There’s No Business Like...

Ep. 71 The Okee Dokee Brothers: Being Connected to Families is an Honor Before we kick-off this week’s interview the Pod Squad gives their opinion on camping, and the team congrats Josh on his appointment to the board of NAPAMA ( https://www.napama.org/ ). The Okee Dokee Brothers join the podcast to be interviewed by their number one grownup fan, Katie Miller!  They share how they started the grou...

Ep. 70 Sarah Rogers: The Scariest Things Are the Most Rewarding  Our hosts talk about big professional risks and this week Kevin shares his conversation with Sarah Rogers. Sarah shares her early introduction to the arts, her introduction to being an agent, the challenges of touring major dance pieces and more. Sarah also shares the importance of mentorship and the importance of funding mentorship...

Ep. 69 Dan Talmi: The Art of Rebranding Our hosts talk about “pandemic pivots,” before Josh’s engaging conversation with Dan Talmi. Dan Talmi shares his almost reluctant start in the family business, overseeing an impressive rebrand amid global conflict, the evolution of marketing, merchandising as an experience, and so much more.  Our hosts continue the conversation and discuss the concept of the...

Ep. 68 Jared Freiburg: Roll With the Punches and Treat People With Respect The Pod Squad talks who they would play in a biopic, with varying levels of seriousness. This week Katie talks with Jared Freiburg, who “can play like a mother”, about his incredible and short (but still unfolding) career. Jared shares how he started working in the touring industry, life as a cruise ship performer, life on...

Ep. 67 Dena Blizzard: Learn Your Craft, Be Funny  Our hosts share embarrassing moments before Bryan and Josh share their conversation with comedian Dena Blizzard. Dena tells her story of being a comic, creating an off-Broadway show, and eventually creating a multi-media company, starting with her unique approach to marketing. Dena shares funny stories and poignant moments in her career. Dena Blizz...

Ep. 66 Pam Komar: Mindful Service This week Katie shares her conversation with friend of the podcast Pam Komar of the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust. They discuss the power of embracing change, how to focus on wellness and taking care of yourself, and how particular programming areas are avenues to connecting with disengaged audiences. Pam also shares the history of the Cultural Trust and the impact it...

Ep. 65 Wone Vang: Never Give Up on Your Stupid Stupid Dreams Kevin tries out his old-timey radio voice before sitting down with Wone Vang. Wone shares the struggle of being a full-time artist and full-time employee, the Guaranteed Income Program she is managing for Springboard for the Arts, and the importance of pay equity. Our hosts talk about their life in cross stich, what individuals can do to...

Ep. 64 Micah Christian: A Process Unfolding This week Bryan sits down with the lead vocalist of Sons of Serendip, Micah Christian. Micah opens up about his journey into creating music, learning to not compare himself to others, life on the road, and more. Meanwhile, our hosts have a rousing conversation about ringtones and ring backs, Bryan effectively shuts down criticism, and realize we all have...

Ep. 63 It’s a New Years’ Spectacular! … with Guests!  The holiday season is busy and filled with surprises just like this episode! Three guests + 5 hosts = 1 fun filled episode! We’d like to thank our guests Christine Cox, Tracie Lawie, and Barron Ryan for closing out the year with us with some games and some resolutions. Thank you for listening this past year! Christine Cox – Ep. 16: is the Owner...

Ep. 62 Sara Barasch: It Doesn’t Have to be Perfect  Katie connects with friend of the pod, Sara Barasch. Katie and Sara dive into industry hot topics including block booking, the booking cycle, how to connect with venues/buyers, and how a childhood of dance and musical theatre led her to becoming an agent. Our hosts talk about pivotal show moments in their lives, the importance of relationship bui...

Ep. 61 Devin and Lolita Walker: Know Your Worth  This week our hosts kick off the conversation discussing being in business with family. This week Danielle sits down with the powerhouse couple Devin and Lolita Walker. Danielle, Devin, and Lolita talk in-depth about being business owners, the lives of teaching artists, and the need for advocacy around working conditions and fair pay for teaching ar...

Ep. 60 Barron Ryan: The Evidence of Beauty This week our hosts guide you in creating your own mission statement, and share a bit about their own. Kevin sits down with the effortlessly cool Barron Ryan, to talk about how he got started, his creative process, being named one of Smithsonian's Top Innovators to watch in 2021, and his new book, Honey, If It Wasn’t for You. You can get a copy of his boo...

