October 29, 2025 • 32 mins
In this thought-provoking episode of The Hollywood in Toto Podcast, host Christian Toto breaks down the current late-night TV landscape and examines why the mainstream media continues to defend far-Left talk show hosts like Jimmy Kimmel, Stephen Colbert, and Jimmy Fallon. We explore how much cultural influence late-night comedians still have, and whether their political bias has alienated half the country.
Christian also revisits Jimmy Kimmel’s one-week suspension, revealing how it impacted his audience, his reputation, and the broader public perception of late-night comedy. Is late-night TV still relevant—or has it become an echo chamber for progressive politics?
Later in the show, Christian welcomes author Carla Ondrasik, whose new book, 'Stop Trying: The Life Transforming Power of Trying Less and Doing More,' offers a refreshing take on success, creativity, and inner peace. Carla shares fascinating stories from her career in the music industry, explaining how her self-help philosophy helped her thrive—and how it can help you unlock your own potential. She also shares her take on today’s music industry and what young artists must do to survive in an era of streaming, social media, and rapid change.
If you love Hollywood insight, media criticism, and motivational storytelling, this episode delivers it all.
👉 Keywords: late-night TV, Jimmy Kimmel suspension, media bias, Hollywood culture, Stephen Colbert, far-left talk show hosts, cultural influence, Carla Ondrasik, Stop Trying book, self-help, music industry, young musicians, Christian Toto podcast, entertainment news, cancel culture, Hollywood in Toto
--------------------------
"Stop Trying: The Life Tranforming Power of Trying Less and Doing More"
https://www.carlaondrasik.com
https://www.stop-trying.com
Subscribe to HiT's YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@HollywoodinToto
Read Hollywood in Toto - https://www.hollywoodintoto.com
Lend a hand: Leave a tip! https://hollywood-in-toto.ck.page/products/hollywood-in-toto-tip-jar
Follow me on X/Twitter: https://twitter.com/HollywoodInToto
Read: "Virtue Bombs: How Hollywood Got Woke and Lost Its Soul" https://www.amazon.com/Virtue-Bombs-Hollywood-Woke-Lost/dp/1637580991
Christian also revisits Jimmy Kimmel’s one-week suspension, revealing how it impacted his audience, his reputation, and the broader public perception of late-night comedy. Is late-night TV still relevant—or has it become an echo chamber for progressive politics?
Later in the show, Christian welcomes author Carla Ondrasik, whose new book, 'Stop Trying: The Life Transforming Power of Trying Less and Doing More,' offers a refreshing take on success, creativity, and inner peace. Carla shares fascinating stories from her career in the music industry, explaining how her self-help philosophy helped her thrive—and how it can help you unlock your own potential. She also shares her take on today’s music industry and what young artists must do to survive in an era of streaming, social media, and rapid change.
If you love Hollywood insight, media criticism, and motivational storytelling, this episode delivers it all.
👉 Keywords: late-night TV, Jimmy Kimmel suspension, media bias, Hollywood culture, Stephen Colbert, far-left talk show hosts, cultural influence, Carla Ondrasik, Stop Trying book, self-help, music industry, young musicians, Christian Toto podcast, entertainment news, cancel culture, Hollywood in Toto
--------------------------
"Stop Trying: The Life Tranforming Power of Trying Less and Doing More"
https://www.carlaondrasik.com
https://www.stop-trying.com
Subscribe to HiT's YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@HollywoodinToto
Read Hollywood in Toto - https://www.hollywoodintoto.com
Lend a hand: Leave a tip! https://hollywood-in-toto.ck.page/products/hollywood-in-toto-tip-jar
Follow me on X/Twitter: https://twitter.com/HollywoodInToto
Read: "Virtue Bombs: How Hollywood Got Woke and Lost Its Soul" https://www.amazon.com/Virtue-Bombs-Hollywood-Woke-Lost/dp/1637580991
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
This week on the Hollywood and Toto Podcast, Late night
TV is in the spotlight again, and here's why that
close up is not going to matter in the long
run or the short run. And we talked to author
Carla Andrask about her new book, Stop Trying. It is inspirational,
it is fun, and she's got a great story that
ties music and business and romance too. It's a keeper,
(00:22):
trust me. Welcome to the Hollywood and Total Podcast. Entertainment
news and reviews without doubt, woke Hollywood, narrative, free speech,
re expression. Now that's entertainment. And here's your host. Oh Lord,
(00:43):
winning film critic Christian Toto. Well, time is running out
on Late night TV, at least on paper now. John
Stewart's contract over at Comedy Central is going to end
pretty soon. The same is happening over at ABC with
(01:04):
Jimmy Kimmel Alive and its host, mister Kimmel. Oh my gosh,
what happens if those contracts expire? It's the end of
the world. Well, not exactly, do you hear the media
spin it. We need these true tellers now more than ever. Hi,
If we don't have Jimmy Kimmel to protect us from
the end of democracy. Who knows what will happen. We
need them. Their voices are essential. Without them, who knows
(01:27):
it could be all over to the end of the world. Well,
it's bullshit, and here's why Late night TV is finally
exposed for what it actually is. Now. Listen, for years
and years we watched Johnny Carson, David Letterman, Jay Leno.
These voices were apolitical for the most part. They were funny,
they were sweet, and anyone could enjoy them. And that's
(01:49):
where the late night brand has been for decades. It
is an institution and then in recent years has gotten
more to the left and more to the left. But
I think for many people they still saw it as well,
it's late night TV. It's just a few yucks before bedtime.
She worrieding get political sometimes, but it really is just
about the humor of the laughs, the interviews and the
celebrity interactions. That's what late night TV is. Well, that
(02:12):
facade has been stripped away forever, between the hullabaloo over
Stephen Colbert's cancelation slow motion but It's happening, and of
course with Jimmy Kimmel situation where he lied about MAGA
and never apologized. Well, it really showed people, the average person,
maybe some people who weren't really paying attention, what this
format is all about. It's not entertainment. It's not laughter,
(02:35):
it's non entertainment. It's propaganda, plain and simple. Stop lecturing me, please,
the mask is off. This institution has been permanently changed,
and people get it. Maybe not in the past, but
they do see it now. And even if they didn't
see it last year when Jimmy Kimmel and Stephen Colbert
were out actually fundraising for President Biden, even if they
(02:57):
missed that story, stand what's going on now? It is inescapable.
The Jimmy Kimmel situation where he twisted the words to
kind of make it seem as if MAGA had assassinated
Charlie Kirk instead of the real culprit, well that was despicable.
And again the whole story around it was a lot
of fake news. Kimmel himself is still peddling fake news,
(03:18):
saying I didn't say what I said. Well, we have ears,
we saw you, we heard you, we get it. That's
late night TV in twenty twenty five, and we're onto it. Hey,
Andrew Lloyd Webber, the jig is up. Okay, So why
would the media be so invested in these particular characters,
these comic cutups. Well, they're sharing the messages that the
(03:42):
legacy reporters are dying to share. Everything that's anti Trump,
anything that's anti GOP. The reporters who cover the news,
well they want to spread that out there, but they can't.
