Let's Talk Media with Vedant Akhauri

How does someone build the courage to close down a successful advertising and PR agency at age 28, move to New York City, and book her first Broadway-caliber show in just three months, building a 25-year career starring in hits like Wicked , Nine (alongside Antonio Banderas), Beauty and the Beast , and Anything Goes? In this episode of the media interview series, Let's Talk Media , host Vedant Akh...

How does a college saxophonist accidentally switch his major to drama simply by walking through the wrong building to catch his bus home, and turn it into a 25-year Hollywood career across television shows, video games, and films like Argo , Last Appeal, Velvet Buzzsaw (2019 film), Last Appeal (2024 film), Grand Theft Auto V, Killzone 3, Murdered: Soul Suspect, American Crime Story: Impeachment, S...

How does a blue-collar worker from Cleveland land acting roles as Uncle Clive in Netflix's Blonde , Henry The Dishwasher in ABC's Stumptown , and Fabrizio in Nickelodeon's Game Shakers, into becoming one of the most sought-after leading men in the exploding world of 9:16 vertical micro-dramas? In this episode of Let's Talk Media , host Vedant Akhauri sits down with award-winning ac...

How do you build a sustainable career as an independent filmmaker outside the major studio system, write compelling supernatural thrillers on a micro-budget, and navigate distribution to major streaming platforms without waiting for Hollywood's permission? In this episode of Let's Talk Media , host Vedant Akhauri sits down with independent director, cinematographer, and producer Joseph Mba...

How can independent filmmakers break through an oversaturated media market to bring micro-budget horror stories to life? In this episode of Let's Talk Media , host Vedant Akhauri sits down with Ash Hamilton, founder of HorrorFix, an online hub dedicated to giving the "indie-est of indie" horror creators visibility, resources, and a platform to reach wider audiences. Ash shares his jo...

In this episode of Let's Talk Media , host Vedant Akhauri sits down with podcast producer and host Richard Wilmore (founder of Make Your Day Richer LLC ) for an unfiltered look into the behind-the-scenes craft of podcast production and guest booking. Inspired as an 11-year-old by the celebratory, judgment-free warmth of The Rosie O'Donnell Show in 1997, Richard discusses his mission to bri...

Marking the 25th anniversary of September 11th, host Vedant Akhauri breaks from the standard interview format of Let's Talk Media for a solemn reflection on how Gen Z carries the weight of 9/11. For those who were infants in cribs or born into the post-9/11 era, the tragedy doesn't exist as a personal "where were you" memory, but as a world understood secondhand through stories,...

How does one family survive the brutal Nazi forced labor camps of World War II, only to find themselves trapped under the paranoid surveillance and repression of Stalin’s Soviet regime? In this episode of Let's Talk Media , host Vedant Akhauri sits down with retired radiologist and co-author Dr. Robert Wolf . Dr. Wolf joins the show to discuss his award-winning biography of his father, Not a Real...

How does a former military counterintelligence interrogator and veteran trial lawyer use his high-stakes real-world experience to write authentic, deeply gripping legal suspense, and what does Hollywood get completely wrong about the courtroom? In this episode of the media interview series, Let's Talk Media , host Vedant Akhauri sits down with veteran trial attorney, elected court official, an...

How does a retired aerospace engineer and Air Force veteran use his technical expertise and family military heritage to write gripping, historically authentic espionage fiction? In this episode of Let's Talk Media , host Vedant Akhauri sits down with Jeff Kildow. Jeff served in the U.S. Air Force maintaining the supersonic "Hound Dog" cruise missile during the Cold War and grew up on...

In this episode of the media interview series, Let's Talk Media, host Vedant Akhauri sits down with Dr. Caroline Crocker, a scientist turned author who has dedicated her retirement to preserving the raw, personal histories of her parents and grandparents during World War II. Dr. Crocker started with Early Dog Stories , but then pivoted into WWII books, focusing on civilian survival, systematic...

How does decades of writing legendary British comedy prepare you to build a fantasy universe? In this episode of the media interview series, Let's Talk Media , host Vedant Akhauri sits down with English-born, LA-based author, director, and veteran comedy writer Richard Sparks . Richard joins the show to share his fascinating late-in-life pivot into writing LitRPG with his immersive, comedy-inf...

