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Back to Pop Podcast: Your All-Access Pass to Pop Culture IconsDive headfirst into the vibrant world of pop culture with the “Back to Pop Podcast,” where we celebrate the legends and lore of the entertainment universe. From the visionaries behind the scenes to the iconic faces in front of the camera, we bring you exclusive, heart-to-heart conversations with the diverse talents that have shaped our cultural landscape. “Back to Pop” is not just a podcast; it’s a vibrant dialogue with the movers and shakers of music, movies, TV, and comics. Each episode is a unique journey, offering you a front-row s...
EP: 77 George Vega: The Kid Who Never Stopped Drawing
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George Vega grew up in Newark, New Jersey watching Voltron and filling sketchbooks with Jim Lee panels. Today he’s doing G.I. Joe cover work through Skybound and his art has appeared across Marvel, DC, Alien, Firefly, and Rick and Morty. In this conversation, George talks about the artists who shaped him — Jim Lee, Brom, Todd McFarlane, Larry Elmore — and what he actually took from each of them. We get into his process, his discipline philosophy, what it means to capture what makes a character unique, and why showing up anyway is the on...
EP: 76. JP Mavinga: Drawing Worlds, Building Heroes, and the Art Behind White Sky
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JP Mavinga has spent over twenty-five years building one of the most distinctive careers in illustration and comics — born in the Democratic Republic of Congo, trained at SCAD, and forged across three continents before landing as a senior concept designer and art director at Sideshow Collectibles, where his work on the Thanos on Throne maquette set sales records.
In this episode, JP joins Back to Pop to talk craft, identity, and his debut Image Comics series White Sky written by William Harms, colored by Lee Loughridge, and already on its third pr...
Ep: 75 Rick Burchett — The Artist Who Made Batman Move
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If you grew up reading The Batman Adventures, Batman: Gotham Adventures, or Superman Adventures, Rick Burchett’s work shaped how you see those characters.
His pages don’t just look good — they move, they breathe, they act.
In this episode, we sit down with Rick to talk about how a commercial art background at a St. Louis ad agency quietly became one of the best training grounds for comics storytelling, why the animated Batman books weren’t just tie-ins but a genuine artistic statement, and what it actually takes to sustain a...
Ep: 74 Dancing Between the Raindrops with Nelson Aspen
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He’s covered the Oscars, the Golden Globes, and decades of Hollywood from the red carpet out. Now Nelson Aspen is turning the lens on himself.
Nelson joins Back to Pop to talk about Dancing Between the Raindrops: Happily Ever After? — the final chapter in his trilogy blending romance, identity, and the unfiltered realities behind the spotlight.
It’s a book that feels lived-in, because it is.
We dig into reinvention in middle age, the tension between wanting intimacy and settling for availability, what it means to start o...
EP: 73 “Bob Budiansky on Building the Original Transformers Mythology”
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He named 200 characters like Megatron, Starscream, Grimlock, Bumblebee, Prowl, and more . He wrote the character bibles that turned a line of Japanese toys into one of the most beloved franchises in pop culture history — and most people have never heard his name.
Bob Budiansky spent 20 years at Marvel Comics as an editor, writer, and penciller. He drew Ghost Rider covers for five years, co-plotted the conclusion of the original Johnny Blaze run, and wrote The Transformers from issue #5 through #55 — crafting the personalities, the mythology, and the names behind roughly 250 characters over...
EP: 72 Jeremy Robinson: Blood, Butterflies, and Building an Empire
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Jeremy Robinson has written nearly 100 novels. He’s a #1 Audible and New York Times bestselling author published in 14 languages. His kaiju series Project Nemesis is in development at Sony Pictures Television with John Wick director Chad Stahelski. And now he’s back where he started — in comics.
But he’s not adapting his novels.
He’s creating something new.
Nectar, the debut title from Robinson’s own Breakneck Comics imprint at Vault Comics, is a 19th-century gothic folk horror story set in 1837 on Misery Island — a cold, isolated stretch of land off the...
Ep: 71 Comics, Games, and the End of Everything: William Harms
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William Harms has spent thirty years building worlds — and the dead ones are his best work yet.
From small press comics in the early ‘90s to writing Captain America and Wolverine for Marvel, to crafting the entire story of inFAMOUS for PlayStation 3 (IGN’s Best Story of the Year, 2009), to serving as Narrative Director on Mafia III — a BAFTA-nominated game that ended up in a Victoria and Albert Museum exhibit — William Harms has done it all.
And now he’s back in creator-owned comics with White Sky, his haunting new...
