State of the Arts

State of the Arts Episode 292 is now available on Spotify! This week I am proud to welcome filmmaker Alex Black to State of the Arts to discuss the upcoming production of their new film, “The Bluest Sky.” The poignant indie drama, which has six transgender actors and an entire trans crew, is about a transgender chosen family coming together to celebrate the life of a dear friend on a well-intentio...

State of the Arts Episode 291: The Pride Month Special is now available on Spotify. This week is a State of the Arts dedication to Rockaway Borough Pride, which is an organization for members of the LGBTQ+ community and allies in Rockaway Borough, New Jersey. My guests are Jan Aquilos (a writer, filmmaker, community activist and the grassroots organizer of Rockaway Borough Pride), Gina Kleinhans (...

State of the Arts Episode 290: The Father’s Day Special is now available on Spotify. For 290 consecutive weeks, this podcast has featured incredible artists and creators, but this milestone episode is my most personal one yet. This week, guest host Josh Berkowitz interviews me about my dad and his remarkable life as a world traveler, ballroom dancer, marathon runner, bodybuilder, softball player,...

State of the Arts Episode 289: The Juneteenth Special is now ready for streaming on Spotify! This week, I am honored to sit down with award-winning independent filmmaker and playwright Andre Wells. This young, multitalented African American artist is a pillar in the metropolitan indie creative scene as he makes waves with both the independent film group Short Cuts NYC and the stage production writ...

State of the Arts Episode 288 is now available for streaming on Spotify! Published cosplayer Tay (A.K.A. Shake Your Fawn) joins me on this fun new episode that spotlights her blossoming presence in the New York City cosplay community. This founder of Plus Ultra Sized is an innovative content creator who is always open to new collaborations. Since the development of her brand, she became a guest on...

State of the Arts Episode 287 is now streaming on Spotify! It is an honor to welcome Pragya Krishna to my podcast. When she was an active member of ShortCuts NYC, this versatile independent film actor starred in multiple indie shorts of a vast array of genres. My gifted guest studied acting with the prestigious, New York City-based Barrow Group. With the help of a filmmaker friend, she had written...

State of the Arts Episode 286 featuring Sean Young “The Sober Shaman” is now available on Spotify! This week I welcome Sean Young to my podcast for a powerful conversation. Sean is a shaman, peer support specialist, life coach, content creator and Army veteran. In this compelling episode, we discuss his Norse-influenced pagan faith, his compassionate practice of offering spiritual help on a slidin...

State of the Arts Episode 285 The Asian Heritage Month Special is now available on Spotify! This week I welcome return guest and cohost Dean Aquino to my podcast for this annual celebratory episode. This is a joint episode as Dean Aquino is also hosting Episode 9 for his own podcast “Let’s Meet on Twitch.” This versatile talent is a cosplayer, comic convention reviewer/researcher, public transit a...

State of the Arts Episode 284: The Mother’s Day Special is now available on Spotify. Rebecca Dunn, a talented watercolor and abstract painter, is not only a passionate advocate for the arts and a dedicated educator, she is also the devoted mother of an active, young child. As the curator of Artscene CTNY, she is now bringing her creative vision to The Danbury Fair Mall in Connecticut in the near f...

State of the Arts Episode 283 is now available on Spotify! Independent cinematographer, editor and filmmaker Victoria Kee is my guest this week. This dynamic talent is a dedicated member of New York-based indie film organization Short Cuts NYC. She is also involved in many other collaborative projects within the independent film community in the metropolitan area. One of her most recent works, the...

State of the Arts Episode 282 is now available for streaming on Spotify! Independent film actor, director and producer Priya Karki joins me on my podcast for a delightfully engaging interview. This founder of 8th Day Whisper, a production company that fosters a space for second takes, is also represented by Prestigious Models and Image Powerhouse. After making her transition from the corporate wor...

State of the Arts Episode 281 is now available for streaming on Spotify! Kevin Cheng is an actor and a playwright at Woodward Residency. This multitalented creative is a New Work Development Chair at Purple Light NYC and an Administrative Producer at Murmuration Theatre Co. A long time member of The Script Club, Kevin Cheng has been involved in multiple projects with them, including audio plays, a...

