Dynasty Podcasts: Chicagoverse

In a Dynasty Panelcasts event recorded at Soho House Chicago, social creator Grace Andrews, DJ/podcaster/event producer Sherm In The Booth, and video producer Eddie Supa come together to share their strategies for monetizing their creative crafts.The trio of creatives share insights into their business strategies, including how they price their services, connecting with the right audiences and clients for paid opportunities, and more.

Filmmaker and entrepreneur Armin Korsos visits Dynasty Podcasts to speak about his work cultivating community among Chicago’s film talent with his monthly Filmmaker Friday meetup series, which includes collaborations with Chicago's DCASE office and more.Korsos also details his ambitious directorial projects with his Caymanite company, as well as his mobile cinematography work with the Stealth One mobile rig for his Dynamic Camera Systems operation.

In a panel recorded at Soho House Chicago, three of Chicago's top Creative Directors come together to share insights into their creative process.Chad Ingram, Executive Creative Director @ FCB Chicago, Alex Zamiar, Group Creative Director @ Highdive, and Katie Bero, Group Creative Director @ DDB speak about notable client campaigns and what made them work, how each of them approaches creativity in work, and advice they'd give to fellow creatives seeking inspiration in their own projects.

In a Dynasty Panelcasts event recorded at Soho House Chicago, social media professionals Sarah Yi (@agirlaboutchicago) and sisters Lizzie and Catherine Everett (@twosauced) share insights into their careers as creators and influencers.The panelists share their approaches to building their online audiences, reveal how they develop working relationships with restaurants and hospitality brands, weigh in on whether the influencer space is overcrowded, and more.

House music DJ, dance music producer, and trustee for the Chicago Chapter Board for the Recording Academy Dani Deahl and Jeff Becker, partner at Swanson Martin & Bell LLP, guest on Dynasty Podcasts to discuss their work in helping get HB 4875 passed into Illinois law.The law makes the act of producing unauthorized content utilizing a person’s likeness in the state of Illinois, a protective measure in the largely unregulated age of AI.Deahl and Becker speak on their work in advocating for artists’ rights in Springfield in front of the Illinois General Assembly, dig into the parallels between the digital chaos around generative AI and the Napster moment at the turn of the century, and speak on how AI is impacting the creative process for artists.

Jason Lesniewicz, Senior Director Cultural Tourism at Choose Chicago, guests on Dynasty Podcasts to reflect on the city's highlights in 2023.Lesniewicz speaks on the past year in Chicago, reflecting on everything from the state of the local F&B industries to the value of exploring the city’s diverse neighborhoods to the importance of Chicago’s performing arts. He also offers insight into what the city offers to both creative communities and local, national, and international businesses.The Senior Director Cultural Tourism reflects on some of Chicago’s notable wins in 2023, including being ranked Best Big City in the U.S. for the seventh consecutive year by the Condé Nast Traveler Readers’ Choice Awards, as well as the economic impact of Taylor Swift’s The Eras Tour in Chicago.Lesniewicz also previews notable events happening in Chicago in 2024, including Chicago Restaurant Week, Chicago Theatre Week, CIVL Fest, the 2024 Democratic National Convention, and more.

Jen Dorman, Executive Creative Director at Critical Mass, guests on Dynasty Podcasts to talk agency life, AI, and the changing shape of social media in the 2020s.Dorman discusses Critical Mass' Trailhead and AIR initiatives, with the former offering internal growth opportunities for both students and career-changers and the latter redesigning the Artist-In-Residency experience. The ECD also speaks on the power of collaboration both within the nationwide Critical Mass offices and across the aisle with other agencies, and shares that the agency is currently hiring.

LaForce Baker, VP, Community Impact at World Business Chicago guests on Dynasty Podcasts to talk business development in Chicago's South and West Side neighborhoods.Baker speaks on World Business Chicago's Small Business Tech Symposium event, happening Tuesday, November 14th at Polsky Exchange North, and shares how the event will benefit Chicago's small business owners and South and West Side communities with tech-focused learnings. The World Business Chicago VP also shares challenges businesses in those neighborhoods face, and reveals how developer support will benefit South and West Side communities by attracting both local and national businesses.

In an interview recorded at Shure HQ in Niles, IL, Jaime Black sits down with Shure Corporate Historian Michael Petterson to discuss the audio company's iconic microphone, the SM7.Petterson recalls the mic's humble beginnings in the early '70s and shares how the SM7B reached its current popularity with the rise of podcasting in the 2000s. The Corporate Historian also details the 50th anniversary celebration of the mic with a limited box set edition of the SM7B featuring custom backplates, a signature from company founder Sidney N. Shure, and more.

