The Unusual Creatures

Jenni Ruiza is a Goddess. She has her finger on the pulse of where life and the meaning of art crash. She does it all. Write. Act. Produce. LIVE. And she does it not only to thrive as a creative, but to challenge the world and herself. Fearless. Funny. Flawed. Complicated. Passionate. What more do you want? Grab a cool drink in this summer heat and listen up. Jenni has a few things to say and you're definitely going to want to soak it all in. And as always follow the #TheUnusualCreatures Jenni Ruiza is a Puerto Rican writer/actress from The Bronx, who thrives on telling stories that explore the concept of being comfortable with being uncomfortable. The world around her is diverse in color, thought, and purpose and she’ll be damned if her characters don’t reflect that. The kind of content that resonates deeply with Jenni explores mental health, grief, and self-inflicted toxicity by way of intergenerational trauma—all grounded in humor. Jenni is no stranger to comedic commentary, producing segments on ABC/Fusion’s “Come Here and Say That” with Alicia Menendez and appearances on Buzzfeed, Funny or Die, and TBS’s “Full Frontal with Samantha Bee”. Jenni's writing credits included Fitz Games’ ¡Dios Mio!, co-writing the main, sucia, and holiday decks and solo-writing their “Puertorriqueña” deck, a fantastical journey of resurrecting the spirit of Vanessa Gomez’s dead abuela via ash-ridden blunt with Maydé Alpi, called “Smoking Abuela” and “Lovexes”, a story about a woman who needs to decide between her job and her sanity at a chaotic NYC love tech startup. You can find Jenni in the upcoming films, “Playing Sam” and “Honey” and on HBO’s “Fantasmas” with Julio Torres.  www.jenniruiza.com  Trailer for feature film "Playing Sam" (producer/co-writer) An op-ed I wrote for Syndrome Mag on mental health, familia, and Bustelo

Who is Thomas Dane? The Unusual Creatures take their interview pod and turns it on it's head, with one of their illustrious hosts being interviewed by Jenny and Season One guest extraordinaire, Kim Berrios-Lin. We dig into Tom's tumultuous journey (and who's journey isn't) and learn why he has always stayed with the arts. Against all odds. Thomas Dane is an actor, writer, pod host, visionary, dog daddy, unabashed homosexual, producer, soap opera fan and dancing-enthusiast human. He is an in tune Sagittarius who loves Blood Orange Cosmos. His go to Karaoke song is ‘Purple Rain.’ Thomas was born in Astoria, Queens, and then spent many formative years in West Palm Beach, Florida being raised by a steel-strong single mother. For his studies he attended the International Fine Arts College with thoughts of becoming a film director. That focus changed on his first film set when he realized the camera was not on him. Not because he needed the attention, but because he realized the kind of storyteller he wanted to be - which was a human chameleon. Acting is something he loves deeply and has brought him great healing and pain. He has performed extensively in NYC and premiered original work in Amsterdam. Some of his favorite roles include Marc Antony (Julius Caesar), Hal (Proof), Berdine (Psycho Beach Party), Pontius Pilate (The Last Days of Judas Iscariot), Sebastian (Raised in Captivity). He has also starred in the internationally awarded and viewed film ‘CAKE’ by Anne Hu, a film in which you can observe his naked rear end. Later, he realized his joy and gift for writing. His one act play ‘Scrambled’ has been performed nationally and he writes on the daily for ‘The Social Edge and GeorgeTakei.com”. Thomas has found that this crazy world of art and storytelling seems to be his calling and dark mistress. Which is why when his best gal pal, ride or die, bad influence, Jesus to his Judas, Jenny Gomez called to host a podcast, he jumped at the chance. Let’s discuss it all. Art. Creativity, Pain. Frustration. TRIUMPH! The journey. The success, the perceived failures. In the end, he wants to be a better person through his art. Maybe it’s the dreamer’s way. Maybe it’s the harder, more weathered road. But it’s his. So get ready. Because Thomas is ok taking all the world with him in any direction. XO

