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. 6h ago

    Jack Stewart Still Doesn't Feel Like He Belongs in the Ryanverse

    Scariest environment you haven't written about yet... "The halls of Congress." - Jack Stewart Jack Stewart spent 23 years landing fighter jets on aircraft carriers at night. He says landing on a carrier never really gets easy, and it never gets enjoyable either. That's the same discipline he brought into taking over Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan Jr. series. Instead of writing another cockpit story, Stewart sent his first outing 600 feet underwater instead. The choice traces back to years after he left active duty, when he managed a dive operation for an undersea construction company. He watched deep sea divers up close and decided they were crazier than pilots. To write about them honestly, he went and got scuba certified himself, and came away with a fact that still surprises him: a diver 600 feet down is technically farther from breathable air than an astronaut on the space station. Stewart also opens up about the people who shaped him. A wing commander once pointed him toward an open F-18 slot in the reserves, a conversation Stewart says changed the direction of his entire career. On the Rockin' 8, he tells the story of reenlisting a family friend as the man made master chief, the same person Stewart had sworn into the Navy years earlier as a young lieutenant. He talks candidly about writing Master Diver Carla Bennett, a character built to make his lead cede control to someone else entirely, something Stewart says a lot of men in the military still struggle with. And he gets honest about writing inside a franchise this size. He still doesn't feel like he belongs in the same category as the writers who came before him in the Ryanverse, and says that discomfort is exactly what keeps his stories sharp. Stewart also talks about restlessness. After 23 years of always chasing the next mission, he says he's still learning what it means to sit still. His go-to fix when a scene gets heavy is a playlist full of Sublime and Slightly Stupid, which he says keeps him calm enough to actually get the words out. None of this happens without his family. He's been married 22 years, weathered deployments and airline schedules together, and now juggles book tours around flying full time for Southwest and visiting his sons at the Air Force Academy and Texas A&M. Tom Clancy Pressure Depth is out now, wherever books are sold and at jackstewartbooks.com. This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy Podtrac - https://analytics.podtrac.com/privacy-policy-gdrp

    Jack Stewart Still Doesn't Feel Like He Belongs in the Ryanverse

  2. 4d ago

    Ali Siddiq on the Stranger Who Told Him His Words Saved Her Daughter

    "I have no need for a bell-bottom, double-breasted yellow suit at this point." - Ali Siddiq Welcome Ali SiddiqWe’re joined on the Starline by a comedian who turned down Netflix, bet on himself, and just won the first NAACP Image Award ever given to an independently released special. His special My Father is streaming now. We welcome Ali Siddiq. Ali, let’s go Beyond the Mic You've put out more than fifteen specials, and My Father only came out this year. Why did that one take this long to be ready to make, when it's a story you've been carrying your whole career? Custom Fit Tour is your first real run through arenas. How do the different size rooms feel on the road compared to the Houston stages you learned on? Three Webbys and that NAACP Image Award. Which one actually caught you off guard? The Rockin' 8: Ali Siddiq’s Custom Fit Tour is on the road and Ali joins us for the Rockin’ 8, 8 random questions, just trust your first instinct. There is no Pressure. 1. The tour's called Custom Fit. Who or what actually got measured for that name, the show, the audience, or you? 2. You grew up in Third Ward. Is there one block or corner in that stretch that still means something every time you drive past it? 3. Between boxing and Muay Thai at the gym and running Tom Bass Park, sometimes three miles, sometimes the full six and a half, what decides which kind of exercise you need on a given day? 4. You've hosted Jive Turkeys every November since 2009, raising money for the Houston Food Bank, longer than most of your specials have existed. What keeps that one on the calendar every year when everything else about your career has changed around it? 5. What's one skill from live radio you still use on stage or in the writers' room that people wouldn't expect came from your history? 6. Speaking of hustling, with your daughter a chef, what's the one thing you like cooking yourself? 7. What's one house rule that applies to all your kids, no exceptions, no matter their age? 8. Fans yell out for classic bits like "Mexicans Got on Boots," but you actively refuse to lean on crutches. How do you know when a joke has truly reached its "Sell By" date? Sneaking in a Couple More:You'll give us fifteen minutes today. Somewhere else this week you probably said no to twenty. What actually decides which room or person gets your time? A lot of comics chase the network pilot pipeline as the holy grail. What made you decide that the stage and the independent route were the only acceptable compromises for your art? With the heavy, dramatic, and real-life emotional weight your stories carry, how do you personally measure whether a show was a success for you on stage? One Big Question:What would you want your grand kids to think of the growth and resiliency that you have found in your life? The Wrap:He loves cooking for himself, demands his kids to wash their face and brush their teeth and wants you to see the Custom Fit Tour today. Ali Siddiq, 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

