Welcome to Game of Life with Dan and Harman! This podcast is all about understanding the ups and downs of life and career from a creative lens. Your hosts Dan and Harman come from a writing, comedy, and photography background so our guests have ranged from comedians to photographers.
We love delving into the success, failures, and struggles that other creatives endure when making their way through life in the industry. What is their why? What makes them unique? Why do they have a passion for what they do? We delve into the philosophical and try to ask as many questions as we can from a creative's point of view in hopes we can apply some words of wisdom to our own creative trajectory.
Above all else, we keep our conversations light, fun, and relaxed! Our guests have included comedians, photographers, actors, writers, documentarians, podcasters, opera singers, DJ's, journalists, clowns, dancers, musical theatre performers, directors, producers, and a whole lot more!
Please enjoy, rate, and subscribe! Visit our patreon! patreon.com/GameofLifewithDanandHarman
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Welcome to Game of Life with Dan and Harman! This podcast is all about understanding the ups and downs of life and career from a creative lens. Your hosts Dan and Harman come from a writing, comedy, and photography background so our guests have ranged from comedians to photographers.
We love delving into the success, failures, and struggles that other creatives endure when making their way through life in the industry. What is their why? What makes them unique? Why do they have a passion for what they do? We delve into the philosophical and try to ask as many questions as we can from a creative's point of view in hopes we can apply some words of wisdom to our own creative trajectory.
Above all else, we keep our conversations light, fun, and relaxed! Our guests have included comedians, photographers, actors, writers, documentarians, podcasters, opera singers, DJ's, journalists, clowns, dancers, musical theatre performers, directors, producers, and a whole lot more!
Please enjoy, rate, and subscribe! Visit our patreon! patreon.com/GameofLifewithDanandHarman
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Dan is joined by vocalist of Cordiform and the man behind Bright Eyed Bookings, James Hibble!
James answers questions left behind by former guest of the show, Dan Charlton from NTH RD!
We then go on to chat about refining skills, planning ahead, the decision to become a band booker, the logistics of being a booking agent, putting money back into band's pockets, blowing people's minds, budgets, the importance of being on your own as an independent band for a while, being the guy with the outside perspective, managing bands, cutting hours in his day job to focus more on Bright Eyed Bookings, becoming more clear-eyed, the development of Cordiform, the process of finding members of a band, the first Cordiform performance, the growth as a performer, band meetings, the songwriting process for Cordiform, unreleased songs, the near death experience, not looking back with regret, the untrodden path of musical theatre, walking on stilts, following the dream, enjoying a spreadsheet, travelling, when things go wrong, acting on your feet, being more grounded, bands to look out for, the reward of helping out, and a whole lot more!
Go and follow James on all the socials. Links below.
https://www.instagram.com/jameshibblehimself/?hl=en
https://www.instagram.com/brighteyedbookings/?hl=en
https://www.instagram.com/cordiformband/?hl=en
https://cordiform-band.square.site/
Cover Photo: Matty Parker
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Dan is joined by actor, singer, dancer, and the OG Franki Valli in the Australian production of Jersey Boys, Bobby Fox!
We chat about the ever diluting Irish accent, the decision to move to Australia, the different facets of singing, being a great mimic, getting into the musical theatre world, Mamma Mia!, growing as an actor, being allowed to dream, settling into the natural rhythm of a day working in a musical theatre show, doing the best job he can that matches his personality, needing to be fantastic for the audience, opening night parties, Jersey Boys, the sheer fun of Spamalot, competency, reviews, getting back to zero quicker, creating futures for yourself during the audition process, working with Rob Mills, being highly logical, having fun first, reminding himself to feel things, Riverdance, having grace for other people, learning lessons the hard way, performing on the Sydney Harbour for Guys and Dolls, growing with variety as a performer, managing risk, bringing Jersey Forever to life, and a whole lot more!
Cover Photo (background): Matty Parker
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Dan is joined by actor, singer, songwriter and all round one of the best entertainers in Australia, Sam Ludeman!
