Emily Pendergast: From Ohio Cornfields To The Groundlings Stage

Sydney Steinberg: Make Your Own Busy

Waiting for Hollywood to “pick you” can rot your brain. So we sit down with our friend Sydney Steinberg writer, actor, comedian, and unapologetic maker and talk about what actually happens when you try to build a real career in TV and film without a linear path or a safety net. Sydney takes us from growing up in San Diego, using comedy to cope with a dark and lonely stretch, to finding freedom at Syracuse and sprinting into Los Angeles with the kind of hustle that gets you a PA job and a showrunner assistant gig fast.  We get into the UCB era too the joy of learning improv, the brutal politics of Harold Night, and what burnout looks like when everyone treats comedy like a blood sport. Sydney opens up about sobriety, audition fatigue, getting signed at CAA, and the weird crash that comes when people promise success “any day now.” Then the pandemic hits, she makes work anyway, even tries quitting for fashion, and eventually finds real momentum by doing the simplest thing that’s also the hardest: consistently posting vertical musical impressions and character videos on Instagram (and dealing with the TikTok machine).  The conversation turns toward horror, SXSW, and the power of sticking with your friends. Sydney shares what it was like premiering Grind at South by Southwest, writing on a Disney show, finally having health insurance from an art job, and learning to manage pitch anxiety with medication when logic isn’t enough. We end with the big question a lot of creatives are asking: do you even need to live in LA anymore, or do you just need to keep making your own stuff wherever you are? Subscribe, share this with a friend who needs momentum, and leave a review if you want more honest career talk.

Adrian Todd Zuniga: Stop Asking Permission To Make Films

I love talking to people who prove that a creative career is built, not “found,” and Adrian Todd Zuniga is exactly that kind of artist. He is a novelist, a live show creator (Literary Death Match), and now a filmmaker, and our conversation starts where the real story always starts: childhood, attention, and that first moment where you realize you can make something out of nothing. We talk about how reading trains a director’s mind, why fear and wonder are evidence that art is working, and how a sports mindset can quietly become a blueprint for creative discipline.  Then we jump into one of my favorite curveballs: Adrian’s work writing Long Shot, the playable movie mode inside Madden NFL. We unpack what branching narrative actually demands, why “binary choices” fall flat, and how story craft changes when the audience is also the player. From there, we connect the dots to modern screenwriting, perfectionism, and the pressure artists feel right now as AI tools reshape what “making” even looks like.  Finally, we get concrete about independent filmmaking. Adrian breaks down what it took to shoot his feature documentary The Heart Is Made to Be Broken across Los Angeles, London, Warsaw, and Berlin, including why a local fixer is priceless, how microbudget production value is often a relationship game, and how he raised money by making a clear, professional ask with executive producer tiers. If you’re trying to make your first feature film, this is the kind of honest, practical roadmap that makes the goal feel real.  If this hits for you, subscribe, share it with a friend who’s sitting on a script, and leave a review so more filmmakers and storytellers can find the show.

Emily Pendergast: From Ohio Cornfields To The Groundlings Stage

A single yes can change your life, but so can a no. I’m joined by Emily Pendergast, Groundlings Main Company performer, writer, and actor on Veep and Amazon Prime’s Company Retreat, to talk about the long stretch between wanting a creative career and actually building one. We start in Ohio with cornfields, big family energy, and early comedy education from SNL and the people who could turn a heavy moment into laughter. From there, Emily lays out the unglamorous middle: a psychology degree, a leap to Los Angeles powered by instinct, and years of restaurant work while hunting for the right training. Her Groundlings story gets specific about what improv really demands, why repeating classes can be part of the process, and how Sunday Company votes create real pressure and real growth. Then we get into the big rooms. Emily shares what it was like to showcase and test for SNL, the pride and heartbreak of leaving everything on the stage, and how that experience reshaped her confidence. We also go deep on Company Retreat’s production, including earwigs, hand signals, hidden cameras, and the “reality banking” that keeps a Truman Show style setup intact for the one real participant. We close with a candid talk on AI in film and TV and why human listening, ensemble trust, and lived experience still matter. Subscribe, share this with a friend chasing a creative path, and leave a review with the moment that hit you hardest.

Brett Maline Explains How Hard Work Creates Lucky Breaks

A creative life rarely moves in a straight line, and Brett Maline’s story makes that clear real fast. We start in Minden, Nebraska, where he grows up with a rare spinal condition and something even rarer: a community that practices true inclusion and expects him to compete, contribute, and lead. That foundation becomes a quiet superpower later, when the film industry and TV industry test confidence daily through rejection, uncertainty, and constant reinvention.  From small town theater, marching band, speech competitions, and yes, clogging, Brett jumps into a California-based performing group and tours internationally, learning what audiences respond to and how collaboration really works. That touring life eventually turns into a band, Rally for One, sparked by pure hustle, serving tables, singing, handing over a demo, and following through. We talk about the hard choice to leave the band, the humbling reset back in Nebraska, and why “setbacks” are often the moments that clarify what you actually want to build.  Then the conversation shifts into comedy training at The Groundlings, pathways like CBS Diversity Showcase and UCB, and the politics of prestigious programs like Sunday Company. Brett also breaks down why disability representation on screen matters, how seeing an inauthentic festival film pushed him to write Hypocrite, and how making that short helped unlock bigger opportunities, including writing on Marvel’s Loki Season 2. We close with lessons from building a YouTube comedy channel, why the future of movies and live experiences may be brighter than it looks, and how creators can keep momentum by making work now.  If you enjoy honest career stories about screenwriting, indie filmmaking, comedy, and the real work behind “overnight” success, subscribe, share this with a friend, and leave a review. What part of Brett’s path felt most familiar to you?

Mekenna Melvin Explains How Success Failed To Heal Her

The entertainment industry loves a clean label it can sell. Real artists are messier than that, and that mess is often where the best work comes from. I’m Nate Caywood, a Los Angeles cinematographer, and I sit down with actor, writer, dancer, choreographer, and musician McKenna Melvin for a raw conversation about what it actually costs to build a life in Hollywood. McKenna takes us from Saratoga to New York conservatory training, then into the early Los Angeles grind: self-submits, student films that teach her how sets really work, casting workshops, SAG vouchers, and the moment a one-word audition turns into Chuck and a fandom she never saw coming. From there we get into the stuff people usually skip: dyslexia, ADHD, CPTSD, intrusive thoughts, and how creativity can be both a career path and a nervous-system tool. We talk streaming residuals, the post-COVID industry shift, the quiet shame of survival jobs, and the bigger ethical question behind every budget meeting: when producers “minimize labor costs,” who is actually being minimized? McKenna also shares what it looks like to renegotiate a dream, fall back in love with process, and build safer, more human work environments. If you’ve felt behind, stuck, or forced to choose one identity, this one will land. Subscribe for more honest film industry conversations, share this with a creative friend who needs it, and leave a review telling us what you’re making next.