Artists of New York

Anthony Moore is a standup comedian based in New Jersey.Instagram and all episodes(00:00) Moving From Philly To New York(02:41) Discovering Comedy Through A College Talent Show(05:34) Accounting Dreams And Challenge 24 Obsession(09:16) Falling In Love With Stand-Up(12:27) First Bomb At A Variety Show(16:14) Philly’s Unique Comedy Scene(20:11) Becoming More Universal In New York(23:03) Saving Money While Working In Schools(26:19) Losing Philly’s Funniest To Shane Gillis(29:38) Grinding At Terrible Times Square Clubs(32:51) Kevin Hart’s Early Support(36:28) LeBron, Kevin Hart, And The Comedy Cellar(40:12) Learning To Earn Comedy Cellar Spots(43:07) Writing Jokes Late At Night(45:14) Comedy’s Responsibility And Fearlessness(48:02) Chappelle, Louis C.K., And Raw Honesty(50:09) Advice For Young Comedians Today(51:46) Defining Success Beyond Fame

Caitlin Cook is a musician and performer based in New York City.Instagram and all episodes(00:00) First impressions of New York(03:04) Missing New York’s noise(05:10) Stage fright begins(08:37) Comedy as exposure therapy(12:02) Circling around performance(14:04) Art history and storytelling(17:18) Bathroom graffiti as art(20:40) Returning to New York(23:05) Music, comedy, and Fringe(26:37) Financial realities of performing(31:12) Freelance survival jobs(34:58) Off-Broadway breakthrough(38:25) Creating the bathroom graffiti musical(42:02) Hacking Instagram scientifically(45:10) Algorithms, art, and identity(48:03) Building a team and letting go(50:05) Current projects and Edinburgh(52:23) Success, safety, and creative freedom

Sally Ann Hall is a comedian based in New York City.Instagram and all episodes(00:00) Alaska Roots And Friends Dream(02:56) Family Homesteads And Idaho Move(06:01) Dating Comics Sparks Stand-Up(09:12) First Open Mic Terror(13:02) Friends, Crushes, And Mic Addiction(16:08) Bartending, TV Jobs, Comedy Choice(19:26) Festivals, Competitions, Early Confidence(23:02) Bombing Tolerance And Stage Fright(26:11) Airbnb Hustle Funding Comedy Years(30:08) Growth, Longer Sets, Validation(33:06) Onstage Mistakes And Embarrassing Moments(36:14) Cruise Ships, Bombing, Getting Fired(40:48) Travel Burnout, Husband, Dog, Home(43:08) New York Comedy Training Ground(46:02) Favorite Clubs And Elite Crushers(49:21) Fame, Money, And Industry Reality(53:02) Success Means Living Off Comedy(56:04) What She Wants To Say Next

Gillian Glasco is an actress and a writer based in New York City.Instagram and all episodes(00:00) Arkansas Roots And Finding Acting(03:07) Fences, Story, And Hope(06:16) Becoming A Storytelling Vessel(08:39) Ithaca Training And London(12:38) Feeling Marginalized In School(15:11) Advocating For Work By Artists Of Color(17:04) Rose In Fences As North Star(18:22) Showcase, Agent, And Doubt(21:05) Classical Theater Of Harlem Breakthrough(24:02) Belonging, Fandom, And Side Hustles(27:18) Restaurant Work And Survival(29:03) Painful Auditions And Rejection(33:10) Releasing Control After Auditions(36:04) Never Seriously Considering Quitting(39:22) Community, Lulls, And Living Fully(43:04) Writing, Family Rifts, And Healing(47:51) Jennings Versus Brown Begins(51:36) Arkansas Family History And Opportunity(54:42) Developing The Finished Draft(56:41) Favorite Playwrights And Family Stories(59:21) Movies, Algorithms, And Attention Spans(62:04) Success, Balance, And The Next Problem

Matt Ruby is a comedian based in New York City.Instagram and all episodes(00:00) Leaving Chicago for New York(01:52) Keeping a tech job afloat(03:10) Why comedy first appealed(05:18) Comedy class and early confidence(07:24) Eating shit and learning fast(09:46) Letting go of rock star fantasies(12:38) Cheap East Village comedy changed everything(15:21) Truth-telling, hypocrisy, and point of view(18:07) Politics, gender, religion, and great jokes(20:14) Psychedelics and spiritual awakening(23:41) From atheism to metaphor and myth(28:06) Judaism, ancestors, and Torah study(32:11) Joseph Campbell and universal myths(35:01) Comedy as wisdom without pretension(37:46) New York comedy scene and getting better(42:18) Day jobs, Substack, and surviving financially(45:36) Favorite comedians and favorite venues(48:27) Technology, gender wars, and defining success

Jen Toth is an illustrator and model based in Brooklyn, NY.Instagram and all episodes(00:00) Scouted at Ohio State, then straight to Europe(01:47) Sheltered Ohio upbringing to unimaginable New York life(03:36) Chaos of model housing and competing castings(05:41) Italy as friendship, travel, and self-discovery(07:52) Landing in New York with agency support(09:18) Choosing steady income over chasing fame(11:34) Long-term clients and building a durable career(13:26) Saving early and treating modeling as temporary(15:07) Working between New York and Asian markets(17:02) Best-paying jobs, global usage, and campaign money(18:41) FIT, startup internship, and return to modeling(20:56) Modeling myths, Project Runway, and job realities(23:11) Fashion week calendar, market, and the Met Gala(25:46) Why New York became home for good(28:04) COVID pivot to illustration and first brand collabs(31:47) Studio practice, commissions, habits, and success now

Sean Patton is a stand-up comedian based in New York City.Instagram and all episodes(00:00) Growing up in New Orleans and starting stand-up(03:18) Why comedians should skip stand-up classes(06:47) His first open mic at Amberjack’s(11:02) Stage fright, mic technique, and bad comedy books(14:36) Discovering comedy through Sarah Silverman and Mr. Show(18:41) Perspective over punchlines and embracing human flaws(23:07) Deciding to leave New Orleans after Mardi Gras(26:41) Katrina, moving to LA, and early comedy lessons(31:02) Why New York pulled him away from LA(34:28) Arriving in Bushwick with $1,088(38:11) New York’s brutal first months and rougher scene(41:06) The Fort Greene day that changed everything(45:03) Why artists shouldn’t try pleasing every audience(48:34) Let the work define you, not labels(52:07) Fame culture, social media, and hollow ambition(55:18) Advice for comedians: believe in yourself(58:21) Why staying in comedy is the real achievement(61:06) Dave Attell, artistic integrity, and closing thoughts

