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February 21st, 2024

What It's Like To Be a Stuntman and a Strongman

  1. What It's Like To Be a Stuntman and a Strongman Todd Ryan Jones 38:06

Todd Jones has crashed into walls, been punched in the face, flown through the air,  tumbled down stairs, and fallen off high buildings, numerous times–willingly.  He is a professional stuntman for movies and television shows.  Todd also is a strongman: among other things, he holds a Guinness World Record for “hearting” horseshoes (bending steel with his hands).  Think all of this sounds almost impossible?  Todd says he's not superhuman–he has simply worked hard and not given up: the secret to his success is perseverance. 

In this episode:

01:56–How and why Todd transitioned from acting to stunt work
02:39–What he learned at “stunt school”–including getting set on fire
04:35–How to land correctly from a fall
06:28–Todd's first stunt gig
08:10–His role on “The Newsroom” that kick-started his career
10:53–A typical day on set
12:30–The two biggest stunts Todd has ever done on screen
17:29–The qualities needed to be a stunt person
21:08–What his family thinks watching him on screen
22:26–How Todd got started bending steel
25:29–The process of setting a Guinness World Record for “hearting” horseshoes
27:33–The power of perseverance: how and why Todd came to believe this so deeply
32:46–As you reach your goals, keep setting the bar higher: what else can I do?
33:24–How Todd stays in shape
34:38–The work schedule of a professional stunt person: “consistently inconsistent”

As promised in the episode, here is a link to the episode of “The Newsroom” in which Todd appeared with Jeff Daniels: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2052565/?ref_=nm_rvi_nm_i_1

Want to know more about Todd?

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Elizabeth Pearson Garr has spent a lot of her life asking questions. A daughter of a professor and a principal, as a kid she loved sitting at the “adult table” during their dinner parties so she could participate in the “real” conversations.

Elizabeth went on to graduate with honors from Harvard with a degree in History and Literature, and promptly attended professional cooking school to become a food writer. That led to various career opportunities, including becoming one of the first employees of the Television Food Network; writing/producing gigs at networks from PBS to E!; anchoring/reporting at the NBC affiliate in Billings, Montana; earning a graduate degree in Documentary Film & Video from Stanford University; and various and sundry other things. The through-line to all this has been curiosity. Elizabeth is a skilled interviewer who loves diving deep into research, finding connections, and telling good stories.

Elizabeth has a husband, two daughters, and a fluffy white dog who rarely leaves her side.

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