Mike Perry is a painter and graphic designer, based in Brooklyn, NY and Athens, NY.

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(00:00) Following love to New York

(02:43) Early hustle and instant momentum

(05:34) Dental floss letters and studio realization

(07:58) Pre-social era: reputation and “Hand Job”

(10:41) Independence, Missouri and a creative family

(13:28) Drawing obsession and being “terrible” in school

(15:52) Dyslexia: letters as shapes, school misunderstandings

(18:41) Neurodivergence as strength and problem-solving

(21:07) Art as purpose: reaching your tiny percentage

(23:46) Minneapolis art school and pivot to design

(26:18) Graphic design philosophy: problems, solutions, process

(28:57) Urban Outfitters: mentors, mecca, behind-the-curtain lessons

(31:37) Handmade aesthetic and early website experimentation

(34:09) Design blogs, relationships, and building a contact list

(37:02) Creative control, big collaborations, and trusting teams

(40:12) Advice now: uncertainty, AI, and human connection

(43:06) Pushing into hard projects and long-haul persistence

(46:12) Success = control of time, boredom, and freedom

Shaun Murphy is a stand-up comedian, based in New York City.

Instagram and all episodes

(00:00) Following love to New York

(02:43) Early hustle and instant momentum

(05:34) Dental floss letters and studio realization

(07:58) Pre-social era: reputation and “Hand Job”

(10:41) Independence, Missouri and a creative family

(13:28) Drawing obsession and being “terrible” in school

(15:52) Dyslexia: letters as shapes, school misunderstandings

(18:41) Neurodivergence as strength and problem-solving

(21:07) Art as purpose: reaching your tiny percentage

(23:46) Minneapolis art school and pivot to design

(26:18) Graphic design philosophy: problems, solutions, process

(28:57) Urban Outfitters: mentors, mecca, behind-the-curtain lessons

(31:37) Handmade aesthetic and early website experimentation

(34:09) Design blogs, relationships, and building a contact list

(37:02) Creative control, big collaborations, and trusting teams

(40:12) Advice now: uncertainty, AI, and human connection

(43:06) Pushing into hard projects and long-haul persistence

(46:12) Success = control of time, boredom, and freedom

Nick Marsella is a Juilliard alum and a composer, based in New York City.

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(00:00) Unorthodox plan to move to New York

(03:21) Cold texts, a stranger says “call John”

(06:04) John offers help—move “right now”

(08:58) Staten Island basement room: rough, cash, roommates

(12:07) Long commute: bus, ferry, train to Times Square

(15:14) Mice, sleeping on the floor, retail hustle

(18:02) Juilliard bookstore dream and immersion in repertoire

(20:41) Two goals revealed: Juilliard and homeless orchestra

(22:33) Early music roots: church, dad as worship leader

(25:47) Discovering orchestral music and “alien language” fascination

(29:18) Switching to composition, building curriculum from scratch

(32:36) Conviction, clarity, and going all-in on a calling

(36:08) Doubts up close, perseverance from decision to decision

(38:52) Friends doubting him; rooftop celebration and first drink

(41:35) First Juilliard rejection and the two-application rule

(44:17) Four years in the bookstore: night classes and mentors

(48:09) The acceptance letter—East Village tears and relief

(51:26) Pandemic shutdown and persistent imposter syndrome

(54:44) Goal two evolves: grant, videos, and “Us Us” piece

(59:37) Corporate detour, layoffs, and recommitting to the mission

(63:08) Carnegie Hall vision and first violin for Michaela

(66:34) Fundraiser “The First One,” Bowery Mission partnership

(69:41) Defining success: serving others, dignity through music

Timothy Long is a musician, conductor, and music professor based in New York City and Rochester, NY.

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(00:00) Chasing bigger towns, landing at Juilliard in 1994

(03:45) Small-town Oklahoma roots and mixed tribal identity

(07:10) Two churches, two worlds, learning to “assimilate”

(10:35) Language, humor, and realizing “Indian” on TV

(14:05) Muskogee and Choctaw history, Trail of Tears context

(18:40) Dawes rolls, blood quantum cards, slow-burning erasure

(22:30) Opera “Missing” and using privilege as a platform

(26:10) Mother’s TB survival and Beethoven as childhood soundtrack

(30:05) First lessons, theory coloring book, obsession takes hold

(33:40) The Oklahoma City audition that changed everything

(37:20) Eastman intensity: practice culture, peers, confidence

(40:55) Ten instruments, no goals—just following the music

(44:10) Accidental conducting: offers first, skills later

(47:55) Neurodivergence: sleepwalking, recognition issues, synesthesia

(50:05) Getting fired in 2010 and rebuilding from scratch

(53:20) New York as freedom: anonymity, reunions, “small town” life

(55:40) Coming out, AIDS-era shame, and family acceptance

(57:40) Success as truth: Indigenous Songbook, Sky Mother, foundation beginnings

Sampy Sicada is a surrealist painter based in New York City.

