Stuck In Your Stereo

From Kendall College here in Chicago, James Morgan sits down to talk about culinary school. James discusses the factors that led to him studying at Kendall. And he educates us on food waste and food sustainability while offering suggestions to combat these issues.

Kari Lyles-Whittaker started 2nd Chapter Consulting LLC after the unexpected death of her husband. After navigating such a difficult tragedy, Kari was driven to help others with similar experiences. She talks about her work as a consultant and straddling the line between financial advisor and grief counselor.

Journalist and TV host Brandon Pope shares how he stumbled into the world of journalism and fell in love with storytelling. We ask about the pieces he’s most proud of, balancing the different roles Brandon takes on, and the daily tasks that face a journalist and TV producer.

Jan 20

Jan 20 S2E22: Sketch Comedy, Music Journalism, and Jada's Journey

The one and only Shelby Steele sits down to talk about all things comedy. Shelby shares her origin story in which she discovered Columbia’s Comedy Writing and Performance program. We talk about taking inspiration from family and friends, Shelby’s love for sketch comedy, and the process of “becoming” a character.

Jaan Uhelszki is a co-founder of Creem Magazine and one of the first women rock journalists. Jaan shares stories from being backstage with KISS and provides rare insights about the band’s internal quarrels. And she talks about the “formidable will” it took to make it as a woman in rock journalism during the 60’s and 70’s.

Michelle Pyster started the non-profit organization Jada’s Journey after the passing of her daughter, Jada. Jada struggled with mental health issues as well as addiction. The experience led Michelle to start her non-profit and help other parents whose children are struggling with addiction.

Jan 13

Jan 13 S2E20: Scouting, Corporate Partnerships, and Rocket Science

Our first guest today talks about their three-year experience with the boy scout organization. We discuss camping, rafting, knot tying, encountering animals in the woods at night, and much more!

Tom White has worked for a number of sports teams including the Chicago Bears and Detroit Lions, and he currently works as the Senior Director of Corporate Partnerships for the Cleveland Browns. We talk about Tom’s lucky break that led him into this niche career path.

Gage is a junior at USC and an astronautical engineering intern at Lockheed Martin. Gage educates us on the difference between aerospace and astronautical engineering and explains why the latter is the cooler of the two. We continue the conversation with Gage detailing some of the specific tasks for an astronautical engineer.

Jan 13

Jan 13 S2E19: Local Politics, True Groovy Media, and Karl of All Trades

This episode kicks off with Victoria Pelletier, City Counselor from Portland, ME. Victoria talks about working at the local government level, the challenges of taking office during the pandemic, and using social media to be more accessible and collaborative with her constituents.

Jackson Arbogast is a Chicago-based composer, producer, guitarist, entrepreneur, and promoter. We ask him about getting started in music, running his own record label, and producing music for himself as well as friends and clients.

Columbia College Chicago alumni and professor Karl El Sokhn stops in to discuss working in and teaching film. Karl talks about the accidental way he found teaching through his graduate student instructor position. And later, Karl gets philosophical about the relationship between teaching and learning.

Jan 6

Jan 6 S2E18: Chemistry, Animation, and the Queer DJ Scene

In our first segment today, Scott sits down with product development chemist Mira Stevens to learn about the work of creating home cleaning products. Mira shares her knowledge on ‘scale up’, developing products from scratch, and marketing tricks in the home cleaning industry.

Quinn chats with his friend Mason (MasonJamez on YouTube), an animator! Mason talks about the Lego stop-motion creators that got him excited about animation. He goes into the workflow of animation and the difficulties of making any longer piece of work in the medium.

Stick around for our conversation with house music DJ Jesse Mercado. We hear about Jesse’s origin in the queer DJ scene dating back to 2007. Jesse gives insight to the changes in the scene over the years including the shifts in diversity amongst Chicago DJ’s and shares some of the best clubs in the city for house music.

Jan 6

Jan 6 S2E17: Composition, Food & Italy, and Idol Dancing

We kick off this week’s episode with one of our favorite topics: music! Cristina Delarosa, composition major at University of Miami, stops by to talk about the evolution of her journey in composing music, her band Melao, and changing course from veterinary school to pursue her love of music.

Emily Slaven from UW Madison is here to tell us about her culture shock experience in Milan, Italy. And since Emily is a foodie, we wanted to hear about what she has been eating and enjoying as of late. Lastly, we had to ask about Emily’s entrepreneurial efforts with her very own cookie company, Cravin’ Slaven!

In our last segment, Jed Brewer stops in to explain “idol dancing”, and we dig deeper into Jed’s hobbies with a discussion of cosplay and how the two are related. Jed shares the experience of making their way in this niche performance scene and previews plans for the future.

