Bridge The Atlantic

We were joined by Vietnamese American director, writer, producer, and co-founder of Studio APA, Steve Nguyen for this episode of Bridge the Atlantic. We chat with Steve about his early acting experiences, his production company and the time he met Pharrell. Lots of insight and advice shared in this episode - enjoy! Highlights:- We learn that Steve is obsessed with cereal and requires at least two bowls a day- Ross admits that he has never watched Seinfeld- Marcio and Steve discuss the differences between acting for TV and movies- Steve discusses how he used acting more as a networking tool as he knew he wanted to be a writer/director- Steve tells us how it was difficult when he was younger for Asian actors to be cast in a variety of roles- We hear about Steve’s writing process and how it has developed over time- We talk about the conception of Steve’s production company Studio APA- Steve tells us about the Studio APA produced documentary Hibakusha about a woman who survived the atomic bombing at Hiroshima- We hear Steve’s experiences playing a stereotypical nerdy Asian kid on The Man Show and how it made him unafraid of live performance- Marcio and Steve share a moment discussing Marcio’s Walking Proof Documentary <3- Steve tells us about meeting Pharrell and he acknowledged the work of others in the success of his latest album, which inspired the quote: “Humility is becoming a lost art but it’s not difficult to practice. It means that others have been involved in your success”- Ross shares one of his proudest moments: when Michael Bolton Tweeted him- Steve tells us about the new movie he is making with The Roots More:- View the full show notes at http://bridge-the-atlantic.com- Follow us on Twitter at @bridge_atlantic Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We were joined by New York-based Australian singer/songwriter Tamara Hansson (aka Tam) for a laughter-filled episode of Bridge The Atlantic. We chatted about accents, her new EP "The Apartment Sessions" and the challenges of deciding what merch to sell when you're not a metal band. Enjoy! Highlights: - We discuss the differences between New York, Brisbane and London.- Tam tells us about her new EP “The Apartment Sessions” and how she’s playing in people’s apartments to promote it- Tam demonstrates a variety of accents for us- Marcio tries to do a Scottish accent… but fails (every time!)- We all agree that food is awesome and we find out that Tam has a lot to say about scones- Marcio is getting better at the art of the segue- We discuss creative merch options and Tam enlightens us to what a beer stubbie is- We talk about Tam’s video “One Day I’ll Come Home” which since recording has won the Australian Creative Community Challenge for Australians in New York Award- Ross and Tam educate Marcio on what fairy lights are, and we discuss the differences in how we all talk- We’re all agree that we’re waiting for the US to switch over to the metric system- Ross accidentally calls Tam by the wrong name, and everything just spirals out of control More:- View the full show notes at http://bridge-the-atlantic.com- Follow us on Twitter at @bridge_atlantic Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dan Fila is the drummer of Canadian metal band Varga. To date, Varga have released 6 albums and played with some of the biggest names in metal, including Metallica and Rob Zombie. After parting with their label and a hiatus, Varga released two albums independently: Enter the Metal and Return of the Metal. We spoke with Dan about the new records, Varga's major label experience, the importance of community in music and his fear of snakes... Highlights: - We learn that Dan has a terrible fear of snakes- Dan tells us how becoming a dad changed his outlook on life- We hear about how Dan got involved in music, citing KISS as an early influence- Dan tells us about playing with Metallica and Rob Zombie- We talk about the pros and cons of signing to a major label, and the experience that Varga had with BMG- We discuss the importance of collaboration and community in music- Dan tells us how Varga’s music was featured in Beavis and Butthead, and the impact that had on their fanbase- We hear about Varga’s decision to put out 2 CDs instead of a double album- We talk about the differences between fans of independent music vs mainstream music, and how in many cases fans have a greater bond with independent musicians More:- View the full show notes at http://bridge-the-atlantic.com- Follow us on Twitter at @bridge_atlantic Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Rita Payne are a folk/Americana duo based in Doncaster, UK. Over the past couple of years the duo have built up a dedicated local fanbase and were commissioned to write the local anthem of