Artists of New York

Jason Choi is a standup comedian based in New York City. Instagram and all episodes (00:00) Loving New York's Chaos (02:27) Childhood Comedy Obsession (04:58) Early Stand-Up Dreams (07:19) College, Writing, and Fear (09:43) Comedy Class Breakthrough (12:16) Advertising, Engineering, and Saving Money (15:08) First Sets and Bombing Hard (18:07) Grinding Through Open Mics (20:54) Opportunities Throug...

Preston from The Heaven is a musician based in New York City. Instagram and all episodes (00:00) Driving a Prius to New York (02:18) Childhood, family, and moving to California (04:36) Discovering music through Johnny Cash and Kanye (07:12) Wanting to become a musician (09:51) Guitar as a lifeline (12:46) Daily obsession and first bands (15:21) Choosing music despite industry uncertainty (18:08) W...

Isabel Hagen is a classical violist and standup comedian based in New York City. Instagram and all episodes (00:00) Growing Up in an Artistic Family (02:38) Choosing Music Over Everything (05:06) Conservatory Dreams and Juilliard Auditions (08:12) Getting Into Juilliard (10:07) Realizing Music Wasn't the Future (12:54) Discovering Stand-Up Comedy (15:41) First Open Mics and Early Lessons (18:27) B...

Adam Shor is a comedian based in New York City. Instagram and all episodes (00:00) Discovering Opera and Moving to New York (03:12) The Allure and Reality of Opera Life (06:05) Why Opera Ultimately Didn't Work (08:48) Leaving Germany and Quitting at 31 (11:42) Identity, Failure, and Family Influence (14:36) Motivations Required for Artistic Success (17:25) Performance Anxiety and Vocal Struggles (...

Shane Torres is a standup comedian based in New York City. Instagram and all episodes (00:00) Moving from Portland to New York (02:08) Reaching Comedy’s Ceiling in Portland (04:11) Discovering Stand-Up and Bill Hicks (07:18) Why Bill Hicks Mattered (11:02) First Open Mic at Hungry Tiger (13:48) Early Bombs and Finding Purpose (16:02) Surviving on Service Jobs (18:27) Living Cheap in New York (21:0...

Sally Boy is a musician based in New York City. Instagram and all episodes (00:00) Moving From Philly to New York (01:07) Growing Up in a Musical Family (02:06) Discovering Guitar Through John Mayer (04:05) Blues Obsession and Early Guitar Practice (05:46) Piano vs Guitar Learning Curves (07:30) Singing, Musical Theater, and Early Training (09:47) College Music Theory Frustrations (11:42) First Li...

Harris Solomon is an actor, writer, and reluctant Jewish sex symbol based in New York City. Instagram and all episodes (00:00) Moving From LA To New York (01:48) Discovering Theater And Comedy (03:56) A Doctor Father's Creative Influence (05:18) High School Theater Years (07:12) Why Comedy Helps Drama (08:47) Columbia And Abandoning Medicine (10:39) Choosing An Artistic Career (12:31) Acting Train...

Nikkole Salter is an actress and playwright, based in New York City. Instagram and all episodes (00:00) Arriving in NYC and 9/11 at NYU (01:48) Discovering acting through Cinderella in Los Angeles (04:02) Early auditions and Hollywood rejection lessons (06:43) Why child acting can be damaging (08:37) Choosing NYU despite disliking New York (10:38) Storytelling as an essential human service (13:22)...

Derek Gaines is a standup comedian based in New York City. Instagram and all episodes (00:00) From Jazz College to Comedy (03:18) Failing Music Theory, Finding Jokes (06:42) First Open Mic at Laugh House (09:25) Five Years Building in Philly (12:36) Competitive Open Mics and Real Crowds (15:48) Cul-De-Sac Black Comedy Voice (18:31) The Comedy Cellar Legend (21:07) Moving to Jersey City (24:02) Tur...

Chanel Ali is a standup comedian based in New York City. Instagram and all episodes (00:00) Moving To New York With One Suitcase (01:24) Hitting A Ceiling In Philadelphia Comedy (03:05) Knowing She Was A Comedian At Seven (05:01) Weed, Truth, And Choosing Comedy (08:12) Foster Care, Purpose, And Fearlessness (10:22) Being One Of Two Women Comics (12:35) Terrifying First Time On Stage (15:18) Disco...

Nolan Byrd is a drummer and a musician based in Manhattan. Instagram and all episodes (00:00) Moving From California To New York (02:42) Discovering New York’s Jazz Scene (05:31) Music In The Family (07:11) Falling In Love With Drums (09:48) Great Teachers And Early Development (13:18) School Music Programs And Opportunity (16:41) Following A Musical Calling (19:12) Why Jazz Became The Focus (21:3...

Monroe Martin is a standup comedian, based in New York City. Instagram and all episodes (00:00) Fake Megabus Tickets To New York (02:01) Leaving Philly For Comedy Dreams (04:29) Starting Over In New York (06:48) Surviving With Flyer Jobs And Hustles (09:13) College Gigs Keeping Comedy Alive (12:04) Favorite Early New York Comedy Clubs (13:54) Realizing Comedy Momentum Was Building (16:07) Goals, A...

