She Does: Recent Episodes
Elaine Sheldon & Sarah Ginsburg
She Does podcast features creative minds working in media. Each episode centers around an intimate conversation yet digs deeper into each woman's background, philosophy and process through artful audio documentaries soundtracked by music made by women. The show is hosted and created by Elaine Sheldon and Sarah Ginsburg, documentary makers who are interested in how their guests got to where they are today.
Elaine McMillion Sheldon and Sarah Ginsburg (that’s us) are the co-creators, producers and hosts of this very show, She Does podcast, and maybe you got hints of this from listening over the past year, but first and foremost, we’re documentary filmmakers. In this episode, the tables are somewhat turned and we are asked a few questions by our dear friend, production assistant and member of the documentary community herself, Alijah Case. We talk about what we’ve been up to outside of the podcast and what we are planning on getting into now that we’ve officially decided to taper back on releasing episodes of this show. We aren’t calling it quits completely, especially because we LOVE She Does and have over 10 interviews in the can with some incredible women, but we have decided to edit and release episodes on our own time. We elaborate on all of the news and future plans in this special ‘it’s-not-goodbye-it’s-see-you-later’ episode, reflect on the 31 plus episodes we put out over the last year and the women featured in them, wonderful, impressive, yet very human, each in their own unique way. While the process proved to be quite labor and time intensive, it’s been one of those experiences so magical and so fruitful that it’s hard to put into words, but we do our best with the guidance of Alijah, insights from our illustrator Christine Cover, and music and words by Nona Marie Invie, who recently released an EP titled Sisters with her latest project RONiiA. And as always, thank YOU for listening to She Does.
This episode is co-hosted by Alijah Case
Our She Does Illustrator, Christine Cover
KEEP AN EAR OUT in this episode for a little interview with our talented illustrator, the hand behind our little doe logo and all the guest portraits that came out with each episode.
Thank the heavens for our Sound Designer and champion of the slow movement, Billy Wirasnik.
This show wouldn't have reached your ears without our SOUND DESIGNER Billy Wirasnik. Billy turned our episodes around quick, but he's also got a project that is quite slow. Check out what he's been up to with Slo Media and the slow movement here.
“This is a bit of a different episode...”
This episode's MUSICMAKER is one of our favorites, Nona Marie Invie of RONiiA. Sisters is their recently released EP and the music that soundtracks this episode.
RONiiA's recently released EP Sisters
Lisa Kron has been writing and performing award-winning theatre since the mid-1980s. Most recently, Lisa wrote the lyrics and book to the musical "Fun Home," based on the graphic novel by Alison Bechdel. Lisa, and composer Jeanine Tesori, were the first writing team of women to win a Tony for Best Original Score. Fun Home also took home Tony awards for Best Book of a Musical, Best Musical, Best Direction and Best Actor. Lisa's other plays include The Ver**zon Play, In The Wake, Well, 2.5 Minute Ride, 101 Humiliating Stories, which have all received recognition and awards nationally and internationally. She is a founding member of the legendary OBIE and Bessie Award-winning collaborative theater company The Five Lesbian Brothers.
In this episode, Lisa talks about the role of theatre as an artform, the challenges of adapting a graphic novel into a musical, how to make live performance resonate with audiences, the representation of women--and lesbians--in theatre, and the morals of personal storytelling.
The episode is sponsored by Fun Home the musical.
“You can tell a story in which everybody in the world is the same and everything in the world is just like everything else. Or you can tell a story about how things are not the same, and yet equally human. ”
— Lisa Kron
Related Links:
- Lisa Kron's Website
- Lisa on Facebook
- Lisa on Twitter
- Lisa accepting Fun Home's Tony award (video)
- Small Gains for Female Playwrights (New York Times)
- Lisa Kron's 'Well' Opens on Broadway (New York Times)
- A Quick Trip From Playwright to Player (New York Times)
Lisa Kron and Jeanine Tesori take us behind the music of their Tony-nominated musical FUN HOME.
"FUN HOME" songs featured in this episode:
- Helen's Etude
- Raincoat of Love
- This Is What I Have of You...
- Come to the Fun Home
- Maps
- Welcome to Our House on Maple Avenue
- Days and Days
- It All Comes Back (Opening)
- Changing My Major
- Telephone Wire
- Ring of Keys
- Flying Away (Finale)
Clips used in this show:
- On The 20th Century
MUSIC FEATURED IN EPISODE 30
Photograph provided by River Jones Music
Curated by Sarah Ginsburg
Michelle Blades is an eclectic musician who was born in Panama, raised in Miami, spent time in Arizona along with a handful of other locations around the world, and is currently based in Paris. Her music is as fluid as she is, going from acoustic sounds in her early albums to experimentation with electric guitar, synthesizers, found sounds and repeating vocals in her more recent releases.
LISTEN to and PURCHASE the music of Michelle Blades on Bandcamp, iTunes and Spotify. Her music can also be heard on Midnight Special Records' Soundcloud. Take a peek at her blog while you're at it!
Lily Baldwin is a New York-based filmmaker and dancer that uses movement of the body and unconventional narrative structures to tell human stories. Her short films (Sea Meadow, A Juicebox Afternoon, Sleepover LA, and Swallowed) have played at festivals like SXSW, Berlinale EFM, and the Lincoln Center and been featured on NOWNESS, Short of the Week, Fandor, Filmmaker Magazine, and Vimeo Staff Picks. Lily fell into filmmaking when she was performing as a professional dancer in David Byrne’s two year world tour Everything That Happens Will Happen Today. Lily often writes, choreographs, directs, edits and plays the leading role in her films, seeking to “rip things up” with both graceful and rigid moments and scenes made up of bold, jarring edits. In other scenes, she’s simply another human on the street, walking with the rest of us. Lily is a Sundance Fellow with her upcoming VR project in collaboration with Saschka Unseld, Through You. She’s about to start shooting her first feature, Glass, a stalking thriller based on a real experience about a dancer and an insidious fan in our privacy-gone world. Lily talks about the rigor and commitment of dancers, coming into film as a “second career”, the responsibility she feels as an artist to pull from her own experiences and educate, and “working your buns off” to be the ultimate version of yourself.
“I think we have a responsibility to mine what we know. It’s great to make up stories and live in imagination but I feel like I can do a better job with something I’ve been through. Life is unlived, for me, if I don’t peel off the layers.”
RELATED LINKS:
- Lily's Website, Twitter and Instagram
- Berlinale Short Talks (Video Interview)
- Ravelin Magazine Feature
- Girls on Film Interview
- Lily's Films on Fandor
- Dancing Words Artist Profile
MUSIC in this episode is by Michelle Blades. Listen to her music on Bandcamp or on Midnight Special Records' Soundcloud, and take a peek at her Tumblr.
Songs you heard: Subtropical Suburban, Crush! I Went to Your Party from the album Ataraxia // Le Bois, Lava Boy, Swallowing Truths & River Rocks, Yellow Petaled Coast from the album Songs From Another's Bed // My Grimey Dreams, I'll Let in the Outside Noise from the album & // 10th and Wilson Score off the EP Nah, See Ya // Making Friends In The Dark, It All Ends Here off the album Cold Shoulders
Name:Lily Baldwin
Current City: New York
What are you listening to now? I just went throwback on myself and have been listening pretty nonstop to Aphex Twin's Selected Ambient Works II
What film/book/show/piece of media changed you? There are too many to fit into this white box, but if I look at my bookshelf right this second, I'm going to say: Eadweard Muybridge's pictures and Murder She Wrote -- Jessica Fletcher is one of my favorite protagonists.
Who is your career role model?Cindy Sherman -- she's self taught, fearless about changing herself and isn't afraid to be ugly in her work.
What is a tool you can't live without?A Panasonic boombox from the 80's that I listen to NPR on.
How do you drink your coffee/tea? Coffee-- a super dark, greasy brew with a dash of cream
What's your spirit animal? Wolf.
Updates? I'm thrilled to be premiering my short film Swallowed as part of the upcoming omnibus feature project, Collective:Unconscious, at SXSW as the first ever omnibus feature in competition! Next on the horizon this year is gearing up to shoot my first feature GLASS, a thriller inspired by a true stalking story. I'm also going to be directing a VR project, Through You, with Saschka Unseld in collaboration with Sundance. And on less immediate burners, I'm cooking up two episodic series!
CLIPS USED IN SHOW:
- Ride, Rise, Roar (Feature Documentary Trailer)
- Sleeping With Frank (Short Film)
- Sea Meadow (Short Film Trailer)
- A Juicebox Afternoon (Short Film)
- Sleepover LA (Short Film)
- Music from Swallowed by Mark degli Antoni (Short Film from Collective:Unconscious)
- Women of The Year: Misty Copeland (Short Film)
CREDITS:
- Produced by Sarah Ginsburg & Elaine Sheldon
- Sound design by Billy Wirasnik
- Illustration by Christine Cover
- Production Assistance by Alijah Case
LIVE PERFORMANCE FEATURED IN EPISODE 29WOMANMAY is the solo project of Maylin Colmenares, Venezuelan-bred and Miami-based guitarist and vocalist. There's a lot of soul and wisdom in the experimental folk music that Womanmay puts out, and we were lucky to have Maylin open a live show with Almudena Toral at Film Gate for us. At the end of the this live episode, catch a short interview with Maylin and enjoy her music as we’ve sprinkled songs from her latest album Ahi Ahi.
LISTEN to Womanmay on Soundcloud, Bandcamp, Spotify and iTunes.
LISTEN the Womanmay play "Ahi Ahi"
From left to right: Elaine Sheldon (She Does), Almudena Toral (Univision), Sarah Ginsburg (She Does), Maylin Colmenares (WOMANMAY) at Film Gate in Miami, Florida.
RELATED LINKS
Almudena's Website
Interview on ReportHers
Vimeo
Almudena Toral is a Spanish visual journalist and the head of video at Univision News Digital in Miami. Prior to working for Univision, Almudena freelanced worldwide and worked at The New York Times and TIME. Her work has been published by The Guardian, VICE, AlJazeera, Huffington Post, El País, Canal+ and other outlets. She's the recipient of a 2013 Pictures of the Year International Award of Excellence – Multimedia Photographer of the Year.
Her work has received accolades from the Emmys, National Press Photographers Association, the World Cup of Photography, and The Deadline Press Club. Almudena is passionate about multi-platform storytelling, human rights, health and gender issues, the global south and immigration policy, among others.
In this episode, she talks about Univision News Digital’s goal to serve Hispanic and Latino communities in the U.S., the benefits of being a woman in journalism, covering heroin addiction in Tanzania, and her many lessons learned as a freelance video and photojournalist.
Almudena gives great advice on pitching stories. Most importantly, she encourages artists and journalists to be flexible with the ability to do many things, but to really specialize in and master one thing.
MUSIC BY: WOMANMAY
WOMANMAY is the solo project of Maylin Colmenares. Venezuelan-bred and Miami-based guitarist and vocalist. We were lucky to have Maylin open the live show at Film Gate for us. Stick around at the end of this episode to hear a short interview with her. We’ve sprinkled songs from WOMANMAY'S latest album Ahi Ahi throughout this recording.
- Bandcamp
- iTunes
Iva Radivojevic is a documentary director and editor. She was born in Yugoslavia, raised in Cyprus and has lived in New York City since she was 18 years old. Much of her work explores belonging, and draws from poetry and personal experience. Her debut feature, "Evaporating Borders," examines migration, tolerance and identity through the experience of asylum seekers in Cyprus. The film has received awards worldwide and was nominated for an International Documentary Association (IDA) Award and a Cinema Eye Honors Spotlight Award and screened over 80 times at festivals, including SXSW, Human Rights Watch FF, Rotterdam IFF, DokuFest and HotDocs. Iva is the recipient of the 2015 Guggenheim Fellowship and was named one of 25 New Faces of Independent Film of 2013 by Filmmaker Magazine. In this episode Iva talks about her series "IvaAsks" where she learned how to make films, her draw to poetry, working as an editor, her new film inspired by Jorge Luis Borges’ “Aleph,” and the things she does (writing, exercising, meditating) to keep her life calm and collected.
Related Links:
- Filmmaker Magazine profile
- Iva on Twitter
- Iva on Instagram
- Evaporating Borders
- Iva Asks Series
- The Intercept interview
- Bomb Magazine interview
- Iva on BBC World News
- IndieWire interview
Name: Iva Radivojevic
Current Town: Brooklyn
What are you listening to now? Nana Vasconcelos, Toto la Momposina, Connan Mockasin
What film/book/show/piece of media changed you? Here are a few things that left a permanent imprint:
Arundhati Roy's "The God of Small Things" and consequently most of her work.
Alain Resnais' "Last Year at Marienbad"
Ilya Khrzhanovsky's film "4"
"For an imperfect cinema" an essay by Julio Garcia Espinosa
"What's wrong with the liberal documentary" an essay by Jill Godmilow
Who is your career role model? There are so many people. I also find myself lucky to know many brilliant, creative and intuitive minds, not only filmmakers, but also musicians, poets, painters, runners, activists etc. and so I steal a little wisdom from each, from all directions and blend it to what works for me.
What is a tool you can't live without? Pen and paper (MUJI), Camera, Music
How do you drink your coffee/tea? Tea! (Caffeine makes me crazy)
Clips used and mentioned in show:
- Looking Glass (edited by Iva)
- Knedle (Grandma Project)
- Romantzo
- IVA ASKS films: Milena, Occupy Wall Street, Anita, Grandpa Elliott
- Magic Fikus
Music by Apache Tomcat
“Poetry speaks volumes and it digs and penetrates much deeper than if I was to do something in a purely journalistic way and disseminate information. I don’t want to throw stuff in your face or bang you over the head with information. I really love the written word and I like how that matches up, or doesn’t match up with images and how they can dance together or repel each other. ”
— Iva Radivojevic
MUSIC FEATURED IN EPISODE 27Charly and Margaux of Chargaux are classically trained in string instruments but create music that blends traditional orchestral sounds with hip-hop, electronic music and Jazz. It's definitely music you can’t fit into one box. They started playing together in Boston and New York's subway stations and were quickly discovered by people and companies that wanted them to perform, like Opening Ceremony, Kendrick Lamar, and First Lady Michelle Obama. They are all about experimenting with both their music and their visual aesthetic, wearing colorful clothing that actually looks like the music they play.
WATCH: "Lullaby" Official Music Video
FOLLOW: Website, Tumblr, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter
LISTEN: Chargaux on Soundcloud and iTunes. Be sure to download their mixes Art/Sex Volume 1 and Brown History Starter Pack FREE on Soundcloud.
Alexis Wilkinson went from being the first black woman President of Harvard’s acclaimed humor publication, The Lampoon, to writing for HBO’s hit comedy series, “Veep.” She’s become an outspoken public figure and writer--with work featured in Slate, Opening Ceremony and TIME--but as we know, big victories such as these don’t come without a lot of work, a few disruptions and some twists and turns in the road. In this episode, Alexis recalls her experiences of “comping” or trying out for The Lampoon multiple times, finding her place in the middle of an elitist institution, losing her best friend and working to create media that represents this diverse world as it actually is. Her response to naysayers? Laughter. And this is why she chose comedy. Music in this episode is by Chargaux.
“The best thing you can do when the unexpected happens is to laugh at it. That’s the best outcome. You either get angry or you laugh at it.”
— Alexis Wilkinson RELATED LINKS:
- Alexis on Twitter
- Alexis' writing on Opening Ceremony, Slate, Time, Cosmopolitan & xojane
- Boston People feature on Alexis
- Alexis on Studio360
- Veep
*CLIPS USED IN SHOW:*
- Veep Theme Song
- Alexis at Chicago Ideas Week Conference
- NPR Interview with Alexis
- Alexis on Melissa-Harris Perry
- Clip from Veep Episode 7, Season 2 - "The Shutdown"
- Clip from Veep Episode 1, Season 1 - "Fundraiser"
Name:Alexis Wilkinson
Current City: Los Angeles, California
What are you listening to now? "I Wanna Boi" by PWR BTTM
What film/book/show/piece of media changed you? I've gotten really into the director Alexander Payne lately. "Citizen Ruth" is a great movie. I've been thinking a lot about smart satire and treating "unlikable" characters with compassion and that film does an amazing job of both.
Who is your career role model? Shonda Rhimes
What is a tool you can't live without?My foundation primer by BECCA! My skin is oily like an empty bag of chips without it. I also have a Mophie phone charging case that has changed my life.
How do you drink your coffee/tea? Milk and sugar if I'm relaxed. Black if I'm getting down to business.
What's your spirit animal? House cat: attractive, inflated sense of importance, adaptable, rude
Updates? We're finishing up shooting the last episodes of Veep, which everyone should check out! The new season premieres the 24th of April. I've got a couple projects in both film and TV that are moving forward, but it's a bit too soon to tell. Fingers crossed!
CREDITS:
- Produced by Sarah Ginsburg & Elaine Sheldon
- Sound design by Billy Wirasnik
- Illustration by Christine Cover
MUSIC in this episode is by Charly & Margaux of CHARGAUX. Visit their website, purchase their music on iTunes and check out their MusicMaker episode Wednesday, February 17th.
Songs you heard: Lullaby (feat. Soft Glas), Tell William, I'm So Pretty from the album Broke & Baroque // All The Parties, Lone Ranger, Great Expectations from the album The Gallerina Suites
Photograph by Brittain Shorter
“Anything creative really depends on play. We don’t really value play, we value work.”
— Alexandria Hall
Alexandria Hall, a musician and poet, has been performing under the name Tooth Ache for over seven years. We featured music from her 2013 album, “Flash & Yearn," in last week's episode with Charlotte Cook. In this episode, Alexandria talks about growing up in Vermont, where inspiration comes from, lessons she has learned from the music industry and how being outside of your comfort zone spurs creativity.
