Peres Owino -Writer, Actor, Director, Producer - Now the Lions Write the Story of the Hunt

Born in Kenya, Peres Owino is a storyteller of two cultures. From a script she co-wrote being produced by Taraji P Henson and being nominated for an NAACP image award to her International Screenwriting Association Fast Track Fellowship for another script, Peres’ work focuses powerfully on the experience of the African Diaspora. She’s proven she’s an artist with something to say and the means to say it. We’ll talk about what inspires her and what she’s saying next.

Peres and I talk about Wanjiru Njendu's film, Boxed, in which she acts.

Her film Bound

Here's her full credits to date

We also discuss game changing content from the perspective of underdogs, outsiders, or previously discounted points of view: 

I May Destroy You

Lovecraft Country

Circe

Moonlight

Cobra Kai

and Parasite

Zaki Rubenstein - Writer/Director/Actor - Turning Real Life into Screen Gold

Zaki Rubenstein is a director in television. Her creativity, knack for story, and imaginative approach has kept her in steady employment on true crime shows for years. Since the pandemic shut down production, she’s turned back to writing and is flexing her comedy chops to look at the absurdity of life, love, and family.  We’ll talk about how she got here and what inspires her now.

Watch Zaki's reel

Watch her movie The Concessionaires Must Die

Other movies and series we talk about include Wild Wild Country, The Vow, The Commune Movie, and the podcast Undiscovered

The creators of comedy series No Actor Parking on making Hollywood work for you

Three actors waiting tables in Hollywood. You know the story: finding work is hard. Breaking in is hard. So they say they’ll make their own luck. A lot of people say that. But then they actually do it. I talk with the creators of the new pilot No Actor Parking on how they pulled it off and what comes next. 

Here's more about their show

More about the guys: Tom Albanese, Francisco Froes, and Tiago Felizardo.

Their guest star Joachim de Almieda

Clips discussed including a glimpse of the seagull and Sam's dilemma. (*note clip contains adult language)

The WeHo Bistro

Josh Greenberg - Writer - Tales from the Writers Room

Writer Josh Greenberg was always the funniest guy in the room. I know, I was there. He grew up in Northern California, moved to LA, and parlayed his observational skills into a consistent, growing writing career, being staffed on multiple network shows. We’ll talk about what it takes to be a comedy writer and what’s next for Hollywood after quarantine.

Josh and I talk about comedy favorites like:

The Clue Movie

What We Do In the Shadows

French Kiss

Schitt's Creek

Anything from Christopher Guest

And Airplane

Then there's Alex Trebek saying "Genre"

Billy Joel 

and making fun of the absurd lyrics of Piano Man

And our own Demystifying the Writers Room workshop with Emmy winner Liz Hara.

Wanjiru Njendu - Writer, Director, 2020 Academy Member - What do you stand for? Risk and reward in filmmaking.

Wanjiru Njendu is a story teller by nature and a filmmaker who takes a stand. She grew up in Kenya where her documentary was used to provide evidence against the British Government by the MAU MAU colonial war survivors. Her latest short, BOXED, tells the true story of an enslaved African American who mailed himself to freedom in 1849.  And this is just a part of what earned Wanjiru membership in the 2020 class of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. We’ll talk about film, race, and responsibility and risk in storytelling.

Wanjiru's film Boxed

Her production company

And her IMDB

Tricia Nelson - Writer - Black Films Matter: Essential Viewing

Writer Tricia Nelson knows there are more black stories that need to be told than narratives of suffering or criminality. She’s written several pieces offering both classic and current black stories that you may have missed, or should watch again. We’ll talk about the importance of representation, the issue of the Magical Negro, and what makes a worthwhile love story.

Tricia's pieces on Medium are:

Justice Then Poetic Justice

and

The Watch List Part Deux

Ellen Gerstein - Actor/Writer - How to claim your inner artist without exploding

Ellen Gerstein is everyone’s aunt. She’s played supporting characters in many of your favorite things. She startled her family by coming to acting later in life and going against the grain. As a student in Georgia in the 60s she also dealt with anti-semitism and helped form Georgia Students for Human Rights, a Black and white student alliance to address the racism she saw there. We’ll talk about creating your life by imagining a more perfect world.

Check out Ellen's formidable IMDB resume

Learn more about her film work with neuro-atypical folks in Waiting for Ronald

And if you haven't seen it, check out the excellent film Warrior which we discuss as one of very few examples of a dual-protagonist film. 

Paul Goodenough - Writer/Producer/Eco-entrepreneur - Freaks, Heroes, and Futureshift

Paul’s life is driven by “projects of worth.” This double Emmy-nominated writer and producer delivers projects for things like BBC, Channel 4, Nickelodeon but he’s also a passionate comic book collector and creator with The Chimeran, featuring a future where humanity's mass-production needs are served by a purpose bred race. Now he’s helping save the world with a green new initiative poised for a major shift in storytelling and engagement. 

Paul and I talk about:

The World Land Trust

Ecobricking

Extinction Rebellion

The concept of Rewilding land both in Europe and in the UK in particular with Knepp Estate (see for yourself at Knepp Safaris with Charlie and Isabella)

The viral Little Mo comic

Paul's company Aerian

Boyans Slat and Ocean Cleanup

And of course, Eastenders

Monia Ayachi - Actor/Director/Producer/Singer/Songwriter - Between worlds, the artist belongs to all worlds

Monia Ayachi understands being between worlds. This Belgian-Tunisian actress, singer, writer grew up in Brussels working in English, Dutch, Arabic, Spanish, Portuguese, and French. She moved to LA chasing a dream like so many of us, and landed recurring roles on Days of our Lives and General Hospital. She’s best known as Anais Fontaine in Wolfenstein Youngblood. Her work as a writer/director challenges cultural, religious, gender, and generational stereotypes and invites us to open our eyes.

For more on Monia's work, you can visit her site, Her IMDB, or her Vimeo. 

She's on Instagram @moniaayachi

Articles on her include two on Wolfenstein Youngblood, (the second one) and a Voyage LA profile.

Here's more on Wolfenstein Youngblood

Here's more on her films: Ignofear and For the Love of Hate

And here's how we met: some music videos. She's a bad ass ringleader who won't take her friend's acceptance of abuse, she's an intergalactic explorer, and she's a Victorian lady in a difficult relationship.  

Michael Mack - Writer, Actor, Director - Euripides, Cervantes, Jim Crow

Beside breaking boundaries as the first black Romulan in Star Trek history, Michael Mack led a life of service and craft. From a family with preacher roots, Michael grew up ministering to the less fortunate. When he returned to the DC area he became renowned for his work with at-risk youth in communities of color. His method was using theatre training to allow kids access to speak their truths. He talks about theatre from the ancient Greeks onward as social policy and how many historical atrocities were not based in difference but in sameness. He shares how the Man of La Mancha unlocks the central truth: the way forward is not to think of life as it is but life as it should be. 

Michael discusses Septimius Severus, the first African senator in Rome, in this "family portrait"

Michael discusses the film Becket as an example of the Saxons versus the Normans

Michael recommends the book Racism: A Short History

We discuss his favorite teaching tool: Don Quixote/The Man Of La Mancha, book and film

Michael's film about MLK: The Drum Major

The influence of the Roots miniseries

Trisha Nelson's Black stories essential viewing lists articles one and two