S2E23: The Daydreams, Lavender Bones, and Community Organization

S2E23: The Daydreams, Lavender Bones, and Community Organization

Max Hatlem
Student Work

D.C. based author, screenwriter, and performer, Laura Hankin sits down to talk about the release of her book, The Daydreams. Laura discusses the excitement of launch events, the stimulating effect of writing in a coffee shop, exploring the mistreatment of early-2000’s female celebrities, and much more!

We continue the show with Em Moore, founder and Editor in Chief of Lavender Bones Literary Magazine. Em talks about the personal experiences that led them towards pursuing an education in psychology, running an independent literary magazine, and their love for creative non-fiction that deals with music.

Mutli-media artist Renaissance stops in to talk about the goals and daily activities of an independent organizer. Renaissance talks about working to heal and educate his community, taking inspiration from his mother’s community outreach efforts, and how organizing has further inspired his art.

S2E21: Culinary Arts, Second Chapters, and Broadcast Journalism

S2E21: Culinary Arts, Second Chapters, and Broadcast Journalism

Max Hatlem
Student Work

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.

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

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

Max Hatlem
Student Work

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.

S2E20: Scouting, Corporate Partnerships, and Rocket Science

S2E20: Scouting, Corporate Partnerships, and Rocket Science

Max Hatlem
Student Work

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.

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

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

Max Hatlem
Student Work

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.

S2E18: Chemistry, Animation, and the Queer DJ Scene

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.

S2E17: Composition, Food & Italy, and Idol Dancing

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.

S2E15: Bandwagon

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.

S2E16: Greenhouses, Macadamias, and Investigative Journalism

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.

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

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.

S2E14: Photojournalism, Rap, and Promos

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.

S2E12: Shrines, Food Pantries, and Queer Journalism

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.

S2E11: Oops! All Songwriting!

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.

S2E9: Film, AustinTalks, and DJ'ing

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.

S2E10: Videography, Music Criticism, and Education

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.

S2E8: Hip Hop, Printmaking, and Playwriting

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.

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

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.

S2E5: Blogs, Selling Salads, and Acting

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.

S2E6: Film Production, Photojournalism, and Weddings

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.

S2E4: Farm Life, Art, and Music

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.

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