There is no clear path when one embraces their journey of being a creative. As an artist, well as a human really, one of our most over looked lessons is the need to learn... the Pivot. You have to be limber enough to pivot. There will be no straight line in any life. Nothing is fair and nothing will ever go exactly as planned. And that's ok. So we keep learning and growing and following our passions. And nobody understands that lesson better than this week's guest. Unusual Creatures... please welcome, Sean Tyler Foley.  Sean Tyler Foley is an accomplished film and stage performer and has been acting in film and television since he was 6 years old. He has appeared in productions including Freddy Vs Jason, Door to Door, Carrie, and the musical Ragtime. Tyler is passionate about helping others confidently take the stage and impact an audience with their stories. He is currently the Managing Director of Total Buy In and author of the #1 best-selling book The Power to Speak Naked. Visit his website at https://www.seantylerfoley.com/about As Summer 2022 takes it's bow, take a listen to Sean. He has navigated his way through ups, downs and sideways and learned that using one's own voice will always lead us to where we need to be. And stay until the end and learn how to get his bestseller.  Thank you of tuning in and enjoy our Season 1 Finale. 

It's not often you come across a small town metallurgist with a penchant for the Fluxus movement. But that's this week's guest, the wildly interesting and incredibly skilled Ben Jennings. Hailing from Wisconsin Rapids, WI, Ben has played in many physical mediums like ceramics and jewelry-making before landing on the complex and challenging medium of metal casting. He calls his art his "condition", a state of mind and being that he can't escape - or stray from- no matter how hard he's tried. Like so many artists whose names aren't ones you know in your household, Ben works a day job for the local municipality where he's been inspired by the GIS work in his day to day.  From his artist statement, his art explores the interpretation of mapping systems through cast metal sculpture. This interpretation can be seen within maps and geospatial layers of lines, features and symbols which create unique identity. On a day to day basis he works with mapping systems to maintain data for the collections system for the city of Wisconsin Rapids.  Within Geographical Imaging System (GIS) software he is able to organize and do an accurate inventory of infrastructure maintenance though layers of collected data. His work is an evolving quest to strip down the complexities of GIS within the constraints of industrial grade foundry materials as expressed through sculpture. This process allows him to focus on the aesthetics surrounding these beautiful systems. His practice has allowed him to translate information through the transformation of 2D images into 3D sculpture by direct carving and in a sense, drawing with power tools. The dichotomy between natural and manmade space is a constant theme throughout his work.  Ben has over 15 years of mold making experience and casting metals such as bronze, aluminum, and iron. Art is the condition that defines who he is and like so many of the unusual creatures we talk to, the thing he keeps coming back to. We talk to him about his former installations - including one that attracted national news for it's unusual materials - and what it means to him to bring his daughter into his studio to learn some metal casting skills. This is a conversation about permanency and legacy that you don't want to miss. Let's dig into our latest Unusual Creature and a brand new medium to explore. Ben Jennings, ladies, gentlemen and non-binary humans. Dig in.  

Happy August Creatures! This week we have a guest who's life is all about imagination. Like a magician, he creates art out of thin air. His canvas is a blank piece of cloth, a Times Square billboard, a NYC subway ad or whatever space is possible to transform. He has traveled the world and through his career and his passion he shares what creation can be. Will you please welcome... Tony Batolucci... Tony Bartolucci is an artist, designer and creative director based in Brooklyn, New York. He grew up in Cleveland, Ohio and studied Design at The Ohio State University's Department of Industrial, Interior and Visual Communication Design. As a designer and creative director he helps organizations establish or redefine their brands and visual identities on a global scale. As an artist, he is best known for his bold and highly stylized scenes, either real or imagined, that inspect moments in time through a cheeky and off-kilter lens. There’s an element of organized chaos in his contemplative images, which place context and story around people, objects and landscapes, and explore human emotions and states of being. He is inspired by patterns, textiles, human-made artifacts, the outdoors, the indoors, the pulse of cities, and the people he has met. Anything is possible is you just try. Sort of a Tony motto. Doodle. Write. Think. Express. Dance. Inspire. Dream. So take a listen for a bit to a person who has tapped into the well of artistry. Maybe you'll awaken a voice you always knew was there. Tony did. Let's be like Tony.  bartolucci.work

