On The Mic With Tim Drake

On today's episode, I have Writer and Director Nathan Catucci.  Nathan's first feature film, "Impossible Monsters", premiers this Satuday, March 9th at the Cinequest Film Festival in San Jose. I rarely go back and watch a film twice when prepping to record shows, but "Impossible Monsters" is such a fun, twisted thriller that I wanted to make sure that I didn't miss anything. "Impossible Monsters" follows an ambitious professor who gets caught up in the murder of a participant in his sleep study, as the line between dreams and reality blur.  On the episode I talked with Nathan about about the idea for "Impossible Monsters" came about, dealing with his own sleep paralysis, the intense paitings in the film, how the production design fit in with the story, casting, and so much more.  A huge Thanks to Nathan Catucci for taking the time to join me on the podcast. Make sure to follow "Impossible Monsters" on all of the sites listed at www.onthemicpodcast.com to know when it's playing near you. Don't miss it's premie

Today's episode is Part 3 of our Oscar Week coverage! Today's films come to us from the Live Action and Documentary Short categories. I talked with 3 of the Oscar nominated filmmakers, starting with Guy Nattiv from "Skin", Jeremy Comte from "Fauve", and Marshall Curry from "A Night at the Garden".  Today's collection of films are all incredibly intense films with powerful themes and messages. I talked with each of the filmmakers about how their films stories came about, how Marshall learned about the Night at the Garden, the acting choices made in the films, the messages they hope are taken away from their films and so much more! Marshall Curry recently made the news with "A Night at the Garden" when Fox News refused to play his 30 second trailer.  The Oscar Shorts are still playing in theaters around the country, as well as on the Oscar Shorts TV. All 15 films nomianted in the short film categories are absolutely incredible and I've had a wonderful time talking to all of these great filmmakers. This is the f

Today's episode is Part 2 of our Oscar week coverage!  Today's films focus soley on the Animated Short film category as I talk with 4 of the Oscar Nominated filmmakers, starting with  Louise Bagnall from "Late Afternoon", David Fine and Alison Snowden from "Animal Behaviour", and Trevor Jimenez from "Weekends".  The animated categories are always some of my favorite because animation offers a lot of freedom to story telling that you can't do with live action, and really lets the filmmakers imagination and creativity shine. I talked with each of them about their story development, the artistic approach and unique styles, inspiration behind their films, and so much more.  The Oscar Shorts are still playing in theaters around the country, as well on the Oscar Shorts TV. All 15 films nominated in the short film categories are absolutely incredible and I'm having a wonderful time talking to all of these great filmmakers. Stay tuned for the 3 part of our Oscar week coverage tommorw as I talk to 3 more of the Oscar

Today's episode is Part 1 of our Oscar week coverage! All this week I am interviewing the Directors behind the Oscar Nominated short films. Today's episode features 3 filmmakers, Skye Fitzgerald from the Documentary Short "Lifeboat", Ed Perkins from the Documentary Short "Black Sheep", and Andrew Chesworth and Bobby Pontillas from the Animated Short "One Small Step" I talked with all of these filmmakers about finding out their films were nominated for an Oscar, as well as all of the individual aspects of each of their films, how they developed their story, what inspired them in the filmmaking process, troubles they encountered, and so much more.  The Oscar Shorts are still playing in theaters around the country, as well on the Oscar Shorts TV. All 15 films nominated in the short film categories are absoultely incredible and are having a wonderful time talking to all of these filmmakers. Stay tuned for another episode tomorrow with 3 more Oscar nominated Directors.  A special thanks to Skye Fitzgerald, Ed Perk

On today's episode, I have two-time Emmy winner, head of Conan Digital, and creator of "Clueless Gamer", Aaron Bleyaert!  I first met Aaron at one of the final Meltdown shows and have always been a fan of his work on Conan. It was great to finally make this episode work with Aaron's incredibly busy schedule. On the episode I talked with Aaron about his recent visit to the Sundance Film Festival, finding your own voice in entertainment, discovering his love for TV at Michigan State, videos that inspire him (see the website), creating "Clueless Gamer", his career at Conan, Dinner and a Video Game, and so much more.  A huge Thanks to Aaron Bleyaert for taking the time to sit down with me for this episode. Make sure to follow him on all of the social media links and his show links below. Also follow the Team Coco links we put below where you can see even more of Aaron's work, especially as he leave for Australia this week to film Conan Australia.  Thanks, Aaron!  Enjoy the episode!

