An Interview with Casey Ryan

This week my victim (oops sorry, interviewee) will be Casey Ryan

The charming Mr Casey Ryan. Casey is an Internet radio host for the Cutting Room Floor. Casey seeks to help independent entertainers and artists promote their projects.

This is his Internet Show;

http://www.talkshoe.com/talkshoe/web/talkCast.jsp?masterId=81947&cmd=tc

Casey also writes a very interesting and amusing Blog here;

http://cuttingroomfloorpodcast.blogspot.co.uk/
 

 

I will soon be contributing to this Blog for Casey

 

1)    I believe you began your career at High School as an amateur. Is this the career that you always aspired to? Or, had you other aspirations at that time?
 

I’ve always had a creative streak in me inasmuch as I love music and movies period. High School specifically gave me my first real opportunity to explore a bunch of different outlets. In addition to making some extremely amateurish student films, I also played trumpet in the band and was a member of the theater department’s stage crew.

My original career path was to follow in my grandfather’s footsteps and become both a pharmacist and a business owner. In college, I discovered that I had more of an affinity for business as opposed to science and ended up enjoying a career in corporate sales.

I’m a firm believer in the notion that nothing happens by accident either. Many of the skills that I’ve acquired as a sales rep have been valuable in my capacity as a podcaster. Both involve heavy elements of networking and promotion.
 

 

2)    When I have heard you during your interviews you appear calm and confident. Are you really as calm and confident as you appear? Or, do you suffer from pre-show nerves?
 

Firstly, thank you for the compliment. I’ll admit to being a nervous guy by nature but, the show is something that I do to relax. When I first started podcasting, I did get nervous before all my interviews primarily because I wanted to make a good impression on my guests. Having now done over 300 episodes, it doesn’t happen as often but, I still care every bit as much about the quality of my work.
 

3)    How do you decide who to interview? Is it a mutual decision of sorts? Or, do you research an individual before inviting them on your show?
 

In a word, Twitter. The majority of the interviews that I conduct are sourced directly from contacts that I make while tweeting. To that extent, “researching” an individual is a simple extension of the social media networking process.

I operate on a first-come-first-served basis as much as possible but, if I get a referral from someone who has previously been on the show, I try to make that a priority. In most cases, I’m also able to help people out by adding extra shows if they’re facing an important deadline and need promotion support.
 

4)    Have you ever had problems in an interview? Say, perhaps a disagreement or argument where an interviewee lost their temper?
 

 

Most of the problems that I’ve had during an interview were technical in nature but, it happens to anyone running a podcast. Things like phone or internet connections getting cut and background noises (dogs barking, etc.) are all part of the perils of doing live radio. It doesn’t happen very often and you learn to laugh it off.

 My guests have been universally professional and I’m proud to say that nobody has ever lost their temper on my show. As an interviewer, my responsibility is to try and generate the most interesting conversations that I can while respecting the needs and expectations of my guests. There are no real disagreements to be had per se. The only thing that bugs me is if someone is apathetic. There is no greater challenge than trying to have a conversation with somebody that doesn’t want to be there.

  

5)    Are there any particular individuals you would really like to interview, that you have been unable to secure?

 

It’s funny you should mention that because I just recently managed to secure two interviews that I’d been hoping to conduct for a while. On March 9, I had the privilege of speaking with actor and fight choreographer Charlie Allan. Charlie has worked on some huge studio films including Gladiator and had all kinds of great stories to share.

 On March 23, I’m scheduled to interview actor Lee Arenberg who has appeared in three of the Pirates of the Caribbean films and currently has a recurring role on the popular ABC series Once Upon a Time.

 

6)    Do you have an icon in particular either dead or alive that you feel would provide the pinnacle of your interviewer career?

 

I’m a huge Quentin Tarantino fan and have a long list of questions that I’d like to ask him. I love the way that he conducts himself during an interview and think I’d have a lot of fun speaking with him.

 George Stroumboulopoulos is my all-time favourite talk show host and it would be a big thrill to speak with him as well. He has an infectious enthusiasm about his work that has been a huge influence on me.

 

7)    Have you a favourite interview? One that stands out above all the others?

 

There have been a lot of them that stick out in my mind as being really enjoyable so, it would be impossible to narrow it down to just one but, I will list a few.

 The interviews that I did with Rob Gokee, Angelo Bell, Jessica King, Julie Keck, and Rachel Thompson were all game changers because of how much each of them taught me about social media and self-promotion. Rachel in particular convinced me to both write more often and inject more of my own little brand of humour into what I was doing which has made a world of difference.

Then there were people like Claude Bouchard, Lorna Suzuki, Eden Baylee and Jason McIntyre that opened up all kinds of additional possibilities for my show in the indie lit community. Until I spoke with them, I’d focused exclusively on speaking with filmmakers.

 It’s also exciting to speak with people who have worked on some larger scale projects too. When I started the show five years ago, if someone had told me that I’d have the opportunity to speak with people like Doug Richardson, Lloyd Kaufman, Guy Magar, Bill Plympton, and Joey Elias, I never would have believed them.

       

8)    I understand you yourself have been recently on the receiving end of an interview , as a guest? How does that differ from when you interview others? Do you get nervous then?

 

It is exponentially easier to be the person asking the questions as opposed to the one answering them. I empathize completely when a guest tells me that they were nervous. You need to be able to think quickly and don’t have anywhere near as much control over the conversation.

 While I enjoy all of the guest appearances that I make, I have the most fun if I get to go back on a show for a second or third time. By then you have a better sense for how things flow and how you can best contribute to the episode as a whole.

 

9)    Have you a favourite genre of film you like to watch? If so, what is the name of your favourite film in that genre?

 

I have favourites in pretty much all genres but, consistently I’d have to say that I love either gangster or World War II adventure films the most. The Godfather, Casino, The Great Escape and The Bridge on the River Kwai are among those that I’ve watched dozens of times and still enjoy.

 

10) As a writer I love to read books. Do you get many opportunities to read/ If so, have you a favourite book?

 

Jon Krakauer is probably my favourite writer. Into Thin Air and Under the Banner of Heaven were two books that I couldn’t put down. I also love comic books and will run out and buy anything that has Garth Ennis’ name attached to it.

 

11)  Another one of my favourite things to do is to listen to music. May I ask have you a favourite group? What is your favourite song?

 

I’ve been a huge fan of Billy Joel’s for as long as I can remember. My favourite piece by him is Miami 2017 (I’ve seen the lights go out on Broadway).



 

12) What would your favourite sort of evening be? Stopping in with your friends? Or , a night on the town?

 

My favourite nights are the ones spent with a small group of close friends. It doesn’t matter if we stay in or go out as long as it’s someplace where one doesn’t need to shout to be heard. Bonus points if there is a billiard table around.

 

13) Who do you look up to? A friend, a family member or someone else? and why?

 I mentioned my grandfather on my mother’s side earlier and should probably bring him up again here. I was only ten when he died but, in that short time he did teach me a great deal.

 Though he’d sold his business and retired before I was born, he still did volunteer work for one of the hospitals in the area. Once in a while, he’d take me with him while he made his little rounds to visit people.

 He knew every last security guard, nurse, orderly and doctor in the place and he called them all by their first names. Moreover, he treated them all like they were the President of the United States. Though I was very young, I remember thinking that this kind of behavior was important and I knew that I wanted to be able to talk to people like that one day.

 

14) Would you like to present a radio show on air or would you like to be a presenter on a television show? What would be your dream job?

 

I’m lucky enough to have a “day job” that I enjoy very much already. The show is a hobby at this point but, one that I take seriously. If someone were to offer me the opportunity to run it full time, however, I’d certainly be open to having that discussion.

 

15) You live in Montreal, where else would you like to live, if at all and why? Or, if you would choose to remain in Montreal, what or who would hold you here?

 

Halifax, Nova Scotia. Between the people, the food, the ocean scenery, and the Celtic culture, there isn’t anything that I don’t love about the place. Retiring there is a “when” not an “if”.

  

16) Finally may I ask, what is your biggest turn on and are you willing to share that with us all? <<<<promise we won't tell>>>>

 

Cheeky question, Scarlett … I like it! You really want to know? Shut the door and I’ll tell you.

 

 

 

<<<<<<< door creaks shut and giggling heard beyond the door>>>>>>>

 

 

 

Well ladies and gents that's the interview for this week done and dusted. I hoped you enjoyed that as much as I did.

 

 

I will post news of my next interview on my upcoming news page soon