Shawn Bullen is an artist, muralist, and curator, based in Manhattan.Instagram and all episodes(00:00) Wild first road trip to New York(03:12) 2016 birthday trip becomes a permanent move(06:18) Why New York always felt inevitable(09:41) Childhood art influences and becoming “the art kid”(13:02) Drawing, photography, and early graffiti obsession(16:47) High school art success and museum recognition(20:14) Graffiti community, adrenaline, and rooftop risks(24:03) Teaching literacy and discovering mural leadership(28:11) Confidence, dedication, and sibling artistic rivalry(31:36) Arrest, graffiti cleanup, and first paid truck mural(35:28) Dropping out, IDC Art House, and Canada art school(39:22) Learning oil painting and refining artistic vision(43:31) Leaving Halifax with dreams of global murals(47:18) DIY East Coast adventure to Art Basel(51:44) Miami highs, Occupy lows, and chasing momentum(57:18) Advice on money, work, and making art anyway(60:41) New York struggles, studio solitude, and creative purpose(63:21) Defining artistic success and keeping the flame alive

Tucker Eason is an oil painter, based in Brooklyn, NY.Instagram and all episodes(00:00) From Oakland slumlord setup to New York leap(03:21) Empty apartment, artist assistant, and Red Hook grind(06:14) New York’s kindness versus West Coast nice(08:37) Childhood art obsession and graphite miles(11:52) Work ethic, fear, and self-accountability in the studio(14:28) Leaving realism and discovering abstract playfulness(18:46) Starting over in New York with Art Lab(22:07) Art fairs, booth strategy, and selling authentically(26:11) Live drawing, spectacle, and removing sales pressure(28:47) Feast or famine economics of an art career(33:02) Why passion keeps artists going through dry spells(35:36) Why New York still matters creatively(39:04) The barn-studio fantasy and staying culturally plugged in(42:11) Artist flakiness, ADHD, and hating admin work(46:18) Studio magic, experimentation, and protecting creative time(49:27) Talent versus hunger and brutal self-honesty(53:06) Professors, early sales, and believing it was possible(56:01) Success, cultural significance, and living off the work

Christina Sajous is an actor, director, and teacher, based in New York City.Instagram and all episodes(00:00) Born in New York City(02:11) Grandmother’s move from North Carolina(04:46) Little Shop of Horrors obsession(08:18) Law, mock trial, and choosing NYU(11:54) LaGuardia High School and Playwrights Horizons(15:47) NYU’s cost, competition, and self-belief(19:34) Graduating early and Rent tour(23:02) Shakespeare dreams and musical theater path(26:11) Broadway debut in American Idiot(30:08) Agents, workshops, and Green Day(33:51) Broadway belonging and identity(37:18) Discipline, training, and artistic professionalism(42:06) Stephen Curry, Michael Jordan, and mindset(45:02) Range, directing, and varied roles(48:31) Leaving for LA, then returning(52:41) Surviving New York as a working artist(56:27) Excellence, humility, and service to art(59:24) Redefining success and feeding Romeo

Hilary Fitzgerald Campbell is a cartoonist and comedian based in New York City.Instagram and all episodes(00:00) Panic attack move from LA to New York(03:18) Burnout at Slamdance and leaving film festival life(06:41) First impressions of New York and stranger kindness(10:02) Childhood dreams of cartooning and art school detours(13:41) Choosing drawing over animation and film collaboration(16:32) Nannying, hosting, and early Brooklyn survival jobs(19:22) Building Cartoons by Hillary on early Instagram(22:36) Feminist Fight Club and first freelance momentum(25:41) Weekly New Yorker submissions and intimidating first visits(29:07) First cartoon sale and leap into freelancing(32:24) Cheap rent, broke artist life, and creative freedom(35:18) Plateauing income, AI anxiety, and managing multiple projects(38:29) The Joy of Snacking and eating disorder recovery(42:06) MyFitnessPal, bulimia, and the quiet reality of struggle(45:52) Lifetime movie irony and realizing there was a way out(49:11) Art, walking New York, and healing through purpose(53:04) Burlesque discovery, stage confidence, and body liberation(57:01) Why the artist life has still been worth it

Ella De Leon Detlefsen is an artist based in New York City.Instagram and all episodes(00:00) Moving to New York for finance(01:18) Childhood drawing obsession begins(03:02) Surreal portraits and Tim Burton influence(04:41) Middle school art obsession takes over(06:18) Family artists and inherited creativity(07:37) Choosing business over art school(09:46) Studying analytics while suppressing art(11:26) Secret first post goes viral(13:23) Learning commissions through improvisation(15:08) Turning songs into visual art(17:18) Piano, violin, and visualizing sound(19:16) Creative control and selective commissions(20:42) Nightly work habits and flow state(22:28) New York pushing her toward risk(24:26) Meeting artists through everyday city life(26:03) Fear, stability, and pursuing art seriously(28:04) Finding art everywhere and resisting AI(30:19) Success, social media, and self-belief

Caia Diepenbrock is an artist, designer, and freelance art director based in Brooklyn, NY.Instagram and all episodes(00:00) Family roots and finding New York(03:08) Rhode Island, Bard, and early city overwhelm(06:11) Seven years in LA, then Brooklyn home(08:54) Why New York felt more alive(11:02) From psych to studio art at Bard(13:41) Growing up with two working artist parents(16:52) Drawing, painting, printmaking, and immersive worlds(19:18) Discovering art therapy in high school(22:41) Art therapy for adults and creative mindfulness(26:07) Bard’s experimental art culture and RISD contrast(29:14) Post-college paralysis and accidental film entry(33:02) Restoration Hardware to HBO art department(36:06) What installation art actually is(38:37) New York freelance life after leaving LA(42:12) Film industry highs, lows, and toxic thrill(46:03) Networking, reliability, and making luck easier(49:28) Art directing strengths and hidden-gem art spaces(53:06) Freelancing, side hustles, and defining success

Chloé Simone is a writer, a spiritual coach, and a DJ based in New York City.Instagram and all episodes(00:00) NYC move via Wall Street Journal job(02:10) New York dreams and Great Migration lineage(04:35) Loving literature; discovering writing talent(06:40) Teen screenplays and filmmaker ambitions(08:40) NOCCA arts high school film program(11:10) “Witchy” New Orleans and strict Christian home(14:40) Outsider identity, shellfish ban, protecting five girls(17:35) Katrina evacuation, Alexandria year, return home(21:45) College pivot: film to international studies(24:15) Bret Stephens mentorship and WSJ application(27:55) WSJ newsroom life and first published op-ed(31:10) Realizing newsroom choreography isn’t for her(33:10) Israel-Palestine thesis and three Enchantment principles(36:20) Going solo: course creation, cold emails, podcasts(39:05) First big client; 2020 BLM-driven boom(41:55) Critiquing Kendi/DiAngelo; Baldwin and human depth(44:35) 2025 downturn, social media exit, Substack shift(46:50) Coming out, disowning, artist life, success vision

