For the first episode of 2021 we are kicking things off with an incredible guest, Director and Animator for "Bob's Burgers" & "Central Park", Simon Chong! You've heard Simon's name mentioned in past episodes as he's done some of the art for a few past Toddland items. I've followed Simon on Twitter for a while and have loved his work. On the episode, Simon tells the story of how he started working at "Bob's Burgers", starting his animation company in the UK, learning new animation skills, directing "Bob's Burgers" episodes, his work on "Central Park", and so much more. Simon has such an incredible story that is so inspiring.  A huge thanks to Simon Chong for taking the time to join me on this episode. It was so great to get to know Simon better and learn about his career. Make sure to follow Simon on all of the links on the website www.onthemicpodcast.com , and don't miss Bob's Burgers Sunday nights on FOX. You can also stream the first season of Central Park on Apple TV+ Thanks, Simon!  Enjoy the episode. 

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Episode 181 - Simon Chong

After an unintended 9 month hiatus, the podcast is back! I don't need to sit here and tell you what an insane year this has been. We've all just experienced it together. However, I didn't expect it to affect the podcast the way that it did. Between a few COVID scares, quarantines, depression, anxiety, a small move, and creating making a quarantined web series, the past 9 months consumed me in the best and worst ways. The podcast finally launched on Spotify a few months ago, and I was overwhelmed to see the new downloads and listeners. Thank you for listening and making part of 2020 a little better for me.    I decided to take a few minutes at the end of this year to talk a little about where the podcast has been and in a way deliver a "State of the Podcast" address. New episodes start releasing next week, starting with Simon Chong from Bob's Burgers. I also talked about a few changes coming to the format of the podcast.   This year has been wild and we have no idea what 2021 has in store. All we can do is try to do good by each other, do our part to help everybody get through this, and make the best out of a bad situation. It will take all of us, but we can get back to life in the new normal.    Thank you for listening to the podcast throughout 2020 and being along this crazy ride. Please stay safe and healthy. I will see you in the New Year.    Enjoy the episode.  

Episode 180 - So that was 2020...

Today's episode is our WonderCon 2020 Episode! My guests for this episode are Kerry Dixon, Editor and Chief of the SDCC Unofficial Blog, and returning guest Todd Masters of Toddland!  As many of you may know, WonderCon 2020 was supposed to be this weekend down in Anaheim, but due to the current lockdowns from COVID-19, the event has been postponed. Kerry and her team at the blog immediately jumped into action and compiled a list of all of the artists and vendors from WonderCon and how you can still shop and support them. With so many of these conventions being cancelled, this is the primary means of income for these artists and vendors and we wanted to help spread the word of how you can still support them. I talked with Kerry about how she and her team have built WonderCon Online for this weekend and what's to come.  Toddland's Bob's Burgers Exclusives are always one of the hottest con exclusives that sell out immediately. For the first time ever, Toddland has opened these up to everybody to be able to enjoy their rad items. All new Bob's tees, totes, pins, stickers, and more! Please go and support my friends at Toddland and help make this WonderCon incredible for them. I've already made my purchases, so hurry over and make yours. I talked with Todd about what they've made for WonderCon and some of their favorite items this year.  Please get out and support all of the great WonderCon artists and vendors this weekend with WonderCon Online! A huge Thanks to Todd and Kerry for taking the time to come on the show for this special WonderCon episode. Shop and follow on all of the links on our website! Stay Safe and Healthy out there! Enjoy the episode. 

Episode 179 - WonderCon Online w/ Todd Masters & Kerry Dixon

Today's episode the podcast is back from it's medicated coma! As you may have noticed my Oscar coverage was cut short this year and there hasn't been a new episode since. Unfortunately as my Oscar coverage was under way, I ended up getting sick and had to cancel the remaining interviews. This led to canceling the remainder of February episodes as well. By the time I was ready to get back into the swing of things, we were locked down.  On this episode I talked about the past two crazy months, the wild ride of losing hearing in my left ear for almost a month, accidentally hanging up on an Oscar nominee while in a drugged up state, getting through quarantine, Simpsons binging, and more.  I hope that all of you are staying safe and healthy. Please stay home if you don't have to go out, and if you do have to go out, make sure to practice social distancing. Wash your hands, don't touch your face, and support local businesses. THANK YOU, I can't say it enough, but THANK YOU to all of the people on the front lines of this. To all of the healthcare workers, doctors, grocery store clerks, restaurants, and delivery services for taking care of all of us. We couldn't do this without you. Your sacrifice means everything to us. So from the bottom of my heart, THANK YOU! Stay healthy, friends! Enjoy the episode. 