State of the Arts Episode 280 is now available on Spotify! My guest this week is award-winning independent filmmaker Devon Reed. This IMDb credited writer, editor and director is known for several acclaimed films including “The Audition”, “O Lucky Day” and “No More Mr. Nice Guy!” Several of his films were honored in well-known festivals including The Lovesick Film Festival, The Brightside Tavern F...

State of the Arts Episode 279: The Autism Awareness Month Special is now available on Spotify! Kenny Peters Jr. is a filmmaker, photographer, writer and an advocate for autism and ADHD awareness. My talented guest is an alumni of Winter Support Lab, an organization that gives opportunities to neurodivergent filmmakers. The filmmakers are given a chance to collaborate with each other on projects be...

State of the Arts Episode 278 is now available on Spotify! Return guest Polina Lilu joins me for an in-person interview about Published Palette, which is her growing business that helps creatives self publish their own books. From design to marketing to distribution, Published Palette is there to guide future authors every step of the way. I am honored to have this successful entrepreneur back on...

State of the Arts Episode 277 is now streaming on Spotify, featuring a new guest: the multitalented Jon Tyler, who is a triple threat in the world of creativity- an actor, a filmmaker, and a photographer. As an active member of the community-driven Short Cuts NYC filmmaking group, he has earned a Frame award for his outstanding work on short films. As a working actor, he is represented by Bright A...

State of the Arts Episode 276: The Saint Patrick’s Day Special is now available on Spotify! This week I am honored to welcome my new podcast guest Madelyn Monaghan, who is a soprano, actor, and writer who specializes in Irish traditional (Sean-nós) singing. She is an educator of the style with students on five continents.​ As an actor, Madelyn has appeared in regional and Off-Broadway theatre as w...

State of the Arts Episode 275: The International Women’s Day Special is now available on Spotify. My distinguished guest this week is Alexa Poller who is a German-born actor, dancer, singer and band leader. This multi-talented creative holds an Associate Diploma in Ballet Pedagogy and eventually toured Europe with a British dance company. She studied performing arts in New York City, where she has...

State of the Arts Episode 274 is now streaming on Spotify, featuring the incredibly talented writer Caroline Reddy, a multifaceted creative force who shines as a poet, author, librarian, teacher, Reiki master, and dance enthusiast. Her work has been showcased in esteemed platforms like The Bethlehem Writers Roundtable, The Journal of Expressive Writing, The International Human Rights Festival, and...

State of the Arts Episode 273: The Lunar New Year Special is now streaming on Spotify! I'm thrilled to welcome back the incredibly talented Ahra Sung, a content creator, cosplayer, photographer, illustrator, painter, and meetup organizer who embodies the spirit of artistic expression. In this extraordinary episode, we dive into the boundless world of conventions, cosplay, anime and more, as Ahra s...

State of the Arts Episode 272: The Valentine’s Day Special is now available for streaming on Spotify! My dear husband Joseph Thomas returns to my podcast to take a deep dive with me into the unforgettable love story of Jimmy McGill and Kim Wexler from hit series “Better Call Saul” by the brilliant Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould. A riveting show that was brought to life by the extraordinary perform...

State of the Arts Episode 271 now available for streaming on Spotify! This week we go behind the scenes with sound designer/technician and assistant lighting designer Nikki Belenski, whose work has illuminated stages of indie productions, international tours, Off-Broadway and Broadway shows. Nikki shares insight into the creative and technical artistry that brings theatre to life, discussing her w...

State of the Arts Episode 270: The Black Heritage Special is now available on Spotify! This week content creator and YouTube show host Dith returns to my podcast for a second time. “DatBoiDith” is Dith’s flourishing YouTube channel with over 10,000 followers. Reaction videos, tributes to singers, “guess the movie” segments, dance reels and holiday specials are some of the high-energy content on th...

State of the Arts Episode 269 is now available on Spotify! This week, I’m joined by return guest Josh Berkowitz for a Taylor Swift tribute episode with a deep exploration of The Swiftie culture and all topics centered on this modern music icon. Together we delve into how this fan community creates shared traditions and how fandom itself becomes a space for connection, interpretation, and creativit...

State of the Arts Episode 268 now available on Spotify! My guest this week is IMDb-credited actor Tap Rudra. Based out of NYC, my talented guest specializes in improv and comedy. He is also a musician and filmmaker. This creative, who embraces his Ukrainian and Indian heritage, has directed and contributed to film projects as a script supervisor, editor, and more. He is a part of a successful impr...