Excelsior Journeys: The Road to Creativity

Once Upon a Podcast
Once Upon a Podcast
  • 5.0 (40)
  • Performing Arts
  • Updated Weekly

Inspired by the international bestselling young adult / science-fiction novel Excelsior, this weekly interview show puts the spotlight on both up-and-coming and established creative talents who share their journey to success.

  1. 1d ago

    40th Anniversary Re-Release: "An Autobot Shall Rise from Our Ranks" - The Aftermath of TransFormers: The Movie

    Five years ago, producer & host George Sirois released a five-part miniseries on this show, celebrating the 35th anniversary of TransFormers: The Movie. This week on Excelsior Journeys: The Road to Creativity, George has re-launched the fourth part of the miniseries to celebrate the 40th anniversary and upcoming re-release of the film. "An Autobot Shall Rise from Our Ranks" features producer FJ DeSanto, the man who spearheaded the successful Netflix miniseries TransFormers: War for Cybertron. He and George discuss how FJ discovered TransFormers: The Movie during his childhood, how he would watch Seasons 3 and 4 as they aired, how the franchise would continue on in its many different forms, and much more. PRODUCER'S NOTE: This episode featured the continuation of my conversation with Flint Dille. In addition to acting as the Story Consultant of the 1986 film, Flint was the writer of the 5-part miniseries "Five Faces of Darkness," which set the tone with a heavier science-fiction leaning for Season 3 and went deeper into the mythology of the franchise. Excelsior Journeys: The Road to Creativity exists primarily as a platform for creatives of all kinds (authors, filmmakers, stand-up comics, musicians, voice artists, painters, podcasters, etc) to share their journeys to personal success. It is very important to celebrate those voices as much as possible to not only provide encouragement to up-and-coming talent, but to say thank you to the established men & women for inspiring the current generation of artists. If you agree that the Excelsior Journeys podcast serves a positive purpose and would like to show your appreciation, you can give back to the show by clicking HERE. Excelsior Journeys: The Road to Creativity is now a proud member of the Podmatch Podcast Network, and you can access all shows in the network by clicking HERE.

  2. Aug 11

    40th Anniversary Re-Release: Heaven Only Knows What You Might Find - The Music of TransFormers: The Movie

    Five years ago, producer & host George Sirois released a five-part miniseries on this show, celebrating the 35th anniversary of TransFormers: The Movie. This week on Excelsior Journeys: The Road to Creativity, George has re-launched the third part of the miniseries to celebrate the 40th anniversary and upcoming re-release of the film. "Heaven Only Knows What You Might Find" features composer Vince DiCola telling about how his work on the music of Rocky IV led to him becoming a part of Hasbro History. PRODUCER'S NOTES: This episode was the second appearance for Vince DiCola on Excelsior Journeys: The Road to Creativity. The first one took place a year before, when he shared stories of how he started his journey as a musician, how working with Frank Stallone on the Sylvester Stallone-directed Staying Alive led to him co-writing the hit song "Far from Over," and how he would blow Stallone's mind with his demo recording of "Training Montage" and get the job composing the score to Rocky IV. This week's conversation acts as a Part 2 of an interview duology. Excelsior Journeys: The Road to Creativity exists primarily as a platform for creatives of all kinds (authors, filmmakers, stand-up comics, musicians, voice artists, painters, podcasters, etc) to share their journeys to personal success. It is very important to celebrate those voices as much as possible to not only provide encouragement to up-and-coming talent, but to say thank you to the established men & women for inspiring the current generation of artists. If you agree that the Excelsior Journeys podcast serves a positive purpose and would like to show your appreciation, you can give back to the show by clicking HERE. Excelsior Journeys: The Road to Creativity is now a proud member of the Podmatch Podcast Network, and you can access all shows in the network by clicking HERE.

