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

Instagram and all episodes

(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.

Instagram and all episodes

(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.

Instagram and all episodes

(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

Oskar Stenmark is a trumpeter based in New York City.

Instagram and all episodes

(00:00) First trip to New York, February 2013

(03:28) Naive “magical city” expectations for musicians

(06:12) Student visa plan and Manhattan School of Music

(09:45) Havana semester sparks desire to leave Sweden

(13:18) Havana’s street music, intensity, and community

(16:40) Musical family lineage: 10 generations playing

(20:05) Early foundations: mom’s singing, dad’s rhythm

(23:37) Sweden’s mandatory instruments and recorder “trial”

(27:10) Learning trumpet: patience, mobility, first sound

(30:44) High school choice: soccer dreams vs music focus

(34:22) Sweden education path and taking a year off

(38:06) First Vanguard night triggers “I belong here”

(41:55) Inside Village Vanguard: stairs, rumbling train, legacy

(45:12) Staying after graduation: OPT then O-1 artist visa

(48:58) Proving “extraordinary ability” and embassy interview

(52:21) Advice: letters, gratitude, packaging your case

(55:47) Early survival: three pillars—perform, write, teach

(58:36) Gigs and compounding network: say yes, be solid

(62:04) Habits: subway listening, prioritize beautiful sound

(66:11) Midsummer legacy and redefining success holistically

Ginny Hogan is a comedian and a writer based in New York City.

Instagram and all episodes

(00:00) Born in NYC, parents’ Midwest/Virginia roots

(03:12) Museums, Catholic school, “New Yorky stuff” childhood

(06:35) No comedy plan, drama fan, accidental start

(09:48) Facebook ad credits: dating ads go viral

(12:58) Writing jokes at work, stand-up classes, introvert performer

(15:55) San Francisco comedy scene, chasing club spots

(18:40) Leaving SF, back to NY, LA, then NY again

(21:22) Math brain, politics interest, law school maybe

(24:10) Tech era vibes: Palantir, Facebook boredom, commute

(26:55) Quitting tech, freelancing, never fully “left” tech

(29:45) Stand-up ambition, gatekeepers, control your own output

(32:30) Twitter audience: volume, news takes, Betches connection

(35:05) Persona shift: sobriety, marriage, parenting boundaries

(37:55) Lifestyle change: nights out harder, stand-up slows down

(41:05) Building the hour: Edinburgh bootcamp, touring, taping

(44:10) Comedy money: corporate gigs, Substack, internet writing

(47:05) Motherhood realities: exhaustion, tips, breastfeeding nuance

(50:05) Sobriety + success: time, creativity, defining “worth it”

Julia Edelman is an author, a contributor to The New Yorker, and a Substacker, based in Brooklyn, NY.

Instagram and all episodes

(00:00) Born in Queens, NYC keeps pulling her back

(02:18) Family roots: Brooklyn, Iraq, France

(04:28) Grandmother’s escape from Baghdad to NYU

(07:03) Writing young to process emotions

(09:12) Seventh-grade football tryout story begins

(12:41) Injury, bonding, and writing the essay

(14:58) Recognition: strangers understanding her voice

(16:47) High school: “serious novelist” era

(19:06) Self-publishing a 200-page fiction book

(21:18) Writing the Amelia Earhart school musical

(25:10) Choosing McGill for “interesting experiences”

(28:14) Finding creativity via film theory and sketches

(31:10) Back to NYC: People magazine job

(33:12) Kant quote sparks philosopher breakup letters

(36:28) New Yorker acceptance, viral confusion, book deal

(40:42) Fear, procrastination, and NYPL finishing grind

(45:20) Loneliness → pivot to TV writing, move to LA

(47:58) Animated TV loophole, plant show, health crisis arc

(52:16) Post-recovery travel: Bali freedom and staying seven months

(55:18) Ecstatic dance, DJing, writing workshops combined

(57:44) Living with uveitis: uncertainty reshapes priorities

(59:32) Writing now, eye status, and redefining success

Ilana Gilovich is a writer, experience designer, and creative director based in Brooklyn, NY.

Instagram and all episodes

(00:00) Moving to NYC from Ithaca

(03:12) Defining art as a way of being

(06:05) Childhood whimsy: Peter Pan birthday story

(09:18) Early writing, dance, and voracious reading

(12:02) Cornell path: English, dance, theater, PhD

(15:06) No master plan, just following delight

(18:11) Nature homesickness versus the “concrete jungle”

(21:04) Discovering Sleep No More during internship

(24:48) What immersive theater is, and why it hooked her

(28:37) Inside the McKittrick: masks, rooms, world-building

(32:46) One-on-one encounters and intimate audience moments

(36:18) Rising through roles: FOH, events, cast, storytelling

(39:58) The gift of repeating one piece for years

(42:48) Academia disenchantment: jargon vs close reading

(45:34) Closure and pivot: freelance experience design

(48:12) Creating rituals: thresholds, atmosphere, embodiment

(51:34) Meaning themes: death, connection, ingestion vs expression

(54:20) Success, “enough,” love, art-rapture, and kindness