NBL Rewind: Dominic Moore-Dunson: Defining Success This week, Josh takes us back to Danielle’s interview with Dominic Moore-Dunson. Josh chose this episode because it brought to light problematic areas in our industry. On this episode, our hosts talk about safety leading into Danielle’s engaging conversation with Dominic Moore-Dunson. Dominic share…

NBL Rewind: Bill Blagg: An Overnight Success On this week’s NBL Rewind, host Kevin Maynard re-shares his conversation with Bill Blagg. Kevin chose this conversation for the great content on the business of show business and for all of the laughs. He believes this episode is a great reminder of all the friendships we build in this industry. This wee…

NBL Rewind: Sarah McCarthy: Trust Your Intuition On this week's NBL Rewind, host Katie Miller shares her conversation with Sarah McCarthy. Katie chose this conversation because it inspired her and asks you to listen and reflect on Sarah’s advice of trusting your intuition, taking chances, and following what feels right to you. On this episode, Kati…

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Ep. 85 Pod Squad: Time for Mental Health This week’s episode is short, but very honest. The Pod Squad is opening up about their mental health and taking some time off. Don’t worry though! We are re-releasing some episodes that made us laugh and made us think. You can listen to those, or get caught up on our extensive back catalogue. Take care frien…

Ep. 84 Jorge Casco: From Handcuffs to Cufflinks This week Kevin plays a game of Gen-Z Slang with his fellow hosts before he shares his in-depth conversation with Jorge Casco. Jorge shares his turbulent start in the arts, how the arts can save lives, the power of an individual, and reminds us that we are all loved. Jorge Casco is the Executive Direc…

Ep. 83 Lauren Jelencovich: Stay Present and Be Yourself Bryan sits down with Lauren Jelencovich to talk about her impressive career. Lauren shares her journey from winning Star Search to attending the Manhattan School of Music to touring with Yanni as his featured vocalist for 13 years. Our hosts share phone calls that changed their lives and the i…

WE'RE BACK!! This week we break down the season 4 finale "Unidentified Flying Leonardo". We talk about the finale episode of our long road of season 4 as Leo goes to upstate New York and is mistaken for an alien. And the villain of this episode wants to make the vegetables much larger to disrupt the eco system.…

Ep. 82 David Alpert: Find the Solution Katie sits down with a former fellow Michigander, David Alpert, to talk all things Broadway. David shares his journey from wanting to be a theatre director in 5th grade to directing on Broadway. Katie and David talk about the impact of their local theatre scene growing up, the different roles on a Broadway dir…

Ep. 81 Mark Morris and Nancy Umanoff: Dance. Music. Community. Our hosts spend this week thinking about what they thought they would be when they grew up. Josh and Kevin share their conversation with Mark Morris, who the New York Times called, “the most successful and influential choreographer alive, and indisputably the most musical” and Nancy Uma…

Ep. 80 Merrill Miller: Be a Sponge This week we start with video games that taught us something before Bryan and Josh sit down with fellow presenter, Merrill Miller. Merrill shares his journey from booking his high school band gigs to booking bands at the North Shore Center. He talks about the challenges of booking a venue so close to Chicago, what…

Ep. 79 Jeeyoon Kim: A Degree Doesn’t Guarantee Anything Our hosts start this week’s episode talking about changing traditions. Bryan shares his conversation with award-winning performer, Jeeyoon Kim. Jeeyoon shares how and why she is challenging the traditions of classical music, her unique start in Korea with playing the piano, and the challenges …

Ep. 78 Sarah Saltwick: Bring Your Whole Self This week, Danielle and Katie share their conversation with the powerhouse that is Sarah Saltwick. They dig into taking ownership of Holden & Arts, managing the agency with three leaders, and what running an agency entails. Sarah also shares how she got started in the industry, how she continues to get i…

