Ryan interviews Bill Conti. Not much more to say. Speechless on this side of the mic; grateful Conti wasn’t.

The composer behind *Gonna Fly Now* and the *Rocky* scores — the steps, the montage, the bell. They talk the music, the films, and whatever else made it onto the tape.

If you only ever hear one Going the Distance episode, make it this one. Subscribe, share, leave a review so the next fan finds it. Ryan: Rocky series feeds. Bill Conti’s work is already in your head.

Ryan talks to Wayne David — writer and director of the intended feature *SLY & I*. The hook: you hit rock bottom and Sylvester Stallone appears to steer you toward the dream. A 4K promotional pitch trailer already exists. Watch that first, then the interview.

They cover *SLY & I* and Wayne’s other work — how the pitch was built, what the feature was meant to be, and what happens after a trailer finds an audience.

Ryan talks to John Rivoli — official licensed fine artist for Rocky and Creed, launching Icons in Art with Stallone’s notes on every piece. Jersey Shore, eight when *Rocky* hit, thirteen theatrical viewings, opening night for the rest. Design agency since 2001: style guides for Potter through *Wonder Woman*. MGM called for the 35th; Tuesday night flight to present in Sly’s Beverly Hills office. Life-size IV statue. Sly asking about texture. Later: paintings hung at Café Roma, then one in Sly’s house.

Prints: 11×14 at $55 shipped domestic; signed limited 18×24, 1,976 each, $200. Giclée, museum paper, Pennsylvania press. Listener code **GTD10** for 10% off at iconsinart.com. Giveaway: homepage popup, tag three friends, win a signed large of your choice, Creed pieces incoming. Rambo paintings if Lionsgate ever sits still.

Ryan’s housekeeping: frog in the throat, five weeks dark for a house-hunt and instructor course, BC to Quebec, Ruban goes remote, subscribe and review, *Worst of the Best* still running. Never Patreon, never mid-roll ads.

John: iconsinart.com, Instagram/Twitter/Facebook @IconsInArt. Ryan: Rocky feeds.

Ryan sits down with Michael Gelbart — comedian, screenwriter, author. Credits include *The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson*, *Comics Unleashed*, Starz, Disney Channel, TeenNick, Nickelodeon, Lifetime, sold-out rooms, and two prime-time specials. Debut novel *The Other Oprahs* (“hilariously inspiring”). Five pilots, eight features (four optioned). Wrote and co-starred in Lifetime’s *A Very Cool Christmas*. CDs *Hello Comedy Lovers* and *14 Smash Hits* still rotate on SiriusXM.

They talk *Rocky V*, the whole run, and where the franchise goes next. Audience-friendly, crowd-work sharp, material that isn’t the usual boxing-pod recap.

Michael: michaelgelbart.com | *The Other Oprahs* on Amazon. Ryan: Going the Distance / Rocky series feeds. Like, subscribe, email the show.

Ryan found Mike Ricksecker the way he finds guests — #Rocky on X. Mike is an author, “ghostorian,” and the voice behind Hunt Road Media: paranormal investigations, *Edge of the Rabbit Hole*, *Inside the Upside Down*, publishing, and the occasional Mike’s Morning Mug. Day job. Four hours of sleep. Partner Shauna on camera.

The hook: at seven he wrote a Rocky III where Apollo and Rocky become friends and Rocky fights a Russian. After IV he told his mom the series was better broke — then V took the money. Years before *Rocky Balboa* he dreamed Adrian dying. He does not call it psychic. Jung’s collective unconscious. Ryan answers with his own grade-school *Small Soldiers* story from 1985.

Then they stay in Mike’s lane: why nights feel louder, cloaked figures, names in the dark, ghost vs demon, an Edmond cleansing, reincarnation, Dolores Cannon, déjà vu. Fan-only Creed III take: Rocky stays retired (Ryan would start III at a funeral; Mike won’t kill him). Rambo V still sounds fun.

Hunt Road Media on YouTube. Podcasts wherever you listen. Follow Ryan’s Rocky feed and keep hashtagging.

Ryan and Ruban are back on Going the Distance despite three time zones and a 10:20 p.m. start. Catch-up first: Ruban binged two seasons of *Cobra Kai*; Derek Wayne Johnson’s *Stallone: Frank* is on the circuit; *Rambo IV* forgotten-then-rewatched, *Last Blood* shocked; Tom from MySpace vs Facebook.

Then *Rocky V* where they left it: Tommy’s champ, Rocky’s at the bar, Duke owns the podium. Youngest heavyweight, Tyson-shaped, reporters smelling a fix. Paper champion. Kane never took it from Balboa. Chandelier jaw. “A Rocky Balboa he’ll never be.” Tommy will fight anybody. The cheap-redhead line that lands worse in 2026 than 1990. Next episode: Duke and Tommy after the mics die, then the street.

Reviews help more than Patreon — they still won’t ask listeners for money. Facebook group, Twitter, Instagram: Going the Distance / Rocky series podcast. Shout-outs: Bob, Adrian Wallet, Matt, Kyle, Andy, Cobra Commander, Rocky Winter, Greg.

Ryan sits down with Richard Gant — George Washington Duke in *Rocky V*. First-time interview energy: the promoter who pulled Tommy Gunn out of Balboa’s corner, the suit, the voice, the man behind one of the franchise’s sharpest supporting turns.

Ryan hosts; Richard talks the role, the set, and whatever else made the cut.

Ryan and Ruban finally reunite to close out Rocky V and Season 5 of Going the Distance.

After the press conference, Tommy is still boiling about living in Rocky’s shadow. Duke fans the flames and pushes the challenge that leads straight to the street. What follows is the chaotic bare-knuckle brawl outside the gym — wild haymakers, CNC Music Factory crashing into Bill Conti’s score, Rocky Jr yelling “he took my room,” Adrian trying to stop it, and Rocky finally putting Tommy down for good. Then comes the iconic “Sue me” moment as Rocky drops Duke onto a car hood.

The episode wraps with Father Carmine’s blessing, the quiet jog up the museum steps with Robert, the Rocky Marciano cufflink passed from father to son, and the bittersweet final lines before Elton John’s “The Measure of a Man” plays over the closing montage.

Ryan and Ruban also read listener mail, talk about the Rocky Steps, and officially close the book on Rocky V.

If you enjoy these Rocky deep-dives, check out their other show, The Worst of the Best Podcast. Follow Ryan at @RyanRebalkin and the Rocky feed at @GTDRockyPodcast.

00:00 – Ryan & Ruben reunion, Worst of the Best plug, and Jolt Cola tangent
04:40 – Listener mail (Greg Arnold + Burt Young paintings story)
10:00 – Post-press conference: Tommy still in Rocky’s shadow
17:00 – Duke pushes the challenge and the fight is set
25:00 – Build-up and the street fight begins
35:00 – Haymakers, “he took my room,” and Rocky takes control
48:00 – Rocky finishes Tommy and drops Duke (“Sue me”)
58:00 – Father Carmine, the steps, the cufflink, and the final lines
1:03:30 – Elton John montage and Season 5 wrap-up