  3. Aug 4

    40th Anniversary Re-Release: It is the Year 2005 - The Voices of TransFormers: The Movie

    Five years ago, producer & host George Sirois released a five-part miniseries on this show, celebrating the 35th anniversary of TransFormers: The Movie. This week on Excelsior Journeys: The Road to Creativity, George has re-launched the second part of the miniseries to celebrate the 40th anniversary and upcoming re-release of the film. "It is the Year 2005" features five voice actors who are forever part of the franchise's legacy: Michael Bell (Prowl / Scrapper / Swoop), Gregg Berger (Grimlock), Sue Blu (Arcee), Victor Caroli (Narrator), and Neil Ross (Springer / Hook / Bonecrusher). PRODUCER'S NOTES: This episode was recorded on August 8, 2021, the 35th anniversary of the release of TransFormers: The Movie. This was also the first time Victor Caroli shared a stage - virtual or otherwise - with any other voice actors from the film or overall franchise. Excelsior Journeys: The Road to Creativity exists primarily as a platform for creatives of all kinds (authors, filmmakers, stand-up comics, musicians, voice artists, painters, podcasters, etc) to share their journeys to personal success. It is very important to celebrate those voices as much as possible to not only provide encouragement to up-and-coming talent, but to say thank you to the established men & women for inspiring the current generation of artists. If you agree that the Excelsior Journeys podcast serves a positive purpose and would like to show your appreciation, you can give back to the show by clicking HERE. Excelsior Journeys: The Road to Creativity is now a proud member of the Podmatch Podcast Network, and you can access all shows in the network by clicking HERE.

  4. Jul 28

    40th Anniversary Re-Release: Two Years in the Making - The Development of TransFormers: The Movie

    Five years ago, producer & host George Sirois released a five-part miniseries on this show, celebrating the 35th anniversary of TransFormers: The Movie. This week on Excelsior Journeys: The Road to Creativity, George has re-launched the first part of the miniseries to celebrate the 40th anniversary and upcoming re-release of the film. "Two Years in the Making" features the original screenwriter Ron Friedman (Godspeed Ron, 1932-2025) and story consultant Flint Dille discussing their part in preparing this film for the big screen. Excelsior Journeys: The Road to Creativity exists primarily as a platform for creatives of all kinds (authors, filmmakers, stand-up comics, musicians, voice artists, painters, podcasters, etc) to share their journeys to personal success. It is very important to celebrate those voices as much as possible to not only provide encouragement to up-and-coming talent, but to say thank you to the established men & women for inspiring the current generation of artists. If you agree that the Excelsior Journeys podcast serves a positive purpose and would like to show your appreciation, you can give back to the show by clicking HERE. Excelsior Journeys: The Road to Creativity is now a proud member of the Podmatch Podcast Network, and you can access all shows in the network by clicking HERE.

  5. Jul 21

    Concluding Season 12 with Award-Winning Author Laura Frost

    For the final episode of Season 12 of Excelsior Journeys: The Road to Creativity, host & producer George Sirois sits down with Laura Frost, an award-winning author who provides encouragement to up-and-coming authors as an industry judge and critic. As someone who is constantly reaching out a helping hand to those behind her while still moving herself forward with award-winning works like her psychological thriller Seeking Sasha, Laura is a true beacon of light in the writing community and a true representative of what this show yearns to spotlight. For more about Laura, please click HERE. Excelsior Journeys: The Road to Creativity exists primarily as a platform for creatives of all kinds (authors, filmmakers, stand-up comics, musicians, voice artists, painters, podcasters, etc) to share their journeys to personal success. It is very important to celebrate those voices as much as possible to not only provide encouragement to up-and-coming talent, but to say thank you to the established men & women for inspiring the current generation of artists. If you agree that the Excelsior Journeys podcast serves a positive purpose and would like to show your appreciation, you can give back to the show by clicking HERE. Excelsior Journeys: The Road to Creativity is now a proud member of the Podmatch Podcast Network, and you can access all shows in the network by clicking HERE.

