Funny In Failure

Michael Kahan
  • 4.5 (21)
  • Comedy Interviews
  • Updated Weekly

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. 2d ago

    Zach Margs - Feel the fear and do it anyway

    Zach Margs is a British comedian, writer, filmmaker and content creator who has built a global following through his hilarious and relatable observations of Jewish and Israeli culture. After leaving behind a successful career in real estate to pursue his creative passions, Zach has amassed hundreds of thousands of followers and millions of views through his viral comedy sketches, memorable characters and clever storytelling. He's also taken his comedy to stages around the world with his international stand-up tour, Zach's Back, created the viral short film How the Gvinch Stole Hanukkah, and launched the live dating show Truth or Date. Beyond the laughs, Zach is passionate about using comedy to bring people together, celebrate Jewish identity and spread joy, positivity and connection around the world. Zach will also be performing in Sydney this week and Melbourne the week after – links in his bio. We chat about his dating show truth or date & collaboration, his master's in real estate and quitting the industry, love of stand up, his back operation and being out of action for months, authenticity, the need for security at his shows, 'improv', fear, being on a reality TV show and performing in Hebrew for the first time, The Gvinch, nerves, burnout, and how sometimes life's greatest setbacks become unexpected gifts + plenty more! Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zachmargs/ Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@zach_margs Website/ ticket sales: https://zachmargs.com/pages/live-shows Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Zach-Margs/61578003995983/ Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@zachmargs

  2. Oct 19

    Carolina Ravassa - Stepping Stones

    Carolina Ravassa is an actor, director, producer, writer and voice actor in animation and video games. She is best known for her roles as Polaris in Xmen 97, Sombra in Overwatch, Raze in Valorant, Queen Isabella in Marvel's What If...? and Carolina in Disney's Hamster and Gretel as well as the Imagen Award-winning sketch comedy series Hispanglosaxon, which she produced, directed and starred in. Other notable credits include roles in: Teia in Dragon Age: The Veilguard, Onyx Equinox on Crunchy Roll, Dead Island 2, GTA5, Red Dead Redemption 2, Cyberpunk 2077, Marvel's Avengers, Max Payne 3, Far Cry 6, Legends of Runeterra, Maya and the Three, Ridley Jones, The Loud House, Scooby-Doo and Guess Who?, The Casagrandes, Victor and Valentino, and more.  Morgan's Mask, a film she produced and starred in, about a Gamer/Cosplayer stuck indoors during the pandemic, is currently on amazon prime video. It deals with mental health so it's having a tremendous effect on comic con goers. She has also appeared on The Affair opposite Dominic West, Mr. Robot with Bobby Cannavale and Rami Malek, and has done short films with Reggie Watts. Having trained with some of the most prestigious institutions in the world and fluent in English, Spanish, Portuguese and conversational Italian, Carolina tackles each role she takes on with unprecedented precision and a skill set exceeding her years. Carolina earned her B.A. in Theatre Arts from Boston College, trained at The New York Conservatory for Dramatic Arts and Rio de Janeiro's famed Center for Theatre of the Oppressed. We chat about the Theatre of the Oppressed, Polaris and X-men97, Hispanglosaxon + Morgan's Mask, the voice acting community, me being a professional ice cream taster, conventions, celebrating the wins, moving to LA, rejection, trying stand up as her characters + so much more!  Check Carolina out on: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ravassa/ Website: www.carolinaravassa.com Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjks62ld89FCzpD1vvVQacg Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hispanglosaxon/ Twitter/ X: https://x.com/carolinaravassa Hispanglosaxon: https://www.carolinaravassa.com/home Chairty (Trinity School): https://trinity.edu.co/ ------------------------------------------- Follow @Funny in Failure on Instagram and Facebook https://www.instagram.com/funnyinfailure/ https://www.facebook.com/funnyinfailure/