    Ali Siddiq on the Stranger Who Told Him His Words Saved Her Daughter

  3. Sep 20

    Actor James Paxton on "Last Train to Fortune"

    "The cool thing about this story is they both teach each other something throughout the film... That's one of my favorite elements of the film, book smart versus street smart." - James Paxton Welcome James Paxton:We're joined on the Starline by an actor and musician who's built his own lane in Hollywood. He's trading gunslinger banter with Malcolm McDowell in “Last Train to Fortune”. We welcome James Paxton. It’s been a big week for you... James, let's go Beyond the Mic. More than 10 years ago, you posted a photo of you and the inimitable Malcolm McDowell on social media. Did you ever think the two of you would actually work together, and why was Last Train to Fortune the perfect film for it? The whole movie rides on you and Malcolm having a specific kind of chemistry, a guy who can't read stuck with a guy who won't stop reading. What did building that with him actually look like on day one? This story is basically an argument that not knowing how to read can get you killed out there. What part of Dooley did you recognize in yourself when you first read this script? The Rockin' 8:Last Train to Fortune is the film and James Paxton joins us for the Rockin’ 8, 8 random questions, just trust your first instinct. There is no Pressure. 1. Malcolm McDowell's been doing this over 60 years, James. What's one habit or ritual of his on set that you've already started stealing for yourself? 2. You've done crime drama on Eyewitness, horror in BIT, big studio action in Twisters, and now a Western. Which of these was the one you walked onto set the most nervous about getting right? 3. First thing you look for at a farmers market? 4. You went from wanting to cover other people's stories to being the one interviewed constantly. Is there a question reporters keep asking you that you think misses the actual story? 5. You have to get rid of one forever: modeling, playing music, or acting. Which one gives the heave ho? 6. Is there someone outside music entirely, a filmmaker or writer, who's shaped the Love, Pax sound more than any actual musician has? 7. Between acting, music, and everything else, what's the one thing you do purely because you're bad at it and don't care? 8. What was the first guitar you ever got, and who got it for you? Sneaking In A Couple More:Before any of this, before Twisters, before your last name meant anything in this business, Dan Gilroy gave you your first real job in Hollywood at nineteen. What's your best memory of him? What did he see in you that day that you don't think you saw in yourself yet? One Big Question:If you walked into every room in this industry under a different last name, one nobody recognized, what do you think would be the first thing people actually noticed about you? The Wrap:He wants to be better at basketball, got his 1st guitar from his 4th grade teacher and wants you to see Last Train to Fortune. James Paxton 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

    Actor James Paxton on "Last Train to Fortune"

  4. Sep 11

    Actor Eriq La Salle's Most Personal Story Yet

    "Solomon, I always envisioned him as the African version of Luca Brasi from The Godfather.", Eriq La Salle Welcome Eriq La Salle:We're joined on the Starline by the actor and director who spent nine seasons on ER, directing your favorite shows and just published his most personal thriller yet, “Laws of Solomon”. We welcome Eriq La Salle. Eriq, let's go Beyond the Mic. As an author, it's your job to get the reader invested in the main character's journey. Why is Solomon's road to peace necessary? "Solomon kept his eyes closed until he finally mustered the strength to speak the two words that he never imagined having to say, even under such unimaginable circumstances. “I’m…I’m sorry.” Have you written your own compassion into Solomon? The Rockin' 8:Laws of Solomon is the book, and Eriq La Salle joins us for the Rockin' 8, 8 random questions, first thought, no pressure. But you only have 10 words. 1. You've directed across pretty much the entire Dick Wolf universe at this point. Which character intrigues you the most? 2. You've said a villain who feels justified makes for the best storytelling. Which movie villain would you actually want to sit down and get to know? 3. What's the one movie you'll watch to the end, no matter where you pick it up? 4. What's your favorite breed of dog? 5. Best UConn basketball game you've ever seen live? 6. You kicked off this book tour in Harlem, at Friendship Baptist Church. What went through you that day? 7. Three words that describe your friend Michael Beach? 8. What's your biggest failure, and how did it change you, and Solomon's journey? Sneaking in A Couple More:"Revenge was much more for the living than the dead." Why do you believe in Solomon's redemption, as well as for people in general? Instant follow up : Do people want redemption? Why? Have you found redemption? You've said you might have undiagnosed ADHD, and that you write for people like you. How has the way you write changed from when you started to now? So what are you working on now? One Big Question:Who is the forgotten character in your life? The Wrap:He’ll always watch The Godfather till the end, Michael Beach is loyal and he wants you to read his book “Laws of Solomon”. Eriq LaSalle, thanks for taking the time to talk with us today. And that my friends is 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

