S L A M!

SLAM! is a 6-episode radio dramedy about an eclectic slam poetry group who loves poetry but is frankly horrible at it. When Dean Stuart asks them to perform at the opening night of his rom-com themed bar, the poets find themselves facing their fears as they step into the spotlight.

February 14, 2021

episodes

February 7, 2021
0
Introducing SLAM!
We can do this the ordinary way or… we can introduce this show in song. SLAM!, the good vibes scripted fiction podcast, premieres on February 14th, 2021. New episode every Sunday!
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February 14, 2021
1
Pilot: Welcome to Inktown, Bo!
Tech guy Bo moves away from his family to Inktown for a promotion at TechnoFruits. So, what in the world is he doing at the Dean’s office of a community college?
February 21, 2021
Episode 2: Zinc’s Dilemma
The SLAM! Club says YES to performing at an open mic night, sparking excitement and anxiety for its members. Zinc is no exception. Will he throw away his shot?
February 28, 2021
Episode 3: Getcha Head in the Game, Quinn!
Fresh out of physical therapy, star player Quinn deals with new challenges in basketball and poetry. Meanwhile, Bo and his wife Amber’s relationship continues to be tested.
March 14, 2021
Episode 4: Summer, Return to Eastville
Summer and Bo return to Eastville to celebrate Lil Tommy’s birthday party where surprises and discoveries await them.
March 22, 2021
Episode 5: L Walks into a Bar (of an Arcade)

L walks into a bar (of an arcade) on New Year’s Eve when she runs into drunken Bo. More secrets are revealed and new troubles arise.

March 31, 2021
Episode 6: Ain’t Love Funny?
In this love & music-filled finale, the SLAM! club must unite to make Dean’s dream come true and bring the Inktown community together.
Days
Hours
Minutes
Seconds

Characters

Cast

Ken Westrick
Character
Bo
Favorite Romantic Comedy Movie
Crazy Stupid Love
Favorite Poet
W.H. Auden
Favorite Snack
Shrimp Chips
Dream
Jim Carrey painting my portrait
Ken is a recent graduate of Columbia University, where he studied visual arts. He is currently pursuing acting and cooking for himself in New York City. In his free time, you can find him hanging out with the dogs in Riverside Park.
Venice Ohleyer
Character
L
Favorite Romantic Comedy Movie
500 Days of Summer (Manic Pixie Dream Girls can and should unionize to get the benefits they have been deprived of)
Favorite Poet
Ariana Grande
Favorite Snack
I am constantly grateful for the work Trader Joe’s does for the gluten-free community
Dream
Natural Light

Venice Ohleyer is a writer, actor, and comedian who should be a senior at Columbia College but is currently a college drop-out pretending to be a fake student by running Columbia’s oldest improv group, Fruit Paunch, writing satire in the Columbia Daily Spectator, writing and acting for CUSS. When she is not spiraling, she can also be found on instagram or twitter, trying to convince herself that she does still, indeed, exist. 

MoniQue
Rangell-Onwuegbuzia
Character
Summer
Favorite Romantic Comedy Movie
10 Things I Hate About You
Favorite Poet
Langston Hughes
Favorite Snack
Popcorn
Dream
Borderless earth
Mo (Onwueg) is jazzed to finally make her voice acting debut as the adorable and precocious Summer! an avid consumer of all things anime and cartoons (her favorite cartoon is Adventure Time!), voice acting has been a dream of mo’s for a very long, looooong time, and of all the surprises that covid-19 life brought, the opportunity to act in a podcast was definitely one of the best.
Axl Avenido
Character
Zinc
Favorite Romantic Comedy Movie
Love, Simon
Favorite Snack
All types of chips
Dream

