Unimpressed Podcast

Playing the hand you’ve been dealt isn’t just a figure of speech for Richard Turner... it’s a way of life.

Richard Turner is a 68-year-old resident of San Antonio, Texas, who is widely considered to be the best card mechanic and one of the most skilled up-close magicians in the world. His exceptional talent, wit, composure, and eloquence have made him a highly sought-after stage performer and a motivational speaker for Fortune 500 companies. Over the years, he has mesmerized and entertained millions of people, including notable figures like Johnny Carson, Bob Hope, Colin Powell, Brad Pitt, Muhammad Ali, among others.

Richard has received numerous awards and nominations for his mastery of the art of magic. Among them is the prestigious "Close-up Magician of the Year Award," which is the magic industry's equivalent of the Oscar. His unparalleled ability to handle a deck of cards has been showcased on various worldwide television shows, including an unforgettable performance on "Penn & Teller: Fool Us," where Penn Jillette praised him by saying, "Richard Turner is one of the most accomplished sleight-of-hand artists in history. He fooled us with every single move he made!"

In addition to being the world’s most skilled card shark, Turner is a 6th-degree karate black belt. His black belt test – ten rounds, each lasting three minutes, against a fresh opponent every round – was so grueling it was televised and featured on the front page of the Los Angeles Times Sports Section.

Turner has also designed and created a series of board and puzzle games and produced a bestselling DVD series on advanced card techniques that casinos and card players worldwide study. Due to his remarkably delicate “feel” for individual playing cards, he has been the Touch Analyst for U.S. Playing Card Co., the largest card manufacturer in the country, known for producing the finest quality cards preferred by professional magicians and gamers.

But what makes all of Turner’s accomplishments genuinely incredible is that he is blind – and has been since childhood. Turner contracted a retina degeneration disease when he was nine, and his sight quickly diminished. “One day, I could see the blackboard; the next day, I couldn’t,” he says.

As a teenager, Turner’s anger and despair over his blindness drove him to drugs and then to drug dealing. At an early age, however, he found that being blind empowered him to develop an enhanced sense of touch, and once he picked up a deck of cards, his life changed.

“I developed my mind’s eye to an exceptional degree,” Turner says. “And I tested myself through the risky mental and physical challenges of martial arts fighting, shark hunting, cliff-diving, and the high stakes of underworld gambling.”

Turner is like no one else on the planet, so his story is similarly unique. Like his incredible mind, his adventures transcend time and space. As such, his story focuses on his almost superhuman physical abilities, martial arts prowess, and wizardly card skills, all of which serve as the framework for his life story.

Conversations That Challenge Reality

Unimpressed Podcast offers a groundbreaking look into consciousness, ancient wisdom, and the nonconscious aspects of humanity via the Quantum Field. Hosted by John Edmonds Kozma, CEO of Bang Productions and a seasoned entertainment industry veteran with extensive experience, each episode delves deeper than typical discussions to reveal profound insights about reality, spirituality, and human potential. He has been likened to Albert Einstein for his innovative reasoning. 

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Andy Murray has worked as a chef for over 25 years in many high-end restaurants, such as Mortimer's and Tribeca Grill. He opened the Murray Bros. Caddyshack restaurant in St. Augustine, Florida in June 2001, and another one in Chicago in April 2018. He is the seventh child out of nine siblings in the Murray family. Currently, he spends his time between St. Augustine, Florida, and the Chicago area.

Conversations That Challenge Reality

Unimpressed Podcast offers a groundbreaking look into consciousness, ancient wisdom, and the nonconscious aspects of humanity via the Quantum Field. Hosted by John Edmonds Kozma, CEO of Bang Productions and a seasoned entertainment industry veteran with extensive experience, each episode delves deeper than typical discussions to reveal profound insights about reality, spirituality, and human potential. He has been likened to Albert Einstein for his innovative reasoning. 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Michael Rowe, a former comedian who is now a comedy writer and producer, has received numerous accolades for his work on popular animated TV shows such as Futurama and Family Guy. He has been nominated for six Emmys and has won one of them. Additionally, he has received two Annie Awards, one Writers Guild Award, and a Gemini Award for his outstanding work. Michael has also been recognized for his contribution to the entertainment industry with a Webby Award for his original animated series, The Paranormal Action Squad. His writing has also been featured in Vanity Fair magazine. He presently resides in Los Angeles with his wife, twin sons, and a playful dog named Marty Allen.

