The Catholic Creatives Podcast: Recent Episodes
Catholic Creatives
“In the beginning, God created.” As people made in God’s image, we were made to create. We host inspiring conversations with anyone who lives at the intersection of faith and creativity — from fine artists and musicians to entrepreneurs and engineers. CC Founders Marcellino D’Ambrosio and Anthony D’Ambrosio host long-form interviews with industry-leading guests; Executive Director Cody Barras and Producer Courtney Kiolbassa interview up-and-coming creatives in short-form episodes called “The Narthex.” Every episode brings stories, advice, and insight into our God-given creativity.
The CC Podcast Returns for a special edition of the Catholic Creatives podcast.
What do JP II, Greek baths, and Catholic Creatives have to do with each other? Well. Quite a lot, turns out.
It’s been a minute, but because of the feast of JPII, we decided to dust off this interview that Matt Meeks and Anthony D’Ambrosio did with Christopher West. Christopher discovered a retreat that JP II gave to artists, and had it translated to English and published for the first time ever, complete with commentary from himself and some other notable theologians. The conversation got into some really interesting and very vulnerable waters. What JPII outlines is a path for us creatives and artists to use our creative gifts in ways that can us from our culture’s distorted and shamed relationship with the human body. As usual when talking to Christopher, the Holy Spirit revealed some profound truths to us.
The book is called God is Beauty, and you can find it at bit.ly/godisbeauty
Before we jump in, just a note from our sponsors:
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Welcome back creatives!
As you may know, there have been some big changes happening in the community recently. Anthony D'Ambrosio is stepping down from leadership to be a member of the Catholic Creatives community and Matt Meeks from Catholic Ventures has come in to help shepherd this community into the next phase of our mission to bring beauty back to the Church. Transitions can be hard, bumpy and confusing but they always bring new life.
For Catholic Creatives…
We are already dreaming of a new and rebooted summit,
We are dreaming of a new and improved podcast,
We are dreaming of a new way for people to belong in the community
We are dreaming of more crowdsourced projects
We are dreaming of a way to get our creations out there to the rest of the world.
And, we finally have long needed support to make a lot of these dreams a reality. We see God moving to make all these dreams happen and more through this new partnership.
And we are excited to bring you a new episode of the Catholic Creatives podcast today. In this episode we hear from both Anthony D'Ambrosio and Matt Meeks of Catholic Ventures as they discuss their history together, challenges building the CC community, and the future with Matt in this new role. This was a great interview with a few tears shed, and we see God’s heart leading these men and the Church as a whole.
A program note, the audio is a little rough at times, as this was a zoom call recording. We’ll make sure to get all the bugs ironed out for our next episode.
What are you most excited about on this next phase of the journey?
Let us know @catholiccreatives and for anyone who has specific questions, concerns or wants to connect on the next phase of the community, Matt asked us to include his email for you all to reach out to him directly: matt@catholic.ventures
To learn more about Catholic Ventures, checkout the media release here.
Since his 2008 major label debut, Matt Maher has become a staple in the artistic and songwriting community. A nine time-GRAMMY® nominee and three time-GMA Dove Award winner. Matt Maher shares how his experience with tragedy and trauma has made him a better artist. In this conversation, he and Anthony D’Ambrosio talked on Facebook Live about how they are approaching quarantine, and about their hopes for how Catholic creatives will use this time to truly grapple with their own heartbreak.
We hope this conversation encourages you to share your creations with us and the world. Be part of the Through Fire campaign by posting your work with #ThroughFire and #CatholicCreatives.
Thanks to our sponsor The Little Catholic Box, who is offering a $20 discount on your first order of a new quarterly subscription when you use the code CCBEAUTY at checkout. And grab one of their new, limited-time “Be Not Afraid” mini-box.
Amanda and Charles Shepard share stories of their experiences curating, running, and building up the Fort Wayne Museum of Art — and why they believe art and beauty are no less important in these days of the COVID-19 pandemic. Charles has been the President and CEO of the museum since 2003, after multiple directorships throughout the country; Amanda, Vice President and COO, studied studio painting at Notre Dame before joining the FWMoA staff in 2007. They share how necessary it is to continue patronizing artists, appreciating beauty, and creating our own work.
We hope this conversation encourages you to share your creations with us and the world. Be part of the Through Fire campaign by posting your work with #ThroughFire and #CatholicCreatives.
Thanks to our sponsor The Little Catholic Box, who is offering a $20 discount on your first order of a new quarterly subscription when you use the code CCBEAUTY at checkout. And grab one of their new, limited-time “Be Not Afraid” mini-box.
At the CC Summit in 2018, Jeff Schiefelbein and Matt Pinto led a panel on entrepreneurship and making your crazy dreams work. Matthew Pinto is a speaker, author, and the founder of Ascension Press; and Jeff Schiefelbein is the Chief Culture Officer of 5, an energy consulting firm. Together, they shared their best practices for running businesses, sticking to your convictions, and tempering activity with receptivity.
To hear more talks like this, get an invite to the 2020 CC Summit! It’s going down in Dallas from April 30 - May 3.
Thanks to our sponsor The Little Catholic Box!
Support Catholic Creatives by donating or leaving a review.
Resources mentioned in this episode: The Vocation of the Business Leader
Additional music provided by Blue Dot Sessions.
Bradley Santos is the lead designer for the University of Washington central marketing team and the creative director of One Secret Mission, a creative studio leading a conversation to Christ with beauty. Bradley’s work in photography, graphic design, and art direction — and his Filipino background — help him tell untold stories and see beauty in new places. He joins us in the Narthex to geek out about Kanye and tell his story.
Thanks to our sponsor The Little Catholic Box! Visit their website now and click the pink banner along the top to have a chance at a free year’s worth of boxes.
Resources mentioned in this episode: Cory Heimann CC Podcast Episode, The Freshest Kids breakdancing documentary, God Is (Acoustic Cover) by Noah Pepmeyer
Additional music provided by Blue Dot Sessions.
Thomas Yep is a partner and the CEO at the Archetype Group, a Catholic business incubator, accelerator, and holding group that helps launch businesses to grow the economy of salvation. Together with his wife Christina (Archetype’s Chief Creative Officer), he is a father to four children.. Thomas works with entrepreneurs to coach them through the process of running a profitable business while bringing eternal value and human dignity to the culture, making a way for creative business owners to bring goodness, beauty, and truth to the world.
Check out this episode’s sponsor, The Little Catholic Box, and order your first box before they ship in early February 2020!
Resources mentioned in this episode: As Kingfishers Catch Fire, Gerard Manley Hopkins; Start With Why, Simon Sinek; Why Your Critics Aren’t the Ones Who Count, Brene Brown; Abiding Together Podcast
Additional Music from Blue Dot Sessions
In the Narthex this month is spoken word artist and thrifting queen Clare McCallan! Clare has traveled all over performing poetry, serving, and bringing the mic to underrepresented voices. She joined us in the Narthex to share stories of her Brooklyn adventures before she jetted off to Washington to be the Grunewald Guild artist-in-residence. If you’d like to bring Clare to perform poetry at your church, school, or home, get in touch with her through Instagram or email.
Thanks to this month’s Narthex sponsors: The Little Catholic Box and Sock Religious!
Blue Dot Sessions provided select music for this episode.
Andreas Widmer and Luke Burgis work at the Ciocca Center for Principled Entrepreneurship at the Catholic University of America. Andreas founded and directs the Ciocca Center; he is the author of The Pope and the CEO. Luke is the current Entrepreneur in Residence at the Ciocca Center and co-authored the book Unrepeatable: Cultivating the Unique Calling of Every Person.
Together, they teach the popular “Vocation of Business” course. Luke is now adapting that class for a high school course called the “Catholic Entrepreneurship and Design Experience,” or CEDE.
Additional music from this episode provided by Blue Dot Sessions.
Nicholas Gerald Roach hails from Washington, where he began his career in entrepreneurial business and ecommerce marketing. He has worked with Filson and Lucchese Boots; recently, he began his own ecommerce and marketing consulting service — and is continuing to pursue photography and music. In the Narthex, Nick shares his hope to use meaningful, holistic work to help others. You can get in touch with Nick at nick@runningwindriver.com.
