The Deets with Duddy

Coyotes are everywhere in Calgary, but most of us do not understand what they are actually doing. Dr. Shelley Alexander is a University of Calgary professor and specialist in wild canid ecology, conservation, and coexistence. In this episode, she joins The Deets with Duddy to talk about coyotes, fear, wildlife conflict, and why so much of what people believe about these animals is shaped by misund...

Maud Salvi is the Executive and Artistic Director of Sled Island, but her life in live music started long before she arrived in Calgary. Originally from France, Maud grew up finding identity, community, and direction through music. That path eventually brought her into festival production, Montreal’s music scene, and then to Calgary, where she took on the role of helping lead one of the city’s mos...

https://www.zenonepp.com/ ZENON is a Calgary soul artist whose music blends blues, R&B, theatre, pop, and lived experience into something deeply personal. In this episode, ZENON talks about growing up around music, performing from a young age, attending Berklee College of Music, and what happened when their relationship with music started to fall apart after returning home. The conversation ce...

Alberta Ballet School is one of Calgary's best-kept secrets. In this episode, Director Ashley McNeil takes us inside one of Canada's premier ballet training institutions and explains how students from Calgary and around the world are preparing for professional careers in dance. We discuss the realities of elite ballet training, balancing academics with artistic development, performance psy...

"To be cringe is to be free." In this episode, Jubs of Shy Friend joins me to talk about building a music community through authenticity, creativity, and unapologetically being yourself. We discuss the evolution of Shy Friend from a solo project into one of Calgary's most unique live acts, how the band's philosophy of "to be cringe is to be free" became the foundation o...

Kue Varo’s new album How Everything Feels and Other Lies is out April 30. In this episode, we go inside the record - how it came together, what changed this time around, and why they approached it differently than anything they’ve done before. Kue talks about stepping away from instruments, writing from instinct, and letting different versions of themselves show up across the album. We get into th...

In this episode, I’m going live with Summer Lilah - streamer, editor, model, and actor - to get into what it actually feels like to be live for hours every day and build a community in real time. We talk about how streaming really works behind the scenes, constantly talking to chat, the pressure of always being on, parasocial relationships, burnout, and why some streamers grow while others stall o...

Trying to build a career in music isn’t as straightforward as it looks. In this episode, Calgary artist and producer Dempsey Bolton talks about what it actually takes to make it work. From putting out over a dozen songs in a year to learning how to move fast, stay consistent, and deal with the pressure of committing years to something uncertain, the conversation goes beyond just the music. Dempsey...

Building something of your own isn’t always clear, easy, or guaranteed to work. In this episode, Alessia Bellusci shares what it was like growing up inside one of Calgary’s most well-known hospitality families, behind restaurants like Mercato, and the moment she realized she wanted to create something for herself. From working in the family business at a young age to stepping away and coming back...

Relevance isn’t something you decide. It’s something you earn. In this episode, Alex Sarian, President and CEO of the Werklund Centre, breaks down what it actually means for arts and cultural institutions to matter today. He talks about moving from New York to Calgary, stepping into a major leadership role at 36, and navigating one of the largest cultural infrastructure projects in Canadian histor...

Beekeeping is more complex than most people think. In this episode, Eliese Watson breaks down what it actually takes to work with bees, from managing hives to understanding them as living systems. We get into the reality behind beekeeping, why it’s often misunderstood, and what people should know before getting started. The conversation covers the physical work, the responsibility of caring for co...

Kayla-Rae, founder of Be Wild Marketing and House of Wild , joins Jeff Dudder to talk about the realities of the modeling industry, building two businesses in Calgary, and what it takes to lead people in a high-pressure creative field. Kayla-Rae explains how her experience working both as a model and inside agencies shaped the way she runs her companies today. She breaks down how the modeling indu...

