Explorez tous les épisodes du podcast Inspired Minds

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PAULA MUNIER is the Senior Agent and Director of Storytelling for Talcott Notch Literary and USA TODAY bestselling author of the Mercy Carr mysteries from Minotaur. Over her 20-plus years in the business, she’s conceived, created, produced, and marketed exceptional content in all formats across all markets for such media giants as WGBH, Fidelity, Disney, Gannett, S&S, Quarto, Greenspun Media Group, among others. She represents both fiction and nonfiction; her clients run the gamut from debut authors to New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling authors who’ve won/been shortlisted for such honors as the Edgar, Thriller, Agatha, and Anthony awards as well as the Pushcart Prize, AWP, and PEN awards. Many of her clients’ works have been adapted for stage and screen.

She’s also the author of three popular books on writing: The Writer’s Guide to Beginnings: How to Craft Story Openings That Sell, Writing with Quiet Hands: How to Shape Your Writing to Resonate with Readers, Plot Perfect: How to Build Unforgettable Stories Scene by Scene, as well as Happier Every Day: Simple Ways to Bring More Peace, Contentment, and Joy into Your Life, and the acclaimed memoir Fixing Freddie: The True Story of a Boy, a Mom, and a Very, Very Bad Beagle.

Paula also writes the award-winning, bestselling Mercy Carr series: A Borrowing of Bones, the first in the series, was nominated for the Mary Higgins Clark Award and named the Dogwise Book of the Year. Blind Search also won a Dogwise Award. The Hiding Place and The Wedding Plot both appeared on several “Best Of” lists. Home at Night was named Library Journal’s Mystery Pick of the Month. The latest in the series, THE NIGHT WOODS, is her humble homage to The Odyssey, complete with raging waters, wild boar, loyal dogs, and murder. THE NIGHT WOODS received glowing reviews, including a starred Library Journal review, and hit many “Best Of” lists. The next, THE SNOW LIES DEEP, debuts in December 2025.

Along with her love of nature, Paula credits the hero dogs of Mission K9 Rescue, her own rescue dogs, and a deep affection for New England as her series’ major influences. She lives in New England with her family and four rescue dogs and Ursula The Cat, a rescue torbie tabby who does not think much of the dogs. For more, check out www.paulamunier.com.

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Katharine Sands is a literary agent with the Sarah Jane Freymann Agency in New York City. She is the agent provocateur of Making the Perfect Pitch: How to Catch A Literary Agent’s Eye. She has been a guest speaker on writing and publishing for Poets and Writers, The American Society of Journalists and Authors, UCLA, New York University, and the New York State Council on the Arts.

Katharine has worked with a varied list of authors who publish a diverse array of books including fiction, memoir and non-fiction. Among the books she represents are: The Apothecary’s Curse, by Bram Stoker Award nominee Barbara Barnett; Girl Walks Out of a Bar, a memoir by Lisa Smith that was featured by People Magazine as Notable Nonfiction; and I'm Speaking: Every Woman's Guide to Finding Her Voice and Using It Fearlessly by Jessica Doyle Mekkes.

Katharine likes books that have a clear benefit for readers’ lives in categories of food, travel, lifestyle, home arts, beauty, wisdom, relationships, parenting, and fresh looks, which might be at issues, life challenges or popular culture. When reading fiction she wants to be compelled and propelled by urgent storytelling, and hooked by characters. For memoir, femoir, and himoir, she likes to be transported to a world rarely or newly observed.

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Damon West, M.S. Criminal Justice, is a college professor, internationally known keynote speaker, 3 x Wall Street Journal bestselling author and former crime boss in Dallas, who was sentenced to Life in prison for Organized Crime. 

USA Today calls him the “modern day Shawshank Redemption and the most in-demand speaker in America.”

At 20 years old, he was a Division 1 starting quarterback at the University of North Texas, when he suffered a career ending injury and turned to hardcore drugs to cope with disappointments of life. 

After graduation, he worked in the United States Congress and trained to be a stockbroker for United Bank of Switzerland (UBS). 

One day at UBS, he was introduced to methamphetamines; he became instantly hooked—and the lives of so many innocent people would forever be changed by the choices he made in order to feed his insatiable meth habit. 

After a fateful discussion during his incarceration with a seasoned convict, Damon had a spiritual awakening. He learned that, like a coffee bean changing with the application of heat and pressure, he was capable of changing the environment around him. Armed with a program of recovery, a renewed faith, and a miraculous second chance at life, Damon emerged from over seven years of prison a changed man. 

