Beyond the Mic with Sean Dillon

Sean Dillon | Beyond the Mic
  • 4.8 (25)
  • Arts
  • Updated Weekly

I believe every person has value. Behind every headline, hustle, hard-earned moment, and family tales there’s a story worth sharing. That’s why I built Beyond the Mic. I talk with artists, athletes, authors, icons and people you need to know. I don’t do puff pieces. I ask questions that get to the real stuff: the doubts, wins, detours, and moments that shaped them. The stories that you normally don't get to hear. Some stories make you laugh. Some hit you in the gut. All of them remind you: people matter, you matter. I’m not here to be famous. I’m here helping others be heard. I want curiosity to run free, connect communities, and make something that sticks with you long after the mic is off. Because in a world full of noise, real stories still cut through. Remarkable stories from people you know—and people you should. That's my mission. Let's go #BeyondTheMic. New Episodes Weekly! A Dog Drool Holdings production — dogdroolholdings.com This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy Podtrac - https://analytics.podtrac.com/privacy-policy-gdrp

  1. 17h ago

    Josh Turner Almost Said No to "Your Man"

    "...how different my career would have been had Alan Jackson cut Long Black Train." Welcome Josh Turner:We’re joined on the Starline by a man who stood in a Nashville pressing plant and watched the first copy of his own twenty-year-old record come off the line. "Your Man" turns twenty. We welcome Josh Turner. Josh, let's go Beyond the Mic. You were standing right there at United Record Pressing when the first test press came off the line. What did you do with it? Chris Stapleton sent you the demo. You have said you could not hear it for your own record. What was wrong with it? The Rockin' 8:"Your Man," the 20th Anniversary Edition, is the album, and Josh Turner joins us for the Rockin' 8. 8 random questions, just trust your first instinct. There is no Pressure. 1. It's a Small World. Fan, or not? Like ride / song 2. Last Braves game you saw live. Did they win? 3. Best Halloween costume you had growing up? 4. Biggest fish you ever caught in South Carolina? 5. Favorite place to perform BEFORE the Opry? 6. More than twenty students have come through the scholarship fund you and Jennifer started. Who touches your heart still today? 7. What is the one thing in your house right now that came from Hannah? 8. You found his medals and that letter after he was gone. What else of your granddaddy's do you have? Sneaking in a Couple More:If you could meet your 28 year old version of yourself today, what advice would he give you? And would you actually listen? Some artists bury their early records. Why put yours on turquoise vinyl? One Big Question:You almost passed on "Your Man." What does it do to a man to know the biggest thing in his life was something he nearly said no to and how glad are you that you said yes? The Wrap:He last caught a 26 lb Red Drum, cherishes his parents 1st table from Hannah, and wants you to hear "Your Man," the 20th Anniversary Edition, out now. Josh Turner, thanks for taking the time to talk with us today. And that my friends is a Beyond the Mic Short Cut. This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy Podtrac - https://analytics.podtrac.com/privacy-policy-gdrp

    Josh Turner Almost Said No to "Your Man"