Keep making this podcast possible by supporting Catholic Creatives.
Additional music for this episode provided by Blue Dot Sessions.
Deacon Charlie Echeverry is the founder of the Black//Brown Collective, an accelerator based in Los Angeles that aims to connect emerging technology with emerging audiences. As a former executive for media companies like mitu, Univision, and Walt Disney, and as a chairperson for Catholic Answers and Catholic Association of Latino Leaders, Deacon Charlie is actively working to create a world that sees diversity as a strength, not as a checklist or imposition. He and Anthony discuss practical ways we can all work towards a truly unified Catholic experience.
Get in touch with Deacon Charlie at charlie@blackbrown.us.
Thank you to Sock Religious for making this podcast possible!
Additional music provided by Blue Dot Sessions.
Welcome to The Narthex! It’s our new short-form podcast where we can be a little louder, a little less reverent, and just as inspired. We’ll be dropping new episodes from The Narthex every month.
In The Narthex this week is Ali Hoffman, the curly-haired mastermind behind Oodles of Doodles. Ali is the Youth Director at St. Catherine of Siena Catholic Church in Carrollton, Texas; a Catholic speaker; a hand lettering instructor; and an all-around inspiration who believes that everyone is loved, wanted, and necessary.
Resources mentioned in this episode: Consoling the Heart of Jesus by Fr. Michael Gaitley, Tattoos on the Heart by Fr. Greg Boyle
Music for this episode provided by Blue Dot Sessions
Jamie and Paul Duda's best creations include their creative agency Francis and Louise, the award-winning 8beats film "Almost Home," and their son Hank.
Being married coworkers has its challenges and opportunities, so Jamie and Paul joined host Marcellino D’Ambrosio and his wife Augusta for a conversation that pulls back the curtain on the idealized version of marriage, revealing something even richer, deeper, and way more fun.
Paul and Jamie live in Detroit, where they work with Unleash the Gospel and other clients who want to bring stories to life.
Music in this episode by Blue Dot Sessions
In the final episode of You're Welcome World, we go beyond St. Nicholas and learn about the many Catholics who shaped Christmas ... including a jacked axe-wielding bishop.
Do you have the next big idea? Visit OSVChallenge.com to learn about the OSV Innovation Challenge and join the ranks of the Catholic innovators who have gone before us.
It's the game of choice for Serena Williams and Roger Federer ... and the 12th century French monks who invented it. The latest episode of You're Welcome World uncovers the Catholic beginnings of tennis, as well as the way Christians have carried on the tradition of sport.
Do you have the next big idea? Visit OSVChallenge.com to learn about the OSV Innovation Challenge and join the ranks of the Catholic innovators who have gone before us.
It's the ultimate theme park food, the mall food court go-to, the reliable stadium snack. But the pretzel had humble (Catholic) beginnings. The latest bonus podcast episode is all about the history of this twisted treat.
Do you have the next big idea? Visit OSVChallenge.com to learn about the OSV Innovation Challenge and join the ranks of the Catholic innovators who have gone before us.
Coffee lovers everywhere should know the name Pope Clement VIII. Discover the way this pope brought our favorite brew into the Western world, changing mornings and increasing productivity forever.
Do you have the next big idea? Visit OSVChallenge.com to learn about the OSV Innovation Challenge and join the ranks of the Catholic innovators who have gone before us.
Did you know that Catholics played an essential role in making beer what it is today? This bonus episode explores the history of St. Hildegard, St. Benedict, and all the Catholic innovators who helped brew this iconic beverage.
Do you have the next big idea? Visit OSVChallenge.com to learn about the OSV Innovation Challenge and join the ranks of the Catholic innovators who have gone before us.
As the President of the OSV Institute, Jason Shanks gives grants to initiatives within the Church, which offers him a fascinating perspective on innovation (or the lack thereof) in the world of Catholic ministry. He and Anthony discuss the state of the Church, especially why we need new ideas from entrepreneurial Catholics. Jason also shares the lessons he’s learned about effective innovation — how to stay centered, measure results, and make transformative changes.
Visit OSVChallenge.com to learn about the OSV Innovation Challenge.
Resources mentioned in this episode: Good to Great and Built to Last by Jim Collins
Katherine Cimorelli is a singer, writer, and one-sixth of the group Cimorelli, a band she and her sisters started which gained popularity on YouTube and now releases original music. She tells Anthony the lessons she’s learned in collaboration, affirming others’ strengths, and harnessing her talents. The second of 11 kids, Katherine shares how she and her sisters launched their music career with a viral video, and what it’s been like to navigate a family business. They also dive into the daily practices — spiritual, creative, and physical — that keep Katherine grounded.
“Beauty will save the world, but no one will die if you make something that sucks.”
With his ever-important words of wisdom, Cory Heimann is back on this special live episode of the podcast, recorded during the New Renaissance Festival in March 2019. Cory is the founder and creative director of Likeable Art, as well as the pioneer of the insanely popular Created book. He and Marcellino discuss the freedom and detachment that comes from learning to play hard, fail with courage, and keep pursuing beauty. They also chat about Cory’s idea for a college alternative that rights the wrongs of the current education system, as well as his tried-and-true method of creative brainstorming.
We would love your feedback on the Catholic Creatives podcast! Go to bit.ly/ccpodsurvey to take a short survey and share your thoughts.
Ryan Boh is a product manager and analyst for a premier global marketing agency, as well as one of the (creators? Investors?) in Brand$tanding, an improv-comedy-slash-startup-pitch card game (and yes, it’s as crazy as it sounds. In this episode, Ryan and Marcellino dive into Ryan’s faith journey of faith as he traveled from conviction to disillusionment to healing. He discusses the experience that wounded his trust in the Church, and the lessons he’s learned from it, most especially the importance of community.
Fabiola Garza is a character artist with Disney Creative Group, where she illustrates characters for Disney Theme Park merchandise. She also wrote and illustrated The Boy Who Became Pope, a book about the life of St. John Paul II, and illustrated the Little Golden Book for Pixar’s Coco. In this Summit 2018 Breakout Session, she digs into what makes a great character — including the shapes, colors, and lines that make a character’s personality come to life on the page and screen.
In this breakout session from CC Summit 2018, Jacob King, Megan Mastroianni, and Liz Saroki Reckart share how they disrupt the status quo and lead revolutions from within their dioceses.
Jacob, the Director of Anthem Philly, and Megan, the Associate Director, draw from their experiences transforming the Archdiocese of Philadelphia’s youth and young adults ministry (which was literally just called YYAM before they arrived) into an authentic, dynamic brand that won the Catholic Creatives project of the year award.
Liz brought her expertise in marketing management for entertainment, technology, and CPGs to the Communications Office at the Archdiocese of LA, where she is the Managing Director of their in-house creative agency. She shares a counterintuitive approach to changing the world by making excuses, an approach that turns competitiveness into compassion and judgment into understanding.
Together, these talks create a practical guide for revolutionary change.
Independent film director, writer, and producer Laina Barakat knew from an early age that “Christian movies” just weren’t cutting it. She shares her journey of making films that actually move hearts. Laina tells the story of starting her own production studio, Wayward Ark Productions, as well as her experiences of collaboration while creating her 8beats film. She discusses with Anthony the four hour Russian film that changed her life, the boarding school that somehow didn’t crush her spirit, and her approach to embracing controversial topics while staying grounded in truth.
World Youth Day. The Grammys. Every parish retreat you’ve ever attended. Matt Maher’s music has found its way into Catholic and Christian circles — and beyond. On this episode, the singer / songwriter and worship leader discusses his journey with Anthony. He dives especially into the moments that deepened his interior life, including a cheesy retreat skit and the daily devotions that slowly but surely formed his character. Matt offers plenty of life lessons from his time as an unnoticed (and underpaid) parish musician, and he shares how he’s learned to weave truth with transcendence in his music.
