Reality Of Reality

Excited to finally have the fabulous and hilarious LaKendra Tookes on the podcast. I first heard LaKendra on Amy Phillps' radio show on Radio Andy and laughed so hard I became obsessed with her and her housewife and reality TV musings. She’s a comedian, actress and pop culture TV host who wrote for Saturday Night Live a few years ago. We talk about that great story and of course dish on all the housewives drama. Come for the Drake story and stay for the Dorit and PK rant!

Lynne Kirby is a talented development producer, brilliant creative mind and all around amazing human being. Lynne’s managed to parlay that brilliance to television somehow - both as a network executive and producer. She now works as a development executive for Nutopia where she created the hit show FINDING JESUS for CNN and also created a documentary about water that found it way to the Sundance Film festival (!). But knowing Lynne… we haven’t even seen the best of what she can do just yet.

Matt Hanna is a longtime friend and former colleague who’s toggled between the network and production company side for many years. Chances are if you’ve been in the industry a while, you’ve either worked with him or pitched him at VH1 or Esquire. He now runs the US arm of Our House Media doing some cool projects including a top secret Jenna Lyons show. He’s got some great stories from his storied career and turns the tables at the end for a very obnoxious conversation about Los Angeles. Is there any other kind?:)

Today on the podcast, my first repeat guest since I started the pod almost 3 years ago. And you’ll know why I broke my own rule for this one. After watching the incredibly powerful documentary LEAVING NEVERLAND, I knew I had to speak to Criminal Behaviorlist Analyst Laura Richards. Laura is not just a friend but has been my partner in crime on several big projects over the years. We break down the psychology of predator behavior and coercive control, not just in the Michael Jackson case but in the incredibly bizarre but must see doc ABDUCTED IN PLAIN SIGHT. Warning - we do touch on some sexually explicit material so this is not one you want to listen to around the kids.

She's an old and dear friend and great producer to boot: Beth Greenwald. Beth and I met many years back when she was the VP of development at E! She’s had super interesting jobs before and after that gig and we get into all of it. Beth is an independent producer now who hustled really hard to get her new series on the air. So it’s fitting that new series is called HUSTLE and it’s airing on Viceland right now. It’s all about pursuing your dream and making it happen which is what Beth personifies. Enjoy!

As a huge fan of MILLION DOLLAR LISTING on Bravo, I was thrilled to talk to the only (finally) female agent on the show Tracy Tutor. Tracy was already a big shot realtor in Los Angeles before she joined the cast last season she wasn’t just cast because she’s gorgeous and has great style. She is a top seller, has great relationships and knows how to stay above the fray and be a mature adult when her male co-stars are acting like children. I had a great time talking to her about it all - her career, the end of her marriage - some of the more emotional scenes we’ve seen so far this season - and of course - where she gets all those fabulous clothes!

As soon as I saw the fabulous Netflix doc-series MADE IN MEXICO, I knew I had to interview this producer. Kevin Bartel runs the American arm of Love Productions who are probably best known for the GREAT BRITISH BAKEOFF - a huge hit in the UK and now the US. Kevin started on the agent's desk and worked his way up through the production world and then to the network side. The story of how he ended up at Spike is a good one that includes a death threat - so you gotta hear how that turned out!

What's it like to run a hit show for 11 seasons?! I asked uber producer and Show Runner Sean Rankine who's done just that for VH1's BASKETBALL WIVES. We talk about what he learned from EP'ing that show, working with P Diddy, Tyra Banks and starting his career with reality pioneers Bunim/Murray. Sean's also got an envious passport and we talk about how he plans to merge travel and producing in the next chapter. Enjoy!

If you’ve been a rabid SOUP fan for many years like me then you know K.P. Anderson's work very well. K.P. became showrunner and headwriter of the show on E! back in 2004 when Joel McHale took over. He ran the show until the end in 2015 and a few years later, he and Joel re-vamped it and took it to Netflix for a reboot where it's just as great as the original. KP’s brand is comedy - running Norm McDonalds show at Netflix and Kevin Hart’s show with Lyft all under his company’s overall deal with Lionsgate. He's one of the best talkers I’ve ever interviewed and his Kardashian story is gold!

This one's a real treat for all you Howard Stern fans out there! John Melendez - better known as Stuttering John - spent a long time working for Howard and being a staple on the show. He was best known for his celebrity interviews which often times went sideways but were always hilarious. When he left to go work for Jay Leno he shook up his life and the show and the rest is kind of history. He’s out with a new book - EASY FOR YOU TO SAY - that’s a memoir of his life and spills a TON of juicy stuff about Howard, Gary, Artie, Jackie, the list goes on. And we get the whole story of his latest and maybe greatest prank so far - talking to President Donald Trump on AirForce One.