- Listen on Bandcamp
- Alexandria's Website
- Feature on Alexandria in Burlington Free Press
“You can do it your way and you can ask for help. That’s one of the things I didn’t realize for the longest time was that it’s okay to ask for help. Especially as a girl I felt like I always had to prove myself to the guys. I had this weird pride about things that stopped me for asking for help when I could have.”
— Alexandria Hall
Charlotte Cook is a documentary film programmer, curator, producer and co-founder of Field of Vision. Charlotte was the Director of Programming at Hot Docs film festival for four years before she left in May of 2015 to start Field of Vision, a visual journalism film unit that aims to commission 40 to 50 original episodic and individual short non-fiction films each year. Charlotte co-founded Field of Vision with Academy Award-winning director of “Citizenfour,” Laura Poitras, and filmmaker and founder of Cinema Eye Honors Aj Schnack. In this episode, we talk about Charlotte’s journey to programming Hot Docs, including her time at The Times, BBC Storyville, and The Frontline Club. Charlotte also walks us through what Field of Vision is looking for and how you can be part of it.
“I’ve always hated the term gatekeeper or tastemaker or anything like that. I always say the filmmakers drive everything and I think there’s this weird misconception about that. We are always at the mercy of the filmmakers. And that was something I really always tried to get through at HotDocs, ‘It’s not your honor to screen with us, it’s the other way around.’”
— Charlotte Cook RELATED LINKS
- Charlotte on Twitter
- Field of Vision
- Frontline Club
- Medium: Charlotte on leaving HotDocs
- Interview with the Field of Vision co-founders
CLIPS USED IN SHOW
- Notes from the Border - Field of Vision short film by Iva Radivojevic
- Peace in the Valley - Field of Vision short film by Michael Palmieri and Donal Mosher
- World in Action - The Nazi Party
- World in Action - 1970s titles
Name: Charlotte Cook
Current City: New York
Current Gig: Co-Creator and Executive Producer of Field of Vision
What are you listening to now? I find it impossible to pick favorites but the two songs that I listen to the most, because they soothe my soul, are "The Weight of My Words" a Four Tet Remix by Kings of Convenience and "Girlfriend" by Phoenix. And my favourite album of last year was Jamie xx, "In Colour."
What film/book/show/piece of media changed you? One of my roommates at university was working on an art project and became obsessed with the documentaries "Party Monster: The Shockumentary" by Randy Barbato and Fenton Bailey, and The Legend of Leigh Bowery by Charles Atlas. He would watch them everyday and I became sucked in by them while I was helping to photograph his work. They were not only my introduction to seeing how non-fiction could really speak to someone and mean so much to them, but also to documentaries that were outside of the more informative, issue films, and spoke to different subcultures and voices. It began my path of ferociously watching non-fiction.
"Fourteen Days in May" by Paul Hamann opened my eyes to the power of documentary and "Portrait of Jason" remains my favorite documentary of all time. The exploration of performance and representation of reality and storytelling is still very powerful to me.
I've always been a huge Steven Soderbergh fan. His use of color in "Out of Sight" was something that really made me fall in love with exploring how directors use visuals in storytelling. I will always pay attention to the work Kyle Cooper makes, I find it fascinating and inspiring.
Who is your career role model? I've always really admired how Ben Hammersley has navigated his career. From the diversity of ways he works, in different mediums, and being someone who is very multi-faceted. But really my role models are those who are committed to supporting, and advancing the medium or field they work in. Whether it's helping to give other people opportunities, creating discussion or building new avenues or outlets for those in their field.
What is a tool you can't live without?Notebook and Pen. I write by hand, every day, for various reasons. I still find nothing more useful, productive or cathartic.
How do you take your coffee/tea? Milky, two sugars in both, which is sacrilegious for most of my fellow British people.
CREDITS:
- Produced by Sarah Ginsburg & Elaine Sheldon
- Sound design by Billy Wirasnik
- Illustration by Christine Cover
MUSIC: in this episode is by Alexandria Hall of tooth ache. Listen and purchase her music on bandcamp!
Featured songs: Skin, Lazarus, Sediment, Guilt, Wild Horses, Not Even The Moon, Body Heat
Kylie Hastings (left), Allen Martin (center), Kylie Slabby (right)
MUSIC FEATURED IN EPISODE 25 Curated by Sarah Ginsburg
Kylie Slabby and Kylie Hastings met on the first day of 6th grade, became best friends, and started making music together in their bedrooms because their parents wouldn’t let them go to the movies on Friday nights like all the other kids did. Along with drummer and guitarist Allen Martin, they became The Daddyo’s, a lo-fi, dream pop, grunge band based in Tulsa, Oklahoma. No matter the genre of their music or weight of their songs, The Daddyo’s will transports you to a very specific time in life. And even if your teenage years and early twenties are nothing like theirs, somehow, you can still fall into their world.
LINKS:
LISTEN: The Daddyo's Bandcamp & Soundcloud, Kylie Slabby's other band Who and The Fucks Bandcamp, Kylie Slabby's solo project Ramona & The Phantoms Soundcloud
WATCH: "Crop Top"
FOLLOW: Twitter, Facebook
Cocoon Central Dance Team is a New York-based comedy dance troupe made up of three talented women: Sunita Mani, Eleanore Pienta and Tallie Medel. They are each up-and-coming actors in their own right, landing roles in indie films, big music videos and on television. But their work as a trio, as Cocoon Central Dance Team, is what we focus on in this episode because they truly are a remarkably talented, gut-busting, thigh slapping, absurd outfit wearing, glitter throwing, dance-until-you-laugh-until-you-cry group of women. Cocoon has performed at Upright Citizen’s Brigade, MoMa PS1, The Pit, Showgasm with John Early and Cast Party. They’ve opened for Broad City Live, the 2013 New York City Marathon, have been back up dancers for HUSH HUSH and have a successful web series called Rehearsal. Cocoon Central Dance Team breaks rules and plays with the forms of dance and comedy, making them an undefinable act, which is one of the greatest things you can be in today’s comedy and dance landscape.
VISIT Cocoon's website FOLLOW them on Twitter and on Youtube.
“My whole qualm with the comedy scene is that audiences aren’t critical enough. And in the art scene, there needs to be more laughter. There needs to be a little loosening up. And so I think we’re hyper critical of ourselves and I think basically just thinking about taking what we think what other people think and flexing muscles to either fix it or not because nothing is broken, and we get to decide what is valuable criticism.”
— Eleanore Pienta, Cocoon Central Dance Team
Name: Eleanore Pienta
Current City: New York City
What are you listening to now? James Booker - Sunny Side of the Street, Kendrick Lamar feat Anna Wise - Real
What film/book/show/piece of media changed you? Tamy Ben-Tor's video "Normal".
Who is your career role model? Drew Beattie
What is a tool you can't live without? Tiny spoons.
How do you drink your coffee/tea? Coffee with Cream, Tea straight up.
What's your spirit animal? African Elephant.
CLIPS FEATURED IN SHOW:
- Cast Party (Teaser)
- Uncertain Terms (Feature Film)
- Inside Amy Schumer - Doggy Daycare (Episode)
- DJ Snake, Lil Jon - Turn Down For What (Music Video)
- See You Next Tuesday (Feature Film)
- HAPPY a show by Eleanore Pienta (Teaser)
- Hounds of Love by Kate Bush (Song)
- Cocoon Live at the Moon - Baseball Dance
- REHEARSAL: Bloood (Episode)
- REHEARSAL: Talking and Dancing (Episode)
- REHEARSAL: Excerpt from the Motion Picture Bouncin' (Episode)
- 2013 NYC Marathon Opening Ceremony
CREDITS
- Produced by Elaine Sheldon & Sarah Ginsburg
- Sound design by Billy Wirasnik
- Sound recording by Henry Molofsky
- Illustration by Christine Cover
- Production Assistance by Alijah Case
Name: Sunita Mani
Current City: Brooklyn, NY
What are you listening to now? I'm sprung for Justin Beiber's "Sorry" and for Wye Oak's album "Shriek"
What film/book/show/piece of media changed you? Seeing Maya Rudolph on Saturday Night Live. I didn't realize until later that she was such a strong benchmark for me. I hadn't seen a woman of color on SNL yet with such a variety of talents--musical, comedic, and a strong stage presence. She also had the ability to represent many ethnicities which was a strength! I think I had only thought of ethnicity on TV as a limitation at that point? Or maybe I just didn't have the possibilities in mind until I saw her do it first, especially being associated with a comedic institution that I was obsessed with at a young age!
Started reading the new Ms. Marvel comic book series with Kamala Khan as the hero. It gives me hope and makes me feel strong.
Really want this piece of media to change me so I keep listening to it: Audre Lorde reading from her essay "Uses of the Erotic: The Erotic as Power
Who is your career role model? Rihanna. She has such a coolness and almost laziness about her; she seems so comfortable with herself. I like how much she changes her look while still making THE HITZ.
What is a tool you can't live without? notebook and an ink pen
How do you drink your coffee/tea? with ceremony: strong black tea with milk, no sugar.
What's your spirit animal? Probably a tortoise who thinks she's a hare.
Name: Tallie Medel
Current City: Ridgewood, NY
What are you listening to now? Albums: TO PIMP A BUTTERFLY (Kendrick Lamar), A VISION (Seapony), HALF FREE (U.S. Girls), MULTI-LOVE (Unknown Mortal Orchestra) Songs: "Sorry" (Justin Bieber), "WTF" (Missy Elliott & Pharrell), "Fuck and Run" (Liz Phair), "Crowded Stranger" (Girlpool) Podcast: MYSTERY SHOW (Starlee Kine)
What film/book/show/piece of media changed you? FILM /// FIELD NIGGAS (dir. Khalik Allah). I don't want to try to explain it because it has to be seen, so go see it.
BOOK /// I've been reading a lot of Lydia Davis, and I'm re-reading FOUR FISH (Paul Greenberg) and A PEOPLE'S HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES (Howard Zinn). BITCH PLANET (Kelly Sue DeConnick). You like comics? You'll read this and then your head will catch on fire.
SHOW /// STRANGERS WITH CANDY, FISHING WITH JOHN, SPACE GHOST COAST TO COAST, THE OFFICE (BBC), NATHAN FOR YOU, FARGO, BURNING LOVE, RUPAUL'S DRAG RACE, MONONOKE < that's a really gorgeous animated series you oughta know, I always think I dreamed it when I recall it later
MEDIA /// IN THE HEART OF AMERICA AND OTHER PLAYS by Naomi Wallace, choreography by Ashley Byler, psychedelic-Native Alaskan work by both Stephen Jackson and Donnie Varnell, watching Daniel Scheinert shoot comedy shorts in college, Reductress.com
Who is your career role model? Maya Rudolph, Justin Theroux, John Early, RuPaul, Britni West, Lizz Winstead
What is a tool you can't live without? Headphones, so I can live in a fantasy world; video chat so I can see my brother and his family. I have a nephew! Life goes on against all odds and I love it!
How do you drink your coffee/tea? I like black coffee, hot or iced. Iced makes me go crazy so I don't drink too much of it.
What's your spirit animal? Apes and monkeys. Those ladies and gentlemen are #1
MUSIC in this episode is by Kylie Slabby & Kylie Hastings of THE DADDYO'S. Listen and purchase their music on bandcamp!
Songs you heard: Beatles, Penclawwd Belles, Cat Piss Queen, Shakira, Dishes from the album Better // Crop Top, Damsels, Just A Girl (Daddyo’s Theme), Taco Spaceship from Smother Your Brother // Boring, Arizona from It’s a tough world out there for a lonely girl
Photo by Estudio Primio
MUSIC FEATURED IN EPISODE 24Curated by Sarah Ginsburg
Cécile Schott, a musician and composer originally from outside of Paris, has been making music since she was 15 and she started releasing albums under the name Colleen at age 27. She has 6 full albums and 1 EP in total, her most recent album being Captain of None, released in April of 2015 with Thrill Jockey Records. Our talented sound designer and friend, Billy Wirasnik, has been a long time fan of Colleen. Billy calls her work, “The music a beautiful brain would make if you could plug a quarter inch jack into it.” Cécile uses repetitive loops of old scratchy recordings, instruments like the glockenspiel, guitar, viola da gamba, bells, chimes and a variety of music boxes to make up the sounds in different combinations across her albums, building mysterious atmospheres that can be dark and playful at the same time. Colleen tracks differ from album to album, but are all unified by a tenderness, a curiosity, and a will to experiment and play, always taking you somewhere you weren’t expecting. In this episode, we talk about falling in and out of love with music, taking time to pursue other creative outlets, an artistic response to hardships and tragedy, and really, just living a simple, happy life.
CONNECT via Colleen's Website and Facebook
LISTEN to Colleen's
READ: NPR's top 50 Albums of 2015, FACT Magazine Interview, NYT Review
PURCHASE Colleen's Albums on Thrill Jockey or on vinyl directly from her
“I think it’s always worth trying to have your voice heard if its something that you really care deeply about.”
Molly Crabapple is an artist and writer who combines illustration, art and journalism to document societal and political issues. Her work is influenced by her own personal experiences and radical encounters with injustice around the world, and aims to shed light on marginalized communities. She’s written and illustrated stories about Guantanamo Bay, issues sex workers face, the prison system, among many other topics, for Vice, Fusion, The New York Times, The Paris Review, Vanity Fair, The Guardian and Newsweek. Molly’s captivating paintings, and pen and ink illustrations can be seen on book covers, canvases, backdrops, and have accompanied articles written by both herself and by others; her art is featured in MoMA’s permanent collection. She’s the recipient of the Yale Poynter Fellowship, a Front Page Award, and a 2014 Gold Rush award. She was shortlisted for a 2013 Frontline Print Journalism Award for her internationally-acclaimed reportage on Guantanamo Bay.
In Dec. 2015, Molly released “Drawing Blood,” a memoir that details her life as a high school outcast, traveler of the world, Internet model, political activist, illustrator and many moments in between. In this episode, we dive into Molly’s intricate work, discussing the vampiric nature of being an illustrator, the inside of Guantanamo Bay detention camp, beauty as capital, her abortion, underground nightclubs, and using art to fight injustice.
Molly's memoir, Drawing Blood, is out now. Visit Indiebound to find a copy at a bookstore near you, or purchase it at Barnes & Noble or Amazon!
“When you take a photo, you’re at the mercy of what’s in front of you. When you draw, you have all of your memory. You have all all your imagination. You have everything to go from.”
MUSIC in this episode is by french composer and musician,Cécile Schott who makes work under the name COLLEEN! Join us next Wednesday (12/9/2015) to learn more about her! In the meantime, listen to her music on Spotify and Soundcloud and check out her website,
Photo by Thomas Guionnet
SONGS you heard: Holding Horses, I'm Kin, Salina Stars, Lighthouse, Captain of Dub from the album Captain of None (Japanese Version) // Break Away, Ursa Major Find from The Weighing Of The Heart // What Is a Componium, Pt. 1, Your Heart Is So Loud, I'll Read You a Story from // Ritournelle, Goodbye Sunshine, Everyone Alive Wants Answers, Your Heart on Your Sleeve, Nice and Simple from Everyone Alive Wants Answers // The Happy Sea from The Golden Morning Breaks // Pista 10 from Les Ondes Silencieuses
RELATED LINKS:
- Sneak Preview of Drawing Blood on BoingBoing
- Molly's work on VICE
- "The Best Path Is the One You Build Out of Your Own Dysfunction" on 99u
- Week in Hell Project
- VISIT Molly's website and FOLLOW her on Twitter and Instagram!
CLIPS USED IN SHOW:
- How Police Profile and Shame Sex Workers (Animation)
- Locking Up Immigrants For Profit (Animation)
CREDITS
- Produced by Elaine Sheldon & Sarah Ginsburg
- Sound design by Billy Wirasnik
- Illustration by Christine Cover
- Production Assistance by Alijah Case
MUSIC FEATURED IN EPISODE 23Curated by Elaine Sheldon
Julianna Barwick's truly unique music is built around multiple loops and layers of her voice. Her experimental songs feel spontaneous, sometimes meandering, and always emotional. Julianna has lived in NYC for over 14 years, but she was born and raised in the South--in Louisiana, Missouri and Oklahoma. She grew up singing in choirs at church and school, which has clearly had a lasting influence on her work. 2015 was an exciting year for her; she's finishing up her next album, she played with the Flaming Lips and Philip Glass at Carnegie Hall, and toured in Japan.
In this episode, we talk about how her work has changed over the years, the collaborations she has worked on, what it's like to play piano for Yoko Ono, and why it's important to teach yourself new skills and be nice to people.
Julianna was the musicmaker from last week’s episode with Alexandria Bombach and Mo Scarpelli.
READ: Pitchfork Feature, Press & Interviews
CONNECT: Website, Twitter, Facebook
LISTEN: iTunes, Bandcamp
“When people ask me to describe my music I still get tongue-tied and don’t really know how to answer it, or classify it, in any normal kind of way. For me it’s about the joy of making stuff.”
— Julianna Barwick
Mo Scarpelli and Alexandria Bombach are documentary filmmakers and co-directors of award-winning film "Frame by Frame.” The documentary follows four Afghan photojournalists as they face the realities of building a free press in a country left to stand on its own after decades of war and rule under the oppressive Taliban regime. The film had its world premiere at SXSW 2015, has screened over 50 times, garnered several awards, was voted one of the Top 10 Audience Favorites at Hot Docs Film Festival, and is nominated for a Cinema Eye Honors Award for Spotlight Doc. Right now, Mo and Alexandria are knee-deep in an Academy Award campaign for the film. “Frame by Frame” is opening for a week-long run in New York on Nov 20 at the IFC Center.
Mo and Alexandria are extremely self-sufficient women and filmmakers-- both having worked alone on most of their film projects before this one. They both started their own film companies and both have carved out their own niches; Mo in the documentary and journalism world and Alexandria in the outdoor filmmaking world.
In this episode, we talk about how they came to the medium of film, reporting international stories, filming in Afghanistan, their dedication to stunning cinematography, earning the trust of your subjects, the responsibility and weight of releasing stories into the world, holding onto empathy, the perils of co-directing, how to reconnect with relationships after disconnecting to make a film, and how to maintain belonging and community when living out of a suitcase.
