Melody Mangler is a burlesque and cabaret performer based in Vancouver, BC. We talk about her love of horror, gore, weird movies and Church's Chicken. Melody talks about some of her acts (including Ode to Church's Chicken), how she gets the ideas for them, the process and how long it takes to take them from conception to stage. We also find out how it doesn't get boring for her doing this since 2003, always creating something new. Melody mentions all her upcoming shows, including Theatre of the Damned where she'll be doing a Midsommar burlesque act and you could be a part of it if you go!

Theatre of the Damned October 16th to 20th - tickets & info thebeaumontstudios.com

Follow Melody on instagram @melodymangler

Alison Reid began her career in the film industry as a stunt performer and was one of the first female stunt coordinators in North America. She has been directing tv shows and movies for over a decade and her latest work, The Art of Adventure will be premiering at VIFF. We talk about her experience going from stunts to behind the camera and how stunt coordinating and directing actually have a lot in common. Alison talks about how she had the idea to make The Art of Adventure as well as the four years it's taken to bring it from conception to the red carpet. We get into how it seems like people are losing their adventurous spirits and how she hopes this movie can push people to explore more.

Watch The Art of Adventure at VIFF on October 7th and 12th.

Intro: Hazy by OddFish

Mayumi Yoshida is a writer, actor and director from Japan, living and working in Vancouver, BC. We talk about her latest work Akashi, how much of it is real vs. fiction, how the story started out as a play and evolved into a feature film and what translated best from stage to screen. Mayumi talks about the experience of growing up in different continents and how that shaped her sense of home and feeling of belonging. She talks about the nostalgia that comes with moving out and away from home. We also discuss how creating in itself is incomplete and how Mayumi navigates this working in a creative field.

Watch Akashi during the Vancouver International Film Festival on October 5th and October 9th

Intro: Hazy by OddFish

Brishkay Ahmed is a writer, director and filmmaker from Afghanistan who doesn't want to make a "breaking news" documentary. Her latest work In the Room, a visually stunning, informative, and deeply personal exploration of cultural identity and resilience featuring interviews with five impactful Afghan women. In this episode we talk about Brishkay's curiosity as a child leading to her writing and eventually becoming a writer and filmmaker, how she had more curiosity than hope going into In the Room and left with hope, the making of the movie with a mostly female identifying crew and how transformative this project has been for her. We also get into how Afghani women can be a cautionary tale for women everywhere and the fact that Brishkay isn't ashamed of this fact; despite growing up rejecting her Afghan identity how she is embracing it now. Brishkay talks about the challenges of being a woman of colour in a male dominated industry and how women need to unite with their voices.

Watch In the Room during VIFF on October 7th & 10th and during Reelworld Toronto on October 19th.

Intro: Hazy by OddFish

Jamie is an artist based in Vancouver, BC with a focus on making jewellery in a sustainable and ethical way. We discuss the origins of her brand name Scandinazn, growing up in a mostly white city as a mixed person of colour and how that has played a role in her art. We also get into her creation process from design to the actual craft. Jamie also talks about how fun earrings can make you more approachable to strangers and how she designs by process. Check her work out at different markets in Vancouver and follow her to find out when her next workshop will be.

Intro: Hazy by OddFish

The Origin is a rock band from Victoria, BC with Tom Hayward on guitar, Curtis Duggan on bass and Liam Hayes on drums. While the three are making music and getting ready to play more live shows, they are also looking for a guitarist to join them! In this episode we get into how The Origin was formed, what it was like for Liam to join a band with an already established dynamic, how they write their music separately and then work on them together. We also talk about having a consistent voice as musicians vs. exploring different genres and approaches to making music. We discuss our favourite songs of all time and talk a little about tv and film too.

Intro: Hazy by OddFish

Alexis is a dancer, choreographer, producer and co-artistic director of Belle Spirale. In this episode we talk about her 15 years at Ballet BC and the transitional nature of being a professional dancer, collaborating with other artists and her preference in working collaboratively, how her artistic voice has evolved over the years and supporting local talent. We also get into her newest work being presented within UNIVERSUS, a double bill featuring new work by Alexis herself and Spanish dancer Fernando Hernando Magadan. Alexis talks about how this collaboration happened, their shared feelings of uncertainty about the future reflecting on this work and how hope is necessary.

Candice Weber is a fiber and mixed-media artist working out of Gore Studio in East Vancouver. Mixing her background in animation and fibre-art, Candice bridges the space between technology and traditional work. We talk about how she got started making fibre art, exploring new mediums, being a "completionist" and her mushroom suit. We also delve into Eastside Culture Crawl where people can visit artists' studios so she talks about what she's excited and dreading most about the crawl. Candice also talks about her future plans of workshops!

Check out Eastside Culture Crawl from November 14th to 17th, all featured studios are free to enter.

Check out Vancouver Tool Library for affordable workshops in different mediums.

Intro: Hazy by OddFish