Holly is what feels like a rare breed here in Los Angeles. She’s a born and raised native. But that doesn’t mean she’s not well travelled. In fact at 18 she began her world travels as a working model in Asia and later went on to work in Milan, Australia and all over the US. Holly has been in the industry since she was 16 years old working as a model and an actor but at some point as the industry shifted, so did she - to photography. Our conversation explores everything from the state of the worl...
May 08, 2020•56 min•Ep. 20
Brandon is a Cinematographer by trade but his most important roles in life have been that of a husband and father. His story is that of young love, partnership, risk, struggle and success. While we do talk about his career and his journey into Cinematography, the heart of this episode is truly just that. A story of the heart. I have a unique relationship to Brandon and his story because not only have we worked closely together on a feature, but his wife Sophia Hyde , who we talk about often, is ...
Apr 22, 2020•59 min•Ep. 19
I first met Greg while working on the Kevin Smith film Killroy Was Here and she shares with me a memory of the first thing I said to him with is a lovely testament to who he is as a person. Which is to say he’s kind, present and cares deeply for the people who have impacted his life. That’s evident throughout our entire conversation from his earliest horror film memories to his favorite teachers. Greg has been a lifelong horror film fan and if you’re anything like him, then you’ll recognize a to...
Apr 08, 2020•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 18
Ashely-Dawn, or ADB as she’s often called, is quite the special human. She also happens to be one of my best friends and my improv teammate so for me, this was an awesome conversation because I got to hang with a dear friend in a moment of physical distancing… and that’s what we need to be doing right now. Our conversation spans her very fast journey up the ranks in the Special Effects world, to the uncertainty that is paralleled in both freelancer work and this moment in time, as well as how sh...
Apr 01, 2020•50 min•Ep. 17
I couldn’t imagine a better interview to kick things off than this inspiring conversation with Jehan Izhar, known on stage as ‘Jypsy Wild’. I met Jehan while being a performer in Rise The Night , a pole and aerial show here in LA that brought in some of the world’s best dancers. I could tell within moments of meeting Jehan that she had a wild ability for creating exceptional experiences. In this episode we discuss accepting new realities, changing and channeling your skills to serve the greater ...
Mar 27, 2020•54 min•Ep. 16
A year ago I halted production on this podcast because of work. It was too much to be a full time working producer traveling the country on shoots working 18+ hours a day AND produce and edit this podcast with no outside help. So I did what any reasonable person would do and I stopped. But now the world is experiencing an unprecedented challenge and with that, the entertainment industry has all but shut down. I find myself among hundreds of thousands of performers, producers, film crews and stag...
Mar 25, 2020•2 min
Reinvention and intuition are two major elements that have paved the way for this Maggie’s creative and personal journeys. This episode goes into so many interesting places because that’s just who Maggie is. We go deep with alcoholism, spirituality and her career in film and television and how the themes of reinvention and intuition have been there through every moment of it. Today, her work combines everything she’s learned in her career and on her spiritual path. Get the Show Notes Connect on ...
Apr 29, 2019•1 hr•Ep. 15
Kara is a watercolorist who I found through falling in love with a piece of her work. Her story starts out a bit differently than you would expect given her current path… she was a writer! Kara shared with me her dream of being a writer and how she eventually walked away and organically found her way to watercoloring. I love this episode because I don’t think we talk about transitions enough. We’re taught to just keep fighting for what we want but sometimes the right thing to do is walk away. “I...
Apr 15, 2019•1 hr•Ep. 14
Beowulf opens up about a very hard year that started with loss, peaked with a relapse, and rounded out with more loss. He gives us an inside look at what feeling like you’ve hit rock bottom looks like, and how multiple forms of therapy, volunteer work and doing what he loved brought him back out to where he is today. His story is filled with laughter, heartache, triumph and just plain being human. We even cover the downfalls of 1099 vs. W2 for all of you freelancers out there! I love getting to ...
Apr 01, 2019•54 min•Ep. 13
Adriana Boring has been shattering her own glass ceiling in the male dominated live events industry since she first got out of college. As a young twenty something year old woman who refused to leave her femininity at the door, she’s had to learn how to work with and manage men ten to thirty years her senior who didn’t necessarily respect her or speak to her appropriately. She also shares with us a very personal story about getting into, living through and eventually exiting a toxic emotionally ...
Mar 18, 2019•55 min•Ep. 12
Growing up Karole learned quickly how to disarm those around her with her humor thanks to a military Dad moving every two years. She found refuge from systemic racism through exploring her school library and finding inspiration through Sammy Davis Jr. When she found her community through theatre, she was finally able to fully step into herself and into her gifts. Fast forward a decade or two and Karole found herself in a situation that no creative ever wants to face - betrayal by the very same t...
