On the Mic with Tim Drake

Episode 227 - Steven LaMorte and Amy Schumacher of "Screamboat"

On today's episode, I have writer/director Steven LaMorte and producer/actress Amy Schumacher from the new horror/comedy, "Screamboat"!

On January 1, 2024 the beloved Steamboat Willie became public domain, and Steven and Amy knew exactly what they were going to do when the clock struck midnight, turn it into a horror film! I was shocked at just how fast this was announced after the property became public, but Steve and Amy already had a plan in the works! After watching the movie this past week, I can say firsthand, it paid off. 

I talked with Steven and Amy about how they managed to turn the film around so quickly, finding the balance between being true to the Willie character while also making him a killing maniac, bringing Amy's character in the film to life, the hidden Disney homages, favorite scenes to film, and so much more! 

A huge Thank You to Steven and Amy for taking the time to join me on this episode to talk all things "Screamboat". Please get out and see the film as it hits theaters THIS WEDNESDAY, April 2nd. Support independent horror in theaters so fun movies like "Screamboat" can continue to be made. If you're in Burbank, join the cast and filmmakers on April 2nd at the AMC Burbank 16 for two Q&A's after the 7PM and 9PM screenings. Tickets are almost Sold Out, so get them while you can! Follow "Screamboat" on all of the links at www.onthemicpodcast.com as well!

Thanks, Steven and Amy!

Enjoy the episode!

Episode 226 - Sean Forney Returns!

On today's episode of the podcast, comic book artist Sean Forney returns to the show!

Sean first came on the show last summer ahead of San Diego Comic-Con, and returns to talk about the new Kickstarter that he's launching TODAY for his hit comic series "Scarlett Huntress Meets Mothman"! This is Sean's 7th Kickstarter campaign, and I anticipate it will be another great success. 

I talked with Sean about all that he has been up to since we spoke last July, as well as a bunch of new variant covers he's done for the "Do You Pooh" series, the phenomenon that has taken SDCC artist alley by storm, the longevity of Scarlett Huntress since making her debut appearance in 2004, some of the cool perks to donating to their kickstarter, WonderCon 2025 prep, and so much more!

A huge Thank You to Sean Forney for joining me on the show. Make sure you check out the links for the Kickstarter at www.onthemicpodcast.com as well as all of Sean's social links to follow all of the incredible projects that he's part of. You also won't want to miss him if you are in Anaheim this weekend at WonderCon! Sean's booth will be E-23 in Artists Alley. Come out and support him, especially on his birthday weekend!

Thanks, Sean!

Enjoy the episode!

Episode 225 - Jordan Morris

On today's episode I have comedy writer and comic book writer, Jordan Morris!

I have been following Jordan's career for a number of years now since I first saw him on @midnight and became a fan of his comedy, and have been intrigued with his career as I followed along. It was great to finally have Jordan join me on the show to talk about how he got his start writing comedy and built his career. 

I talked with Jordan about growing up and discovering comedy and the likes of Kids in the Hall and MST3K, finding community with other genre fans, getting his start into writing comedy, working on @midnight, working on the Jim Henson Company show Earth to Ned as well as Great Mythical Morning, getting his start in writing comics with his graphic novel "Bubble", which was nominated for 2 Eisner Awards, his graphic novel "Youth Group", the evolution of Archie comics and writing Chilling Adventures, writing the new "Web of Spider-Verse: New Blood", and the new "Godzilla vs. LA" comic that releases next month to support LA fire relief. 

A huge Thank You to Jordan for taking the time to join me on the show. He has such a busy schedule with all of these projects and I was honored he would take the time to join me on the show. Please make sure to follow him on all of the links at www.onthemicpodcast.com Get out to you local comic book stores and pick up "Web of Spider-Verse: New Blood", and pick up Jordan's other work on the links below. 

Thanks, Jordan!

Enjoy the episode!