Dec 16

Dec 16 S2E15: Bandwagon

Today’s guest, Stephen Ryan, talks about balancing time between performing with four different bands and three ensembles. And, he explains why performing alongside other musicians is the most fulfilling aspect of the live experience.

In our next segment, we sit down with members of Chicago indie-rock band, Aisle Five. Malcolm Felicia (guitar) and Izzie Rutledge (vocals) talk about the band’s inception, collaborative writing style, energetic live shows, and the process of naming their debut release, Emergency Mood Ring.

From Chicago hip hop / jazz fusion band, Grassman, Aliana Chambliss (vocals) and Devin Collins (vocals) sit down to talk about how their band came together, performing their first ever live show at The Metro, and the unconventional naming of Grassman.

Dec 16

Dec 16 S2E16: Greenhouses, Macadamias, and Investigative Journalism

Today, we speak with Eliza Travisano, retail manager at the Danielson, CT, Logee’s Greenhouse. We discuss the difficulties of growing rare tropical plants in the cold Connecticut climate. Eliza offers advice on dorm-room starter plants, shares stories from Martha Stewart’s appearances at Logee’s, and more!

Jean-Paulo Leva is a macadamia farmer from Brazil who has been working in the profession for almost forty years. He talks about his farm, renting land to sugar-cane farmers, and the ups and downs of the macadamia business.

Investigative Editor at Gannet and Adjunct Columbia College Chicago professor, Sam Roe, calls in to talk about the origins of his journalism career, finding an ethical approach to his career, and missteps that became important learning experiences.

Dec 9

Dec 9 S2E13: The Eras Tour, Photography, and Creating Musical Resources

We kick off today’s episode with Taylor Swift super-fan, Krystyna Cooney. Krystyna talks about the attributes that make Taylor a unique artist, walks us through getting tickets as well as her tips for attending large concerts, and explains how her TikTok became an outlet for her fandom.

Viola is a Columbia College freshman majoring in photography. She talks about expressing love to close friends and family through photography, the tension in posed photos, and the importance of connecting emotionally with a subject.

In today’s last interview, we hear from Hip Hop artist Life of Cuzzi. He discusses how his alter-ego has changed his personality and given him confidence. Then, he shares the story of how he started a club for music production at his former high school.

Dec 9

Dec 9 S2E14: Photojournalism, Rap, and Promos

In this episode, we sit down with Bianca Kreusel to talk about all things photography. Bianca explains how she stumbled into photography and how her interest in political justice led her to pursue documentary-style photojournalism.

Next, we hear from Divo, a musical artist, producer, and label owner. Divo describes the long road towards putting together a live event for the first time and recording that performance, and we ask him about his Columbia College bucket list.

Our final segment for this show features George Korn. We discuss George’s path from an artist to a promoter in the underground music scene. He shares some of his methods and frustrations with creating social media promotions.

Dec 2

Dec 2 S2E12: Shrines, Food Pantries, and Queer Journalism

Today’s first guest is Emma Bloom who joins us for a discussion of spirituality and religion. Emma clears up some of the misconceptions about shrine building, talks about her love for Adlerian psychology, and speaks on finding religion and spirituality later in life.

Our next segment features Sister Jeanean Othman, director and co-founder of the Mosque Foundation Community Food Pantry. Sister Jeanean talks about the many ways in which her pantry was able to support families in need during the Covid-19 pandemic and highlights some of the organization’s generous supporters.

Stay tuned for today’s last segment with Denny Patterson, a staff writer for OutClique Magazine, Out Front Magazine, and AdVantage News. Denny has made a career in celebrity interviews with a focus on LGBTQIA+ personalities and issues. Denny shares some of his experiences and career advice with the Stuck in your Stereo audience.

Dec 2

Dec 2 S2E11: Oops! All Songwriting!

On this episode, Josh Trimarco, a music composer, talks about the difficulties of pursuing a career in music, the differences between composing, orchestrating, and conducting, and accepting support from peers.

Mark Sunshine, singer of the band, Riot God, joins us to talk about some of his formative experiences in music, like teaching himself to sing. Mark goes into detail on finding inspiration for lyrics in history, sci-fi films, and strange personal incidence.

Our last interview for this episode features independent musician June Henry. June talks about his spontaneous writing process, the influence of ADHD on his music, playing the cello, and creating despite struggling with chronic pain.

Nov 25

Nov 25 S2E10: Videography, Music Criticism, and Education

Today’s episode features Marco Ortiz, a photographer, videographer, and storyteller. Marco shares the steps he has taken to improve his skills, describes the role of a colorist in photo and video production, and talks about working as a freelance photographer.

