Spoken Dreams
123 episodes - English - Latest episode: over 4 years ago - ★★★★★ - 20 ratingsA storytelling podcast from KTLA 5 in Los Angeles. Each week, Aspiring actors, musicians, models, filmmakers and more share their stories and experiences of working to fulfill their dreams in L.A.'s entertainment industry.
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Episodes
Paul Beahan, Maliwu: Malibu Canyon Music Festival
March 09, 2020 12:28 - 14 minutes - 13.4 MBPaul Beahan is an entrepreneur, producer, and the founder of Manimal Records. He was born in San Diego, and was always interested in the music business as a child. He even started his own imaginary record labels as a kid. Eventually he started playing music, and joined up with a few bands around the San Diego area. As his friends and bandmates went on to do well as musicians, Paul realized he didn’t feel like he was cut out to make a careerplaying music. He needed a change, so he he...
Angela Martini, Former Miss Universe Model/Life Coach
March 02, 2020 13:42 - 22 minutes - 20.2 MBAngela Martini is a former model and Miss Universe pageant title holder turned Life coach, film producer, and author. She was born in Albania after the fall of communism and had an fairytale childhood, but after civil war broke out in Albania and danger grew, the fairytale ended. Angela was forced to leave her mother behind and move to Switzerland to be with her father and step-mother. Suddenly, Angela’s childhood became less idyllic and she dove further into her own dream world. Af...
Binx, Pop Artist
February 24, 2020 13:20 - 25 minutes - 23.1 MBBinx is a pop artist originally from South Africa. She grew up in small towns without a lot of venues for entertainment, so people became the entertainment, and Binx found out early on that she loved being in the spotlight. She loved performing for friends and family, and after seeing Britney Spears on television, Binx suddenly knew exactly what she wanted to do with her life. With the love and support of her family, Binx grinded away at pursuing her dreams of being a famous pop sta...
Manny Garcia, Educator/Clothing Designer
February 10, 2020 14:03 - 23 minutes - 21.9 MBManny Garcia is an educator, creative, and clothing designer. He was born in Texas and raised primarily in Michigan. He grew up surrounded by music, which ignited his creativity, but despite that passion, Manny pursued teaching. Later, his ambitions outgrew Michigan, and the desire to give music a shot was too strong to ignore—so he moved to Nashville. But as a Mexican-American wanting to explore his cultural identity, Nashville proved to not be the right fit, and when music wasn’t ...
Asha Dahya, Host/Author
February 03, 2020 13:36 - 18 minutes - 16.9 MBAsha Dahya is a journalist, a Ted X speaker, host, and author. She was born in England, but spent most of her childhood in Australia. Since a young age, Asha has always been talkative and loved performing. She had aspirations to be an actress, but later found that path was not a good fit. Asha began working as a television host, and suddenly found herself working for some major networks. Once she felt established, she wanted to explore new challenges and opportunities outside Austra...
Zara Alexandrova, Fashion Stylist
January 27, 2020 13:44 - 17 minutes - 16.3 MBZara Alexandrova is a stylist and fashion consultant. She was born in Armenia and grew up in Russia. Since childhood, Zara always had an eye for fashion. She loved putting together outfits for school, and was even known to alter her mother’s wardrobe. Zara saw fashion as a means to be “the woman that she wanted to be.” Growing up in Russia, however, pursuing a career in fashion was out of the question, so Zara went to school to be a lawyer. When her family decided to move to Los Ang...
Heather Daughtry, Actress/Host
January 20, 2020 13:32 - 17 minutes - 15.8 MBHeather Daughtry is an actress and host from Los Angeles. Heather grew up with a love for the performing arts, and was always seeking ways to be creative. She enjoyed dancing, music, and is even a violinist. But when college came around, Heather decided, like many others, to take a more "practica"l path, and became a communications major. Still, she took every chance she could get to perform. After college, Heather’s new dream was to work in a corporate role, but still close to the ...
Vida Ghaffari, Actress
January 13, 2020 13:36 - 16 minutes - 14.9 MBVida Ghaffari is an actress originally from the Washington, D.C. area. Her father was a scientist and her mother, an artist and art teacher. Vida is of Iranian descent and grew up during a time where anti-Iranian sentiment was prevalent in the United States. She was bullied in school, and therefore felt most comfortable on the stage exploring different characters. As an adult, Vida would land in the journalism field, and that would ultimately take her from D.C. to Los Angeles workin...