Hello Creatures... it's a new week and a new creature family member for all of us to get to know. This week's guest is an artist of many trades. Her artistic roots were forged in music and on the stage, and now she has branched out into the business world and has fashioned her art for... well, fashion. From Oklahoma, to sailing around the world, to New York and then back to the home of her origins and Route 66, this maverick has seen it and done it all. Well, for now. Please welcome... Lindsie VanWinkle-Guthrie. Lindsie spent 13+ years in NYC where she originated roles in 4 Off-Broadway shows (The Magdaelne, Flipside: The Patti Page Story, Nevermore and A Dog Story), did the national tour of White Christmas and crisscrossed the country working in regional theatres all over the US. She’s played a lot of roles, but none better than Mama to her 3 year old son Jed… and wife to her husband of 14 years, Scott. Her list of side gigs is as intriguing as her theatrical resume, and one spawned her new career- owner of a boutique bridal consignment shop! The shop is called Found Love Bridal Consignment- www.foundlovebridal.com @foundlovebridal (insta/fb) After just a few minutes with Lindsie, you soon realize, she's someone we all should aspire to be. Life is never going to work out the exact way you want. And too many of us refuse to adapt. Lindsie is a lesson in adapting, pivoting, growing, thriving and spreading one's passion in all directions. So settle in and take a moment with someone who can show you how most things are possible. And how to recognize the fun in all the highs and lows.  And just for a little extra fun... learn about Lindsie's small connection to Madonna. Happy Birthday Madonna! 

Felicita Munoz is both a "stayer" and a "strayer" and this episode will make you realize that even though you might stray, you will always, inevitably, stay somehow in the arts. She felt the creative bug when she was a little girl. Her first performance was when she was three years old on an Amtrak train going from NY to Fl. She were having breakfast in the dining car and all of a sudden she stood up and started singing “Tomorrow “ from Annie. Everyone applauded. She still doesn't know if she was any good or if she was just cute - but that was it - she was hooked. We discuss her journey from Homosassa Springs, FL to the American Musical and Dramatic Academy in New York to Orlando to study make up effects and back to Jersey City where she's thrilling the community with windows at Morlees. She started displaying art from local artists in her store windows and incorporating the merchandise like an outdoor gallery. It was a great way to bring art to the community. At the end of the day, no matter where life takes her, when you’re an artist, you’ll always find a way to create. Or, maybe the creativity finds you. So to all the unusual creatures out there.. keep shining bright! We love the windy paths that bring us home again. And Felicita's story is one of perseverance, tenacity, and a real love for creativity. She's found it in every nook and cranny and we hope her words will help you do the same. 

This week's guest is just who we need to hear in the midst of the everything going on in the world these days. This Unusual Creature is an actor, artist, father, healer and New York City aficionado. After years of trodding the boards and becoming immersed in the best of all New York City had to offer, Adam Perabo changed direction slightly to attain what meant most to him. And his pivot has paid off brilliantly. Mr. Perabo comes from under the boardwalk of the Jersey Shore. His joyous adventurism led him to the funhouses above and beyond and finally to New York City where he's called home since 2004. A graduate of Ohio University's Department of Theatre, he's always created and followed the arts and artists into all their lairs and laboratories working with theatre companies and production houses who were fearless in creating from their hearts. Perabo now heads a progressive music collective called Golden World Music - releasing sound healing music into the world. You can likely find him with his wife, Victoria and daughter Florence kicking around Hell's Kitchen or flopping down the Shore. Adam is the shining example of how to follow your dreams with your heart. Dreams change, and life is rarely what you think it's going to be, and some people just know how to make the most of that magic. Enter Adam... Take a listen, embrace the smile and follow your passion with Adam as your guide. 

