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September 9, 2025 16 mins

In this episode, Me’sha Bryan reflects on the journey of the podcast, sharing personal anecdotes and insights from previous guests. She discusses the importance of audience engagement and the learning experiences that come with podcasting. Me’sha emphasises the value of thoughtful reflection and community building within the entertainment industry.

Links:

@meshabryan

meshabryan.com

@stageandscreenpodcast

stageandscreenpodcast.com

Takeaways
Me’sha has chronic migraines, which he openly discusses.
The podcast has reached a significant milestone with its episodes.
Engagement with the audience is crucial for the podcast's success.
Me’sha's presenting style is influenced by her extensive training and experience.
The importance of thoughtful reflection during interviews is highlighted.
Guests on the podcast share valuable insights and stories.
Me’sha encourages listeners to explore all episodes for diverse perspectives.
The podcast aims to create a community around shared experiences in entertainment.
Me’sha acknowledges the behind-the-scenes work of her team, especially Darren. The podcast is a platform for learning and growth in the creative industry.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction and Personal Reflections
05:19 Podcast Journey and Guest Highlights
10:49 Learning and Growth in Podcasting
12:36 Engagement and Community Building

Mark as Played
Transcript

Episode Transcript

Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:14):
And welcome to the second solo episode of Stage and Screen with me, Me'sha Bryan.
I won't keep you too long because basically I've got a migraine and we've got somecauliflower cooking on the the hob so we've got to get back to that really.
Naturally Darren's over here behind the camera say hello bubs Hiya.

(00:35):
So I apologize for my squinty Clint Eastwood eyes.
Everything's really bright.
Migraine sufferers, you will know what I'm feeling right now.
So, once again thank you all so, so, so much for tuning in to the episodes of Stage andScreen.
Apparently, people often make an average of 11 episodes before they quit the whole podcastgame.

(01:00):
So we're like happening.
We're nearly at what now?
What episode is this going to be?
Clearly haven't done my research.
Probably should have known what episode this was before we started talking about it.
Anyway, we're definitely gonna get to 11.
So hurrah for us in the future.
Yay!

(01:22):
Yes, thank you for watching and I'm still enjoying and loving all of the comments andinteraction that you're all having with each other.
It's just lovely.
Sending a huge shout out to all the lovely people who have said that they're enjoying mypresenting style.
Ha, blush, blush.
Yes, thank you.
I'm so glad that you're enjoying that.
I think some of you know that I am a BBC-trained journalist.

(01:47):
I did like this intensive course.
for a few weeks with BBC West Midlands Radio and I was taught by people like Daz Hale andSteve Herman and randomly Steve Herman and I had worked together on the children's radio
station called Kick FM like 50 billion years ago and then when I come to do my BBC stuffthere's Steve again so it was like totally meant to be.

(02:12):
So I did all of that learning how to present, write reports.
ask the right questions, be polite but probe, erm, do outside broadcasts, you know, how towork the desk in the studio and all of those things.
So that was amazing.
Erm, I also had erm, one-to-one TV presenter coaching with Catherine Wolfe who hasbasically, I think she's taught everybody who's ever been on the telly as a presenter

(02:41):
ever.
She's ridiculous.
So I had some classes with her like about speaking to time, working with the gallery, emreading cue cards, ad libbing, what to do if things go wrong, you know, all of that stuff.
So that's where that's all coming from.
And I also used to host when I lived in London, the original songwriters, which used to beat a place called West 1-4 in West Kensington, hence the name.

(03:09):
And obviously it was a single songwriting night.
And so they used to alternate these things where they'd have acoustic nights.
And I think it was on a Thursday, they used to have full band nights.
So I would host that and stuff and come over my clipboard.
It's all very official.
Like I was some kind of official at the Olympics or something.
I'd come over my clipboard and know who's coming up next and what albums they've got outand what singles and what gigs they do next.

(03:33):
And I'd always have a lollipop.
because I'd get a little bit nervous and my mouth would get a little bit dry and then I'djust like, if I have a lollipop then that might make me feel a bit better.
Or I could have just drunk a bit of water but that's not...
Rock and roll is it?
So yes, I've been doing all kinds of things forever.
I once presented this thing called Track, Field and Road TV which was like a baptism offire.

(03:58):
Standing in the middle of a field watching people run across country.
In the absolutely torrential rain is how you learn how to present people.
That's what it is.
you've an interview the winner like this.
So, well done.
How do you feel about it?

