What's The Trick?
Arts
About
How do you take a spark of an idea and turn it into something original, finished, and unforgettable?In this conversation, we sit down with some of The World’s most creative people and get geeky about their creative process. The breakthroughs, the failures, the step-by-step hard work that audiences never see.Join Ben Hanlin as he interviews Comedians, Musicians, Writers, Content Creators and asks them, “What’s The Trick?” Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Episodes
- Matt Richardson: Why Most Comedians Never Make It
In this episode of "What's The Trick?", Ben Hanlin interviews comedian Matt Richardson about pursuing a career in stand-up. They discuss the creative process, audience dynamics, and the dedication required to succeed in comedy.
- Easter Special: What 10 Creative Guests Taught Me About Making Things That Work
This special episode of What's The Trick? summarizes key lessons from the first 10 creative guests. Host Ben identifies recurring ideas, habits, and mindset shifts that contribute to successful creative work across various fields.
- Matt Denton: How we built BB-8 for Star Wars
Animatronics expert Matt Denton explains the process of creating practical effects and characters like BB-8 for films, detailing the engineering, testing, and refinement involved in bringing robots to life for the screen.
- The Hoosiers: How We Wrote Worried About Ray
This episode of What's The Trick? features The Hoosiers discussing their music career, focusing on songwriting, resilience, and maintaining creativity after success. They share insights on the gap between potential and execution, and the h…
- Jack Savoretti: How to Build a Music Career Without Depending on the Industry
In this episode, Jack Savoretti shares his journey of building a music career outside the traditional industry model. He details his strategy of extensive touring and maintaining independence, which resulted in two UK number-one records. T…
- Dom Joly: How to Make Comedy That Lasts 25 Years (Trigger Happy TV)
This episode features Dom Joly discussing the creation of Trigger Happy TV, detailing how he made the show with a small budget and basic equipment. It covers the show's origins, international sales, and the personal and creative impact on…
- Pulp Kitchen: How to Build a Successful Podcast
This episode details how the Pulp Kitchen Podcast grew from a simple idea into a full-time creative career, focusing on the mechanics, risks, and mindset required for building a sustainable business from a podcast.
- Amelia Sordell: How to Create a Personal Brand
In this episode of What's The Trick?, Amelia Sordell shares insights on building a successful personal brand, covering its growth, the challenges faced, and key strategies for visibility, content creation, and reputation management.
- Owen Cutts: How I made music with Stormzy
This episode features music producer Owen Cutts discussing the non-romanticized process of making music, focusing on the rooms, pressure, trust, and decisions involved. It delves into what it takes to create lasting creative work, covering…
- Scott Bennett: How to Become a Full-Time Comedian (at 38 years old)
Scott Bennett shares his structured approach to building a full-time comedy career, emphasizing consistent work, craft, and self-belief over sporadic inspiration. The episode details his methods for writing, performing, and navigating the…
- Matthew Barry: How to Become a TV Screenwriter (Sabrina, EastEnders, and The Guest)
In this episode of What's The Trick?, host Ben Hanlin interviews TV writer Matthew Barry about the realities of television screenwriting. They discuss the functions of writers' rooms, the impact of scheduling and budgets on storytelling, a…
- Dan Rhodes: How to Become YouTube’s Biggest Magician
This episode features magician Dan Rhodes discussing how he built a large YouTube following through consistent short-form video content, experimentation, and prioritizing audience ownership. It covers strategies for creators, including con…
- Tom Basden: How to Make a Career as a TV & Film Writer
Tom Basden shares insights on building a career as a TV and film writer, detailing the process from short film to feature, collaborative writing, production challenges, and the role of music. He offers advice for aspiring writers, especial…
- Simon Brodkin: How to Become a Stand-up Comedian
Ben Hanlin talks with comedian Simon Brodkin about his journey into stand-up, the evolution of comedy, and the challenges of producing comedy specials. Brodkin shares insights on audience engagement and the learning process in comedy.
- Matt Edmondson: How to Create a Global Board Game
Matt Edmondson discusses the process of creating a global board game with Ben Hanlin, touching on creativity, collaboration, market launch, and global expansion.
- Andy Nyman: How to Become a Successful Actor
Ben Hanlin speaks with Andy Nyman about his career as an actor and writer, covering his experiences in shows like 'Wicked' and 'Ghost Stories,' the audition process, and advice for aspiring actors.
- Callie Hart: How to Write a Best-selling Book (Quicksilver)
Callie Hart shares her experience writing the bestselling book 'Quicksilver', discussing the romantic fantasy genre, character development, and the publishing process.
- Niall Gray: How to go Viral on TikTok
Ben Hanlin interviews TikToker Niall Gray about achieving virality, focusing on his parody videos and the sound 'Catch Flights, Not Feelings'. They explore his creative process, time management, and passion for video editing.
- Simon Squibb: How to Create Viral Social Media Content
Ben Hanlin interviews Simon Squibb on What's The Trick? about creating viral content, covering creativity, entrepreneurship, TikTok, AI, and the importance of consistency.
- What's The Trick? (Trailer)
This episode of What's The Trick? features conversations with creative individuals about their process for developing ideas into finished work, including insights into breakthroughs and failures.