Episode 224 - Carter Pilcher

On today's episode I have the founder and presenter of SHORTS and the Oscar nominated ShortsTV program, Carter Pilcher!

SHORTS is celebrating their 20th Anniversary this year, and prior to SHORTS presenting the Oscar nominated short film screenings, there was no way for the general public to view the nominated short films. Since the series was launched, it has become a massive hit, selling out theaters across the country before the nominees are even announced. 

On top of celebrating 20 years of SHORTS, I also had Carter on the show to talk about an issue at hand as two of the nominated filmmakers are currently not allowed to travel to the US for the ceremony due to the fact that they are from Iran. Hossein Molayemi and Shirin Sohani, the filmmakers behind "In the Shadow of the Cypress" have struggled to obtain Visas from the State Department. 

I talked with Carter about how SHORTS came about, the demand around the world for the program, the impact short films have on the viewing communities, and how all of us can try and help make it possible for Hossein and Shirin from "In the Shadow of the Cypress" to attend the Oscars and celebrate their incredible achievement. 

A huge Thank You to Carter for taking the time to join me. Please follow SHORTS on www.onthemicpodcast.com and most importantly, please click on the links to contact your Congressional representatives and Senators and encourage them to allow the Hossein and Shirin to attend the ceremony. 

Thank You, Carter!

Enjoy the episode!

Episode 223- Loïc Espuche

On today's episode I have Oscar nominated filmmaker, Loïc Espuche!

Loïc's animated short film "YUCK!" is nominated in this years Academy Awards. This is such a sweet film following a group of kids on vacation seeing all of the adults around them showing affection and kissing. Of course kissing is gross to kids, so they all squirm and of course exclaim, "YUCK!". 

I talked with Loïc about how the film came about, how he got into animation, what inspired the film, working with his girlfriend who produced the film, find the work relationship balance, the unique animation styles to the film, attending the Oscars, and so much more. 

A huge Thank You to Loïc for taking the time to join me on the podcast to talk about "YUCK!". Check out the ShortsTV link at www.onthemicpodcast.com to get your tickets to see "YUCK!" and all of the other Oscar nominated short films in theaters. You can also follow Loïc on Instagram as well!

Thanks, Loïc!

Enjoy the episode!

Episode 222 - Vera Drew

On today's episode I have actress, and filmmaker, Vera Drew!

Vera's new the film "The People's Joker" is quickly becoming a hit after her recent win at The Gotham Awards. This film is unlike anything I have seen and is so incredibly unique as Vera tells her story of coming out as a trans woman through the lens of the Joker. 

I talked with Vera about how she got her start in the industry, how the concept of the film came about, the catharsis of telling her story on her own terms, advice for those in the LBTQ community, or anybody struggling to tell their story, the films amazing guests stars, and so much more. 

A huge thanks to Vera Drew for taking the time to join me on the show today. I had such a great time talking with her and learning her story. Make sure to follow her on all of the links at www.onthemicpodcast.com and please go check out the film on Mubi or buy it now on Amazon! 

Thanks, Vera!

Enjoy the episode!

Episode 221 - Matthew Broussard

On today's episode of the podcast, I have comedian and actor, Matthew Broussard!

I first saw Matthew perform years ago while at a taping of Conan! This was his first late night TV performance. Funny enough, a few years later I saw him perform again in San Diego as part of Conan's Team Coco House. I've been a fan ever since! Matthew's new special "Hyperbolic" is out now on YouTube! This special is absolutely phenomenal and I cannot urge you to watch it enough. If you want to watch it right now, scroll down further and you can watch it right on our page!

I talked with Matthew about growing up in the South and finding comedy, standup on Conan, the every changing comedy world and the state of our industry, our love of sitcoms, working with Sharon Stone, his standup special, "Hyperbolic", and so much more!

A huge Thank You to Matthew Broussard for taking the time to join me on the show! Please make sure to follow him on all of the links on www.onthemicpodcast.com and sign up for his email list so you know exactly when he's coming to your town. And of course, check out his special, "Hyperbolic" and share it with anybody you know loves comedy. 

Thanks, Matthew!

Enjoy the episode. 

Episode 220 - LIVE from Los Angeles Comic Con w/ DEMONETIZE: Alex Watson, Janine Hogan, and Terrence Kirokos

On today's episode we are coming to you LIVE from Los Angeles Comic-Con!

For this episode I brought some of my Demonetize Productions team: Director and Co-Writer Alex Watson, Actress and Co-Writer Janine Hogan, and Producer Terrence Kiriokos. We were two days from our first prep week on the film and this was a great way to really get things going. This episode was recorded back in October, but since we immediately went right into production on Demonetize it's just seeing the light of day now. 

On the episode we talked about how the film came about, what inspired Alex and Janine while writing the film, how Terrence approaches our budget, ghost hunting and location scouting, finding our crew, and so much more. 

Thank you to Los Angeles Comic Con for having us and allowing us to do the show. I was thrilled I was able to bring Alex, Janine, and Terrence to the convention and to be able to talk about making Demonetize. As we wrapped on the film back in November, we couldn't not have asked for a better shoot. Our cast and crew were absolutely phenomenal. Please make sure to follow Alex, Janine, Terrence, and Demonetize on all of the links on www.onthemicpodcast.com We will eventually have an episode all about making the film, but for now, I hope you guys enjoy this episode LIVE from Los Angeles Comic Con. 

Thanks for having us!

Enjoy the episode. 

Episode 219 - Gregory Lay

On today's episode of the podcast, I have actor and filmmaker Gregory Lay! 

Season 4 of Greg's show "Greg in LA" is out now! I had seen episodes of the show in the past on Instagram, but always thought they were just sketches and didn't realize they were part of a much larger body of work. As soon as I dove into the first episode of the show I was hooked! I also quickly learned that Greg runs two food companies here in LA, "Eastside Cheesecakes" and "Sweet Selma's Bagels". I'll have all of the links below to check those out. 

On the episode I talked with Greg about growing up on the east coast and deciding to make the move to Los Angeles, putting in the work to find success as an actor and filmmaker, working with Sean Cunningham, deciding to put the show on Instagram, making "Greg in LA" with no crew and no budget, starting "Eastside Cheesecakes" and "Sweet Selma's Bagels", his feature film "Hudson", and so much more. 

A huge thanks to Gregory Lay for taking the time to join me on the show. It was so great to get to know him and hear his story. Please go and watch "Greg in LA" and if you're in the greater Los Angeles area, find Greg out and about with "Eastside Cheesecakes" and "Sweet Selma's Bagels". You can also order "Eastside Cheesecakes" anywhere in the country! I can't wait to try them! Follow Greg on all of the links at www.onthemicpodcast.com

Thanks, Greg!

Enjoy the episode!

Episode 218 - Rob Kutner Returns! (Again)

On today's episode of the podcast, I have 5x Emmy winner and Grammy winner, Rob Kutner!

Rob has been on the show a number of times as we writer for CONAN, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, for his comic books "Shrinkage" and "Snot Goblins", and today he joins me to talk about the new animated show he's the head writer of called, "God's Gang". Since Rob's departure from CONAN, he dove head on into animation. While "God's Gang" does center around religion's co-existing and working together, even if you are a non-religious person like me, it is still a very enjoyable show for all. 

I talked with Rob on the episode about getting into animation, the adjustment to writing for late night to animation, truth in comedy, how he became involved with "God's Gang", positive comments on the internet (WHAT?!), and so much more!

A huge Thank You to Rob for taking the time to come on the show to talk about "God's Gang". I always have such a great time talking to Rob about his new ventures. You can follow Rob on all of the links and actually watch an episode of God's at www.onthemicpodcast.com

Thanks, Rob! 

Enjoy the episode!