Glow

Christopher Rivas
Christopher Rivas 820 410 Alyshia Ochse

Christopher Rivas is an actor, author, podcaster, and storyteller best known for his on-screen work on the Fox series, CALL ME KAT. In addition, he hosts two podcasts on SiriusXM’s Stitcher: Rubirosa, a limited series about the life of Porfirio Rubirosa, and a weekly show, Brown Enough (premieres September 28, 2022). Rivas is simultaneously authoring a book, BROWN ENOUGH, that Row House Publishing is slated to release on October 11, 2022. He is a Ph.D. Candidate in Expressive Arts for Global Health & Peace Building from The European Graduate School and a Rothschild Social Impact fellow. Rivas resides in Los Angeles, CA.

LINKS:

CREDITS:

  • Call Me Kat
  • Zooming
  • The Filth
  • New Amsterdam
  • Adam Ruins Everything
  • 2 Broke Girls
  • GLOW
  • Mi Casa Mi Casa
  • SEAL Team
  • Grey’s Anatomy
  • Shameless

THAT ONE AUDITION’S LINKS:

006 Britney Young on That One Audition with Alyshia Ochse

Britney Young
Britney Young 1920 960 Alyshia Ochse

Don’t Memorize the Performance, Memorize the Words

Witty and lively, Britney Young previously starred on Netflix’s wrestling-comedy “GLOW” executive produced by Jenji Kohan (“Orange is the New Black”). Young played ‘Carmen,’ the daughter of a wrestling dynasty family who wants to be a wrestler, but is not yet prepared for the Hollywood limelight. Inspired by the short-lived but beloved show from the ’80s, “GLOW” tells the story of Ruth Wilder (Alison Brie), an out-of-work, struggling actress in Los Angeles who finds one last chance for stardom when she’s thrust into the glitter and spandex world of women’s wrestling.

Born in Tokyo, Japan, and raised in Eagle River, Alaska, Young loved exploring her dad’s 1980’s movie collection. As an eight-year-old, Young reached to the top shelf of the collection and pulled down “Raiders of the Lost Ark.” She became fascinated with how this film was created and shot and wanted to know how the cameras could capture all the action and how Harrison Ford could memorize two hours of dialogue. This was the early start of Young’s interest in film production and acting.

Young graduated from the USC School of Cinematic Arts and was soon drawn back to her home state of Alaska, where she landed her first production job on the film “Big Miracle” starring Drew Barrymore and John Krasinski. She continued to work in production on several films and TV projects some of which include “Savages,” “Joyful Noise,” “The Campaign,” “The Mentalist,” and most recently “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend” where, as the Executive Producer’s assistant, Young closely worked with the show’s creators Rachel Bloom and Aline Brosh McKenna.

After working in production for several years, Young landed one of her first acting roles on a friend’s web series titled “Ana Mead.” While filming this series, Young met her current manager and realized her true passion was in front of the camera. Young continued to audition and landed a recurring role as “Little Debbie” on TruTV’s “Those Who Can’t,” followed by roles on “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend,” “Better Things” and landing her biggest role to date as ‘Carmen’ on “GLOW.”

Resources

LINKS:
QUOTES:

“Nobody is going to let you be something if you don’t let yourself be that. I’m never going to be an actor if I’m not an actor myself. I’m not going to be a producer unless I’m a producer myself.”

“Be the actor you want to be and then those opportunities will come, but you have to be okay with making your own opportunities if they’re not there.”

VIDEOS:

Credits:

  • WRITER: Erin McCluskey
  • SOUND DESIGN: Zachary Jameson
  • WEBSITE & GRAPHICS: Chase Jennings
  • ASSISTANT: Elle Powell
  • SOCIAL OUTREACH: Bebe Katsenes
Rebekka Johnson on That One Audition with Alyshia Ochse

081: Rebekka Johnson
081: Rebekka Johnson 1500 750 Alyshia Ochse

The Improv Dream: ‘Yes, And-ing’ Yourself.

This week’s guest caught the improv bug in college and hasn’t looked back since. Rebekka Johnson began her on-screen career putting her comedy skills to good use in an MTV prank show called Boiling Point. Since then she’s been a writer, producer, director, and actress—all in the name of making an audience laugh.

She shares with us how creating the work she loves with her best friends and collaborators has lead her to countless opportunities to shine. From an audition opposite Kristen Wiig, to finally booking her series regular role in GLOW, her story is an example of an artist who puts in the work and doesn’t give up, even when success feels impossible. From negotiating her own contract for a pilot, to how her years of grinding and preparation has empowered her to step into her strength and be fearless in her comedy.

Best known for her work in the musical comedy trio The Apple Sisters and on Netflix’s wrestling comedy GLOW, Rebekka Johnson has performed in various sketch and improv shows across the country for over 10 years, including The Neutrino Video Projects which was an official selection at the HBO U.S. Comedy Arts Festival in Aspen. She is a co creator of the award winning Apple Sisters which performed in the 2008 Just for Laughs Comedy Festival in Montreal. Rebekka voiced many characters in the upcoming Comedy Central animated series, Ugly Americans. She currently performs with Bandit, a Mainstage Harold Team at IO West and recently directed her comedy film, CONSENT.

 

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Resources

LINKS:
QUOTES:

“Even if you’re a good improviser, don’t leave it up to improv. Look at your script, write your jokes before, and then if something else comes up, great! The whole thing with improve is, no matter how good you are, how often can you nail it?”

