446 - Isabel Hagen on Making 'On a String', Winning Tribeca, Cancel Culture, and Surviving Stand‑Up

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Hello, Hello!

In this episode, Isabel Hagen joins us to discuss her work as a comedian, filmmaker, and classically trained violist. She explains how her freelance music career inspired the feature film On a String, which premiered at Tribeca and won Best Screenplay in the U.S. Narrative Competition. The conversation also explores comedy in the age of clips, creative persistence, protecting real people in fiction, film criticism, artistic identity, and what it means to make it.

We also talk about:

Turning experiences from weddings, funerals, and private music gigs into heightened comedic characters and situations.Why live comedy benefits from audiences putting their phones away while performers test unfinished material.Isabel’s process for becoming a stronger comedian through open mics, recordings, repeated performance, and daily review.The creative lessons she draws from Paul Thomas Anderson, including the scale of One Battle After Another and the score of Phantom Thread.How nostalgia, streaming overload, and the paradox of choice influence how audiences rewatch their favorite movies.

People, Places, Products, and Websites Mentioned:

People

Isabel Hagen (isabelhagen.com)

Brandon Tamburri

William Primrose

Paul Thomas Anderson