Episode 178 - Sicky Sick Sick

Today's episode of the podcast is Part 2 of our Oscar Week coverage!  This week I have four-time Oscar nominee Marshall Curry and Siqi Song! Marshall was on the show last year for his documentary short "A Night at the Garden" that was nominated for an Oscar and it was great to have him back on the show. While this is Siqi Song's first Oscar nomination, she was also part of the art department for the Oscar nominated animated film "Missing Link".  It was great to talk with Marshall about the new venture into Live Action Shorts instead of the Documentaries that he's best known for, and hear about how his film "The Neighbors Window" came together. Siqi's film "Sister" was her final student film project that tells such a unique story of the One Child Law in China. She used an incredible form of stop motion animation using yarn to build all of her characters.  I had such a great time talking to both of these Oscar nominees and can't want to see what happens this Sunday during the 92nd Academy Awards. Make sure to visit ShortsTV on the site below to be able to watch all of the Oscar Nominated Shorts or find them in a theater near you.  Thanks, Marshall and Siqi! Enjoy the episode. 

Episode 177 - Oscar Week (Pt. 2) feat. Marshall Curry and Siqi Song

Oscar Week is here! After a month long hiatus I am thrilled to be back and talking with the Oscar Nominated filmmakers of this year's short films.  This episode is Part 1 of the coverage featuring Daria Kashcheeva from "Daughter", Rosana Sullivan & Kathryn Hendrickson from "Kitbull", & Everett Downing Jr. from "Hair Love".  All three films are part of my favorite of categories, the Animated Shorts.  This first group of filmmakers had such great stories about how their films came to be. Rosana and Kathryn both have a long history in animation. Rosana was one of the Producers on Toy Story 4, and they have both worked on films like The Incredibles, Finding Dory and The Good Dinosaur. Everett Downing Jr. is another animation juggernaut animating films like WALL-E, Up, Brave, Ratatouille, and Ice Age. Which brings us to Daria Kashcheeva. Daria's film is only the second short film she's made. It was her student film final, and it's absolutely breathtaking. I have never seen anything like "Daughter". Daria literally created parts of her animation style to make this film. It's only a matter of time before she joins the ranks of the other three animation titans.  It was so much fun talking to the four of them! Next week I will have two more episodes as part of my Oscar coverage. A huge Thank You to Daria, Rosana, Kathryn, and Everett for taking the time to join me on this first Oscar episode. Look for the ShortsTV program playing in a theater near you or find it online on the links below.  Enjoy the episode!

Episode 176 - Oscar Week (Pt. 1) feat. Daria Kashcheeva, Rosana Sullivan, Kathryn Hendrickson, & Everett Downing Jr.

Happy Holidays, Everybody! This episode is being recorded and released on Christmas Eve and will be the final episode of 2019.  Our annual Christmas and New Year episodes were unfortunately not able to be recorded this year. A lot of changes have happend over the past few years and this year we sadly couldn't put it together. But that doesn't mean I don't have plenty to talk about.  At the end of November I spent the weekend in Anahiem at DesignerCon 2019. This was our first time visiting DesignerCon and it quickly became one of our favorite conventions and will be one that we will definitely return to. Make sure to visit our Instagram for all of the pictures and coverage from the convention.  During the episode I cover my time at DesignerCon, as well as talk about my plans during the holiday break as my wife and I stayed at home in Los Angeles for the holidays, new projects slated for 2020, as well as the upcoming hiatus. It feels funny to announce a hiatus when I have kind of been on one not having an episode in a month, but I wanted to make sure that all of you understood the break I'm talking to recharge and prep for the podcast and new productions in the new year.  The hiatus is planned to end at the end of January when I will return with new episodes going into the Oscars and the Sundance Film Festival. Stay tuned for those announcements.  Thank you so much for all of your support this year. It means the world to me that you have stuck around and so many new listeners have joined even with all of the changes throughout the year. I hope you are having a safe and Happy Holiday season and a Happy New Year.  See you in 2020!   Enjoy the episode. 

Episode 175 - Holidays, DesignerCon, and Hiatus

On today's episode I have actor and comedian, Samba Schutte! Samba is best known for his current work on NBC's new show "Sunnyside", as well as the newly released video game, Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order. I had never met Samba going into this episode, but I was really enjoying his work on "Sunnyside" and invited him on the show. It was such a delight getting to know Samba and hearing his incredible story.  On the episode we talked about growing up in Ehtiopia, moving to the Netherlands and starting his comedy career, being a corespondant on the Dutch version The Daily Show, moving to Los Angeles and the struggles he faced as an immigrant, trying to build his career while getting his green card, palm reading, the "Sunnyside" audition process, and so much more.  Thank you to Samba Schutte for taking the time to come on the show. I didn't know what to expcet while we recorded and hearing Samba's story was both humbling and inspiring. Make sure to watch "Sunnyside" every Thurday on the NBC app, NBC.com, and Hulu. Pick up Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order today as well!  Thanks, Samba! Enjoy the episode. 

