Storybeat With Steve Cuden

Richard Walter is making his second appearance on StoryBeat. Richard is an author of best-selling fiction and nonfiction, a celebrated storytelling educator, screenwriter, script consultant, lecturer and retired professor who led the legendary screenwriting program in UCLA’s highly regarded film school for several decades. He’s written scripts for the major studios and TV networks; lectured on screenwriting and storytelling, and conducted master classes throughout North America, as well as in London, Paris, Jerusalem, Madrid, Rio, Mexico City, Beijing, Shanghai, Sydney and Hong Kong.  His latest novel,Deadpan, follows the misadventures of a vaguely antisemitic West Virginia Buick dealer who wakes up one day transformed into the world’s most popular Jewish comedian.  I’ve read Deadpan and can tell you it is an exceptionally funny ride with very serious overtones. This is one of the most imaginative time and character-slipping stories I’ve read since Kurt Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse Five.Richard’s other books inc

Heavy metal rock legend, Carl Canedy, and writer Phillip “Doc” Harrington, recently published Carl’s autobiography, Tales of a Wild Dog, Memoirs of a Rock Warrior. Since the age of 5, after observing a striking red drum set at a wedding reception, Carl was determined to play the drums. He received his first drum set in his early teens, immediately immersed himself in practice, and eventually developed his now-famous signature style. He also taught himself how to play guitar and piano, which would later come in handy in his role as a songwriter. After spending his formative years touring with the band Kelakos, in 1979, Carl joined forces with David “Rock” Feinstein to start the legendary Upstate, NY power trio, The Rods. The band quickly became a sensation in the northeast, landing a major recording contract with Arista Records. The Rods toured and played shows with the likes of no less than: Judas Priest, Ozzy, Motörhead, Metallica, Richie Blackmore, Blue Oyster Cult, and many others. In the late 1980’s, Carl

Christopher Akerlind, has designed lighting, and occasionally scenery, for over 650 productions of theater, opera, and dance across the U.S. and around the world, including 24 shows on Broadway. Chris’s recent work includes Waiting for Godot at Theatre for a New Audience, Lynn Nottage’s play Clyde’s on Broadway and at the Mark Taper Forum, The Light in the Piazza, for which he won his first Tony, Paula Vogel’s play Indecent, winning him both the Tony and Drama Desk Awards, Rocky the Musical, which garnered him a Tony nomination, Sting’s musical The Last Ship, and The Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess, for which he was also Tony nominated. Among Chris’s other Broadway lighting designs are: August Wilson’s The Piano Lesson and Seven Guitars, Talk Radio, and the musical, Waitress.Chris’s numerous shows not on Broadway include: Scene with Cranes for CalArts Center for New Performance; the premiere of M Butterfly for the Santa Fe Opera; and Martha Clarke’s devised pieces God’s Fool, Angel Reapers, and Cheri. Chris has als

Laura Pliskin is a talented art department coordinator who has contributed to some of the most visually stunning sets in film and television history.Laura has worked on projects like "Twisters," "Drive-Away Dolls,", and "Out of the Furnace." She's also been part of blockbuster hits like "The Dark Knight Rises" and the critically acclaimed TV series "Mindhunter." Laura's role involves managing logistics, coordinating art department schedules including between various departments, and ensuring that every detail aligns with the production designer's vision. Her meticulous attention to detail and ability to juggle multiple tasks make her an essential part of any production team. Beyond her on-set responsibilities, Laura brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to her role. She studied video game art at Carnegie Mellon University and used to co-own an event planning company, adding a diverse range of skills to her impressive portfolio. 

The writer, Jon Kremer, has lived in Bournemouth, a town on the south-coast of England, since he was a teenager, coinciding with the start of the 1960s.  That famous decade of cultural change allowed him to experience many aspects of the UK music industry via both the ownership of his town’s original vintage vinyl shop, Bus Stop Records, which opened during 1967’s Summer of Love, and a long-standing friendship with ‘Year of the Cat’ singer-songwriter, Al Stewart.  A 60’s music highlight was meeting the Beatles at the height of Britain’s Beatlemania.  The story of Jon and Al finding themselves in the backstage company of John Lennon moments after the Fabs had first performed “She Loves You” live for an audience, days before the record’s release, became known as ‘The Men from Rickenbacker’. The tale of two teenagers pretending to be representatives of Rickenbacker guitars and needing to talk with the Beatles, eventually was retold many times in books, magazines, newspapers, tour programs, and on TV and radio.  

