What's The Trick?

In 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.

This 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.com

What 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/@mantisrobot

In 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/

This 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/ 

This 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/

In this episode of What’s The Trick?, Ben Hanlin sits down with Amelia Sordell - founder of multi-million-pound personal brand agency 'Klowt' and now a creator, advisor, and podcast host in her own right - to unpack what it really takes to build a personal brand that works.Not the vanity version. Not the “10k followers in 30 days” version. The real version.Together, they explore how Amelia built her company from zero to £4 million in three and a half years, why it nearly broke her, and what she believes now about creativity, positioning, storytelling, and reputation in the modern world.This conversation exists because “personal brand” has become a buzzword - and Amelia has actually done it. Built it. Scaled it. Burned out from it. Rebuilt it. If you care about ideas, visibility, creative work, or building something under your own name - this episode is for you.What You’ll Learn:-Why a personal brand is simply “a reputation at scale” - and why that changes everything-How to test and refine an idea while still employed (and effectively “get paid to learn”)-What fast growth really costs - beyond the headline revenue numbers-Why most content doesn’t convert (and what separates visibility from revenue)-A simple three-bucket framework for content that actually builds authority-Why storytelling only works when someone can say “me too”-How to overcome fear of posting, speaking, or putting yourself forward-The difference between execution problems and positioning problems-Why followers don’t matter nearly as much as you think-How to choose which ideas to pursue - and which to let go

Music Producer, Songwriter - This episode is about how music is actually made - not the romantic version, but the real one. The rooms. The pressure. The trust. The decisions that quietly determine whether an idea lives or dies.Ben sits down with a producer and songwriter Owen Cutts work spans hip-hop, soul, pop, and British music culture, someone who has built a long career behind the scenes, helping artists turn unfinished thoughts into finished records.This conversation exists to answer a deceptively simple question:- What does it really take to make meaningful creative work that lasts?- Not just to start, but to sustain.- If you’ve ever wondered how ideas move from instinct to execution, or how creative people balance art, ego, money, and longevity, this episode is for you.What You’ll Learn- Why the music industry isn’t actually about money - and what it is about instead- How professional creators build trust fast enough to do vulnerable work with strangers- What a “day-one demo” is - and why it has to be album-ready by the end of the day- How changing the perspective of an idea can unlock originality- Why chasing trends almost guarantees you’ll arrive too late- How great producers think in terms of environments, not just sounds- What old music can teach modern creators about invention and courageWhy This Conversation Matters- Most people talk about creativity as inspiration.- This episode treats it as craft, judgment, and responsibility.- It pulls back the curtain on the invisible decisions that shape creative work - the moments that don’t make headlines but determine outcomes.- The value of saying no.- The cost of rushing.- The discipline of putting the work before the ego.- Whether you make music, build companies, write, design, or lead teams, this conversation reframes creativity as something done deliberately, not magically.Who This Episode Is For- Creatives who want to understand how ideas become finished work- Founders balancing vision, collaboration, and real-world constraints- Makers who care about longevity more than virality- Anyone curious about how trust and taste operate under pressure- People who love culture, but want to understand how it’s constructed