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Paul Zaloom on Beakman’s World, Puppetry, and the Art of Curiosity | Everly Heights Tales Podcast

I talk to an actor I have an awful lot of nostalgia for: Paul Zaloom, best known as Beakman from the hit ’90s educational series Beakman’s World. This hour-long interview traces Zaloom’s journey from his own “Everly Heights,” Garden City in New York state, to his work in avant-garde theater and puppetry.

Making “Welcome, Freshmen”, a Roundtable Discussion with the Cast | Everly Heights Tales Podcast

In this bonus episode, the cast of “Welcome, Freshmen” celebrates the final recording session with a virtual cast party! They talk about the process of making an animated series over the internet, what it was like to improvise around the script, and the creative collaboration between actors and writers. They also get into some voice actor tech talk and, of course, we learn the term “fluffy lungs.” Get to know the talented group of actors who brought this very special story to life.

Welcome, Freshmen | Everly Heights Tales Podcast

Meet the Special family, a theater-loving, stoner couple and their three very different kids. It’s 1994, and Michael and Jennifer Special are just trying to help fund in the arts in their community, but their son Ricky is on the run from a school bully, and their daughter Zara is betting everything on a plan to start the school year as a popular girl. With a mix of ’90s nostalgia, sitcom homages, and a healthy dose of humor, “Welcome, Freshmen” will teach you the joys of scented oxygen, the perils of Crystal Pepsi, and why you should never trust a math teacher to do “creative accounting” for the arts. Equal parts funny, smart, and a little messed up, just like Everly Heights itself.

Bill Meeks Talks About Wheeling, West Virginia’s Everly Heights Connection With WKKX’s Butch Maxwell

Hear more about how Wheeling, West Virginia inspired the world of Everly Heights in this bonus episode. Butch Maxwell, the host of Butch Maxwell’s Complete Waste of Airtime, interviews me live on WKKX 1600 AM to chat about the the real-life locations and people that inspired some of the episodes this season. We also talk a lot about theater, comedy, and finding the right balance between comedy and drama.