There’s No Business Like...

Ep. 109 Phil Esparza: Challenges Not Barriers

Ep. 109 Phil Esparza: Challenges Not Barriers
This week we bring you an unexpected interview from our time at the 2024 WAA Conference. Bryan has the honor and pleasure of sitting down with Phil Esparza of El Teatro Campesino, the legendary Chicano theater company. We discuss the company’s history and legacy, community engagement, and trace Phil’s career from college student to performer to collegiate presenter.
Phil Esparza is the Executive Producer of El Teatro Campesino (https://elteatrocampesino.com/). The company celebrates its 60th anniversary in 2025.
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Our theme song is composed by Vic Davi (@VicDaviMusic).

Ep. 108: Live from MAX – Are Audiences Back?

Ep. 108: Live from MAX – Are Audiences Back?
This week our hosts go back in time without the time machine (thanks, Kevin!) to when we first started presenting shows inside again after pandemic closures, and then our guests from the expo hall floor at MAX bring different perspectives on engaging with audiences in this moment to the conversation. We dig into the future of opera and classical music audiences, engaging “young” audiences now for the future, and the impact of social media and other platforms on the monetary value of live performing arts.
 
Our guests this week are:
Bob Wendland, Assistant Director, Washington Pavilion Management
Maddy Ringo, Singer-songwriter
Bill Blagg, Illusionist
 
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Our theme song is composed by Vic Davi (@VicDaviMusic).

Ep. 107 Live from MAX – Reflections on Equity in the Field

Ep. 107 Live from MAX – Reflections on Equity in the Field
This week Kevin shares some great news and our hosts think they are hay-larious before diving into the serious topic of changes in equity in our field. Our guests at the Midwest Arts Xpo discuss slow shifts in programming and the hierarchical structures that impede progress, and we dig deep into just a few of the challenges with contracting.
Our guests this week are:Sarah Haag, Artist
Wallace Thomas, Artist, Ball in the HouseClare Longendyke, PianistKaroline Myers, Director of Education, Des Moines Performing Arts
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Our theme song is composed by Vic Davi (@VicDaviMusic).

Ep. 106 Paul Sage Cannon: Be Brave Enough to Believe in Yourself

Ep. 106 Paul Sage Cannon: Be Brave Enough to Believe in Yourself
This week our hosts get a bit philosophical before we listen to Danielle’s conversation with singer-songwriter Paul Sage Cannon from our time at the 2024 Western Arts Alliance Conference. Paul shares how his personal history informs his songwriting, how the weight of being a culture barer is both painful and joyful at the same time, and reminds us that music is a healing artform.
Paul Sage Cannon ( https://paulsagecannon.com/ ) is a singer-songwriter from the Waipuk Clan, a part of the Kumeyaay Nation. He is also a certified Native Healer and speaks on Native healing, philosophy, cultural education.
Follow us on social media and let us know your thoughts and questions - https://linktr.ee/nobusinesslikepod
Our theme song is composed by Vic Davi (@VicDaviMusic).

Ep. 105 Eric Olmscheid: Make Room to Dream

Ep. 105 Eric Olmscheid: Make Room to Dream
Whoohoo! This week the Quad Producers celebrate our two-year anniversary! We are so grateful for everyone’s support of this endeavor and for sticking with us week after week, listening and laughing with us. This week Katie speaks with Eric Olmscheid about his journey from farm kid to arts administrator, staying focused on what’s important, and keeping audiences curious.
 
Eric Olmscheid is the Executive Director of Wharton Center for Performing Arts on the campus of Michigan State University (https://www.whartoncenter.com) and the Board Vice President of Heartland Performing Arts, which administers the Midwest Arts Xpo (https://midwestartsxpo.org).
 
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Our theme song is composed by Vic Davi (@VicDaviMusic).

Ep. 104 Live from MAX – The Cost of Touring and Merch Splits

Ep. 104 Live from MAX – The Cost of Touring and Merch Splits 
We’re bringing you round 2 of our mini-interviews from the 2024 Midwest Arts Xpo featuring five more guests discussing the costs and challenges of touring today. Our hosts also have a spirited discussion about merch splits and the changing financial pressures of the industry (but Kevin is somehow the eternal optimist?) You can find the Pitchfork article referenced in the episode here: https://pitchfork.com/features/article/artist-merch-cuts-venues/.Our guests this week are:
Helen Welch, Vocalist/Producer, Big Wow Productions
Pat Hazell, Chief Creative Officer, Sweetwood CreativePatrick Donelly, Vice President of Theater Operations, Kauffman Center for the Performing ArtsZak Mirz, Magician & Storyteller
Ella McAndrew, Director of Programming, The FIM
 
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Our theme song is composed by Vic Davi (@VicDaviMusic).

Ep. 103 Live from MAX – The Art of Curation

Ep. 103 Live from MAX – The Art of Curation  
The Pod Squad (including Bryan’s double, Bry-Bacca) was lucky enough to spend a week at the 2024 Midwest Arts Xpo and record interviews live once again in the expo hall! This week we bring you five mini-interviews and our own commentary on the topic of curation as we look forward to planning the 25-26 season. Our guests this week are:Gary Minyard, Chief Creative Officer, Dayton LiveSarah Saltwick, Agent, Holden & Arts Associates
Joshua Kane, Artist/Producer, Wild Baboo Productions
Eric Matters, Director, Warren Performing Arts Center
Jeremy Davis, Artist, The Fabulous Equinox Orchestra
 
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Our theme song is composed by Vic Davi (@VicDaviMusic).
 

Ep. 102 We ❤️ Conferences!

Ep. 102 We ❤️ Conferences!
The Pod Squad has finished the sprint that is the start of conference season and we’re pausing to reflect on our time at the 2024 Western Arts Alliance Conference and Midwest Arts Xpo. We discuss our differing experiences of conferencing over the course of our careers, what we love about evolving conference models and what is going well, and consider how conferences can shift to meet the current needs of our industry and look to the future. What is certain is that conference planning and execution is a big job, so we encourage you to serve on a committee or offer your expertise to help build our conference ecosystem! Josh will still be attending IEBA October 5 - 8, If you are attending, stop him and say hello.  To learn more about some of the conferences we discuss in this episode you can visit:APAP: https://apap365.org/conference/IEBA: https://www.ieba.org/conference-info-1MAX: https://midwestartsxpo.org/WAA: https://www.westarts.org/conference
 
Follow us on social media and let us know your thoughts and questions - https://linktr.ee/nobusinesslikepod
Our theme song is composed by Vic Davi (@VicDaviMusic).