Creativity in Captivity

Matt Goldman is a New York Times bestselling author and Emmy Award-winning television writer and producer. He has been nominated for a Writer’s Guild Award, the Shamus Award and the Nero Award. Matt's television writing credits include Seinfeld, Ellen, Love & War, Working, Three Sisters, Level Up, Just Add Magic, The New Adventures of Old Christine and Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency. He served as a consulting producer on Fox’s Luis, Disney’s Wizards of Waverly Place, CBS’s Gary Unmarried and Amazon’s Just Add Magic. Matt’s first novel, Gone to Dust, was published in the summer of 2017. It was followed by Broken Ice in 2018, The Shallows: A Nils Shapiro Novel in 2019 and Dead West in 2020. His first stand-alone, Carolina Moonset, was published in May of 2022 and is listed as one of the Best Books of 2022 by Amazon. His next novel, A Good Family, will be released in May of 2023. Matt’s stage play Bunk Bed Brothers, which he co-wrote with Pat Hazell, has run in numerous cities around the country and received critical acclaim in the Los Angeles Times, Minneapolis Star Tribune and other publications. In addition to being developed for television by NBC, Sony TriStar optioned a film script based on the play. 

The Tony Award winning writing team of the musicals: Ragtime, Anastasia, Seussical, Once on This Island, My Favorite Year, Rocky, Chita Rivera: The Dancer’s Life, Lucky Stiff, Dessa Rose, The Glorious Ones, A Man of No Importance, Knoxville and Little Dancer. These renowned collaborators have received theater, film and music’s highest honors – the Tony, Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle and Olivier Awards, as well as nominations for two Academy Awards, two Golden Globes and four Grammys. They serve on the Council of the Dramatists Guild of America and founded the DGF Fellows Program for Emerging Writers. In 2014 they received the Oscar Hammerstein Award for Lifetime Achievement and in 2015 they were inducted into the Theater Hall of Fame. 

Asi Wind is a recipient of the Close-up Magician of the Year Award from the prestigious Academy of Magical Arts at Los Angeles’s Magic Castle. For the last decade, Wind has served as the chief consultant to magician David Blaine, working on Blaine’s ABC television specials and his first live tour. Asi’s off-Broadway show, Concert of the Mind, received rave reviews, sold out and extended its run. His appearance on Penn & Teller: Fool Us has over 14 million views on YouTube, making it one of the most-watched performances in the show’s history. Asi is currently starring in his new critically-acclaimed Off-Broadway show, Inner Circle.

A multi-talented comedic composer, vocalist, actor and the creator of the irrepressible Broadway Barbara, whose showbiz tales and classic show tunes have made her a social media sensation. Leah is an alumni of the renowned Groundling’s Sunday Company and a founding member of the Transcendence Theatre Company, which earned her a Broadway World “Person to Watch” nomination and the opportunity to open for Rita Moreno and Ben Vereen in concert. She also sang alto in the premiere top 40 vintage trio The Beverly Bombshells. Leah's national tour credits include: Radio City Christmas Spectacular, 42nd Street and Happy Days. Regionally she has graced the stages of Paper Mill Playhouse, Goodspeed Opera House, Falcon Theatre and Eugene O’Neill Theatre. She has made television appearances on Maron, Jimmy Kimmel Live and Blackish. Find out much more by visiting @BroadwayBarbaraOfficial on Instagram and TikTok.

Executive producer / magic consultant for David Copperfield for over 30 years from the live Vegas show at the MGM casino to worldwide touring and television events. In 2017 Chris was awarded a Creative Fellowship from the Academy of Magical Arts for his mastery of both the art and business of magic. He is one of those rare individuals who was not only proficient, but highly influential in card magic and coin magic. He is the author of the books Totally Out of Control and The Right Stuff which feature dozens of his close-up creations. On this episode Chris discusses his love of movies including Jaws and the little known whodunnit The Last of Sheila, he shares how he acquired his collection of artist Frank Kozik’s colorful vinyl busts and he explains how he stays curious about everything from bridge design to fire hydrant placement to keep his problem solving muscle flexed. 

The 1st Annual Christmas Cluster is a holiday salute to creativity with many special guest showcasing some seasonal treats. Music, poetry and comedy are on tap to make spirits bright for the week of Christmas. Enjoy music from the Jo Ann Daugherty Trio, Maia Sharp, Tony Haselden, Broadway Barbara, Catherine Porter & Seth Barrish, a poem from Alandra Markman, seasonal stand up comedy from your host Pat Hazell and a visit with Earlene Hoople from The Early Bird Morning Show. Grab a mug of holiday hooch and get ready for a cool yule.

