Latest episode
19. Matt Richardson: Why Most Comedians Never Make It
01:04:15||Season 1, Ep. 19In this episode of "What’s The Trick?", Ben Hanlin sits down with Matt Richardson to explore how to become a stand up comic.If you want to improve your knowledge on ways to truly make it as a comedian, this episode breaks down what actually works.This episode is for:- Creatives (writers, performers, content creators)- Business owners and entrepreneurs- Speakers and presenters- Anyone looking to improve communication and idea generationIn this episode, you’ll learn:- Great comedy starts as a messy idea, not a finished joke- Audience trust changes what you’re allowed to do- The best performers still treat it like a craft, not a status symbol- Creative careers aren’t linear, visibility and value constantly fluctuate- The people who last are usually the people willing to keep grafting---About Ben Hanlin:Ben is a magician, presenter, and keynote speaker who helps companies create engagement, connection, and memorable experiences. He hosts corporate events and interviews world-class creatives on this podcast.About the podcast:"What’s The Trick?" explores how creative people think, create, and turn ideas into reality.Topics covered include creativity, communication, storytelling, content creation, performance, and building creative careers.🎧 Listen / Watch:YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@BenHanlinApple Podcasts: https://linktr.ee/benhanlinSpotify: https://linktr.ee/benhanlin📩 Work with Ben:https://www.benhanlin.com/---FOLLOW BEN:YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCM0oXTRP-zWlJ_IiNykTLagInstagram: http://instagram.com/benhanlinFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/benhanlinTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@benhanlin---🎤 FOLLOW MATT:YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/mattrichardsoncomedyInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/mattrichardson3/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mattrichardson3Website: https://www.mattrichardsoncomedy.co.uk/---What is this episode about?This episode explains how to become a full time comedian.How do creative people turn ideas into reality?Ben Hanlin breaks down the mindset, process, and decisions behind it.
More episodes
View all episodes
18. Easter Special: What 10 Creative Guests Taught Me About Making Things That Work
40:28||Season 1, Ep. 18This episode is a little different, and that is exactly why it matters.Instead of focusing on one guest, one project, or one creative journey, Ben steps back and looks at what the first 10 episodes of What’s The Trick? have actually revealed. The result is a smart, generous roundup of the ideas, habits, decisions, and mindset shifts that keep showing up across very different creative worlds.Across these first conversations, the people featured have built companies, books, films, comedy careers, social media brands, stage shows, and creative bodies of work that took years to sharpen. This episode exists to pull the best lessons back into focus: not as a greatest-hits package, but as a practical guide to how creative work really gets made.If you are new to the podcast, this is a useful entry point. If you have been listening from the start, it is a strong reminder that the real value is not just in hearing a great story once, but in noticing the patterns underneath it.FOLLOW BEN:SUBSCRIBE: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCM0oXTRP-zWlJ_IiNykTLagFACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/benhanlinINSTAGRAM: http://instagram.com/benhanlinTIKTOK: https://www.tiktok.com/@benhanlinWEBSITE: Benhanlin.com17. Matt Denton: How we built BB-8 for Star Wars
57:14||Season 1, Ep. 17What does it take to make a character feel alive when that character is made of mechanics, code, cables, and performance?In this episode, Ben Hanlin sits down with animatronics expert and robot inventor Matt Denton to unpack the craft behind some of modern cinema’s most memorable practical creations, most notably BB-8 from Star Wars: The Force Awakens, but also work connected to Harry Potter, Project Hail Mary, and the wider world of robotics and film effects.This conversation exists because great screen characters are rarely “just designed.” They’re engineered, tested, puppeteered, compromised, rebuilt, and refined under pressure. What emerges here is not just a story about robots or puppets, but a deeper look at how technical problem-solving becomes emotional storytelling.If you’ve ever wondered how a sketch on a Post-it note becomes an iconic film character, or how practical effects still survive in an increasingly digital world - this episode is a fascinating look behind the curtain.FOLLOW BEN:SUBSCRIBE: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCM0oXTRP-zWlJ_IiNykTLagFACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/benhanlinINSTAGRAM: http://instagram.com/benhanlinTIKTOK: https://www.tiktok.com/@benhanlinFOLLOW MATT: SUBSCRIBE: https://www.youtube.com/@UCbOrJwJsd4vFS4aLIILa_7Q FACEBOOK: facebook.com/mantisrobotINSTAGRAM: instagram.com/mantisrobotTIKTOK: tiktok.com/@mantisrobot16. The Hoosiers: How We Wrote Worried About Ray
