Women in Entertainment

Jill Wagner didn’t wait for Hollywood to hand her the role she wanted; she helped create it.

The actress and producer joins the Women in Entertainment Podcast to trace the remarkable path from her small-town North Carolina roots to Punk’d, family-friendly films, and eventually Taylor Sheridan’s high-stakes world of Lioness. Jill shares how fear of being pigeonholed pushed her to keep evolving, and how a conversation around a backyard bonfire with her husband became the spark for a story about women serving in the military.

She also takes us inside the physical and emotional transformation required to become Bobby, from years of training to the haircut that finally helped her see the character in the mirror. Jill reflects on the military women who inspired her performance, the personal details she brought to Bobby, and the relentless mindset that carried her through exhaustion: “You asked for this.”

Along the way, she opens up about Taylor Sheridan’s creative process, her admiration for co-star Zoe Saldaña, and the importance of surrounding yourself with people who can see possibilities in you before you can see them yourself.

Listen to learn:
How Jill unexpectedly launched her acting career on Punk’d
Why she refused to stay in one Hollywood lane
How the original idea for Lioness began
What it took physically and mentally to become Bobby
Why creating your own opportunities can change the trajectory of your career
The Women in Entertainment Podcast presents thoughtful conversations with leaders across entertainment, from film and television to media and gaming, and everything in between, as we talk about what it takes to make your mark in the industry, lessons these incredible people have learned along the way, and how they have found their way in an ever-changing environment.

With in-depth conversations and pre-submitted listener questions, each episode provides candid advice for navigating today’s entertainment industry, giving listeners an inside look at how key players got their start, and guidance for building the necessary toolkit to bring careers to life in film, TV, music, theater, graphics, writing, animation, and beyond.

Listen on Spotify: ⁠https://open.spotify.com/show/5AfPfPQ...
Listen on Apple Podcasts: ⁠https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast..
Listen on Audible: ⁠https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/a85..

#JillWagner #Lioness #WomenInEntertainment #WomenInEntertainmentPodcast #TaylorSheridan #ZoeSaldana #WomenInFilm #WomenInTelevision #Acting #FemaleCreators #Hollywood #CareerReinvention #WomenInTheMilitary

Heather McMahan may be selling out iconic venues, but she still approaches her career with the same mix of hustle, humor, honesty, and relentless ambition that got her there.

In this episode of Women in Entertainment, Heather looks back on the long road from working restaurant shifts near Radio City Music Hall to eventually selling out the legendary venue herself. She shares how transparency helped her build an intensely loyal audience, why relatability sits at the heart of her comedy, and how stand-up gives her the creative freedom to keep moving even while television projects can take years to develop.

Heather also takes us inside her writing process for a new comedy special, her experience developing a show with Hulu, and the challenge of constantly creating new material while touring and promoting what came before. Along the way, she talks about social media, comedy culture, dream collaborators, staying grounded in Atlanta, and why there is still so much she wants to accomplish.

Listen to learn:
How Heather built a loyal audience through honesty and relatability
What selling out Radio City meant after years of grinding
How she writes, tests, and edits material for a stand-up special
Why she believes emerging comedians need to embrace social media
The television, acting, and comedy goals still on her wish list
The Women in Entertainment Podcast presents thoughtful conversations with leaders across entertainment, from film and television to media and gaming, and everything in between, as we talk about what it takes to make your mark in the industry, lessons these incredible people have learned along the way, and how they have found their way in an ever-changing environment.

With in-depth conversations and pre-submitted listener questions, each episode provides candid advice for navigating today’s entertainment industry, giving listeners an inside look at how key players got their start, and guidance for building the necessary toolkit to bring careers to life in film, TV, music, theater, graphics, writing, animation, and beyond.

Listen on Spotify: ⁠https://open.spotify.com/show/5AfPfPQ...
Listen on Apple Podcasts: ⁠https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast..
Listen on Audible: ⁠https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/a85..

#HeatherMcMahan #WomenInEntertainment #WomenInEntertainmentPodcast #Comedy #StandUpComedy #FemaleComedians #RadioCityMusicHall #Hulu #EntertainmentIndustry #WomenInComedy

Sometimes the role that changes everything arrives after the season when nothing seems to be working.

Katherine LaNasa joins Women in Entertainment to talk about the extraordinary success of The Pitt, its 26 Emmy nominations, and the collaborative environment that makes the series feel so authentic. She celebrates the women working across the production, from writing and makeup to art direction, and shares why working with John Wells had long been on her career bucket list. She also reveals how immediately she connected with Nurse Dana and why she chose to bring a Pittsburgh accent to the character.

The conversation turns deeply personal as Katherine reflects on navigating unemployment, cancer, regret, gratitude, and the practice of learning to enjoy life while she is living it. She explains why The Pitt feels like “grace from the universe,” how she has learned to work alongside fear instead of waiting for it to disappear, and why the show’s focus on people caring for one another may be part of its powerful connection with audiences.

She also takes us behind the viral “Baby Jane Doe” moment, talks about her love of disappearing into wildly different characters, teases Count My Lies, shares her hopes of returning to the stage, and makes one future goal very clear: she wants to play a queen.

Listen to learn:
Why Nurse Dana felt instinctively right from Katherine’s very first audition
How gratitude helped her through unemployment, illness, and career uncertainty
Why The Pitt strives for total immersion rather than a documentary feel
The story behind her Pittsburgh accent and the viral “Baby Jane Doe” moment
Why Broadway and finally playing a queen are still on her creative wish list

The Women in Entertainment Podcast presents thoughtful conversations with leaders across entertainment, from film and television to media and gaming, and everything in between, as we talk about what it takes to make your mark in the industry, lessons these incredible people have learned along the way, and how they have found their way in an ever-changing environment.