DISCLAIMER: This episode discusses mature and deeply sensitive topics. Listener discretion is advised. How does a survivor of the unimaginable reclaim her voice and turn her past into a mission for systemic change? In this deeply moving episode of the media interview series, Let's Talk Media , host Vedant Akhauri sits down with Misty Nesbbit, a mother of six, grandmother of five, and the autho...

Welcome back to Let's Talk Media ! In this episode, host Vedant Akhauri sits down with veteran Burning Man attendee, military veteran, and debut novelist Sarah Marshall. They explore Sarah’s profound personal journey of self-acceptance, the transformative power of the Black Rock Desert, and the 20-year labor of love behind her new novel, Playa Dust in My Soul . In this episode, we discuss: Bel...

How do you rebuild your entire sense of self when the structures you grew up with completely fall away? As a creative, how do you stop white-knuckling your way through life to meet other people’s expectations, and instead learn to construct your identity from the inside out? In this episode of  Let’s Talk Media , host  Vedant Akhauri  sits down with  Christian Hurst , the Executive Creative Direct...

What happens when you fuse the heavy, riff-forward power of ’70s classic rock with the raw, aggressive urgency of ’90s alt-metal and grunge? And how does an independent band manage to write, record, and regional-tour while balancing full-time lives without burning out? In this episode of Let’s Talk Media, host Vedant Akhauri sits down with Paul Van Valkenburgh, the lead vocalist of the hard rock p...

How does an artist transition from the aggressive, distorted walls of underground heavy metal to the quiet, fragile vulnerability of a single acoustic guitar? And when you decide to handle every single step of your music’s creation yourself, how do you conquer self-doubt and find the discipline to actually finish what you start? In this episode of Let’s Talk Media, the podcast exploring the craft,...

How do you keep your creative fire burning when balancing a day job, a family, and your own artistic ambitions? Is specialization really the only path to success in Hollywood, or is the modern multi-hyphenate actually holding the master key to creative freedom? In this episode of Let’s Talk Media, the podcast exploring the craft, careers, and chaos of the creative world, host Vedant Akhauri sits d...

What happens when our deepest psychological craving for human connection is outsourced to a highly advanced, beautifully deceptive piece of coding? Why does the timeless story of a monster turning on its creator feel so much more terrifying when the monster looks exactly like us - and is designed to love us? In this episode of Let’s Talk Media, the podcast exploring the craft, careers, and chaos o...

Why do so many incredibly talented independent artists fail to build sustainable careers? How does the modern digital landscape quietly turn passionate writers, musicians, and filmmakers into full-time project managers and part-time accountants? In this episode of Let’s Talk Media , the podcast exploring the craft, careers, and chaos of the creative world , host Vedant Akhauri sits down with write...

Why does a character we absolutely love to hate on screen bring us so much collective joy? How does an actor step into the shoes of a detestable historical antagonist to make a story of good versus evil truly land? In this episode of Let’s Talk Media, the podcast exploring the craft, careers, and chaos of the creative world, host Vedant Akhauri sits down with 15-year industry veteran, dedicated ch...

What happens when life forces you to slow down? How do you translate the physical confinement of a severe, bedbound chronic illness into a universal work of art that heals both the creator and the reader? In this episode of Let’s Talk Media, the podcast exploring the craft, careers, and chaos of the creative world, host Vedant Akhauri sits down with Kirkus-praised, #1 Best-selling poet and author,...

Why does a certain song make us feel happy, excited, or deeply melancholic? How does the human brain instantly translate physical sound waves into raw emotional narratives? In this episode of Let’s Talk Media , the podcast exploring the craft, careers, and chaos of the creative world, host Vedant Akhauri sits down with retired music professor, professional pianist, composer, and Fulbright scholar...

In this episode of Let's Talk Media , the media analysis podcast, host Vedant Akhauri sits down with David Fenton , the legendary public relations pioneer who has been named one of the 100 most influential people in PR and dubbed the "Robin Hood of PR" by the National Journal . Fenton has spent over fifty years driving communications campaigns for progressive social causes. The conversation spans...

How does a teenager manage to publish dozens of books before even graduating high school? In this episode of Let's Talk Media , the podcast exploring the craft, careers, and chaos of the creative world, host Vedant Akhauri sits down with 18-year-old powerhouse author Shanti Hershenson. Having published her first two novellas in the sixth grade, Shanti has since written an astonishing 38 books...