Funny In Failure

Michael Kahan

A podcast that interviews funny and interesting people to discuss their careers and some of the challenges they have faced. I hope to use this platform to normalise and encourage the discussion of failure, particularly through the lens of the entertainment industry, to show that it can be a stepping stone towards the road of success. Nothing is better than humour to normalise a situation, so having deep and meaningful conversations, interspersed with comedy and laughter, helps us celebrate and appreciate life's frustrating moments.

  1. 2 dgn geleden

    #345: Leonardo Nam - What-Ifs

    Leonardo Nam is an Argentinean-Australian Korean actor who has built a career defined by versatility and emotional depth. Audiences know him from HBO's Emmy-award winning Westworld, where he starred opposite Thandiwe Newton as Felix Lutz, as well as standout roles in films such as The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants franchise, The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift and The Perfect Score.  Other credits include: The Flash, Disjointed, Hawaii Five-O, Royal Pains, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Bones, Maggie, MacGyver, Room 104, Sneaky Pete and DC Universe's Swap Thing to name a few.   Off-screen, Leonardo is also entering a major new chapter creatively with the launch of Good On Ya Productions, his independent film and television banner focused on globally-minded, character-driven storytelling.   Leonardo is returning to the spotlight as the fan-favorite character Maddox Hatter, alongside Kylie Cantrall, Malia Baker, Brandy, and Rita Ora in Descendants: Wicked Wonderland. As the fifth instalment in the hit franchise, Descendants: Wicked Wonderland follows Red and Chloe as they confront the fallout of their time travel through Wonderland and face the now-villainous Maddox Hatter. Descendants: Wicked Wonderland will premiere globally July 16, 2026, on Disney Channel and stream the following day on Disney+. Also check out his new film, Love Is The Monster, out now! We chat about studying clown work and the propound impact it had, Descendants, leaving architecture, his production company (Good On Ya Productions), moving to America and sleeping on a park bench, the well, wellness & meditation, artist dates, mentors + much more! Check Leonardo out on: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leonardo_nam/ Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@leonardonam ------------------------------------------- Follow @Funny in Failure on Instagram and Facebook https://www.instagram.com/funnyinfailure/ https://www.facebook.com/funnyinfailure/

  2. 6 jul

    Joe Flanigan - Overcoming Fears

    Joe Flanigan is an actor and writer. He is perhaps best known for his portrayal of the main character Major/Lt. Colonel John Sheppard in STARGATE: ATLANTIS which went into international syndication with 100 episodes. He additionally wrote for the series. Joe started his career in politics working as an advance man at the White House. That was followed by a stint at Andy Warhol's Interview magazine until finally settling At Sanford Meisner's Neighborhood Playhouse in New York.  He was quickly cast in several NBC projects and eventually put under contract there as a series regular for NBC's 'Sisters' alongside Sela Ward and Swoosie Kurtz.  This was followed by another series regular role…... Don Bellisario's First Monday on CBS starring Charles Durning & Joe Mantegna.  He was then cast on Garry Marshal's The Other Sister alongside Diane Keaton, Juliette Lewis, and Giovanni Ribisi. Joe has appeared in other TV shows and movies, including Birds of Prey, Tru Calling, Thoughtcrimes, CSI: Miami, Women's Murder Club, Warehouse 13, Fringe, 6 Bullets, Major Crimes, Dawsons Creek, Providence, Profiler, General Hospital as Dr. Neil Byrne to name a few. Joe can most recently be seen in multiple episodes on the third and final season of Apple's TV show SEE starring Jason Momoa. We chat about Stargate Atlantis, odd cameo requests, being shy and facing his fears, rejection, doing many pilots before Stargate, sticking to your guns, someone stealing his script, integrity, honouring your instincts plus plenty more! Check Joe out on: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joeflaniganofficial ------------------------------------------- Follow @Funny in Failure on Instagram and Facebook https://www.instagram.com/funnyinfailure/ https://www.facebook.com/funnyinfailure/