  2. 2d ago

    The Filmmaker Who Put a Bull Shark in Landlocked Illinois

    "Nobody cares about your story, whether you're a writer of books or screenwriting.", Robin Christian Welcome Robin Christian:We're joined on the Starline by a filmmaker who refuses to pick a lane: horror, holiday, musical, true story. The horror-thriller "Below," brings bull sharks to landlocked Illinois. We welcome Robin Christian. Robin, let’s go Beyond the Mic. You've made a bull-shark thriller, a Christmas drama, and a musical, horror. How does your movie making range fit, or does it not fit anywhere on purpose? "Below" was shot nowhere near an ocean. What's the hardest part of pulling off a genre movie like that on an independent budget, project after project? You've proven you can make almost anything. But why? Champaign-Urbana keeps showing up as your home base for shooting. What does that town give you that LA or Canada never could? One Ed Asner’s last movies was with you. How did his presence change you? How did you meet Ed? The Rockin' 8:Filmmaker Robin Christian joins us for the Rockin' 8, 8 random questions, just trust your first instinct. There is no Pressure. 1. C.O.R.N. stands for the Collective Order of Recreational Necrophilanthropists. Who in the hell came up with that name? 2. You worked as a laborer for Habitat for Humanity for over two years. What was the skill from a construction site that you still use on a film set? 3. You married Cathy on November 7, 1987. What's one thing about that day you still remember clearly? 4. You helped out at the Austin Film Festival Writers Conference in 2024. What's one piece of advice you give new screenwriters that you had to unlearn yourself? 5. You went to Urbana High School. What's one class or teacher from there that still shows up in how you work today? 6. Of everything you've made, is there one poster you'd keep on your wall if you could only keep one? 7. What's a habit from your very first film set that you still do today? 8. You've taught Sunday school to teenagers for six years, and you also write and direct movies about death cults and reanimated killers. How do those two things relate? The Back Half:Your screenplay about the Beatles' first promoter, the guy who helped launch them and then missed his own moment, is something your own production company calls a hidden gem. Do you relate to that guy at all? Important you make your own joy, what joy to you now? When was the best memory with your family? Is there a version of your own career Robin where you almost missed your moment? Past and Adversity:How do you go from analytics to illumination to polymers to film making? Filmmaker Robin Christian joins us Beyond the Mic. Robin, how has adversity changed you? One of the stories your company has done was of the Morris Goldner. A story about a teenager who snuck into a concentration camp to photograph what was happening inside, and those photos may have helped confirm what the Allies suspected. What drew you to that story, and how do you direct something that true without it becoming a spectacle? Why do you keep chasing the art itself instead of settling into one format or genre? First musical you saw growing up? Mentor:Who was your mentor who has guided you on this path of film making? Robin, how has your work changed from the films you made when you started to what you're making now? Which directors working today have actually changed how you think about your own craft? What's a rule of film making you had to break to make something you actually believed in? So what's the project that almost didn't get made, the one where you nearly walked away from? Who believed in you before there was any real reason to? Two Big Questions:1: What's the story: yours, or one you're telling, that fires you up to keep doing this every day? 2: Has a stranger ever told you that one of your movies changed something for them and did you believe them? The Wrap:At his wedding the fire engine wouldn’t start and loves Mrs. Clemens his accounting teacher. He wants you to watch his CORN Horror Trilogy. Robin Christian thanks for taking the time to talk with us today. And that my friends is Beyond the Mic. This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy Podtrac - https://analytics.podtrac.com/privacy-policy-gdrp

    The Filmmaker Who Put a Bull Shark in Landlocked Illinois

  3. 5d ago

    Ransom: Daniel Silva on Drones, Restoration, and 25 Years with Gabriel Allon

    "If you're a skilled writer, then you can become a 19th century Texan." Daniel Silva Welcome Daniel Silva:We're joined on the Starline by a #1 New York Times bestselling author whose spy hero just went up against Russian drones in “Ransom” We welcome Daniel Silva. Daniel, let’s go Beyond the Mic. Ransom is part kidnap drama, part global thriller, and you've said it's built around one of the most important security issues facing the West right now. What made that the story? After 26 books with the same guy, is there something of you that goes into Gabriel every single time? And has that changed on you over 25 years? What's the 1st rule about writing you believed at 36, publishing your first Gabriel Allon book, that you don't believe anymore today? The Rockin' 8:Ransom is the book and Daniel Silva joins us for the Rockin' 8, 8 random questions, just trust your first instinct. There is no Pressure. 1. Would Gabriel want to own a Banksy, or would he think it's beneath him? 2. You grew up in Merced, California, the son of two schoolteachers. What's one thing a classroom teaches that a newsroom never did? 3. You've done a book tour every July for 25 years. How many pens /sharpies have you actually gone through signing books? 4. After you vote: sticker, or no sticker? 5. What's something you owned before you were a bestselling author that you still can't get rid of? 6. Asking you to pick a favorite bookstore is like asking which twin you love more. Pick anyway. 7. What's the last thing YOU did that actually impressed Jamie? 8. There's a line in the new book Gabriel shook his head slowly, "Didn't they teach you anything at Detective school?" What's the one thing you would want to learn at "Detective School"? One Big Question:You've spent 25 years imagining the world's worst threats before they happen. What's the one you hope you never have to write about, because it actually happened first? The Wrap:He picks up a sticker after voting, went through 8 sharpies at his last event. He wants you to read his book Ransom. Daniel Silva, thanks for taking the time to talk with us today. And that my friends is a Beyond the Mic Short Cut. This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy Podtrac - https://analytics.podtrac.com/privacy-policy-gdrp

    Ransom: Daniel Silva on Drones, Restoration, and 25 Years with Gabriel Allon

  4. Jul 31

    The Fender Strat, the Northern Pike, and the Foreword Scott Spiezio Still Can't Finish

