Beginnings

On today's episode I talk to actor and comedian Griffin Newman. Raised in New York, Griff has been writing and performing for a lion's share of his life. In 2007, he started college, but left in his first year to pursue acting, and since then has appeared in a number of films and TV shows including Law and Order, Blue Bloods, Fort Tilden, Vinyl, Cop Show, Difficult People, Draft Day, Search Party, Our Cartoon President, and currently stars as the sidekick Arthur in Amazon's live action The Tick. In addition, Griffin co-hosts the popular podcast Blank Check with film critic David Sims. This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, follow me on Twitter.

On today's episode I talk to composer and musician Ryan Lott. Born in Denver, CO, Ryan began playing music when he was relatively young. His first album as Son Lux,  At War with Walls & Mazes, was released by Anticon in 2008, and since then they've recorded three other albums, We Are Rising in 2011, Lanterns in 2013, and Bones in 2015. In 2014, Ryan collaborated with Sufjan Stevens and Serengeti as the band Sisyphus, releasing a self-titled album that year. As a composer, Ryan has scored the soundtracks for a number of films, including Mean Dreams, Paper Towns, and The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby. This Friday, City Slang will release Son Lux's latest album Brighter Wounds (and it is great!). This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, follow me on Twitter.

On today's episode I talk to TV writer Amy Hubbs. Originally from Elizabethtown, Kentucky, Amy began her TV career as a writers' assistant on the original run of NBC's Will & Grace, and since then has worked on numerous shows including Raising Hope, The Crazy Ones, Ugly Betty, and Great News. Currently she is a writer and producer on the new Freeform show Alone Together, which stars Esther Povitsky. This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, follow me on Twitter.

On today's episode I talk to comedian and musician Tawny Newsome. Originally from California, Tawny got her start in comedy in Chicago, where she was part of the Second City Mainstage, as well as the Second City National Touring Company. More recently, she was one of the stars of the wonderful Seeso show Bajillion Dollar Propertie$ and is a recurring character on BET's The Comedy Get Down. In addition, Tawny is a fan favorite on many Earwolf podcasts including Spontaneanation and Comedy Bang Bang. On top of all this, Tawny is also a musician, recording music on her own and with a number of other bands including Mekons-founder Jon Langford's Four Lost Souls, whose self-titled album was released late last year by Bloodshot Records. This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, follow me on Twitter.

On today's episode I talk to painter and illustrator Brandon Bird. Originally from Sacramento, CA, Brandon paints pop culture figures in absurd situations, like Christopher Walken building a Transformer in his garage or the cast of Frasier in a 1970s pulp fantasy series. He's organized a number of arts shows around these ideas and created a Law and Order coloring book called Law & Order: An Adventure to Color! Brandon also contributes to the wonderful magazine The Believer, and in 2013 Chronicle Books released an anthology of his work called Brandon Bird's Astonishing World of Art. This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, follow me on Twitter.

On today's episode I talk to actor James Urbaniak. Originally from Bayonne, New Jersey, James was part of the flourishing 1990s New York theater scene. It was there he met Hal Hartley who cast him as Simon Grim in the wonderful film Henry Fool. Since then, James has been part of Hartley's unofficial repertory, acting in a number of his other films. Outside of these, James has also acted in dozens of roles for TV and the silver screen, turning out classic performances such as R. Crumb in American Splendor, Dr. Venture in The Venture Bros., Grant on Andy Daly's show Review, and Julie's boyfriend Arthur on Difficult People. In addition, James has his own radio drama podcast called Getting On With James Urbaniak. This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, follow me on Twitter.

On today's episode I talk to stand-up and writer Dana Gould. Originally from Hopedale, MA, Dana started performing stand-up at the tender age of 17, and since then has taped numerous late night appearances, specials (including an HBO Half-Hour), and four albums: Funhouse, I Know It's Wrong, Let Me Put My Thoughts in Your, and his latest Mr. Funny Man, which was just released earlier this year on the wonderful label Kill Rock Stars. As an actor, he's appeared in everything from Roseanne to Seinfeld to King of Queens, as well as most of the programs he's written for, which include The Ben Stiller Show, The Simpsons, Parks and Rec, and his own show on IFC, Stan Against Evil, which just finished its second season. In addition to all this, Dana hosts his own monthly podcast The Dana Gould Hour, which is just a delight. This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, follow me on Twitter.

