Sounds Like Portraits

When I met Arnaud, he told me that Domaine Chandon California was sparked into life in 1973. It was one of the first French-owned sparkling wine ventures in the US. You can even visit the Estate in Yountville at the entry of the beautiful Napa Valley. Behind the pop of the cork, behind the celebration and the sharing experience, there is a sophisticated winemaking process. A skilled team works to...

En 2017 et 2019, Pat a réalisé deux podiums aux Championnats du monde, et décroché une 5e place aux Jeux Olympiques de 2018. Il compose également et chante sur scène. C'est à l'occasion d'un de ses concerts à New York que je l'ai rencontré.  Mais, avant cette vie de succès, il a failli être interné dans un établissement psychiatrique. Pourquoi ? Parce que d'autres avaient peur de ses rêves. Des an...

Dans cet épisode, on va parler philanthropie et créativité, avec Dominique Brustlein-Bobst, administratrice de sociétés,  consultante et philanthrope.  Depuis son enfance, Dominique n'a jamais hésité à tendre la main à ceux qui la lui demandait. Mais en 2008, l'affaire Madoff a mis gravement en péril la sécurité financière de sa famille.  Au moment où elle a découvert sa propre vulnérabilité, Domi...

Do you know that you could lose your mother tongue in only 2 years by not practicing it?  Although the roots of bilingual education in the United States can be traced back to the 17th century, there is a new push to produce bilingual citizens and create a cultural sense of community. Bilingualism is also a strong advantage in terms of creativity.  Fabrice told me that for his own writing process a...

Pour cet épisode, j'ai rencontré Benjamin Auzimour, directeur général de la marque Saint James pour l'Amérique du Nord. Depuis 130 ans, la marque normande fabrique des vêtements liés à la mer, dont le pull marin, la marinière ou le caban. Mais dans un marché porté par l'innovation, quelle est la part de créativité pour faire évoluer ces grands classiques sans pour autant qu'ils ne perdent leur âme...

Don't forget to subscribe on iTunes or Spotify and thanks for giving your comments on soundslikeportraits.com   In this episode, I'm talking with art collector Mario Cader-Frech. For almost 30 years, Mario and his husband Robert have some guidelines when they buy a work for their US-centric collection of contemporary art.    First, they draw up a budget and then, they have to fall in love with a w...

Pour cet épisode, j'ai rencontré Mario Botta, un architecte qui a construit dans le monde entier, avec des formes géométriques simples, des cercles, des carrés, des rectangles, des sphères, déclinées de multiples façons, pour fabriquer des espaces intérieurs à la fois ouverts et protecteurs, où l'on peut se retrouver avec soi-même, et avec les autres. Pour Mario, l'architecte est un traducteur. A...

Martin's job is about creating the menswear collections at Theory.    Interestingly, the trigger element for him is an emotion. An emotion that gives the mood for the next season.  But how to translate an emotion into a collection?   This is when art comes in. Martin goes to galleries and museums to look at great art works. Contemporary or not. He needs to be inspired. For example, Soulages and Ro...

When I sat with Frédéric in his office on Madison, he told me about his passion for creative disruption. He is the Chairman of Arianee, an association whose mission is to build a global standard for the digital certification of valuable objects.  Behind the technologies, there's a vision:today, buying something is an act of communication, because of all the data involved in the process.  How to pr...

Quand j'ai rencontré Roxane, nous nous sommes assis autour d'une table dans son appartement qui donne sur l'East River et le bas de la ville.   Comme metteur en scène, elle m'a parlé de l'aventure intérieure que constitue un spectacle,  où il s'agit pour elle d'amener chaque acteur à faire vivre son personnage dans le moment présent pour pouvoir le partager avec le public.  Quand cela fonctionne,...

When I sat with her in midtown Manhattan, she started to tell me how change can be difficult to accept for everyone. In a big organization like Danone, listening is a key value to facilitate the changes that fuel creativity and economic success.  Speaking of change, what is the future of food? For Anne-Claire, food is the single great unifier across cultures. And, in the future, sustainability and...

In 2018, Pascaline has achieved an historic double triumph, first winning the prestigious Meilleur Ouvrier de France title (in the Sommelier category) and then, the crown of "Best Sommelier of France". She was the first woman ever to win these two competitions.  Pascaline is supporting sustainable non-industrial farming practices, not only because they are better for human health and nature, but b...

