In this episode of "Kahnversations," we interview Monty Geer.

Monty Geer, known as "Cole" on MTV’s AWKWARD and as the guy always late to class at Lesly Kahn, has been making comedies since he was 8 years old living in the woods of Washington state. When he was 16, he moved to NYC to study at the New York Film Academy and New York University. While in New York, Monty competed in national stand-up competitions on TBS, won national sketch competitions and sold his own scripted series to MSN. Monty’s comedy got recognized, he wrote monologue jokes for over 60 episodes of LATE NIGHT WITH JIMMY FALLON, articles on COLLEGE HUMOR, sketches for FUNNY OR DIE, and jokes on two COMEDY CENTRAL ROASTS.

That’s when Monty moved to LA and was cast in MTV’s #1 scripted and critically acclaimed series, AWKWARD. His character “Cole” was a fan favorite and the series was nominated for 3 People Choice Awards, winning one, along with winning a Teen Choice Award for Best Comedy. Monty continued his success with TruTV’s ADAM RUINS EVERYTHING and Lifetime’s MOMMY I DIDN’T DO IT.

He is currently gearing up for a national college tour with RJ Mitte (Breaking Bad) and MJ Dougherty (Best Selling author). It's called the ROLLER COASTER TOUR and they are giving inspirational speeches in front of colleges about how even if you “make it" life is still a roller coaster and you will always have ups and downs. The tour will begin in 2019 and is being pushed by the same publicity team that handles the Academy Awards. For showtimes and dates, you can check out his Instagram: @MontyGeer.

You can download or subscribe to our podcast for FREE by clicking below. If you like “Kahnversations,” please leave a rating or review on our iTunes page!  

There are so many inspiring podcasts with fabulous stars out there. But their careers feel light years away from ours, don’t they? Wouldn’t it be great to hear from the guy who just booked his first pilot? Or the kid finally doing a studio pic after a bunch of low budget indies? Or the woman who’s been a series regular a few times but is only now becoming a name? What about the guy who’s been on a show for years and you know his face but what’shisnameagain? Or that actress who is now a freakin’ showrunner???? How’d THEY do it, right? How did they transition from relative obscurity, bartending and bottle service, to buying that house in Brentwood? We’re producing “Kahnversations,” a podcast that provides access to THOSE people -- your immediate predecessors -- so that you can learn from them while their battle scars are still fresh.

In “Kahnversations,” our own Ryan Bailey interviews some of Lesly Kahn & Company’s working actors, directors, and writers in order to learn how they got started in Hollywood, the challenges and hurdles they faced, and how they overcame the odds. (They also dish out some crazy stories!) Listen in and enjoy as these entertainers speak candidly about their paths, processes, and experiences. You might even hear a bit about how Lesly and the Kahnstitute have influenced and shaped their careers.

New "Kahnversations" Podcast with Actor Lisa Linke!

In this episode of "Kahnversations," we interview Lisa Linke.

Lisa Linke is a Midwesterner to the core, she will pick up litter wherever she goes, delivers casseroles after births and funerals, and already loves your pets.

An improv veteran, she moved to Los Angeles from Chicago, five and a half years ago and hit the ground running at Lesly Kahn & Co. In the last sixteen months, she has shot costars and guest stars in LOVE on Netflix, THIS IS US, MODERN FAMILY, Disney’s BUNK’D, TEACHERS, GREY’S ANATOMY, FOR THE PEOPLE and upcoming projects for Apple TV and Hulu. 

She currently teaches a Comedy Intensive at Lesly Kahn & Co. and co-teaches an ongoing class with the delightful, dreamy, hilarious Tiffany Elle. 

You can download or subscribe to our podcast for FREE by clicking below. If you like “Kahnversations,” please leave a rating or review on our iTunes page!  

In this episode of "Kahnversations," we interview Olivia Applegate.

