Improv and Magic

At last, the name of this podcast finally makes sense! My guest today is John Sturk, a fellow improvisor and magician. John is Musical Director for Second City, and has performed as MD for various other improv shows including Comedy Sportz and iO. John is also the National President-Elect of the Society of American Magicians, the country's oldest magic organization. Where has this guy been all my life?! In this episode, we talk about our love for both improv and magic, and even find some parallels between the two arts. I hope you enjoy listening to him as much as I did chatting with him. To learn more about this amazing guy, visit his website at johnsturk.com. To learn more about The Society of American Magicians, visit their website at magicsam.com.

Today's guest is my good friend and fellow cast member at Just The Funny, Mark Mocahbee.  This is a guy you are going to love!  He has so much to share in this episode.  He shares his early beginnings in theater, what he’s learned from his time as an improvisor and director, and so much more.  There’s so much passion in this episode, which I love so much.  His love and his drive really comes through in this conversation, and I hope you feel it right along with us.  Enjoy this one, and remember to be curious!

My guest today is Rick Munnariz.  Rick is currently a cast member, director, teacher and Manager at Just The Funny, he works for The Montely Fool, and he’s a fellow Disney fan! We spend a little time geeking out about our love of Disney, and we talk about his early beginnings and what led him to this incredible world of improv.  We also learn about his early beginnings in the music industry.  He’s such a great guy to talk to, full of love, full of excitement, and just an all-round great human being.  Be sure to support my friend Rick by visiting his YouTube channel called Moonpies, and follow him on Twitter, @marketing (Yes, that’s his real handle). To learn more about The Montley Fool, visit fool.com to learn about investing and stock market research.

Today's guest is performer and teacher Anthony Francis. He's the owner of Improv U, producer of the Palm Beach Improv Festival and the Countdown Improv Festival, and an all round great human being! We get into a lot in this episode!  We talk about what it’s like to experience improv for the first time.  We also spend a good amount of time talking about the joys of teaching improv, and the highs and lows of running a festival. Learn more about Anthony Francis by visiting theanthonyfrancis.com and theimprovu.com.

Today my guest is the wonderfully talented and always amazing Marlene Marcos.  She is a professional actress whose work includes multiple national commercials, various voice over projects, and even got to be a stand in for Amy Poehler!  Marlene is also a fellow improv actor with me in Just The Funny since 2008, where she currently serves as part of the Management Team for the theater. In addition, she also teaches improv at Just The Funny, as well as acting for the camera at New York Film Academy. Marlene Marcos and I share a great conversation about being an actor, living in New York, and the many joys of performing improv. She is a warm-hearted individual who continues to show love and inspiration through her performances and instructions. You can find out more about Marlene Marcos at www.marlenemarcos.com.

It's the first official episode of Improv and Magic, with my first guest David Christopher! David is one of the original founders of my home theater, Just The Funny in Miami, FL. He is also producer of the Miami Improv Festival and owns his own business called Interactive Training Solutions, which teaches improv to people in the business world. David and I have known each other for 19 years, and here we talk about his early beginnings and what led to the creation of Just The Funny. He has inspired me and so many others over the years, and I hope he inspires you now as well! To learn more about David, visit David Christopher Improv on Facebook. To learn more about Just The Funny, visit www.justthefunny.com, and David's business at www.interactivetrainingsolutions.com.

Welcome to the show! Here's me welcoming you to this brand new journey.