They could be biased, they could have bias of a mission,
they could be cartoonishly one sided. But they can't outrun
I'd say Orange Man bad or Trump is Hitler or
(04:03):
some other nonsense. But Jimmy Kimmel can, and Stephen Colbert can,
and Seth Myers can, and so they do. And then
when they do, the mainstream media will amplify that messaging.
They'll report on it, they'll do summations of it, they'll
put it on YouTube. They'll somehow push it out to
the masses and say it's not me, saying that it's
(04:24):
Jimmy Kimmel or Stephen Colbert. That's how the system works,
and that's why the left and the media. But I
repeat myself, was so up in arms about the Colbert
cancelation and the Kimmel situation as well. That's where it goes,
I'll never get over it as long as I live.
So now, all these comedians are just part of resistance
two point zero. So they take whatever hair on fire
(04:46):
scheme is going on right at the moment within the
media landscape, and they magnify it. And if it means
the East Wing construction is the biggest bloated democracy since
the last big blow of democracy, then so be it.
Famous mad as hell, and I'm not gonna take this anymore.
They just run with the media narrative. They don't do
(05:07):
any fact checks, they don't do any comedy that's been
long well, jokes and laughter been pushed aside long long ago.
It's funny. I often read the excerpts from these particular monologues.
I'm thinking, is there a joke in there? I mean,
I'm squinting. I don't even see it. So often within
these diatribes, with these rants, you just don't see anything
that even resembles humor. And when you get a joke,
(05:29):
it's pretty it's pretty staid. It's pretty bad. They're not
even trying for comedy anymore. Again, it's propaganda, and the
jig is up. But there's a bottom line here that
does matter. You know, if AOC goes on the news
and she says something in her usual histrionic manner, it
might generate some news headlines, it might get some people's attention,
but it's not gonna change any hearts and minds. AOC
(05:51):
is a very left leaning character at this point, and
we know what to expect, and her whole approach is
never to break in people. It's to be divisive and
outrageous and very very stern in her partisanship. And that's
just her brand. But the same is true for Rachel Maddow.
So these people are not going to change many hearts
and minds. They may rally the troops, they may get
(06:13):
people's intention, they may get more people on the left
out to vote. That's perfectly fine. They don't alter what
we think about particular subjects. And the same is you
could say about Sean Hannity over Fox News. You know
exactly who he is, you know exactly his perspective. He's
going to preach to the choir, but he's not going
to really get any new people to have new thoughts
about what's going on in the country. It's just the
(06:35):
way it works. And now Late ITV hosts are in
an exact same bucket. They're not changing hearts and minds.
They're not really impacting the culture. The media may want
them to, but it's too late. They're just partisans, they're
just one siders. It's just the way it goes, which
in a way is why Bill Maher is such a
unique creation at this point in the culture now. Bill
(06:57):
Maher is an old school liberal, and he is progressive,
and he hates Trump and he wants to for all Democrats.
Those are all things that are true, but he also
pokes fun on his own side. He also calls out
his own side early and often. He's been one of
the most strident voices against the woke mind virus across
the culture, right or left. So when a Bill Maher
(07:19):
says something, it actually has more weight, it has more emphasis.
And he's got a fan base that is on the left,
sometimes in the middle, and a little bit on the
right as well, and that matters. So when a Bill
Maher has a conversation, has a talking point, has an
argument to share, well, that's going to be interesting. It
may change some hearts and minds because you don't know
where he's going to land on a particular issue. Stephen Colbert,
(07:42):
you know exactly where he's going. You can predict it,
you can close your eyes, you can write.
Speaker 2 (07:46):
It yourself, same old song on repeat.
Speaker 1 (07:49):
Not Bill Maher. And that's why, while his voice is
small and he doesn't have a huge audience, he is
a consequential figure in the public. And I can't say
the same for Colbert, or or Seth Myers, or John
Oliver or even John Stewart. That's just the way it is.
Right now. Late night TV is still alive barely. I
think in years to come, you're going to see it
(08:10):
shrink and shrink and drink before it goes away entirely.
But right now they're just not changing hearts and minds.
They're not really having a cultural impact. The media wants it,
the left wants it. They want it. There's a reason
why they go on stage and avoid jokes just to
tell political talking points, because they want to change the
way we think. And it's not going to happen. Sorry. Now,
(08:31):
ABC will renew Jimmy Kimmel's contract, I can almost guarantee it.
And I think the same is true for Comedy Central
with John Stewart. I mean, he's been their brand on
the Daily Show. They do need him at this point.
He's the kind of the August Father figure of this
particular show, So they'll figure out a way to crunch
the numbers and get it done. This is a show
that doesn't have huge ratings, but I would imagine the
(08:51):
production budget is pretty modest at this point, so I
think it probably it works out economically to get John
Stewart back in the fold is their face and their brand,
and chances are the hosts will keep on talking and
have less and less impact on the body politic, and
that's all their fault. For Carla Andrassic, it was love
(09:22):
at first sound. Carla was working in the music industry
at the time, and she heard a voice in a
different room sounded quite beautiful, and she thought, my gosh,
would you love to sign that artist? He sounds amazing.
Of course, she got to know the artist, she signed
the artist, and after that they fell in love. That's
Carla and her husband five for fightings John on Rassic.
(09:43):
He was on the show just a few weeks ago.
That they've been married for a while now, which is
an accomplishment unto itself, just because staying married in the
music industry, that's not easy. I think more than a
few marriages have been broken up by that particular field,
just the way it goes. It's like Hollywood Now, Carla,
I imagine, written a book about relationships and how to
stay married in tough times or in a really challenging industry.
(10:06):
But she did something a little bit better. She wrote
a self help book that applies to just about everybody.
It's called Stop Trying, The life transporting power of trying
less and doing more. And it's applicable for entrepreneurs or
content creators, or young people just entering the workforce, or
just about anyone. I mean, it is a self help
(10:28):
book that just touches all the corners about work, about relationships,
about business, about everything. Stop trying and do more. It's
a great, simple message, which she elaborates in great detail
in the book. Obviously, and of course she entered a
field that she had little knowledge of. Initially, she wasn't
studying to become a part of the music industry. But
(10:50):
she just made it happen. And that's part of the
reason why I wanted to have her on the show.
This isn't a typical interview for the Hollywood and Total podcast,
but I think Carla's message is so profant and so important,
I thought why not have her on the show. This
is a great piece of information to share with people. Again,
I think even for people who are college graduates. And
you can also visit Stop hyphen Trying dot com right
(11:12):
now to buy the book and also get a free gift.
Carla is going to explain more about that in a minute.
So I hope you enjoyed my conversation with author Carla
and Rask. Stop Trying is the book, and if you
take her message to heart, I think her life will
be a little bit better, if not a lot better. Well, Carla,
thanks for joining the show. Now you've been in the
music industry, you've been a motivational speaker. This kind of
(11:35):
book seems like the logical next step. But I know
that books are complicated. It's a big project. You don't
know if this is something you could tackle all the
things that come with it. What was the spark that
made stop Trying possible?
Speaker 2 (11:47):
Oh my gosh. Well, when I had the intention to
share this message, I did not know what form it
would be in, and I was putting it off. I mean,
I had a huge career, raised our kids, I travel
with my husband, and it just kept coming. The opportunity
kept coming to me. I'd meet somebody, they'd say, Carla,
(12:10):
I love your idea. You know you've got to meet
this agent. And then finally it was the right agent
at the right time, and I said, you know what,
if I don't do it now, it's never going to happen.