Olivia Applegate is an actor multi-hyphenate based in Los Angeles. Originally from Austin, TX, Olivia got her start when she landed a role in Terrence Malick’s feature, SONG TO SONG, alongside heavy hitters such as Ryan Gosling, Michael Fassbender, Natalie Portman and Rooney Mara.  She continued as an Indie Darling, starring in several critically acclaimed features including KRISHA, which won the Audience and Grand Jury Prizes at SXSW and was an official selection at the Semaine de la Critique at Cannes. Her indie film success combined with her star turn singing on NBC’s AMERICA'S GOT TALENT, garnered her representation in LA. Since moving West, Olivia has booked roles on NBC’s REVOLUTION, Fox’s THE GIFTED and the upcoming shows EUPHORIA, for HBO starring Zendaya, and Bravo’s limited series, DIRTY JOHN, starring Connie Britton and Eric Bana. She’s also the lead in streaming site Passionflix’s new series, DRIVEN, acting opposite fellow Kahn student, Casey Deidrick. Olivia enjoys working behind the camera as a writer, producer and director as well. Her most recent collaboration, PINK LEMONADE, is on the festival circuit this year. When Olivia isn’t acting, she loves performing as a singer and cellist and has even helped compose and perform songs for several of her film projects. She also loves cooking (AKA throwing random ingredients in a pan and hoping for the best).

You can download or subscribe to our podcast for FREE by clicking below. If you like “Kahnversations,” please leave a rating or review on our iTunes page!  

There are so many inspiring podcasts with fabulous stars out there. But their careers feel light years away from ours, don’t they? Wouldn’t it be great to hear from the guy who just booked his first pilot? Or the kid finally doing a studio pic after a bunch of low budget indies? Or the woman who’s been a series regular a few times but is only now becoming a name? What about the guy who’s been on a show for years and you know his face but what’shisnameagain? Or that actress who is now a freakin’ showrunner???? How’d THEY do it, right? How did they transition from relative obscurity, bartending and bottle service, to buying that house in Brentwood? We’re producing “Kahnversations,” a podcast that provides access to THOSE people -- your immediate predecessors -- so that you can learn from them while their battle scars are still fresh.

In “Kahnversations,” our own Ryan Bailey interviews some of Lesly Kahn & Company’s working actors, directors, and writers in order to learn how they got started in Hollywood, the challenges and hurdles they faced, and how they overcame the odds. (They also dish out some crazy stories!) Listen in and enjoy as these entertainers speak candidly about their paths, processes, and experiences. You might even hear a bit about how Lesly and the Kahnstitute have influenced and shaped their careers.

New "Kahnversations" Podcast with Actor Madeline Zima!

In this episode of "Kahnversations," we interview Madeline Zima.

Madeline Zima is a filmmaker and actress with over three decades of experience in the film and television industry. Her first short film, WARM HUMAN MAGIC, premiered this year at Dances With Films, and was also programmed at the Female Eye Film Fest and the Madrid International Film Festival, where it was nominated for Best New Filmmaker and Best Actress. As an actress, Madeline was recently hand-picked by David Lynch for Showtime's TWIN PEAKS reboot and was a series regular on CALIFORNICATION (SHOWTIME). Madeline, a former child actor, made her debut in the film THE HAND THAT ROCKS THE CRADLE as well as the 90's sitcom THE NANNY (CBS). She's recurred and guest starred on dozens of TV shows, most notably HEROES (NBC), THE VAMPIRE DIARIES (CW), Amazon's BETAS, GREY'S ANATOMY (ABC), and ROYAL PAINS (USA). Her favorite film role was starring in MY OWN LOVE SONG alongside Renée Zellwegger and Forrest Whitaker in Oliver Dahan's follow up to his Oscar winning film LA VIE EN ROSE.