World-renowned singer/actor/songwriter/
screenwriter

Axl is a senior at Chapman University, majoring in Communication Studies and double-minoring in Television Writing & Production and Music Technology. He is considerably well-rounded in many arts, which drives his passion to be involved in the entertainment industry. Axl is currently working on building his platform on social media as means to rise to stardom. He is mostly known for his music but is ready to be recognized as Zinc on SLAM!
Talia Hankin
Character
Quinn
Favorite Romantic Comedy Movie
You’ve Got Mail
Favorite Poet
Mary Oliver
Favorite Snack
Berries
Dream
Star in the next Judy Garland biopic
Talia is a junior at Columbia University, double majoring in Drama & Theatre Arts and Film & Media Studies. Pursuing a career in acting, Talia is also a singer, dancer, musician, and award-winning playwright. She is grateful to Soorim and Cassandra not only for this incredibly meaningful experience, but for the one and only opportunity she will ever have to play a basketball star — all 5’2” of her. Thank you to the SLAM team for many a laugh and many a “ya-ya-ya-YAWP.”
McCallister Selva
Character
Amber
Favorite Romantic Comedy Movie
When Harry Met Sally
Favorite Poet
Shakespeare
Favorite Snack
Takis
Dream
To perform at Shakespeare’s Globe
McCallister is an actor who trained at and recently graduated from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. She is on the leadership team for @monarchs4equity.justice, a social justice-oriented group of alumni and current students working to make our high school a more equitable place for all students. She is based in Southern California, where she spends her free sunny afternoons with her dog (and best friend), Theodore. McCallister is passionate about friendship bracelets, funk music, and margaritas.
Lillian Yuan
Character
Evie
Favorite Romantic Comedy Movie
27 Dresses
Favorite Poet
Hafiz
Favorite Snack
Ritz toasted chips
Dream
Become a full-time novelist
Lillian is a daydreamer, a twin, and a senior at Yale University studying Cognitive Science and Economics. After graduation, she will be moving to New York City to teach primary school and (hopefully!) finish the novel she started her sophomore year of college. When she’s not writing or reading, you can often find her jamming to Broadway musicals or exercising to her almost-youtube-famous sister’s KPOP dance workouts. Lillian is incredibly grateful to have been a part of the SLAM! Fam, and she hopes you enjoy the “show”!
Logan Klutse
Character
Dean Stuart
Favorite Romantic Comedy Movie
Last Holiday
Favorite Poet
Langston Hughes or Crystal Valentine
Favorite Snack
Sweet fried plantains
Dream
when I was 18 I told my mom to give me 6 years and I’d be Denzel Washington – we’re not there yet but I’m trying lol!
Logan Klutse is a rising junior at Yale University studying English and Theater Studies, where he is a member of WORD, the oldest and (most hype!) performance poetry group on campus. He calls Lakewood, Colorado, home. He began pursuing writing as a passion at the age of 13 after being featured in The New York Times, and later grew to love acting as well. His work has since appeared in Teen Eye Magazine, as well as in digital exhibitions at the Yale University Art Gallery, and he was the 2018 NIETOC National Champion in Poetry Reading. When he’s not brainstorming for and rewriting his latest play, poem, or short story, he enjoys making playlists for his friends, acting with Heritage Theater Ensemble (Yale’s Black arts collective), working on coding and game development, and following the Billboard Hot 100.

Supporting Cast

Hershey Suri
Character
Kylie
Favorite Romantic Comedy Movie
Love, Rosie
Favorite Poet
Sarah Kay
Favorite Snack
Flaming Hot Cheetos
Dream
To be both an attorney for survivors of sexual harm and an film/tv actress (That is TRULY the dream, trying to be the best in both worlds)
Hershey Suri is a senior at Pomona college double majoring in Politics and Theatre. She recently completed her study abroad at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts (RADA) in London, and has been spending her COVID days finishing up online college, directing multiple virtual productions including the original play Schrodinger High and a movie musical of The Addams Family, and performing as Jo March in Little Women the musical––the virtually filmed edition. She is incredibly thankful for Soorim and Cassandra for casting her in this project, and can not wait to see the exciting things to come for SLAM and for the rest of this amazing cast and crew!
Clay Cromer
Character
Jon Pelligrino
Favorite Romantic Comedy Movie
Dan in Real Life
Favorite Poet
Billy Collins
Favorite Snack
Birthday Cake
Dream
already living it…married to my wife Callie Jo!
Clay has been impersonating people since he was 7. A graduate of the Coast Guard Academy (BS) and Columbia International University (MDiv), he loves serving his country, his Lord, and his fellow man. He and his wife Callie live in New Haven and have 3 boys and a border collie, Spero. Their oldest son, James, starred as Lil Tommy in Slam, and his favorite snack is Granny Smith apples.
Emily Zhang
Character
Doc & Additional Voices
Favorite Romantic Comedy Movie
The Lego Movie
Favorite Snack
Any kind of fruit with ice cream
Dream
Education-talk-show-host that also makes art and gets 8 hours of sleep a night
Emily is a senior at Columbia University majoring in astrophysics but increasingly annoyed at herself for not pursuing film/music/writing/literally any creative path. She still loves space though. As such, she has had a great time bouncing between research projects and creative projects (like SLAM!) throughout college.
Piper Barber
Character
Dan the Hazzrd Lightz Member
Favorite Romantic Comedy Movie
Mr. Right
Favorite Poet
Rainer Maria Rilke
Favorite Snack
Sour Cream and Onion chip
Dream
Be an actor and not starve
Emerged from the womb ready to f— shit up. They’re here to reclaim film as an expressive medium for the marginalized because -hey look- their phone shoots in 4k now. Take that Lionsgate.
Harrison Gale
Character
Rose & Additional Voices
Favorite Romantic Comedy Movie
The Philadelphia Story
Favorite Poet
Seamus Heaney
Favorite Snack
Cucumbers and hummus
Dream
Getting a salaried job to write good