Jeremy Pinsly is a stand-up comedian and the owner of the new Greenpoint Comedy Club in Brooklyn, NY.Instagram and all episodes(00:00) Nashville to Dallas, corporate path, “this isn’t it” moment(03:08) Choosing stand-up, moving to NYC, lining up a bar job(05:55) Brother Jimmy’s bait-and-switch, becoming a bouncer instead(08:20) First New York Comedy Club bringer show, early “crush”(11:10) Six months of bringers, writing new sets every two weeks(13:55) Audition night rug-pull, anger, deciding to break the cycle(16:40) Finding the real comedy community, meeting comics and producers(19:05) Starting an Upper West Side show, learning booking and hosting(24:45) Brother Jimmy’s downstairs era, building momentum and credibility(28:05) Bringing the show to the “new” NY Comedy Club on 24th(31:20) Dropping the show, betting on himself, booking a headlining tour(34:55) Getting a manager, launching “The Young and the Weary”(38:10) Dev’s impact, therapy, COVID pivots, synagogue special, pilots(41:15) Meeting Kayla, apartment shows grow monthly into a phenomenon(44:05) Brownstone run, then Nashville experiments, Eastville deal lessons(46:55) Greenpoint space discovery, terrifying negotiation, “jumping” anyway(49:10) Building the club: green room, recording, bar program, hospitality(51:40) Redefining success, survival metrics, respect, and opening timeline

Mike Perry is a painter and graphic designer, based in Brooklyn, NY and Athens, NY.Instagram and all episodes(00:00) Following love to New York(02:43) Early hustle and instant momentum(05:34) Dental floss letters and studio realization(07:58) Pre-social era: reputation and “Hand Job”(10:41) Independence, Missouri and a creative family(13:28) Drawing obsession and being “terrible” in school(15:52) Dyslexia: letters as shapes, school misunderstandings(18:41) Neurodivergence as strength and problem-solving(21:07) Art as purpose: reaching your tiny percentage(23:46) Minneapolis art school and pivot to design(26:18) Graphic design philosophy: problems, solutions, process(28:57) Urban Outfitters: mentors, mecca, behind-the-curtain lessons(31:37) Handmade aesthetic and early website experimentation(34:09) Design blogs, relationships, and building a contact list(37:02) Creative control, big collaborations, and trusting teams(40:12) Advice now: uncertainty, AI, and human connection(43:06) Pushing into hard projects and long-haul persistence(46:12) Success = control of time, boredom, and freedom

Shaun Murphy is a stand-up comedian, based in New York City.Instagram and all episodes(00:00) Early NYC attempts and returning for good(02:11) Not a class clown, surprising comedy origins(04:05) Discovering stand-up through Comedy Central era(06:18) First stand-up class and graduation show experience(09:07) Early Buffalo comedy scene and first performances(11:52) Mitch Hedberg’s influence and comedy inspirations(14:36) Bombing, laugh tracks, and audience unpredictability(17:41) Why crowds vary night to night(20:12) Finding identity and accepting audience reactions(22:47) Realizing comedy could become a lifelong pursuit(25:31) Leaving NYC, regrouping in Buffalo, building skills(28:09) Saving money and preparing for NYC return(30:46) Stability, roommates, and moving to Astoria(33:18) Grinding early NYC years and side jobs(36:22) Getting passed at the Comedy Cellar(39:41) Learning from legends like Chris Rock and Attell(43:28) Career stability, income streams, and comedy business(46:12) Defining success and favorite stand-up venues

Nick Marsella is a Juilliard alum and a composer, based in New York City.Instagram and all episodes(00:00) Unorthodox plan to move to New York(03:21) Cold texts, a stranger says “call John”(06:04) John offers help—move “right now”(08:58) Staten Island basement room: rough, cash, roommates(12:07) Long commute: bus, ferry, train to Times Square(15:14) Mice, sleeping on the floor, retail hustle(18:02) Juilliard bookstore dream and immersion in repertoire(20:41) Two goals revealed: Juilliard and homeless orchestra(22:33) Early music roots: church, dad as worship leader(25:47) Discovering orchestral music and “alien language” fascination(29:18) Switching to composition, building curriculum from scratch(32:36) Conviction, clarity, and going all-in on a calling(36:08) Doubts up close, perseverance from decision to decision(38:52) Friends doubting him; rooftop celebration and first drink(41:35) First Juilliard rejection and the two-application rule(44:17) Four years in the bookstore: night classes and mentors(48:09) The acceptance letter—East Village tears and relief(51:26) Pandemic shutdown and persistent imposter syndrome(54:44) Goal two evolves: grant, videos, and “Us Us” piece(59:37) Corporate detour, layoffs, and recommitting to the mission(63:08) Carnegie Hall vision and first violin for Michaela(66:34) Fundraiser “The First One,” Bowery Mission partnership(69:41) Defining success: serving others, dignity through music

Timothy Long is a musician, conductor, and music professor based in New York City and Rochester, NY.Instagram and all episodes(00:00) Chasing bigger towns, landing at Juilliard in 1994(03:45) Small-town Oklahoma roots and mixed tribal identity(07:10) Two churches, two worlds, learning to “assimilate”(10:35) Language, humor, and realizing “Indian” on TV(14:05) Muskogee and Choctaw history, Trail of Tears context(18:40) Dawes rolls, blood quantum cards, slow-burning erasure(22:30) Opera “Missing” and using privilege as a platform(26:10) Mother’s TB survival and Beethoven as childhood soundtrack(30:05) First lessons, theory coloring book, obsession takes hold(33:40) The Oklahoma City audition that changed everything(37:20) Eastman intensity: practice culture, peers, confidence(40:55) Ten instruments, no goals—just following the music(44:10) Accidental conducting: offers first, skills later(47:55) Neurodivergence: sleepwalking, recognition issues, synesthesia(50:05) Getting fired in 2010 and rebuilding from scratch(53:20) New York as freedom: anonymity, reunions, “small town” life(55:40) Coming out, AIDS-era shame, and family acceptance(57:40) Success as truth: Indigenous Songbook, Sky Mother, foundation beginnings

Sampy Sicada is a surrealist painter based in New York City.Instagram and all episodes(00:00) Moving to US for SCAD, then NYU(03:06) Hong Kong birth, international schooling, UK move(06:11) Early drawing, Captain Underpants, not serious yet(09:02) Hong Kong atmosphere: stress, conformity, not belonging(12:44) Identity split: British colony legacy, cultural tensions(16:07) Asian collectivism vs Western individual sovereignty(19:05) UK difference: permission to live your own way(22:08) Falling out, grief, depression, homelessness begins(25:41) Living in parks, unsafe circles, police beating(29:18) Turning point: “draw the best thing” challenge(32:12) Learning craft: A-levels, Photoshop, media studies(35:10) Posting online, traction, documentary goes viral(38:03) What he drew: surreal graphite portraits, then upgrades(41:06) What homelessness left: gratitude, work ethic, resilience(44:15) Art world contradictions: inequality, wealth gatekeeping(47:33) Temptations and friends: drugs, meth couple, hard lessons(50:52) Helping vs sinking: lifeguard analogy, boundaries(53:26) London design jobs, awards, commissions, then COVID shift(56:22) Surrealism and psychoanalysis: why it communicates(59:14) Why New York: ambition, art capital, “go there” regrets(62:41) Identity beyond homelessness, grad school, success defined

