Best Art Handler Podcasts (2025)

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Ben Stiller and Adam Scott: Working it Innie and Outie 53:07

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2h ago53:07

53:07

(Recorded January 2025) Mike sits down with Severance’s very own Ben Stiller and Adam Scott. The three of them dig into the behind the scenes of Severance Season 2 and discuss what it is that makes them work so well together as actor and director. Ben and Adam share audition advice for actors, as well as how their grieving processes influenced thei…

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Kiara Liz Ortega PT 2: PS, Love You, I Married my Stalker. My Miss Puerto Rico Sabotage and No I Do Not Cook! Magic in the Maldives and Back to the Bay! 51:52

3d ago51:52

51:52

What do you do when the man who once slid into your DMs ends up becoming your husband? If you’re Kiara Liz Ortega, you marry him in Ireland at the actual P.S. I Love You bridge, wear a black diamond ring, and then laugh years later about the fact that yes—technically—you married your stalker. In this unfiltered, hilarious, and heart-tugging episode…

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#236 What To Do When The Work I am Doing For Myself Doesn't Feel Like It's Working. 27:24

5d ago27:24

27:24

I’m proud to have City Theatre Pittsburgh as the sponsor of this episode. Located in the South Side, City Theatre brings bold new plays and fearless voices to the stage — sparking conversation, connection, and community. Experience the thrill of live theatre where your city takes center stage. There 2025/2026 season is FIRE. Head there immediately …

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The Poetics & Pedagogy of Toni Cade Bambara, June Jordan, Audre Lorde &Adrienne Rich in the Era of Free College w/ DANICA SAVONICK 42:56

6d ago42:56

42:56

“As I was reading Hooks and Freire, a colleague recommended Adrian Rich's essay "Teaching Language in Open Admissions." It was in that essay that I first read about her experiences teaching at CUNY during open admissions, learning that she taught alongside June Jordan, Audre Lorde, and Toni Cade Bambara. Eventually, that essay led me to their archi…

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Melissa Lee – New South Home |608 | Profit, Process & Purpose in Modern Interior Design and the Business Behind It 1:08:17

2d ago1:08:17

1:08:17

We’re heading South today to hear from Melissa Lee of New South Home. This Charlotte-based interior designer and former retail buyer pulls back the curtain on the real inner workings of running a design firm—from pricing strategy and client education to vendor relationships and market trends. Drawing from her experience in corporate buying, she has…

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182. Fred Armisen Returns: Is He Joking? 49:10

7d ago49:10

49:10

Fresh off a few gigs featuring on John Mulaney’s new tour, Mike and Fred sit down for his first in-studio appearance on Working it Out. They discuss Fred’s SNL audition, his best sketch writing advice, and the manners of navigating video exhibits in museums. Plus, Fred borrows Mike’s guitar to demonstrate how cultures around the world play the acou…

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#235 Growth is Uncomfortable AND You Are Doing It! 35:58

6d ago35:58

35:58

I’m proud to have City Theatre Pittsburgh as the sponsor of this episode. Located in the South Side, City Theatre brings bold new plays and fearless voices to the stage — sparking conversation, connection, and community. Experience the thrill of live theatre where your city takes center stage. There 2025/2026 season is FIRE. Head there immediately …

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Danielle Vasinova PT 1: From Manure to The Madison with Michelle Pfeiffer. Helen Mirren Shade and My Emmy is Where? Death Becomes her and Derby Dreams! 1:01:57

9d ago1:01:57

1:01:57

The glam squad is in overdrive as Pol’ Atteu and Patrik Simpson welcome actress, model, and total powerhouse Danielle Vasinova into the Undressed hot seat! You know her from The Bay (where she snagged an Emmy), the Yellowstone universe (1923), and now the buzzy new series The Madison alongside Michelle Pfeiffer and Kurt Russell. But behind the Holl…

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#234 The Podcast Time Capsule is Born 16:24

7d ago16:24

16:24

A legacy in your own words. A message for your future. A moment preserved in time. What if you could bottle up the wisdom, memories, or soul-truths of this exact moment in your life... and send it forward? What if your voice — your heart — your story — could become a gift for your future self, your loved ones, or even generations to come? This is P…

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Frances Anderton | 607 | Our August 2025 Convo By Design Icon Registry Inductee 1:00:56

7d ago1:00:56

1:00:56

When I was growing up, radio was my solace. I loved it so much that I chose it for my career. I can remember being 10 years old with my transistor radio listening to 10Q and KHJ. Later, it was KLOS, KMET, KNAC and KROQ. The call letters were cool, the music and bands remain bookmarks in my life. I can pretty much tell you how old I was, where I was…

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Joshua Zeman, director of “Checkpoint Zoo”

8d ago

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Joshua Zeman–award-winning filmmaker whose new documentary, “Checkpoint Zoo,” arrives in timely fashion, providing a distinctive window into the Russian-Ukraine war, chronicling efforts to care for, then evacuate, some 5000 animals at a Ukrainian zoo called Feldman Ecopark, while bombing was underway—recounts the path from his previous doc, “The Lo…

