Shows
The DNA Podcast with Douglas Nyback#31 Evan Stern – The Success of Letterkenny and Getting Back to the GrindEvan Stern is basically the human embodiment of talent, opinion, and relentless charisma. The dude is one of the funniest actors out there, with a mastery of physical comedy that few can match. This episode is a deep dive into his iconic performance as Stuart on the hit show, Letterkenny, as well as all the successes and failures that came before and after. This conversation is wild, folks. We pulled any thread that came to us, leading from spicy takes to insights on life and acting, to jokes, to more spice. I’ve always been a fan of Evan, so...
2025-12-181h 17
The DNA Podcast with Douglas Nyback#30 Lara Jean Chorostecki – Truth and Vulnerability from a Lifelong PerformerLara Jean is what I’d call a “capital A Actor.” She’s been profoundly successful across both stage and screen, and whether you know her from her unforgettable turn as Freddie Lounds on NBC’s Hannibal, or from any of the other roles she’s carved out across an illustrious career (Chucky, The King Tide, Nightmare Alley, Designated Survivor, X Company, Antiviral, to name just a few), it’s clear she’s something special.
I first met LJ when she starred in a feature I produced (Nose to Tail), and I remember being struck immediately by her professional...
2025-12-041h 23
The DNA Podcast with Douglas Nyback#29 Dalmar Abuzeid – Thoughtful Wisdom From the Star of Degrassi: The Next Generation & Anne with an EDalmar Abuzeid is one of the stars of the iconic series Degrassi: The Next Generation and the deeply moving Anne with an E—among many, many other credits. What I’ve admired most about Dalmar, long before this episode, is how profoundly thoughtful he is. He takes both life and craft seriously, but never pretentiously—he’s measured, grounded, and endlessly curious about the work.
Talking with him always pushes me to reexamine what I believe about acting and to approach things from new and unexpected angles. Dalmar brings a rare combination of ambition, humility, and wisdom to every...
2025-11-201h 13
The DNA Podcast with Douglas Nyback#28 Sara Mitich – The Journey of Star Trek, Mining Deep Emotions, & Cultivating Gratitude & GrowthSara Mitich is one of the stars of the hit series Star Trek Discovery (where she played two different characters over the show’s run). She also happens to be one of the best actors and people I know. I’ve been working with Sara for years, as a client, colleague, and collaborator.
Her talent and ability to mine complex, dark emotions is formidable. She’s always game to go deeper—to dive into the intensity of a moment or the challenge of a scene—and she brings that same mindset to her personal life. That commitment to inner wo...
2025-11-061h 19
The DNA Podcast with Douglas Nyback#27 Brennan Clost – The Next Step, Tiny Pretty Things, and Rebuilding Himself Post-JuilliardA Juilliard-trained dancer, star of The Next Step, Netflix’s Tiny Pretty Things, Fear Street: Prom Queen, and now a producer and actor on the feature film Loathe Thy Neighbor—it’s clear that Brennan Clost is a multi-talented artist in every sense.
I’m not gonna lie, this conversation was a genuine delight. Brennan is incredibly open about the things that have driven him to succeed at such a high level from such a young age—and the cost of that relentless dedication when it’s pushed him to his limits. From training at Juilliard while filming The...
2025-10-231h 07
The DNA Podcast with Douglas Nyback#26 Ryan George – Building a Comedy Empire One Wild Idea at a TimeRyan George is a YouTube comedian with over 1.8 million subscribers on his personal channel alone. You probably know him for Pitch Meeting and his viral split-screen sketches where he plays all the characters. I’ve been a fan for years—I don’t think there’s a comedian who lampoons the film and TV industry more effectively while never doing it in a mean-spirited way. He’s razor sharp, highly intelligent, and brings a workmanlike consistency to his sketch production that I hugely admire. His writing is sharp, his delivery is masterful, and he’s grown his sketches into a comedy bra...