On parole in Texas until 2073, his story is one of hope, redemption, grit and the resilience of the Human spirit.

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Christina Lopez is an assistant editor at St. Martin’s Press, where she started as an intern in 2021 and worked her way up. In her time at SMP, she has worked on a wide array of books in several genres and with several amazing authors including Katherine Center, Kristin Hannah, and Sally Hepworth. She loves books that make her feel big emotions and is passionate about giving a voice to writers of underrepresented backgrounds.

Christina graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a double major in English and International Relations. Aside from reading, she enjoys spending time with her cat, Nova and watching bad reality TV. Originally from the sunny border town of El Paso, she currently lives in Austin, Texas.

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Michael Pollack has held leadership positions for more than 35 years in the legal, financial and entertainment industries. Michael is the founder and former President of a litigation support firm that is today part of an international group of companies. He has held directorship positions for more than a dozen financial institutions that are both private and publicly held. Specializing for decades in M&A and Turnaround Management he has spearheaded tens of billions of dollars of financing in commercial real estate, business and entertainment related transactions.

Michael is the Chairman and CEO of Pollack Films and a managing partner of APW Film Partners. He has been involved in the production of theatre and screen features for more than 35 years.

Michael's current projects include the feature films Delfino's Journey, Major, The Angel Of Harlem, The Black Cyclone, Cold Feet, Meet Me In The Kitchen At Midnight, A Game Of Deception (The Chic Harley Story) & Danny's Secrets. In addition, Michael's company Pollack Films is developing an exciting new episodic television anthology to be announced in 2023.

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Laverne is a Japanese-American film and television producer with more than 20 years of successful programming and producing experience in premium cable, broadcast and digital platforms. She is the Executive Producer of the Netflix series GIRLBOSS, and co-founder of K&L Productions, a film & television company created with Kay Cannon (PITCH PERFECT, BLOCKERS and CINDERELLA). Her guiding passion is helping creative professionals tell their stories to derive outer accomplishment from inner meaning.

For a significant part of her career, Laverne was a successful programming executive with stints as Senior Vice-President of Drama Development at CBS, and as Executive Vice-President of Original Programming & Development at EPIX. She was also Head of Television at Charlize Theron’s production company, Denver and Delilah. Her work has encompassed scripted comedy and drama series, documentaries, web series, animation, music events, comedy specials, and children’s programs.

K&L Productions have sold multiple television and film projects to distributors and financiers including Amazon, Freeform, Paramount +, NBC, ABC, CBS, FBC and TBS as well as Participant, River Road, Warner Bros, and Red Crown. Laverne is passionate about telling marginalized and underdog stories from both a comedic and dramatic lens.

As a certified leadership and personal coach and grief counselor, Laverne works with clients to master the art and power of transformation. Her approach is holistic, encouraging clients to see themselves as creative, resourceful and whole; it’s also cognitive, focusing on growth through purpose and values, on “being” as well as “doing.”

Laverne is also an adjunct professor at Northwestern University's MS Leadership for Creative Enterprises program. She teaches courses in Persuasion & Pitching and Leadership & Ethics which combine her producing, coaching and counseling work to create a unique experiential format that transcends book-learning.

Laverne is the former Co-President of the Coalition of Asian Pacifics in Entertainment (CAPE), and continues to work with them as a mentor in their New Writers and Leadership Fellowship programs.

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23 years ago in 2000, Jason Eric Perlman packed up a U-Haul trailer, hitched it to his Jeep and drove across the country to begin his new life in Los Angeles. Three years after that move, his same Jeep was crushed by a 2000-year-old Sequoia Redwood tree while shooting his USC Master Thesis Film. So— in many ways, his dream came true… 

Since his days in a fine art high school outside of Philadelphia, Jason had been fascinated by film. It amalgamated his creative interests, being a lifelong musician, photographer, and creative writer. 

After sidelining creative pursuits in college, where he studied Environmental Science, Jason returned to his magnetic north of creativity. He decided to pursue a Master’s Degree in filmmaking at USC.