  3. 29 jun

    Nathan Cavaleri - Being with Fear

    Nathan Cavaleri is an Australian guitarist, singer-songwriter and screen composer. From child prodigy to cancer survivor, from global stages to mental health collapse, Nathan Cavaleri lays bare an extraordinary journey.  By age 12, Cavaleri was at the centre of a bidding war between the labels of Michael Jackson, Prince, and Madonna. By 16, he'd toured the world with B.B. King, played the Kennedy Centre in front of the Clintons during their time in office, and shared stages with icons like Etta James and Bonnie Raitt, all while becoming a familiar face to millions across Australia and the US. Now he's taking his life story to theatres across Australia this year for Growing Pains - The Nathan Cavaleri Story. In this raw, solo show filled with storytelling and music, he traces his path from busking in Campbelltown to the heights of stardom — and back home to himself. (Links below) Various peaks of Nathan's career had him carrying out media tours, performing world stages and recording albums whilst undergoing treatment for Leukaemia. Later in life, his music career was crippled by anxiety/depression, chronic insomnia & fatigue which forced him to take five years off. Throughout this time, he drew on his community of world class artists & varying psychological & biophysical practitioners for a better understanding on how to "be human" in a creative industry. Knowledge acquired helped him to develop the tools that ultimately lead to a confidence and freedom that accommodates life's ups and downs both on and off the stage. We chat about being world famous as a child, performing with Michael Jacksons label, his famous Twitch streams, intuition, bad mentors, his crazy health journey and getting out of his dark period, facing your fears, bullying, practioner that saved his life, love of music plus plenty more! Check Nathan out on: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nathan_cavaleri/ Tour: https://www.nathancavaleri.com/tour Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nathancavaleri Beyond Fear & Anxiety for Performers: https://www.nathancavaleri.com/beyondfearandanxiety? Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nathancavaleri Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/nathancavalerimusic Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/nathancavaleri/ ------------------------------------------- Follow @Funny in Failure on Instagram and Facebook https://www.instagram.com/funnyinfailure/ https://www.facebook.com/funnyinfailure/

  4. 8 jun

    Reed Birney: I Didn't Die

    Reed Birney has been working in film, television and theater for decades. Among his earliest credits are Albert Innaurato's Broadway comedy GEMINI in 1974 and Arthur Penn's FOUR FRIENDS in 1981. A celebrated member of the New York theatre community, Reed has won a Tony and numerous other awards and nominations for plays including THE HUMANS, CASA VALENTINA, MAN FROM NEBRASKA, UNCLE VANYA, BLASTED, and CIRCLE MIRROR TRANSFORMATION. Most recently he starred opposite his son Ephraim Birney in CHESTER BAILEY at Irish Rep, and in the highly successful run of Donald Margulies's LUNAR ECLIPSE at Second Stage, following a sold out run at Shakespeare & Company. On television, he was recently seen recurring opposite Kim Kardashian in the most recent season of "American Horror Story". He was also recently seen in Peacock's "Poker Face", and "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds." Other TV credits include HBO's "Succession" and Hulu's "The Handmaid's Tale", as well as the Apple TV+ series "Home Before Dark". He is also well known for his performance as Vice President Donald Blythe in the Netflix series "House of Cards". Next he will be seen in a series regular role on the upcoming season of "Silo" on Apple TV+, and also recently joined the cast of the limited series "Rabbit, Rabbit" for Netflix. In film, Reed received a Gotham Award nomination for his performance in the Bleecker Street feature MASS opposite Ann Dowd, Jason Isaacs and Martha Plimpton. The film's cast was also honored with the Robert Altman Award at the Independent Spirit Awards. Other recent film credits include THE MENU opposite Ralph Fiennes and Anya Taylor-Joy, the Universal/Blumhouse thriller THE HUNT, and Netflix's THE FORTY-YEAR-OLD VERSION and LOST GIRLS. Reed recently shot an independent feature THE STEEL HARP with Lois Smith and Cherry Jones, as well as BLUE FILM which debuted at Edinburgh Film Festival in August.  We chat about almost quitting 3 times, regrets, 35 bad years & breakout roles 'later in life', embracing fear, being a LIFER, rejection & nasty things people say, spreading the ashes of one of his teachers, terrible plays, His Tony speech, good and bad agents, not working for a year + more! Check out BLUE FILM (tickets currently out) https://obscuredreleasing.com/films/blue-film ------------------------------------------- Follow @Funny in Failure on Instagram and Facebook https://www.instagram.com/funnyinfailure/ https://www.facebook.com/funnyinfailure/

