KC Quickie: Checking in w/ "Intern" Mario

People have been asking...so, we visit with our first and only, intern, Mario Esteb. He checks in from Syracuse University. 

Episode Transcript

(00:11):
Welcome to the KindnessChronicles, where once again, We
hope to inject the world with adose of the Minnesota kindness
that it most desperately needs.
And We have a really excitingguest that we're gonna talk to
here.
Very spur of the moment, too, isexciting, very spur of the
moment.
I have been, watching this youngman's, progress me too, towards

(00:32):
his professional aspirations.
Welcome back to the KindnessChronicles intern.
Mario Estab.
Woo.
Thank you for having me.
It's been a while since I've,I've, uh, talked to you guys.
It's great to hear you.
Yes, nice to talk to you guysagain.
But we've been, Steve and I havebeen watching your progress out
at Syracuse University, which asmany of us know is probably

(00:55):
number one or number two interms of, uh, like a
broadcasting, sportsbroadcasting.
Yeah.
Uh, yeah, it's a pretty goodschool.
It's that in Northwestern,aren't those kind of the two
schools that you want to getinto if you're gonna do this?
Yeah.
Penn State's good too.
I Penn State, eh, Penn State,whatever.
Eh, you got the good one though.
Yeah.
You got the orange.
The orange, but hot of theorange.
Yeah.
Yeah.
So tell us what is happening inyour, uh, career.

(01:19):
I know that you're like a, ahost of a talk show and Yeah.
You're doing panels and, goodgod, man.
Tell us, yeah, give us a, giveus, get us up to speed.
I had a pretty busy, like lastcouple weeks for sure.
So I am like the PR director forthe biggest org on campus called

(01:40):
First Year Players, which when Iwas on the podcast mm-hmm.
With you guys like two, threeyears ago, that I was a part of
that as well.
Yeah.
And we just had our, uh, likeshow, um, this past weekend we
did Legally Blonde.
And that went really well.
Like we almost sold out everynight, which has never happened.
Wow.
And that was like a super funexperience and we've like been

(02:02):
working on that since June.
So it was just kind of cool tosee everything come together.
Yeah.
And Mario, did you perform?
I didn't perform, no.
I was, um, like the co-PI behindthe scenes, his PR guy.
Okay.
Behind the scenes making ithappen.
Yes.
Yeah, so like we are in chargeof the programs, the, the
posters, all the Instagramtiktoks fun.

(02:23):
Yeah.
We need to hold like a cabaret.
So that was all myself and my coand then like our entire team.
And then, yeah, I'm, I'm hostfor just like late night show,
it's called Tonight.
Um, and that's been really fun.
We had a show on Sunday, so I.
The three legally blondeperformances, Thursday, Friday,

(02:47):
Saturday, and I had to do theTonight Show on Sunday.
Are you saying ki What'd, what'sthe.
Like Rac Q tonight.
I'm like, ke tonight John'sthinking about dinner.
That's more of a breakfast meal.
Yeah.
And I That's cute.
Keith got tonight.

(03:08):
Get it.
I knew that it was, we got it.
you got people sitting behind adesk.
I mean, it's like a real talkshow.
I know.
And it's a once a week you dothat show, uh, every other
Sunday.
Okay.
Every other Sunday.
Okay.
How was their basketball season?
I don't recall.
Not good.
Oh, We we're now a footballschool is what I like to say.
Okay.
Syracuse is a football school.
Is Jim Heim still at Syracuse?
No, he retired after my freshmanyear.

(03:30):
Okay.
And you're just finishing upyour junior year?
Yeah.
Yeah.
it's actually crazy that I'mgonna be a senior next year.
One of the reasons that I wantedto talk to you today is I
noticed that on LinkedIn thatyou, were part of a panel
discussion.
Mm-hmm.
And one of the people that wereon there was one of my favorite
from the Sweet Life of Zach andCody, Brenda Song.

(03:51):
Was at Syracuse and youinterviewed her.
How did that come, cometogether?
Yeah, so there's this org oncampus, it's called University
Union, and they basically justbook a bunch of like either
artists or actors and theyeither do like shows or
conversations.
And I was reached out to about amonth ago.

(04:14):
if I was interested inmoderating their guests for a
API month, because here he, wedo AAPI month.
What, what is that?
It's, uh, Asian American PacificIslander Month.
Mm-hmm.
I knew that.
I was just making sure everybodyelse knew.
Yeah, yeah.
So they reached out to me if Iwas like, interested in
moderating it, but they didn'ttell me who it was and I was

(04:35):
like, oh yeah.
and then once I got back fromSpring break, they said that
they booked Brenda Song, whichis like, I mean, I watched her
so much growing up on TotallyChannel Sweet Life of Zach and
Cody.
Sweet Life on Deck.
She's in some other movies aswell.

