An Earful of Entertainment

By SARAH SHMERLING | Editor-in-Chief

For those who are looking to take a break from staring at a small, medium or large screen, podcasts can provide a source of entertainment—with no shortage of topics covered. Here are a few podcasts that boast ties to Pacific Palisades.

10,000 Nos

Hosted by actor and Via Mesa resident Matthew Del Negro, “10,000 Nos” is designed to help listeners “overcome rejection on the way” to their “yes”—inspired by his own experiences.

“Here, he gets up close and personal with top-shelf folks from all walks of life about the 10,000 ‘No’s they’ve had to endure and struggles they’ve had to overcome on their journey to where they are today,” according to a description on his website. “Inspiring, raw, honest and funny, this podcast will help you see that the people you think have ‘got it made’ put their pants on one leg at a time, just like you.”

Del Negro started the podcast “as a complete passion project,” all about not just actors, but also people from all walks of life who have overcome adversity and turned things around, he shared in an interview with the Palisadian-Post in 2019.

His very first episode consisted of a 17-minute rant on why he wanted to take on the audio venture and his plans for creating the “anti-Instagram” where it’s acceptable—and preferred—to talk about life’s challenges rather than only highlight the accomplishments.

The podcast has even led to a book of the same name, which debuted in October 2020: One of Del Negro’s weekly guests was multi-best-selling business and finance author John Gordon.

“He came here, I interviewed him, we hit it off,” Del Negro recalled. “About eight months later, he said his daughter was considering acting and would I sit down with her and talk with her about the realities of that?”

One week later, Del Negro had written an e-book, based on a speech he had given at an event, that he planned on giving away through his website. He sent it to Gordon with a message to share it with his daughter.

“The next day, he texted me back and said this is awesome, change this, move this, get rid of this and email it to my publishers at Wiley, and I was like what?” Del Negro recalled during a 2020 interview with a laugh. “That ended up leading to a lunch meeting in Hoboken, New Jersey, with the editor-in-chief there, and he said he was interested in me doing a book.”

The audio version of the book will debut March 30.

One of the most recent episodes of his podcast—which aired March 5—features actress Alyshia Ochse, who Del Negro shared he was at first jealous of but later realized they are “on the same mission”: “To let actors know that they are not alone in their struggles, they are enough and they need to embrace their flaws if they have any hope of advancing in this crazy industry.”

Del Negro recently interviewed Kevin Bacon for an episode that is set to go live on March 26, supporting season 2 of Showtime’s “City on a Hill” on March 28—which Bacon stars in and Del Negro is a series regular.

For more information or to listen to episodes, visit 10000nos.com/podcast.

Fashion Law Network

Palisadian Kasia Zebrowska-Trauben, a registered patent attorney and owner of Palisades Patent Law firm, is the author and host of the “Fashion Law Network” podcast.

Now in its third season, each episode does a deep dive into “fashion-related legal news and lawsuits,” according to the show description.

Her first episode, released May 19, 2020, is titled “Chanel v. The RealReal Lawsuit Discussion and Analysis,” which includes background on patent and trademark law, as well as a discussion on the then-recent Order entered in the Chanel v. The RealReal case.

Zebrowska-Trauben shared with the Palisadian-Post that as she entered Season 2 of the podcast, it took about five to eight hours to research, prepare, record and edit each episode.

Recent episodes of the podcast include “Give Me GIVENCHY,” which details the French luxury Givenchy fashion house.

“I begin with some brief history of the fashion house, including how LVMH acquired the Givenchy company in the mid ’80s,” Zebrowska-Trauben wrote in the episode description. “Then I discuss patent and trademark law in relation to Givenchy, focusing on trade dress, which is a form of trademark law that I have not yet discussed on this podcast series.”

Though some of her episodes are solo, Zebrowska-Trauben also welcomes guests to the show, like Nicole Leinbach Reyhle, who joined her for the Holiday Shopping Edition, released November 25, 2020.

“On this episode, Nicole and I discuss the various changes happening to holiday retail this season, how retail has transformed since the COVID pandemic, and the Shop Safe and INFORM Consumer Acts, among other topics,” Zebrowska-Trauben wrote.

Some of her favorite episodes include “All Things Hermes (Through the Lens of a Patent Lawyer),” “Wait … It is Louis Vuitton or Pooey Puitton?” and “The Ryder Cup of Fashion Law.”

“Fashion Law Network” can be found on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.

Palisades Podcast

The Palisadian-Post has teamed up with longtime community members Maryam Zar and Steve Cron to present the “Palisades Podcast” once per month. Each edition features an interview, hosted by Zar and Cron, highlighting extraordinary lives of locals that readers might not otherwise have had a chance to meet.

The most recent episode featured professional race car driver and resident of the Palisades Townsend Bell.

“In 2016, Bell, along with his teammates, won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in only their second try,” Zar said. “Later that year, in the famous Indy500, Bell clocked a top speed of 241.637 mph.”

Bell is a color commentator for NBC Sports with lead anchor Leigh Diffey and analyst Paul Tracy. He is also a color commentator for NBC Sports’ IndyCar, Global RallyCross Championship and the host of “What’Cha Got” on Fox Sports1.

The October 2020 edition featured local writer Lisa Sweetingham Wallin.

“Lisa Sweetingham Wallin is the equivalent of a literary hero,” Zar shared ahead of the release of the episode.

She wrote “Chemical Cowboys” in 2009, which is about a decades-long DEA operation that led to the toppling of a global ecstasy network worth billions of dollars, Zar explained.

Zar and Cron sat down with the Columbia University graduate and karate black belt to talk about the power of resilient thinking, a productive spirit, a supportive community and the power of the written word.

On the third Thursday of the month, the Post runs a preview of the guest, followed by a full interview that can be listened to at palipost.com/palipodcast.

Past guests on the show have included LAFD Deputy Chief and Commander of the West Bureau Armando Hogan, Ann Kerr-Adams and Dr. Dolly Klock. Look for a preview of the next episode in the March 18 edition of the paper.

Editor’s note: This story was updated March 11 to reflect additional information about an upcoming episode of 10,000 Nos, as well as the audio version of the book.