Episode 174 - Samba Schutte

Happy Halloween! Today's episode of the podcast is a recap of this year's 31 Days of Horror, as well as my time at LA Comic Con and more.  There was so many incredible locations on this year's 31 Days of Horror. Some of my favorites this year were: The Queen Mary, Rockhaven Sanitarium, The Oman House, The Harris House, and Brand Park, just to name a few. All of the videos are available through my Instagram @timdrake42 or @onthemicpodcast Thank you for following along and sending messages and comments throughout the month. A lot of work goes into these simple videos and it's great to get feedback that you're enjoying them.  LA Comic Con was also an incredible time this year. There were so many great panels with the cast of The Office, Elijah Wood's Spectrevision, Rhett and Link, and a special Jay and Silent Bob Reboot Panel. There was also an awesome Jay and Silent Bob & Clerks pop up that Kevin Smith and Jay Mewes stopped by in costume to chat and take pictures. It was such a great time with them!  The Jay and Silent Bob Reboot love continued through the weekend as well as I had the opportunity to attend Kevin Smith and Jay Mewes handprint ceremony at the Chinese Theater. This was the first ceremony I've had the opportunity to attend and I was thrilled that it was for two people that have had a huge influence on me.  Thank you for follow along with 31 Days of Horror all month. Thank you to LA Comic Con for having me back for another year as well. All new episodes next week.  Have a safe and Happy Halloween.  Enjoy the episode.   

Episode 173 - 31 Days of Horror 2019 & LA Comic Con

On today's episode I have drummer and podcaster, Tony Thaxton!  Tony is the drummer for one of my all-time favorite bands, Motion City Soundtrack, as well as the band Don't Stop or We'll Die. Tony also hosts one of my new favorite podcasts, "Bizzare Albums", as well as the "Feliz Navipod" podcast, and is the on-air Producer from Andrea Savage's new podcast "Andrea Savage - Grown Up Woman #Buttholes", and Alison Rosen's podcast, "Alison Rosen is Your New Best Friend".  I talked to Tony about growing up in Virginia, how he started playing drums, his musical inspirations, joining Motion City Soundtrack, breaking his arm before recording, getting into podcasting, Bizzare Albums, producing podcasts, and so much more! A huge Thanks to Tony for taking the time out of his incredibly busy schedule to come on the podcast. Look for Tony on tour with Motion City Soundtrack this January and make sure to subscribe to Bizzare Albums and Andrea Savage - Grown Up Woman #Buttholes. Follow Tony on all of the links at www.onthemicpodcast.com Thanks, Tony!  Enjoy the episode

Episode 172 - Tony Thaxton

Today's episode is a little different from our usual episode as it's a re-release of an old 2014 episode with comedian, Pete Holmes.  Normally I wouldn't be a fan of re-releasing an old episode. But with some of the new changes going on with the podcast, going forward I am only going to be keeping the most recent 50 episodes available for download. This chat with Pete was a great talk and he gave some great advice in the episode that I didn't want new listeners to miss out on. I clearly had no idea what I was doing on this episode and the podcast has come a long way, but Pete's advice, lessons learned in comedy, and chat about Late Night TV is worth the listen.  Pete originally came on the podcast in 2014 as Episode 15 to promote his TBS late night show, "The Pete Holmes Show".  Of course since this episode Pete has gone on to make the incredible HBO series "Crashing", and recently released his book, "Comedy Sex God". Pete is also the host of the long running comedy podcast, "You Made It Weird", and has several comedy specials available through HBO and Comedy Central. Hopefully we will have Pete back on the podcast in a future episode.  Before we get to Pete, I also talked about 31 Days of Horror that started TODAY and some of the locations I'll be going to this month. I'm excited to be doing 31 Days of Horror again and I can't wait for you guys to see the new 1 minute videos.  Enjoy this re-release! All-new episode next week. 