Ep: 70 Marc Singer: Before the Loincloth, Beyond the Legend
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Before streaming. Before shared universes. Before fandom went mainstream — there were heroes who meant it.
This week on Back to Pop, we give Marc Singer’s career the full treatment it deserves. He was a classically trained stage actor before any of this happened on a screen — playing Petruchio in A.C.T.’s landmark 1976 Taming of the Shrew for PBS, Christian in Cyrano de Bergerac opposite Peter Donat and Marsha Mason. His film debut was opposite Burt Lancaster in Go Tell the Spartans, one of the sharpest Vietnam War films ever mad...
Ep: 69 Into the Sweetest Darkness: Doug Wagner
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Today, on Back To Pop we dive into the pages of comics, with acclaimed writer Doug Wagner
Doug Wagner writes serial killers in love, cannibal furries, fashion designers with a taste for human flesh, and Viking curses — and somehow, every single one lands with genuine heart. This week, Marc sits down with the creator of Plastic, Vinyl, Plush, I Was a Fashion School Serial Killer, and the upcoming Narco to find out how he makes the darkest material feel weirdly, disarmingly human.
They dig into Wagner’s long road i...
EP: 68 Highburn Studios: The Business, the Books, and the Grind of Indie Comics
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Michael Watkins (CEO/Editor-in-Chief, Highburn Studios) is back — and this time he brought the whole crew. Joining him are Lyle Pollard, creator of the slice-of-life series Tribulations, and Mike “Mez” Phillips, freelance artist and creator behind No More and the upcoming Hemlock.
Over the course of an hour, we get into what Highburn actually looks like from the inside in 2026, the challenges of running a creator-owned studio, and what it means to be both a working artist and a publisher at the same time.
We break down each o...
Ep: 67 Hal Eisner Didn’t Plan Any of It — That’s What Made Him Great
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He covered the O.J. Simpson trial, the Rodney King riots, the Northridge earthquake, Columbine, the Las Vegas mass shooting, and Michael Jackson’s death. For 58 years, Hal Eisner was there — camera rolling, microphone in hand — for the moments that defined Los Angeles and shook the nation.
But here’s what makes his story different: he never planned any of it.
In this episode, the legendary FOX 11 and KCOP reporter joins us to talk about his new memoir, An Accidental Career: My Fifty-Eight-Year Adventure as a Broadcast News Reporter — and the conver...
Ep: 66 On the Line: Breaking Barriers, Battling Cancer, and Rewriting the Rockettes Story
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People know the kicks. The costumes. The Christmas magic.
But they don’t always know what it cost to stand on that line — and what it takes to stay whole after you do.
This week on Back to Pop, we sit down with Jennifer Jones — history-maker, dancer, author, and survivor — who became the first Black Rockette at Radio City Music Hall in 1987. What followed wasn’t just applause. It was pressure, resistance, representation, and a level of scrutiny few could imagine.
Ep: 65 Caitlin Yarsky: Mythology, Emotion, and Visual Storytellingep
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Comic Creator Caitlin Yarsky joins us to discuss her journey from early creative impulses to becoming one of comics’ most distinctive visual storytellers. Known for her work on Coyotes, Bliss, Black Hammer, and He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, Yarsky shares insights into her creative process and evolution.
We explore how Coyotes became a breakthrough moment, the intentional balance of mythology and emotion in her work, and what she learned stepping into beloved universes like Black Hammer and Masters of the Universe. Yarsky discusses the shift to writing and...
EP: 64 From Two Dimes to TerrifiCon: Mitch Hallock’s Comic Book Journey
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What happens when a lifelong comic book fan decides to build the convention he always wanted to attend? You get TerrifiCon – Connecticut’s largest comic book convention and a love letter to creators and fans alike.
In this episode, we sit down with Mitch Hallock, the visionary behind TerrifiCon, to explore his journey from discovering Marvel Team-Up #12 as a kid to producing one of the Northeast’s most beloved pop culture events at Mohegan Sun.
Mitch shares the origin story every comic fan dreams about – how years of attending conventi...
Ron Fazio: From the NFL to The Toxic Avenger to Saving Lives in Surgery
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The most unbelievable three-act story in pop culture.
Ron Fazio suited up for the Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles. Then he became the man inside the costume in The Toxic Avenger Part II and Part III. Today, he saves lives as a cardiothoracic surgery professional.
In this episode, Ron shares:
∙Life in the NFL and the injury that ended his football career
∙Taking over the role of Toxie mid-production and the chaos of filming Parts II & III back-to-back for Troma
∙Wild behind-the-scenes stories from Japan, convention appear...
