Shows
House LightsEp.22 Alia Rasul and Anand Rajaram - Diversity and Inclusion Roundtable Pt 1There are some conversations that just changes you.. for the better.
The topic of diversity and inclusion has been becoming a bigger focus for me as a performer. But what does it mean to really dive into this conversation? To dig deeper into topic of diversity and inclusion from a performer/artist point-of-view, I reached out to my friends Alia Rasul and Anand Rajaram to dive into this topic and learn from their experiences.
Alia is talented comedy improvisor/performer, who also serves as the Inclusion Director at the Bad Dog Theatre. I've known her...
2018-05-021h 00
House LightsEp.21 Warren P Sonoda and Michael Hitoshi Maddeaux - Japanese Canadian Filmmaker's RoundtableWelcome to episode 21 on the House Lights Podcast!!
This episode features a conversation I had with Warren P. Sonoda, and Michael Hitoshi Maddeaux. They are both filmmakers at different stages of their professional careers and personal life. One commonality we all share is that we come from Japanese backgrounds and we’re navigating the entertainment/storytelling industry. We talk about our own origin stories, growing up as Japanese-Canadian, how we relate to the diversity movement, and the importance of expressing your own point-of-view in your own work. I had so much fun connecting with other Japanese storytellers, so...
2018-02-231h 22
House LightsEp.19 Holly Wyder - Hustle + Team WorkWelcome to Episode 19 of House Lights!! Today we talk to Holly Wyder, who is a Toronto-based Actor with an amazing work ethic!
Holly is fearless. She has produced many live comedy shows in the city, produced and starred in "Getting Odd" which received praise in the 2016 Toront Fringe Festival, and is the creator the web series "Female Therapy".
What's really amazing is that this is only the tip of the iceberg for what Holly has acomplished. We dive in and talk about her time in Toronto, and how she ended up making a well-produced web s...
2017-10-2055 min
House LightsEp.18 Florian Francois - Rencontres / EncountersWelcome to Ep.18 of House Lights! We have Toronto-based actor, voiceover artist, writer, producer, and all-around hustler Florian Francois on the show!
He's is a force of creativity and hustle. Having only been here in Toronto for about 4 years, and the amount of acomplishment Florian experienced is simply amazing! His current project, "Rencontres", can be seen on Bell Fibe TV. It's a French language TV series that showcases the people and city of Toronto.
We explore his origin story. I especially enjoyed learning about his hitchhiking/backpacking trip from Vancouver back to Toronto, and how t...
2017-09-1855 min
House LightsEp.17 Ken Hall - The State of PlayWelcome to Episode 17 of House Lights! We have Toronto-based Actor, Comedian, Improviser, Ken Hall on the podcast today! He currently stars in the TBS show "People of Earth" as the alien Jeff the Grey, where his comedic talents flourish!
This episode has been 4 months in the making and we were finally able to sit down for a conversation! Ken has been really busy! We cover Ken's origin story - how one deliberate change to improve his life snowballed into the amazing success he is having as a performer today. We talk about classes, teaching, his experience on s...
2017-09-041h 12
House LightsEp.16 Davin Lengyel - Serving your FansWelcome to Ep.16 of House Lights! We have Davin Lengyel on the show, and he's our first web series director and producer guest! I'm really excited about this interview because Davin comes from an unconventional background doing really well in the web-series and crowdfunding world.
In this show, Davin shares his experience in the web series world in the pre-YouTube era, and how one of his earlier projects develped into a legitamate TV series. We talk about his recent projects, Space Janitors and Deep Six. They are Sci-fi based webseries. You can actually check out Space Janitor h...
2017-08-2850 min
House LightsEp.15 Anita Abbasi and Martin Baena - Making a film!!Anita Abbasi and Martin Baena make amazing short films. They collaborated to make “The Talent Scout” (2015), and their latest project “Mariah ¡Que Baile!”. We talk about their film making process, what their partnership looks like and the lessons they took away from these experiences. This is our first conversation with film makers on the podcast and I’m really excited to share this with you.
