As you all know, the 'hook' of our show is that Mark and I are Broadway Actors based in NYC. So we've teamed up with the Folio Group, network of independent, theatrically-minded new media creators who are making digital media of all sorts, and we are going to hold up the boozy end of that spectrum.

Check out the website to link to all of the incredibly cool work that these people are doing! We're very proud and excited to be included. Full press release is below:

February 9, 2016

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Announcing The Launch of FOLIO GROUP

A network of independent, theatrically-minded new media creators

www.foliogroup.net

Folio Group, founded in 2015, is a collective of 13 independent podcasts, web series, and other new media ventures grown out of our shared dedication to theater. Whether narrative or editorial, directly about the performing arts or offering a peek into the off-stage lives and passions of theater artists, Folio Group members make a welcoming space for all who share a passion for what it means to tell stories onstage.

The Folio Group charter members are BroadwayGirlNYC, The Ensemblist, The Happy Hour Guys, Hot Pepper Theater, The Lights of Broadway Show Cards, Maxamoo Theater & Performance Podcast, Off & On: A New York Theatre Podcast, Off Book: The Theatre Podcast, Patty & Emily, Playball Podcast, The Set List, Something New, and Theater People Podcast.

Folio Group embraces the theater’s collaborative spirit, envisioning a field strengthened by members’ engagement with one another. The network will keep audiences informed of new episodes and special events, while creating opportunities for cross-pollination among the members. Look for cross-over episodes, co-produced events, and more as Folio Group moves forward. Folio Group’s monthly newsletter launches mid-February. Subscribe at www.FolioGroup.net/newsletter.

About the Folio Group Members

BroadwayGirlNYC (Laura Heywood) - @BroadwayGirlNYC

Laura Heywood is described by Forbes as “the most vocal and visible supporter in the business” of Broadway. Best known for her formerly-anonymous online persona @BroadwayGirlNYC, Laura has lengthy experience as a national radio host (Sirius XM), commercial actor (Dove’s Campaign for Real Beauty), interviewer (AOL Build), writer (Playbill, BroadwayWorld), and social media consultant. She is dedicated to positivity, enthusiasm, and sincerity, and is widely regarded as a leading advocate, ambassador, and best friend to Broadway. www.LauraHeywoodMedia.com

The Ensemblist - @TheEnsemblist

The Ensemblist is an inside look at the experience of being a Broadway performer, from the first rehearsal through performing eight shows a week and beyond. Giving listeners the opportunity to get to know new performers and the great work they do onstage, The Ensemblist also sheds light on some of the hidden inner workings of Broadway. By focusing on the unsung heroes of the theater world, The Ensemblist uncovers how the ensemble members make each show tick. Created and hosted by Mo Brady (The Addams Family, Smash) and Nikka Graff Lanzarone (Chicago, Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown), The Ensemblist is the only podcast that shows you Broadway from the inside out. www.TheEnsemblist.com

The Happy Hour Guys - @HappyHourGuys

Mark Aldrich and Jimmy Ludwig are two Broadway actors who travel the world in search of great craft beverages and amazing locations in which to drink them. They’ve quaffed on the summits of mountains, in bars so historic the stories are falling off the walls, on brewery/winery/meadery/distillery floors around the world, and all this just minutes after the high note and step-ball-change that funded it all. Actors and drinking may be cliche’, but The Happy Hour Guys make it unforgettable. Cheers! www.TheHappyHourGuys.com

Hot Pepper Theater - @butthurtreviews

Since August 2014, Todd Brian Backus and Ben Ferber (artistic producers of PowerOut Theatre) have been endeavoring to make theater reviews both informative and entertaining by spicing them up. Borrowing the format from the popular YouTube video game review show Hot Pepper Gaming, each episode of Hot Pepper Theater begins when a review eats something really spicy, and they aren’t allowed the spice-taming relief of milk until they’ve shared their honest opinions about Broadway, Off-Broadway, Off-Off ventures, and more. New episodes released bi-weekly with brief breaks when PowerOut is in production mode. www.PowerOutNYC.com/hot-pepper-theater/

The Lights of Broadway Show Cards - @LightsofBway

The Lights of Broadway Show Cards™ are trading cards that celebrate Broadway theater: the stories and the storytellers, the art and the artisans, those who make it all possible and the community embracing it. Shows, actors, directors, writers, designers, and all else in the spotlight or behind the scenes who make this vital, collaborative, and exciting art form thrive. The team behind The Lights of Broadway Show Cards is artist Justin “Squigs” Robertson and producer Dori Bernstein. www.TheLightsOfBroadway.nyc

