The Story Series Podcast with Brandon Violette (For Writers Who Break The Rules)

Born in Toronto, Canada, Ryan Pyle spent his early years close to home. After obtaining a degree in International Politics from the University of Toronto in 2001, Ryan realized a life long dream and traveled to China on an exploratory mission. In 2002 Ryan moved to China permanently and in 2004 Ryan became a regular contributor to the New York Times. In 2009 Ryan was listed by PDN Magazine as one...

Born in Toronto, Canada, Ryan Pyle spent his early years close to home. After obtaining a degree in International Politics from the University of Toronto in 2001, Ryan realized a life long dream and traveled to China on an exploratory mission. In 2002 Ryan moved to China permanently and in 2004 Ryan became a regular contributor to the New York Times. In 2009 Ryan was listed by PDN Magazine as one...

After interviewing dozens of professional screenwriters, show creators, and executives, the same mistakes, and insights, about pitching kept coming up again and again. In this episode, I distill those conversations into three practical takeaways you can apply today to your next pitch, whether it's a TV show, Film, or Limited Series. IN THIS EPISODE, WE DISCUSS: • 3 strategies to improve your next...

Goldie Chan, dubbed the "Oprah of LinkedIn," is an innovative LinkedIn Top Voice, author of Personal Branding for Introverts and the founder of Warm Robots, an award-winning agency. A Forbes alum and global keynote speaker, she helps Fortune 500s and creatives build lasting community and culture through brand storytelling. Known for her warmth and strategy, Goldie's work spans brand campaigns, Arc...

Beth Mosch is an emerging writer and producer focused on showcasing female-centered, LGBTQ, and athlete-driven narratives. She graduated from USC's School of Cinematic Arts with a degree in Film & Television Production and a focus on 3D animation and has worked on productions for Netflix, Sony Pictures, WBTV, and NEON. While running a social media marketing business, she continues to write and ind...

A screenwriter for animated children's series, most notably Blue's Clues & You Nursery Rhymes and Barnyard Daycare at Nickelodeon, Hilary Van Hoose is also a journalist who has written for such magazines as Animation and Script. Growing up a PWD and multi-heritage homeschooler in Northern California and Hawaii, Hilary briefly studied to be a pastry chef before attending UC Santa Cruz to study abro...

A short update about how the podcast is evolving and why the next chapter is all about storytelling, writing, and breaking the right rules. ✏️💥 Plus, a free download to kick things off:  "The Rule Breaker's Guide To Finding Your Creative Voice". A brutally honest roadmap built from the lessons, mistakes, and breakthroughs I've collected along my journey as a professional writer.  --> It's availab...

Brian Delate is a Vietnam Veteran, actor, writer, and director whose life and work bridge trauma, creativity, and transformation. After serving in Vietnam ('69–'70), Brian rebuilt himself through education, acting, and writing, eventually training at The Actor's Studio under icons like Ellen Burstyn, Harvey Keitel, and Al Pacino. His film and television career includes roles in  The Shawshank Rede...

Peter Gaffney is an Emmy-winning writer, producer and story editor of animated television, ranging from Rugrats to The Simpsons. He is the co-creator of Nickelodeon's Aaahh!!! Real Monsters.  🎙️In this episode, we explore:  ✅ What the iconic  Rugrats  taught him about creative freedom ✅ Why his approach to writing comedy hasn't changed since the '90s ✅ How meditation saved his work ✅ His hones...

Emmy nominee and NYT Bestselling author Elise Allen has written for all ages, preschool to adult. She developed/showran  Princess Power ;  other TV credits include  Dinosaur Train , Sid the Science Kid,  and  The Lion Guard . In features, she wrote  The Pout Pout Fish,   plus fifteen animated Barbie movies. Books include the  Elixir   series (with Hilary Duff), and  Gabby Duran and the Unsittables...

Eric Miller's first brush with literary "fame" occurred when his grade school writing assignment about a bloodthirsty executioner's block earned him a trip to the principal's office. Years later, he edited the Bram Stoker Award-nominated anthology  Hell Comes To Hollywood  and other anthologies, wrote the screenplays for the SyFy Channel hit  Ice Spiders  among other genre films, and his first nov...

Adam Beechen is an Emmy-nominated writer and producer with over 200 produced episodes across live-action and animation, including MacGyver , Transformers: Robots in Disguise , Teen Titans , The Batman , and The Stinky And Dirty Show . A New York Times best-selling author ( Batman Beyond: Hush Beyond ), he has written comics for DC, Lion Forge, and Darby Pop, including the acclaimed graphic novel H...

