Storybeat with Steve Cuden

Margy Whitmer produced the beloved TV series, Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, for many years. After production ended in 2001, she continued on with Fred Rogers Productions, producing live-action segments for Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood through the end of 2018, after which she remained a script consultant on the show through season 6.   Over the years, Margy has also been the liaison for Fred Rogers P...

Writer, editor, and manager, Tim Quinn was born in Liverpool, England. He started his career as a clown at Blackpool Tower Circus before working on BBC TV’s Good Old Days music hall series where he wrote scripts for top comedians. It was a small jump from there into the world of comic books where he spent many happy years as a scriptwriter on such noted UK titles as The Beano, The Dandy, Sparky, T...

The brilliant singer-songwriter, David Pomeranz, has achieved success in virtually every entertainment medium. His songs have been recorded and performed by a long list of major artists including: Bette Midler, Kenny Loggins, Cliff Richard, Freddie Mercury, Kenny Rogers, Glen Campbell, Lou Rawls, John Denver, Missy Elliott, and Barry Manilow, who had international #1 hits with David's “Tryin’...

The brilliant stage, screen, and voice actress, Melinda Peterson, has been performing professionally for more than 40 years. She was introduced to audio theatre in 1990 when she played all 17 of the female roles in Proctor & Bergman’s Power which aired on NPR as a regular segment of John Hockenberry’s Heat.  Since that time she has contributed voices to NPR Playhouse productions, including wor...

The brilliant singing duo of Maripat Davis and Richard Osborn,burst onto the cabaret scene with sold out California engagements at The Gardenia in Hollywood, and Sterling’s Upstairs at Vitello’s in Studio City.  Their first show, entitled Let’s Fall In Love, featured a potpourri of classic American love songs from the 30’s, 40’s and beyond, taking a fun and sentimental look at the many moods of lo...

Please enjoy this Encore StoryBeat Episode, featuring John Davidson, one of the most extraordinarily gifted entertainers of this or any era. John’s probably best known for hosting the TV shows, The Hollywood Squares , That’s Incredible! , and as the guest host of The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson some 80 times, more than any other singer.  John has also hosted his own daytime talk show, many...

Bill Mumy is an actor, songwriter, recording artist, producer, voice-over artist, musician, photographer, and writer.  Entering the world of professional entertainment at the age of five, Bill has worked on over 400 television shows and is best known by fans around the world for the creation of many memorable roles, including: the iconic heroic boy astronaut, Will Robinson, on the long-running cla...

Author, screenwriter and journalist, Stephen Rebello, majored in literature and psychology, ultimately earning a master's degree. Subsequently, he became a clinical social worker at a Harvard-affiliated teaching hospital in Boston.  But it was during a vacation in Los Angeles that Stephen secured an in person interview with legendary director, Alfred Hitchcock. To Stephen, the interview seeme...

The brilliant jazz musician, Michael Wolff, is an award-winning, internationally acclaimed pianist, composer, bandleader, and now, author. In a long-running musical career, he’s been the musical director for the great Grammy-winning jazz singer, Nancy Wilson, and the award-winning The Arsenio Hall Show. He’s also been a member of Impure Thoughts, Wolff & Clark Expedition, and a co-star with hi...

The legendary, highly influential Rock ‘n Roll superstar, Suzi Quatro. Suzi made her stage debut playing bongos in her father’s jazz band, the Art Quatro Trio. At 14, she co-founded the all-girl band, The Pleasure Seekers, with her elder sister, Patti, playing a bass guitar that was as tall as she was. Suzi quickly became the band’s lead singer and front person.  They successfully toured for 7 yea...

Holly and Kelvin Reed are an up-and-coming musical theatre writing team who also happen to be married to one another. Their most recent effort, True North: A Magical New Holiday Musical, is slated to open in Orlando, Florida for the holiday season in 2022. Holly writes book, lyrics, and music along with Kelvin, who is a composer. Aside from True North, Holly and Kelvin contributed music and lyrics...

Writer-director-producer, Amanda Raymond, is a New York transplant living in Los Angeles.  Amanda wrote, produced, and directed the feature films, You Are My Home with Alyssa Milano, which can currently be found on Netflix, and My Favorite Girlfriend, that Saban Films released in the summer of 2022 for a limited theatrical run.  Amanda also wrote, directed, and produced the award-winning short fil...

Writer-director, Charlie Peters, was raised in New York City before spending his high school years at Stonyhurst College in Lancashire, England, where he was classmates with the director Charles Sturridge and actor Edward Duke.   Charlie then studied theater at the University of Connecticut and subsequently received a Schubert Fellowship to do graduate work in playwriting at Carnegie Mellon Univer...

