Coming Up Next

LA Confidential, Priscilla Queen of the Desert, The Proposition, Memento, Neighbours, Iron Man... Family life, having a toddler, growing up with a special needs sibling, the realities of fame, choosing the right roles... Guy Pearce joins me in the chat cave for a raw and intimate ramble.

Showstopper! The Improvised Musical, Peter Pan Goes Wrong, and The 50 Hour London Improvathon, are just a handful of the shows that Adam Meggido has had a significant hand in. We break down the gigantic world of improvisation, how he got into it, his philosophical beliefs, and all the usual rambly musings.

SketchShe, the sketch comedy trio, have amassed over half a billion views on YouTube, have performed on Ellen, and started a trend of car-lip-sync based sketches. So how did it all begin? Do they know what's going to hit and what will miss? What's it been like riding the crest of the social media revolution? One of SketchShe's creators, actor/director/writer, Shae-Lee Shackleford, joins me in the chat cave this week to pull the curtain back on her career, SketchShe, and the usual philosophical musings.

Documentary director, Lizzie Kempton, joins me for only my second PubCast. While sipping a beer, we discuss her career from Manchester at iTV, through to London and the BBC. She moved her way up the ranks as a reasearcher to a producer, and has now moved into directing. Her films include How To Die: Simon's Choice; Chris Packham: Aspergers and Me; and Manchester Bomb: Our Story. 

From huge hits on social media with misheard lyrics videos, through to having Dean Cain buy her a steak, Bec Hill's career in comedy has ridden the crest of the social media wave. She grew up in Adelaide, had a run in Australia, and is now domiciled in London. Finding her own unique take on things, Bec incorporates arts and crafts into her stand-up routines in something she calls paper-puppetry. You should go find her work on YouTube, Twitter, and where all good viral videos are posted. In the meantime, she joins me for a ramble of epic proportions. 

Alexander McKenzie started painting at 11 years old, and has gone on to be exhibited extensively, with over 20 solo exhibitions in both Australia and the United Kingdom since 1996. He is a five time finalist in the Archibald Prize for portraiture at the Art Gallery of NSW, and a seven time finalist in the Wynne Prize for Landscape painting. Today, he stops by the chat cave for an in depth ramble on what it means to live the life of an artist.

Once Were Warriors, Star Wars, and, most recently, Siren, are just a few of the highlights in the 3-decade long career of Rena Owen. Join us for a deep chat about what it takes to make a life as an artist.

Vegan food, tested on carnivores - the mantra of cookbook and blog, My Goodness Kitchen. What started out as a grass roots blog, has become a tremendous resource for people looking to dive into the world of the vegan, all delivered with a bit of tongue in cheek. 

Santa Clarita Diet, Top of the Lake, and Homecoming Queens, are just a few of the shows in the relatively young but prolific career of my guest this week, Liv Hewson. Liv comes on the show to speak on her philosophies, an evolving career, and bringing greater awareness to gender roles. Join us in the chat cave. 

Troll Bridge, a film based on the Terry Pratchett story, has been a 16 year journey for filmmaker Dan Knight. This week, it had its premiere at renowned film festival, Flickerfest. So how does one persist through such a long project? What are the challenges and hurdles that need to be overcome? And how does one let it go when it is complete? Dan Knight joins me in the chat cave and pulls the curtain back.

Paradise Lost, Some Kind of Monster, I Am Not Your Guru - are just three of the films that make up the career of one of the most significant non-fiction filmmakers out there. Joe Berlinger has two new projects coming up, both tackling the same primary character - Ted Bundy. One is a true crime docu-series for Netflix, Conversations With a Killer (dropping Jan 24th), the other, a scripted feature film starring Zac Efron as Ted Bundy, Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile (premiering at Sundance Jan 26). To start a new year of new podcast rambles, Joe joins me in the chat cave to talk about telling the Ted Bundy story in two very different ways, his career, and the current documentary boom.

Academy Award winning writer, John Patrick Shanley is one of the most prolific contemporary playwrights. His work includes Danny And The Deep Blue Sea, The Dreamer Examines His Pillow, and Doubt. John has collaborated with some of the greatest artists of the 20th/21st century - and today, he pulls back the curtain on his life, what he deems to be a success, and other philosophical musings.

Brad Pitt, Beyonce, and Halle Berry are just some of the names that credit Ivana Chubbuck with transforming the way they approach their craft. She is the woman behind so many of the all time greats, and in the middle of 2018, I was lucky enough to speak with her about her life, process, and what it means to be an actor.

NEWSROOM was the breakout film in the long and illustrious career of Phillip Noyce. As we say goodbye to 2018, as has become tradition, we take a look back at some of the year's highlights for Coming Up Next. 

Kendrick Lamar, Aloe Blacc, and Macy Gray are just some of the artists that Sam Barsh has collaborated with. He's written and performed on Grammy Award winning tunes and albums. And today, he comes on the podcast to break down the reality of being a songwriter, producer, and player, in the age of streaming.

Homecoming Queens, Single Asian Female, and Bloomers are three of the more significant projects in the career of writer Michelle Law. How has her process evolved? Was she afraid of being pigeon hole'd in a white washed industry? And has there really been significant change behind the scenes of the Aussie film & tv world?

The Lord of the Rings & Mortal Engines screenwriter and producer, Philippa Boyens, joins me in the chat cave this week. Philippa grew up reading the Tolkien books from cover to cover, in the West of Auckland. Never did she dream that she would get a call from Peter Jackson, with an offer to come on board his team to adapt The Lord of the Rings into a screenplay - the tip of the iceberg being a 2004 Academy Award. Her filmography elevates her into the category of "Film Royalty", such is the pedigree of her portfolio - the latest of which is Mortal Engines, which opens in Australian cinemas Thursday December 6th.

Louis Theroux's Love Without Limits documentary, from his Altered States series, opens in Australian Cinemas on Thursday Nov 30th (2018). The series producer (and director of two of the documentaries), Arron Fellows, joins me in the ramble room this week to peel back the curtain on what it's like to make documentaries with Louis, as well as his own journey in the world of non fiction.

Letterman, Colbert, Blue Note, and Electric Lady Studios are just some of the iconic places that Lex Sadler has played since moving from Perth to NYC. His first big project was Delicatessen in the late 90s, and now he's collaborating with some of the world's top artists on Lex Sadler's Rhythm and Stealth. Today, he's having a ramble.

From an Oreo commercial to Home & Away, the Banno Twins have amassed 15+ years in the Australian film and tv world. So what is it like having a creative soul mate? 

I Used To Be Normal is a documentary that transcends generations of boyband fans. It was a labour of love, put together over 5 years across the globe, by filmmaker Jessica Leski. Today, she pulls the curtain back on the film and how she came to be a boyband fangirl. 

Free Solo, and Scotty & The Secret History of Hollywood are two of the most recent films in the 40+ year career of verite documentary film editor, Bob Eisenhardt. So what does it take to put an observational documentary together? And how has that changed over the years? He's just been nominated for a Critics Choice award for his editing work on Free Solo, and today he joins me in the chat cave.

Stop motion animator and filmmaker, Robert Morgan, grew up watching horror films - a fascination with monsters creating an early intrigue into a darker, edgier world. Now, having won some of the biggest accolades, as well as having collaborated with some of the biggest networks, he's going to work on his first mind bending feature. But first, a ramble of epic proportions. To see Robert's work, click here.

Ali's Wedding actor, Maha Wilson, joins me in the chat cave to talk about a life that includes spending 15 months travelling from Iraq to Australia with her family at age 6, making home videos with her sister in Sydney, and pursuing a career as an actor.

Mr Inbetween is the TV adaptation of 2005 feature film, The Magician (which you can now watch on Showcase in Australia, or on demand). So what happened from 2005 to 2018? The creator of the film & show, Scott Ryan, joins me in the chat cave to discuss the FX & Blue Tongue produced series, and how it all began.