Conversations That Challenge Reality

Unimpressed Podcast offers a groundbreaking look into consciousness, ancient wisdom, and the nonconscious aspects of humanity via the Quantum Field. Hosted by John Edmonds Kozma, CEO of Bang Productions and a seasoned entertainment industry veteran with extensive experience, each episode delves deeper than typical discussions to reveal profound insights about reality, spirituality, and human potential. He has been likened to Albert Einstein for his innovative reasoning. 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ben Armstrong is a well-known YouTuber, podcaster, and crypto enthusiast who has created BitBoyCrypto.com. Under the pseudonym BitBoy Crypto, he tirelessly works towards educating and informing the crypto community. Armstrong has been actively involved in cryptocurrency since 2012 when he made his first investment in Bitcoin.

Conversations That Challenge Reality

Unimpressed Podcast offers a groundbreaking look into consciousness, ancient wisdom, and the nonconscious aspects of humanity via the Quantum Field. Hosted by John Edmonds Kozma, CEO of Bang Productions and a seasoned entertainment industry veteran with extensive experience, each episode delves deeper than typical discussions to reveal profound insights about reality, spirituality, and human potential. He has been likened to Albert Einstein for his innovative reasoning. 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

An original “Saturday Night Live” writer, Alan has won five Emmy Awards for his work in television, which also includes “It’s Garry Shandling’s Show” (which he co-created and produced) and “Curb Your Enthusiasm.”

A frequent guest on all of the late-night talk shows, Alan’s theatrical contributions include his collaboration with Billy Crystal on the Tony Award-winning play “700 Sundays,” Martin Short’s Broadway hit “Fame Becomes Me,” and six off-Broadway plays, including “Bunny Bunny Bunny Bunny: A Sort of a Love Story – Gilda Radner: A Sort of Romantic Comedy” which he adapted from his best-selling book.

All told, Alan has written eleven books including the 2006 Thurber Prize-winning novel “The Other Shulman,” the popular children’s book “Our Tree Named Steve,” and a parody of the Haggadah titled “For This We Left Egypt?” that he wrote with Dave Barry and Adam Mansbach.

Alan’s humor has also appeared in such diverse publications as The New Yorker, Esquire, The Atlantic Monthly, the New York Times Op-Ed page, The Huffington Post and MAD Magazine. He has also penned a best-selling e-book titled  “From My Bottom Drawer.” 

Alan, the co-writer of the screenplays for the films “Dragnet,” “North,” and “The Story of Us,” received an honorary Ph.D. from the State University of New York. Because of the diversity of his body of work, in 2010, the Writers Guild of America, East gave him a Lifetime Achievement Award.

In addition to the talk shows, Alan also appeared in episodes of “Curb Your Enthusiasm” and “Law & Order,” and can be seen in the documentary “The Last Laugh” about humor and the Holocaust; Judd Apatow’s “Zen Diaries of Garry Shandling,” on HBO; “Gilbert” about the life of Gilbert Gottfried; and the Emmy nominated CNN documentary he executive produced titled “Love, Gilda.”

Taking to the stage himself, Alan is an ensemble performer at New York’s Triad Theater in Celebrity Autobiography — and is also a sought-after keynote speaker.

Alan is preparing “Bunny Bunny” to return to the New York stage. Most recently, his cultural memoir “Laugh Lines – My Life Helping Funny People Be Funnier” was published by Abrams Books, and a feature film he co-wrote with Billy Crystal titled “Here Today” that stars Crystal and Tiffany Haddish can be seen on Amazon Prime and Apple TV, among other platforms.

But the production that Alan is most proud of is the one he co-created with his wife Robin, their three children, and five grandchildren.