Ambika Mathur aka "Amby" is an experienced model, actress, and host who began her career in Los Angeles, CA. Ambika is represented by top agencies in America and Italy. She has walked in prestigious runway shows in NYFW, PFW, LAFW, and appeared as a principal role in international campaigns, including a commercial with Visit Italy that aired in New York Times Square. Ambika currently splits her ti...

10 guests. 10 answers. 1 powerful question: "What's a rule in your industry you don't follow or believe in?" In this bonus episode, we revisit the answers from the previous 10 guests. The designer who brought mindfulness into the workplace... The screenwriter who follows feeling over formula... The actor who refuses to give in to industry despair... The entrepreneur who doesn't chase sales... Each...

Kate Amundsen is an accomplished American actress. Born and partly raised in Los Angeles, she spent much of her youth in Utah and New Mexico, where she discovered her passion for acting through hero Judy Garland. She has a long list of network credits that include acclaimed TV series such as 9-1-1: LONE STAR and SHAMELESS. Her film work includes the lead role in MOTHER NATURE & THE DOOMSDAY PREPPE...

Ari Levitch is a world builder and storyteller for games. He is also half of Mysterious Alchemy, the company that he and his writing partner, Adam Lee, created after working on Dungeons & Dragons and Magic: The Gathering for almost a decade. Most recently, he served as Narrative Director on the Disney Lorcana trading card game. When he's not working, he's likely watching the Dodgers or conversing...

This bonus episode of The Story Series is brought to you in collaboration with The Pitch Docs, an online platform founded by "Shimmer and Shine" Creator Farnaz Esnaashari that pairs first time show creators with seasoned veterans: https://thepitchdocs.com Nick Filippi is an Emmy Award-winning story artist, director, and producer with a passion for storytelling. He is best known for directing and p...

Chester "Chet" Stockton is an experienced technology professional and author with over three decades of experience in the enterprise software space, having held management, senior solutions engineering, and architectural roles at industry-leading companies such as VMware, Symantec, and Veritas. Chet has spent years providing technical consultation to C-suite individuals as well as mentoring young...

Andrew is a husband of 15 years, a father to three boys, and has been in entertainment for 15 years. With numerous credits on network television as well as lead and supporting roles in films, he describes every day on set as the best day ever. Aside from his work as an actor, he really enjoys getting to help build a culture with the cast and crew throughout the duration of any and every shoot. Onw...

Jane Zhao is a media and marketing strategist with 10+ years of experience driving growth in live streaming and influencer marketing. She has led content strategy, partnerships, and campaign optimization at leading global tech and media platforms, specializing in creator engagement, branded content, and audience monetization. 🎙️In this episode, we explore: ✅  The grind behind live streaming (8 ho...

This bonus episode of The Story Series is brought to you in collaboration with The Pitch Docs, an online platform founded by "Shimmer and Shine" Creator Farnaz Esnaashari that pairs first time show creators with seasoned veterans: https://thepitchdocs.com Freddy Tutiven is the Creative Director and co-owner of Fun Ideas LLC a content creator, product design and development studio. Before starting...

Brett Sorem is the author of Land On Both Feet: Grind Through Life with a Skateboarder's Mindset. His journey has taken him from carving the streets of San Diego to skitching cabs in New York City, making nearly every major metropolitan area his home at one point or another. Through it all, one thing remained constant: his skateboard was always by his side. By the age of 20, he was sponsored by bi...

This bonus episode of The Story Series is brought to you in collaboration with The Pitch Docs, an online platform founded by "Shimmer and Shine" Creator Farnaz Esnaashari that pairs first time show creators with seasoned veterans: https://thepitchdocs.com Mary is a creative, quirky, master of story spells. She is Emmy nominated for Best "Pre-school Show" for "Justin Time", developed and executive...

Guy Toubes is an Emmy-nominated writer, executive producer, and showrunner who burst onto the children's television scene with Mowgli: The New Adventures of the Jungle Book , a series he co-created and produced for Fox Kids Network. Guy is also the Executive Producer and showrunner of the Emmy and Annie nominated series The Stinky & Dirty Show on Amazon Prime, the smash hit series CoComelon Lane o...

Emily Brundige is the creator of GOLDIE on Apple TV+, based on her award-winning short film of the same name, and the mind behind the cult-favorite YouTube series Pubertina. She served as Head Writer on the Emmy- and Annie-winning Hilda (Netflix) and Big Nate (Nickelodeon/Paramount+), and has over a decade of experience crafting original, heartfelt, and slightly oddball stories for kids and famili...