Lately, we’ve been thinking a lot about shame, silence, and how so many men carry feelings they don’t know how to name. Not because they don’t want help, but because asking for help can feel like admitting defeat. Especially Black men, men of color, and people from cultures where being tough often means staying silent, ignoring our feelings, and burying them somewhere no one can see, like pain tucked behind the bassline while the hook keeps playing.

Episode 13 of Unscripted Untold started with one question:

Is shame keeping men from asking for help, or have we just stopped paying attention to each other?

The burden of being “strong” is that eventually, people stop asking if you’re okay.

We received listener emails that helped us sit with that question in a real way. No easy answers. No five-step plan. Just an honest conversation about emotional isolation, anxiety, friendship, masculinity, social media, and what it means to check on men before they reach a breaking point, while paying attention to the signs we miss or explain away.

We also talk about HBO Max’s Half Man, a series that stayed with us because of how it explores male fragility, rage that turns into violence, repressed homophobia, loyalty, silence, and the emotional debt we carry when nobody teaches us how to process pain, or even how to say “I love you” to other men in our lives.

This episode is not about solving mental health.

It’s about paying attention.

It’s about asking better questions.

It’s about remembering that sometimes men don’t need a perfect answer. We need to feel seen, listened to without judgment, and loved without conditions. Too many of us spend our lives carrying emotional crates we were never taught how to unpack.

If this episode brings something up for you, send us a note at: Breakthrough@UnscriptedUntold.com

Mental Health resources:

Coffee, Hip-Hop & Mental Health - (https://chhamh.org) - Chicago-based organization creating culturally grounded mental health conversations and community support.

Better Help - (https://www.betterhelp.com) - Online therapy platform with flexible virtual counseling and financial aid options.

Black Men Heal - (https://blackmenheal.org) - Therapist directory and mental health resource platform centered on Black men and boys.

BEAM (Black Emotional and Mental Health Collective (https://beam.community) - Mental health advocacy, peer support training, and healing-centered resources for Black communities.

988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline - (https://988lifeline.org) - If you're struggling, overwhelmed, or in crisis, help is available 24/7. Call or text 988 to connect with a trained counselor. You don't have to carry it alone.

And if you’re not careful, you’ll convince yourself that staying busy means you’re moving forward.

On Episode 12, we’re joined by therapist Arron Muller for a conversation about the illusion of progress, identity disruption, and what uncertainty actually does to your mental health, especially for Black men and men of color.

But this doesn’t just live with men.
It shows up in the people around them, too.

This isn’t about fixing anything. It’s about facing what’s underneath it with courage and doing your own internal work.

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In the film Sinners, where Michael B. Jordan plays twin brothers Smoke and Stack, Percy served as Jordan’s body double, helping bring both characters to life on screen in ways audiences might not even realize while watching the film.

In a culture that often celebrates main character energy, this conversation explores the invisible labor that makes those moments possible, the preparation, precision, and teamwork required to make the illusion of filmmaking possible.

On this episode of Unscripted Untold, Evan Majors & Mike Sick sit down with Percy to talk about the craft behind those moments.

Percy shares what it takes to execute scenes with precision when one actor is playing multiple characters, the preparation required to match another actor’s physicality and movement, and why he compares the role to being the sixth man in basketball, essential to the team even when the spotlight isn’t on you.

After the Academy Awards and Sinners winning four Oscars, it felt like the perfect time to pull back the curtain on the craft behind the performance.

If you enjoyed this conversation, want to support what we’re building, join our community by subscribing, leaving a review, and sharing with someone.

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For nearly 100 years, the Academy Awards did not recognize casting with its own Oscar category.

Let that sit.

Nearly a century of honoring directors, actors, editors, cinematographers, and production designers, without formally acknowledging the people responsible for assembling the very faces, the chemistry, and the performances that define those films.

That changes at this year’s 98th Academy Awards with the introduction of Achievement in Casting.

Not just ceremonially. But culturally. Institutionally. Professionally.

This conversation unpacks:

• What had to shift inside the Academy.

• How has casting been perceived and misunderstood?

• Why has invisibility often been defined in the works of casting directors?

• What does being recognized mean, and what it doesn’t.

