PODCAST · society
The Supporting Cast
by Eli Goldsmith - Harvard Westlake
Conversations with inspiring people about those who inspired them
Episodes
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Alyssa Thompson ’23 on United States Soccer – TSC083
Alyssa Thompson ’23 is a member of both the United States Women’s National Team (USWNT) and Chelsea FC in London. In this episode, Alyssa describes growing up playing AYSO in Sherman Oaks, before finding club and national team success while at Harvard-Westlake, to then committing to Stanford at…
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Julia Wick ’07 on the Pulitzer Prize and Covering L.A. – TSC082
In October of 2022, then LA Times reporter Julia Wick ’07 received a call from a source that a tape was circulating of several prominent LA City Council members making racist remarks during a redistricting conversation a year prior. Julia and her colleagues broke the story, which became a…
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Maz Jobrani on Comedy in Complicated Times – TSC081
Maz Jobrani is an Iranian-American actor and comedian, whose work spans from roles in major movies to global comedy tours to NPR’s “Wait Wait…Don’t Tell Me.” In this episode, Maz speaks to how comedy changes during times of international conflict, as it did after 9/11 when Maz headlined the “Axis...
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Bela Bajaria on Leading Netflix – TSC080
Bela Bajaria is Chief Content Officer at Netflix, where she oversees a $20 billion budget for content accessible in 190 countries worldwide. In this episode, Bela speaks about how Netflix operates globally—including through 27 country offices developing regional content—and how some of those…
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Remembering Jason Collins ’97 – TSC079
On May 12, 2026, the world lost Jason Collins ’97. In the wake of his passing, we re-share a conversation with Jason from episode 9 of this series, which was recorded on February 28, 2020.
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Mariko Silver ’95 on Leading Lincoln Center – TSC078
Mariko Silver ’95 is the President and CEO of Lincoln Center, the largest performing arts campus in the United States, featuring eleven resident arts organizations ranging from the Metropolitan Opera to Julliard to New York City Ballet to Jazz at Lincoln Center. In this episode, Mariko tells her...
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Curtis Stone on the Michelin Star – TSC077
Curtis Stone is a renowned chef and author whose charisma and culinary skill has made him a mainstay on United States and Australian television for more than two decades. Here in LA, Curtis’s restaurants Maude and Gwen have each earned the coveted Michelin Star. In this episode, Curtis speaks…
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Dan Alig on AI and Education – TSC076
Dan Alig is the Chief Information Officer (CIO) at Harvard-Westlake, having arrived in 2024 after serving as CIO for more than a decade at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. In this episode, Dan speaks to how Harvard-Westlake and other schools are confronting the emergence of...
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Steve Chung ’89 on Designing River Park – TSC075
In the fall of 2026, Harvard-Westlake will open River Park (www.hwriverpark.com), a new campus dedicated to athletics, wellness, community partnership, and environmental sustainability. What you may not know, however, is that River Park was designed by a graduate, Steve Chung ’89, the Global...
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Bear Ride ’71 on the Life and Love of Sally Ride ’68 – TSC074
Bear Ride ’71 is the only sister of astronaut and American hero, Sally Ride ’68, who in 1983 became the first American woman in space. In this episode, Bear tells Sally’s story—but also her own, which includes “breaking ground” in her own right as a female and openly gay Presbyterian minister.…
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Adrián González on Innovations in Major League Baseball – TSC073
Adrián González had a 15-year career as a Major League Baseball player, punctuated by two five-year stints with the San Diego Padres and Los Angeles Dodgers—including numerous Gold Gloves, Silver Sluggers, and All-Star selections—as well as seasons in which Adrián led the entire MLB in hits and...
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Deborah Rutter ’74 on Leading the Kennedy Center – TSC072
For the last ten years (up until this past February), Deborah Rutter ’74 was President of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, the national cultural center of the United States. In this episode, Deborah tells her story. From growing up in Encino and attending Westlake and then...
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Dr. Jon Carroll on Building a School – TSC071
In June of 2025, Dr. Jon Carroll will depart Harvard-Westlake after thirteen years—the first three leading HW Aquatics and the last ten as a middle school dean. Jon is not departing to join another school community, however—but to build one. In the fall of 2026, Jon will open Jabali Academy, a…
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Liz Neubauer Freinberg ’98 on the LA 2028 Olympics – TSC070
Liz Neubauer Freinberg ’98 is Chief Legal Officer and General Counsel for the LA 2028 Olympics. In this episode, Liz discusses LA28’s proposed athletic venues, transportation challenges, and “Olympic Village” site—as well as the notion of LA28 as a “comeback story,” highlighting the city’s...
