Why I‘ll Never Make It

If I’m being honest, I have never really met a little person. Maybe in passing, but never actually sat down and had a conversation with one. But once we got on Zoom, Christophe Zajac-Denek and I chatted for more than two hours and even then we still could’ve kept on talking. There were so many areas of his life and experience that were not only interesting but also inspiring. So this is actually j...

It's been one heck of a year, yet one arts group wanted to come together and make something to celebrate this season. They asked me to be a part of the event by hosting their Virtual Red Carpet. These interviews with the actors and creative team behind BroadwayMania's Holiday Special were first shown Thanksgiving weekend and led up to the hour-long Christmas program. Amanda Varelakis, singer/direc...

This past summer, as we were in the midst of massive theater shutdowns and summer season cancellations, I found BroadwayMania on Instagram. It was mostly videos of singers belting out show tunes, well-produced performances that were earnest and passionate. As I found out more about this organization and their mission to provide opportunities to performers around the world, I was truly captivated b...

When it comes to the arts, I aim to give as wide a field of experience and opinion as possible here on the podcast. Yet for the most part I steer clear of politics. This is for a few reasons, but the main two are that I don’t want to add to the already divisive nature of some political activism and I want the content of this podcast to be as relevant today as it will be a year or more from now. Ca...

Thanks for coming back to join me and Kristen Hetzel again! This is a bonus episode to the previous conversation, where we cover topics and five specific questions that we didn’t address on the last episode. Today, Kristen talks about her athletic and acting bucket lists and shares wisdom from her Aunt Zee.  The time and expense needed to bring these guests and conversations to you each week is so...

In this podcast’s continuing series, Bettering Ourselves, Bettering Our Careers we’re finding ways to improve how we work and create, how to push through challenges we face. So far we’ve looked at ways to better our public relations, our mindset and deliberate practice as well as branding strategies and how best to use social media. Join the WINMI newsletter: whyillnevermakeit.com  Today, as we he...

Become a WINMI Producer today: donate.winmipodcast.com  This interview was conducted back in August 2020, hence the reference to my air conditioner. Tony also mentions his episode with Lea Salonga, which has since been released. He goes on to rant a bit about podcasting and getting interviews, and we discuss online classes from Domestika and General Assembly. And once again, the title of this podc...

When it comes to our lives and our careers, perhaps no shift has been more dramatic or significant as our increase in time online and on our phones. The biggest driver of this is social media. Digital strategist Tony Howell pays another visit to the podcast as we talk about branding, online presence, and our use of social apps. Sign up for the WINMI newsletter... Tony first appeared on the podcast...

In part three of the month-long series bettering ourselves bettering our careers, this episode is a continuation from the previous conversation about deliberate practice and the 10,000 hours rule. Another psychologist, Alisa Hurwitz, PsyD, joins me today to dive into mindset and how we actors can deal with rejection and the challenges we face in this business. Her moniker Dr. Drama comes from her...

When it comes to bettering ourselves as artists, it involves a lot of training, coaching, and practice. One popular strategy is called the 10,000 Hours Rule, popularized by Malcolm Gladwell. But today’s guest, psychologist Brooke Macnamara, has done research showing the importance of quality over quantity. Get the WINMI Newsletter: whyillnevermakeit.com In his 2008 book Outliers: The Story of Succ...

This is the first episode in a new series on the podcast: Bettering Ourselves, Bettering Our Careers. And today’s guest provides a great example of both - Lisa Goldberg, Owner of LSG Public Relations.   Support WINMI and get your supporter-only episodes: donate.winmipodcast.com   Lisa represents actors, writers, directors, and choreographers both nationally and internationally, who have won Emmys,...

On this special bonus episode all about the recent Tony Award Nominations, I’m so happy to introduce music director, conductor, and fellow podcaster Nate Patton. Nate and I first met when he was associate conducting Charlie and the Chocolate Factory on Broadway. And his podcast called Booked It. The title to one of his episodes was “Broadway is broken and I alone can fix it.” And it's this kind of...

Meredith and I continue our conversation from the previous episode as she answers the Final Five questions. She shares her national tour ambitions and her love of interior design as well as what she learned from Ali Stroker. Make your one-time or monthly donation at donate.winmipodcast.com      ----------      The time and expense needed to bring these guests and conversations to you each week is...

