Steve Cuden Podcast

Actor and Director, Apollo Dukakis, is a member and longtime resident artist of the Pasadena, CA based theater company, A Noise Within. As a professional actor for over fifty years, Apollo has worked off-Broadway and in many prestigious regional theatres across the country, including: The American Conservatory Theatre of San Francisco, The Pasadena…

Dobie Maxwell has made a successful living in standup comedy since 1985. Starting in 1990, he’s had several stints in morning radio. Dobie has appeared numerous times on national and regional television. And from 1995 to 2020, Dobie taught his "Maxwell Method of Standup Comedy" at Zanies Comedy Clubs in Chicago to more than 3000 students. Dobie’s a…

Scott McGee is a Senior Director of Original Programming at Turner Classic Movies. He’s also a programmer for the TCM Classic Film Festival and the TCM Cruise. Scott frequently presents at TCM events and other film festivals. Recently, Scott authored one of the most enjoyable books about the movies that I’ve ever had the pleasure to read. It’s call…

Comedy writer and novelist, John Vorhaus, is best known for his comedy-writing classic, “The Comic Toolbox: How to be Funny Even if You’re Not.” His writing credits include dozens of teleplays and screenplays, plus seven novels and numerous books on comedy, writing, creativity and poker. John has taught and trained writers in 37 countries on five c…

Entertainment attorney, Robert M. (“Bobby”) Schwartz ,is a partner in Quinn Emanuel’s Los Angeles office and co-chair of the Media & Entertainment Industry Practice. Over the last 30 years, Bobby has become a nationally recognized leader in large-stakes and often precedent-setting cases, particularly in the entertainment and media fields. He’s repr…

Alan K. Rode is a noted biographer and film scholar. He is the executive producer and host of the long-running Arthur Lyons Film Noir Festival. Alan is also the co-programmer and co-host of the Noir City Hollywood and Chicago film festivals. He’s a charter director and treasurer of the Film Noir Foundation, which is dedicated to resurrecting lost f…

This is a StoryBeat Encore episode! You’re likely already a fan of the actor and bestselling author, Cary Elwes, who you surely know from his many starring roles in memorable, popular films, including: The Princess Bride, Lady Jane, Bram Stoker’s Dracula, Robin Hood: Men in Tights, Saw, Kiss The Girls, The Cradle Will Rock, Justice League, and the …

Karen Leigh Hopkins became a writer, director, and producer because she repeatedly got cut out of films like The Breakfast Club and Three Amigos, and didn’t want to go back to Sandusky, Ohio, and work on a factory line like her mother. With twenty-one bucks to her name, out of desperation, she wrote a screenplay in 12 days and sold it “overnight” w…

Author and educator, Stephen Galloway, joined Chapman University in 2020 as the Twyla Reed Martin Dean of Film and Media Arts at Dodge College. He’s best known for his role as executive editor and producer at The Hollywood Reporter, where he served for almost 30 years. Stephen created and produced series such as “The Hollywood Masters“ and “Close U…

Actor-singer-dancer-educator, Billy Hartung, has over 1000 performances on the Broadway stage to his credit. Billy’s been featured in three Broadway shows, Side Show, Footloose, and Minnelli on Minnelli. He can also be seen singing and dancing in the Academy Award winning movie musical “Chicago.” You can hear Billy singing on the original soundtrac…

Adryan Russ writes music and lyrics for theater, film, television and recordings. Her off-Broadway musical Inside Out, co-written with playwright Doug Haverty, played The Cherry Lane Theater in New York, and has been produced in many theaters across the U.S., in Europe, and for three years in Belgrade, Serbia. Also co-written with Doug Haverty, the…

Brian Drusky has been a concert and events promoter for more than two decades here in his native Pittsburgh. Brian founded Drusky Entertainment more than ten years ago after many years working with well-known concert promoter DiCesare-Engler Productions, which was one of the region’s top-grossing concert producers, a space in the local entertainmen…