Patrick Piazzalunga: Drawing Gunpowder, Grindhouse, and Italian Gothic
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Join us for an in-depth conversation with talented comics artist Patrick Piazzalunga as he shares his journey from Bergamo, Italy to the international comics scene.
Patrick opens up about his early days studying at the Scuola Internazionale di Comics in Florence, working as an inker on series like Dampyr, and developing his distinctive style that blends dynamic action, horror elements, and grindhouse aesthetics.
We dive deep into his latest project, Gunpowder Prophets (Mad Cave Studios), a ‘70s-style horror series written by Justin Jordan. Patrick discusses his creative co...
Keith Williams: The Line Between Art and Story
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Every line in a comic tells a story. Some shout. Others whisper.
Today on Back to Pop, we’re sitting down with Keith Williams — an inker who’s defined the look of Superman, The Phantom, and so many heroes we grew up with. This isn’t just a career retrospective. It’s a conversation about craft, rhythm, and what it means to tell stories one line at a time.
From a childhood moment with Batman #184 to over a decade drawing The Phantom, from Marvel’s legendary bullpen under John R...
Ink with Breath in It: Afua Richardson on Myth, Memory & the Feminine Creative
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What happens when a classically trained flutist who beatboxed with Parliament-Funkadelic picks up a pen and starts drawing worlds? You get Afua Richardson — musician, illustrator, mythmaker, and cultural architect whose work refuses to stay inside the lines.
In this soul-stirring 60-minute conversation, we trace Afua’s journey from Carnegie Hall at eleven to the panels of Marvel’s Black Panther: World of Wakanda, where she wove Adinkra symbols and ancestral memory into every frame. We talk about her alter ego “Docta Foo,” the power of self-taught artistry in gatekept spaces, and why mermaids a...
The Queen of Martial Arts: Cynthia Rothrock’s Journey from PA to Hong Kong Legend
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She was a five-time World Karate Champion before the world even knew her name. Then Hong Kong discovered her, and Hollywood spent the next three decades trying to keep up.
From the high-octane streets of 1980s Hong Kong in Yes, Madam! to the cult-classic grit of China O’Brien and her latest powerhouse project Black Creek, Cynthia Rothrock didn’t just join the action genre—she redefined it.
In this career-spanning deep dive, Cynthia joins Back to Pop to reveal how a 13-year-old girl from P...
A Christmas Special in Gotham: Mask of the Phantasm (The Story Behind the Shadows)
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In December of 1993, a small team of artists was handed an impossible assignment: take a direct-to-video project, pivot to a theatrical film, and deliver it in just eight months.
It should’ve been a disaster.
Instead, it became the gold standard.
This week on Back To Pop, we’re celebrating Batman: Mask of the Phantasm—a noir tragedy wrapped in a mystery, draped in Art Deco shadows that still haven’t faded. Decades later, fans don’t just call it a great animated film… many call it the most def...
The Man Behind the Myth: Jason Paige (Pokémon, Michael Jackson, & The Art of the Jingle)
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You’ve heard this voice a hundred times… but chances are, you’ve never heard him.
Jason Paige is the voice of the original Pokémon anthem—a song that defined a global generation. But that’s just the cover. Peel it back, and you find a working artist with an astonishing body of work that you've probably never connected to his name.
From singing background for Michael Jackson to creating the earworm responsible for curing your heartburn ("Nausea, heartburn, indigestion..."), Jason has been the invisib...
Forging Savage Crucible: Rob Post on Building the Next Great Toy Universe
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Dive sword-first into the world of Savage Crucible, the indie toy line that is redefining collectible fantasy art!
Join us as we welcome the visionary creator and founder of Harvinger Studios, William Post, for an exclusive, deep-dive interview.
In this episode, you will hear:
• The Shocking Collaboration: How William partnered with the Frank Frazetta Estate to transform the legendary fantasy artist's iconic paintings into stunning, highly-articulated action figures.
• The Genesis of a Mythos: From a successful Kick...
A Love Letter To Saturday Morning
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The Architect of Childhood - Margaret Loesch on Saturday Mornings , X-Men, Power Rangers, and the Fox Kids Revolution
Margaret Loesch didn’t just give us shows. She gave us identity.
Before the MCU, before the streaming wars, Margaret Loesch was the driving force behind the greatest Saturday Morning and syndicated children's programming of the 1980s and 1990s.
As the President of Marvel Productions (Dungeons & Dragons, Transformers, G.I. Joe, Jem) and under her leadership at Fox Kids came...
"Peppermint Patty & Annie: The Voice and Journey of Patricia Patts"
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HAPPY THANKSGIVING
Relive your childhood with the voice that defined a generation!