Madeline regularly performs onstage in the UCB My Diary Show as well as charitable outreach performances to raise money for the housing crisis in Los Angeles. A native of Los Angeles, Madeline has grown up on film sets and is currently developing a TV show with her two sisters, who are also actresses and screenwriters, Yvonne Zima and Vanessa Zima.

You can download or subscribe to our podcast for FREE by clicking below. If you like “Kahnversations,” please leave a rating or review on our iTunes page!  

There are so many inspiring podcasts with fabulous stars out there. But their careers feel light years away from ours, don’t they? Wouldn’t it be great to hear from the guy who just booked his first pilot? Or the kid finally doing a studio pic after a bunch of low budget indies? Or the woman who’s been a series regular a few times but is only now becoming a name? What about the guy who’s been on a show for years and you know his face but what’shisnameagain? Or that actress who is now a freakin’ showrunner???? How’d THEY do it, right? How did they transition from relative obscurity, bartending and bottle service, to buying that house in Brentwood? We’re producing “Kahnversations,” a podcast that provides access to THOSE people -- your immediate predecessors -- so that you can learn from them while their battle scars are still fresh.

In “Kahnversations,” our own Ryan Bailey interviews some of Lesly Kahn & Company’s working actors, directors, and writers in order to learn how they got started in Hollywood, the challenges and hurdles they faced, and how they overcame the odds. (They also dish out some crazy stories!) Listen in and enjoy as these entertainers speak candidly about their paths, processes, and experiences. You might even hear a bit about how Lesly and the Kahnstitute have influenced and shaped their careers.

In this episode of "Kahnversations," we interview Alex Quijano.

A northern California native, Alex attended The University of California @ Davis and graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology while also pitching for the Aggie baseball team…the perfect beginning for every actor. After graduation, he crushed his parents “Our son is going to be a doctor!” dreams and moved to LA to become an actor.

After grinding his way through serving jobs and substitute teaching Algebra, Geometry, and Art, Alex finally broke into the commercial world with the never award winning, Spanish market only Tecate beer commercial as...a baseball player (no dialogue). Thankfully this crumb of hope led him to quitting all other jobs and fully pursuing acting. That lasted 4 months and he returned to the serving world. After that kick of reality to the face, he became more driven and 3 short years later actually began working commercially (union only people).

This string of success led him to getting hip pocketed by a theatrical agent and finally making his theatrical debut on the award winning C.S.I. as SEXUAL MALE NEIGHBOR #2 (neighbor #1 has never been identified). Since then, he began the slower than normal climb to success. Thankfully it’s started to work out. You can now catch Alex in recurring roles on FRESH OFF THE BOAT, THE FOSTERS, KEVIN “PROBABLY” SAVES THE WORLD and 13 REASONS WHY as well as other shows and movies over the years. He has a super cute dog, Marlon, a smoking hot bod, and is 100% Colombian (looks white).

Alex recently broke his hand…in acting class…on a sofa. A sofa.

You can download or subscribe to the podcast for FREE by clicking below. If you like “Kahnversations,” please leave a rating or review on our iTunes page!  

There are so many inspiring podcasts with fabulous stars out there. But their careers feel light years away from ours, don’t they? Wouldn’t it be great to hear from the guy who just booked his first pilot? Or the kid finally doing a studio pic after a bunch of low budget indies? Or the woman who’s been a series regular a few times but is only now becoming a name? What about the guy who’s been on a show for years and you know his face but what’shisnameagain? Or that actress who is now a freakin’ showrunner???? How’d THEY do it, right? How did they transition from relative obscurity, bartending and bottle service, to buying that house in Brentwood? We’re producing “Kahnversations,” a podcast that provides access to THOSE people -- your immediate predecessors -- so that you can learn from them while their battle scars are still fresh.

In “Kahnversations,” our own Ryan Bailey interviews some of Lesly Kahn & Company’s working actors, directors, and writers in order to learn how they got started in Hollywood, the challenges and hurdles they faced, and how they overcame the odds. (They also dish out some crazy stories!) Listen in and enjoy as these entertainers speak candidly about their paths, processes, and experiences. You might even hear a bit about how Lesly and the Kahnstitute have influenced and shaped their careers.