  6. Jul 14

    Mary Shotwell is Truly an Author for All Seasons

    On this week's episode of Excelsior Journeys: The Road to Creativity, host & producer George Sirois sits down with author Mary Shotwell. As someone with many different stories to tell, Mary has taken advantage of the freedom that comes with working with publishers such as Roan & Weatherford. She is not tied to any one genre; she has enjoyed telling stories of small-town romance with her Waverly Lake series, her work has appeared in multiple editions of Chicken Soup for the Soul, and she has also presented dark fantasy and horror such as her debut adult fantasy novel "Mist and Divide" and several short stories such as "A Sailor's Curse," which is in the "Full Moon's Light Anthology." More about Mary can be found HERE. Excelsior Journeys: The Road to Creativity exists primarily as a platform for creatives of all kinds (authors, filmmakers, stand-up comics, musicians, voice artists, painters, podcasters, etc) to share their journeys to personal success. It is very important to celebrate those voices as much as possible to not only provide encouragement to up-and-coming talent, but to say thank you to the established men & women for inspiring the current generation of artists. If you agree that the Excelsior Journeys podcast serves a positive purpose and would like to show your appreciation, you can give back to the show by clicking HERE. Excelsior Journeys: The Road to Creativity is now a proud member of the Podmatch Podcast Network, and you can access all shows in the network by clicking HERE.

  7. Jul 7

    No Reservations Required to Meet Book of Reservations Author Laura Buchwald

    On this week's episode of Excelsior Journeys: The Road to Creativity, host & producer George Sirois sits down with author, editor, and podcaster Laura Buchwald. Based out of New York City, Laura started working on her first novel The Coat Check Girl back in 2009, , a journey that would take more than a decade to complete. It eventually found its home with Roan & Weatherford's Radiance imprint, and it was followed by the sequel The Book of Reservations. While Laura works on the next book in her series, she is also the co-host of the podcast People Who Do Things. You can listen to the show by clicking HERE. And you can get to know more about Laura by clicking HERE. Excelsior Journeys: The Road to Creativity exists primarily as a platform for creatives of all kinds (authors, filmmakers, stand-up comics, musicians, voice artists, painters, podcasters, etc) to share their journeys to personal success. It is very important to celebrate those voices as much as possible to not only provide encouragement to up-and-coming talent, but to say thank you to the established men & women for inspiring the current generation of artists. If you agree that the Excelsior Journeys podcast serves a positive purpose and would like to show your appreciation, you can give back to the show by clicking HERE. Excelsior Journeys: The Road to Creativity is now a proud member of the Podmatch Podcast Network, and you can access all shows in the network by clicking HERE.

  8. Jun 30

    Taking a Trip Across the Generations with Women's Historical Fiction Author Deborah Oswald

    On this week's episode of Excelsior Journeys: The Road to Creativity, host & producer George Sirois sits down with author Deborah Oswald. As a lover of history and historical fiction, Deborah has channeled her passion into a series of books featuring three generations of women from the fictional McKenna Family, which resides in Hudson Valley, New York. They were introduced to the world in the books The Girls of Haviland and Beyond Haviland, and we learn more about them and their bloodline in the books Netta's War, The McKenna Correspondent, and Liberation Twins. Learn more about Deborah and collect her books by clicking HERE. Excelsior Journeys: The Road to Creativity exists primarily as a platform for creatives of all kinds (authors, filmmakers, stand-up comics, musicians, voice artists, painters, podcasters, etc) to share their journeys to personal success. It is very important to celebrate those voices as much as possible to not only provide encouragement to up-and-coming talent, but to say thank you to the established men & women for inspiring the current generation of artists. If you agree that the Excelsior Journeys podcast serves a positive purpose and would like to show your appreciation, you can give back to the show by clicking HERE. Excelsior Journeys: The Road to Creativity is now a proud member of the Podmatch Podcast Network, and you can access all shows in the network by clicking HERE.

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Inspired by the international bestselling young adult / science-fiction novel Excelsior, this weekly interview show puts the spotlight on both up-and-coming and established creative talents who share their journey to success.

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