Shady Characters

More Than a Restaurant - How Trevor Baird Built a Community Around Hospitality What does it really take to build a restaurant people return to again and again? For Trevor Baird, it starts with much more than great food. In this episode of Shady Characters , Trevor shares the journey of transforming a struggling restaurant in the historic San Juan Capistrano train depot into Trevor’s at the Tracks,...

Most people think tour security means being big, intimidating, and ready to throw someone out. Mehdi Rabii has spent 22 years proving that the real job looks nothing like that. It is logistics, empathy, advanced planning, and the kind of situational awareness that never really turns off, not at a show, not at a school recital, not anywhere. In this episode of Shady Characters, Tim and Evan reconne...

When Bare Bones Tattoo opened its doors in San Juan Capistrano, it became the first tattoo shop in a city that just celebrated the 250th anniversary of the Mission. Alex Blackwell and Zane Leibowitz did not stumble into this craft lightly. Between them, they have over 30 years of experience, hard-earned apprenticeships, and enough war stories to fill a flash book. In this episode of Shady Characte...

Beneath the Surface: Storytelling, Conservation, and the Power of the Ocean Katie Thompson has spent her career building brands, but her true impact lives far below the surface. As Executive Director of the PADI AWARE Foundation, she is helping mobilize a global community of divers to protect and restore the ocean through data, conservation, and storytelling. In this episode, Katie sits down with...

Water Project: Finding Your Lens on Life Seth Willingham didn’t set out to become one of Southern California’s most recognizable drone photographers. He grew up splitting time between Hawaii and Laguna Beach, fell in love with the ocean through GoPros and free dives, and stumbled into drone flying when a friend basically handed him a Phantom and said to just try it. Ten years later, that borrowed...

She Didn’t Follow the Market. She Built Her Own. Nicole Bowyer did not start with a polished brand or a clear roadmap. She started with a vision, a small budget, and a willingness to figure things out as she went. In this episode, the founder of Coco on the Go breaks down what it actually looks like to build a brand from the ground up, long before the wins start showing up. From hand labeling her...

Short-Lived Blast: The Story Before Korn… and After Before Korn, there was LAPD. Before the tours, the fame, and the legacy, there were a group of kids from Bakersfield trying to figure it out as they went. In this episode of Shady Characters, Fieldy and Richard Morrill take us back to the beginning. They share how they met, the early bands they played in, and the chaotic journey from local shows...

Ana Gallego’s career did not start with a clear title. It started with curiosity, hustle, and a willingness to say yes to whatever got her in the room. In this episode of Shady Characters , Ana shares her path from working in restaurants to finding her footing in the agency world, moving through roles across creative, production, and account services. What makes her perspective so interesting is t...

The Legend and Legacy of Hank the Crank In this episode of Shady Characters, Kaikea Wilinski shares the deeply personal story behind a project that connects generations through speed, craftsmanship, and legacy. What began as a simple project car slowly became something far more meaningful when Kai started uncovering the true impact of his grandfather, Hank the Crank, a pioneering crankshaft builde...

Kayden Muzila on Losing Everything and Starting Over In this episode of Shady Characters, we sit down with creative director and founder Kayden Muzila to unpack a story that goes far beyond branding, content, or creative work. Kayden shares his journey from working with major studios like Disney Plus, Netflix, and Paramount to losing everything during industry layoffs and rebuilding his career fro...

Get Me the Ball: The Vizzi Brothers on Building a Movement Through Sports Matt and Tim Vizzi sit down with Shady Characters to share the origin story behind Get Me the Ball and the deeper mindset that now fuels everything they do. What started as a hype song inspired by Tim’s comeback from a devastating college back injury has grown into a full-blown movement rooted in resilience, confidence, and...

Legacy, Leadership, and the Future of the Acjachemen Nation In this episode of Shady Characters, Nathan K. Banda, Tribal Chairman of the Juaneño Band of Mission Indians, Acjachemen Nation, sits down for a deeply personal and important conversation about identity, leadership, and legacy. Nathan shares his journey back into tribal leadership, what it means to serve his people, and how family continu...

Nate Raabe of RX3 Growth Partners steps into the shade to talk investing, athletes, and the hard realities behind influencer led businesses. We dig into why most influencer and athlete driven brands fail, the hidden risk of betting on a single personality, and what has to be true for that kind of marketing to actually work long term. Nate breaks down RX3’s approach to growth stage investing, why t...