I don't want to regret not writing this book because
I didn't know what I was doing. I had never
done it before. I've been in a learning curve for
two years. But I really finally decided if I have
(12:34):
to do this before my life is over, or I
will regret it. And it was just the time is now.
The universe set it up for me. It was the
right people, and I'm just so happy and here it is.
Speaker 1 (12:46):
That's right. You know the story of how you got
into the music industry, you basically just decided to join.
You heard an artist. Can you just share that story
because it's so applicable to every part of life. I have,
every business. It's just sort of saying I had this idea,
I don't know how to enter this field, but I'm
(13:06):
just going to enter this field just real quickly. I
just love that story.
Speaker 2 (13:10):
Yeah, I love telling it. So I was dating a
guy and he was working nine to five and then
he'd come home and would write songs. He had a
little at home studio, and I happened to be at
a workshop and I met someone who said, oh, yeah,
I have a song on the radio. And it was
from the Greatest American Hero, a big TV show, and
(13:32):
the song was on the radio. And I thought to myself, huh, well,
that guy has a song on the radio. I could
get my boyfriend's songs on the radio. And I just
bought a book called The Songwriter's Market, and it told you, like,
these are publishers that will take your song and get
them placed. And here's what you do. You cue up
(13:54):
your cassette, put your name on it, and you know.
And I just did that. I started making appointments with publishers,
and while I was doing that, I realized this is
a great fun world. And I did get his song recorded,
by the way, it was with an international on my
first day, my first day of meetings, publisher said, oh
my gosh, I love this song and it was recorded
(14:15):
in like five different languages. And then I wanted to
do that. So I had a great job. I was
working for an aviation company. I mean I was very young.
I had a huge position within that company. But I
started advertising for songs in magazines, so people all over
the country would send me their songs. I just became
(14:37):
a publisher. I just started doing it and learning, and
then I got a job as a secretary, then a
better job, and a better job, and moved all the
way up.
Speaker 1 (14:49):
You know, I imagine in a perfect world, if you
could take a time machine, go into the present, buy
stop trying, and then go back and use that throughout
your career, it certainly would be helpful. But I also
think every step of the way you were kind of
building these steps that made the book possible, that you
kind of self taught yourself in a way. Talk about
(15:10):
those early years in some of the early lessons which
are now reflected.
Speaker 2 (15:13):
In the book. So I was raised in New York
on Long Island. My father was a gambler, So that
says a lot right there. We were put in challenging situations,
and sometimes it was sink or swim Like here you
(15:33):
are there's no trying, Like when you're thrown into the
deep end of the ocean. You're not going to try
to survive. You are going to do everything you can.
And it was kind of scary sometimes. And you know,
that's where it was ingrained in me that this mindset
I'm going to be and do the best I can
(15:55):
and I'm going to get make this situation work for
me started when I I was very young and then
I just employed it. I was in college at sixteen,
I was on my own. You know how, I had
no money from family. I had to work, I had
to pay my bills, I had to buy a car.
You know, I just you just start doing. There's no hesitation,
(16:17):
there's no excuses of why you can't, there's nobody to blame.
It's just this is what it is. That's how I
was raised. I was not afforded the luxury. I think
trying is a luxury. It's something we can hide behind.
And that was the beginning of this for me. Is
it's who I am, and I've used it in everything
I've done.
Speaker 1 (16:38):
There's a key part of the bookhole chapter about fear,
and you know, I cover more movies and TV and
I talk about how fear just controls the industry and
you know, fear getting older, fear of losing jobs, fear
of your movie not making enough money, fear of kind
of losing cachet within the industry. Obviously, fear is so
critical to almost every profession. Talk a little bit about
(16:59):
to conquering those fears, because I think that's again something
that's applicable across whatever industry you're in. There's fear.
Speaker 2 (17:07):
There's fear, I think a lot in the entertainment industry.
You know, it's all eyes on you. That's the entertainment business.
Everybody's watching everybody else, right, And it's fear of failure.
So a lot of times we will often want to
try to do something because I'm not going to be
held accountable here. I'm not saying I'm going to do
(17:28):
this or it's going to be successful. But we want
to hide behind taking action because we're so afraid of failing.
We're so afraid of what other people are going to
think of us. And I always recommend to embrace that
failure because it means you are the film director, you
are the writer, you are the actor that is taking big,
(17:52):
huge risks that nobody else is brave enough to do,
and when you fail, you're celebrated for it. Look what
they did you know? And honestly, if you get past
the fear and you do dive in, you usually don't fail.
You usually come out with some you know, measure of
success from it.
Speaker 1 (18:14):
And one of the things you recall in the book
is that some famous people failed pretty aggressively and then
used those moments and licked their wounds and thought, Okay,
what did I learn from this? And then go from.
Speaker 2 (18:26):
There and went on to greater things. You know, when
when you fail at something, it's telling you this isn't
working this way, and then you pivot and it goes
on to something that, oh my gosh, had I not
even begun, had I let fear keep me from even
doing something, I wouldn't have got to this point. And
(18:47):
look when I uncovered this incredible you know, maybe the
writer who's written a script that you know, Actually, I'm
going to back up for a minute. Even as an author,
I started writing a book and it was about out
probably more about the power of writing our words down.
I thought that it was when you get your words
(19:10):
out of your head and put them down onto paper,
they become tangible and that's what makes it happen, that's
what makes it materialize. Was getting it out of here,
writing it down, putting it out into the world in
a tangible form. So while I was writing that, it
was something within that book that became this bigger Okay,
(19:31):
that book wouldn't have worked, but I had in there.
It's the words we use when we write those intentions down,
never trying, wishing, hoping, but it's writing, being, having, and doing.
When you write your intentions down, it's I'm doing this,
I'm having this, this is who I am. And I
took that little nugget out of that book. That problem
(19:52):
might have failed, but it brought me to this. So
you have to do. You have to get in there
and conquer all the fear or a failure, because you
never know what you're going to discover inside when you pivot.
Speaker 1 (20:05):
When you look at the artists you've worked with over
the years, was you know I went to art school,
I met artists. Sometimes artists are great and they're talented,
but their business acumen can be less less than you know,
applicable here, or they just suffer in that area. Their
skills are elsewhere. Did you find that the artists who
were successful and had great sustained careers in a way
(20:28):
echoed some of the themes of your book that they
kind of understood not just to write a great song
or have a beautiful voice, but they knew that other
part of it as well, and maybe that all those
things combined made them so successful.
Speaker 2 (20:41):
Yes, one hundred percent. I mean, we all have our
strong points. But you know, successful people they don't try.
The heads of record companies, the CEOs, the heads of studios,
the managers, the people at the top, the leaders, they
don't try to set up a meeting, try to close
(21:03):
a deal, try to make this work. That's not what
got them there. So yes, those successful artists have to
have this very strong, determined action because when you tell
someone I'm going to try, they hear that it's an
option and you're not going to get to the top.
You're not going to become Barbara streisand or you know,
(21:26):
Curl jam or you know anybody, or Steven Spielberg by trying.
So they have to employ that. And if you're not
good at finances, at least know enough that you're going
to have to hire somebody that's expert. And you know, yes,
so yes, I think all of the artists I've worked
with they are doers. They're not going to try to
(21:50):
find a hit song. You know, they're not half hearting anything.
