Game of Life Podcast

Dan is joined by all-round entertainer, storyteller, and even influencer, Bailey Nathan-Park! We chat about his experience working with Snoop Dogg for the Grand Final, odd jobs, the love of touring, being connected to work that has a purpose, telling stories, working in a finance firm, the initial weak spot of singing, sung through shows, the first audition, burning to learn, cruise ship work, get...

Dan is joined by photographer and videographer, Kyle Head! We chat about not going down the performing path, being a shy and introverted kid, the love of creating, feeling safer behind something, creating a showreel with his brother Liam, finding a tangible career in film, turning his passion into an ever evolving business, the importance of word of mouth, being available Australia wide, helping t...

Dan is joined by Steven Cannatelli AKA "The Coach" and owner of Future Artist Music! We chat about his start at Roadrunner Records, getting a feel for how things work on a Slipknot tour, starting and being in many different bands, becoming a vocalist, the impact that drugs & alcohol played in Steven's early days, getting many chances, the blows felt of band breakups, getting signed to a r...

Dan is joined by musical theatre superstar, Hayden Baum! We chat about why Hayden reached out to be on the podcast over a year ago, finding his love for performing, growing up on movie musicals, playing piano, a full circle moment closing the Chicago tour in Canberra, the WAAPA experience, singing always being a big thing, surrounding himself with inspirational people, first auditions, being in th...

Dan is joined by mentalist/magician, actor, and speaker Tristan McLindon in an often mind bending chat! We talk about his decision to quit his marketing job to become a full time magician, unlocking the awe and wonder of magic, enjoying the pressure to push himself creatively, the importance of reading groups of people while doing street magic, now being able to call himself a magician, the best r...

Re-Release! Dan and Harman are joined by a former soldier, former chef, and now one of the best comedians out there, Jarryd Goundrey! We chat about making content for a living, the freedom of the podcast format, calendar pressure, the sustainable amount of content, comparison. being computer illiterate, teaser clips, sitting in the sweet spot zone of "I must", hitting the burnout but gaining the l...

Dan is joined by comedian and actor, Blake Pavey! We chat about filming his special, timestamping certain moments as a comedian, not looking back, getting humbled by bad gigs, choosing an opening act, connecting with fans through illness, taking the time to write a new show, kicking into a new gear this year, working on the second season of Deadloch, the TikTok awards, putting out the first video,...

Dan is joined by magician, Lucas Kogaki, and he performs a trick on the show, a podcast first! We chat about the thousands of strangers he performs to each week, not being afraid of failure, the love of close up magic, having an out for everything, discovering magic on YouTube at 14, people's spectrum of knowing how tricks work, giving people a lasting sense of wonder, getting the nickname of "the...

Dan is joined by comedian, Luke Kidgell! We chat about the birth of Keg Touring, admin, the thought behind the "You Don't Own Me" video, getting weirdly big in the Philippines, performing internationally, most things being universal, the barrier between Australia and New Zealand, preparing for tours, saying yes, the love of performing, finding the love for stand up, the first gig, the soul crushin...

The 300th episode is here! Dan is joined by the incredibly talented singer, songwriter, and musician, Michael Paynter! We chat about the busy year he has had, multitasking, the Great Australian Songbook tour, taking risks, the profile lift of Jesus Christ Superstar, the naivety going into music theatre, leading a company, the viral video moment of Jesus Christ Superstar, planning and organization,...

Dan is joined by husband and wife music duo Ryan Bondy (in person this time) AND Hilary Cole AKA Casino People! We chat about the move back to Australia, Ryan being a secret Australian, Hilary's culture shock moving to the US, standing up for the tipping culture, living in the epicenter of the pandemic, the origin story of Casino People, learning how to collaborate, the moment they decided to perf...

Dan is joined by Lucas Banim from NTH RD!! This chat really set the tone and raised the bar for the rest of the year! We chat about how NTH RD's Asian tour came about, the ever expanding fan base, being in control of your own fate, the importance of getting just one yes, taking appreciation at face value, the non gig related highlights of the Asian tour, putting faith in people you've never met, r...

Dan is joined by comedy legend, Dave Hughes! We chat about what it's like being a comedy legend, keeping a journal, writing something down everyday, comedy being all around us, his unused podcasting van, the first instances in which fame started to hit, putting Centrelink on the map, the cathartic experience of sharing embarrassing stories, failure becoming success, knowing he made the right call...

