My guest today on the A game podcast is Michael Patrick Jan.

Michael Patrick Jan is a writer, actor, director

of many different shows including the famous

and one of my favorite obviously MTV's The State.

He was one of the original members of the 11 people there, which again, I know you guys would see me interview

a bunch of them.

It's very interesting to hear the different takes and the different personalities, but this gentleman is a great testament to all the things that I pushed on this podcast. You'll hear a lot of the stories of perseverance and self-doubt and just coming from a small town going to New York City and coming over struggles about how to present yourself, how to handle yourself. So we're going to touch on a lot of different things during this that apply to life and to business and to whatever industries you're in to help you be a mature person and a better person and to handle situations and people better.

And I think it's really awesome that you have such. and to handle situations and people better.

And I think it's really awesome that you have such

different personalities and different takes

that came together with this group of 11 people

that made this amazing show that stuck around for decades

and they've collaborated together and I love and really enjoy learning but this if you are not familiar with him he also does a podcast now that's an outstanding podcast called Michael Patrick Jan can direct traffic and although the focus of it is directing the conversations are great they talk about big names big movies big actors big situations they have really funny analogies it's it it's very entertaining. I highly recommend his

podcast as well. You could check it out on his site in the show notes and on iTunes as well.

But the synopsis for this episode, we are going to start talking a little bit about coming

from a small town in Albany getting out of there leaving and going in New York City

Meeting the cast of the state how we went to NYU how that group came together. We'll touch on a Joe leutruchio and Thomas Lennon and how they all formed into becoming what eventually become became the state on what his background was how he got into a directing into entertainment and how his family felt about that,

how they pushed him or reacted to him going into show business

and what it was like growing up and being

in your late teens, early 20s, in New York City as a director on an

MTV show with a bunch of friends running around when you know you're crazy you have no

supervision you're out there trying to find the world. So being young and successful with 11 of your friends

...