Now , Jason is a WGA screenwriter and two-time feature film director. His first independent feature was Threshold, which was distributed by Archstone Pictures in conjunction with Sony in 2019. Jason directed the feature sci-fi thriller, Site in 2022 from his award-winning screenplay. The film is currently in post-production and attracted an impressive cast; Theo Rossi (Emily the Criminal, Sons of Anarchy), Jake McLaughlin (Will Trent, Quantico), Yoson An (Plane, Mulan), Miki Ishikawa (The Terror, The Falcon, and Winter Soldier), and Arielle Kebbel (The Grudge, The Uninvited.) This mind-bending thriller was filmed in North Carolina under the banner of Jason’s film production corporation, Entelekey Media.

Entelekey is moving forward with its next feature film as a partnered production company with a $50 million budget. Based on the true story of a family that spent 16 years trying to find the world’s most valuable sunken treasure, the screenplay was written by Jason and is being shepherded by an Oscar-Nominated producer.

Adapting an award-winning non-fiction book into a series, Jason inked a deal with a major production company to shepherd the show. It draws from Jason’s unique environmental studies background, detailing the grassroots efforts in Los Angeles to combat car pollution that ultimately escalated into the passage of the Clean Air Act in 1970. Legendary agent and former Chairman and CEO of ICM Agency, Jeff Berg, has represented both Jason and the property.

Jason has also sold scripted television material in the past, most notably with Oscar-nominated producer Alexandra Milchan (Tár, The Wolf of Wall Street) and Josh Weinstock (HBO’s Nightingale). In the past, Jason’s also developed television material with Warner Bros, Cloud Nine at CBS, The Tannenbaum Company, SquareOne Entertainment, Bold Films, and Annapurna Pictures.

His film editing work on the 2019 feature documentary, Hate Among Us earned the film an Emmy Win as it detailed the troubling rise in global anti-semitism. In 2016, Jason edited Sean Brosnan’s (son of Pierce) feature debut, My Father Die, which opened theatrically in January 2017. This film was also honored with its premiere at SXSW 2016 and won Jason a “Best Editing” award at Screamfest LA. He recently cut Daniel Myrick’s (The Blair Witch Project) horror anthology, Black Veil. Jason has cut over a dozen feature films and edited for significant companies like Lionsgate, Comedy Channel, Rockstar Games, Verizon, and Cinedigm. His feature work has contributed to great festival successes like Oscar-nominated director Paola DiFlorio’s Home of the Brave, which won the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance. 

In 2018, Jason taught a Film lecture section at UCLA Extension. He’s also been a guest lecturer at the LA Film School, where he taught documentary editing, and a Guest Director at the Ringling College of Art and Design.

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Peg O’Connor, Ph.D., is a Professor of Philosophy at Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter, Minnesota. Her training is in moral philosophy, feminist philosophy, addiction studies, and the work of Ludwig Wittgenstein. She believes that philosophy helped her to get and remain sober. Avoiding Alcoholics Anonymous for the first 20 years of her sobriety because of the concept of a “higher power,” she is focused on using some of the great canonical thinkers in western philosophy to illuminate dimensions of addiction. She further shares this in her new book, "Higher and Friendly Powers: Transforming Addiction and Suffering" (Wildhouse Publications, 2022). Peg is also the author of "Life on the Rocks: Finding Meaning in Addiction and Recovery" (Central Recovery Press, 2016), "Morality and Our Complicated Form of Life: Feminist" Wittgensteinian Metaethics (Penn State, 2008), and "Oppression and Responsibility: A Wittgensteinian Approach to Social Practices and Moral Theory" (Penn State, 2002). She writes a column, Philosophy Stirred, Not Shaken, for Psychology Today, which has more than two million total views online. Peg is also a first-degree black belt in Taekwondo. She's like Buddy in the movie, "Elf."

pegoconnorauthor.com 

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Alicia Dennis is a content executive, award-winning journalist and editor innovating the telling of mass media stories across print, digital and broadcast. A true crime and pop culture expert, Dennis leads teams of breaking news reporters in crime and serves as an executive within multiple brands. Dennis's success as editor, digital content director, creative producer, story consultant and on-camera-talent coupled with her drive to create programs that satisfy strategic audience needs continues to expand her role throughout Meredith. She also serves as a senior editor at Entertainment Weekly where she oversees the creation and development of its pop culture true crime franchise. Dennis is a senior editor & vertical director at People Magazine and is a regular on-camera contributor for crime and entertainment topics.

