A flood brought us together.

Dominique Morisseau is having a moment.

This episode of The Producer’s Perspective Podcast is sponsored by Magnolia Bakery. Visit Magnolia Bakery for freshly-baked, classic American desserts, including cupcakes, banana pudding, cakes, cheesecakes, icebox bars, and cookies. For more information, visit magnoliabakery.com or follow them @magnoliabakery.

Click above for my podcast with Julia!

Listen to it on iTunes here. (And if you like the podcast, give it a great review while you’re there!)

Download it here.

This episode of The Producer’s Perspective Podcast is sponsored by Daniel Rader Photo.

Daniel Rader is available for production photos, events, and headshots.” Check him out/Reach out to him – www.danielraderphoto.com / @danielraderphoto on Instagram.

And of the few that can, only a handful can do it well.

Jason Moore is one of ‘em.

And get this, that was his plan all along!

Jason helped put Avenue Q on the subway map and directed Shrek, Cher, and others on Broadway, as well as directed Pitch Perfect, Sisters with Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, and more.

On this episode, we talked about that plan and how it flies in the face of conventional wisdom, as well as . . .

• Why assistant directing or searching for your own projects is the fastest path to success for a Director.
• What Broadway can learn from Hollywood and vice versa (this is turning into a favorite question of mine for those with a foot on both coasts).
• What it’s like directing a bio-musical where the songs can’t change, compared to a totally original musical like Avenue Q where everything can change.
• Reviews and how they can help (or not).
• How directing on Broadway has changed since he got his start.

Enjoy the podcast above! And sign up to make sure you’re the first to know when the next one will be released!

Listen to it on iTunes here. (And if you like the podcast, give it a great review while you’re there!)

Download it here.

Sometimes this biz is all about being in the right place at the right time.

If you follow me on Instagram, then you know I’ve been traveling a lot lately.  And, well, when you’re sitting in the Flagship Lounge at JFK, you’d be amazed at who’s hanging around, especially when high winds have delayed every flight by at least an hour.

Honestly, I didn’t even see her at first.  We were both in the buffet line for the scrambled eggs.  Then she asked me to pass the pepper.  I did.

And when I realized who it was, I almost passed out.

I told her that I produced Broadway shows.  She told me how much she missed the theater and wanted to do more of it.

I told her I’d produce her reading one phone number in the phone book. She wouldn’t even have to read the whole book!

She laughed and was as sweet and gracious as you’d imagine, and as she walked away toward the baked goods on the buffet line, I said, “Hey – looks like we’re both gonna be awhile.  Would you be interested in doing my podcast?”

Imagine my surprise when she said, “I love podcasts. Have you heard of Serial?”

We ducked into a corner of the lounge and recorded this ‘cast on my phone (apologies in advance for the less than perfect audio, but frankly get over it – you take Meryl when you can get Meryl)  Her handler grabbed her after about 10 minutes so it isn’t a long one . . . but hey, it’s Meryl Effin’ Streep!

During our 10 minutes, we talked about . . .

• How she chooses material . . . when she can do anything she wants.
• The craft and importance of playing a diverse set of roles.
• How she’s still honored to be nominated for Academy Awards, even though she’s been nominated 21 times!
• Why the theater will always be her first love.
• And yes, why She WOULD consider starring in a revival of Mamma Mia!

Ok, that’s enough, because I’m sure you’re as excited to hear this as I was to interview her.

Ladies and gentle blog readers and podcast subscribers, please enjoy Meryl Streep!

Click above for the podcast!