A Podcast for Creative People

"Trino the Magician" is the coolest. A super nice guy, talented, ambitious, and laser focused. You're going to want to get up and go do something cool after you listen to this. And you might have an itch to see a magic show. If so, check out www.trinomagic.com for info on Trino's monthly show "AMAZE & AMUSE", as well as anything else he might be up to. If you're the social media type, Trino is...

Abbey Hunter is the owner of The Mortals Cafe + Confection in Grand Rapids, MI. They serve Vietnamese coffee drinks (as well as popular American coffee drinks) with an overall theme of death. They host grief groups, death talks, as well as a number of other regular and one-off events. Visit The Mortals online , then visit the store at 111 Division Ave S, Grand Rapids, MI 49503 . Follow The Mortals...

Jason Tieri (TEER-ee) is a podcaster from west Michigan. Actually, he's kinda my podcast mentor. (And beard guru.) He got me into podcasting. Hear what it takes to start a podcast, some techy stuff, some how-to, and us just kickin it.  This was a fun one, especially if you're a podcaster, you're thinking about podcasting, or you just like a peek at how it's done. (Recorded in the Hey Guys Media Gr...

ZERO is a fantastic beat producer in Grand Rapids, MI. His energetic performances are mesmerizing. I liken watching him play his drum machine to watching Stevie Wonder play the piano. Those performances, coupled with award winning music, are a can't-miss. Follow ZERO on his Instagram @zerodgaf to keep up with what's going on and to see some examples of his performing and musical abilities. He's on...

Jody J. Sperling came on to talk about creative stuff, including (but not limited to) his amazing novel, THE 9 LIVES OF MARVA DELONGHI . It's a story in a time loop, with a lot of cool characters, murder, booze, murder, psychopaths, murder, sacrifice, and...MURDER! Some characters die. A lot. It's a lot of fun. Jody also hosts a podcast called TRBM, he has other books, and you can find out about A...

David Hayward is a former pastor turned full-time artist and he shares his story of becoming an artist, leaving the church, and moving into art as his main hustle. David makes art from a very welcoming place of spiritual freedom. If you're looking for a good follow on Instagram, check out @nakedpastor , and consider buying his book, sort of a "best of" collection of his comics: FLIP IT LIKE THIS ....

Here's the second half of my conversation with Mike Salt. If you don't already know, Mike is an author worth reading if you're into being scared like a helpless baby in the night. He thrills and chills readers with his creepy novellas, which you can peruse on your own at www.mikesaltauthor.com . You can also click here for ALL Mike's links! . . . Thanks for your patience getting the second half of...

This is part one of a a two-parter with horror author Mike Salt. Salt is more than just a fantastic writer from Oregon, he's a smart and creative guy with a knack for marketing and social media. He talks about writing to get attention, how many more followers he has than I do, and how he's glad he's not bald like me. And we explore his creative process, talk a little about his books, and what he's...

Go to www.jasondemmon.com ! Jason Demmon and I go back to his Michigan State University days (I was a townie). Jason talks about growing up with music, how music got him into college, gigging, composing music and sound production for film and... Getting testicular cancer! (Spoiler: he's now cancer free!) Through a few twists and turns in his healing process, he found great relief through cannabis,...

The Diatribe uses performing arts to empower young people to share their stories, raise awareness of social issues, and create change within their communities. They were recently screwed over for political reasons by the Kent County Commission, which deprived them of 2 million dollars of federal funding because they were afraid of getting challenged politically and possibly losing their seats in g...

As a former Montessori teacher, Mallory Shotwell's interest in art and business make her a great person to start a group like CULTIVATE, a collection of artists, teachers, and industry folks. With the acquisition of their new space in Grand Rapids, Michigan, they'll be able to highlight contemporary artists and teach community-based art & business classes, while also serving as a "traditional"...

Seriously though...Josh Adams really is funny as f--k! Get your weekly creative inspiration as we hear from a Detroit kid who had NFL dreams, but wound up in the locker room and on the field with the Lions, AND had a highlight on the jumbotron at Ford Field as the comedian who roasted the Detroit Lions on HBO's Hard Knocks. He's got jokes, but also wisdom and insights from his time as a profession...

Andrea Shaner is the producer of the Fox17 Morning Mix in Grand Rapids, MI. It's a "West Michigan lifestyle show with a little bit of everything from weather to local shops to crafting" that's on every M-F starting at 9am EST. Andrea started in high school AV, dreamed of being a meteorologist, became a news producer, then developed the Morning Mix. Here's her story and insights for creatives tryin...