2025-10-091h 15
The DNA Podcast with Douglas Nyback#25 Sarah Fisher - Choosing Kindness in an Unkind IndustrySarah Fisher is maybe the nicest person I know. And I’m not kidding here. Sarah brings light and joy into every part of her life and career, from her early work as Becky Baker on Degrassi: The Next Generation to feature films like Kiss and Cry (BIG shout out to the fine folks at Carley’s Angels and the good work they’re doing in creating access to integrative cancer care), Someone Like You, and now her work on the hit series When Hope Calls. Sarah takes an approach of radical responsibility, of choosing to look within when life h...
2025-09-2559 min
The DNA Podcast with Douglas Nyback#24 Morgan Kohan - Leading by Example on Sullivan’s CrossingBeing a number one (lead character) on a series is both a blessing and a challenge. I have a lot of friends and clients on the hit CW series “Sullivan’s Crossing” and ALL of them speak so highly of Morgan. Join us as I sit down with her to chat all things Sullivan’s, as well as her journey from the start of her career to where she is now. Morgan is so many things, cool under pressure, dedicated, supportive, creative and kind, and her generosity is apparent throughout this conversation as she provides deep insight into the challeng...
2025-09-111h 07
The DNA Podcast with Douglas Nyback#23 Zoé De Grand’Maison - The Summer I Turned Pretty’s Most Creative SoulZoé De Grand’Maison exudes art in everything she does. Whether it’s in her role as Agnes on Amazon Prime’s hit series The Summer I Turned Pretty, her work as the villainous Evelyn Evernever on Riverdale, Gracie Johanssen on Ophan Black, or any of her other innumerable acting credits she is always searching for more connection, more embodiment, deeper connection to character and self. Watching her is watching an actor who is never quite giving you the performance you think she will. She’s an actor who keeps you on your toes and comes at her choices from surp...
2025-08-281h 09
The DNA Podcast with Douglas Nyback#22 David Reale - Competition, Admiration, Audition Hacks, and Advice from One of the BestIs there anything David Reale hasn’t done? He’s a veteran of a gajillion shows (The Boys, Suits, Poly is the New Monogamy to name a few), he’s a world class Meisner instructor, he’s a veteran of both stage and screen AND he just happens to be the guy I most admired and was secretly jealous of for literal decades of my early career. See, David and I started at the exact same time in the exact same place and he booked a lot of the things that I didn’t. I’ve always wanted to have an open...
2025-08-141h 12
The DNA Podcast with Douglas Nyback#21 Varun Saranga - Comedy, Vulnerability and The Joy of ActingVarun Saranga is a funny guy. He became a student of comedy as he learned to act, becoming a (my words here, not his) master at the rhythms of winning and losing in a way that makes people laugh. He has had tremendous success (Wynonna Earp, Carter, How to be Indie, Workin’ Moms to name just a few). The thing about Varun, though, is that in addition to his comedic super powers he possesses an undercurrent of deep vulnerability that comes out in his work in the subtlest of ways, bringing humanity to every laugh he gets from us. Va...
2025-07-311h 17
The DNA Podcast with Douglas Nyback#20 Kimberly-Sue Murray - Her Vision and the Courage to Bring it to LifeKimberly-Sue Murray was one of my first ever clients and has been a friend for years. I’ve long admired her as she’s built a profoundly successful career (The Boys, V-Wars, The Wedding Planner, Guardians of the Galaxy, The Madness just to name a few). This conversation in particular was profound, not only because it was our 20th episode, but because we picked up at a very interesting turning point in Kim’s life. She’s recently gotten VERY clear on her vision for the rest of her life and career, and most importantly she’s let go of shame a...