This Unusual Creature sitting down to chat with us is everything you want a human being to be. She is smart, funny, humble, proud, vulnerable, strong and passionate. She has taken life head on and with a lot of verve. She's lived a lot, succeeded a lot and lost a ton. But still, she persists. She is a unique talent and a fierce warrior. Please sit back, relax and take a listen -  and lesson.  Kim Berrios Lin is an Actor, Producer, Writer, and Mom of 2 little wildlings. As an Actor, you can catch her in HBO Max's ‘Pretty Little Liars’ airing July 28th in a recurring  role. Other credits include 'Better Nate Than Ever’ (Disney plus), ‘Pose’ (FX), ‘New  Amsterdam’ (NBC), ‘Almost Family’ (Fox), ‘Bull’ (CBS), and ’The Politician’ (Netflix). Her Acting passion projects include: A love-fest of a comedic series currently making a festival  tour called ‘Supermodel Twinning’; playing Karula in ‘Karula’s Dream Show Live’: a part  scripted part improv dream interpretation show; performing in ‘Still Birth’: a play about pregnancy loss. Kim is the founder of the award winning, socially conscious indie production company ‘And  She Flew®’, co-founder of the social justice theatre org ‘Colors of Community’, is on the  advisory committee for ‘Applaud Our Kids’, and holds an MFA from ‘The Actor’s Studio Drama  School’. She is an ensemble member of: ’Barefoot Theatre Company’, ‘Labyrinth Theater  Intensive Ensemble’, ‘Playful Substance’, and ‘Rock The Bells’: a sketch comedy team that she  performs and writes for. As a writer, her poem “I am We’ was recently published in Yellow Arrow’s Journal  ‘Renascence.’ Kim is also the soon to be proud patent owner of a product she invented called  Yogisaver®. Fun facts: Kim refers to herself as a ‘Taiwarican’ (1/2 Taiwanese & 1/2 Puerto Rican) baby & animal commercials make her ugly cry. She will never be mature enough to not laugh at a fart joke. Listening to Kim will give you the shot of hope and inspiration that is so desperately needed. Life is full of surprises and possibility. Feel it through the spirit of a modern day heroine.

It's not often you get to have a deep and meaningful conversation with a novelist, who, only three years into their professional career is currently writing their 17th book - and they're only fourteen. Shanti Hershenson embodies the word wunderkind and then frankly, blows the label out of the water. Her commitment and passion for writing genre-focused novels will not only inspire you to get off your butt and start creating, it will also school you on how to time manage and couple the writing and work itself with a hefty dose of business acumen. We're also wildly grateful that Shanti was open and willing to wade into some heavier waters with us - we talk about bullying in school and how gun violence is an omnipresent stress when you're a young person these days. And how important it is to channel all of that into the art itself.  In her own words, her first two novellas were published when she was in the sixth grade, although her writing journey started long before then. Ever since she could hold a pencil, marker, or crayon, she was creating stories. They started from pictures, mere scribbles, and eventually, turned into captivating tales. We're not shy to say this is without a doubt one of our favorite episodes, not only because Shanti is so inquisitive and inspiring but because these are the types of conversations that we hope will light a fire under everyone in our audience. Dig in this week and enjoy this incredibly talented and brilliant writer and get to say you knew her before she created and helmed her inevitable media empire. Ladies, gentlemen, non-binary humans - the barrier-breaking Shanti Hershenson. 

Hold on to your seats people, because this week we have one of the greatest Unusual Creatures of all. Our guest is the human embodiment of what it means to be a creative vessel. She has seen and done it before anyone else, and in the grandest of diva fashions. Dear audience, take some time to meet... the brilliant and larger than life... Ms. Joyce Beauvais. Joyce Beauvais, a master of  theatre and comedy, lived in New York, New York  performing in hundreds of shows for twenty-nine years.  About nine years ago, she found a new home in Niantic, along the shoreline of Southeastern Connecticut. She develops local talent of adults who previously acted while in school, or any adult who has a passion for theatre and has dreamed of being a part of it.  As an equity actor Ms. Beauvais worked with some of the best and brightest in the theatre world, performing under the bright lights in the Big Apple.  In NYC, she also ran Chez Beauvais Restaurant and Cabaret where, along with friend Ronny Whyte and partner, Uber agent, Jack Rollins, she highlighted the greatest of Jazz talent and introduced young artists who have blossomed into jazz stars.  She operated Chez Beauvais from 1986-1991.  As well as producing and directing off and on Broadway. The lights are still bright for Ms. Beauvais, and she still sparkles like the stars, but under new and different venues. As the Founder of Theater Under the Shell (TUTS) along with Parks & Rec and Cathy Wilson Director of the E L Senior Center. Joyce writes, directs and produces Murder Mystery scripts. While teaching theatre classes which are full of rigor and bring out the talent in all who are willing to do the work. In all honesty, this is really the episode to listen and learn about what it means to hone and perfect a craft. Being an artist is hard, but when it calls you, you can't hang up. And it can be a rip roaring good time, in between all the trauma. So grab a refreshment and be dazzled. 