Harrison is a writer, actor, and filmmaker currently pursuing an MSt in film aesthetics at the University of Oxford. She has created material for and/or performed with the Columbia Federalist, MidWave Magazine, Third Wheel Improv, and Chowdah Sketch Comedy, and performed in Redacted Arachnid at the 2019 Edinburgh Fringe. She is a writer and actor in The Half-Hour Comedy Hour, a sketch comedy podcast. She is also a co-host of Do Try This at Home (@dotrythispod), a film and comedy podcast. In 2020, she produced her first documentary short, Here Comes the Flood. Her first full-length theatrical comedy, Nice Guys Finish Last, was a second-round selection at the Austin Film Festival in 2019, and she is currently developing her first feature screenplay. She is very grateful to Soorim and the whole SLAM! team for giving her something to do while social distancing.

Estee Dechtman
Character
Marina
Favorite Romantic Comedy Movie
What’s Up Doc?
Favorite Snack
Cinnamon Bears
Dream
To meet Barbra Streisand
Estee Dechtman is a junior at Barnard College of Columbia University majoring in Theatre and minoring in Political Science. Estee is an actor, singer, dancer, and director. In her free time she likes to roam around NYC in search of new coffee shops and new adventures. She is grateful to Soorim, Cassandra, and the whole team for including her in this very special project! Go Stallions!!!
Chad Arle
Character
Sam the Bartender & Beatboxer
Favorite Romantic Comedy Movie
Crazy Stupid Love
Favorite Poet
T.S. Eliot
Favorite Snack
Popcorn
Dream
To grow old writing philosophy on a beach.
Chad is a recent graduate of Columbia University, where he majored in Film and Media Studies with a concentration in Business Management. He’s a screenwriter and actor, and is currently working on producing an original feature!
Tierra Starks
Character
Summer’s Mom
Favorite Romantic Comedy Movie
Until We Meet Again
Favorite Poet
Maya Angelou
Favorite Snack
Honestly everything, I like to eat.
Dream
Win an Academy Award for Best Actress
Tierra is a Senior at Pomona College majoring in Theatre. Her goal after graduating is to move to LA and pursue professional acting as a career. She has been in countless productions, but this is her first voice over/ radio work and she is happy to have been a part of the show. Her new obsession is watching Korean and Thai Dramas.
Jeremy Hsiao
Character
Summer’s Brother
Favorite Romantic Comedy Movie
Palm Springs
Favorite Poet
Amanda Gorman
Favorite Snack
Snyder’s Honey Mustard and Onion Pretzel Pieces, sounds weird but so good
Dream
To live off making art and collaborating with others
Jeremy Hsiao is an incoming freshman to Stanford who plans on studying computer science. He is currently taking a gap year to pursue passions and explore different fields such as other computer science languages, music/audio production, writing songs, as well as getting boba, playing the new Miles Morales Spider-Man for PS4, and watching anime (Attack on Titan and Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood are goated).
Hunter Lustberg
Character
Murderous Death Game Voice & TechnoFruits Guy 1
Favorite Romantic Comedy Movie
When Harry Met Sally
Favorite Poet
William Shakespeare
Favorite Snack
Leaves
Dream
Make art but also make money (if such a thing can e’er be done)
Hunter is a senior at Bard College, majoring in Written Arts and Theater. If he ever finishes writing a play before starting a new one, he might even graduate from Bard College with a degree in Written Arts and Theater.
Amy Muller
Character
DJ & Additional Voices
Favorite Romantic Comedy Movie
Fever Pitch
Favorite Poet
Fatimah Asghar or Chen Chen
Favorite Snack
Pop Tarts
Dream
To be on the Survivor Dream Team (dms open if you can help a gal out). Failing that; to exist entirely in the “Why Did Have To Be Me” scene from Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again as Lily James/young Donna.
Amy is an award-losing comedy writer and producer based in New York and Chicago. She’s more–or, more accurately, less–known for her speechwriting and ghostwriting work, so maybe you’ve read some of her stuff already? She’ll never tell… When she’s not writing (or recording her lines for SLAM!), you can usually find Amy petting her cat, making muffins, or re-watching High School Musical: The Musical: The Series. If Soorim asked her to hide a body, she would do it.
Chantel Woo
Character
Intercom & Additional Voices
Favorite Romantic Comedy Movie
The Proposal
Favorite Poet
Maya Angelou
Favorite Snack
Sour Cream and Onion Pringles
Dream
Be the One Less Lonely Girl that gets brought stage at Justin Bieber’s concert
Having graduated from Barnard in 2020, Chantel’s favorite hobby is living vicariously through her friends who are still in school. These days, you can find her beep-beep-boop-booping on her computer every day, having Excel-induced meltdowns every few hours. She is eternally grateful to Soorim for giving her this opportunity to exercise her creativity again, and has enjoyed the hours spent cross-legged on the floor of her closet contributing to this project.
Kira Morris
Character

