Hey everyone, it’s an atypical episode & our Christmas special as we near the end of 2023! Our guest was Anthony Ornato and it was a very fun episode. As a forewarning I’ll say: if you’re only here for the topics we typically cover, I highly advise skipping to Part 2 – which will be labeled with timestamps in the description. As usual, feel free to jump around. Part 1 is more of a fun conversation covering topics such as Voice Acting, Podcasting, Music & Music Theory, Creativity & AI, & Making Friends as a shy or older adult. In Part 2, we dive into Anthony’s career path starting as a Dance Instructor while studying a Music Degree, and his numerous twists and turns as he balances a life of self-expression & art, while also covering basic needs such as paying the bills, and spending time with loved ones. Other topics include dance tips for beginners (especially those who are intimidated), learning to ask for help as a newer employee, and recognizing all the secondary help in our lives. I hope you enjoy this one, and once again, thank you so much for listening. Now onto the episode!

Part 1

(0:01:35) - Voice acting & Jedi Fallen Order

(0:07:40) - Star Wars: Comparing stories of Rogue One/Andor vs mainstream series vs game series

(0:12:00) - Anthony’s advice to aspiring podcasters, drawn from previous experience

(0:15:45) - Podcast co-host chemistry and accountability

(0:17:40) - Drew & Matthew origin story from work: TV shows, puppet shows

(0:20:30) - Rick Grimes, Walking Dead, and how it relates to Drew’s Secret Santa gift

(0:27:10) - AI Tools discussion: Stable Audio for music

(0:30:14) - Music & Creativity

(0:34:22) - Explaining chord progressions, melody and basic music theory to a layman

(0:35:35) - Using Guile’s Theme (Street Fighter) as an example 

(0:40:55) - Learning to love cooking, trying recipes 

(0:44:50) - Anthony’s close group of friends and finding 

(0:49:30) - Making online friends as a shy adult 

(0:55:45) - Safety concerns meeting random people online

(0:59:56) - The Platonic Kiss: Emotional awareness and social cues

(1:02:00) - We’re all cousins

Part 2

(1:06:18) - Anthony’s introduction into music and b-boy (break) dance 

(1:09:52) - Teaching Dance at 17, and career decisions after

(1:14:12) - Further insight into for why Anthony quit dancing 

(1:18:44) - Advice for learning Dance as an adult

(1:24:50) - Beginner-friendly dancing styles or techniques

(1:28:05) - Is Dancing a feasible & fairly compensated career? 

(1:32:55) - Recognizing the supporting casts, and unsung heroes in music and dance

(1:36:01) - Counter-Disneyfication: being a protagonist for yourself, but also a secondary for many others

(1:38:00) - Anthony’s time at BCIT, digital design & marketing

(1:39:40) - Property Management: Origin story, and the negative image of being a landlord

(1:44:10) - Freeing up time to love Voice Acting as a hobby

(1:48:05) - Challenges in learning to ask for help and lean on resources

(1:51:20) - The One Minute Rule

(1:53:00) - “I have to be good at the job – otherwise I’m a failure”

(1:55:43) - Volunteering at the Canucks Autism Network

(1:57:41) - Discovering fun doing work for the first time

(2:01:25) - Definition of Fulfillment

(2:03:55) - Thoughts on the podcast