But the people underneath. When I was working, you know,
if I did have to go to the secondary level,
that's where I was hit with the Okay, i'll try
to show up at your showcase, I'll try to come,
I'll try to listen to your song. Right But when
I went to the top, it was okay, i'll be
(22:11):
there or I won't be there. They're not afraid to
say no, they're not afraid to commit. And it's just
you'll see this everywhere now that you start being conscious
of it. You know, the people at the top, they
don't try, they don't have time for it.
Speaker 1 (22:26):
And it's interesting that in today's world, with technology, we
have more tools than ever before. I mean, you were
kind of a pull yourself up by the bootstraps, kind
of an entrepreneur in a way. But today, you know,
if you're a comedian, you put a comedy bit online
and all of a sudden, it's a success and you
can kind of build on that. Talk about the music
industry today, it seems radically different from the outside. I'm
(22:48):
not an expert like you are. How is it better,
How is it worse? Is it scarier for young artists today?
Speaker 2 (22:57):
It's both, believe it or not. I mean, in some way,
the fact that there's so many of these outlets for
them to put their music out there, you know. So
that's the good news that they can get their song
out on Spotify and they can start doing a YouTube channel.
And in fact a lot of recording artists are getting
record deals that way because the record company sees, wow,
(23:19):
this person's got a million followers. There's something to it.
But the downside is the record companies used to develop artists.
You know, I discovered John I heard you know, John
of five for Fighting is my husband, and I discovered
his voice through a wall. I was a publisher and
I said to myself, I'm going to make that valuable,
(23:41):
like I'm going to get that guy a record deal
because his voice needs to be on the radio. But
then we, as a publishing company, we developed him, and
then the record company we got him as record deal,
and the record company supported him and put you on
tour with other artists. So they're not offering that kind
of support anymore. It's really mostly up to the artist.
(24:03):
You've got to do it. Yourself. You've got to come
in with a million followers. You've got to come in
with you know, sales and tours, tours and merchandise. So
in one way, you don't need a record company if
you can do all that. But on the other side,
these poor people that really wouldn't have the resources to
(24:23):
do these things or know how, but are extremely talented
aren't getting the opportunity because they're expected to hand it
all on a silver platter. It's the same thing in
the book world. I'm it's amazing that I got a
publishing deal because I didn't have a big social media presence,
but my publisher believed in the message. But every publisher
wants you to come in with your following.
Speaker 1 (24:45):
Yeah, it's amazing. By the way, I know you're not
no longer in the field per se, but do you
still hear songs that maybe kind of trigger you're, oh
my gosh, that person has it, or even or conversely,
where do you discover new music if you're if you
want to find a new act or new something just
personally you want to listen to, where's your discovery engine?
Speaker 2 (25:08):
In a way, number one place for me is New
Music Friday on Spotify. I listen religiously to every single.
I'm passionate about music and I love hearing it. And
I still help people even if I don't know them.
If I hear an artist, I'll tell someone that I
(25:29):
know in the music business. You know, listen this, this
song I heard is exceptional. I think they're the next
blank blank blank, So you know, they may not even
know that I'm doing it. But and then I share
music that I love. You want to expand people, you know,
someone's reach. So I'm a huge fan. I go to concerts,
but for me, it's it's Spotify. And anytime anybody invites
(25:52):
me to go with them to a show, maybe someone
I don't know, I'm ready to go, like, let me
experience it. So it's it's leaks fun.
Speaker 1 (26:02):
I'm an entrepreneur, kind of an accidental one, and I
responded to a lot of what's in book. The book
stopped trying. I'm kind of curious what is the most
common uh hiccup problem weakness within entrepreneurs in general, or
even just artists in general. I mean, your book touches
on so many, but what's the key thing? Like for me,
(26:22):
procrastination is my number one enemy. But what do you
find the most common obstacle a roadblock from artists trying
to get from A to b.
Speaker 2 (26:31):
Ry to z E. Okay, yeah, so number one, it's
that they trick themselves when they're walking around all day
long saying, oh, I'm trying to do this. I'm trying
to you know, build my reach. I'm trying to set
up some showcases, or I'm trying to reach some artists.
I'm trying to whatever. They're tricking themselves into thinking they're
(26:52):
doing it, so they're just diluting themselves all day, walking
around thinking about talking about it, but not taking action. Okay,
so that's number one. But number two, there's a lot
of perfectionism going on there. So it works two ways.
In one way, they're waiting for their project to be perfect.
(27:13):
They're waiting for that song to be recorded perfectly, or
the perfect album right, or the perfect band name or
you know, they're waiting for it to be perfect to
put it out there. So they they're the ones that
are recording and working on it. They're trying really hard,
(27:33):
but they're never going to put it out because they're
waiting for it to be perfect, and that's never going
to happen. And then the other side is they're waiting
for the perfect time to start, so they're not even starting.
You know, Oh, I have this great idea for a book,
but there's so many of that out right now, or
somebody just can't you know. So perfectionism, I think is
a really really really big one for a lot of people,
(27:54):
creative people. They can't help it. You know, that's part
of the creative process. You are so insecure putting something
out there to begin with. So that's where perfectionism would
creep in and I think would really hinder a lot
of people from just putting it out there. There's no
perfect time. Just let it fail because you know, you
(28:16):
may succeed, somebody may love what you have at this stage,
and if you fail, then you're going to go wow, Okay,
that wasn't the right song, but maybe this one is.
So you're going to keep going, but you have to
be kind.
Speaker 1 (28:27):
Yeah, one last question. You're the expert here. You've literally
written a motivational book, You've been a motivational speaker. But
what did writing the book and completing the book teach
you about any life lessons? Are you? Name it? Well?
Speaker 2 (28:44):
Personally? How insecure. I actually am. I mean, I'm the
most confident doer person, but it was, oh my gosh,
it was scary. How scary it is to do something
that you're not certain and conquering that fear every day
for me was just shocking. I'm like, wow, where is
(29:06):
this insecurity coming from? So I had to learn new
tools to just jump over that terrified feeling. What was
the original question was, well, is.
Speaker 1 (29:20):
The learning what you learned? I mean, you know, you're
the expert in this field, and yet I think when
you do things out of your comfort zone it introduces
new pathways in a sense.
Speaker 2 (29:31):
Yeah. Yeah, so that you know that there's always going
to be new things that you have discover about yourself.
Speaker 1 (29:38):
And just.
Speaker 2 (29:43):
How exhilarating and exciting it is, and how proud you
are of yourself, you know, like at any age I'm older,
to be doing this now and to be feeling so
proud of myself is fantastic. And that there's so much
to learn, you know that you can we never stop learning,
and that's been really, really, really fun for me. I've
(30:05):
loved that part of this process.
Speaker 1 (30:08):
My son is tough to read. He doesn't like to read,
which is just killing to me because I'm a writer.
But I want him to read your book because I
think he'll learn so much. And he's sixteen and he's
just I feel like the last year he's really kind
of just exploring and growing and he's just changing in
many many ways. And I think these are significant lessons
that could make him a better person and more successful
(30:29):
in life. And I recommend your book to everyone. Obviously,
it's called Stop Trying. The full title is the life
Transforming Power of Trying Less and Doing More. You can
go to stop hyphen Trying dot com. You'll get lots
of information there on what's the bonus there for people
who do check out the website and go buy it
from that site.