We have to say, it was harder than usual coming up with a title for this episode. Ivy Le is more than a comic and more than a podcaster. She started as a writer but we don't mean like that. She's brilliant and she's a fighter and she's really, really trying to change the way things are done in this world. She reminded us that we're lucky to have showcased the amazing guests that we've already had on the pod and she reminded us that artists are humans that create thought-provoking work to drive radical change in this world.  In her own words, she's a Vietnamese-American comedian, actress, and writer based in Austin, Texas. She is the creator of the critically-acclaimed Spotify Studios podcast FOGO: Fear of Going Outside, a nature show by the most reluctant host ever. Ivy was selected to be one of the 10 out of 18,000 applicants to go through Spotify’s first SoundUp podcast accelerator for women of color. She’s a bisexual mom of two kids, and is on a mission to queer comedy and decolonize everything. Ivy was the perfect guest to close out our Pride Series because she's the type of unusual creature that has been swimming against the tide in America her whole life. And she doesn't plan on trying to assimilate or create anything that doesn't align to her steadfast values. Never compromise. That's what Ivy has taught us. We're united with Ivy, and we're united with out queer community and this gorgeous community of creatures we've been blessed to coalesce. Happy pride, fam. It begins. In honor of this last episode of Pride, please consider donating and supporting the organizations mentioned on the show, TENT in Texas, The LGBTQ Center of Durham and HRC. 

This week, buckle up babies... The Unusual Creature featured is the ultimate multi-hyphenate. He is a writer, actor, producer, fitness guru, activist and all around fantastic humanitarian. In this PRIDE spotlight series we are humbled to shine a light on him. He has survived and brilliantly thrived through everything life has had to throw. And he is the epitome and proof of how art can save us all. Humans, creatures meet ... Eston Robert Dunn.  Eston began his Entertainment career when, at the age of 7, he appeared as a butterfly in a grammar school play; from there, his career took flight landing him in musicals, comedies, as well as dramatic roles on stage, in film, and on TV. Under the pen name E. Robert Dunn, he has penned three plays; two of which have been seen in Off-Broadway festivals, and one in Fringe of the Fringe Festival in Toronto, Canada.  Born in the Midwest, raised in the Northeast, he began writing at the age of 14 and continued through his higher education in the Southeast where he currently resides. In addition to penning the science fiction series “Echelon’s End”, he has also written two off-Broadway plays, “LipSync” and “A Dragged Out Haunting”, and solo-penned the short-play entitled “VOiCES”. He was a contributing writer to the online STAR TREK: Odyssey’s Season One Finale webisode [featured in STARLOG Magazine, January 2008, “Beyond Hidden Frontiers”, p.89]. Besides being a produced playwright and published author, he has had articles printed in local newspapers as well as medical newsletters He is the founder of the nonprofit organization, artsUnited, Inc (www.artsunitedonline.org). A recent project is founding another nonprofit, online webcasting charity to educate while entertaining through programming that unites those that were separated by the walls of stereotyping, prejudice, and bigotry (www.watchoutweb.org). This week is not just a spotlight on creativity and PRIDE. Through Eston, take a look back at how far we've come. PRIDE is built on the souls we've lost. Eston was a soldier in a war that took too many. But got us to where we are. As an out and proud gay artist he has never allowed fear to dictate his journey. Let's take a lesson and join him. 

