Entertainment Episodes

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 …

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Dec. 4, 2023

The Best of 2023 Disability Leadership with Mai Ling Chan & James Ber…

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 …

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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 …

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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, …

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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 …

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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 …

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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...

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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,...

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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

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Nov. 4, 2019

Inclusion in the World of Acting with Danny Woodburn

Inclusion in the World of Acting with Danny Woodburn

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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, …

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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 …

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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 …

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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 …

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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.

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