What happens after you live through war, help create one of the internet’s most controversial documentaries, and spend years trying to rebuild your life? Korey Rowe joins Andy Coon for a candid conversation about the experiences that shaped him—and the life he is building now.

In Episode 17 of the Talent Freaks Podcast, Andy Coon talks with Korey Rowe, an Army veteran, filmmaker, producer, and co-owner of Otsego Media, about his journey from a difficult adolescence and military service after September 11 to the cultural impact of Loose Change, recovery, creative work, photography, and choosing a more intentional life.

Watch the full conversation for Korey’s perspective on military-to-civilian transition, the early internet era that made Loose Change a global phenomenon, the personal cost of public controversy, and the work of moving forward.

ABOUT THIS EPISODE

Korey Rowe is widely known for helping produce Loose Change with his longtime friend and creative partner, Dylan Avery. But this conversation looks beyond the film to the person behind it: a husband, father, filmmaker, business owner, veteran, and photographer whose life has moved through profound change.

Korey shares how he joined the U.S. Army shortly before September 11, 2001, deployed to Afghanistan and Iraq, and later faced difficult decisions about his military future. He reflects on the origins and evolution of Loose Change during the early days of online video, the pressure and attention that came with its reach, and the personal challenges that followed.

IN THIS CONVERSATION

Andy and Korey discuss growing up in upstate New York, entering the Army as a young adult, and the emotional impact of returning from deployments. Korey talks about working with Dylan Avery to make and distribute Loose Change, building an audience through early internet communities, and navigating the project’s visibility and controversy.

They also explore Korey’s experiences with PTSD, addiction and recovery, his bipolar diagnosis and treatment, the role of therapy, and the importance of building a life around family, creative work, photography, and healthier boundaries. Korey also shares why landscape photography has become such a meaningful part of his life and what he hopes to create next.

If you are interested in documentary filmmaking, independent media, creative reinvention, personal recovery, military-to-civilian transition, or the human story behind a major internet-era cultural moment, this episode offers a candid perspective.

What part of Korey’s journey or outlook stayed with you most? Let us know in the comments.

GET KOREY ROWE’S BOOK

📘 The Soldier That Left: The Untold Story of Loose Change is available now: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0H2K8B8QL

LEARN MORE ABOUT KOREY’S WORK

🎬 Otsego Media: https://www.otsegomedia.com/

WATCH ASTEROID

🎥 Asteroid — Korey and Dylan’s first film:

https://www.primevideo.com/detail/0O444X8BXSX8P0Q3ZO6RKK6SZ1?ref_=atv_sr_fle_c_sr52cdbe_pvsearchresults_1_1

CONNECT WITH HOST ANDY COON AND TALENT FREAKS

🌐 Website: https://www.talentfreaks.com/

📷 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/talent.freaks

▶️ YouTube: @talentfreaks

🎵 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@talent.freaks

🎙️ Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/talent-freaks-podcast/id1796292842

🎧 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5ELhgo3t9d4J2jT1V3dV70?si=c89a8c13991041a4

CHAPTERS

00:00 Introduction

03:10 Growing Up in Upstate New York

05:25 Before September 11

07:11 September 11 at Basic Training

13:10 An 18-Year-Old in Afghanistan

17:00 Preparing to Invade Iraq

18:05 Questioning the Iraq War

23:03 Loss, Trauma, and a Breaking Point

24:24 How Loose Change Began

30:04 The Decision to Leave the Military

33:25 Living on the Run and Surrendering

37:19 Building Loose Change Online

52:04 The Rise and Legacy of Loose Change

1:04:52 PTSD, Addiction, and Recovery

1:13:50 Understanding Bipolar Disorder

1:20:46 Photography, Family, and a New Life

1:27:30 Closing Thoughts

What happens when musicians who have never met are brought into a room and asked to create one original song from scratch? That’s what Episode 16 of the Talent Freaks podcast is about.

Grégoire Gensollen, Chief Operating Officer of Tucker Tooley Entertainment and the driving force behind @BandOfStrangersOfficial , joins Talent Freaks to talk about a music series built on real collaboration rather than competition. Each episode brings together artists from different backgrounds, lets their stories and instincts lead the session, and captures the human moments that turn strangers into creative partners.

Band of Strangers is about more than making a song. It is about trust, community, culture, vulnerability, and the magic that happens when people put ego aside long enough to create something together.

In this episode, Grégoire shares how Band of Strangers grew out of The Unknown Tour, a documentary project that traveled across America with a recording studio on a bus, discovering musicians in cities including Memphis, Nashville, and New Orleans. We talk about why the team chose YouTube over traditional television, why authentic collaboration matters more than competition, and what it takes to build premium entertainment independently in today’s changing media landscape.

