Stuck In Your Stereo

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

Max Hatlem

Student Work

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

Max Hatlem

Student Work

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

Max Hatlem

Student Work

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

Max Hatlem

Student Work

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

Max Hatlem

Student Work

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

Max Hatlem

Student Work

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

Max Hatlem

Student Work

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!

Max Hatlem

Student Work

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 S2E9: Film, AustinTalks, and DJ'ing

Max Hatlem

We kick off this episode with a conversation with Richard Montiel, a hip hop artist. Richard speaks about some of the past and current artists that have influenced his style, the possibilities of branching out beyond rap music, and the evolution of hip hop.

Our second segment features Braeden Long, a visual artist and photography major at Columbia College Chicago. We discuss Braeden’s influences in photo and film, capturing the isolated experience of starting college during the Covid-19 pandemic, and the process of film photography as well as printmaking.

Stick around for our conversation with Adjunct English professor at Columbia College Chicago, Christopher Bower. Chris talks about his involvement with The Curious Theatre Branch, where writers respond to plays with their own original work.

Nov 25

Nov 25 S2E10: Videography, Music Criticism, and Education

Max Hatlem

Student Work

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.

Nov 18

Nov 18 S2E8: Hip Hop, Printmaking, and Playwriting

Max Hatlem

We kick off this episode with a conversation with Richard Montiel, a hip hop artist. Richard speaks about some of the past and current artists that have influenced his style, the possibilities of branching out beyond rap music, and the evolution of hip hop.

Our second segment features Braeden Long, a visual artist and photography major at Columbia College Chicago. We discuss Braeden’s influences in photo and film, capturing the isolated experience of starting college during the Covid-19 pandemic, and the process of film photography as well as printmaking.

Stick around for our conversation with Adjunct English professor at Columbia College Chicago, Christopher Bower. Chris talks about his involvement with The Curious Theatre Branch, where writers respond to plays with their own original work.

Nov 18

Nov 18 S2E7: Theatre & History, the Punk Scene, and Australia

Max Hatlem

This episode features DePaul acting major, Juliet Jones. Julia talks about the path that led her to acting and musical theater, going down history rabbit holes on Wikipedia, composing just for the fun of it, and the problem with gate keeping in the film industry.

Part two of this episode features Nalla Belle AKA Fish. Nalla shares her experiences from the punk music scene in Chicago. She talks about the therapeutic aspects of performing heavy music, describes the visceral and seductive elements of her live shows, and goes into detail on the challenges of being a female artist in a male-dominated scene.

In our final segment for today, we hear from Domenica Goncalves. Domenica talks about her journey from growing up in Brazil, to moving to Australia at age twenty, to her most recent move to Chicago, her favorite place in the United States. Domenica discusses the cultural similarities and differences between the places she has lived and visited.

Nov 11

Nov 11 S2E5: Blogs, Selling Salads, and Acting

Max Hatlem

Today’s first guest is Proxoxie, a DJ, producer, radio host, and blogger. We talk to her about all of these topics and more, including capturing awkward expressions in photos, taking initiative to finish projects, being a woman in the male-dominated audio industry, and growing up amongst a diverse population in Dearborn, Michigan. Check out Proxoxie’s website here!

Next, we speak with actor and model Madelynn Grace Wierda. Madelynn shares the highs and lows of her on-set experiences, from modeling for a Nike commercial in Atlanta to raising script concerns on an unorganized production. We also discuss how Madelynn recharges with food and music in her downtime.

Stay tuned for our conversation with Bella Clarey, an acting major from Batavia, Illinois. We talk about being inspired by Disney channel actors at a young age, and Bella shares the story of getting her dream stage role in Mamma Mia!. We also discuss discovering new opportunities through Bella’s voice acting course.

Nov 11

Nov 11 S2E6: Film Production, Photojournalism, and Weddings

Max Hatlem

Our first guest on this episode is Simone Heim who studies documentary and creative writing at Columbia College Chicago. Simone talks about going to their first screening at just two months old and shares stories from a childhood spent in the film scene of Austin, Texas. They speak about pivoting from debate to journalism, and again, from journalism to creative non-fiction. They also talk about being inspired by their favorite college course, Women in the French New Wave.

In part two, we speak with Alina Paul-Castanoñ about photojournalism, learning under the instruction of the legendary John H. White, and the struggles of starting college during the pandemic. Alina also talks about her photo documentary on one of Chicago’s only female-fronted punk bands, Scarlet Demore.

In our final segment, Dasha Mattei, photography major, talks about dealing with difficult clients when photographing weddings, how modeling has influenced her aesthetic sense, and the best and worst love interests on Gilmore Girls.

Nov 4

Nov 4 S2E4: Farm Life, Art, and Music

Max Hatlem

In this episode, we hear from Julian Grubb, farmer and student. Julian shares his experience of growing up on his family’s hay farm in Wisconsin, tries to name all of the animals on the farm, and talks about some of his favorite and least favorite horses. He talks about daily routines, getting lost in the woods, and the good and bad of living on an isolated farm.

Our next segment features Chicago-based contemporary artist David Ruff. He speaks about how growing up in a small town in South Carolina shaped his creativity, his favorite mediums to work in, and his path from aspiring to professional artist. David also talks about how an Instagram competition helped him discover new and interesting subject matter and shares his concerns about the art industry.

Our final guest is Cassidy Pihera. Cassidy talks about all things music including learning new instruments, studying music business, her favorite concerts and performers, and the communal experience of live music.

Nov 4

Nov 4 S2E3: Instagram, Voice Acting, and Photographing Colorado

Max Hatlem

In this episode, we hear from Kerry Haslett, a sophomore at DePaul University. Kerry talks about transferring from St. Louis University, the fashion of Chicago, the evolution of her personal style, and finding happiness in self-expression. She also shares her thoughts on getting banned from Instagram Live and using social media for fun instead of promotion.

After that, we hear from voice actor Sam Carlson. Sam talks about how growing up with cartoons led to her love for voice over. She then shares her best Stitch impression, her experience of meeting Ryan Seacrest through WCRX, and some of the best live music concerts she has attended. Sam also talks about falling into the production side of audio and the anxieties that come with the job.

Stick around for our interview with Elizabeth Rymut. Hailing from Colorado, Elizabeth is a photojournalism major and the managing editor at the Columbia Chronicle. She speaks about her love for photographing western wildlife, the culture shock of moving to Chicago, her ideal travel destinations, and the movie that inspired her to become a photojournalist.

Oct 28

Oct 28 S2E2: Journalism, Meditation, and Comedy

Max Hatlem

Student Work

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

Max Hatlem

Student Work

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

Shelby Steele

Student Work

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!