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The Heart of Design: Building Trust, Telling Stories, and Staying True | 606 | Rosa Santiago Zimmerman 1:09:36

9d ago1:09:36

1:09:36

In this episode, I sit down with the incredibly insightful Rosa Santiago Zimmerman for a rich and wide-ranging conversation about the state of the interior design industry, the evolving nature of creative work, and the deeper values that guide us as professionals. Our dialogue spans everything from our recent experiences at major trade shows like K…

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Fenton Johnson 34:08

10d ago34:08

34:08

Kentucky Writers Hall of Fame author Fenton Johnson doesn't believe in writer's block. "Fighting with the white page over a week, a month, a year, sometimes 10 years," he says, "that's what we call writing.... That's just part of the process." Fenton shares several writing prompts that can help you move beyond the blank page. He also discusses his …

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181. Jo Firestone Returns: The Best Stand-Up (Who Doesn’t Do Stand-Up) 51:24

13d ago51:24

51:24

Jo Firestone is a multi-talented writer, actor, and comedian. In her third appearance on Working It Out, Jo explains the thought process behind her experimental live comedy shows, which often involve clay, paper mache, and pie. Jo also delves into the experience of working as the head writer for After Midnight with Taylor Tomlinson and discusses be…

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#233 How Art and Creativity Leave a Legacy of Love. 27:11

11d ago27:11

27:11

Last evening I attended the New Hazlett Theater production of Sunday in the Park with George. The feels were so intense, I sat crying my eyes out when I knew a song would come on "Move On." It is a moment painted in time that we hold onto. One with my Sister together before she died. Share in these moments. Don't be afraid to make them. Don't be af…

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Kiara Liz Ortega PT 1: Miss Puerto Rico Sabotage in Bangkok. Acting School Expulsion and a Miss Universe Breakdown. Goodbye Ozzy Osbourne and Hello Dancing with the Stars Mexico! 1:13:03

17d ago1:13:03

1:13:03

Kiara Liz Ortega, AKA: Former Miss Universe Puerto Rico, star of Mira Quién Baila (which she won!), and TV host, takes us on a journey from bartending in San Juan to walking the stage in Bangkok for Miss Universe — and everywhere in between. We learn (in hilarious fashion) that Puerto Rico is in fact an island. Cue the laughter as we share memories…

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#231 Be Brave. Go First and Watch Magic Happen 30:24

14d ago30:24

30:24

Be Brave. Go First Have you ever had a moment you want to remember? Something you did that required an act of courage and vulnerability? This is a moment I want to remember. Where I had a huge breakthrough in my desires and dreams... and they are more simple than we realize... To have the best relationships in our lives... including the one with ou…

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What Do We Do with the One Life We’re Given? - Scientists, Writers, Philosophers & Changemakers Share their Stories 16:09

19d ago16:09

16:09

In this time of rapid technological change, how do we hold onto our humanity? How do stories, traditions, and community help us find meaning in loss and face an uncertain future? How can science, art, and spirituality open new pathways to understanding ourselves and the human experience? PAUL SHRIVASTAVA (Co-President of The Club of Rome) discusses…

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Elaine West, founder of Rooterville Animal Sanctuary

18d ago

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Elaine West–the founder of Rooterville Animal Sanctuary, a refuge housing rescued farm animals she launched in Melrose, Florida, more than two decades ago—explains the origin of her lifelong love of pigs. West pinpoints a particular pig that a local Humane Society was about to send home with “adopters” she felt certain were planning to eat […] The …

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Designing the South: Sorority Culture and Interiors That Tell a Story, One Room at a Time | 605 | Mary Clair Cumbaa, Cumbaa Design Company 56:30

16d ago56:30

56:30

Design in the South is personal. It’s layered with heritage, shaped by hospitality, and built on relationships. Today, we travel to Starkville, Mississippi to explore the work and world of a designer who exemplifies what it means to design with heart. The conversation begins with an emerging trend—dorm and sorority house design—not typically covere…

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180. Kumail Nanjiani: Oh, Mary!, The Big Sick, and a Return to Stand-Up 57:36

21d ago57:36

57:36

Kumail Nanjiani is a stand-up comedian, a movie star, and an Academy Award-nominated screenwriter. Now he’s returning to stand-up comedy after a six year break and co-starring as Abraham Lincoln in the hit Broadway show Oh, Mary!. Kumail sits down with Mike to discuss all the twists and turns of his career, including co-writing The Big Sick with hi…

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Every Monument Will Fall - DAN HICKS Explores Remembering & Forgetting 55:59

22d ago55:59

55:59

“I work in between archeology and anthropology in this field called either historical archeology or contemporary archeology. At the heart of that is the relationship between objects and humans. How do we write about the past or the present in terms of listening to human voices or evidence from things where maybe human voices have been erased or hav…

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From 'Bee: Wild' to the 'Kiss the Ground' Regenerative Agriculture Documentary Trilogy - Highlights 15:03

