Left Brain vs. Right Brain with Stu Levy
Join entrepreneur Stu Levy and esteemed guests as they explore the eternal tug-of-war between creative endeavors and financial success.
Episodes
May 20, 2024 • 60 mins
Join host Stu Levy as he begins a deep-dive into white hot filmmaker Adele Lim’s experiences and perspective. Toggling between a feature film screenwriter (“Crazy Rich Asians”, “Raya & the Last Dragon”), director (“Joy Ride”), and TV writer and showrunner (“One Tree Hill”, “Lethal Weapon”, “Private Practice”), Adele discusses the pressures of being a Mom while hustling in the high-stakes Hollywood creative industry.
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April 22, 2024 • 67 mins
In this episode, we hear more from transmedia guru Jeff Gomez’s inspiring life journey. As his career takes off in Hollywood, Jeff battles his childhood demons. Join host Stu Levy as we explore Jeff’s early success with “Magic the Gathering” and “Turok” (Valiant Comics), moving from role-playing games to screenwriting and filmmaking while fighting to maintain his grip on reality.
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HOST: Stu Levy
GUEST: Jeff Gomez | https://w...
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March 20, 2024 • 77 mins
Gene Luen Yang is one of the top comic book creators in the industry, having earned his way to the top by writing a wide range of both original auteur-driven works (American Born Chinese, The Shadow Hero, Lunar New Year Love Story) and adapting widely popular characters (Avatar the Last Airbender, Superman, Shang-Chi), Host Stu Levy of TOKYOPOP explores the risks, transitions and sacrifices Gene made to achieve the success he has ...
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February 28, 2024 • 59 mins
Jane Hoffacker is back for a deep dive with host Stu Levy of TOKYOPOP, focusing on “Arcane”, the award-winning animated series she produced during her time at Riot Games. She covers the challenges and lessons learned along the way of this monumental endeavor while discussing her journey as founder and CEO of Incredible Dream, her ambitious board game start-up. Tune in to learn more from Jane’s unique and unparalleled experiences.
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January 29, 2024 • 69 mins
Jeff Gomez is the “godfather of transmedia”, shaping major hit franchises such as Avatar, Transformers, Spiderman, Pirates of the Caribbean and more across media platforms and formats. Growing up in a rough-and-tough neighborhood while struggling with internal demons, Jeff had to learn various defense mechanisms and skills to survive and ultimately thrive. Host Stu Levy of TOKYOPOP explores Jeff’s challenged journey to creative and...
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December 18, 2023 • 65 mins
Navigating the complex intersection of creativity and executive leadership is no simple feat. Jane Hoffacker’s career guided the incredible trajectory of franchise video game hits, from Guitar Hero to Skylanders and eventually League of Legends, eventually leading to her flagship project, the Emmy-award-winning animation series Arcane. Now, at the helm of her own start-up, Incredible Dream, in the dynamic board game vertical, Jane ...
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November 20, 2023 • 65 mins
What’s it like to create one of the world’s most famous brands? Host Stu Levy, founder of TOKYOPOP, interviews Patrick Lee, the entrepreneur behind Rotten Tomatoes, which transformed the film and television industry. Stu explores Patrick’s multiple swivels - between Asia and the US, between tech and entertainment, and between left brain and right brain.
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HOST: Stu Levy
GUEST: Patrick Lee | LinkedIn: Patrick Lee
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Speci...
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October 17, 2023 • 61 mins
Growing up in Michigan and emigrating to Japan, Chuck Johnson is the epitome of eclectic multi-hyphenate – martial artist, stunt actor, screen actor, producer, director, motion capture talent, teacher, entrepreneur, father, and husband. Host Stu Levy explores Chuck’s story as he continuously juggles left-brain plans with right-brain impulses.
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HOST: Stu Levy
GUEST: Chuck Johnson | IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2384108/
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September 26, 2023 • 71 mins
Featuring media guru Sean Atkins, this episode of Left Brain vs. Right Brain delves into the evolution of the entertainment business as host Stu Levy explores Sean’s career trajectory, spanning leadership roles at Disney, Yahoo, HBO, MTV to his current role as CEO of Jellysmack, a highly successful influencer and creator management firm. From working with Microsoft founder Paul Allen to parenting advice, Sean’s insight is invaluab...
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August 21, 2023 • 55 mins
Just when you think no one could be that cool... Shao Dow, bona fide rapper, manga author, and ninja steps onto Left Brain vs. Right Brain to discuss the process of his multi-nuanced approach to life. Having one of the most unique careers in the world, Dow walks us through the creation of The Way of Shao while expressing the one-of-a-kind relationship with the manga world and how race plays a part. Stu Levy of TokyoPop pushes to le...