Peoria native Liv Warfield takes cues from musical influences like Nina Simone, Etta James, Mavis Staples, Sade, Tina Turner and Mary J. Blige, but has carved out a style all her own, which can best be described as “alternative soul with a lil bit of Rock ‘n’ Roll.” In 2006, she self-released her debut album Embrace Me. By 2009, she caught the eye of music icon Prince and ultimately joined his group the New Power Generation. After touring for several years and soaking up as much knowledge as she could from the ultimate music mentor, Warfield made her big splash on the national scene as a featured artist for VH1’s You Oughta Know campaign, and then with the release of her major label debut album The Unexpected, which was executive produced by Prince. What followed were show-stopping performances on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, The Late Show with David Letterman and The Arsenio Hall Show; a 2014 Soul Train Music Award and nominations for two others; a BET Best New Artist Award nomination; an interview with National Public Radio; and high-profile cosigns from Lionel Richie, Cyndi Lauper, and Nancy Wilson of Heart. That same year, Warfield’s performance closing out Essence Fest was hailed as one of the most memorable after shows at the New Orleans House of Blues. In 2015, Warfield and the NPG Hornz were named one of the top 10 bands to see at the Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland. In 2017, Warfield collaborated with another one of her childhood influences, Nancy Wilson, to create the band Roadcase Royale. Their lead single “Get Loud” was featured prominently in the 2017 Women’s March and they released their debut album First Things First later that year. If that weren’t enough, their remake of Heart’s These Dreams was featured in the film Molly’s Game. Warfield recently recorded music for the Oscar-nominated HBO documentary Da Bronx. Her third album Olivia is coming in 2023. 

An Emmy Award-winning producer, comedian, actor, author, writer, comedy historian and musician. Wayne is noted for numerous stand-up comedy appearances in clubs, theaters, and on television; his book on The History of Stand-Up; and supporting comedic acting roles in The X-Files, The Larry Sanders Show, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Crashing, Silicon Valley, Legally Blonde, 50 First Dates, The 40-Year-Old Virgin, and Step Brothers. He was the head monologue writer for NBC's Late Night with Jimmy Fallon in its first season. He won a 2022 Primetime Emmy Award for producing the HBO documentary George Carlin's American Dream. In 2018, Wayne co-produced the Emmy-winning HBO documentary, The Zen Diaries of Garry Shandling. He also produced an award-winning web series with Don Rickles entitled, Dinner With Don, as well as Judd Apatow's 2017 Netflix stand-up special, The Return. In 2022, Wayne produced the two part HBO documentary George Carlin's American Dream.

An award-winning solo show artist and nationally recognized writing coach who is making a big impact everywhere from off-Broadway to The Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Ann’s show Loveland, played for two years in San Francisco where it won the SF Weekly Award for Best Solo Show and garnered the SF Bay Critic’s Award for Best Original Script. In LA it won the LA Weekly award for Best Solo Show. Her solo show, Squeeze Box, was produced by Mel Brooks and Anne Bancroft and enjoyed a successful off-Broadway run before touring the US, where it received both the Los Angeles Ovation Award and the LA Weekly Award for Best Solo Show. Ann’s other solo works include Down Home, Shelter and Miss America, for which she won the LA Weekly award for Best Solo Performer. Her current solo show, Inappropriate in All the Right Ways, has been described by The Huffington Post as “a show like no other.” A favorite spoken word artist, Ann is a Moth StorySLAM winner and has been a regular on LA’s long running spoken word series including Tasty Words, SPARK and Gorgeous Stories. Her personal essays and interviews have been featured on NPR, PBS and the BBC. As a member of the WGA, she has written scripts for Gullane Pictures, Lifetime TV, Brooksfilms, PAX, and Klasky-Csupo. Her widely popular writing workshop Unmute Yourself is offered in cities across the US and now online. 

An award-winning musician and published author who is active in the Austin music scene on vocals, cello, acoustic and electric guitar, keyboards, electric bass, banjo, dobro, human beatbox and drums. John has produced, performed and recorded with Ozomatli, BoomBoxATX, Schrödinger's Cat, Woodwork, Trio Los Vigilantes, The House Jacks, The Swingle Singers and Sixpence None the Richer. He has eleven Austin Music Awards including “Best Acoustic Guitar” and “Best Miscellaneous Instrument – Human Beatbox.” He is in the Cirque du Soleil talent pool and his national commercial credits include principal appearances as a beatboxer for Chili’s, Schlotzsky’s Austin City Limits and Southwest Airlines, as well as music for Walmart. His acting credits include Judas in Jesus Christ Superstar, Roger in RENT, a co-starring role on Fox's Prison Break and he played himself opposite Harry Connick, Jr. in the movie Angels Sing. John’s book Yesterday Was Weird, co-written with his dog Benny, has been featured on Today and in Good Housekeeping and Southern Living.