Murderous Death Player
(8 year old girl)

Favorite Romantic Comedy Movie
Peter Rabbit
Favorite Poet
Shel Silverstein
Favorite Snack
Pretzels
Dream
Become a painter
Kira loves reading “Ivy + Bean” books, playing with slime, and spending time with her family. What’s Kira doing right now? She’s probably practicing her gymnastics skills, eating macaroni n’ cheese, or filming pretend YouTube videos.
Phoebe Morris
Character
Featured Audience Member
Favorite Romantic Comedy Movie
Always Be My Maybe
Favorite Poet
Thanhha Lai
Favorite Snack
Plantain chips
Dream
Do a muscle up, finish my novel, and relax on the beach in Zagare Bay!
Phoebe enjoys eating chocolate, reading old almanacs, and making fresh flower leis. Still on her journey to finding her true “passion,” Phoebe’s worst-enemy is procrastination. Phoebe aspires to be a nature photographer, lawyer, and fortune cookie writer.

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Soorim Lee
Showrunner, Writer & Director
Once complimented that her works are like gelato, Soorim is a film & television writer/director and photographer based in NYC and LA. Although she explores various genres, her most recent works have focused on telling heartfelt coming-of-age stories, gently mixing the balance of comedy and drama, of comfort meeting adventures. This is her first radio drama and she is excited to share this wonderful work of the cast & crew work. PS) the idea of making a radio drama may or may not have risen from researching Pedro Pascal’s career.
Favorite Romantic Comedy Movie
13 Going on 30
Favorite Poet
A.A. Milne
Favorite Snack
Potato Chips
Dream
Jamming with Baby Yoda and making good TV/Movies with good people
Cassandra Hsiao
Writer & Assistant Director
Cassandra Hsiao is a senior at Yale University, majoring in Theater Studies and Ethnicity, Race & Migration. Her poetry has been recognized by a variety of national and international lit magazines and organizations, and her plays have been selected as finalists for national playwriting competitions. Her dreams for the near future consist of infiltrating a TV writer’s room, going to an ABBA concert, and unlocking her superpowers of flight. Grateful to Soorim for this chance to SLAM!
Favorite Romantic Comedy Movie
10 Things I Hate About You
Favorite Poet
Sarah Kay & Aimee Nezhukumatathil
Favorite Snack
Kettle corn
Dream
TV writer for Disney/Marvel
Marquavious Moore
Assistant Poet
Marquavious Moore is a senior at Columbia University, studying psychology. Outside of the classroom, he finds himself submerged in scene work and finding new and totally not annoying ways to make his friends laugh. He hosts a youtube channel (@Marquavious Moore) that encourages everyone, especially young adults, to live their most fulfilled lives while giving advice in topics regarding mental health.
Favorite Romantic Comedy Movie
Safe Haven
Favorite Poet
Maya Angelou
Favorite Snack
Fruit
Dream
Creating and starring in my very own HBO limited series
Sydney Sheren
Lead Editor
Sydney is a junior at Barnard College majoring in Political Science and Film Studies. She currently works as a video intern for MvVO ART and the Director of Photography for online cooking show “Essenza di Gusto.” Sydney loves tech, art, film, and putting sounds together for Slam.
Favorite Romantic Comedy Movie
Clueless
Favorite Snack
Rice Pudding
Dream
Well there was that one recurring nightmare…
