In the heart of New York City lies a musical haven where veteran artists and aspiring musicians converge to hone their craft and build lasting connections. Join us as we delve into the vibrant community fostered by Funkadelic Studios, a cornerstone of NYC's music scene for over three decades. Building Community: Funkadelic Studios has cultivated a …

Get ready for an in-depth conversation with Shawn Setaro, a respected journalist, author, and podcast host known for his influential work in the hip-hop community. In this episode, we revisit the legacy of his podcast, 'The Cipher,' and delve into his book 'Complex Presents Dummy Boy: Tekashi 6IX9INE and the Nine Trey Gangsta Bloods.' Learn from Sh…

Former "The Voice" contestant and Memphis soul singer, Savannah Brister was kind enough to spend some time with me last year as we cackled (me) and cutely giggled (her) through sharing all the ins & outs of her wild experience on the hit reality TV show. And she held nothing back... What's in Store: The Audition Adventure: Savannah spills the tea o…

After wrapping up my first show at the legendary Bitter End, a visibly excited man rushed up onto the stage where I and my guitarist still stood. All he wanted was to take a picture of me wearing his sunglasses, a tradition he’d started amongst his favorite indie artists. That person was a guy named Mark McLaughlin, and unbeknownst to me, he had ju…

I'm guilty of it too... I've totally caught myself in a fantasy about how great it would be to sign with an indie label. In that fantasy, you're cared for, held in highest regard, and everyone at the label believes in your vision and knows how to execute it at a scale larger than you're currently capable of. But things don't always turn out that wa…

Every musician (especially their parents) has heard the classic "starving artist" trope, but there's someone on a mission to fix that. Meet Ryan McCurdy, a multi-hyphenate who amidst being a stellar actor+, musician+ is also a financial educator for artists. This conversation barely scratched the surface of all there is to discuss when it comes to …

No matter where my clients have found themselves on their music career journey, we've always arrived at that question... "...but what's my genre?" And no matter the answer I give, these musicians are hard pressed to let the world stop turning until they can properly classify themselves and neatly fold up the box they long to fit inside. That's why …

Shawn Setaro is a writer, reporter and podcaster who has conducted interviews with and covered stories about some of the most notable figures in music and specifically hip hop. His work includes writing and reporting for Complex Media podcast series about pivotal hip hop artists such as Complex Subject: Pop Smoke, Infamous: The Story of YNW Melly a…

Thanks to our late friend, producer Black Panther, I had heard the sounds of Maya Azucena on their song, "The Half" before I even had the honor of meeting her. Once that changed and I saw her perform, I was floored. She was an absolute force, and I had never seen or heard anyone do what she did on that stage. Since that day, Maya has become my ment…

Kavery Kaul is an award winning documentary director, writer, and producer, whose films have shown on television, in theaters and at film festivals including Telluride, Rotterdam and DOC NYC. Her most recent film, The Bengali, is a documentary that explores the ties between South Asians and African-Americans in the U.S. In this episode, Kavery spea…

I am absolutely (proudly) dating myself with this reference, but any millennial worth their salt will know that "Cheers" was the bar where everybody knows your name. In each and every episode, Norm was the character who got acknowledged at the entrance - not once, did he hobble down those stairs and not get noticed and greeted by all the patrons. W…

Jendra Jarnagin is a film, tv and commercial cinematographer whose projects have played at Sundance and Tribeca and have streamed on Hulu, and Paramount Plus. She also recently completed work on the Warner Brothers television show, East New York. But before working as a cinematographer, Jendra began her career as a gaffer and electrician. In this e…

Rebecca Seidel is a podcast producer, engineer and sound designer. She is lead producer for the company Goat Rodeo and lead engineer for the show Other Men Need Help. She has also spent some serious time considering the role that bridges play in our lives. In fact, over the past few years, Rebecca created a podcast series dedicated to exploring thi…

Virtual Productions are changing and expanding the ways in which films and media are made. But how can virtual productions expand the possibilities for creativity. And how accessible are these tools to independent creators? Earlier this year, the New York City Center for Media Education held a Virtual Production panel as part of the 2023 CME Winter…

Sometimes inexplicably, our relationships shift and a connection we once thought was solid can seemingly disintegrate overnight. Our music industry network is no exception to this rule of human experience, so what should you or even can you do to fix it? In this episode, we discuss how to remedy a potentially broken industry connection or if it’s e…

Is the evolving media landscape affecting how independent films are being made? Earlier this year, the New York City Center for Media Education held a panel to discuss the current and future state of independent film as part of the 2023 CME Winter Media Summit. The aim was to explore whether the changing media landscape and the seemingly endless su…

Jarrett DePasquale is a director and producer. His portfolio of commercials and branded content includes work for Ford, Wild Turkey, Coach, Lexus and the first-ever custom episode of the hit show Hot Ones, for Universal Pictures and DreamWorks Animation. But his path to directing wasn’t linear. Before directing and producing, Jarrett spent some for…