Kicking off 2026! Dan is joined by actor, Spencer Garrett! We chat about what people recongnise him for as a character actor, his time on Star Trek: The Next Generation, keeping it simple, not being able to sleep the night before a job, the anxiety of the drive home, being a third generation actor, not having a plan to be an actor, teaching, the lightbulb moment he fell in love with acting, the no...

Kicking off 2026! Dan is joined by comedian, Luke Heggie! We chat about organization, having regular jobs before comedy, starting comedy later in life, becoming comfortable in stand up comedy, not wanting to conquer the world, connecting with other comedians, admin, being accountable to deadlines, not having a choice, remaining busy, never being perfect, finding new things, the first gig, progress...

Dan is joined by vocalist of Cordiform and the man behind Bright Eyed Bookings, James Hibble! James answers questions left behind by former guest of the show, Dan Charlton from NTH RD! We then go on to chat about refining skills, planning ahead, the decision to become a band booker, the logistics of being a booking agent, putting money back into band's pockets, blowing people's minds, budgets, the...

Dan is joined by actor, singer, dancer, and the OG Franki Valli in the Australian production of Jersey Boys, Bobby Fox! We chat about the ever diluting Irish accent, the decision to move to Australia, the different facets of singing, being a great mimic, getting into the musical theatre world, Mamma Mia!, growing as an actor, being allowed to dream, settling into the natural rhythm of a day w...

Dan is joined by actor, singer, songwriter and all round one of the best entertainers in Australia, Sam Ludeman! We chat about Sam's injury he sustained while working on Grease, the initial intention of wanting to step away from musical theatre before the injury, setting up a corporate band, performing and working with his best mate, going onto The Voice, the hesitation stepping into a reality tel...

Dan is joined by actor, James Haxby! James has recently been killing it playing various roles in Beetlejuice! We chat about the crazy run of Beetlejuice in Melbourne, covering the role of Beetlejuice, the support provided by the creative team and fellow cast members, the out of the body experience playing Adam for the first time, covering six tracks, keeping fit in between shows, working with Andy...

Dan is joined by actress, Rosalind Chao! The open the episode with Rosalind answering a question from former guest of the show, Elizabeth Dennehy! We chat about the studio lying about your age, forming friendships in the business, finding confidence as an actress, perfectionism, working with people you trust, facing fears, your mind having a tendency going to a 'what can go wrong' place, flow, the...

Dan is joined by writer and director, Bryan Fuller! We chat about his directorial debut film Dust Bunny, kids being their own heroes, surrounding yourself with dedicated and likeminded people on a film set, getting his film distributed, his satisfaction with the end result of Dust Bunny, going to film school wanting to direct, initially resisting writing, being a good communicator with department...

Dan is joined by actress, writer, and filmmaker, Denise Crosby AKA Tasha Yar AND Sela from Star Trek! We chat about her work on the TV series Suits, her Tasha Yar action figure, the overwhelming nature of going to conventions, being educated on Trek fandom by Gene Roddenberry, inspiring young women, coming from a famous showbiz family, initially thinking she'd go into journalism, the magic of thea...

Dan is joined by comedian, podcaster, writer, and cartoonist, Tommy Dassalo! We chat about creating a self fulfilling prophecy with his previous podcast, being ignored by the conventional industry, making a living from podcasting, the end of the last podcast, podcasting in a vacuum, memories of doing the very fist live podcast, getting in on the ground floor of podcasting, starting How To Do Every...

Dan is joined by a Battlestar Galactica alumni, James Callis! It's been over a year since having a Battlestar Galactica cast member on the show! We chat about his striking resemblance to Alexander Siddig, moving on from Battlestar Galactica, the privilege of having the career he has, finding the energy of a set, the unglamourous nature of the business, wanting to be surprised, impatience, the need...

Dan is joined by comedian and the face of Vanuatu tourism, Ray O'Leary in a really fun conversation! The most fun I've had on the show! We chat about the story behind Ray's comedy outfit, becoming the face of Vanuatu tourism, the values of the modern age, the thought of acting, desires to write a sitcom. the collaborative nature of writing and sharing his stand up material with peers, the moment h...