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Ben Sherwood ’81 on American Journalism – TSC069
Ben Sherwood ’81 is the publisher, CEO, and co-owner of the digital news platform The Daily Beast, a position Ben assumed in 2024 after a long and illustrious career as a media executive. For example, Ben has served as Executive Producer of Good Morning America, President of ABC News, and most...
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Nicole Brown ’98 on Leading TriStar – TSC068
Nicole Brown ’98 is the president of TriStar Pictures, the famed Sony Pictures division responsible for producing many of the most influential films in movie history. In this episode, Nicole tells her story—from growing up in Culver City and attending public and private schools, before…
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Rick Commons on Losing a Home and Leading Harvard-Westlake – TSC067
In the season 6 opener, The Supporting Cast welcomes back its very first guest, Rick Commons, the Charles B. Thornton President of Harvard-Westlake. In this episode, Rick speaks to the many challenges and opportunities impacting today’s HW students, from college admission and the promise of River...
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Nick Melvoin ’04 on Public Education in Los Angeles – TSC066
In 2017, a 31-year-old Nick Melvoin ’04 was elected as one of seven members of the largest self-governing school district in the world, the LAUSD Board of Education. In this episode, Nick tells his story, from growing up in LA and attending Harvard-Westlake and Harvard College, before teaching in…
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Ynon Kreiz on Leading Mattel – TSC065
Ynon Kreiz is Chairman and CEO of Mattel, a global toy and family entertainment company and owner of among the most iconic brand portfolios in the world. In this episode, Ynon tells his story—from growing up and attending college in Israel, before relocating to Los Angeles to study entertainment…
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Robert Hur ’91 on Investigating the President – TSC064
On January 12, 2023, Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed Robert Hur ’91 to oversee the Justice Department’s investigation into President Biden’s alleged mishandling of classified documents during his time as vice president—thrusting Rob into the national political spotlight. In this…
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Tiffany Alexander Aldridge ’87, When Giving Comes Full Circle – TSC063
Tiffany Alexander Aldridge ’87 is Director of Annual Giving at Harvard-Westlake, overseeing a program that leads all American day schools in overall dollars (raising more than $10M in 2022-2023). However, what draws Tiffany to the role is not the program’s size, but its impact—which Tiffany and…
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Kara Nortman ’93 on Angel City and Investing in Women’s Sports – TSC062
Kara Nortman ’93 is co-founder of Los Angeles’s professional women’s soccer team Angel City. In this episode, Kara recounts her evolution from leading LA’s largest venture capital firm, Upfront Ventures, to co-founding Angel City alongside partners Natalie Portman and Julie Uhrman in 2020. Since...
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Rich Eisen on the NFL Draft and a Life in Sports Broadcasting – TSC061
On April 25, the NFL Network’s Rich Eisen will host his 21st NFL Draft, anchoring what will amount to a 20-hour broadcast held over multiple days—framing compelling narratives and moderating impassioned debates about the NFL’s next generation of stars. In this episode, Rich tells his story–from...
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Elizabeth Banks on a Career in Entertainment – TSC060
Actor, producer, and director Elizabeth Banks grew up in Pittsfield, MA, as the eldest of four siblings—falling into acting (quite literally) after suffering a softball injury, and then leaning into theater due to the encouragement of high school teachers. Then came the University of…
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Dr. Mark Krieger on Adolescent Mental Health – TSC059
In the season 5 opener, The Supporting Cast welcomes its first return guest, Dr. Mark Krieger, Surgeon-in-Chief at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA). In March 2022, Dr. Krieger joined to discuss Kids and Covid-19 (Ep. 37). Two years later, he joins to address a different kind of global…
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Eric Garcetti ’88, US Ambassador to India and Former LA Mayor – TSC058
In the season 4 finale, The Supporting Cast welcomes the 42nd Mayor of Los Angeles (2013-2022) and current United States Ambassador to India, Eric Garcetti ’88. In this episode, Ambassador Garcetti joins from Delhi, India, to tell his story—from growing up in Encino, to finding a passion for the...
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Jim Pattison on Commuting from Goleta for 26 Years – TSC057
For the last 26 years, Senior Advancement Officer Jim Pattison has spent nearly every weekday waking up at 3:30 a.m. at his home in Goleta nad driving nearly 200 miles roundtrip to his office at the Harvard-Westlake Middle School. In this episode, Jim tells us why. It began with growing up with...
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Yvette Lee Bowser on a History-Making Career in Television – TSC056
In 2023, the Writers Guild of America awarded its highest honor for television writing achievement, the Paddy Chayefsky Laurel Award, to veteran TV writer, creator, and showrunner Yvette Lee Bowser. For more than three decades, Yvette has been telling stories via television—most recently...
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Manny Yekutiel ’07 on Creating a Space for Civic and Political Engagement – TSC055
In the heart of San Francisco’s Mission District sits a community gathering place called “Manny’s,” where on any day one might find Kara Swisher interviewing a member of Congress, a Q&A with San Francisco’s Chief of Police, a gathering of Gamers of Color, or meeting of the American Jewish...
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Patton Oswalt on Comedy, Grief, and Fatherhood – TSC054
Patton Oswalt is an Emmy and Grammy Award winning comedian, writer, actor, and producer. In this episode, Patton speaks about growing up in a military family and attending a northern Virginia high school, before attending an open mic night during college and falling in love with the world comedy....
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Julia Boorstin ’96 on When Women Lead – TSC053
Julia Boorstin ’96 is CNBC’s Senior Media and Tech Correspondent and author of the new book When Women Lead: What They Achieve, Why They Succeed, and How We Can Learn from Them. In this episode, Julia speaks about why she chose to look at female leadership through the prism of entrepreneurship,...
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Doug Kezirian ’95 on the Evolution of Sports Betting – TSC052
Doug Kezirian ’95 is the host of ESPN’s first-ever daily betting show, The Daily Wager. In this episode, Doug takes us through the legal and societal evolution of sports betting, and how a subject many regarded as “unseemly” a decade ago now finds a comfortable home on ESPN. Doug also describes…
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Jui Shah ’02 on Malaria Elimination and the Impact of Financial Aid – TSC051
In the vast and challenging landscape of global health, the story of malaria has most recently been one great progress. Many Asian countries, including Thailand, are on the verge of eliminating the disease entirely, demonstrating a 90% decrease in cases over the past 15 years. Standing at the...
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Jarron Collins ’97 on Allyship and Coaching Champions – TSC050
Jarron Collins ’97 is an assistant coach with the NBA’s New Orleans Pelicans, and previous to that—a three-time NBA champion as an assistant coach with the Golden State Warriors. In this episode, Jarron speaks about the many coaches who influenced his championship journey, from Harvard-Westlake…
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Lily Collins ’07 on Peer Support and Emily in Paris – TSC049
Lily Collins ’07 is an actor, producer, and centerpiece of the global Netflix phenomenon, Emily in Paris. In this episode, Lily joins The Supporting Cast from New York amid a massive press tour, wedged between late night talk show appearances, to speak about the responsibility she carries as both...
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David Weil ’93 on Harvard-Westlake River Park – TSC048
In the fall of 2017, Harvard-Westlake acquired 17 acres of flat land in Studio City with the aspiration of building a third campus. More than five years later, the project, now known as Harvard-Westlake River Park, is potentially within months of gaining approval with the City of Los Angeles. To...
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Remembering Ted Walch – TSC047
Beloved Harvard-Westlake teacher, colleague, mentor, and friend Ted Walch died peacefully at his home on September 8, 2022. In Ted’s memory, we re-post Season 1, Episode 6, of The Supporting Cast featuring the inimitable Ted Walch.
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Courtney B. Vance, Actor – TSC046
In the season 3 finale, The Supporting Cast welcomes Tony and Emmy Award winning actor Courtney B. Vance. In this episode, Courtney speaks about growing up in Detroit during the 1960s and 1970s and attending an independent school, Detroit Country Day, before heading to Harvard and then Yale…
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Kate Benton on Theater, Improv, and Middle School – TSC045
Kate Benton just completed her 27th year at Harvard-Westlake, where she has served as a performing arts faculty member and most recently as Head of the Middle School Deans. In this episode, Kate explains how middle schoolers have adjusted back to “in-person” school academically, mentally, and...
