Entertainment Episodes
149
Jan. 15, 2024
Building Bridges through Broadcast Media with Zach Damon
Our guest for the very first episode of 2024 is award-winning professional actor, voice actor, and broadcaster Zach Damon. We’re thrilled to kick off the new year talking to Zach about his advocacy work in the disability space using his skills and...
Guest: Zach Damon
148
Dec. 4, 2023
The Best of 2023 Disability Leadership with Mai Ling Chan & James Berges
Don’t miss the final episode of the Xceptional Leaders podcast for 2023! Our hosts, Mai Ling and James, share some valuable information as they look back over this past year. They talk about the strides that were made in the area of disability in...
Guests: James Berges , Mai Ling Chan
140
July 31, 2023
Making Sports Events More Accessible with Victor Ocando Finol
In our opening segment, Mai Ling and James talk about the importance of networking in your local area, in addition to building a national or international network. This valuable discussion is followed by Mai Ling’s interview with founder and CEO of...
Guest: Victor Ocando Finol
138
July 3, 2023
DEI in Film Production & Scaling Your Business with Koura Linda
Mai Ling starts off this solo-hosted episode with an update about our new episode collections that make it easy to do a deep dive into a specific topic. Then she brings founder and CEO of Space Dream Productions, Koura Linda, onto the show to talk...
Guest: Koura Linda
133
April 24, 2023
Comedy, Disability, and Self-deprecating Humor with Greg Roque
Comedian and screenwriter Greg Roque joins the show today for an insightful conversation with James. As a teen, Greg had a spinal injury which paralyzed him and he brings his unique perspective on life as a disabled person to his comedy. He shares...
Guest: Greg Roque
130
March 13, 2023
Disability in the Entertainment Business with Sawsan Zakaria
Our hosts, Mai Ling and James, share some important updates on what is going on in their respective careers before we dive into a discussion with our guest. Sawsan Zakaria chats with Mai Ling about her participation in the Easterseals Disability Film...
Guest: Sawsan Zakaria
113
June 20, 2022
Disability and Inclusion in the Entertainment Industry with Jake Linn
Our guest today is disability advocate Jake Linn, who launched the Disability in Hollywood initiative to bring awareness to the inequities in Hollywood surrounding people in the entertainment industry with disabilities. Jake talks with Mai Ling about...
Guest: Jake Linn
102
Sept. 20, 2021
Live Entertainment Events Made Accessible for All with Austin Whitney
Attending live events can be stressful and challenging for people with disabilities so that’s why we’re so excited about what today’s guest is doing! Today Mai Ling chats with Austin Whitney, an accessibility consultant for event producers,...
Guest: Austin Whitney
64
Feb. 24, 2020
Inclusivity for Disabled Actors in Film and TV with David Proud
Inclusivity for Disabled Actors in Film and TV with David Proud
Guest: David Proud
56
Nov. 4, 2019
Inclusion in the World of Acting with Danny Woodburn
Inclusion in the World of Acting with Danny Woodburn
Guest: Danny Woodburn
49
Sept. 2, 2019
An Exceptional Teenage Life with Cassidy Huff
We are joined on the show today by the multi-talented, young Cassidy Huff. She is a singer/songwriter, musician, and a voiceover artist for Dreamworks and Amazon. Cassidy has a rare disease which has resulted in her undergoing dozens of surgeries, yet...
Guest: Cassidy Huff
38
June 17, 2019
Writing and Producing Disability Focused TV Shows with Peggy Lane
Our guest today is television and film actress, Peggy Lane. Peggy is the creator and director of the web TV show, Donna On The Go, which highlights the struggles of a person with disabilities in a comedic way. She talks with Mai Ling about the...
Guest: Peggy Lane
29
April 15, 2019
Producing, Modeling, and Living Fully with Andrew Pilkington
Filmmaker and entrepreneur, Andrew Pilkington is our guest for this episode. Andrew was diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy as an infant and lives every day with the challenges that come with such a condition. He shares how he learned to use what strong...
Guest: Andrew Pilkington
27
April 1, 2019
No Limits in Acting and Speech Pathology with Andrew Manardo
Actor and SLP student Andrew Manardo is our guest today. He talks with Mai Ling about the challenges he had growing up with TAR syndrome, his experiences in LA as an actor with a disability, and the story behind his drive to become an actor in the...
Guest: Andrew Manardo
22
Feb. 25, 2019
Produce and Represent a World with Disabilities with Nic Novicki
In this final installment of our Hollywood series, our guest is actor and comedian, Nic Novicki.
Guest: Nic Novicki
21
Feb. 18, 2019
Start Casting People With Disabilities with Paul Ford
Continuing our series of interviews with Hollywood actors, today’s guest is Paul Ford.
Guest: Paul Ford
20
Feb. 11, 2019
Extreme Life Experiences Deepens Acting with Eileen Grubba
As we continue our series of episodes spotlighting Hollywood actors, our guest this week is Eileen Grubba, who has had roles on the stage and the screen.
Guest: Eileen Grubba
19
Feb. 4, 2019
Become a Disability Actor with Tobias Forrest
In this first episode of our Hollywood series, we are joined by actor Tobias Forrest. He shares some of his experiences being an actor in Hollywood with a disability, he talks about others who have helped to pave the way for him and future actors with...
Guest: Tobias Forrest
7
Oct. 29, 2018
Everyone Can Dance with Melissa van Wijk
Founder and Executive Director of Born Dancing, Melissa van Wijk, joins Mai Ling Chan to discuss the ins and outs of launching and running a non-profit organization. Melissa shares how she mapped out the steps to launch her vision, some of the...
Guest: Melissa van Wijk
1
Sept. 6, 2018
"When I Stutter...": Documentaries and SLPs with John Gomez
John Gomez is a Speech-Language Pathologist who has seen the way that stuttering can profoundly impact one's life. John discusses the making of his documentary "When I Stutter...", which features the true impact that stuttering has on one’s life.
Guest: John Gomez