Creativity in Captivity

An Emmy-nominated writer and producer who is the host and creator of the critically-acclaimed comedy show Celebrity Autobiography. A Drama Desk Award winner for Unique Theatrical Event. This live touring show allows celebrities to act out other celebrities memoirs on stage. The show has played London’s West End, Australia’s Sydney Opera House and on Broadway. Eugene was nominated for Outstanding Writing for Variety, Comedy or Music for America: A Tribute to Heroes, which won the Emmy for Outstanding Special and the Peabody Award.  Pack is also the creator and exec producer of CMT's longest running series, Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders: Making the Team, which was up for a Critics Choice Award as Best Sports Show. As the writer for CBS’s Home For the Holidays, he was the recipient of the TV Academy Honor. Pack has created and produced original specials and series for E!, Bravo, VH1 and TV Land.  Eugene is the founder of the Pack Players -- a rep theatre company that develops his original material and performs at various venues including NYC'S Triad Theater and the Groundlings in Los Angeles.

A six-time member of the US Aerobatic Team, she is the first woman to win the title of US National Aerobatic champion and one of the few people to win it three times. Patty Wagstaff has built a life of adventure, risk, and courage. Following her dreams even when no reward was in sight, her dedication has pushed the limits of aerobatic flight. Wagstaff has earned recognition for her accomplishments as a woman, and as a pilot, flying thrilling low-level aerobatic routines in competitions and air shows before millions of spectators each year. Her breathtaking airshow performances give airshow spectators a front-row seat view of the precision and complexity of modern, unlimited hard-core aerobatics. Her smooth aggressive style sets the standard for performers the world over. Patty has flown aerial displays in such exotic places as South and Central America, China, Russia, Europe, Singapore, Kenya and Iceland. She has earned her Commercial, Instrument, Seaplane and Commercial Helicopter Ratings. Patty is a Flight and Instrument Instructor and is rated and qualified to fly everything from World War II fighters to jets.  Patty's is a six-time recipient of the "First Lady of Aerobatics" Betty Skelton Award; an inductee into the National Aviation Hall of Fame and was the recipient of the National Air and Space Museum's Award for Current Achievement. She is proud of receiving the Airshow industry's most prestigious awards, the "ICAS Sword of Excellence", and the "Bill Barber Award for Showmanship". Recently she was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Air Force Association. In March, 1994, her airplane, the Goodrich Extra 260, went on display in the Smithsonian National Air & Space Museum in Washington DC where you can see it on the Mall today. As a member of the Screen Actors Guild, Motion Picture Pilots Association, United Stuntwomen's Association, she has worked as a stunt pilot and aerial coordinator for the film and television industry. In 2013 she returned to Florida to start an aerobatic school, “Patty Wagstaff Aviation Safety” in St. Augustine, Florida. 

Professor Richard Wiseman has published over 100 academic papers examining the psychology of magic, illusion, luck and self-development.  He has written several popular psychology books (including The Luck Factor and 59 Seconds) that have been published around the world and created psychology-based YouTube videos that have attracted over 800 million views. He is one of the most followed psychologists on social media, and the Independent On Sunday chose him as one of the top 100 people who make Britain a better place to live. A Member of the Inner Magic Circle, Richard acts as a creative consultant on several stage and television projects, including work with Derren Brown. Richard has been described by Elizabeth Loftus (Past President, Association for Psychological Science) as ‘one of the world’s most creative psychologists.’  The first season of his On Your Mind Podcast reached No.1 in Apple Podcast’s Science charts, and in 2023 Richard was given the Royal Society’s prestigious David Attenborough Award for his research and public engagement activities.

A renowned mythologist, story expert  and the Executive Director for the Joseph Campbell Foundation who has been featured on the BBC, the History Channel, the LA Times.and The Hollywood Reporter. He explores mythology as the stories we use to make sense of the world around us.  John consults and works with government and cultural leaders around the world, as well as organizations such as HBO, DC Comics, Paramount Pictures, Nickelodeon, A24 Films, Atlas Obscura, and The John Maxwell Leadership Foundation, bringing his deep understanding of cultural narratives and myth to a wide array of audiences. He has worked with New York Times best-selling authors, YouTube influencers, Eisner winners, Emmy winners, Academy Award nominees, magicians, and cast members from Saturday Night Live. He holds a PhD in Mythology & Depth Psychology and is the author of six influential books on storytelling. 