Episode 171 - Pete Holmes (2014 Re-Release) & 31 Days of Horror Preview

On today's episode I have one of my longtime friends, musician David Charles back on the podcast! Dave was previously on the podcast on Episode 1! Back when I was trying to decide if I should start a podcast, I knew Dave would be the perfect person to talk to as he had been touring with Neon Trees as their tour guitarist and we had a history in music together. All these years later Dave is finally back on the show. Even though we just live a few streets away from each other, we rarely get to catch up and usually only run into each other at comedy shows or when I see Dave waiting to cross the street (listen to the episode for context).  Dave and I talked about what we've been up to, the awkward social pressure of having adult friends, the people we see around our neighborhood, The Simpsons, Norm MacDonald impressions, and a lot of other nonsense. A huge Thanks to Dave for coming by and hanging out on the podcast. Make sure you follow Dave on all of the links on the website, download is solo albums, and look for him on tour with Neon Trees!  Thanks, Dave! Enjoy the episode. 

Episode 170 - David Charles Returns!

Today's episode of the podcast is another solo episode! This week wasn't planned to be a solo episode, but after a few guests had to reschedule this week, I decided to improvise.  As I mentioned in the first solo episode, one of my biggest issues when I started the podcast years ago was a lack of consistency. This was something I wanted to change and vowed I would. So in the wake of my frustration of not having a guest, I decided to take a deep breath and not let it ruin my week.  If you listen to The Good Place: The Podcast, at the end of every episode Mark Evan Jackson asks each guest "What's Good?". The guest can answer anything here that brings them joy. It could be a charity, their family, ice cream, really anything that brings them joy. As I sat here frustrated I found me asking myself, "What's Good?". This inspired me to record an episode to talk about how all of us can try and do better and do good.  There's so many terrible things going on the world. While putting our head in the sand and pretending like they don't exist isn't the answer, what we can do is try and do good for ourselves, for our neighbors, and for our community.  I talked about my own personal goals to get better and evolve as a human, some of the charities that I support and love, methods I use to put my head in a better place, self care, great pages I follow, and just how to be a better person.  This feels like some crazy Tony Robbins bullshit, but it's not. This was just what was on my mind this week was how we can get over the let downs life hands us and to just get better and do good.  I hope this episode is something that can make you simple and inspire you to do some good.  Let's all keep getting better.  Go do some good.  Thanks for listening.  FOLLOW TIM ON TWITTER HERE FOLLOW TIM ON INSTAGRAM HERE

Episode 169 - Let's Do Some Good

On today's episode I recap the news and experiences we had at D23 and Long Beach Comic Con! There's no guest on this episode as I wanted to take the time to share some of the big news from D23 and talk about our experiences at Long Beach Comic Con. We recieved so much news at D23, primarily focused on a lot of the Disney+ programming. There was a lot of news from Star Wars, Marvel, The Muppets, and of course The Simpsons.  It was great to return to Long Beach Comic Con this year. It seemed to be a little quieter this year with the lack of some past vendors and guests, but I attributed that to the stiff competition in the convention circuit this past weekend. Nonetheless, we still have a great time. One of the stand out vendors that we've looked at before was Unwrapped Art. We've had some of their work on the instagram and you'll hear all about them in this episode.  There's a lot of great things happening in entertainment right now. So many great new shows in the works, great comics, new films, and great art! Thank you for having us back Long Beach! And don't forget to get signed up for Disney+ as it launches November 12th.  Enjoy the episode!    FOLLOW TIM ON TWITTER: @timdrake FOLLOW TIM ON INSTAGRAM: @timdrake42

Episode 168 - D23 and Long Beach Comic Con Recap

On today's episode I have comedian, writer, and musician, Luke Null! Luke is best known for his work on Saturday Night Live as he was part of the Season 43 cast. Luke also just released his first comedy album called, "Guitar Comic", which I cannot suggest enough. Luke and I had never met before, but was somebody I was a fan of that I wanted to learn more about it. I decided to reach out to him and was thrilled that he was willing to come on the show. I talked to Luke about growing up in Ohio, finding his path to comedy, moving to Chicago, his path to SNL, being part of the "one and done" SNL group, his new album "Guitar Comic", and so much more! A huge Thanks to Luke Null for taking the time to come on the podcast and talk about his career. As I've mentioned in the podcast, "Guitar Comic" is an incredibly hilarious album and one that you absolutely need to listen to. You can also see some of Luke's SNL sketches at www.onthemicpodcast.com Also make sure to follow Luke and listen to "Guitar Comic" on the links as well.  Thanks, Luke!  Enjoy the episode. 

Episode 167 - Luke Null

An entertainment and comedy podcast hosted by Tim Drake. Tim talks with comedians, actors, and musicians, while also delivering weekly entertainment and pop culture news.

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On the Mic with Tim Drake

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