- Request or attend a screening of "Frame by Frame"
- Read press on "Frame by Frame"
- Follow "Frame by Frame" on Instagram, Facebook & Twitter
Name: Mo Scarpelli
Current Location: Portland, OR
Current Gig: Director & Producer at Rake Films
What are you listening to now? "I'm Here Now" by Motopony // Podcasts: SheDoes & On Being :)
What film/book/show/piece of media changed you?
Zack Canepari & Drea Cooper's "California Is A Place" showed me how independent doc shorts for online were possible, and also that they could be quirky, stylized and emotionally resonant. This, along with MediaStorm's short multimedia pieces, opened my world to that wonderful blurry space between film + journalism on the web.
Jason Tippet's "Only The Young" showed me how cinematography in doc can rival that of narrative features, and tell a human story.
Sarah Polley's "Stories We Tell" showed me how a Director's manipulation can morph a simple situation into a riveting and revealing story.
Joan Didion's essays - her tone, her boldness, her levity - has always informed the way I look at the world.
George Orwell's essays also have been an influence for me since I first picked up "All Art is Propaganda." I don't know if I realized at the time that what drew--and continues to draw--me to essays is how they can be like cinema verite; meandering and observing and leaving so much up to the reader to interpret what the writer has experienced.
Who is your career role model? I have three. My mom, Joan Didion, Margaret Bourke-White. I should have a filmmaker on here, I know...I'm still learning the doc film world and have met a ton of people in the past couple years who deserve admiration. Hard to name just a few, so I'll stick with the oldies.
What is a tool you can't live without? Black notepad + pen. I'm naked without it.
How do you drink/take your coffee/tea? With a splash of soy or almond milk
RELATED LINKS:
- Personal Website
Alexandria (left) Mo (right)
“Both Mo and I get uncomfortable when shoots are too organized—or if people work with a union and they stop at a certain time—that would just blow our minds. I think we’re used to and thrive in chaotic environments.”
— Alexandria Bombach
Name: Alexandria Bombach
Current Location: On The Road
Current Gig: Red Reel
What are you listening to now? Broken Social Scene, "Sweetest Kill"
What film/book/show/piece of media changed you? Too many to list. Right now it's the film "Bitter Lake" & the book "No god but God"
Who is your career role model? Ava DuVernay & Lucy Walker
What is a tool you can't live without? YELP. I live on the road and never know the best spot for a quick bite or a place to set up and work - YELP hasn't failed me yet.
How do you drink/take your coffee/tea? French Press coffee with honey
RELATED LINKS:
- Personal Website
Julianna Barwick
CREDITS:
- Produced by Elaine Sheldon & Sarah Ginsburg
- Sound design by Billy Wirasnik
- Illustration by Christine Cover
MUSIC BY: Julianna Barwick
Listen, Purchase, Connect
Tracks featured in show: Vow, The Harbinger, Adventurer of the family, Vow (Diplo & Lunice remix), Prizewinning, Envelop, White Flag, One Half, Crystal Lake
Photo by Sara Allyson
MUSIC FEATURED IN EPISODE 22Curated by Sarah Ginsburg
Living in Boston where I mostly walk, bike, and take the train, I don’t often get to scan through the radio in a car like I would when I zipped around the suburbs back in high school. But a few months ago, I found myself enjoying a car-driving, radio-listening experience. I stopped the radio from scanning stations and settled into an unfamiliar but uplifting track that was hard to ignore. Warm, locomotive synth tones filled the car, rising and falling to different levels of intensity. The 12 minute long track is called Grays (Doom and Gloom Mantra) and it’s from Stag Hare’s 2014 album titled Angel Tech. This song, much like the rest of Stag Hare’s music, made me feel alive and present in each moment as they happened. The maker behind Salt Lake City based Stag Hare is Zara Asha Moonbeam Biggs-Garrick, a kind and thoughtful soul that I had the pleasure of speaking with. Listen to our conversation and enjoy her music as it soundtracks Episode 22 with Andrea Sisson.
“The experience of having a child really made a lot of things that were kind of easy for me to push to the back of my mind, it shattered all of that. It became very immediate to be the most authentic, true version of myself that I can be. Because when you have this little person that’s just looking up at you, any facades or inconsistencies that I had in my life, I had to shake those out and be solid.”
— Zara LINKS:
Read: TOME TO THE WEATHER MACHINE on Stag Hare, Sputnik Music Review
Listen: Bandcamp, Soundcloud
Connect: Website, Facebook, Instagram
NEW PROJECT BY STAG HARE: TAPESTRY
On November 11th, Stag Hare released Tapestry, a collection of 16 tracks commissioned by individuals and recorded under the inspiration and direction of each patron between December 2014 and July 2015. Released by Inner Islands as a box set of 4 cassette tapes clocking in at 4 hours total, Tapestry is a project inspired by the history of art patronage. Purchase Tapestry!
Andrea Sisson is a multidisciplinary visual artist who creates films, photos and performance art pieces for the design, art and fashion industries. Her work has been shown online and offline, in places like the São Paulo Museum of Image and Sound and on NOWNESS, where she featured Sia’s choreographer Ryan Heffington. She’s the co-director of “Everything Beautiful is Far Away,” a pop art sci-fi feature currently in post-production, and a feature documentary “I Send You This Place,” which Andrea made as a 2010 Fulbright Design Fellow. In 2013, Andrea and her husband Pete Ohs were selected as a duo for Filmmaker Magazine’s 25 New Faces of Independent Film. Andrea’s work is heavily influenced by the people, the colors, the environment and design that surrounds her. In this episode, we talk about Andrea’s love of travel, what it feels like to rediscover your teenage years, the intensity of falling in love, why we need to reassess mental illness, and how even “This American Life” gets online hate. Oh, and robot head girlfriends of course.
RELATED LINKS:
- Filmmaker Magazine 25 New Faces of 2013
- Dresyln
- NYT Review: "I Send You This Place"
- Urban Outfitters features Andrea & Pete
- Twitch film
- Coeval Magazine feature
- This Is Paper feature
- Nowness “Do The Chandelier”
- Paste Magazine features Sam Amidon music video
- Andrea On...Twitter, Instagram, Website
- OHSISSON.com
CLIPS USED IN SHOW:
- Instrumental Clothing (video on Andrea Sisson by Pete Ohs)
- I Send You This Place (feature film trailer)
- "Do the Chandelier" on NOWNESS
CREDITS:
- Produced by Sarah Ginsburg & Elaine Sheldon
- Sound design by Billy Wirasnik
- Illustration by Christine Cover
- Production Assistance by Alijah Case
“There are so many things we think we’re supposed to be, or society tells us we’re supposed to be, and I’m always trying to not let those things cover me up.”
— Andrea Sisson Name: Andrea Sisson
Current City: New York
What are you listening to now? On Being podcast, No No No Beruit
What film/book/show/piece of media changed you? Murakami's "1Q84" and "Wind Up Bird." "33 Artists in 3 Acts," (book), as well as "All Pasolini" (film)
Who is your career role model? Marina Abramovic
What is a tool you can't live without? Mm, my computer. Text message - its like an ongoing journal but not just to yourself to friends and people that also journal back. I love text.
How do you drink your coffee/tea? Americano w/milk
MUSIC in this episode is by Stag Hare. Zara is the MusicMaker behind this project and we'll be featuring her story in episode 22.5 on 11/11/2015). Listen to her music on Soundcloud & Bandcamp and visit her website and Facebook.
SONGS you heard: Grays (Doom and Gloom Mantra), T I R E D from Angel Tech // Holy Quinn, Crystal Dust Dream, Oz from Black Medicine Music // y2 Soul Dive, Raga (dream) from Pongdools // To Coyoto to to Hop, Asha Moon Canoes from Spirit Canoes // Pulse Cocoon from Vessel - Part One
Ann Friedman is a freelance journalist who lives in Los Angeles. She writes a weekly column about politics, culture and gender forNew York Magazine. She also contributes to the Columbia Journalism Review, ELLE, The Guardian, Los Angeles Magazine, The Gentlewoman, among other publications. She’s the co-host of popular podcast Call Your Girlfriend and reviews books for New Republic and Bookforum. Ann understands the importance of developing your own voice. She understands how our shifting landscape has changed the way people consume media, and how having a personal connection and point of view as an author, allows readers an entry point to trust your voice. Those who trust Ann’s voice look forward to her beloved newsletter, The Ann Friedman Weekly, where she sums up everything she’s written, read, listened to and watched that week. Ann has a broad view of how to tell a story, embracing all sorts of methods from longform, to GIFS, to pie chart, to DIY publishing, she's inventive and knows how to turn it into a paycheck.
In this episode, we talk about the changing role of journalism, getting fired, the importance of building your future network, the perils of aging in the media world, and the importance of self-driven projects. If you’re a freelancer, don’t miss this episode.
“If you’re good you never stop building a network. It’s not a thing you do until you are ‘successful’ whatever that means. It’s a thing you do your whole career.”
— Ann Friedman RELATED LINKS:
- Ann's website
- Ann's famous newsletter
- Ann on Twitter
- "Shine Theory"
- Ann's podcast: Call Your Girlfriend
- Everything you need to know about GIFs as a journalist
- Real Talk from Your Editor (GIFs)
- GOOD magazine
ANN'S WRITING:
- The Guardian
- Refinery29
- NYMag
- Columbia Journalism Review
- The American Prospect
INTERVIEWS WITH ANN:
- Girl Boss
- The Dreslyn
- Mic.com
- The Rumpus
- On MSNBC (2011)
- Longform Podcast
Name: Ann Friedman
Current City: Los Angeles
What are you listening to now? This is going to make me sound so pretentious, but I have been listening to a lot of Ethiopian jazz lately. It's good working music.
What film/book/show/piece of media changed you? I read Susan Sontag's journals (the first collection) when I was in a state of both personal and professional transition, and something about reading her unedited thoughts was really inspiring to me.
Who is your career role model? It's so hard to pick just one! I am a big fan of Rebecca Traister. She is a fantastic writer and original thinker who takes a long view and backs up her opinions with reporting-- without losing her voice. Also, she's kind to both her sources and to other journalists. It's hard to imagine her becoming embroiled in a petty Twitter fight, which is how you know she's really smart.
What is a tool you can't live without? This is so boring, but my iPhone. Of course.
How do you drink your coffee/tea? Coffee. Usually black.
What's your spirit animal? When I'm tired or hung over, I most identify with a baby giraffe that is still learning to walk.
MUSIC BY:
Our musicmaker is HINDS! Find them on Soundcloud, Bandcamp & Facebook.
Photo by Aarón Serrano
CREDITS:
- Produced by Sarah Ginsburg & Elaine Sheldon
- Sound design by Billy Wirasnik
- Illustration by Christine Cover
- Production Assistance by Alijah Case
CLIPS used in show:
- MSNBC
- The Power of Narrative Conference
Kiran Gandhi toured the world as M.I.A’s drummer, earned a business degree from Harvard, and trained to run a marathon, all at the same time, but there’s a lot more to her than that. She’s an outspoken, ambitious, radical young woman who pours herself and her skills into gender equality, especially within the music industry. Kiran made headlines, both positive and negative, after she ran the 2015 London Marathon as a “free-bleeder,” or without a tampon. We talk about how to handle pushback and criticism, about her wholesome but unconventional upbringing, about living spontaneously, about the role of gatekeepers, and how to find your own “inner Madame.”
RELATED LINKS:
15 Best Lessons I Learned at HBS
D.C. Lady Parts Justice ‘V to Shining V’ party to feature Kiran Gandhi
“There Will Be Blood” - NYT
Donate to Breast Cancer Care the organization that Kiran ran for in the 2015 London Marathon.
Kiran's Website, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube
MUSIC this week is by our guest, Kiran Gandhi herself. All the beats you heard in this episode came from Kiran. She’s working on a musical project of her own where she drums, sings, and lives life as a “young, bossy, busy lady”, otherwise known as Madame Gandhi.
- Wazey
- Rough percussion Edit of DJ Obeyah's "African Flute Moomahton Edit"
- Kiran’s Drum Video Submission for M.I.A.
CREDITS:
Produced by Sarah Ginsburg & Elaine Sheldon
Sound design by Billy Wirasnik
Illustration by Christine Cover
“I do have a business school degree and I worked in the music industry, but then I also have this radical, feminist, art, shock culture brain that I value. And I think my journey is going to be trying to reconcile the two and in doing that, providing solutions for the next generation.”
— Kiran Gandhi
Current City: NYC
What are you listening to now? Fantasy by Alina Baraz
What film/book/show/piece of media changed you? Mulan
Who is your career role model? Kimberly Thompson, jazz drummer
What is a tool you can't live without? My vocal loop pedal; Beats headphones
How do you take your coffee/tea? Iced Cold Brew; black OR Hot Almond Milk Latte when in Boston!
What's your spirit animal? Panther
UPCOMING APPEARANCES:
10.15 Berklee College Music Minds, Discussion, Boston, MA
10.16 The Femme Show, Performance Art, Boston, MA
10.17 The Femme Show, Performance Art, Boston, MA
10.20 UCLA Feminism In Action, Speaker, Los Angeles, CA
10.26 The Hum, Kaki King feat. Kiran Gandhi Show, NYC, NY
10.27 Future of Music Conference, Panel, Washington, DC
10.28 Vanderbilt University Music, Panel, Nashville, TN
11.02 Ableton Loop Conference, Panel, Berlin, Germany
11.10 SF Music Tech Summit, Panel, San Francisco, CA
CLIPS FEATURED IN SHOW
Kiran playing Daybreaker NYC
Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers Morph
M.I.A. - Paper Planes
Atomic Living: Kiran Gandhi at TEDxBrooklyn
Virgin London Marathon 2015
MUSIC FEATURED IN EPISODE 19Curated by Elaine Sheldon
This She Does Music episode features the blue-haired, badass guitarist, Jenny Tuite, from Dirty Dishes and Cloud Cover. We soundtracked Ep. 19 with Stacy Kranitz with Dirty Dishes' full album, Guilty, but this episode introduces you to some of her other work. Dirty Dishes is known for their well crafted and gritty rock songs. They've been called "the best kept secret of alternative rock." The shoegazey pair is made up of Jenny on vocals and guitar; and Alex Molini on synth and bass. She also has her own band, called Cloud Cover. It's lo-fi/bedroom pop, much more minimal than Dirty Dishes. Listen, learn and love.
LINKS:
Listen: Dirty Dishes Bandcamp
Watch: Dirty Dishes' music videos
Connect: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram
Dirty Dishes performing "Guilty" live at Hanging Horse in Norwood, MA w/ video & audio recorded by Bradford Krieger, GUILTY available on Bandcamp, 12" Vinyl out now on Exploding in Sound records & cassettes on Seagreen Records.
“Alot of people that write, they leave it up to the people to decide how to interpret it. But I kind of want to do the opposite. If I’m writing something, I want to make people feel exactly how I’m feeling at that moment.”
— Jenny Tuite
Stacy Kranitz is a documentary photographer who explores history, representation and otherness. She has developed her style, one that is full of movement, emotionally raw, gritty and features individuals in their environments. These individuals are sometimes new subjects, and other times her longtime friends; folks she has been documenting since she started her work in Appalachia in 2009. Stacy’s photos are sometimes bloody, many times violent, often sexualized, occasionally drug-induced, and always causing a stir. She has documented people and places all around the world, including snake handlers in Appalachia, cockfighting in Louisiana and black metal bands in Norway. Her work has been featured in VICE, New York Times Magazine, CNN, Mother Jones, TIME and Oxford American, among others. She also just completed her first feature documentary, “From the Study on Post-Pubescent Manhood.” In this episode, Stacy talks about facing criticism, the dishonesty of photojournalism, documenting violent situations, living out of her car, and blurring the lines between photographer and subject.
Related Links:
Stacy's Instagram
Stacy's Work:
"As It Was Given To Me" (Appalachia work)
"The Crevasse Of The Reich" (Nazi Reenactors)
Skatopia (TIME)
"Life In Appalachia. Regression to the Mean" (CNN)
"Sausage Castle" (VICE)
Black Metal Bands in Norway (Revolver)
Cockfights in Louisiana
Interview with Stacy (ISSUE Magazine)
Trailer for Stacy's feature doc, "From the Study on Post Pubescent Manhood"
“I don’t like being yelled at. I don’t like having a subject tell me that I treated them poorly, or I misrepresented them. That is difficult. But I can’t make this work without knowing that that’s going to be part of it. Even if the conversation goes against me and is not in favor of what I’m doing, it’s still part of the greater good of what I want from the project.”
— Stacy Kranitz
Name: Stacy Kranitz
Current City: Los Angeles
What are you listening to now? Diana Ross, Reach out I'll Be There
What film/book/show/piece of media changed you?
- Trihn T Min-Ha's film Reassemblage
- George Gittoes's film The Miscreants of Taliwood
- Elizabeth Barret's film Stranger With a Camera
- Walid Raad's Atlas Project
- Martha Rosler's writings on Documentary photography
- Boris Mikhlov's book of photographs, Case History
- Ed Templeton's Zines Teenagers Kissing and Teenagers Smoking
- Carrie Mae Weems The Kitchen Table series
- Peter Matthiessen's novel Shadow Country
Who is your career role model? Leni Riefenstahl. Rather than seek out a simple role model who fits a classic heroine profile, I am intrigued by the complex story of a woman I both love and hate. In Riefenstahl, I find a multidimensional character with a focused vision and a murky set of morals. These grey areas speak to my desire to understand people beyond the constraints of good versus evil.
What is a tool you can't live without? Dresses with flowers on them
How do you take your coffee/tea? iced coffee, with a little bit of cream
What's your spirit animal? All the alligator's that live in Lake Martin, Louisiana
Updates? I'll be in Central Appalachia this summer working on my project As it Was Give(n) To Me. In October this project will be shown in Wales as part of the Diffusion photography festival. I just finished my first feature length documentary film, From the Study on Post-Pubescent Manhood.