In this episode of Shady Characters, we sit down with Lee Lizotte, founder of True Love Coffee, to talk about craft, community, and the quiet discipline of building something that actually matters. Lee’s journey into coffee started not with a grand business plan, but with curiosity. After discovering specialty coffee at Hidden House in San Juan Capistrano, he immersed himself in the world of roast...

In this episode of Shady Characters, we sit down with Mechelle Lawrence-Adams, Executive Director of Mission San Juan Capistrano, to explore what it really means to steward 250 years of history while shaping its future. Mechelle’s connection to the mission began at age ten on a school field trip with her single mother. Years later, after a career in city government and economic development, she un...

In this episode of Shady Characters, we sit down with multi-platinum artist, producer, and entrepreneur Ryan Shuck for a deep dive into music, reinvention, and building a modern creative business without gatekeepers. Ryan walks through his path from a small town outside Bakersfield to the global stage, including his early band Sexart with future Korn members, co-writing Blind, and the breakout suc...

Christian Scott, Global Director of Sports Marketing at TravisMathew, joins Shady Characters to talk modern sports branding, athlete partnerships, and creative risk taking in golf culture. From left of center campaigns and unexpected collabs to St. Andrews trips and family priorities, Christian shares how authenticity, hustle, and relationships shape both great marketing and a meaningful life. In...

In this episode of Shady Characters , we sit down with Jim Taylor , comedian, master of ceremonies, and the driving force behind San Juan Capistrano’s iconic Swallows Day Parade . Jim’s story is one of humor, hustle, and heart, spanning decades in stand-up comedy and nearly a decade leading one of Southern California’s largest volunteer-run community events. Jim shares his early love of comedy, in...

In this episode of Shady Characters , we sit down with Linda Hakim, a true connector and community builder in South Orange County. Linda is the publisher behind three hyper-local magazines with Best Version Media, serves as an ambassador for multiple Chambers of Commerce, and leads communications for the San Juan Capistrano Rotary. Few people are as deeply embedded in the fabric of South OC as Lin...

In this episode of Shady Characters , we sit down with Jon Colburn , owner of Realtime AV —a high-end audio/video and smart home company based in San Juan Capistrano. Jon shares how a job at 14 (thanks to his speaker-engineer dad) turned into a 25-year career, a 50/50 partnership earned through sweat equity, and ultimately full ownership through seller financing. We talk loyalty, grit, learning by...

In this episode of Shady Characters , Danielle Braithwaite—founder of Variant Movement—shares her journey from aspiring professional dancer to studio owner, mentor, and working mom. Danielle opens up about career-altering injury, launching a business during the pandemic while pregnant, and building a studio rooted in discipline, kindness, and community. It’s an honest look at creativity, leadershi...

Photographer Matt Morgan sits down with Shady Characters to unpack a 20-year career that started in a high school photo class and led to shooting world-class athletes, punk rock icons, and award-winning commercial campaigns. From San Juan bathtub birth stories to photographing Shaq with nothing but a reflector, Matt reflects on creativity, lighting, fatherhood, golf, and the joy of capturing life...

In this heart-forward episode of Shady Characters , hosts Evan Burgher and Tim DeBrincat sit down with Harrison Taylor , Director of Leasing & Development at Almquist , and one of the key minds behind River Street Market — the new cultural hub redefining San Juan Capistrano. Harrison shares what it’s like to raise four kids on Los Rios Street , the oldest residential street in California, and...

From Oakley to ASICS , Amy Miller has made a career out of helping people find happiness at work. As the brand’s Director of People Capability, Culture & Global Engagement , she joins Shady Characters to talk about leadership, purpose, and how a 102-year-old Big Bear cabin, a VW van named Goldie, and a Japanese philosophy called Ikigai all tie into building a life—and workplace—you actually lo...

Former NFL safety Chris Conte joins Shady Characters to talk about growing up in Hollywood, chasing football dreams to the NFL, and life after the league. From locker room legends and “The White Unicorn” nickname to raising kids, coaching young athletes, and building community in San Juan Capistrano, Chris opens up about competition, family, and the next generation of sport. What happens when a Ho...