In this conversation I chat with actor, writer and director Khyan Mansley ( https://www.youtube.com/Khyan ). Khyan was one of the early YouTubers, launching his channel in 2009 and releasing sketches and vlogs. He soon built up a following and started to making bigger and more ambitious projects, which eventually led to him writing, directing and starring in his short film The Ministry, The short received a Vimeo Staff Pick and US network TBS (FYI I incorrectly said CBS in the intro) commissione...
Mar 26, 2020•1 hr 16 min•Season 1Ep. 20
In this conversation I chat with comedian, actor and writer Seán Burke ( https://twitter.com/SeanBurkeShow ). Seán starred in the Radio 1 comedy sketch show ‘What is Music Videos?’ on BBC iPlayer, he was the host of Channel 4’s ‘Hollywood Hijack’, an online comedy series based around celebrity interviews. He's also the the head writer/performer for ‘Dream Team FC’, a football comedy site with over 3 million followers and was a winner of the ‘Comedy Crowd TV's Chorts’ competition, for his charact...
Mar 18, 2020•1 hr 20 min•Season 1Ep. 19
In this conversation I chat with comedian and writer Amir Khoshsokhan ( https://twitter.com/amirk17 ). Amir is a BBC Comedy Award Nominee and has reached the finals of many stand up competitions including, So You Think You're Funny, Leicester Square New Comedian, English Comedian of the Year and wining the title of the Piccadilly Comedy Club’s New Comedian Award. He discusses his thought process of reaching a place in his stand up career where he felt it was time to take a step back. We get into...
Mar 11, 2020•50 min•Season 1Ep. 18
In this conversation I chat with award winning comedian Tom Ward ( https://www.instagram.com/tomwardcomedian ). Tom won the Chortle Award for Best Newcomer in 2017. He has been seen on Comedy Central’s ‘Roast Battle’, ‘Stand up Central’ and ‘Live From The Comedy Store’. In 2018 he was Joe Lycett’s official tour support and recently supported Jack Whitehall on tour. We went real deep in this conversation and covered a lot of ground. Tom talks about his battles with depression and how he went from...
Mar 04, 2020•1 hr 8 min•Season 1Ep. 17
In this conversation I chat with the multi-hyphenate actor, writer and director Emily Seale-Jones ( https://www.instagram.com/emilysealejones ). Emily started acting from a young age, training at North London Performing Arts School from the age of 14, but it wasn’t long before she had the urge to direct. She talks about how a comment from a pesky boyfriend stoped her from pursuing becoming a writer/director. But when she did finally make the jump and started writing, things progressed very quick...
Feb 26, 2020•1 hr 6 min•Season 1Ep. 16
In this conversation I chat with the very lovely and talented actress and writer Zara Symes ( @zarasymesfilm ) on how she transitioned from being an actor to an actor/writer. She explains how she managed to hustle her way into a meeting with a TV network executive, which ultimately let her to getting representation as a writer. Zara discusses the reasons why she decided to write, which were partly down to the challenges she faced as an actor. She breaks down what a general meet is and how she fe...
Feb 19, 2020•1 hr 21 min•Season 1Ep. 15
In this conversation I chat with the very funny Michael Orton-Toliver ( https://twitter.com/michael_ot ), who happens to be the co-creator and co-writer of Channel 5 and Netflix sitcom 'Borderline'. Michael talks about his early days performing improv and moving to amsterdam to perform as part of Chicago Boom. We talk about our shared horror for...horror films, my appreciation for Michael’s improv mind and his days performing improv shows on a cruise ship. He explains why LA isn’t the central hu...
Feb 12, 2020•1 hr 12 min•Season 1Ep. 14
In this conversation I chat with the multi-hyphenate actor, writer and director, Florence Keith Roach ( https://www.instagram.com/florencekeithroach ). Florence breaks down what she loves about each role and how her processes vary between acting, writing and directing. She offers a detailed overview from pre-production to the post of writing/directing her debut short 'A Family Affair'. We discuss Florence's writing process, from journaling every morning to what type of environment she enjoys wri...
Feb 06, 2020•1 hr 14 min•Season 1Ep. 13
In episode 12 I sit down for a really interesting conversation, with Ian Robertson ( https://www.twitter.com/ianr0b ), an award winning director of music videos, commercials and short films. Ian talks about his process as a director, particularly as he directs different forms of content, from music video’s, to commercials and short films. And he discusses how his approach varies in terms of the work process, going in deep on what goes on behind directing a music video. Ian also talks about his e...
Jan 30, 2020•1 hr 34 min•Season 1Ep. 12
In episode 11 (Aka episode 1 of series 2) I talk with Mark O'Sullivan ( https://twitter.com/immarkosullivan ), a man of many talents. Mark is an actor, writer, director, producer and co-creator of the Channel 4 sitcom 'Lee and Dean'. In this conversation Mark talks about the challenges he faces having to wear so many hats. And how he manages to switch mindsets between the roles of doing the fun creative side of things, to co-running a production company (alongside Lee and Dean co-creator and co-...