Podcast | Inspired Minds (inspiredmindspodcast.com)

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Standup star Jeremiah Watkins appears on Inspired Minds to talk about film, comedy icons, and his widely-acclaimed style in front of the microphone. Known to make Judd Apatow fall in love with comedy again, Jeremiah lit a fire in the industry that hasn’t been blazing since Chris Farley. 

His debut 1 hour standup special “Jeremiah Watkins: Family Reunion” is streaming now on Amazon Prime, and you can hear him as the new voice of the iconic role of The Joker on “DC Superhero Girls.” Other credits include “Lights Out with David Spade,” Netflix’s “Historical Roasts,” Jimmy Kimmel Live & more. Jeremiah’s off-the-cuff and physical standup style routinely provides audiences with a show experience they’ve never seen before.

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Eric Morse is an author and activist who wrote the twin children's books, "What Is Hip Hop?" and "What Is Punk?" featuring claymation images of Biggie Smalls, Tupac, The Ramones, The Clash, and other luminaires from their respective scenes.  He cut his teeth in the music industry while joining bands and eventually became a music industry executive.  As Eric says, “When I love something, I advocate for it.”

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Jillian Dale is a journalist and has written pieces for The Huffington Post on film as a Contributor, as well as a producer/director for her own company, Bella Luce Productions.  She has directed and created shows like "Omniscient," "Up In Arms," and "Beverly Hills Canine Club."  She was formerly a research attorney and a US Army 2nd Lieutenant, and is currently a digital content producer for the State of California. 

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Pulitzer Prize-winner Marc Fisher is a Senior Editor at The Washington Post, and reports and writes on a wide range of topics. Most recently, he wrote "Trump Revealed," a biography of Donald Trump. He previously was The Post’s Enterprise Editor, leading a team of writers creating narrative journalism and experimenting with new forms of storytelling for digital and print editions of the newspaper.  His books include "Trump Revealed: An American Journey of Ambition, Ego, Money, and Power," a wide-ranging examination of Donald Trump’s public and private lives to date, and "Something in the Air," a sweeping, anecdotal account of the great sounds and voices of radio and how it became a bonding agent for a generation of American youth.

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Entertainment journalist and author Randee Dawn writes for the LA Times Envelope, Variety, Today.com, and a number of other outlets. fiction. She's also a former editor at The Hollywood Reporter and Soap Opera Digest. Her short fiction has appeared in numerous anthologies and online publications; she also dreams up trivia questions for BigBrain Games. Randee's science fiction/fantasy/horror novel, "Tune in Tomorrow," is a humorous tale about a reality TV show run by mythical creatures (but starring humans.

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Drew Fortune is a pop-culture journalist and screenwriter, who has been actively publishing for the past ten years. He is a regular contributor to Vanity Fair, Rolling Stone, Esquire, and Vulture, but his writings on music, film, and television have been published in Cosmopolitan, Playboy, SPIN, Billboard, the A.V. Club, Stereogum, and many others. His favorite bands are Week, Superchunk, and the Replacements. He loves fly fishing and loitering in record stores. His first book: No Encore! Musicians Reveal Their Weirdest, Wildest, Most Embarrassing Gigs was released in 2019 and is totally fucking awesome.

Podcast | Inspired Minds (inspiredmindspodcast.com)

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People Magazine Executive Editor, Entertainment Jeremy Helligar opens up about his journey through life, the journalism field, being the underdog as a gay black man and a newfound passion for writing. He’s written for numerous publications over the years: Variety, HuffPost, Reader’s Digest, The Wrap, Queerty, Popular Science, among others.  While living in South America, Australia, Asia and Africa, he wrote two acclaimed travelogue memoirs called “Is It True What They Say About Black Men?" and “Storms in Africa.”

Podcast | Inspired Minds (inspiredmindspodcast.com)

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Oscar-winning screenwriter, bestselling author and producer Diana Ossana discusses the magic behind art, her thirty-five year friendship with Larry McMurtry and crafting powerful stories and characters. After co-writing novels “Pretty Boy Floyd” and “Zeke and Ned” with McMurtry, the pair’s collaborative partnership exploded with the onscreen adaptation of “Brokeback Mountain,” which forever changed the way the world saw romance in movies. “Brokeback” won an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay in 2006, a Golden Globe, BAFTA Award and Writers’ Guild of America Award. Other works as a writer/producer include mini-series “Streets of Laredo,” “Dead Man’s Walk” and “Comanche Moon,” “Johnson County War” and “Joe Bell” with Mark Wahlberg.