We're stuck between Christmas and New Year's Eve, folks, so I thought I'd drop a bonus episode this week! What's a "bonus episode" of Beginnings? These are episodes that deviate from "let's talk to a creator I admire about their childhoods" and instead take a peek behind the curtain of showbiz. As I get deeper into the business part of this industry, I learn so much more about the real structures underpinning why certain TV shows get made or why certain actors become household names, and I think it's worth talking about those things. So on today's episode, I talk to my fiancee Naomi Ekperigin, a wonderful stand-up and TV writer (perhaps you've seen her Half Hour or one of the shows she's written on like Broad City or Great News). We moved to LA halfway through the year, so we talk about some of the lessons we've learned in 2017 and also discuss ways we can stay ethical and keep our dignity in the face of the Beast we call ShowBiz!  This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, follow me o

On today's episode I talk to TV writer and showrunner Karl Schaefer. Originally from Downey, CA, Karl has been working in TV since the late 1980s, where he started off as the creator and showrunner of TV 101. In the '90s, he created and showran two supernatural programs Eerie, Indiana and Strange Luck, and then spent time writing on a number of different shows including Monk, The Dead Zone, Eureka and Ghost Whisperer. In 2014, he co-created the wonderful show Z Nation, which just finished its fourth season on SyFy. This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, follow me on Twitter.

On today's episode I talk to TV writer Jessica Gao. Originally from Los Angeles, Jessica began her TV writing career in the world of animation, working on shows like Nickelodeon's The Mighty B and Kung Fu Panda, as well as live action shows for both Nickelodeon and The Disney Channel. In 2014, Jessica wrote for Silicon Valley on HBO, followed by the wonderful Seeso (RIP) show Bajillion Dollar Propertie$. Currently she is writing on the beloved Adult Swim show Rick and Morty and the upcoming Comedy Central show Corporate, and she also hosts a podcast about writing and race with Rick and Morty co-creator Dan Harmon called Whiting Wongs. This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on iTunes, follow me on Twitter.

On today's episode I talk to comics writer and artist Sina Grace. Based in Los Angeles, Sina is the author and illustrator of a number of books for Image Comics including Self-Obsessed, Not My Bag, and Nothing Lasts Forever. He acts as the artist for Shaun Steven Struble's cult hit, The Li'l Depressed Boy, and handles art chores along with co-writing the Image Comics hit series, Burn the Orphanage. Sina has also done illustrations for all-ages readers, including Among the Ghosts, written by Amber Benson, and Penny Dora & the Wishing Box, written by Michael Stock. His previous works include the slice-of-life Books with Pictures, and the neo-noir urban fantasy, Cedric Hollows in Dial M for Magic. For a time, he acted as Editorial Director for Robert Kirkman's Skybound imprint at Image Comics. And most recently, Sina has been writing Iceman for Marvel Comics, and it is easily the best X-comic currently being published. This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on iTunes, follow me on Twitter.

On today's episode I talk to writer and painter Steve Dildarian. Originally from New Jersey, Steve spent many years as an advertising executive and created a number of well-known campaigns including the "Budweiser Lizards". In 2006, Steve created an animated short film called Angry Unpaid Hooker, which won the best animated short at the U.S. Comedy Arts Festival, which led to his show on HBO. The Life & Times of Tim ran for three seasons from 2008 to 2012 and is wonderful. Tim is also a painter and you can purchase his artwork online, and most recently, he created a pilot for Amazon called The New V.I.P.'s. This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on iTunes, follow me on Twitter.

It's almost Thanksgiving, folks! So I thought I'd drop a bonus episode early so you could listen while you're traveling for the holidays. What's a "bonus episode" of Beginnings? These are episodes that deviate from "let's talk to a creator I admire about their childhoods" and instead take a peek behind the curtain of showbiz. As I get deeper into the business part of this industry, I learn so much more about the real structures underpinning why certain TV shows get made or why certain actors become household names, and I think it's worth talking about those things. So on today's episode, I talk to my friend Katie Walsh. Katie is a Los Angeles-based film critic and journalist, reviewing weekly film releases for the Tribune News Service, Los Angeles Times, and The Playlist. She is also a member of the LA Film Critics Association, has served on the jury for the Women In Film Finishing Fund grant, and has been a member of the nominating committee for Breakthrough Performance for IFP’s Gotham Awards. Katie and I