We chat about Sam's injury he sustained while working on Grease, the initial intention of wanting to step away from musical theatre before the injury, setting up a corporate band, performing and working with his best mate, going onto The Voice, the hesitation stepping into a reality television show, not getting along with Seal, the support felt by the music theatre industry, the nerve-wracking experience performing for live television, getting a branding 'look' after The Voice, still getting recognised from The Voice, putting out the first original song, writing about friendship, livestreaming during COVID, not having a chance to stop and smell the roses, gigging between musical theatre breaks, balancing a friendship with a collaborative working relationship, getting the fighting out of the way, working better with a deadline, getting back to the side hustle, thoughts of going back into musical theatre, being obsessed with Rage, always wanting to perform, self sabotage, presentence, and a whole lot more!
Really one of my favourite chats!
Cover Photo (background): Matty Parker
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Dan is joined by actor, James Haxby! James has recently been killing it playing various roles in Beetlejuice!
We chat about the crazy run of Beetlejuice in Melbourne, covering the role of Beetlejuice, the support provided by the creative team and fellow cast members, the out of the body experience playing Adam for the first time, covering six tracks, keeping fit in between shows, working with Andy Karl, finding a work/life balance becoming a new dad, knowing he wanted to be in the theatre, committing to drama school, needing to find his love for acting again after drama school, resenting the training, playing angry dads, going overseas to the UK, the absurdity of going back to Australia as an overseas touring actor, having an instinct, feeling like an outsider, starting musical theatre in his mid 30's, dancing, being blind on one side, the voice of Beetlejuice, working with Eddie Perfect, playing Willy Wonka in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, advice he'd give to his younger self, and a whole lot more!
Cover Photo (background): Matty Parker
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Dan is joined by actress, Rosalind Chao!
The open the episode with Rosalind answering a question from former guest of the show, Elizabeth Dennehy!
We chat about the studio lying about your age, forming friendships in the business, finding confidence as an actress, perfectionism, working with people you trust, facing fears, your mind having a tendency going to a 'what can go wrong' place, flow, the universe having a better plan, trying to control the uncontrollable, doing a play at The National Theatre in London, getting into an accident that shifted her perspective, good coming out of bad, being on the last episode of M*A*S*H, playing Keiko O'Brien on Star Trek, Colm Meaney, effecting change in people, life getting better as you get older, working on Better Things, living life to be an artist, having kids, building up a thick skin, Ronny Chieng, her appearance on MONK, and a whole lot more!
Cover Photo (background): Matty Parker
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Dan is joined by writer and director, Bryan Fuller!
We chat about his directorial debut film Dust Bunny, kids being their own heroes, surrounding yourself with dedicated and likeminded people on a film set, getting his film distributed, his satisfaction with the end result of Dust Bunny, going to film school wanting to direct, initially resisting writing, being a good communicator with department heads as a showrunner, dealing with executives, being too direct, getting his start on Star Trek, writing his first Trek episode, the priceless lessons he learned on Star Trek: Voyager, the open submission policy, the confidence he found as a writer, needing angels, loving the character of Beverly Crusher, his frustration with the creative direction of Star Trek: Voyager, writing Dead Like Me, internalized stress, allowing himself to give people grace, being able to take a step back from his own emotion, shrugging it off, the great relief in modulating expectation, the elegance of the TV series Hannibal, and a whole lot more!
Cover Photo (background): Matty Parker
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Dan is joined by actress, writer, and filmmaker, Denise Crosby AKA Tasha Yar AND Sela from Star Trek!
We chat about her work on the TV series Suits, her Tasha Yar action figure, the overwhelming nature of going to conventions, being educated on Trek fandom by Gene Roddenberry, inspiring young women, coming from a famous showbiz family, initially thinking she'd go into journalism, the magic of theatre, the natural fit of acting, finding the perfect acting teacher, the thrills of walking onto a soundstage, the battle for our failing attention spans, making her documentary Trekkies, finding a newfound love for writing, writing like you talk, poetry, doing a reading of her writing work on the Star Trek cruise, the importance of encouraging environments, enjoying the creative process, getting anxious before something starts, asking herself if she's good enough, her decision to leave Star Trek: The Next Generation during the first season, her character Sela, losing her house in the California fires, and a whole lot more!
