You Are The Genre

🔊: Apple - Spotify - Newsletter Hey, I’m Tim Barnes , you are the genre, and in this episode, I’m chatting with the incredible actress and television director Keesha Sharp . In my new audio series JUDGE TRAVIS (which has been announced as an official 2026 Tribeca Festival Creators Market Selection), Sharp plays one of the most complex, important, and nuanced characters. In this discussion, we dis...

🔊: Apple - Spotify - Newsletter Hey, I’m Tim Barnes , you are the genre, and in this episode, I’m chatting with audio engineer Ben Kruse . Ben was the editor, sound designer, and mixer for the JUDGE TRAVIS audio series I created. The experience ended up becoming a long, fun, and sometimes at times even therapeutic collaboration. Look forward to some deep dives into audio techniques, Bolivian cult...

🔊: Apple - Spotify - Newsletter Hey, I’m Tim Barnes , you are the genre, and in this episode I’m chatting musician and DJ Kev Luu about his creative journey from Las Vegas to L.A. and creating the original music for my audio sitcom JUDGE TRAVIS . Kev shares some incredible insights on the immigrant experience, supporting his elders through the non-profit Seniors Fight Back and how he’s pushed thr...

Hey, I’m Tim Barnes , you are the genre, and in this episode I’m chatting AGAIN with Milly Tamarez . She was a writer on my new scripted audio series JUDGE TAVIS . So, part one is a behind-the-scenes deep dive on what went into her episode of the show which is a real therapeutic explosion of jokes and insights from each character. And part two is a re-release of our chat from a few years back. Wow...

Hey, I’m Tim Barnes , you are the genre, and in this episode I’m chatting with playwright, actor, and JUDGE TRAVIS staff writer Ben Holbrook . We met years ago at a standup show that I was on and he was attending and it kicked off a unique friendship where every now and then we’ll just have a real, solid chat that ranges from sci-fi to a psychological analysis of intergenerational trauma—which, I...

Hey, I’m Tim Barnes , you are the genre, and in this episode I’m chatting with Ian Abramson TWICE! First up: a behind-the-scenes conversation about his experience writing episode five of my new scripted podcast JUDGE TRAVIS . Second: a a special re-release of our conversation from 2024 where we discussed his standup comedy special The Heist . Ian and I have known each other since high school and h...

Hey, I’m Tim Barnes , you are the genre, and in this episode I’m chatting with comedian, writer, and fashion designer Rebecca O’Neal . We’ve been friends circa 2012 in the Chicago comedy scene and I was thrilled to bring her aboard the writers’ room for JUDGE TRAVIS . O’Neal wrote episode 4 of JUDGE TRAVIS which premiered February 18, so you can either listen after this interview or before! We com...

Hey, I’m Tim Barnes , you are the genre, and in this episode I’m chatting with actor/comedian Brandi Denise . She’s performed on THE TONIGHT SHOW , acted in the POWER series, and now voices the role of the bailiff in my new scripted audio series JUDGE TRAVIS . Before that role, we likely bumped into each other at some point in the Chicago comedy scene. It’s a testament to her clarity of voice as a...

Hey, I’m Tim Barnes , you are the genre, and in this episode I’m chatting with writer Andrew E. Colarusso . I interviewed him in text form a few years back in the newsletter, but now he joins me in audioland to discuss his latest collection of poetry PETTYGOD . The collection is irrepressible, holy, profane, tender, hilarious, "too hot to touch." Our two creative paths intersect in strange ways. F...

🔊: Apple - Spotify - Newsletter Hey, I’m Tim Barnes , you are the genre, and this is a preview of an upcoming scripted audio series that I have coming out February 11th called JUDGE TRAVIS , which you should subscribe to now wherever you listen to podcasts! I’ll be interviewing people involved with the show here on You Are The Genre as we switch to a Monday release schedule between February 9 and...

Hey, I’m Tim Barnes , you are the genre, and in this episode I’m chatting with novelist and media multi-hyphenate Noël Stark . Her debut novel is a steamy romance titled LOVE, CAMERA, ACTION and it caught my attention because of the behind-the-scenes nature of the story. I love behind-the-scenes stories. It’s my THE LARRY SANDERS SHOW is one of my favorite sitcoms and why my upcoming scripted audi...

Hey, I’m Tim Barnes , you are the genre, and beyond my excitement for the JUDGE TRAVIS audio series I have coming out in February , I'm thrilled to present this chat with novelist and television writer Kashana Cauley . Before comedy, Cauley worked in the world of law, but she rose to internet fame on Twitter (back when that place was kind of fun) for writing political hot takes that were so funny,...