  3. Oct 12

    Phil Medina - The Power of a Nudge

    Phil Medina is a comedia, Actor and Voice Artist. Born and raised in the small town of Madera, California, Phil Medina rose from lifelong class clown to nationally recognized stand-up comedian after taking a leap of faith in 2008 that quickly placed him on legendary stages including The Ice House, The Laugh Factory, and The Hollywood Improv. Since then, Phil has won multiple comedy competitions, headlined comedy clubs coast to coast, and become the national voice of Hungry Howie's Pizza commercials. His work has been featured on Amazon Prime, Hulu, and Tubi, and in 2024 he was selected to perform at the prestigious Netflix Is A Joke Festival. With commanding stage presence, razor-sharp wit, and undeniable charisma, Phil Medina continues to establish himself as one of the most exciting and in-demand comedic voices in the country. We chat about his life being turned upside down when he thought he was destined to become a parole officer, why he walked away from retirement, his love of wrestling, gratitude, the impact The Secret had on him, not liking stand-up comedy, learning to love himself, substance abuse, the surprise power of bombing on stage, how myspace helped him grow his comedy career, the importance of a nudge at the right time, the impact of Anthony Campos + plenty more! Check Phil out on: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/comicphilmedina Linktree: https://linktr.ee/comicphilmedina Website/ shows: https://philmedinacomedy.com/ ------------------------------------------- Follow @Funny in Failure on Instagram and Facebook https://www.instagram.com/funnyinfailure/ https://www.facebook.com/funnyinfailure/

  4. Oct 5

    Mariyah Gerber - 'Skate Together to Stay Together'

    Mariyah Gerber is a former competitive figure skater and Disney on Ice performer. She's now a lifestyle, motherhood and advocacy creator with more than 5.7M followers across YouTube, TikTok and Instagram. A mom of two boys, she shares honest content about family, wellness and personal growth, and she speaks out on representation and inclusion in sports and beyond. A lifelong athlete, Mariyah dedicated years to the demanding world of competitive figure skating before going on to perform professionally with Disney on Ice. Her career required discipline, perseverance, and elite-level performance while navigating spaces where diverse representation has historically been limited. Those experiences have given her a unique perspective that continues to influence her content, allowing her to authentically speak about confidence, overcoming obstacles, and the importance of creating opportunities for the next generation. We chat about her love of ice skating and being an athlete, perfection and the process of unlearning, being on the Jennifer Hudson show, trying to get into the Olympics, her Full Circle Magical Disney on ice skating moment, the impact her grandmother had on her, pressure, nervous system regulation, touring and travelling the world, 'skating together to stay together' + plenty more! Photo credit: Amanda Riley Photo Check Mariyah out on: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mariyahgerber Linktree: https://linktr.ee/mariyah_gerber Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@mariyah.gerber Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mariyahgerber Snapchat: https://www.snapchat.com/@mariyahgerber ------------------------------------------- Follow @Funny in Failure on Instagram and Facebook https://www.instagram.com/funnyinfailure/ https://www.facebook.com/funnyinfailure/