Ep. 77 John Ernesto: Take Care of the Artist, Take Care of the Fans To start this episode our hosts discuss the artist they presented that created that surreal moment of “I can’t believe this is happening”. Bryan and John discuss the origin of the Berks Jazz Fest and its subsequent development. His theory on taking care of the artist and the fans a…

Ep. 76 Jenny Sirota and Didi Perez: Be Confident, Stay Educated, and Stay Flexible Our hosts share their choices for “live on stage” adaptations before Josh shares his conversation with Jenny and Didi. They share their incredible journey in starting RoadCo in collaboration with Sony Music Entertainment. This honest conversation shares the ins and o…

Ep. 75 Joshua Heim: Embed Art in Your Community This week Katie and Kevin sit down with Joshua Heim to talk equity, Western Arts Alliance, the state of the arts and more. Josh shares his journey in the arts, Hula as a lifestyle, working with and for constituents, and the role of the arts in communities. Our hosts this week share awkward meetings an…

Ep. 74 Ally Haynes-Hamblin: Trust Yourself and Go with the Flow Our hosts share just some of the many influential women in their lives. Danielle sits down with another influential woman in our lives, Ally Haynes-Hamblin. Ally shares her lineage in the arts, the challenging role of being a "fixer,” her leadership style and philosophy, and how to get…

Ep. 73 Jim Lenz: Transparency Leads to Trust Our hosts share their dreams on what they would do with an abandoned mall before our guest Jim Lenz joins Josh for a conversation. Jim shares his love for live music, booking artists into venues in high school, importance of artists taking control of their marketing, and changes in PAC rock shows over th…

Ep. 72 David Rowell: Inspiring the Next Generation Our hosts talk about times they said, “never again,” and then totally did again. This week Bryan sits down with David Rowell, an amazing educator and mentor in the industry. David shares his introduction to the arts, clown ministry, his incredible career, opening performance venues, and teaching th…

Ep. 71 The Okee Dokee Brothers: Being Connected to Families is an Honor Before we kick-off this week’s interview the Pod Squad gives their opinion on camping, and the team congrats Josh on his appointment to the board of NAPAMA (https://www.napama.org/). The Okee Dokee Brothers join the podcast to be interviewed by their number one grownup fan, Kat…

Ep. 70 Sarah Rogers: The Scariest Things Are the Most Rewarding Our hosts talk about big professional risks and this week Kevin shares his conversation with Sarah Rogers. Sarah shares her early introduction to the arts, her introduction to being an agent, the challenges of touring major dance pieces and more. Sarah also shares the importance of men…

Ep. 69 Dan Talmi: The Art of Rebranding Our hosts talk about “pandemic pivots,” before Josh’s engaging conversation with Dan Talmi. Dan Talmi shares his almost reluctant start in the family business, overseeing an impressive rebrand amid global conflict, the evolution of marketing, merchandising as an experience, and so much more. Our hosts continu…

Ep. 68 Jared Freiburg: Roll With the Punches and Treat People With Respect The Pod Squad talks who they would play in a biopic, with varying levels of seriousness. This week Katie talks with Jared Freiburg, who “can play like a mother”, about his incredible and short (but still unfolding) career. Jared shares how he started working in the touring i…

Ep. 67 Dena Blizzard: Learn Your Craft, Be Funny Our hosts share embarrassing moments before Bryan and Josh share their conversation with comedian Dena Blizzard. Dena tells her story of being a comic, creating an off-Broadway show, and eventually creating a multi-media company, starting with her unique approach to marketing. Dena shares funny stori…

Ep. 66 Pam Komar: Mindful Service This week Katie shares her conversation with friend of the podcast Pam Komar of the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust. They discuss the power of embracing change, how to focus on wellness and taking care of yourself, and how particular programming areas are avenues to connecting with disengaged audiences. Pam also shares t…