Eric Berryman is an actor based in New York City.Instagram and all episodes(00:00) Destiny, family roots, New York as home base(03:08) Teacher advice: New York won’t walk away(06:41) No single “artist moment,” just always knew(10:02) Childhood assembly poem and grandmother’s prophecy(13:37) Drawn to acting, TV, movies from early on(17:05) Classical-actor dreams: Shakespeare, Ibsen, Chekhov, Wilson(20:44) Loving the archive, but staying forward-looking(24:18) Why freelancing mattered: freedom to move and shake(27:56) Too many interests: loving every style and genre(31:22) Wanting great stories, not one lane(34:57) Admiration over competition; rising with peers(38:30) First “public lines” in sixth-grade drama club(41:48) Magnet arts school and the Wishing Star Theater(45:21) Early roles: Annie, then Charlie Brown lead(48:55) Serious kid bio; faith, family, and rides home(52:27) Why actor bios are overrated; performance should speak(55:59) Acting as joy, plus subjective feedback and “proof”(59:33) Performing as how he makes sense of life(63:04) Reviving Toasts: oral tradition, folklore, preservation(66:40) Returning to Carnegie: voice/movement, “unorthodox success”(70:12) Regional theater circuit: working everywhere, staying NYC-based(74:05) Kennedy Center breakthrough; learning power of relationships(78:11) Backdoor-ninja into New York; saying yes to everything(82:07) Identity, career grounding, and the pre-COVID hiatus plan(85:03) 2019 whirlwind; heartbreak, money, and theater economics(87:58) Defining success: freedom, time, and “do what I want”

Ofri Nehemya is a jazz drummer based in New York City.Instagram and all episodes(00:00) Moving to New York, COVID detour to Israel(02:05) Why jazz pointed to New York early(05:10) Musical family roots, drummer dad, sister too(08:25) First memories: drums at age two(12:00) “It chose me”: passion, fear of losing music(15:45) Gratitude: living off art, doing fulfilling music(19:30) Family immigration: Yemen to Israel, India to Israel(23:10) Jewish communities in India and Yemen, culture(27:05) Telma Yalin arts high school: finding your people(31:20) Competition, insecurity, and growth in that environment(35:40) High school structure: majors, mixed classes, mentors(39:30) New York as jazz mecca and American dream logic(43:50) Military service, then moving at 22(47:30) Skipping college: touring, visas, and calculated risk(51:10) Early New York reality check: fire, accent, standards(57:15) Progress formula: mental health, kindness, karma, reputation(61:05) Heroes, dream gigs, and favorite NYC jazz clubs(65:10) Money and success: appreciation, impact, balance

Suzannah Herbert is a documentary filmmaker based in Brooklyn, NY.Instagram and all episodes(00:00) Born in NYC, raised in Memphis(02:40) Childhood visits, obsession with New York history(05:20) NYU Tisch arrival and film school focus(08:10) Staying in NYC: career, Brooklyn, parenthood shift(11:05) Memphis roots: PBS, Oprah, early documentaries(14:30) Mr. Thames and “Facing History” shaping worldview(18:05) Why documentary: history, art, social analysis combined(21:55) Cinema’s power: “Gone with the Wind” vs Natchez(25:10) Misrepresentations: enslaved people, Confederacy glorified(28:45) Why whitewashing persists: identity, power, denial(32:20) Southern upbringing: artists vs country club culture(36:05) Plantation wedding sparks the film’s central question(39:40) Finding Natchez: road trip, preservation, Union occupation(43:15) Beauty and horror tension; returning to confront it(46:50) Meeting Rev, building a web of Natchez voices(51:05) How docs get made: phases, research, building vision(54:10) Bootstrapping shoots, sizzles, ITVS and key supporters(57:25) Bigger truths, Lost Cause myth, future Southern stories

Oskar Stenmark is a trumpeter based in New York City.Instagram and all episodes(00:00) First trip to New York, February 2013(03:28) Naive “magical city” expectations for musicians(06:12) Student visa plan and Manhattan School of Music(09:45) Havana semester sparks desire to leave Sweden(13:18) Havana’s street music, intensity, and community(16:40) Musical family lineage: 10 generations playing(20:05) Early foundations: mom’s singing, dad’s rhythm(23:37) Sweden’s mandatory instruments and recorder “trial”(27:10) Learning trumpet: patience, mobility, first sound(30:44) High school choice: soccer dreams vs music focus(34:22) Sweden education path and taking a year off(38:06) First Vanguard night triggers “I belong here”(41:55) Inside Village Vanguard: stairs, rumbling train, legacy(45:12) Staying after graduation: OPT then O-1 artist visa(48:58) Proving “extraordinary ability” and embassy interview(52:21) Advice: letters, gratitude, packaging your case(55:47) Early survival: three pillars—perform, write, teach(58:36) Gigs and compounding network: say yes, be solid(62:04) Habits: subway listening, prioritize beautiful sound(66:11) Midsummer legacy and redefining success holistically

Ginny Hogan is a comedian and a writer based in New York City.Instagram and all episodes(00:00) Born in NYC, parents’ Midwest/Virginia roots(03:12) Museums, Catholic school, “New Yorky stuff” childhood(06:35) No comedy plan, drama fan, accidental start(09:48) Facebook ad credits: dating ads go viral(12:58) Writing jokes at work, stand-up classes, introvert performer(15:55) San Francisco comedy scene, chasing club spots(18:40) Leaving SF, back to NY, LA, then NY again(21:22) Math brain, politics interest, law school maybe(24:10) Tech era vibes: Palantir, Facebook boredom, commute(26:55) Quitting tech, freelancing, never fully “left” tech(29:45) Stand-up ambition, gatekeepers, control your own output(32:30) Twitter audience: volume, news takes, Betches connection(35:05) Persona shift: sobriety, marriage, parenting boundaries(37:55) Lifestyle change: nights out harder, stand-up slows down(41:05) Building the hour: Edinburgh bootcamp, touring, taping(44:10) Comedy money: corporate gigs, Substack, internet writing(47:05) Motherhood realities: exhaustion, tips, breastfeeding nuance(50:05) Sobriety + success: time, creativity, defining “worth it”

Julia Edelman is an author, a contributor to The New Yorker, and a Substacker, based in Brooklyn, NY.Instagram and all episodes(00:00) Born in Queens, NYC keeps pulling her back(02:18) Family roots: Brooklyn, Iraq, France(04:28) Grandmother’s escape from Baghdad to NYU(07:03) Writing young to process emotions(09:12) Seventh-grade football tryout story begins(12:41) Injury, bonding, and writing the essay(14:58) Recognition: strangers understanding her voice(16:47) High school: “serious novelist” era(19:06) Self-publishing a 200-page fiction book(21:18) Writing the Amelia Earhart school musical(25:10) Choosing McGill for “interesting experiences”(28:14) Finding creativity via film theory and sketches(31:10) Back to NYC: People magazine job(33:12) Kant quote sparks philosopher breakup letters(36:28) New Yorker acceptance, viral confusion, book deal(40:42) Fear, procrastination, and NYPL finishing grind(45:20) Loneliness → pivot to TV writing, move to LA(47:58) Animated TV loophole, plant show, health crisis arc(52:16) Post-recovery travel: Bali freedom and staying seven months(55:18) Ecstatic dance, DJing, writing workshops combined(57:44) Living with uveitis: uncertainty reshapes priorities(59:32) Writing now, eye status, and redefining success