With in-depth conversations and pre-submitted listener questions, each episode provides candid advice for navigating today’s entertainment industry, giving listeners an inside look at how key players got their start, and guidance for building the necessary toolkit to bring careers to life in film, TV, music, theater, graphics, writing, animation, and beyond.

Listen on Spotify: ⁠https://open.spotify.com/show/5AfPfPQ...
Listen on Apple Podcasts: ⁠https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast..
Listen on Audible: ⁠https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/a85..

#WomenInEntertainment #WomenInEntertainmentPodcast #ThePitt #NurseDana #Emmys #Acting #WomenInFilm #WomenInTelevision #JohnWells #CountMyLies #Broadway #Resilience #FemaleCreatives #WomenInHollywood

This episode is supported by Hulu.

Karin Slaughter may be known for writing unforgettable darkness, but at the heart of her stories is something far more hopeful: the belief that tomorrow can be better.

The bestselling author joins the Women in Entertainment podcast to discuss the evolution of her career, from creating the Grant County and Will Trent series to building the world of North Falls with the intention of creating a long-running series from the very beginning. Karin takes listeners inside her unconventional writing process, explains why she loves ending the North Falls books with cliffhangers, and reflects on what has kept her creatively energized across more than twenty books.

She also opens up about bringing her work to television. Karin shares why she embraces the differences between the Will Trent books and the ABC series, and what it was like to write every episode and serve as showrunner on The Good Daughter, starring Rose Byrne and Meghann Fahy. Along the way, she talks about crime fiction, BookTok, reading across genres, resisting the algorithm, and why writers need both persistence and curiosity.

Listen to learn:
- Why Karin created North Falls as a series from day one
- How she balances darkness, humor, and hope in crime fiction
- What she learned from adapting her own work for television
- Why authors have to let screen adaptations become their own art
- Her two essential pieces of advice for aspiring writers

The Women in Entertainment Podcast presents thoughtful conversations with leaders across entertainment, from film and television to media and gaming, and everything in between, as we talk about what it takes to make your mark in the industry, lessons these incredible people have learned along the way, and how they have found their way in an ever-changing environment.

With in-depth conversations and pre-submitted listener questions, each episode provides candid advice for navigating today’s entertainment industry, giving listeners an inside look at how key players got their start, and guidance for building the necessary toolkit to bring careers to life in film, TV, music, theater, graphics, writing, animation, and beyond.

Listen on Spotify: ⁠https://open.spotify.com/show/5AfPfPQ...
Listen on Apple Podcasts: ⁠https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast..
Listen on Audible: ⁠https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/a85..

#KarinSlaughter #WomenInEntertainmentPodcast #NorthFalls #TheSecretsWeHide #WeAreAllGuiltyHere #WillTrent #TheGoodDaughter #CrimeFiction #ThrillerBooks #WomenWriters #BookTok #WritingAdvice #Authors

This episode is supported by Wrapbook, the all-in-one platform for production payroll, spend and accounting. Learn more here: http://wrapbook.com/wie

Support for this episode also comes from Hulu.

THE SECRETS WE HIDE (7:41)

Shop the North Falls series here: https://amzn.to/3Scd3CK https://amzn.to/4geGwnp

Shop 'The Good Daughter' here: https://amzn.to/3SzuwFg

Karolina Wydra’s story is a powerful reminder that a dream can go quiet without ever truly disappearing.

On this episode of the Women in Entertainment Podcast, Karolina reflects on growing up in Poland during communism, where resourcefulness, creativity, and independence were woven into daily life. After moving to America at 11, she found her way into modeling as a teenager, traveling the world and building the resilience that would later serve her as an actor. At 25, she finally gave herself permission to pursue the craft she had secretly loved for years.

Karolina also opens up about stepping away from acting to become a mother and the uncertainty she faced when she was ready to return. Then came an unexpected audition for Vince Gilligan’s Pluribus. After more than 5,000 submissions, casting revisited handwritten notes from years earlier, rediscovered Karolina, and helped open the door to a role she describes as beyond her wildest dreams. She also shares how dream work, preparation, collaboration, and trust helped her shape the enigmatic Zosia.

Listen to learn:
- How Karolina’s childhood shaped her independence and creativity
- What modeling taught her about rejection and work ethic
- Why she waited until 25 to fully pursue acting
- How she returned to Hollywood after motherhood
- The remarkable casting story behind her role in Pluribus

The Women in Entertainment Podcast presents thoughtful conversations with leaders across entertainment, from film and television to media and gaming, and everything in between, as we talk about what it takes to make your mark in the industry, lessons these incredible people have learned along the way, and how they have found their way in an ever-changing environment.

With in-depth conversations and pre-submitted listener questions, each episode provides candid advice for navigating today’s entertainment industry, giving listeners an inside look at how key players got their start, and guidance for building the necessary toolkit to bring careers to life in film, TV, music, theater, graphics, writing, animation, and beyond.

Listen on Spotify: ⁠https://open.spotify.com/show/5AfPfPQ...
Listen on Apple Podcasts: ⁠https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast..
Listen on Audible: ⁠https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/a85..

#KarolinaWydra #Pluribus #VinceGilligan #WomenInEntertainment #WomenInEntertainmentPodcast #Acting #Hollywood #WomenInFilm #CareerReinvention #Motherhood #Resilience

This episode is supported by Wrapbook, the all-in-one platform for production payroll, spend and accounting. Learn more here: http://wrapbook.com/wie