Speaker 2 (30:49):
Yeah, when you sign up to the website there's links,
but you'll get a copy of the try Baby Test,
which will let you decide if you're a try baby
or not, which is a whole level of people. Audiobook
is coming out, so for your son it might be
a really nice thing. It's coming out of October twenty eighth,
and boy, my son doesn't read either. It's that heavy
(31:09):
generation that has this. You know, they don't read and
they have a trying mindset. So it is. It's magical,
it's it's good, it's a it's fantastic.
Speaker 1 (31:18):
Yeah. Well again, if you don't get it there, you
go to Amazon dot com. I think the stop the
hyphen trying is the best way to do it. But
no matter how you get it, do check out Stop Trying. Carlo.
Thank you so much for your time. I love your
stories and keep up the great work. And I love
you know. I'm in my fifties as well, and I
you know, I try new things and it's scary and
(31:38):
it's weird, but you know we can keep on trying
and keep on doing and get it done. I mean
that's I think. That's what I found, is I as
I jump in life, better keep doing. Yeah, exactly, So
thanks again, propreciate it. Your character actor of the week
is Brian James. Well that's it for this episode of
the Hollywood in Total Podcast. Again, I hope you'll check
(31:59):
out hollywod Toto dot com. It is my website. It
is updated seven days a week with all the news,
reviews and commentary from the rite of center perspective. We
don't want to chase away or push away our liberal
leaning friends. There's lots of apolitical content on there, but
here's the bottom line. When you talk about Hollywood coverage, reporting,
news reviews, it is almost uniformly to the left of center,
(32:22):
and it shows. And that's why this podcast in that
particular website exists. Of course, from now in our eleventh
year of Hollywood intoto dot com to check it out.
I hope everyone has a wonderful week. Doctor's Orders
This week on the Hollywood and Toto Podcast, Late night
TV is in the spotlight again, and here's why that
close up is not going to matter in the long
run or the short run. And we talked to author
Carla Andrask about her new book, Stop Trying. It is inspirational,
it is fun, and she's got a great story that
ties music and business and romance too. It's a keeper,
(00:22):
trust me. Welcome to the Hollywood and Total Podcast. Entertainment
news and reviews without doubt, woke Hollywood, narrative, free speech,
re expression. Now that's entertainment. And here's your host. Oh Lord,
(00:43):
winning film critic Christian Toto. Well, time is running out
on Late night TV, at least on paper now. John
Stewart's contract over at Comedy Central is going to end
pretty soon. The same is happening over at ABC with
(01:04):
Jimmy Kimmel Alive and its host, mister Kimmel. Oh my gosh,
what happens if those contracts expire? It's the end of
the world. Well, not exactly, do you hear the media
spin it. We need these true tellers now more than ever. Hi,
If we don't have Jimmy Kimmel to protect us from
the end of democracy. Who knows what will happen. We
need them. Their voices are essential. Without them, who knows
(01:27):
it could be all over to the end of the world. Well,
it's bullshit, and here's why Late night TV is finally
exposed for what it actually is. Now. Listen, for years
and years we watched Johnny Carson, David Letterman, Jay Leno.
These voices were apolitical for the most part. They were funny,
they were sweet, and anyone could enjoy them. And that's
(01:49):
where the late night brand has been for decades. It
is an institution and then in recent years has gotten
more to the left and more to the left. But
I think for many people they still saw it as well,
it's late night TV. It's just a few yucks before bedtime.
She worrieding get political sometimes, but it really is just
about the humor of the laughs, the interviews and the
celebrity interactions. That's what late night TV is. Well, that
(02:12):
facade has been stripped away forever, between the hullabaloo over
Stephen Colbert's cancelation slow motion but It's happening, and of
course with Jimmy Kimmel situation where he lied about MAGA
and never apologized. Well, it really showed people, the average person,
maybe some people who weren't really paying attention, what this
format is all about. It's not entertainment. It's not laughter,
(02:35):
it's non entertainment. It's propaganda, plain and simple. Stop lecturing me, please,
the mask is off. This institution has been permanently changed,
and people get it. Maybe not in the past, but
they do see it now. And even if they didn't
see it last year when Jimmy Kimmel and Stephen Colbert
were out actually fundraising for President Biden, even if they
(02:57):
missed that story, stand what's going on now? It is inescapable.
The Jimmy Kimmel situation where he twisted the words to
kind of make it seem as if MAGA had assassinated
Charlie Kirk instead of the real culprit, well that was despicable.
And again the whole story around it was a lot
of fake news. Kimmel himself is still peddling fake news,
(03:18):
saying I didn't say what I said. Well, we have ears,
we saw you, we heard you, we get it. That's
late night TV in twenty twenty five, and we're onto it. Hey,
Andrew Lloyd Webber, the jig is up. Okay, So why
would the media be so invested in these particular characters,
these comic cutups. Well, they're sharing the messages that the
(03:42):
legacy reporters are dying to share. Everything that's anti Trump,
anything that's anti GOP. The reporters who cover the news,
well they want to spread that out there, but they can't.
They could be biased, they could have bias of a mission,
they could be cartoonishly one sided. But they can't outrun
I'd say Orange Man bad or Trump is Hitler or
(04:03):
some other nonsense. But Jimmy Kimmel can, and Stephen Colbert can,
and Seth Myers can, and so they do. And then
when they do, the mainstream media will amplify that messaging.
They'll report on it, they'll do summations of it, they'll
put it on YouTube. They'll somehow push it out to
the masses and say it's not me, saying that it's
(04:24):
Jimmy Kimmel or Stephen Colbert. That's how the system works,
and that's why the left and the media. But I
repeat myself, was so up in arms about the Colbert
cancelation and the Kimmel situation as well. That's where it goes,
I'll never get over it as long as I live.
So now, all these comedians are just part of resistance
two point zero. So they take whatever hair on fire
(04:46):
scheme is going on right at the moment within the
media landscape, and they magnify it. And if it means
the East Wing construction is the biggest bloated democracy since
the last big blow of democracy, then so be it.
Famous mad as hell, and I'm not gonna take this anymore.
They just run with the media narrative. They don't do
(05:07):
any fact checks, they don't do any comedy that's been
long well, jokes and laughter been pushed aside long long ago.
It's funny. I often read the excerpts from these particular monologues.
I'm thinking, is there a joke in there? I mean,
I'm squinting. I don't even see it. So often within
these diatribes, with these rants, you just don't see anything
that even resembles humor. And when you get a joke,
(05:29):
it's pretty it's pretty staid. It's pretty bad. They're not
even trying for comedy anymore. Again, it's propaganda, and the
jig is up. But there's a bottom line here that
does matter. You know, if AOC goes on the news
and she says something in her usual histrionic manner, it
might generate some news headlines, it might get some people's attention,
but it's not gonna change any hearts and minds. AOC
(05:51):
is a very left leaning character at this point, and
we know what to expect, and her whole approach is
never to break in people. It's to be divisive and
outrageous and very very stern in her partisanship. And that's
just her brand. But the same is true for Rachel Maddow.