Ilana Gilovich is a writer, experience designer, and creative director based in Brooklyn, NY.Instagram and all episodes(00:00) Moving to NYC from Ithaca(03:12) Defining art as a way of being(06:05) Childhood whimsy: Peter Pan birthday story(09:18) Early writing, dance, and voracious reading(12:02) Cornell path: English, dance, theater, PhD(15:06) No master plan, just following delight(18:11) Nature homesickness versus the “concrete jungle”(21:04) Discovering Sleep No More during internship(24:48) What immersive theater is, and why it hooked her(28:37) Inside the McKittrick: masks, rooms, world-building(32:46) One-on-one encounters and intimate audience moments(36:18) Rising through roles: FOH, events, cast, storytelling(39:58) The gift of repeating one piece for years(42:48) Academia disenchantment: jargon vs close reading(45:34) Closure and pivot: freelance experience design(48:12) Creating rituals: thresholds, atmosphere, embodiment(51:34) Meaning themes: death, connection, ingestion vs expression(54:20) Success, “enough,” love, art-rapture, and kindness

Alise Morales is a comedian based in New York City.Instagram and all episodes(00:00) Moving to New York for improv dreams(03:05) Early impressions and New York mythology(06:10) ADHD and craving constant city stimulus(09:00) College degree versus artistic calling(11:45) Discovering improv as true art form(15:00) What makes someone good at improv(18:20) Childhood comedy roots and Amanda Bynes(21:30) UCB classes, teams, and collaborators(25:10) Surviving New York with side hustles(28:30) Poverty years, bad apartments, and chaos(31:40) Why the struggle still felt worth it(34:20) First real comedy jobs and career momentum(37:10) Letting go of UCB goals and pivoting(39:20) Improv skills as lasting foundation(41:00) ADHD diagnosis and creative burnout(43:00) Mental health tools and daily habit changes(45:20) Emotional regulation and personal growth(46:40) Redefining success and creative fulfillment

Jessica Earnshaw is a documentary filmmaker and photographer, based in Brooklyn, NY.Instagram and all episodes(00:00) Moving to NYC for ICP(02:08) Growing up with a photographer mom(04:01) Why photojournalism felt empowering(06:18) Grant: documenting aging in prison(08:07) Meeting Rosemary and Jacenta(10:11) Realizing it needed to be film(12:03) How they landed in prison together(13:53) Addiction, trauma, and “chasing mom”(16:02) Getting permission and prison access(18:14) Filming 2016–2019 with no funding(20:54) Living broke: motels, burritos, gas(22:47) Leaving a tour when filming demanded it(24:46) Men’s prison: long days, earned trust(27:12) Trauma shaping violence and crime(30:05) Research: reoffense, parole, and “snapping”(33:06) Hospice program and Albert’s story(34:52) Baby Doe: toilet births and denial(38:16) Gail’s case: DNA genealogy, trial, empathy

Eviatar Slivnik is a jazz drummer and composer, based in Brooklyn, NY.Instagram and all episodes(00:00) Moving to New York to test yourself(04:21) Early heroes and jazz influences(08:37) Falling in love with jazz’s mind and soul(12:54) Jazz as high-level conversation, not noise(16:49) Why expertise matters before improvising(20:58) Childhood development: bands, drive, priorities(25:26) Arts high school in Tel Aviv and practicing(29:44) Rejection from workshop sparks daily discipline(34:10) Two-hour routine: humiliation, habits, results(38:33) Dreaming bigger at Berklee and in NYC(42:57) Jazz history: hardship, resilience, origins(47:22) Paradoxes: street music, complex art form(51:41) NYC grind: clubs, jams, community, reputation(56:06) Stops and restarts: Berlin, COVID, returning(60:34) Philosophy: practice, depth, ego, “good hang”(64:41) Breakthrough call: touring with Avishai Cohen(67:08) Touring reality: stress, logistics, reward(71:19) Money, saving, and success as staying in game(74:36) Compound interest mindset: practice, character, longevity

Lindsey Ferrentino is a playwright, based in Brooklyn, NY.Instagram and all episodes(00:00) Moving to NYU at 17(02:18) Realizing acting isn’t the path(04:35) Family of comedians, early writing habits(07:20) Teaching herself screenwriting in Florida(10:05) Copycatting influences before finding a voice(13:12) Strasberg training reframed as writer training(16:05) Grad school focus: Hunter MFA, then Yale(18:55) Theater vs film/TV: money, control, reality(22:10) Romantic New York “life in the arts” idea(25:40) Teacher pushes Florida settings; authenticity clicks(28:55) “Big break” mindset: relentless readings, submissions(32:05) Off-Broadway launch: “Ugly Lies the Bone”(35:10) Play premise: burn survivor, VR therapy, reintegration(38:25) Lessons from productions: scale, staging, dialogue(41:45) Post-break output: adaptations, multiple shows, pace(44:12) Writing routine: sculpting in small blocks(47:08) Current obsessions: Nick Yarris, justice system story(50:36) Queen of Versailles musical: rights, satire, success definition(52:18) Gratitude, “lucky life,” closing thanks

Gillian Morris is a technologist, Substacker, and author, based in New York City.Instagram and all episodes(00:00) Born in NYC, Immigrant Roots and Family Story(02:45) Paris Bell Tower Life, Dumpster Diving, and Soup Kitchens(05:20) Letting Go of the Opera Dream and Becoming a Patron of the Arts(08:10) Regression to the Mean: Choosing Government as the Path of Least Resistance(10:40) Solo Travel at 18 and Wonderfully Chill Parents(13:30) Curiosity About Other Cultures and Searching for True Passion(16:05) Many Models of Success and the Idea of Inner Vitality(19:00) Learning to Code and Discovering Travel Tech as Ikigai(22:10) Building Hit List and Hacking Cheap Flights for Friends(25:40) Watching Users Join and a Life Thesis About Travel and Human Connection(29:15) Pandemic Collapse, 95% Revenue Drop, and Mother’s Cancer Diagnosis(32:30) Caregiving, Clubhouse, and the First Communal Living Essay(36:05) From Side Blog to Supernuclear and a Growing Communal Living Movement(39:30) What Communal Living Really Is and Why Commercial Co-Living Misses the Point(43:10) Vetting Housemates, Moving Lightly, and Not Being Owned by Your Stuff(46:20) Communal Living, American Isolation, and the Male Loneliness Problem(50:10) Tribes, Villages, and Having Many “Significant Others”(53:40) First Steps: Brunches, Neighbor Experiments, and Rebellious Community-Building