Ep. 65 Wone Vang: Never Give Up on Your Stupid Stupid Dreams Kevin tries out his old-timey radio voice before sitting down with Wone Vang. Wone shares the struggle of being a full-time artist and full-time employee, the Guaranteed Income Program she is managing for Springboard for the Arts, and the importance of pay equity. Our hosts talk about the…

Ep. 64 Micah Christian: A Process Unfolding This week Bryan sits down with the lead vocalist of Sons of Serendip, Micah Christian. Micah opens up about his journey into creating music, learning to not compare himself to others, life on the road, and more. Meanwhile, our hosts have a rousing conversation about ringtones and ring backs, Bryan effecti…

Ep. 63 It’s a New Years’ Spectacular! … with Guests! The holiday season is busy and filled with surprises just like this episode! Three guests + 5 hosts = 1 fun filled episode! We’d like to thank our guests Christine Cox, Tracie Lawie, and Barron Ryan for closing out the year with us with some games and some resolutions. Thank you for listening thi…

Ep. 62 Sara Barasch: It Doesn’t Have to be Perfect Katie connects with friend of the pod, Sara Barasch. Katie and Sara dive into industry hot topics including block booking, the booking cycle, how to connect with venues/buyers, and how a childhood of dance and musical theatre led her to becoming an agent. Our hosts talk about pivotal show moments i…

Ep. 61 Devin and Lolita Walker: Know Your Worth This week our hosts kick off the conversation discussing being in business with family. This week Danielle sits down with the powerhouse couple Devin and Lolita Walker. Danielle, Devin, and Lolita talk in-depth about being business owners, the lives of teaching artists, and the need for advocacy aroun…

Ep. 60 Barron Ryan: The Evidence of Beauty This week our hosts guide you in creating your own mission statement, and share a bit about their own. Kevin sits down with the effortlessly cool Barron Ryan, to talk about how he got started, his creative process, being named one of Smithsonian's Top Innovators to watch in 2021, and his new book, Honey, I…

Ep 59 Kevin Maynard: People Come First Bryan and Josh host our final Interpodsquad interview with the incomparable Kevin Maynard. We learn about Kevin’s surprising (but unsurprisingly wholesome) first foray into live performance, how his business and accounting background gave him a firm foundation as an arts leader, and Kevin’s philosophies around…

Ep. 58 Pumpkin Pie Episode: The Lightning Rounds at MAX It’s Pumpkin Pie Week! This week the “Quad” Producers are kicking back and taking it easy with family and friends and what better to release than our final episode from our time with all our friends at the Midwest Arts Expo. Thank you to everyone who sat down with us in our booth. As an added …

Ep. 57 Karra Beach: Calling the Cues Our hosts start out sharing the difficulties of working in the performing arts and why they have all had thoughts of leaving, and the brighter side of why they don’t and why they love what they do. Josh spends time catching up with an old friend, Karra Beach. They talk about her journey in and outside of the ind…

Ep. 56 Sara Morgulis: Accessibility Isn’t a Checklist Danielle and Katie take time this week to talk with Sara Morgulis about theatre for young audience. Sara talks about what TYA/USA does, the organizations growth, her clear passion for accessibility in the arts, advocating for teaching artists, and so much more. Our hosts share the core tenets of…

This week we break down the episode "The Foot Soldiers are Revolting". We get introduced to Alpha-1 as he takes over the Technodrome and plan to put the entire Earth's population in there instead. Also, this episode is plagued with a lot of animation and logic errors. Not one of the finest honestly. Jason and Anna give their review of Mutant Mayhem…

Ep. 55 Simon Shaw: Make Friends, Don’t Be an A**hole This week's interview is a long-time in the making as Katie and Kevin sit down with good friend of the podcast, Simon Shaw. Simon shares his journey in the arts that took him from the UK to the United States and from being a promotor to founding an agency. He also shares the new challenges of boo…

