Off The Beat with Brian Baumgartner

Actor, podcast host and wrestling dork Will Sasso is on the podcast today. He and Brian discuss Will's start on Canadian teen dramas, his breakout performance on legendary sketch show Mad TV, and recurring roles on some of our favorite TV shows over the past 3 decades. Plus Will dives into the kayfabe and controversy behind his "AI-influenced" podcast, Dudesy.

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Brian sits down with actor, model, and violin prodigy Torrey DeVitto to learn about what makes a great classical musician, hitting the teen mecca of television jobs, and why she can’t bring herself to eat eggs from her own duck.

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On today’s episode, Brian speaks with the fabulous Sarah Drew. Sarah talks about her youth being as inspired by musical theater as her father's church sermons, her professional stage experience and pivot to screen acting, and how a small collaboration with Shonda Rhimes blossomed into a career defining role on Grey's Anatomy. Sarah can be seen starring in Branching Out, premiering this month on the Hallmark Channel.

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Brian sits down with Bachelor-turned-business guru Jason Tartick. Jason talks about the business side of reality television, how to balance love and checkbooks in his new book “Talk Money to Me”, and challenges Brian to consider his own relationship to financial transparency.

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Brian is swapping secrets with broadcast journalist Alisyn Camerota this week. She pulls back the "anchor mask" and delves into her rebellious youth, the conflicts with Roger Ailes during her tenure at Fox News, her transition to the culture of CNN, and what to do when the constant firehose of a 24-hour news cycle gets overwhelming. These stories and many others can be found in Alisyn's new book, Combat Love: A Story of Leaving, Longing, and Searching for Home, out this week.

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David Dastmalchian is on the pod this week proving once again that there are no small parts, just small actors. He and Brian discuss the rigor of traditional theater training, the joys of digging into character creation, David's struggles with mental health and overcoming addiction, and the edgy breakout roles that turned him into a recognizable creep. Catch David in the new movie Late Night with the Devil, in theaters this week.

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This week Brian is searching for his "missing" invitation to Augusta National with PGA Tour golfer, Justin Thomas. From youth phenom to the #1 professional in the world, Justin has dominated the game of golf over much of the last decade and is just hitting his stride. In this episode, he details memories of witnessing an inspiring Tiger Woods shootout, his early rivalry with Jordan Spieth, his legendary 59 shot round in Hawaii, and the mental strength it takes to face down the back nine with a one stroke lead.

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Brian’s guest today is none other than Juror #6, Ronald Gladden of the hit show Jury Duty. Ronald talks about his start in construction engineering, being the last person on Craigslist, and building his new life among the stars.

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Brian talks with actress, documentarian, and multi-generational icon, Soleil Moon Frye. Best known for her breakout role as the young Punky Brewster, Soleil reflects on Punky's continuing influence, how supportive family and close friends allowed her to have a childhood through the pressures of network success, and how an appreciation of the world brought her behind the camera and lead to the creation of her 2021 documentary film, Kid 90. The pair also cover Soleil's current work with the Ask2BSure campaign to raise awareness about the Meningitis B vaccine. More information can be found at www.Ask2BSure.com

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Brian's attention turns from football to baseball this week as he gets into the spring training mindset with Fox Sports analyst and Hall of Fame pitcher, John Smoltz. A veteran of over 20 years in professional baseball, "Smoltzy" takes us behind the scenes of his storied career from star high school athlete and Detroit Tigers prospect, to playoff near-misses and eventual World Series redemption as part of the dominant Atlanta Braves starting rotation alongside Tom Glavine and Greg Maddux, and how overcoming injuries forced him to relearn the game from the bullpen where he excelled as the Braves' closer. Plus, John details why you should never talk trash to Tiger Woods and shares his early thoughts on the upcoming 2024 baseball season.

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