Jan 22, 2020•1 hr 13 min•Season 1Ep. 11
In the final episode of the series I talk with actor and improviser Andrew Gentilli ( @andrewgentilli ). This conversation was recorded late at night after a few glasses of wine. Andrew recently starred in my BBC Radio 4 sitcom Wisebowm as Dennis the barber and Paul the journalist. In addition to being one of the most talented comedic actors and improvisers I know, Andrew is an amazing impersonator and shines a light on his process on how to create the perfect Pacino. And no it's not a coffee. A...
Dec 25, 2019•1 hr 1 min•Season 1Ep. 10
In this episode I talk with ordained Buddhist and award winning poet Maitreyabandhu ( https://www.lbc.org.uk/ ). Maitreyabandhu lives in an all male Buddhist community above the London Buddhist Centre. We first met in 2016 when I moved into the community for six months. In this conversation Maitreyabandhu shares his journey from being raised in a traditional working class Northern family to becoming a 'full-time ordained Buddhist'. He discusses how his meditation practice has an effect on his po...
Dec 18, 2019•56 min•Season 1Ep. 9
In this episode I talk with US actress and comedian Maria Shehata ( @mariashehata ). Maria talks about the differences between the LA and London stand up scenes, across both stand up and improv and the pros and cons of both. Maria explains that comedy is now her teenager and as it's starting to take care of its self, she's ready to take on new hobbies such as learning the piano. We talk about how Maria adopts a growth mindset when taking on a new challenge. She discusses the challenges of being ...
Dec 11, 2019•52 min•Season 1Ep. 8
In this episode I talk with the very funny actor and writer Selom Awadzi ( @selomlom ). Selom played Ryan in my short film 'Swiped' and we discuss the impact that being in the film has had on him. Selom talks about the death of his Dad and how that motivated him to succeed as an actor. We talk about Seloms battles with depression and the strategies he puts in place to move beyond it and shift his mindset. Selom also shines a light on his process for learning lines and how he calms himself before...
Dec 04, 2019•1 hr•Season 1Ep. 7
In this episode I talk to actress, comedian, children's author and host of Magic Mike Live, Samantha Baines ( @samanthabaines ). Samantha is a go getter, she makes things happen and it was inspiring to hear how she goes with the flow and things just seem to happen. There was no grand plan to be a comedian, Samantha just decided want to do it so she did. We talk about the positive effect stand up comedy has had on Samantha's acting career and how it's helped her find herself. Samantha is also the...
Nov 27, 2019•1 hr 10 min•Season 1Ep. 6
In this episode I got to sit down with Josh Wilson ( @joshbvwilson ), founder and MD of TV production company Wilson Worldwide. Josh is a super inspiring guy and talks about the importance of developing a positive mindset, how not to self sabotage your own efforts and why we all need to find out what our skill sets are and how to monetise them. He emphasises the value he places on having down time to recharge, we talk about why he does intermittent fasting and the impact it has on him. He also t...
Nov 20, 2019•1 hr 39 min•Season 1Ep. 5
In this conversation I talk with poet and comedian Sarah Callaghan ( @scallaghan1 ). Sarah is a super inspiring person, she talks about how she shifted her mindset to become a more positive person, how important it is to go out and enjoy your life and try new experiences rather than sitting in front of a laptop forcing the inspiration to hit. She talks about how attending meditation and sound healing classes helped her overcome depression and heartbreak, which ultimately led her to performing po...
Nov 13, 2019•1 hr 2 min•Season 1Ep. 4
In this episode I chat with Travis Jay ( @travisjayent ) an actor, comedian and writer. Travis talks about the importance of having family around you, why you need to develop tough skin in the entertainment industry, the challenges of being a single Dad and shines a light on his writing process. He also discusses about how important it is to protect your mental health, the ups and downs of acting auditions, why saying no to opportunities can a positive thing and how opening up to your friends ca...
Nov 06, 2019•1 hr 5 min•Season 1Ep. 3
In this episode I chat with Swedish comedian and producer Camilla Fågelborg ( @fagelborg ). Camilla and I met in LA on an improv course at the Upright Citizens Brigade. Half of this conversation was recorded outside in sunny LA under a lemon tree and then we moved indoors due to cries of a baby. Cries, it was more like laughter, the baby was clearly enjoying our conversation which was great and everything, I just wished it would have shut up for a minute. All jokes aside, this was a fun conversa...
Oct 30, 2019•56 min•Season 1Ep. 2
Welcome to the very first episode of 'Balancing Act's'. In this conversation I sit down with comedian, host and 'edutainer', Reuben Christian ( @reubenchristian1 ). We talk about the struggles creatives face to figure what their 'thing' is, why it's hard being a polymath rather than a specialist and how therapy helped Reuben alter his approach to his creative career. Reuben also talks about his morning routine and why it's so important to him, the pressures and distractions of social media and h...
Oct 30, 2019•1 hr 23 min•Season 1Ep. 1