    Actor Eriq La Salle's Most Personal Story Yet

  5. Sep 3

    Why a Retired Marine Colonel Kept Peter Ortiz's Photo on His CIA Desk

    "...(Ortiz) never went back to Centron", Katie Sanders Welcome Nick Reynolds and Katie SandersWe’re joined on the Starline by a journalist, who chased a 1949 recording to the Marine who saved her grandfather in Nazi-occupied France, and a historian, who kept that Marine's photo on his CIA desk for years. o-authors of “Ortiz's War: The Allies' Secret Weapon Against the Nazis in France”. We welcome Katie Sanders and Nick Reynolds. Friends, let’s go Beyond the Mic. Katie, you found a scratchy old recording of your own grandfather's voice completely by accident. What did chasing that down actually cost you, across nine years, to see this through? Nick, you'd already written a prize-winning history of American WWII intelligence. What made Peter Ortiz specifically the guy whose photo stayed on your desk, not somebody else out of that same story? The Rockin' 8:Ortiz's War is the book, and Katie Sanders and Nick Reynolds join us for the Rockin' 8, 8 random questions, just trust your first instinct. There is no Pressure. Since we have two guests we’ll alternate questions but you only have 10 words to answer. 1. Katie, favorite course at UPenn? 2. Nick, what section of the Library of Congress feels like home to you? 3. Katie, one word to describe Peter Ortiz, first thing that comes to mind? 4. Nick, will the Kryptos cipher key for K4 ever be produced? 5. Katie, the one place on the Jewish Book Council tour you're most looking forward to? 6. Nick, best Marine Corps Birthday Ball you've ever attended, where was it? 7. Katie, most unexpected artifact you found during research? 8. Nick, actor, living or dead, who should play Ortiz in a movie? Sneaking in Couple More:You both live with dogs. Since we're on the record, what makes your dog the best? Katie, between Google, Harry's, and Condé Nast, which office had the best snacks? Nick, between farming, writing a novel, and mountain climbing, which "detour" did you actually take most seriously? One Big Question:Ortiz surrendered himself twice, once to spare a village, and years later, in a way, to spare himself the fight of trying to explain a war nobody back home really understood. If he walked into this room today and heard what his one choice at Centron actually built, a family that exists three generations later because of him, what do you think he'd say? The Wrap:She loved driving a van to prison, he thinks Jacob Elordi should play Peter Ortiz in a Movie. They want you to read “Ortiz's War: The Allies' Secret Weapon Against the Nazis in France”. Katie Sanders, Nick Reynolds 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