(04:55):
And isn't she married toMacaulay Culkin?
Yeah, McCauley Calkin.
They're engaged, I think.
Yeah.
Okay.
Was he there?
No, I wish, damn.
I was hoping that you'd be likea surprise if, if he came, but
he wasn't.
I was with another one of mygood friends, um, and it
happened Monday night and we, itwas just like an hour long

(05:17):
conversation.
She was super nice.
super personable.
I was legit, so nervous.
Probably the most nervous I'veever been in my entire life.
I mean, other than all wentwell, other than being on with
the Kindness Chronicles.
Yeah.
Other than my first, uh,appearance on the Kindness.
Yeah.
Okay.
Just checking song.
Classic.
Classic.
Yeah.
But, um, no, it was such a funexperience getting to talk to

(05:39):
her and just learn about likeher upbringing as.
An Asian American actress andlike ask questions about sweet
life and we asked questionsabout Culkin and Yeah, it was,
and she was cool with that.
It was a really greatexperience.
Oh yeah.
She calls them Mac andeverything.
Okay.
Because, sometimes people don'tlike to talk about their

(05:59):
personal life, but what I knowabout Brenda Song is that she
was she gonna go to Harvard, butshe got this opportunity.
To be on the sweet life.
Mm-hmm.
What was the objective?
What did you want to get out ofher, uh, during the interview?
Yeah, like obviously we wantedto.
The fun questions that everyonewanted to hear about like Disney
Channel and like she's in a newNetflix series called Running

(06:23):
Point.
I dunno if you've heard of that,but um, I'm more of a book guy.
I don't watch a lot of tv.
Right.
But yeah, no, it's a really goodshow.
I've watched it like preparationreally good as a professional
would.
Yeah.
Yeah.
So we obviously like asked thosequestions, but questions said
in.

(06:44):
She's, um, like of, of Thai andHmong, um, heritage.
Really?
So asked about.
Yeah, so we asked about justlike her parents, and there was
a cool story that she said, hergrandmother, like really helped
her, getting to acting classes.
She like took all the money outof her savings account so she
could pursue acting when she waslike six years old.

(07:07):
Wow.
Whoa.
Over here.
Yeah, so we asked her questionsabout that and just like how you
made it in this industry and,um, like her auditions and stuff
like that.
So it was a really goodconversation.
We got like a good 25 questionsin and only like an hour.
Very fun.
So Mario, what is, what's nextfor you?

(07:27):
You obviously got senior yearwhat's the next step in the, uh.
The career?
Well, I'm actually, I'm going toLA this summer.
Oh wow.
Um, there's like a programthrough, Syracuse, so I'm gonna
take three classes and then I'vebeen applying to a bunch of
internships.
I've gotten interviews, stillhaven't gotten one yet, but.

(07:48):
That'll be, um, also on myplate.
So I'll be there for like middleof May to middle of August.
So have you become moreinterested in production or do
you wanna be, the talent as theysay?
production really more so likebehind the scenes, but I
obviously, like, I still.
Like being in front of thecamera and I feel comfortable.

(08:09):
So like, that's always a plus, Ithink.
Well, well, and you've got thelooks for it.
Of course.
Well, but also, even if you'regonna, if you're gonna pursue
production or pursue, you know,uh, management or pr, any of
that, having the experience ofbeing on camera or on, you know,
on the mic, that's reallyimportant for you to understand
the full realm of it.
You could be a better person inproduction if you know what it's

(08:31):
like to be on stage or on, youknow.
So really quick, Mario, for the,the, the people that are newer
to the program.
Mario has quite a history onstage.
Yeah.
Can you just take us back andRight.
Re remind our listeners of, Iseriously, you've got quite a
pedigree.
I mean, you Thank you.
I remember you were doing fulldisclosure, uh, Mario's parents

(08:54):
are very good friends of mine.
Mm-hmm.
Mario's dad was on the podcastone of the one time too.
He was, he was crammed into thatlittle room.
Yeah, he was hanging out withus.
We were stuck in there.
Is it still the same room?
No, no, no.
We got a beautiful, should seeit, man.
You gotta have, you know, I, ifwhen you're not in LA this
summer, you should swing by andcheck out the playhouse.
We home for like two weeksbefore come and visit us.
Yeah, we won't.

(09:15):
we probably won't be seeing youat the golf course as much as,
uh, as we usually do, but, oh,I'm gonna, I'm definitely gonna
golf.
Okay.
Very good.
Well, you're gonna come, whenyou come home, you're gonna come
and check out the new studio.
We've got.
It's very set.
It's, it's cool.
It's very cool.
But tell us a little bit aboutyour, uh, your history and the
things that you did on stageprior to going to Syracuse.

(09:36):
so when I was like 10 years old,I auditioned for a Christmas
story, at the Ordway in St.
Paul.
And like, I've never donetheater really in my life, only
just at like school, but I was adancer.
So in my audition, I like did aflip and cried and I was like,

(09:56):
all, well, this is it's song.
What like sheet music was and Isomehow got it and um, like fell
in love with it after doing thatshow.
And so I just continued toaudition and I guess from like
10 to 13, 14, I did like 15shows.

