

Creativity in Captivity
Sweetwood Creative
An insider dialogue that invites the listener to pull up a seat at the table with A-list creatives from a variety of disciplines. They share their insights on the process, craft, and inspiration. Join us for a better understanding of this elusive muse every Thursday with Pat Hazell (Seinfeld, The Tonight Show) and his friends as they demystify the transferable nature of creativity.Produced by: Sweetwood Creative In Partnership with Stoney Island Audio
Episodes
Mentioned books

Jul 31, 2025 • 50min
MAIA SHARP: The Joy of Tomboy
A Nashville singer/songwriter and music producer with a 30-year career that includes writing songs for Trisha Yearwood (including recent single The Wall Or The Way Over), Keb’ Mo’ and Taj Mahal (including recent single Junkyard Dog), Cher, Bonnie Raitt, and Art Garfunkel, while simultaneously earning a sizeable cult following and consistent critical acclaim for her own releases. Maia’s 10th solo album, Tomboy, will be released on September 12th, it is an ultra-authentic Americana-adjacent record steeped in quiet gratitude, internal celebration, and a complete embrace of true self. The first single Tomboy grew out of Sharp and co-writer Emily Kopp jokingly trading photos from their tomboy childhoods – an idea that carries over into the song’s lovingly nostalgic video (a second video has been created from photos submitted by fans). Sharp has been significantly shaped by her long involvement with Songwriting with Soldiers, a non-profit that pairs veterans, first responders and law enforcement with pro songwriters to create music about whichever part of their experience they choose to share.

Jul 24, 2025 • 52min
JOHN DI DOMENICO: Good First Impressions
A Emmy-nominated comic actor and entertainer that has a stable of award-winning celebrity impressions including: Austin Powers, Dr. Evil, Dr. Phil, Jay Leno, Ozzy Osbourne, Guy Fieri, and the current White House resident. From comedy clubs to improv stages to corporate events, John has been writing and performing for over 30 years. He performed as a cast member of Some Assembly Required, one of New York’s finest improv troupes. John has been featured in numerous network commercials and appeared on the Fox TV sketch series Let's Be Real. He can also be seen as the president in the movie Meet the Spartans. John can be heard doing the voice of Trump, on the highly popular Howard Stern Show on Sirius Radio. But Di Domenico’s focus is on creating content for corporate audiences as a professional emcee, game show host or master of ceremonies as either himself, or in the guise of one his many celebrity characters.

Jul 17, 2025 • 51min
ALLAN HARRIS: The Poetry of Jazz
A Brooklyn-born, Harlem-based jazz vocalist, blues guitarist, songwriter, band leader, and a true luminary in the world of music. Revered by the Miami Herald as an artist graced with "the warmth of Tony Bennett, the bite and rhythmic sense of Sinatra, and the sly elegance of Nat ‘King' Cole," Allan Harris stands as an embodiment of moving and magisterial artistry. With a career spanning fourteen recordings as a leader, Allan Harris has captivated audiences worldwide with his exceptional talent and charismatic presence. Allan is a three-time recipient of the New York Nightlife Award for "Outstanding Jazz Vocalist," a distinguished DownBeat "Rising Star Jazz Vocalist," and a 3rd place winner of the prestigious 2022 "Sarah Vaughan International Vocal Competition." Harris is also a two-time recipient of Hot House Jazz Magazine's "Best Male Jazz Vocalist" award and has been honored with a Back Stage award for "Ongoing Achievement in Jazz." Internationally he has been bestowed with France's Palmares Award top 3 Best Jazz Vocal Albums. He has shared the stage with luminaries such as Tony Bennett, Dionne Warwick, Diana Krall, Abbey Lincoln, Natalie Cole, and many others. Variety describes Harris as "a velvet-voiced jazz singer, with a savvy manner and music in his veins."

Jul 10, 2025 • 53min
JOSH SNEED: A Need for Sneed
A national touring comedian who has appeared on Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central & Dry Bar Comedy. Josh is one of the most played artists on Sirius X/M radio and His comedy special, Josh Sneed: Live in the Dessert, was released in 2018 by Dry Bar Comedy. Clips from the special have been viewed more than 50 million times. He has performed at the prestigious Just For Laughs Comedy Festival in Montreal, the Aspen Comedy Festival, and was chosen by Comedy Central to perform in their inaugural South Beach Comedy Festival. Josh finished 2nd out of 100 of Comedy Central’s top comedians in the Annual Stand-up Showdown Competition, and released an album on Comedy Central Records called “Unacceptable”, which iTunes selected as one of the Top 10 comedy albums released that year. His follow-up album, “Unsung Hero” also debuted at the Top of the iTunes comedy chart. He has made numerous appearances on the nationally syndicated The Bob & Tom Show, and performed on many stops of their sold-out theater tour. He's shared the stage with Dave Chappelle, Jim Gaffigan, Ron White, and Kevin Hart. His newest comedy special Fat Ryan is now available world-wide.

