Black and A Half Episode #14: Matt Black

The year kicks off with another great episode with special guest, comedian Matt Black. Matt is the man behind DrHeckle.com, an internet humor website that commonly posts humorous pics before they make it to mainstream websites.

About Matt Black

Matt Black (aka Dr. Heckle) is a comedian, writer, and actor from Seattle, Washington.

He started comedy at 12 years old when he drew a comic strip for his school paper. After years of drawing and writing “funnies” for various newspapers and magazines, he started the critically acclaimed comedy website “Dr. Heckle” in 2005.

His unique, imaginative joke writing and intense passion for making people laugh sent him down the path of stand-up comedy. He recently won the Darrell’s Invitational Comedy Competition and was a finalist in the 2012 Joke Off Comedy Competition. He regularly performs at comedy clubs, casinos, and theaters. He currently produces and performs at “Heckle’s Comedy Show,” with acts every week from across North America.

Most recently you may have seen him in a commercial for Conair razor’s “Get the Edge” ad campaign. Recognized as one of the hardest working comics on the scene, you won’t want to miss a performance from this up and coming bright star in the world of comedy.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS

Black and A Half Episode #13: Lorraine Montez

On this episode of Black & A Half, Manny Martin and Silas Lindenstein sit down with Lorraine Montez, actor and producer, as she gets ready for the release of her new web series “Locally Grown.” They have a very fun and great talk about putting together this fun web series, discuss the recent Cheerios commercial, and they get into a deep discussion about out of body experiences.

About The Guest

Lorraine Montez possesses extensive professional credits in film and theater. She is the founder of Abundant Productions and works her expertise as executive producer, producer, director, writer, and marketing goddess. She has also worked as an executive producer, producer, writer, UPM or AD for numerous indie productions in Seattle and surrounding areas. Her most recent endeavor is producing for Abundant’s web series Locally Grown and moderating Abundant Story Playground – and experiential experience for writers to strengthen scripts in progress and actors to strengthen character skills. Lorraine also has more than 15 years of experience as a professional acting coach. In addition to her film work, Lorraine is an award-winning communications professional with more than 13 years of experience in marketing, writing, media relations and conceptual and business development. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Liberal Arts, Three-Camera Technique Certificate from Los Angeles Valley College, and a PR Certificate from University of Washington.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS

Black & A Half Episode #12: Jay Irwin

In this fabulous episode of Black & A Half, Manny and Silas sit down with actor, director, and theater reviewer Jay Irwin! Jay talks with them about being a Seattle reviewer and the complications that go with also being a local actor. They also talk extensively about the Seattle web series he is an actor in Chop Socky Boom, a hilarious comedy which just successfully funded a Kickstarter for its second season.

About the Guest

Jay Irwin is a Seattle native and has been working in Seattle Theater for about 20 years. He is a local actor, director and writer. Most recently he was seen as Edna in “Hairspray” at Seattle Musical Theatre and in Theater Schmeater’s Summer park show production of “Hansel and Gretel”. Off stage Jay just finished directing “The Boys Next Door” for STAGEright and also writes theater reviews for BroadwayWorld.com. Jay is also one of the actors in the local web series “Chop Socky Boom” and can also be seen in such films as “Creatures of the Pink Lagoon”, “Daylight Savings Time” and “Render Me Dead”.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS

Black and A Half Episode 11: Edi Zanidache and Nicholas Gyeney

This episode of Black & A Half with Manny Martin & Silas Lindenstein, they sit down with the creative team of Matt’s Chance Director/co-writer Nicholas Gyeney & co-writer/actor Edi Zanidache. They chatted about the making of the movie, fun times with fellow cast member Gary Busey, and what films they are looking forward to this summer.
Here’s a trailer for the movie Matt’s Chance.

About Nicholas Gyeney:

Nicholas was born in Seattle, Washington to Hungarian parents on July 15th, 1986. Since childhood, Nicholas avidly immersed himself in the world of motion pictures with the indelible influence of his father, Örs Gyeney. Every weekend, Örs would sit down with Nicholas to show him new films like Star Wars, The Terminator series, and the adventures of James Bond. Sadly, the tradition ended in 1998 when Nicholas’ father died tragically. Fueled by his loss, Nicholas started diving deeper into movies than ever before and soon discovered his calling as a filmmaker.

Throughout high school, Nicholas completed numerous short films, with most continuing on to win best picture and best director awards from his school’s film department. At the age of 17, Nicholas wrote and directed his first feature-length student film, which he submitted to the University of Southern California in hopes of being accepted into their prestigious film program. To his surprise and elation, he was not only accepted but granted a full-ride scholarship.