2025-07-171h 18
The DNA Podcast with Douglas Nyback#19 Ryan Sutherland - Charisma, presence, and creating unforgettable characters on Netflix’s BETRyan is a whirlwind of charisma and nowhere is it more prevalent than his unforgettable turn as Suki on the hit Netflix Series “BET”. One of my pet peeves in Film & TV these days is that I’ll get through an entire movie or series and not even know the main character’s names. Not so for Suki. From the second he’s on screen to the final frames Ryan saturates frame with character and bold choices. He’s lived his life online, making sketch comedy on YouTube—where he has already gained major success—and chatting with him was like taking...
2025-07-031h 10
The DNA Podcast with Douglas Nyback#18 Lindura - Growth Through Honesty, Beauty and PainLindura is a force. As one of the stars of the hit series, Sullivan’s Crossing, she has a presence to her that’s hard to quantify. She’s a rare cocktail of a scientific mind, ethereal beauty, and deep emotional intelligence all wrapped into one. What I find the most fascinating about her is how she recognizes these different facets of herself and is so driven to do the internal work that allows them all to work in tandem with each other as opposed to in contrast. She’s borderline addicted to growth, she’s in love with new experi...
2025-06-191h 09
The DNA Podcast with Douglas Nyback#17 Sara Waisglass - The Courage to Live a Fully Felt LifeSara Waisglass blew me away with her presence, compassion, and thoughtful approach to both her work and her life. This is—believe it or not—the first episode we’ve done where I haven’t known the guest in advance. So, to not only meet Sara, but to have such an honest conversation with her was a blessing that’s hard to measure. From Degrassi through a lifetime in the industry that has led her to the hit Netflix series, Ginny & Georgia, she has gone through a LOT. The thing that stuck with me the most is how courageously she naviga...
2025-06-051h 08
The DNA Podcast with Douglas Nyback#16 Carson MacCormac - The Thoughtful, Philosophical, and Talented Star of the Hit Film “Clown in a Cornfield"Carson MacCormac is no stranger to success in the world of feature film. Since his early days in the wildly popular DC “SHAZAAM!” franchise, he’s been working at an extremely high level. He’s now entering the horror genre in a big way with the release of the highly successful “Clown in a Cornfield”. Carson has always been a fascinating guy to me. He’s as likely to quote Friedrich Nietzsche to you as recommend a killer show he just found on Netflix, or an awesome fantasy novel he’s sinking his time into. He’s poetic, thoughtful, and does everythin...
2025-05-221h 04
The DNA Podcast with Douglas Nyback#15 Laura Afelskie - Rising Star of Netflix’s “BET”In this episode of The DNA Podcast I have the pleasure of chatting with Laura Afelskie. Laura is a journeyman actor with a long list of credits to her name despite her young age. She’s had her fair share of hardships and in spite of that has already accomplished a LOT. Now she’s on the cusp of the release of her first major Netflix Series: BET—A live-action adaptation of the Japanese manga Kakegurui by Homura Kawamoto and Toru Naomura—and I couldn’t be more excited for her. Laura auditioned for MULTIPLE roles on this series before fin...
2025-05-081h 13
The DNA Podcast with Douglas Nyback#14 Eliana Jones - Bold, Hilarious, Fierce, Gorgeous, and Taking The Industry by StormEliana Jones is a force. You may have seen her on any of her high profile shows—Hemlock Grove, Trick VR Treat, Northern Rescue—and if you haven’t you’ll be seeing her soon, bet on it. A frequent collaborator with Eli Roth, Eliana is as at home in the horror genre as she is in Jered Keeso’s hit comedy “Shoresy”. She’s whip smart, cutting, abrasive, and unapologetically “Eliana”. This episode is a deep dive on the life of an actor in LA who is on the verge of tremendous success, with offers starting to come in, and a roadmap of...
2025-04-241h 08
The DNA Podcast with Douglas Nyback#13 Shaun Benson - A Messy, Recovering, Imperfect, and Fearless Life in ActingShaun Benson is a very special guy to a lot of people. To me, he’s someone who—even if he didn’t know it at the time—was a lighthouse for me during a very challenging time in my life. He’s an incredible actor who has been working in the industry for decades—on projects like The Boys, Billy The Kid, Mayans M.C., Gangland Undercover—a brilliant Meisner teacher, a talented photographer, and all around creative soul. Shaun and I get into it about addiction, recovery, rising, falling, and rising again in this industry. This was a profound, vu...
