Dave Franco. Natasha’s next project is her much anticipated portrayal of Sabine Wren in Star Wars' ‘Ahsoka’.

Riley Carter opens up about the legacy he created in UK Television history and the impacts he now navigates as a result, his battle to be seen beyond a 'trans' label and the importance of authentically informed story telling that would allow audiences and actors like him to communicate and exist outside of "the sad Trans story" alone.

From Stretford, England, Riley is most recognised from his role as regular character Kyle Slater in the BBC’s EASTENDERS. Riley was later named ‘No.1 most influential person in ‘The independent on Sunday’s 2015 rainbow list’ marking the first time a transgender man has been honoured. They wrote: ‘’Our judges felt his decision the play the character Kyle in EastEnders could help trans people - even save lives - and represents a landmark cultural moment’’.

Since leaving EastEnders, Riley has performed on stage at the London Theatre Workshop and the Lyric Theatre in London’s West End and toured the UK in the highly acclaimed production of BIRDSONG. He was recently seen on screen in series 2 of THE EMILY ATACK SHOW for ITV2. He was most recently seen in new drama, SCREW for Channel 4, written by Rob Williams (Killing Eve) and directed by Tom Vaughan.

Stacie Merriman opens up the huge and known issue of Hair care on set for Black artists in TV & Film, her own experiences of speaking up in the face of racist abuse and the consequences she suffered from the beginning of her career, the "D word" too many diverse artists face when they speak up for their needs, how unions become a critical part of the problem, and the shocking stories of her challenging rise as an inspiring pioneer in her field in Canada, meant to underline that Black Hair matters.

Stacie is a Canadian hair dresser best known for her work with Andra Day on Lee Daniel’s award winning film The United States vs Billie Holliday. Stacie is currently the department Head of Hair on HBO Max’s Titans, and has previously worked on Quantico, The Bold Type, and the Netflix film Murder Mystery. Originally raised and based in Montreal, Stacie now lives in Toronto.

Entrepreneur, activist and educator Joshua Katcher opens up the world's of TV and Fashion to take us behind the scenes of his own journey navigating masculinity and femininity in an industry of historical "fashion gay" cliches, the exclusion of exclusivity, and his belief that "gender neutral fashion is the future" in the compassion fashion revolution. Also, Joshua shares his thoughts on the world of Reality TV, where it thrives and falls, and what the ultimate point of it is if not to drive us forward.

Joshua Katcher is a fashion entrepreneur, author, educator and vegan cheesemonger who has taught at Parsons The New School and LIM college, and has lectured internationally and lobbied in the United States for sustainable and ethical fashion. In 2019 he published Fashion Animals, the first book dedicated to understanding how and why animals are exploited in the fashion industry.

Katcher was named one of the Top 20 Most Influential Vegans of 2019 by Veg News Magazine. He launched the first vegan, ethically-made menswear fashion brand, Brave GentleMan in 2010 after launching the first men's vegan lifestyle website The Discerning Brute in 2008. VOGUE says that, "The full scope of Katcher’s ethical commitment is rather head-spinning, just as it is to gape about his Williamsburg shop, with its complete future-is-now men’s range". Katcher was awarded "Menswear Brand of the Year, 2016" and "Most Influential Designer of 2015" by PETA. He is a contributor to Business of Fashion, CFDA News and Plant Based News and has been interviewed on major networks, such as PBS News Hour as a fashion expert.

In 2017, Katcher cofounded RIND, a French-style, plant-based cheese company, and in 2020 he launched CIRCUMFAUNA, a data and research-driven platform to bypass animal inputs in fashion.

CIRCUMFAUNA

Brave Gentleman

Actor and Writer Asha Bromfield opens up issues of colorism in TV and her mission "to help expand this idea of what Blackness is", believing that "there's power in our stories beyond our race", her own personal natural hair journey and the motivation to "feel beautiful, no matter what".