Podcast | Inspired Minds (inspiredmindspodcast.com)

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As one of America’s most prominent journalists, Malina Saval is a three-time LA Press Club award winner and National Arts & Entertainment Journalism Award winner. She’s currently the Features Editor at Variety where she’s penned profiles on artists and luminaries such as Sean Penn, Robert De Niro, famed litigator Mathew Rosengart and Nick Nolte. Her articles and essays have appeared in the “Los Angeles Times,” “Los Angeles Review of Books,” “LA Weekly,” “Jerusalem Post,” “Forward,” “Glamour,” “Tablet” and several other national and international publications. She’s authored books including “Jewish Summer Camp Mafia” and “The Secret Lives of Boys: Inside the Raw Emotional World of Male Teens.” Her short fiction and essays have also been included in Palehouse and The Truth About the Fact literary journals and in the anthology “Now Write! Nonfiction: Memoir, Journalism and Creative Nonfiction Exercises from Today's Best Writers and Teachers.” She’s also a photographer and has written screenplays for Disney and Touchstone. A graduate of Cornell University and USC’s School of Cinematic Arts, Saval has appeared as a guest on such as outlets as NPR’s “Talk of the Nation,” PBS and CBS Radio. She’s currently at work on a memoir. 

Podcast | Inspired Minds (inspiredmindspodcast.com)

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Multi-media artist, writer, recording artist, songwriter, filmmaker and actor Brandyn Cross talks about his career and living as a wheelchair-bound amputee. He’s written over 100 episodes of the award-winning hit episodic drama TV show “Proper Manors” (now streaming on Amazon Prime) and the show has been voted the #1 most popular fan-favorite three times. Among his body of written work is the Feature Film “The Legacy,” and the Gary Coleman biography, “As if I Never Existed,” with Gary's widow Shannon Price. Cross is presently releasing the first volumes in an epic book series, "The Legacy," based on real events. As a singer-songwriter Brandyn scored the international top 10 hits “Dear Mr. Jesus” and in 2020 “If Money Talks (It Ain’t on Speakin’ Terms with Me)," and the top 10 music video “I Will Always Love You” and Blue Moon Over Heaven.” As a recording artist on StarPointe Records, he recently won Best Song at the prestigious Utah Film Festival & Awards for his composition and recording of “Love Again,” as featured in “Proper Manors.”

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“Rolling Stone” legend Jason Fine joins us to share his musical inspirations and journalism journey. He’s been with “Rolling Stone” since 1997 in a number of capacities, from Editor to Director of Content Development to SVP of Rolling Stone Films. He’s edited books on Johnny Cash, George Harrison and Michael Jackson, and wrote/executive produced “Long Promised Road,” a documentary about The Beach Boys' founder Brian Wilson. Fine also served as Editorial Director for Men’s Journal Media Group. For several stories he edited while at “Rolling Stone” and “Men’s Journal,” he received ASME awards and nominations as well as transformed “Men's Journal” into a modern, cutting-edge magazine for a new generation.

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Tracy is Amasia Entertainment’s Senior VP of Television. Currently, Amasia is in development at The CW with a sequel series to Dan Curtis’ classic, "Dark Shadows," to be showrun by Emmy-winner Mark B. Perry. Additional shows in development include "Because the Night" based on the James Ellory book, "Wolfe"— A contemporary mystery thriller series inspired by a Patricia Highsmithian author, a Francis Perkins miniseries about the trailblazing woman known as FDR’s conscience, and a sexy CIA actioner created by "Spygame" writer Michael Frost Beckner.

A graduate of Pepperdine University, Tracy began her film in production before working as a personal assistant to actress, Jennifer Aniston. Tracy assisted Aniston in production during three seasons of "Friends," and several feature films. After working as a script analyst for producers Jennifer and Suzanne Todd at Team Todd, Tracy took a story editor position with producer Rob Fried at Fried Films; there she worked on projects including "The Boondock Saints," and HBO’S critical darling, "Winchell." Tracy next joined producer Dan Halsted at Halsted Pictures, who was then partnered with Oliver Stone, where she worked in development on TNT’s "Witchblade" and films including "Any Given Sunday" and "The Art of War."