Andy Marx is an award-winning photographer, writer, and musician, whose work has appeared in The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Billboard, Forbes, The Wall Street Journal, Entertainment Weekly, Premiere, Movieline, and Cigar Aficionado, among others. His photography has been exhibited throughout the world, i…

The prolific playwright and screenwriter, Myla Lichtman Fields, received training at The Juilliard School of Drama and a Ph.D. in Communications-Drama with a minor in film from the University of Southern California. As a staff writer at Universal Studios, she penned episodic TV shows, Movies of the Week, and an NBC special. Myla’s play, Felix & Fan…

Ed Driscoll is an Emmy Award-winning comedian, writer and producer who’s worked with some of the biggest stars in the entertainment industry including Billy Crystal, Morgan Freeman, Joan Rivers, Michael Bublé, Justin Timberlake and Dennis Miller – just to name a few! From variety shows to sitcoms to movies to live theater, Ed has been a performer,…

Lighting Designer, Paula Dinkel, fell in love with stage lighting in junior high school. Her dance and music training were a perfect lead-in to a life in entertainment lighting design. Growing up in a military family prepared her for frequent travel and overseas relocations. She earned her BA, MA and MFA from Cal State University Fullerton in both …

Marcus Stevens is a New York based writer, actor and director. He wrote the book and lyrics for the award winning musical, Mythic, along with composer Oran Eldor. Mythic was a winner of the NAMT Festival and subsequently had successful productions in both London and Montreal. The London production of Mythic also gave birth to an Original Cast Album…

The writer, Jon Krampner, is a native of Brooklyn. He spent the Carter administration getting fired from small newspapers, then moved in 1980 to Los Angeles, where he taught English as a Second Language for 27 years in the adult division of the Los Angeles Unified School District. This provided him with the economic basis to produce his critically …

The brilliant, multi-talented Frank Ferrante, has enjoyed a 35-year career in the theater as an actor, director and producer. At age 23, he debuted Off-Broadway in the title role in Groucho: A Life in Revue written by Arthur Marx, son of the legendary comedian Groucho Marx. For that role, Frank won New York’s Theatre World Award and a New York Oute…

The extraordinary movie and TV producer, Chris Moore, has returned to StoryBeat for the third time. You know Chris’s work from such memorable and popular movies like Good Will Hunting, the American Pie movies, Promised Land, The Adjustment Bureau, Manchester by the Sea, and such TV series as Project Greenlight and The Chair. On today’s StoryBeat, w…

Douglas Levine is a composer, pianist, music director and educator based right here in Pittsburgh. He’s the composer/co-lyricist of the new musical Claws Out!, which was filmed and premiered online in 2020 by City Theatre. He’s also the composer/lyricist of Jazz Time!, a new musical filmed and streamed online in 2021 by The Pittsburgh Cultural Trus…

The noted screenwriter and teacher, Scott Myers, has written over thirty movie and TV projects at almost every major Hollywood studio and broadcast network. Scott’s screenwriting credits include K-9, Alaska, and Trojan War. Since 2008, Scott has hosted GoIntoTheStory.com, the official screenwriting blog of the Black List, which was named the Best o…

Charles Rosenay has been in the entertainment business for over four decades as an actor, promoter, music aficionado, entertainer, MC, DJ, humorist, and author. Most recently, he released the highly acclaimed book, Monsters, Celebrities, Actors, Athletes, and Rock Stars: The Book of Top 10 Horror Lists, which contains 100 top ten lists from pop-cul…

The brilliant, Emmy Award-winning composers that comprise Dynamic Music Partners, Michael McCuistion, Lolita Ritmanis and Kristopher Carter, constantly push the envelope of innovative collaboration in TV series, films, video games and live performance events. Emmys, Annies and an Academy Award have graced productions containing their music since th…

The extraordinarily multi-talented Corky Hale is widely considered to be the most accomplished jazz harpist in the world—as well she’s an exceptional pianist and singer. Corky has performed at the White House with Tony Bennett, soloed with Barbra Streisand at the Hollywood Bowl and Central Park, with Bjork on her MTV special, and with George Michae…