Singer, songwriter, and worship leader Ike Ndolo released his third album, “Shine,” in 2018. He and Marcellino discuss what makes this album different — both in sound and in story. Ike shares how he’s rewritten his self-image to better reflect God’s view of him, sharing stories of his father’s love and his own recent marriage. He also dives into what it’s like to buck stereotypes, lament injustice in the pursuit of equality, and remain hopeful through it all.
Check out what's happening at the Catholic Creatives New Renaissance Festival!
Cole Matson, PhD, is the programming associate for the Sheen Center in NYC, and serves New York Catholic artists through retreats and community initiatives. He and Marcellino discuss his story: captivated by narratives, Cole pursued theater, but kept finding that his convictions didn’t match the culture of the acting community. Cole shares how his conversion to Catholicism fueled a new outlook on art, and he dives into the potential for vulnerability and communion in theater.
Santonio Hill coordinates urban outreach for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, and on this episode, he shares his big dreams for creating spaces where everyone belongs. Santonio tells Marcellino his wild journey — including the gang fight that shook him from apathy, his stint in seminary (or, in his words, “Catholic rehab”), and the fearlessness he gained as a FOCUS missionary. He also shares his reignited passion for music and rap, and he and Marcellino discuss the opportunities he has to carve a new path to Church unity.
Christopher Pesigan didn’t initially consider himself a “creative,” but as the Chief Operating Officer of Player’s Health, a sports risk management platform, he has learned that creative ideas need accounting and operations as much as they need art. He and Anthony explore the paradigm shift that changed Chris’s life — and the friend-turned-CEO who continues to challenge Chris in faith and career. They also discuss trusting God in daily decisions and leading with purpose rather than profit.
Resources mentioned in this episode: For Goodness’ Sake: Satisfy the Hunger for Meaningful Business (Chris Houston and Jordan Pinches)
Jill Simons is the founder and creative director of Pink Salt Riot, a Catholic women’s lifestyle brand that definitely wasn’t part of “the plan.” On this episode, she and Marcellino discuss the plans God wrecked to make way for even better gifts, like her life as a wife, mother, and business owner. She tells stories from her days as a theater kid and shares vulnerable, powerful moments of trust as she navigates being a creative and rebel-at-heart.
Amanda Vernon and Fr. Matt Fase, CSC, co-authored When God Wrecks Your Romance, the unlikely story of two people who fall in love but are (spoiler alert) ultimately called to different vocations. Their conversation with Anthony covers the vulnerable places their writing took them to, and how their work — as a recording artist and a college chaplain, respectively — sheds light on their roles as authors. Amanda and Fr. Matt also share practical wisdom on discernment, not only for vocations, but also for creating art.
Wesley Bancroft believes that everyone should know what they believe. On a mission to help companies discover their beliefs and operate more authentically, he shares the philosophy behind his work: knowing our “why” halts purposeless action and gives us radical direction. He and Marcellino dive into the experiences that shaped Wesley’s ideas, including his time at a Socratic high school, his conversion to Catholicism, and his work as a designer. He also lays out practical ways for listeners to start finding their central beliefs.
Freelance filmmaker Jake Brown joins Anthony on the podcast to explain how college party marketing and megachurch video production led him to where he is today. As he tells his story, Jake shares the lessons he learned from Protestant churches that use their services to make every second meaningful. He also reflects on the process of deciding to enter RCIA—while still allowing for the room to doubt, change, and keep learning.
This week, David Calavitta shares his thoughts on creativity and communication. As Life Teen’s Director of Design and Marketing, he has learned how to take every opportunity to communicate a message and make it extraordinary. David tells the story of his encounter with excellent design that taught him the value of intentionality in messaging. He and Marcellino also discuss what makes parish communication effective, which is the main subject of Life Teen’s upcoming Horizon conference. And, bonus, podcast listeners can get $30 off their registration for Horizon by using the code CCPodcast at checkout!
This week we chat with Dave Plisky, the Director of Marketing and Digital at DeSales Media Group who thought marketing was kind of bogus back in college. Along with stories of his forays into Quidditch and flute playing, he tells us how a good mentor, authenticity, and a little bit of Seth Godin helped him see how meaningful marketing can be. The same principles that altered his professional life have impacted his faith, too; he shares the way authentic relationships brought him to a deeper relationship with Christ.
Dr. Johannes Hartl, founder of the 24/7 prayer house Gebetshaus, breaks all the stereotypes: he grew up as a hippie/punk who admired the Church’s beauty; he’s a Catholic creating prayer experiences in ecumenical spaces; and he makes a German accent actually sound nice. In this episode, he tells Marcellino about his first personal experience of God, which forever shaped his approach to religion, trust in providence, and prayer (he’s written two books about it!). He offers powerful insight into the role beauty plays in drawing people to God, as well as the way Gebetshaus has fostered unity among Christians through beautiful prayer.
Meet the guy who recorded a ten-minute voice memo describing his work for his mom. And, despite his best efforts, she’s still a little confused. Ryan Thomas describes the basketball camp conversion that set him on his life’s course, which included being inspired by St. Ignatius of Loyola to discern religious life and having Archbishop Chaput as his spiritual director (nbd). These experiences created the foundation he works from—mentorship, interiority, and letting his faith permeate his work. Ryan is now working on a Blockchain-based payment and donation system and has a book about Our Lady of Guadalupe in the works.
Thank you as always to our Patreon sponsors for making this podcast possible.
Jeff Schiefelbein and Marcellino talk about Jeff’s life of business building, risk taking, and culture shaping. His life is story-worthy: not only is he currently the Chief Culture Officer of 5, an energy advisory firm, but he’s also started a few bands, danced off-Broadway without formal training, and founded a safe ride initiative at Texas A&M. As he shares these and many other stories, Jeff delves into the guiding principles behind his life, most especially the fearlessness to embrace awkwardness and create a life worth living. As always, thank you to our Patreon sponsors for making this podcast possible.
Anna Carter, co-founder of the Eden Invitation, talks with Marcellino about the sense of adventure and community that defined her childhood—through books, family life, and her home parish—and has accompanied her throughout her journey. This “pilgrim faith” set Anna on a course of continual discovery; she tells the story of coming to understand her gender and sexuality, and how vulnerability about her same-sex attraction created even deeper relationships. She offers wisdom on everything from creating Trinitarian communities to living like you’re in Narnia.
In this episode, Tony Vasinda of Project YM tells Anthony the origin stories of Catholic Beard Balm and his up-and-coming card game Brandstanding. Tony explores the common threads uniting all of his projects and work: doing God’s will—and having fun doing it—while creating opportunities for people to be together. He shares his thoughts on supporting fellow artists (do it), meganspeaks.com (visit it), and detachment from finances (it’s the only way to live).
This week, Anthony sits down with Edmundo Reyes, the Director of Communications for the Archdiocese of Detroit, and (with some fancy microphones) they chat about Edmundo’s missionary enthusiasm. They talk about the retreat during his time in college that set Edmundo on a path to God and solidified the calling on his heart to be a missionary in whatever capacity the Lord wanted. This call guides his life; he discusses how God’s will fuels him as he pioneers the Unleash the Gospel campaign in his archdiocese, encourages the Church to be innovative and collaborative, and brings revival to Detroit. All of this, he explains, because he has “Christian FOMO”—he fears missing out on any part of God’s plan.
In this episode, Ian Cabrera shares how he went from A/V club dweeb to communications freelancer and host of The Convo podcast...so, like, still kind of an A/V club dweeb. Ian and Marcellino talk about the great and terrifying switch to freelance work—how it is freeing, exciting, scary, and kind of weird at times. They also delve into the time in Ian’s life when he was working at Costco and engaging in a nine-month Ignatian formation, a trying time that taught him to trust, wait, and beg God for help. Ian pulls back the curtain on why The Convo is a narrative-driven podcast, and shares his favorite stories from his time producing it.
