Storybeat with Steve Cuden

Theresa Griffin Kennedy is a longtime Portland, Oregon writer, author and occasional poet.  She works as a proofreader, developmental editor and is chief editor of Oregon Greystone Press.  Theresa writes both creative nonfiction, including crime profiles, as well as literary fiction, specifically in the genre of domestic noir. Theresa sometimes writes essays about saving old buildings, and the env...

         Ana Benitez is one of the founders of Storyrocket.com, a leading internet site where thousands of writers from around the world showcase their works to producers and agents.  Ana’s mission is to help educate writers on how to get their stories seen by producers and agents. As such, she’s an impassioned author’s advocate for the entertainment community. She also works hard at leading Story...

R.J. Stewart spent more than 20 years as a writer and producer in Hollywood. He got his first break writing for the NBC romantic-detective drama, Remington Steele that starred Pierce Brosnan and Stephanie Zimbalist.  He’s best known for developing, writing and producing Xena: Warrior Princess (starring Lucy Lawless), once the highest-rated television show in syndication.  Among his other Hollywood...

This is an encore of our episode with the great director, Rob Marshall. He has made numerous films that have been honored with a total of 30 Academy Award nominations — winning 9 in all, including Best Picture for “ Chicago ,” which alone won a total of 6 of those Oscars. Also, for “ Chicago ,” Rob received the Directors Guild Award, and nominations for Best Director for the Oscar, Golden Globe an...

Martin Dugard is the New York Times bestselling author known for his nonfiction works and historical thrillers, among them Taking London, Taking Paris, Taking Berlin, the Killing series with Bill O’Reilly, Into Africa, and The Explorers.  Recently, I read Martin’s excellent book, Taking London: Winston Churchill and the Fight to Save Civilization, and can tell you it’s a riveting, well-researched...

Mark Arnold is a comic book, animation and pop culture historian. He’s published 10 books and numerous articles in various publications.  His books include: "The Harveyville Fun Times!", "If You're Cracked, You're Happy: The Story of Cracked Magazine, Book 1 and Book 2", "Mark Arnold Picks on The Beatles", "Frozen in Ice: The Story of Walt Disney Produc...

Michael Buzzelli calls himself a stand-up comedian and sit-down author. Michael’s performed comedy nationwide, most notably at three legendary clubs, the Ice House, the Comedy Store, and the Improv in Los Angeles.  As a writer, Michael has been published in various websites, magazines, and newspapers. He’s the theater & arts critic for ‘Burgh Vivant, Pittsburgh’s online cultural talk magazine....

Jeff Leisawitz burns with a mission— to inspire and teach Storytellers and Creatives of every flavor to open minds and connect hearts with their words and stories. Jeff is a Grand LIA, Cannes Lion Gold and Clio Gold award-winning Creative Consultant, critically acclaimed author, award winning music producer, internationally distributed screenwriter, and former college instructor. As a coach, keyno...

Mark Jonathan Harris is a three-time Oscar-winning and Emmy-nominated filmmaker, as well as an award-winning author of 10 books, a distinguished professor of film of four decades, and an acclaimed journalist. His newest book, Misfits, is a collection of wonderfully character-driven short stories. I’ve read Misfits and can tell you the book comprises 12 dynamic stories about offbeat characters grap...

Richard Walter is making his second appearance on StoryBeat. Richard is an author of best-selling fiction and nonfiction, a celebrated storytelling educator, screenwriter, script consultant, lecturer and retired professor who led the legendary screenwriting program in UCLA’s highly regarded film school for several decades. He’s written scripts for the major studios and TV networks; lectured on scr...

Heavy metal rock legend, Carl Canedy, and writer Phillip “Doc” Harrington, recently published Carl’s autobiography, Tales of a Wild Dog, Memoirs of a Rock Warrior. Since the age of 5, after observing a striking red drum set at a wedding reception, Carl was determined to play the drums. He received his first drum set in his early teens, immediately immersed himself in practice, and eventually devel...

Christopher Akerlind, has designed lighting, and occasionally scenery, for over 650 productions of theater, opera, and dance across the U.S. and around the world, including 24 shows on Broadway.  Chris’s recent work includes Waiting for Godot at Theatre for a New Audience, Lynn Nottage’s play Clyde’s on Broadway and at the Mark Taper Forum, The Light in the Piazza, for which he won his first Tony,...

Laura Pliskin is a talented art department coordinator who has contributed to some of the most visually stunning sets in film and television history. Laura has worked on projects like "Twisters," "Drive-Away Dolls,", and "Out of the Furnace." She's also been part of blockbuster hits like "The Dark Knight Rises" and the critically acclaimed TV series &qu...

