Cal Cullen and Margy Waller have made Creative Placemaking (an evolving practice that intentionally leverages the power of the arts, culture and creativity to serve a community) a part of their personal and professional missions. We discuss the evolving definition of Creative Placemaking, how we make the process and outcomes equitable, and what to …

The torch has been passed, and the 2018 Haile Fellows are digging in: Nicole Armstrong is developing Queen City Certified, a business certification system focused on gender equity, and Elisa Hoffman is creating School Board School, training that provides potential school board officials with the skills, experience, and mindset to be effective in th…

Photographer extraordinaire Claudia Hershner (claudiahershner.com) operates as a commercial photographer, focusing on product, with many a passion project taking place in her Newport studio. Photography marries all the artistic elements she loves and the immediacy of photography is also particularly gratifying. Her love of collaboration with other …

For this special series, I’m talking to some of the talented folks who created photo shoots for the Tether Sourcebook about their inspiration, process, and industry insights. Visual artist and graphic designer Janet Creekmore has loved photography for a long time—she even managed a photo studio. She wanted to do a food shoot that presented a challe…

For this special series, I’m talking to some of the talented folks who created photo shoots for the Tether Sourcebook about their inspiration, process, and industry insights. Makeup Artist and Educator Stefani Carol (stefanicarol.com) had a brilliant idea for the Tether Sourcebook: an underwater beauty shoot. She connected with Photographer Tina Gu…

Cincinnati born-and-raised Creative Director Joi Sears is a creative’s creative: she’s done everything from dance and spoken word to photography and theater, earning a BFA in Acting before shifting her focus to combining the arts and social change through entrepreneurship. We talk about her ethical fashion line Amsterdamage, her sustainable pop-up …

Fashion connoisseur Tony Tiemeyer (evolutionfashionstudio.com) opened his first vintage clothing store in 1984, and soon after started carrying the work of then up-and-coming designers like Todd Oldham and Donna Karan. After running several successful designer shops and managing high-end retail, he decided to take on a new challenge: e-commerce.We …

Jill Goulait (circlecirclejewelry.com) started making jewelry as a hobby after taking a simple soldering class, and what began as a diversion turned into a full-fledged occupation. The simple, minimalist designs that distinguish Circle Circle Jewelry are inspired by deconstructing shapes down to their most basic form. We discuss how and why she cha…

Kick Lee landed in music production by sheer accident, after studying graphic design and discovering he wasn’t made for the corporate world. He grew up listening to music and has since become a fan of a number of genres, from bluegrass and country to hip-hop and EDM. We talk about his process for creating tracks from scratch, how music licensing wo…

Stephanie Bohanon studied finance and commercial real estate before a store management position at Preneur crossed her path. The brainchild of Procter & Gamble, Preneur is a yearlong 3rd party popup shop created to share new Tide products with the market and showcase local businesses. We chat about working with independent businesses, what it means…

Film Director Brandon Faris co-founded video production studio LEAPFrame in 2013, but his real first love is music. After studying sound production, he took on stints engineering music for commercials (he wrote a song a for Ford Truck ad!) and as a youth minister before learning to edit video by creating classic spots and mini-documentaries for Cur…

Friends Suzy and Brittney met in the first day of class during their 2nd year in college, and have been inseparable ever since. They started Handzy (hellohandzy.com) as a graphic design studio, creating branding for small businesses and stationery for craft fairs before embarking on a new venture: retail. We talk about working with other independen…

Designer Chris Glass (chrisglass.com) intended to go to school to study film, but wound up in Visual Communication, transitioning from analog to computer-based work on the cusp of the digital revolution. We talk about how he progressed from creating CD-ROMS (remember those?) to designing the logo for the Obama administration’s American Recovery and…

We’re back for Season 4! In episode #31, I talk to Pam Kravetz, an Artist and Art Educator with a penchant for "tutus, big wigs, and faux furs.” She’s done everything from performative art and yarn bombing to teaching children and radical puppetry. We chat about how she found her voice as an artist, the importance of connecting with people through …

For the final episode of Season 3, I talk to Project Manager Extraordinaire Janet Hill (janethillevents.com), who’s a pro when it comes to finding the path to get things done. She’s worked on everything from ArtWorks’ 21 Candles anniversary celebration to location management for the Marauders movie filmed here in Cincinnati. We chat about the rewar…