Asha is an actress, singer, and writer of Afro-Jamaican descent. She is known for her role as Melody Jones, drummer of “Josie and the Pussycats” in CW’s Riverdale. She also stars as Zadie Wells in Netflix’s hit show, Locke and Key. Asha is a proud ambassador for the Dove Self-Esteem Project, and she currently lives in Toronto where she is pursuing a degree in Communications. In her spare time, she loves studying astrology, wearing crystals, burning sage, baking vegan desserts, and taking walks to the park with her dog. Hurricane Summer is her debut novel.

Renowned Portrait Photographer Ryan Pfluger opens up about the unique struggles faced in his impressive career as a result of the "Queer Photographer" label placed on him, showing up as a true ally for all diverse artists in his field, and his continuing fight for the value of "the full spectrum of what I bring to the table".


Ryan is a born and raised New York photographer with an MFA in Photo, Video & Related Media from the School of Visual Arts. Captivated by nostalgia, their work often deals with recreating memories, memorializing objects and how sexuality and gender influences image making. Exploring what portraiture means presently in our culture, their photographs deal with the subtlety of body posture, the gaze and the role of self-portraiture. Most importantly, as an advocate, they allow their subjects to feel present and seen. An introvert at heart, but photography has allowed them to feel comfortable. Ryan currently resides in Los Angeles with their dog Sarah Connor.

Ryan's TEDx Talk - Photography As A Salve For Loneliness

TW // racism. TV Writer Cynthia Adarkwa opens up about the experience of being a Black woman in the TV writer’s room - sometimes the only one - and the pressures and problems that creates for both herself and what ends up on-screen, why she’s so much more than just a “good girl”, and her journey in answering one important question - “Do I belong here?”

TW // this conversation touches on suicide and homophobia.

Writer and #1 NYT bestselling author Adam Silvera of viral hit title They Both Die At The End opens up about his journey taking queer characters of color from anonymous fan-fiction to No.1 on the New York Times Best Sellers List and where the publishing industry falls short for diverse storytellers.

Adam also brought us the amazing Infinity Reaper, Infinity Son, More Happy Than Not, History Is All You Left Me, and—with Becky Albertalli—What If It's Us and Here’s to Us. All his novels have received multiple starred reviews. He worked in the publishing industry as a children's bookseller, community manager at a content development company, and book reviewer of children's and young adult novels. He was born and raised in New York. He lives in Los Angeles and is tall for no reason.

TW // Racism, misogyny. Actor Candice Patton (The Flash) opens up about her experiences as the Black Female lead of the hit genre show, navigating depression and fighting to survive a set that drove her "so down [she had] no place left to go but up."

• Candice's work as an actress has proven her to be a versatile and dynamic talent in the entertainment industry. She currently plays the role of ‘Iris West-Allen’ on The CW’s hit superhero series, The Flash, based on a costumed crime-fighter with the power to move at superhuman speeds. Premiering in October 2014, the pilot became the second-most watched premiere in the history of The CW and the show won the People’s Choice Award for “Favorite New TV Drama” that same year. Patton’s work on The Flash has earned her three Teen Choice Awards nominations in the categories of “Choice TV: Breakout Star” and “Choice Action TV Actress.” She also won the Saturn Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in 2017 for her work on the series. Her other television credits include CBS’ The Game, NBC’s About a Boy and ABC’s Grey’s Anatomy. Candice is a passionate advocate for racial justice, and through her work with the WILD ELEMENTS Foundation, in which she has just Co-Directed her first project, she is excited to bring her expertise to the conservation space and help increase awareness and action surrounding environmental justice issues.

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• Art by Nien-Ken Alec Lu - @nkaleclu

• Theme Music by Ad$0me - @ads0me

• Music by J Abhol - @jabhol

• Produced by Jemma Hendricks - @studio.hendricks

• Hosted & Created by Elliot Knight - @itselliotknight