With Miska

Wilhelmiina Lappi! This episode is in Finnish.

Wilhelmiina is a 24-year-old Finnish actor who is currently studying at New York Film Academy in LA. This is a very interesting talk with Wilhelmiina who is in the beginning of her career!

This can also be found on YouTube channel With Miska Podcast Episodes.

https://youtu.be/rV7k5NxZSdU

Wilhelmiina and I met at L.A. Finnish Center briefly, and I didn’t even know that she was in town. I was very happy that we are getting more Finnish actors to LA, since there are really not that many of us here. I asked Wilhelmiina to be on the podcast, and her insights are truly unique. She grew up on a farm in Finland, so it has been quite a leap for her to move to LA. During our conversation she shares the whole process how she got herself to LA to study acting.

This is a wonderful and very relatable conversation for anyone who wants to make changes in their life to pursue their dreams. Wilhelmiina also tells in great detail how the audition and visa processes were for studying in the States.

Wilhelmiina’s links:

https://www.instagram.com/wilhelmiinal/

https://www.facebook.com/wilhelmiina.lappi

This episode has been supported by Arts Promotion Center Finland (Taiteen edistämiskeskus).

Enjoy!

Kelton Jones (+ Suzan Jones)

A wonderful and very educational talk with filmmaker and actor Kelton Jones. His producing partner and wife Suzan Jones also stops by at the end.

This can also be found on YouTube channel: With Miska Podcast Episodes.

https://youtu.be/R0zn8UCm3BY

I met Kelton for the first time when we were working on a commercial together a couple of years ago. I remembered him being very kind and wise man, and I enjoyed spending the day with him. Since then we have reconnected via phone few times, but we haven’t met since. I knew Kelton is an experienced indie filmmaker (among other things), and I wanted him to be on my podcast.

This is a wonderful, educational, and very inspirational talk to anyone who is making, or is dreaming of making movies. The advice that Kelton gives is invaluable. And what surprised me the most is the motivational boost he gives on the podcast. And with motivational I mean how he encourages all of us indie artists to make sure that we are getting paid for our work. He also shares how he talks with film investors as he fundraises for his films.

He also tells about his upcoming book for which he has interviewed Sean S. Cunningham, the director of the original Friday the 13th.

An excellent and inspirational talk!

Instagram links:

https://www.instagram.com/keltonjonesofficial/

https://www.instagram.com/suzanjonesphoto/

Of the Devil film trailer:

https://youtu.be/8jfW2ncDoYs

Of the Devil film IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt15338648/

Kelton’s previous film Dry Blood:

https://epic-pictures.com/film/dry-blood

The Devil Down the Street full movie: https://www.amazon.com/gp/video/detail/B07NRR24TF/ref=atv_dp_share_cu_r

This episode has been supported by Arts Promotion Center Finland (Taiteen edistämiskeskus).

Enjoy!

Scott Blugrind!

An exciting talk with a very unique and awesome Electric Guitar Comedian Scott Blugrind!

This can also be found on YouTube channel:

With Miska Podcast Episodes

https://youtu.be/z7G8i8MGrCI

I saw Scott for the first time when he was the warm-up comic on the reunion of Friends, and there he gave me his guitar pick. Our paths crossed again when he came to L.A. Finnish Center to see Ismo Leikola's stand-up gig which I hosted.

Scott is originally from LA, and he has seen lots! We talk about the days when he was hanging out on the Sunset Strip, and how he had his own dream of becoming a rockstar. All this led him to become the warm-up DJ for Friends, where he worked for years. Scott has been a warm-up comic for hundreds of live TV tapings, and worked on several shows with Matt LeBlanc.

Now Scott is touring as an Electric Guitar Comic, and he also plays two songs at the end of the episode. Scott performs often at Flappers Comedy Club in Burbank, so go see him there or anywhere near you!

Links:

https://www.instagram.com/scottblugrind/ https://scottblugrind.com/

This episode has been supported by Arts Promotion Center Finland (Taiteen edistämiskeskus).

Enjoy!

Suvi and Tatu! This episode is in Finnish.

This my third video podcast, and this can also be found on YouTube channel: With Miska Podcast Episodes.

youtu.be/sToCgTw79Fc

It has been such a pleasure having these two wonderful humans in LA for the last few months! I have known Tatu Sinisalo from when we did improv comedy gigs in Finland some years ago. Last year I heard that Tatu was planning to come to LA to see how his career and life opportunities would be here. And now he’s here with his awesome fiancée Suvi Honkanen.

I didn’t know Suvi before, but in these last few months we have been able to spend some time together. Suvi is an actor, writer and a retired ballet dancer from the Finnish National Ballet. She has also spent some time in the US before.

We talk about Tatu’s approach to acting, and how he creates unique characters, including Toni Wirtanen (Apulanta band) from movie Teit meistä kauniin (Born in Heinola). I actually played a police officer in the film for one day, and I was able to meet Tatu at the shoot.

Suvi shares details about her rigorous ballerina training in Russia, and her career at the Finnish National Ballet. Now she writes articles about dance for various publications, and is working on making the dance world much better for everyone.

Suvi and Tatu are now in LA, and they are making it happen as a couple. A wonderful talk about how it is to pursue your dreams together with someone you love.

Links:

tatusinisalo.com

suvihelenahonkanen.medium.com

This episode has been supported by Arts Promotion Center Finland (Taiteen edistämiskeskus).

Enjoy!

Sara Kay Godot!

This my third video podcast, and this can also be found on YouTube channel: With Miska Podcast Episodes.

https://youtu.be/cZKcrY901gQ

I have known Sara for over 20 years! We went to the same theatre school in Miami, New World School of the Arts. When I started as a freshman she was already a sophomore. We watched all of each other’s college plays, and saw each other every day at school. At one point I was also her roommate for a couple of months. Later we lost touch for few years. But since we both are now in LA, we have been able to reconnect, and we both have performed on each other’s stand-up shows.