This week, we talk with Angela Schnieders, a senior partner with Mission Advancement Partners, the director of mission advancement with ENDOW, a former FOCUS missionary and staff member, and all-around breath of fresh air. Angela dives right in, exposing the heart behind her work—a heart that’s seen the darkest nights and still seeks the magic of relationship. The cross of mental health difficulties has taught her what a full life looks like, and she delves into the ways that sharing deep, intentional life with others creates purpose. She shares wisdom on unhealthy cultural ecosystems, the necessity of presence in the body and mind, and the beauty of her recent marriage to Bill Schnieders. She brings practical tips to her deep, rich view of human nature.
This week’s podcast is a conversation with Dominic Ismert, a father of six children, an inventor and patent-holder for multiple products, and the founder of four companies (yeah, you read that right). Dominic delves into how he “does it all” by admitting he doesn’t do as much as it seems—he lets God take the lead. He shares the story of how an idea from God became a reality through persistence, and the frustrations that led him to create the crowdfunding site WonderWe. He offers insight into the fact that creativity flows from God’s abundance and the desire to create an ecosystem of support for the Catholic and Christian world.
Today, we talk with Joe Klinker, a father of three, the creator of Tiny Saints, and a seminary dropout turned Coast Guard communications director. Joe and Marcellino dive right in, talking about the move away from perfectionism into true expression and freedom, in both art and faith. Joe tells the heartbreaking, powerful story of how Tiny Saints came to be—and all the risks and joys of starting the business. He offers insight into what our art and faith need: wrestling, learning, humility, a search for truth that isn’t stifling or destructive to others. His journey away from a heavily apologetics-based faith life culminates in a profound story about learning to love his LGBT neighbors.
This week we speak with Scott Williams, co-founder of Sock Religious and the Director of Youth Ministry for the Archdiocese of Indianapolis. Marcellino and Scott chat about the ridiculous ways people come to know Jesus better—cake, beard destruction, and of course, pope socks. Scott shares the ups and downs of running a small business, including his efforts to find balance as he raises his three-month-old son and build a company without letting it take him away from his primary vocation. He offers insight into entrepreneurial courage, especially the humility it takes to let others do what you can’t in order to be your best.
This week we speak with Mike Mangione, father of three, professional musician, and co-founder of The Cor Project. In this podcast, Anthony and Mike discuss the relationship between vulnerability and music. Mike shares about his experience with Peter Gabriel’s music as a young boy, he talks about the role of music in his Theology of the Body ministry with Christopher West, and he explains how he uses suffering and pain to play music out of a place of vulnerability.
This week we speak with Destiny Herndon-De La Rosa, national speaker, hardcore pro-life activist, and founder of New Wave Feminists. In this podcast, Anthony and Destiny discuss how rejection, suffering, and doubt have played a role in Destiny’s journey as an activist. Destiny talks about her insecurities as a public figure and how she’s adopted the role of misfit throughout her life. Anthony and Destiny both share about moments when they’ve encountered God during their darkest hours, and how their spiritual journeys have been shaped by both moments of serious faith and serious doubt. Destiny isn’t afraid to get real and also shares about her experience of God as an agnostic and about her struggle with alcoholism.
This week we speak with Michelle Benzinger, mother of six, speaker, entrepreneur, and Creative Director of Meaningful Market. In this podcast, Marcellino and Michelle talk about how we are called as creatives to champion each other’s dreams. Marcellino and Michelle each share stories from their own lives of times when the body of Christ poured into them and encouraged them to dream. They discuss the importance of being rooted in your identity instead of your gifts, the risk of choosing to play as an adult when our culture places so much emphasis on performance and achievement, and how we were originally created to live in a garden. They tell us that if we want to create great art, we need to find ways to pour into each other.
As the 2018 Summit gets even closer, we wanted to share with you another talk from last year’s summit. This breakout session was given by Cory Heimann, founder and Creative Director of Likable Art, father of 3, and all around awesome creative. In this talk, Cory discusses how we as Catholic creatives are set apart and are called to present Christ as irresistible to the world. He talks about the responsibility we have as the artists through whom many major projects the Church is working on are funneled through. He explains how we as Catholics are set apart from other creatives, and describes what unique opportunities our Catholic heritage presents to us as storytellers and artists. Cory also challenges us to think about how we live out our personal values in our work and how we encourage those we work for to move their own missions forward as well.
This week we speak with TJ Berden, filmmaker and producer of "Paul, Apostle of Christ" and "Full of Grace." In this podcast, Anthony and TJ talk about TJ’s journey living in LA and working on bigger budget productions. TJ talks about how he moved to LA brandishing the Catholic sword with a desire to change culture, but learned upon arriving that change first needed to come from within. He shares about the impact "Tree of Life" had on him as an artist and speaks about how relationships with certain groups of people sparked within him a passion for life and a love of beauty. TJ speaks about his time working on "Paul, Apostle of Christ" and how diving into the humanity and emotional drama of Paul’s life were some of the most self transformative parts of the movie-making process for him. Anthony and TJ also talk about the importance of community as creatives, and how great work and great beauty can come from intimate and personal friendships.
This week we’re doing something a little different. With the 2018 Catholic Creatives Summit only one month away we decided to bring back the keynote talk from last year’s summit. We really want everyone to hear this talk because the New Renaissance is what we’re about. The Catholic Creatives’ Why is:
"Setting creatives free so that they can unleash a new renaissance."
This is why Catholic Creatives exists. And this is why this talk is so important for everyone to listen to. What is a renaissance? What are examples of past renaissances? What does a new renaissance look like? What is it going to take for that to happen? Matt’s talk at the summit last year was a prophetic answer to these questions.
This week we speak with gift giving expert, speaker, and author John Ruhlin. In this podcast, Anthony and John discuss the power and the value of radical generosity in professional and personal relationships. They discuss how using gratitude as a competitive advantage is not a tactic but a lifestyle, how we have forgotten the ancient practices of showing one another how much we value our relationships through tangible gifts, and how our call as Christians is to live a life of generosity both in our personal lives and in our professional lives. John shares his journey of learning about the importance of generosity in relationships using stories and experiences from his own life, he talks about his heart behind why he lives a life of radical generosity, and he explains that true gift giving is about giving with no strings attached.
This week, we speak with Chuck Kinnane, film director and co-founder of Grassroots Films and Kinnane Films. In this podcast, Anthony and Chuck discuss creating art that deeply resonates with the soul. Chuck shares about his experiences of permission and tragedy, the deep impact 9/11 had on him as a young creative, and what he’s learned about suffering and humanity through working with the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal. Anthony and Chuck discuss how we as creatives are called to enter into people’s experiences of doubt and suffering and find redemption and meaning in that suffering.
This week, we speak with Roberta Ahmanson, lover of beauty and a leading philanthropist in Christian art. In this podcast, Marcellino and Roberta discuss the role beauty and art have played in her life’s journey. They talk about suffering, belonging, and embracing your uniqueness as an artist. Roberta shares many stories from her own life experiences. Her wisdom and motherly nature are captivating, and her storytelling will leave you wanting more. From the outside, she may look different than a lot of people - however, on the inside she is just like all of us. At heart, we are all seeking belonging and experiences of a beautiful God.
This week, we speak with Kate Bryan, pro-life feminist, communications strategist, speaker, and writer. In this podcast, Marcellino and Kate talk about the call we have as creatives to challenge the culture and stand up for our core values and beliefs. They discuss the importance of being firm in one’s identity so as not to react to controversy out of wounds or fear, but to respond with love. Both Marcellino and Kate share stories of times they’ve had to stand up against the tide for their own beliefs - including the time Marcellino wrote a controversial blog post while in college and the time Kate called out the leadership of the Women’s March for not letting pro-life women participate. They also discuss the importance of community and solidarity in standing for your convictions, as well as the very real fear we all have of not belonging when we are called to stand up against what may be popular.
This week we speak with Jenna Guizar and Erica Tighe, the Creative Director and Creative Manager of Blessed is She - a Catholic women’s ministry that uses art and scripture in its mission to create a Christ focused community of mothers, sisters, and daughters. In this podcast, Anthony, Jenna, and Erica discuss the beauty of collaboration, teamwork, and sisterhood. Jenna and Erica tell the story of the birth of Blessed is She and how they started working together. They share stories of times they’ve encouraged one another and speak about how respect, friendship, and a healthy balance of autonomy and collaboration have contributed to making their teamwork successful and effortless.