    "Find your identity in something that lasts." Welcome Scott Spiezio:We're joined on the Starline by a two time World Series champion who spent his road trips teaching himself guitar in hotel rooms. His memoir “The Hardest Comeback” is out now. We welcome Scott Spiezio. Scott, Let’s go Beyond the Mic. You tell your story from a stage any chance you get. For free, to whoever shows up. What's in the book that most people don't get? Your dad wrote the foreword. He had to sit down and write the opening to a book about the worst years of your life. Years he lived through on the other side of a phone that stopped ringing. How many times did it take for you to read it all the way through? The Rockin' 8:“The Hardest Comeback” is the book, and Scott Spiezio joins us for the Rockin’ 8, 8 random questions, just trust your first instinct. There is no Pressure. You just have 10 words 1. Do you still have the first guitar you ever got? And what was it? 2. Your band was called Sandfrog. First record, Face Down, produced by Morgan Rose out of Sevendust. How does a switch-hitting utility infielder end up in a studio with Sevendust's drummer? 3. Who's the most unlikely person you've ever shared a stage with? 4. You were born six days before your dad played his last professional game. Has he ever told you what that week was like for him? 5. Nettle Creek. What's the biggest thing anybody in your family has pulled out of it? 6. You pack and mailed the autographed books yourself, out of the Morris post office. Do the people at that counter know you by name now? 7. A nine year old walks into your place for a baseball lesson in Morris for the first time. What's the first thing you fix? 8. When was the last time you used your Lifetime Pass for a game? One Big Question:You wrote that "with virtually no anonymity, I refused to open up and be vulnerable. I learned a little, but my mindset wasn't right." How did the first hug from your dad feel after you got sober? The Wrap:He shared a stage with Eddie Money and Dave Mustaine, watched a Northern Pike get caught out of Nettle Creek and wants you to read his book “The Hardest Comeback”. Scott Spiezio, thanks for taking the time to talk with us today. And that my friends is a Beyond the Mic Short Cut. This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy Podtrac - https://analytics.podtrac.com/privacy-policy-gdrp

    The Fender Strat, the Northern Pike, and the Foreword Scott Spiezio Still Can't Finish

  5. Jul 29

    Ryan Weiss host of "Waking Up with Ryan"

    "I want my daughter to have that kind of compassion when someone's being mean or rude." Welcome Ryan Weiss:We're joined on the Starline by a father, partner, teacher, podcaster and former Broadway star. His latest project is a daily podcast, “Waking Up with Ryan”. We welcome Ryan Weiss. Ryan, let's go Beyond the Mic. You've said, "It was never about becoming someone new. It was about letting go of who I thought I was." That's a pretty different pitch than most of the wellness world makes right now. Why'd this show need to exist at ten minutes a day, instead of one more long conversation? So, what’s happiness to you now? Sophia Bush, Gerard Butler, LeAnn Rimes are lined up for the long-form side of this. What do you actually want to find out from them, that a magazine profile will never get to? Who is your dream guest that you haven’t booked yet? The Rockin' 8:“Waking Up with Ryan” is the show and Ryan Weiss joins us for the Rockin’ 8, 8 random questions, just trust your first instinct. There is no Pressure. 1. What kind of chickens did you have? 2. When was the last baseball game you attended, and who's your baseball idol? 3. First tattoo was of what, and when did you get it? 4. Favorite yoga pose, and least favorite? 5. Wicked is eight shows a week, no days off for months. What's the one thing about performer stamina that still shows up in how you coach people now? 6. Growing up with two triplet siblings in the clergy, what's one thing about faith or ritual you picked up from them without ever meaning to? 7. You say the same prayer each day, Ryan. When was the first day you said it? 8. One experience you have had in your life that you want your daughter Deia to have too? Sneaking in a Couple More:You've said your deepest healing didn't come from trying to fix yourself, it came once you surrounded yourself with teachers and a community who actually understood your trauma. Who was in that room? What did they understand that you couldn't give yourself yet? Who do you want to heal with “Waking Up with Ryan”? One Big Question:“Waking Up with Ryan” is the show and Ryan Weiss joins us for One Big Question… If self-acceptance is the whole message, what's the part of yourself you're still working on accepting? The Wrap:Siblings became clergy, he became a Broadway dancer, now he's doing the family's actual work without a pulpit and had heritage chickens. He wants you to hear “Waking up with Ryan”. Ryan Weiss, thanks for taking the time to talk with us today. And that my friends is a Beyond the Mic Short Cut. This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy Podtrac - https://analytics.podtrac.com/privacy-policy-gdrp