Harold Rogers is a novelist, Substacker, and a comedian based in New York City.Instagram and all episodes(00:00) Columbia MFA, standup dreams & moving to New York(03:07) Growing up between Ohio, Brazil & Antigua as a lonely reader(04:48) Discovering serious novels: Lolita, Crime and Punishment & the power of language(07:36) Early stories, autobiographical fiction & realizing writing can hurt people(11:58) Drunk, depressed college years & writing through the abyss(13:49) Tropicalia: family in Rio, plot, and learning to write a first novel(16:33) Humility, simplifying the work & 20-day draft marathons(22:06) Flow, exhaustion & psychography—writing as a kind of mediumship(25:06) Boxing vs standup: high-stakes performance and the “fight vs book” metaphor(26:47) First novel flops, expectations, airports & diversity boosts(32:53) Publishing economics: advances, royalties & the lottery-ticket model(36:03) Substack as practice ground, Edinburgh trip & building an audience(38:47) Writing in New York, literary readings, misanthropy & starting BLAST(41:46) Entering the NYC standup scene, Eric’s role & comedy friendships(46:54) Boxing gym life, clients, CTE worries & why people fight(54:02) Steubenville’s ghosts, shuttered mills & the 2012 assault case behind Humpty Dumpty(54:54) Humpty Dumpty as masculine failure, regicide joke & mythic Trojan horse(57:49) Redefining success: getting better at books & standup, and protecting time

Caleb Spaulding is a drummer based in Brooklyn, NY.Instagram and all episodes(00:00) Driving a 2004 Trailblazer to Williamsburg with the college band(03:12) Prog-rock frat house: how the band formed and took over campus(06:05) Older bandmates, Jersey staging ground & choosing New York as the dream(09:02) Beginner’s mindset, Williamsburg boom & early social media band hype(12:10) Singing before talking: family piano nights and a childhood built on music(15:18) Political science major, miserable law firm internship & feeling trapped on the “normal” path(19:08) Forklift summer: warehouse monotony, hourly work and craving real purpose(22:45) Cardboard prison, secret lyric notebooks & discovering an allergy to monotony(26:03) Sixth-grade band class, discovering drums & Colonial Williamsburg Fife and Drum Corps(29:40) From rock stages to dance floors: first night hand-drumming with a DJ in Brooklyn(32:55) World percussion deep dive & finding “Drumming at the Edge of Magic”(36:22) The Ghana leap: Indiegogo, surrender experiment & flying in with no schedule(40:05) Open-hearted Ghana: yes-and culture, communal groove & rhythm as everyday life(43:18) Why Ghana: djembe roots, dense drumming traditions & choosing Accra as the gateway(46:07) Kids, funerals, weddings & how Western culture shames adults out of musical play(49:15) Everyone has rhythm: biology, entrainment & giving “no rhythm” adults permission(52:08) Fela Kuti, Afrobeat, 90s hip-hop flows & the bands that keep him moving(54:47) Rhythm of Happiness now: drum-powered breathwork, rhythm consulting & the next chapter

Mariel Bildsten is a trombonist based in Brooklyn, NY.Instagram and all episodes(00:00) Childhood Visits and Dreaming of New York(04:18) Grandparents, Ridgewood Roots, and an East Berlin Escape(08:27) California Childhood and Hating Piano Lessons(12:45) Joining School Band and Accidentally Choosing Trombone(16:32) First Trombone Hero and the “Blueprint” Moment(20:58) Moving at 18 and Falling in Love with New York Jazz(25:21) Jazz as Black Music and the Harlem Renaissance(29:49) New Orleans Brass vs Contemporary New York Jazz(34:05) Betting on New York and Welcoming the Ass-Kicking(38:02) Inside the Physical Demands of Playing Trombone(41:37) Injuries, Posture Fixes, and Damage Control(45:03) Dizzy’s Jam Sessions, All-Night Hangs, and Music as Service(49:11) Teaching in the Bronx and $10 Pasta Gigs(52:44) Balls Before Ability and Working Through Imposter Syndrome(55:36) Side Person vs Bandleader and Making a Living(58:22) Why She Still Chooses New York(61:09) Favorite NYC Food, Clubs, and Trombone Mount Rushmore(63:18) Redefining Success, Education, and the Next Chapter

Jamie Pearl is a photographer based in Brooklyn, NY.Instagram and all episodes(00:00) From Seattle To New York(04:10) Instagram Dreams Of The NY Art Scene(07:30) Knowing She Was An Artist First(11:20) Finding Her Medium In The Darkroom(15:40) From Hobbyist To Neighborhood Photographer(20:30) Graduating Into COVID And Planning The Move(25:10) Learning Photography Through Film Basics(29:30) Auto Mode, iPhones And The 80/20 Of Craft(33:20) Landing In New York With No Safety Net(37:40) Babysitting, Job Rejections And The Juve Lifeline(42:10) First Big By-Lines: Times, Journal And Hoka(45:50) Saying Yes To Everything And Becoming “The Photographer”(48:20) Fashion Week Frenzy And Celebrity Shoots(51:30) Prestige Work That Finally Opens Big Doors(53:50) Learning The Art Of Negotiating Day Rates(56:10) Stepping Into The Role Of Lead Photographer(58:10) Staying Hungry And Raising The Creative Bar(59:45) Real Talk On Networking And Defining Success

T.J. Wilkins is a singer and an actor currently playing Barack Obama in the musical "44."Instagram and all episodes(00:00) Greyhound to New York & Joining 44(03:40) Eli’s Hotel Room Epiphany & Birth of the Musical(07:20) Jam Session, Studio Work & Becoming “Obama”(11:00) Three Cassettes that Started It All(14:40) Church Solos, Performing Arts School & a Teenage Record Deal(18:20) Realizing His Gift & Studying the Greats(22:00) Why Arts Education (and His Teachers) Saved His Career(25:40) Church and Gospel as the Ultimate Music School(29:20) Class Clown, Inner Soundtrack & Finding an Outlet on Stage(33:00) Growing Up with Artist Parents & Full-Force Support(36:40) Northridge Years: Acting, Recording & Using College as a Springboard(40:20) Disney Reality Show, Mentor Bob & The Voice Audition(44:00) Lessons from The Voice: Fame, Business & Not Taking It Personally(47:40) Staying Grounded: Family, Humility & Not Serving Fame(52:00) Discovering Barack Obama & the 2008 Election Night with His Great-Grandmother(58:00) Building Obama: Books, Cadence & Humanizing a President(61:00) 44’s Audiences, Bipartisan Joy & Remembering the Idea of America(64:30) Evolving the Role, Pre-Show Rituals & Redefining Success

mmegannolan is a novelist and a journalist based in New York City.Instagram and all episodes(00:00) Trying to move to New York in 2020(03:18) Waterford roots and a theatrical family(06:27) Small-town restlessness and artistic ambition(09:42) Shy, anxious kid who loved to read(12:56) Early poetry, contests, and taking feelings seriously(16:10) Formative novels that changed her life(19:25) Dropping out, Dublin struggles, and following an artist to London(22:41) Keeping the identity of “writer” alive(25:55) Learning to call herself a writer(29:08) Freelance journalism, readings, and media Twitter days(32:16) Writing for money versus writing for love(35:22) Leaping from essays to a novel(38:05) Three years, Athens, and building the book(41:02) Domestic horror, obsession, and emotional claustrophobia(44:10) Book deal, lockdown release, and sudden success(46:47) Money, advances, and buying dinner for everyone(49:55) Public life, avoiding fame, and the second novel(53:20) Habits, community, and redefining success

