We have the pleasure of sharing the adventures of Saraswathi “Vani” Balgam --  from pioneering visual effects in India to founding her studio, Dancing Atoms, and mentoring future talents.  From her early beginnings in the visual effects industry in India, Vani's drive and curiosity propelled her into careers at Rhythm & Hues and DreamWorks. Vani founded Dancing Atoms, a boutique studio that focuses on representing India and Southeast Asia, with a vision for bringing culturally unique content to a global audience. Join us as she shares her adventures in trust and transitions from ..read more

I'm joined by the multitalented Mark Brymer, a creative entrepreneur with hands-on expertise in turning musical concepts into spectacular shows.  Mark brings a wealth of experience — from arranging a vast collection (400,000) of choral pieces with Hal Leonard to producing dazzling shows in theme parks. We’ll get a deeper look at his journey from high school passion to creating WOW! Entertainment and its creative team. Alongside his success, Mark's story is one of adaptation, learning, and consistent building.  Guest: Mark Brymer, President, Wow! Entertainment Working in New York City ..read more

Today's guest is a true pioneer in the burgeoning field of virtual reality theater: Deirdre V. Lyons.  She'll share her groundbreaking work in VR at the Ferryman Collective, such as her innovative productions like "Welcome to Respite" and "Gumball Dreams," and discuss the intricacies of producing entertainment ranging from films to webisodes.  Deirdre shares the challenges of onboarding audiences to VR experiences and the quest for viable business models in the VR space.  Deirdre also delves into her collaborative efforts with universities to demonstrate the potential of VR in t ..read more

In this conversation, we are joined by a long-time innovator and entrepreneur in talent management — Harry Abrams. At the venerable age of 88, Harry reflects on a career where passion eclipsed paychecks, taking a step into adventure from lawnmower manufacturing in Indiana and instead taking a gutsy $40/week step into the glitz and competitiveness of Hollywood talent agencies. After saying no to the storied William Morris Agency and yes to the illustrious MCA, Harry's journey has been anything but ordinary. Abrams not only grew his company to over 150 employees but also prided himself on nurtur ..read more

Mike Butera has gone on some intriguing journeys, connecting music performance passions, philosophy and sound studies, and tech in creating new musical instruments for regular people to get into music. He shares his path to launching Artiphon after years in academic circles, ways he learned how to market new devices and thrive with Kickstarter, and how the adventure is going so far as they get ready to release the Chorda in late 2023. Guest: Dr. Mike Butera, Founder & CEO, Artiphon Dr. Mike Butera is the founder & CEO of Artiphon, a music tech company designing smart instruments that a ..read more

Jason Kramer shares his journey to being an EMT during the AIDS Epidemic, LA Riots, and Northridge Earthquake to Fox Sports to KLOS and KCRW. He talks about the magic of Sunday nights, how he created and drove his own luck through persistent work, asking for opportunities, and taking on new challenges. He shares a bit of his experience being present during the inception of Billie Eilish, including being in the opening scene of her documentary and playing himself in three movies. Jason discusses his various creative pursuits, including photography, directing videos, and teaching. Guest: Jason K ..read more

Dominique Wu is a real leader in bringing together education and VR for regular people. She's created the XReality Pro program. She'll talk about what it's like to be an immigrant in the United States as a creative, a different story than we've had a lot of guests share. And she'll also talk about how an early out-of-body experience in some ways set the table for her to come into the virtual reality space and why she's so passionate about it. Sign up for XReality Prof if you'd like to connect with other people who are doing amazing things in VR. Guest: Dominique Wu, Founder, XReality Pro ..read more

Peter Kiesewalter creates at the divergent edge -- at the intersection of art and science. In this case, he's working at the edge of ecology and biology along with music and location-based entertainment with The Moth Project. It's a live experience in beautiful places with the stories of moths and their lives to music. Over his varied career in music, he has worked to keep evolving . . . from clarinet to klezmer to ABC News music to all sorts of arranging and composing. He shares his journey and invites us to think more expansively about what it means to create music, take risks, and grow over ..read more

Isaac Saldana leans on two core values: asking the right questions and humility. Along with a good friend, he launched several companies. And several failed -- until he launched SendGrid in 2009. After learning to hire up with strong CEOs, the company went public in 2018. Since then, he has gotten an Executive MBA, launched Joy Labs, and now is a few years into Memo, which launches with its first 200 users soon. He shares his stories of discovery of his passion through a nudge from his high school guidance counselor and all that he has learned along the way. Guest: Isaac Saldana, CEO, Memo Isa ..read more

Some guests have a LOT of gumption and energy to create new. Miki is releasing her first album now. But over time, she has launched new companies and created new spaces. Some of the road has been bumpy and some has developed whole new categories that help people's lives. Guest: Miki Agrawal, Co-founder and former CEO of THINX and founder of TUSHY and WILD Miki Agrawal is a serial entrepreneur, social innovator, and author. Renowned for her disruptive ventures in taboo categories, Agrawal challenges the status quo and drives cultural change. She is the founder of acclaimed social enterprises TU ..read more