This week, as we continue our June Pride Month Series, we enjoy a heavy dose of a Tuesday version of Super Soul Sundays, care of the magnificent Nico Grelli (they/them). A multi-hyphenate, queer af, multi-disciplinary artist, Nico brings us home to a place where we can all learn to accept ourselves and fight not just to be heard, but to experience aggressive joy in a space of "otherness". Join us for this special episode where vulnerability is the dish du jour and tackling difficult creative topics in the midst of a changing world becomes the status quo.  In their own words, Nico is a NON-BINARY, ITALO-AMERICANO, MULTI-LINGUAL FILMMAKER, SCREENWRITER, DIRECTOR, and ACTOR (aka super geek, multi-hyphenate, pasta-making, music-obsessed art queerdo, yaaass!) Originally from San Francisco, Nico is a proud drop out of the London Film School's Masters in Filmmaking program and they create genre and hybrid-genre TV Series' and Films--worlds that are queer-saturated, boldly diverse, muscular and tender, and that break down norms with an irreverent and passionate wrecking ball. Nico's goal is to elevate and evolve genre film and tv making, and to place characters, communities, and circumstances in the forefront of stories in which they've been--if included at all--often sidelined, stereotyped, and ridiculed. And to move beyond stories that make otherized, marginalized people and their communities more palatable to Straight Cis Anglo Heteronormative audiences. Currently, Nico is developing two 6-episode, 30 minute TV series, a Historical Crime Drama Feature Film, and A Creature Feature Trilogy. Nico and their writing partner Nidia Medina's Pilot/TV Series "The Triumph of Tatty Bojangles" was a recent Finalist for The Orchard Project's Episodic Lab.  Nico has been the recipient of three HowlRound Micro-Grants as a screenwriter and playwright--commissioned by J.Nicole Brooks through their National Playwrights Residency Project funded by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and was a recent Quarter-Finalist in the SF International Screenwriting Competition. Nico wrote and directed the short films 'NUTELLA' and 'OH BONDAGE, UP YOURS' and directed two episodes of the acclaimed webseries 'BULK' by C. Julian Jiminez and Deneen Reynolds-Knott.  Nico was the creator, director, writer, DP, Editor, and Composer for their LATE NIGHT PUBLIC ACCESS STONER QUEERDO WEBSERIES: Pier Valentino's: SHOW WITHOUT END!, which has also existed as a live show (supported by The So-Fi Festival and The Tank), and a Cabaret--and Pier often made pre-Pandemic appearances at places like Shawn Randall's Symphonics Live at The Bowery Poetry Club, and Fear/Love at 67 Local. Nico's acting work in Theatre has garnered a New York Innovative Theatre Award, and a Jeff Award Nomination, and is now primarily focused on Acting for TV and FILM. Nico is a member of Theatre Breaking Through Barriers, and is a frequent teaching artist with places like Epic Theatre Ensemble, The 52nd St Project, and The Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival, and spent many years staging violence in NY and Regional theatres as a side hustle. For more info, visit www.nicgrelli.com. This Pride Month, enjoy a voice like no other as we spend some time with Nico. Be healed and be inspired as we take you down a path you've never experienced. Unusual Creatures, indeed. 

This week, we launch our incredibly special Pride Month series and oh boy, are we lucky to feature this week's guest to kick off this extra-important month. Hennessy Winkler (he/him) is a remarkable actor who discovered his calling at a very, very early age. He's worked every odd job you could think of just to make his art happen but he's never looked back. We're excited to feature his profound voice in the LGBTQIA+ community - as a trans man - and dig into some of the challenges he's had to overcome in order to rediscover his artistry after his affirmation. In his own words, Hennessy originates from Hawaii and settled in NYC. He's an acclaimed actor, having won several awards including;  'Audience Choice Award' at the Looking Glass Theatre; 'Best Actor Overall' at the NYfringe festival; and a nomination of 'Best Actor' for the Icelandic Academy (EDDA) Awards. He recently originated a role at the La Jolla Playhouse and starred in the new musical Far From Canterbury. He is currently starring as Will Parker in the buzzworthy Broadway national tour of Daniel Fish's Oklahoma!  This episode rips up any preconceptions around being a trans artist but most importantly, we just get to know Hennessy. His story is so rad, because it starts on the islands and ends with him tearing things up on Broadway - for now. We are so excited to see where he takes his journey and we hope you adore his story as much as we do. It's episodes like this one that solidify why we want to keep this podcast going as long as is humanly possible - there's so many creative humans out there that the world needs to hear. And Hennessy is one of those humans and then some. 