(04:19):
It's ridiculous.
got paid top and tapeny for doing it as well but that's okay because you know you've gotto cut your teeth somewhere haven't you so yeah I've been doing all kinds of things and I
think also being a singer and having to front bands you know being in funk and soul bandsand singing bv's for people and all of those things you're kind of presenting the whole
time aren't you because you've got to have a good connection with your audience andsometimes you've got to chat to people and you know get them involved so yeah it's one of

(04:46):
things so thank you very much to all the people who like my style it's an amalgamation of
lots of different experiences and to anyone who hasn't mentioned liking my style thank youas well because that means you're engrossed in the content and I'm just kind of like here
to just deliver the juices that my lovely interviewees are bringing forward.

(05:06):
Okay so the episodes that we've had so far because yes I said I'm gonna do this everythree or four and so far it's been every three even though this is my only second one.
I'm like, I'm such a veteran.
Which means I could have added up how many episodes we've done, right?
But that's too much maths.
Too much maths.
So, erm...
The last few people we've had.
So...

(05:27):
Was John Altman.
So Darren knows John Altman.
So if you know this story already because you've watched his, erm, podcast, then, youknow, just bear with me for a minute.
Darren knows John Altman from having worked with him at the Ten Rooms.
Erm...
Or is it called the Ten Room?
I can never remember.
I think it's the Ten Room.
OK.
I'm always adding on extra letters.

(05:48):
from working with John at the ten room 20,000 years ago.
uh And so we had a brilliant time.
In fact, it was a lovely day driving down to meet John.
I had a headache on that day as well, didn't I?
I always have a migraine.
Let's just get that out there.
have chronic migraines.

(06:08):
So there is no day that goes by when I don't have a headache.
And I've had one since April.
2022, it'll be April the 18th 2022 and I was going off to sing on a cruise ship.
It's a long story about that.
In fact, if you watch My First Cruise, which is a mini series that I did on YouTube,you'll see the reason why I now permanently have a headache.

(06:32):
But yes, I had a headache when we went down to see John, but it was such a beautiful day,know, all those lovely rays and vitamin D coming into your body, it'll make you feel a
little bit better, doesn't it?
Yeah, John's got so many stories.
I mean, it's just ridiculous and you're looking at like BAFTAs and Emmys and it's justlike yeah, you know, you know Grammys on the wall and all kinds of things.

(06:56):
It's just normal in his hallway, you know, you might have a little Picture of you and yourdog or something on the wall and John's got like pictures of him with Björk and stuff So
that was great and it was nice for Darren and John to catch up.
So that was lovely lovely lovely and then
when we did finish filming they did actually watch old footage of them from the the tenroom uh and it was mad because it was like John Legend was on there, he was on there, Amy

(07:23):
Winehouse was on there, uh people like ridiculous people so that was really nice for tothat catch up.
Then the next person we released was Lee Hall wasn't it?
Lee was next and if you've already watched his podcast then bear with me but
I know Lee from working on the precursor to a Bob Marley musical that ended up being inthe West End.

(07:49):
um And it ended up being called Get Up, Stand Up.
But I think it was called Marley when we were doing the workshop.
um Yeah, and just, it was just a brilliant experience.
Lee's just a lovely person.
And it's like you've had such huge success.
And the way he's just incredibly grounded, it's just a marvel.

(08:11):
um And his is a two-parter as well, but it's so inspirational just all of the things thathe says you think yeah, that's true actually isn't it and you can see why he's such a
brilliant writer because he's so In touch with his own emotions and then able tounashamedly put them out there It's like I'm feeling this and I'm gonna put that into the

(08:33):
thing and I'm gonna hopefully make you feel something as well
So yeah, every day after rehearsals I'd be coming back and ringing Darren, becauseobviously I was staying down in London, and I'd be like, yeah, the writer Lee is amazing,
he's really, good, and all of that stuff.
And yeah, it was just a really, really brilliant conversation.
And it was our first one that we'd done remotely as well.
So that was a nice little learning curve.

(08:55):
Wasn't it, bubs?
Trying to figure out, should we use in-ears?
Should we, you know, just leave it with the computer uh speakers blaring out and stuff?
So, yeah.
Thank you, Lee, for being our first remote person because we learnt a lot from you, notjust from what you said, but just kind of technical ways as well.
um And then the next release was Mike Nolan's Part 2, which many of you have been going,Me'sha, when's it coming out?

(09:18):
When's it coming out?
When's it coming out?
When's it coming out?
I'm like, it's out now.
He's still chased me down the street.
Ask me where his part two is So yes, the first one of his I think was about 45 minutes orsomething like that and the next bit is like 30 30 35 minutes something like that and It
gets a bit juicy gets a bit tasty doesn't it bubs he's telling the truth in that one Yeah,if you fancy a little bit of a oh moment, yeah, then watch Mike Nolan's second part but

(09:49):
yeah, you know, we had a great time with him and
I'm glad that you're all enjoying it and some of you, know, his interview has conjured upso many memories that you've had, you know, from first seeing them live in the 80s, you
know, it was your first gig you went to ever.
We have a lovely memory with your dad or something like that.
It's so nice.
It's so nice to be able to bring that to you all.