47:33||Season 1, Ep. 16This episode is about building a long-term music career, and more specifically, how The Hoosiers made the songs and records that defined them, from early breakthrough tracks like “Goodbye Mr A” and “Worried About Ray” to the harder, less visible work of staying creative after success.Ben sits down with Irwin Sparkes and Al Sharland to explore what was actually made: a band, a body of songs, a number one album, and eventually a career that had to survive both momentum and disappointment. The conversation is not really about fame. It is about craft, resilience, taste, identity, and the pressure that arrives once something works.What makes this episode worth your time is how honest it is about the gap between potential and execution. They talk about the decade of floundering before things clicked, the producer who forced them to get better, the brutal feedback that changed the band, and the real difference between making something good and making something that connects.If you care about how creative work gets shaped over time, how hits are written, how standards get raised, and how people keep going after the first wave passes, this is a deeply useful conversation.15. Jack Savoretti: How to Build a Music Career Without Depending on the Industry
50:42||Season 1, Ep. 15In this episode, Ben Hanlin sits down with singer-songwriter Jack Savoretti to unpack the long road behind his music career, and how he eventually built it on his own terms.Jack, the artist behind albums like Singing to Strangers, Europeana and his latest release We Will Always Be the Way We Were, didn’t follow the typical “signed → success” path. Instead he spent years relentlessly touring building audiences room by room and deliberately chose independence over industry control. This approach ultimately led to two UK number-one records.This conversation delves into the true requirements of a music career, encompassing songwriting, navigating the industry, discovering your unique voice and ultimately building a lasting career spanning decades rather than fleeting months.For those curious about the real-world construction of creative careers beyond the glitz and glamour, this episode offers a rare glimpse into the craft, perseverance and mindset necessary to create enduring art.FOLLOW BEN:SUBSCRIBE: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCM0oXTRP-zWlJ_IiNykTLagFACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/benhanlinINSTAGRAM: http://instagram.com/benhanlinTIKTOK: https://www.tiktok.com/@benhanlinWEBSITE: benhanlin.comWe Will Always Be The Way We Were’ - The new album from Jack Savoretti coming 10th April 2026 | Pre order here - https://jacksavoretti.orcd.co/wwabtwwwFollow Jack Savoretti:Sign Up: https://JackSavoretti.lnk.to/SignUpIDYOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/jacksavoretti INSTAGRAM: http://instagram.com/jacksavoretti http://jacksavoretti.com/14. Dom Joly: How to Make Comedy That Lasts 25 Years (Trigger Happy TV)
01:02:14||Season 1, Ep. 14This episode is about the making of one of the most iconic hidden-camera comedy shows ever produced: Trigger Happy TV, created by Dom Jolly.Dom didn’t just star in the show. He built it from scratch. No writing room. No committee. No grand career plan. Just a £1,000 camera, a friend behind the bar who became his cameraman, and an instinct for what made him laugh.I wanted to have this conversation because Trigger Happy TV felt raw, anarchic, and completely of its time and yet 25 years later, it still works. This episode explores how it was actually made, where the ideas came from, how it was sold to 80+ countries, and what it cost Dom creatively and personally.If you’re interested in how comedy is built, not in theory, but in practice, this conversation pulls the curtain back.This is about making comedy without a script.About trusting instinct over consensus.About luck, timing, hunger, burnout and the price of creativity.Trigger Happy TV 25th Anniversary Tour tickets https://www.domjoly.tv/live/13. Pulp Kitchen: How to Build a Successful Podcast
59:50||Season 1, Ep. 13This episode is about building a podcast - specifically, how two friends built the Pulp Kitchen Podcast, into a sustainable creative business.Pulp Kitchen began as a simple idea: talk about films every week. No built-in audience. No fame. No production team. Just consistency, shared enthusiasm, and a decision to commit long-term. Over time, that weekly habit turned into a full-time creative career with live shows, brand partnerships, junket interviews, and a growing audience.This conversation exists for anyone wondering: How does something like that actually happen? Not the highlight reel. Not the viral moment. But the mechanics. The risk. The mindset. The turning points.If you’ve ever thought about starting something creative, a podcast, a channel, a product, this episode is about what it really takes to make it work.FOLLOW BEN:FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/benhanlinINSTAGRAM: http://instagram.com/benhanlinTIKTOK: https://www.tiktok.com/@benhanlinFOLLOW PULP KITCHEN:YOUTUBE: @pulpkitchenpodcast TIKTOK: www.tiktok.com/@pulpkitchenpodcastINSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/pulpkitchenpodcast/