Everybody, say it with me . . . Alex Brightman. Alex Brightman. Alex Brightman.

And he appears!

I have an awesome treat for all of you.

The Producer’s Perspective Podcast team went on a field trip to host our first live show at BroadwayCon! And we stole Alex Brightman from the Winter Garden to chat with us for a bit. 

Alex has been heavily involved in the collaborative process of not just one, but three shows: Big Fish, School of Rock, and Beetlejuice. And on this podcast, we talk about the influence an Actor can have (and should have) when creating a brand-spankin’ new musical.  

During this “live” podcast (so yes, the sound will be different!), Alex and I discussed:

• Why accountability is needed for every writer 
• What it’s like originating a role . . . the fun and the pressure 
• Does he get nervous?  (His answer will surprise you.)
• Whether or not TOO much development process can kill a show
• Why you need to be promoting your work . . . more than anyone else

Oh, and remember this is Alex Brightman, after all, so expect a few hearty chuckles as you listen.

Enjoy the podcast!

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

And this week’s #SongwriterOfTheWeek is Sam Salmond! If you enjoyed the outro song in this episode, go on over to www.samsalmond.com or check him out on Twitter @samsalmond.

I don’t know that I could have done it.

But, then again, I’m not Maddie Corman.

As you’ll hear in my intro to this podcast, I’ve known about Maddie Corman since I was a teenager.  Chances are, you have too.  After all, she has been in over 25 films, including Some Kind of Wonderful and A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood. 

But all that could never have prepared her for the real-life drama she was dragged into a few years ago.

She came out the other side of it and, then, she decided to write about it . . . and perform it . . . in a play called Accidentally Brave.

And you know what?  I KNOW I could not have done it.

Maddie and I talked about how she got the courage to do what many in the world would not, as well as . . .

• How sharing trauma is a powerful tool for storytelling.
• The process of how she created her one-person show . . . and how you can create one too.
• How to tell the difference between an actor and someone who just wants to be famous.
• Just who deserves to be sent an invitation to your first reading.
• Why you need friends who will give you honest feedback and not just tell you how great your shows is.

Enjoy the podcast!

And this week’s #SongwriterOfTheWeek is Misha Lambert! If you enjoyed the outro song in this episode, go on over to https://mishalambert.com/ or check her out on Instagram & Twitter @mishalambert.

Here’s all you need to know about Vivek Tiwary . . .

He had never lead produced a Broadway musical when he had sat down with Alanis Morissette and convinced her that he should be the one to develop a musical based on her best-selling album, Jagged Little Pill.  (I mean, just getting the meeting would be a win in my book . . . but walking away with the rights?)

Alanis didn’t have to go with him.  She could have called any Broadway Producer in all of Google and they would have leaped at the chance to put those songs on stage.

But she chose Vivek.  Because, as you’ll hear in this podcast, he has that fantastic combination of passion, perseverance and business acumen (backed by a business degree from Wharton).

Oh, and did I mention that he also wrote a New York Times best-best-selling graphic novel called “The Fifth Beatle”?

I got the chance to sit down with the left-and-right brained Vivek and we talked about . . .

• What he said to Alanis at that meeting to get those rights.
• His path from Investor to Co-Producer to Producer.
• Why the secret to success in business is finding a niche . . . and what his is.
• What he learned in business school that he uses on Broadway.
• Why he believes it’s important to tell stories that are about what is happening NOW.

Enjoy the podcast, and if you haven’t see Jagged Little Pill yet . . . go!

And this week’s #SongwriterOfTheWeek is Drew Gasparini! If you enjoyed the outro song in this episode, go on over to www.thedrewgasparini.com or check him out on Instagram & Twitter @DrewGasparini.