Yes But Why Podcast

This week’s Yes But Why episode features Shana Merlin, founder of Merlin Works improv conservatory in Austin, TX.

It is unbelievable that Amy and Shana never met before recording this episode! How could their paths not have crossed in the 10 years that Amy has lived in Austin? Amy was definitely star struck at the top of this interview but she chilled out and they become besties by the end.

In today’s chat, Shana Merlin talks about teaching improv to medical professionals, working on your presence onstage, and being a full time mom and theater owner. Amy is inspired by Shana’s entrepreneurship and she is jealous of Shana’s connections to Alan Alda. Listen in as Shana recounts stories from the beginnings of the Austin improv scene from “Monk’s Night Out” to “Girls Girls Girls.”

Check out Shana’s upcoming performances and/or take classes with her right now at Merlin Works!

Yes But Why Podcast is a proud member of the HC Universal Network family of podcasts. Download the FREE HC Universal Network app for Android and iDevices or visit us at HCUniversalNetwork.com and join the fun.

This episode of Yes But Why podcast is sponsored by audible - get your FREE audiobook download and your 30 day free trial at http://www.audibletrial.com/YESBUTWHY.

This week’s Yes But Why episode features podcaster and standup comedian, S. Anthony Thomas.

Throughout this interview, S. Anthony entertains with tales from his life’s adventures. You can tell just by listening to him that he is good at crafting a narrative. It makes sense then that S. Anthony has spent his whole life performing. He is warm and welcoming and a great storyteller.

From his “Fresh Prince” upbringing to his first ever open mic, S. Anthony shares the moments of his life that helped build him into the performer he is today! Listen in as Amy and S. Anthony chat about booking comedy shows, the freedom of podcasting, and the magical sound of audience laughter!

Support S. Anthony Thomas by subscribing to BOTH of his two podcasts:
The S. Anthony Thomas Show (https://anchor.fm/s-anthony-thomas)
AND
The S. Anthony Says Podcast (http://santhonysays.podbean.com/)

Yes But Why Podcast is a proud member of the HC Universal Network family of podcasts. Download the FREE HC Universal Network app for Android and iDevices or visit us at HCUniversalNetwork.com and join the fun.

This episode of Yes But Why podcast is sponsored by audible - get your FREE audiobook download and your 30 day free trial at http://www.audibletrial.com/YESBUTWHY.

In this week’s Yes But Why Podcast episode, we meet Dawn Davis, actress, voiceover artist and host of the Desert Lady Diaries podcast!

The conversation opens with Dawn talking about her acting career in regional theater in Florida and North Carolina before she moved to Los Angeles to dig into the film and TV business. Dawn is an amazing woman and Amy loved talking to her. Along the way, Dawn gives some great business tips for actors.

But the real epiphany, both in this interview and in Dawn’s life, is when the story moved to the small town near Joshua Tree National Park where Dawn now resides. The change of location made palpable changes to Dawn and to her world view. It is so great to hear how at home Dawn feels in her new surroundings. Dawn and Amy spend most of the interview talking about the vibrant creative community she has now found and how they have nurtured her and inspired her as an artist. Dawn was so inspired by the wonderful women in her area that she started the Desert Lady Diaries to record some of the oral history of the community. Shoutout to the ladies of Hi Desert Fringe Festival and Hi-Desert Cultural Center!

This was a really great talk about living a full life in the arts! Support Dawn by subscribing to the Desert Lady Diaries podcast!

Yes But Why Podcast is a proud member of the HC Universal Network family of podcasts. Download the FREE HC Universal Network app for Android and iDevices or visit us at HCUniversalNetwork.com and join the fun.

This episode of Yes But Why podcast is sponsored by audible - get your FREE audiobook download and your 30 day free trial at http://www.audibletrial.com/YESBUTWHY.

This week on Yes But Why Podcast, listen in as our host Amy bonds with Grovetown, Georgia-based musician and podcaster Sam Ward, aka “Big Sam.” These two really hit it off and had a great discussion about life. This talk was really fun for both of them.

“It’s like I’m listening to my mirror!” - Sam

Sam Ward hosts and curates the BIG SAM PRESENTZ podcast. It’s an outlet for Sam to share stories about his life and to “modernize the circus” by living in the moment! In his podcast, Sam talks about being a musician, a father, a husband, and a disabled veteran as well as sharing his own weight loss journey. Sam is open and real and raw and his audience loves it!

