At The Elephants with Rob Morris

Had a wonderful chat meeting and diving into the mind of Grey Grant. Gotta love that alliteration. They're an alliteration Girlie. Enjoy. Grey Grant, a composer and performer, discusses their journey as a trans non-binary person and their passion for music and theater. They talk about how they chose their name and their experiences in the music and theater industry. They also touch on the impo...

Katie was a blast to talk to! Love connecting with young new grads barreling into the business with blood, sweat, and tears. Enjoy. Summary Katie discusses her background, including her name, living in Princeton, and her love for sleep. She talks about her recent acting projects and her work at Princeton University. The conversation then delves into her decision to pursue acting and her experience...

Ivan Potter-Smith is back! we had the best conversation about Artificial Intelligence and the ways we think it will and has already effected art. GPT, Sora, free coloring books, 3d printing. It is all HERE! Enjoy. The conversation explores the impact of AI and 3D printing on the art industry. It discusses how AI is already replacing certain jobs in the art world, such as logo design, and how it ma...

It is INTERNATIONAL WEEK on AtE! PART 2 All the way from the Windy City of India! Ojas Jain shares insight into the Bollywood scene in Mumbai as he walks us through his choice not to join the family business but instead to study and pursue filmmaking education in America. How does that happen and why is he not in Los Angeles? Find out and you know it: Enjoy.

It is INTERNATIONAL WEEK on AtE! PART 1 Lighting majors unite! We covered the globe-trotting travels of Ms. Yuko Taniguchi from Japan across the sea, back, across the sea, AGAIN. The specific journey to lighting through a need for community and so much more. Enjoy.

Samantha in the house! Don't miss this great chat about the swing from Musical Theater to Opera to Editing! Enjoy. Samantha Richardson shares her background and experiences growing up in a fractured family. She discusses the dynamics of her parents' divorces and remarriages, as well as her relationship with her sister. Samantha reflects on the different coping mechanisms she and her sister...

Grant West discusses his background and journey into the film industry. He talks about growing up in North Carolina, his passion for making videos with friends, and his decision to pursue film in college. Initially interested in producing, he later discovered a love for design and directing. Grant also shares his thoughts on the role of a director and the importance of collaboration on a film set....

What a wonderful artist Ivan Potter-Smith is. Starting in the mountains of Asheville, we work our way to Winston-Salem where we find a quick chat with a visual artist that started passionate about comic books and landed painting scenes. Now he does all kinds of things and he feels great about that. Shouldn't we all. Enjoy.

Great episode today with classical vocal major: Bonnie Blackwell. We talk about the freedom to be happy, Moravian church, different experiences with singing as an art form, pursuing confidence through your work and much more. Fun Fact: Bonnie is an actual ray of sunshine. Enjoy.

(better watched on YT/Spotify than listened to) This year Steven and Rob hit up some massive alumni events at Lincoln Center in New York and in Winston-Salem for the first ever UNCSA Homecoming! Follow these stories in this special holiday episode of At The Elephants! For Rob's full breakdown of Homecoming: https://youtu.be/RRhK2j4YV7U For the Golden Pickles Episode: https://youtu.be/UHCoBdtwpI0

Aaron Hammersley is a wonderful fellow that has had quite a journey. More of this podcast became about bisexual representation than was planned but thats how things shake out sometimes. In this case, we have two Los Angelenos sharing their stories of awakening and transformation! Also about working your way towards your dream job in unexpected ways. Sounds cliche but thats because it keeps coming...

The happiest of New Years to you all! Please enjoy this holiday compilation compiled by Rob and Steven--and that's not even the best part! This is only part 1! Faith and Religion are often the roots for people who catapult into the intense study of art available at a conservatory like UNCSA. Sometimes we depart that faith and sometimes we embrace it. Six pickles reflect. MICHAEL JOHNSON - http...

You can go your own way! That is the resounding lesson in today's chat with the insightful and talented Drake Duffer (great name, come on!). You can find Drake's music all over the music platforms but you can find this chat right here about his life in Winston-Salem, NC before, during, and after UNCSA! Yes we got a townie on the show today and he's in good company. Don't miss it!

Mariah is from Long Island. Born and raised. Listening to her you would never know it--why that is, may surprise you. We get into the long journey that took her out of New York for school and what took her right back. Married, working, dancing--this was another great chat about learning and how people are different. NOT SO SIDE NOTE: If you can, go back and listen to ROZA from last week as it prov...

Russian live from Turkey! Roza and I had a wonderful chat over a not-so-wonderful internet connection that touched on the immigrant experience, the good places to play tennis, the magic of language and the right ways to educate (spoiler: there is no right way). Don't miss it!

The beautiful and talented Roxy Peykamian is on the show today talking about the lifelong aspiration of documentary filmmaking, the realization of the pausing of that dream AFTER achieving it for reasons that will surprise you, her Persian North Carolina roots, why she's being working in the wardrobe department and more. Don't miss it!

Nicholas is an impressive fellow. I can say that confidently after chatting with him on this episode. Somehow we never met before but we had a wonderful chat about the path of the dancer, working with family, the love of music as a tool, and not to mention this dude has got mad hats. Like you don't even know. Don't miss it!

The wonderful Trent Spivey is here everyone! Long Time Listener, First Time Caller (LTLFTC); we had the best conversation about the work he's doing now in VR. Specifically, helping to record immersive experience with terminal family remembers. Sounds like Black Mirror right? I thought so too. We get into it and so much more don't miss it!

10 quick brilliant minutes from Marcus Bridgewater on how to help others help themselves and why greed prevails. FROM FULL EPISODE: "MARCUS BRIDGEWATER"

Very recent graduate Charlie Herndon in my living room to talk about how we're shaped by education and what that really means to each of us. We also talk about how Family Guy is still watchable and plenty more. Don't miss it!

Nine years and three deans apart in Drama Directing--today on AtE the lovely Marina from Brazil is here to dish on how things have changed in our shared major, the journey as an international student, the dreaded visa process and (my favorite) the sensibilities of Gen Z and the differences in language in culture looking at America from the outside-in. Don't miss it!

Kopp's back! We sat down in LA after our homecoming trip to talk about WHY he works on At The Elephants. We cover how Steven came on to the show earlier this year and the value he sees in the ongoing discussion. Why do people end up at UNCSA? Did it save your life or F you up or is it just college? These questions are interesting to both of us. Steven has a great mind and his thoughts are invaluab...

Shot AT THE ELEPHANTS WITH ROB MORRIS, this mini-episode contains some wonderful chats with Golden Pickles (50 years out) from (U)NCSA. David Parker, Joyce Actor & Margaret Holtz share their stories of how they ended up at this brand new thing called the North Carolina School of the Arts in the 1969 Summer of Love. David and Margaret shared that of course at that time, schools were not integra...

UNCSA had its first ever homecoming! But there's no sports game right? What once was PICKLESTOCK is reinvented! What did it consist of? Who was there? How could it be better? All this and more this week on At The Elephants! Don't miss it! Stay tuned for chats with some Golden Pickles (50 years out) recorded AT THE ACTUAL ELEPHANTS! Are ya kidding me? No I am not. Coming soon on AtE. Don&#3...

Finally got the band leader on the talk show as a guest after many years. For those that don't know, Daniel is the composer and performer of At The Elephants music (both intro and outro were borrowed from his album PUNK PHILOSOPHY). We get into the story of how the music got on the podcast and even better why it was written! What makes a musical sound like Disney? How do we save the American M...