“The way you’re going to get better at writing is writing.”

Marianna Palka on That One Audition with Alyshia Ochse

062: Marianna Palka
062: Marianna Palka 1500 750 Alyshia Ochse

We were so lucky to sit down for a second conversation with Marianna Palka. She’s a triple threat artist (writer/director/actor) with such a singular vision and voice to bring us closer together, change humanity and give the world a deeper understanding of the human condition. This is a conversation about creating the kind of work that is so needed in our landscape today. Her first film “Good Dick” came from a desire to explore how a sexual assault victims find intimacy and birthed from her frustrations about the lack of good, interesting/complex/ real characters for women. As Maya Angelou inspired her to write her scripts isolated in a hotel for a long weekend, she shares her writing ethic and her confidence to take ownership of her creativity and our shared responsibility to change the world. This is a MUST listen for all creative types!. These are the fearless, moving, authentic, compelling, owning your own space stories that have all led Marianna Palka right here.

Marianna Palka is Glasgow born and Los Angeles based filmmaker, actress and writer. She studied at the acclaimed New York Atlantic Theater Company before beginning her career in theater, film and television. Palka wrote, directed and starred in “Good Dick,” a 2008 Sundance Film Festival’s Grand Jury Prize nominee, joining Jason Ritter, Martin Starr, Mark Webber and Tom Arnold in an exploration of intimacy and connection after sexual trauma. Palka’s critically acclaimed feature film “Bitch” premiered at Sundance last year and tells the story of a woman who transforms under the enormous pressure of motherhood, leaving her absent husband, Jason Ritter, to discover what it means to be a parent. Additionally Palka directed “Always Worthy,” “Heirloom,” “I’m the Same,” and “Egg,” starring Christina Hendricks, Alysia Reiner, David Alan Basche. Her recent work include “Mississippi Requiem,” a series of four short films written by William Faulkner and developed by James Franco, “We Are Boats,” “Spoonful,” “The Adventures of Thomasina Sawyer,” and “The Lion’s Mouth Opens,” Lucy Walker’s short documentary following Palka’s own relationship to Huntington’s Disease and her risk of inheriting. Palka is currently starring in Netflix’s Golden Globe nominated “GLOW” as Reggie Walsh.

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Resources

LINKS:
QUOTES:

“I just feel like there’s something about human frailty and connection that I’m really fascinated by and I really want to make films that make the world a better place on an intimacy level.”

“I think it’s really cool to always know what you want and what your north star is because if you know what that is no one can take that away from you. You always know where you’re going.”

“Being huge is absolutely fine and take up that space and fill your life with stuff that you’re excited about because God knows we need it.”

VIDEOS:

014: Marianna Palka
014: Marianna Palka 1500 1000 Alyshia Ochse

Born and raised in Glasgow, Scotland, Marianna Palka is a passionate actress and humanist filmmaker. Marianna can be seen as Reggie in Netflix’s new original series “GLOW”, which follows the personal and professional lives of a group of women who perform for a wrestling organization in Los Angeles. At the age of 17, Marianna moved to New York from Scotland to study at David Mamet and William H. Macy’s Atlantic Theater Company. From there, she amassed numerous roles in theater, film and television. Marianna made her first journey to Sundance with her film GOOD DICK in 2008, starring Jason Ritter and herself. She returned in 2010 as a Sloan juror. Marianna can be seen in Peter Mullan’s 2011 BAFTA award winning film NEDS and in the lead role in director Jeremiah Jones independent film RESTIVE, which won the Audience Award at the 2011 Austin Film Festival and was nominated for Best Actress and Best Feature Film at the 2012 Charlotte Film Festival. She appeared in two short films which premiered at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival; SPOONFUL by director Jenee LaMarque and Bryce Dallas Howard’s second film WHEN YOU FIND ME, executive produced by Ron Howard for the Canon sponsored Project Imagina8tion. She returned to Sundance again in 2014 with the short documentary THE LION’S MOUTH OPENS. Marianna recently returned from yet another stint at Sundance after premiering a film which she wrote and starred in, BITCH; a surreal, manic, funny, absurd, tragic, and painful depiction of family life about a woman who takes on the identity of a wild dog. BITCH had its international premiere at Sundance London this June. She is currently directing EGG, starring Alysia Reiner, Christina Hendricks and Anna Camp.

On the small screen, Marianna’s work includes HBO’s “Girls”, “Derek and Simon”, and Comedy Central’s “Drunk History”.

Tune into our interview right HERE

marianna palka thumbnail

Resources

LINKS:
QUOTES:

“Art and money are the same thing. You make money from art. Money is there to support art.”

“Richness of life is in art. The most beneficial thing you can do to survive as a human being is to go work as an artist.”

“I’m working with joy and positivity. Never think about the project as good or bad, I just follow the instinct and believe it in.”

“Self love is not selfish. Take the time to love yourself so that you can be the portal to the artist message.”

“Acting can heal something or someone out there. Performances are there to support the human experience.”

“People hire your enthusiasm and your self-belief. Being up for it is what people employ.”

“Leave space for the absolute miracle that is suppose to happen.”

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ALYSHIA OCHSE

Los Angeles-based actress, bestselling author, host of That One Audition podcast, entrepreneur, & mother.

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