Doncaster, were hand-picked by KFC to be the soundtrack of one of their recent menu launches and were contestants on The Voice UK. In addition to being talented musicians, they also take part in a lot of charity and activism work. We had a great time chatting with Rhiannon and Pete and hope you enjoy the interview! Highlights:- Rhiannon and her sister used to re-enact scenes from the Lion King in her back garden with her sister, and Pete recreated Batman’s bat cave out of cardboard boxes when he was younger- Pete once thought he was lactose intolerant… but it turned out he wasn’t- Marcio and Ross think that Rhiannon and Pete should have their own show- We hear the story behind the name Rita Payne (and how Pete makes up a different story for each person who asks)- The duo tell us about their experience of starring on The Voice UK in 2013- We hear about how Rita Payne were commissioned to write the official anthem of Doncaster- Pete and Rhiannon tell us about the crowdfunding campaign they ran for their new album and the support they received from their fanbase- We discuss how being an independent artist is a tough job, but how rewarding it can be- Pete tells us about a time where they played in a pub with a “rich music heritage” where they were expected to play ABBA More:- View the full show notes at http://bridge-the-atlantic.com- Follow us on Twitter at @bridge_atlantic Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We invited Andrew DeLeon, Dion Roy, Terra Naomi and Tyler Hilton back on the show to chat about this past year, the holidays and what they've got coming up in 2015. Enjoy! Highlights:- Marcio wears an extremely fluffy Santa hat- Terra tells us about her most-best and crazy-best highlights of 2014 and that she isn’t planning on making a new album anytime soon (this makes Ross sad)- Andrew tells us how forming his band and performing with them at the Austin Vampire Ball was one of his highlights of 2014- Tyler’s highlight of 2014 was the release of his new record “Indian Summer” (which reached #3 on the iTunes singer/songwriter chart in the US)- Tyler Hilton is saving the music industry (behind his mask, he is Taylor Swift…with Bono underneath)- Dion tells us his highlights of 2014 were starting his own country (Tangzwamehead) and the formation of Fire and the Romance’s live band- Ross’s dog Loki interrupts the episode- We talk about the Christmas EP Andrew released in 2013 called “Christmas Lights”- We announce our giveaway bundle…- We discuss our favourite Christmas movies and Christmas albums More:- View the full show notes at http://bridge-the-atlantic.com- Follow us on Twitter at @bridge_atlantic Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Terra Naomi is a singer/songwriter based in Los Angeles. In 2006, she won the first ever YouTube music video award for "Say It's Possible" and went on to sign with Island Records, and was invited by Al Gore to play at Wembley Stadium. Since then, Terra has released 2 albums independently and toured Europe multiple times. We hear all about Terra's journey, which includes writing a porn musical for Spike TV... we certainly earned our explicit rating with this one! ;) Highlights: - Terra is over-eager- We invent a drink called “Alarm Water” - it’s like vitamin water but better- Terra needs to wear her work-out clothes first thing in the morning, otherwise she won’t work out- We learn that Terra is writing a book based on the last five years of her life- Terra tells us about writing a porn musical and how her dad described it as a career killer… however it didn’t kill her ex-boyfriend’s career as he recently directed Guardians of the Galaxy- We talk about the success Terra had on YouTube with “Say It’s Possible” and how it led to her signing with Island Records- Marcio is so ahead of the jive it’s unreal- Terra breaks the podcast... a few times- We hear about a top-secret project that Terra isn’t allowed to tell us about- We talk about about one of the worst tour hotel experiences Terra's ever ever had- Terra talks about working with her brother’s film company and developing TV shows- A good songwriter should be a storyteller, and those stories should be told in many different ways- We talk about how many people limit themselves and won’t achieve what they want to achieve, whereas being more open can present far more opportunities More:- View the full show notes at http://bridge-the-atlantic.com- Follow us on Twitter at @bridge_atlantic Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Paul Johnson is a singer/songwriter and session musician based in Nashville, Tennessee. We talked with him about his latest project, Silver Trees, the impact moving to Nashville has had on his music career and the importance of building relationships with musicians and your audience. Highlights:- We