Conversations That Challenge Reality

Unimpressed Podcast offers a groundbreaking look into consciousness, ancient wisdom, and the nonconscious aspects of humanity via the Quantum Field. Hosted by John Edmonds Kozma, CEO of Bang Productions and a seasoned entertainment industry veteran with extensive experience, each episode delves deeper than typical discussions to reveal profound insights about reality, spirituality, and human potential. He has been likened to Albert Einstein for his innovative reasoning. 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Gianni Russo has made a career of playing tough guys. Although remembered most for his portrayal of Carlo Rizzi in “The Godfather”, his first acting job, his career has spanned over 40 films, including such hits as The Freshman, Rush Hour, Any Given Sunday, and Sea Biscuit as well as television roles in Kojak, The Rockford Files and Prison Break. And most recent.. due out this fall, “Send No Flowers”.

Russo believes his crooning separates him from the mob of other on-screen wise guys. His debut CD, Reflections, paid homage to legendary singers like Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra. These icons inspired him both personally and professionally. The CD, available on iTunes and Amazon.com, contains a bonus track where Russo reminisces about the behind-the-scenes drama while filming “The Godfather”. Russo travels the country with his orchestra to sold-out appearances, performing the music that has influenced his Life. His follow-up CD was released in June 2010, and his self-titled wine label Gianni Russo Wines launched nationally in 2009.

Born in Manhattan and raised in Little Italy and Staten Island, Russo overcame polio to start his first “business” at twelve, selling pens and erasers on the street corners. At eighteen, Russo made his first trip to Miami, where he began to dabble in show business, working in nightclubs and hotspots before deciding to pursue acting and move to Hollywood.

Russo’s colorful life is currently being adapted into a feature film by producer Brett Ratner (Rush Hour, Horrible Bosses, Red Dragon, and is currently filming the sequel to King Kong). Screenplay was written by George Gallo of “Midnight Run” fame, “Bad Boys” and “Middle Men”, and to be directed by Barry Levinson of “Diner” & “Taxi” fame. Available now is disk 1 of “The Godfather Stories By: Carlo Rizzi a.k.a. Gianni Russo”, with 9 more volumes coming soon!

Mr. Russo currently resides in New York, and this summer is doing personal appearances throughout the United States, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic and Panama.

Conversations That Challenge Reality

Unimpressed Podcast offers a groundbreaking look into consciousness, ancient wisdom, and the nonconscious aspects of humanity via the Quantum Field. Hosted by John Edmonds Kozma, CEO of Bang Productions and a seasoned entertainment industry veteran with extensive experience, each episode delves deeper than typical discussions to reveal profound insights about reality, spirituality, and human potential. He has been likened to Albert Einstein for his innovative reasoning. 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When Mark was six years old, his mother would take him to Manhattan every weekend for singing and ballet classes. But when he returned to school on Mondays, his Bronx classmates would bully him for what he had learned. So, Mark's mother enrolled him in karate lessons to defend himself, but unfortunately, the karate teacher also ended up beating him up. When Mark turned twelve, his parents took him to a nightclub where he saw Rodney Dangerfield performing live on stage. From that moment on, Mark knew he wanted to become a comedian. Mark has headlined in major casinos and clubs nationwide throughout his career and has made several appearances on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and Late Night with David Letterman. He has also written and guest-starred on Mad About You, appeared on Empty Nest, and served as a writer on The Roseanne Show. Additionally, he has had HBO and Showtime specials and has been the featured act at the Montreal Comedy Festival.

Conversations That Challenge Reality

Unimpressed Podcast offers a groundbreaking look into consciousness, ancient wisdom, and the nonconscious aspects of humanity via the Quantum Field. Hosted by John Edmonds Kozma, CEO of Bang Productions and a seasoned entertainment industry veteran with extensive experience, each episode delves deeper than typical discussions to reveal profound insights about reality, spirituality, and human potential. He has been likened to Albert Einstein for his innovative reasoning. 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sergeant Brett D'Alessandro returned home from a seven-month deployment in Afghanistan, thinking it was the end of a long journey. However, he soon realized that an even longer and more difficult journey filled with struggle and confusion lay ahead.

After a challenging deployment, Brett came home and was thrown into the process of reintegrating into civilian Life. He struggled to figure out his next steps - returning to school, finding a job, or continuing his military career. During this time, Brett was also struggling with his health - mentally and physically. His spouse, Alexa, was by his side but felt unequipped and uneducated in how to support him through this transition. A chance encounter with a homeless veteran on the streets of Rhode Island turned Brett and Alexa’s entire situation around.

