Speaking of the Arts

Hello everyone this is Mike Epstein and welcome to speaking of the arts. My guest today is Aisha Ahmad-Post. Aisha was recently named director of the Ent Center for the Arts at the University of Colorado – Colorado Springs. This is going to be a great episode as Aisha has a totally unique perspective on running a performing arts center. In fact, she has had to build her program literally from the...

Hello everyone and welcome to Speaking of the Arts. We’ve taken some time off but we are eager to start rolling out new episodes for you. As such, I couldn’t be happier to have the opportunity to speak with today’s guest. Full disclosure…today’s guest happens to also be one of our esteemed artists with whom we have the privilege of booking: the one and only Kat Edmonson! Here’s why you need to kno...

Speaking of the Arts is pleased to welcome Wulf Muller to the show. Wulf is a highly seasoned veteran of the recording industry. In 1999, Wulf became Vice President of International Marketing Classics & Jazz for Universal Music. Here he was responsible for International marketing efforts for all Classics and Jazz priorities worldwide, as well as all local signings on the Emarcy Jazz and Emarcy Cla...

Panos Panay is the founder and managing director of the Berklee Institute for Creative Entrepreneurship (BerkleeICE). Prior to this, Panos created Sonicbids, the leading platform for bands to book gigs and market themselves online, building a subscriber network of 550,000 bands and 35,000 promoters from more than 100 countries. He led the company as CEO for 13 years, from its inception until after...

Happy New Year Everyone! This is Mike Epstein and welcome to Speaking of the Arts. At the end of 2016 I made a special announcement on behalf of our booking agency, Epstein & Company. In case you missed it, starting in 2017, we have decided to give back in the form of a special fund for music students who would otherwise not be able to afford private lessons. This means that from now on, every tim...

Welcome to the 30th episode of Speaking of the Arts! Today’s guest is Jacob Yoffee. Jacob is currently the Resident Composer for the American Studio Orchestra and is a full time concert & film composer based in Los Angeles. Jacob’s music has been featured in the trailer campaigns for Star Wars : The Force Awakens, The Jungle Book, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, The Chronicles of Riddick and...

In 2010, Jordan Passman founded SCORE A SCORE. The company helps musicians and composers discover exciting opportunities in the music-for-picture industry, while providing media-makers an outlet to access top-tier musical talent from around the globe. Since it’s launch, SCORE A SCORE has worked with the biggest companies, brands and film franchises in the world, including Google, Verizon, Intel, M...

Speaking of the Arts welcomes Kathryn Maguet from the Weiss Center for the Performing Arts at Bucknell University. The Weis Center is a leader within the regional and national performing arts community, presenting more than 30 professional performances each year in addition to hosting department and university lectures. Prior to this role, Kathryn was the director of performing arts at Hamilton Co...

Kent Devereaux is the President and Chief Academic Officer of the New Hampshire Institute of Art (NHIA), a private, nonprofit, accredited college of the arts located in Manchester, New Hampshire, approximately one hour’s drive north of Boston. An accomplished educator and academic leader, Kent’s career has taken him around the world and back again. Before assuming the presidency at the New Hampshi...

This episode features Dave Scalia, a Brooklyn based touring, session drummer/producer, and musical director. Originally from Madison, WI, Dave moved to New York in 2010 and began to work with pop, rock, soul, indie, and electronic artists. During the past 6 years he has performed and or recorded with national and international touring acts including White Rabbits, Elle King, A Great Big World, Sky...

Michael Jaworek has been a concert promoter for over 40 years. His activities are focused in the Washington DC and Baltimore markets, where he is Vice President of the Birchmere. (The legendary club just celebrated its 50th anniversary). Michael has been nominated many times as “Nightclub Talent Buyer of the Year” by Pollstar Magazine. He is also a co-founder of the Washington Area Music Awards an...

Speaking of the Arts features Ryan Andrews. Ryan is a Los Angeles-based composer, producer, sound designer and performer. His work has been featured in theatrical advertising campaigns for films and video games such as Avengers: Age Of Ultron, Furious 7, Hercules, and the Call Of Duty series. A versatile performer, he has had the privilege of working with a wide variety of acclaimed artists includ...