This week we share our conversation with Kate Anderson, attorney and legal counsel for Alliance Defending Freedom. Kate’s job is one that many might not think of when considering creative fields, but in the current political and social climate the work she does is vital in order for creatives to have total freedom of expression.
Marcellino and Kate talk about how important those first freedoms are to creatives in particular. They discuss how the culture is forgetting their importance and allowing them to be taken from us, just to be replaced with being told how to think. They discuss how throughout history, fear and polarization has pushed society to want to force everyone to think and act a certain way, denying the freedom of the will.
Kate also speaks about how her team helps artists and business owners who are filing pre-enforcement lawsuits in order to protect themselves and challenge certain laws that could ultimately be used against them.
If you have questions about how the law applies to your industry, ADF can field those questions at no cost. Check them out at www.ADFlegal.org.
This week, we speak with Rebecca Loomis, a former missionary for St. Paul’s Outreach and current writer, designer, and all around Renaissance woman. In this podcast, Rebecca shares about the beautiful journey God has led her on in her calling as a creative and a missionary. Anthony and Rebecca discuss the challenges that Rebecca internally faced as she transitioned from having the formal label of “missionary” to living out a more subtle missionary life as a creative, bringing life and hope to people through her photography, art, and stories. Rebecca explains the importance of the hero’s journey in her life. She shares about a time when she went through her own darkest hour, met God at her lowest point, and then with Him climbed back up to a place of interior freedom and peace where she now creates more fully with her Creator.
This week, we decided that instead of an interview we wanted to post two of the breakout sessions from last year’s summit. In this podcast, we hear from Patrick Langrell about the Catholic creative’s response to the state of the modern world and from Joe Marshall about how artists are called to rise to challenges in the workplace with creativity. Patrick speaks about the world’s political, cultural, and religious states and how we are called to bring radical truth and beauty to the present moment to redeem our culture. Then Joe explains how in business, we are constantly faced with challenges, obstacles and problems we need to solve. He examines what creativity looks like in the business unit, and he gives examples of how constraints accidentally produced some of the most beautiful works of art and business.
This week, we speak with Kristyn Brown, photographer and founder of The Saints Project - a collection of images of the saints brought to life through Kristyn’s photographs of real life people. In this podcast, Marcellino and Kristyn discuss how we are called to be like the saints and embrace our own strangeness and uniqueness. They discuss Kristyn’s journey in creating The Saints Project and how she had to overcome her own fears and anxiety in getting the project off the ground. They talk about the realism of her images and how, by using real life people in her photography, her goal is to remind us that the saints were indeed real people who were just like us in so many ways. Marcellino and Kristyn also dive into their individual relationships with the Father and how their wounds impact their image of God.
This week, we speak with film director Max Haben. A true creative at heart, Max started out his career as a hip hop rapper and over time discovered a love for film. In this podcast, we hear the story of how God closed certain doors in Max’s life and opened other ones leading him to greater happiness and his anointed calling. Max and Anthony talk about failure and letting dreams die, and then about how God uses the compost of our failed dreams to create something beautiful and new. They discuss freelancing, hustling, taking risks, following dreams, and learning that God places desires on our heart for a reason.
This week, we speak with entrepreneur Sean O’Hare. Sean is the founder, chief operating officer, and president of several businesses, and he is also a speaker who talks on pro-life issues, Christian apologetics, and business. In this podcast, Marcellino and Sean talk about the importance of community, art, and storytelling in evangelizing to young adults. They discuss the fertile grounds for evangelization that Sean has experienced living as a young adult in New York City, how Catholics sometimes hold back when it comes to sharing the beauty of the church, and how Sean has had to learn to embrace art and culture in his mission of evangelization, and not just rely on his intellectual and apologetics background.
This week, we speak with Christopher West, husband, father of five, author, speaker, and the world’s leading teacher on Saint Pope John Paul II’s “Theology of the Body.” In this podcast, Anthony and Christopher discuss how beauty cracks opens our hearts and there places a longing for the infinite. They speak about eros, Logos, and rock ‘n roll. Christopher talks about the authenticity and innocence of childlike wonder and the suffering of those with a creative or artistic sensibility. He explains that everything we’re attracted to we’re attracted to because at the root of it is Jesus and that everything that has been twisted by sin can be untwisted and redeemed to reveal God’s glory. He also shares many vulnerable moments and experiences from his own life to show us that God knows how to speak to each one of us with the language of our hearts.
This week, we speak with Pierre de Fleuriot, founding partner and Creative Director at Glass Canvas. In this podcast, Pierre and Anthony have a conversation about empathic design and designing out of one’s identity in the Father. Pierre explains that because Glass Canvas’s culture and strategy and design processes are deeply rooted in each person’s identity in the Father, they are able to do great work, speak the unspoken, and have real and honest relationships within their team. Pierre also talks about how designing and creating is really about loving people. He discusses the importance of understanding who you’re designing for, and then explains how to turn that empathetic map into design.
This week, we speak with Fr. Gabriel Torretta, a Dominican priest and lover of beauty, the art of Fra Angelico, and Japanese literature. In this podcast, Fr. Gabriel shares how beauty and desire have played a role in his personal conversion. Marcellino and Fr. Gabriel discuss friendship, the crippling effects of living a moralistic version of Christianity, how the faith rightly lived is an integration of the whole person, how beauty gives shape to desire, and the power of discovering the person Jesus Christ.
This week, we speak with Matt Meeks, the Chief Digital and Marketing Officer for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. In this podcast, Matt shares his personal journey of discovering his vocation and his passion for digital marketing and creating unity in the Church. He tells us how he went from being a crazy college kid who held a professor’s planter canaries ransom to being a leader in the New Renaissance of Catholic digital evangelization and working with the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. He talks about the importance of being a unified church in pursuing our mission to evangelize and also gives advice to those at the beginning of their careers on how to seize opportunities and make decisions.
This week, we speak with Keith Hamilton, Catholic entrepreneur and creator of The Great Commission Summit. In this podcast, Anthony and Keith discuss the need for unity and collaboration in the Catholic world. They talk about capitalism, the story behind the birth of the GC Summit, and how healthy businesses can change the world.
This week, we have a conversation with Sarah Yaklic, digital media specialist and director of the Grotto Network. In this podcast, Marcellino and Sarah discuss changing the paradigm of how we as Catholic Creatives use and think about social media. They talk about what transformation in social media platforms would look like, how the Father calls us to work alongside him in this mission, and how we can encourage one another to create in freedom with the Father and fight the urge to perform.
This week, we have a real and vulnerable conversation with Megan Harrington, producer of the documentary The Dating Project. Anthony and Megan discuss her experience making the film and dive into what she learned about the dating problem from working on the project. During the interview, they share stories from their own dating experiences, talk about the relationship between sex and the dating problem, and address issues such as first dates, breakups, rejection, pornography, and shame. Thank you to our Patreon sponsors for making this podcast possible.
This week, we’re talking with Frank Hanna, an investor of 35 years and author of the books A Graduate’s Guide to Life and What Your Money Means. In this podcast, Marcellino and Frank have an enlightening discussion about God’s gifts of money and wealth. They talk about Frank’s experiences growing up in a business-oriented family, the Church’s scarcity mindset when it comes to talking about money, and how we need to change that mindset to be one of gratitude and trust.
This week, Anthony is joined by Angela Wasko. Having previously worked at TOMS Shoes, she is now working as the social media manager for FOCUS Ministries.
Growing up on a farm in rural Iowa, Angela found her creative roots in a unique and entrepreneurial way. Despite being a very different lifestyle from her childhood, she was encouraged to take risks that led her to exciting opportunities.
She talks about her experiences of putting in the hard yards to create opportunities, how being out of her element and comfort zone helped her find her faith, her personal WHY, and making the transition from a secular corporation to working for the Catholic Church and what the trials of balancing work and faith life are for both of those work environments.