2025-04-101h 18
The DNA Podcast with Douglas Nyback#12 Camille Stopps - Presence, Passion, and Devotion to TrainingIn episode 12 of the DNA Podcast we have the profoundly talented actress, Camille Stopps, in the studio. You’ll see it immediately, but Camille is a bastion for human connection in a disconnected world. She is thoughtful, emotional, passionate, and dedicated in equal measure. This conversation was such a delight for me because to pull the thread of what lights Camille up as an actor is to dive headlong into a profound devotion to training, insights into emotional and intellectual connection, audition technique, the trials and tribulations of success and failure, and her unrelenting fire for this art form an...
2025-03-271h 12
The DNA Podcast with Douglas Nyback#11 Julia Schneider - Industry Advice From a Leading AgentIn this Episode of the DNA Podcast I’m—for the first time ever on the pod—chatting with an agent! Ambition Talent’s own Julia Schneider has been at this for nearly two decades. She’s fiercely intelligent, kind, concise, and ruthless when needed. She also cares very deeply about every creative on her roster and as such has a deep understanding of the acting and casting processes and uses that expertise to absolutely flood this episode with insider information. You’ll find useful tips for actors, practical answers for anyone out there looking to get an agent, and helpful...
2025-03-131h 01
The DNA Podcast with Douglas Nyback#10 Carolina Bartczak - Becoming a Leading LadyIn our 10th episode of The DNA Podcast I sit down with Leading Lady, Carolina Bartczak. Carolina has been a client, collaborator, and friend for over a decade and through that time I’ve watched her become one of the world’s leading talents. Now, she likely wouldn’t say that, she’s too humble. But if you take a look at her resume you will see her working alongside a laundry list of A-Listers from Michael Fassbender, to Lena Headey, to Taylor Kitsch and more. And now, finally, she’s the lead of her own series with the upcoming s...
2025-02-271h 08
The DNA Podcast with Douglas Nyback#9 Trevor Tordjman - Adaptability in the industry: “You Gotta Be Water, You Gotta Embrace The Times”In this episode of The DNA Podcast I step into the orbit of the truly charismatic, intelligent, talented, and kind Trevor Tordjman. When I first met Trevor I thought “this has to be a bit, nobody can be this genuinely engaging and charismatic”…well, turns out he is. Trevor is one of the most passionate gents I know, he loves performance, he’s already had tremendous success and is booking up a storm as he transitions his career to new heights, and he’s creating his own work on top of it all. In this episode we talk about his journe...
2025-02-131h 02
The DNA Podcast with Douglas Nyback#8 Aris Athanasopoulos - Character Creation: A deep dive into the Laban-Malmgren Acting MethodIn this episode of The DNA Podcast I sit down with Aris Athanasopoulos, who is an acting teacher and performer I greatly admire. I seldom find a coach I feel 100% comfortable sending my clients and peers to and Aris is one of them. In this episode we dive deep into the Character Creation technique he teaches, rooted in the Laban-Malmgren System of Movement Psychology. It sounds complicated but it’s an incredibly intuitive way for actors to develop their whole instrument (mind, body, heart) and I cannot wait for you to learn from this wonderful man.
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2025-01-311h 06
The DNA Podcast with Douglas Nyback#7 Anna Hopkins - Showing your true heart to the audienceIn this episode of The DNA Podcast I have the pleasure of talking with my dear friend and client, Anna Hopkins. Anna has been a prolific actor for years, working non-stop in projects like Shadowhunters, The Expanse, Letterkenny, Barney’s Version, Arrow, and Bad Blood (to just name a few). We talk about her journey as an actor, getting rejected from theatre school, growing up studying Meisner, the loss of her first acting coach, and the beautiful life lessons she’s cultivated as she’s grown through the industry. Anna will always hold a special place in my heart as a f...