In this unforgettable episode, host Marc Childs steps Back to Pop with the multi-talented Patricia Patts, the original voice of the iconic tomboy, Peppermint Patty, in beloved Peanuts classics like You’re the Greatest, Charlie Brown and She’s a Good Skate, Charlie Brown.
But Patricia is much more than a famous voice.
She takes us on a journey through her ca...
Tom DeFalco: Marvel Editor-in-Chief, Spider-Girl & the Art of Comics Storytelling
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Join us for an extraordinary conversation with comic book legend Tom DeFalco, former Marvel Editor-in-Chief and co-creator of Spider-Girl.
In this 60-minute deep dive, Tom takes us through his remarkable journey from clipping newspaper strips in Queens as the oldest of seven kids to becoming one of the most influential figures in comics history.
We explore his early days breaking into the industry at Archie and DC Comics, his transition to Marvel where he launched Dazzler and wrote iconic runs on Amazing Spider-Man, Thor, and Fantastic Four...
Between Shadows and Legends W/ François Chau
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**He voiced your childhood hero. He survived a war. Now he’s breaking barriers in Hollywood.**
From the jungles of Cambodia to becoming one of the most versatile actors in modern entertainment, François Chau’s journey will leave you speechless. This is the story Hollywood didn’t want you to hear.
## The Man Behind Your Favorite Characters
Remember Quick Kick from **G.I. Joe**? The Shredder from **Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II**? Dr. Pierre Chang’s mysterious Dharma videos in **Lost**? Jules-Pierre Mao’s chilling presence in **The Ex...
The Loren Lester Story
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Holy career arc, Batman! This week on Back to Pop, we’re joined by the legendary Loren Lester—the voice behind Robin and Nightwing in the iconic Batman: The Animated Series. And more!
What You’ll Hear:
🎭 The Broadway Debut – How Loren made it to the Kit Kat Club in Cabaret after five decades in the business
🦇 Behind the Bat-Family – Inside stories from recording, plus returning as Nightwing years later
📺 Screen to Stage Journey – From The Facts of Life and Rock ‘n’ Roll High School, Evil Speak, to Gilmore Gi...
Southern Scares, Cujo, and the Light Beyond E.T. — A Conversation with Dee Wallace
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She’s the mother who protected Elliott in E.T., the woman who fought a rabid Saint Bernard in Cujo, and the primal force behind The Howling. For over four decades, Dee Wallace has moved seamlessly between heartwarming classics and the darkest corners of horror, creating an unforgettable legacy on screen.
In this episode of Back to Pop, host Marc Childs sits down with the legendary actress to explore her remarkable journey — from her Kansas roots and early teaching days to becoming one of Hollywood’s most beloved Scream Queens. Dee opens up abo...
“Joe Pruett: From Flaming Carrot to Ninth Circle - A Life in Independent Comics”
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This week on Back to Pop, Marc Childs sits down with Joe Pruett — Eisner Award–winning writer, editor, and publisher whose career has shaped the independent comics landscape for over three decades.
From his early days assisting Bob Burden on Flaming Carrot to co-founding AfterShock Comics and now leading the horror imprint Ninth Circle, Joe has dedicated his career to empowering creators and pushing the boundaries of storytelling.
Mike Vosburg: From Underground Comics to Emmy Gold
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# Mike Vosburg: From Underground Comics to Emmy Gold
What happens when a 15-year-old comic fanboy launches his own fanzine and never stops creating? You get Mike Vosburg—a legendary artist whose pen has shaped everything from underground comics and Marvel’s GI Joe to HBO’s iconic Tales from the Crypt and Emmy-winning animation.
In this episode, we trace Mike’s extraordinary journey through five decades of pop culture. Starting with his DIY fanzine Masquerader in 1962, Mike rode the wave of underground comics in the ’70s before breaking into mainstream...
Kelley Jones: Shadows, Vampires & the Art of Fear
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What happens when the Dark Knight meets Gothic horror? You get Kelley Jones — the artist who turned Batman into a living nightmare and made the shadows themselves come alive.
From Micronauts to Red Rain, Kelley’s journey through comics has been anything but ordinary. In this episode, we explore his early days growing up in Citrus Heights, discovering Marvel reprints, and landing his first pro gig at Marvel. We dig into how a comment from Marshall Rogers set him on the path to becoming one of the most dist...
’80s Icon Catherine Mary Stewart on Cult Classics and Lasting Legacy
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From disco-fueled sci-fi musicals to zombie-fighting cult classics and outrageous dark comedies—Catherine Mary Stewart has done it all. In this episode of Back to Pop, we sit down with the actress who became an ’80s icon through some of the most beloved films of the decade.