As the host of "The Therapeutic Poet" podcast (International Women Podcast Award finalist 2022) and a published poet, Jacky uses verse to bypass the protective masks we all wear. With a Master's in Addiction Psychology and clinical training in therapy, she writes poetry that does what straight talk can't  – "carrying what's heavy on the wings of a melody." She believes that poetry is therapeutic technology – a tool to bear witness to unpalatable truths. That creativity isn't self-indulgent; it's how we process what we can't otherwise reach. Her live shows at STORY 2025 and Edinburgh Fringe Festival, as well as her intimate workshops – model the vulnerability she encourages in others. From the wisdom of her own experience coping with disappointment, bitterness, and hopelessness, she brings the tenderness of what these feelings actually feel like through her poems. This creates a safe container where audiences can get in touch with their own difficult emotions without being afraid – learning these feelings aren't obstacles to creativity, they're the raw material. Jacky's signature work explores what she calls "the messy middle" – those moments when we're cycling through blame, shame, or hustle instead of creating from authentic truth. Her poetry gives permission to feel hopeless, to sit with bitterness, to witness pain without trying to fix it. She transforms the clinical language of trauma into accessible, visceral poetry that make people realize that "she's walked it. She knows. I'm not alone."

A two-time Emmy Award-winning comedian and writer who’s been a fixture in late-night TV for decades. He’s made multiple appearances on The Late Show with David Letterman, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, and Late Night with Conan O'Brien, and can still be seen performing regularly at comedy clubs around Los Angeles. For 27 years, Brian was a staff writer for Conan, winning an Emmy in 2007 for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy/Variety Series and getting nominated 16 times. Kiley also worked on the final season of Ellen, picking up a Daytime Emmy in 2022.

Reminiscing with former Tonight Show producer and President of The Carson Entertainment Group and magical variety acts about The King of Late Night, Johnny Carson, on his 100th birthday.

A 25 year veteran actor, director, producer and writer who is from Brooklyn, NY / Woodbridge, NJ. Ronnie wrote and starred in I’m Not A Comedian… I’m Lenny Bruce, Directed by Joe Mantegna. The play ran for over 412 performances between Los Angeles, New York, Chicago and the National Tour. He is also known for his television work on CBS’ Criminal Minds, FOX’s Lethal Weapon as well as a 150 episode arc as Detective Ronnie Dimestico on General Hospital. As an actor, Marmo starred in more than 70 feature films includingDeuces Wild and  Back in the Day. He has directed over 50 stage plays, films and TV series. Ronnie has also produced 12 films and 110 plays/musicals in LA, NYC and CHI. Marmo has been the proud Artistic Director of Theatre 68 in LA and NYC for the last 22 years.

An Emmy & Golden Globe winning writer who contributed to the success of Hacks, Seinfeld, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Saturday Night Live, Modern Family & The Larry Sanders Show. 

Mandy Gonzalez is an accomplished film, TV, stage actor. Her Broadway debut was in the musical Aida. Then Mandy brought her talent to Lin-Manuel Miranda’s, In the Heights, where she originated the role of Nina Rosario in the Tony Award-winning show on Broadway, where she received a Drama Desk Award. As a proud Latina-American, the story of Nina resonated deeply.  Mandy then soared as Elphaba in Wicked and left an indelible mark in the megahit Hamilton, where she starred as Angelica Schuyler for 6 years. Mandy garnered  an OBIE Award for her performance in the Off-Broadway production of Eli’s Comin’. Mandy has been seen in recurring TV roles on such shows as Madam Secretary, BULL, Quantico, Only Murders in the Building. On the big screen, Mandy appeared in Across the Universe, Man on a Ledge, and she can be heard as the voices of Mei in Disney’s Mulan 2 and Mother Rose on Disney series Alice’s Wonderland Bakery. Mandy has performed with the New York Pops, Boston Pops, The National Symphony Orchestra, Houston Symphony and Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra to name a few. Mandy released her debut album FEARLESS, with Warner Music East/West, which debuted in the top 20 of iTunes pop charts. In her quest to create positive change, Mandy is the proud founder of #FearlessSquad—a social media movement for inclusiveness and positivity. Mandy is also an accomplished author who recently published her Young Adult series, FEARLESS -- a 4-book middle-grade series that follows young thespians whose brushes with the supernatural teach them about theater, friendship and themselves. Mandy serves on the boards of BCRF (Breast Cancer Research Foundation) and BCEFA (Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS), where she actively promotes awareness and fundraising efforts. Mandy is fresh off her guest-starring role as Norma Desmond in Sunset Blvd. and headed back to Carnegie Hall with world-premiere of Everything I Know, a dynamic production that pairs Gonzalez’s powerhouse voice and emotive prowess with a full accompaniment, creating an unforgettable celebration of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s iconic works.