Listen in as Sam shares his journey from troubled youth to touring drummer in a country band to musical community organizer. Sam is a really great guy and he has learned so much from all the ups and downs in his life and now he just wants to share them with his audience! Sam has provided a great blueprint for creating your own business! Tune in for tips from Sam about team building, social media, and making a creative living.

Support Sam and his BIG SAM PRESENTZ podcast by subscribing at https://www.bigsampresentz.com/ !
Also, if you’re a Georgia-based musician and want to do an event with Sam, contact him through [email protected] !

Yes But Why Podcast is a proud member of the HC Universal Network family of podcasts. Download the FREE HC Universal Network app for Android and iDevices or visit us at HCUniversalNetwork.com and join the fun.

This episode of Yes But Why podcast is sponsored by audible - get your FREE audiobook download and your 30 day free trial at http://www.audibletrial.com/YESBUTWHY.

In this week’s episode of Yes But Why Podcast, our host Amy chats with Amsterdam-based improv instructor Laura Doorneweerd and Austin-based improv instructor Kevin Miller. Kevin and Laura are friends from way back. When we sat down for this interview, Laura had just taught workshops at Hideout Theatre’s Improvised Play Festival and was about to kick off a world tour. Kevin was so excited to have his pal in town that he shared his interview time with her!

Kevin Miller is the current dean of the Merlin Works Institute of Improvisation at the ZACH Theatre in downtown Austin. Laura Doorneweerd is an independent improv trainer and performer in The Netherlands and across the world. Both of these great friends are the leaders of the next generation of international improvisers!

We kick off the discussion talking about how when we were little, we were performers at heart! Listen in as Laura and Kevin tell stories about bad relationships, traveling improviser adventures and the journey of feeling comfortable onstage! This is a really great interview with longtime improvisers sharing amazing life lessons! Stay tuned for the Torture Room format discussion! Enjoy.

Yes But Why Podcast is a proud member of the HC Universal Network family of podcasts. Download the FREE HC Universal Network app for Android and iDevices or visit us at HCUniversalNetwork.com and join the fun.

This episode of Yes But Why podcast is sponsored by audible - get your FREE audiobook download and your 30 day free trial at http://www.audibletrial.com/YESBUTWHY.

This week, Yes But Why features Atlanta-based filmmaker Jenna Kanell. Working in film since high school, Jenna has been an actor, a writer, a director, a stunt performer and now she is even learning sales & acquisitions! Amy and Jenna met at the Austin Film Festival at which Jenna was premiering her short film, Max and the Monster. Amy was the host of Jenna’s film’s Q&A and they hit it off immediately so they kept in touch.

In this podcast episode, Jenna shares some great stories about developing writing partnerships and pitching films. Jenna has been involved in so many aspects of filmmaking that her perspective is really unique! Listen in as Amy and Jenna talk about killer sneezes, horror movies, and stunt driving. Check out Jenna right now on Netflix in Terrifier.

Yes But Why Podcast is a proud member of the HC Universal Network family of podcasts. Download the FREE HC Universal Network app for Android and iDevices or visit us at HCUniversalNetwork.com and join the fun.

This episode of Yes But Why podcast is sponsored by audible - get your FREE audiobook download and your 30 day free trial at http://www.audibletrial.com/YESBUTWHY.

This week’s episode of Yes But Why Podcast features Ken Schatz, the leading independent acting coach in New York City. Through The Ken Schatz Studio, he offers private coaching, audition prep, on-set film role maintenance work, as well as onstage and on-camera master classes in New York, Los Angeles, and around the world.

In their conversation, Amy and Ken talk a lot about Ken’s approach to teaching acting. Borne of his inherent need to help people and his love of theater, Ken’s coaching technique is all about tailoring the work to the actor’s specific needs. There is no catch-all style for Ken; for him, it is intuitive. Ken Schatz is dedicated to challenging you to be the best actor you can be and to have fun while you do it!

Ken is an amazing resource for actors all around the world! Work with him NOW!

Ken is currently in Los Angeles. He just finished teaching his intensive two-day workshop in movement, acting technique, and scene study and he will be there available for coaching until May 1st! To book time with Ken for in-person coaching in LA or to find out more about registering for the next time there will be Ken’s Weekend Intensive, email [email protected] anytime.

When Ken returns to NYC, you can visit his studio and check out his classes at the May 8th FREE OPEN HOUSE event. This preview class is for actors interested in taking master classes and/or receiving private coaching from Ken. Space is limited — RESERVATIONS ARE REQUIRED! To reserve your spot, email [email protected],

Even if you are not in NYC or LA, fret not. Ken is available online as well! He can coach via Skype/FaceTime as actors need, and/or travel for workshops and projects. Just email [email protected] !

