Game of Life Podcast

Dan is joined by comedian and writer, AJ Lamarque! We chat about AJ's mockumentary, the accessibility of creating content, the pressure of putting out content, social media, wanting to be a zookeeper, go to British comedies, an accidental step into the arts, moving to Australia from the UK, the difficulty of integrating in Australia, always being able to entertain, doing the best you can do, build...

Dan is joined by actor, writer, and podcaster, Charlie Clausen! We chat about the endurance of podcasting, putting out a podcast with his Mum, wanting to be a puppeteer, producing, getting swept up in emotion while producing, being familiar in unfamiliar territory, bringing out the best when things go wrong, forming allies, being more forgiving of yourself, working on Home and Away, spending most...

Dan is joined by comedian and actor, Cam Knight! We chat about being hypnotized by Peter Powers, missing the Melbourne Comedy Festival, gigging overseas, filming the second series of Last King of the Cross, exploring different things other than stand up, the repetition of stand up comedy in Australia, the pressures and potential burnout of turning your life into content, being comfortable with say...

Dan is joined by character actor, Mark Moses. You may have seen Mark in various movies and television series over the years including Platoon, Desperate Housewives, Mad Men, Star Trek: Voyager, Scandal, and Homeland to name a few. We chat about Mark's Star Trek experience, prosthetic makeup, getting an agent, the first paid gig, the initial resentment of going to Los Angeles, the love of film and...

Dan is joined by character actor, Mark Rolston. You may have seen Mark in many television series and movies over the years including The Shawshank Redemption, The Departed, Aliens, Saw V, Ahoksa, Bosch, Star Trek: Enterprise, and 24 to name a few. We chat about being in the moment, not judging your character, self criticism, filming his death scene in The Departed, the wonders of film editing, get...

From the vault - recorded in 2023 and never before released until now. Dan and Harman are joined by character actor, director, and writer, Saul Rubinek. Saul has appeared in television series and movies including Frasier, Curb your Enthusiasm, Stargate SG1, Warehouse 13, For All Mankind, Schitt's Creek, Blackberry, and Nixon just to name a few. We chat about early childhood memories, growing up in...

From the vault - recorded in 2023 and never before released until now. Dan and Harman are joined by writer and producer best known for his work on the Stargate franchise and cult sci-fi hit Dark Matter, Joseph Mallozzi. We chat about script writing, getting a start in animation, being more articulate with the written word, breaking a story for an episode of television, working to a deadline, the d...

From the vault - recorded in 2023 and never before released until now. Dan and Harman are joined by Gruen panelist and advertising guru, Camey O'Keefe. We chat about the Barbie and Oppenheimer phenonium, a day in the life of Camey O'Keefe, working as a suit, managing expectations, finding the balance of working with creatives, bringing people out of their bubble, asking the question of why you are...

From the vault - recorded in 2023 and never before released until now. Dan and Harman are joined by artist, Ben Aitken. We chat about what kind of person Ben was in high school, graffiti, gaining an attraction for art, what goes on in Ben's head while painting, the immersive experience of painting, the process, finding purpose in painting, knowing when to stop, the pressure on producing work, the...

The 200th episode is here! Dan's guest for the 200th episode is someone who has performed in musical theatre, concerts, and cabaret, and is also a member of The Fabulous Singlettes! Melissa Langton is someone I grew up watching through my formative years as a young person, most notably in the G&S Essgee productions of Pirates of Penzance, The Mikado, and HMS Pinafore alongside Jon English and...

Dan is joined by actor, director, and writer Ted Raimi, who played Joxer in Xena: The Warrior Princess, so this is my childhood really coming full circle!  We chat about the character of Joxer in Xena, the creative freedom on Xena, whether the show would hold up to modern standards, not wanting to be an actor initially, rough beginnings in Manhattan, growing to love acting, performing for a d...

Dan is joined by actor, Matt Passmore who as appeared in multiple film and television shows over the years including The Glades, Playschool, McLeod's Daughters, Underbelly, Satisfaction, 13 Reasons Why, and Jigsaw to name a few. Matt is a lot of fun so strap in! We chat about living and working in America, coming from working class routes, acting 'as if', having a great gift of naivety, getting an...