We also get into the Band of Strangers episode that puts human-made music up against AI, the challenge of creating a real audience for original programming, working with musicians who bring different backgrounds and sounds into the room, music rights, distribution, artist ownership, and how the songs created in each episode can continue to live on Spotify and beyond.

If you love music documentaries, songwriting, creative collaboration, independent production, YouTube strategy, the future of entertainment, or the conversation around AI versus human creativity, this episode is for you. Grégoire offers a thoughtful behind-the-scenes look at how Tucker Tooley Entertainment is helping build a music series that makes the creative process itself the story.

Follow Band of Strangers:

🌐 Website: https://www.bandofstrangers.com/

▶️ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@BandOfStrangersOfficial

📷 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bandofstrangersofficial/

🧵 Threads: https://www.threads.com/@bandofstrangersofficial

Learn more about Grégoire Gensollen:

💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregoire-gensollen/

Learn more about Tucker Tooley Entertainment:

💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/tucker-tooley-entertainment

Website: https://www.tooleyentertainment.com/the-team

Connect with Host Andy and Talent Freaks:

🌐 Website: https://www.talentfreaks.com/

📷 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/talent.freaks

▶️ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@talentfreaks

🎵 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@talent.freaks

🎙️ Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/talent-freaks-podcast/id1796292842

🎧 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5ELhgo3t9d4J2jT1V3dV70?si=c89a8c13991041a4

#BandOfStrangers #GregoireGensollen #TuckerTooleyEntertainment #MusicDocumentary #MusicCollaboration #Songwriting #IndependentFilm #YouTubeSeries #AIMusic #HumanCreativity #TalentFreaks

Former WBO World Heavyweight Champion Michael Bentt joins Talent Freaks for a deeply personal conversation about identity, pressure, loss, reinvention, and the long road from boxing to the arts. Michael opens up about being pushed into boxing, surviving the brutal realities of the sport, and eventually finding a second life in acting, writing, and directing.

We also get into the moments that shaped him most: the weight of expectations, the mental toll of fighting, what it meant to play Sonny Liston in Ali, and how storytelling became part of his healing. This episode is honest, reflective, and full of hard-earned perspective — the kind of conversation that stays with you after it ends.

If you’re drawn to stories about reinvention, mental health, resilience, boxing, acting, or the hidden inner life of athletes, this episode is for you. Michael brings the kind of depth that only comes from living through something and coming out the other side changed.

Follow Michael Bentt:

🌐 Website: https://michaelbentt.com/

📷 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/themichaelbentt/

🎭 IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0072715/

Connect with Host Andy and Talent Freaks:

🌐 Website: https://www.talentfreaks.com/

📷 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/talent.freaks

▶️ YouTube: @talentfreaks

🎵 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@talent.freaks

🎙️ Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/talent-freaks-podcast/id1796292842

🎧 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5ELhgo3t9d4J2jT1V3dV70?si=c89a8c13991041a4

00:00 Talent Freaks Opening

00:21 Meet Michael Bent

01:30 Reconnecting After Years

02:41 How Andy Met Michael

04:31 Anatomy Of A Knockout

06:38 Back To School

08:17 Acting Breakthroughs

10:46 Depression And Mentors

11:47 Budd Schulberg Moment

16:08 Ali Role And Connections

23:21 Michael Mann Lessons

25:51 Sitcoms And Stage Fright

28:19 Facing Mike Tyson Era

30:28 Self Doubt And Loss

34:18 Darkest Moments And Judgment

37:00 Becoming Sonny Liston

40:20 Ali Scene And Direction

42:38 Stepping Away From Boxing Charity

44:04 Tommy Morrison And The White Hope Label

48:09 Finding Peace After Trauma

50:22 Mentors Who Changed Everything

55:03 Directing Kid Shamrock

57:59 Champion And Emile Griffith Story

01:02:32 Making Actors Look Like Fighters

01:07:46 Jazz Talk And Miles Davis Story

01:13:16 Regrets Leaving LA And Anna Deavere Smith

01:17:56 Hard Work And College Recognition

01:19:40 Dad's Childhood Wounds

01:21:16 Letting Go Through Recovery

01:22:08 Making Peace at the End

01:25:28 Dark Humor Memories

01:29:34 Forgiveness and Growth

01:30:53 Lessons From Film Legends

01:34:45 Documentary Craft and Distribution

01:36:43 AI Tools Versus Soul

01:39:09 Photography Meetups and Community

01:40:54 Career Hustle and Encouragement

01:44:14 Closing Thanks and Wrap