The Story Series Podcast with Brandon Violette (Creativity, Careers, Personal Growth)

Noël Stark is the author of Love, Camera, Action, a smart, steamy debut novel that pulls back the curtain on life behind the scenes of a TV set. A true industry veteran, Noël has worked in nearly every role in film and television—both in front of and behind the camera. Although she’s Canadian, she lives in L.A. with her young son, desperately missing winter. She likes chocolate milk in her coffee and gets most of her real world int...

Mike Reagan is an award-winning composer, songwriter, and producer for film, TV, and games, known for his work on God of War, Wow Wow Wubbzy, Chico Bon Bon, and Rock, Paper, Scissors (Nickelodeon). A Berklee alum and former sound designer on Face/Off, Mike blends orchestral, electronic, and world music with hands-on multi-instrumentalism. His credits include scoring for Disney, Marvel, Sony, and composing Grammy-winning songs like ...

Mengting Hou is an entrepreneur and the founder of Mimir, an AI-enhaned language learning platform that transforms language learning by focusing on real-life content and conversation. With a background in law, commerce, finance, and strategy, she brings a multidisciplinary approach to solving challenges in education. Mengting has led business development across industries, forged global partnerships, and managed complex investments...

Rick Suvalle is a writer, producer and showrunner known for creating and producing DreamWorks’ "Dew Drop Diaries" and Mattel’s "Thomas & Friends: All Engines Go!" and for his work as Head Writer/Story Editor on Amazon’s Emmy-nominated animated series "The Stinky & Dirty Show". Other recent credits include five television movie premieres including the Hallmark Channel Original Movie "Campfire Kiss" and the Syfy Original Movies "The ...

Marlyn Benitez is a women’s fitness and nutrition coach helping busy moms reset their mindset, fuel their bodies, and train with purpose—without restrictive dieting. Based in Santa Clarita, California, Marlyn draws from her experience as a mom of three to support women in building sustainable health habits that fit real life. Raised in a hardworking Latino household, her passion for welln...

10 guests. 10 answers. 1 powerful question: “What’s a rule in your industry you don't follow or believe in?”

In this bonus episode, I’ve gathered answers to the question I ask every guest. The responses are surprising, deeply human and reminders that rule breaking isn’t always reckless… sometimes it’s requisite to carving out a path that's uniquely yours. Whether you're new to the podcast or have been following since the beginning,...

Jeffrey Fleishman is a Pulitzer Prize finalist, novelist, and former senior writer for the Los Angeles Times. He previously served as the paper’s foreign and national editor, and was bureau chief in Cairo and Berlin. A longtime foreign correspondent, Fleishman also reported from Rome for the Philadelphia Inquirer. He is the author of five novels, including My...

Marisa Balkus is a seasoned producer and executive specializing in anime, adult animation, and IP adaptations. She began her career at New Regency Productions, contributing to acclaimed films like The Revenant and Ad Astra. In 2017, she joined Crunchyroll to oversee original series and co-productions across Japan and the U.S. Most recently, she served on Netfli...

Viri Maldonado is a multi-hyphenate creative, luxury gifting expert, and former TV producer based in Los Angeles. Raised in the San Fernando Valley, Viri built a career behind the scenes in television, but after years in entertainment, made a creative pivot into luxury retail, where she found her niche in high-end gifting. Today, Viri runs a blog devoted to intentional, beautifully curated gift-giving and is th...

Ron Mita is a veteran screenwriter whose films have earned over $530 million worldwide. His credits include the animated feature Robots (20th Century Fox), S.W.A.T. starring Samuel L. Jackson and Colin Farrell (Columbia Pictures), Sniper II (Tri-Star), and