Greg Maness, Actor/Aspiring Writer
January 06, 2020 14:35 - 24 minutes - 22.2 MBGreg Maness is an actor and aspiring writer. His father was in the military, so while he was born in the Netherlands, his family moved around every couple of years. Because of this, Greg found it difficult to put down roots and make friends. His family finally settled in South Carolina, where Greg would attend college and first discover acting. Initially seeing it as a way to avoid academics, he slowly began to take it more seriously. Immediately after graduating, Greg let out for L...
AyseDeniz Gokcin, Pianist/Composer
December 30, 2019 13:22 - 24 minutes - 22.5 MBAyseDeniz Gokcin is a concert pianist and composer. She is originally from the city of Ankara, Turkey. AyseDeniz was almost quite literally born into music. Much of her childhood was spent seated at a piano, and by 5-years-old she was already taking formal lessons. By age 6, she was considered a child prodigy in Turkey, and was accepted to Julliard by age 11. Instead of heading to New York City for her studies, she went to Spain to study under the tutelage of iconic pianist Rosalyn ...
Nick Dardes, Aspiring Screenwriter
December 02, 2019 13:31 - 22 minutes - 20.3 MBNick Dardes is originally from the small town of Beaufort, South Carolina. He describes himself as an aspiring writer, but also says he’s the guy who is willing to do just about anything in the entertainment industry. His love for film began after watching the first Spider-Man movie in 2002. By middle school, he was making short films and by high school, even though he was shy and introverted, Nick started coming out of his shell in front of the camera. He started thinking he wanted...
Goldie Chan, Storyteller
November 18, 2019 15:16 - 22 minutes - 20.7 MBGoldie Chan is a storyteller, strategist, and writer. She grew up in Oakland among several diverse communities, which informs the types of stories she aims to share now. Having always been a creative, Goldie marches to the beat of her own drum—and much the success she has now comes from the fact that she makes her own rules. For instance, her life was forever changed when she started publishing videos online; not on YouTube, like you would think, but on LinkedIn. Now, Goldie is know...
Lexx Fusco, Writer
November 11, 2019 12:00 - 16 minutes - 14.9 MBLexx Fusco is a writer originally from a small suburb outside Philideplphia, Pennsylvania. She grew up an outsider. Not having many friends in her town, Lexx made friends with the characters she watched on TV. The television shows she fell in love with influenced her growth as a writer, and she eventually went to college to study screenwriting so she could pursue a career as a storyteller. Her path would eventually lead her to Los Angeles where Lexx found success working in developm...
Melissa Gottlieb, Singer-songwriter
October 14, 2019 12:14 - 16 minutes - 14.9 MBMelissa Gottlieb is a singer-songwriter born and raised in the San Fernando Valley. Melissa comes from a musical family, so naturally she took to music herself. She loved singing and spent most of her time in her bedroom belting out tunes or reading about the musicians she idolized. Melissa describes singing as a way to release whatever it is she may be feeling inside, and through her voice, she can connect with others who may be feeling those same things. After high school, Melissa...
Sarah Lightman, Singer-songwriter/Recording Artist
September 30, 2019 12:43 - 19 minutes - 17.5 MBSarah Lightman is a singer-songwriter and recording artist from the small town of Hightstown, New Jersey. She grew up in a family of artists and musicians. Naturally Sarah wanted to follow a similar path, but didn’t quite know exactly where she fit in. She started with music, but then would later abandon the craft to pursue a career in acting. Eventually, Sarah moved to Los Angeles, where she struggled to make friends and find her place in the city.Over time, however, Sarah slowly b...
Heidi Luerra, RAW Natural Born Artists
September 23, 2019 11:00 - 19 minutes - 17.4 MBHeidi Luerra is the founder and CEO of RAW Natural Born artists, an organization that spotlights independent artists and creatives and provides them with tools, resources, and exposure to help them thrive in their creative careers. Originally from Redding, California, Heidi grew up set on having a future as a fashion designer. She chased that dream all the way through high school, and when she finally graduated, she made the move down to Los Angeles to attend fashion school and purs...