Pour cet épisode, j'ai rencontré Nicolette Hazewinkel et Rodrigue Tremblay, un couple de clowns qui a créé la compagnie Eclats de Rire à Montréal. Nicoletta est la muse, grande et élégante. Chocolat est le petit lutin vif et farceur, dans la tradition des personnages du clown blanc et de l'Auguste. Jouer avec les contrastes est un des principes du rire dans l'art clownesque. Nous nous sommes assis...

In this episode, you will hear rap artist Sarahmée talking about her creative process. Is it more challenging for a female rap artist to make a name?  Sarahmée's answer is: maybe. But she adds: "There is no female rap, there is just rap".    It's time to listen to her. 

 Normand est un chef de cuisine, pas un chef de guerre. Quand nous nous sommes rencontrés, il m'a tout de suite parlé du climat de confiance dont il a besoin pour être créatif. Confiance par rapport à ses fournisseurs et à sa brigade pour la qualité des produits, des plats et du service. Mais en plus du chef, il y a aussi un philosophe, un philosophe des 4 saisons qui réfléchit, beaucoup, à la man...

In this episode, you'll hear Charles Shackleton. Shackleton? Yes, that rings a bell: he is a relative of the famous polar explorer Ernest Shackelton who died in 1922.   Charles' field of exploration is wood for making furniture.      When I sat with him, he told me how he uses handmade techniques to instill his high-quality pieces of furniture with character and life.  He added that for some of hi...

Miranda's pottery is collected in many places, including those of celebrities like former President Obama. When I sat with her, she told me that clay is the body of her work. What happens to it is an expression of who she is. It is a very humble material that constantly tests her and grounds her. When I asked about her biggest learning from her creative process, her answer was: "To be a better mot...

When I sat with Eric, in his office, at the basement of his restaurant, he told me how spirituality has changed his life and his creativity. He started as a tough chef in his kitchen, screaming and humiliating his team, throwing pots and pans on the floor, because he thought it was the right thing to do. Over the years, his cooks left the kitchen, especially the best ones.  Then he realized that s...

J'ai rencontré Noémie de passage à New York. Dans ses spectacles, elle ne part pas en guerre contre les hommes, mais contre les préjugés. Ceux des hommes, (mais aussi parfois, ceux des femmes) qui reproduisent des comportements violents, blessants ou oppressants entre les deux sexes et au-delà, par rapport à toutes les identités sexuelles.  Cela ne l'empêche pas, pour en parler, de conserver ses t...

When I sat with Frédéric in his office on Park avenue, he told me that in 1989, when he opened his first salon atop New York's Bergdorf Goodman Department store, he really wanted to do something different and new in the Beauty industry. So, he created the first luxury experience in haircare. And It's still about revealing the unique beauty of everyone who sits in his chair.    

Enfant, Michaëlle a fui avec sa famille la dictature de Duvalier en Haïti pour se réfugier au Canada. Professeur, documentariste, journaliste, elle a ensuite été nommée à des postes diplomatiques et politiques. Pour elle, "la créativité est une forme de résistance". Elle raconte ici la naissance de son humanisme et confie ses réflexions sur l'exercice du pouvoir. "B riser les solitudes"  est sa de...

I sat with him in his cutting room, full of screens in midtown Manhattan. Bob is a storyteller. He told me about his role in the making of a film. The film editing ultimately sets the atmosphere, rhythm and tone of the viewer's experience. "It is about manipulating the time and the space in order to show the truth behind what was going on." Manipulating? Yes! And he added: "It a tricky line and a...

I sat with Alain in his big office on Fifth avenue  full of books and art. He told me that luxury is about tradition, time and excellence. But technology is now reshaping it. Luxury has to be faster in adapting its business models to new technology where speed is as crucial as excellence. What becomes creativity behind those challenges?

All her life Melissa has always tried to make people love her by feeding them. That's her connection to people. I sat with her in her kitchen to talk about both her writing and cooking processes. "I create recipes starting from what I want to eat or what somebody I want to feed wants to eat. Creativity comes from desire." 

I sat with Geraldine to talk about vulnerability. As an actress, to give truth to her characters, she has to really be truthful to herself. And be vulnerable. Vulnerability is one of the ingredients that gives creativity to the performance. But sometimes, an actress can experience it in a weird way on stage by forgetting her lines. Listen to what Geraldine told me about what happened to her.