    Ryan Weiss host of "Waking Up with Ryan"

  6. Jul 28

    Who's That Girl: Thea Glassman on the Real Story Behind New Girl

    "I will be so happy to rewatch, watch this every day to talk to every single director, every single writer, every single cast member." Welcome Thea Glassman:We’re joined on the Starline by an entertainment journalist and author who traced classic TV culture in “Freaks, Gleeks, and Dawson's Creek”. Now, she's turning her lens to Loft 4D with her new book, “Who's That Girl: The Definitive History of New Girl”. We welcome Thea Glassman. Thea, let's go Beyond the Mic. You wrote a Vanity Fair piece in 2018 was about New Girl trying to make things right in its final season. What were you seeing in the show that made you need to writ e that? Liz Meriwether described the New Girl set as a lab — a place where off-the-cuff comedy was created by the cast in the moment or through a long list of alt jokes, additional scripted jokes beyond what was written on the page. What's your favorite joke from that process? Which character did you relate to the most from New Girl? The Rockin' 8:Who's That Girl is the book, and Thea Glassman joins us for the Rockin' 8, 8 random questions, just trust your first instinct. There is no Pressure. 1. You have a dog named Riggins, after Friday Night Lights. What was the first TV show that made you feel like you belonged somewhere? 2. You posted a photo of your 14-year-old self with a Dawson's Creek CD liner. What was that girl looking for in that show? 3. In Freaks, Gleeks, and Dawson's Creek, you wrote about seven shows. Which was your favorite of the seven? Instant Followup : What makes New Girl worth its own book? 4. You baked "heartthrob cupcakes" for people who supported your past books. Is that your actual love language — acts of cupcakes? 5. Prince improvised on New Girl. Favorite Prince song? 6. What's the wildest behind the scenes story in the book: the thing that made you go "how did nobody know this?" 7. If you could rewrite one episode of New Girl, which one and why? 8. You traveled while reporting: mentioned extreme gelato and French covid. What's a moment from writing this book that you'll never forget? Sneaking in One More:What's something you found out about New Girl during reporting that genuinely hurt? You built relationships with the cast while reporting this. Did they tell you different things because they trusted you, versus what they might have told a stranger with a recorder? One Big Question:What part of New Girl's story do you think the show itself got wrong? The Wrap:She loved Dawson’s Creek for the love story, Switzerland for vacation and wants you to read “Who's That Girl: The Definitive History of New Girl”. Thea Glassman thanks for taking the time to talk with us today. And that my friends is a Beyond the Mic Short Cut. This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy Podtrac - https://analytics.podtrac.com/privacy-policy-gdrp

    Who's That Girl: Thea Glassman on the Real Story Behind New Girl

  7. Jul 21

    James Landry Hébert on Authenticity

    "The lines don't matter. The life does." — James Landry Hébert (On the difference between working with Sam Levinson and Taylor Sheridan.) Welcome James Landry Hébert:We’re joined on the Starline by a character actor born in Lafayette went from Brad Pitt's stand-in, to have Sam Levinson write a role specifically for him. Season 3 of “Euphoria” is streaming now on HBO Max. We welcome James Landry Hébert. James, let’s go Beyond the Mic. You said “Harley didn’t show up fully formed, we found him piece by piece.” When you read your first scenes, what did you recognize in that character that told you Sam already knew something true about you? “Euphoria” is so precise, with each frame deliberate. How do you hold onto the looseness, especially in the living room scene, when everything around you is that controlled? How has the way you see acting changed from when you started to now with “Euphoria”? The Rockin' 8:James Landry Hébert joins us Beyond the Mic for the Rockin’ 8, 8 random questions, just trust your first instinct. 1. James, you graduated high school on the rez. What's one thing you knew how to do by graduation that your LSU classmates definitely did not? 2. Before acting you were a horse wrangler and a band manager. Which one prepared you more for Hollywood? 3. Which show or movie doesn’t get the respect you thought it should have? 4. Most Cajun thing you've done in the last month? 5. If the Chitimacha Tribal School had a yearbook superlative for you, what would it have said? 6. When you were a kid on the reservation and you first understood what storytelling was, not as a career, but as something people do to survive... where were you and who was talking? 7. Tarantino, Costner, Sheridan, Levinson: who scared you the most before you walked in, and was it deserved? 8. You've said you want to make a film about being adopted. What's the first scene? Sneaking in a couple more:You spent years in casting before you were acting... watching auditions, seeing what worked and what didn't. How did that change the way you walk into a room now? You've talked about wanting to produce, to connect the dots for people, help others get their stories told. When you think about the stories that aren't getting told yet… what's the one that sits with you? One Big Question:You've spent your whole career making dangerous people human. Finding the heart in the heavy. The Dardens took in a kid from Lafayette who had every reason to go sideways... and gave him a world. When you finally make that film... who are you making it for? The Wrap:The most Cajun thing James has done this month is make his families secret gumbo recipe, managing a band prepared him for Hollywood and wants you to see Euphoria Season 3 streaming now on HBO Max. James Landry Hébert, thanks for taking the time to talk with us today. And that my friends is a Beyond the Mic Short Cut. This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy Podtrac - https://analytics.podtrac.com/privacy-policy-gdrp

