How I Created This

 Today, we chat with Ben & Bob Schultz, the cofounders of Mez Candy Co, a chocolatey flavored candy made from Mesquite. Brothers, Ben and Bob discussed their journey in creating Mez, starting with their experience in their family's pizza shops, igniting their curiosity to be creative with ingredients. They then explored the potential of Mesquite, a sustainable and nutritious ingredient, as an alternative to cocoa. Their initial product, "chocolate, but better," received mixed feedback, leading them to refine their approach. The success of their candy format, the mini cups, highlighted the importance of unique flavors and accessible pricing. They plan to continue experimenting with new flavors and savory elements, aiming to balance sweetness with complexity.It was a great chat with Ben & Bob learning about their journey with Mez and experimenting with an ingredient that is tasty, nutritious, regenerative AND sustainable. Follow MEZ Here: https://www.instagram.com/mez.foods/https://www.d0pecinema.com https://www.instagram.com/d0pecinema https://www.tiktok.com/@d0pecinema https://www.youtube.com/@d0pe.cinema https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61558848092351

Today, we chat with Olivia Graphic, a super-talented graphic artist. If you follow her, you know her cinematic meets punk style is instantly recognizable, whether she is designing posters, merch, or even a food truck wrap.   In this episode, we discussed her creative journey, starting with her early interest in drawing as a kid, where she found a website with step by step instructions to follow. She then studied graphic design in college and discussed the phase after graduation of finding her personal style, which has evolved into the work she creates today. Olivia also talks about how a chain reaction kicked off when she was noticed by Rico Nasty. She designed a poster for her song Black Punk, which led to dozens of projects for other artists. She also gave insight into working as an artist and handling client projects from idea inception, to the overall work flow leading up to the finished project. https://www.d0pecinema.com https://www.instagram.com/d0pecinema https://www.tiktok.com/@d0pecinema https://www.youtube.com/@d0pe.cinema https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61558848092351

Today, we chat with Ruthie Henderson, a conceptual photographer, content creator, and Photoshop wizard. As a full-time artist, she creates scroll-stopping content that showcases her immersive photo manipulation abilities.  In this episode, we discussed her creative journey, starting with her early interest in photography and Photoshop in middle school. She later transitioned to self-portraits due to limited model access in Wyoming. Ruthie's breakthrough came in 2023 with a viral dandelion seed photo shoot, which expanded her audience. Now she creates multiple content pieces per shoot, highlighting all the details that bring each vision to life.Ruthie emphasized the importance of balancing passion projects with viral content and how to stay inspired by all things in life while creating within a career that is rooted in social media. Follow Ruthie Here: https://www.instagram.com/ruthiesmagicalcamera/https://www.d0pecinema.com https://www.instagram.com/d0pecinema https://www.tiktok.com/@d0pecinema https://www.youtube.com/@d0pe.cinema https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61558848092351

Today, we chat with Natasha Blaine, a Nashville-based singer, songwriter, and recording artist. As a full-time artist, she collaborates, records, and performs with her band, The Intuition to create groovy soul pop tunes. In this episode, we discussed Natasha’s musical journey, starting with voice lessons at just six years old. Everything changed when she moved to Nashville TN from Washington state, inspired by a chance encounter with musicians while visiting London. Natasha shares stories about the impact of Nashville's songwriting community and her involvement in writers' rounds in the early stages of performing. We also dove into Natasha’s creative process, including collaborating with her band, The Intuition, and their latest project, a live recording session. She highlights the importance of live music and the spontaneity and rawness it brings.Follow Natasha Here: https://www.instagram.com/natashablaine/https://www.d0pecinema.com https://www.instagram.com/d0pecinema https://www.tiktok.com/@d0pecinema https://www.youtube.com/@d0pe.cinema https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61558848092351

ANOTHA ONE! Today I’m chatting with Matt Buechele, a New York–based creative whose work spans comedy, songwriting, and TV writing. He’s written for The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Netflix, and Comedy Central, and you’ve probably also seen his Instagram videos, where his observational monologues and playful sketches have reached millions of people online.His musical alter-ego, Booshell, creates nostalgic, retro-inspired songs full of playful storytelling and emotion. In this episode, we’re digging into his creative process, how he comes up with ideas, writes lyrics that stick, and turns little sparks of inspiration into full songs.In this episode we talk through Matt’s most recent single, “Queen of NY” a coming of age ballad that touches on a variety of concepts and feelings invoked by living in a city like NYC.Follow Matt Here: https://www.instagram.com/mattbooshell/https://www.d0pecinema.com https://www.instagram.com/d0pecinema https://www.tiktok.com/@d0pecinema https://www.youtube.com/@d0pe.cinema https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61558848092351

Welcome back! Today we chat with Taylor Janney-Rovin, a long time singer, now emerging recording artist. By day, she performs in a traveling children’s game show program. In her personal time, Taylor writes, sings, and records her blend of alt-pop, indie rock, and country soul music. In the episode, we dive into her creative journey, from performing as young as three years old, to becoming a classically trained vocalist, which ultimately led to a vocal chord surgery and a serious call to rest. Now she is reclaiming her voice by releasing new original music, including her latest track “Sweet Talkin.” We dive into her creative process that led to the song you hear today. Taylor takes us through an incredible story about finding your passion, overcoming roadblocks, and not letting anything stop you from pursuing the creative endeavors that truly make your heart sing. Now let’s chat with Taylor Janney-Rovin!!Follow Taylor Here: https://www.instagram.com/taylorjanneyrovinhttps://www.d0pecinema.com https://www.instagram.com/d0pecinema https://www.tiktok.com/@d0pecinema https://www.youtube.com/@d0pe.cinema https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61558848092351

To kick off the podcast series, we’re joined by Donnie O’Brien — an incredibly talented artist based in Tennessee. By day, they travel the world as a Touring Media Server Technician and D3 Operator. In their personal time, Donnie brings Renaissance art to life through insanely accurate photographic recreations.In this episode, we dive into their creative journey — from early memories of experimenting with art to the experiences that shaped their current work and vision.Follow Donnie Here: https://www.instagram.com/treeblight/https://www.d0pecinema.com https://www.instagram.com/d0pecinema https://www.tiktok.com/@d0pecinema https://www.youtube.com/@d0pe.cinema https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61558848092351