At age 20, while continuing his studies at the USC Film School, Nicholas began work on his first independent film, an ultra low budget schlock thriller called “The Falling.” The film premiered in Seattle on December 21, 2006 to a crowd of 600 people who gathered to witness the local filmmaker’s artistic endeavor. Shortly after, the film found distribution and began paving the road for Nicholas to establish relationships with many of the industry’s most successful professionals.

In 2008, with USC and his first feature behind him, and after three years developing and sharpening his abilities as a filmmaker, Nicholas wrote, produced, and directed his 2nd feature and first theatrically released film, “The Penitent Man,” which has been highly acclaimed for its unique structure and style. “The Penitent Man” stars Lance Henriksen (Aliens, The Terminator, Millenium), and Andrew Keegan (10 Things I Hate About You), and is available on Netflix, iTunes, Amazon, and other digital platforms.

In 2012, Nicholas directed his third feature, a dark comedy called, “Matt’s Chance” starring Edward Furlong, Lee Majors, Margot Kidder, and Gary Busey. After a successful film festival tour that garnered critical acclaim and several swards for best picture, acting, and original score, “Matt’s Chance” is now on its way to worldwide release.

As Nicholas prepares his next directorial effort in the coming months, he is quickly establishing himself as one of the top filmmakers in the Northwest.

About Edi Zanidache

Edi Z can be compared to an exciting carnival ride that will never end but won’t make you sick. A weird all around artist that employs comedic energy upon a crowd like some sort of comedy wizard. Or a lion ready to pounce on a helpless audience with his claws of humor. A giant humanoid can of Redbull that raps comedic flows so fast and so hard you’ll feel a cool breeze of astonishment.

Born in Romania, based in Seattle, Edi Zanidache can be seen performing all over the United States at comedy clubs and theaters. Apart from stand up comedy you can find Edi working/performing his latest projects in Seattle from sketch comedy, comedic raps, slam poetry, and even two comic strips THOSE DARN ZOMBIES! and The Stickmen Revolution. Edi has also just finished co-writing/acting in a movie called “Matt’s Chance” starring Edward Furlong, Lee Majors, Margot Kidder, Gary Busey, and Seattle Seahawk’s own Marshawn Lynch coming out in 2013.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS

Black and A Half Episode #10 – Mighty Tripod Productions, David S. Hogan & Angela Dimarco

Another episode of Black & A Half with hosts Manny Martin and Silas Lindenstein. This episode is an extended edition because of it’s double size in guests. The team of Mighty Tripod Productions made up of married Seattle acting couple David S. Hogan and Angela Dimarco join them for this installment. Mighty Tripod Productions is a Seattle based production company and they also teach acting classes for film and theater. They have a lot of students who may listen to this, so be warned; Manny and Silas get them to swear! They talk about how they got into acting, what it is like to work in films, do auditions, and we find out interesting things like which Superpower they’d rather have. Enjoy!

About the Guests

Mighty Tripod Productions was partly inspired by our cancer-fighting tripod canine, Vida. Vida persevered and fought osteosarcoma for 15 months, thriving happily for longer than expected. Her journey, and this theme of perseverance, resonated with us and our own paths as artists. We believe that the Actor must have the strength to persevere through trials and tribulations, as well as proper actor training which will allow their unique talents to emerge. Mighty Tripod Productions is committed to helping actors succeed by providing educational opportunities and production services (short film, screenplay readings, play readings, and more) to the northwest Actor.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS

Black and A Half Episode #9 – Ashley Cozine

This episode we sat down with Ashley Cozine, actor and producer for the web series Look Up In The Sky. Manny and Silas talked to her about her web series, the life of an LA Actor, how technology has advanced, the current Seattle film market, they each discuss their 5 desert island movies, and Manny and Silas try and get on her show.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Please subscribe and rate Black & A Half on iTunes. It really helps us gain fans and share the joy that is Black & A Half

About the Guest

Ashley Cozine is an actor currently working in Seattle, Portland, and Los Angeles. Her short films “Dessert and Suicide” and “On the Mountain” were featured in Tacoma Film Festival and Local Sightings Film Festival, respectively, and feature film “A Perfect Life” was seen at Columbia Gorge International Film Festival. Catch her in newly released web series “Look Up in the Sky” as Samantha Vaughn, a woman set out to reclaim her past and solve the 10 year old cold case of a disappearing teen. Find Ashley online at her Facebook Fan Page: http://www.facebook.com/ActressAshleyCozine
www.youtube.com/lookupseries

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS

Black and A Half Episode #8 – Lana Milk-n-Honey

Black & A Half; some episodes are hilarious, some are insightful, and some are just damn sexy. This is all three! Manny and Silas got a chance to sit down and talk to the intelligent and sexy burlesque dancer, Lana Milk-n-Honey. They discussed how she got into burlesque dancing, the life of a kinda geeky burlesque gal, her move up to Seattle from LA where she was pursuing acting, and her and Silas share strange stories of being parents. Manny tries to figure out how to get into a movie while Lana tries to get him to do Boy-lesque. Lana will be performing in the upcoming May 18th show – Comedy Trek: Into Laughter as an Orion Slave Girl.