(10:18):
Wow.
And span four years.
And then continued it in highschool, and I mean now I still
am a little bit a part of it incollege as well.
So obviously theater and actinghas been like a huge part of my,
my life.
And you went to Hill Murray HighSchool.
I understand that you, uh, werein a number of, we always have

(10:38):
to check the Hill Murray.
Yeah.
The Hill Murray box on the, uh,the program.
But you were in a whole bunchof, uh, productions at Hill
Murray as well, right?
Yeah.
I was lucky that our school, wedid like three or four shows a
year, which I know a lot.
School was only due maybe one inthe spring.
Yeah.
So three, I really got to do itall year round, which was really

(10:58):
special.
And we had a really good programtoo.
One of the, uh, the things thatmany people won't know about
Mario is his sister Emma mm-hmm.
Is a television professionaldown in Rochester, Minnesota.
Yeah.
And, uh, we've been trying toget her on the show, but she
works so much big shot.
And, you know, we have a verytight schedule.

(11:19):
Like if you can't be on on aTuesday or Wednesday at five 30,
we're not interested.
But, uh, uh, yeah, you gottareach out to me like two weeks
before you Yeah.
We're gonna talk to his agentand everything.
Yeah.
We gotta, yeah truth be told, Itexted, Mario about, three
minutes before we, uh, before wedialed this up, so no prep.
Which is perfectly consistentwith the way that we usually run

(11:41):
the show.
Sure.
We're not interested inpreparation.
That's not, yeah.
Plus it brings any new listenersin on the what's, you know, the
Mario situation and, and that,you know, that he was a, a part
of this team and, uh, we hope tosee him again and have him back
here sitting down and get us upto speed with his summer.
So what would be the perfectpost-graduation gig for Mario

(12:02):
eb, I love to like move to la Ithink, I think this summer I'm
gonna get a good idea of whatworks for me and what doesn't.
I've been applying to a lot of,they're called development
interns, You read a lot ofscripts and you write coverage
for them, which are just like,you kind of write like the beats
so that the higher ups don'thave to read.
Entire scripts can just kind ofread the bullet points.

(12:25):
so I've been applying to a lotof those and I think if I could
get a job doing that, that wouldbe a good start, uh, postgrad.
But honestly, I'd be happyanywhere.
Just kind of want a job.
You're just in that phase.
You're trying all kinds ofstuff.
Yeah, which is exactly what youshould be doing.
That's great.
Yeah, just don't be the LA guythat goes out and then becomes

(12:46):
like a barista and then, youknow, I mean, there's, there's
too many.
What's wrong?
Starbucks with that In, in LosAngeles.
Hey, side note, side note.
Um, Mario, are you watching thestudio, apple Plus Show with uh
uh, Seth Rogan?
No, I don't, I don't have ApplePlus.
Okay.
Really good though.
Well get your parents to, it's,it's really good.

(13:06):
You'll love it.
It's about the, the, the, it's,it's about a LA studio.
It's really good.
You, you will.
Oh, I need a new show to watch.
So you'll see it at some point.
It's really good.
Have you seen, we'll talk aboutit, the TV show on, uh, is it on
Netflix?
Adolescence, yes.
Adolescence.
It's not, uh, no.
I honestly, I should.
He's busy keeping up with allthese, he's not watching tv.
Time to watch.

(13:26):
He's doing busy when I was incollege and, and is like busy
like him.
I didn't watch TV ever.
I didn't either.
I just went from one thing tothe next.
I was always reading books andthen I stopped reading books all
together.
Yeah, I hate reading books.
But that's okay.
I know I like bought a book andI haven't even opened it.
So I have a, I always like totell a quick story, and this is
a, you'll, you'll get a kick outof this.

(13:48):
You know, my daughter Riley, ofcourse Riley was a gymnast with
his sister Emma, and, uh, wewere at Target.
I.
When RI was probably eight ornine years old, and we were in
the, uh, of course in thesection looking at DVDs, which
happens to be adjacent to wherethe books are.
Oh.
And she yells across to me, haveI told you this story?

(14:11):
Yeah, you have.
I have.
I told it on the podcast.
I, I don't know.
She goes, dad, can I get thisbook?
And I looked at her and I said.
Ri we're a TV family and thiswoman saw me and she gave me
this look, and I looked at herand I said, we really are.
And she just shook her head andwalked away.
And disgust.
And the que the question is, didI let Ri get the book?

(14:33):
Yeah, you're right.
I did.
Good.
Damn right.
I did good parenting.
I'm just, I don't know if sheever read it.
Yeah, but she got the book.
It's holding up the corner ofyour tv.
It's very good.
Alright, Mario, thank you forbeing flexible and coming on
with us at the last moment.
It's so great.
Yeah.
Great to hear from you, man.
So glad you're doing well and,uh, we hope to see you again.
Yeah.
Yeah.

(14:54):
Glad to hear from you guys.
Um, I'll have to check out thenew studio that I come, come
check it out.
It's, it's, it's really quite a,it's a spectacle down here.
All right.
Nice talking to you buddy.
Yeah, nice talking to you.
All right, and off we go.