Happy New Years, Everybody! Today is our annual New Years Eve episode of the podcast! Austin and I sat down and reflected on the whirlwind of a year that 2018 has been. With our first full year living in Los Angeles under our belts, we have a lot to look forward to in 2019.  So often we see the circular post of "this past year was horrible, here's to next year" only to be repeated time and time again on New Years Eve. We've instead decided to look at how things may have beaten us up this year, and what we've learned and taken away from those experiences to make 2019 even better.  We reflected on the some of the great times we've had, the awesome events we got to attend, and some of the new changes in our lives. We don't know what 2019 has instore for us, but we're ready for it.  Thank you to everybody who has continued to support us this year! We hope everybody has a safe and Happy New Year. We look forward to sharing 2019 with you.  Happy New Year!  Enjoy the episode. 

On today's episode I have actor and podcaster, James Simenc! James is another member of the Nerdist Showroom family that I had the pleasure of working with and this was great time catching up with James and finding out about all of the incredible projects James has been working on. James is a regular sketch actor on CONAN which we loved talking about.  James and I talked about working on CONAN sketches, working at The Nerdist Showroom at Meltdown running into each other at San Diego Comic-Con, getting his degrees in Math & Science, the California Wildfires affecting his friends and family, his Math based podcast, "DIGITS", plumbing 101, and so much more!  A huge Thanks to James for taking the time to join me on the podcast just a few days before he heads back home for Christmas. It was so great to catch up with James and learn more about his career. Make sure to follow James on all of the social media links below and check out some of his CONAN sketches as well.  Thanks, James! Enjoy the episode. 

On today's episode I have comedian and writer, Max Kerwien!  Max and I first became friends while doing stand up and working at the Nerdist Showroom at Meltdown together. We always had such a great time at Meltdown and this was the first time we've had a chance to catch up since it closed back in March. Max just released a new comedic book of poetry called "Poems to Ruin Dinner With" that is now available on Amazon. I talked with Max about stand up and some of our favorite Meltdown stories, battling Crohn's disease, taking a serious topic and making it funny, growing up in Seattle and moving to LA, getting into comedy, writing "Poems to Ruin Dinner With", and so much more! A huge Thank You to Max for taking the time to join me on the podcast. It was so great to catch up with him and learn more about life and comedy background. Make sure to pick up "Poems to Ruin Dinner With" on Amazon. It will be the best $6 you'll spend this year!  Thanks, Max! Enjoy the episode! 

On today's episode I have comedy writer, Caitlin Kunkel! I first got to know Caitlin as one of my teachers at The Second City and have continued to follow her career as she as her comedy writing partners launched The Belladonna Comedy in New York. Caitlin and her Belladonna Comedy team recently released the hilarious new satire book, "New Erotica for Feminism".  I talked with Caitlin about how she got her start in comedy writing, teaching at The Second City, what inspires her to write, creating a network, the new book, and so much more!  Caitlin is also giving you the chance to win a copy of New Erotica for Feminists. The first 3 people to comment on Facebook or Twitter and tell me where Caitlin went to grad school will win a copy of the book. Make sure to listen to the episode for the answer!  A huge Thank You to Caitlin Kunkel for taking the time to join me on the podcast. This was a long time coming and I'm so glad we finally made it happen. Make sure to follow her and Belladonna Comedy on all of the links

On today's episode I have actor and musician, Schuyler Fisk!  I have been a fan of Schuyler's for year since I first saw her in "Orange County" and knew I had to have her on the podcast. She was already out of town for Thanksgiving, but still took the time to call into the podcast to promote her new film "Every Other Holiday" that premiers tomorrow night (Nov. 23rd) at 10PM on Lifetime. I also talked with Schuyler about getting her start in acting, support of her family, making her own career and not being in her famous parents shadow, her music career, "Orange County" and working with Harold Ramis, "Every Other Holiday", and so much more! A huge thanks to Schuyler Fisk for taking the time on her Thanksgiving vacation to still join me on this podcast. Don't miss "Every Other Holiday" tomorrow on Lifetime at 10PM. You can also pick up Schuyler's album on iTunes on the links below, including her holiday album, "Sounds of the Holiday". Thanks, Schuyler! Enjoy the episode and have a Happy Thanksgiving!