About the Guest

Lana Milk-n-Honey,”the six foot sex pot” is one intense performer. From nerd to neo this burlesque showgirl can give you what you want and things you never knew you did. She’ll charm you with her smile and make you week in the knees with sheer power. A classically trained actress and makeup artist help to make for a memorable performance. Lana is a member of Lady Lux burlesque an troupe working out of Darrell’s in shoreline. If that wasn’t enough she’s partnered with fellow academy of burlesque graduate Czech Mate to start Blonde Ambitions productions, June 14th look for I love the 80′s burlesque. You can reach Lana at lanamilknhoney@gmail.com, Facebook and lanamilnhoney.com website to up and running soon!

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS

Black and A Half Episode 7: Jacqui Brown

On this episode of Black & A Half, Manny and Silas sit down with the hilarious author, Jacqui Brown. Jacqui talked about her newest book Drop Your Parachute, Not Your Party Pants!. Jacqui was very motivating and inspiring as a Canadian turned Mexican commercial actress, turned successful self-published author.
About the Guest

Jacqui Brown is known around the world for stealing the show, even though, as she says, many performances usually take place in the safety of her own home, or in many instances, in her own mind (and oh what a crazy mind it is!) Her humor is often R rated but crosses over seamlessly from Blue Dog Comedy to Laugh USA. Many people have claimed to spit their coffee right onto their computer when reading her Facebook updates, her twitter feed or her blog Shit My Vagina Says. She takes this as extreme flattery, but adamantly states that, “The ruination of your computer is NOT MY FAULT.”

Her SMVS blog was turned into the book last year and has been selling like hotcakes. “BITCH PLEASE! has been raved about from all corners of the world. She’s been called everything from crass and vulgar to simply funny as hell. She’s been loved and hated for her honest and brutal recitations regarding the change. Yet, she’s also been compared to Erma Bombeck, writing in 21st century time, for her crazy outlook on life while traversing her sweaty, estrogen depleted menopause.

Brown is a former reporter for The Los Angeles Times/TCN and is a contributing writer to Vibrant Nation and More Magazine.

Other books by Brown include, “Dancing With The Devil”, “Recovery’s A Bitch…as if menopause alone wasn’t bad enough!”, ”Imagine Words”, “the MAZE”, “Drop Your Parachute, Not Your Party Pants!”, and will be releasing her NaNoWriMo winning book, “Trying To Avoid Cars” (book 1) and “The Long Road To Heaven” (book 2), which will be transformed into a screenplay adaption in 2013!

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS

Black and A Half Episode 6: CJ West

This episode of Black & A Half features Author C.J. West. C.J. is an author living in Massachusetts. He discovered our podcast and loved it so much he contacted us to get on. This is our first ever interview via Skype, so please forgive the oddness that comes from not being able to see the person we are interviewing. We talked to him about his life as a self-published author, acting in murder mysteries, his early life trying to become a golfer, and Manny tries (again) to get a part in a movie.

About the Guest

C.J. West is the author of seven suspense novels including The End of Marking
Time and Sin and Vengeance, which was optioned into development for film
by Beantown Productions, LLC (screenplay by Marla Cukor). C.J. blogs at
www.cjwestkills.wordpress.com. You can also find him at www.22wb.com or at
www.facebook.com/cjwestfans

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS

Black and A Half Episode 5: Scot Bastian

2013 is off to a great start as Black & A Half returns with its first episode of the new year. Episode #5 features Seattle playwright, author and scientist Scot Bastian, Ph.D. He sits down and talks with Manny and Silas about his recent publication of his book “Do Ya Think? Science, Science Fiction, and Skepticism” and discusses his dream of a “science theatre.” They also discuss their favorite bad movies, The Hobbit, ghost hunting and their varying religious beliefs.

About the Guest

Scot Bastian Ph.D. received his Ph.D. in Experimental Patholgy from the University of Colorado just prior to moving to Seattle in 1992. He has studied molecular biology in several laboratories prior to a major move into the Seattle arts scene beginning about 12 years ago. He has been active as an local film and stage actor, writer and producer with several local theater groups including DAMN, WARP, and the Artswest Seattle Playwright Studio. His proudest accomplishments are mounting a stage production of “Scotapalooza: Do Ya Think” a collection of his short works, publication of the Kindle E-book Do Ya Think? Science, Science Fiction, and Skepticism available at Amazon.com (which will soon be available as a paperback), and publication of the paper “Regulation of the megakaryocytic glycoprotein IX promoter by the oncogenic Ets transcription factor Fli-1” in the journal “Blood.” (and, no, he didn’t make that up—look it up.) More information is available at scotbastian.com.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS