On this episode of “Story and Craft,” Marc sits down with actor and voiceover veteran DB Sweeney (“The Cutting Edge,” “Eight Men Out,” “Memphis Belle”) to talk career pivots, creative choices, and the long game of working in entertainment. DB shares what it was like training for “Memphis Belle” with retired SAS guys, flying in real B-17s. He opens up about growing up on Long Island, chasing baseball dreams at Tulane, discovering acting through theater, and getting launched by Francis Ford Coppola in “Gardens of Stone.” They also dig into DB’s work in voiceover run (Bud Light, Lincoln, Oprah’s network, and “Mountain Men”), his love of cooking, directing projects like “Two Tickets to Paradise,” and what he’s working on now, including “Red Ink,” and his current film, “Protector.”

03:20 Memphis Belle Bootcamp

05:13 B17 Death Star Tactics

10:03 Voiceover Career Highlights

12:34 Origin Story Long Island

13:21 Tulane Baseball And New Orleans

15:39 Cooking Signature Dishes

19:54 Broadway Breakthrough

21:10 Coppola Casting Break

22:44 Baseball Roles and Heroes

26:15 The Cutting Edge

28:30 Movies Then and Now

31:33 Directing and Next Projects

33:52 The Seven Questions

Marc Preston welcomes actor and producer Olivia Taylor Dudley to “Story and Craft” to talk sci-fi, horror, and why aliens have been a lifelong fascination — so much so that all three of her rescue dogs are named after extraterrestrial-inspired references, including SETI. Olivia breaks down how she “fell into” producing through early YouTube-era work on “Five Second Films.” She shares her unconventional path into acting, dropping out of school due to anxiety, moving to LA at 17, and finding structure and comfort on set. They dive into her new film “Touch Me,” a weird sci-fi/horror/comedy about an alien, and mental health themes, plus her time on “The Magicians,” voiceover/audiobook work, and why horror can feel comforting.

02:53 Rescue Dogs and Hairless Breeds

04:12 Producing and Wearing Many Hats

05:43 ADHD and Loving the Edit

07:45 Five Second Films Origins

10:35 Patton Oswalt Connection

11:32 Dropping Out and Moving to LA

12:59 The Exorcist and Finding Acting

15:29 Horror Sci Fi Upbringing

17:52 SETI Aliens and Disclosure Talk

21:12 Touch Me Alien Horror Comedy

24:42 Family Background Horses and Ranch

25:43 Grandma the Space Nerd

26:03 Ranch Stargazing Mysteries

27:46 Touch Me Origins

32:33 Inside The Magicians

35:24 Why Horror Works

37:06 Theatrical Versus Streaming

41:20 Upcoming Projects Update

42:07 The Seven Questions

On this episode of The Story & Craft Podcast, Marc Preston goes behind the curtain with producer/writer Joel Church-Cooper (“Going Dutch”, “Brockmire”, “Future Man”, “Undateable”) to talk about how TV comedy really gets made and how the business has changed. Joel shares his Northern California upbringing, film-nerd roots in the video store era, and the comedy influences that shaped him (“Kids in the Hall”, “Mr. Show”). They dig into big studio comedies, as well as how algorithms and “second-screen” viewing are reshaping storytelling. Joel breaks down the origins of “Going Dutch” (including the real Army base that inspired it), the evolution of “Brockmire”, working with Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg. It’s an engaging chat about what it takes to create great TV!

03:29 Film Nerd Origins

04:56 Video Store Era Stories

13:21 Comedy Influences and Sketch Classics

17:24 Public Access and Media Power

26:02 Going Dutch and Algorithm Notes

28:54 What He Watches Now

33:15 Kids Movies and YouTube Brain Rot

41:57 Chasing Authenticity

42:33 Brockmeyer Origins

49:05 Baseball as Existential Comedy

51:07 Future Man Writers Room

57:39 Why “Going Dutch” was set in The Netherlands

01:01:36 Culture Clash Comedy

01:03:13 The Seven Questions