Toni Witt and Andrew Gunderman of Chicago-based startupGENESISguest on Dynasty Podcasts to talk all things entrepreneurship.The co-founders share their respective backgrounds and how they came to form GENESIS, a startup focused on connecting and empowering Gen Z talent. The duo discuss their journey learning and launching outside of the traditional college system, and preview their future plans for GENESIS and young tech talent in and beyond Chicago.

Anton Jeludkov, Creative Director at Someoddpilot, guests on Dynasty Podcasts in an interview recorded at the creative agency’s Wicker Park offices.Jeludkov details Someoddpilot’s work producing the branding for this year’s Lollapalooza, from drawing inspiration from the festival’s early ‘90s origins to including Chicago touchpoint in the design work for the festival’s assets.The Creative Director also shares his advice for pursuing the career you want, and previews what’s next for the creative agency and its Public Works Gallery art space.

ThinkChicago Program Manager Beatriz Kauffmann guests on a Dynasty Podcasts interview recorded at World Business Chicago’s downtown offices.Kauffmann details how World Business Chicago and its ThinkChicago initiative support the city’s Get Z students via student-focused programming, including the annual three-day Lollapalooza initiative, which connects students with business leaders and professional opportunities in Chicago.The PM also speaks on how Chicago as a business ecosystem can best support Gen Z students, and shares why she feels strongly about her work in support of the city’s college talent.

Bruce Finkelman returns to Dynasty Podcasts to speak on spaces for Chicago’s music communities.The live music professional revisits the early days of the Empty Bottle, including the “Next Seattle” era of Chicago music in the early ‘90s. Finkelman also details the evolution of the 16 on Center music, F&B, and nightlife collective that he co-founded with Craig Golden, including Pilsen’s Thalia Hall.Elsewhere, the lifelong Chicago music veteran reveals the origins and future vision of the Salt Shed, and shares the motivation behind expanding into the food hall space, including Chicago’s From Here On and Revival Food Hall.

@properties co-founders Mike Golden and Thad Wong guest on a Dynasty Podcasts interview recorded at the real estate agency's Chicago offices.Wong and Golden revisit how a shared sense of professionalism brought them together in the ‘90s, and emphasize the importance of relationships in @properties’ business model from the company’s early days up through now.The duo also speak on the importance of Chicago as a business market and a home for creatives, while discussing @properties’ growth into other markets and the company’s acquisition of Christie’s International Real Estate.

Hyperlocal media personality Brandon Pope makes his Dynasty Podcasts debut to talk about his work across Chicago TV, digital, and more.Pope talks about his role hosting WBEZ’s Making podcast and shares his thoughts on hosting the recent episodes deconstructing the rise and fall of Kanye West. He also delves into his work telling Chicagoans’ stories as host of On The Block, a collaboration between WCIU and Block Club Chicago. Finally, Pope speaks on his work mentoring the next generation of journalists in his roles as an instructor at Columbia College Chicago and as the President of the Chicago chapter of the National Association of Black Journalists.

Jaime Black visits The Green at 320, an outdoor park in Chicago's West Loop at 320 South Canal, for a live Dynasty Podcasts broadcast.Joining the broadcast is Connor Kelly, Park Event Program Manager at The Green at 320. Kelly speaks on the outdoor space's many event offerings, including live music, a farmers market, and more. He also details the importance of green spaces in Chicago's downtown district, and shares how the park connects to its neighboring communities.

In an interview recorded at 21c Museum Hotel in Chicago, entrepreneur Tom Brown visits Dynasty Podcasts to talk about his client-facing production work and his Chicago Podcast Studio business.Brown reveals how setting up a recording studio in his mother’s basement in high school set the foundation for his recording work. He also details his work in video production, and speaks on his approach to finding clients for the podcast studio.

Multi-talented creative Ryan Luciani returns to Dynasty Podcasts to talk about his new venture, video production company GoodFriend.Luciani delves into the origins of his video service boutique agency, and shares how his years of drumming in Chicago's Empires allowed him to build a network that empowers his entrepreneurial work today. The agency director and founder also details how his talents have allowed him to travel both nationally and internationally, whether through his drumming or his visual media work.

In an interview recorded at the Goettsch Partners offices in the historic Railway Exchange Building building in Chicago’s Loop, Paul De Santis, Partner at Goettsch Partners, talks to Dynasty Podcasts about the firm’s extensive architecture work across Chicago.De Santis shares insights about multiple standout GP projects, including:320 S. Canal150 N. RiversideOne ChicagoThe ViceroyLondonHouseAnd more.

Rob Fojtik, Vice President of Neighborhood Strategy at Choose Chicago and digital creator Jenny LeFlore, AKA @MamaFreshChi, join Dynasty Podcasts to talk about all things Chicago!Fojtik and LeFlore speak on Choose Chicago's Neighborhood Strategy initiative, from the organizer and creator perspective. They also emphasize the importance of Chicago's diverse neighborhoods, residents, and local businesses, detail what it means to be a creator in Chicago, and more.