CREDITS:
Produced by Elaine Sheldon & Sarah Ginsburg
Sound design by Billy Wirasnik
Illustration by Christine Cover
MUSIC by Dirty Dishes (meet Jenny next week!)
- Dinner Bell
- Sugar Plum Fairies
- Guilty
- Lackluster
- Dan Cortez
CLIPS FEATURED IN SHOW:
Skatopia (trailer)
Photo by Jim Herrington // Elizabeth (left) and Anna (right)
Music Featured in Episode 18Curated by Sarah Ginsburg
You don’t often come across a musical duo like Anna & Elizabeth, or at least I haven’t. When they met in 2011, they each brought a pretty obscure knack to the table besides their musical skills. Elizabeth was interested in old time musicians, ballad singers from the past. Anna, also drawn to the old, made Crankies, which are panoramic, mural-like scenes that unwind between two rollers and are accompanied by an oral story.
Together, Anna & Elizabeth revive songs and stories that might otherwise go unheard. It’s folk music from the mountains rich with banjo and fiddle, traditional hymns and lullabies never recorded, all found in archives and then discussed with historians and relatives who share what they know of these long-gone greats.
Anna & Elizabeth honor the originals but bring their own and it was a magical feeling when Elaine and I realized how perfect their music fit with our 18th guest, Kalyanee Mam’s narrative. All three of these women see the value in keeping heritage alive by unearthing stories and retelling them in a contemporary, relevant way. It’s a beautiful thing when melodies from old Appalachia heighten and even become a part of a story from so far away, from Cambodia. It’s that common thread of ‘home’ that brings it all together, and we hope you feel its power as we did in working with the voices of these women.
INTERACT: A&E on Twitter and on tour
LISTEN: Their latest album
READ: VICE Noisey, Huffington Post
WATCH: NPR's Tiny Desk performance
Q&AHow are you two different and alike?
Anna: "If I were to describe Elizabeth, I would say she is way more inward. I would be more likely to just babble to a stranger and she would be more likely to listen. You have to be a lifer to really get to know her. Maybe when I'm 35 I will get to the next level of LaPrelle. Elizabeth's energy helps ground our project, and also the energy that comes with where she lives (rural Virginia). Because when you're making music in a city, you see the rat race around you, you see this desire to get ahead or have more people know about your band...there's this energy toward quantity. There's a slowness in the way that Elizabeth approaches things. This depth that I think grounds our work together." Elizabeth: "To frame it the same way, I feel like maybe when I'm 35 I will have accomplished some of what Anna has. She is certainly the more ambitious of us two in an outreaching way. I value that alot."
Is it fair to say you two share a value system?
Anna: "Yes. I trust this project to always want to have a mission. I can't say that of some of my musical peers. For me, that's the most important thing about any project is that it have a goal beyond notes and recognition. We are always trying to dig for deep meaning and purpose in being a traveling band and storytelling project. There's no one else that I share the same sensibility and set of ethics about that. That's really special and rare."
How important is trust and building relationships with the sources of inspiration for your music?
Anna: "It's a really important process because we're singing the songs of someone else's family and so that is something that we take really seriously." Elizabeth: "It's amazing what they want people to know about their family members. They're like, 'make sure people know that they were a really caring grandma. I want people to know how she would make food for us after school. Tell them that.' If people can walk away from our show with the idea of someone like that in-mind and the idea that people can pass art to each and that it would be this loving and nourishing thing that's what we're after.
Kalyanee Mam is a documentary filmmaker whose work focuses on the preservation, the meaning, and the importance of home. She was raised in the U.S. but was born in Cambodia, generating an ongoing desire to explore the notion of home and displacement, specifically in Cambodia. Her first feature, A River Changes Course, won the World Cinema Grand Jury Prize for Documentary at Sundance in 2013. Her 2014 short, Fight For Areng Valley, was featured as a New York Times Op-Doc. Kalyanee is currently working on her second feature, The Fire and the Bird's Nest, which tells the story of a Cambodian family fighting to protect their homeland from a proposed hydro-dam project. We talk about the upsides of insecurities, drastically changing your life plan, learning how to ride a bike, learning how to use a camera, learning how to forget about the camera, and most importantly, having compassion for this planet and the humans that inhabit it.
Name: Kalyanee Mam
Current City: Guerneville, CA
Born: January 1977
What are you listening to now? "Only the Lonely", The All Time Greatest Hits of Roy Orbison
What film piece of media changed you? I recently finished reading a book called "Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants," by Robin Wall Kimmerer, a biologist and member of the Potawatami tribe. I discovered her work while listening to an interview on "To the Best of Our Knowledge." I love wild mushrooms and foraging for them and she described the most amazing phenomenon captured in one single Potawatami word: puhpohwee, which translates to "the force which causes mushrooms to push up from the earth overnight." I thought this was just the most beautiful thing. No Western scientific word exists to describe this inexplicable force. And here was a Potawatami word that captured it so eloquently. There are limits to our scientific knowledge that can be complimented with indigenous knowledge and a perspective of the world that brings animism, spirit, and life to plants, animals, and all creatures that exist.
Who is your career role model? There are so many people I admire for their work and contributions to a better understanding of our place in the world and how we can live with more humility and respect for nature. Robin Wall Kimmerer, Barry Lopez, John Muir are some of the names that come to mind. However, the most important thing I've learned from each of them is to admire and learn from the teachings of our ancestors - the plants and animals that have come before us and hold within their way of living the key to understanding life itself. So I've always admired, from my very first hikes in the Sierras, the grace and elegance of the foxtail pine, a rare pine endemic only to the subalpine forests of California's Sierra Nevada. I imagine this pine being alive for hundreds of years witnessing without judgment, the changes of terrain and season, of weather and storms, bending without breaking, and just being.
CREDITS:
Produced by Elaine Sheldon & Sarah Ginsburg
Sound design by Billy Wirasnik
Illustration by Christine Cover
Production Assistance by Alijah Case
CLIPS FEATURED IN SHOW:
Documentaries | Cambodia From 1975 To 1979 Controlled By Khmer Rouge
Khmer Rouge Song: 17 April 1975
A River Changes Course - Feature Film (2013)
Fight For Areng Valley - Short Film (2014)
“When you really love what you’re doing, when you really care about what you’re doing, you don’t even have to exhort confidence, it’s just who you are. It’s just being.”
— Kalyanee Mam What is a tool you can't live without? My kitchen knife and dutch oven. Two things I literally can't live without and that bring me absolute pleasure. Cutting and slicing vegetables, throwing them into the pot, and then straight into the oven to be surprised by a complete meal only a few hours later. There must be a Potowatami word that describes the magic of that delicious transformation!
How do you drink your coffee/tea? I usually start my morning with my own tea blend of peppermint, chamomile, lemongrass, ginger, and turmeric. And then a shot of espresso with frothy steamed milk!
What's your spirit animal? There are so many animals I would love to be depending on my mood and the time of year - a black bear in the autumn and winter, hibernating in front of a fire with a cup of hot chocolate, or a hummingbird in the spring, sampling the sweet nectar of every flower, or a wild mountain goat hobbling up the mountains in the summer.
Any updates since we interviewed you? I'm currently working on my second feature documentary about the life of Reem Sav See, an indigenous Chong woman from Areng Valley in Southwest Cambodia, and the ancestral stories she and her people tell that compel them to protect their cultural and natural environment. The film is called The Fire and the Bird's Nest and I just completed by second production trip at the beginning of the Summer. I am also partnering with Mother Nature Cambodia to implement an environmental media project to help expand public debate about conservation and development in Cambodia. The project is being funded by MacArthur’s Conservation and Sustainable Development Program. We plan to release bi-weekly, short and thought provoking videos on social and traditional media and eventually screen The Fire and the Bird's Nest.
RELATED LINKS:
- Kalyanee on Twitter
- A River Changes Course feature documentary
- Video Interview with Kalyanee
- ‘A Threat to Cambodia’s Sacred Forests’ NYT Op-Doc
MUSIC FEATURED IN SHOW:
Our featured MusicMakers this week are Anna & Elizabeth, a folk duo who aims to bring history and tradition into the contemporary world. Tune in for episode 18.5 to hear their story.
TRACKS: Off self-titled album, Anna & Elizabeth: Ida Red, Don't Want to Die in the Storm, Little Black Train, Very Day I’m Gone (Rambling Woman), Father Neptune, Goin’ Cross the Mountain, Orfeo, Greenwood Sidey, Troubles, Long Time Travelin’. Off Sun to Sun: Darlin’, Don’t You Know it’s Wrong?, Sun to Sun, Lone Pilgrim
MUSIC FEATURED IN EPISODE 17Curated by Elaine Sheldon
In 2014, Greta Morgan released her first album as Springtime Carnivore. Following that release she has had an exciting 2015; touring with Of Montreal, Father John Misty and Jenny Lewis. When we talked with her for this interview she was gearing up to join Jenny Lewis on tour. “I’m doing this interview on a hammock. Something about talking about myself lying vertical makes me feel like this is therapy. So it might get weird.”
It didn’t get that weird, but it definitely got exciting when Greta told us that she’s currently recording her next album, set to release next year. “This album will be the best thing I’ve ever made. It really feels like the past 10 years I've been preparing to make this record. Everything that’s happened in the last year has opened me up and allows me to be way more vulnerable and way more raw than I ever have.”
Before that next record drops, we recommend you spend some time with her first album. It brought Sarah and I alive while editing, and made Pamela Ribon’s stories that much more impactful. Heck...even when we weren’t editing this episode we still craved this album. We listened to it while cooking and in our mid-day slump to give us a boost. We’re eternally grateful to have collaborated and met Greta. Songs like “The Collectors," "Name on a Matchbook," and “Last One To Know” are crowd hits, but I love what Greta has achieved with “Western Pink,” “Low Clouds,” and “Karen Bird’s Theme.” Instrumental tracks that say so much without saying anything at all. They are on repeat and keep me wishing for more. Keep 'em coming Greta.
Do you have any pre-performance rituals? Before the show, the most important thing to do is make sure I feel really connected to bandmates. I play with a rotating cast of people depending on who is available; all people who I trust completely. We have a huddle moment where nothing else matters but us. I like the rituals of dressing for a show. I'm the least diva person you've ever met. Generally all my show clothes are crumpled in a grocery bag. But I like the feeling of doing a vocal warm up by just singing songs that I like and putting on show clothes. It's such a nice feeling, a beautiful kind of anticipation.
Do you know what triggers creative moments? I've been of going through a ton personally. A breakup from a very serious relationship and pretty intense family stuff. There's been a lot of...growth emotionally and mentally. I'm processing a lot of feelings that I've never experienced before. Complicated venn diagrams with a million feelings all at once. There's alot of stuff to process, that really fuels my creativity, if I don't release the emotions I freak out.
What does music have the potential to do? Everyday that we are living our lives, we are either moving closer to becoming the person we were meant to be, becoming the person we are possible of being, or becoming a numb, zombified, dumbed-down, mediocre version of what is possible. Music has been the the thing that keeps drawing me into the possible side. Music reminds people of who they are or of what they want; a sense of themselves that they might lose otherwise.
Do you identify with your home city of Chicago? I really identify with Chicago and the Midwest. The people are salt of the Earth. People work without expectations and without delusion. There's a very realistic hardworking attitude that most of my Chicago friends and I have. I really identify with that. I love working and identify with the attitude that, 'Any job you do with dignity is a dignified job.'
INTERACT: Greta on Twitter and upcoming tour dates
LISTEN: on iTunes
READ: Paste Magazine review, feature in Interview Magazine, VICE's Noisey Blog
WATCH: Springtime Carnivore music videos
Pamela Ribon is a television writer, screenwriter, best-selling novelist and all around hilarious human. She’s been a writer in comedy rooms for both network and cable television and is the author of four novels. NPR called her new memoir, Notes to Boys, “brain-breakingly funny.” Pamela has developed original series and features for ABC, ABC Family, Warner Bros., Disney Channel and 20th Century Fox Productions. She recently finished working on a feature for Walt Disney Animation Studios and she’s currently writing for Sony Pictures Animation on an upcoming feature. Pamela started writing on the web in 1998, before most people even knew what a blog was. She has been building her audience ever since, breaking the internet with “Barbie F*cks It Up Again,” among other posts. We talk about standup comedy, how to make your work go viral, and why it’s important to mind your our beeswax and find your own fun.
“Wanting what other people have will never get you what you want, because you’re not spending time finding your own fun. It’s not fun to be jealous of people and it’s such a waste of time, because nobody has the same story. You can take the craziest route if you just follow what’s interesting to you.”
— Pamela Ribon RELATED LINKS:
- Pamela on Twitter
- Pamela on Facebook
- Pamela’s Books on Amazon
- Notes To Boys on Audible
- Pamela on “Chicks Who Script”
- "Barbie F*cks It Up Again" by Pamela, on Gizmodo
- Oprah.com: “How Roller Derby Can Save Your Life”
- Dewey Donation System
Name: Pamela Ribon
Current City: Los Angeles
What are you listening to now? Podcasts: Scriptnotes, The Dinner Party Download, Pop Culture Happy Hour, Extra Hot Great
What film piece of media changed you? The Family Ties episode "A, My Name is Alex." It was an hour-long "very special" episode about Alex going to therapy after the sudden death of a close friend. Shot like a play, Alex moved in and out of the set, talking to an unseen therapist while playing out scenes with his family and friends. Seeing a sitcom tackle something so serious, mixing comedy with drama, letting Michael J Fox "act" so hard, completely blew my young mind. Comedy could help? Comedy could get serious? A sitcom could make me cry? I still remember jokes from it, so it also made me laugh. Because this episode is such a long ago memory, I originally assumed this epiphany happened only to me, but I've met more than one writer who also named this episode as an important moment in their young lives. Wikipedia says it won a shit-ton of awards, so I guess it wasn't just us kids knowing it was a good.
Who is your career role model? Tina Fey, John Waters, Penn Jillette, Peggy Olson, Bjork, Leslie Knope.
What is a tool you can't live without? Spotify
How do you drink your coffee/tea? Black
What's your spirit animal? Hello Kitty. It used to be Batz Maru. I am evolving.
Any updates since we interviewed you? I'm currently writing a feature for Sony Animation and a comedy pilot for the Disney Channel. Everything else is under various NDAs.
MUSIC FEATURED IN SHOW:
Music this week is by Springtime Carnivore.
Listen to Episode 17.5 with Greta Morgan of Springtime Carnivore!
TRACKS: Karen Bird’s Themes, Talk To Me Slow, Last One To Know, Foxtrot Freak, Collectors, Western Pink, Name on a Matchbook, Low Clouds, Two Scars
CREDITS:
Produced by Elaine Sheldon & Sarah Ginsburg
Sound design by Billy Wirasnik
Illustration by Christine Cover
Production Assistance by Alijah Case
CLIPS FEATURED IN SHOW:
Good Morning America Barbie Segment 1 & 2
Barbie Commercial "Cut & Style Barbie"
Photo by Kylee Gregg // Hannah Rainey (left) and Delia Rainey (right)
MUSIC FEATURED IN EPISODE 16 Curated by Sarah Ginsburg
Hannah and Delia started writing and playing music together at age 15, but they’ve known each other for 23 years. They’re twin sisters. And when they play together, they go by Dubb Nubb. Hannah plays guitar, Delia plays the ukulele, and sometimes their older sister Amanda joins in with percussion. They hail from St. Louis, Missouri but I saw Dubb Nubb play at True/False about five years ago, and then again every year since. They’ve become familiar faces and voices in the Columbia and St. Louis music scenes, and this has a lot to do with their tangible synergy onstage. Between the musings on home and the raw harmonies, Hannah with the lower and Delia with the Higher, Dubb Nubb pulls you in, making you feel like a part of the family. My words can’t do them justice. Lend them your ear and listen—you won't regret it.
LINKS:
LISTEN: Bandcamp, iTunes
WATCH: "Don't Ever Find Me"
FOLLOW: Twitter, Instagram, Facebook
Animator Kirsten Lepore is the writer and director of an upcoming episode of Cartoon Network’s popular show “Adventure Time.” A majority of her career has been spent in her garage, which is actually her workshop, carefully moving tiny, handmade characters in the worlds she’s built for them. The films she made at Maryland Institute College of Art and CalArts, “Sweet Dreams” and “Bottle,” won countless awards and screened at SXSW, Slamdance, the Vimeo Awards, the Annie Awards, among others. She’s made work for big names like Google, MTV, Whole Foods, Nestlé, and Nickelodeon, upholding her own raw but charming style no matter the project. Kirsten talks about her knack for cooking, the challenges of being a one-woman band, poking a bit at her peculiar side, and stepping into a big director role with “Adventure Time.” She’s a self-proclaimed weirdo and that’s the way she’ll stay.
Name: Kirsten Lepore
Current City: Los Angeles
DOB: March 1985
Current Gig: Working on the Adventure Time episode! Which I think will air sometime this year. Also expect some more Google Doodles out on their homepage throughout the year!
What are you listening to? III, by Badbadnotgood
What piece of media changed you? Oh geez, there are so many things....I know it's cliche, but one of the pivotal moments was watching the original Star Wars Trilogy for the first time in 6th grade - pretty late for my age, actually. From the practical effects/creatures, to the music, to the far off worlds they created, it definitely inspired me to make my own crazy worlds.
Who is your career role model? I feel really fortunate that many of my career role models are also friends or contemporaries. People like Julia Pott, Mikey Please, DANIELS, Allison Schulnik, David OReilly, Adi Goodrich, Jenny Slate and Dean Fleicher-Camp are all making a living creating unique and diverse art in their own amazing, unique styles. I aspire to do the same.
What is a tool you can't live without? A sharp knife, big wooden cutting board, and a stove. If I couldn't cook, I think I'd get really depressed. Also, can I throw some good speakers in there with a sub? I need to dance too.