✨ Highlights include:
Talking Bats with Director Kevin Altieri
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Step inside Gotham’s shadows with legendary animation director Kevin Altieri, the creative force behind some of Batman: The Animated Series’ most unforgettable episodes. In this deep-dive conversation, Kevin reveals the directing choices, visual techniques, and collaborative magic that helped redefine what television animation could be.
From the noir spectacle of “On Leather Wings” to the eco-horror of “Eternal Youth,” the madcap tension of “Harlequinade,” and the brutal showdown of “Bane,” Kevin shares how he balanced cinematic atmosphere with network restrictions—and why those bold decisions still influence today’s storytellers. W...
🎸 Stan Bush: Has The Touch and the strings to motivate
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This week, we sit down with Stan Bush, the Grammy-winning rocker whose anthems fueled everything from Transformers: The Movie to Bloodsport, Kickboxer, and beyond. With classics like The Touch, Dare, Fight to Survive, and Never Surrender, Bush’s music became the battle cry of underdogs and heroes across decades of pop culture.
In this conversation, Stan opens up about:
From Fan to Legend: The Story of Gerry Conway
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Before he was shaping the Marvel Universe, Gerry Conway was a teenager from Brooklyn with a letter printed in Fantastic Four #50. Just three years later, he was a published writer at DC Comics. By 19, he was scripting The Amazing Spider-Man—and soon after, he would pen one of the most pivotal moments in comic history: the death of Gwen Stacy.
In this episode of Back to Pop, Gerry takes us through his journey from wide-eyed fan to one of the most influential storytellers in comics. We explore the cr...
“Adrian Hough: Acting, Advocacy & the Heart of a Voice”
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Welcome to Back to Pop! I’m your host, Marc Childs — and today’s guest is an actor whose voice has crossed worlds of animation, live action, and video games.
You know him as Nightcrawler in X-Men: The Animated Series and X-Men ’97, as Haytham Kenway in Assassin’s Creed III, and as the mighty dragon Sol Regem in The Dragon Prince. But beyond the booth, Adrian Hough is a storyteller, a father, and a passionate protector of our forests.
In this episode, we dive into his early root...
“The Fan Who Became the Writer: John Jackson Miller’s Journey”
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Episode Description:
What happens when a comics fan becomes one of the most trusted voices in Star Wars storytelling—and then takes on Tim Burton’s Batman? This week, we’re joined by John Jackson Miller, the acclaimed author behind Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, Kenobi, and the brand-new Batman: Resurrection.
Miller’s journey from running Comics & Games Retailer magazine to crafting beloved stories in iconic universes is anything but typical. We explore how his deep industry knowledge shaped his approach to licensed storytelling, from ancient...
The Love Goddess Lives On: Taylor Blackwell on Resurrecting Judy Tenuta
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What happens when you mix a Grammy-nominated accordion goddess, a fearless feminist firebrand, and the wildest stage presence to hit HBO in the ’80s? You get comedy legend Judy Tenuta — and today, we’re exploring her incredible legacy with filmmaker Taylor Blackwell.
Episode Highlights:
•The making of “It Happened: The Judy Tenuta Story” — a vibrant mini-biopic that’s equal parts tribute and time machine
•Behind-the-scenes secrets from using Judy’s actual costumes and original accordion on set
•Working with Alan Tudyk and bringing together an incredible cast
•Judy’s groundbrea...
A Journey Through the Imagination of David Kirschner
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Get ready to rediscover the worlds that shaped your childhood—and the nightmares that still send chills down your spine. In this episode, we sit down with David Kirschner, the creative force behind An American Tail, Child’s Play, Hocus Pocus and so much more. Before he created pop‑culture icons, Kirschner designed album covers for Neil Diamond and worked with Jim Henson on Sesame Street and The Muppets . He later dreamed up the magical Rose‑Petal Place universe , and his success caught the eye of Steven Spielberg, leading to the Oscar‑nominated An America...
Inside the mind of Doug Stone on Character Creation and more !
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Ever wondered what it takes to voice an entire cast of characters in a single show? Or how an actor brings psychological terror to life as Metal Gear Solid’s unforgettable Psycho Mantis?
Join us for an extraordinary deep-dive with Doug Stone, the legendary voice actor who’s brought countless characters to life across animation, anime, and video games. From leading the heroic M.A.S.K. team as Matt Trakker (while simultaneously voicing seven other characters in the same series!) to delivering spine-chilling performances as gaming’s most mind-bending villai...