Shani Nizan is a tattoo artist based in New York City.Instagram and all episodes(00:00) New York, Not Berlin(03:10) Falling In Love With New York(06:05) Fourteen And Financially Independent(09:10) Second Child, Hungry For Autonomy(12:20) Kibbutz Childhood And Early Jazz(15:45) What A Kibbutz Really Is(19:05) Free Time, Friends, And Philosophy(22:10) Chasing A Tattoo Hero To Berlin(25:30) Inventing A New Tattoo Language(28:40) From Illustrator To Skin Artist(31:35) Human–Animal Hybrids And One-Client Days(34:50) Inside A Perfect Tattoo Session(38:05) Needles, Meditation, And Flow State(41:15) Berlin Misery Vs New York Plenty(44:20) Instagram’s Rise, Algorithms, And Hurt(48:05) Money, Bushwick Rent, And Getting By(51:10) Community, Ornithology, And City Worship(54:20) Success As Service, Not Spotlight

Max Fine is a stand-up comedian based in New York City.Instagram and all episodes(00:00) Atlanta Roots and Moving to New York(03:05) Falling in Love with Standup as a Teenager(06:40) The Dirtbag Years: Comedy, Bars, and Blackouts(10:15) Chasing the Lifestyle Instead of the Craft(13:50) Health Scares, Mushrooms, and the Last Night Drinking(17:30) Life Levels Up Fast Without Booze(20:45) Did Drugs Make the Comedy Better?(24:10) Detox, AA, and Choosing to Quit Alone(27:55) Bushwick Hell Apartment and the Creek in the Cave(31:30) Road Gigs, Delusion, and Watching Others Pass You By(35:05) Ego, Early Confidence, and Actually Getting Good(38:40) Honesty on Stage and What Makes Great Comics(42:00) Comedy as Community and Losing It During COVID(45:10) Treating Comedy Like a Real Business and Career(48:30) The Comedy Cellar Audition and Getting Passed(52:10) Living Up to the Cellar and Constantly Improving(55:30) Weed, Hot Yoga, and Building Better Habits(58:45) The Comedian’s Role, Politics, and Redefining Success

Quinn Larrabee is a satirist and Substacker, based in New York City.Instagram and all episodes(00:00) Defaulting to New York(02:00) Early Love of Writing(04:00) Quiet Kid, Red Hair, and Fiction(06:15) Discovering Comedy as Expression(08:10) Substack and the Pandemic Pivot(10:05) The Play Party Awakening(12:00) Finding the First Voice(14:15) From Erotica to Satire(17:20) The Brooklyn Trope and Floor Parties(20:00) Writing About Entitlement(22:40) From King to Jester(26:00) The Firing That Freed Him(28:20) How Satire Finds Its Subjects(31:00) Aiming Up: The Art of Ridicule(35:15) Outsiders in the Room(39:20) Doing the Work and Other Essays(45:30) The Performance of Authenticity(49:50) Writing, Flow, and Full-Time Risk(52:30) The Role of the Satirist(54:50) Losing Empathy in the Modern Age(56:40) Redefining Success and Not Giving Up

Jason Chatfield is a cartoonist - whose work has appeared in "Mad Magazine" and "The New Yorker" - and a standup comedian, based in New York City.Instagram and all episodes(00:00) From Perth to New York(02:15) Cartooning starts as a hobby(04:40) Detention and the first paid caricature(07:10) Discovering late-’90s cartoon career paths(10:05) Skipping college and the 10,000-hour grind(13:30) Perth as a craft crucible(17:00) Quokkas, family, and bus-ride sketching(20:10) MAD Magazine as a classroom(23:00) Learning from peers and ACA presidency(26:30) Taking over a 102-year-old strip(30:10) Daytime drawing, nighttime comedy in Melbourne(33:40) Annual U.S. trips and the 2014 move(37:00) The expanding-map mindset and mentors(40:20) Australia-famous, funerals, and the leap(44:10) New York hustle and the strip’s 2023 end(48:00) Networking, referrals, and the mailing list(52:00) Substack era: writing, community, livestreams(55:30) New Yorker vs. MAD in a changing industry(58:40) New Yorker economics, rights, and royalties(64:00) Success redefined: enough and true fans

Wayne Tucker is a trumpeter and an adjunct professor at SUNY Purchase, based in New York City.Instagram and all episodes(00:00) SUNY Purchase → Moving to NYC(02:46) Choosing Jazz Trumpet as the Path(05:29) Early Instruments & Ninth-Grade Pivot(08:11) Competitiveness Sparks Daily Practice(10:57) Family Influences & First Jazz Inspirations(13:40) Trumpet Physicality, Breath, and Power(16:22) Falling in Love with the Horn(19:05) First Paid Gigs & Syracuse Pep Band(24:28) College Lessons & Embouchure Rebuild(27:17) Finding Community & Career Models at Purchase(30:01) “Carry Your Horn” Hustle & Mentors(32:44) Post-Grad: Jams, Sales Pause, Then Ramp(35:36) Sleep No More Break & Weekly Work(38:25) Confidence, Work Ethic, and Calling(41:54) Great Bandmates: Listening & Musical Language(45:12) Why NYC Wins: Diversity, Teaching, Community(48:36) Purpose: Kids, School Shows, Daily Routine(51:44) Feedback at Birdland, Big Goals, Venues & NYC Love

Brittany Cardwell is a stand-up comedian based in New York City.Instagram and all episodes(00:00) Intro – Moving from New Zealand to New York for comedy(03:12) Early comedy beginnings in Dunedin(05:20) How false memory research became her academic path(08:40) The rise of “recovered memories” and 1980s therapy culture(12:25) Experiments creating false childhood memories(16:05) How imagination and photos distort real memories(19:20) False confessions and eyewitness bias in the justice system(23:05) The horse-cue study and unconscious suggestion(26:40) Personal story of being robbed and memory distortion(30:10) Anchoring, availability, and why memory feels like truth(33:15) Leaving academia: the myth of professorial freedom(37:20) Turning to stand-up and improv after heartbreak(41:00) Realizing comedy had always been the hidden calling(45:05) Life in New Zealand’s small comedy scene and first big wins(48:50) The decision to quit academia and move to New York(52:40) Adjusting to New York comedy life and financial realities(56:15) Why she keeps going through rejection and grind(59:20) What she loves to joke about – stupidity, self-awareness, and truth(62:15) Performing at Flop House, releasing her first special, and closing reflections