Natasha Vaynblat is a writer and a comedian based in New York City. Instagram and all episodes (00:00) Arriving In New York By Chinatown Bus (01:41) Escaping Russia After Soviet Collapse (04:12) Discovering Family’s Hidden Artistic Roots (06:11) Middle School Improv Changes Everything (08:08) Feeling Like Comedy Was Forbidden (10:02) Starting A More Inclusive Improv Team (12:37) Discovering New Yo...

David Drake is a standup comedian based in New York City. Instagram and all episodes (00:00) Moving From Chicago To New York (01:14) Loud Kid To Aspiring Comedian (02:31) Music Dreams And Advertising School (04:12) First Open Mics In Miami (05:38) Why Chicago Felt Right (07:22) Pure Comedy And Work Ethic (09:11) Grinding Hundreds Of Sets Yearly (11:03) Chicago Clubs And Laugh Factory (13:04) Findi...

Sirintip is a musical artist based in New York City. Instagram and all episodes (00:00) Moving To New York For Jazz (02:11) Singing Through Bangkok Traffic (04:28) Thai And Swedish Cultural Contrasts (06:41) Doctor Or Musician Dilemma (08:32) Singing As Athletic Performance (11:07) Training The Body For Vocals (13:34) Bruce Springsteen And Tour Discipline (15:06) Student Visa And Jazz Competition...

Anthony Moore is a standup comedian based in New Jersey. Instagram and all episodes (00:00) Moving From Philly To New York (02:41) Discovering Comedy Through A College Talent Show (05:34) Accounting Dreams And Challenge 24 Obsession (09:16) Falling In Love With Stand-Up (12:27) First Bomb At A Variety Show (16:14) Philly’s Unique Comedy Scene (20:11) Becoming More Universal In New York (23:03) Sav...

Caitlin Cook is a musician and performer based in New York City. Instagram and all episodes (00:00) First impressions of New York (03:04) Missing New York’s noise (05:10) Stage fright begins (08:37) Comedy as exposure therapy (12:02) Circling around performance (14:04) Art history and storytelling (17:18) Bathroom graffiti as art (20:40) Returning to New York (23:05) Music, comedy, and Fringe (26:...

Sally Ann Hall is a comedian based in New York City. Instagram and all episodes (00:00) Alaska Roots And Friends Dream (02:56) Family Homesteads And Idaho Move (06:01) Dating Comics Sparks Stand-Up (09:12) First Open Mic Terror (13:02) Friends, Crushes, And Mic Addiction (16:08) Bartending, TV Jobs, Comedy Choice (19:26) Festivals, Competitions, Early Confidence (23:02) Bombing Tolerance And Stage...

Gillian Glasco is an actress and a writer based in New York City. Instagram and all episodes (00:00) Arkansas Roots And Finding Acting (03:07) Fences, Story, And Hope (06:16) Becoming A Storytelling Vessel (08:39) Ithaca Training And London (12:38) Feeling Marginalized In School (15:11) Advocating For Work By Artists Of Color (17:04) Rose In Fences As North Star (18:22) Showcase, Agent, And Doubt...

Matt Ruby is a comedian based in New York City. Instagram and all episodes (00:00) Leaving Chicago for New York (01:52) Keeping a tech job afloat (03:10) Why comedy first appealed (05:18) Comedy class and early confidence (07:24) Eating shit and learning fast (09:46) Letting go of rock star fantasies (12:38) Cheap East Village comedy changed everything (15:21) Truth-telling, hypocrisy, and point o...

Jen Toth is an illustrator and model based in Brooklyn, NY. Instagram and all episodes (00:00) Scouted at Ohio State, then straight to Europe (01:47) Sheltered Ohio upbringing to unimaginable New York life (03:36) Chaos of model housing and competing castings (05:41) Italy as friendship, travel, and self-discovery (07:52) Landing in New York with agency support (09:18) Choosing steady income over...

Sean Patton is a stand-up comedian based in New York City. Instagram and all episodes (00:00) Growing up in New Orleans and starting stand-up (03:18) Why comedians should skip stand-up classes (06:47) His first open mic at Amberjack’s (11:02) Stage fright, mic technique, and bad comedy books (14:36) Discovering comedy through Sarah Silverman and Mr. Show (18:41) Perspective over punchlines and emb...

Shawn Bullen is an artist, muralist, and curator, based in Manhattan. Instagram and all episodes (00:00) Wild first road trip to New York (03:12) 2016 birthday trip becomes a permanent move (06:18) Why New York always felt inevitable (09:41) Childhood art influences and becoming “the art kid” (13:02) Drawing, photography, and early graffiti obsession (16:47) High school art success and museum reco...

Tucker Eason is an oil painter, based in Brooklyn, NY. Instagram and all episodes (00:00) From Oakland slumlord setup to New York leap (03:21) Empty apartment, artist assistant, and Red Hook grind (06:14) New York’s kindness versus West Coast nice (08:37) Childhood art obsession and graphite miles (11:52) Work ethic, fear, and self-accountability in the studio (14:28) Leaving realism and discoveri...

Christina Sajous is an actor, director, and teacher, based in New York City. Instagram and all episodes (00:00) Born in New York City (02:11) Grandmother’s move from North Carolina (04:46) Little Shop of Horrors obsession (08:18) Law, mock trial, and choosing NYU (11:54) LaGuardia High School and Playwrights Horizons (15:47) NYU’s cost, competition, and self-belief (19:34) Graduating early and Ren...