Artistic Finance

A discussion on pay equity with costume designers Christine Pascual and Elizabeth Wislar.   Christine is a member of On Our Team , an organization building pay and labor equity in the theatre industry, by requesting equitable pay and support for theatrical designers.   Elizabeth is a member of  Costume Professionals for Wage Equity and the two organizations are calling on Playbill  to require clea...

Musical theatre writer and restaurant marketer Chip Klose discusses how side hustles can provide the financial foundation for an artistic life.   He has spent the past 20 years balancing two different careers: one in hospitality and the other in the arts. He holds a BFA in Musical Theatre and is a card-carrying member of both AEA and SDC. He's been an actor, director, producer, and most recently a...

Nuestra invitada es la magia Sonia Benito. Originalmente de España, Sonia ahora tiene su sede en Londres y allí lleva algo nuevo a la escena mágica. Como profesional creativa, desdibuja los límites entre las técnicas mágicas clásicas y las modernas usando los patrones de movimientos únicos.   Sus clientes incluyen a Nike, Samsung y Rihanna.  Échale un vistazo para ver una combinación única de la m...

Magician Sonia Benito talks about finances as a magician, and dancer, in London.   Originating from Spain, Sonia is now based in London bringing something new to the London magic scene. As a creative, she blurs the lines between classic and modern magic techniques with unique movement patterns.   Her clients include Nike, Samsung, and Rihanna. Check her out for a unique blend of magic and dance in...

Roman Cruz discusses how he went from Julliard trained dancer to trading stocks on Wall Street.   Roman is a performer and dance captain from the current Broadway revival of West Side Story. It’s making history as the first West Side revival to stray from the original blocking, with all new choreography by Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker.   Roman is also a featured dancer in the In The Heights movie.  ...

Cory Pattak and Ethan discuss how to organize and itemize receipts for tax time. We go line by line through the actual list of itemized categories on our taxes. Once we make it through the 25 items, you realize it isn't as complicated as it seems.   Cory Pattak is a theatrical Lighting Designer whose New York designs include Final Follies at Primary Stages and Stalking the Bogeyman at New World St...

How to use credit cards to your advantage, how to build credit, and how to increase your credit score are the topics of discussion today, with photographer Marc Santos.   Marc is a fine art photographer who specializes in dance movement. Long flowing motion blur is a hallmark of his style. Showing motion in this way allows the viewer to time travel within the image.   His work has been show in sol...

Real estate investor Matt Picheny joins the podcast to discuss his career as an actor, real estate investor, and Broadway producer.   Matt is the managing partner at MJP Property Group, a real estate investment company. He has invested in over 6,000 apartment units with a focus on acquiring and repositioning multifamily communities. He is a real estate agent, a Fannie Mae & Freddie Mac approved bu...

We discuss tax deductions for theatre personnel with set designer John Lee Beatty and lighting designer Ken Billington. Ken is incorporated as a business whereas John Lee is an unincorporated independent contractor.   John Lee has designed more than 100 Broadway shows. He has won two Tony Awards, one for Tally’s Folly in 1980 and the second for The Nance in 2013. He has received an additional 13 T...

Destiney Powell discusses how she makes money as a painter and how she makes money work for her.   Based in Tennessee, she creates acrylic paintings, watercolors, and digital art. Her use of the colors gold, yellow, and amber create stunning compositions.   Destiney is hard working, a hustler, and super chill. She will inspire you and leave you in awe.   Poetically Illustrated - Destiney's Website...

Hair, wig, and makeup designer Cookie Jordan talks about how she has managed her finances from The Santa Fe Opera to Broadway.   She has designed 15 Broadway shows including Slave Play, The Cher Show, and Fela. She has been nominated for three Drama Desk Awards for hair and makeup design.   Cookie started at The Santa Fe Opera and has now designed in nearly every opera house in the USA. She has al...

Tony Award winning lighting designer Ken Billington discusses how he has managed his personal finances during more than sixty years of designing on Broadway and running a design studio.   Ken has designed more than 100 Broadway shows, has been nominated for 9 Tony Awards for Best Lighting Design, and won for the musical Chicago.   Ken spent 25 years as the principle lighting designer for Radio Cit...

A conversation about African American hair and makeup in theatre with Jerrilyn Lanier Duckworth.   Jerrilyn is a costume designer based out of Mississippi. In addition to costumes, she is a freelancer in wig and makeup departments. She has consulted with stage makeup brand Ben-Nye as they developed an African-American Colors makeup kit.   Jerrilyn created the non-profit Bridging The Gap In Theatre...