We've all been there - our dreaded day job running us ragged, any home-life responsibilities, family, friends, and then... music? And even once you get to music, there's so much unsexy work to do like metadata, registration, emails, oh my! That's why I'm so grateful to have Suz back on the show who was kind enough to share a bundle of ways we can s…

Jennifer Lee is a film and TV editor. You’ve seen some of her recent work if you’ve watched the 20th Century Studios comedy, Rosaline, the pilot for the Golden-Globe winning show, Ramy, or the The Fallout, which won the Grand Jury Prize at SXSW. But before Jennifer pivoted into film and tv editing, she worked as a comic book editor. Jenifer shares …

Have you ever wondered if you’re suffering from burn out? I know this phrase gets tossed around quite a bit in our industry to the point where it may feel like a casual occurrence, but today’s guest, Suz Paulinski shares why you should take heed and what signs to look for. She’s lived the life of burn out and thankfully found support to survive it …

WARNING: ADULT TOPICS I felt it was important to share what happened to me this week when I decided to take control of my sexual narrative by way of a risque photo shoot and then subsequently sharing the photos online. The photographer ultimately handled the situation and was extremely apologetic that my trust was violated in such a way, but it doe…

As an unsaturated space, musicians are criminally overlooking the opportunity that is being a guest on podcasts. As of December of 2022, there is an estimate of roughly 700K active podcasts in existence while *listenership is expected to exceed 160 million listeners in 2023 (buzzsprout). To put it into perspective, compare to YouTube which has over…

Elena Engel is an award-winning filmmaker, writer, and producer who has worked on projects with Warner Brothers, The Walt Disney Company, PBS, and The United Nations, among others. Years ago, she began collaborating with acclaimed actor and producer John Leguizamo on a film that would eventually become John Leguizamo Live at Rikers, premiering at t…

Queen Brené Brown is such an inspiration to us all. She has taught us about vulnerability, how to work through our shame, and live a joy-filled life. But when I first heard her concept around "Dress Rehearsing Tragedy" I felt like she was yelling at me! And that's why I couldn't help but bring you this message today because you just might need some…

Almost reaching 100K visitors each month on their website, Ghost Cult Magazine has just celebrated their 10th year in existence. The Editor-in-Chief, known as "Keefy" has been holding down the fort with respect, passion, integrity, and a healthy dose of anti-bullshit that any self-respecting east-coaster can appreciate. I'm grateful to consider Kee…

There is no doubt, a right and wrong way to build your network and subsequently promote your new music. The stakes are high AF when missteps are made because networking can so easily teeter on the verge of seeming desperate, selfish, or worse... spammy. In this episode, learn my unfiltered opinion on people contacting you out of the blue to listen …

How do you effectively direct, distribute and create an international promotional campaign for your independent film? Filmmaker and storyteller Sian-Pierre Regis figured it out with his documentary, Duty Free. The film explores the economic crisis for an aging population, ageism and the care crisis, but it is also a deeply personal story that exami…

CME Presents is a new podcast from the New York City Center for Media Education. CME Presents interviews digital creators and industry experts to understand how the films, media and digital experiences of our time are made. Investigate with CME how great digital stories are told, how tech is changing the way we create and much more. The creative sp…

Fame, thank you for being my champion. You loved and supported me even when I couldn't find a reason to love and support myself. I wish we could have had that lunch we always talked about. I wish I could have hugged you and told you how much you meant to me. May the memory of Fame Tehilla Chaya Cohen be a blessing to us always. --- Send in a voice …

"You should go be on American Idol!" We've all heard that from someone thinking they're giving us a compliment and a helpful tip. I've been there. And it used to infuriate me. But then I started seeing my so many of friends go on these shows and suddenly their careers were catapulted. So I started asking myself... should I go on one of these shows?…

I was just blocked online by a musician being a schmuck in the name of "increased engagement". You see, when "haters" comment on your post, the comment is believed to increase the activity of the post. But sometimes the people you think are "hating" are really just trying to save you from yourself because you've fallen victim to... *dun dun* Being …

Ever since I got back from my last minute trip to Los Angeles, I've been having a hard time staying motivated to do even the most menial tasks. That must mean that once again, Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) has come for me and I will be susceptible to it for the next several months. Also, Noodle just passed which has led to more "No Bones" days …

I don't know where I'd be without Backline.care. Backline.care matches musicians with mental healthcare professionals no matter where you're located or what your budget is. Not only that, their clinicians are all vetted to have knowledge of the music industry so you won't land yourself in situations with therapists telling you to just "get more sle…

Honey Larochelle is a true badass in every sense of the word as a recording artist, coach, healer, business owner, background vocalist, and friend. Tune in for a very special episode where we get down to all the nitty gritty about embracing your opportunity to change your life as soon as right now! Not only does she give us some amazing insight to …