Scotty & The Secret History of Hollywood tells the untold story of male prostitute & fixer-upper of the Golden Generation of Hollywood, Scotty Bowers. It's an important story, told by verite documentary filmmaker and Vanity Fair journalist, Matt Tyrnauer - and this week, Matt steps into the chat cave to give the inside scoop.

Upgrade, the latest flick from Leigh Whannell, was a unique acting experience for journeyman actor, Simon Maiden. From All Saints to Deadline Gallipoli, there aren't too many shows around that Simon hasn't featured in at some point during is near 20 year career. 

From The Dreamer Examines His Pillow to Moonstruck to Doubt, one of the most prolific (and legendary, if I do say so) contemporary playwrights, John Patrick Shanley, has had a career for the history books. He grew up in the Bronx, today lives in Brooklyn - and this week, the Pulitzer Prize, Tony and Academy Award Winning writer and director sits down in the chat cave.

Three Identical Strangers is one of three documentaries making a splash at the US box office. Tim Wardle, the films director, is a BAFTA Nominated documentary filmmaker, and executive producer at UK production company, Raw. In 2012, a most unusual story was presented to him. 5 years later, his documentary premiered at Sundance. The rest is stranger than fiction.

On Nova, Tim Blackwell is heard in drive with Kate Ritchie and Marty Sheargold, entertaining over a million listeners a week on their drive home, around Australia. His first gig was occupying a studio chair as Nova 100 Melbourne’s late night announcer. In 2002 he moved to Perth to host Nova 93.7’s local drive show and was the first voice heard on air when the station launched with a Red Hot Chili Peppers interview. Today, he's making it silly.

The Black Balloon has been described by it's creator as a semi-autobigraphical work, which is a stamp she intentionally leaves on everything she does - whether it's directing a film she's written, an episode of Offspring, a US TV Series, or her latest film, The Honor List. Elissa Down joins me in the chat cave, to talk about her process, her life, and you know... what makes her silly.

Icarus, the Academy Award winning documentary, is a film about duality, told in a very unconventional manner. When editor Kevin Klauber (of Pearl Jam Twenty, Harmontown, and Brew Dogs) was brought on to the project, it appeared to be the "Super Size Me"of sports-doping. What unravelled in front of him, however, was a piece of filmmaking with much more significant implications. This is the story of how he put it together.

From John Safran, and The Chaser's War on Everything, through to Late Night with Seth Meyers, Craig Melville has found that being slightly ahead of the technology curve has helped him to establish himself as one of Australia's premier directors. He started in advertising, then moved into the world of documentary, and now... he's in the ramble room. 

From beginnings with Throbbing Gristle and SPK, creating his own sound with albums through the 80s, composing the score for The Crow, and through to collaborating with Tool, there's certainly a tremendous amount to talk about when Lustmord steps into the chat cave. 

Brad Pitt, Charlize Theron, Halle Berry, and Jim Carey, are just some of the A-List actors who seek the guidance and training of Ivana Chubbuck. Her book, The Power of the Actor, has changed the way the modern actor approaches their craft, and today, she joins me in the chat cave. From an abusive but creative childhood in Detroit, to a roadtrip out West to the sunny calling of California, come find out how Ivana created a life of her own design - and what makes her silly.

The Bringer of Rain, the Weather Wizard, the Gear of War, the Monster of Labs. To kick off Year 3 of Coming Up Next, one of my best friends, and long time collaborators, Liam McIntyre & I sit down after watching a World Cup match (sooo early) to wax on the last 3 years of our careers, on how the world has changed, and of course, the things that continue to make us silly.

Sundance Film Festival is the haven for indie filmmakers, so when Goran Stolevski unexpectantly won the Sundance Jury Prize for his (24th) short film, Would You Look At Her, his career moved into a new stratosphere. For this filmmaker born in Macedonia, the journey has been about incremental steps to build a big career. And today, it's a big philosophical ramble.