Justin Fenton was a reporter for the Baltimore Sun for 17 years. A graduate of the University of Maryland College Park, Justin worked as a reporter and editor for the student newspaper, The Diamondback, and then started at The Sun as an intern.  In 2010, Justin’s reporting led to an overhaul in how Baltimore police officers investigate sexual assaults. He was part of the Pulitzer Prize finalist st...

Candi Milo is the busiest actress in voiceovers today. Among her numerous accomplishments, she was honored to take the mantle of the voice of Granny in all Warner Brothers Animation projects after the passing of the legendary voice talent, June Foray. For example, you heard Candi as Granny in Space Jam 2: A New Legacy with LeBron James, and also in various Looney Tunes cartoons.   She’s well-known...

The brilliant actress, Kandis Chappell, has appeared on Broadway in Stephen Sondheim's Getting Away with Murder and Neil Simon's Rumors, and in many of the most prestigious regional theaters across the country. She is an Associate Artist of the Old Globe Theatre in San Diego, where she has appeared in more than 30 productions. She’s also worked extensively at South Coast Repertory Theatr...

Denise Gossett has been an actress in television and feature films for over 20 years.  Denise can be seen in the feature films I Saw the Light, starring Tom Hiddleston, Get the Gringo, starring Mel Gibson, and the Morris Chestnut feature, When the Bough Breaks. Most recently, Denise worked on the romance feature, Gabriel’s Rapture, the thriller, 9 Windows, and a Hallmark movie, Baked with a Kiss....

Naomi Beaty is a screenwriting teacher and consultant who works with writers, producers, and directors at all levels to develop their film and TV projects. Naomi has read thousands of scripts and worked with hundreds of writers, first in development at Madonna and Guy Oseary’s Maverick Films, and currently through group workshops and one-on-one coaching.  She also worked alongside Blake Snyder on...

Joel Drucker writes literary non-fiction and journalism.  He jokes that he’s “too sensitive to be a hard-boiled journalist – not sensitive enough to be a suicidal poet.”   Joel’s work has appeared in a variety of print and broadcast outlets, ranging from HBO, CBS and Tennis Channel to Racquet Magazine, Cigar Aficionado, and the New York Times.   He’s the author of two books – Jimmy Connors Saved M...

Cara Friez is an experienced video producer, editor, and educator. She’s currently the Director of Education for the EdTech company, EditMentor, which teaches the art of video storytelling and the technical skills of video creation within a self-paced, interactive curriculum through a cutting-edge web-based platform. Before working for EditMentor, Cara taught editing in Point Park University’s Cin...

Actor and Director, Apollo Dukakis, is a member and longtime resident artist of the Pasadena, CA based theater company, A Noise Within.  As a professional actor for over fifty years, Apollo has worked off-Broadway and in many prestigious regional theatres across the country, including: The American Conservatory Theatre of San Francisco, The Pasadena Playhouse, The Mark Taper Forum, The Actors’ The...

Dobie Maxwell has made a successful living in standup comedy since 1985. Starting in 1990, he’s had several stints in morning radio. Dobie has appeared numerous times on national and regional television. And from 1995 to 2020, Dobie taught his "Maxwell Method of Standup Comedy" at Zanies Comedy Clubs in Chicago to more than 3000 students.  Dobie’s a published author of a true crime story...

Scott McGee is a Senior Director of Original Programming at Turner Classic Movies.  He’s also a programmer for the TCM Classic Film Festival and the TCM Cruise.  Scott frequently presents at TCM events and other film festivals. Recently, Scott authored one of the most enjoyable books about the movies that I’ve ever had the pleasure to read. It’s called, Danger on the Silver Screen: 50 Films Celebr...

Comedy writer and novelist, John Vorhaus, is best known for his comedy-writing classic, “The Comic Toolbox: How to be Funny Even if You’re Not.” His writing credits include dozens of teleplays and screenplays, plus seven novels and numerous books on comedy, writing, creativity and poker.  John has taught and trained writers in 37 countries on five continents, and created TV shows of his own in Nic...

Entertainment attorney, Robert M. (“Bobby”) Schwartz ,is a partner in Quinn Emanuel’s Los Angeles office and co-chair of the Media & Entertainment Industry Practice.  Over the last 30 years, Bobby has become a nationally recognized leader in large-stakes and often precedent-setting cases, particularly in the entertainment and media fields. He’s represented every major motion picture studio and...