Comedian Faris Hytiaa joins Duddy to talk about his path into stand up comedy, building original comedy projects, and the moment he found out he had been nominated for a Juno Award. Faris shares what it was like starting stand up in Lethbridge, performing in smaller comedy rooms, and learning how to write material that actually connects with an audience. He also talks about how his style has evolv...

https://www.endviolenceeverywhere.org/ Cait Alexander joins The Deets with Duddy for a thoughtful conversation about the work behind EVE and the realities of supporting people impacted by domestic abuse. This episode focuses on how conversations are framed, what often gets misunderstood, and what meaningful support actually looks like. We talk about how public discussions can oversimplify complex...

Reamonn Joshee is a Calgary-based actor, writer, and director known for projects like Renegade Fever , If Walls Could Talk , and a wide range of independent film work across Alberta. In this episode of The Deets with Duddy, he opens up about the realities of building a creative life in film. We talk about moving between acting, writing, and directing, and what changes when you’re solving problems...

https://mandybalak.com/ https://www.thegatheringfestival.com/ Mandy Balak is the President of The Gathering Brand Festival, entrepreneur, leadership coach, and author of Chasing Enough . In this episode, she shares the evolution of her career, from building community in the early days to leading one of Calgary’s most influential brand experiences. We talk about the original intention behind The Ga...

https://www.stevemesler.net/ Three-time Olympian and gold medalist Steve Mesler joins The Deets with Duddy for a grounded conversation about elite performance, health, and what happens when your body starts having a louder voice in your life. Steve reflects on early injuries, long stretches of uncertainty, and how health setbacks forced him to rethink what success was supposed to look like. We tal...

Thirty years at the anchor desk teaches you things no newsroom handbook ever could. Linda Olsen joins The Deets with Duddy to talk about what live television actually demands behind the scenes, how judgment forms under pressure, and what the public rarely sees when the news is unfolding in real time. We also get into her move into long-form radio with The Spotlight Hour and what changes when the c...

Food insecurity in Calgary is far more complex and far more widespread than many people realize. In this episode of The Deets with Duddy, Jeff Dudder sits down with Melissa From, President and CEO of the Calgary Food Bank, for a grounded conversation about what hunger actually looks like inside one of the city’s most essential organizations. Melissa shares what demand feels like on the inside, whe...

https://linktr.ee/davepiercemusicDave Pierce is a composer and music director whose work lives behind some of the biggest live broadcasts on the planet, including the Olympics. In this episode of The Deets with Duddy, Dave breaks down what that job really looks like when the pressure is high and the margin for error is zero. We talk about how large scale live broadcasts actually come together, the...

Ashley Resch joins The Deets with Duddy for a raw, honest conversation about fame, identity, and what it really looks like to pivot your life when the spotlight shifts. Born and raised in Calgary, Ashley built a massive following through modeling, Playboy features, and reality TV, including Celebrity Ex on the Beach. In this episode, she breaks down the grind behind the glamour, the pressure that...

This episode counts down the Top 20 moments of 2025 from The Deets with Duddy. Over the past year, this show sat down with some of Calgary’s most interesting voices. Artists, athletes, musicians, chefs, performers, broadcasters, filmmakers, public servants, and community leaders. These are the moments that resonated most with listeners and viewers, and the conversations that helped shape the direc...

Professional poker player Haven Taylor joins Duddy for an honest conversation about what life at the table really looks like beyond the cards. From cash games versus tournaments to the psychological side of live poker, Haven breaks down how players read people, manage pressure, and navigate wildly different formats without drifting into overly technical territory. The conversation moves into lifes...

Stafford Arima joins me on The Deets with Duddy to talk about the path that led him from his early years in theatre to New York, Broadway, and eventually Calgary. He shares the turning points that shaped his career and the moments that still guide the way he builds stories on stage. We get into the reality of being an Artistic Director, what it means to shape a season for a whole city, and how aud...

Emma Krebs joins Calgary’s late-night show podcast to talk about curiosity, the creator economy and what life actually looks like as a podcast producer. Emma has worked across LA, the UK and Calgary, freelancing for years before joining major shows like The Doctor Hyman Show. In this episode she shares how she built a creative career that feels sustainable, and what she’s learned from working so c...