Ep. 54 Caroline Neyman: Change is Inevitable Our hosts remember moments their colleagues did something kind for them or made them feel special. Katie spends some time sitting down with her friend Caroline Neyman. Caroline talks about being at a performance venue from the ground up, imposter syndrome, being a parent in the arts industry, and more. C…

Ep. 53: It’s an Anniversary Episode! It’s been a full year of episodes and this week the “Quad” Producers took some time to celebrate this major milestone and look back on 52 weeks of episodes. Thanks for all of your support and we are looking forward to another year of laughter and learning. Follow us on social media and let us know your thoughts …

Ep. 52: Live From Our Booth at MAX Part 2 We are back with the rest of booth interview from MAX! The team spent three days in the Exhibit Hall at the Midwest Arts Expo, and while we weren’t talking to agents in their booths, we were talking to people in ours! This episode features 19 interviews! Included in this episode: Robert Baird, Jackie Banks-…

This week we break down the episode "Big Bug Blunder". A bug titled episode without Baxter Stockman! We finally get a return of Shredder and Krang as they send giant bugs to New York to fight. Jason also recaps his adventures at Dragon Con this year and thanks everyone who made it to out panel. This week's news items: Mutant Mayhem Wave 2 figures a…

Ep. 51: Live From Our Booth at MAX Part 1 How do celebrate a successful first time exhibiting? With a jam-packed episode of mini-interviews! The team spent three days in the Exhibit Hall at the Midwest Arts Expo, and while we weren’t talking to agents in their booths, we were talking to people in ours! This episode features 21 interviews! Included …

Ep. 50 Peter Palermo: Be Okay with What You Don’t Know This week Josh sits down with Peter Palermo at his venue The Sheldon. Peter talks about his journey to wanting to be an actor to production management to running a venue. He shares his approach to programing and the “Palermo Spice”, the unique and sometimes uncertain environment of working on a…

Ep. 49 Katie Trzaska-Miller: Creating Connections Danielle and Kevin continue our special series of interviewing members of our team, and this week we learn about our fellow host, Katie Miller. After a quick game of “How Pure Michigan is She?,” Katie shares her origin story starting as a dancer at a young age and eventually maintaining and managing…

This week we break down the episode "Beyond the Donatello Nebula". Donatello is determined to find turtle aliens, forgetting that he found them in an earlier episode. In this episode we get to meet Algie, an alien lizard that can transform into different things and have mind powers. We also go into what we did over the break and the TMNT trivia con…

Ep. 48 Tara Bailey: Take Less Crap from People On this episode Danielle sits down with a friend of the pod, Tara Bailey. We learn how the Grateful Dead and planning underground parties led to a career in the arts. Through Tara’s story we learn about the challenges of visas, the differences in the arts between Canada and the US, the importance of co…

Ep. 47 Bill Blagg: An Overnight Success This week Kevin sits down with his friend and magician, Bill Blagg. With Bill’s help, Kevin shares some of the lingo from the magic world with our fellow hosts. Bill shares his lifelong journey to where he is now, the importance of hard work, how seeing his first Broadway show changed everything, and really h…

Ep. 46 Bryan Zellmer: Don’t Be Afraid to Show Your Silliness In this episode we continue our special series of interviewing members of our team, and this week Katie and Josh sit down with Bryan. Bryan shares his journey from marketing director to arts admin, how his programming style has shifted as our ecosystem changes, the pitfalls of “quality” a…

Ep. 45 How We Conference! We are fast approaching conference season, and in the episode our hosts talk about their approach to conferencing. Choosing your conference, what to do before you attend, while you are there, and even following up. They even cover some tips on what to pack so you are prepared! You can find highlights, advice, and links in …

Ep. 44 Ron DeStefano: Too Crazy to Make Up Josh and Danielle sit down with the ever engaging, Ron Destefano. Ron shares his journey in the industry starting with degrees in Music and Chemistry to performing full-time, to starting a management company. We even learn about his connection with Ariana Grande! Our hosts also discuss how important self-a…