Backstory Sessions

🎙️ NEW EPISODE — BACKSTORY SESSIONS This week on Backstory Sessions: Conversations with Creatives, we’re joined by Michael Perzel and Rick Mowat, the writers behind the memoir Livin’ It: True Story of a Bad Kid from Philly Who Defies the Odds. Michael’s story begins with a turbulent childhood in Philadelphia and follows a life filled with hard lessons, survival, risk, reinvention, and eventually success. After spending more than three decades in the insurance industry — including 26 years running his own brokerage — Michael entered an entirely new chapter as a writer and publisher. Together with award-winning writer, director, and screenwriter Rick Mowat, those experiences became Livin’ It. In this episode, Michael and Rick take us behind the memoir and talk about how a lifetime of memories becomes a book, what it means to tell difficult stories honestly, how they built trust as collaborators, and the challenge of deciding what stays in and what gets left out. We also talk about the audiobook, the possibility of bringing the story to film or television, Michael’s second act as a writer, and what both men learned through the process of turning lived experience into storytelling. It’s a conversation about survival, truth, second chances, creativity, and the reminder that sometimes the most compelling stories are the ones we actually lived. 🎧 Listen now to Backstory Sessions: Conversations with Creatives. #BackstorySessions #LivinIt #MichaelPerzel #RickMowat #Memoir #TrueStory #AuthorInterview #WritersLife #WritingCommunity #Philadelphia #PhillyStories #SecondAct #Storytelling #BehindTheBook #BookPodcast #MemoirWriting #CreativeJourney #ConversationsWithCreatives #NewEpisode

🎙️ NEW EPISODE — BACKSTORY SESSIONS This week on Backstory Sessions: Conversations with Creatives, we go behind the music of one of outlaw country’s most distinctive voices, David Allan Coe. Our guests are Ken Madson, Coe’s former co-manager and former Average Joes Entertainment partner, and David Wade, Coe’s former co-manager, songwriter, musician, and one of the key creative figures behind A Million Reasons — Coe’s final completed studio album. Ken and David take us back to the 2017 recording sessions, sharing what it was like working with Coe, how the project came together, and why these recordings remained unheard for nearly a decade. We talk about the long road to finally bringing the album to the public, Ken’s acquisition of the master recordings, and why preserving and releasing this music became even more meaningful following Coe’s death. David also takes us inside the songwriting and creative process behind the project, including the title track “A Million Reasons,” “Corner of Cash and Coe,” and “No Holes in These Hands.” And the story doesn’t end with the album. David shares details about the forthcoming documentary on Coe’s life and musical legacy, currently being co-produced with Johnny Knoxville. It’s a conversation about the man behind the mythology, unheard music, friendship, songwriting, legacy, and the responsibility of preserving one final chapter from an artist whose voice left an unmistakable mark on country music. 🎧 Listen now to Backstory Sessions: Conversations with Creatives. #BackstorySessions #DavidAllanCoe #AMillionReasons #KenMadson #DavidWade #OutlawCountry #CountryMusic #CountryMusicHistory #Songwriting #BehindTheMusic #UnreleasedMusic #MusicLegacy #JohnnyKnoxville #Documentary #ClassicCountry #ConversationsWithCreatives #NewEpisode

 NEW EPISODE — ROLL WITH IT This week on Backstory Sessions: Conversations with Creatives, Cat Goguen and Ryan Dunn have a candid conversation about disability, capability, identity, independence, and what it means to truly be seen. Both Cat and Ryan navigate life using wheelchairs and mobility devices, but this episode goes far beyond the equipment they use. We talk about assumptions people make, the difference between offering help and underestimating someone, accessibility, humor, frustration, resilience, and the everyday realities that don’t always get talked about. We also explore how disability is perceived from the outside, why representation matters, and how much a person can be missed when others see the wheelchair before they see the individual. There are serious moments, funny stories, honest reflections, and a lot of perspective. Because sometimes life changes the route. Sometimes the road looks different than you expected. And sometimes, you simply have to Roll With It. 🎧 Listen now to Backstory Sessions: Conversations with Creatives. #BackstorySessions #RollWithIt #CatGoguen #RyanDunn #DisabilityAwareness #DisabilityRepresentation #Accessibility #MobilityMatters #WheelchairLife #DisabilityInclusion #Capability #Independence #BeingSeen #RepresentationMatters #ConversationsWithCreatives #Podcast