How do you take your coffee/tea? I'm an uncaffeinated person, actually - but when I do, I take an espresso with one sugar
What's your spirit animal? Hmmm, probably an elephant. An elephant never forgets. Although, people tell me I look and act like a koala and apparently they're very horny.
Music Featured in Episode 16 is by Dubb Nubb
Wild Dreamin’ (album)
- These Whole Spaces
- Where Does the Time Go?
- I Dreamt
The Best Game Ever (album)
- Ahm Nam Nam
- Soldier
Sunrise Sleepy Eyed (album)
- Back Roads
- Kindergarten Wedding
New Bones (album)
- Geometric Shapes
- Buttons
Our featured MusicMakers are Hannah, Delia, and Amanda Rainey, or Dubb Nubb. Find out more in our She Does Music episode 16.5!
“It’s not the thing that looks like everything else that someone hired you to do that’s going to get you work. It’s the really unique thing that you made for yourself that showcases something new that’s going to get you hired.”
— Kirsten Lepore Related Links:
Kirsten's Website
Kirsten on Twitter
Kirsten on Instagram
Making of "Bottle" (in 1 minute)
Clips Featured in This Episode:
"Bottle" animation
"Sweet Dreams" animation
Adventure Time Theme Song
Adventure Time Exclusive Clip from Kirsten’s Episode “Bad Jubies”
Credits:
Produced by Elaine Sheldon and Sarah Ginsburg
Sound Design by Billy Wirasnik
Illustration by Christine Cover
Production Assistance by Alijah Case
Photo by Ben Grad
MUSIC FEATURED IN EPISODE 15Curated by Elaine Sheldon
René Kladzyk is a Brooklyn-based solo musician and performance artist who goes by the moniker Ziemba. She played her first solo show as Ziemba on October 27, 2013. Since then, she has put out two EPs and is working on her first full-length album. She recently had several songs featured on Season 2 of Broad City. Sarah first met René on a roadtrip through the South, where she saw her perform at The Mammal Gallery in Atlanta. “She’s incredibly kind and warm, but it’s almost like she’s from another planet,” Sarah said of Ziemba's performance. “We were all entranced by her performance, which concluded with her quietly asking the audience to shift their attention from the front of the room, where she had been playing a keyboard with pedals, to an old stand up, piano, where she sat down and sang ‘With The Fire’ (hear this song in episode).” It was a pure joy to collaborate with Ziemba on Episode 15, featuring Emily Best, and record a live performance with her for episode 15.5 She Does Music. I have had "Phantom See" stuck in my head from the first listen, and am secretly hoping it never escapes my memory.
LINKS:
LISTEN: Bandcamp, Soundcloud, Official Website
WATCH: "Phantom See"
READ: Impose Magazine feature
Emily Best is the founder and CEO of Seed&Spark, a crowdfunding and distribution platform for independent filmmakers. She’s also the publisher of Bright Ideas Magazine. Emily has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars in crowdfunding for film, and contributed to over 300 campaigns to date through Seed&Spark. She brings experience from producing live theatre and running restaurants to the film industry, and lets us into the world of investors and film distribution. Emily was named one of the 2013 Indiewire Influencers, 2014 New York Women of Influence and 2015 Upstart 100. She’s a daring individual who encourages us all to create meaningful communities around our work. Furthermore, things get personal when we discuss matters of the heart and how being independent and driven can affect personal relationships.
Related Links
Seed&Spark
Emily on Twitter
Emily on Instagram
Bright Ideas Magazine
Huffington Post Profile on Emily
Indie Wire Influencers
No Film School: Emily's Crowdfunding Tips
Name: Emily Best
Current City: Los Angeles, CA
DOB: 8/1980
What are you listening to now? First Aid Kit, both albums
What film/book/show/piece of media changed you? An Iranian film that came out in 1997 called "Gabbeh." It was the first thing I ever went to see in my local independent theater (The Tower Theater in Sacramento, CA). I was dragged there by a MUCH cooler friend. I couldn't move when the credits started rolling. I didn't know film could be like that!
Who is your career role model? I have so, so many. Sue Nagel. Jill Soloway. Oprah. I mean, how you know you made an impression, you only go by one name...and Diane von Furstenburg.
What is a tool you can't live without? The little doggy poop bag dispenser that attaches to my dog's leash. So simple. So convenient.
How do you drink/take your coffee/tea? Little whole milk little sugar
What's your spirit animal?
- Exhibit A
- Exhibit B
- Exhibit C
“The thing about being an artist is there’s always room. But now more than ever if you want to make a sustainable living it’s your responsibility to find the people who also want you to have a sustainable living doing what you do. There’s something about being really committed to a set of ideas that are important to you, and continuously articulating that value system to yourself and to your community in a meaningful way. And you will find your people. ”
— Emily Best Music Featured in Episode 15 is by ZIEMBA
A Pure Mirror and a Damn Prison (album)
- Under Clouds
- El Paso
- Ugly Ambitious Women
Nearness (album)
- Phantom See
- Now Seed
- White Black Red Yellow
Clips Featured In This Episode
Denny's Commercial
Credits
Produced by Elaine Sheldon & Sarah Ginsburg
Illustration by Christine Cover
Sound Design by Billy Wirasnik
MUSIC FEATURED IN EPISODE 14Curated by Sarah Ginsburg
I come across a lot of talented musicians every year atTrue/False Film Festival in Columbia, Missouri, but this one is special. Back in 2012, when I was confused and in college, I saw Nona Marie Invie perform with her band Dark Dark Dark and I’m not even kidding, from that moment on, things changed. Her voice and musical talent helped me tap into these feelings of sorrow and hope and longing and strength all at the same time. She sings, plays the piano and the accordion in Dark Dark Dark and is the leader of Anonymous Choir, a 16-piece all women’s choir that recontextualizes songs we all know by Neil Young, Kate Bush, and Leonard Cohen. Nona is not afraid to bend and experiment, exemplified by her project Fugitive, electronic, drone compositions brought to unique spaces like a yoga studio in Mexico. RONiiA is her most recent synthpop project that maintains a warmth through Nona’s unmistakeable voice. All of these projects are different and Nona doesn’t leave any of them behind, she just shifts her weight around and lets things change. Like I said, things changed for me after I first heard Nona and things might change for you after you give her a listen. Go ahead, find out.
Q&A: What do you love most about making music? People tell me about when they’ve listened to my music in hard times or in good times or how it's helped them or affected them in these different ways. That feels really special and important to me and when I don't tour, when I go through periods of not performing, I realize that I miss that connection in the world, because I'm not that good at social media or calling people back a lot of the times. It's nice to be out there in the world and to know that people are hearing me and they're interested and they're processing it in whatever ways that may or may not be helpful for them, but that kind of connection or interaction feels important.
How does working with a group of women in Anonymous Choir compare to playing with Dark Dark Dark, where you are the only woman? The whole vibe is different when I'm surrounded by women. Just the way that we interact with each other and the things that we talk about are just sort of innately different than being the only woman in a group of 4 or 5 men. And the men in Dark Dark Dark are great, but there's just -- they’re not necessarily giving each other back rubs and asking about each other's days. There's differences too because with Dark Dark Dark, we were on tour all the time and so we were in this deep relationship with each other. We were more like family where we spent months at a time sleeping in the same room and being in the car all day and playing this intensely emotional and personal music. I think the way that we were with each other was more like sibling kind of. We really loved and appreciated each other but also needed space. And with the choir, we'll take little tours but it's not really like that. So every time we're together it feels really special and I think everybody brings everything that they can to the room with them; all their energy and all the good vibes and that always feels really nice.
What would you like people to know? I guess mostly, I just want people to, people who are playing music, I just want them to keep trying and keep playing and keep doing whatever they want to do. All of us struggle with figuring out how to balance the mundane things like paying for rent and trying to lead creative and inspired lives and I just know that if you keep working at it you'll figure it out. That's what I wish I had heard more throughout my life.
LINKS:
LISTEN: Dark Dark Dark Anonymous Choir RONiiA Fugitive
WATCH: FLOOD TIDE(Feature w/ Dark Dark Dark as cast & soundtrack)
Anonymous Choir performs Tonight (You Belong To Me)
READ: RONiiA Updates via Minneapolis label Totally Gross National Product
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Caitlin FitzGerald, writer and actor, is one of Hollywood’s emerging talents. She may be best known for her role as Libby Masters on Showtime Network’s “Masters of Sex.” The series, which is currently in its third season, is set in the late 1950s and is a drama centered around the true story of the pioneers of the science of human sexuality. You may have also seen Caitlin in feature films “It’s Complicated,” “Damsels in Distress” and “Newlyweds,” and TV shows including, “Gossip Girl,” “How to Make It In America,” and “Law & Order: SVU.” Additionally, Caitlin co-wrote and starred in the feature film, “Like The Water,” which was filmed in her hometown of Camden, Maine. Caitlin talks about the ups and downs of Hollywood and her love of live theatre. She encourages you to choose yourself, remove “weakness” from your vocabulary and live for the journey, rather than the “I made it” moments. She’s a thoughtful soul that is sure to make you appreciate the role of an actor in our society.
Name: Caitlin FitzGerald
Current City: Los Angeles
DOB: 8/1983
Current Gig: "Masters of Sex" on Showtime
What are you listening to? Fink, Alabama Shakes, and Bob Marley. I love the Moth radio hour and and I really appreciated Marc Maron's interview with Obama on his podcast.
What piece of media changed you? So so many. I am currently reading a book by Marion Woodman called 'Conscious Femininity' that's blowing my mind.
Who is your career role model? I love anyone who seems to be marching to the beat of their own very specific drum. Tilda Swinton comes to mind.
What is a tool you can't live without? My aeropress coffee maker and Stitcher.
How do you take your coffee/tea? Coffee with Half-and-Half
What's your spirit animal? A lot of people have compared me to birds, which may be a slightly unkind comment on the way I look. I like to fancy myself more of a lioness.
Any news or updates? I shot a film called 'Always Shine' with an amazing couple of filmmakers Sophia Takal and Lawrence Lavine last fall that I'm really excited about. It is just getting completed and will be hitting festivals next year. Another film I'm in called 'Manhattan Romance' will be getting released this fall!
Related Links:
- "Masters of Sex" Season 3 Premiere (Episode 1)
- "Like the Water" Website
- "Masters of Sex's" Caitlin FitzGerald Casts First Emmy Ballot
- Caitlin on Twitter
- Caitlin on Instagram
- She Does 5 Takeaways on Filmmaker Magazine
“Historically we’ve always needed actors in the world because we need to see ourselves, and that feels honorable to me. That’s the thing I come back to when I get lost in clothing and red carpets and nonsense.”
— Caitlin FitzGerald
Music Featured in Show:
Our featured musicmaker is Nona Marie Invie, who is part of the bands listed below. Tune in on 7/22 when we release a mini episode featuring Nona and read more about her here.
Dark Dark Dark
- Who Needs Who (album): Meet In The Dark (song)
- Wild Go (album): Daydreaming, Something For Myself (songs)
- Flood Tide (Original Soundtrack): Dragged By The Moon, Building, Bike Ride, Flood, On The Water (songs)
RONiiA
- RONiiA (album): Last Words, Bellz (songs)
Anonymous Choir
- From Album II: This Woman’s Work
Clips Featured in Show:
Caitlin Fitzgerald is Libby Masters
Masters of Sex Intro Music
How Much Energy Does A Housewife Use In A Day
Eulogy Scene from "Like the Water"
“How To Undress In Front Of Your Husband” (1950s)
Seeburg Background Music
Credits
PRODUCED by Sarah Ginsburg & Elaine Sheldon
SOUND DESIGN by Bradford Krieger of Hanging Horse Studio
ILLUSTRATION by Christine Cover
MUSIC FEATURED IN EPISODE 13Curated by Elaine Sheldon
Brooke Singer is the songwriter, vocalist and pianist of French for Rabbits, a New Zealand based dream-folk band, along with guitarist, John Fitzgerald. Brooke says songwriting is a life-long passion. She started writing songs as a child; sitting at the piano and coming up with her own tunes. She was six years old when she wrote her first song. It was a ditty about her cat who died. French for Rabbits may be best known for their songs about the sea. Brooke said their home country, New Zealand, influences their work greatly. In addition to be inspired by nature, Brooke also is inspired by real events in her life. French for Rabbits is working on their new EP now. Special thanks to Lefse Records for connecting us with Brooke.
Q&A:How does being from New Zealand Influence your work? I didn't realize it until I left, but New Zealand is quite isolated. It's not until you get on a plane and you're on that plane for 24 hours to get somewhere else that you realize how far it away it is from Europe and America. Where we're living is a small settlement in a harbor. There are still big forests here and it's just alot more wild than other countries. I think nature is a big aspect to our music. I have always lived by the sea so it tends to creep into my lyrics even if I try to avoid it.
Where do you go to spark creativity? For me, creativity comes from a few different sources. It could be reading a book, or just going out in nature, or watching people and experiencing things. I do like mining. I like taking a situation that has happened to me and turning it into a song. I do that quite a lot. I like bad things to happen occasionally so I can write a really good song.
What advice would you have for aspiring musicians? You have to have confidence in your ideas and go with it. You don't know what will come out of an idea before you follow it through. You have to have a passion for music. It doesn't have to be a career, it can be something that you do in your bedroom or play tiny shows to your friends. You have to take it where you want to take it, and that's all.
What would you say to someone who is "waiting for the right moment" to make their first album? In New Zealand, people just kind of 'do it.' They just make it happen, regardless of the gear that you have. I think limitations are a good thing. It changes your process in a way that could make it better. I don't have every piece of equipment that I would like to have, but that's probably a good thing. I can't go too wild. I think people should just start and see what happens.
LINKS:
LISTEN: Bandcamp
PURCHASE: French For Rabbits Website
CONNECT: Facebook, Twitter, Record Label
Maggie Steber is a prolific documentary photographer who has worked in 65 countries around the world focusing on humanitarian, cultural, and social stories. For over three decades, Maggie has worked in Haiti, an experience that has impacted her emotionally and personally and led to her book “Dancing on Fire.” She has received the Leica Medal of Excellence, and recognition from World Press Photo Foundation, the Overseas Press Club, Pictures of the Year, and the Medal of Honor for Distinguished Service to Journalism from the University of Missouri. Her work has been featured in National Geographic Magazine, The New York Times Magazine, Smithsonian Magazine, AARP, The Guardian, and Geo Magazine among others, and is featured in the Library of Congress and in private collections. In 2013, Maggie was named as one of eleven Women of Vision by National Geographic Magazine, publishing a book and touring in an exhibition in five American cities. Maggie talks about her love for history, a near-death experience covering conflict and her opposition to making poverty porn.
MUSIC FEATURED IN SHOW:
Our featured music maker this week is Brooke Singer, of French for Rabbits. PLAYLIST featured from "Spirit" and "Claimed By The Sea."
- The Other Side
- Claimed By The Sea
- Spirits
- Cold
- Goat + The Other Side
- Wisdom
- Woke Up in a Storm
- Hard Luck Stories
- Gone Gone Gone
Listen here.
“If you’re just there for a picture, forget it. In fact, please don’t go if that’s all you’re trying to do in a country, is document people who are suffering, just because you’re trying to build a portfolio. Please don’t go. If you really are sincerely interested and beyond ‘getting a great picture,’ people will tell you everything about themselves, and it enriches your own life.”
— Maggie Steber
RELATED LINKS:
Rite of Passage: (Maggie Documents Her Mother's Last Days)
Maggie Responds To Critics of Pay-View Model
Interview with Maggie on Leica Camera Blog
Maggie on NYT Lens Blog
"Why We Make Photos" Maggie on MEDIUM
Maggie's Personal Website
She Does Picks: Maggie's Photography
Maggie on Filmmaker Magazine: Just Say No To Poverty Porn
CREDITS
PRODUCED BY: Elaine Sheldon & Sarah Ginsburg
SOUND DESIGN BY: Billy Wirasnik
PRODUCTION ASSISTANCE: Alijah Case
ILLUSTRATION: Christine Cover
MUSIC FEATURED IN EPISODE 12Curated by Sarah Ginsburg
Emily Hope Price is a beyond-talented cellist, vocalist and ⅓ of Pearl and the Beard, along with percussionist Jocelyn Mackenzie and guitarist Jeremy Lloyd-Styles, who are also vocalists in the band. I saw them just destroy it at True/False Film Festival a few years ago, and I mean that. When they play, it’s like they’re playing for the last time, everything goes into it. Emily, who comes from Logan, Utah, joined the Brooklyn-based band not long after Jocelyn and Jeremy created it, but it still took work and time and patience to become the family they are today. Even when they aren’t playing together, Emily continues to create. She’s worked on Broadway with Sting, scored a feature film, and recorded one song everyday for a year as a part of 365 Project. My conversation with Emily was a powerful, memorable experience, and you know what? So is listening to the music of Pearl and the Beard. We hope you enjoy both!
Q&A:What was it like to join a band that had already been making music together? It took a long time for me to feel like I had a voice and allow myself to have that voice because I did feel like Jeremy and Jocelyn had main ownership. I felt like I was an au pair to our child for awhile. And then when I felt good about it, it felt awesome. It’s letting that selfishness go and letting go of that entitlement and that this isn’t just about you. It is a co-parenting situation no matter how many parents are involved. You’re all a part of it and everyone has a piece of themselves in it and it’s a matter of putting that together appropriately.
How did you navigate the dynamic and your own role in the band? It was up to Jocelyn and I to kind of feel out our relationship as two women, and not only that, but two women who have egos, honestly. In order to be a performer, you really have to have an ego. Even if you feel like you’re the most humble. We really worked on being kind to eachother, and fair and honest. I didn’t know what it was like to try to get along with another woman, not only in a business sense but also in a personal sense, because it went beyond being friends; we were family. But I have to say, looking at it today, she has become my family. She is my sister.