Spending much of her childhood as a rabid fan of science fiction and horror films, Tracy was next hired by her childhood hero, Gale Anne Hurd, at her company, Valhalla Motion Pictures. She rose through the ranks to become Senior Vice President and Head of Development. At Valhalla Tracy was the executive in charge of production on the PBS award-winning documentary, "True Whispers: The Story of the Navajo Codetalkers" and helped develop Ang Lee’s "Hulk," Marvel’s "The Punisher," and Karyn Kusama’s "Aeon Flux."

After four years at Valhalla, she headed up development for Academy Award-winning actor Morgan Freeman’s Revelations Entertainment, where she was involved in the development of films including "Invictus," directed by Clint Eastwood, and "10 Items or Less," directed by Brad Silberling. She was a producer on Richard Loncraine’s film, "5 Flights Up," starring Diane Keaton, Morgan Freeman and Cynthia Nixon. Tracy also helped get Revelations into television when she sold "Through the Wormhole with Morgan Freeman" to Discovery Science Channel, where she served as Executive Producer on the Emmy-nominated series. She was also co-producer of the Peabody Award-winning “ESPN 30 For 30 Documentary, "The 16th Man," which won a special “Television with a Conscience” Emmy.

Of all of her work at Revelations, she is most proud to have been instrumental in setting up, developing, and serving as an executive producer on the pilot of CBS’ hit series, "Madam Secretary." Working with TV showrunner goddess Barbara Hall remains a career highlight. Tracy was a producer on 60 episodes of "Madam Secretary" before moving on from Revelations to launch Amasia’s TV division.

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Born & bred in Sydney, Australia to European/Middle Eastern parents Serah danced from a young age. After joining Youth Theater at age 16, she finished her training in London, where she performed in both period & contemporary plays. Serah is an award-winning actress, with an established career in Europe. She was a lead on a hugely successful sitcom in Turkey for four years. She also kick-boxes, performs her own stunts (including wire work), and has had several lead roles in drama, action, comedy and thriller features. 

After accruing a huge following and success on Turkish TV for several years, she enjoyed TV shows in Germany, Holland, the UK & shot several films in Bulgaria. Later, Serah moved to Los Angeles to pursue a more international career. Since then, she has enjoyed roles on "Ray Donovan," "Scandal," "Entourage," and other series, while also performing in several plays, including most recently Darren Bousman's ("SAW II," "III," "IV" & "Spiral") "Theatre Macabre." Her latest venture, "The Surprise Visit," is one she both stars in & produced. This is her first time producing a film. "The Surprise Visit" story belongs to Nathan Cowles & Serah & is based on a true story that took place on the historical Virginia estate it was filmed on. 

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Rob Schnapf has been making critically acclaimed records for the past two decades. He first gained recognition by producing (with his then-partner Tom Rothrock) Beck's debut album, "Mellow Gold," including the breakthrough single, "Loser." Rob and Tom produced three albums for Elliot Smith, including "XO" and "Figure 8."

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Katherine is a multifaceted journalist, editor and content creator who has written for publications including "Entertainment Weekly," "Los Angeles Times," "Mother Jones," "Esquire.com," "Marie Claire," "Billboard," "Village Voice," "Black Book," "TEEN," "Guitar World," "Rolling Stone," "NY Observer" and dozens more. She is the co-author of "Louder Than Hell: The Definitive Oral History of Metal," published in 2013 by HarperCollins, named a Best Book of the Year by Rolling Stone and Kirkus Reviews. She is also a writer for the AXS TV series, "If These Walls Could Rock," and an editor, bio writer and researcher for VH1's "Bands Reunited."  Additionally, Katherine is a producer for the syndicated radio show: "Nights with Alice Cooper."

Podcast | Inspired Minds (inspiredmindspodcast.com)

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“Variety” Deputy Awards and Features Editor, screenwriter, playwright, director, actor and producer Jenelle Riley explores the arts, her inspirations and living with OCD and bipolar disorder. Riley wrote the 2015 short film, “Warning Labels,” directed by Jennifer Morrison, and is the host of Variety's "Actors on Actors," for which she’s won a Daytime Emmy Award and two Los Angeles Emmy Awards. Her theater career began early when her first play, "Just Julie," was published as a teenager. Other plays include "Heart Murmurs and Brain Matter," "The Gemini Project," "Duct Tape and Dreams," "Unholy Matrimony" and "A Kind of Love Story," which she wrote and directed. The latter premiered at Sacred Fools Theatre, earning six L.A. Weekly Award nominations and earning a directing prize for Riley.  She wrote and produced short films like "Auditions," "Crazy Love," "The Perfect Canidate," "Butter Emails" and "Grand Gestures," which she also directed. Acting credits: "The B.P.R.D. Declassified," "A Girl, a Guy, a Space Helmet," "Nobody's Perfect" and "Stealing Forces."