Ep 59 Kevin Maynard: People Come First Bryan and Josh host our final Interpodsquad interview with the incomparable Kevin Maynard. We learn about Kevin’s surprising (but unsurprisingly wholesome) first foray into live performance, how his business and accounting background gave him a firm foundation as an arts leader, and Kevin’s philosophies around taking on challenges and supporting his staff. Th...

Ep. 58 Pumpkin Pie Episode: The Lightning Rounds at MAX It’s Pumpkin Pie Week! This week the “Quad” Producers are kicking back and taking it easy with family and friends and what better to release than our final episode from our time with all our friends at the Midwest Arts Expo. Thank you to everyone who sat down with us in our booth. As an added bonus, we compiled a playlist with the answers to...

Ep. 57 Karra Beach: Calling the Cues Our hosts start out sharing the difficulties of working in the performing arts and why they have all had thoughts of leaving, and the brighter side of why they don’t and why they love what they do. Josh spends time catching up with an old friend, Karra Beach. They talk about her journey in and outside of the industry, engaging students in the performing arts, d...

Ep. 56 Sara Morgulis: Accessibility Isn’t a Checklist Danielle and Katie take time this week to talk with Sara Morgulis about theatre for young audience. Sara talks about what TYA/USA does, the organizations growth, her clear passion for accessibility in the arts, advocating for teaching artists, and so much more. Our hosts share the core tenets of their leadership philosophies and talk about the...

Ep. 55 Simon Shaw: Make Friends, Don’t Be an A**hole  This week's interview is a long-time in the making as Katie and Kevin sit down with good friend of the podcast, Simon Shaw. Simon shares his journey in the arts that took him from the UK to the United States and from being a promotor to founding an agency. He also shares the new challenges of booking in the arts. Simon references research from...

Ep. 54 Caroline Neyman: Change is Inevitable Our hosts remember moments their colleagues did something kind for them or made them feel special. Katie spends some time sitting down with her friend Caroline Neyman. Caroline talks about being at a performance venue from the ground up, imposter syndrome, being a parent in the arts industry, and more. Caroline Neyman is the Senior Director of Operation...

Ep. 53: It’s an Anniversary Episode! It’s been a full year of episodes and this week the “Quad” Producers took some time to celebrate this major milestone and look back on 52 weeks of episodes. Thanks for all of your support and we are looking forward to another year of laughter and learning. Follow us on social media and let us know your thoughts and questions - https://linktr.ee/nobusinesslikepo...

Ep. 52: Live From Our Booth at MAX Part 2 We are back with the rest of booth interview from MAX! The team spent three days in the Exhibit Hall at the Midwest Arts Expo, and while we weren’t talking to agents in their booths, we were talking to people in ours! This episode features 19 interviews! Included in this episode: Robert Baird, Jackie Banks-Mahlum, Kara Bechstein, Kiersten Birondo, Reba Caf...

Ep. 51: Live From Our Booth at MAX Part 1 How do celebrate a successful first time exhibiting? With a jam-packed episode of mini-interviews! The team spent three days in the Exhibit Hall at the Midwest Arts Expo, and while we weren’t talking to agents in their booths, we were talking to people in ours! This episode features 21 interviews! Included in this episode: Lindsay Bauer, Martha Boehm, Jorg...

Ep. 50 Peter Palermo: Be Okay with What You Don’t Know  This week Josh sits down with Peter Palermo at his venue The Sheldon. Peter talks about his journey to wanting to be an actor to production management to running a venue. He shares his approach to programing and the “Palermo Spice”, the unique and sometimes uncertain environment of working on a college campus, and buckling down to do the work...

Ep. 49 Katie Trzaska-Miller: Creating Connections Danielle and Kevin continue our special series of interviewing members of our team, and this week we learn about our fellow host, Katie Miller. After a quick game of “How Pure Michigan is She?,” Katie shares her origin story starting as a dancer at a young age and eventually maintaining and managing an historic theatre on her own at the age of 23....

Ep. 48 Tara Bailey: Take Less Crap from People On this episode Danielle sits down with a friend of the pod, Tara Bailey. We learn how the Grateful Dead and planning underground parties led to a career in the arts. Through Tara’s story we learn about the challenges of visas, the differences in the arts between Canada and the US, the importance of community, and so much more. Our hosts realize they...

Ep. 47 Bill Blagg: An Overnight Success This week Kevin sits down with his friend and magician, Bill Blagg. With Bill’s help, Kevin shares some of the lingo from the magic world with our fellow hosts. Bill shares his lifelong journey to where he is now, the importance of hard work, how seeing his first Broadway show changed everything, and really highlights the business of show business. Bill also...