Cristina Vargas, Actress
September 16, 2019 12:16 - 15 minutes - 14.3 MBCristina Vargas is an actress and aspiring model & voice actor. She grew up in Hollywood surrounded by the entertainment industry, but didn’t know until later that she would be pursuing a career as a performer. Cristina was shy growing up, and experienced some bullying in school. She never felt like she fit in. After joining an after school program, Cristina became involved in the arts. It was there that she began to discover what she really wanted out of life, and after attending c...
Peter Moffatt, Actor/Filmmaker
September 09, 2019 12:27 - 21 minutes - 19.5 MBPeter Moffatt is a Hollywood hopeful by way of Missouri. Peter describes growing up as an inside kid—mostly staying indoors and becoming enthralled with television. Sadly, when he was still just a kid, Peter’s father passed away, and Peter was left searching meaning and for a role model. He finally began to break out of his shell after joining theater to impress a school crush, and found found he really loved performing. He even went to college for theater. Then, Peter met a talent ...
Jonathan Chance, Writer/Director
September 02, 2019 14:05 - 15 minutes - 14 MBJonathan Chance is a writer, director, comic book writer, and voice over artist from Essex, England. Jonathan’s passion for storytelling began at an early age. He and his brother developed a love for movies, and it wasn’t long before they began making their own low-budget independent films. They entered their movies in film festivals and won several awards. One of those films would lead Jonathan to California to pursue his dreams of making films, and he even found joy exploring new ...
Alicia Rosalie, Clothing Designer/Entrepreneur
August 26, 2019 10:50 - 20 minutes - 18.4 MBAlicia Rosalie is an entrepreneur and the co-founder of the Self-Love Club clothing label. She is also the founder of The Love Club Foundation non-profit organization. Alicia grew up in the North Hollywood area of Los Angeles surrounded by art and creativity, and for a time she was heavily involved in a hip-hop dance team. As she got older, her mother pushed her towards a more academic future, and Alicia’s main focus in high school was trying to figure out who she was as a person. H...
Bailee Payne, Aspiring Actress/Film & Television Writer
August 19, 2019 15:09 - 18 minutes - 17.1 MBBailee Payne is an aspiring actress and film and television writer. She was born in a small town in Minnesota. The daughter of a minister, Bailee grew up in a very conservative and religious household. Needless to say, when Bailee told her mother she wanted to attend a boarding school for performing arts so that she could pursue a career as an actress in Hollywood, it didn't go over well. However, Bailee would end up attending that school for a short time, and while there, her mind ...
Keith Leach, Aspiring Media Personality
August 12, 2019 12:24 - 15 minutes - 13.8 MBKeith Leach is an aspiring media personality and Bobby's former KTLA intern! Originally from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, Keith came to KTLA as a rising senior majoring in communications at USC, however, pursuing a career in communications wasn't always the path Keith was on. He excelled as a student and was working towards the goal of becoming a dentist. His main motivation was to land a stable career that would allow him to leave the confines of Oklahoma. When Keith arrived in Los Ang...
Justin Cole & Dan Picarel, The Underclassmen
August 05, 2019 12:25 - 20 minutes - 18.8 MBJustin Cole and Dan Picarel are two musicians who make up the pop band The Underclassmen. Originally from Syracuse, New York, Justin and Dan found their ways to music in very different ways, but when they met in high school, they found they found they both had the same deep love for and knowledge about music. The instant connection led them to begin playing casual open mic nights and other events before officially declaring themselves a band. Just as they were starting to take makin...
Episode 100: B. Dave Walters Returns
July 29, 2019 12:25 - 25 minutes - 22.9 MBWe're celebrating 100 episodes of Spoken Dreams! To commemorate the milestone, B. Dave Walters returns to the podcast to give an update on what's happened since his previous visit last year. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Chelsea Sik, Actress and Model
July 22, 2019 10:00 - 24 minutes - 22.7 MBChelsea Sik is an aspiring actress and model currently attending USC’s prestigious BFA in acting program. Born in Malaysia, she realized her dream of acting at an extremely early age, and ultimately her ambition convinced her parents to let her move across the world to attend the elite Idyllwild Arts boarding school in the U.S.-- regardless of the financial burden it would place on their family. As Chelsea’s dreams were finally taking shape, she began to realize the limits her ethni...
