The Staffa Corner
Greg Staffa created The Staffa Corner Podcast to provide listeners with a Staffatarian look at entertainment and life. Focusing on honest conversation, Staffa’s podcast is an appreciation of those he finds interesting in and out of television and film.The journey taken by Staffa in the industry started more than 8 years ago writing for Your Entertainment Corner. Motivated by the desire to become more knowledgeable in his field, he leveraged his learned and acquired knowledge and skills and earned himself the opportunity to interview celebrities such as Pierce Brosnan, Ethan Hawke, Martin Freeman and Seth Rogan among others. Setting up his own in home studio, Staffa is branching out into podcasting while continuing to write for YEC. An unsung hero recognized by The St. Cloud Times in 2013, and a Staffatarian to the core, Staffa spent several months in 2010 on a 48-state road trip transforming the perception of homelessness. During this time, he handed out over 1,000 pairs of socks and hundreds of cups of coffee to the homeless, before he finally settling down in St Cloud Minnesota. By July 2020 Staffa’s journey came full circle having bought a home. To his credit, he still finds time to help others. Staffa is able to build and maintain incredible working relationships, an attribute that has contributed greatly to his success. Consequently, actors, writers and directors among other TV/film stars are always open to guest. He has covered red carpet premieres for films like Stuber and Booksmart among other star studded TV premieres.
The Staffa Corner
Grady Cooper Talks The Unicorn Cancelation and More
Married with two children, Grady Cooper was living the dream. Not only was he a loving family man, but he was also a successful TV editor having worked on shows like Survivor, Wilfred, The League, Curb Your Enthusiasm, and more. Then, in 2015 everything changed when Jane, his wife of 20 years, died of brain cancer.
Along with his daughters Audrey and Ellen, Grady faced a new reality as a single father. As time passed, he explored the possibility of dating again and found it to be an entirely different world from the last time he dated some 20 years ago. After sharing tales of his escapades with friends like Marvel’s Ant-man director Peyton Reed,they realized there was a potential comedy series in his stories. It wasn’t long until The Unicorn, starring Walton Goggins as Wade Felton, was born. The show would run for two seasons before getting canceled earlier this month.
It’s fascinating to listen to Grady talk about finding the comedy in tragedy while being respectful to his wife’s memory. I hadn’t known Goggins had lost his first wife to suicide and was surprised to hear how instrumental he was in assembling the talented and diverse cast.
One of the things I love about doing this podcast is seeing the human side of people like Peyton. We instantly associate himwith blockbuster films yet rarely think of his compassionate side in comforting a friend over the loss of his wife. I don’t know about you but I gained a lot of respect for the director hearing how he and others were there for Grady. As much as the series and Grady’s story is about moving forward after losing a loved one, it’s really about friendship.
It was a pleasure listening to Grady share his story especially on the heels of The Unicorn getting canceled. I hope you enjoy our conversation as much as I did,