Robert Miller is a musician who followed his youthful dream later in life and became a Rock Star when he was in his 60s, an age when most people are planning their retirement. He’s living proof that you’re never too old, and it’s never too late, to follow your dream. In just 5+ years Robert and his band, Project Grand Slam, have released 10 celebra…

The brilliant actor, singer, and director, Robert Cuccioli, is renowned for his critically acclaimed, Tony-nominated dual performance as the good Dr. Henry Jekyll and his sinister alter ego, Mr. Edward Hyde, in Jekyll & Hyde, The Musical. Prior to his sensational run in Jekyll & Hyde on Broadway, Robert dazzled audiences across America in the show’…

You’re likely already a fan of the actor and bestselling author, Cary Elwes, who you surely know from his many starring roles in memorable, popular films, including: The Princess Bride, Lady Jane, Bram Stoker’s Dracula, Robin Hood: Men in Tights, Saw, Kiss The Girls, The Cradle Will Rock, Justice League, and the Billionaire Boys Club among dozens o…

Melody Thomas Scott is best known for her Emmy-nominated work in the iconic role of Nikki Reed, aka Nikki Newman, a character she’s played for forty years and counting on America’s number-one daytime television drama The Young and the Restless. She’s also appeared in feature films with the likes of Clint Eastwood and John Wayne, and worked with est…

The extraordinary actor-producer-writer and director, Bryan Cranston, is an Academy Award nominee, and the winner of the Emmy®, Golden Globe, SAG, Tony® and Olivier Awards. Bryan is best known for his portrayal of Walter White on AMC’s Breaking Bad and as Hal in Fox’s Malcolm in the Middle. In 2021, he was seen starring in the Showtime limited seri…

StoryBeat is delighted to offer up this encore episode of the great actor-director Michael Dorn, who is best known for his longtime popular portrayal of Klingon Starfleet officer Lieutenant (later Lt. Commander) Worf in Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. Michael has appeared more times as a regular cast member than any o…

Theatrical producer, talent manager, and press agent, Alan Eichler, has represented or produced numerous stage productions, including: The Dirtiest Show in Town, Women Behind Bars, The Neon Woman, Timbuktu, The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, and Dreamgirls.Oleh Steve Cuden

The brilliant jazz guitarist, Adam Hawley, has had nine #1 hits. In 2015, Adam signed with Kalimba Music, which was founded by Maurice White of Earth, Wind, & Fire. His first offering on the Kalimba label featured Brian Culbertson, Gerald Albright, Euge Groove, Eric Darius and Michael Lington. And in 2016, Adam was named both Smooth Jazz News and J…

Gary Flannery is a professional dancer, choreographer and director who’s toured the world as Shirley MacLaine’s performance partner. He’s been a Principal Dancer in Hollywood movies and on many TV Shows. He became Bob Fosse’s protégé after receiving scholarships in ballet at Juilliard and in George Balanchine’s School of American Ballet. Gary subse…

Peter Jurasik has made hundreds of appearances on TV, playing a wide variety of characters in both comedies and dramas. Peter’s been a regular cast member in three television series and a recurring character on another seven series. However, audiences seem to remember him best for his regular performances on Hill Street Blues as Sid, their resident…

Shannon Bradley-Colleary is a novelist and screenwriter who wrote the screenplay for the film To The Stars, which screened in the U.S. Dramatic Features category at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival. Kim Yutani, the festival’s Director of Programming said: “To The Stars tells a timeless, beautiful story of young women at a critical point in their liv…

Producer, director, and actor, Adam Weinstock, is the co-owner of Red Spear, LLC and President of Creative Concept Productions. He’s also Chairman of the Board of Emerging Artists Theatre.Oleh Steve Cuden

Legendary Mime and Artist, Robert Shields, is a one-man creative machine who has spent his life sharing his sense of energy, awe, and wonder with people all over the world. After meeting Lorene Yarnell, they formed the much lauded mime duo of Shields and Yarnell. Together, they played stages worldwide and appeared in various film productions and on…