The Money Shot, and The Band, were the first two feature films from feminist erotic filmmaker, Anna Brownfield. Concurrently to these erotic films, she also made Making It Handmade - a documentary about people who are passionate about craft. Her body of work speaks for itself, but today she waxes on a career of diversity, in a difficult time for the adult film industry. 

He's got 99 Schnitzels, and a veal ain't one of them. After many years in the law game, Josh gave it all up to follow his heart, and pursue his passion - theatre, comedy, and schtick. Now, just 3 years in, he's touring the world with his third show, Karma Karma Karma Karma Karma Comedian. Since we went to high school together, and after nearly 10 years of not seeing each other, there was a lot to catch up on. It gets downright silly.

What If It Works? is the debut feature film of actor turned writer/director, Romi Trower. Before she was calling the shots, she featured in shows like Kick, Offspring, and Neighbours. But now she is blazing a trail as a part of the new generation of independant Australian filmmakers.

Sisters, Mustangs FC, and Homecoming Queens were all part of the breakout year that was 2017 for director Corrie Chen. But before that, she spent many years refining her craft through short films, documentary work, quitting for a month, and taking her work overseas. This week, she brings it to the chat cave.

Parkinson's Disease is not something one usually associates with young women coming into their prime. But that was the story for 29 year old design wizard, Emma Lawton. Now 5 years into her diagnosis, she hasn't taken it sitting down. Having just completed a 365 video-a-day project (available on her YouTube channel), Ems has just launched a crowd funding campaign over at threesixfives.com, aimed at building a community for people with long term health issues. She's also done a bunch of amazing Ted talks, and recently picked up stand up comedy. Somewhere she found the time to join me in the chat cave to talk about it all.

You'd be forgiven for thinking that the music for Ron Howard's film Rush, the 12 Monkeys TV series, and video game Medal of Honour, were all composed by different people. But composer and musician Bryce Jacobs has found a way to stand out from the crowd, through diversifying not only his compositions and playing, but also his mentality about it all. From engineering his own 7 octave guitar, to working for Hans Zimmer's Remote Control Productions, it's a podcast ramble of epic proportions when Bryce joins me in the chat cave.

Australia's most tattooed Adult Star, Monte Luxe, joins me in the chat cave this week to uncover an industry that always fascinates, but is rarely spoken about. From starting out in Cairns, being in difficult relationships, the first time she stepped on set, and finding her niche as an alternate porn star, Monte sheds a lot of light on this mysterious life. 

Having worked on over 1400 productions in a 40+ year career, Ron Brown felt there was something missing in the Australian industry. He, along with Alan Finney, hatched a plan to create Australia's first (and only) on demand service for Aussie conntent, OzFlix. And this Saturday (April 7th), they hold the first ever OzFlix Independant Film Awards. From touring around the world with his father, who worked in distribution and sales for Universal, working in post production on the first Mad Max, all the way through to starting up OzFlix, it's a ramble of epic proportions when Ron joins me in the chat cave.

The Kite Runner, Gulliver's Travels, Marvel Films, and Larping. Coming Up Next takes a look behind the curtain of post production, as Boris FX's VFX guru, Mary Poplin, pops into the ramble room. It gets nerdy.

DMNDR is a movement, it's a paradigm shift, it's a revolution - and it's founder, John Belitsky, is in love with chaos. From finance on wall street, and a cab ride across the USA, to establishing a 20,000 square foot artistic space in New York City, John is taking the supply back, and giving you what you demand.   Visit www.dmndr.com for the revolution.

That's Not My Dog opens nationally in cinemas this week, and one the film's joke telling stars returns to the chat cave! Michala Banas catches me up on the last 3 years of her life since we first spoke, we talk about relationships, auditioning in Los Angeles, as well as a deep tangent that winds up in a discussion about the me too movement.

The Play That Goes Wrong has taken the comedy world by storm. From a small one hour show that played at Edinburgh Fringe, and above a pub, to the toast of the West End, Broadway, and now the rest of the world, this is a true story of how something can explode. One of the original creators of the show, Dave Hearn, pops into the chat cave to give us the inside word.