Spoken Dreams

Bailee Payne is an aspiring actress and film and television writer. She was born in a small town in Minnesota. The daughter of a minister, Bailee grew up in a very conservative and religious household. Needless to say, when Bailee told her mother she wanted to attend a boarding school for performing arts so that she could pursue a career as an actress in Hollywood, it didn't go over well. However, Bailee would end up attending that school for a short time, and while there, her mind began to open up to new ideas that challenged the ideals of her fundamentalist upbringing. It was a culture shock for Bailee, and she put her dreams of being an actress aside after experiencing an identity crisis. She ended up attending a fundamentalist college in Oklahoma, but a seed had been planted. Bailee realized that her beliefs no longer aligned with the ones of her religious upbringing. Her dreams of moving to Los Angeles and pursuing a career in film and television were reignited, and she took the leap. Since then, her jou

Keith Leach is an aspiring media personality and Bobby's former KTLA intern! Originally from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, Keith came to KTLA as a rising senior majoring in communications at USC, however, pursuing a career in communications wasn't always the path Keith was on. He excelled as a student and was working towards the goal of becoming a dentist. His main motivation was to land a stable career that would allow him to leave the confines of Oklahoma. When Keith arrived in Los Angeles and USC, he began to realize that maybe the biology degree he was pursuing wasn't the right path. He did some soul-searching to find the things he was good at and had enjoyed doing all his life, such as public speaking and writing speeches. Keith switched his major to communications and began to discover that he could use his natural talents in a capacity that could effect positive change. Now, the path before Keith is clear, and he's on his way towards fulfilling some big goals.

Justin Cole and Dan Picarel are two musicians who make up the pop band The Underclassmen. Originally from Syracuse, New York, Justin and Dan found their ways to music in very different ways, but when they met in high school, they found they found they both had the same deep love for and knowledge about music. The instant connection led them to begin playing casual open mic nights and other events before officially declaring themselves a band. Just as they were starting to take making music more seriously, Justin and Dan had a falling out. They wouldn’t speak to each other for a year. Eventually the need to create music together became too strong, and Justin and Dan reconnected to begin playing together again. Now, they are re in Los Angeles pushing harder than ever before, and for the first time, they feel they have finally found true freedom to create.

We're celebrating 100 episodes of Spoken Dreams! To commemorate the milestone, B. Dave Walters returns to the podcast to give an update on what's happened since his previous visit last year.

Chelsea Sik is an aspiring actress and model currently attending USC’s prestigious BFA in acting program. Born in Malaysia, she realized her dream of acting at an extremely early age, and ultimately her ambition convinced her parents to let her move across the world to attend the elite Idyllwild Arts boarding school in the U.S.-- regardless of the financial burden it would place on their family. As Chelsea’s dreams were finally taking shape, she began to realize the limits her ethnicity could place on her career, prompting her to work even harder to break barriers and be the best she could possibly be. However, the largest obstacle standing in the way of Chelsea’s dreams is her student visa, preventing her from working professionally while living in the U.S. and rendering her future here uncertain. Despite this, Chelsea has remained resilient and positive throughout the entire experience by learning to find happiness in the “now,” knowing it’s all she can do for the next year until her visa expires.

Monnaa Hassan in an aspiring television writer and comedian. Monnaa grew up in a multi-cultural household and traveled frequently between Southern California and Cairo, Egypt. Growing up knowing the turmoil between the United States and the Middle East led Monnaa towards pursuing a career in politics to do her part in trying to bring about peace. When she began working towards those goals in Washington, D.C., Monnaa was floored when she discovered that in order to climb the ladder, she would would be required to deny a part of her identity. Feeling disillusioned and unfulfilled, another blow came in the form of a serious medical diagnosis. Disillusionment suddenly turned into despair, and Monnaa found herself at the lowest point in her life. One night, sitting on a bridge in Washington, D.C., Monnaa made a choice. That choice would lead her down a path of hope, happiness, and healing.

RiRia is an actor, musician, designer, and more. Originally from Tokyo, Japan, RiRia was already an incredibly accomplished professional flutist at a very young age. After winning troves of awards, and even playing music for the Olympics, RiRia longed for more outlets for artistic expression besides just playing the flute. RiRia would find those new outlets in Los Angeles, but at just 17 years old, coming to a new country without family, friends, and not knowing the language proved to be a challenge. However, RiRia stayed resilient and now not only have a number of new opportunities opened up, but RiRia has also opened up as an artist, and a person.

Kyle Stefanski is an actor, producer, and philanthropist originally from Cleveland, Ohio. Despite taking up a heavy interest in sports, particularly ice hockey, Kyle felt the arts were always calling to him. Having been born into a banking family, however, Kyle was encouraged to work towards a future on Wall Street. Still, Kyle always had an eye on Los Angeles. As he was trying to figure out what to do with his life, Kyle and his family were met with heartbreaking tragedy when his mother was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. After her passing, Kyle had a newfound clarity of what he wanted to do with his life, and began chasing his dream of being an actor. He was able to parlay his other skills and connections into fulfilling another dream of starting a non-profit organization in honor of his late mother.

Ariane Andrew is a self-proclaimed “Queen of All Trades”. She’s an actress, a fempreneur, host, philanthropist, and more. Ariane is perhaps best known by WWE fans as Cameron of the wrestling tag-team The Funkadactyls. Before finding herself in the world of wrestling, Ariane was pursuing a master's degree after earning degrees in business marketing and psychology while also working with children with autism. In this episode, Ariane opens up about how she found herself in the WWE. She shares how she is remaining resilient pursuing her goals in the entertainment industry, and talks about writing, producing, and starring in her own film "Jaded Pictures."

Nate Gray is an actor originally from La Crosse, Wisconsin. Pursuing a career as an actor had never been a thought in Nate's mind for many, many years. Growing up in small-town America, he spent a lot of his childhood on a farm working with his hands. In college, Nate would degrees in mechanical engineering and mathematics. The future Nate saw for himself never involved the entertainment industry, nor ever leaving Wisconsin. The way the rest of Nate's life unfolds to lead him to Los Angeles as an actor is a litany of random events that almost seem cosmically orchestrated. Throughout his journey, Nate has consistently welcomed people into his life, many of them pointing him towards new opportunities and taking him places he never imagined. Now, the man who thought he'd have a career in engineering in Wisconsin is living in the entertainment capital of the world putting in serious work towards a career as an actor.

Kirill and Filipp Revega are two actors, models and social media influencers. They call themselves the "Twins from Russia." Born and raised in a small city in Russia, the twins were recording videos of themselves and their friends at an early age. When it was time to go to university, they began studying engineering at their parent’s behest, but Kirill and Filipp always felt like they were destined for something greater outside their small Russian town. They began gaining traction on YouTube, and they eventually started modeling. After visiting Los Angeles during a student exchange program, the twins knew it was where they wanted to be. After finishing their degree in Russia, they would finally arrive in the city that they felt would make their dreams come true. To their surprise, however, they learned that no one was going to just pluck them off the street and give them a modeling gig or a part in the next blockbuster movie. It was going to be up to them to make their own dreams come true. Instead of turning

Roberto Quinn is a digital strategist specializing in creative strategies for the entertainment industry, celebrities, and TV shows. Originally from Guatemala, Roberto is naturally a social butterfly. After moving to Texas, he took advantage of social media platforms early on in their inception to keep in touch with friends. Roberto would go on to use his passion for people and connectivity to form his own company connecting artists to venues and audiences. Roberto knew he wanted to pursue a career that combined his love for entertainment and digital, and he spent years building up his expertise before setting out for Los Angeles. When he finally did, he learned that no amount of experience could prepare him for the grinding machine that is L.A. After a few months, just as things were looking grim, Roberto caught a break—and that was all he needed to do what he does best: Build relationships and make connections.

Keli Price is an actor, director, and producer from Long Island, New York. Raised by a musician father and a mother in the fashion business, Keli grew up surrounded by the arts. Keli struggled in school, and the things adults would say to him affected his confidence and made him feel like an outsider. The only thing that didn't make him feel like an outsider was when he was performing. Keli says music, sports, and the arts saved his life, and his confidence continued to grow when he and his brother began modeling as kids. Modeling would eventually lead to acting, and by the time Keli arrived in Los Angeles to continue nurturing his acting career, he had a realization: All those years of people telling him he couldn't achieve anything, he actually could. Now, he has a new documentary out called "On Thin Ice," and for Keli, it has brought everything full circle.

Danica Kennedy is an art director for photoshoots who works alongside her friend and business partner Alena Mealy. Together, they create vibrant and surreal images that have been featured in notable publications and have a growing list of celebrity clients. While Danica never intended to become an art director, she has always had a desire to be at the forefront of the entertainment industry where she could collaborate with like-minded creatives. She followed many paths towards artistic expression including dance, modeling, and hosting, originally with the goal to get in front of the camera. It was later that Danica realized that maybe her dream wasn’t to be in front of the camera after all, but the camera could still be used as a tool to bring art to life, and leave her feeling more fulfilled than ever before.