Jul 3, 2025 • 52min
SHELLEY RODEN: The Folly of Foley
An award-winning foley artist at Skywalker Sound that has created and performed foley sound effects for over two hundred live action and animated films and TV series including such projects as Top Gun: Maverick, Jurrasic World Rebirth, F1, The Mandalorian, Andor, Toy Story 4, Inside Out 2 and Soul. Her favorite projects include Black Panther: Wakanda Forever and The Black Panther, Pixar’s Lightyear andTurning Red, Disney’s Encanto and Raya and the Last Dragon, and Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery. For a full list of credits, visit IMBD. Shelley has designed and conducted in-person and virtual foley presentations and workshops for college students to help them learn to listen, invent, and problem solve through the art of foley. Roden has also led workshops for high school, elementary school, and at-risk youth and is actively mentoring two young foley artists. She is in the process of writing a non-fiction book featuring personal interviews with veteran foley artists.

Jun 26, 2025 • 46min
BOB PETERSON: The Dug Whisperer
An Academy-Award nominated, screenwriter, director and animator who co-wrote and co-directed the Pixar film Up in which he voiced the characters Dug and Alpha. Prior to coming to Pixar, he wrote and illustrated the comic strip Loco Motives while attending Purdue. He worked at Wavefront Technologies and Rezn8 Productions as a technical director and when hired by Pixar he started as an animator for commercials, then became an animator on Toy Story. Peterson was nominated for an Oscar for his screenplay for Finding Nemo. He also a voice actor that has provided the voices of Roz in Monsters, Inc., Mr. Ray in Finding Nemo, as well as the Janitor in Toy Story 3. He also plays the voice of Chick Hicks in Cars 3 replacing Michael Keaton. Bob serves as the narrator in the Finding Dory read-along book. Bob Peterson went on to write and direct 10 episodes of Forky Asks a Question, Dug Days and Carl’s Date.

Jun 19, 2025 • 33min
CANDICE GHAI: Portrait Play
A professional fine art photographer based in Austin, Texas, Candice is driven by the allure of the unseen and the enigmatic. Her work delves into the mysteries that lie beyond the veil, exploring the world through a metaphysical lens. Utilizing diverse mediums such as water, glass, mirrors, and fabric, she strives to create ethereal and moody imagery that evokes a sense of otherworldliness. These elements allow her to play with light and reflection, creating a visual narrative that transcends the ordinary. Her art seeks to uncover the depths of the human soul, journeying through various realms to bring the subconscious self to the surface. Each photograph is an invitation to step into a dreamlike state, where the boundaries between reality and imagination blur, revealing the profound connections between our inner and outer worlds. Through her photography, Candice aims to offer a glimpse into the intangible, inviting viewers to explore the mysteries that reside within and beyond.

Jun 12, 2025 • 39min
OWEN MORSE: Hang Glider Pilot
Owen is the world record holder for the longest hang gliding flight out-and-return of 222 miles in Owens Valley, CA. He has been selected to be a member of the US Men’s hang gliding team to compete in the World Championships this July in Ager, Spain. Owen is also member of the comedy juggling duo The Passing Zone with his partner Jon Wee. They began their professional journey by winning the Gold Medal at the International Jugglers' Association Championships. This lead to their television debut on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson and and appearance in The Addams Family Movie, where they doubled for Raul Julia and Christopher Lloyd. They have performed at the Royal Variety Performance in London for Prince Charles, on the Miss America Pageant, and at The White House. They were finalists on America’s Got Talent, made appearances on Penn & Teller: Fool Us, Hell’s Kitchen, and regular spots on NBC’s Today, as well as providing on-air commentary for ESPN’s World Juggling Federation Competitions.

Jun 5, 2025 • 49min
GREGG BINKLEY: Acting His Age
A 30-year working actor and respected acting coach that has played roles in films directed by Mel Brooks, Clint Eastwood, the Coen Brothers, and Woody Allen. Gregg starred in the films Revenge of the Nerds 3 and 4 and served as the spokesman “Dan the Del Taco Guy” for six years with 58 commercials. He portrayed Don Knotts in the NBC movie of week Behind the Scenes of Three’s Company. Later, he was cast as Kenny James in the NBC show My Name is Earl. Two years later he was cast as Barney Hughes on Raising Hope on Fox for 71 episodes. Recently, Gregg directed shows for Pure Flix including Hitting the Breaks, Malibu Dan and The Beverlys. His more recent acting credits include guest starring roles on NCIS: Los Angeles, Young Sheldon and NCIS. In 2017 he founded Gregg Binkley’s “Working Actors Workshop.” In 2024 he released the inspirational book Get Your Act Together: Finding Success in Acting and Life.

May 29, 2025 • 53min
XHLOE RICE & NATASHA ROLAND: Theatrical Barnstormers
A pair of New York City based playwrights & performers that create absurdist physical theatre and clown content. This two-person theatre company is a three time consecutive recipient of the prestigious Fringe First Award for Outstanding New Writing for their plays "And Then The Rodeo Burned Down" (2022), "What If They Ate The Baby?" (2023), and “A Letter To Lyndon B Johnson or God: Whoever Reads This First” (2024) at Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Xhloe and Natasha have been called “the most promising young theatre-makers to emerge from Edinburgh in recent years” by Everything Theatre and “The most compelling performers on the fringe” by Scotsman Theatre Editor, Joyce Mcmillan. They’ve also been called “broke,” and “desperate” by many others. Pay close attention to these names and faces as they rise through the theatrical ranks.