If This Is True with Chris Hall

Let me introduce you to Frank! Frank King was a writer for the Tonight Show with Jay Leno for 20 years. He’s had two aortic valve replacements, a double bypass, a massive heart attack, three stents, and lived to joke about it all. So he is truly funny at heart. He’s fought a lifetime battle with depression, and thoughts of suicide, turning that long dark journey of the soul into a TED Talk, www. F...

Let me introduce you to Kevin! He is an improviser, turned coach, and applied improv facilitator based in Oslo, Norway. He hails from Johannesburg, South Africa. He has lived, worked and studied in Ireland, the UK, and now Norway.  Kevin’s values are a love of learning, communication, mindfulness, leadership development, and his family. Doing meaningful work is the goal. A “work hard, play ha...

After med school at Creighton and residency at Tulane, Mike began his medical career, finding that he, and other colleagues, had issues communicating with patients and each other. In 2014, Mike began taking Level 1 improv classes, as they were a present from his wife.. Realizing early on that the skills learned through improv could help him as a hospitalist, Mike began implementing them at work. T...

Brynna is  a multidisciplinary artist (writing, photography, fine art, singer, composer, musician) who has spent the last 30 years working in advertising. She has worked for massive brands and conglomerates, like Coca-Cola, American Airlines, PepsiCo, Hilton and Hyatt companies (etc.), while spending her remaining free time raising a daughter and creating pieces that matter. This was a r...

Let me introduce you to Mark Riccadonna. Mark is known for his roles in the TV Series, Checked Out. The movies, Days of Power and Gail’s New Boyfriend. He has toured globally, playing theatres, clubs, with the USO and Armed Forces Entertainment (which landed him his Travel Column "Dad Trippin" in Today's Man Magazine. Mark has served as a contributing writer for Saturday Night Live'...

Let me introduce you to Brandon. He grew up in a small SE Ohio town called Caldwell and graduated from Kent State University in Dec. 2012 with Applied Engineering and Tech Management. Brandon started at Imposters Theater April 2023 where he took sketch writing, and then started improv in July 2023. He just finished Level 4 Brandon likes to write sketches, screenplays, journals and other proje...

From Saturday Night Live and Pretty Woman, Rhonda Hansome’s comedy has opened for stars including Anita Baker, Diana Ross, James Brown and Aretha Franklin; in venues from LA’s Greek Theater to NY’s Radio City. She was Artist Coordinator and Host of Laughing Liberally (NY’s top political comics) Off-Broadway production of Indictment Excitement. Every Monday on Sirius XM, Rhonda is John Fugelsang’s...

On this episode, Friend of the Show, Tommy Hough and I talk about the craziness that was the Republican National Convention, the assassination attempt on former President Trump and the failure of the media to call out lies and misinformation. We also discussed Citizens United and the power that the donor class has. Check it out! It was a great hang and it will be a good listen! This episode, like...

Clay Drinko, Ph. D. is an author and educator. He writes for Psychology Today about the intersection between improv comedy, science, and everyday life. He's also the author of the first academic book connecting improv and cognitive science,  Theatrical Improvisation, Consciousness, and Cognition . His most recent book,  Play Your Way Sane: 120 Improv-Inspired Exercises to Help You Calm D...

Have you met Jayant? Jayant is an improviser and facilitator with over 5 years of experience in the field. He has showcased his improvisational skills in various performances with his troupe, NIC (Nautankibaaz Improv Collective), for esteemed multinational corporations such as Adobe, Google, and KPMG, among others. He has honed his skills through comprehensive training under the guidance...

BJ Lange currently resides in Los Angeles, where he is actively involved in the improv community as both performer in various groups, including his two-man comedy duo, Tacklebox Improv, and instructor, at The Improv Trick, 3-2-1 Acting Studios, and The Second City Hollywood, where he leads the Improv for Veterans Program. BJ also teaches at the prestigious Orange County School of the Arts Acting C...

Dr. Doug Shaw is a Professor of Mathematics at the University of Northern Iowa. He’s taught in at least five departments or programs there, won awards at three universities, is a Renaissance scholar, and is a heckuva nice guy to work with. His research is in tertiary math education, combinatorics, and graph theory. He is or has been an author, systems engineer, street-busker, variety show performe...