Katie Fraser & Jacob Trevino founded Gorilla Cinema (gorillacinemapresents.com), a creative experience company. What started as a pop-up pairing cocktails and movies led to opening immersive bar environments (The Overlook Lodge, Video Archive) that are playful, approachable, and incorporate the element of surprise. We talk about the importance of b…

James Avant IV started Obsessive Cake Disorder (ocdcakes.com) to make mental health more approachable by associating it with something positive—like cake. As the winner of the 2016 ArtWorks’ Big Pitch, he’s using the winnings to grow Bakeologie (bakeologie.co), a community kitchen with the goal of getting friends and neighbors around the table to e…

Fashion Designer Jenifer Sult is the founder of Cut + Sewn (www.cutsewn.com), a multidisiplinary studio that provides design and sewing services in addition to a full product development package for fashion and soft-good product designers. Jenifer’s love of sewing started at an early age, when she started making her own clothes in elementary school…

Artist-Designers Janet Creekmore and Ben Neal focus on branding for retail, restaurant, and mixed-used lifestyle centers via creative studio Eye Candy (creativeeyecandy.com), but their passion can be summed up thusly: they design for place. We talk about their mobile gallery project POPPED ART, the benefits of being nosy, and how they bring high ar…

Spoken Word Instructor Jori Cotton and Teaching Artist for music Nick Rose work with Elementz (elementz.org), an youth-focused organization dedicated to social and emotional development through the arts. We talk about poetry slams and music performance, the upcoming Artist Showcase, and the rewarding work of helping young people find their voice.We…

Illustrator Erin Barker (erinbarkerillustration.com) always knew she wanted to be an artist, deciding to focus on illustration after several years of experience. We talk about growing up with parents who were designers, how an unfulfilling job taught her what she shouldn’t do as a career, and the importance of creating projects for yourself in your…

Photographer Josh Anderson (josh-anderson.com) got his start in photojournalism a little over 10 years ago, and has since moved into fine art and fashion photography. We talk about what it’s like to be part of a traveling press pool, his first professional job (for Interview magazine, no less!), and his best advice for new photographers looking to …

Artists, designers, activists, and nonprofit leaders Anh Tran and Catherine Richards make conceptual art that’s an expression of love and friendship through collaborative enterprise Hark+Hark (harkandhark.com). We talk - and laugh - about staying true to yourself as a maker, listening to your gut instincts, and why talking to *everyone* is the best…

Photo Stylist and all-around creative babe Jessie Cundiff (jessiecundiff.com) started as a fine artist and has been a successful freelance stylist for six years. We chat about what it takes to build your portfolio, the importance of doing the work, and why being part of a community makes a difference in work and in life.We also discuss:-How Jessie …

Social and Civic Innovation Specialist Tamaya Dennard spends her time sparking civic engagement at Design Impact, a nonprofit design firm focused on social justice and social change issues. It’s no wonder she went from being voted “most likely to change the world” in high school to working as an agent of change, but just how did she make the leap f…

Dynamic creative duo Emmit Jones and Josh Jacob founded Cosette (ouicosette.com), a cross-disciplinary design practice focused on serving the fashion, luxury, lifestyle, and culture industries. Their small (3 person!) team works within the branding realm and favors a direct client-to-creative relationship, but they choose to focus on the brands the…

Fashion Designer Chanel Scales of SHINGO (facebook.com/ShingoLLC) talks designing custom styles for confident women, her plans to produce a ready-to-wear line, and the importance of having a supportive team who believes in you AND in themselves.As part of Cincinnati Music Festival’s Throwback Thursday event highlighting fashions from the 60s throug…

Fashion designer and two-time Project Runway contestant Asha Daniels (ashaama.com) gets real about reality show casting (psych evaluation, anyone?), how she went from interning at Garanimals to creating designs for a major fashion house, and why she decided to forgo corporate in favor of her own couture line.We got into details about the email that…

Copy Director and Brand Consultant Katie Hicks of Kith Creative (www.kithcreative.com) talks about the ins and outs of starting your own creative business, her journey from small agency copywriter to working with international fashion brands, and why it’s so important to have faith in your own decisions.Katie and I have a lot in common, despite the…

Rosie Kovacs of Brush Factory Furniture (brushmanufactory.com) talks starting a business right out of school (and in the middle of the recession), learning to be strategic about growth, and why it’s important to make design accessible to everyone.Brush Factory won $20,000 via an ArtWorks Big Pitch business grant, so we chatted about what really hap…