Do you wanna know what it's like to be a rockstar? Well, you're about to find out... Dev Bhat is a musician, writer and creator for the ages. From a young age he could feel the chords define him. And he took that inspiration and made it a life.  Born in San Jose and living in San Francisco’s Sunset District, Dev Bhat is a communications manager by day and independent musician, composer, performer, sound designer, and writer by night. As a multi-instrumentalist, he has performed in many bands spanning genres such as post rock, industrial, shoegaze, hardcore punk, doom, and ambient. As an undergrad Dev studied sound design, film, and screenwriting. He carries a Master’s degree in creative writing, and has occasionally been paid to write about music and art. Dev is constantly pursuing unique projects that blend his passion for music, writing, and beyond. His most current and unique project is Club Chicxulub, a quarterly science fiction reading series that features Bay Area writers performing their short stories with Dev as live musical accompaniment. You can also listen to his solo ambient work, or check out his band Grimoires, which is playing around San Francisco these days.  Did you get all of that? It's a whole life of accomplishment. Take some time this week and listen to a maestro teach. Creativity and music go hand in hand. And Dev is the one to guide us.

Take a seat, a cup of something strong and listen to a Queen. Life is going to be hard and a life pursing passion even harder. But this week's guest... Ms. Audrey Martells is gonna guide you through.  Audrey Martells can’t be boxed in. She is a timeless British/Jamaican-born artist who's passion for music has allowed her to cross continents and skate through genres, writing hit songs for jazz legends like George Benson, all the way to pop icons like Billy Porter. Audrey has also been honored to work as a backup singer, recording or (currently) touring the world with Nile Rodgers (as a member of Chic), Brandy, Britney Spears, Celine Dion and Steely Dan - to name a few. Raised in New Jersey, USA, her stellar, eclectic writing ability and dynamic voice has set her apart from the average writer and propelled her to the front of the stage with her band THE VOXIES. In the dance world, she effortlessly transforms into her alter ego, Aria Lyric, belting out more of her own co-written pop anthems like “Yolo” with The Shapeshifters or soon to be released “Preach” with Aline Rocha/Quantize Records. Amazingly, Audrey Martells is just as convincing and able when performing an exciting variety of musical genres blending rock/reggae with R&B/Jazz. “When you write a song from your own lIfe experiences, the interpretation comes effortlessly and the genres of music are sometimes naturally blended into something brand new”. ~AUDREY MARTELLS If you think it can’t be done, you need only to look at Audrey Martells' achievements to prove that art is freedom without boundaries. Let's fly with her! And of course, keep being unusual creatures, just like Audrey!

This conversation was electric. J. Holtham is a former playwright turned T.V. writer - and comic book writer! - and he graciously shares the story of the windy path that led him from stage to small screen to comic book panels to more T.V. Currently a co-executive producer of The Handmaid's Tale, Mr. Holtham has a story about as untraditional as it gets. He's a self-proclaimed nerd and has found his way in L.A. - which we'll learn from him, was truly the unlikeliest of places where he thought he would find, dare we say, success?  In his words, he's a is a screenwriter, playwright, comic book writer and blogger. He's written for PITCH (Fox), MARVEL’S CLOAK & DAGGER (Freeform), MARVEL’S JESSICA JONES (Netflix), SUPERGIRL (CW), THE HANDMAID’S TALE (Hulu). His plays include stints short and long with the Ensemble Studio Theatre, Williamstown Theatre Festival, Second Stage Theater, Bespoke Plays. Some of the essays and reporting he's proud of has appeared in American Theatre, Thrillist, and Slate, and his comics include Star Trek: The Mirror War, Marvel Voices: Legacy (2022), Spider-verse Unlimited. He's also shared his voice on previous podcasts; Marvel’s Wastelanders: Hawkeye, and he sits on the board of the 24 Hour Plays and Ojai Playwrights Conference. He is a proud product of public education. We loved every piece of how J.'s journey led up to every other path he's walked and we talk about some heady issues, like where we still need to make some improvements when it comes to diversity in Hollywood - but we're making progress. There's no regrets here, just an appreciation for the hard rights that can set you on the straight and narrow and make sure you find exactly where you need to be. Keep being unusual creatures, fam. 

