On The Riser - Great Conversations with Everyday People

Isabelle Freeman has a problem... life just isn't challenging enough for her. Real time interpreter, private investigator, news correspondent, federal agent, pitbull trainer, dramatic actor, wife and mother... and weathergirl... and that's just the parts we managed to get to in our ninety-plus minutes together on the riser. She's got some strong opinions about fashion, weddings, American culture and proper grammatical use of the word f**k. Mostly the last one. Meanwhile, Alex manages to get in a few words, as usual, about the Somebody Else's Problem field, working crap office jobs and his brief but memorable engagement to a Japanese belly dancer. Woof!

Meet Hope... she's been in the game since she was thirteen and is looking at 2020 to be her year for all the hard work and dedication to come together and hit. In our conversation we cover the importance of knowing yourself and what you want to say to your audience and then making sure that you do so in your own voice. Producers, promoters, industry people and even fans will try to pull you one way or the other but if you don't have a clear vision, strong guidance and a solid team you can depend on, you're just going to find yourself cast adrift. Hope shares these and other insights for young and aspiring artists who can maybe avoid some of the troubles she's encountered and be inspired by the idea that a young woman can build a career while maintaining her values, following her own style and preserving her dignity. There's also a few words about fashion, dogs, and the value of acting lessons for developing your stagecraft. And Alex gets in a few words about treating your life like a video game and realizing that even the smallest side quest can play a vital role in developing your character for the main quest.

Ryan Beyer is a mens clothier, musician, recent fiancé and soon-to-be dog father twice over... and no matter where he goes or what he does, he looks fabulous doing it. Join us as we discuss the shift from formalwear to athleisure, how to put together a flexible wardrobe, what a uniform says about a man and how to travel in comfort as go from the airport to the board room to the night club with one perfect jacket. We also share a few words about the creative process, personal development and how to get the most out of your whirlwind trip to Disneyland. Also Alex gets in a few good words about virtues, vices and the predicts the coming global pandemic. Oh, and there's cute dogs!

Ronda Taylor did everything she was expected to do... grew up, got married, had kids and lead a long, comfortable and quiet life taking care of others... until one day she realized that the nest was empty, the relationship wasn't working and there was only one thing left to do... follow her dream. With the support of her core family and against the flow of most everyone else, she went looking for answers and found one. "What would it look like if you just stopped making excuses and did it?" And that's exactly what she did... selling all her belongings and buying a one-way ticket to Costa Rica. She's been on the road traveling through Central and South America non-stop for three years now and is about to embark on a similar journey through Europe, all the while blogging the experience. Join us for this story of self-discovery as Ronda learns that the hardest thing to do, aside from finding an ATM when you need one, is the act of surrender. Also Alex gets in a few words about the value of letting go of valuable things and going all in on the things that really matter.

Ronda Taylor did everything she was expected to do... grew up, got married, had kids and lead a long, comfortable and quiet life taking care of others... until one day she realized that the nest was empty, the relationship wasn't working and there was only one thing left to do... follow her dream. With the support of her core family and against the flow of most everyone else, she went looking for answers and found one. "What would it look like if you just stopped making excuses and did it?" And that's exactly what she did... selling all her belongings and buying a one-way ticket to Costa Rica. She's been on the road traveling through Central and South America non-stop for three years now and is about to embark on a similar journey through Europe, all the while blogging the experience. Join us for this story of self-discovery as Ronda learns that the hardest thing to do, aside from finding an ATM when you need one, is the act of surrender. Also Alex gets in a few words about the value of letting go of valuable things and going all in on the things that really matter.

Meet Alicia Mejia: she believes in love for a living and has a lot to say about it... how to express it and recognize it when it comes from others and how important it is to raise the vibration of love on our planet. She's collecting love stories and producing a map of where and how people first realize they're in love and she's developing a large scale art project celebrating love and the Divine Feminine for Burning Man. Let's face it, this woman loves love. Join us on this episode for some intensely personal moments as well as some fun thoughts about cymatics, masculine and feminine energies, sacred geometry and appreciating the global supply chain. Also Alex gets in some good bits about Orders of Intentionality and how he learned the value of forgiveness from Speed Racer.

The belief that the Earth is flat has recently enjoyed a resurgence while the established position stubbornly remains that anyone who thinks so must be crazy. This week's guest thought so too, at first, but then started to look into it himself. In this episode we go down the rabbit hole with Matt Trudell as we discuss the shape of the Earth, the difference between angels and aliens, the value of psychotropic drugs, the problem with government coverups and the importance of awareness... both of the self and of the world we live in. We also get in a few words on mythological super-men and the self-surveillance state plus Alex tells his story of how Stanley Kubrick's alien monolith ended an argument over tea.