Paul Myers is a music and comedy encyclopedia with stories galore! He's toured with the Barenaked Ladies. He's worked with the Kids In The Hall. He's stayed at Todd Rundgren's Kauai residence (OK, he was interviewing the maestro for a book). You get the idea! Paul waxed poetic on his time in the Gravelberrys (Check out "Wonder Where You Are Tonight." It is a vibe!) and as a radio personality and w...

Juliette has been a Playboy Bunny, a soap opera writer for ABC Television, a theater writer/performer, and an ATP airplane pilot and Master Flight Instructor. She won two Writers Guild Awards and was nominated for a Daytime Emmy. She is also an animal rights advocate who worked for Best Friends Animal Society for almost a decade. Juliette also added TedX Fargo Speaker to her extensive resume.  Her...

Anne Montgomery Is a decorated  television sportscaster, newspaper and magazine writer, teacher, author, and amateur sports official. Her first TV job came at WRBL-TV in Columbus, Georgia, and led to positions at WROC-TV in Rochester, New York, KTSP-TV in Phoenix, Arizona, and ESPN in Bristol, Connecticut, where she anchored the Emmy and ACE award-winning SportsCenter. We discussed the highs and l...

Jen is an improviser in Canada who started out studying improv at schools including WGIS, Queen City Comedy, Second City, and more. She teaches improv classes and hosts jams at World's Greatest Improv School (WGIS) and Queen City Comedy. In the before-times, Jen enjoyed teaching dance fitness and performing in semi-rural vaudeville/burlesque themed shows both of which took place on stages made of...

Alex Shaver is new to the improv scene, performing at Imposters Theater in Cleveland, Ohio since 2022. After a decade of working in higher education, he now works in community mental health. Alex is passionate about comedy and mental health, and is interested in the parallels between the two. He loves his wife (Rachel) and his children (J. and Joan) and counts their presence in his life the greate...

This one. This one is one for the ages! We (and by we, I mean Abby Sher, Bethany Hall, Lulu French, John Fugelsang, Michele Laikowski and me) discussed the present and future of comedy in New York City and other environs, The group waxed on satire vs. parody, talent winning out, improv as the best training for life and waiting for the whole fart.  Interested? Listen to this special episode!! This...

Gail Gallagher is a Chicago based Singer-Songwriter, Composer, improv music director, producer, and teacher whose lyric-driven songs reflect on the highs and lows of life exploring nuances of whimsy and wisdom.  Originally from Waterloo, Iowa, Gail attended University of Nebraska-Lincoln and graduated with a dual BA in Theater Performance & Directing/ Theater Management in 2010. She has worked as...

If This Is True would like to introduce you to Michele Laikowski on this throwback! Michele was an associate producer and on-air personality on the Jenny McCarthy Show on SiriusXM Stars. She is also an improvising and voice over veteran of New York City. Michele finds solace and purpose in running and reaching for goals. She also has great stories of her time with Jenny McCarthy and her crew. You...

Allow me to introduce you to Bracha! She was first published when she was 12 years old. She's written 41 children's books and a memoir, Nourish The Soul. Her books tackle difficult topics at a child's level. This was a fascinating half hour! Listen to this!     This episode, like all episodes of If This Is True, brings forth what drives creatives to do what they do. For more of this content and in...

Please let me introduce you to Carlos Baker! Carlos is an author and musician whose latest album with the CK Baker Band, Find Your Way, and book, Songs for Ivy, are available wherever you get your content. Carlos overcame childhood cancer and used that experience to write and to play his bass guitar. He lives in Germany with his family, but is in Chicago working on his next album Give this a liste...

Talk about prolific! John Leister has published more than 100 e-books, Including the Lee Hacklyn and Urban Tiger crime series over the past few years. John is a big believer in having the right mindset and philosophy when reaching goals. He'd like to share this information with everyone, and does, here on If This Is True! GIve it a listen! This episode, like all episodes of If This Is True, brings...

Let me introduce you to the multi-faceted Deborah Johnson. Deborah is an inspirational speaker, author and international award-winning music artist who helps others get unstuck by producing and executing a successful plan for their second half. As a musician she has been nominated for multiple Grammy Awards and has spent over 20 years in the entertainment industry. She's an expert on how to consta...

Let me introduce you to John Lehr! He is an actor and writer, known for  10 Items or Less (2006) , Quick Draw (2013) and The Sweetest Thing (2002) . He is also known for being one of the GEICO Cavemen! Currently, he has a production company, Triple Threat Media, that is working on several projects--which were on hold because of the Writers' and Actors' Guild strikes. We talked about his time at No...