Workshopping

Sam and Steph warp up their first season of Workshopping. Stay tuned in the next few weeks for the premiere of Season 2 with some exciting, wild, weird, and worthy guests!

Sam and Steph can't say enough about this amazing lady, wow-ing them in every direction. Alison Haislip, an actor, host, gamer, super-gamer, lover of smart things, producer, and gem of a human lands at the MCP studios this week to chat about all the work, career, and life things. After binging the Workshopping library she already knew all the damn questions, and nailed them of course. She's a pro... the one usually on the 'asking questions' end of the microphone. Its was a blast to turn it around on her. Sam needed at least another 6 hours to discuss gaming and their shared appreciation for fantasy football, while Steph could've reminisced about living on the same street in LA years ago. Los Angeles is the biggest small town there is... and so glad Alison's in it.

Meghan Helsel, one of Sam and Steph's nearest and dearests, joins Workshopping this week to deep dive into her resonant history from esteemed Center for the Arts boarding school Academia to Oxford student and theater actor to landing roles as a television actor... where she discovered banal dialog on TV shows was not fulfilling her bright mind. Thank God! Now, Meghan uses her limitless talents as a storyteller, a Great Connector, and a whip smart sense of humor (along with and the power of press) to her clients' advantage as Co-Founder of the epic PR firm Grandstand Media. Whew! Get on this train guys... this powerhouse lady sets the stage for how it's DONE.

This week Sam and Steph are joined by the multi-talented Ryland Blackinton and he is just beyond-beyond entertaining! Although more appearances by his alter-ego Griff, the grumpy YouTube music production tutorialist, were requested, he makes a brief debut you won't want to miss. From Theater kid to Guitarist in the acclaimed band Cobra Starship, to Songwriter and Producer to Composer... he now adds Graphic Designer to his list of accomplishments and talents. Although all he ever wanted was to excel in Claymation, it's pretty clear this kid is gonna make it. Don't miss it.

You can HEAR the joyful smile across Lee Clay’s face by the end of this episode… as he navigates Sam and Steph through his career path from theatrical actor, to long-time independent film producer, to his current position (with no end in sight) as a financial advisor, specializing in sustainable and long term impact investing. A conversation about investments has never felt so warm and fuzzy. Listen as Lee impresses his personal identity shift from film producer to socially conscious investment advisor. S&S have never felt more sure who they should invest with for their families future.

Welcome to the very first in-person MCP VV episode, where Sam and Steph welcome the unmatched joyous and vivacious Kristin Stanley! S & S met up with Kristin IN REAL LIFE, to discuss her dreams of becoming a movie star, to actually becoming a singer / songwriter. She bounced into working at several amazing radio stations, waited tables at The Punch Line in SF, wrote jingles for fun and free (she even wrote one for this episode - Sam calls her an ‘ad personality’) and magically pivoted into a career as a super successful political media advertising seller. Oh, and she teaches dance too. Now that all sounds amazing, until you read her self-description: Sober, Singer, Songwriter, Seller, Dancer, Writer, Friend, Mom, Lucky. Kristin reminds us that we are not what we do for a living, but we may as well enjoy it along the way.

Sam and Steph are joined by the loveliest of lovelies this week, Evelyn Taft. Evelyn is not new to the broadcast journalist game; in fact she's almost an old timer for such a young woman! Active as a weekend anchor, line producer, carried sports segments, fully produced and edited her own reporting, and now leads as prime time meteorologist on LA's KCAL 9 for over a decade, Evelyn is no stranger to hard work and late nights. The daughter of Russian immigrants who came to the U.S. for a better life, Sam and Steph still think she's a Russian spy, but that's for another time, another interview.

Alex joins Sam and Steph this week as a storyteller to end all storytelling. A master at relationships, reading a room, knowing his worth, and how "not to be a dick as a boss," Alex takes us on a wild ride up his career path, one step at a time. He breaks down how to get ahead, patiently and productively, in this risky business. From his days as a camp counselor, to his first entertainment job as a Desk Assistant onto Production Assistant, he became a sought after Editor, then Co-EP and EP of several wildly successful television shows. Good things come to those who work hard (like Alex), are kind to people, and know the exact time to move forward, no matter the paycheck.

Sam and Steph strap in to chat with each other for some much needed couples therapy. From lost wedding rings to everyday banter keeping their marriage strong, they also discuss creativity and their paths toward it, ideal days, financial disagreements and how to balance work, life and self care. 

Steph and Sam welcome the immeasurable Adam Shapiro and his sidekick Shappy (same guy, same vibe, more layers). They follow his journey from celebrity assistant to consistent working actor (to say the LEAST), cofounder of an LA based theatre company, then sideways to the inventor / baker of the only epic Philly soft pretzel found outside its home state. Throw your AirPods in and enjoy this unparalleled shuffle down memory lane with Shappy, a friend with poise, an infectious laugh, unmatched depth of character and the gift of gab!