The writer, Jon Kremer, has lived in Bournemouth, a town on the south-coast of England, since he was a teenager, coinciding with the start of the 1960s.  That famous decade of cultural change allowed him to experience many aspects of the UK music industry via both the ownership of his town’s original vintage vinyl shop, Bus Stop Records, which opened during 1967’s Summer of Love, and a long-standi...

            My guest today, the noted muralist, John Cerney, is a Salinas, California native whose artwork can best be described as ‘giant cut-out plywood art’ that’s ordinarily viewed from the comfort of your car. There’s a sense of Norman Rockwell to his work, with a dash of Christo.             After earning an art degree from Cal State Long Beach in 1984, John worked in Southern California as...

Veteran theater and film actor James Sutorius has performed for the most prestigious regional and repertory theater companies including The Old Globe, La Jolla Playhouse, Center Theatre Group, South Coast Repertory, and Pasadena Playhouse. He’s also performed at Lincoln Center, Yale Repertory, Long Wharf Theatre, Seattle Repertory, and many more. In 2007, he won two San Diego Theatre Critics Award...

Novelist John David Bethel was a speechwriter to Cabinet Secretaries at the Departments of Commerce and Education during the Bush 41 and 43 administrations. He also served as a press secretary and speechwriter to members of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives. Additionally, David worked as a communications strategist for a number of national and international public relations firms, inclu...

TV and movie editor, Tim Stepich, was captivated by the films and TV shows of his youth in the 1970s. By the time he was in high school, he set his sights on working in show business. Tim’s abiding interest in editing goes back to when, as a teen, he’d make music montages on his home stereo.   He studied television and film at Emerson College in Boston, where he worked in all aspects of film and v...

Okema T. Moore is an Emmy Nominated PGA producer and rising director. She’s created unscripted and branded content for Lifetime, Netflix, and Disney/Marvel, including: Beat Bobby Flay and The Kitchen on Food Network, Oprah’s Color of Care, Founding In Color on Peacock, and Nomad with Carlton McCoy on CNN. Most recently, she developed and produced Down in the Valley for STARZ, and was lead producer...

Steve Skrovan has worked as a stand-up comedian, actor, and TV comedy writer since the early eighties. He’s written for many shows, most notably, Seinfeld , Hot in Cleveland, Til Death, Wendell and Vinnie, School of Rock, and the entire nine-year run of Everybody Loves Raymond , a show which he has also adapted internationally in Russia, Israel, and India.  He currently writes a Substack blog call...

            This is Paul Chitlik’s second appearance on StoryBeat. Paul has written for all the major networks and studios in both English and Spanish.  He was story editor for The New Twilight Zone, and staff writer for the Showtime sitcom, Brothers.   He’s directed episodes and been coordinating producer for “Real Stories of the Highway Patrol” and “U.S. Customs Classified.”  He wrote and produc...

            The noted author and teacher, Joseph B. Atkins, is a veteran writer and professor emeritus of journalism at the University of Mississippi.              Joe’s latest book, Harry Dean Stanton: Hollywood’s Zen Rebel, won the Bronze Award for biography from the Independent Publisher Book Awards in 2021.              Regarding Joe’s novel, Casey’s Last Chance, Edgar Award-winning author Meg...

Ryan Raddatz is a Los Angeles-based TV writer and producer who has worked on numerous broadcast sitcoms and kids shows including: The Neighborhood on CBS and WordGirl on PBS. And he’s developed more than a dozen pilots at various networks.  Ryan won two Daytime Emmys for his writing on WordGirl and another three for his work on the Ellen DeGeneres Show.  Before writing and producing, Ryan made a l...

Filmmaker and author, Dan Mirvish’s recent feature, 18½, starred Willa Fitzgerald, John Magaro and Bruce Campbell as the voice of Nixon. The award-winning film played in 25 festivals, had a 60-city theatrical release, played on 7 airlines and is now available on Starz.  Prior to that, Dan directed Bernard and Huey, scripted by Oscar and Pulitzer Prize-winner Jules Feiffer.  It starred Oscar-winner...

Max Kinnings has written the feature films, Act of Grace, Alleycats, and The Pagan King, as well as various film projects currently in development including a film adaptation of his critically acclaimed play, Wireless Operator.  He’s the author of four novels, Hitman, The Fixer, Sacrifice, and Baptism. I’ve read Baptism and can tell you it’s a tremendously exciting thriller in the vein of Lee Chil...