(Don’t) Spill the Tea (with Michael Ortiz)

CONTENT WARNING: This episode contains mentions of sex, and references of drug use. 

This week, Daniel and Monty reconnect with a former acting classmate turned entrepreneur and International Tea Master, Mike Ortiz (@sipjojo on Instagram) to discuss his journey from theatre school to brewing tea on the world stage. Topics include:

• The return of “Danny” Kemper
• Finding your weirdos in action!
• The parallels between auditioning and building a business.
• The importance of unapologetically taking up space.
• Being comfortable with not having answers, and being willing to constantly ask questions in life and theatre.
• The proper way to drink tea
• How Mike went from actor to tea salesman and entrepreneur
• Brewing tea as a practice of meditation
• The importance of persistence in developing relationships
• Learning under pressure
• The influence of slave labor on modern tea consumption and sales.
• How an actor with no business training starts a company
• Resilience as a necessity in the pursuit of your goals
• What makes a master?
• Understanding a structure well enough to break it.
• The origin of the name Jojo Tea

This week’s shoutouts, recommendations, and further reading include:

• Anya Saffir
• EBE Ensemble
• Master Chufei Tsai 
• Jojo Tea Company
• Badia Spice Company
• World Tea Expo
• Grandmaster Maurice Ashley
• Tea Master’s Cup
• Osteria 57
• Cafe Integral
• Malaparte
• Tiger King on Netflix
• Hollywood Caucus podcast

This Wooden O is a production of Rude Grooms. Learn more at rudegrooms.com or follow us @rudegrooms on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.

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