Can Cartoons Save Democracy?
What do Broadway, the CIA, and Hollywood have in common?
For Gus Kangas, the answer is tradecraft.
From child actor to CIA operations veteran to Hollywood consultant (most recently on The Agency), Gus has lived at the intersection of performance, persuasion, and perception. Now he's using that experience to ask a big question: how do we teach kids to spot manipulation and propaganda — and can we make it fun enough to stick?
In this episode, we get into:
• Why acting and espionage share the same skill: making perception reality.
• The mental toll of living the role — and how to turn it off before it fractures you.
• What Hollywood gets wrong (and sometimes brilliantly right) about intelligence work.
• The hidden power of storytelling to shape policy — from WarGames to The Day After.
• What a Schoolhouse Rock for 2025 might look like — teaching kids digital literacy, privacy, and propaganda-spotting through music and cartoons.
• Why you should never confuse information with wisdom.
If you think spycraft is just car chases and tuxedos, this episode might mess with your frame.
Reach out to Gus Kangas:
https://www.vigilant.pictures/
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MAD Warfare™️ is hosted by narrative strategist Jocelyn Brady and cognitive neuroscientist Sean Anthony Guillory. Edited and produced by Amine el Filali. Visit our website at madwarfare.com for extra giggles. And send your wishes, weird ideas, dream guests, and (yes it bears repeating) sponsorship inquiries to madwarfarepodcast@gmail.com.
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FAIR USE: This show is MAD enough to include homages, short clips, and references that provide vital context and/or moments of joy. We DEEPLY respect every creator's work and use these moments purely for educational, artistic, and transformative purposes under Fair Use. If we are missing attributions or you would like to collaborate, please reach out—we're always happy to chat!