So these people are not going to change many hearts
and minds. They may rally the troops, they may get
(06:13):
people's intention, they may get more people on the left
out to vote. That's perfectly fine. They don't alter what
we think about particular subjects. And the same is you
could say about Sean Hannity over Fox News. You know
exactly who he is, you know exactly his perspective. He's
going to preach to the choir, but he's not going
to really get any new people to have new thoughts
about what's going on in the country. It's just the
(06:35):
way it works. And now Late ITV hosts are in
an exact same bucket. They're not changing hearts and minds.
They're not really impacting the culture. The media may want
them to, but it's too late. They're just partisans, they're
just one siders. It's just the way it goes, which
in a way is why Bill Maher is such a
unique creation at this point in the culture now. Bill
(06:57):
Maher is an old school liberal, and he is progressive,
and he hates Trump and he wants to for all Democrats.
Those are all things that are true, but he also
pokes fun on his own side. He also calls out
his own side early and often. He's been one of
the most strident voices against the woke mind virus across
the culture, right or left. So when a Bill Maher
(07:19):
says something, it actually has more weight, it has more emphasis.
And he's got a fan base that is on the left,
sometimes in the middle, and a little bit on the
right as well, and that matters. So when a Bill
Maher has a conversation, has a talking point, has an
argument to share, well, that's going to be interesting. It
may change some hearts and minds because you don't know
where he's going to land on a particular issue. Stephen Colbert,
(07:42):
you know exactly where he's going. You can predict it,
you can close your eyes, you can write.
Speaker 2 (07:46):
It yourself, same old song on repeat.
Speaker 1 (07:49):
Not Bill Maher. And that's why, while his voice is
small and he doesn't have a huge audience, he is
a consequential figure in the public. And I can't say
the same for Colbert, or or Seth Myers, or John
Oliver or even John Stewart. That's just the way it is.
Right now. Late night TV is still alive barely. I
think in years to come, you're going to see it
(08:10):
shrink and shrink and drink before it goes away entirely.
But right now they're just not changing hearts and minds.
They're not really having a cultural impact. The media wants it,
the left wants it. They want it. There's a reason
why they go on stage and avoid jokes just to
tell political talking points, because they want to change the
way we think. And it's not going to happen. Sorry. Now,
(08:31):
ABC will renew Jimmy Kimmel's contract, I can almost guarantee it.
And I think the same is true for Comedy Central
with John Stewart. I mean, he's been their brand on
the Daily Show. They do need him at this point.
He's the kind of the August Father figure of this
particular show, So they'll figure out a way to crunch
the numbers and get it done. This is a show
that doesn't have huge ratings, but I would imagine the
(08:51):
production budget is pretty modest at this point, so I
think it probably it works out economically to get John
Stewart back in the fold is their face and their brand,
and chances are the hosts will keep on talking and
have less and less impact on the body politic, and
that's all their fault. For Carla Andrassic, it was love
(09:22):
at first sound. Carla was working in the music industry
at the time, and she heard a voice in a
different room sounded quite beautiful, and she thought, my gosh,
would you love to sign that artist? He sounds amazing.
Of course, she got to know the artist, she signed
the artist, and after that they fell in love. That's
Carla and her husband five for fightings John on Rassic.
(09:43):
He was on the show just a few weeks ago.
That they've been married for a while now, which is
an accomplishment unto itself, just because staying married in the
music industry, that's not easy. I think more than a
few marriages have been broken up by that particular field,
just the way it goes. It's like Hollywood Now, Carla,
I imagine, written a book about relationships and how to
stay married in tough times or in a really challenging industry.
(10:06):
But she did something a little bit better. She wrote
a self help book that applies to just about everybody.
It's called Stop Trying, The life transporting power of trying
less and doing more. And it's applicable for entrepreneurs or
content creators, or young people just entering the workforce, or
just about anyone. I mean, it is a self help
(10:28):
book that just touches all the corners about work, about relationships,
about business, about everything. Stop trying and do more. It's
a great, simple message, which she elaborates in great detail
in the book. Obviously, and of course she entered a
field that she had little knowledge of. Initially, she wasn't
studying to become a part of the music industry. But
(10:50):
she just made it happen. And that's part of the
reason why I wanted to have her on the show.
This isn't a typical interview for the Hollywood and Total podcast,
but I think Carla's message is so profant and so important,
I thought why not have her on the show. This
is a great piece of information to share with people. Again,
I think even for people who are college graduates. And
you can also visit Stop hyphen Trying dot com right
(11:12):
now to buy the book and also get a free gift.
Carla is going to explain more about that in a minute.
So I hope you enjoyed my conversation with author Carla
and Rask. Stop Trying is the book, and if you
take her message to heart, I think her life will
be a little bit better, if not a lot better. Well, Carla,
thanks for joining the show. Now you've been in the
music industry, you've been a motivational speaker. This kind of
(11:35):
book seems like the logical next step. But I know
that books are complicated. It's a big project. You don't
know if this is something you could tackle all the
things that come with it. What was the spark that
made stop Trying possible?
Speaker 2 (11:47):
Oh my gosh. Well, when I had the intention to
share this message, I did not know what form it
would be in, and I was putting it off. I mean,
I had a huge career, raised our kids, I travel
with my husband, and it just kept coming. The opportunity
kept coming to me. I'd meet somebody, they'd say, Carla,
(12:10):
I love your idea. You know you've got to meet
this agent. And then finally it was the right agent
at the right time, and I said, you know what,
if I don't do it now, it's never going to happen.
I don't want to regret not writing this book because
I didn't know what I was doing. I had never
done it before. I've been in a learning curve for
two years. But I really finally decided if I have
(12:34):
to do this before my life is over, or I
will regret it. And it was just the time is now.
The universe set it up for me. It was the
right people, and I'm just so happy and here it is.
Speaker 1 (12:46):
That's right. You know the story of how you got
into the music industry, you basically just decided to join.
You heard an artist. Can you just share that story
because it's so applicable to every part of life. I have,
every business. It's just sort of saying I had this idea,
I don't know how to enter this field, but I'm
(13:06):
just going to enter this field just real quickly. I
just love that story.
Speaker 2 (13:10):
Yeah, I love telling it. So I was dating a
guy and he was working nine to five and then
he'd come home and would write songs. He had a
little at home studio, and I happened to be at
a workshop and I met someone who said, oh, yeah,
I have a song on the radio. And it was
from the Greatest American Hero, a big TV show, and
(13:32):
the song was on the radio. And I thought to myself, huh, well,
that guy has a song on the radio. I could
get my boyfriend's songs on the radio. And I just
bought a book called The Songwriter's Market, and it told you, like,
these are publishers that will take your song and get
them placed. And here's what you do. You cue up
(13:54):
your cassette, put your name on it, and you know.
And I just did that. I started making appointments with publishers,
and while I was doing that, I realized this is
a great fun world. And I did get his song recorded,
by the way, it was with an international on my
first day, my first day of meetings, publisher said, oh
my gosh, I love this song and it was recorded
(14:15):
in like five different languages. And then I wanted to
do that. So I had a great job. I was
working for an aviation company. I mean I was very young.
I had a huge position within that company. But I
started advertising for songs in magazines, so people all over
the country would send me their songs. I just became
(14:37):
a publisher. I just started doing it and learning, and
then I got a job as a secretary, then a
better job, and a better job, and moved all the
way up.