New "Kahnversations" Podcast with Actor Benjamin Schrader!

In this episode of "Kahnversations," we interview Benjamin Schrader.

A Seattle native, Benjamin attended Cornish College of the Arts and began his professional acting career at The Village Theatre and Seattle’s 5th Avenue Theatre. In New York, he was part of the original 2007 workshopping team for Trey Parker and Matt Stone’s Broadway mega-hit THE BOOK OF MORMON, and went on to be a member of the original TONY winning Broadway cast. Benjamin received a Grammy nod for THE BOOK OF MORMON Grammy Award-winning cast album.

Schrader also starred on Broadway in AVENUE Q, the 2009 revival of RAGTIME, the 2004 Broadway revival of Deaf West’s BIG RIVER, and was instrumental in the development of the character Gabe in the Pulitzer Prize winning musical NEXT TO NORMAL. In 2013, Benjamin toured the country with the TONY Award-winning Broadway production of PETER AND THE STARCATCHER, directed by the legendary actor/director Roger Rees. In Los Angeles, Benjamin recently won the Stage Scene LA award for the role of Freddy in Musical Theatre West’s DIRTY ROTTEN SCOUNDRELS.

Other recent highlights include the Walt Disney Academy Award-winning animated feature FROZEN, where he can be heard as Brother Troll, and appearances on television in HBO’s TRUE DETECTIVE and ABC’s REVENGE, among many others. 

For three years, Benjamin served as the Executive Producer and Host of THE STAGE DOOR SUPPER CLUB, a nationally broadcast in-depth Broadway educational series for the “On Broadway” channel on SiriusXM Satellite Radio. 

Benjamin is a prolific director having helmed PETER AND THE STARCATCHER for Raw Sills Productions at the Whitmore-Lindley, and the SiriusXM concert series at Rockwell Table and Stage. He is also a headlining magician at the world famous Magic Castle in Los Angeles, where he recently completed his one man magic play LESSONS IN DISHONESTY by magic legend Jim Steinmeyer. He also freelances as a director for other professional magicians.

Outside of performing, for the past few years Benjamin has been a creative consultant for various high end bars and speakeasies in California. He designed the tiki cocktail program for Clifton’s Pacific Seas Room in downtown LA, Encino’s famed Sushi|Bar for celeb chef Philip Frankland Lee, and most recently he designed Magic|Bar, San Fernando Valley’s only magic and cocktail saloon. 

Benjamin lives in Los Angeles.

You can download or subscribe to the podcast for FREE by clicking below. If you like “Kahnversations,” please leave a rating or review on our iTunes page!  

There are so many inspiring podcasts with fabulous stars out there. But their careers feel light years away from ours, don’t they? Wouldn’t it be great to hear from the guy who just booked his first pilot? Or the kid finally doing a studio pic after a bunch of low budget indies? Or the woman who’s been a series regular a few times but is only now becoming a name? What about the guy who’s been on a show for years and you know his face but what’shisnameagain? Or that actress who is now a freakin’ showrunner???? How’d THEY do it, right? How did they transition from relative obscurity, bartending and bottle service, to buying that house in Brentwood? We’re producing “Kahnversations,” a podcast that provides access to THOSE people -- your immediate predecessors -- so that you can learn from them while their battle scars are still fresh.

In “Kahnversations,” our own Ryan Bailey interviews some of Lesly Kahn & Company’s working actors, directors, and writers in order to learn how they got started in Hollywood, the challenges and hurdles they faced, and how they overcame the odds. (They also dish out some crazy stories!) Listen in and enjoy as these entertainers speak candidly about their paths, processes, and experiences. You might even hear a bit about how Lesly and the Kahnstitute have influenced and shaped their careers.