Monnaa Hassan, Aspiring Television Writer/Comedian
July 15, 2019 12:30 - 20 minutes - 18.5 MBMonnaa Hassan in an aspiring television writer and comedian. Monnaa grew up in a multi-cultural household and traveled frequently between Southern California and Cairo, Egypt. Growing up knowing the turmoil between the United States and the Middle East led Monnaa towards pursuing a career in politics to do her part in trying to bring about peace. When she began working towards those goals in Washington, D.C., Monnaa was floored when she discovered that in order to climb the ladder, ...
RiRia, Multi-platform Artist
July 08, 2019 12:39 - 16 minutes - 15.3 MBRiRia is an actor, musician, designer, and more. Originally from Tokyo, Japan, RiRia was already an incredibly accomplished professional flutist at a very young age. After winning troves of awards, and even playing music for the Olympics, RiRia longed for more outlets for artistic expression besides just playing the flute. RiRia would find those new outlets in Los Angeles, but at just 17 years old, coming to a new country without family, friends, and not knowing the language proved ...
Kyle Stefanski, Actor/Producer
July 01, 2019 12:27 - 14 minutes - 13.5 MBKyle Stefanski is an actor, producer, and philanthropist originally from Cleveland, Ohio. Despite taking up a heavy interest in sports, particularly ice hockey, Kyle felt the arts were always calling to him. Having been born into a banking family, however, Kyle was encouraged to work towards a future on Wall Street. Still, Kyle always had an eye on Los Angeles. As he was trying to figure out what to do with his life, Kyle and his family were met with heartbreaking tragedy when his m...
Ariane Andrew, "Queen of All Trades"/Former WWE Star
June 24, 2019 12:34 - 17 minutes - 15.8 MBAriane Andrew is a self-proclaimed “Queen of All Trades”. She’s an actress, a fempreneur, host, philanthropist, and more. Ariane is perhaps best known by WWE fans as Cameron of the wrestling tag-team The Funkadactyls. Before finding herself in the world of wrestling, Ariane was pursuing a master's degree after earning degrees in business marketing and psychology while also working with children with autism. In this episode, Ariane opens up about how she found herself in the WWE. She...
Nate Gray, Actor
June 17, 2019 12:33 - 23 minutes - 21.8 MBNate Gray is an actor originally from La Crosse, Wisconsin. Pursuing a career as an actor had never been a thought in Nate's mind for many, many years. Growing up in small-town America, he spent a lot of his childhood on a farm working with his hands. In college, Nate would degrees in mechanical engineering and mathematics. The future Nate saw for himself never involved the entertainment industry, nor ever leaving Wisconsin. The way the rest of Nate's life unfolds to lead him to Los...
Kirill & Filipp Revega, Actors/Models
June 10, 2019 12:25 - 20 minutes - 19 MBKirill and Filipp Revega are two actors, models and social media influencers. They call themselves the "Twins from Russia." Born and raised in a small city in Russia, the twins were recording videos of themselves and their friends at an early age. When it was time to go to university, they began studying engineering at their parent’s behest, but Kirill and Filipp always felt like they were destined for something greater outside their small Russian town. They began gaining traction o...
Roberto Quinn, Entertainment Digital Strategist
June 03, 2019 12:38 - 26 minutes - 24.1 MBRoberto Quinn is a digital strategist specializing in creative strategies for the entertainment industry, celebrities, and TV shows. Originally from Guatemala, Roberto is naturally a social butterfly. After moving to Texas, he took advantage of social media platforms early on in their inception to keep in touch with friends. Roberto would go on to use his passion for people and connectivity to form his own company connecting artists to venues and audiences. Roberto knew he wanted to...
Keli Price, Actor/Director
May 27, 2019 11:47 - 20 minutes - 18.5 MBKeli Price is an actor, director, and producer from Long Island, New York. Raised by a musician father and a mother in the fashion business, Keli grew up surrounded by the arts. Keli struggled in school, and the things adults would say to him affected his confidence and made him feel like an outsider. The only thing that didn't make him feel like an outsider was when he was performing. Keli says music, sports, and the arts saved his life, and his confidence continued to grow when he...