    Why a Retired Marine Colonel Kept Peter Ortiz's Photo on His CIA Desk

  6. Aug 30

    The Two Calls That Defined Joe Amodei's Flyers Documentary

    "I made a decision very early on to just let the Flyers tell the story." Welcome Joe AmodeiWe're joined on the Starline by a guy who's spent forty years deciding which movies get made and how they get sold and never once his own. That changes now. "Cold War in Philly: Flyers vs. Russia 1976" is his first film in the director's chair, and it's out now. We welcome Joe Amodei. Joe, let’s go Beyond the Mic. Every one of these players is going to be gone within a generation or two, and this film is what's left. Is there a question you wish you'd asked one of them, that you didn't realize you'd missed until the interview was already over? You've watched thousands of documentaries as a distributor. What's the cliché you were most afraid of accidentally making with this one and was there a moment in the final cut where you caught yourself doing it anyway? What made this game so special for you? The Rockin' 8:"Cold War in Philly: Flyers vs. Russia 1976" is the film, director Joe Amodei joins us for the Rockin’ 8, 8 random questions, just trust your first instinct. 1. You've been distributing films since the VHS era. What's the one title you distributed that you still feel never got the love it deserved? 2. What was the first Flyers game you ever saw live? 3. How do you actually eat a Reese's cup: nibble around the edge, or one big bite? 4. You're a Turner Classic Movies fan. What's your actual favorite film that plays on TCM? 5. What's your real favorite Bruce Springsteen song? 6. Sunsets or sunrises? 7. Out of everything you've collected across forty years and dozens of films, is there one object that isn’t an award or family member you'd grab first if the house was on fire? 8. You lost a few of these players while you were still making this film. Was there a specific day when you got the call or text and do you remember exactly who had passed? One Big Question:You've spent forty years deciding which movies were worth someone else's time. Is there one thread connecting every film you've ever put your name behind and did making your own tell you what it is? The Wrap:He eats Reese’s cup in one big bite to his wife’s dismay and loves Chaplain’s “City Lights”. He wants you to check out "Cold War in Philly: Flyers vs. Russia 1976," in theaters now... Joe Amodei, 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 Two Calls That Defined Joe Amodei's Flyers Documentary

  7. Aug 27

    "It's Not Video, It's Audio": How a 30 for 30 Director Found the Dick Allen Film Nobody Would Make

    "What's ironic, Sean, is it's not video, it's audio." Welcome Andy BillmanWe're joined on the Starline by the director who spent four years turning one baseball injustice into a five-part series, “My Father, Dick Allen”. Two Emmys, a Peabody, and a lifelong Cleveland kid at heart. We welcome Andy Billman. Andy, let's go Beyond the Mic. This started as a one-hour film and became a five-part series over four years. What was the moment you realized one hour wasn't going to hold this story? What was the exact piece of footage, that made you say this isn't just a baseball story, this is the one I have to make next? Working this closely with Dick Allen's own family, specifically his son, changes the shape of a biography. How did that relationship set the boundaries of what you were willing to put on screen? The Rockin' 8:“My Father, Dick Allen” is the series and Andy Billman joins us for the Rockin' 8, 8 random questions, first thought, no pressure. 1. At either Big Met or Little Met, what's the best round you ever put together? 2. Of every 30 for 30 you've cut, which one nearly broke you in the edit bay? 3. Is there one person you wanted for this film and just couldn't land? 4. The one thing you always tell your public speaking students at New Haven? 5. Toughest interview you ever sat across from. Who was it? 6. Best Stuart Scott memory. Go. 7. Time machine, any sports story ever. Which one are you directing? 8. First Cleveland memory. The one that made you fall in love with this city, or broke your heart? The Back Half:“My Father, Dick Allen” is the series and Andy Billman joins us for the Back Half. You've spent your whole career telling other people's hardest stories. What did four years inside Dick Allen's story cost you personally? How has storytelling changed you? What’s the one story you wanted to tell but you can’t. So what is story that you got from your parents? Justice:“My Father, Dick Allen” is the series and Andy Billman joins us Beyond the Mic. You've made films about a city that lost for fifty years and a man who waited fifty years to get in. Why are you drawn to stories about people who have to wait too long for justice? Andy, what's the thing about making this film you almost didn't survive, creatively, emotionally, or logistically? You were a deer in headlights writing for Stuart Scott at 22. What would that version of you think of the guy directing his own five-part series now and all the things you’ve done? Andy, what’s the 1st thing you bought with 1st paycheck from ESPN? Four years is a long time to live inside one man's story. What do you know about your own father, or your own family, that you didn't know before you made this? And how did this change the way you are with your boys? Don Reiber believed in you before you'd done anything to earn it. Who else in your life did that, and did you ever get to tell them it mattered? What’s your thoughts on the media world right now? One Big Question:You spent four years making sure history finally got Dick Allen right. When you look at your own life outside the editing room, who is the person you’re still working to truly understand? The Wrap:“Youngstown Boys” nearly died in the edit bay, Jim Brown was scary and director Andy Billman wants you to see “My Father, Dick Allen”. Andy 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