You don’t have to work in the entertainment industry to understand why this conversation matters.

Every great film or TV show begins with people, the actors who bring characters to life, and the chemistry that makes audiences believe in the story. Casting directors help shape those moments long before cameras roll.

This episode offers a rare look at that process and why this new recognition from the Academy represents a meaningful shift.

Casting isn’t an afterthought; it’s foundational.

If you enjoyed this conversation, want to support what we’re building, join our community by subscribing, leaving a review, and sharing it with someone.

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Not the curated version.
Not the highlight reel.
The real one.

When the wins go quiet.
When the phone stops ringing.
When you start questioning yourself.

This is a conversation about what happens when a challenging season forces you back to basics. About separating identity from industry. About refusing to perform strength when you’re actually being refined by the fight.

Evan speaks candidly about questioning whether he still has a career in casting during a slow season, and what it takes to rebuild belief without applause. Mike reflects on faith, reinvention, and why the fog is not a detour — it’s part of the journey.

Together, they unpack:

• Why is uncertainty part of the assignment

• How discipline creates stability when emotions fluctuate

• The danger of comparing your real life to someone else’s highlight reel

• Reinvention as a requirement for longevity

• Why action creates clarity, not the other way around

• And why waiting for perfect conditions is how you lose the fight

This episode is for anyone in a quiet season. Anyone who feels behind. Anyone rebuilding in real time.

The fog doesn’t mean you’re finished.
It means your journey just got real.

🎧 Listen now.

If this conversation resonates, subscribe, leave a review, and share it with someone navigating their own fog.

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In episode 8 of Unscripted Untold, Evan Majors & Mike Sick break down how it gets recognized, weighed, and tested in real time. We talk about what it really is, what it isn’t, and why having “it” alone doesn’t guarantee anything. From casting rooms to competition shows, from visibility to readiness, this conversation breaks down how talent gets evaluated when the stakes are real.

We unpack the differences between charisma and character, confidence and overcompensation, and being seen and being prepared. We talk about why casting is fundamentally about risk, not certainty, and why some people rise to the occasion while others fold, even when the talent is there.

This episode is about awareness, preparation, and the uncomfortable truth that visibility can be loud while readiness stays quiet. If you’ve ever wondered why some people keep getting opportunities, and others don’t, this conversation sits right in that tension.

What You’ll Take Away from This Episode:

• How the “It” factor gets recognized, not defined
  It’s intangible. You recognize it instantly. You can’t fake it.

• Why visibility is not the same as being ready
  How followers, buzz, and attention can mask a lack of preparation and experience.

• What casting is actually assessing in real time
  Awareness, professionalism, adaptability, and whether someone is a risk worth standing behind.

• Why being ready determines longevity
  How growth, humility, and the ability to take feedback matter more than polish or hype.

We’ve made this episode free for everyone, but if this resonated, subscribing unlocks the deeper layer: full access to our behind-the-scenes episodes, our private backstage member chat, and exclusive content where we go even further off-mic.

Joined by casting director Rebecca Reczek, who led casting for the reboot, this conversation breaks down:

• Why visibility isn’t the same as readiness

• How casting instincts still matter in an algorithm-driven era

• What performers misunderstand about “betting on themselves”

• And why most talent wants opportunity, but isn’t prepared for the moment

This conversation is about being stage-ready when the lights turn on.

A must-listen for artists, creatives, and anyone chasing their shot.

We've made this edition of Behind the Curtain free for everyone, but if this episode resonated, subscribing unlocks the deeper layer: full access to our behind-the-scenes episodes, our private backstage member chat, and exclusive content where we go even further off-mic.

And this conversation doesn't stop here. Episode 8, "Do You Have the It Factor?", is a Substack-exclusive follow-up that takes this discussion even deeper, into instinct, presence, and the uncomfortable truths artists and talent rarely hear. Paid subscribers get first access.

MTV just shut down the last of its music channels globally. That’s not just the end of an era. It’s the end of a shared cultural moment.

So we asked a bigger question: what did MTV actually leave behind?

Episode 6 of Unscripted Untold goes deeper than nostalgia. This is a conversation about infrastructure, power, and how culture was once shaped with intention.