We call this, The Emily Hope Price Manifesto for musicians and all artists alike: If I could say anything to a young musician, it would be to just...create. Just create. Just keep creating one thing after another. Just write, write, write, write, write and play and play and play anything. If you don’t want to practice, if you don’t want to play, do something creative. Create everyday. Peoples’ souls need to produce. This is purely coming from a place of having experience of feeling trapped by my own perfectionism, actually stifling my own creativity because there was so much judgement and so much criticism upon myself and not letting my inner intelligence breathe and just live and make mistakes. Most, most of the time, most of the things I thought were mistakes, ended up being the best things I’ve done.
LINKS:
LISTEN: 365 Project & Pearl and the Beard on iTunes
WATCH: Reverend Live Performance & The Lament of Coronado Brown Official Video
CONNECT: Emily & Pearl And The Beard on Twitter
Mary Coleman is the Senior Development Executive at Disney’s Pixar Animation Studios. For the past 16 years, she has worked with directors and writers to dig into their personal memories and create stories that adults and kids can relate to. Mary got her start in theatre, performing on stage, working behind the scenes and a stint as a director. She talks about time spent with her grandmother who fostered her creative side, how ‘faking it ‘till you make it’ left her dissatisfied, how live performance influences her process at Pixar, and her efforts to make sure Pixar fosters a woman director in the coming years. Pixar's latest film, "Inside Out," will be released in theaters on June 19.
“What I took from live performance, that really shaped the way I approach creative work, is being able to make a decision in the moment and go for it. When it’s live you have to be really nimble and responsive. Pixar movies are very masterfully crafted, but the creation of them involves a ton of people being ready to say, ‘Wow, I never thought of it that way. I’m willing to pivot now and try something totally different’.”
— Mary Coleman
RELATED LINKS:
Go Into The Story: Interview with Mary Coleman (Part 1 & 2)
Pixar Animation Studio
Disney Pixar on Twitter
Name: Mary Coleman
Current City: Berkeley CA
DOB: 11/1964
What are you listening to right now? Florence and the Machine
What movie changed your perspective? "Amadues," directed by Milos Forman
Who is your career role model? Theatre director Anne Bogart
What is a tool you can't live without? Duct tape
How do you take your tea? Jasmine green iced tea
What is your spirit animal? Otter
Any news/updates? I am beyond excited about our next Pixar film, INSIDE OUT, opening June 19th.
CLIPS FEATURED IN SHOW:
"Inside Out" Trailer
South Pacific
"Finding Nemo" clip
Peter Gabriel “In Your Eyes” Live
Toy Story “I’m a Picasso”
Toy Story “You’ve Got a Friend in Me"
CREDITS
PRODUCED: Elaine Sheldon and Sarah Ginsburg
SOUND DESIGN: Billy Wirasnik
FIXER: Jason Headley
MUSIC FEATURED IN SHOW:
Learn more about Pearl and the Beard, our featured musicmaker of the week, here.
- Killing the Darlings: Reverend, Sweetness, The Lament of Coronado Brown, Swimming, 40K
- Beast: Oculus, Yet
- God Bless Your Weary Soul, Amanda Richardson: Voice in my Throat, Lost in Singapore, Vessel
- Black Vessel EP: Manek and Ilona
- 365 Project: Awake Like Me (Improvisation No. 2), Black Hole of Calcutta
MUSIC FEATURED IN EPISODE 11Curated by Elaine Sheldon
Audrey Ryan is a one-woman band with some impressive multi-instrument skills. An electric guitar, accordion, ukulele, banjo, vibraphone, drums, kick, tambourine and a loop station are all part of her setup--among other tricks. She grew up on an island off the coast of Maine and comes from a musical family; her dad played guitar and her mom sang and played piano and the organ. She started learning the guitar at the age of 10 and violin at 7--playing folk tunes to the likes of the Indigo Girls, Joni Mitchell, and Bob Dylan. In college, her main gig was playing in bluegrass and jazz bands. It took her nearly several years, to find her voice and develop her own style as a solo artist in Boston, but she's done it and stands so strong. In the past, she has opened for artists like Suzanne Vega, Sam Amidon and They Might Be Giants. Audrey is a new mom with anew EP that you should download. She’s taken a break from touring and is collaborating with Will Dailey to create music for commercial licensing. Several years ago she wrote, “The Need to Be Heard,” a book for and about DIY musicians.
Q&AHow would you describe your relationship with your fans? I’m very casual. I have this loft in Somerville, Mass. that I have been hosting shows at for years and it’s incredibly intimate. I usually ask people to tell me what they want to hear, instead of doing shot lists. I’m not someone who is distant from the audience. Here are these people staring at you, if you make them feel like there’s a lot of separation, they’re not going to connect with the music.
What is a piece of advice you would give to a young musician? You should really hone in your craft and try to be really good at what you do, before you do it in front of other people. I myself, when I started playing out, was not very good. I hadn’t rehearsed as much as I probably should have, and probably spent alot of time rehearsing in front of other people. But the problem with that is, you turn people off. And then it’s going to be hard to get people to come back in two or three years when you are good.
Where are you at in your career and where do you want to go? Things have changed for me in the past couple of years. In my 20s, I was touring non-stop, but now I don’t tour extensively. I’m focused more on licensing. I work with Will Dailey, a singer songwriter in Boston, to write pop and electronic songs for commercials. We’re both married and we both have a kid--he actually has two kids. We’re still artists and musicians but we have a very practical side of our lives now which makes it difficult to stay at bars until 2 A.M. So I’m moving more towards co-writing and working with someone. I think it’s better at this point to work with someone and not be an island.
LINKS:
LISTEN: Audrey Ryan on Bandcamp
READ: Review of Latest EP "Let's Go To The Vamp"
WATCH: Audrey crushing the accordion in Dublin, Ireland
CONNECT: Audrey on Twitter
Kat Cizek is an innovative documentary storyteller who works across many media platforms. She’s currently the director of the National Film Board of Canada’s multi-year project entitled HIGHRISE, which examines life inside residential skyscrapers in suburbs around the world. Since it launched in 2009, HIGHRISE has generated interactive documentaries, mobile productions, live presentations, installations and films that have garnered Emmys, a Peabody, Webby Awards and recognition from the World Press Photo and IDFA Doc Lab, among others. Kat and the NFB just released the latest and final HIGHRISE project, “Universe Within,” that explores people’s digital lives online. We spoke to Kat about her life growing up in Waterloo in the late 60’s after her parents escaped the Russian invasion of what was then Czechoslovakia. Kat talks about being at the frontlines of the Oka Crisis in Canada, a defining moment in her career and first-nations history in Canada. And her nearly 11 year relationship with the National Film Board of Canada through the Filmmaker in Residence and Highrise projects. Kat encourages us to explore new and meaningful ways to approach technology, and challenges us to evaluate our methods and ethics as storytellers.
“I have been preoccupied with the role of the subject for most of my working life. It’s about understanding that a subject isn’t a subject. A subject is an agent in their own world and how can we work together to create interesting media that will contribute positively in this community. Too often we get so enamored with the technology that we forget about that.”
— Kat Cizek
RELATED LINKS
Kat Cizek on Twitter
Kat's Director's Blog (HIGHRISE)
NFB HIGHRISE series
A Short History of the Highrise (NFB + NYT)
Interview with Kat (Filmmaker Magazine)
Filmmaker You Should Know (Indie Wire)
5 Takeaways from Kat on She Does (Filmmaker Magazine)
Name: Katerina Cizek
Current City: Toronto, Canada
DOB: 10/19/1969
What are you listening to now? Tanya Tagaq Animism
What film changed you? Opened your eyes? Vertov's silent film 'Man With a Movie Camera" (1929) The first great example of the power of the edit. It's documentary plus. About the city, about the camera, about the street. about revolution. I love Cinematic Orchestra's live re-scoring of it too.
Who is your career role model? Alanis Obomsawin. I first saw her behind the barricades in 1990, when the Canadian Army had surrounded the First Nations community of Kanesatake. I was there as a student photojournalist, she was there with her camera crew, shooting her masterpiece documentary series about the crisis. Seeing her there inspired me to become a documentarian. Years later, I made a short digital documentary piece and a short film about her.
What is a tool you can't live without? Long Johns--I'm Canadian.
How do you take your coffee/tea? Tea. Black.
What's your spirit animal? Owl
CLIPS FEATURED IN SHOW:
Russia Invades Czechoslovakia
Leonard Cohen "Suzanne"
Seeing Is Believing
Challenge for Change NFB (1 & 2)
Filmmaker In Residence NFB
HIGHRISE: Out My Window
HIGHRISE: One Millionth Tower
HIGHRISE: A Short History of the Highrise
HIGHRISE: Universe Within
Večerníček (Czech Animation)
CREDITS
PRODUCED by Elaine Sheldon and Sarah Ginsburg
SOUND DESIGN by Billy Wirasnik
MUSIC FEATURED IN SHOW:Our featured musicmaker this week is Audrey Ryan. Download her music on Bandcamp. Read our interview with her here.
Let's Go To The Vamp (album)
- Oh The Ego
- Snibber
- Holding Back
Sirens (album)
- Casiotone
- Lift Me Up
I Know, I Know (album)
- Are You Sleeping
- Alright
- I know I know
- So Afraid
- Maybe
Dishes & Pills (album)
- People
MUSIC FEATURED IN EPISODE 10 Curated by Sarah Ginsburg
Lira Mondal is as sweet as can be. She’s a native Arkansan, an aspiring pastry chef and the heavenly voice of Boston-based Mini Dresses. Comprised of Lira (who also plays bass), guitarist Caufield Schnug and drummer Luke Brandfon, Mini Dresses is making what you could call Boston’s beach music, a little dirty and not a lot of surfing going on, but listening to these folks might make you want to grab a board and try. It’s definitely not typical for music like this to be coming out of this city, but I’m glad it is. Staying true to their name, Mini Dresses has been steadily putting out EPs since 2012 and most recently released FOUR under shiny new label Little Death Records. Allow Lira to take you through the waves of Bianca Giaever’s story in Episode 10.
Q&ADo you like to play another version of yourself when you are up on stage? When you're a performer, you're always playing around with how you put yourself out, how you present yourself, what your identity is. There's this pressure, especially on women, that you have to be this outgoing person who is making witty banter with the audience, always having that clever thing to say. It’s that pressure that you have to be a rock star with a capital "R" capital "S." I guess I've always flirted with the idea of playing around with the kind of personality that I want to give off, but then not being so comfortable with myself that I'm actually able to. But Mini Dresses isn't that kind of band, it's not a band that’s out to manipulate how we are perceived.
Who, in your music and in general, are you influenced by? I’m really into Broadcast and love Trish Keenan. I feel like she was a really genuine person and she definitely came off in her music as this curious woman who had all of these different influences. She was into film and literature and occult but even though she had all of these far flung interests she always sounded familiar and so warm and inviting, even when she was singing some very dark things. I guess I really look up to her as an influence and that’s how I kind of want to come across but then sometimes I do want to be really cool and...I don’t know how to do that.
Your latest EP FOUR was put out by Little Death Records who handprints cassette tapes in addition to a digital download. What is the benefit of the physical tape? I love recording on tape and listening to tapes, especially being a child of our generation on the cusp of both the CD coming into prominence, but also making mix tapes as a child, that was really attractive to me. People are more and more starting to appreciate the materiality that comes with tape and that it does sound richer, sweeter and warmer. Just like vinyl sounds different than an MP3 with the pops and the scratches. You have to be in tune to what you’re listening to. Little things like flipping the record or flipping the tape become these ritualistic experiences. That was something that resonated with me as a child because I would always listen to the radio with an empty tape in the deck, just waiting to hit record when my favorite song came on. I hope that they really do come back into play...quite literally.
Where and how are you inspired to write the lyrics to your music? I have to be in control of what I'm singing and what I’m saying. That's why it's so hard for me to write lyrics because if I don't have an immediate source of inspiration like a book or a movie, which are the first things I go to, then I just have no clue where to go because I feel that if I don't have something to say, what's the point in trying to sing something because it won't be genuine.
LINKS:
LISTEN: Mini Dresses on Bandcamp and buy their latest EP release on cassette from Little Death Records
READ: Vanyaland Review
WATCH: ‘Bracelets’ Video on Boston Hassle
Bianca Giaever is a radio producer, filmmaker and our youngest guest to-date. You may have heard her on RadioLab or This American Life or seen her short films on NPR, New York Times or featured as Vimeo Staff Picks. She recently won a Webby for "Videos 4 U" a new series she’s heading for This American Life. In this episode, Bianca talks about her inherited curiosity and inclination to talk to strangers as well as how her personal life, questions and struggles influence the themes of her work. We talk about the paralyzing effect of your first successful project, the fogginess of the sophomore slump and how to be patient instead of forcing an idea. She's a delight and full of contagious energy that is sure to make you want to throw yourself out there and make work.
Name: Bianca Giaever
Current City: Brooklyn, NY
Current Gig: This American Life / Videos 4 U
DOB: 4/1990
What are you listening to right now? Reply All
What piece of media inspired you? Joe Frank radio stories
Who is your career role model? Jay Allison
What's one tool you can't live without? Tape recorder
How do you take your coffee? Milk and sugar
What's your spirit animal? Still waiting for their arrival
Any updates since we interviewed you? Finishing up a couple stories at This American Life, then doing some soul searching about what to do next. The first video in the series just won a Webby.
RELATED LINKS
Bianca’s Website
Transom (resources)
Hurry Up and Live: The Nick Sears Story
“Having a tape recorder is just an excuse to be able to ask these questions that I’m really wondering about and struggling with. I guess what’s served me best is to just share things about myself and that’s always led to great conversations that have been genuinely helpful to me. It’s created deep relationships between me and the person I’m interviewing. It’s a great lesson that when you share something about yourself people are usually grateful and willing to share something back.”
— Bianca Giaever
CLIPS FEATURED IN SHOW:
Holy Cow Lisa
The Scared Is Scared
Wake Up Now (TAL)
Dear Hector (RADIOLAB)
Horrible Day (Sonic ID)
I Love You: Video Series for TAL
For Sale: by Jay Allison
A Milkshake Experiment (NPR)
Crush
Dinner With Strangers
War InVoice
CREDITS
PRODUCED by Elaine Sheldon and Sarah Ginsburg
SOUND DESIGN by Billy Wirasnik
HELP US BRING YOU SEASON 2:
MUSIC FEATURED IN SHOW:
Our featured MusicMaker this week is Lira Mondal of Boston-based band, Mini Dresses. Read our interview with Lira here.
Featured from EP FOUR:
- Center of a Room, Me and Mine, Are You Real, Bracelets
Featured from EP THREE:
- Other Ones, Been Out for Days, In Two, Strangers
Featured from EP TWO:
- Watching You
Featured from EP HOT SUN:
- Post Office Girl, Just Go
Featured from EP SUMMER Recordings:
- Tide Pools, Comfortable
Featured from EP Emmi // Tom and I:
- Emmi
MUSIC FEATURED IN EPISODE 9
Curated by Elaine Sheldon
There's no way you won't fall in love with Casey Dienel's voice. But take it from me, falling in love with her, as a person, is fairly easy too. I picked up the phone to chat with Casey for an hour, and within five minutes I felt like I was catching up with a good friend. She's full of talent and experience, but it was refreshing to see her humility and gratitude come through when talking about dealing with depression and sharing funny stories from her early career (HINT: listen to the last four minutes of Episode 9 to hear). You may know Casey from her hit Icarus, which has had a life of its own, including being featured on Project Runway. But spend 20 minutes with her last two albums, Kairos and Baby, and you can hear Casey's life bleeding into her music. They are vastly different in arrangement and tone. Pitchfork said it best, "Kairos was woozy both instrumentally and conceptually, leaning toward gossamer dream pop. Baby, her newest, sheds the downtempo beats of Kairos, experimenting with more jagged percussion and orchestral flourishes, notably horns." Casey explains the deeply personal journey of making Baby, among other tidbits. We're greatly honored to showcase Casey's talent in Episode 9 with Linda Pan.
Q&AWhat is your process for writing? Every time I write it's like I am reinventing the process. I don't have one strict method and I'm not superstitious at all. I am always writing, even if I'm on an album cycle, I am still writing on my days off. I write a lot when I'm on tour. I just always keep it going so that way I'm not stressing the source. When I have writer's block it's usually because I'm getting antsy. So I found the best way to prevent that anxiety is to be pretty casual about it.
You've toured around the world, so what piece of advice would you give to a young producer? Do it yourself, as much as possible. If you want to go on tour, and you're waiting for someone else to book it, don't wait. Just figure it out. If you want to make a record, and don't know anyone, it's so easy now to get a student copy of Ableton, Garage Band or Logic and just bang it out. Especially on the technology side, women aren't encouraged enough to take that on. I really think that the more girls take that stuff on themselves (like writing your own beats) the better it's going to be for us. Alot of times they just assume you don't know what you're doing. And the power of assumption is so insidious and quiet. And over the years, you will be like, 'Am I crazy?' But you're not crazy. When you walk into a studio and they're talking about microphones and then they're like, 'Let's just talk about clothes now,' because you're in the room.
Baby is a very personal album, how does it feel to look back on it? I feel like Baby was this really cathartic work for me and it healed a lot of things that I didn't even realize were in pain. When I take a step back and look at that work, I'm like 'Holy shit, that person was really, really depressed and unhappy.' I'm also extremely grateful that I'm not there anymore. Like when you see a photo of yourself when you were a teenager and really depressed, and you are like "God...thank you to everybody who asked me how I was doing.' But here's the thing with mental health, you're never all better. But I think it's good to talk about because I think a lot of people who have depression are really embarrassed by it.