After college Sara went to Chicago for several years where she did quite a variety of live theatre, but now she’s in LA. She owns a psychology practice with her husband, produces stand-up shows, acts, auditions and also writes. She lives a full life and is fully back in action after taking a break from acting some years ago.

A wonderful and warm talk!

Sara’s comedy website:

sarakaygodotcomedy.com

Sara’s Instagrams:

instagram.com/sarakaydoesstandup/

instagram.com/think_tank_comedy/

instagram.com/godotswaitingroom/

This episode has been supported by Arts Promotion Center Finland (Taiteen edistämiskeskus).

Enjoy!

Kristen Lundberg!

This my second video podcast, and this can also be found on YouTube channel: With Miska Podcast Episodes.

https://youtu.be/FBir17Ho-hM

A wonderful and honest talk with Kristen. I visited her place, and we talked in her yard. Kristen has made some big life changes, and this became a very interesting and wide-ranging talk in which Kristen tells about her life in Ohio, and how she worked as a toy sculptor, and later transitioned into an ice sculptor in LA.

I was prepared to talk about stand-up comedy and playing violin (which she does), but lately Kristen has been having doubts about her future as a stand-up, and she talks very openly about this. She has changed her path in life, and wants to concentrate on other things, like dramatic acting and ensemble work.

This is a wonderful discussion on how life can change its course, and how you need to embrace the change when it comes.

Kristen’s website with all sorts of awesome stuff:

https://kristensfunnyhair.com/

This episode has been supported by Arts Promotion Center Finland (Taiteen edistämiskeskus).

Enjoy!

Nina! This episode is in Finnish.

This my first video podcast, and this can also be found on YouTube channel With Miska Podcast Episodes.

https://youtu.be/fzyDYHwOHKs

Nina is a good friend of mine, and I have known her for years. She lives in L.A, and has lived here for a long time. She’s an actress, and she does quite a lot of theatre. Much more than many of her (and my) colleagues in Los Angeles. We talk a lot about theatre, and also about her one person show Poor Poor Lear.

We have a very inspiring talk about her life, how she got her start in theatre in Finland, and then went to Finnish Theatre Academy, and how she ended up in Los Angeles. Nina has created a nice life for herself and for her family here in California.

We recorded this at Nina’s yard, so you will hear some crickets in the background.

Nina and me have also performed live-streamed improvised shows for Finlandia Foundation here in the US, and you are able to watch them on the following links:

Live-Streamed Comedy Improv Special in English

https://youtu.be/tzimw9X88Tc

Live-Streamed Improvised Play #1 (in Finnish with English subtitles)

https://youtu.be/QJlTyXg_9mg

Live-Streamed Improvised Play #2 (in Finnish with English subtitles)

https://youtu.be/HYOeVglNB_0

This episode has been supported by Arts Promotion Center Finland (Taiteen edistämiskeskus).

Enjoy!

Ashley Scott Meyers is a filmmaker and a podcaster, and I have been listening to his SellingYourScreenplay.com podcast for a few years now, and I have enjoyed it a lot.

Having Ashley as a guest on my podcast is a great opportunity for me to ask him all the questions that I have thought of when I have been listening to his podcast.

This is a wonderful talk about the realities of being a filmmaker in LA. Ashley tells openly how he is making it happen, and he also gives excellent advice to anyone who is thinking about filmmaking or moving to LA. An inspirational talk.

This is wonderful! Enjoy!

Ashley’s SellingYourScreenplay.com website:

www.sellingyourscreenplay.com

Today I had a wonderful talk with three guests at the same time! Actor Johanna Anttila connected with us from Finland. She is one of the leads in the movie Couples of Wife Carrying, in which I act in as well. She plays a Finnish competitor in the film. The second guest is Karolyn Castaldo, who is Director of Communications for Sunday River ski resort in Maine. We filmed the movie in Sunday River, and they have been very supportive of us throughout the whole filming and distribution process. And the third guest is Stephanie Coats, who is the post-production supervisor and associate producer of the film.

A wonderful talk about the movie, wife carrying and life. Enjoy!

This discussion was also screened live at the film’s Facebook page. Here’s a link to the video:

www.facebook.com/watch/?v=2517745965182007

Couples of Wife Carrying Facebook page:

facebook.com/couplesofwifecarryingmovie

Film’s website:

couplesofwifecarryingmovie.com

Trailer for the movie:

youtu.be/Lw9ijfP6_nM

Evan James Bochetto and Dan Pastewka, along with Brad Kula, are the creators of the comedy film Couples of Wife Carrying. Evan directed and was a co-writer of the film, while Dan is the producer. I play a Finnish wife-carrier Jarkko Karjalainen in the movie.

First of all, my apologies for the sound quality of the podcast. We had some sound issues, but you can definitely hear everything.

Couples of Wife Carrying has just been released to buy / rent in North America, so this was a great time for us to have a talk about the film.

We go through how the movie was made, from coming up with the idea, all the way to the distribution and marketing. We also get to know who Evan and Dan are.

A great talk about how films can be made with little money and lots of passion. Enjoy!

This discussion was also screened live at the film’s Facebook page. Here’s a link to the video:

facebook.com/watch/?v=316017039484773&extid=zLtdu5nU8OdP7QnH

Couples of Wife Carrying Facebook page:

facebook.com/couplesofwifecarryingmovie

Film’s website:

couplesofwifecarryingmovie.com

Trailer for the movie:

youtu.be/Lw9ijfP6_nM