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Vietnamese-American memoirist and humanitarian Le Ly Hayslip tells her incredible story about surviving the horrors of Vietnam, translating those memories to the page and striving to change the world. Her first memoir, "When Heaven and Earth Changed Places: A Vietnamese Woman's Journey from War to Peace," chronicles her experiences as a young girl growing up during the Vietnam War. It was adapted by Oliver Stone into the groundbreaking "Heaven & Earth" war drama starring Tommy Lee Jones. The third film in Stone's Vietnam War trilogy, "Heaven & Earth" followed "Platoon" and "Born on the Fourth of July." Her second book, "Child of War, Woman of Peace," continues her life story into the United States. As a humanitarian, Hayslip is the founder of two charitable organizations providing emergency assistance to the needy in Vietnam: East Meets West Foundation and Global Village Foundation.

Podcast | Inspired Minds (inspiredmindspodcast.com)

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"IndieWire" TV Editor Kristen Lopez discusses Hollywood culture, classic movies and disability representation in film. Beginning as a film critic writing for $10 a review, Lopez is now recognized as an influential figure in the journalism field. As an entertainment journalist for fifteen years, her work has been published in "Forbes," "Variety," "RogerEbert," "Bustle," "TV Guide," "Collider," "The Hollywood Reporter," "The Daily Beast," "Film School Rejects," "Yahoo Entertainment," "Yahoo Canada," "Yahoo Singapore," "Holistic Women's Health," "StyleCaster," "We Live Entertainment," " Vox," and many more. She was also recognized by the "L.A. Times" as a diverse critic to watch and published in Rotten Tomatoes' latest book. 

Podcast | Inspired Minds (inspiredmindspodcast.com)

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Thuc Doan Nguyen was born in Vietnam. She survived life as a boat person refugee as a child, was sponsored to the US and spent her whole life in public school. She grew up in North Carolina and Southern Maryland and is a dual passport holder of the United States and the Republic of Ireland. Thuc has lived in London, United Kingdom, New York City and Los Angeles. When not in those places, you might find her in rural out of the way small towns or in her spiritual home of New Orleans, Louisiana. She is a journalist and essayist for major publications like "The Los Angeles Times," "PBS," "The Daily Beast," "Esquire Magazine," "Southern Living," "VICE," "Refinery29," "Vogue" and several others. She is also a screenwriter who creates feature scripts centering Women of Color, including the upcoming drama, "Scent of the Delta," starring Tiffany Pham and directed by Adele Free Pham. She’s part of award-winning teams for commercial work and is responsible for the viral satire Toni Lahren, spoofing Tomi Lahren. Thuc has also done punch-up work for Paramount Studios’ features division.

Podcast | Inspired Minds (inspiredmindspodcast.com)

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

Reinhard Denke grew up in Texas and is a graduate of USC Film School. He got his start as a writer in 2009 with his spec script “Sex, Greed, Money, Murder and Chicken Fried Steak” about the Cullen Davis murders in Fort Worth, Texas. The script was chosen for the prestigious Hollywood Blacklist. The film is currently in pre-production with Amicus Pictures and Mercury Media. In 2013, he wrote “Far Below” for David Oyelowo, and was hired to rewrite 2015’s “Captive," starring Oyelowo, Kate Mara, and Michael K. Williams. He also wrote a TV pilot and series entitled “Golden Gate” about 1960’s era San Francisco that has been optioned by Demarest Films, and wrote the limited TV series “Vanished” for Straight Up Films and Truly Original Entertainment. Reinhard adapted “The Lives of Beryl Markham” for Rock Island Films; it is now entitled “Undaunted." He wrote the screenplay “Ackia” for the Chickasaw Nation and award-winning director Nathan Frankowski. Also for the Chickasaw Nation, Reinhard wrote “Montford; Chickasaw Rancher," which currently plays on Netflix. He adapted “The Madman of Music”," a bio of composer George Anthiel and movie actress Hedy Lamar. He also wrote “Moonchild," the story of Linda Kasabian and her ordeal with the Manson Family, for director Marcus Nispel and producer Adam Krentzmann. 

