111: Exploring the Visual Arts from New Angles

Catalyst is a Creative Industries podcast, from Chapman University. Each episode features Chapman students who have completed a Podcasting course through the Center for Creative and Cultural Industries at the university. Students who had no podcasting experience or technical ability in the genre before taking the course were able to contribute all the segments to Catalyst this season with the goal being that they will take this 'hands-on' experience and carry it over to the launching of their very own series. Each episode of Season 13 will feature one to two different interviews conducted by CCI students, exploring different aspects of the Creative and Cultural Industries. We kick off Season 13 of Catalyst with a look at the career of Sammy Smith, a talented Los Angeles-based photographer, who sat down to speak with Brianna Jones. Sammy relates how she grew up in Connecticut and what her journey was like, both physically and professionally, as she made her way west to become a successful freelance photographer working with influencers, celebrities, and at numerous high-profile events. Sammy highlights the growing field of Creative and Cultural Industries (CCI) as the pair explore the connections between digital storytelling, influencer culture, and Sammy's career. The conversation dives into the pressures and excitement of working at fast-paced events like concerts and magazine shoots, the important role of creating a positive on-set environment and the looming impact of AI on creative processes. We close out our first episode of the season with Matthew Dewey whose interview of JY Aubone takes a look at how a creative industry's tools can be used in new and unique ways. Aubone is a professional tennis coach who recently found a new way to teach tennis players: through virtual coaching. His innovative thinking has led him to create a program whereby his clients can have the advantage of their coaches being able to see every one of their matches. JY and Matthew talk about how JY identified a need in the industry and has partnered with a mobile app to create a new style of coaching. JY can now analyze his players' footage in SwingVision and then talk with them about their statistics, their strategy, and what they need to work on in their practices.  Matthew and Sammy wrap up the interview with some reflections on the benefits to virtual coaching, and how this style is now much more economical for a lot of players, which is allowing them to now get the practical feedback to help them excel.