All roads lead to Bethenny Frankel. But to get there you have to go through Pam Healey! Pam runs the very successful production company Shed Media which of course produces Real Housewives of New York. But Pam (and Shed) have a broad spectrum of shows like WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE and LONG LOST FAMILY for TLC and 12 seasons of VH1's hit show Basketball Wives. Pam and I have a great chat about her career and how she ended up going from a childhood in New York City to working in Denver and finally to Los Angeles. She’s an inspiration to producers and women everywhere. Enjoy!

For all you fans of the true crime podcast DIRTY JOHN - brace yourself! My guest Mark Herzog is an Executive Producer of the series and tells some behind the scenes scoop on how they made both versions of the amazing true crime show. Mark is a long time producer who got his start in feature films and went on to produce many documentaries and docu-series that have garnered him Emmys and a great reputation in our industry. Make sure you tune in to the Bravo scripted series DIRTY JOHN premiering Nov 25th (it's really good!) and the 2 hour documentary airing on Oxygen this January!

Hey Guys - just a quick update about why there's no podcast this week. Don't forget to subscribe and give me 5 stars thanks!! xx

Joe Livecchi is a seasoned producer with years of experience on the network and cable side. His TV career trajectory is definitely not the usual one, but it's definitely entertaining. Joe tells a great story about how he got DEAL OR NO DEAL sold to NBC after it getting rejected everywhere, and what it was like to be on the network side running unscripted at CMT. And then what happens when that all goes away... As owner of the production company NOBLE SAVAGES, Joe is always looking for great stories to tell and producers to partner with. Let him tell you why he's the guy you should bring your ideas to!

If you’ve been in the industry a while you have probably either worked with her, pitched to her or maybe even been pitched BY her. You’ll hear how Lauren Gellert went from an aspiring choreographer, to getting her TV education at VH1, to getting pushed over the edge by a powerhouse producer at Tru TV, to her current job as EVP of development and programming at WETV. Lots of good lessons baked in along the way on this one so pay attention!

Cedric the Entertainer is someone I’ve been lucky to know for almost a decade. As you’ll be able to tell from this interview, he’s a down to earth, smart, cool and of course very funny guy. You know him from basically everything including the barbershop movies, the Steve Harvey show, Soul Man, Who Wants to be a Millionaire and now his new show premiering October 1st on CBS, The Neighborhood. I loved talking to him about his journey from his St Louis roots, to his start in standup comedy, to his amazing movie and tv career. It’s a fun, wild and unpredictable ride. Enjoy!

She's a hilarious actress, writer, director and pop culture guru. Deanna Cheng has been such a great guest on so many great shows like Bitch Sesh and Reality Checked so I wanted her on to talk about all things Bravo and of course 90 Day Fiancé. Deanna makes a very funny appearance in season 2 of GLOW and she’s got a fabulous new digital show coming up on Comedy Central called UNSEND with fellow actors/comedians Paul Sheer and Matt McConkey. Enjoy!

She’s a reality star turned normal person – as much as that’s possible:) We first got to know Gretchen Bonaduce about 13 years ago with the show BREAKING BONADUCE which was some of the best real documentary programming I had ever seen. We saw a lot of intense scenes with her (then) husband Danny – who was struggling with addiction and his marriage. But the woman behind the man often gets overlooked. Gretchen not only survived the dysfunctional marriage and the show, but she’s got a lot of story to tell. Her awesome book “Surviving Agent Orange: And Other Things I Learned From Being Thrown Under the Partridge Family Bus” is out on Amazon now – and I highly recommend it!

She’s America’s favorite Orange County housewife and my personal favorite. Shannon Storms Beador has been through it all in her 5 seasons on Bravo’s Real Housewives of Orange County and she talks about it all very openly and honestly on the pod. From her horrible first season, to her vow renewal to her eventual divorce - Shannon has never been afraid to put her struggles front and center, which is what makes her relatable and so likable. I loved spending time with her at her beautiful new home and of course getting to meet the very famous Archie the dog. Enjoy!

It's a real treat to have the fabulous Courtney White on the podcast. She’s a big shot network executive at Scripps (now Discovery) where she has spent a lot of years climbing the ranks — starting at HGTV then Travel Channel then to her current position as EVP of HGTV and Food Network. Courtney’s been a friend since the day I walked into her office 12 years ago and every time we see each other, our conversation goes in about 20 directions. You’ll definitely see that today not the podcast.