2025-01-1759 min
The DNA Podcast with Douglas Nyback#6 Jon McLaren - Is acting for video games the coolest job modern actors can get?In this episode of The DNA Podcast I chat with the profoundly talented Jon McLaren. Jon is a leading man best known for his work as Star-Lord in the hugely successful Guardians of the Galaxy video game. I met him working on a feature I co-wrote, produced, and co-starred in and it was immediately apparent from his auditions that he was on a whole other level. In this ep we talk about the trials and tribulations of acting, emotional connection, male vulnerability, and just how dang cool video games are to work on as actors and what they mean...
2025-01-031h 01
The DNA Podcast with Douglas Nyback#5 Kelly Shaw - At the crossroads between dance and actingIn this episode of The DNA Podcast, I sit down with the remarkable Kelly Shaw, a lifelong dancer who is making her mark in the world of acting for the first time. We dive into her journey as an artist, exploring how her background in dance has influenced her approach to acting, the challenges she’s faced, and the exciting discoveries she’s made along the way. Whether you're an aspiring actor, dancer, or just someone interested in the creative process, this conversation offers valuable insights into how art forms intersect and how to embrace growth in your creative care...
2024-12-201h 00
The DNA Podcast with Douglas Nyback#4 Julie Nolke - Being funny in an unfunny industryIn this episode of the DNA Podcast, I chat with the multi-talented Julie Nolke — actor, writer, comedian, and YouTuber extraordinaire. Julie is pulling network sitcom numbers with her hilarious and relatable YouTube content and we explore everything from her rise to success to the challenges of navigating the digital landscape vs the traditional film industry, and how she’s carving her own path.
FOLLOW JULIE: @julienolke
2024-12-061h 01
The DNA Podcast with Douglas Nyback#3 Amalia Willamson - Is the “it” factor real and what it means to be a series leadIn this episode of The DNA Podcast, I sit down with the incredibly talented Amalia Williamson—actor, writer, and director known for her roles in Sullivan's Crossing and Northern Rescue. Amalia shares her inspiring journey into the world of acting, the challenges she’s faced along the way, and what it truly means to "make it" in the entertainment industry.
FOLLOW AMALIA: @amaliaawilliamson
2024-11-2256 min
The DNA Podcast with Douglas Nyback#2 Jordan Clark - What it's like to be on the edge of life changing opportunityIn episode 2 of The DNA Podcast, I sit down with Jordan Clark. Jordan is an incredible actor and dancer known for starring in over 100 episodes of the #TheNextStep. She is also the winner of #SYTYCD Canada Season 4. In this episode, we chat about how Jordan got into performing, how she is auditioning more than almost anyone else out there (and the challenges therein), what she loves about the craft of acting, and art of "letting go".
FOLLOW JORDAN: @jordanclark
2024-11-0152 min
The DNA Podcast with Douglas NybackBonus Episode - Dealing With Rejection As An ActorYou're going to be rejected FAR MORE than you will book as an actor. This is one of those realities I knew going in and thought I was prepared for. But after two decades in the industry all those tiny losses have taken their toll. Every actor needs coping mechanisms and this solo episode is a candid and vulnerable view into the harmful ways I've coped over the years, the healthier ways I handle rejection now, and helpful tips for you to handle rejection going forward.
FOLLOW DOUGLAS: @dnybackact
2024-10-1921 min
The DNA Podcast with Douglas Nyback#1 Alexandra Chaves - Is an actor’s life worth the suffering?In the very first episode of The DNA Podcast, I chat with the extremely talented actor and dancer Alexandra Chaves, known for the hit shows #TheNextStep and #GeekGirl. Listen along as we talk about validation, booking work, and the endurance required to succeed in this industry.
FOLLOW ALEXANDRA: @alexandrachaves
2024-10-0442 min