Cover Photo (background): Matty Parker
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Dan is joined by comedian, podcaster, writer, and cartoonist, Tommy Dassalo!
We chat about creating a self fulfilling prophecy with his previous podcast, being ignored by the conventional industry, making a living from podcasting, the end of the last podcast, podcasting in a vacuum, memories of doing the very fist live podcast, getting in on the ground floor of podcasting, starting How To Do Everything, contending with all the new requirements for podcasting, not being resistant to new things, overseeing the development for a video game, making his comedy special stand out from the rest, seeing the reaction after releasing Scam Artist, the positive in seeking negative feedback, the thought of doing over previous solo shows, cartooning, the possibility of working on an animated show, quitting his job at the first Grill'd, getting a writing gig on Rove, being in a writers room, being a bit disorganised, burn out to the finish line, the final boss for podcast guests, and a whole lot more!
Cover Photo: Matty Parker
Go and follow Tommy and watch his stand up special, Scam Artist! Links below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wQa5xeak_Y0&t=345s
https://www.instagram.com/dassalo/
https://www.tommydassalo.com/
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Dan is joined by a Battlestar Galactica alumni, James Callis! It's been over a year since having a Battlestar Galactica cast member on the show!
We chat about his striking resemblance to Alexander Siddig, moving on from Battlestar Galactica, the privilege of having the career he has, finding the energy of a set, the unglamourous nature of the business, wanting to be surprised, impatience, the need of having to be the most critical of your own work, accepting responsibility, constructive feedback, the importance of surrounding yourself with a creative partner, the difficulty of rallying yourself, seeking action and adventure, creating his own music, finding other creative projects with his fellow Battlestar cast members, ideas not leaving you alone, the importance of resistance, not learning anything on the good days, the inner voice, working with some of your inspirations, not wanting to be anyone else, maturing into yourself, putting life into perspective, the trial of Gaius Baltar, what Battlestar Galactica means to him, and a whole lot more!
Cover Photo (background): Matty Parker
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Dan is joined by comedian and the face of Vanuatu tourism, Ray O'Leary in a really fun conversation! The most fun I've had on the show!
We chat about the story behind Ray's comedy outfit, becoming the face of Vanuatu tourism, the values of the modern age, the thought of acting, desires to write a sitcom. the collaborative nature of writing and sharing his stand up material with peers, the moment he realised stand up comedy could be a job, initially writing material down on his hand, making excuses not to do stand up, getting stuck in an office job, the Ray O'Leary "character", struggling to look at the audience, the goal of making comedy the day job, quitting his job, becoming a full time comedian, the crisis of confidence, feeling gratitude, the television appearances, the conducive environment on a Working Dog show, performing internationally, the stage name, filming his stand up special, persevering through bits, dealing with silences, nerves. and a whole lot more!
Cover Photo: Matty Parker
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Dan is joined by magician, Christopher Wayne in the final "Going Abroad" themed episode!
We recorded this chat while Christopher was in Boston preparing for a 70 city tour of The Naked Magicians!
We chat about being able to meet legends in the magic world, Carrot Top being the nicest guy you'll ever meet, preparing for a seventy city tour of The Naked Magicians, the nitty gritty of putting on a show, curbing the ego, having a wake up call while touring, finding pure joy in entertaining people, moving to Boston, opening a residency in Boston, falling in love, the weirdness of introducing new cast members into The Naked Magicians, not putting his name on the poster, knowing the show was always going to be bigger than him, the times he and Mike Tyler argued while they were on tour, looking after each other, losing a knuckle, creating The Naked Magicians, the audience being an important component in helping to form the show, getting advice from Teller, staying original as a magician, presentation, making shows about the audience's experience, wanting everyone to win, leaning into comedy, failing drama & comedy in school, trying and failing, risk taking, hitting rock bottom, finding sobriety, working with Christian Hull, reshaping how we look at our relationship with alcohol, feeling creatively crisp, and a whole lot more!
Cover Photo (background): Matty Parker
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Dan is joined by Mackenzie Dunn & Kohan Van Sambeeck, the first couple on the podcast! Mackenzie and Kohan frequently work on the same musical theatre shows, including the most recent Australian production of Annie! MacKenzie is the singer, actor, and dancer while Kohan is on the other side of things, often taking on MD responsibilities or seen working in the orchestra pit!