            My guest today, the noted muralist, John Cerney, is a Salinas, California native whose artwork can best be described as ‘giant cut-out plywood art’ that’s ordinarily viewed from the comfort of your car. There’s a sense of Norman Rockwell to his work, with a dash of Christo.            After earning an art degree from Cal State Long Beach in 1984, John worked in Southern California as a portrait artist, rendering finely detailed pencil drawings. His patrons were television producers, actors, and writers, with such clients as the late comedian John Candy and baseball star Reggie Jackson.            Wanting to reach a larger audience, John would periodically relocate to Central California and convince a farmer to allow him to paint a mural on his barn, just for practice. This led to commissions from local businesses. A major shift happened when he added cutout plywood pieces to his barn murals. Eventually, he abandoned barns and walls altogether, concentrating on the cut-outs themselves.When the scal

Veteran theater and film actor James Sutorius has performed for the most prestigious regional and repertory theater companies including The Old Globe, La Jolla Playhouse, Center Theatre Group, South Coast Repertory, and Pasadena Playhouse. He’s also performed at Lincoln Center, Yale Repertory, Long Wharf Theatre, Seattle Repertory, and many more. In 2007, he won two San Diego Theatre Critics Awards for his performance as George in "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" and for his multiple supporting roles in John Strand's play "Lincolnesque." James made his Broadway debut in 1973 in "The Changing Room." In his very first entrance as a member of a rugby team, he had to walk downstage and strip off all his clothes! Instead of finding the experience terrifying, he actually found it liberating. And he played Laertes opposite Sam Waterston's Hamlet at the Vivian Beaumont Theater, alongside a cast of rising stars including Jane Alexander, Mandy Patinkin, George Hearn and Joh

Novelist John David Bethel was a speechwriter to Cabinet Secretaries at the Departments of Commerce and Education during the Bush 41 and 43 administrations. He also served as a press secretary and speechwriter to members of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives. Additionally, David worked as a communications strategist for a number of national and international public relations firms, including Burson Marsteller and Cohn & Wolfe.He began his career in government and politics in 1972 as a speechwriter for the Legacy of Parks program in the Executive Office of the President in the Nixon Administration. He joined the staff of California Congressman Burt Talcott and later Nevada Senator Paul Laxalt as his Press Secretary and speechwriter.  He helped craft the speech Senator Laxalt gave nominating Ronald Reagan to be President. David also wrote the lead article celebrating the second inauguration of President Reagan called We the People, An American Celebration.David also spent many years in the world o

TV and movie editor, Tim Stepich, was captivated by the films and TV shows of his youth in the 1970s. By the time he was in high school, he set his sights on working in show business. Tim’s abiding interest in editing goes back to when, as a teen, he’d make music montages on his home stereo.  He studied television and film at Emerson College in Boston, where he worked in all aspects of film and video production but enjoyed editing the most.  A few years later, Tim made his move to Hollywood with the goal of turning editing into his specialty.   Within a year he got his first editing job and ever since has worked in various genres, including episodic TV, commercials, and music videos.  He edited his first short film, Hate *a Comedy, directed by Drew Daywalt and Dave Schneider, which was a huge success on the festival circuit.  Tim’s feature credits include the critically acclaimed Happy Holidays, and the multi-award-winning black comedy horror film, Lucky, directed by some guy named Steve Cuden.  For the recor

Okema T. Moore is an Emmy Nominated PGA producer and rising director. She’s created unscripted and branded content for Lifetime, Netflix, and Disney/Marvel, including: Beat Bobby Flay and The Kitchen on Food Network, Oprah’s Color of Care, Founding In Color on Peacock, and Nomad with Carlton McCoy on CNN. Most recently, she developed and produced Down in the Valley for STARZ, and was lead producer on Chocolate with Sprinkles for the AFI’s Directing Workshop for Women, which won the HBO award at the American Black Film Festival.Okema was a Directing Fellow for Minorities In Film’s Branded Lab, a semi-finalist for The Blackhouse Producer’s Lab, a 2nd rounder for the Sundance Producer’s Track, and a fellow for both the Stowe Story and the Black Magic Creative Producers Labs. She was a finalist for the PANO production microgrant, received a writing fellowship to create her first TV Pilot with Writer’s Boot Camp & Women Going Places. And her short script had a live staged reading at the Essence Film Festival i