Speaking of the Arts welcomes Marc Plotkin! In 2011, Bloomberg Business Week listed Marc and his co-founders in their list of top 25 entrepreneurs for their company CitizenGroove, an online social networking site for pro musicians. The company was subsequently renamed DecisionDesk and now helps hundreds of universities with the application process for music and non-music students alike. In 2013, M...

We are honored to feature Mike Kappus, founder of The Rosebud Agency. Throughout his career, Mike went on to help launch the careers of Los Lobos, The Robert Cray Band, Ben Harper, George Thorogood & The Destroyers, John Hiatt, The Neville Brothers, Trombone Shorty and more, while helping to raise the profile of veteran artists such as Allen Toussaint, Captain Beefheart, Muddy Waters, The Staple S...

In 2011, Erik Gensler founded the annual Digital Marketing Boot Camp for the Arts, a two-day conference in New York that features some of today's leading digital marketers. In this episode, we chat with Erik about the conference and why everyone in the arts should seriously consider attending. At the same time, Erik is the founder and president of Capacity Interactive, a digital marketing firm tha...

20th Episode Celebration! Speaking of the Arts is honored to welcome Carnegie Hall's Naomi Grabel. As director of marketing and creative services at Carnegie Hall since 2009, Naomi oversees advertising, sales, ticketing, e-strategy, publications development, volunteer services and retail operations. In this episode, Naomi shares incredible ideas for marketing including unique digital content, how...

All organizations struggle with how to grow their audience base, increase subscribers, increase ticket sales, and attract new fans and customers. Meghan Anderson, VP of Marketing for HubSpot, gives an amazing interview where she discusses how to effectively use content to help attract new eyes and ears to your organization. This episode is a must listen for anyone who is interested in learning mor...

Speaking of the Arts features Jordy Freed, Grey Group account supervisor and former Director of Marketing and Publicity at the Blue Note Entertainment Group. In this episode, Jordy discusses the role of PR as it relates to artists, venues, and major festivals. Highlights include working with Aretha Franklin and Ms. Lauren Hill, as well as key questions artists should think about when considering a...

Speaking of the Arts features Alain Barker, Director of Music Entrepreneurship and Career Development at the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University. In this episode, Alain discusses why music students need classes on entrepreneurship, the responsibility of higher education in an ever changing world, and much more.

Speaking of the Arts welcomes Chris Gruits, Executive Director for Interlochen Center for the Arts. In this episode, Chris describes how to establish live streaming for your music venue, what its like to alternate between booking major commercial acts such as Sheryl Crow to acts more geared toward the fine arts market, and major thematic programming concepts and ideas.

Speaking of the Arts welcomes David Sholemson, longtime manager for Pat Metheny. In this episode, David describes many aspects of working with Pat including the recording and touring process. The conversation provides an interesting look at everything happening behind the scenes for this incredible artist.

Speaking of the Arts welcomes Craig Ferguson of Planet Bluegrass! In this episode, Craig discusses his unique background, the history of Planet Bluegrass, and the ins and outs of producing the Telluride Bluegrass Festival, RockyGrass Festival, and Folks Festival in Lyons, CO.

In this special episode, Speaking of the Arts is live at the annual Arts Midwest conference where we interview Jon Poses. Jon is the Executive Director of the “We Always Swing”® Jazz Series in Columbia, MO. In the episode, Jon discusses the origins of the series and the process of creating a subscription based music series for patrons.

Scott Southard, Founder and Director of the International Music Network, booking agency for Wayne Shorter, Lady Smith Black Mambazo, Maceo Parker, etc., describes the origins of the agency, how the company works with artists to build their careers, what artists need to be aware of when looking for booking representation, how artists need to approach their touring careers today vs. 25 years ago, th...

Speaking of the Arts is proud to feature Dayna Martinez and Shelley Quiala of the Ordway Center for the Performing Arts in Minneapolis. In this episode, Danya and Shelley discuss how to implement programs designed for students, how to empower them to appreciate real world performances, strategies for any organization interested in creating similar programs, and their widely successful Internationa...