Episodes

  • Introducing Keys to the Kingdom

    Introducing Keys to the Kingdom
    Sep 12 2023
    Have you ever wondered what it's like to work as a beloved theme park princess? To toil a full day in the sun, dressed head-to-toe in a fuzzy costume? To be stalked by obsessed and sometimes crazed fans? Hosted by Amanda Lund and Matt Gourley and with first-hand accounts by a diverse gathering of characters, actors, and entertainers, Keys to the Kingdom reveals what it's like to step out into the magical world of make-believe and into the hard-reality of the theme park performer lifestyle.

    Get 8 full-length, bonus companion episodes featuring numerous extended and unheard interviews and more at https://plus.acast.com/s/keystothekingdom.


    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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    3 mins
  • Operation Petticoat

    Operation Petticoat
    Oct 16 2023
    What is it like to don the silken glove, sparkling tiara, and massive cultural burden of the world's most beloved princesses? Former theme park princess Amanda Lund and former theme park performer Matt Gourley sit down to speak with a diverse collection of past and present princesses, culture experts, and one very sad prince. Guests include Deep Skirt, Ruby Rose, Kristen Meinzer, Jessica Lesaca, and Epaulette Babe.

    Get 8 full-length, bonus companion episodes featuring numerous extended and unheard interviews and more at https://plus.acast.com/s/keystothekingdom.


    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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    39 mins
  • The Good, the Bad, and the Fuzzy

    The Good, the Bad, and the Fuzzy
    Oct 16 2023
    The theme park fuzzy. Costumed head-to-toe in a fur-covered, foam-lined, portable sweat lodge. Why do they do it? For money? For honor? Matt and Amanda seek to find out as they talk to a menagerie of chipmunks, donkeys, and of course, mice. Guests include White Glove 1, White Glove 2, Scott Aukerman, Jeff B. Davis, and Space Ranger.

    Get 8 full-length, bonus companion episodes featuring numerous extended and unheard interviews and more at https://plus.acast.com/s/keystothekingdom.


    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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    33 mins
  • Breaking the Rules

    Breaking the Rules
    Oct 23 2023
    What about those rare theme park employees and guests that don't dutifully follow the rules? On this episode of Keys to the Kingdom, we're talking with the bad boys, the rebels, the wayward fuzzies and the defiant fans that stand up to the system despite the consequences. Guests include Nader Shokair, Rebecca Lumianski, Jeff B. Davis, Maria Blasucci, Sona Movsesian, Mark Felt, and Drew McWeeny.

    Get 8 full-length, bonus companion episodes featuring numerous extended and unheard interviews and more at https://plus.acast.com/s/keystothekingdom.


    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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    32 mins
  • We Need to Talk About the Fans

    We Need to Talk About the Fans
    Oct 30 2023
    The Theme Park Fan is its own species, one that runs the gamut from harmless enthusiast to harmful obsessive. In this episode, Matt and Amanda will share stories of guests from both extremes, and everywhere in between. Guests include Taran Killam, Jodi Eichler-Levine, Epaulette Babe, Jake Fite, and Molly Hawkey as Flora.

    Get 8 full-length, bonus companion episodes featuring numerous extended and unheard interviews and more at https://plus.acast.com/s/keystothekingdom.


    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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    34 mins
  • The Professionals

    The Professionals
    Nov 6 2023
    These guys do it all: act, sing, dance! But if they're not careful, they may find themselves stuck in the theme park world forever and ever. On the other hand, if they're not careful, they may find themselves without a job in this ever-evolving workplace, losing vital stability, premium benefits, and what amounts to a pretty cushy career. Guests include Gale Brennan, Grandma Agva, Mark Gagliardi, Cherry Blossom, and Rebecca Lumianski.

    Get 8 full-length, bonus companion episodes featuring numerous extended and unheard interviews and more at https://plus.acast.com/s/keystothekingdom.


    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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    33 mins
  • The Scare-actors

    The Scare-actors
    Nov 13 2023
    Halloween season in the theme park world is a very spooky time. Not since Burning Man, the Renaissance Faire, or Woodstock '99 has there been a more lusty gathering of lovable weirdos and questionable characters. In this episode, Matt and Amanda speak with all types, from monster to manager, within the spooky season performer world. Guests include Cherry Blossom, Drew McWeeny, Mark Gagliardi, Rebecca Lumianski, Eric Martin, Scott Aukerman, and Brandon Adams.

    Get 8 full-length, bonus companion episodes featuring numerous extended and unheard interviews and more at https://plus.acast.com/s/keystothekingdom.


    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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    32 mins
  • Be Our Guest

    Be Our Guest
    Nov 20 2023
    Sometimes just being a theme park fan is a story in itself. In this episode, Matt and Amanda not only speak to guests about their strange and scarring experiences, but they themselves revisit their origins in an attempt to rate the major theme parks. Guests include Sarah Campbell, Josh Dean, Michael Bowes, Todd Levin, and Andy Daly as The Walker.

    Get 8 full-length, bonus companion episodes featuring numerous extended and unheard interviews and more at https://plus.acast.com/s/keystothekingdom.


    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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    32 mins