22d ago15:03

15:03

"For the last two decades, I've made over 20 films about the environment, starting with oil and carbon emissions. Those films, Kiss the Ground and now Common Ground, talk about how we can stabilize the climate, reverse climate change, grow nutrient-dense food, and help farmers make a profit through biodiversity and regenerative practices and princi…

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Reza Farahan PT 2: P Diddy Parties, Traitors Hell No! The Bravo Hustle in the Valley Persian Style. Dorit Kemsley's New Face and Tom Sandoval's Redemption. 1:17:43

25d ago1:17:43

1:17:43

We get deep and wild in Part 2 with Shahs of Sunset icon Reza Farahan, in a no-filter convo about storage wars, real estate drama, reality TV chaos, fashion highs and lows, and one seriously powerful coffee reading. 💸 STORAGE IS THE DEVIL We kick off with laugh-out-loud stories of decades-old storage units, wasted money, and ruined “treasures.” Rez…

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Glen Hatchell: dog trainer, behaviorist–“Ask The Trainer”–14th Edition

22d ago

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As we’ve done 13 times prior—spanning more than four years now!-–today’s program involved setting aside the usual “Talking Animals” format in order to present the show-length feature, “Ask The Trainer.” In each session of ATT, listeners are invited to call or email (or text) questions about their dogs or cats. The Trainer these listeners have an op…

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All About Bees, Soil & Regeneration with Documentary Filmmaker REBECCA TICKELL 1:00:46

27d ago1:00:46

1:00:46

“I didn't really appreciate bees until I became a farmer, and then I started to understand how essential bees are for our food. They pollinate 70% of our food, and that feeds 90% of the world. There's a whole world of insects that creates the color in our food; it's what creates the flavor in our food. It's part of our biodiversity, and it's essent…

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Order and Courage Amid Chaos. The Will to Style Meaningful Interiors | 604 | Barrie Spang, Sapphire Pear 1:14:56

23d ago1:14:56

1:14:56

As hard as it is for me to believe, it’s August. It’s hard for me to believe it’s August because it just felt like it was January. I was feeling a little tense about a number of things on the horizon at that time. Thank goodness none of the feared chaos materialized. (6SS) Okay, perhaps a little… Perhaps a lot. It might surprise you to know that it…

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Q&A: Mike Answers Voicemails About AI and Weird Audience Energy 28:28

28d ago28:28

28:28

For this all-new Working It Out Q&A, Mike fields listener questions about how and why he cuts jokes that he loves, the impact AI might have on comedy, and how to navigate weird or bad energy from an audience. Plus, how to get motived for creative work, and how to restart stand-up comedy after a long pause. Got a question for Mike? Send a voicemail …

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AI, UFOs, Perception & Reality with Artist, Geographer, Author TREVOR PAGLEN - Highlights 14:14

29d ago14:14

14:14

“If we look at the entire history of the human experience, if you saw some text or you heard some spoken language, you could 100 percent reliably infer that there was a human who created that. Our experience of having that text or that image generated for us is very akin to the experience of a magic trick, and we sort of pre-subconsciously want to …

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How AI is Shaping Perception w/ Artist TREVOR PAGLEN, Author of Trevor Paglen: Adversarially Evolved Hallucinations 55:26

30d ago55:26

55:26

“There's a word for this brain rot, right? I think that's very real. There are studies coming out now that are showing that the more and more of our cognitive labor we offload to AI systems, the less creative we become, the less critical we become, and the less of our human faculties for reason we use. There's something sad about that, but there’s …

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Art, Empathy & Resilience with CADY McCLAIN, Actor, Director, Writer, Artist, Musician - Highlights 11:20

1M ago11:20

11:20

“I had to become the father of my family very young because my parents divorced when I was 12. My situation was a little bit unusual in that my father kind of disappeared, and I had been making a fair amount of money as a kid, doing commercials and television and film. We needed money, and I kind of became the breadwinner. But I had this amazing wo…

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Art, Empathy & Resilience with CADY McCLAIN, Actor, Director, Writer, Artist, Musician - Highlights 11:20

1M ago11:20

11:20

“I had to become the father of my family very young because my parents divorced when I was 12. My situation was a little bit unusual in that my father kind of disappeared, and I had been making a fair amount of money as a kid, doing commercials and television and film. We needed money, and I kind of became the breadwinner. But I had this amazing wo…

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A Life in Acting with Emmy Award-winning Actor, Director, Writer CADY McCLAIN 1:06:02

1M ago1:06:02

1:06:02

“I won my first Emmy when I was 21, which was the result of absolutely devoting myself day and night for two years to doing all the scene work. I attended classes simultaneously and did plays until my mother died. I studied with Michael Howard for eight years. Even when I was so tired I couldn't get up to do a scene, he would say, "Get up and do a …

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A Life in Acting with Emmy Award-winning Actor, Director, Writer CADY McCLAIN 1:06:02

1M ago1:06:02

1:06:02

“I won my first Emmy when I was 21, which was the result of absolutely devoting myself day and night for two years to doing all the scene work. I attended classes simultaneously and did plays until my mother died. I studied with Michael Howard for eight years. Even when I was so tired I couldn't get up to do a scene, he would say, "Get up and do a …