If This Is True with Chris Hall

Jenny Hagel is an Emmy nominated TV writer and comedy performer on Late Night with Seth Meyers, where she created the recurring segment "Jokes Seth Can't Tell"--which New York Magazine called "the best segment in late night."Jenny also served as head writer/executive producer of the Amber Ruffin Show. Other writing credits include the Golden Globe Awards, Impractical Jokers, and the Big Gay Sketch Show. She has been nominated for two GLAAD Awards for her work addressing LGBTQ issues on TV. Her debut essay collection, "Advice No One Asked For," is available wherever books are sold.We talked about our collective time in Chicago, how New York is different, and why everyone has a different path to success in life.Really appreciated this one!

Stacey is a powerhouse performer, director, and educator with over a decade of experience. Known for her explosive shows, relentless positivity, and unmatched work ethic, she previously served as Artistic Director and Director of Education at the legendary Boom Chicago Theater in Amsterdam, where she was also a mainstage cast member.Originally from Long Island, New York, Stacey grew up steeped in music and musical theater before studying theater, speech, and music at university. She moved to Chicago to pursue comedy, where she trained at The Second City, iO, and The Annoyance, landing her first full-time gig touring with The Second City in 2012.As a performer, Stacey has toured internationally with The Second City, starred in the theatricals Life Hacks and #DateMe, and shared the stage with comedy royalty including Jason Sudeikis, Brendan Hunt, Heather Anne Campbell, Taran Killam, Amber Ruffin, Chris Redd, Kevin McDonald, Arjen Lubach, Dickie Smothers and more. She is also the creator of Stacejam, an improvised solo musical extravaganza that has earned critical acclaim.Stacey has performed and taught across Europe and North America, appearing 67 times at 25 international improv festivals, many as a headliner. An accomplished educator and program builder, Stacey has designed training programs for multiple schools and created specialized workshops, including S.H.E. (Sisterhood Humor Empowerment), a program for young female-identifying students. She has led and taught at major institutions including The Second City, iO Chicago, ImprovBoston, and ComedySportz Chicago.Stacey is also a prolific producer. She founded the Chicago Musical Improv Festival, has produced countless shows including The Musical Armando and Fraudway, and served as Boom Chicago Comedy Festival Artistic Director from 2021-2025. She founded the Amsterdam Comedy Studio in 2026. For more information on Stacey and her work, go to www.staceysmithcomedy.com.

Rosie Tran is a New Orleans-born, Los Angeles-based stand-up comic whose credits include Last Comic Standing, Netflix Is a Joke, a Peacock half-hour special, and international touring. She’s also the creator and host of Rosie Tran Presents, a comedy showcase series now streaming on Tubi and Amazon that celebrates female and diverse voices in stand-up comedy.We discussed being green and getting on the stage to learn what works and what doesn't. We also talked about the types of shows she prefers and how we can come together as a country with the help of the right podcast.Don't miss this one!

Scotty Watson recently appeared in a very popular series of commercials for the New York TV market. Off-Broadway Scotty was seen as the disembodied head of Wal-Mart founder Sam Walton in the Off-Broadway musical Walmartopia! He is an alumnus of The Second City Canadian National Touring Company and served as an alternate for, “Bebe,” in Cirque du Soleil's Mystere. He’s a graduate of UCB and an active member of The Magnet community.Scotty has dressed up as David Crosby, a human heart, and Carmen Miranda… but with dignity. He has done feature films with Ed Asner, Eric Stoltz, and Gerard Depardieu. Scotty taught advanced sketch writing for The Second City NYC and is currently Head of NYC Faculty for Artistic New Direction's Workshops in Improvised Theatre.His favorite food is pie. We discussed his favorite SC road stories, how game and relationship are important and how much we love the Harold.Don't miss this one!

Well, they keep it more like 150. As in 150 episodes? I thought I’d catch up with old friends to discuss a myriad variety of topics, like being empty nesters. Cross country dating. What it’s like to be in the upcoming movie Durango Seems Like A Great Place To Die., and so much more.Susan and John are two of the best people when it comes to learning from them and having them as your best cheerleaders. Their positivity knows no bounds. Even when the subject matter is bleak. To recommit in doing the hard things in life is Susan’s mantra. We could all learn something from her. John is also a risk taker who is not afraid to say yes to life.I hope you enjoy this episode. I certainly did.

Steven Morgan is an improvisation theatre practitioner who has been playing for over ten years, and since has played, performed and taught all over the world.He is Steven Morgan is a former cast member, performer & teacher with Amsterdam’s easylaughs from 2019 to 2023. While at easylaughs, he held the role of Chief of Learning, responsible for the teaching methods and course content for the school.In 2023 & 2024 he auditioned for a place on the Dutch cast of the renowned improv festival Impro Amsterdam for the first time, where he was successful in his endeavour. He was chosen to join a small group of internationally renowned improvisers who would rehearse and play together with some of the finest improv talent from across the world at the festival itself.We discussed different styles of improv across the world, what it's like having Robin Williams style energy, and being a new father.It's a great half hour. Don't miss it!Steven teaches and performs with Improv Utrecht in his home city. He has taught numerous courses and workshops with the group including a Harold and an Armando course for advanced improvisers. He also advises on strategic direction for the school, helping it grow year-on-year as a formidable presence in the improv scene in The Netherlands.

Russell Van Brocklen is a New York State Senate-funded dyslexia researcher and the founder of DyslexiaClasses.com. His work focuses on helping struggling learners build reading and writing skills by beginning with their strongest abilities rather than repeatedly drilling their weakest ones. His inaugural program moved college-bound students from a middle-school writing level to the average range of entering graduate students on the GRE Analytical Writing Assessment in one school year, for less than $900 per student. Every participant later graduated from college with a GPA between 2.5 and 3.6, without accommodations. Russell now works to give parents and educators a practical path from confusion and guesswork to measurable academic progress.This one means a lot to me. Don't miss it!

Kate Sidley is a WGA Award and Peabody Award-winning, Emmy-nominated comedy writer and performer who wrote for The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. Her first book, How to Be a Saint, is out now. Beyond television, her work can be found in The New Yorker, McSweeney's, Reductress, and Someecards. She also wrote for the 69th Emmy Awards.She holds a M.A. in Theatre History and Criticism from Brooklyn College and a third of a Ph.D. (so just the P) in Theatre from CUNY Graduate Center. She is also an alum of the NBC Late Night Writers Workshop, Baldwin Wallace University, a co-founder of Sea Tea Improv in Hartford, CT, and a proud returned Peace Corps volunteer.We discussed our favorite saints, why Northeast Ohio is a gem of an area and the importance of learning from failure. Don't miss this one!

Dave Mowry is a stand up Comedian who teaches the art to people with mental illness. His comedy has been described as smart, inspirational and laugh out loud funny. He lives with bipolar disorder and severe anxiety. Dave was a successful businessman until he lost it all due to his mental illness and becoming homeless with his family for 18 months.After 14 lost years, he took a stand up comedy class for people with mental illness that changed everything. Dave went from mental illness having control over him to finding the humor in his experiences and regaining control of his life.His new book, Healing With Humor: Mental Illness To Mental Health One Laugh, One Joke, One Inspiring Story At A Time, tells the stories of people who have taken his classes. His book, OMG That's Me! Bipolar Disorder, Depression, Anxiety, Panic Attacks And More is one of the best selling bipolar disorder books according to BookDNA.com.Get inspired by this one!!