  5. Sep 28

    Jennifer Hale: 5 Years to Fail

    Jennifer Hale is an award-winning voice actor, actor, singer, and educator and advocate for performers. She founded Acting.SkillsHub.Life to open doors for working actors and newcomers alike. SkillsHub.Life is rapidly becoming one of the most trusted and respected learning platforms in the business, helping make the industry more accessible for voice actors worldwide. SkillsHub.Life recently received the NAVA Service Provider of the Year award. And then there are the credits — and there are a lot of them, one of the most in the world, she even a Guinness World Record holder for the most prolific female video game voice actor for many years. Jennifer earned the SOVAS Industry Icon Award in recognition of her outstanding contributions. Jennifer's versatility shines through in her work and The New Yorker Magazine dubbed her "A kind of Meryl Streep of the form". Jennifer received the BTVA Video Game Voice Acting Award for Best Female Vocal Performance in a Video Game for Commander Shepard in Mass Effect 3. She has also won three BTVA People's Choice Voice Acting Awards, two BTVA Television Voice Acting Awards and a NAVGTR Award, and has been nominated three separate times for Voice Actress of the Year. Jennifer is best known as Commander Shepard in the Mass Effect franchise, Bastila Shan in Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, Ashe in Overwatch, and Cinderella across Disney projects since 1995. She also voices Sam and Mandy in Totally Spies!, Rosalind Lutece in BioShock Infinite, Rivet in Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, Samus Aran in Metroid Prime, Trinity in The Matrix: Path of Neo, Gladys in The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy, Naomi Hunter and Emma Emmerich in the Metal Gear Solid series, Avatar Kyoshi and June in Avatar: The Last Airbender, Flora in Tak and the Power of Juju, and Dory in the Finding Nemo video games.  Her superhero credits are equally massive. She's voiced Ms. Keane, Sedusa and Princess Morbucks in The Powerpuff Girls; Killer Frost in Injustice: Gods Among Us and Justice League; Felicia Hardy, AKA Black Cat, in Spider-Man; Ms. Marvel in The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes; and Jean Grey/Phoenix across numerous Marvel projects, including X-Men, Wolverine and the X-Men and Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3, as well as the Goblin Queen and Madelyn in X-Men. In the Star Wars universe, she also voices Aayla Secura in Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker.  And if that wasn't enough, she's also the voice — and singing voice — of Thorn from Scooby-Doo's Hex Girls. Jennifer's open dialogue about what she calls 'The Head Game' - resilience, mental health, and career longevity in this industry - coupled with her practical business perspective have made her a sought-after keynote speaker and trusted guide to many. She also gives back each month in her Patreon community 'The Haven'. We chat about the Divine Spark, her mum kidnapping her, your true definition of success, intuition and listening to it, brain/subconscious training, determination, the relationship with ourselves, resilience and resourcefulness + plenty more! Photo credit: Manfred Bauman. Check Jennifer out on: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jhalegram/ Website: https://www.jenniferhale.com/ SkillsHub.Life: https://acting.skillshub.life/ Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGpsPwVBYd8Ls6gGkg_IF9Q/videos Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@jhaletok ------------------------------------------- Follow @Funny in Failure on Instagram and Facebook https://www.instagram.com/funnyinfailure/ https://www.facebook.com/funnyinfailure/

  6. Sep 21

    Claire Coffee - Locus of Control

    Claire Coffee is an actor, writer, director, and producer who logged her first professional theater credit at age 6 in the San Francisco Bay Area. As an actor, TV/Film highlights include starring roles on NBC's long running show Grimm, The West Wing, S.W.A.T., Law and Order, so many pilots and sitcoms, and the short film Blocks (on which she also served as a producer), which premiered at Sundance and was optioned as a series for Showtime. As a director, Claire helmed the comedy and spoken word portion of APM's radio show "Live From Here" for two seasons and produced and directed Chris Thile's full length narrative orchestral piece "Attention!", which has been performed with The Knights, the LA Phil, the National   Orchestra and the Louisville Orchestra. With Chris (her husband), Claire co-created and directed the musical variety show The Energy Curfew Music Hour, available on Audible. Currently, Claire can be seen playing morally dubious DOD fixer Anna Vorpe on CBS' long running series FBI. Season 9 of FBI will be out October 5th so check it out! We chat about producing, working with her husband and the fulfilment that came from that, Grimm & the famous photo, obsession with air travel & aviation, conventions and the famous yacht, almost quitting & periods of little work, frustration, rejection, doing improv, creativity, West Wing and the role that never eventuated, fear + plenty more! Also, for the Grimm fans, I've also spoken with Sasha Roiz (Captain Sean Renard), Reggie Lee (Sergeant Drew Wu), and Jim Kouf, co-creator, executive producer and co-showrunner of the series.   Check Claire out on: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/clairecoffee/ Blocks: https://www.blocksthefilm.com/ ------------------------------------------- Follow @Funny in Failure on Instagram and Facebook https://www.instagram.com/funnyinfailure/ https://www.facebook.com/funnyinfailure/