LINKS:
LISTEN: White Hinterland on SoundCloud
READ: Pitchfork Reviews White Hinterland
CONNECT: Casey on Twitter, White Hinterland Official Website
WATCH: White Hinterland on VEVO
Linda Pan’s parents moved from China to Saskatoon, Canada--making Linda a first-generation citizen. They persuaded Linda to follow a path similar to theirs: electrical engineering. So she did. After two engineering degrees and a handful of hard family conversations, Linda talks about how she transitioned from electrical engineering to media business, attended Harvard Business School and climbed the ladder at MRC and Netflix. Today, Linda is the general manager of SundanceNow Doc Club and Vice President of Business Development at AMC Networks. Similar to Netflix, Hulu and Amazon Prime, Sundance Now Doc Club offers a place for both longtime documentary lovers and those new to the genre, to stream classics and new releases. Learn how Linda, your video clerk on the Internet, curates and stocks the shelves and makes the business decisions behind what the new streaming service offers.
“I have realized in my years of working with all different types of people, that airtime is not equivalent to thinking time. Sometimes you just need to be heard and say something. You don’t need to over think it, over analyze it. It’s just important to tell people how you think. And over time you grow to be comfortable putting your voice out there and developing your own style. The most important thing is to just speak up.”
— Linda Pan
RELATED LINKS
Linda Pan on Twitter
Join SundanceNow Doc Club
SundanceNow Doc Club on Facebook
Ira Glass’ curated documentary list
Variety: Susan Sarandon and Linda Pan talk about Doc Club
Name: Linda Pan
Current Gig: General Manager of SundanceNow Doc Club and Vice President of Business Development at AMC Networks
Current City: NYC
DOB: 6/1982
What are you listening to now? StartUp podcast
What books changed you? "The Stranger" by Albert Camus and "The Little Prince" by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry.
Who is your career role model? Sheryl Sandberg
What is a tool you can't live without? Wunderlist
How do you take your coffee? With a dollop of cream
What's your spirit animal? My dog. He reminds me everyday to take joy in the simple things in life.
MUSIC FEATURED IN SHOW: Our featured MusicMaker this week is Casey Dienel, of White Hinterland. Learn more about Casey here.
Songs featured from KAIROS album
- Cataract
- Thunderbird
- Icarus
- Moon Jam
- Bow & Arrow
Songs featured from BABY album
- Begin Again
- Metronome
- No Devotion
- Dry Mind
- Baby
- Ring The Bell
- David
Others:
- Lunirascible
- Hung On A Thin Thread
CLIPS FEATURED IN SHOW:
Modern Times: Charlie Chaplin (Eating Machine clip)
1950's Westinghouse TV Commercial 1950
1978 Panasonic VHS Commercial
Cinema Paradiso (trailer)
NEWS: Netflix Splits DVD Mail Service Into Qwikster
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC: Wildebeests Documentary
Stop Making Sense (Documentary about The Talking Heads)
CREDITS
PRODUCED by Elaine Sheldon and Sarah Ginsburg
SOUND DESIGN by Billy Wirasnik
MUSIC FEATURED IN EPISODE 8 Curated by: Sarah Ginsburg
Every March, I go home to Columbia, Missouri for my version of ‘The Most Wonderful Time of the Year’: True/False Film Festival (T/F). Besides getting to see stacks on stacks of films, my favorite part of T/F is the music. T/F hand picks musicians from all around the world and brings them to the middle of Missouri to play for moviegoers before films, at late night showcases, and on the street corners of downtown Columbia as we stumble out of one dimly lit venue and run to the next. One of the buskers that we were lucky enough to hear is Taryn Blake Miller who plays simply divine music under the moniker Your Friend. It’s hard for me to describe the feeling her songs give me, but I will tell you that every song makes me close my eyes, put my hands on my heart, and just sway. Elaine and I were simply taken with Your Friend, and we’re pretty sure you will be too.
Q&AHow would you describe your music? A blogger once said that it was kind of like something that would exist in a pretty unpopulated territory but is still welcoming. I like to say that it’s evolving and it’s open. There’s a lot of space and room within it. But I’d say it’s a well intentioned hand shake.
Where does ‘Your Friend’ come from? I’ve had a lot of experiences making really serious connections with strangers and not knowing who they are later, not getting their name, nothing, probably not ever seeing them again. But they’ve kind of stuck with me so I guess it’s kind of related to that in a way. What does it actually mean to be somebody’s friend? Whenever I’m interacting with anybody I try to be present and real with that person, because what you put out is what you get back and that’s how you make those connections with people. If you go into it being earnest and honest, then they react that way and it becomes genuine.
When you are performing a song, even if you’ve played it live countless times, are specific feelings from when you were originally writing and developing the track triggered? If I can’t hear myself in the monitors or if there’s some sort of technical difficulty, I can still find the notes that I’m singing based on how it feels. I can go back to those moments and channel how it felt to write it because that’s how it physically felt in that moment. So I can revisit that. Your brain remembers that, your muscles remember that. I think it can be sustained and even grow to something more important or special to you if you want it to.
Musical Inspirations? Arthur Russell, Lucrecia Dalt, Dave Harrington, Jenny Hval, William Basinski, Holly Herndon, Tim Hecker, Andy Stott, Julia Holter, Jana Hunter, Annie Clark
LINKS:
Your Friend website
Jekyll / Hyde EP on iTunes
True/False Busker Line Up
Hanna Polak, a Polish director and producer, has the stamina and guts that most filmmakers would envy. And now audiences at film festivals around the world are experiencing her dedication through “Something Better To Come,” a documentary that Hanna shot over the span of 14 years. The documentary follows the lives of Russians living in a massive garbage dump, located 12 miles from the center of Moscow. Hanna filmed many people living in the garbage dump, but one person in particular stood out: a young girl named Yula. We watch Yula grow up on-screen, experimenting with hair dye and makeup, foraging for food and shelter, as well as witnessing some firsts: trying her chances with alcohol, cigarettes and young love. Hanna previously directed the short film, “The Children of Leningradsky,” which explores the lives of homeless children living in Moscow train stations. The film received an Oscar nomination, an International Documentary Association Award for Best Documentary, two Emmy nominations, and the Gracie Allen Award, given by Women in Radio and Television. But there are many moments when Hanna puts down her camera and serves as an activist. In 1997, as part of her work in Russia, she founded and later collaborated with Active Child Aid to help support the children of Russia and in 2006 she was awarded the prestigious Golden Heart Award. Hanna shares the challenges of shooting and editing a film for 14 years, as well as a special memory with documentary pioneer, Ricky Leacock. Doc fans: this episode is not to be missed.
“It’s like having a huge puzzle. Because after 14 years you have hundreds of hours of material, some big some small, and you have no idea where they fit. You don’t have the final picture. You don’t know what you’re building. And out of all of these materials you can make many pictures, but you try to make THE one. ”
— Hanna Polak on editing "Something Better to Come"
RELATED LINKS
Hanna's Website
"Something Better to Come" Film Website
"Something Better to Come" on Facebook
NY Times Article on "The Children of Leningradsky"
Unicef Award for "The Children of Leningradsky"
Name: Hanna Polak
City: Warsaw, Poland
DOB: 7/21/1967
What are you listening to now? "So Close" by Ólafur Arnalds.
What piece of media changed you? Crime and Punishment
Who is your career role model? Vadim Yusov, Director of Photography of Andrei Tarkovsky
What is a tool you can't live without? Avid editing system
How do you drink/take your coffee/tea? Ginger tea with lemon
What's your spirit animal? Haven't discovered yet
MUSICMAKER FEATURED IN SHOW:
Taryn Blake Miller (Your Friend) from Jekyll / Hyde EP.
Featured Songs:
- Bangs
- Pallet
- Peach
- Tame One
- Jekyll / Hyde
- Expectation / Reality
This interview was conducted at True/False Film Festival in Columbia, Missouri. Hanna's feature documentary "Something Better to Come" had it's US Premiere at True/False AND our featured MusicMaker, Taryn Blake Miller of Your Friend was a musical busker. Find more information on films, music, dates, and passes at the True/False website.
CLIPS FEATURED IN SHOW:
Soundbites from “Something Better to Come”
Soundbites from “The Children of Leningradsky”
Isaac Stern Plays Schon Rosmarin at the age of 79
CREDITS
PRODUCED by Elaine Sheldon and Sarah Ginsburg
SOUND DESIGN by Billy Wirasnik
Ingrid Kopp has been exploring the highest peaks and lowest valleys of independent film for the past 15 years and for the past 6 years has been island hopping to discover intersections between storytelling, social media and technology. As the Director of Interactive at the Tribeca Film Institute, Ingrid supports interactive and cross-platform projects through the TFI New Media Fund and TAA Interactive Prototype Fund. She is the creator of Tribeca Hacks, TFI Interactive and the curator of Storyscapes at the Tribeca Film Festival. All of these spaces invite story, tech and design into the same room to foster conversations and collaborations. In this episode of She Does, Ingrid talks about growing up in South Africa during apartheid, the balance between offline and online communities, lack of diversity in technology and curation, and her dreams to write a book and climb Mt. Kilimanjaro--at the same time.
“In order to get where we want to go, which is creating really amazing pieces of work for audiences everywhere, you need to have diverse production teams and diverse audiences. It makes the work better.”
— Ingrid Kopp
RELATED LINKS
Google Hangout with Lina (ep 6) & Ingrid (ep 7) on April 10 at 3 PM (EST)
Storyscapes lineup (April 16 – 19):
TFI Interactive day (April 18)
Ingrid on Twitter
Ingrid on IndieWire
Ingrid’s Interactive Playlist
Tribeca Sandbox (resources)
Name: Ingrid Kopp
Current City: Brooklyn, NY
DOB: 1973
What's on your current playlist?
Podcasts: StartUp, Invisibilia, Desert Island Discs, Start The Week. I love BBC Radio 4 podcasts, a sign of my age perhaps.
Music: Billy Bragg, Miriam Makeba and Just A Band.
What piece(s) of media changed you?
Films: Divorce Iranian Style by Kim Longinotto; The Leader, The Driver and The Driver's Wife by Nick Broomfield; Moonstruck by Norman Jewison.
Books: All the RE:Search books but especially Angry Women and Angry Women in Rock. The Snow Leopard by Peter Matthiessen. Don't Let's Go To The Dogs Tonight by Alexandra Fuller. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. Also, all Shakespeare plays.
Shows: Every show I went to at Gilman in Berkeley 1995/96. Sonic Boom: The Art of Sound, a show at the Hayward Gallery in London in 2000 got me excited about installations.
Who are your career role models? Debra Zimmerman, from Women Make Movies; Jess Search, from BRITDOC; and Peter Dale from Rare Day. Peter was my first boss in media and an incredible mentor, supporter and all round good person.
What tool(s) can't you live without? My iPhone, a huge bag with a book or two in it, Moleskine notebooks and a good pen.
How do you drink your coffee/tea? Strong coffee. I have been known to order quad lattes which I think are actually a heart risk!
Spirit animal? Goat. I love goats, and by the way, I loved goats before the Internet loved goats.
ELAINE'S SUGGESTED INTERACTIVE PLAYLIST
Out of Sight, Out of Mind; The Disaster Resilience Journal , HOLLOW, The Bermuda Tapes, Bear 71 , We Feel Fine, Johnny Cash Project, Fort McMoney, Welcome to Pine Point, Highrise series, Clouds Over Cuba, Wilderness Downtown
MUSIC FEATURED IN SHOW:
- Zebrat - A Childish World, Imagination
- Podington Bear - Button Mushrooms, Formant, Resonant Ducs, Rainbow Architecture, Infant
- Ketsa - Shiny Clouds
CREDITS
PRODUCED by Elaine Sheldon and Sarah Ginsburg
SOUND DESIGN by Billy Wirasnik
CLIPS FEATURED IN SHOW:
- South African Prime Minister P.W. Botha
- Zindzi Mandela reads her father’s rejection to PW Both in 1985
- Remembering South African leader Nelson Mandela
- CITIZENFOUR Trailer
- ABC News Edward Snowden Flees Hong Kong
- The Guardian NSA Whistleblower Edward Snowden
- Tribeca Film Festival StoryScapes 2014
- TFI Interactive 2013 Recap
- TFI Interactive: Spotlight On ‘Hollow’
MUSIC FEATURED IN EPISODE 6 Curated by Sarah Ginsburg:
When I asked Ana Karina DaCosta what she feels when she’s on stage, she got choked up. Ana Karina, based in Somerville, Massachusetts, might be the biggest lover of music and people that I’ve ever met. You’ll hear it when you listen to the sounds of one of the many bands that she’s in and you’ll feel it when this sensation of warmth and acceptance washes over you while in her presence. Ana Karina was born in Brazil but moved to Virginia, where she learned the cello, when she was in the third grade. Today, she’s a master of the bass, sings like a freaking angel, and dabbles in percussion all around the Boston music scene. The genres of her musical projects vary greatly, which says a lot about her too. She’s up for anything, she just wants to play.
Q&AWhat do you enjoy most about singing? I like to harmonize. When I was growing up I was always trying to. When people would sing the lead part, I was always trying to find the harmony. And then when I found The Mamas & The Papas I was like, ‘OH MY GOD, there's like 8 harmonies that I can find.’ It makes sense that that's what I'm doing now.
So, what does it feel like to be up on stage? I used to give myself a really hard time when I had a corporate job and I would play three shows every two weeks or I'd go away on the weekend and I had this double life. I'd say, ‘What am I doing on a Thursday night in this Veterans Hall in middle of nowhere Connecticut?’ And I'd be like, ‘You know what? I'm having a good time and I'm playing music and what else would I be doing? Home watching law and order or something?’ So that's how I feel: really lucky. And it feels good. It feels good to sing and it feels good to play and it feels good to have people like it.
What do you think music has the potential to do? I just hope it has the potential to lighten things up for people, just lighten things up. I don't dislike heavy themed music, it depends on how it's presented. But I think music should make people feel something and it should be happy or obviously sometimes people enjoy listening to sad music because it helps them put into words what they can't. I think a lot of people’s lives can be like that, where there's a lot of serious stuff they have to deal with, and if they're lucky they get some time to sit at home and listen to music or go out and see it or make it. I hope it just lightens things up. That's what it does for me.
LINKS:
The Derevolutions: Soundcloud, Album Download, Now You Know My Name (Official Music Video), Twitter, Facebook
28 Degrees Taurus: Bandcamp, Facebook
Slowdim: Bandcamp, Featured in Allston Pudding
Bong Wish: Bandcamp
Bobb Trimble’s Flying Spiders: Bandcamp
Lina Srivastava is an impact strategist who combines media, technology, art and storytelling for social transformation. She has assisted filmmakers (“Born Into Brothels,” “Inocente,” “Who is Dayani Cristal”) in positioning their media to have meaningful impact. She also provides design consultation to social impact organizations, including UNESCO, the World Bank and UNICEF. She practiced law for four years, before transitioning to the social impact field. She shares how she has helped filmmakers create impact campaigns to make real change, including providing clean water for a community in Honduras. Whether you are plugged into the impact metrics conversation, or feel alienated by it, this episode is for you. Lina breaks down how to catalyze and amplify social impact through creative media and warns of pitfalls she sees in the industry, shattering unrealistic expectations and pressure put on filmmakers to make change.
“Newsworthiness, in terms of documentary, is a really good standard. But a higher standard is ethics and accuracy. And when you’re thinking about social impact documentary, I go that step further in saying, if I’m documenting a particular social issue, I’m going to have to figure out what I can do. Some people think that documentarians are aligned with journalists, and you shouldn’t interfere. I don’t come out of that tradition. I’m an activist, I’m like, ‘We have to do something. We can’t just hijack somebody’s story.’”
— Lina Srivastava
RELATED LINKS
Lina on Twitter
Regarding Humanity on Facebook
Lina’s Blog
Lina's Current Projects: Priya’s Shakti, Who Is Dayani Cristal?, Traveling While Black.
Lina curated list on MIT’s Docubase
Lina on Huffington Post
Name: Lina Srivastava
Current City: New York
What are you listening to now? Radio Gladys Palmera, The Avener, and Cassandra Wilson are in rotation right now.
What film/book/show/piece of media changed you? This is a hard question to answer because there have been so many. When I was in grade school, we used to be assigned Newbery Award winning books. I especially remember A Wrinkle in Time, From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry, and The Westing Game. They were mind-expanding, sparking a young and active imagination. As I grew up, Things Fall Apart, 100 Years of Solitude, and Pride and Prejudice did. In the past few years or so, Junot Diaz, Zadie Smith, Nicole Krauss, Hilary Mantel, Nayyirah Waheed, Colum McCann, and Aleksander Hemon have all opened my eyes. So did the film The Act of Killing. And of course Who Is Dayani Cristal?
Who is your career role model? Paola Antonelli, Senior Curator of the Department of Architecture & Design, as well as the Director of R&D at MoMA. A pioneer and innovator who stands above the crowd in a (male-dominated) field of pioneers and innovators.
What is a tool you can't live without? My cell phone. Pure and simple.
How do you drink/take your coffee/tea? Hot, milk and sugar
What's your spirit animal? Butterfly
CREDITS
PRODUCED by Elaine Sheldon and Sarah Ginsburg
SOUND DESIGN by Billy Wirasnik
MUSIC FEATURED IN SHOW:
Learn about our featured MusicMaker, Ana Karina DaCosta, here.
The Derevolutions:
- I Feel A Goo World
- Automate Your Soul
- Take it to the Hoop
- Living in the Not World
- Crazy Janey
28 Degrees Taurus:
- From Part to Part, All the Stars in Your Eyes, Hearts Were Made
- Off album Underwater Love Sequences EP: Circle & Cross
- Off album How Do You Like Your Love: Moments, Phases & Timing
- Off album Mirrors & Gates: Heart Attack
CLIPS FEATURED IN SHOW:
- Flamenco Dancing
- "Born Into Brothels" (Full Movie)
- "The Devil Came on Horseback" (Full Movie)
- "Inocente" (Trailer)
- "Who is Dayani Cristal?" (Trailer)
It’s difficult to sum up what Kara Oehler does in a single title. The process quickly turns into a hyphenated chain of words--documentarian-radio producer-tech founder-interactive media producer-entrepreneur-academic. We chatted with the co-founder of Zeega and GoPop--the latter which was recently acquired by Buzzfeed--about her early influences, growing up in the woods of Indiana, starting communities like UnionDocs Collaborative Studio and metaLAB at Harvard, living out of her car to document Main Streets across America, and being a female in the tech and startup world. Come along for the ride, it’s a lot of fun.