Steve Skrovan has worked as a stand-up comedian, actor, and TV comedy writer since the early eighties. He’s written for many shows, most notably, Seinfeld, Hot in Cleveland, Til Death, Wendell and Vinnie, School of Rock, and the entire nine-year run of Everybody Loves Raymond, a show which he has also adapted internationally in Russia, Israel, and India. He currently writes a Substack blog called Bits & Pieces, an anthology of humorous stories and essays.  Steve is also the co-director, writer and producer of An Unreasonable Man a documentary about the career of legendary consumer advocate and third-party presidential candidate, Ralph Nader, which was not only an official selection of the Sundance Film Festival but also made the “shortlist” for Academy Award consideration in the documentary category. In 2005, Steve co-produced the TBS environmental special “Earth to America.”Additionally, Steve co-hosts the weekly radio show Ralph Nader Radio Hour, which runs on Pacifica’s KPFK 90.7 FM in Los Angeles and

            This is Paul Chitlik’s second appearance on StoryBeat. Paul has written for all the major networks and studios in both English and Spanish.  He was story editor for The New Twilight Zone, and staff writer for the Showtime sitcom, Brothers.  He’s directed episodes and been coordinating producer for “Real Stories of the Highway Patrol” and “U.S. Customs Classified.”  He wrote and produced “Alien Abduction,” the first network movie shot on digital video for UPN.  He wrote, produced, and directed “Ringling Brothers Revealed” a special for The Travel Channel, which was right up his alley because years earlier he’d been a roustabout for Circus Vargas.  Paul has written features for Rysher Entertainment, NuImage, Promark, Mainline Releasing, and others.  Most recently he wrote, produced and directed “The Wedding Dress,” for Amazon Prime.  Paul was nominated for a Writers Guild of America award for his work on "The Twilight Zone" and a GLAAD Media Award nomination for Telemundo’s "Los Beltr

            The noted author and teacher, Joseph B. Atkins, is a veteran writer and professor emeritus of journalism at the University of Mississippi.             Joe’s latest book, Harry Dean Stanton: Hollywood’s Zen Rebel, won the Bronze Award for biography from the Independent Publisher Book Awards in 2021.             Regarding Joe’s novel, Casey’s Last Chance, Edgar Award-winning author Megan Abbott called it, “…pitch-perfect vintage noir.”             Among his other notable works, Joe authored the nonfiction Covering for the Bosses: Labor and the Southern Press. And his novella, Crossed Roads, was a finalist in the Pirate’s Alley Faulkner Awards in New Orleans. Joe also edited and contributed to the short story collection Mojo Rising: Contemporary Writers, Vol. II.             His articles and short stories have appeared in The Oxford American, Noir City, Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine, USA Today, Baltimore Sun, In These Times, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, and the Guadalajara Reporter.            

Ryan Raddatz is a Los Angeles-based TV writer and producer who has worked on numerous broadcast sitcoms and kids shows including: The Neighborhood on CBS and WordGirl on PBS. And he’s developed more than a dozen pilots at various networks. Ryan won two Daytime Emmys for his writing on WordGirl and another three for his work on the Ellen DeGeneres Show. Before writing and producing, Ryan made a living as an actor and composer while failing to make a living playing in indie-rock and bluegrass bands. Ryan Raddatz on IMDB https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1347221/

Filmmaker and author, Dan Mirvish’s recent feature, 18½, starred Willa Fitzgerald, John Magaro and Bruce Campbell as the voice of Nixon. The award-winning film played in 25 festivals, had a 60-city theatrical release, played on 7 airlines and is now available on Starz. Prior to that, Dan directed Bernard and Huey, scripted by Oscar and Pulitzer Prize-winner Jules Feiffer.  It starred Oscar-winner Jim Rash and David Koechner. Dan’s film Between Us, an adaptation of the hit Off-Broadway play, starred Julia Stiles, David Harbour, Taye Diggs and Melissa George. He was mentored by Robert Altman on his first film, Omaha (the movie), which led him to co-found the upstart Slamdance Film Festival.  And his film Open House prompted the Academy Awards to rewrite their rules on the Best Original Musical category. Dan co-wrote the critically acclaimed novel I Am Martin Eisenstadt. And he wrote two editions and recorded an audiobook of his non-fiction book, The Cheerful Subversive’s Guide to Independent Filmmaking.Dan is a

