Creative minds.
Unfiltered stories.
Unexpected truths.

A devastating plane crash nearly ended Thomas Craig's life and changed everything he thought he knew about success.

• Locals
• Entrepreneurs

Trevor Baird didn't just build one of Orange County's favorite restaurants.

• Entrepreneurs
• Musicians & Entertainers

Mehdi Rabii has spent over two decades keeping some of the biggest acts in music safe, from Green Day's American Idiot tour to Queens of the Stone Age, Paramore, Ozzy, and beyond.

• Entrepreneurs
• Creatives

Alex Blackwell and Zane Leibowitz of Bare Bones Tattoo, San Juan Capistrano's first and only tattoo shop, sit down with Evan to talk about what it really takes to build a life in ink.

• Creatives

Katie Thompson, Executive Director of the PADI AWARE Foundation, joins Shady Characters to share her journey from Oakley to ocean conservation, and how storytelling can drive real impact.

• Creatives

Seth Willingham, aka Water Project, has spent over a decade turning a borrowed drone and a love of the ocean into a full-time career taking him around the world.

• Entrepreneurs
• Creatives

Nicole Bowyer, founder of Coco on the Go, shares the real story behind building a luxury athleisure brand from scratch, starting with ironing logos onto garments in her kitchen to…

• Entrepreneurs
• Musicians & Entertainers

In this episode of Shady Characters, we sit down with Fieldy of Korn and Richard Morrill to unpack the raw story behind the band that came before it all, from their early days in…

• Creatives

Ana Gallego didn’t follow a traditional path into creativity—she built it.

• Creatives

Kaikea Wilinski joins Shady Characters to share the story behind a build that became much bigger than a car.

• Creatives

A raw conversation with Kayden Muzila on hitting rock bottom, finding faith, and rebuilding his life into a thriving creative career.

• Locals
• Entrepreneurs

Matt and Tim Vizzi join Shady Characters to talk about the story behind Get Me the Ball, the rise of Next Gen NFL Flag, and how they turned energy, belief, and brotherhood into one of…

• Locals

Nathan K.

• Locals
• Entrepreneurs

Nate Raabe of RX3 Growth Partners joins Shady Characters to unpack the real truth about influencer and athlete-led brands and why most don’t work, what does scale, and how RX3 invests…

• Locals
• Entrepreneurs
• Creatives

Lee Lizotte, founder of True Love Coffee in San Juan Capistrano, shares how a love for craft, community, and staying in your lane built one of South Orange County’s most intentional…

• Locals

Mechelle Lawrence-Adams, Executive Director of Mission San Juan Capistrano, shares how history, leadership, and love intersect at one of California’s most iconic landmarks.

• Entrepreneurs
• Creatives
• Musicians & Entertainers

Multi-platinum artist Ryan Shuck shares his journey from working with Korn to Orgy, Julien-K, and Dead by Sunrise to building a fully independent, fan powered music business.

• Entrepreneurs
• Creatives

Christian Scott, Global Director of Sports Marketing at TravisMathew, joins Shady Characters to talk modern sports branding, athlete partnerships, and creative risk taking in golf culture.

• Locals

Comedian, MC, and longtime president of the Fiesta Association, Jim Taylor joins Shady Characters to talk stand-up comedy, guerrilla marketing, and what it really takes to run the…

• Locals

In this episode of Shady Characters , Linda Hakim (Best Version Media) shares how she built 3 hyper-local OC magazines through chambers, Rotary, and relentless community storytelling.

• Locals
• Entrepreneurs

In this episode of Shady Characters , we sit down with Jon Colburn , owner of Realtime AV —a high-end audio/video and smart home company based in San Juan Capistrano.

• Locals

In this episode of Shady Characters , Danielle Braithwaite—founder of Variant Movement—shares her journey from aspiring professional dancer to studio owner, mentor, and working mom.

• Locals
• Creatives

Photographer Matt Morgan sits down with Shady Characters to unpack a 20-year career that started in a high school photo class and led to shooting world-class athletes, punk rock icons,…

• Locals

San Juan Capistrano native Harrison Taylor joins Shady Characters to talk about growing up on historic Los Rios Street , curating the tenant mix behind the wildly successful River…

• Locals

From Oakley to ASICS , Amy Miller has made a career out of helping people find happiness at work.

• Locals
• Musicians & Entertainers

Former NFL safety Chris Conte joins Shady Characters to talk about growing up in Hollywood, chasing football dreams to the NFL, and life after the league.

• Creatives

From surf mags to space missions, Chasen Marshall has spent his career chasing authentic stories.

• Locals

Retired Naval Intelligence Captain and San Juan Capistrano City Councilmember Howard Hart joins Shady Characters to talk about leadership, service, and the day that changed everything —…

• Entrepreneurs
• Creatives

Advertising veteran Lee Kovel joins Shady Characters to trace his career from Cleveland radio spots to Madison Avenue campaigns and California agency life.

• Locals
• Entrepreneurs

Leadership and people strategist Nicole DaCosta joins Shady Characters to talk about the power of human connection in a remote world, building authentic culture inside fast-growth…

• Locals
• Entrepreneurs

From the chair at King’s Club Barbers to changing lives across Mexico, Matt Schnitzer has built Barbers for Baja into a movement of purpose, community, and connection.

• Locals
• Entrepreneurs

Mortgage pro Christian Hernandez joins Shady Characters to unpack “leverage” the right way—tech, finance, and relationships—plus why small, nimble teams win, how buyers can navigate…

• Locals
• Entrepreneurs

Skout’s Honor CEO Pete Stirling joins Shady Characters to share how a surfer-turned-startup founder built the pet-wellness brand from the ground up.

• Creatives

Active-lifestyle photographer Joe Scarnici joins Shady Characters to unpack the craft behind nailing split-second moments—from touring 22 shows with Madonna to photographing Team USA…

• Entrepreneurs

Husband-and-wife duo Danny and Brenda Castillo, owners of Heritage Barbecue in San Juan Capistrano, share their incredible rise from backyard pop-ups to James Beard and Michelin recognition.

• Entrepreneurs

He’s going to prison in just days… Illegal bookmaker, jiu-jitsu dad, and unapologetic high-rolling gambler, Matt Bowyer pulls back the curtain on million-dollar Mondays, counting cards,…

• Creatives
• Musicians & Entertainers

Designer, musician, and community-radio music director, Jeff Holmes, joins the show to talk creative process, analog style, travel, and the surprising ways ideas find you.

• Creatives

A five-year van trip turned global creative lens: Oakley’s Jes Stockhausen shares how nomadic filmmaking, a Patagonian rescue dog, and a passion for the circular economy shaped his…

• Entrepreneurs
• Creatives

Oakley’s VP of Soul & Creative Brian Takumi joins Shady Characters to trace 28 years shaping the brand—from BMX roots to the iconic Square O, from wild Foothill Ranch culture to leading…

• Creatives

Filmmaker Chris Stacey joins Shady Characters to share his journey from music videos and viral hits like Teach Me How to Duffy to feature films including The Blind .

• Entrepreneurs

Megz and Katie, the duo behind Intertwined Inc., share their journey from startup to a leading hospitality company.

• Musicians & Entertainers

James and Marie Kelly share their journey from a nomadic childhood and lifelong love of dance to forming Bootleggers, a music and line dance group.

• Entrepreneurs
• Creatives

Tim DeBrincat and Evan Burgher of Thatch Creative join Tom Dioro to share their evolution from a small production shop to a full-service agency.