Some call him Brandon, some call him Dante, some call him Dante Cope. I'll introduce him by his full legal name, you call him want you want, I guess... Brandon Dante Copeland is a multi-talented musician (mainly sax, but other wind instruments, too), beat maker, rapper, producer, who also plays guitar, keys, and a little drums. Originally from Jackson, MI, he now lives in Grand Rapids and is a key...

Jacqueline Gray Miller is a writer, producer, educator, humanitarian, environmentalist, intimacy coordinator, law scholar, media professional, and a ton of other stuff. You may know her from Roy's Job Fair , the podcast she co-hosts with Roy Wood, Jr. (from two of my favorite shows: The Daily Show and This Isn't Happening ), where a group of funny, insightful people (and guests) explore the human...

Three podcasts are represented on this one: The Reluctant Book Marketer, Author Your Dream, and (duh...) Creative Ops. Jody Sperling, Kenny MacKay, and I let you in on a marketing meeting between podcasters. Jody and Kenny are both in the business of helping authors grow their audience. Now we're trying to grow our own. . . . Jody Sperling, THE RELUCTANT BOOK MARKETER @jodyjsperling on Twitter and...

Marston Hefner (yes...son of Hugh Hefner) is an extremely talented writer. His upcoming book of flash fiction is called High School Romance. I was fortunate to get an advanced copy. It's fantastic. Yes, you get an insight into the private lives of famous people, but more than that, you get to see them as real people. And you get to see straight up fiction that ranges from avante garde to offbeat s...

Shawn Burgess is a horror writer from Jacksonville, FL. His first novel is The Tear Collector. I read it. It's fantastic. You should, too. He just release a prequel and has a sequel coming out in the fall of '22. This should be in your TBR (to be read) pile. Listen to us talk about horror as a genre, how we approach writing, and you might just catch the exact moment where we officially became frie...

Ashley Nash is a talented visual artist (illustration/painting/murals) with a degree in art (focus on illustration) from GVSU. She's originally from Muskegon, now living in Grand Rapids, and freelances as an artist while also working as the Head Creative Designer at Pharmhouse Wellness (which you already know of if you've been listening). She's part of the creative duo that puts together the Pharm...

Megan Smith is an artist who mainly works with natural materials and does beautiful stuff you can check out on Instagram @mossberrymarvels . We talk art, process, social media, mental health, events, tv (the name of the show was Wilfred...) and movies, run-ins with the law, local coffee, and other stuff! We recorded in bean bag chairs outside, so you'll feel like you're out on the lawn with friend...

Pharmhouse Wellness, Grand Rapids, Michigan's only locally owned and operated dispensary, had another art market. Again I sold books and (someone else's (my daugher's!)) art. This time, however, I brought my podcast gear and made a whole thing of it, talking to a little bit of every kind of person around: pot smokers, local celebrities, art enthusiasts, art vendors, budtenders, and one of the even...

Get your tickets for the Upheaval Festival in Grand Rapids using this link with the promo code HEARTSICK at checkout and you'll A) Support the band directly, and B) Get $5 off admission! .  .  . Alfonso and the guys from Heartsick, a hard rocking band from Lansing, Michigan, are old friends of mine. On top of being an incredible group both musically and as live performers, that's why I'm happy to...

Hey everyone! This is the last "book celebration" episode. After this it's back to normal. On that note, go to www.christophertallon.com/about-switchers/ for info, Amazon links, and even links for signed copies! You can hit the social links, too, and reach out that way. Aaaaaanyway--here's my writer buddy for today's episode... .  .  . Brandon Scott is a talented author of wonderfully weird tales...

It's been a week since my book, Switchers, released for purchase. Jennifer Soucy really helped me get my sh*t together in regards to that novel. She was somewhere between beta reader and editor. Then she introduced me to fellow writer (and my ACTUAL editor) TJ Tranchell. We talk about other creatives like Brandon Scott, Kirk Ross, and Shawn Burgess. I'll put links to all their stuff, along with Je...

Switchers is available to the masses! And here to discuss this is TJ Tranchell. TJ is an author, professor, and editor. The last one is the focus today as we get together to chat about my book, Switchers , which is available for purchase as of today on E-BOOK as well as PAPERBACK . Go to www.christophertallon.com for more about the book, and follow me on any/all of your favorite social media spots...