Producer Ed Accura (Blacks Can't Swim,Blacks Can't Swim: The Sequel, Blacks Can't Swim: REWIND, Changing The Narrative) didn't learn to swim until adulthood. That single fact, and the unease it left behind, is the spark for No Lifeguard. This new feature documentary that turns one man's late, hard-won relationship with water into a wider story about who actually keeps us safe when we get in. The film is directed by Mysterex and filmed across Ghana, Sri Lanka and London.   Drowning remains one of the most under-discussed causes of preventable death worldwide, and disproportionately affects children, low-income communities and those with limited access to swimming lessons.   It is a deceptively simple thought, delivered with real warmth. A lifeguard, the film argues, shouldn't be one person in red and yellow watching from a chair. It should be all of us, starting with ourselves. No Lifeguard builds that argument through testimony rather than statistics, travelling to two of the regions hit hardest by drowning anywhere in the world.

🎙️ NEW EPISODE TONIGHT — BACKSTORY SESSIONS Tonight on Backstory Sessions: Conversations with Creatives, we sit down with Marlon Hargis of Exile for a look back at more than six decades of music, memories, and staying power. Marlon takes us back to his own musical beginnings, how he became part of Exile, and what those early years were like before the band’s breakthrough. We talk about the song that changed everything — “Kiss You All Over” — Exile’s transition into country music, the hits that followed, and what has allowed the band to remain together and continue creating for so many years. We also bring the story back home to Kentucky, including Exile’s recent recognition by Governor Andy Beshear, and talk about what that honor means after a career rooted so deeply in the Commonwealth. And Exile is far from finished. Marlon gives us a look at the band’s new album, Look Out, Heart, arriving October 23, and shares what longtime fans can expect from this next chapter. There’s history, reflection, plenty of laughs, and even a few “Which Exile member is most likely to…” questions along the way. 🎧 Listen tonight to Backstory Sessions: Conversations with Creatives. #BackstorySessions #MarlonHargis #Exile #KissYouAllOver #LookOutHeart #KentuckyMusic #CountryMusic #ClassicCountry #MusicHistory #GovernorBeshear #KentuckyProud #BehindTheMusic #ConversationsWithCreatives #NewEpisode

🎙️ NEW EPISODE — BACKSTORY SESSIONS This week on Backstory Sessions: Conversations with Creatives, we sit down with filmmaker Chris Schwab, director of Dracula: The Night Around Us. Chris takes us behind the scenes of his modern reimagining of Bram Stoker’s legendary vampire story, sharing how the film came together, what drew him to Dracula, and how he approached putting his own creative stamp on one of horror’s most iconic characters. We also talk about Chris’s own backstory as a filmmaker, the challenges of directing horror, the visual style of the movie, audience reaction, and what it means to bring the film to Tubi FrightFest 2026. It’s a conversation about horror, storytelling, filmmaking, creative risk, and why Dracula continues to fascinate audiences generation after generation. 🎧 Listen now to Backstory Sessions: Conversations with Creatives. #BackstorySessions #ChrisSchwab #DraculaTheNightAroundUs #Dracula #TubiFrightFest #FrightFest2026 #HorrorFilm #HorrorDirector #IndependentFilm #Filmmaking #BehindTheScenes #BramStoker #VampireMovies #ConversationsWithCreatives #MoviePodcast #HorrorPodcast

