Elation Podcast

Juwan Johnson is a tight end for the New Orleans Saints who has built his NFL career through perseverance, adaptability, and an unwavering commitment to his team. We sat down with Juwan to talk about his journey from New Jersey to the NFL, how playing multiple sports shaped his athletic career, and what it's really like competing at the highest level of professional football while balancing li...

Will Clapp is a former NFL offensive lineman for the New Orleans Saints, Los Angeles Chargers, and Buffalo Bills who now serves as an assistant offensive line coach for the Saints. We sit down with Will to talk about his journey from Brother Martin High School to LSU and the NFL, what it was like playing for his hometown team, and how an injury unexpectedly opened the door to coaching. He also sha...

Michael Paz is a New Orleans music producer and artist manager whose career has taken him from performing and producing music to managing artists, producing records, and working behind the scenes with some of the biggest names in entertainment. We sat down with Michael to explore the experiences that shaped his journey, from growing up overseas and becoming a self-taught musician to building a car...

Cesar Bacaro is a musician and app co-founder from Cuba. We sat down with Cesar to talk about his journey from growing up in a Cuban musical family to becoming part of New Orleans’ vibrant music scene. From traditional Cuban rhythms and jazz influences to the deep cultural connection between Cuba and New Orleans, Cesar shares how music shaped his life and led him to build relationships within one...

Sami Slovy is a production manager and event producer in New Orleans. We sit down with Sami to talk about her journey from moving to New Orleans for college to building a career in live music, festival production, and touring. She shares stories from life on the road, managing everything from arena tours to international festivals, and breaks down the chaos, creativity, and problem-solving that co...

Ryan Chavez is a Managing Partner at Imprinted Group. We sit down with Ryan to break down his journey from working in music venues and launching festivals like Hangout Fest to building a venture studio focused on solving real problems in the music and entertainment industry. We get into how Imprinted Group was created, why the industry is still behind in adopting modern tools, and how his team is...

Jessica Weinberg is the owner of Catch 504, a New Orleans-based music booking company. We talk with Jessica about her journey from moving to New Orleans straight out of college to working with the Saints and Pelicans, where she quickly rose into a live entertainment role managing hundreds of performances. She shares what it was like stepping into a city with such a deep music culture, how she lear...

Conway Solomon is a CEO & Co-Founder of WRSTBND. We sit down with Conway to break down how his New Orleans roots and early experiences in live event production led to building a company that’s transforming how festivals, sporting events, and large-scale experiences operate behind the scenes. We get into the origin of WRSTBND, why existing tech solutions weren’t cutting it, and how his team bui...

Dr. Peggy Honoré is the Board President of the New Orleans Musicians’ Clinic and Assistance Foundation, and Gregg Hill is a New Orleans-based artist. We sit down with both of them to talk about what it really takes to protect the people behind the music in a city built on culture. Dr. Peggy shares how her background in healthcare led her to advocate for musicians’ well-being, breaking down the rea...

Brian “Tank” Greenberg is the General Manager of Tipitina's, one of New Orleans’ most iconic live music venues. We sit down with Tank to break down his journey from a college student at Tulane University looking for extra work to leading a legendary stage that’s been shaping the city’s music culture for decades. He shares how a simple opportunity turned into a career, what it really means to r...

Hilary Saunders is the Managing Editor of No Depression and a Board Member of Folk Alliance International. We sit down with Hilary at the Folk Alliance Music Conference to talk about her journey from classically trained harpist to music journalist, and how she’s built a career centered around storytelling, roots music, and cultural impact. She shares how her work in publishing and her PhD in music...

Dee Carreon is an Industry & Engagement Strategist and a member of the Board of Directors for Folk Alliance International. We sat down with Dee live at the Folk Alliance Music Conference in New Orleans to talk about the real engine behind the music industry — operations, strategy, and artist rights. With a background spanning nonprofit leadership, higher education, consulting, and festival man...