On today's episode I talk to actor and voiceover artist Carlos Alazraqui. Carlos is probably most often recognized as Deputy James Garcia from Comedy Central’s hit show Reno 911! A standup comic for over 25 years, he is also one of LA’s top voiceover actors with hundreds of credits to his name, including The Taco Bell Chihuahua, Mr. Weed on FOX’s Family Guy, Lazlo on Cartoon Network’s Camp Lazlo, Bane in Justice League: Doom, and Mr. Crocker on Nickelodeon’s long running series Fairly OddParents. Currently he is rebooting his role of Rocko in the New Rocko's Modern Life for Nickelodeon, due out next year. Carlos also recently won the prestigious Annie Award for "Outstanding Achievement in Voice Acting in an Animated TV/Broadcast Production" for his role of Ponce de León in The Mr. Peabody and Sherman Show. This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on iTunes, follow me on Twitter.

On today's episode I talk to writer and showrunner Javier Grillo-Marxuach. Originally from Puerto Rico, Javi earned his MFA in screenwriting from USC in the early 1990s, and soon after started his television career. He's written for a number of rad shows across many different genres including Charmed, Boomtown, Medium, Lost, Helix and The 100, and he created and showran the fantastic show The Middleman, which was based on his own comics. Javi's also the co-host with Jose Molina of the Children of Tendu podcast, which is an educational series that aims to teach newcomers how to navigate the entertainment industry with decency and integrity (and as far as I'm concerned is a must-listen for anyone that wants to work in this industry). Currently, Javi co-executive produces the Jim Henson Company's upcoming ten-hour prequel to their classic film The Dark Crystal for Netflix. This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on iTunes, follow me on Twitter.

On today's episode I talk to TV writer and performer Eliot Glazer. Originally from Long Island, Eliot is now based in LA and has written for or contributed to shows like Billy on the Street, Difficult People, Best Week Ever, Younger, Broad City, New Girl, and currently Teachers. He also recently developed a show for Comedy Central produced by Will Arnett. As a performer, you've seen him on plenty of shows, such as playing Ilana's brother on Broad City, or at his wonderful live show Haunting Renditions, where Eliot takes some of pop music's most infamous songs and turns them into highbrow, sweeping ballads. This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on iTunes, follow me on Twitter.

On today's episode I talk to musician Angelo de Augustine. Angelo writes and records music in Thousand Oaks, California -- a suburb north of Los Angeles, where he grew up.  His self-released debut album, Spirals of Silence, and 3-song EP follow-up, How Past Begins, earned praise from The FADER, Stereogum, Vogue, My Old Kentucky Blog, and more, and his music has been compared to Nick Drake, Elliott Smith, Vashti Bunyan and Judee Sill. His latest album, Swim Inside the Moon, was released by Asthmatic Kitty in August. This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on iTunes, follow me on Twitter.

On today's episode I talk to musician Inara George. The daughter of Lowell George, who was a member of Frank Zappa's band and the founder of rock group Little Feat, Inara grew up in Topanga Canyon, in the outskirts of Los Angeles. Since the 1990s, she has been a member of a number of bands herself including Lode, Merrick, and starting in the early 2000s, the indie pop duo The Bird and The Bee with Greg Kurstin. The duo have released a number of amazing albums and EPs, including an self-titled record, Ray Guns Are Not Just the Future, and their latest, Recreational Love, which was released in 2015. Inara has also recorded a number of albums under her own name: All Rise in 2005, An Invitation in 2008, which she recorded with Brian Wilson collaborator Van Dyke Parks, Accidental Experimental in 2009, and her latest Dearest Everybody, which will come out early next year. This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on iTunes, follow me on Twitter.

On today's episode I talk to TV writer Annie Mebane. Originally from Florida, Annie came up in comedy at iOWest and UCBLA, performing on house improv teams at both theaters. As a writer, she's worked on a number of awesome shows including Happy Endings, Breaking In, Community, The Michael J. Fox Show, The Goldbergs, and currently the new Heathers series. This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on iTunes, follow me on Twitter.

On today's episode I talk to TV writer Cord Jefferson. Originally from Tucson, Cord began his career as a print journalist, first as senior editor at GOOD magazine and then as the west coast editor at Gawker. His reporting and writing have appeared in numerous places including National Geographic, The New York Times Magazine,  The Root, TheNation.com, Jezebel, The American Prospect, and many others. As a TV writer, he started off on The Nightly Show, moved to Master of None, and currently writes on the wonderful NBC show The Good Place.  This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on iTunes, follow me on Twitter.