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(00:00) Moving to US for SCAD, then NYU

(03:06) Hong Kong birth, international schooling, UK move

(06:11) Early drawing, Captain Underpants, not serious yet

(09:02) Hong Kong atmosphere: stress, conformity, not belonging

(12:44) Identity split: British colony legacy, cultural tensions

(16:07) Asian collectivism vs Western individual sovereignty

(19:05) UK difference: permission to live your own way

(22:08) Falling out, grief, depression, homelessness begins

(25:41) Living in parks, unsafe circles, police beating

(29:18) Turning point: “draw the best thing” challenge

(32:12) Learning craft: A-levels, Photoshop, media studies

(35:10) Posting online, traction, documentary goes viral

(38:03) What he drew: surreal graphite portraits, then upgrades

(41:06) What homelessness left: gratitude, work ethic, resilience

(44:15) Art world contradictions: inequality, wealth gatekeeping

(47:33) Temptations and friends: drugs, meth couple, hard lessons

(50:52) Helping vs sinking: lifeguard analogy, boundaries

(53:26) London design jobs, awards, commissions, then COVID shift

(56:22) Surrealism and psychoanalysis: why it communicates

(59:14) Why New York: ambition, art capital, “go there” regrets

(62:41) Identity beyond homelessness, grad school, success defined

Eric Berryman is an actor based in New York City.

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(00:00) Destiny, family roots, New York as home base

(03:08) Teacher advice: New York won’t walk away

(06:41) No single “artist moment,” just always knew

(10:02) Childhood assembly poem and grandmother’s prophecy

(13:37) Drawn to acting, TV, movies from early on

(17:05) Classical-actor dreams: Shakespeare, Ibsen, Chekhov, Wilson

(20:44) Loving the archive, but staying forward-looking

(24:18) Why freelancing mattered: freedom to move and shake

(27:56) Too many interests: loving every style and genre

(31:22) Wanting great stories, not one lane

(34:57) Admiration over competition; rising with peers

(38:30) First “public lines” in sixth-grade drama club

(41:48) Magnet arts school and the Wishing Star Theater

(45:21) Early roles: Annie, then Charlie Brown lead

(48:55) Serious kid bio; faith, family, and rides home

(52:27) Why actor bios are overrated; performance should speak

(55:59) Acting as joy, plus subjective feedback and “proof”

(59:33) Performing as how he makes sense of life

(63:04) Reviving Toasts: oral tradition, folklore, preservation

(66:40) Returning to Carnegie: voice/movement, “unorthodox success”

(70:12) Regional theater circuit: working everywhere, staying NYC-based

(74:05) Kennedy Center breakthrough; learning power of relationships

(78:11) Backdoor-ninja into New York; saying yes to everything

(82:07) Identity, career grounding, and the pre-COVID hiatus plan

(85:03) 2019 whirlwind; heartbreak, money, and theater economics

(87:58) Defining success: freedom, time, and “do what I want”

Ofri Nehemya is a jazz drummer based in New York City.

Instagram and all episodes

(00:00) Moving to New York, COVID detour to Israel

(02:05) Why jazz pointed to New York early

(05:10) Musical family roots, drummer dad, sister too

(08:25) First memories: drums at age two

(12:00) “It chose me”: passion, fear of losing music

(15:45) Gratitude: living off art, doing fulfilling music

(19:30) Family immigration: Yemen to Israel, India to Israel

(23:10) Jewish communities in India and Yemen, culture

(27:05) Telma Yalin arts high school: finding your people

(31:20) Competition, insecurity, and growth in that environment

(35:40) High school structure: majors, mixed classes, mentors

(39:30) New York as jazz mecca and American dream logic

(43:50) Military service, then moving at 22

(47:30) Skipping college: touring, visas, and calculated risk

(51:10) Early New York reality check: fire, accent, standards

(57:15) Progress formula: mental health, kindness, karma, reputation

(61:05) Heroes, dream gigs, and favorite NYC jazz clubs

(65:10) Money and success: appreciation, impact, balance

Suzannah Herbert is a documentary filmmaker based in Brooklyn, NY.

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(00:00) Born in NYC, raised in Memphis

(02:40) Childhood visits, obsession with New York history

(05:20) NYU Tisch arrival and film school focus

(08:10) Staying in NYC: career, Brooklyn, parenthood shift

(11:05) Memphis roots: PBS, Oprah, early documentaries

(14:30) Mr. Thames and “Facing History” shaping worldview

(18:05) Why documentary: history, art, social analysis combined

(21:55) Cinema’s power: “Gone with the Wind” vs Natchez

(25:10) Misrepresentations: enslaved people, Confederacy glorified

(28:45) Why whitewashing persists: identity, power, denial

(32:20) Southern upbringing: artists vs country club culture

(36:05) Plantation wedding sparks the film’s central question

(39:40) Finding Natchez: road trip, preservation, Union occupation

(43:15) Beauty and horror tension; returning to confront it

(46:50) Meeting Rev, building a web of Natchez voices

(51:05) How docs get made: phases, research, building vision

(54:10) Bootstrapping shoots, sizzles, ITVS and key supporters

(57:25) Bigger truths, Lost Cause myth, future Southern stories