This episode focuses on credit card habits and why it is hard for many artists to pay off their cards. We're joined by Tony Johnson who wanted to expand on our episode 33: Credit Card Debt with Joe Longthorne.   Tony is a New York City based costume shop project manager, costume designer, financial blogger, and Bisexual Activist.   He currently works at Parsons-Mears, a premiere Broadway costume s...

Sound Engineer Brandon Blackwell talks about turning to day trading during the COVID 19 pandemic.   Brandon mixed monitors for Chaka Khan and Jennifer Hudson when we was Head Audio Engineer for Chew Entertainment. Since then he has become a touring sound engineer for some of today’s biggest artists such as Ciara, Nicki Minaj, Camila Cabello, A$AP Rocky and Lizzo.   When he is not touring, Brandon...

Andrew Sotomayor, Emmy winning makeup artist and the founder of organic luxury perfume brand Oracle Jayne Station, joins the podcast to emphasize the importance of artists demanding what they are worth. Andrew has been a spokesperson for L’Occitane and La Mer, has made appearances for Covergirl and Chanel, and has worked with eight Academy Award winning actors. He is the makeup department head for...

Producer Joe Longthorne joins us to discuss credit card debt, how to pay it off, and the importance of not accumulating more.   Joe Longthorne is a producer, general manager, and theatrical entrepreneur. He is a managing partner at Fourth Wall Theatricals, a firm specializing in general management, ticket inventory management, and Broadway group sales. Joe produced Alexis Sheer’s Our Dear Dead Dru...

Set designer John Lee Beatty discusses the business of design, intricacies of retirement planning, and the importance of talking about finances.   A titan of American theatre, John Lee Beatty designed his first Broadway show in 1976. It was the play Knock, Knock. 44 years later, his most recent design is Plaza Suite, which hasn’t officially opened because of the COVID 19 shutdown. The total count...

Lighting designer Stan Kaye shares his financial advice for theatre professionals. Stan Kaye is a head of the Lighting Design graduate program at The University of Florida. He is founder of SKDesign and Consulting LLC, a theatre design consultancy. Stan has designed lights for hundreds of projects from musicals and plays, to industrial events, to architectural projects. He hosts the podcast Light...

Denise Barbarita talks finances as a sound engineer and recording studio owner in New York City.   Denise Barbarita is a Grammy Award winning sound engineer in New York City. Her work spans albums, scores, and audio post-production for film, TV, and podcasts. As an Engineer and Producer, she has worked with artists of hip hop, rock, and punk genres, as well as theater, jazz and classical. Denise i...

Ebony Madry talks about generational wealth, stocks versus franchising, and the importance of saving for retirement.   She is a Lighting Designer and Project Manager at Brite Ideas in Los Angeles, overseeing the installation of audio, video, and lighting for corporate and exclusive events. Ebony has worked at the Arkansas Repertory Theater and was lighting director at the Big Top Chautauqua music...

Cherie B. Tay is a stage manager and multimedia artist. She is also a professional photographer, videographer, and voiceover artist. Broadway and Tour credits include: Hadestown, Amelie, Gettin' The Band Back Together, War Horse, In The Heights. Her photography work has been featured in The New York Times, Forbes, Skittles Broadway Live, The Philadelphia Inquirer, and numerous other publications....

A discussion of MMT (Modern Monetary Theory) with comic book creator Miguel Guerra and theatrical lighting designer Ethan Steimel. Succinct Explanation of MMT (VIDEO) - Ethan's recommendation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3QYJjisPMQY   Modern Monetary Theory: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modern_Monetary_Theory   The Deficit Myth - by Stephanie Kelton: https://stephaniekelton.com/book/ Seven De...

Miguel Guerra, illustrator and comic book creator, explains how he has financially sustained a career, while raising two kids, and living as an American in Paris (pun intended). Miguel is an American illustrator and comic book creator living in Paris with his co-writer Suzy Dias. Together they founded 7 Robots Inc with comic book titles such as Samurai Elf, Wolf Boy & His Magical Warriors, and Pas...

Stage manager Cody Renard Richard discusses his finances from growing up in Houston, Texas to moving to NYC and stage managing on Broadway.    Cody Renard Richard is a stage manager for Broadway, television, circus, and opera. Most recently he was production stage manager for Broadway’s Freestyle Love Supreme and he worked on the 2020 MTV VMAs. Other credits include: 12 Broadway shows, Cirque Du S...