Creativity in Captivity

Margaret Kerrison, author of Immersive Storytelling for Real and Imagined Worlds, discusses engaging audiences in co-creating narratives, balancing screen time for human connection, and the power of immersive storytelling in museums. She also explores the Sleep No More experience and site-specific customization in locations like Avengers Campus.

Steven Banks is a multi-disciplinary artist — a writer, musician, comedian and actor. He was head writer on SpongeBob SquarePants and also wrote on CatDog and Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius. He is the New York Times bestselling author of the middle grade series Middle School Bites. He wrote and starred in the cult classic Home Entertainment Center on Amazon, and co-created Shadowland with the dance/theater company Pilobolus, which has been performed in 40 countries. Steven’s second identity is the irrepressible Billy the Mime who appeared in the movie The Aristocrats and also paints folk art for Billy’s Moving Art Gallery. His latest projects include Stan Lee’s Superhero Kindergarten, Shaq’s Garage and the book for the Broadway musical Save The Last Dance For Me – The Doc Pomus Story. On this episode of the podcast, Steven shares his love of The Music Man and explains the concept of reverse shoplifting in museum gift shops.

A Grammy Award-winning singer songwriter, touring musician and philanthropist who started her career with the platinum-selling hit song Stay (I Missed You) from the film Reality Bites. A trailblazing independent artist, Lisa was the first pop musician to have a Number 1 single while not signed to a recording contract. She followed that remarkable feat with several hit singles and six albums, two of which were certified gold.Lisa is well known to parents and kids for her five children’s albums and two illustrated children’s books with music. Lisa recently collaborated to develop and write the children’s musical Camp Kappawanna which debuted at New York City’s Atlantic Theater Company. Inspired by her own love of summer camp, in 2008, Lisa started The Camp Lisa Foundation, which sends underserved kids to summer camp.  In January 2018, her family friendly album, Feel What U Feel, won the Grammy for Best Children’s Album, along with rave reviews and The Parents Choice Award. Among other shows, Lisa provides voice talent for the animated series Creative Galaxy and composes the original songs for the Emmy nominated, If You Give a Mouse a Cookie series. Often recognized for her iconic cat-eyed glasses, Lisa redefines how women accessorize with her own eyewear line. As an entrepreneur, Lisa oversees the business and eyewear design of Lisa Loeb Eyewear.  As an actor, Lisa’s recent film and television appearances include AP Bio, John Oliver’s Last Week Tonight, About a Boy, Hot Tub Time Machine 2, King of The Nerds and Sprout Channel’s Sunny Side Up Show (now Sprout House on Universal Kids). You might have also heard her voice on commercials including Alfa Romeo, Foster Farms Chicken and Chili’s.

An Emmy Award-winning writer, producer, actor and comedian currently serving as the announcer of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and a writer/producer of Saturday Night Live. Prior to The Tonight Show, Higgins was the announcer for Late Night with Jimmy Fallon from 2009 to 2014. Early in his career, he was part of the sketch comedy trio The Higgins Boys and Gruber, who had their own eponymous sketch series on Comedy Central from 1989 to 1991. Steve voiced the character Chadwick The Edible Blargmonger in the 2014 animated special ELF: Buddy’s Musical Christmas. He is a member of the Higgins comedy dynasty of Des Moines, IA. Steve tells what the average work week is like on SNL and recommends the book “The War of Art” by Steve Pressfield as required reading for young people pursuing a life in creativity. 

An Emmy-nominated television writer and executive producer who is a native of Des Moines, Iowa, currently living in Los Angeles. Prior to co-creating Bob Hearts Abishola, Al Higgins was best known for writing and producing the acclaimed series Malcolm in the Middle, for which he was nominated for both an Emmy and Producers Guild Award with his close associate Chuck Lorre; taking on the role of showrunner for Mike & Molly for the last three seasons; and executive producing, with Lorre and Michael Douglas, The Kominsky Method, which won them a Golden Globe for Best Comedy Series. On this episode he shares the importance of a good burn to put your brothers in place by disarming them with words, his passion for food and travel and what he has learned about living in the moment from his trips to Italy.

A maker of things, a creative entrepreneur and a photographer who was born and raised in Northwest Indiana. She uses her whole toolkit to create custom art, jewelry, leather, metal and retro pinup photography. Aubrey learned the traditional Native American and Mountain Man leather making techniques from her family, and she makes everything in her workshop by hand from handpicked materials. She was professionally trained in television, film, make-up and hair, and has worked on many commercials, movies and photo shoots. Her specialty is in pinup and boudoir. She is the owner of Live Free Leather, Tokyo Rose Pinups and TR Collective. The best word to describe her is indescribable. 