learn that there aren’t many people in North Dakota and Paul is a huge coffee junkie- Paul tells us about writing for other musicians, and how collaboration led to the birth of Silver Trees- We hear about the new Silver Trees EP, Fighting The Rust- Fighting The Rust was the most downloaded record on Noisetrade and hit #19 in the iTunes singer/songwriter chart- We talk about the benefits of Noisetrade as a discovery platform for new artists- Networking = a business douche term- We talk about the importance of building relationships with other musicians- Paul tells us about moving to Nashville and the impact it has had on him as an artist and his career- We close on a discussion of word-vomit and how it could be a great album title... More:- View the full show notes at http://bridge-the-atlantic.com- Follow us on Twitter at @bridge_atlantic Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Melissa Verwey is a Canadian actress based in Hamilton, Ontario. She has performed in numerous plays, musicals, indie films, festivals and sketch comedies. We spoke with Melissa about her experiences, auditions, voice acting, and to find out what advice she would offer to aspiring actors.Highlights:- We learn that Melissa is a big fan of ketchup- Ross shares a (somewhat irrelevant) personal story about contact lenses- Melissa tells us about using rejection and observation as a learning experience- We talk about forgetting lines on stage and missing cues- Melissa tells us why she had to stop watching Breaking Bad for a while- Marcio and Melissa talk about learning new skills to get parts- "If you've touched something once, you can do it"- You can find Marcio in the front row of Melissa’s play [Jenny’s House of Joy]...with his pants off (but not really)- We talk about the importance of believing in yourself, keeping positive and dreaming big- "You're never as good as they say and you're never as bad as they say"- Melissa talks about pros and cons of playing a villain- We talk about bad auditions and Melissa shares some of the worst ones she's had- Marcio + Ross = Moss- Melissa talks about the difference between acting for film and acting on stage- We talk about voice over work, and Melissa tells us how she narrated a children's bookMore:- View the full show notes at http://bridge-the-atlantic.com- Follow us on Twitter at @bridge_atlantic Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We spoke with Canadian photographer Jay Perry about finding your passion, his recent TEDx Talk and the role of education in becoming a photographer. We also talk about his fundraising organisation Friends With Hearts and how a trip to Haiti changed his life. Highlights:- Jay used to be in a band called Holiday and sold his guitar to fund starting his photography career- Doritos!- Jay talks about how what he thought was his passion turned out not to be- We hear about Jay’s recent TEDx Talk: “Why Your Passion Might Not Be What You Think It Is”- When you’re passionate about something, hard work doesn’t feel like hard work at all- Jay tells us about his trips to Haiti and how it unexpectedly led to him becoming a full-time photographer- We discuss authenticity and technique in photography- The best camera you have is whatever one you have with you (and yup, that can be an iPhone!)- Jay tells us his thoughts on the role that education plays in photography - and it depends on your learning style- We hear about how the average salary of a photographer has been declining every year, and the reason why- Jay tells us about his fundraising organisation Friends With Hearts More:- View the full show notes at http://bridge-the-atlantic.com- Follow us on Twitter at @bridge_atlantic Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We were joined by LA based singer/songwriter Natalie Angiuli to talk about the new synth pop direction she is taking with her music, her EDM collaborations and an interesting dinner with Quincy Jones. Highlights:- Pizza in New York is better than pizza in LA- Natalie decided to move to LA when she was 5, and finally moved there when she turned 18- Ross and Natalie talk about Hotel Cafe (even though Ross has never been there)- We learn that Natalie is a classically trained musician, and that violin is really hard to play- “Anyone can write a song, but not everyone can write a good song”- Natalie tells us how she locked her keys in her car, and how that led to her music being featured in TV shows- This interview is completely aware of itself- We talk about Natalie’s new material and the synth pop direction she’s moving in- Marcio and Natalie talk about the process of finding your own sound- We talk about Natalie’s EDM collaborations and how “Step Into Your Light” got over 200,000...   Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.