Brett was on his way to a doctor's appointment at the Newport Naval Base in Rhode Island when he saw a homeless veteran by the side of the road. He took this opportunity to give the veteran his backpack from deployment, filled with socks and warm layers. This simple act inspired Brett to establish Backpacks For Life. He realized that the issue of homelessness among veterans was a nationwide problem that needed to be addressed. Brett was determined to help his fellow servicemen and women struggling with the trauma of returning home and not knowing where to turn.

Backpacks For Life (BFL) has been committed to supporting homeless and at-risk veterans since 2014 by providing backpacks and mentorship programs. The BFL team provides personalized assistance to veterans in need, helping them find the right supportive services. They achieve this through personal interaction that spans countless hours, as well as the physical distribution of backpacks. These backpacks serve as the first line of defense, representing hope and so much more to the BFL team.

Conversations That Challenge Reality

Unimpressed Podcast offers a groundbreaking look into consciousness, ancient wisdom, and the nonconscious aspects of humanity via the Quantum Field. Hosted by John Edmonds Kozma, CEO of Bang Productions and a seasoned entertainment industry veteran with extensive experience, each episode delves deeper than typical discussions to reveal profound insights about reality, spirituality, and human potential. He has been likened to Albert Einstein for his innovative reasoning. 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Nicholas Pearson is an award-winning author and Reiki teacher. He has devoted almost three decades to studying the mineral kingdom and is an expert in every aspect. Nicholas's love for crystals began in high school when he taught crystal workshops. Later on, while pursuing a degree in music, he studied mineral science at Stetson University's Gillespie Museum.

In 2006, Nicholas embarked on his Reiki journey and became a master in various traditional Japanese Reiki, such as Usui Reiki Ryoho, Jikiden Reiki, and Komyo ReikiDo. He has also trained in various Western Reiki styles, both traditional and non-traditional, such as Usui Shiki Ryoho, Usui/Tibetan Reiki, and Kundalini Reiki. Nicholas aims to bring together practitioners of all Reiki lineages through his Reiki training, practice sessions, and events. He hopes to help others understand how and where Reiki developed and where it can take us.

Apart from being a Certified Medical Reiki Master and an Animal Reiki practitioner, Nicholas also serves on the Board of Directors of the Shelter Animal Reiki Association. He has previously served as a National Reiki in Healthcare Certification Initiative board member. Additionally, he is a member of the International Association of Reiki Professionals, Shibumi International Reiki Association, and Reiki Healing Association. Nicholas's famous book, Foundations of Reiki Ryoho: A Manual of Shoden and Okuden, is available in English and Italian.

Nicholas offers seminars on crystal healing, Reiki, and flower essence therapy online and worldwide. He has authored eight books, including Crystal Basics and Foundations of Reiki Ryoho, and resides in Orlando, Florida, USA.

Conversations That Challenge Reality

Unimpressed Podcast offers a groundbreaking look into consciousness, ancient wisdom, and the nonconscious aspects of humanity via the Quantum Field. Hosted by John Edmonds Kozma, CEO of Bang Productions and a seasoned entertainment industry veteran with extensive experience, each episode delves deeper than typical discussions to reveal profound insights about reality, spirituality, and human potential. He has been likened to Albert Einstein for his innovative reasoning. 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Brian Wallace is the founder and president of Now Sourcing, an industry-leading infographic design agency based in Louisville, KY, and Cincinnati, OH. The company works with a wide range of clients, from startups to Fortune 500s. In addition, Brian hosts the Next Action Podcast and runs #LinkedInLocal events nationwide and virtually. He has been named a Google Small Business Advisor from 2016 to the present day and has joined the SXSW Advisory Board from 2019 to the present day.

Conversations That Challenge Reality

Unimpressed Podcast offers a groundbreaking look into consciousness, ancient wisdom, and the nonconscious aspects of humanity via the Quantum Field. Hosted by John Edmonds Kozma, CEO of Bang Productions and a seasoned entertainment industry veteran with extensive experience, each episode delves deeper than typical discussions to reveal profound insights about reality, spirituality, and human potential. He has been likened to Albert Einstein for his innovative reasoning. 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.