We talk about what their pre-production, filming, and post-production process looks like for their new project “Mariah ¡Que Baile!”. We talk about, how they went about funding, found actors, putting together a team, submitting...
2017-08-081h 10
House LightsEp.14 Neeraja Ramjee and Clinton Walker - Broken ImagesWelcome to Ep.14 of House Lights!! We have Neeraja Ramjee and Clinton Walker on the show today! They are currently working on a production of the play "Broken Images" written acclaimed by Indian playwright Girish Karnand.
We talk about Neeraja and Clinton's origin story, how they got started in acting. We talk about training, collaborations, and approaches to developing a one-person show. I learned a lot from this conversation, especially about the one person theatre format. Their passion and commitment to the production is contagious, and it's amazing to see how Neeraja's vision of putting up a...
2017-08-0129 min
House LightsEp.13 Ben Train - The Magician's MindThis is episode 13 of House Lights, today we have Toronto based magician Ben Train on the show!
This concludes the mini-series examining the mindsets of magicians and getting to know the Toronto Magic Community.
We talk about ideas magicians and mentalists deal with when giving a performance. We touch on ideas like originality, suspension of disbelief, ethics, and many things that made me think about my own performances moving forward.
What’s also exciting about this episode is that we talk about the community of magicians in Toronto, and the Toronto Magic Company wh...
2017-07-2455 min
House LightsEp.12 Chris Mayhew - Shattering ObstaclesWelcome to Episode 12 of House Lights! Today we have Toronto based magician, Chris Mayhew with us. He is a prolific creator of magic effects performed by magicians world wide. He is a solid entertainer who can be seen performing live magic shows all around the city.
We talk about how Chris transitioned his career path form being a magic creator to performer. He shares the obstacles and triumphs he faced as he developed into the performer he is today. We had an interesting discussion about drawing parallels between skills and crafts outside of magic and how that ti...
2017-07-1753 min
House LightsEp.11 Kevin Vidal - Being OpenWelcome to Ep.11 of House Lights! We have Toronto-based actor and improviser, Kevin Vidal on the show today.
Kevin's amazing, he performed on the Second City Mainstage, various commercials, and on TV shows such as Sunnyside, Kim’s Convenience (CBC), and Workin' Moms (CBC)! Still early in his career, he has gained much success in the Toronto entertainment scene, and he’s just killing it!!
We talk about how Kevin got his start in the industry, how relationships were key to his success, his experiences and approaches on working on set and much more. It was a real...
2017-07-1041 min
House LightsEp.10 Ivan Wanis-Ruiz - Power of ExecutionWelcome to episode 10 of House Lights!!
We have Toronto based actor Ivan Wanis-Ruis this week! He is also the founder of The Actor's Place (TAP) which provides actors with opportunity to experiment and work on their skill sets. Ivan has built a community of suportive actors through TAP, and now they host an annual film festival.
We talk about Ivan's transition from the Vancouver entertainment space into the Toronto scene. How TAP got started and grew to what it is today. He also shares his take on how actors should go about starting out in th...
2017-07-0347 min
House LightsEp.9 Angela Delfini and John Towsen - Your TribeWelcome to Episode 9 of House Lights!!
This week, we have Angela Delfini from Italy, and John Towsen from NYC!! They were visiting Toronto for the Toronto Festival of Clowns and toured a show called "Angela Delfini Explains It All For You".
Their show was an amazing, it was a one-woman show starring Angela which was directed by John. It was one my hightlights from the entire festival!!
In this episode we talk about their process in collaborating overseas to develop the show. We dive into various topics including the value of clown, mentorship, bu...
2017-06-2638 min
House LightsEp.8 Nelu Handa - The 24/7 CreativeEp.8 with Toronto based actor, comedian, and writer Nelu Handa!!
This week we sit down with my friend Nelu and talk about her life. She shares what her transition from a 9-5 career into a 24/7 creative looked like, and her involvement in the comedy community today.