Podcast | Inspired Minds (inspiredmindspodcast.com)

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

Bestselling author/acclaimed journalist Chip Jacobs joins us to explore his magical and powerful craftmanship. His debut novel, "Arroyo," a historical fiction masterpiece set in 1913 around the construction of Pasadena's Colorado Street Bridge, was a "Los Angeles Times" bestseller, "CrimeReads" most anticipated book, and Independent Book Publisher Award winner.  Other books include "The Darkest Glare: A True Story of Murder, Blackmail, and Real Estate Greed in 1979 Los Angeles" and "Strange As It Seems: The Impossible Life of Gordon Zahler," which was an Indies Book of the Year finalist and optioned for a streaming series. With William J. Kelly, he wrote the "The People’s Republic of Chemicals" and the international bestselling "Smogtown: The Lung-Burning History of Pollution in Los Angeles." Jacobs also contributed pieces to anthologies like the bestselling “Los Angeles in the 1970s: Weird Scenes Inside the Goldmine" and "Go Further: Literary Appreciation of Power Pop." As a journalist, his work been published and aired in some of the biggest outlets in the world, including "The New York Times," the “Los Angeles Times," "Los Angeles Daily News," "LA Weekly," the Southern California News Group and CNN. Special thanks: Marilee Albert, author of "The Tutor."

Podcast | Inspired Minds (inspiredmindspodcast.com)

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

"Final Destination" franchise writer/creator Jeffrey Reddick started his creative journey when he wrote a ten-page treatment for prequel to "A Nightmare on Elm Street" at the age of fourteen. After mailing it to New Line Cinema founder Bob Shaye, an unlikely letter-and-phone relationship with Shaye and his assistant began. The result, eventually, was another global horror phenomenon. "Final Destination" exploded into five films, two comic books and nine novels. Reddick continued with the horror genre, writing and/or producing fan-crazed smash hits like "Tamara," "Day of the Dead," "The Final Wish" and "The Call." Television credits include: "Return to Cabin by the Lake," "Dante's Cove" and the "Belly of the Beast" episode of the animated Netflix series "Samurai Rabbit: The Usagi Chronicles." 

Podcast | Inspired Minds (inspiredmindspodcast.com)

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Comedian Sarah Halstead talks career, the art of good comedy and performing standup across the country. Her Comedy Special, "RVs and Cats,” is streaming on Amazon Prime with a widely popular comedy album released last year. Also host of the “Drinking During Business Hours" podcast, her "Bottle Shock Comedy" is featured at Hollywood Improv every month.

Along with appearing in over ninety commercials, her film and TV credits include: "I Got The Hook Up 2," "I Am the Night," "Betrayed," Group-Ease," "The Album," "Baskets," "Blood Relatives," "Cry Wolfe," "A Chorus Line," "Deadly Sins," "Meet the Roommate" and "Walk the Past.”

Podcast | Inspired Minds (inspiredmindspodcast.com)

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Neil D'Monte is an American artist, SAG-AFTRA film actor, musician, producer, creator of the Hellbilly clothing line, and director born and raised in Chicago, Illinois. A graduate of the USC School of Fine Arts, Neil began his career as a comic book and storyboard artist, which segued into a successful acting career. The multi-hyphenate made his feature film debut in 2003 with "Vampires Anonymous," followed by the box office blockbuster "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest." His theatrical training at Chicago’s prestigious Goodman Theatre allowed him to develop his skill at portraying offbeat and eccentric characters, for which he is quickly gaining notoriety among his peers in the film industry. In addition to his work as an actor and as a sought-after artist, he is currently recording as a drummer with guitarist Peter DiStefano (Porno for Pyros/Satellite Party), industrial-metal band Tweaker and former Smashing Pumpkins guitarist/bandmate James Iha (A Perfect Circle), playing music festivals like Coachella, Lollapalooza and SXSW. A staple at San Diego Comic-Con, Neil is also the co-creator/artist behind the graphic novel/vampire epic Clan of the Vein which was featured in the Lionsgate film "Cooties" and in MTV’s "Teen Wolf" – Seasons 5 and 6. Neil's latest artwork can be seen in the Summer Blockbuster, "The Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard," and on Netflix with Awesomeness TV/Paramount’s "The F**k It List." Storyboard/concept artist credits include: "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice," "Rambo: First Blood" and "Jurassic World."

Podcast | Inspired Minds (inspiredmindspodcast.com)

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