Join the discussion on what would it look like if we worked together as ministries to most efficiently utilize social media. How many more could we reach?
Check out the book Patrick recommends: Rocket Fuel
This week Marcellino talks with Madison Mitchell: singer, dancer, and actress. She is passionately Catholic and finding success performing in Broadway musicals, most recently having been a member of Cats.
They discuss theatrics and find comparisons to the liturgy in how people are drawn to encounter a different reality. She explains how she finds a connection to God through her performances and how to be re-inspired again and again within the monotony of performances.
They then dive deep into the necessity of having open and empathetic conversations about difficult issues, and why one has to be a multidimensional person to see others as multidimensional.
A big thanks to our Patreon sponsors for making this podcast possible.
Today, we’re talking with Bob Keith, entrepreneur, teacher, and businessman who has co-founded many startups and currently teaches at the business school of the Catholic University of America. In this podcast, we hear about his journey from consulting at Fortune 500 companies to becoming a Catholic and working with with spiritual entrepreneurs. Bob and Anthony talk about the church’s deep entrepreneurial roots and how we can learn business and startup lessons from the leaders in the Church’s past.
This week, Anthony chats with MariVi Deliz and Therese Bussen about their involvement in the 8beats project. MariVi is a communications jack of all trades for a secular non-profit. She ran the 8beats IndieGoGo campaign and was a large force for its success. Terese has been a writer for the Denver Catholic newspaper and now is a freelance writer and expectant mom. She came on board with 8beats to be a writer and ended up as a full-blown marketing director and strategist.
They discuss how wounds that are created and triggered by systems and mindsets in the Church can be healed even while having to work with the very things that caused them. Therese and MariVi also share their tips on putting together a crowdfunding campaign, how to get over the fear of starting, and how to decide what is worth volunteering your time and talents for by looking at deep desires versus being guilted into it.
A big thanks to our Patreon sponsors for making this podcast possible.
Check out Christopher's tobacco, pipe, literature, music, fine art, and movie recommendations.
Today, we’re talking with Jared Zimmerer, a husband and father of 6, and bodybuilder/fitness enthusiast who works as an author, speaker, and writer for Word on Fire. In this podcast, Jared and Anthony have a great discussion about how to bring your body into the spiritual journey. They talk about how ascetic practices like working out, cold showers, and fasting can help impact your spiritual life, what the Catholic Church can learn from the fitness community, and how fitness and Theology of the Body are connected.
Hey everybody and welcome to the podcast, where we get together to learn from leaders in the Catholic Creative world every week. Fun fact I wanted to share with you all: we now have listeners in over 25 countries, including Australia, Singapore, and New Zealand. So wherever you are right now, thank you for listening. Today, we’re talking with Jason Jensen, a married father of 4 from Vancouver and the Director of Strategy at Glass Canvas. Glass Canvas recently hosted the Catholic Creatives team to talk about future strategy for the organization, and today, Marcellino and Jason talk about speaking the unspoken to be more effective, why it’s dangerous to confuse identity and vocation, how the Father wants to pour love out on us every day, and why willing to be small is the Church’s answer to the modern world.
A big thank you to our Patreon sponsors who make this podcast possible.
Today, we’re talking with Matt Pinto, founder and president of Ascension Press, about his journey of Catholic entrepreneurship and ministry.
Hello, creatives, and welcome back to the podcast! You all know Cory Heimann of Likeable Art, and today we’re discussing creative education with Cory and Likeable Art intern Mark Guiney, who just finished a three-year stint as a middle school teacher.
Hello, creatives, and welcome back to the podcast! So sorry for being out for a while, but we have been busy with this 8beats project. Which we will be talking a bit about today. We’re talking with Sam Sorich, director at Glass Darkly Films….the guy who came up with the whole project. I can’t wait for you to meet him. Ever since he and I met at seminary, his radical commitment to being different has inspired me, including his stint living in a van and his passion for a new wave of Catholic cinema.
The subject today is the crucible of collaboration, and how to get through the insecurities of art making.
If you’ve ever worked in a participatory art like film, theatre, or music, you know the challenge of bringing an idea to life at a high level of quality, within practical limitations, and alongside other people. This is something that Sam and I and the whole team 8beats team were experiencing intensely last month. It started with a big idea, and we invited the community to collaborate. We got excited, got into teams, those teams grew to about 130 people in total, and we got to work. We put this gigantic promise out into the world, released the IndieGoGo… and then we had to rewrite a bunch of our scripts, and our IndieGoGo plateaued, and we were hit with tons of fear. Can we really do this? Will the church actually support this sort of risk? Can we trust each other to stick out the challenges and creative conflict?
This conversation is about that journey and what we learned from it: that through trust and commitment to each other, a new creative energy is discovered that brings about better art and creates deep relationships at the same time.
Before we start, if you haven’t shared our IndieGoGo campaign for 8beats yet, please head over to the 8beats Facebook page and share our latest post. All the regional teams begin filming the stories this month, and we need your help and the help of the Catholic community to see the project through. Please collaborate with us by spreading the word, donating, and praying for the project.
Create something awesome this week, and enjoy the podcast.
Hello, creatives, and welcome back to the podcast. Today we’re talking about modernism and the philosophical and theological questions posed by modern art. Joining us today is Jonathan Anderson, an artist, art critic, and associate professor of art at Biola University.
We all know that modern art gets a bad rap in the Catholic world. When we compare a traditional icon to a contemporary abstract painting or traditional chant to some modern musical compositions, we find the stuff made less than about 500 years ago a little difficult to appreciate. But instead of calling for a wholesale return to tradition, we need to find a way to understand and access modern art and participate in the conversation it inspires.
Jonathan is all about the theological implications and underpinnings of modern art. He recently co-authored the book Modern Art and the Life of a Culture: The Religious Impulses of Modernism. Our conversation today gets into some of the serious philosophical and theological implications of modernism, and Jonathan provides a great context for understanding contemporary art in the modernist movement. He tells us the best way to start our own personal quest to appreciate modern art. And perhaps most importantly, he gives a definition of art that we need to all think about and discuss.
So strap yourselves in and get your thinking caps on. Before we get started, Catholic Creatives just launched it’s first major collaboration! Our team of over 100 Catholic artists and filmmakers have begun work on a groundbreaking film made by the millennial generation, for the millennial generation. The film is called 8beats, and it is an anthology film, exploring the collision of the Beatitudes into our human experience. We believe these challenging stories provoke a reexamination of happiness, suffering, and the meaning of life. We’re looking for people to join us in generating stories that matter through the power of film. Go check out the project on indiegogo, like us on facebook, twitter and instagram. Please share our Indiegogo link to help spread the word. By supporting this project, you will be putting a world-changing idea into motion.
As always, create something awesome this week, and enjoy the podcast.
Hello, creatives, and welcome back to the podcast. This is our first ecumenical episode and it’s going to blow your mind. We’re talking with Mingo Palacios, Pastor of Evangelism & Culture at Saddleback Church, which was the church of Pastor Rick Warren, author of The Purpose-Driven Life.
In our community, we’re constantly asking how we can creatively refresh and reframe the experience of the truth for people who haven’t encountered it in that raw, life-changing way. We see the beauty of tradition but don’t want tradition to be an arbitrary stumbling block for people who need to hear the Church’s message. I think Mingo shares some incredibly important ideas that we can use in our creative ministry to the Church and the culture. I encourage you to listen and brainstorm what we could learn from his example and what we can bring to our local churches and the Church as a whole.
Mingo also tells us how Led Zepplin helped kick off his first youth pastor job, how his church started an incubator program for young entrepreneurs and creatives, and how he helped his church reach out to the unreachable with microsite services in parking lots and laundromats.
Before we get started, if you haven’t signed up to participate in 8 Beats yet, the deadline is July 21st, which in real time is tomorrow. Over 80 filmmakers, designers, marketing professionals, and artists from across North America are creating 8 short films inspired by the themes of the eight Beatitudes. There’s still lots of opportunity for collaboration, and you definitely want to be a part of this, so sign up!