Meet board member Elizabeth Galowich, veterinarian Dr. Lauren Palmer and marine biologist Kelsey Wong... just a few of the numerous staff and volunteers who are working every day to rescue, rehabilitate and re-release wounded seals and sea lions back into their ocean home. I had the pleasure of assisting with an on-site fundraiser live video stream featuring Vikings star Alexander Ludwig and then to interview these three dedicated professionals about the important work they do to help marine mammals and educate the public about their plight.

Musician, booking agent, event coordinator, social media marketing director, producer... call her whatever you want, just don't call her Svetlana! In this episode of On The Riser, Alex is joined by event producer Tsvetelina Stefanova; owner of Bad Moon Booking, keyboard player for the band Same Sex Mary and executive director of the Dam Short Film Festival to talk about music, movies, event planning and so much more. How do you plan and operate a festival or event with negligible resources, drive engagement with the local community and develop relationships with venues, organizations and sponsors... and do it all with passion while maintaining your creative integrity? Find out from someone's who's out there doing it right here in this episode. Also we get in a few words about vodka, Tsvet's fancy Jägermeister sweater and dealing with Imposter Syndrome, though how one person who gives so much can feel it's somehow not enough is quite beyond comprehension.

Being a woman in the live music industry isn't easy, but moving to Las Vegas, teaching yourself audio engineering and becoming successful in the field in just a few short years is even harder. Lacey is doing both, and has good reason to be proud of it. Join us on the riser with LA born Lacey Furgason as she discusses the challenges of live audio production, engaging with local and touring bands, the delicate process of assisting musicians without hurting feelings and her love of classical music. We also get in a few words about music composition, social anxiety and struggling with "inner demons".

Doug Stephens served his country in the armed forces and has a cute little dog named Sarge, but let's be honest... he's not the kind of guy you want to have lurking around your house at three in the morning because if he is, you missed one too many car payments and he's about to take your ride. Repo man, bounty hunter and bail bond agent are among his current credentials, at least the ones he's willing to talk about, but Doug is also very much concerned with issues of personal privacy and self surveillance... which makes sense when you consider that at least half of his job is looking people up online to figure out where he can find them. Join us on the riser for this spirited conversation about getting shot at, both in combat duty and on the job, the relationship between infantry soldiers and POGs (people other than grunts) and the proliferation of cameras and recording devices in modern society... plus a few choice stories about how people have tried to slip the bonds of justice... and failed.

From flaming swords to broken glass to things we just can't mention in print... all manner of items long, sharp and dangerous... Penny has put them down her throat or up into other places we also can't mention in print. Join us on the riser this week with Penny Poison, side-show / feature / adult entertainer extraordinaire to talk about her passionate relationships with fear, pain, taboo and... paperwork. Oooh, paperwork!

Stephanie joins Alex on the riser this week for three segments, presented in a single video. We shot them back to back and now you can watch them the same way and enjoy her stories and insights into the world of bartending without interruption. Do bartenders really hear everything a customer says? What words does she have for people who hate Las Vegas? How does she deal with dudes who take liberties with her space or can't hold their liquor? And, most importantly, what drinks should you order (or avoid) to stay on a bartender's good side? Find out all this and more... including a few choice thoughts on steak, the power of popcorn and a fair bit about about trains.

Accomplished filmmaker and sound engineer Jake Bass, producer of the short film "Escape from Las Vegas", camera operator, editor and overall film enthusiast joins Alex on the riser to talk about cinema tech, the production process and, most importantly, how to produce a good movie by simply respecting your audience. If the best way to learn is by doing it yourself, the next best way is by watching other people screw it up... and Jake's had plenty of opportunity to do both. We do agree that they don't make movies like they used to... can the cinema be saved? Is there such a thing as a perfect movie? Or should we just be happy to be working. Watch and find out! Plus we swap a few words about editing "in the old days" and what lies at the core of cinematic drama.

If you thought creating good characters and writing interesting conflicts for them to get into was hard, just think of how tough it is to get them out the other end without killing them... or the audience's faith in them and the story. Jake brings our three episode set to a close with some serious words about artistic constraint, bringing a story to a satisfying conclusion and investing in your project while you pay your cast and crew what they're worth. Plus Alex gets in a couple of rants, as usual and proves that he knows absolutely nothing about fine art.