Dan is joined by actor, Derek Wilson who has appeared in multiple television series including Future Man, The Boys, Gen V, and Preacher. We chat about working on Future Man, ending the show, being an anxious person, getting reassurance you're on the right path, making a big swing & bold choices in performances, feeling the pressure as a guest star, working crazy hours, starting out as a series...

Dan is joined by actor, Omid Abtahi who you've seen in TV shows including The Mandalorian, 24, Better Call Saul, Shameless, American Gods, Fear the Walking Dead, and The Boys to name a few. We chat about working in genre television, conventions, working on The Mandalorian, meeting Jon Favreau, keeping secrets, the pressure of carrying an episode of The Mandalorian, having a love of soccer, finding...

Dan is joined by writer and producer Mike Royce! I've loved Mike's writing work over the years on TV shows including Everybody Loves Raymond, Men of a Certain Age, and Enlisted, so it was an absolute thrill having him on the podcast! We chat about creating Men of a Certain Age with Ray Romano, the devastation of the show's cancellation, casting Scott Bakula, cast chemistry, the potential movie ide...

Dan is joined by two legends of the theatre world, Raphael Wong & Sally Bourne, and the third round of guests who are currently in Sister Act! We chat about bringing Sister Act to Melbourne, the joy of the show, the fun Eddie song, the intensity of the rehearsal period, the fast turnaround of putting the show together, illness and injuries, pre-scene routines, each nun telling a different stor...

Dan is joined by musical theatre sensations currently in the Australian production of Sister Act, Cara Bessey & Sophie Montague, the second set of guests from Sister Act! We chat about the moment they found out they got the job on Sister Act, the surreal experience working with legends of the theatre world, learning on the show, Monty's first performance, Cara's professional debut in Mary Popp...

Dan is joined by Opera Australia conductor, Brian Castles-Onion, and the first conductor on the podcast, finally! Opera fans and up and coming conductors will love this one! We remember Brian's friend Robert Andrew Greene, and then we go and chat about putting his own spin on The Mikado overture, the emotive artform of conducting, the role of a conductor, the types of conductors, clicking his fing...

Dan is joined by actor, Brian Markinson who has appeared in quite a few television shows over the years including Stargate SG1, Star Trek: Voyager, The X-Files, Supernatural, Psych, Continuum, and Fargo to name a few. Brian's words in this episode are so inspiring for a lot of up and coming artists out there! We chat about his work on the Star Trek franchise, auditioning for Godspell, being a sing...

Dan is joined by actor, writer, filmmaker, musician, James Morrison probably best known for playing Bill Buchanan on 24! We chat about the process of filming 24, the benefit of settling into a character for a long period of time, learning from every experience, having one acting teacher for forty years, playing a child's game as an actor, having a supportive family, driving trucks, finding focus w...

Dan is joined by documentary filmmaker, Alexandre O. Philippe! Alexandre's work includes The People vs. George Lucas, Leap of Faith: William Friedkin on the Exorcist, and more recently the William Shatner documentary, "You Can Call Me Bill". We chat Alexandre's biggest takeaway lesson about life from William Shatner, working on You Can Call Me Bill, practicing mindfulness and gratefulness, longevi...

Dan is joined by author and Star Trek expert, Larry Nemecek! If you've heard Larry on other podcasts before, then you know he goes in depth, and his knowledge regarding the world of Star Trek is insurmountable, so strap in!  We chat about the moniker of Doctor Trek, the journey of getting involved on a professional level with the Star Trek franchise, gaining insider access into the world of S...

Dan is joined by actor, singer, musician, and member of The Tap Pack, Thomas McGuane! This was a real lovely, and honest conversation and absolutely worthy of a part two down the road as it feels like we only just scratched the surface! We chat about the art of tap dancing, becoming a member of The Tap Pack, maintaining the different facets of performing, loving a schedule, having a tour cut short...

Dan is joined by actor, dancer, singer, Devon Braithwaite fresh from finishing off a run in the Australian production of Chicago and currently prepping for Hadestown! We chat about the fulfilling experience working on such an iconic show like Chicago, surrealness of post show life, preparation before starting up on a new show, staying ready, putting your best foot forward, getting into the rhythm...

Dan is joined by the extraordinarily talented actress and singer who has extensive musical theatre credits to her name, Lucy Maunder! We chat about her recent run playing Roxie in Chicago, touring for four years straight, having time to herself, the tears that came from finishing Chicago, the love of live theatre and performing, keeping up with the wellness during a show's run, making the decision...