Elise Rise is a visual artist based in Brooklyn, NY.Instagram and all episodes(00:00) NYC Longing & Origins(02:10) Studio at Four(04:20) Unicorn Hustle to Portraits(06:25) Parents’ Support & Art History Mom(08:40) High School Mentor; Liberal Arts vs Art School(10:55) Choosing Princeton(13:15) Instinct, Impulse, and Nurture(15:35) Painting as a Way of Thinking(18:05) Surviving NYC: Money vs Art(20:40) Pandemic Pivot to Creative Direction(23:15) Keeping Craft Separate from Career(26:05) Ritual over Feast-or-Famine(29:00) Make Art First: One Hour Daily(33:10) Flow State, Presence, & Starter Habits(39:00) 9 a.m. Accountability, Sobriety, Resets(43:10) “Botany of Bodies”: Creation, AI & Meaning(47:10) Finding Community, Crit Clubs, Getting a Show(51:10) Success, Selling, and the Search for Meaning

Tucker Iverson is a comedian based in New York City.Instagram and all episodes(00:00) Brutal commute, ad job, and deciding to move(02:05) College life as a Division I fencing captain(04:12) First open mics during the two-hour commute(06:45) Moving to NYC; UCB + Magnet double-dipping(09:18) Why improv fit: team sport and lower pressure(12:04) Classes, indie teams, coaches, and community(14:57) Day job by day, three-hour reps by night(16:40) Early encouragement and UCB grades build confidence(19:15) Great improvisers: unique POV and total commitment(22:08) The “framer” role and balanced team dynamics(24:31) First break: Asylum house team & performing with pros(27:44) “Can’t stop doing it”: identity and acting school(30:26) Money talk: BuzzFeed/TikTok, freelance, NYC costs(33:18) Time math: 30-hour weeks of acting school(39:27) Leaving 9-to-5: pebble-in-shoe and secrecy at work(41:12) Creative peers in advertising; current show cadence (Go Dummy, BCC, UCB)(45:03) Ben Schwartz model: can improv scale like stand-up?(50:10) Filming vs live magic; advice to start—and why improv beat stand-up for me

Lark LePage is a musician based in New York City.Instagram and all episodes(00:00) Born-and-raised LES; New York as first love(02:05) Parents’ Montreal–Dublin backstory and 9/11 link to her birth(04:18) Mom’s “now or never” baby decision after the attacks(06:22) Fleeing the city; upstate refuge and choosing life in NYC(08:36) Cab radio moment—realizing it wasn’t an accident(11:02) Why New York: the dream, noise, and artists everywhere(13:14) Resilient people, service-job confessions, radical openness(15:58) Loud kid to vocal nodules; NYC as a soft landing(18:12) Guitar lessons to songwriting; collaborating with mom(21:00) COVID pause and rejecting college to pursue music(23:58) Broken foot & vocal nodes—forced reset and resolve(27:06) Hour-a-day writing summer; the album takes shape(29:52) “Mine”: a breakup record with New York in every line(33:10) Booking shows DIY—email grit and the Red Hook record shop show(36:05) Open mics, Pete’s Candy Store; venues, networking, and getting paid(44:10) Making money in music now—build a world, shows, touring goals(49:05) Audience growth: TikTok without cringe, perform relentlessly(51:40) NYC vs Nashville, community vibes; defining success as happy, self-sustaining art

Ashley Everhart is a comedian, musician, and actor, based in New York City.Instagram and all episodes(00:00) Moving to NYC, COVID eviction, 2020 return(02:31) Fordham at Lincoln Center; sister’s pull toward theater(04:58) Teenage UCB obsession—Askat DVD, note-taking pilgrimages(07:12) Discovering training grounds—“adults doing comedy” clicks(09:55) Why institutions fit: structure, study, community(12:18) Ministers at home, musician’s regimen, creativity + tradition(15:03) “Why comedy?”—mixed motives, first laughs, SNL spark(18:07) Comedy vs the rubric—feedback, collaboration over isolation(21:40) Plan A: choral clinician; school bureaucracy disillusions(25:12) Teaching drama clubs; self-doubt and finding footing(28:33) Stand-up attempts vs true love: sketch & character(31:05) Costumes, spectacle, precision; respecting a paying audience(33:58) What separates performers—team players and teachable character(37:22) Joy vs nerves; the “little secret,” Tina Benko, Aquamarine mix-up(40:31) The call from UCB; debuting Will.i.am’s wife, lyric logic(44:12) Dusty reopening, tepid reception, Bernadette Peters vibe(47:06) Defining success in two years—funnier, collaborative, joyful(49:28) Closing banter—family bits, Billie Holiday riff, sign-off

Gylije Veljic is a stand-up comedian and an entrepreneur, based in New York City.Instagram and all episodes(00:00) Reluctant move to NYC; advertising + comedy crossroads(02:05) Staten Island summers, 7 years here, finding real confidence(04:10) Performer roots: theater, speech & why stand-up challenges(06:12) “Monetizing me”: startup mindset, many lanes not one(08:05) Leaving L’Oréal, taking a class, show counts explode(10:22) Pandemic throwback: Snapchat hump-day raps & early virality(12:48) Party years in Arizona: DUI, paraphernalia, the police horse(16:05) Super-extreme blow, probation, 42 days; jail vs. holding cell(19:58) Turning jail into bits; the hole for “arts & crafts”(23:15) Three days solitary: creativity, raps, and 90-minute focus(26:44) Silver linings: fake IDs, hierarchy, and friendship at work(29:30) First “show” ever: San Diego stories, LA writer’s feedback(33:05) Gotham, Alex Babbitt, class—first real crush in a 300-seat room(36:02) Big themes: corporate life, overthinking dating, second-wife logic(39:28) Child-free stance: purpose myths, mentors’ regrets, honesty(43:12) Where she plays now: indie rooms, The Stand, new clubs(47:06) Getting better: delivery, listening, crowd work, Theragun test(50:22) Less solitude, bigger job; money mindset—then the dream: own club, brunch shows, an hour, auditions, one-woman show

Graham Techler is a comedian and playwright, based in New York City.Instagram and all episodes(00:00) Boston roots and first summer in New York(02:45) Choosing between New York and Chicago(04:30) Early love of performing and local theater influences(08:10) Childhood exposure to professional performers(10:40) Realizing performing was in his blood(13:00) High school theater and a sense of purpose(15:45) Playing older characters and self-awareness as an actor(18:50) The thrill and risk of putting on a show(21:40) School plays as high-stakes teamwork(25:20) Lessons from creative collaboration and leadership(28:15) Early social learning through theater(32:00) Discovering comedy and improv in high school(36:10) The influence of podcasts and comedy heroes(40:05) Finding identity by blending multiple creative worlds(44:30) Discovering the UCB scene and learning from performers(48:15) Writing plays and musicals as self-expression(52:00) Learning authenticity through trial and error(57:15) Handling rejection and randomness in creative careers(63:40) The strategy paradox and staying grounded(70:10) Defining success, friendships, and creative fulfillment(75:30) Closing reflections on gratitude and connection