Danica Kennedy, Art Director
May 20, 2019 12:38 - 17 minutes - 16.1 MBDanica Kennedy is an art director for photoshoots who works alongside her friend and business partner Alena Mealy. Together, they create vibrant and surreal images that have been featured in notable publications and have a growing list of celebrity clients. While Danica never intended to become an art director, she has always had a desire to be at the forefront of the entertainment industry where she could collaborate with like-minded creatives. She followed many paths towards artis...
Emir Horton, Actor/Producer
May 13, 2019 12:26 - 14 minutes - 13.3 MBEmir Horton is an aspiring actor and producer originally from Philadelphia. Emir says the notion to be an actor just came to him one day when he was a kid, but at best, it seemed like an impossible idea that he didn’t pay much attention to. Years later, a pastor at Emir's church began to prophecy over his life, and continually mentioned acting in regards to his future. The idea to become an actor was sparked in Emir’s head again, and around the same time, he was cast in a music vide...
NOVA, Musician
May 06, 2019 12:00 - 18 minutes - 17 MBSameh Marey is a musician, guitarist, and singer-songwriter going by the name NOVA. He is originally from Egypt, but is now in Los Angeles pursuing his dreams of stardom. NOVA developed a deep connection with music at a very young age. He began writing his own songs and melodies as a child without even owning an instrument. Once he was confident with his abilities as a songwriter, NOVA mustered the courage to ask his parents for a guitar, and while at the time they didn’t necessaril...
Amy Lesneski, Actress
April 29, 2019 12:24 - 21 minutes - 19.5 MBAmy Lesneski is an aspiring actress originally from Michigan. Amy always knew in her gut that she would one day be an actress, but as she got further into adulthood, those aspirations slowly began to fade away in favor of pursuing a more “realistic” career. Before continuing on to dental school after college, Amy decided to take one final shot at acting. She joined a theater program in London, and immediately knew that being an actor was the only career that would make her happy. Wh...
Alena Savostikova, Actress
April 22, 2019 12:33 - 15 minutes - 13.8 MBAlena Savostikova is an actress originally from Russia. Alena comes from an athletic background, and was playing tennis professionally for years, often traveling to the U.S. to compete in tournaments. Eventually, her family made the decision to move to the United States so that Alena could further her tennis career. By her teens, the demanding lifestyle of professional sports began to take its toll on Alena, and tennis slowly fell out of her life. For the first time, Alena was able ...
Jonathan Baker, Director/Producer
April 15, 2019 12:47 - 29 minutes - 26.8 MBJonathan Baker is a producer, writer, and director of films like Inconceivable and Becoming Iconic. In addition to being filmmaker, Jonathan is also a hotel owner and has his own aromatherapy product line. Jonathan grew up in New York City in the 1960s and his love for movies started at an early age. He would run around the streets of Manhattan learning to make his own films. He would eventually end up coming to Hollywood, and his fascinating journey towards becoming a filmmaker wou...
Benjamin Schnau, Actor/Singer
April 01, 2019 16:00 - 18 minutes - 16.8 MBBenjamin Schnau is an actor and singer from Germany. Ben got his start performing when, as a child, he was cast as part of a German boy band. It was an eye-opening experience for Ben, and when he got to high school, he decided to give acting a try. As a performer, Ben loved the ability to elicit emotions from an audiences. Eventually, outside pressure on Ben to work towards a "real job" that was more financially viable led Ben to study economics, and work in an office. After some ti...
Lorène & Marine Alayse, Singer-songwriters
March 25, 2019 12:30 - 18 minutes - 16.9 MBLorène and Marine Alayse are twin sisters from a small town near Lyon, France. Together, they make up the music group L Y S. For the twins, these 3 letters are steeped in meaning. Chasing big dreams wasn't something you just did in small town France, but At 10-years-old, Lorène got sick and was hospitalized for a month. During this time, she and Marine were separated from each other. When they were finally reunited, music was their way to heal and bring themselves closer together. W...
K-von Moezzi, Comedian
March 18, 2019 12:36 - 17 minutes - 15.6 MBK-von Moezzi is a comedian originally from Reno, Nevada. The son of an Iranian father and American mother, K-von proudly holds the self-proclaimed title of "most famous half-Persian comedian." K-von spent most of his childhood growing up in Las Vegas surrounded by some of the most famous entertainers and comedians in the country. After getting some advice from a famous comedian he admired, K-von had his sights set on Los Angeles to rise through the ranks of the comedy scene. After g...