Maxamoo Theater & Performance Podcast - @Maxamoo

Maxamoo is the premier podcast covering the diverse world of theater and performance beyond Broadway. Weekly an alternating cast of contributors host interviews and roundtable discussions on the latest in Off Broadway, indie theater, comedy, performance art, and multi-disciplinary theater in New York City. www.Maxamoo.com

Off & On: A New York Theatre Podcast - @BernardoCubria

Each week, actor/playwright Bernardo Cubria sits down for an in-depth conversation with a fellow theater artist to figure out why the hell they do this for a living. Together they explore both the work itself and what it takes to make the work in a complicated, challenging, yet still often rewarding industry.

www.OffAndOnPodcast.com

Off-Book: The Theatre Podcast - @OffBookPodcast

Off-Book: The Theatre Podcast covers the happenings, interests, and issues in the theatre world. As an extension of Broadway Black, a platform dedicated to highlighting the achievements and success of African Americans on and off the Broadway stage, Off-Book: The Theatre Podcast presents the point-of-view of a theatre journalist, an actress, and a playwright. They balance each other, feed off of each other, but more importantly, bring different perspectives and full commentary on theatre news and events every week. It's all in an effort to create an opportunity to dialogue the issues others may be more prone to tiptoe around. Hosted by Broadway Black founder Andrew Shade, Broadway actress Amber Iman, and playwright/director Donja Love. www.broadwayblack.com/off-book-theatre-podcast/

Patty & Emily - @PattynEmily

Patty Devery & Emily Faye Oakley are Broadway fans and comedians who bonded over a love of Patti LuPone. In 2009, they began making videos of reviews and sketches. The have since expanded into live shows and a weekly podcast, Listen with Patty & Emily, where they talk about shows, theater news, casting, and interview “shmazing” guests! www.PattyAndEmily.com

Playball Podcast - @PlayballPodcast

Each week, actors Garth Kravits and Sean Dougherty argue about sports with the casts and crews of your favorite Broadway and Off-Broadway shows. www.PlayballPodcast.com

The Set List - @setlistpod

The Set List is a collection of the best cabaret performances in New York City—including the works of musical theater composers, classical favorites, and new musical readings. Produced and hosted by Victor Legrá, The Set List features live recordings of Off-Broadway concerts as well as behind the scenes interviews and conversations with select artists, providing an inside look into the creation of brand-new musicals within the New York cabaret circuit. www.foliogroup.net/the-set-list

Something New - @joelbnew

In each episode of Something New, award-winning musical-theater writer Joel B. New interviews the savviest singers he knows. Something New dissects what it means to be a working, multifaceted artist in America. Each guest brings multiple talents to the theater industry—from photography to dialect coaching to massage therapy—and their careers as performers have only been enriched by them. Every episode concludes with a song premiere from one of Joel B. New's latest musical projects. For a limited time, the featured song is then available for free download on SoundCloud (demo) and Repertwa (sheet music). www.JoelBNew.com

Theater People Podcast - @theaterppl

Theater People is a podcast featuring full length interviews with Tony winners, Broadway legends, and today's hottest theater stars, from Laura Benanti to LaChanze to Laura Osnes to Lin-Manuel Miranda. In each 45-minutes episode, host Patrick Hinds offers a fun and informative interview packed full of music, laughs, and the occasional heartfelt and inspiring tear. Theater People was recently selected for inclusion on earbud.fm—NPR's list of the best 200 podcasts on the internet—and was included on Buzzfeed.com's list of the top pop culture podcasts. www.TheaterPpl.com

Contact Information

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Some days, you set out to achieve greatness. Other days, you accidentally drive past greatness, pull a u-ey, get a little lost, and stumble into it.

While visiting great friends in Evans, Georgia over the Thanksgiving holiday, we saw what looked to all the world like a gas station at a busy intersection.

That's no gas station on the corner of Washington and Belaire in Evans, GA...

Hey! Wait! That's not a gas station - it's an old gas station that's been converted into a growler filling station. JACKPOT!

We wandered in, and found the barman Will sitting with a glass of newly-tapped Gouden's Carolus Noel in his hands, lamenting the transient nature of seasonal brews. He took us on a tour of Tip Top's 20 Taps, and after some lively discussion with a group of thirsty customers, we decided on both the Carolus and a local Saison from Orpheus in Atlanta.

Will was our filling station attendant for the day.

The beer, of course, was amazing. But the venue, it is awesome. Their tap list is available online all the time, and we recommend you click on that link and see the true beer geek-ery therein. Also the taps are constantly rotating, so if you are anywhere near the place, check the web, and stop in and grab a growler or two. Tell 'em The Happy Hour Guys sent ya!

Cheers!

Or: Blackrocks Brewery, 5 years later.