Chris Grieder (Aspiring Alchemist)

This week I chat to Chase Veldboom AKA Chazmosaur, a content creator known for his videos on animism, philosophy and ecological overshoot. Based in Monthana, Chase has built an incredible body of work on TikTok as he delves into these topics and together we cover a lot of big existential questions during this episode. You don't want to miss this conversation.

This week I chat to Maeve Fitzgerald. Maeve is accomplished actress of stage and screen, having been nominated for the Irish Times Theatre Award for Best Actress in 2019 for her performance in Marina Carr’s On Rafery’s Hill at the Abbey, as well as appearing as Gretta Conroy in Landmark’s production of The Dead two years running during an immersive production at the Museum of Literature Ireland. Maeve brings a grounded earthiness to her performances and has recently worked with Werner Herzog on his latest film. In this episode we discuss nitty gritty of her approach to her craft, the power of writers like James Joyce and Marina Carr, you don’t want to miss this conversation.

This week I chat to Zara Devlin. Zara in an actress based in Dublin best known for her IFTA-nominated performances in Small Things Like These (opposite Cillian Murphy) and Ann (playing Ann Lovett). In this conversation we discuss the making of Ann, her experience starring in theatre productions at the Abbey and her upcoming film Mary Rose. You don't want to miss this conversation.

This week I chat with Max Danylenko. Musician, stand-up comic and TikTok creator, his main focus is on spirituality and mindset. Max and I discuss the origins of his online community, his advocacy for meditation, breath work and the philosophy of non-duality, as well as some of the personal challenges that led him to where he is. You don't want to miss this episode!

This week I chat to Ameet Shukla. Ameet is a film producer recently Emmy-nominated for the Neflix film Nonnas. He has also produced 2 Tony-nominated Broadway plays - POTUS and For Colored Girls. He has previously produced and executive produced features such as Freeheld with Julianne Moore and Cold Pursuit with Liam Neeson. In this interview we discuss his career and approach to producing, including his mission to have diverse representation and hopeful stories on screen through his role as Head of Content at production company 1 Community. You don’t want to miss this episode.

Kyle Ridley is an Emmy-winning television producer and podcast creator. His show Tangled with Kyle Ridley is a fantastic source of interviews with luminaries of the entertainment industry and media, it’s one of my favourite pods so it was an honour to get Kyle to appear on Press Play and Surrender and get to turn the tables on him and discuss his own background and current pop culture obsessions.In this conversation we talk about his background in television and his approach to podcasting, his coming out process and journey finding his tribe in the gay community, along with thoughts on all kinds of current happenings including Lena Dunham’s memoir, Rosie O’Donnell’s One Woman Show and Lisa Kudrow’s Emmy chances.

My guest this week is Steven Puri. Steven is a former studio executive with Dreamworks and 20th Century Fox. He’s overseen productions like Die Hard 5 and The Wolverine. In recent years he’s become a speaker and developed the Sukha app, which helps people focus and get into flow state. Hugely experienced in developing major films and the art of storytelling, you don’t want to miss this conversation with Steven.

This week I chat to Day Magee - Day is a performance artist based in Dublin. Since 2011, they have performed as part of live art events such as Livestock and the Dublin Live Art Festival, Galway’s Tulca Festival, and they were also shortlisted for the RDS Visual Arts Awards. Their latest show On the Way in the Project Arts Centre was a big success and we delve into that during this conversation, as well as more existential topics. You don’t want to miss this conversation.

This week I chat to Annie Ryan. Annie is a theatre director originally from Chicago and through her company The Corn Exchange has a vast array of credits spanning the past 30 years, including Dublin by Lamplight and The Seagull, and now for the Abbey Theatre, The Whiteheaded Boy, which is currently running until July 25th. It features a fantastic ensemble of actors, one of whom, Fionnuala Gygax, has previously appeared on this podcast. During our chat Annie and I delve deep into her process and I think like me you’ll be struck by her deft turn of phrase and passion for the medium. You don’t want to miss this conversation.

This week I chat to Chris Grieder, also known as Aspiring Alchemist. He is a creator based in LA, who aside from directing music videos and composing songs, also posts content to his TikTok, Instagram and YouTube pages — where he discusses mindset and spirituality in-depth. Our chat covers a wide-range of subjects including how he came to build his presence online, his personal evolution, his approach to filmmaking and we also get to delve into some of the ideas that he’s presented through his channels. It’s a conversation unlike any I’ve had, you don’t want to miss it.