For more than three decades Producer and Designer, Mark Nichols, has worked in themed entertainment as a producer and/or designer for companies including Disney, Universal Studios, Paramount Parks, GES Branded Entertainment, and ITEC Entertainment.Oleh Steve Cuden

The brilliant singer-songwriter, Megon McDonough, has been performing around the United States for more than four decades, on stages as varied as Carnegie Hall, The Birchmere, Wolf Trap and more. Megon wrote her first song at age 11 and landed her first record deal by the time she was 14 after winning a local “Big […] The post Megon McDonough, Sing…

Special effects and water effects wizard, Jim Doyle, received his undergraduate degree in Theater from the University of Colorado, and an MFA in Theater and Design from USC. He subsequently spent a number of years bumping back and forth between film special effects, commercials, and theme park design, working for Disney, MGM, Landmark, and numerous…

Michael Emanuel is an award winning actor, producer, writer and director with hundreds of TV, film and commercial credits on his resume, Michael has worked alongside such Hollywood luminaries as William Friedkin, Wolfgang Peterson, Armand Mastroianni, Nick Nolte, Dustin Hoffman, Harrison Ford, Rene Russo, and Alfre Woodard, just to name a few. The …

Mark Simon, who is known as the Godfather of Storyboarding, has spent over 30 years in the entertainment industry, amassing over 5,000 production credits, including working on popular titles like Stranger Things, The Walking Dead, Black Lightning, Woody Woodpecker, Doom Patrol, and Dynasty. He even worked with a favorite StoryBeat guest, Mark Pirro…

Bobbie O’Steen is a writer and film historian dedicated to sharing the invisible art of editing with students, professionals, and cinephiles. Bobbie’s a graduate of Stanford University, an Emmy®-nominated editor, and author of two acclaimed books about editing: Cut to the Chase, based on interviews with her late husband and colleague, the legendary…

The powerhouse singer and actress, Karen Mason, has starred on Broadway, Off-Broadway, on screen, and in recordings. Karen is a 13-time MAC Award winner, has won the MAC Award for Major Female Vocalist of the Year six consecutive years. She was the recipient of the 2019 MAC Lifetime Achievement Award. Karen also won the 2006 Nightlife […] The post …

Martin Giles is an actor, director and writer based in Pittsburgh, PA. He was a founder and long- time artistic director of the legendary, alternative theater, The New Group Theater. As an actor, Martin has performed at PICT Classic Theatre, City Theatre, Quantum Theatre, Bricolage, Pittsburgh Public Theatre, Actors Theatre of Louisville and Studio…

The actress and playwright, Sarah Bierstock, began writing plays in 2014. Her first play, Honor Killing, received its initial development through the John Drew Theater Lab at Guild Hall in East Hampton. It went on to a world premiere that ran for eight weeks at Florida Studio Theatre to full capacity audiences, and has been […] The post Sarah Biers…

Michael Mason has been playing, teaching and recording on flute for 40 years or so. He’s well known for his work and performances in jazz, the avant-garde, free jazz and world music in many styles. Michael has recorded 7 CDs as a leader of various groups and ensembles, some of them pre-nominated for Grammy Awards. […] The post Michael Mason, Jazz a…

Elyce Wakerman is the author of the novel, A Tale of Two Citizens, and two works of non-fiction: Father Loss: Daughters Discuss the Man That Got Away, and Air Powered: The Art of the Airbrush. Her essays and articles have appeared in NYCITYWOMAN.com, The Los Angeles Times, The Jewish Journal, and numerous magazines. Her TV writing […] The post Elyc…

The award-winning Creative Director, Roger Holzberg, is founder of Reimagine Well, a company that designs and builds immersive healing programs for hospitals and treatment centers. As a professor at the California Institute of the Arts, Roger created the experience design in healthcare curriculum and teaches the “Healthcare By Design” class. He ser…