She is a producer of the hit show Yas Kween which features talents who identifies as Women of Colour/Ethnicity and encouages a space for expression and craft development! You can find out more about it here -> http://baddogtheatre.com/yas-kween/
Nelu also has a podcast, also...
2017-06-1949 min
House LightsEp.7 Casts of Judas Noir - Moving Forward TogetherThis week, the House Lights shine on the casts of Judas Noir! This production will be playing at the Tarragon Theatre from June 13th to 18th, and features an all black cast.
We sit down with writer, director, and actor, Leighton Alexander Williams, and cast member Franck Fon. We are later joined by additional cast members, Adrian Walters, Lovell Adams-Grey, and Emmanuel Ofori.
This episode is filled with actionable advice from the talented actors who generously shared their time and thoughts on House Lights.We talk about the process of putting together a production, the...
2017-06-1239 min
House LightsEp.6 Ron Leach - The Power of an ActorWe shine the house lights on Toronto based casting director Ron Leach!! He has been in the industry for over 30 years, and we had an amazing time talking about what it means to be an actor today.
Ron is an inspirational person who wear many hats as a teacher, director, and producer in addition to being a casting director.What was most valuable for me in this episode was our conversation about the power and responsibilities we have as a member of the entertainment industry. I learned so much and I hope you enjoy this episode as m...
2017-06-051h 00
House LightsEp.5 Eugene Ma - Curiosity, Drive, and Odd-Ball AdviceWe shine the House Lights on New York City based actor, director, and teacher, Eugene Ma!! He is currently a resident director at the Flea Theater located in NYC, and he is currently a Lecturer of Acting at SUNY Purchase, teaching Clown and Commedia there as well as at all sorts of places between Stateside and Asia!
Eugene and I are actually high-school friends! We reunite after 9 years of life and catch up in this interesting conversation!
We talk about all things acting! Eugene shares his take on the distinction between theatrical and screen acting, th...
2017-05-2952 min
House LightsEp.4 Moniquea Marion - Embracing ChallengesThis week, we shine the House Lights on Moniquea Marion! She is a Toronto based actor, comedian, and writer with special focus on solo sketch and character comedy.
I admire her a lot for her fearlessness in tackling unique projects. Moniquea's work with her own podcast "Fuck Yes" was one of the big inspirations for starting the House Lights podcast.
Moniquea reflection on her improv instructors was really interesting to hear about, and we touch on how pivitol these relationships can become in our jouney. We also talk about moving forward, setting your mind free...
2017-05-221h 19
House LightsEp.3 Kristie Gunter - Combining Passion and ServiceWhat would combining your passion and drive to be of service to the community look like?
To answer this, we shine the House Lights this week on Kristie Gunter, who is an actor, comedian, improviser, and the CEO of Funnies for Families.
Recently, Funnies for Families have generated quite a buzz in the Toronto comedy space. They work tirelessly to bring joy and laugher to children and their families dealing with personal struggles. They currently perform regularly at the Ronald McDonald House, Redwood Woman’s Shelter, and they are expanding!
I witnessed the va...
2017-05-1543 min
House LightsEp.2 Victoria Kucher - Actor TalkWe sit down with Toronto-based actress Victoria Kucher for our Actor Talk series!! As you will get to know, Victoria is one busy person. Her drive and passion is inspiring, and we talk about what it means to be an actor today. Some topics we discussed were acting classes, the value of improv skills, the importance of having a great work ethic, and much more.
In the show we expressed the importance of empowering yourself as an actor. Victoria will be teaching a Business for Actors class at the Second City Training Centre! If you are considering...
2017-05-0851 min
House LightsEp.1 Lisa Burke - Q&A with a talent agent!Welcome to House Lights! My name is Hidetaka Ishii, and House Lights is a podcast celebrating amazing people that make up the film/TV/entertainment industy in Toronto, Canada!
For our first episode on House Lights, we have a Q&A session with Talent Agent, Lisa Burke! She is brining over 30 years worth of experience to the show to answer some of our questions.
We talk about the role and nature of the relationship between talent and agent. We explore how to get an agent if you're seeking representation, as well as things to consider if...
2017-05-0145 min