We chat about the first time they met, being in entirely separate worlds at work, working with kids, carrying the lessons you learn from job to job, the responsibilities of conducting, being hyper aware of the conductor on stage as a performer, having the space to create their own work, not forcing creativity, collaborating with Rubin Matters, releasing the music, dealing with creative blocks, challenging each other, One Day in September, the difficulty of getting new Aussie musicals off the ground, shedding light on an important topic, the wild time when One Day in September finally opened, the incompleteness of art, coming from a show business family, working with your mum, willing to put in the hard yards, finding routine on a commercial contract, being in a career that requires people to like you, Mackenzie's friendship with Javon King, future projects, working with a Wiggle, and a whole lot more!
Cover Photo (background): Matty Parker
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Dan is joined by actor, singer, and dancer now based in the UK, Sam Parkes in the third "Going Abroad" themed episode!
We chat about the process and move over to London, the difficulty of setting up your life in a different country, being a fresh face in the audition room, the stressful part of having to prove yourself again, the group of Australian performers that congregate in London, getting the job on Matilda, stepping into the machine of Matilda, the exciting and nerve wracking life of a swing, the process of becoming comfortable working on Matilda, digging into the work, the similarities and differences between working in Australia and the UK, the never ending run of The West End, learning to space out holidays, remembering to have a day before he starts his day, stepping into a London theatre for the first time, the reaction he received from people back in Australia after getting Matilda in London, initially being a BMX rider, realising he could make a career as a performer, his schooling experience, getting thrown into the deep end early, the cruise ship experience, being able to invest in your career, getting Moulin Rouge, Sam's advice to people thinking about moving overseas, and a whole lot more!
Cover Photo (background): Matty Parker
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Dan is joined by actor, singer and songwriter, Rubin Matters!
We chat about feeling the best when he's able to combine singing, acting, and dancing, finishing off his long run on Beauty and the Beast, readjusting to the routine of life, being a workaholic, the need to create, the difficulty of splitting focus, the challenges of releasing music, the reception to his first song I Can Walk Away, collaborating with Mackenzie Dunn, Kohan Van Sambeeck, and Oscar Sharah, becoming addicted to creating his own music, reaching the conclusion that he should share his work, having a lot of ideas for new music, the ways his music resonates with him differently now, his songs being played during warmups, the proudest song, fighting for ideas, the chance to perform his own work in front of an audience, embracing uncertainty, backing yourself, the experiences of getting his first job, going on as Gaston for the Melbourne opening night of Beauty and the Beast, getting lost in scenes, learning to expect whatever you don't expect as a swing, letting go of perfectionism, developing backstage superstitions, trusting himself more, and a whole lot more!
Check out Rubin's music! Links below.
https://open.spotify.com/artist/5EZdA8qZtvCmHcrv9H1mUX
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdoqZyvmDszOTzoD1doErNQ
Cover Photo: Matty Parker
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In the second "Going Abroad" episode, Dan is joined by actor, singer, dancer and currently a part of the ensemble for Moulin Rouge in The Netherlands, Patrick Whitbread!
We chat about the initial plan of moving to London, forcing himself to move outside of Australia, the mental game of moving to Europe, experiencing yourself in a different context, settling into everyday life, the sensory overload, communication barriers, being taught Dutch, the lack of mainstream theatre shows in The Netherlands, thinking about life after his current contract, feeling the shock of the Dutch winter, having a good time, being obsessed with theatre, the fluidity of confidence, healthy competition, the first audition, working in hospitality, the carnage like experience of Cats, Book of Mormon, the thought of doing the same show again, the love of travelling, the sacrificial life of a performer, doing a psychology degree, the leave policy in The Netherlands, the thought of forgetting lyrics, the skill of asking yourself why, observing the leads of a show, screenwriting, and a whole lot more!
Cover Photo (background): Matty Parker
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Dan is joined by actor, singer, and one of the best dancers and flippers of all time, Keanu Gonzalez!