Next, we talk to Greg Kot, music critic, biographical writer, and co-host of Sound Opinions. Greg talks about the self-published fan zine that opened the door for professional music criticism, his early career experience of seeing David Bowie perform with Iggy Pop, and his ongoing enthusiasm for music.

Our last guest for today is Jada Bucy, a junior education major at Ohio State University. She shares her own experiences as a high school student that led her towards a career in secondary education. Jada also talks about her personal pedagogy and goals as a future teacher.

Oct 28

Oct 28 S2E2: Journalism, Meditation, and Comedy

Today’s first guest is Olivia Cohen, editor in chief at the Columbia Chronicle. Olivia talks about being inspired by her brother’s highschool sports reporting, working alongside her professors for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, reporting on Columbia College Chicago’s financial health, and her upcoming internship with Bloomberg.

Part two of this episode features Gavin Lipinski, a freshman at Columbia College Chicago who discovered spirituality through meditation. Gavin speaks about discovering meditation through therapy, his personal philosophy, introspection during quarantine, the merit of mental health apps, and body scanning.

Our third interview features Grace Velopee. She details her path from growing up in musical theater to majoring in comedy. Grace talks about the SNL alums who inspired her, making fun of herself, dealing with criticism in the industry, and more!

Oct 28

Oct 28 S2E1: La La Land, Returning Students, and Creative Writing

On today’s show, we hear from acting major Miranda Starke. Miranda talks about her stage combat training, the influence of a rural upbringing on creativity, satirizing religion in a story about grief, traveling to New York and overseas, and her favorite film, La La Land.

In our second segment, Joseph Murray, returning student and former production director at WCRX, talks about graduating for the second time, the difficulties of finding a job in radio, coding bootcamps, growing up on pop-punk, and Ethiopian food.

Stay tuned for our final segment in which President of Columbia’s Creative Writing Club, Willow “Reaper” Vinkler, speaks about the freedom in writing, hidden details in her stories, getting published in Mystic Owl Magazine, the importance of independent magazines, and her goals for the writing club.

Aug 15

Aug 15 Ep 18: Puppies, Medical School, and Hip Hop Hardships

For our last episode of Stuck In Your Stereo, Koda Calma and Dylan Case speak to Isabella Calma. She shares what it’s like being the pet mom of a wonderful Australian Sheppard and how a spur of the moment decision brough up some nostalgia and created a lot of joy.

Then, Zayd Hussein and Tacco Mills interview medical student Ricky about his experience at college and the work behind getting to graduation. Ricky too shares the joy he found at medical school and what inspired him to go for it in the first place.

Last, Henry Klapper, Will French, and Estin Novak talk with Tanji Hawkins aka T Star Verse. They discuss her career as a musician and what hip hop means to her. She also shares how doing pageants as a child led the way to her rap career and how she continued her journey after being diagnosed with vocal nodes. Check out her music here!

Aug 15

Aug 15 Ep 17: Climbing, Creativity, and Columbia

For our interviews today, we hear Dylan Catherine speak with Columbia College acting major Bernie Wesley. Wesley shares some of his recent works including Playwrights Aloud and Hooded or Being Black for Dummies. We also hear about his hobby outside of school: rock climbing!

Next, Shani Rosen talks with Stewart Arp, music artist and lead singer of Zorila. Arp shares his start with joining choir to impress a girl and how his band came to be. He also explains some personal stories that inspire his music and his favorite songs the band created. Listen to Zorila here and Stewart Arp’s music here!

Lastly, Zach Kolbus and Dylan Field meet Luke Fletcher to discuss his decision to come to Columbia College and how he fell in love with photography. Fletcher also shares where his passion for DJ-ing came from dropping a pottery class.

Aug 15

Aug 15 Ep 16: Second City, Gap Years, and Manifest

Today’s episode features Will French and Henry Klapper meeting with stand-up and sketch comedian Tommy Koch. We hear more in detail about his experience in the Comedy Studies Semester at Second City and how his group practices patience, collaboration, and compromise. Follow him @tommy.koch and his sketch team @bootcupsketch on Instagram!

Then, Mia Hillyer talks with graphic design major and Chicago local Kate Lawler and fashion studies major Alexis Sharpf. They share their reasoning and experience with taking a gap year before attending college and the personal feelings and conflicts when leaving their hometowns.

Lastly, Rhine Schaub and Alejandro Bolanos interview upcoming rapper T Star Verse. She shares her rap journey since the age of twelve and the excitement she has as a Manifest performer. Verse also explores her differences from other creatives and her message as an artist. Follow her on social media @Tstarverse and listen to her music here!

Aug 9

Aug 9 Ep 15: Recognition, Management, and Support