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July 18, 2023 • 71 mins
Producer of award-winning films such as Cairo Conspiracy (2022), The Nile Hilton Incident (2017), and Swoon (2019), Linda Mutawi is also a filmmaker and storyteller who has crossed cultures and bridged worlds throughout her life. Host Stu Levy discusses how Linda juggles the demands of business, filmmaking, and motherhood while zig-zagging across Europe and the Middle East.
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HOST: Stu Levy
GUEST: Linda Mutawi | Her IMDB: Lin...
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June 20, 2023 • 71 mins
With an animation and directing career that spans the top echelon of productions such as Tarzan, Mulan, Madagascar and more, Saul Blinkoff’s moonlights as an inspirational life coach and podcast host of “Life of Awesome!” While Saul's passions are what led his successful career in Dreamworks and Disney, host Stu Levy of TOKYOPOP explores the keys to life success with a true expert, who juggles his left and right brains at the top ...
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May 23, 2023 • 82 mins
M. Alice aka Marty Legrow aka Fun with Punko published the hit manga “Bizenghast” for host Stu Levy’s company TOKYOPOP as well as comic books such as “Toyetica” for Action Labs Comics. Marty has become one of the most successful creators on the #1 digital comics platform Webtoon, with her story “Stagtown” and Stu explores the transition from traditional comics creation to the mobile-native, vertical scroll Webtoon format and how sh...
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April 21, 2023 • 70 mins
Justin Leach is one of the rare birds who has experienced from inside both the big-budget American CG animation industry and the much-lower budget 2D anime industry in Japan. Trained as an animator and ultimately becoming a show-runner, producer and writer, Justin's work spans a wide range of titles including Eden, Star Wars: Visions, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, the Ice Age franchise, and Kick-Heart. How does Justin juggle his left ...
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March 17, 2023 • 72 mins
Adina Pitt is the epitome of the American dream. The trilingual animation executive grew up in Puerto Rico, ultimately becoming VP, Content Acquisitions, Partnerships, and Co-Productions for Warner Media Kids & Family. Motivated by her desire to produce meaningful programming for children, and with such an incredibly robust career, spanning Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network, and more, does her left brain drive that success or her right-...
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February 28, 2023 • 48 mins
Kun Gao founded the legendary anime streaming platform Crunchyroll. In this episode of Left Brain vs. Right Brain, host Stu Levy of TOKYOPOP explores Kun's path from piracy to supremacy. The engineer chased his passion and ultimately ended up an international deal-making CEO. Was it his left brain's analytical power or his right brain's spontaneous ideas which drove him from dorm room to boardroom?
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HOST: Stu Levy
GUEST: Kun...
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January 17, 2023 • 61 mins
Chang Kim is a serial entrepreneur from Korea who most recently built webtoon app Tapas Media in Silicon Valley, ultimately selling it to Kakao Entertainment. On the podcast, Kim describes his challenging journey of building the business, discovering the right product-market fit, and eventually monetizing. Host Stu Levy learns whether or not Chang tapped into his right brain, listening to his heart along the way, or making calculat...
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December 19, 2022 • 76 mins
Chances are, you've seen Terry Kalagian's work. Terry, who currently manages content for global entertainment powerhouse Gaumont, has also worked closely with Marvel, Starz, Mattel and more. Her strategic insight is the guiding force that inspires her imaginative side. In this episode, host Stu Levy of TOKYOPOP reflects on their previous collaborations and the hard-earned path to Terry’s success.
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HOST: Stu Levy
GUEST: Terr...
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November 17, 2022 • 55 mins
Sophie-chan was trained as an engineer but chose her own path as a manga creator and artist. Growing up in the Middle East meant her struggle to pursue her creative dream was also a cultural challenge. In touch with her emotional side, her art acts as an expression of individualism. Tune in as host Stu Levy explores Sophie-chan's unique journey on the road to becoming an artist!
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HOST: Stu Levy
GUEST: Sophie-chan | www.sop...
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October 12, 2022 • 61 mins
Fluently oscillating between left and right brain, comic book entrepreneur Gareb Shamus is also a renowned fine artist, with gallery showings worldwide. Having built Wizard Magazine and Wizard World in the 90’s, Gareb has gone on to found ACE Comic Con and his new metaverse company HeroMaker Studios. In this episode, host Stu Levy dives deep into Gareb’s robustly creative mind.
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HOST: Gareb Shamus | www.HeroMakerStudios.com
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