On today's episode, Austin and I go through the last month and talk about all of our experiences filming our "31 Days of Horror".  We've had such a great time filming at all of these haunted locations and telling their history and their stories. We of course are skeptical on these kind of stories, but we love telling them. While filming, we definitely had some weird experiences that we talked about on the episode. We also talked about my weekend at LA Comic Con and Austin's weekend back in Salt Lake for some Halloween Festivities. Austin also talks about taking a bit of a hiatus from the podcast while he takes care of his art and acting. Thank you for your continual support and commenting and telling us your stories throughout the "31 Days of Horror". If you've missed any of them, they're available on the Instagram @onthemicpodcast.  Have a Happy and Safe Halloween!  Enjoy the episode!

Today's episode is the 4th in our series of special Halloween Episode! We decided to cover a topic that we realized there wasn't very many of... Halloween Songs. We usually just hear "The Monster Mash" on repeat over and over again, but we found a few of the other songs we enjoy that are also part of Halloween. We talked about what makes a good Halloween Song, some creepy stories behind some of the songs, new songs that we hadn't heard yet, "Nightmare Before Christmas" cover songs, and possibly one of the most terrfying songs we've heard yet.  We hope you have been enjoying our special Halloween episodes as well as our "31 Days of Horror" on our Instagram. Stay tuned for our second episode this week coming to you LIVE from LA Comic Con!  Enjoy the episode! 

On today's episode I have Beowulf Jones!  Beowulf is the Producer of the RISK! Podcast Live LA shows, as well as the Host and Producer of the storytelling show "Turtle" at The Ruby here in LA. I first met Beowulf when I was working at the Nerdist Showroom at Meltdown. Beowulf was one of the main techs at Meltdown and one of the first people to welcome me into Meltdown fold.  I talked with Beowulf about growing up in Canada, working on Wall Street, getting started in comedy, moving to New York, working on RISK!, Storytelling, working with The State, our love for Meltdown, and so much more.  A huge thanks for Beowulf for taking the time to join me on the podcast. If you're interested in taking one of Beowulf's storytelling classes here in Los Angeles, click on the link below to register. Make sure to follow him on all of the social media sites below as well. Thanks, Beowulf!  Enjoy the episode. 

Today's episode is our 3rd episode in our special Halloween episodes!  Today we are talking about two of our favorite book series when we were kids, Goosebumps and Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark. Don't be thrown off in the episode by the fact that I'm an idiot and keep calling Scary Stories, "Scary Tales". For some reason I couldn't get "Scary Tales" out of my head.  We talked about all of our favorite Goosebump books, the art in the books, going to bookfairs, the Goosebumps movies, the Scary Stories art, the new Scary Stories series being developed by Guillermo del Toro, and so much more.  Make sure you're following us on Instagram and Twitter @onthemicpodcast to follow our 31 Days of Horror where we take you all throughout Los Angeles and Hollywood to visit a new haunted location every day! Share your favorite Goosebumps or haunted book series with us!  Enjoy the episode! Go read a book!

On today's episode, we have comedian and actor Moses Storm!  We've wanted to have Moses on the show for a while and were so glad he was able to fit us into his incredibly busy schedule. I first saw Moses' comedy last year when he performed on CONAN. During the same time he was on CONAN, he was also working on the YouTube Red show "Youth and Consequences" with Austin. On the episode we talked with Moses about getting his start in comedy, moving to LA, working out his CONAN set, hosting the monthly Team Coco show Up & Up, doing improv, his most recent role in the Netflix film "Father of the Year", the upcoming "Conan and Friends" Tour, and so much more.  A huge Thanks to Moses Storm for taking the time to join us on the show. He has such an incredibly busy schedule and we couldn't be more thankful that he took to come on the podcast. Don't miss the final 2018 Up & Up show October 16th at Dynasty Typewriter. Follow Moses on all of the links at www.onthemicpodcast.com  Thanks, Moses!  Enjoy the episode!