Sciarra, Electronic Pop Artist
March 11, 2019 12:26 - 17 minutes - 15.9 MBSciarra is electronic pop artist, singer, and producer originally from Anaheim, California. She grew up doing musical theater and singing. Eventually, she began writing her own lyrics and decided she wanted to write her own original music, but didn't know how to go about getting into the business of making music. Sciarra experimented with genres she didn't really have her heart set on, and spent a lot of money on producers, but never really feel like she was getting anywhere. Then, ...
Gia Gunn, Drag Performer/Activist
February 18, 2019 13:39 - 26 minutes - 24.5 MBGia Gunn is a drag performer, artist, and activist originally from the suburbs of Chicago. She is best known for appearing on Season 6 of "RuPaul's Drag Race" and Season 4 of "RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars." Growing up, Gia was very in touch with her Japanese heritage, and studied Japanese classical dance for many years. In middle school, Gia began to realize she didn't quite fit in with her peers, and during senior year of high school, she was introduced to queer culture. After witn...
Katie Ferrara, Singer-songwriter
February 11, 2019 13:35 - 19 minutes - 17.9 MBKatie Ferrara is a singer-songwriter from Eagle Rock. Katie was a shy girl growing up, but she always had a desire to sing. To help draw her out of her shell, she joined the school choir, and her love for performing grew. She taught herself how to play guitar, and began writing her own songs, performing them at open mics. But when she went off to college, music took a backseat, as Katie studied psychology to prepare for the more traditional career path and future that was expected o...
Matt Beurois, Director
January 28, 2019 12:55 - 19 minutes - 17.6 MBMatt Beurois is a film director originally from France. As a boy in France, Matt didn’t even know what movies were for much of the early parts of his life. It wasn’t until the 90s when he saw his first American film in a small theater that Matt had any idea such a medium existed. Naturally, he was awe struck. When one of his childhood friends got a hold of a VHS camera, Matt and his friends would run around shooting their own films. As they learned more about the filmmaking process,...
Christina Cooper, Filmmaker/Actress
January 21, 2019 13:59 - 16 minutes - 15.1 MBChristina Cooper is a director, producer, actor and model. She grew up in Los Angeles and had a troubled home life that would lead her to start making some bad decisions. By high school, she had relocated to South Central, and describes her teenage years as a period where she was running from problems. But during this time, she got to know people that began to make her feel accepted and comfortable. She was struggling alongside others who were also struggling. She eventually got a j...
Patrick Hill, Actor
January 14, 2019 13:33 - 15 minutes - 13.8 MBPatrick Hill is an actor from from Middletown, Ohio. As a toddler, Patrick’s mom got him into modeling for catalogues, and by 8-years-old he was signed to an agency. It wasn’t until Patrick saw himself in his first commercial that he knew he wanted to be an actor. He dropped everything to just focus on acting. When he was a teenager, his mom packed up the family and headed out for Los Angeles so that Patrick could give things a real shot. Amazingly, he booked a big role for a new sh...
Chase Bell, Songwriter/Music Artist
January 07, 2019 13:46 - 15 minutes - 14.5 MBChase Bell is songwriter, music producer, and artist originally from New Jersey. He was drawn to the piano and guitar, and could often be found practicing his craft or studying all different kinds of music genres. To further hone his skills as a musician, Chase perfected his craft in London and Italy. Each experience opened more and more doors for Chase on his path of music. On the other side of one of those opened doors was Los Angeles, and now Chase is here, with a new sense of co...
Izzy Presley, Radio Host/Musician
December 31, 2018 13:25 - 15 minutes - 14.3 MBIzzy Presley is a musician, radio host, podcast host, and comedian. Born in St. Cloud, Minnesota, Izzy was raised on rock and roll music. He grew up listening to Elvis Presley, The Beatles, Willie Nelson, and Waylon Jennings. At 4 years old, he discovered KISS, and his love for rock music was cemented. He would eventually get a gig hosting his own radio show, which led to hosting events for the Monsters of Rock cruises. Now Izzy, continues hosting a rock radio show, has his own podca...