I caught up with Keanu while he was doing the Melbourne run of Annie!
We chat about a question left behind from Jason Arrow about his most done flip, the most inappropriate show to do a flip, the viral explosion of the Easy Street dance number, filming the Melbourne Annie promo video, the change of pace of getting out of the theatre, the first love of tennis, martial arts, booking his first musical with Baz Luhrmann, becoming comfortable as an actor, finding truth in playing the bombastic comedy relief, muscle memory, the dislike of opening nights, not looking at reviews, comparing yourself to others, seeking advice from others, being a hard worker, keeping hobbies outside of work, the art of video games, not finishing school, the Cats experience, showing up, the emotional moment when his Dad saw him perform, living a whole lifetime on a show, and a whole lot more!
Cover Photo: Matty Parker
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In a new series of episodes focusing on Aussies living and working abroad, Dan welcomes actor, singer, and currently playing The Duke in the world tour of Moulin Rogue, James Bryers!
We chat about saying yes pretty quickly to the world tour of Moulin Rogue, valuing the craft, the difficulty of taking on the character in Sister Act, feeling miscast, culture shock, finding a dead body his first night in London, seeing the differences in the way people approach work, the process of working with many different creative teams, the feeling of receiving a genuine standing ovation, initially wanting to wear a suit and carry a briefcase, being introverted, a life changing brunch, the bitter experience he had during UNI, being cast as a swing in Jersey Boys, a King Kong audition experience, enjoying the journey, experiences we have that lead us to certain opportunities, learning to be the best version of who you are, putting yourself out there, challenging yourself more, finding content and happiness, trying to enjoy being in the moment, seeing more seen in Australia, advice from Colette Mann, and a whole lot more!
Cover Photo (background): Matty Parker
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Dan is joined by actor, comedian, and writer Danny Woodburn who is best known for television shows and movies including Seinfeld, Monk, Jingle All the Way, Death to Smoochy, Billions, and The Witcher to name a few.
We chat about living and working in the UK filming The Witcher, paying more attention to accessibility, the differences in a European and American film crew, working 23 hours straight, mentoring, the business changing so dramatically since he started, sneaking into studio lots, keeping up with the modern age of social media, influencers, writing with his wife, Danny's thoughts on AI, questioning ethics as an artist, studying science, spending time in a body cast, using his humour as a defence mechanism, finding and crafting a character, having an audition ritual, the vacation of work, not liking musicals, working with Robin Williams, appreciating the audience response, only writing what you can see and film, growing up in his package, grappling with saying no to stereotypical roles, his activism, sticking to it, and a whole lot more!
Cover Photo (background): Matty Parker
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Dan welcomes back returning guest, Charlie Clouser!
Charlie really set the tone early on for what I really wanted to podcast to be going forward, so it was such a pleasure having him back on the show to reconnect!
We chat about instances in which he hasn't been a good communicator, fighting for ideas, mitigating damage, practicing diplomacy, helping people's creative projects to the finish line, projects going away, his connection to the Saw franchise, the prospect of someone else composing the iconic Hello Zepp theme, the current state of entertainment, going off on tangents, overpromising, always giving people an out, not being precious about your own work, under delivering, no truly objective view, working on early projects with various limitations, noticing consequential conversations in the moment, enjoying the process, doing something outside the familiar, and a whole lot more!
Cover Photo (background): Matty Parker
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Dan is joined by actor, singer, and dancer Taye Grant! Taye is currently in the ensemble for the Australian production of Back to the Future: The Musical. This was recorded only a month or so before Taye started rehearsals!
We chat about the road of getting a job on Back to the Future, always being someone that's had a blind competence, preparing for the show, being in the child's cast of Matilda, realising the tangible career as a performer, his experience working on Dusty, lessons learned from previous work, holding your own, staying show fit, being in the process of finding a routine, hyper fixating, going back to high school life after Matilda, taking things as they come, the weirdness of missing school to do a commercial musical, falling in love with performing and touring life, the natural progression to becoming a performer, going to WAAPA, needing to know who you are, not being competitive, not being attached to any audition, the process of getting an agent, thinking about the future, and a whole lot more!
Cover Photo (background): Matty Parker
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