    James Landry Hébert on Authenticity

  8. Jul 15

    Billy West Read His Own Audiobook in the One Voice He Never Uses Professionally.

    "I'm not worthless, like my father said I was." - Billy West Welcome Billy West:We’re joined on the Starline by a voice-over actor who did his best stuff in the 31st Century. His latest project is his book “Voice-A-Versa: Finding My Voice(s) Behind the Mic”. We welcome Billy West. Billy, let’s go Beyond the Mic. You wrote this book about your own life, and then you had to read it out loud for the audiobook in your real voice, no character, nothing. Forty-five years of voices at your disposal, and you picked the one you never use on the air. Why'd your story need the real you? The book doesn't flinch from a hard childhood. What made this the year to finally put it on paper? "I was totally fearless as a voice-over actor. I would try anything I thought might work. My choices and voices were considered “off the nose” because I didn’t want to offer up character clichés or use the “safe” way out." Where did that fearlessness come from Billy? The Rockin' 8:“Voice-A-Versa: Finding My Voice(s) Behind the Mic” is the book and Billy West it’s time for the Rockin’ 8, 8 random questions, just trust your first instinct. There is no Pressure. 1. You sold guitars in a Harvard Square shop by day and gigged Boston clubs by night. What's the worst guitar you ever talked somebody into buying? 2. Your own X bio calls you a "microphone diaphragm destroyer." What's the take that actually blew one out? 3. Billy. where is your favorite place to think? 4. You had got a room full of guitars, which was your daily driver? 5. In your world: voiceover, animation, radio... who doesn't get the credit they deserve? 6. If someone else had to narrate the story of your life, which actor gets the job? 7. You had a fake ID when you were 20. Do you remember what name was on it? 8. Settling this once and for all: in Supergirl, is it Braille Face or Rivet Face? Sneaking in One More:Your earliest comedy wasn't for a crowd but for your mom, on the hard days, just to pull her out of it. What did a smile from her mean to you now? One Big Question:There's a line in the book: "The past lives in your head because it cannot survive anywhere else." So when did you find peace Billy? The Wrap:He listens to classical music to relax the voices, enjoyed playing a telecaster and wants you to read “Voice-A-Versa: Finding My Voice(s) Behind the Mic”, wherever books are sold. Billy West thanks for taking the time to talk with us today, And that my friends is a Beyond the Mic Short Cut. This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy Podtrac - https://analytics.podtrac.com/privacy-policy-gdrp

    Billy West Read His Own Audiobook in the One Voice He Never Uses Professionally.
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About

I believe every person has value. Behind every headline, hustle, hard-earned moment, and family tales there’s a story worth sharing. That’s why I built Beyond the Mic. I talk with artists, athletes, authors, icons and people you need to know. I don’t do puff pieces. I ask questions that get to the real stuff: the doubts, wins, detours, and moments that shaped them. The stories that you normally don't get to hear. Some stories make you laugh. Some hit you in the gut. All of them remind you: people matter, you matter. I’m not here to be famous. I’m here helping others be heard. I want curiosity to run free, connect communities, and make something that sticks with you long after the mic is off. Because in a world full of noise, real stories still cut through. Remarkable stories from people you know—and people you should. That's my mission. Let's go #BeyondTheMic. New Episodes Weekly! A Dog Drool Holdings production — dogdroolholdings.com This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy Podtrac - https://analytics.podtrac.com/privacy-policy-gdrp

Information

  • Creator
    Sean Dillon | Beyond the Mic
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2026
  • Episodes
    782
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 SM 2026 Dog Drool Holdings LLC All rights reserved
  • Show Website
    Beyond the Mic with Sean Dillon

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