🎙️ NEW EPISODE — BACKSTORY SESSIONS If you’ve listened to Backstory Sessions for any length of time, today’s guest may already have a familiar voice. This week, we turn the microphone toward Matt Rifenburg — writer, podcaster, storyteller, and co-author of Love and Jello — to find out a little more about the man behind that voice. And, as we discover during the conversation, Matt is a bit like an onion: there are a lot of layers. We peel back a few of them as we talk about the many places he’s lived, starting over, podcasting, writing, creativity, resilience, and the difference between being seen as an inspiration and actually writing the complicated truths of your own life. We also revisit Love and Jello, talk about how those stories continued to evolve through other creative projects, and look ahead to what Matt is writing now. 📚 And there’s more to come! Matt has new books on the way, so stay tuned for release information about: ❤️ Heart Shaped Box 🍻 Bar Stories I’ve said this before, but it deserves repeating: Matt is the author who made me love reading. There is something unmistakably his about the way he tells a story — the humor, the honesty, the observations, and all those layers underneath. So if you recognize the voice, now’s your chance to learn more about the person behind it. 🎧 Listen now to Backstory Sessions: Conversations with Creatives. #BackstorySessions #MattRifenburg #LoveAndJello #HeartShapedBox #BarStories #Author #Writer #Podcaster #Storyteller #BooksComingSoon #WritersLife #BehindTheStory #ConversationsWithCreatives #NewEpisode #CreativeWriting

🎙️ NEW EPISODE — BACKSTORY SESSIONS This week on Backstory Sessions: Conversations with Creatives, we sit down with singer-songwriter Brooke Lee. Brooke takes us back to the beginning—forming a band as a teenager, moving to Nashville to chase the dream, and building a career that has included opening for artists like Willie Nelson and NEEDTOBREATHE, performing at CMA Fest, and appearing in the reimagined “See the USA in Your Chevrolet” campaign. We also talk about her recent releases, including the flirty, late-night energy of “Driver Drive” and the much more vulnerable “Mess of It.” Brooke opens up about the relationship that inspired the song, what it means to fight for something until you realize it’s costing you pieces of yourself, and why she wanted the vocal to feel raw, emotional, and honest. It’s a conversation about ambition, heartbreak, healing, songwriting, and finding the courage to tell the truth in your music. 🎧 Listen now to Backstory Sessions: Conversations with Creatives. #BackstorySessions #BrookeLee #MessOfIt #DriverDrive #SingerSongwriter #CountryMusic #NashvilleMusic #WomenInCountry #Songwriting #IndependentArtist #BehindTheMusic #ConversationsWithCreatives #NewMusic #MusicPodcast

🎙️ SEASON 19 PREMIERE — BACKSTORY SESSIONS Season 19 of Backstory Sessions: Conversations with Creatives begins with singer-songwriter Celeste Marie Wilson. Celeste joins us to talk about her journey in music, the stories and experiences that shape her songwriting, and the inspiration behind “Marie.” We also look at the road that brought her here, the kind of artist she wants to become, and what she hopes listeners carry with them after hearing her music. It’s a conversation about creativity, honesty, storytelling, and finding your own voice. 🎧 Listen now and join us as Season 19 begins! #BackstorySessions #Season19 #SeasonPremiere #CelesteMarieWilson #Marie #SingerSongwriter #AmericanaMusic #CountryMusic #IndependentArtist #WomenInMusic #Songwriting #BehindTheMusic #ConversationsWithCreatives

🎙️ BACKSTORY SESSIONS — SEASON 18 FINALE We’re closing out Season 18 with Lee Newton and Heidi Parton for a fun conversation celebrating their new music video for the country classic “Silver Threads & Golden Needles.” Lee and Heidi take us behind the scenes of the collaboration, share stories from making the video, and talk about the special cameos that helped make it such a memorable project. We also hear about their individual musical journeys, the friendships and connections behind the music, and what it means to breathe new life into a song that has been loved for generations. It’s the perfect way to wrap up another season of Backstory Sessions: Conversations with Creatives—with plenty of laughter, music, memories, and stories from behind the scenes. 🎧 Listen now and join us for the Season 18 finale! #BackstorySessions #Season18Finale #LeeNewton #HeidiParton #SilverThreadsAndGoldenNeedles #CountryMusic #CountryMusicLegends #MusicVideo #WomenInCountry #BehindTheMusic #ConversationsWithCreatives