Kyra Isabella Chen
Audio Engineer, Sound Designer & Mixer
Kyra is currently devoting her life to drawing boxes, reverse-engineering engineering school, and hitting guitar strings with weird objects in lieu of actually practicing. She aspires to one day join a choir of Bulgarian grandmas and belt Slavic folk music on the mountains of Central Europe.
Favorite Romantic Comedy Movie
How to Talk to Girls at Parties
Favorite Poet
Federico García Lorca
Favorite Snack
Creatine
Dream
Free climb El Cap or… use modern manufacturing techniques to revive ancient instruments (how else am I supposed to learn to play the hurdy gurdy?)
Olivia Stone
Assistant Editor
Olivia is a Fall 2020 graduate of Columbia University. During her college career she majored in Films Studies and spent most of her electives studying languages. Olivia currently works at Tribeca Film Center and is busy raising her Golden Retriever puppy, Koda.
Favorite Romantic Comedy Movie
Moonstruck
Favorite Poet
A. A. Milne
Favorite Snack
Goldfish
Dream
Costume/ Production designer for Disney/Marvel and all the Period TV dramas.
Mark Cohen
Editor
Born and raised in Red Bluff, California, Mark Cohen makes music and movies with as much love as he can.
Favorite Romantic Comedy Movie
Charade
Favorite Poet
Kahlil Gibran
Favorite Snack
Vanilla Malts
Dream
To make a very good film.
Mark Prusakowski
Editor
Mark
Favorite Romantic Comedy Movie
Love, Actually
Favorite Poet
Robert Frost
Favorite Snack
Snyder’s Honey Mustard Pretzel Pieces
Dream
Direct a thriller set on a train.
Sal Volpe
Composer

Sal is a Master’s student at Columbia studying biomedical informatics. When he isn’t knee deep in coding projects until 3AM, Sal enjoys fiddling around with a whole bundle of instruments, none of which he has any mastery over, but greatly loves. His compositions have been featured in a number of high school gymnasiums, small black box theatres, and in many a Zoom room, but this would be his first time bringing his work into the podcast space. Sal is very thankful of Soorim for admiring his stylings enough to think it can help make this series a grand SLAM.

Favorite Romantic Comedy Movie
Deadpool
Favorite Poet
Natachi Mez
Favorite Snack
Sour Patch Watermelons
Dream
Doctor by day, artist by night
Vincent Le
Theme Song Composer
Vincent is a senior at Columbia College majoring in music on the pre-medical track. Check out his jazz album Acacia on most streaming services and his youtube channel @vincentlemusic!
Favorite Romantic Comedy Movie
Sleeping With Other People
Favorite Snack
Skittles
Dream
Dropping a fat banger on Spotify
Natalie Sandmann
Character Artist
Natalie is an undergraduate student at Barnard College majoring in Film Studies. She is focused on her screenwriting at the moment but also dabbles in acting, art, songwriting, poetry, and baking. She is currently serving as a content editor for MidWave Magazine, as well as having written several articles for the platform. She likes sunsets, long walks, chocolate cake, and asking people for their astrological signs and then saying “hm, that makes sense” about them in a knowing tone.
Favorite Romantic Comedy Movie
To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before
Favorite Poet
Emily Dickinson
Favorite Snack
Dark chocolate
Dream
Screenwriter/actress

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