We’re joined by Rahman Dukes, a media architect who spent nearly 20 years inside MTV’s ecosystem, including MTV.com and MTV News, helping define how hip-hop and culture were covered, contextualized, and amplified. His work helped shape artist narratives and career-defining moments that moved the culture in real time.

In this episode, we break down:
• How MTV turned music into culture, shaping taste, identity, and shared moments
• How platforms like You Hear It First and Hottest MCs influenced careers and artists like Kanye West
• What we lost when music stopped having a trusted center, and everything became clips, hot takes, and uninformed opinions

Tap in to understand the infrastructure that shaped culture, and what happens when it disappears.

Full conversation lives here on Substack.

Subscribe and listen wherever you get podcasts.

Listen to the accompanying episode where Evan and Mike unpack key points from this conversation here

Takeaways

• Started as an independent artist and evolved into a multi-hyphenate creator.

• The internet has transformed how artists reach audiences and build fandom.

• Creating community spaces is essential for cultural engagement.

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For the full conversation, you can subscribe to Unscripted Untold on Substack and also join the chat. That’s where we’re building our community, connecting with each other, and keeping the conversation going with our guests and other musings.

You can also find us on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
Come be our +1 and upgrade to a paid subscription to support our work on Substack.

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Chapters

00:00 Betting on Yourself: Embracing Uncertainty

02:40 The Weight of Attachments: Letting Go

05:32 Self-Care vs. Others’ Expectations

08:15 Navigating One-Sided Relationships

11:05 The Importance of Communication

14:05 Building Relationships in the Industry

28:25 Navigating Personal and Professional Boundaries

29:04 The Art of Professionalism

33:30 Understanding Authenticity in Casting

37:24 Reality vs. Performance in Unscripted TV

40:12 Bouncing Back from Disappointment

46:54 Betting on Yourself for Success

Takeaways

Betting on yourself is essential for personal growth.

Nothing truly belongs to us; we are here to experience life.

Self-care often meets resistance from others.

Friendships require a balance of give and take.

Professionalism seems to be declining in the industry.

Building relationships is crucial for success.

Authenticity is key in casting and performance.

Navigating personal and professional boundaries is important.

Resilience is necessary in the face of rejection.

Self-awareness helps in understanding one’s value.

self-care, authenticity, relationships, professionalism, mental health, entertainment industry, personal growth, community, resilience, self-awareness

Takeaways

Jazzy Collins is a trailblazer in casting and diversity.

Mental health check-ins are essential for personal well-being.

AI is changing the job interview landscape.

Feeling overwhelmed is common in career pursuits.

Self-care is crucial, especially during challenging times.

The importance of celebrating small victories in life.

Diversity in entertainment is a pressing issue.

Navigating grief can impact daily life.

Taking time for oneself can lead to better mental health.

The summer can feel fleeting, prompting a need for action.

In this pilot episode of Unscripted Untold, hosts Mike Sick and Evan Majors introduce their podcast, sharing their motivations for creating a platform that offers unfiltered conversations about the creative journey, mental health, and industry insights offering 20+ years of working experience in the TV & Music Industry. They emphasize the importance of vulnerability and community support while navigating the challenges of the entertainment industry. The episode sets the stage for future discussions that will include interviews with industry professionals and personal stories of growth and resilience.

Takeaways

The podcast aims to bring truth and transparency to the creative industry.

Hosts have extensive experience in television and music, offering valuable insights.

Conversations will be unscripted and real, reflecting genuine experiences.

Mental health discussions will be a key theme throughout the podcast.

The hosts are committed to giving back and educating others in the industry.

Listeners are encouraged to share their own stories and experiences.

The podcast serves as a platform for vulnerability and community support.

Expect a mix of interviews and thematic discussions in future episodes.

The hosts are navigating their own discomfort in starting this podcast.

The hustle in the creative industry is constantly evolving, and so must the artists.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Unscripted Untold

02:15 The Purpose Behind the Podcast

05:14 Expectations and Themes of the Show

08:09 Mental Health and Vulnerability

11:09 Giving Back and Sharing Knowledge

13:44 Engaging with the Audience

15:59 Closing Thoughts and Future Episodes