“To start a genre, and to form a community, you have to make up all the words for it. There are a lot of words like that, interactive documentary is one. There was point where that combination of words had no search results on Google. But then you start writing about it, talking about it at conferences and then it becomes a genre.”
— Kara Oehler, co-founder of Zeega & GoPop
RELATED LINKS
Kara on Twitter
Buzzfeed Acquires Go-Pop
Zeega Storytelling Platform
Union Docs Collaborative
Mapping Main Street Interactive Documentary
Kara’s Audio Documentaries: Third Coast Festival
Matter VC
Kara as “Woman Celebrates 4th Year Of Weaning Self Off Facebook“ via The Onion
How to Pronounce GIF
Who is your career role model? I've got an incredible group of passionate friends and family who are all doing amazing work. I get inspiration from them every day. And my parents.
What is a tool you can't live without? I love my Sound Devices 722. I've had it since 2005 and it creates the most beautiful recordings. And this winter, my LL Bean duck boots have been clutch.
How do you take your coffee? At home: french press, black. At a fancy coffee shop: latte.
What's your spirit animal? Llamacorn (Llama + Unicorn)
Name: Kara Oehler
Current City: Brooklyn, NY
Date of Birth: 1978
What are you listening to now? I'm loving the Radiotopia podcasts, Gimlet podcasts, and Invisibilia. I find out about new releases from Other Music's email list and listen to a lot of WFMU.
What film/book/show/piece of media changed you? I'm a huge admirer of South African artist William Kentridge. The first piece I saw of his was a work called Black Box / Chambre Noir. It was a study for his artistic direction of a staging of the opera The Magic Flute, employing charcoal drawings, mechanical moving puppets and projections within a black box. He used this medium to tell the story of the Herero genocide in Namibia under German colonial rule in the early 1900s. The piece completely took me by surprise. I sat in front of it for a couple hours and wept. In 2010, I interviewed Kentridge and asked him about approaching subjects like genocide or apartheid in this way. Here's what he said:
“To be human at all is to say, we need to forget a huge amount. But hold on to a tiny amount. But there’s some band between remembering and forgetting in which we can survive and exist. And I suppose the drawings in one sense take that narrow band and move within it and say, this is the band within human experience.”
I think it’s often the job of storytelling to try and find that band - that entry point for people to be able to take in information and question their own role as a witness or participant, or to just simply connect with a stranger's story. And this is something that Kentridge does with so much thought, emotion and skill.
CREDITS
PRODUCED by Elaine Sheldon and Sarah Ginsburg
SOUND DESIGN by Billy Wirasnik
MUSIC FEATURED IN SHOW:
Jeff “Super Bobby”
Monroeville Music Center
Lewis of Busman’s Holiday
CLIPS FEATURED IN SHOW:
Suzuki Method
This American Life #277, Apology
Korva Coleman (NPR)
“And I Walked” Third Coast
2008 Presidential Debate
MUSIC FEATURED IN EPISODE 4 Curated by Sarah Ginsburg
I came across Peachpit at a show upstairs at Charlie’s Kitchen in Cambridge, MA. I was there to see a friend’s band play, but before they came on, my ears perked to the ethereal sound of Hannah’s voice when she began to sing on "Sunday to Monday." It’s an unforgettable track unlike any of its neighbors, yet it fits so well into Peachpit’s album Come Down Pilgrim.
Q&A What are your roles in Peachpit? I used to be the bass player when we were a four piece a couple years ago and my brother was the drummer. Since he moved to New York we took on Ben (our new drummer) and Jordan (our new bassist). Now I play keys, some flugelhorn, tambourine, and vocals, of course.
What do you love about making music and/or performing for an audience? There's the kind of selfish satisfaction that I get when we really nail a song. When the parts complement really well, when we can play it smoothly, and I just enjoy listening. But then there's the separate thrill of playing for an audience. I still get butterflies before shows, even small venues. I always hope they're having as much fun as I am, and when they are, when they're dancing along. There are few better feelings than that.
How would you define the music you make? It's always hard answering this one. Peachpit's music might be described at a basal level as a mix of 60's pop and rock & roll. Some of our big inspiration is from groups like Wilco, Radiohead, The Monkeys etc. With spiritually inspired lyrics and a sprinkling of synth. tones and patterns, we're putting our own peachy twist on the classic rock sound. We're "christian" rock for the souls of hell.
What her bandmates say: Beyond playing a variety of instruments in the band, Hannah is also a part of the primary writing process. Out of the group she probably has the most formal music training, which makes her a great reference for building vocal harmonies and composing for different instruments. She's been noted for her precise sense of rhythm as well.
LINKS: Peachpit's Website, Bandcamp, Facebook, Feature in Boston Globe
Debra Granik is the Academy-award nominated director and writer of Winter’s Bone, which features a young Jennifer Lawrence in a gripping story set in the Ozarks. Winter's Bone won several awards including the Grand Jury Prize for Dramatic Film at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival. It also received four 2011 Academy Award nominations: Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Actress and Best Supporting Actor. Previously, she wrote and directed Down to the Bone, starring Vera Farmiga. Her narrative work is heavily influenced by real life and real people. So it makes sense that recently Debra has found herself exploring the non-fiction world. She recently released Stray Dog, a contemplative portrait of Ron 'Stray Dog' Hall: biker, Vietnam Vet, and lover of small dogs. It has screened over 60 times around the world and was nominated for a 2015 Film Independent Spirit Award for Best Documentary. In this episode, Debra talks about learning her craft from politically-active women in the 1970s, being inspired by real life, where ideas come from, how stories take seed, and the ins and outs of her many productions. Debra reflects on her past, present, and the future of the industry.
Name: Debra Granik
Current City: New York City
What are you listening to? I listen to a lot of soothing nature sounds. I take refuge in a track called 8 hours of rivers and streams. I am enjoying the music of Kelsey Morris and their band Layperson Music.
What piece of media changed you? There have been so many it's hard to pick one. Most recently, the narrative feature, Girlhood, directed by Céline Sciamma. Fergus Bordewich's book, Bound for Canaan: The Underground Railroad and the War for the Soul of America. And We Come as Friends by Hubert Super. Many recent documentaries, especially about the experiences of soldiers and the sprawling topic of mass incarceration and the US prison system.
Who is your career role model? I have a special affection and admiration for essay filmmakers and documentarians, film creators who follow their interests and inspirations, those who try not to define their self worth as artists only through external achievement, but also try to make the making be a worthwhile part of their life.
What is a tool you can't live without? Spongy flip flops, viscous hand cream, luscious 0.7 vicuna ballpoint pens, notebooks.
How do you drink/take your coffee/tea? XXX with a little soy. Branching into hemp.
What's your spirit animal? Tortoise. Slow and steady.
RELATED LINKS
Debra on Directing Jennifer Lawrence and Her New Documentary (VULTURE)
Debra Granik Archive (INDIE WIRE)
Debra’s Granik Featured In Opinion Sunday (NEW YORK TIMES)
Debra Granik on Finding J. Law and the Plight of the Female Director (DAILY BEAST)
“There’s no space for that old style of the big barking orders coming from the big man. The big man who gets special treatment and has an entourage and special gear, special food, special limos, special chairs, special megaphones. I think we’re done with that paradigm. It’s okay to thank people. It’s good and right and just to acknowledge the work of others. I think women do a good job saying ‘I am not the king. I am a head coordinator and I’m working really hard with other people who all are contributing something to this effort.’”
— Debra Granik
CREDITS
PRODUCED by Elaine Sheldon and Sarah Ginsburg
SOUND DESIGN by Billy Wirasnik
MUSIC FEATURED IN SHOW:
Peachpit and our featured MusicMaker, Hannah Waxman
Chris Zabriskie
Jahzzar
Gillicuddy
CLIPS FEATURED IN SHOW:
Women’s rights protests (1 & 2)
High school play (Phantom of the Opera)
Harlan County, USA (full film)
Winter’s Bone (Clips 1, 2, & 3)
Stray Dog (trailer)
MUSIC FEATURED IN EPISODE 3 Curated by Elaine Sheldon
I discovered Cassie's tunes while wasting time on Facebook. Turns out Facebook can lead you to some great talent. A friend from home shared it, I clicked and was hooked. I knew when I heard Cassie's music that it would be perfect for Anna Sale's episode.
Q&A What is your role in this musical project? I write songs, sing and play guitar and piano.
How personal is your music? My music is very personal. It's important to me to be honest with myself when I'm feeling intense things, and that happens naturally for me with music. When I'm making demos I just trust myself and write. In the studio, I like to collaborate with others, so I try to separate myself from the emotions and focus on trusting the other musicians and creating the most dynamic sounds. I love being able to listen back even years later and immediately go back to specific feelings. I don't perform often, so when I do I'm usually fighting a bizarre mix of self consciousness and overzealousness.
At what moment did you decide to make an album? I've been recording songs since I was about 15, but I didn't make a complete record until after I had made records with two different bands. Working with other people made writing a record seem less daunting, and it gave me confidence to do it on my own. I think I have good intuition about sequencing records just from listening to so much music. Once I start putting things in some order, I can feel it if something's missing. I did one record that just kept getting longer because none of the songs I was writing felt like a good opener.
LINKS: Cassie Lopez on Bandcamp and Interview on BreakThru Radio
Anna Sale is the creator, host and managing editor of WNYC’s podcast, Death, Sex & Money, a biweekly show featuring intimate interviews with both celebrities and commoners alike, that has risen to the top of the iTunes charts. She’s a public media veteran who covered the 2012 presidential campaign and has contributed to This American Life, NPR, Marketplace, Studio 360, PBS Newshour, and Slate. In this episode, Anna talks about her West Virginian (or Appalachian) roots, being a self-proclaimed “honorable detector of snobs”, coming into journalism as an activist, landing her first job, coping with divorce, the art of the interview and the challenge of telling stories that aren’t often featured on the front page. You’re in for a real treat. Anna has a special gift, a voice made to be heard. You can hear the smile in her voice.
Name: Anna Sale
Current City: NYC
DOB: 1980
What are you listening to? D'Angelo's Black Messiah
What film/book/show/piece of media changed you? There are so many. A recent favorite was the film, "Stories We Tell" by Sarah Polley.
Who is your career role model? Terry, forever.
What is a tool you can't live without? ProTools, Google Docs, My worn-down, audio-in-one-ear tangled earbuds.
How do you take your coffee? Black, mostly. With soy if I'm in a fancy place.
What’s your spirit animal? A mule. I was getting a massage in Tampa in 2012, just after the Republican National Convention, and this sweet masseuse--young guy, bleached hair, pierced face--told me that was the essence he was reading: Wild and free like a horse plus a pleaser/hardworker, like a donkey=mule.
RELATED LINKS
Anna's WYNC Profile
Death, Sex & Money Episodes
Fast Company Interview with Anna
Reporthers Interview with Anna
The Timbre Interview With Anna
“When I was putting together Death, Sexy & Money I wasn’t thinking of it as a women’s show or a show where we talk about women’s stories or the women’s view on things. Because I think no matter what your sexuality or your gender, there’s a lot happening that’s shifting the ways that we think about what the stories of our lives are in the U.S. So, I want to do both. But I think just making the base assumption when you’re doing a story that the details of this woman’s story is important. Given the history of women in this country in the past 100 years, that’s still a radical thing. So it feels good to be a part of that.”
— Anna Sale
CREDITS
PRODUCED by Elaine Sheldon and Sarah Ginsburg
SOUND DESIGN by Billy Wirasnik
CLIPS FEATURED IN SHOW:
DS&M: How to Be a Man With Bill Withers
DS&M: I Killed Someone. Now I Have 3 Kids.
DS&M: Ellen Burstyn's Lessons on Survival
DS&M: The NFL Made Me Rich. I Won't Watch It Now.
DS&M: Dan Savage Says Cheating Happens. And That's OK.
DS&M: Jane Fonda After Death and Divorce
DS&M: This Senator Saved My Love Life
MUSIC FEATURED IN SHOW:
Cassie Lopez
Tiny Folk
Hudson
Lyric Cabral is a photojournalist and documentary filmmaker based in the Bronx. She, along with her co-director David Felix Sutcliffe, premiered her feature-length film (T)ERROR at Sundance this year in the US Documentary category. (T)ERROR is billed as “the first film to document on camera a covert counterterrorism sting,” but the documentary has been in the works for over a decade. Lyric came across the film’s subject, an FBI informant, when she was only 19, but knew she was too young to tackle the story then. Lyric talks about the uncomfortable situations she’s found herself in as a photojournalist, being inspired by Gordon Parks, spending over a decade covering national security issues, and returning to a story 12 years after discovering it.
Name: Lyric R. Cabral
Current City: New York City
DOB: 1982
What are you listening to? D'angelo and the Vanguard "Black Messiah"
What film/book/show/piece of media changed you? I really appreciate the silent film "Sidewalk Stories" by Charles Lane. I saw the film at a time when I was making the professional transition from still photography to moving images. The film is quite moving for me because each frame is beautifully photographed, and reflects an attention to detail that reveals the sensitivities and struggles of life in New York city.
Who is your career role model? Someone who I admire personally and professionally is filmmaker Shola Lynch. I value that her body of work critically examines the lives of Black women (Shirley Chisholm, Angela Davis) in America, as these stories are typically lesser seen on screen. Shola is a meticulous archivist and historian, who researched "Free Angela" for 8 years. I am inspired by the tremendous commitment that motivates each of her films, and by the engaging narratives that she presents on screen.
What is a tool you can't live without? I really appreciate Twitter. I am able to access the perspectives of citizen journalists around the world, and research stories in a unique way.
How do you take your coffee? One sugar and a little whole milk
What’s your spirit animal? A calico cat
RELATED LINKS
- (T)ERROR on Facebook
- (T)ERROR at Sundance Labs
- Candescent Award at Sundance 2015
- Lyric: How I Shot That (Indie Wire)
- (T)ERROR at Sundance Film Festival
- Meet The Artists, Lyric and David: Video Interview for Sundance
“I am the type of journalist that I’m never done. I don’t drop in and drop out. Whether they get a Christmas card from me, or I try to call, I just really try to stay in touch with people. I really don’t like the feeling of: I come in. I document you. I publish it. And then I just leave you alone with the consequences of whatever happens because you are now public. I’m never quite done.”
— Lyric R. Cabral
CREDITS
PRODUCED by Elaine Sheldon and Sarah Ginsburg
SOUND DESIGN by Billy Wirasnik
CLIPS FEATURED IN SHOW:
Blank Panther archival, (T)ERROR
MUSIC FEATURED IN SHOW:
First Rebirth
Gangi
The Passion Hifi
Marco Raaphorst
Anenon
Katja Blichfeld is the brains behind Vimeo’s popular new web series “High Maintenance," which features New Yorkers in all their strange glory. Katja and her husband write, direct and produce the show and they recently were awarded a 2015 Writers Guild Award for their episode "Rachel." But Katja's first love was casting. In 2014, she won an Emmy for her casting on 30 Rock. But success didn't happen overnight for Katja. In this interview, she shares the ups and downs--and all the delightful moments in between--of her journey.
UPDATE: High Maintenance has been picked up by HBO!
“Me following my intuition and me following my instincts has never not paid off. I feel like I’ve lived four complete lives in my 35 years. It’s been a lot of my major life decisions, but they’ve always been very driven from what’s in my heart, and they’ve always paid off.”
— Katja Blichfeld, creator of High Maintenance
RELATED LINKS
HM on Vimeo
HM Website
HM Episode "Rachel" featuring Katja
Katja’s blog
Filmmaker Magazine 25 New Faces of 2013
Current City: Brooklyn, NY
DOB: 1978
What are you listening to right now? Marc Maron's WTF podcast - the Jenny Slate episode
What piece of media opened your eyes? Thomas Vinterberg's 1998 film "Festen"
Who is your career role model? I'm still kind of looking for one!
What is a tool you can't live without? My Vitamix blender
How do you take your coffee? Black
Who is your spirit animal? RuPaul Charles
CREDITS
PRODUCED by Elaine Sheldon and Sarah Ginsburg
SOUND DESIGN by Billy Wirasnik
CLIPS FEATURED IN SHOW:
“Just Say No” 1985 Anti-Drug PSA
Nancy Reagan/Clint Eastwood Just Say No PSA
Sex in the City Opening Theme Song
30 Rock Opening Theme Song
High Maintenance Trailer
High Maintenance clip #1 from episode “Heidi”
High Maintenance clip #2 from episode “Rachel”
High Maintenance clip #3 from episode “Matilda”
MUSIC FEATURED IN SHOW:
“Only Knows” by Broke For Free
“Theme from Pedal Demonstration” by George Manson
“Criddicks” by The Custodian of Records
“Lazy Sumday” by Sahy Uhns
“Way Back” by Willbe
Photo by Kerrin Sheldon
Elaine Sheldon and Sarah Ginsburg introduce their new podcast, which launches on January 14th, 2015. Listen to soundbites from the first episodes of the series. Find us on on iTunes and Soundcloud.
Thanks to our partner, Filmmaker Magazine, who will be running articles about each of our guests and co-hosting our bi-weekly Google Hangouts where YOU get to ask our guests your questions.
GUESTS FEATURED IN TEASER:
Bianca Giaever
Katie McKay
Anna Sale
Kara Oehler
Ingrid Kopp
Lyric Cabral
Lina Srivastava
Katja Blichfeld
MUSIC:
"Kosmiche Slop" by Anenon
"Proton Beat" by Gangi
"Siesta" by Jahzzar
"Ascendant" by K. Laba Music