You Are The Genre

Tim Barnes chats with comedian and TV writer Rae Sanni about the impact entertainers with flair from world wrestling to 80s/90s standup. Rae Sanni is a writer and actress, known for The Good Place, Rel, and A Black Lady Sketch Show. 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...

Tables get turned as former guest Rob Schulte ( Vanderpump Robs ) interviews You Are The Genre host Tim Barnes as part of the Doin' It with Mike Sacks podcast. Tim also uses this time to give listeners the YEARLY NUDGE toward upgrading to a paid subscription to the newsletter to further support the podcast an newsletter! Subscribe now / Give a gift subscription Rob Schulte is a self-proclaimed inf...

Tim Barnes chats with comedy writer/political speech writer Chandler Dean about about Trump’s re-election, the current state of comedy and politics, and how he balances the two in his career. Chandler Dean is a comedian and speechwriter who is currently a Senior Director at West Wing Writers , host of the comedy debate show Abolish Everything at Caveat, and a performer on UCB's Harold Night with t...

Tim Barnes chats with podcaster/podcast producer Anita Flores about her early love of television, the evolution of the podcast space, and what makes Frasier stand the test of time. ANITA FLORES is a podcast producer most recently at Marvel Entertainment. Previously, she’s worked at SiriusXM producing Earwolf  and Stitcher shows such as Beautiful Stories from Anonymous People, Vibe Check, Factually...

Tim Barnes chats with comedian Tim Platt about telling jokes through music, the impact of Jim Carrey, and the inspiration behind his new comedy record, TEETH LIKE BEAK , out now out now with  Abso Lutely Records . Bandcamp AppleMusic AmazonMusic Spotify Tim Platt is a comedian, actor, and musician based in Brooklyn, NY. His debut comedy album of jokes and songs, TEETH LIKE BEAK, is dropping in Sep...

Tim Barnes chats with novelist and playwright Claire Willett about the connections between her faith, queerness, and fandom. Portland native Claire Willett is a playwright, novelist, former Catholic youth minister, and nonprofit grantwriter. She is a past recipient of the Oregon Literary Fellowship for Drama, has received creative project grants from the Regional Arts & Culture Council and the Ore...

Tim Barnes chats with comedian, filmmaker, and viral digital sketch creator Hoff Matthews . Hoff Matthews has written for outlets such as Comedy Central, Paramount Network and Funny or Die. You can find him and his video sketches on Instagram , TikTok , YouTube and Twitter . He also co-produced and hosted the horror movie screening/live comedy show series Hoff’s Horrorfest and created and starred...

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This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit lettersfromafricanamerica.substack.com/subscribe

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit lettersfromafricanamerica.substack.com/subscribe

Tim Barnes chats with horror novelist and screenwriter Tananarive Due about balancing the worlds of screenwriting with prose writing, and taking the leap from journalism to fiction. TANANARIVE DUE (tah-nah-nah-REEVE doo) is an award-winning author who teaches Black Horror and Afrofuturism at UCLA. She is an executive producer on Shudder's groundbreaking documentary Horror Noire: A History of Black...

Tim Barnes chats with filmmaker, writer, and The Daily Show segment director Chinisha Scott about the bumpy ride that media-focused millennials have had in the industry, constantly searching for the next great creative project, and the powerful impact of teachers who care. Chinisha  is an Emmy-nominated, award-winning, multi-hyphenate creator with nearly 20 years experience in Film, TV, and media...

Tim Barnes chats with poet Dr. Mahogany L. Browne about falling in and out of love with poetry, and her path toward becoming genre-less in her craft as a writer and creator. Mahogany L. Browne, a Kennedy Center's Next 50 fellow, is a writer, playwright, organizer, & educator. Browne’s books include Vinyl Moon, Chlorine Sky, Black Girl Magic, and banned books Woke: A Young Poet’s Call to Justice an...

Tim Barnes chats with filmmaker Christopher Jason Bell about fusing his early love emo music and sketch comedy into his craft as a filmmaker who bridges fiction with reality. Chris’ recent projects include… Failed State — which follows a real-life NYC deliveryman named Dale having troubles from declining health, demanding work, pressure from his boss, and social life. And Miss Me Yet — a look back...