  5. 25 mei

    Maxon - Potential in you

    Maxon is a Singer-Songwriter, and Co-Founder of independent Peninsula record label Sandhill Records. As an artist, Maxon spent her early teens years running in and out of studios, writing and recording original music with her then vocal coach and release artist Cheryl Beattie (Warner Music, 1999). A two-time recipient of the Mornington Peninsula Development Arts Grant, winner of the Green Wedge Songwriting Comp and City of Melbourne Grant Recipient, Maxon's ability to shatter yet heal hearts with her raw creations and powerful depth simultaneously makes any listener feel instantly seen, understood and coaxed into the light. An LGBTQIA+ creative powerhouse fluent in fusing Americana with 70s folk- rock and a modern sheen, Maxon's relationship with music spans beyond the studio and the stage. From devouring John Mayer's Room for Squares on CD on a family road trip through to rapidly developing her own love for singing and songwriting, Maxon has since gone on to share stages and lineups with the likes of Tones and I, Ella Hooper, Alex Lahey more, and has also appeared at major festivals including St Kilda Festival and Melbourne Fringe. Maxon's long-awaited debut album Talking With Strangers is now out as well as her song Little Blue! We chat about her love of music, sound healing, lessons from being a music teacher, learnings from being on TV, authenticity and being true to yourself, performance, red flags, her new album, opening up + plenty more!   Check Maxon out on: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/itsmemaxon/ Website: https://www.itsmemaxon.com/ 'Talking with Strangers' Album: https://gyro.to/TalkingwithStrangers?utm_source=ig&utm_medium=social&utm_content=link_in_bio&fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQPOTM2NjE5NzQzMzkyNDU5AAGn2no0tPM8xMPs-jj3aDNBJB-CzPwQHbpRARbvraW43fVtaviqG7HJ8uVVIKY_aem_b7ziEdd_VnT75udmS7cbzA ------------------------------------------- Follow @Funny in Failure on Instagram and Facebook https://www.instagram.com/funnyinfailure/ https://www.facebook.com/funnyinfailure/

  6. 27 apr

    Sashi Perera - Villain to Hero

    Sashi Perera is a Sri Lankan-Australian comedian, writer and former lawyer, based in Melbourne. After working with refugee organisations around the globe, she moved to Melbourne to do her masters and fell arse backwards into comedy. She's now one of Australia's fastest rising comedians. In 2023, she was nominated for Best Newcomer at Melbourne International Comedy Festival. Since then, she's sold out shows in six countries, opened for Hannah Gadsby and made a slew of television appearances including Channel 10's Have You Been Paying Attention? and ABC's Guy Montgomery's Guy-Mont Spelling Bee. Sashi's comedy shows have wowed audiences all over the world, and her debut novel 'Standstill' was released to widespread acclaim in 2025. Links are below! We chat about being a refugee lawyer, calling off her wedding, her wonderful book, going viral, fertility and mental health, learning to love your body, new material nights, being flown to perform at a wedding in Rome, rage and breaking the cycle, fake wedding speeches vs authentic speeches + plenty more! Check Sashi out on: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sashbomb/ Website/ tickets: https://www.sashiperera.com/shows Book (Standstill): https://www.penguin.com.au/books/standstill-9781761350085 Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@sashicomedy Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@sashicomedy ------------------------------------------- Follow @Funny in Failure on Instagram and Facebook https://www.instagram.com/funnyinfailure/ https://www.facebook.com/funnyinfailure/

Info

A podcast that interviews funny and interesting people to discuss their careers and some of the challenges they have faced. I hope to use this platform to normalise and encourage the discussion of failure, particularly through the lens of the entertainment industry, to show that it can be a stepping stone towards the road of success. Nothing is better than humour to normalise a situation, so having deep and meaningful conversations, interspersed with comedy and laughter, helps us celebrate and appreciate life's frustrating moments.

Suggesties voor jou