As always, create something awesome this week, and enjoy the podcast.
Hello, creatives, and welcome the podcast, where we talk to leaders working out in the world about how they bring their professional skills and faith together to change the culture.
If you’ve ever been to the official Vatican website, it might tempt you to despair of good design in the Vatican. However, there is top notch work being done out there, and today we are talking to someone who is making it happen. When Matthew Sanders looked at the design coming out of the Vatican and didn’t just critique or groan, he said, I think I can help. So he moved across the world to do something about the church’s communication problem.
Matthew Sanders has served in the military, worked at an archdiocese, and now is the founder and managing director of Longbeard, a digital design agency based in Rome and Toronto.
Today, we’re talking to Matt Sanders of Longbeard about what kind of approach we need to take as professional lay people to help the Church’s message spread in the world and on the digital continent. We also talk about why there should be more homilies about Captain America. I’ve personally worked with Matt and the Longbeard team in the past and can testify to his humble leadership. He puts his words into action, so take heed!
Before we get started, we just went live with our first group wide collaboration. It is called 8 Beats. Over 80 filmmakers, designers, marketing professionals, and artists from across North America have been divided into eight regional teams. Each team will produce and distribute a 5-12 minute short film inspired by the themes of the eight Beatitudes, done at the highest quality possible and distributed with all the power of modern marketing strategy.
Why? We want to build community. This movement isn’t a Facebook page- it's like minded people creating deep and lasting relationships with each other. We want to see lifelong friends, professional teams, or partnerships created here - and who knows, even marriages. We wouldn’t be Catholic if we didn’t want to help people find their vocations amiright?
So this collaboration is an important next step for us in developing real relationships, going beyond a Facebook group. You can find out more at www.8beatsmovie.com
As always, create something awesome this week, and enjoy the podcast.
Hello, creatives! We’re here to talk about something awesome that happened this week and the people who made it happen. We’re talking about the launch of Anthem, rebrand of the youth and young adult office of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. Joining us are Megan Mastrioanni and Jacob King, who are leading the charge up there in the diocesan office.
While you’re listening, unless you’re in the car or something, go visit anthemphilly.com, which was designed by our friends at Glass Canvas. You need the full experience, because this is like no diocesan office you’ve seen before. There’s literally a grunge-style GIF of Our Lady of Guadalupe. It’s amazing.
This launch is so important not just for Philly but for the mission of the New Renaissance. The need that the Church has for this kind of branding, strategy, and vision is exactly what we talked about at the Summit. But as you’ll hear from Megan and Jacob, this isn’t just about graphic design or videography or branding. All those things are built on a basis of vulnerability and authenticity. It’s an expression who Megan and Jacob and the rest of the team in Philly are, and how they approach living an authentic Catholic life in the modern world. Community in faith and collaboration in mission is what makes this happen. That’ exactly why Catholic Creatives exists and why we’re excited to have these two as our guests today.
In this podcast, we talk about the process of the rebrand, the risks they’re taking in pushing the envelope, and how vulnerability and community have made all of this possible.
So listen to their story, and then visit the website, like their Facebook page, and say a prayer for them. They’re doing something incredible for the Church and they need all the support we can give them.
As always, create something awesome this week, and enjoy the podcast.
Hello, creatives! This week, you’ve got a question to answer, one that you probably don’t ask yourself enough, something that is challenging and maybe even daunting to all of us. And that question is: just how big is your dream?
Our guest and the person who inspires this question is Ashley Crouch, founder of Appleseed Communications. Ashley was homeschooled in Arkansas, studied theology at the University of Dallas, was a founding team member of Verily magazine, and now runs a PR firm that brings the power of media to the stories of women entrepreneurs around the world.
As you can hear from that quick description, Ashley has had some interesting changes in her life. Going from raising chickens in Arkansas to founding a PR firm is a pretty dramatic shift. I don’t know about you, but I can definitely relate to not always knowing where my life is headed and sometimes wondering what God is working for me. As entrepreneurs, even as members of Catholic Creatives, we can’t know exactly how things are going to work out, but as people of faith, we need to have a huge vision for the future. We have to believe that the businesses we’re starting, the projects we’re creating, and the work we’re doing is going to change the world, and that God will bless that work and make it fruitful.
In this podcast, Ashley talks about why business can be the greatest catalyst for cultural change, how dreaming big guides her work each day, why celebration and having a tribe is essential for entrepreneurs to avoid burnout, and why Catholic Creatives need to be multilingual when it comes to talking about beauty.
Before we get started, a huge thank you to all of our patrons on Patreon. You’re the ones who are pushing us to the next level with the resources to grow and become sustainable. If you haven’t signed up yet, go over and think about becoming a patron yourself.
And while you’re listening, think and pray about that question: how big is your dream? Because it’s probably not big enough. The world is more open than ever to entrepreneurs and creatives. Let’s not put a limit on what God can do through our lives.
Create something awesome this week and enjoy the podcast.
Hello, creatives! We are back with a little bit of a twist on the podcast: this week, I am being interviewed by Therese Bussen with the Archdiocese of Denver. Therese was one of the first members of Catholic Creatives. We got to know her through her work on the FOCUS blog, where she wrote some of the most forward thinking and honest articles in the Catholic world, with titles such as, Jesus Doesn’t Alway Fill Your Emptiness, and Why That’s Ok, so it was an honor to be talking with her today.
One of the major questions we get asked as a group is why beauty and creativity is so important for the Church. With all the big problems we’re facing as Catholics, it seems like worrying about websites or branding and liturgical music should be the least of our problems.
But we believe that the greatest force of evangelization and social change in our world is beauty. It isn’t about making things pretty -- it’s about creating an authentic experience of truth that has the power to change someone’s life.
Today, we're discussing why Catholic Creatives exists, why beauty is essential for the growth of the Church, how to create an experience of truth rather than just preach to people, and what we as creatives can do to take our calling of creativity more seriously. For those of you who have joined the group recently or haven't heard the full story of how we got started, this conversation is a crash course.
A quick reminder: one of the most important aspects of our group is community, getting to lend each other support and insight for our creative endeavors. If you’re a new member or just haven’t seen it yet, you should check out our Patreon page. Patrons get access to monthly online meeting and discussions with fellow creatives and guest speakers, as well as first dibs on tickets for the next Summit which, if you talked to anyone who went to the first one, you won’t want to miss. So go sign up on Patreon!
I hope you all have an incredibly productive week, and that this discussion helps get you thinking about how to fulfill your personal vocation to creativity in a more complete and authentic way. Enjoy.
This podcast is a very vulnerable conversation between myself and Benji Vega, Art Director at Pyro, a branding agency whose clients are some of the largest brands in the world (Lucas Arts being one). He has consistently produced award winning work, and specializes in directing teams of creatives, enabling them to operate on the highest level of excellence. In this conversation we talk about his conversion to Christianity- how the Holy Spirit has impacted his career, and about how he saved a million dollar production by riding on a cop’s segway.
Quick Announcement: We believe that Catholic Creatives as a movement is called to be the connecting point for creatives and the people who need them. Ie. we want to pair you with the JOBS, Gigs, and collaborations that will help you achieve your dreams. We are currently getting about 4 post requests in the FB group PER DAY for freelance gigs and full time jobs.
But we can’t all be wading through 5 job posts that may or may not be relevant to us in order to find the cool conversations, so we haven’t been pushing them out to the broader group. So for for us to help connect you (dear creatives) to potential work opportunities, we need to build and maintain a new site for you that is capable of this. For this, we need funds and manpower. So if you would like more jobs gigs and access to collaborations, support us through patreon. OR… you can volunteer your time with us to help build it. Since I have the mic, I am totally going to make my own job/ collaboration pitch, and no one can stop me. Catholic Creatives is forming a team of developers and designers to do a kick ass website redesign. If you are interested in being a part of that team and working with some incredibly talented developers / designers get connected with us at hello@catholiccreatives.org.