This episode is a lovely chat between old friends, bonding over their love of teaching theater and reveling in how different their worlds are. Listen in as Ken shares stories about learning at Circle in the Square, his first Hollywood movie coaching gig, and the great community he works with right now in NYC and LA. Enjoy!

Yes But Why Podcast is a proud member of the HC Universal Network family of podcasts. Download the FREE HC Universal Network app for Android and iDevices or visit us at HCUniversalNetwork.com and join the fun.

This episode of Yes But Why podcast is sponsored by audible - get your FREE audiobook download and your 30 day free trial at http://www.audibletrial.com/YESBUTWHY.

This week on Yes But Why Podcast, Amy interviews standup comic, actress and podcaster, Lisa Orkin. Lisa is a voiceover artist as well as an actress in TV and film. She talks about how when she first started performing, she wanted to be a serious actress but people kept telling her she was too funny. When she finally focused her sights on comedic roles, she got an agent and started working more often. Now she uses her ability to make people laugh to create hilarious commercials with her production company, The Radio Ranch.

In this episode, Lisa shares stories about terrible auditions, rude yoga teachers and (almost) making out with Peter O’Toole. Lisa has great stories and even better advice for any performer out there looking to go into acting, voiceover, or podcasting! If you are a podcaster local to Austin, you can meet Lisa at the Outlier Podcast Festival where she will speaking!

You can also hear Lisa weekly on her own podcast, Project Woo Woo, an unscripted interview show in which Lisa gets her actor and comedian friends to pretend to be famous spiritual leaders, philosophers and other important historical figures. Amy and Lisa talk at length about Lisa’s obsession with getting Jon Hamm as a guest on her podcast. Since he is an experienced improviser, he’d be a great candidate! Let’s make this happen for her!

Yes But Why Podcast is a proud member of the HC Universal Network family of podcasts. Download the FREE HC Universal Network app for Android and iDevices or visit us at HCUniversalNetwork.com and join the fun.

This episode of Yes But Why podcast is sponsored by audible - get your FREE audiobook download and your 30 day free trial at http://www.audibletrial.com/YESBUTWHY.

This week on Yes But Why Podcast, Amy interviews casting agent, Missy Finnell. Missy talks about her experience building her career at Donna Belajac Casting agency in Pittsburgh.

Missy studied cinematography and producing film in school but her education didn’t teach her the business part of film. In her working life, Missy has done casting and costuming and she has learned a lot more from her real world experiences. Listen in as she shares what it was like for her to cast her first film, Love and Other Drugs.

Missy shares with us a story about how an offhand comment from her father about movie credits inspired her to make film her full time career. Tune in for stories about graduating on ice, meeting crazy actors, and worrying like a millennial!

In this episode, Missy talks about how hard it was for her to take the leap into working in the film industry. She did it and you can too! For anyone local to Pittsburgh who is an actor looking to be cast in films, TV and digital series or, if you are interested in starting your journey to become an actor and want to take acting classes, check out the Donna Belajac Casting agency website! Also, check out the most recent movie that Missy and the Donna Belajac Casting team worked on, Where’d You Go, Bernadette? , coming to theaters soon!

Yes But Why Podcast is a proud member of the HC Universal Network family of podcasts. Download the FREE HC Universal Network app for Android and iDevices or visit us at HCUniversalNetwork.com and join the fun.

This episode of Yes But Why podcast is sponsored by audible - get your FREE audiobook download and your 30 day free trial at http://www.audibletrial.com/YESBUTWHY.

This week on Yes But Why Podcast, we chat with fiction writer and standup comedian Roya Hamadani.

Roya shares with us how the end of a stifling relationship helped propel her into standup comedy in Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania. Roya currently co-hosts Stout Laughs, a twice monthly comedy open mic at the Bethlehem Brewworks ,with the hope that she can provide a welcoming stage for performers who need it as much as she once did.

Roya is a great storyteller. She tells us about how she wrote a novel in the 5th grade, how the vibrant Bethlehem improv scene embraced her when she needed it most, and how she never stops learning. Tune in for wild tales of divorce, perfectionism and variety show madness.

Yes But Why Podcast is a proud member of the HC Universal Network family of podcasts. Download the FREE HC Universal Network app for Android and iDevices or visit us at HCUniversalNetwork.com and join the fun.

This episode of Yes But Why podcast is sponsored by audible - get your FREE audiobook download and your 30 day free trial at http://www.audibletrial.com/YESBUTWHY.