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Erik Swoope ’10 on a Very Unexpected NFL Career – TSC044
In the spring of 2014, Erik Swoope ’10 laced up his cleats for the first day of rookie camp with the Indianapolis Colts. While the NFL is a rare destination for any aspiring professional athlete, this was especially unusual for Erik. Erik Swoope never played college football, nor high school...
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Rev. Anne Gardner on Faith at Harvard-Westlake – TSC043
After 12 years at Phillips Andover, Rev. Anne Gardner joined Harvard-Westlake in 2020 as the school’s chaplain. While prior to Anne’s arrival, Rick Commons had framed the role as an “entrepreneurial chaplaincy,” Anne had no idea how unorthodox it would actually become. Anne spent the first year…
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Sabrina Singh ’05 on White House Communications – TSC042
Sabrina Singh ’05 is Deputy Press Secretary to Vice President Kamala Harris. In this episode, Sabrina speaks about the heightened stakes of White House communications, the delicate balance between policy precision and personal authenticity in political speech, and how the Harris and Biden press...
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John Gatins on Screenwriting – TSC041
John Gatins is an Oscar-nominated screenwriter. In this episode, John speaks about initially coming to Hollywood to be an actor, before landing a chance opportunity to re-write a high school football movie called Varsity Blues in 1999. The film’s success launched a screenwriting career that would...
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Jocelyn Medawar on Teaching and Laughter – TSC040
Jocelyn Medawar has taught English at Harvard-Westlake for more than 30 years. In this episode, Jocelyn speaks about the magic of finally teaching “in-person” again, how to build a community of both levity and trust within her classroom, and also the art of assembling an effective college...
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Kimberly West-Faulcon on Constitutional Law – TSC039
Constitutional law professor Kimberly West-Faulcon is the 2022 Kutler Center Scholar in Residence at Harvard-Westlake. In this episode, Kimberly speaks about constitutional interpretation, including what she describes as more contemporary notions of “originalism” and their application to the…
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Wolfgang Puck, Chef and Restaurateur – TSC038
Wolfgang Puck is a world-renowned chef and restaurateur. In this episode, Wolfgang speaks about the teenage restaurant apprenticeship that changed his life, at L’Oustau de Baumanière in the South of France. It was during this era where Wolfgang also met the late Sidney Poitier, who not only...
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Dr. Mark Krieger on Kids and Covid-19 – TSC037
Dr. Mark Krieger is Surgeon-in-Chief at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA), where for the past two years he has helped to lead complex conversations and address critical questions about Covid-19 and its risk to kids. As the Omicron surge (hopefully) nears its end in Los Angeles, many of these...
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Chan Ho Park, Former Dodger Pitcher and Korean Baseball Legend – TSC036
In the season two finale, The Supporting Cast welcomes former Dodger pitcher Chan Ho Park, who was the first Korean-born player and winningest Asian-born pitcher in the history of Major League Baseball. In this episode, Chan Ho speaks about growing up in Gongju, South Korea, and initially playing...
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Dulé Hill, Actor – TSC035
Actor Dulé Hill is best known for playing Detective “Gus” Guster on the USA series Psych and Charlie Young, personal aid to President Jed Bartlett, on NBC’s The West Wing. In this episode, Dulé speaks about growing up in Sayreville, NJ, as the son of Jamaican immigrants, and how exposure to…
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Juliette Kayyem ’87 on Risk Reduction and a New Path Forward from COVID-19 – TSC034
Juliette Kayyem ’87 is a CNN National Security Analyst, Harvard Kennedy School professor, Atlantic columnist, and expert in the field of emergency preparedness, consequence management, and risk reduction. As it happens, Juliette joins The Supporting Cast on the day the CDC lifted its indoor and...
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does The Supporting Cast have?
The Supporting Cast currently has 83 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is The Supporting Cast about?
Conversations with inspiring people about those who inspired them
How often does The Supporting Cast release new episodes?
The Supporting Cast has 83 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
Where can I listen to The Supporting Cast?
You can listen to The Supporting Cast on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts The Supporting Cast?
The Supporting Cast is created and hosted by Eli Goldsmith - Harvard Westlake.
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