A five-time Emmy Award winning actor, writer and host of a weekly PBS series. John spent nine seasons hosting Around the Corner with John McGivern. His new show John McGivern’s Main Streets will air on PBS stations in Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota, Michigan and Iowa beginning in January of 2023. He has written articles for The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and Milwaukee Magazine about his travels around the state of Wisconsin. John’s one man shows, The Early Stories of John McGivern, Midsummer Night McGivern and John McGivern’s Home for the Holidays tell the stories of being the third born of six kids in a working-class Irish Catholic family in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. His stories are personal, funny, touching and familiar. His themes are based in family and remind us all that as specific as we might believe our experiences are, we all share a universal human experience. John is proud to have been part of We’re Funny That Way on HBO and Out There ll on Comedy Central. He was sitting next to Sally Field on Politically Incorrect and knighted by Julie Andrews in the film The Princess Diaries. John’s starring roles in theatrical productions include Shear Madness, The Wonder Bread Years, Bunk Bed Brothers, American Fiesta and A Kodachrome Christmas. 

An executive creative director, UX practitioner, brand strategist and visual designer who designs for the tech world but encourages everyone to always be designing their life. Lisa started her design life as a self-proclaimed creative through painting and photography, then regrettably sold all her work at a garage sale during a confidence crisis in her early 20s. She switched to graphic design and founded a web design studio where she was discovered online by Ernst & Young Consulting who were building a Center for Technology Enablement practice. After a rigorous stint building a bi-coastal team of creatives for the center, Lisa went on to find her place as an entrepreneur using a colorful mix of art, technology and business. She helped Hewlett Packard's education division build a global e-commerce experience. She opened an invitation company in Santa Barbara that was selected to be part of a television series for The Learning Channel focused on high-end wedding designers, their lifestyle and how they run their design business - winning features in InStyle, Destination Weddings and Your Wedding Day Magazines. Lisa led the brand and communication department at Stanford Law School, building an online solution recognized as a finalist by the Society for New Communications Research for Innovation of Year. She now runs an underground studio for her company called razpberrizoo creative where she strengthens brands, designs digital products and strategizes on UX for the likes of 20th Century Studios (Walt Disney), Stanford University, Jones Lang LaSalle, Farmgirl Flowers, First Republic Bank, Pfizer, Hewlett Packard, Beckman Coulter, CSC and Hot Topic. She also co-owns an early-stage AI-based health and wellness start-up where her team is attempting to change everyone’s mindset about exercise. You can find out more at designinglisapeacock.com

For almost two decades Jacob Rajan and Justin Lewis, the founders of Indian Ink Theatre Company, have pursued their idea of the ‘Serious Laugh’- opening mouths with laughter in order to slip something serious in along with a love of mask and story. The company blends western theatrical traditions with eastern flavors and has been critically acclaimed for their use of live music, heightened theatricality, humor, pathos and great storytelling. Together with a team of long-term collaborators Jacob and Justin have created an extraordinary series of award-winning plays that have delighted audiences throughout New Zealand and around the world. Indian Ink has won three Production of the Year awards, two Edinburgh Festival Fringe First Awards, won Best Play, Best Composer and Best Actor at the Chapman Tripp Theatre Awards and broken box office records with tours throughout New Zealand, to Australia, Singapore and Edinburgh. "We aim to make theatre that is beautiful, funny, sad and true. We go to the theatre to be transported by a great story and to enjoy characters who live large in our imaginations. We want the experience to leave an indelible imprint on your hearts. That’s why we’re called Indian Ink!”

A Canadian figure skater and choreographer who has won two Emmy Awards for Scott Hamilton: Upside Down and for choreographing the opening and closing of the 2002 Winter Olympics. Kawahara joined the Ice Capades at age 17 and skated with them for seven years. In 1997, she became the first skater to win the Best Choreography Emmy Award. Sarah has choreographed for numerous competitive skaters, including Michelle Kwan, Kristi Yamaguchi, Dorothy Hamill, Peggy Fleming, Kurt Browning, Nancy Kerrigan, Oksana Baiul, Robin Cousins, Victor Petrenko and Tia Babilonia & Randy Gardner. She was coach and choreographer for the films Go Figure, Blades of Glory and I, Tonya, and for the television series Spinning Out. On this episode Sarah tells us when ice rinks were first added to cruise ships and about watching her daughter Hayley Kiyoko perform recently at Kamala Harris’s home.