Host Tim Barnes welcomes listeners back to the podcast and teases the February 11th release of his scripted audio series, JUDGE TRAVIS . New You Are The Genre episodes can be expected each Monday featuring guests Kashana Cauley ( The Daily Show ), Rebecca O’Neal ( 2 Dope Queens ), Dave Hill ( Last Week Tonight ) and more! Want more from this show? Subscribe to the newsletter ! This is a public epi...

🔊: Apple - Spotify - Newsletter Tim Barnes chats with Felipe Torres Medina ( The Late Show with Stephen Colbert ) about growing up in Columbia, the impact comedic imports from America, and the everlasting power of being a moody boy. His book, America, Let Me In: A Choose Your Immigration Story was published March 2025 and has earned some pretty cool reviews from Kirkus and Publisher’s Weekly . OR...

Tim Barnes chats journalist Philip Lewis about how his early passions led him to journalism. Philip Lewis is a journalist from Detroit, Michigan. He is the author of the What I'm Reading newsletter. Listen to episodes a week earlier than the rest by selecting a paid subscription to the newsletter ! Merch and more are coming soon at YouAreTheGenre.com CREDITS: Host: Tim Barnes Guest: Philip Lewis T...

🔊: Apple - Spotify - Newsletter Tim Barnes chats with Ryan Perez ( SNL, The Tonight Show ) about the impact of Scorsese films on his sensibility as a comedian, writer, and filmmaker. Listen to episodes a week earlier than the rest by selecting a paid subscription to the newsletter ! Merch and more are coming soon at YouAreTheGenre.com CREDITS: * Host: Tim Barnes * Guest: Ryan Perez * Theme Song:...

Tim Barnes chats writer Nathan Rabin about his early interest in politics and trivia, and how they influenced his career as a dissector of pop culture’s past, present, and future. Nathan Rabin coined the phrase Manic Pixie Dream Girl, co-wrote the coffee table book of his childhood hero “Weird Al” Yankovic and has written for the A.V Club longer than anyone else, with a career stretching back two...

Tim Barnes chats with comedian/director/photographer Rose Kelso about her early love of collecting things and how that ties into her many creative pursuits today. Rose Kelso is a Brooklyn based director, comedian, and photographer. She is the creator of multiple Comedy Central digital series such as: Boomer Stoop , Rose's Music Show , Rose and Brooks' Small World , and more... In February 2024, sh...

Tim Barnes chats with comedian/TV writer/filmmaker Niles Abston about how his genre of comedy defies the silos of the internet and forges community. Niles Abston is a stand-up comedian/writer/actor from Mississippi based in Los Angeles and New York City. Listen to episodes a week earlier than the rest by selecting a paid subscription to the newsletter ! Merch and more are coming soon at YouAreTheG...

Tim Barnes chats with novelist Micaiah Johnson about following through with her early passion for books and science fiction. Micaiah Johnson is a Brooklyn-based author and scholar. She received her BA in creative writing from the University of California, Riverside, and her MFA in fiction from Rutgers-Camden. She received her doctorate at Vanderbilt university. On her mother’s side, she is a first...

Tim Barnes chats with Mark Bazer about how his early love of comedy bridged into his career as a newspaper columnist and influenced his decision to host the long-running Chicago staple, The Interview Show — which now has a podcast called… you guessed it: The Interview Show with Mark Bazer . There is more to Mark Bazer than being the host of The Interview Show . For example, he has many emotions an...

Tim Barnes chats with Shannon Cason about fusing his early paths in marketing and rap with his current award-winning career as a storyteller with The Moth and Snap Judgment. Shannon Cason is a writer, podcast host, and award-winning storyteller with The Moth and Snap Judgment. He’s appeared on stages and platforms like TEDx, RISK!, and Podcast Movement, and hosts the long-running Shannon Cason’s H...

Tim Barnes chats with comedian and After Midnight writer Alexandria Love about the many lives comedians live and how she bridged her early love of the genre into action as an adult. Alexandria Love is a stand-up comedian and writer from Oakland, California. She has performed at comedy clubs all over the country from the SF Punchline to The Miami Improv. She’s been a part of numerous comedy festiva...

Tim Barnes chats with the Center for Brooklyn History’s chief historian, Dominique Jean-Louis about her early love of libraries bridged into her interest in history. Dominique Jean-Louis is a doctoral candidate in U.S. history at NYU. She received her B.A. in Comparative Ethnic Studies from Columbia University, where she first developed her interest in researching race and education in New York Ci...

Tim Barnes chats with comedian, DJ, TV writer, and fight choreographer Mamoudou N'Diaye about how his early passion for mystery, science fiction, and fight sequences influences his work today. Mamoudou N'Diaye is a Mauritanian/Malian-American comedian, tv/film writer, filmmaker, creative consultant, DJ, and former 7th-grade teacher. N'Diaye has been a correspondent for digital media companies, a c...