    "It's Not Video, It's Audio": How a 30 for 30 Director Found the Dick Allen Film Nobody Would Make

  8. Aug 22

    A Texas Native’s Journey: Tom Provost Brings America’s Founding Story to Life

    "You're going to die and nobody's going to remember you 50 years after that." — Tom Provost Welcome Tom Provost:We’re joined on the Starline by a true Hollywood polymath. Writer, director, actor, teacher, and part time charity CEO. Hollywood’s go to script is in the spotlight now with his film “Young Washington”. We welcome Tom Provost. Tom, let’s go Beyond the Mic. Every version of Washington we've had is the marble statue. What made you want to write him at his most unfinished? He was young, unsure, capable of a mistake that could've ended everything? How has your views of Washington failures changed since researching and writing this? The film has an icy river sequence too dangerous to actually shoot. But a pool in Ireland stretched into a frozen death trap with the assistance of AI. What was it like watching a scene you wrote on paper become something so dangerous that technology had to invent it? What's the one scene in this movie you fought hardest to keep true, even when an easier version could've played safer? The Rockin' 8:Young Washington is the film and Tom Provost joins us for the Rockin' 8. 8 random questions, just trust your first instinct. There is no Pressure. 1. You played Ensign Filie on SeaQuest DSV right as the network was retooling it into the ground. What did that teach a young actor about how Hollywood actually works? 2. A friend of mine once drank 32 oz of blue cheese dressing on a dare. Could you? What’s the secret of your blue cheese? 3. When you're at the movies, what snacks do you buy and if it's popcorn, how do you treat it? 4. If you had to build the perfect menu for a night watching Young Washington, what's on it? 5. Ten years waiting tables: Is there one shift or one table you still think about today? 6. After the fire took 1,832 of your books, what was the one you went looking for first to replace? 7. Is there a smell that means home to you? 8. What's a piece of advice from a parents that didn't actually land until years later? The Impossible Question:If you could hand the script of your own life to a 21-year-old Tom Provost, what's the one scene you’d let him edit? And if he chose to fix it, would you still be the man who made “Young Washington”? The Back Half:Tom Provost from “Young Washington” join us Beyond the Mic. Four years at UT Austin studying English lit, film production, and criticism. How did those years actually prepare you for the life you're living now? You co-wrote “Under Suspicion” decades ago, then years as a script doctor and consultant before your name went back on a poster with “Young Washington”. What made these two projects worth stepping out from behind the curtain for? How have your thoughts on respect changed? This film leaned on AI to build shots too dangerous or expensive to shoot for real. Has working with AI changed how you think about your own process as a writer? There's a line in the film: "The world is often an unfair place, and you must take what it gives you and make it yours." What have you taken from the world and made it yours? Tom, you are a giver, as the founder and CEO of Bags and Grace, how does surviving your own house fire change what you think people actually need when they've lost everything? Teaching:Tom Provost from “Young Washington” join us Beyond the Mic. You teach film making and acting to students who want the career you have. What's the one lesson you didn't actually understand yourself until you'd already failed at it? Who challenges you now? You had early success with a produced, Edgar-nominated screenplay, a directed feature that won festival awards. Then years as a script doctor and consultant, other people's names on the poster. Was there a point you thought your own name might not go back on one? What’s on your list now? Tom, what did you get from your dad that's different from what you got from your mom? When was the last time you lost your temper? One Big Question:Your mother is a historian of the American Revolution. She handed you this country's story before anyone else did. If she watched this film sitting right next to you, what's the one moment you'd most want to see land on her face? So the best vacation was where? Your best memory of family is… The Wrap:He likes milk duds in his popcorn, waited once on Robin Williams and wants you to watch “Young Washington” now. Tom Provost, thanks for taking the time to talk with us today. And that my friends is a Beyond the Mic XL. This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy Podtrac - https://analytics.podtrac.com/privacy-policy-gdrp

    A Texas Native’s Journey: Tom Provost Brings America’s Founding Story to Life
See All (790)

Trailer

4.8
out of 5
25 Ratings

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
    790
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 SM 2026 Dog Drool Holdings LLC All rights reserved
  • Show Website
    Beyond the Mic with Sean Dillon

You Might Also Like