Today's episode is our second Halloween Special episode!  Today Austin and I are talking about all of our favorite traditions growing up and the new traditions we've started making. We also talked about our favorite costumes as kids, trick-or-treating in the cold, our favorite candy we would get, making Halloween decorations, figuring out this year's costumes and so much more.  Make sure you're following our instagram @onthemicpodcast to see all of our videos for our "31 Days of Horror". Stay tuned for new interview episode later this week with comedian Moses Storm! Send us your favorite Halloween traditions!  Enjoy the episode. 

On today's episode I have actor Barlow Jacobs! Barlow is currently in the new film, "The Old Man and The Gun", alongside Robert Redford, Sissy Spacek, Tom Waits, Danny Glover, and Casey Affleck. Austin and I had the chance to see the film over at FOX a few weeks ago and loved it. I talked to Barlow about how his film career started, his Sundance experience, meeting Director David Lowry, lessons he's learned on set, and so much more. You can also see Barlow in "The Master", "A Ghost Story", and "Low and Behold".  A big thanks to Barlow Jacobs for taking the time to join me on the show. Get out and see "The Old Man and The Gun" as it plays in a theater near you now. Follow Barlow on Instagram. Find the link on the website at www.onthemicpodcast.com Thanks, Barlow.  Enjoy the episode. 

On today's episode, we have Writer & Director, Reinaldo Marcus Green! Reinaldo's debut feature film, "Monsters and Men" hits theaters this weekend! After winning the Special Jury Price at this year's Sundance Film Festival, "Monsters and Men" and continued to receive great praise from movie goers and critics alike. The film offers a unique take on the sensitive topic of police brutality and is a film we feel everybody should see.  We talked with Reinaldo about how he and Austin met at the Sundance Labs while working on "Monsters and Men", the inspiration behind the film, growing up in New York, Directing episodes for a Netflix show, upcoming projects, and so much more.  A huge Thanks to Reinaldo for taking the time to join us on this episode. He was only in LA for 48 hours and was kind enough to fit us into the schedule while the premier of his film was going on. Please get out and see this film and share it with your friends. Make sure to follow Reinaldo on all of the social media sites below to see all

On today's episode we have an actor doubleheader with Katie Sarife & Tyler Steelman!  I briefly met Katie and Tyler earlier this year at the "Youth and Consequences" Premier as Katie was one of the stars of the show and Austin guest starred in a number of episodes. We had such a great time with Katie and Tyler on this episode, and it ended up becoming our longest episode at just barely over 2 hours. We talked with Katie and Tyler about their careers, teaching acting, Katie's role in Episode 200 of Supernatural, how Sam and Dean smell, pranks on Austin, a really creepy story, and so much more.  A huge thanks for Katie and Tyler for taking the time to join us on this episode. Make sure to follow them on all of the social media at www.onthemicpodcast.com and sign up for one of their acting classes when they're in a city near you.  Thanks, Katie and Tyler!  Enjoy the episode. 

On today's episode we are coming to you LIVE from Long Beach Comic Con! Austin Grant and I took a short drive down from Los Angeles to check out the 10th Annual Long Beach Comic Con. While we love the big conventions like SDCC and NYCC, smaller conventions like Long Beach offer us far more opportunies to meet and see so many great artists and comic book vendors.  On the episode we talk about all of the great cosplay that we've seen, some of our favorite artists at LBCC, Austin forgetting to register his badge, foggy Long Beach mornings, and so much more. Thank you to Long Beach Comic Con for allowing us to come and be a part of your 10 year anniversary show! We had such a great time and look forward to coming back next year. Thank you for having us.  Enjoy the episode!