Tim Barnes chats with Chrissy Shackelford ( Last Week Tonight, Wyatt Cenac’s Problem Areas ) about how her childhood love of I Love Lucy re-runs influenced her evolving career as an actress, improvisor, and writer. Chrissy wrote and stars in the hilarious web series Ghostwritten . Chrissy Shackelford began her comedy career in 2012, studying at The Second City in Chicago and ColdTowne Theater in A...

Tim Barnes chats with comedian/writer/artist Branson Reese about the creation of his Swan Boy web comic character, his love of horror, and his entry into the world of creativity. Branson is a comedian and illustrator originally from Virginia. His first comics collection, HELL WAS FULL, is now out. You can (and should!) order it here . He is the co-creator and host of the popular Fortunate Horse po...

Tim Barnes chats with culture writer Maggie Serota ( SPIN Magazine, Salon, Esquire ) about about what it means to be a “self-appointed trash scholar,” navigating the media world with a working class background, and how she learned to translate her voice onto the page. Maggie also publishes the newsletter! Listen to episodes a week earlier than the rest by selecting a paid subscription to the newsl...

Tim Barnes chats with comedian, actor and writer Yedoye Travis ( Mr. Mayor, Comedy Central ) about his early love of standup, whether comedy and philosophy should sit on the same shelf, and how he’s dealing with the algorithmic demands of modern creativity. Yedoye also hosts the hilarious Complex show, That’s Deep . Listen to episodes a week earlier than the rest by selecting a paid subscription t...

Tim Barnes chats with comedian/writer Evan Waite about his early fascination with comics, his brief career as a teacher abroad, and how he carved his way into being a working comedy writer. Evan Waite is a co-executive producer on Fox’s Family Guy,   and wrote on the Emmy-winning Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, NBC’s Sunnyside, Inside Job, The President Show, Our Cartoon President, Fairfax, and Kevin H...

Tim Barnes chats with musician/ Vanderpump Rules cast member Israel Isaac about his early passion for music, finding the courage to be openly gay and Christian, and how his music and faith have enhanced in the process. 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...

Tim Barnes chats with comedian/writer Andrew Nadeau about his early fascination with jokes on TV, navigating a comedy career while managing a chronic illness, and launching the social media branding company (Tim hopes that’s the right way to describe it) Persona Essential . Andrew Nadeau is a writer and comedian known for specializing in personal content creation. From first working with names lik...

Tim Barnes chats with writer Mychal Denzel Smith ( Invisible Man, Got the Whole World Watching and Stakes Is High ) about his passion for mysteries, early attempts at screenwriting, and grappling with perception as he navigates his career. You might also recognize Mychal from Tim’s [TEXT MESSAGE] interview with him for the newsletter: Mychal Denzel Smith  is the author of the  New York Times  best...

Tim Barnes chats with Anna Suzuki about moving to the U.S. from Japan as a teen, pursuing the same performance crafts as her father, and her ultimate Broadway dreams. Anna Suzuki is a Japanese-Jewish actor, writer, and comedian. She acts, writes, and does comedy. Anna is the co-creator of the all-Asian parody pop group, AzN PoP!, where she writes and performs original songs. Credits include: UCB N...

Tim Barnes chats with comedian Roy Wood Jr. about his baseball-centered philosophy, the unique struggle of being a “Jr.” and how he’s navigating the current entertainment industry chaos. Roy Wood Jr.  is a comedian, an Emmy-nominated documentary producer for the PBS documentary  The Neutral Ground , a correspondent on Comedy Central’s Emmy-nominated  The Daily Show with Trevor Noah , and host of C...

Tim Barnes chats with comedian/writer/film critic Jourdain Searles (The New York Times, Vanity Fair, The Hollywood Reporter, Variety, Sight & Sound Magazine, and more) about growing up in Georgia, falling in love with cinema, and melding the skills she’s gained from comedy and criticism. Jourdain Searles is a writer, critic, film programmer and comedian. After leaving her hometown of Augusta, GA i...