This week's Unusual Creature is the epitome of how art and creativity can change lives. Monique Carter is a dancer, ex-model and former actress specializing in the gift of Middle Eastern and Arabic dance. But most importantly she is a fierce and loving mother to two young sons who through their artistic expression are finding ways to thrive. Monique is a single California mom raising Sol and Micah and life has been an uneasy road for this family, as both boys were born with Autism Spectrum Disorder and ADHD. Recently they've been given a MASSIVE opportunity that we felt deserved to shown given a spotlight. So we had to invite her on for a chat. Monique grew up loving all genres of music. Her grandma would have her AM radio blaring Aretha, The Stones, Otis and Al Green. Monique had a young mother so she’d bop around to Madonna, Wham!, The Culture Club, and Tears for Fear. Her mom’s older brother was also a DJ, so he mixed everything from Michael Jackson, Earth, Wind and Fire to The Go-Go’s and the Beastie Boys… as she says... she was born at a time when real rap was coming on the scene. After she fell in love with a boy of Arabic descent she learned and became inspired by Arabic music. She found something that truly moved her and wanted more. So she went to her local community college to sign up for a class. The instructor had a traveling dance ensemble that she immediately became a part of. They toured the country, and throughout Egypt, performing folk dances from countries such as India to Iran. Upon return from Egypt she packed her car and traveled East… to New York to be exact. Lived, worked, performed and traveled with another dance company until she got knocked up by a musician five years later. She gave birth to the twins and moved back home to California. By age two her kids were receiving intervention services and by five they were officially diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder and other diagnoses. She has given her children the gift of appreciation for music and a love for the arts. Her youngest son taught himself piano and the violin. He recently auditioned for a youth orchestra in which he landed second chair. The orchestra will be playing in Spain this coming June. She will do everything in her power to continue to nurture the beautiful gift he possesses, because she can’t wait to see where it will continue to take him. Please, find out more on his Indiegogo page “Oh, the Places Sol Will Go!"  https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/oh-the-places-sol-will-go?fbclid=IwAR3620jUvbbxEjsdzl86FXL2NApeC0VBDvrSI-_3fRa6v2IKPaEuFkX8xYA#/ Music has the power to heal and empower. So please take a listen to this extraordinary story. If you can spare a penny, a dollar, twenty and so on, it would be greatly appreciated. If all you can do is listen and share this episode and send good vibes that is amazing as well. Let's get this family to Spain. But also take in this particular show and truly discover how art and creativity can make a significant difference for everyone.  #OhtheplacesSolwillgo #LetsgoSol #TheUnusualCreatures

This week come and join us for a chat with a master of all trades. Charlie Sullivan, the actual king of Staten Island (Sorry Pete... ok, co-King) sits down and has a cozy and riveting chat with us about how his pursuit of being a creative took him all over the world. Charlie gives a nuanced look into how art and creativity bleeds into careers beyond the field and how it can change the lives of so many. It all starts at home. On a simple island, that is one quick ferry ride from the center of the Universe.  Charlie was an attorney in Manhattan for 30 years, working as a litigator for Sullivan & Cromwell, Arkin, Kaplan & Rice, Gold, Farrell & Marks, and his own firm, Sullivan & Gallion, and as General Counsel to the consulting firm Kazenbach Partners. Along the way, he represented Exxon, Goldman Sachs, Roger Daltrey and John Entwhistle, DMX, Price Waterhouse, Biggie Smalls and Prince. He graduated with a BA in English and Theatre Studies from Yale University in 1978, where he was a member of the Yale Whiffenpoofs, and graduated Magna Cum Laude from New York Law School in 1986. Upon retirement from lawyering, Charlie settled back into his home turf of Staten Island and resumed acting in community theatre productions, including portraying Satan in The Last Days of Judas Iscariot, Big Daddy in Cat on A Hot Tin Roof, Sir Thomas More in A Man For All Seasons, Eli Whitney in Anything Goes, Chef Louie in The Little Mermaid, Pozzo in Waiting for Godot and the Ghost of Hamlet’s Father in Hamlet. With Gary Bradley, he co-founded the theatre company Ghostlight Players, Inc., for which he directed Five Women Wearing the Same Dress and Pride and Prejudice and appeared as Ben Franklin in 1776, Herr Schultz in Cabaret and Sheridan Whiteside in The Man Who Came to Dinner. Pull up a couch or take us on your travels, and listen as Charlie regales us with tales of the mafia, how to be a good Catholic school boy and the early days of a budding actress we have come to know as one... Meryl Streep. Find out how you can support his building of the local community theater scene. And take a crash course in how the law and being a lawyer is more creative than you ever thought possible. Art is a ripple effect and this episode is proof.