This conversation was between myself and one of the most eminent scholars in the early church fathers- a man who also happens to be my father: Dr. Marcellino D’Ambrosio “The Greyer” as we call him. He was the valedictorian of Catholic University of America, he holds a PHD in Theology, is currently is professor at Catholic Distance University and is a renowned speaker. He runs Crossroads Initiative, which started out doing youth and young adult ministry as a rock band in the 80’s, and that is transmuted into an organization dedicated to helping the world rediscover the adventure of the Christian faith.
We asked him to come onto the podcast because, one of the major conversations happening in the group and in the Church at large is centered around the question: How should we deal with secular, pagan culture?
Implicit in this question is another- There is this tension between tradition and creativity- how do we value the treasures of the church that we know and love, while at the same time valuing and adapting to modern secular culture for the sake of innovation? This tension is especially present when we grapple with conversations about liturgy. For those of us that are grappling with questions of how how do we integrate cultural art with our Catholic heritage, I wanted to bring Dr. Italy onto the cast so that we could talk about how the early church approached these questions. The conversation was deeply enlightening.
Crossroads Initiative
Christians, The Soul of the World - Letter from Diagnetus
News: As a community of creators of artists of freethinkers, we are seeing our movement grow in the church. Unity between artists and people within this grassroots coalition is happening: collaborations between members have sky rocketed in the last year.
But for all of this to move to the next level, and for us to really see the New Renaissance realized, we need to connect with the Medicis of our age- the successful business owners, executives, and financiers who can invest in the ideas and projects.
Finally, big news- as you know, we have pledged to pick a single project that we believe could make massive impact in culture and that could facilitate collaboration across all types of creatives within the group. So the news is that we have found that project and been working behind the scenes to get it ready for your involvement. SO. We have a huge collaboration stewing right now.
We will have news for you on that in the coming weeks. But consider this the teaser. If you want an opportunity to work with amazing people, to grow in community and in your skill sets… its coming.
Marcellino interviews, Steven Lawson, the Director of Communications for Dynamic Catholic, a fast growing nonprofit that develops innovative learning-systems to inspire people to rediscover the genius of Catholicism. While working towards his childhood dream to become an animation director in New York City, Steve had a profound conversion experience that lead him into his current work.
This conversation is at once startlingly frank and incredibly hope filled, as they speak about creating a better wold, about management, and about how healthy conflict creates healthy culture in organizations. What would happen if the Church was hopeful and creative and inspired?
Steve's advice:
Awareness of self will make you a more effective leader and manager. Take ownership over your problems. It is very freeing to achieve self-mastery over one's subconscious reactions and communication. Everything we do has to align with hope. Creativity is a hopeful experience. "Catholicism is inherently creative and life-giving"
One of our guests may be familiar to you-- Dan Johnson from 4pm Media, winner of the Collaboration of the Year Award 2017. But the other two interviewees are perhaps less known in this group- yet they have had a powerful influence in the Catholic world, albeit from behind the scenes. Jack and Jamie McAleer, major players in the growth of the Krispy Kreme dynasty, are the Financeers behind 4pm media. They are board members of Legatus and Life Teen, and they started 4pm Media with their son inlaw in order to set a new standard for art and media in the church.
Kate Hazen is one of the most excellent creative directors that I have ever met, and she has so much to offer our group in terms of pushing us to think bigger and with less constriction. In this convo we talk about the time she designed a LARPing game for her company’s conference. We also talk about how she became cool with being weird, about tattoos, and about the CC Summit.
In this interview, Marcellino talks to Patrick Langrell (Adjunct lecturer in Philosophy & Senior Digital Media Analyst for the Arch Diocese of LA). They talk about the importance of Analytic thinking and of digital marketing for reaching more people with better messages. They get into the ways that Patrick has used this to grow a pro life clinic and target abortion minded women. They also talk about their personal difficulties with technology and their desire to bypass it in search of authentic personal communication. Patrick is a Renaissance man with an international reputation for successful engagement in communications, events, and digital & social media. He also is a sought after public speaker, a researcher and consultant in policy and ethics. He contributes to high-level diocesan and public policy…. and to the development of the Catholic intellectual tradition and evangelisation initiatives. His work with Matt Meeks and the others from the Archdiocese of LA is really exciting, and we are looking forward to hearing about that at the Summit, where he will be giving a workshop specifically about digital marketing. But he is not the only one who we will be present from the Archdiocese of LA. The Diocese of LA has become one of our major sponsors- coming on as a Patron of the Arts. They will be sponsoring the first session of the summit, "The New Renaissance." As you probably already know, LA has a reputation for being one of the epicenters of innovation for communications in the church. They have (by normal diocesan standards) a huge team with what I believe is around over 15 employees totally dedicated to helping churches and Diocesan branches market themselves better. We are excited to partner with them to make the new Renaissance happen. Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/plangrell Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/in/patrick-langrell-51539225/
This podcast features an interview with Director Julio Quintana. Julio just released his first feature film- which is always a big deal, he also raise 1 million to do it, got Martin Sheen to act and had the master Terrence Malik as executive producer. Their influence in the film is visible, giving it a spiritual, cinematic gravitas that is really undeniable. (Here is the trailer) So in this not only do we we talk about the film, we get into all sorts of other good stuff like beauty and perseverance and the hard work of making it as an artist. The struggle with making money making good art. Btw, the the vessel came out in digital release yesterday, so if you haven't got a chance to watch it yet highly recommend doing so. the links are in the show notes. Blue Ray Itunes Hulu A quick announcement before we get into that, as many of you know the Catholic Creatives Summit is developing and moving very quickly in terms of being materialized and we're excited to announce a new sponsor that just jumped on board. Word on Fire just decided to become a sponsor. We are so grateful to them for their support for good media in art they've always been a leader in that in the church so I'm we're just excited to have them as a partner.
Elise is awesome. She started Ringlet Studio, a creative agency that specifically focuses on working with female entrepreneurs. She picked a very defined audience. Which is painful because it is exclusive; and I don't care who you are, a business owner or some one who works in ministry- we all struggle so so hard with picking a niche and sticking to it. It is so easy to fall prey to generalism and over inclusivity, and these issues are rampant in our ministries and businesses. So in this podcast Marcellino asks Elise a lot about how to be more targeted and clear with our audiences. They also talk about her acting role playing Helen Keller, and how it taught her empathy. This empathy has characterized her life and ministry since.
Merry Advent, fellow makers. This podcast is Marcellino’s conversation with Brandon Vogt, Fr Baron’s right hand media man at Word On Fire. Their talk ranges from Brandon’s conversion to the Catholic Aesthetic and its influence on Brandon’s understanding of creativity and story. Interesting stuff for sure. Brandon's work has been featured by some little networks like NPR, FoxNews, CBS, Vatican Radio, Our Sunday Visitor, National Review, and Christianity Today. He is a convert to Catholicism, and also a convert from the engineer life to the life of a media guru and author. He has written SIX books. You can learn more about his work here: http://brandonvogt.com/
Leah Murphy currently serves as a video editor at Life Teen International. She has six years of experience in leadership positions including campus ministry, TV station management. She has also successfully avoided ever seeing a Star Wars movie, which is as we all know… a huge shame. In this interview with Marcellino D'Ambrosio, Leah talks about her creative genesis as an artist, and her transition from youth group teen to professional artist. Also, as a woman who has studied Theology of the Body and who has worked for years in the creative industry that is largely populated by men, Leah has a perspective on gender that is particularly thought provoking. They get into her background and the origins of her creativity, but when they begin to talk about power and gender later in the podcast the conversation goes to a very different level. See her work here: http://lifeteen.com/cym/resources/videos/
Dr. Greggory Bottaro is the founder of the CatholicPsych Institute, and is an expert on self improvement He is also a successful entrepreneur, marketer, and gifted communicator. In this episode, Anthony interviews him over his work to integrate the popular meditative “mindfulness” trend that has taken off in Silicon Valley and in the creative industry with Catholic spirituality. His course, Catholic Mindfulness, employs the cutting edge research in the field of mindfulness and the spirituality of Abandonment to the Divine Providence to help attendees gain control of their mood, find inner healing, develop concentration, and enhance their creative faculties.