Max Kinnings has written the feature films, Act of Grace, Alleycats, and The Pagan King, as well as various film projects currently in development including a film adaptation of his critically acclaimed play, Wireless Operator. He’s the author of four novels, Hitman, The Fixer, Sacrifice, and Baptism. I’ve read Baptism and can tell you it’s a tremendously exciting thriller in the vein of Lee Child, John Grisham, Dan Brown, John Le Carre, and many other great novelists. Max is also the ghost writer of comedian and actor Rik Mayall’s bestselling spoof autobiography, Bigger Than Hitler Better Than Christ. Max’s work will form the basis of a one-hour documentary he’s writing and presenting on BBC Radio 4, due for broadcast in June 2024, which is the tenth anniversary of Rik Mayall’s passing. Max was part of the writing team for the award-winning Sony PlayStation game, Little Big Planet 3. Prior to his writing career, Max spent twelve years devising advertising and marketing campaigns for music festivals, tours, c

The actor, singer, and podcaster, Patrick Oliver Jones has been in the performing arts, both onstage and onscreen, for more than 30 years. Originally from Birmingham Alabama, he brought his Southern charm to New York City in 2008 with dreams of Broadway.  And he’s gotten close with roles in off-Broadway world premieres, touring nationally with The Addams Family and Evita, and the pre-Broadway cast of First Wives Club that never quite made it. Having collaborated with Tony-winning directors such as Jerry Zaks, Randy Skinner, and a favorite StoryBeat guest, Richard Maltby Jr., he's gotten to perform alongside Broadway talents like Joey Fatone, Alfonso Ribeiro, Faith Prince, and Andrea McArdle. And he has found regional theater acclaim with Henry and SALT Award nominations for standout performances in Fun Home and Crazy for You. On camera, there have been numerous national commercials, award-winning short films, and co-starring roles on TV shows like Blue Bloods, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, and Impost

Doug Pray is a documentary filmmaker of great range and substance. His portraits of subcultures and creative visionaries have led him to numerous Sundance premieres, critical raves, and awards. His feature documentaries include: “Love, Lizzo,” “Surfwise,” and the Emmy Award-winning “Art & Copy.” His first two films, “Hype!,” the story of the Seattle music scene, and “Scratch,” about DJs and the birth of hip-hop, are often ranked among the best music docs of all time. Doug won a Grammy and 5 Emmy nominations as executive producer, writer and editor of HBO’s “The Defiant Ones.” He executive produced “From Cradle to Stage” with Dave Grohl, and the AppleTV+ series “Home.” This year, 2024, Turner Classic Movies and Max debuted “The Power of Film,” a 6-part series with Professor Howard Suber, for which Doug was executive producer, supervising editor, and writer. Doug has also directed dozens of commissioned short films and non-fiction commercials, including an HIV/AIDS awareness campaign which won him his first

Jimi Fritz is a filmmaker, musician, writer, entrepreneur, raconteur and roustabout. He’s written two feature-length screenplays, numerous articles, and a non-fiction book about rave culture. He’s also made numerous films and music videos.His latest book, entitled, The End of Everything, An Ironic Black Comedy, is about an older man simply named Fritz, who spends his days in a psychiatric institution plotting his own suicide while contending with the extraordinary insanity all around him. I’ve read The End of Everything and can tell you this is one of the most unique stories I’ve ever had the pleasure to peruse. Deeply intellectual, smartly psychological, and wildly hilarious, The End of Everything had me turning pages and wanting neither the story nor Fritz to end. If you like darkly comic storytelling, I highly urge you to read it.Previously, Jimi published Confessions of an Ethical Drug Dealer, which is a psychedelic travelogue and memoir. Jimi takes his readers on a journey both geographical and philosoph

Dr. William J. Carl is a Greek scholar, screenwriter, playwright, and lyricist. He’s also a former professor, seminary president, and pastor, who’s been a U.S. Senate Guest Chaplain. He’s been a speaker at Oxford, Cambridge, Princeton, Cornell, Boston University, Carnegie Mellon, as well as in Russia, South Africa, India, China, South Korea, Taiwan, Rwanda, and Canada.  Further, he’s also the former President of the Pittsburgh Theological Seminary. William has authored eight nonfiction books (including lectures he gave at Princeton, two of which have been translated into Korean) and one novel, Assassin’s Manuscript, which is a “Dan Brown meets Daniel Silva”-style thriller. No less than Alex Haley, the author of Roots, encouraged him to write it.  I’ve read Assassin’s Manuscript and can tell you it’s an action-packed international page-turner in which politics, religion, and history play essential roles. I highly urge you to check it out.William’s screenplay, Maggie’s Perfect Match, won the Telluride Indiefest