‘UnWrapped’ Podcast: Hannah Einbinder and Michaela Jaé Rodriguez on Going From Onscreen Mentee to Mentor

Loeb & Loeb podcast chair Anne Kennedy McGuire shares her best advice on how to launch and run a successful show

(From left to right: Hannah Einbinder, Michaela Jaé Rodriguez and Anne Kennedy McGuire)

Mentorship doesn’t always have to happen between an older guide and younger learner. Take Hannah Einbinder’s Ava, helping Jean Smart’s Deborah Vance get her comedy career back on track in “Hacks.” Or maybe Michaela Jaé Rodriguez helping Maya Rudolph reinvent herself as a billionaire philanthropist in “Loot.” It’s not always the older, richer or more successful person who is giving the advice. Sometimes, the person with the “experience” need to be willing to listen.

On this episode of “UnWrapped,” Einbinder and Rodriguez discuss the complex relationships their characters have with their on-screen bosses, and how they manage to act like they hate people that, in real life, they deeply admire. 

Plus, Anne Kennedy McGuire, chair of Loeb & Loeb’s podcast division, talks about how her own mentor helped her get into the entertainment space. She also shares her best podcasting advice with WrapWomen – from negotiating podcast deals to what audiences are looking for. 

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Episode Highlights:

  • Hannah Einbinder says going on tour with Chelsea Handler was similar to Ava’s road trip experience with Deborah in Season 2
  • Michaela Jaé Rodriguez says being a “bitch” isn’t a bad thing, “it has a lot of weight and it shows that we’re really actually bosses”
  • Anne Kennedy McGuire’s #1 Advice to Podcasters “[Take] that moment to really stop and think about it and, and not just sign the first deal that comes by.”
  • Hannah Einbinder reveals the first time she read the Season 2 finale she “wept” for 45-minutes
  • Michaela Jaé Rodriguez says when she’s trying to find information on a new crush or potential love interest, she calls up her friend Ravon Middlebrooks to track them down on social media
  • Anne Kennedy McGuire says her two favorite podcasts at the moment are “You Must Remember This” and “Father Knows Best”
  • Hannah Einbinder says “you haven’t lived until you’ve seen a smoking section of a Carnival Cruise during COVID” when talking about filming the lesbian cruise storyline for Season 2.

About “UnWrapped”

“UnWrapped” is a monthly podcast produced by WrapWomen, dedicated to empowering the next generation of women in media and entertainment. Each episode “unwraps” topics from entertainment news and industry trends to career advice, Hollywood headlines and more. 

Special guests include industry leaders, actors, producers and studio execs. The aim of the series is to connect those looking for knowledge and access to those with the knowledge and access, providing the WrapWomen community tools to succeed in their personal and professional lives.

New episodes of “UnWrapped” drop the last Friday of every month. You can listen on TheWrap.comWrapWomen.comSpotifyApple PodcastsGoogle PodcastsAmazon Music or wherever you get your podcasts. 

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