Deogracias Lerma, Polly Magazine (www.pollymagazine.com) Founder--and Editor-in-Chief/Creative Director/Chief Photographer-- talks about working with famed photographer Annie Leibovitz in New York, what it takes to start a print magazine in an increasingly digital world, and the importance of taking the initiative to create what you want to see. Fo…

In 2015, CityBeat Senior Editor Maija Zummo added another bullet to her resume: Cofounder of shopmadeincincinnati.com, a (very literal) online resource for Cincinnati-based makers. The site is like a hyper-local, well-curated Etsy, built to help people discover and shop locally made home goods, food, jewelry, ceramics, and more. We talked about sta…

Photographer and CEO of The Lodge (thelodgeky.com) Scott Beseler talks turning a masonic lodge into a multi-use creative studio, collaborating with Walk the Moon, and the importance of combining word-of-mouth marketing with one—to-one outreach.Scott and I talked about his vision: creating a space where his mutual friends—photographers, graphic desi…

Regina Russo, Director of Communication for the Contemporary Arts Center, talks about helping people find and share their cultural voice, her experience working for “the Oprah of Detroit” after college, and the importance of always being connected to the community.As a child, Regina knew she wanted to be like Phil Donahue even before she understood…

I’m back with a Very Special Episode (no, not the one where Jessie is addicted to caffeine pills) of the Creative City podcast. This time, I took my portable studio - aka laptop and mic - on location to MORTAR’s Life’s a Pitch event, where I talked to four of the program’s recent graduates about their businesses and future aspirations. Since the ve…

Event Stylist Christina Christian (somethingchicdesign.com) talks about how her business evolved from planning events for friends and family to working with national clients, what she does to give her work that “wow factor”, and how she balances being an attentive mom and a driven entrepreneur. And yes, that’s her real name!As a one-woman operation…

Interior Designer and HighStreet (www.highstreetcincinnati.com) Co-founder Leah Spurrier talks about how she launched her career with a clear vision and a solid plan, how her one-person business grew into a nationally recognized lifestyle brand, and why she intentionally chose to come to Cincinnati to pursue her dreams.Visit www.CreativeCityPodcast…

MORTAR Co-founder and Branding Gladiator Allen Woods (justcallmeallen.com) talks about shaping a rough idea into a refined diamond, the importance of inclusion and diverse perspectives, and the initial pitch he received from his business partners (hint: “It was pretty terrible.”)Visit www.CreativeCityPodcast.com for more information and additional …

Multi-hyphenate James Marable owns Original Thought Required (otrfresh.com), works as a Social Media Strategist/Recruitment Marketer at Macy’s, and produces events all over the city, but what is the glue holding all of those things together? In this episode, he talks about building a brand story, the importance of being able to lean on your network…

UI/UX Designer and AIGA Cincinnati President Ryan Cayabyab talks about building his first website (hint: it was pre-GeoCities), collaborating with other passionate professionals, and the best ways to become invaluable to the creative community.More episodes at creativecitypodcast.com. Music by The Passion HiFi.…

Entertainment Editor Tasha Stewart explains how she got started as a journalist, what it’s like to manage a digital content team, and the best way to find All The Fun (it’s an actual job!).Warning: there’s a fair amount of giggling (because that’s what girlfriends DO, okay?) and a short choir interlude in praise of Fetty Wap.Visit CreativeCityPodca…

Corporate’s Matt Tomamichel reveals how dealing with the death of a friend pushed him to pursue his dream of entrepreneurship, why he still interns with other companies, and the importance of building a network. Turns out he really is a cool guy.Visit www.creativecitypodcast.com. Music by The Passion Hifi.…

Cincy Chic founder Amy Scalia talks about working on your own dime, launching a multimedia brand, and what a difference it makes when you’re passionate about what you do.Visit www.creativecitypodcast.comOleh Creative City Podcast

Micah Paldino of Fallon Thatcher talks making up your own job title, how Blaise Bender was born, and what it means to have the support of your private #squad.Oleh Creative City Podcast

Grace Dobush of Crafty Supermarket and Midwest Craft Con talks crafty entrepreneurship, how to pitch freelance stories, and trend predictions for 2016 (hint: get your Shrinky Dinks ready).Intro & outro music: Untouchable by The Passion HiFiOleh Creative City Podcast