(10:12):
And so coming up, we've got Lee's part two, and we've been breaking them up a little bit.
some of the interviews because when they get a little bit longer or it's sometimes it'squite nice actually.
I'm not sure if any of you are familiar with Eckhart Toller but when he does recordingsand when he in his books he has a little kind of kind of seraph or something in the middle

(10:37):
of some of his passages where he just gives you time to think like this or sometimesthere'll be a little kind of chime sound when you're listening to an audio thing you think
yes and there's just a bit of time to think.
With the two-parters that we've done, it's quite nice when somebody's so profound um andthey make you reflect on yourself, it's quite nice to have that kind of gap to think about

(11:01):
it and think about what this person's told us, what they've said and, you know, how thatmakes you feel and how that might change the way you approach life in different
situations.
So originally it was like, we're going to cut it into because it's just too long and thensometimes it was like, we're going to cut it into because...
you know, maybe people don't have time to watch all of it or sometimes people don't havethe attention span to watch all of it and now it's kind of dawning on me that actually

(11:23):
sometimes people need that little bit of extra time to re-watch or to just think aboutwhat has been said so that's quite nice so yeah, part two is going to come out and then we
interview the lovely Emer McParland who used to be my teacher when I was at Vocal Tech sothat's a two-part I think it's going to be a two-part isn't it?
yes that's going to be a two-parter
as well.

(11:44):
So look forward to those.
And then I've got a couple more people lined up.
But people are so shy.
I don't get it.
All these people we know in the entertainment industry, you know, and it's just really shypeople.
like, do you want to be on my podcast?
Oh, I don't know.
I'll think about it.
I don't know what's going on.
It's that mad thing.
It's funny, isn't it?
Because people think everybody in the entertainment industry is just outgoing andextroverted.

(12:08):
They want to talk about themselves all the time.
But actually, it's not the case.
Some people are literally in it.
to do the work for the art, for the craft, and if they could just be in the shadows at thesame time, then they'd probably quite enjoy that.
But yes, don't be shy people, we don't bite, do we, bubs?
No.
Not very hard, anyway.

(12:30):
Although, the gap in my teeth, if I do bite you, that's pretty lively.
Not that I would know.
I know I have been.
Anyway, this is random.
So thank you again for watching.
As usual, don't forget to like, subscribe, comment, leave us a five star review.
We've had some beautiful reviews on Apple Podcasts.

(12:52):
I'm so happy about that.
And our host keeps messaging saying, you know you can monetise, know you can monetise, youknow you can monetise it.
And we're like, we just need to get on with the work at the moment actually.
But yes, we're so pleased.
em And if you do enjoy the podcast, and if you are enjoying the podcast, then get intouch.

(13:13):
We want to hear from you and tell the world what you know about our wonderful podcast,Stage and Screen.
And yeah, please make it five stars.
That'd be nice.
Make Darren happy.
He spends a lot of time sitting at the computer editing while I'm eating hippeas.
We're not endorsed by hippeas, by the way.
I'm just addicted.

(13:33):
Somebody hit me.
That's my new word.
Um, yeah, so yeah, it would be really, really lovely.
Just give a little shout out to Darren because you see me all the time and then you neversee him and he's just there like humping all the gear around and I'm a hot chocolate like,
oh, that's not actually true though.
I do help, don't I?

(13:55):
when he does his gigs and stuff, I him with his drum kit.
I'm like, he's roadie, you know, glamorous roadie with curly hair.
Um, yeah.
If you happen to have missed any of the podcasts or you've only tuned in for say likeMike's or Lee's Then go and check out some of the rest of them Honestly, every single

(14:15):
person has been hand-picked with it's not one of those things where you just blanket Emailthe entire world and go do you to be over podcast because we need content.
It's not one of those things We've actively sought to pick out brilliant Fantastic peoplethat we can all learn something from you know, so please do go and watch
the other podcasts because as I said it's not just good for you know our viewing figuresand all of that stuff it's like you can learn something new about somebody else or learn

(14:45):
something new about the session world or how somebody writes or where they're coming fromyou know and it just helps us to just be more kind of rounded finished people more
complete people so yeah go check out the rest and when you do check out the rest and whenyou have learned something let me know in the comments
what it is that you thought about and if someone has inspired you to head off and dosomething that you never thought that you would have done before.

(15:09):
I'd really really love to hear about that.
So yes, keep tuning in, keep coming back.
I'm gonna go and check out the cauliflower now and then put some other food around itbecause we need to eat Don't we Bubs and Darren has to keep his strength up because he's
got the guns and everything.
Alright then everyone, thank you so so much for tuning in.
We'll see you on the next episode of Stage and Screen.
Bye!
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