Clayton Shelvin is the Executive Director of The Freight and a board member of Folk Alliance International. We sat down with Clayton live at the Folk Alliance Music Conference to talk about what it really takes to build a sustainable career in music. From growing up in Louisiana to running a 500-seat venue in San Francisco that produces 300 shows a year, Clayton breaks down the business side of ar...

Jennifer Roe is the Executive Director of Folk Alliance International, and she joins us to break down how one of the most unique music conferences in the world is reshaping the independent music community. We talk about the magic of turning hotel rooms into immersive performance spaces, creating a festival inside a single building where artists, industry leaders, and fans collide in real time. Fro...

Trey Smith is the Co-Founder and Chief Integration Officer of The Backline Company, and he joins us to break down what really happens behind the curtain of live music. From supplying drum kits and guitars to handling last-minute curveballs and high-pressure artist demands, Trey explains why backline is both deeply technical and intensely psychological. We talk about his journey from running DIY ho...

Billy O'Connell is an Artist Manager and Professor of Music Industry Studies at Loyola University, and he joins us to break down what it really takes to survive and thrive in the music business. From working rock clubs in New York at 16 to booking punk legends in LA and managing artists at Sire Records, Billy shares the real stories behind his rise and the hard-earned lessons that shaped his c...

Mike Mauer is the VP of Marketing, Data & Technology at Gate 52, and he joins us to break down his unconventional path through the music, live events, and festival industry. We talk about how early hands-on experience in venue operations and artist management shaped his understanding of live events, what led him to move to New Orleans on a leap of faith, and how stepping outside the music indu...

Tonya Boyd-Cannon is a singer-songwriter, artist, and educator whose journey is deeply rooted in New Orleans culture, legacy, and truth. We talk with Tonya about growing up as a preacher’s kid between Mississippi and the Lower Ninth Ward, finding her voice through gospel, jazz, and classical music, and pushing past early discouragement to build a lasting career. She shares stories from selling mus...

Stephane Wrembel is a musician, guitarist, composer, and teacher whose work is deeply rooted in the Django jazz tradition. We talk with Stephane about growing up in Fontainebleau, France, the birthplace of Impressionism and home to Django Reinhardt, and how being surrounded by Django’s legacy shaped his musical path. He shares his early classical piano training, the moment he discovered Django jaz...

Gregory Agid is a musician and the Executive Director of Second Line Arts Collective, and he joins us to talk about how a single summer at the Louis Armstrong Jazz Camp changed the trajectory of his life. Gregory shares his journey from moving to New Orleans at age 12 with no background in the city’s music culture to being mentored by legends and growing up alongside future icons like Jon Batiste...

Mia Borders is a New Orleans–based musician and the founder of Third Coast Entertainment, and she joins us to talk about her creative origin story, her relationship with guitar and songwriting, and how she found her lane as an artist at a young age. We dig into her early musical education, growing up Uptown, and how those formative experiences shaped the way she approaches music with confidence, i...

Gerard Longo is the founder and CEO of Underground Music Collective. We talk about what it really takes to build a creative platform with longevity, from being intentional with your time and energy to knowing when to say no, clearing distractions, and building a community that actually supports growth. Gerard shares why this past year has been the most impactful of his life and how focus, alignmen...

Fiona Bloom is the owner of The Bloom Effect, a one-stop shop agency helping artists build real momentum through marketing, branding, publicity, and global connections. We sat down with Fiona live at NOLA MusicCon at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Center to talk about her path from college radio DJ to internationally respected tastemaker, and how relationship-driven strategy fuels long-term a...

Robin Kindrick is the owner of Track Dat Sync, a full-service music licensing company, and she joins us live from NOLA MusiCon inside the Jazz & Heritage Center to talk about sync, strategy, and what it really takes to build a sustainable music career. We get into her journey from songwriting to licensing, how placements in TV, film, ads, and video games actually work, and why sync can be a po...

This special episode is a celebration of the moments that defined the Elation Podcast in 2025. We’re revisiting the conversations that made us laugh, think, reflect, and feel inspired — from creative breakthroughs and hard-earned lessons to unforgettable stories straight from the heart of the music and creative community. It’s a highlight reel of the energy, honesty, and passion that make Elation...