Mar 04, 2019•58 min•Ep. 11
This week I got to chat with one of my favorite improv teachers, Dwayne Colbert. He’s a well known face around Second City between his classes, performances and shows but once upon a time there was no way Dwayne would get up and perform in front of people. It’s hard for those of us who know him as a performer to imagine, but he came into comedy as writer with zero intentions of doing what he’s so good at doing now. We talk about his journey from writer to performer to Director, and what it’s bee...
Feb 18, 2019•58 min•Ep. 10
Bryan wasted no time after picking up his first camera and realizing there was no turning back. He almost immediately quit his job to pursue photography full time which you can imagine had it’s own set of challenges. In our conversation we explore festival life, the importance of supportive partners, getting caught up in the drug culture of festivals and so much more. Check out his work in the show notes Follow me on Instagram @TheUnpluggedCreative Tweet at me @ArielleZadok...
Feb 04, 2019•55 min•Ep. 9
Erika is a yogi mama full of heart who found herself with quick yet overwhelming success after a wine night with a girlfriend lead to her quitting her full time job to answer the demands she was getting for her art. As a creative entrepreneur she’s had to ask herself everything from ‘is this cultural appropriation’ to ‘how can I make this product better’ to asking the hardest question of them all - ‘is this really what I want?’ If you are running your own creative business, this episode is defin...
Jan 21, 2019•54 min•Ep. 8
I met Brandon a year ago today working on Kevin Smith's 'Killroy Was Here'. Little did I know he has been in show business since he was a kid! Brandon was once a child actor who was making decisions that you and I would still struggle with today! Since that time his path has lead him to careers as an actor, a young creative in an advertising agency and a freelancer in film production. He’s had “success” at his fingertips and knows what it’s like to still not feel fulfilled.
Jan 07, 2019•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 7
Julie is no stranger to transformations of all kinds from big, challenging life changes to how she creates her art from objects that already exist in the world. In this conversation we talk about her decision to leave a stable teaching career (and how long she lived unhappily before she did it), and leaving behind her friends and family for a new life in a new city with her husband. Through it all Julie has always been able to come back to one thing; seeking the opportunity in the challenge....
Dec 24, 2018•55 min•Ep. 6
Billy Mays III is an artist, musician, facilitator and entrepreneur. He’s also the namesake and only son of well-known pitchman Billy Mays (yeah, the Oxyclean guy). Billy has been a dear friend of mine for over a decade and I’ve seen him face multiple tragedies and how he’s turned his grieving into not only art, but healing for himself and for others. I’m delighted to bring you this conversation where we talk about grief and how multiple tragedies changed the course of his creativity....
Dec 10, 2018•46 min•Ep. 5
In this episode of The Unplugged Creative, Arielle talks to Fine Artist and Muralist Bekky Beukes about what looking in the mirror and exploring our own darkness can teach us, using other artists to find the best version of herself and the responsibility of nurturing the gifts we are given.
Nov 26, 2018•1 hr•Ep. 4
I’m delighted to bring you a conversation with Actor Justin Kucslain who you may have seen on Homeland, Bloodline, The Walking Dead, Chicago P.D or who knows, maybe it was something else. We had so much fun chatting about Justin’s first job which happened to be Iron Man 3, how working on his craft as an actor was really working on himself as a human and his recent move to my new home – Hollywood!
Nov 18, 2018•54 min•Ep. 3
Today I'm talking to Production Designer and Author, Kaet McAnneny who has worked on film and television most notably known for her work on Blue Ruin and Saturday Night Live. Kaet is an all around bad-ass who has had her fair share of trials and tribulations while going after her dream of being a Production Designer including an addict husband, a divorce and breast cancer… all at once. She's recently launched her first memoir about the experience, "Boobs Gone Rogue" available on Amazon....
Nov 18, 2018•56 min•Ep. 2
Andrjeka Hirsch is a photographer with a serious travel bug. For the past 12 years she has travelled the world photographing people, places and events.. many of which I’ve been to! She has been featured in magazines, blogs and marketing campaigns. In this episode we talk about our mutual would-be careers, moving across the country, an unexpected career with a top Hollywood Producer and made the shift into running her own successful, multi-city photography business.
Nov 18, 2018•55 min•Ep. 1
If you’re anything like me then you’re probably over hearing about success stories of creative people, all of the personal development gurus and especially all of the healthy habits successful people are implementing in their perfect lives. I’ll bet you’re ready for something real. So was I. My name is Arielle Zadok and that’s exactly why I’m hosting a new Podcast called The Unplugged Creative. I’m curious about how creatives got to where they are, what their road blocks were, what wrong turns t...
Nov 11, 2018•4 min