Speaker 1 (14:49):
You know, I imagine in a perfect world, if you
could take a time machine, go into the present, buy
stop trying, and then go back and use that throughout
your career, it certainly would be helpful. But I also
think every step of the way you were kind of
building these steps that made the book possible, that you
kind of self taught yourself in a way. Talk about
(15:10):
those early years in some of the early lessons which
are now reflected.
Speaker 2 (15:13):
In the book. So I was raised in New York
on Long Island. My father was a gambler, So that
says a lot right there. We were put in challenging situations,
and sometimes it was sink or swim Like here you
(15:33):
are there's no trying, Like when you're thrown into the
deep end of the ocean. You're not going to try
to survive. You are going to do everything you can.
And it was kind of scary sometimes. And you know,
that's where it was ingrained in me that this mindset
I'm going to be and do the best I can
(15:55):
and I'm going to get make this situation work for
me started when I I was very young and then
I just employed it. I was in college at sixteen,
I was on my own. You know how, I had
no money from family. I had to work, I had
to pay my bills, I had to buy a car.
You know, I just you just start doing. There's no hesitation,
(16:17):
there's no excuses of why you can't, there's nobody to blame.
It's just this is what it is. That's how I
was raised. I was not afforded the luxury. I think
trying is a luxury. It's something we can hide behind.
And that was the beginning of this for me. Is
it's who I am, and I've used it in everything
I've done.
Speaker 1 (16:38):
There's a key part of the bookhole chapter about fear,
and you know, I cover more movies and TV and
I talk about how fear just controls the industry and
you know, fear getting older, fear of losing jobs, fear
of your movie not making enough money, fear of kind
of losing cachet within the industry. Obviously, fear is so
critical to almost every profession. Talk a little bit about
(16:59):
to conquering those fears, because I think that's again something
that's applicable across whatever industry you're in. There's fear.
Speaker 2 (17:07):
There's fear, I think a lot in the entertainment industry.
You know, it's all eyes on you. That's the entertainment business.
Everybody's watching everybody else, right, And it's fear of failure.
So a lot of times we will often want to
try to do something because I'm not going to be
held accountable here. I'm not saying I'm going to do
(17:28):
this or it's going to be successful. But we want
to hide behind taking action because we're so afraid of failing.
We're so afraid of what other people are going to
think of us. And I always recommend to embrace that
failure because it means you are the film director, you
are the writer, you are the actor that is taking big,
(17:52):
huge risks that nobody else is brave enough to do,
and when you fail, you're celebrated for it. Look what
they did you know? And honestly, if you get past
the fear and you do dive in, you usually don't fail.
You usually come out with some you know, measure of
success from it.
Speaker 1 (18:14):
And one of the things you recall in the book
is that some famous people failed pretty aggressively and then
used those moments and licked their wounds and thought, Okay,
what did I learn from this? And then go from.
Speaker 2 (18:26):
There and went on to greater things. You know, when
when you fail at something, it's telling you this isn't
working this way, and then you pivot and it goes
on to something that, oh my gosh, had I not
even begun, had I let fear keep me from even
doing something, I wouldn't have got to this point. And
(18:47):
look when I uncovered this incredible you know, maybe the
writer who's written a script that you know, Actually, I'm
going to back up for a minute. Even as an author,
I started writing a book and it was about out
probably more about the power of writing our words down.
I thought that it was when you get your words
(19:10):
out of your head and put them down onto paper,
they become tangible and that's what makes it happen, that's
what makes it materialize. Was getting it out of here,
writing it down, putting it out into the world in
a tangible form. So while I was writing that, it
was something within that book that became this bigger Okay,
(19:31):
that book wouldn't have worked, but I had in there.
It's the words we use when we write those intentions down,
never trying, wishing, hoping, but it's writing, being, having, and doing.
When you write your intentions down, it's I'm doing this,
I'm having this, this is who I am. And I
took that little nugget out of that book. That problem
(19:52):
might have failed, but it brought me to this. So
you have to do. You have to get in there
and conquer all the fear or a failure, because you
never know what you're going to discover inside when you pivot.
Speaker 1 (20:05):
When you look at the artists you've worked with over
the years, was you know I went to art school,
I met artists. Sometimes artists are great and they're talented,
but their business acumen can be less less than you know,
applicable here, or they just suffer in that area. Their
skills are elsewhere. Did you find that the artists who
were successful and had great sustained careers in a way
(20:28):
echoed some of the themes of your book that they
kind of understood not just to write a great song
or have a beautiful voice, but they knew that other
part of it as well, and maybe that all those
things combined made them so successful.
Speaker 2 (20:41):
Yes, one hundred percent. I mean, we all have our
strong points. But you know, successful people they don't try.
The heads of record companies, the CEOs, the heads of studios,
the managers, the people at the top, the leaders, they
don't try to set up a meeting, try to close
(21:03):
a deal, try to make this work. That's not what
got them there. So yes, those successful artists have to
have this very strong, determined action because when you tell
someone I'm going to try, they hear that it's an
option and you're not going to get to the top.
You're not going to become Barbara streisand or you know,
(21:26):
Curl jam or you know anybody, or Steven Spielberg by trying.
So they have to employ that. And if you're not
good at finances, at least know enough that you're going
to have to hire somebody that's expert. And you know, yes,
so yes, I think all of the artists I've worked
with they are doers. They're not going to try to
(21:50):
find a hit song. You know, they're not half hearting anything.
But the people underneath. When I was working, you know,
if I did have to go to the secondary level,
that's where I was hit with the Okay, i'll try
to show up at your showcase, I'll try to come,
I'll try to listen to your song. Right But when
I went to the top, it was okay, i'll be
(22:11):
there or I won't be there. They're not afraid to
say no, they're not afraid to commit. And it's just
you'll see this everywhere now that you start being conscious
of it. You know, the people at the top, they
don't try, they don't have time for it.
Speaker 1 (22:26):
And it's interesting that in today's world, with technology, we
have more tools than ever before. I mean, you were
kind of a pull yourself up by the bootstraps, kind
of an entrepreneur in a way. But today, you know,
if you're a comedian, you put a comedy bit online
and all of a sudden, it's a success and you
can kind of build on that. Talk about the music
industry today, it seems radically different from the outside. I'm
(22:48):
not an expert like you are. How is it better,
How is it worse? Is it scarier for young artists today?
Speaker 2 (22:57):
It's both, believe it or not. I mean, in some way,
the fact that there's so many of these outlets for
them to put their music out there, you know. So
that's the good news that they can get their song
out on Spotify and they can start doing a YouTube channel.
And in fact a lot of recording artists are getting
record deals that way because the record company sees, wow,
(23:19):
this person's got a million followers. There's something to it.
But the downside is the record companies used to develop artists.
You know, I discovered John I heard you know, John
of five for Fighting is my husband, and I discovered
his voice through a wall. I was a publisher and
I said to myself, I'm going to make that valuable,
(23:41):
like I'm going to get that guy a record deal
because his voice needs to be on the radio. But
then we, as a publishing company, we developed him, and
then the record company we got him as record deal,
and the record company supported him and put you on
tour with other artists. So they're not offering that kind
of support anymore. It's really mostly up to the artist.