  7. Sep 14

    Sara Tomko - This too shall pass

    Sara Tomko is an actor, writer & director who best known for her role as Asta Twelvetrees in the SyFy & USA show Resident Alien. She also recurred on ABC's Once Upon a Time and has had roles on S.W.A.T., The Leftovers & Sneaky Pete. Sara had supporting roles in the indie films Bad Day for Bigfoot with Chris Elliott, Skycrash and Third Shift.  She just completed her first short that she wrote and directed 'This is Your Life, Sister'.   For the Aussies out there, Brisbane and Adelaide, Sara will be coming to Supanova at the end of oct/ early November so check it out! We chat her love of poetry and preforming live for the first time, life after Resident Alien, the moments in between work, working on the Asylum, being your own best friend, fear, following your passions, the life changing mindset shift she had as a waitress, tarot and dancing in the dark + plenty more! Check Sara out on: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/saratomko19 Tarot: https://calendly.com/saratomko Notes from the chat: Rewiring your brain method for smoking, sugar or other addiction is called the 'CBQ method by Nasia Davos' ------------------------------------------- Follow @Funny in Failure on Instagram and Facebook https://www.instagram.com/funnyinfailure/ https://www.facebook.com/funnyinfailure/

  8. Sep 7

    Corey Reynolds - Swing for the fences

    Corey Reynolds is one of the most versatile performers working in the business today. From his breakout Broadway debut as "Seaweed" in HAIRSPRAY (nominations for Outer Circle Critics Award, Drama Desk Award and the prestigious Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical), to seven seasons playing "Sgt. David Gabriel" opposite Emmy Award- winning actress Kyra Sedgwick on TNT's smash hit series THE CLOSER (five SAG Award nominations, two NAACP Image Award nominations and two Vision Award nominations) Reynolds has been honored for both his comedic and dramatic work. Reynolds recently starred in SYFY's "Resident Alien." The series, which ran for four seasons, follows an extraterrestrial who crash-lands on Earth with the intent to destroy the planet but develops a moral dilemma. He plays "Mike Thompson," the local sheriff who runs the town with a chip on his shoulder, a cowboy hat on his head and an iron fist. He is currently reprising his role of "Cliff Mosley" on season 8 of The CW's ALL AMERICAN. Reynolds has starred in Universal's critically acclaimed film STRAIGHT OUTTA COMPTON directed by F. Gary Gray. The film chronicles the rise of rap group N.W.A. and has Reynolds playing "Lonzo Williams", the rap group's former nightclub boss whose unwillingness to support their vision sets the stage for N.W.A.'s eventual rise to stardom. He has also starred in THE RUNAROUND starring Emile Hirsch and JK Simmons, and THE MEDDLER starring Susan Sarandon and Rose Byrne. Reynolds can also be seen in the Academy Award-nominated Paramount feature film SELMA, directed by Ava DuVernay and produced by Harpo Films. Reynolds plays the pivotal role of civil rights activist and Martin Luther King confidant, "Rev. C.T. Vivian" opposite David Oyelowo, Tim Roth and Oprah Winfrey. He was born and raised in Richmond, Va., beginning his professional career at age 16 performing around his hometown.  He went on to perform in the national and international tours of the Broadway musicals Smokey Joe's Café and Saturday Night Fever, as well as regional performances of Parade and Avenue X before his work on Broadway and his eventual move to Los Angeles. We chat about what a psychic told him, writing + his Green Lantern spec script, his love of Resident Alien, being emancipated at a young age, gut feeling and leap of faith, choosing Hairspray over The Lion King, working on cruise ships, generosity of spirit plus plenty more!   Check Corey out on: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/coreyreynoldsLA/ Threads: https://www.threads.com/@coreyreynoldsla ------------------------------------------- Follow @Funny in Failure on Instagram and Facebook https://www.instagram.com/funnyinfailure/ https://www.facebook.com/funnyinfailure/

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4.5
out of 5
21 Ratings

About

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.

Information

  • Creator
    Michael Kahan
  • Years Active
    2019 - 2026
  • Episodes
    364
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © All rights reserved
  • Show Website
    Funny In Failure

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