Sometimes, showing up is the hardest part. I hope today's episode inspires you to take that first step... to give that 1% more... to keep your promise to yourself. "How would this look if it were simple?" Have a topic in mind or a question you'd like to submit? Send me a DM on Instagram at @millennialmusicianpod and I'll even give you a shout out o…

Pull up a chair for today's episode featuring an enthralling kibitz (chat) with one of my favorite people in existence, Kelsey Warren of Blak Emoji. Kelsey is not just a connoisseur of music's history, but he's practically an NYC legend in his own right. His music spans multiple genres with the linking thread of electronic, hence, coining his own g…

If you've arrived here from my newsletter, welcome! If you have no clue what I'm talking about, DM me on Instagram at @millennialmusicianpod to get on my email list. "Associated" has always been one of my favorite songs and I remember the moment the lightbulb went on over my head when writing it so many years ago. I'm proud that it's finally been r…

I practically needed to be *pulled away* (you'll see what I did there soon enough) from today's conversation with indie music superstar and TikTok bad ass, Diana Bidéa. I have been a fan of hers ever since I saw her rip shitty men to shreds on one of her famous PSA videos, but once I heard her music, there was no turning back. Diana has been a trai…

Today's guest is Diane Foy, a multi-passionate artist coach and creator of the Fans, Media, and Industry Attraction Method. As you'll hear in this episode, Diane has a very unique background that has given her the room to truly stretch her legs in the entertainment industry. What really threw me is she actually said, brace yourself... We don't need…

Every solution begets new problems, and the problem I've faced since moving to my beautiful, new apartment is the fact that I have missed my friends. Well, this week provided me the opportunity to see some of them: Tuesday: "Moulin Rouge" with my AMDA crew Wednesday: India Shawn at SOB's Thursday: Mishti & Silver Tooth Cactus at Arlene's Grocery Fr…

Whether you realize it or not, we all know Aaron Scott. The sAnger (yes, with a capital "A") has practically become as synonymous with the hit TV series, "Golden Girls" as the iconic and eternally cherished, Betty White was. Many people experience online virality from an impromptu phrase or even just a facial expression, but Aaron's voice paired so…

I still pinch myself when I think back on the miraculous events that went down the week I worked for Janelle frikkn Monáe. I am grateful beyond measure that I have this experience in my life arsenal and even more grateful to the people who were involved, including my *mom*! You'll also hear about how a comedy legend passed me the mic the other nigh…

"Spicy Calli" as I like to call her, is a renowned, Philly-based jazz-crossover vocalist who is full of charm, pizzazz, and plenty o' piss & vinegar. We had no idea what we were going to discuss on this interview so we just ended up talking about it all! No topic was off the table including the reason why she'll never hear "My Funny Valentine" the …

I look back on older photos of myself, maybe you have too, where my first thought is, "I would kill to be that size again." But I distinctly remember thinking I was fat even when those photos were taken! As Susan Powter would say, "STOP THE INSANITY!" In an industry where it seems like a "certain type" gets the advantage, sometimes it helps to hear…

Vanity metrics aren't inherently bad, but what we make them mean about us has gotten a little out of hand, dontchya think? In today's entirely unscripted episode, I let you in on what's happening with your brain when you place all your personal value in the hands of Follows, Likes, Plays, Subscribers, Views, and more. It's time we take back the con…

Rodney Flood has toured the US and Europe multiple times with artists like Todd Carey, Matt Simons, and The Reign of Kindo. On this episode, we discover just how many instruments Rodney can play, how to stand out in a crowd (sarcasm) and how to book paying gigs just by being awesome. Rodney is truly a mensch, and I can't wait to hear what he has in…

Has anyone ever asked you how the "music thing" is going? If you dread seeing your family during the holidays or running into a former high school classmate on the street because you just know they'll ask you that question, this is the episode for you. Brace yourself because in this show, I draw back the curtain on some of my music career journey. …

The scarcity mindset behind "Say 'yes' to every opportunity" can sometimes land you in hot water, especially when saying "yes" can make you a victim to the latest online scam. Believe it or not, there are a ton of scams aimed at musicians specifically, and I want you to learn to trust your gut. In this episode, I give you tips based on the latest s…

Batching content is like brushing your teeth as a kid - you never want to do it, but it's for your own good. But did you know there are different methods of batching, and you may have yet to find the one that works best for you? In this episode, we'll discuss the different types of batching, why batching sucks, and even the easiest (IMO) platforms …

Welcome to my podcast! After almost 2 years of people warning me about starting a podcast, I felt that at the very least, I could be another person with a vagina and a mic in her hand instead of these other schmucks that are clogging the airwaves. The cherry on top is that I get to help other musicians just like you and me to avoid the possible pit…