(24:03):
You've got to do it. Yourself. You've got to come
in with a million followers. You've got to come in
with you know, sales and tours, tours and merchandise. So
in one way, you don't need a record company if
you can do all that. But on the other side,
these poor people that really wouldn't have the resources to
(24:23):
do these things or know how, but are extremely talented
aren't getting the opportunity because they're expected to hand it
all on a silver platter. It's the same thing in
the book world. I'm it's amazing that I got a
publishing deal because I didn't have a big social media presence,
but my publisher believed in the message. But every publisher
wants you to come in with your following.
Speaker 1 (24:45):
Yeah, it's amazing. By the way, I know you're not
no longer in the field per se, but do you
still hear songs that maybe kind of trigger you're, oh
my gosh, that person has it, or even or conversely,
where do you discover new music if you're if you
want to find a new act or new something just
personally you want to listen to, where's your discovery engine?
Speaker 2 (25:08):
In a way, number one place for me is New
Music Friday on Spotify. I listen religiously to every single.
I'm passionate about music and I love hearing it. And
I still help people even if I don't know them.
If I hear an artist, I'll tell someone that I
(25:29):
know in the music business. You know, listen this, this
song I heard is exceptional. I think they're the next
blank blank blank, So you know, they may not even
know that I'm doing it. But and then I share
music that I love. You want to expand people, you know,
someone's reach. So I'm a huge fan. I go to concerts,
but for me, it's it's Spotify. And anytime anybody invites
(25:52):
me to go with them to a show, maybe someone
I don't know, I'm ready to go, like, let me
experience it. So it's it's leaks fun.
Speaker 1 (26:02):
I'm an entrepreneur, kind of an accidental one, and I
responded to a lot of what's in book. The book
stopped trying. I'm kind of curious what is the most
common uh hiccup problem weakness within entrepreneurs in general, or
even just artists in general. I mean, your book touches
on so many, but what's the key thing? Like for me,
(26:22):
procrastination is my number one enemy. But what do you
find the most common obstacle a roadblock from artists trying
to get from A to b.
Speaker 2 (26:31):
Ry to z E. Okay, yeah, so number one, it's
that they trick themselves when they're walking around all day
long saying, oh, I'm trying to do this. I'm trying
to you know, build my reach. I'm trying to set
up some showcases, or I'm trying to reach some artists.
I'm trying to whatever. They're tricking themselves into thinking they're
(26:52):
doing it, so they're just diluting themselves all day, walking
around thinking about talking about it, but not taking action. Okay,
so that's number one. But number two, there's a lot
of perfectionism going on there. So it works two ways.
In one way, they're waiting for their project to be perfect.
(27:13):
They're waiting for that song to be recorded perfectly, or
the perfect album right, or the perfect band name or
you know, they're waiting for it to be perfect to
put it out there. So they they're the ones that
are recording and working on it. They're trying really hard,
(27:33):
but they're never going to put it out because they're
waiting for it to be perfect, and that's never going
to happen. And then the other side is they're waiting
for the perfect time to start, so they're not even starting.
You know, Oh, I have this great idea for a book,
but there's so many of that out right now, or
somebody just can't you know. So perfectionism, I think is
a really really really big one for a lot of people,
(27:54):
creative people. They can't help it. You know, that's part
of the creative process. You are so insecure putting something
out there to begin with. So that's where perfectionism would
creep in and I think would really hinder a lot
of people from just putting it out there. There's no
perfect time. Just let it fail because you know, you
(28:16):
may succeed, somebody may love what you have at this stage,
and if you fail, then you're going to go wow, Okay,
that wasn't the right song, but maybe this one is.
So you're going to keep going, but you have to
be kind.
Speaker 1 (28:27):
Yeah, one last question. You're the expert here. You've literally
written a motivational book, You've been a motivational speaker. But
what did writing the book and completing the book teach
you about any life lessons? Are you? Name it? Well?
Speaker 2 (28:44):
Personally? How insecure. I actually am. I mean, I'm the
most confident doer person, but it was, oh my gosh,
it was scary. How scary it is to do something
that you're not certain and conquering that fear every day
for me was just shocking. I'm like, wow, where is
(29:06):
this insecurity coming from? So I had to learn new
tools to just jump over that terrified feeling. What was
the original question was, well, is.
Speaker 1 (29:20):
The learning what you learned? I mean, you know, you're
the expert in this field, and yet I think when
you do things out of your comfort zone it introduces
new pathways in a sense.
Speaker 2 (29:31):
Yeah. Yeah, so that you know that there's always going
to be new things that you have discover about yourself.
Speaker 1 (29:38):
And just.
Speaker 2 (29:43):
How exhilarating and exciting it is, and how proud you
are of yourself, you know, like at any age I'm older,
to be doing this now and to be feeling so
proud of myself is fantastic. And that there's so much
to learn, you know that you can we never stop learning,
and that's been really, really, really fun for me. I've
(30:05):
loved that part of this process.
Speaker 1 (30:08):
My son is tough to read. He doesn't like to read,
which is just killing to me because I'm a writer.
But I want him to read your book because I
think he'll learn so much. And he's sixteen and he's
just I feel like the last year he's really kind
of just exploring and growing and he's just changing in
many many ways. And I think these are significant lessons
that could make him a better person and more successful
(30:29):
in life. And I recommend your book to everyone. Obviously,
it's called Stop Trying. The full title is the life
Transforming Power of Trying Less and Doing More. You can
go to stop hyphen Trying dot com. You'll get lots
of information there on what's the bonus there for people
who do check out the website and go buy it
from that site.
Speaker 2 (30:49):
Yeah, when you sign up to the website there's links,
but you'll get a copy of the try Baby Test,
which will let you decide if you're a try baby
or not, which is a whole level of people. Audiobook
is coming out, so for your son it might be
a really nice thing. It's coming out of October twenty eighth,
and boy, my son doesn't read either. It's that heavy
(31:09):
generation that has this. You know, they don't read and
they have a trying mindset. So it is. It's magical,
it's it's good, it's a it's fantastic.
Speaker 1 (31:18):
Yeah. Well again, if you don't get it there, you
go to Amazon dot com. I think the stop the
hyphen trying is the best way to do it. But
no matter how you get it, do check out Stop Trying. Carlo.
Thank you so much for your time. I love your
stories and keep up the great work. And I love
you know. I'm in my fifties as well, and I
you know, I try new things and it's scary and
(31:38):
it's weird, but you know we can keep on trying
and keep on doing and get it done. I mean
that's I think. That's what I found, is I as
I jump in life, better keep doing. Yeah, exactly, So
thanks again, propreciate it. Your character actor of the week
is Brian James. Well that's it for this episode of
the Hollywood in Total Podcast. Again, I hope you'll check
(31:59):
out hollywod Toto dot com. It is my website. It
is updated seven days a week with all the news,
reviews and commentary from the rite of center perspective. We
don't want to chase away or push away our liberal
leaning friends. There's lots of apolitical content on there, but
here's the bottom line. When you talk about Hollywood coverage, reporting,
news reviews, it is almost uniformly to the left of center,
(32:22):
and it shows. And that's why this podcast in that
particular website exists. Of course, from now in our eleventh
year of Hollywood intoto dot com to check it out.
I hope everyone has a wonderful week. Doctor's Orders
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