Artists of New York

Eric Walsh is a standup-comedian based in Manhattan. Instagram and all episodes (00:00) Wisconsin to Wall Street (02:30) Life Inside Investment Banking (05:15) Studying Abroad Sparks Doubt (07:20) Panic, Pressure, and the Path Not Taken (10:40) Autobiographical Memory and Affantasia (13:30) Choosing to Quit (15:55) The Reading That Changed Everything (18:20) Discovering Comedy Through Curiosity (2...

Mia Vallet is an actress based in New York City. Instagram and all episodes (00:00) Moving to New York (02:30) First Acting Job (05:10) Starting Out in NYC (07:10) Parental Support and Early Struggles (09:15) Questioning the Dream (11:20) Discovering Acting Is Viable (13:25) First Role and Childhood Inspiration (16:00) High School and Theater Identity (18:10) Conservatory Challenges and Growth (21...

Humzah Choudry is a stand-up comedian based in Brooklyn, NY. Instagram and all episodes (00:00) Moving to New York (02:05) Early Tech Struggles (04:00) Bootcamp Breakthrough (06:00) Oil Rig Realizations (08:10) Discovering Comedy as a Kid (10:00) Finally Trying Stand-Up (12:05) Learning from Bombing (13:45) Starting to Build Community (15:30) Balancing Stability and Hustle (18:10) The Importance o...

Darrell Thorne is a custom designer and creative director, based in Brooklyn, NY. Instagram and all episodes (00:00) Disillusioned in LA (02:40) First Encounter with NYC (05:25) Culture Shock and Connection (08:35) Starting Over in New York (11:25) Discovering Nightlife and Drag (14:05) Becoming a Performer (17:15) The Headpiece Obsession Begins (20:10) Collaborating with Dancers (22:55) Creative...

Johnny Gaffney is an actor and a stand-up comedian based in Manhattan. Instagram and all episodes (00:00) Arriving in New York and Selling Comedy Tickets (03:00) First Creative Spark: Pig Roast and Roasting Pigs (05:00) Acting Debut in a Swine Flu Movie (08:30) Birth of John Bigman and the Rock Bottom Boy Band (11:30) Living a Double Life: Creative Hustle and Day Job at Tito’s (15:00) Quitting the...

Ryan Czerwonko is an actor, filmmaker, and the artistic director of "Adult Film," based in Brooklyn, NY. Instagram and all episodes (00:00) Fear-Based Decisions and the Journey to New York (04:10) Early Struggles in Chicago and Atlanta (07:40) Taking the Leap: Moving to New York (10:05) First Months in NYC and the Cost of Survival (13:00) Building a Life Between Cities (15:30) The Birth of "Adult...

Sean Glass is a filmmaker, a DJ, and a writer based in Manhattan. Instagram and all episodes (00:00) Family history, Holocaust roots, and New York identity (04:56) Stickball, danger, and growing up in condition yellow (09:52) Parents’ cultural legacy and the Manhattan music scene (14:48) Grandfather’s record label, the evolution of distribution (19:44) Growing up around art vs. creating it yoursel...

Tayler Yarish is a stand-up comedian based in Brooklyn, NY. Instagram and all episodes (00:00) East Coast roots, theater school, and early frustrations with acting (03:35) The disillusionment with the acting industry and writing quality (06:40) Discovering comedy through a terrible open mic (09:20) First time doing stand-up at a bringer show (12:10) Bombing onstage with confidence and learning fro...

Eamon Harkin is a DJ and the co-owner of the club Nowadays, in Brooklyn, NY. Instagram and all episodes (00:00) Moving from London to NYC and chasing a musical dream (04:30) Discovering New York's post-9/11 club culture void (09:00) Giuliani's crackdown and the revival of underground spaces (13:30) Early illegal parties and the roots of DIY nightlife (18:00) Why dance music is primal and communal...

Gabrielle McClinton is a graduate of the Carnegie Mellon School of Drama and is a Broadway musical theater actress, with prior roles in " Moulin Rouge! The Musical ," " Pippin ," and " American Idiot ." Instagram and all episodes (00:00) Arriving in New York and the Dream of Broadway (02:10) Discovering Carnegie Mellon and Following Instinct (05:00) Childhood Performances and a Love of Expression...

Gerry Lange is a musician and music producer based in Brooklyn, NY. Instagram and all episodes (00:00) Adopted in New York and early obsession with music (03:08) Discovering guitar and getting forced into singing (06:17) Rock star dreams, My Chemical Romance, and high school ambitions (09:25) College, fraternity life, and reconnecting with Danny Rocco (12:34) Forming Secret Weapons and going viral...

Michelle Moriarty is a graduate of the Boston College of Fine Arts and is an actress and director, based in Manhattan. Instagram and all episodes (00:00) Journey to New York and Getting Signed (03:42) Discovering Acting in High School (07:55) Being Seen and Encouraged by Family (11:20) Theater as a Safe Space from Anxiety (15:38) Shyness, School Dynamics, and Early Validation (20:17) Realizing a N...

Spencer Cramer is a New York City actor and a graduate of the Rutgers Mason School of the Arts. Instagram and all episodes (00:00) The Long Road to NYC (04:05) Falling in Love with Theater (07:42) Discovering Acting After Sports (11:40) What Makes a Great Actor (16:10) The Actor's High & Self-Discovery (20:48) Realizing a Natural Gift (24:30) Acting, Athletics & Craft (28:12) Coming Out &a...

Devin Bockrath is an NYC-based comedian and improviser. She teaches at the Brooklyn Comedy Collective and performs at the Upright Citizens Brigade in Manhattan. Instagram and all episodes (00:00) From Chicago to LA to NYC (03:12) First Impressions of LA and Why She Left (07:09) The Comedy Scene: Chicago vs. LA vs. New York (10:45) Finding Her Place at the Annoyance in NYC (14:30) Leaving a Corpora...

Kyleigh Leddy is a creative writing teacher at Gotham Writers NYC and the author of "The Perfect Other," a memoir about her older sister's battle with schizophrenia. Instagram and all episodes (00:00) Unexpected Path to New York (04:50) Childhood Passion for Writing (07:35) Winning the Modern Love Contest (10:30) Taking the Financial Leap to NYC (13:50) Writing the Book While Working (17:25) Physi...

Will Tully is a Brooklyn-based musician, and the drummer of the band Des Rocs. Instagram and all episodes (00:00) Dropping Out and Moving to NYC (04:10) From Basketball Dreams to Drumming (07:55) Family Expectations and Early Musical Passion (12:05) Finding Purpose and Early Feedback (15:50) First Band Experience and Hard Lessons (21:15) Life in Boston and Returning to New York (24:30) First Touri...

Nick Mestad is an NYC writer and comedian. He teaches at the Brooklyn Comedy Collective and performs at the Upright Citizen Brigade in Manhattan. Instagram and all episodes (00:00) Moving From Chicago to New York (03:25) Family Support and the Decision to Leap (06:45) Hitting the Ground Running in NYC (09:38) Comedy Roots and Character Work in Chicago (13:12) SNL Auditions and Building Confidence...

Matthew Gasda is a playwright, an author and an essayist, and is the co-director of the Brooklyn Center for Theater Research in Brooklyn, NY. Instagram and all episodes (00:00) Leaving Bethlehem for New York (02:35) Early Creative Life and Hidden Passions (06:10) Growing Up Without Cultural Validation (09:20) Hiding Creativity in a Conformist Town (12:40) Arriving in NYC and Romanticizing Poverty...