In honor of Dysautonomia Awareness Month, Meredith Aleigha Wells joins the podcast to share her struggles and challenges onstage and in life all from the vantage point of a wheelchair. After becoming disabled at the age of 19, Meredith performed in a college workshop production of the new musical Donny Johns, making UMass Amherst history as the first actor who uses a wheelchair to perform in a Mai...

This month’s Recommendation comes from co-hosts Jill Jaracz and Allison Brown and their podcast: Keep the Flame Alive, the podcast for fans of the greatest sporting event in the world. Each week, hosts Jill Jaracz and Alison Brown explore the stories of the Olympics, which is basically the Broadway of sports. They talk to athletes and sports writers as well as coaches and organizers. They explore...

British historian and philosopher R.G. Collingwood said, "History is for human self knowledge, the only clue to what men can do is what man has done. So with an ongoing pandemic and theaters shut down for the foreseeable future, what can history teach us about dealing with such hardships and what to expect going forward? That’s what we’ll be exploring in this episode with Professor Charlotte Canni...

Bienvenidos y gracias por acompañarnos en esta edición especial de Why I’ll Never Make It! En esta segunda parte de mi serie sobre historias hispanas, escucharán a mis invitados anteriores compartir sus propias historias y experiencias en español. Roberto Araujo - 1:06  Bianca Marroquín - 5:57  Luis Salgado - 11:50  Jaime Lozano - 16:59  Alina Alcántara - 24:43  Tadeo Martinez - 28:39  Cecy Trevin...

This is part one in a series of former Hispanic guests coming back to share their stories in their own words. The second part - la segunda parte - comes out tomorrow and will be en espanol.   My original idea was to bring back all Hispanic guests for a single Spanish episode. And I ignorantly assumed they would all want to share stories in that language. But Matt Zambrano and Dan Domingues express...

Welcome back to more conversation with Tadeo Martinez as he answers the Final Five. Tadeo shares two of his favorites pieces of advice and his dream to be on YouTube. He also talks about his award-winning performance in Noises Off in Dallas, Texas. Would you like to be a part of creating an episode? Find out how you can and support this podcast at the same time: https://ko-fi.com/winmi/commissions...

When it comes to the guests on this podcast most of them are fairly well established. This allows me to the Google them, find pictures and stories about them, and get to know their body of work. But for Tadeo Martinez, there wasn’t much to go on. I found a couple of show reviews and his website. Now, this is no slight on Tadeo. I didn’t have much either coming out of college. But what I did find c...

Well, I hope you listened to our previous conversation because Bianca is back to answer the Final Five questions. She shares her disappointment in not getting to play Evita but also her joy to portray Chita Rivera in the hit TV show Fosse. She also goes deeper into her love of family and being a stepmom. Would you like to answer the Final Five questions? Let me know at winmipodcast.com.      -----...

In today's wide-ranging conversation with Bianca Marroquin, one of the issues she addresses is that of language and accent. Growing up near the Texas border, she had the opportunity to learn both languages. So in addition to being the first Mexican woman ever to land a leading role on Broadway, she is also the only one ever to do Chicago in two different languages. Yet in the 18 years since the Br...

Well, it's the last Monday of the month, so that means it's time for this month's podcast recommendation: THE INDUSTRY, hosted by Dan Delgado. Every week Why I’ll Never Make It likes to highlight and dive into the areas that hold us back as artists, the realities of this business with all of its ups and downs. Sometimes we find success and other times, like now, we face hardship and/or failure. So...

Luis Salgado was born and raised in Puerto Rico and studied theater there at the University of Puerto Rico. He moved to New York City in 2012 and it was slow going at first for him to book work. But eventually things started to click for him and his career as featured as many credits on stage as off stage, behind the scenes, in addition to film and television work.   But this year has not been kin...

After our conversation on the previous episode, Jaime talks about the process of voting on songs and albums for the Grammys, and then he answers the Final Five. He shares his love of Law & Order and his dream to work with Lin-Manuel Miranda as well as what he learns from those who are humble. The time and expense needed to bring these guests and conversations to you each week is sometimes challeng...