This episode features two guests:

Josh Gates is an adventurer, archaeologist, author, and the host and executive producer of Discovery Channel’s hit series Expedition Unknown. Armed with degrees in archaeology and drama from Tufts University, Gates has traveled to more than 100 countries, climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro and Aconcagua, participated in underwater excavations in the Mediterranean, and investigated mysteries everywhere from King Tut’s tomb to Chernobyl.

The new season of Expedition Unknown premieres Wednesday, June 24 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on Discovery Channel.

And comedian Bruce Bruce. See Bruce Bruce & Friends at City Winery Atlanta | July 10 and August 22 | Tickets Available NOW at CityWinery.com or BruceBruce.com

PLUS: Catch Bruce Bruce's Netflix Special: I Ain't Playin' streaming now.

Toy Story 5 is in theaters now. I had a few minutes to chat with Craig Robinson about his new character, which is NOT a Spirograph.

Joining me once again on the show is Atlanta writer, producer, director and co-creator of the popular Adult Swim show, "Aqua Teen Hunger Force." He's also behind 12oz Mouse & Pastacolypse, not to mention a zillion other things, including his very cool YouTube series, "Meat Kingdom."

Next year is the 20th Anniversary of Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film for Theaters & he has a little info on the celebration and screening next summer.

Michelle Shidlovsky, creator of the Instagram account Forgotten Georgia, which has developed a devoted following by uncovering the hidden stories, abandoned places, lost communities, roadside oddities, and forgotten landmarks that most of us drive past every day without noticing. Also joining is Tony Guerrero, Michelle's partner and host of his own Spanish-language version.

Tim reconnects with fellow Mansfield, Pennsylvania native Tom Willner for the first time in nearly four decades. The two reminisce about growing up in the same small town before diving into Tom's incredible life journey. Tom discusses being diagnosed with cancer at age 30, how that experience reshaped his perspective on life, and the lessons he learned about resilience, purpose, and gratitude. He also shares how creativity and community helped him move beyond simply surviving and inspired him to found Now We Thrive, an organization dedicated to helping people live fuller, more meaningful lives after adversity. The conversation also highlights Tom's upcoming Thriving seminar and open house event on June 13, offering attendees practical tools and inspiration for personal growth, connection, and living life with intention.

Learn more about Tom and the June 13 event at https://www.tomwillner.com

This week's guest is Gabe Wardell, a filmmaker, film educator, writer, former executive director in Atlanta's film community, and the longtime producer who helped build the Atlanta 48 Hour Film Project into one of the most competitive cities in the world for the competition. After spending years helping creatives through organizations ranging from the Atlanta Film Festival to Coca-Cola Studios, Gabe is back at the helm for the project's landmark anniversary season, which kicks off June 12–14 and culminates with screenings at the Landmark Midtown Art Cinema.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/48hourfilmproject

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Atlanta48HFP

Website: https://www.48hourfilm.com/atlanta

This week on The Popcast, I'm joined by comedian Derrick Stroup — an Alabama native whose rapid-fire storytelling and Southern observations have made him one of the fastest-rising stand-ups in comedy right now. You’ve seen him on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, touring with comics like Nate Bargatze and Bert Kreischer, and now his brand-new Netflix special Nostalgic is streaming now — filmed at the historic Lyric Theatre in Birmingham and packed with stories about growing up a ‘90s kid in rural Alabama. Derrick also brings his first-ever headlining theater tour, the “Running Hot Tour,” to Atlanta’s Center Stage Theater on May 27th and 28th. Derrick, thanks for coming on, man.

Tickets: https://www.centerstage-atlanta.com/events/derrick-stroup/

PLUS: A preview of my new show, "The Sunday Show" with co-host, George Clark.

Trey Toler has lived enough lives to fill a book – which is exactly what he did. He spent his teens as an unlikely caregiver, navigating medical crises and adult responsibility before most kids had a driver's license. In his twenties, he found his footing on stage as a stand-up comedian, performing regularly at Atlanta's Laughing Skull Lounge and eventually running the shows there, along the way earning the mentorship of Margaret Cho and an internship at Turner Broadcasting's Adult Swim. He traded the mic for a career in media and advertising, where he discovered the same instincts that made him good onstage—reading a room, finding the truth that connects—made him good in recruiting and sales too.

"​​Good Damage is the debut memoir from Trey Toler about the messy, unscripted "after. “ After the illness, the loss, the burnout, and the exhausting performance of recovery.

The story begins with a Southern childhood governed by rules no one explains: sunscreen and flip flops are gay, and umbrellas are for women. Trey comes of age as the boy who could never quite get those rules right, raised in a church where the preacher says homosexual the way you say abomination (slow, careful, like the word itself could spread).

At the heart of the story is his mother—her fierce beauty, her harrowing brain surgery, and her eventual absence. Trey explores the deafening silence that follows when the person who made the world feel safe is gone, and the strange, delayed grief that refuses to arrive—or leave—on schedule."

https://ripples.media/books/good-damage/

Find him on Instagram and TikTok at @Toler_the_Trey and on Substack at @TreyToler1.

Actor Vivian Bang talks about her play Detroit and Rocsi & The Miz talk about the return of American Gladiators.

This episode fires up the grill with the new season of BBQ Brawl, where team captains Bobby Flay, Maneet Chauhan and Brooke Williamson lead elite pitmasters in a battle for the title of Master of ‘Cue. My guest is Atlanta’s own Dakari Akorede — Chicago-born, Atlanta-based, and the pitmaster behind Chicageaux BBQ Company, blending South Side tradition, live-fire discipline and bold flavor. By day he runs multimillion-dollar operations as a senior executive, and off the clock he’s an award-winning barbecue competitor bringing real smoke and no shortcuts to the ranch. Dakari joins me to talk about representing Atlanta on BBQ Brawl.

This week I welcome Marc Provissiero, a longtime entertainment manager and producer, and one of the founding partners of Odenkirk Provissiero Entertainment, where they represent a wide range of film and TV talent. He’s been behind projects like No Hard Feelings, Nobody, and the Hulu series Pen15.

Normal is a 2025 action movie directed by Ben Wheatley and written by Derek Kolstad, who came up with the story along with Bob Odenkirk. Odenkirk also stars in it, alongside Henry Winkler and Lena Headey.

The movie first showed up at the Midnight Madness section of the Toronto International Film Festival on September 7, 2025, and then hit theaters in the U.S. on April 17, 2026 through Magnolia Pictures.

Later on, Greg Russ joins me from NYC to talk sound design, off-Broadway & more.

https://www.normalthemovie.com/