Emir Horton is an aspiring actor and producer originally from Philadelphia. Emir says the notion to be an actor just came to him one day when he was a kid, but at best, it seemed like an impossible idea that he didn’t pay much attention to. Years later, a pastor at Emir's church began to prophecy over his life, and continually mentioned acting in regards to his future. The idea to become an actor was sparked in Emir’s head again, and around the same time, he was cast in a music video. Emir loved the experience, and decided to take acting classes and attend college to study mass communications with a concentration on TV, radio, and film. All the while, Emir knew he wanted to get to Los Angeles. The opportunity to do so came in the form of a college internship, but when he finally got to L.A., Emir found himself just scraping by. In order to stay in L.A. to really hunker down and work towards his dreams, Emir would need a job. Just as things were beginning to look hopeless,&nb

Sameh Marey is a musician, guitarist, and singer-songwriter going by the name NOVA. He is originally from Egypt, but is now in Los Angeles pursuing his dreams of stardom. NOVA developed a deep connection with music at a very young age. He began writing his own songs and melodies as a child without even owning an instrument. Once he was confident with his abilities as a songwriter, NOVA mustered the courage to ask his parents for a guitar, and while at the time they didn’t necessarily believe there was a future in music, they agreed to purchase NOVA his first acoustic guitar. NOVA and his guitar became inseparable as he continued to evolve as a musician. It wasn’t until graduating college with a film degree that NOVA realized nothing in life makes him happier than playing music. It was then that he had to face his next big challenge: Telling his parents he was leaving for the United States to chase a music career.

Amy Lesneski is an aspiring actress originally from Michigan. Amy always knew in her gut that she would one day be an actress, but as she got further into adulthood, those aspirations slowly began to fade away in favor of pursuing a more “realistic” career. Before continuing on to dental school after college, Amy decided to take one final shot at acting. She joined a theater program in London, and immediately knew that being an actor was the only career that would make her happy. When she returned to the states, Amy sought to gain more acting experience, but ended up getting scammed out of thousands of dollars. Amy, however, is undeterrable and she immediately sought to find the next opportunity. After studying more of her craft, she would finally make it out to Los Angeles to face a new set of overwhelming challenges, but Amy is standing firm and ready to face them all to reach her goal.

Alena Savostikova is an actress originally from Russia. Alena comes from an athletic background, and was playing tennis professionally for years, often traveling to the U.S. to compete in tournaments. Eventually, her family made the decision to move to the United States so that Alena could further her tennis career. By her teens, the demanding lifestyle of professional sports began to take its toll on Alena, and tennis slowly fell out of her life. For the first time, Alena was able to be a normal teen, and was also able to choose her own future. Already an experienced model, Alena ended up with modeling contracts all over the world. Eventually, she ended up in Los Angeles where a chance meeting with an agent would open the door for Alena to start acting. Pursuing a career as an actress in Los Angeles brought on a slew of new challenges, but Alena is meeting them all head on. For the first time in her life, Alena feels like she’s right where she’s supposed to be.

Jonathan Baker is a producer, writer, and director of films like Inconceivable and Becoming Iconic. In addition to being filmmaker, Jonathan is also a hotel owner and has his own aromatherapy product line. Jonathan grew up in New York City in the 1960s and his love for movies started at an early age. He would run around the streets of Manhattan learning to make his own films. He would eventually end up coming to Hollywood, and his fascinating journey towards becoming a filmmaker would take him to the Playboy Mansion, playing poker games with famed celebrities, and even owning Warren Beatty’s home. Jonathan’s motto is “Life is by design," and Jonathan is set on designing himself to become an icon.

Benjamin Schnau is an actor and singer from Germany. Ben got his start performing when, as a child, he was cast as part of a German boy band. It was an eye-opening experience for Ben, and when he got to high school, he decided to give acting a try. As a performer, Ben loved the ability to elicit emotions from an audiences. Eventually, outside pressure on Ben to work towards a "real job" that was more financially viable led Ben to study economics, and work in an office. After some time, Ben knew his life was not meant for this, so he moved to London to really go after his dream of being an entertainer. After getting connected and working on a few projects, Ben woke up one morning determined to fulfill another dream of his: To continue his hustle in Los Angeles.