Ben Schwartz Discusses Independent TV Series on ALCHEMY WITH ANTHONY MASON

Actor, comedian, writer and director Ben Schwartz joins veteran journalist Anthony Mason for a wide-ranging new episode of

, opening up about taking an unconventional path to bring his latest passion project to life, the resilience required to keep creating in Hollywood and why improv remains his creative home base. The episode premiered on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify.

In the conversation, Schwartz reveals that he has completed production on a new six-episode independent television series based on his cult web series THE EARLIEST SHOW, which he created for Funny or Die a decade ago. After selling 13 film and television projects that ultimately weren't greenlit, Schwartz decided to bypass the traditional development process, writing, directing, producing and starring in the series before taking it to buyers. 'I was so tired of developing for years and nothing getting made that I really wanted to... just make something and show people what I can do,' Schwartz tells Mason. Now deep in the editing process, he calls the experience 'the hardest thing I've ever done in my life... but also the most rewarding thing.'

Schwartz also gets candid about rejection and the increasingly cautious Hollywood landscape, telling Mason, 'You're just told no so much that you gotta just keep getting up.' He explains that his independent model is an attempt to remove some of the risk for buyers by presenting them with a finished series rather than another script or pilot. The pair also explore the creative process behind Schwartz's acclaimed Ben Schwartz and Friends improv shows, which have taken him to stages including Radio City Music Hall, the Sydney Opera House and Royal Albert Hall, as well as his return as Sonic in the forthcoming SONIC THE HEDGEHOG 4. For Schwartz, improv remains the place where everything began: 'I love creating with people because it's a little bit more unexpected.'

Alchemy with Anthony Mason is available now on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify. New episodes are released every Wednesday at 7am ET.

About Alchemy with Anthony Mason

Alchemy with Anthony Mason is a long-form interview series exploring the creative process as an act of transformation. Through in-depth conversations with leading artists, musicians, and cultural figures, the series reveals how lived experience becomes artistic expression. Find Alchemy on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Instagram and TikTok.

About Anthony Mason

Anthony Mason, the host of Alchemy, is also a Special Correspondent with CBS News. One of the most versatile and experienced television journalists, Anthony co-hosted CBS This Morning: Saturday for seven years (2012-2019), and then the weekday CBS This Morning broadcast for two more. But he may be best known for his interviews with artists like Bruce Springsteen, Aretha Franklin, Dolly Parton, Annie Leibovitz, Judi Dench, David Hockney, and André 3000. He has won a dozen Emmy Awards. In 2023, the Songwriters Hall of Fame presented him their Patron of the Arts Award. And for the past three years he has hosted the GRAMMY Hall of Fame Gala.

Photo Credit: Sela Shiloni