How I Broke Into: Michael Prywes Interviews Artists and Entrepreneurs About Their Big Break
26 episodes - English - Latest episode: almost 7 years ago - ★★★★★ - 3 ratingsEvery writer, actor, fine artist, filmmaker, musician, artisan food / liquor magnate, or mom & pop small business owner has a story of the "Big Break." New York startup attorney Michael Prywes interviews successful artists and entrepreneurs, and common themes become evident: there is no such thing as overnight success, learning continues for a lifetime, and relationships are everything. The guests--who all have succeeded where so many others have failed-- share actionable insights, retrospective advice, and instructive stories.
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Episodes
Sitcoms with Janae Bakken ("Scrubs") - 026
September 29, 2017 14:38 - 1 hour - 63 MBJanae Bakken grew up in Minnesota - where she spent too many frozen winters on the cross-country ski team, and went to college in Chicago - where she rarely saw the sun, so she made her escape to Los Angeles soon after graduation. She worked on the production staffs of such shows as Mad About You, Caroline in the City, and Malcolm in the Middle before making the jump to writer, where she spent eight years writing on the critically-acclaimed Scrubs, rising from a Staff Writer to Co-Executive...
How I Broke Into Writing with Taffy Brodesser-Akner (GQ, NY Times) - 025
July 21, 2017 11:01 - 1 hour - 49.2 MBTaffy Brodesser-Akner is a writer who has contributed compelling non-fiction features to major publications such as the New York Times Magazine, GQ, Cosmopolitan, Los Angeles Times, SElf, and so many more. Taffy is also the author of the forthcoming Random House novel, Schrödinger's Marriage. Taffy has been a finalist for multiple awards, including the James Beard Award and the Mirror Award, and has won awards from the New York Press Club, the Los Angeles Press Club, Society of Feature Journ...
How I Broke Into Photography with Jordan Matter ("Dancers Among Us") - 024
December 30, 2016 00:55 - 1 hour - 55.3 MBJordan Matter, a Manhattan portrait photographer, is the author of the New York Times bestseller, Dancers Among Us, a collection of photographs of dancers in everyday situations around the world, and his collection of photos of nudes in public places, Dancers After Dark, is a monumental achievement, in my humble opinion. He and his work have been featured on television, in print, online, and in exhibitions throughout the world, including Buzzfeed, ABC World News Tonight, Today, The Tyra Bank...
Surf Art with Nelson Ruger, "Nelson Makes Art" - 023
December 25, 2016 08:00 - 1 hour - 55.8 MBNelson Ruger grew up along the beaches of southern New Jersey, finding his stomping grounds among Ocean City’s 7th Street and North Street beaches and boardwalks. Loving art from an early age, he dove into a career as a theatrical artist, designing scenery and lighting for stage productions up and down the eastern United States, lending his creative style from tiny one-room shows to huge regional theaters. In 1998, he fulfilled his dream of designing on Broadway. With this life goal achiev...
Charity with Brad Broder, Kenya Education Fund - 022
November 24, 2016 14:37 - 1 hour - 73.5 MBBradley Broder is the founder and Executive Director of the Kenya Education Fund. Bradley founded Kenya Education Fund as a means of supporting the children he befriended while serving in the US Peace Corps for two years (Kenya 1999-2001). Bradley has over 17 years experience working with Kenya and speaks fluent Kiswahili. His deep, personal connection with Kenya and knowledge of international development issues has led Bradley to focus KEF focus on keeping Kenyans in school to develop ...
Chef Life with Chef Rossi, Anti-Caterer, "The Raging Skillet" - 021
October 13, 2016 18:08 - 1 hour - 61.9 MBChef Rossi, of the renowned Raging Skillet, is a master storyteller, and this episode doesn't disappoint. She is not your ordinary chef. She credits her success to everything from "kishka and grits" to marijuana munchies to the Hasidim in Crown Heights to foul-mouthed bar tending. Her stories are phenomenal, worthy of a Moth competition. Oh, and don't take my word for it: her cookbook (!)/memoir is being turned into a play and screenplay! Rossi, yes, she only has one name -– has been a wri...
Circus Life with Ringmaster Johnathan Lee Iverson (Ringling Bros. "Greatest Show on Earth") - 020
September 22, 2016 05:00 - 1 hour - 58.4 MBRingmaster Johnathan Lee Iverson is the Voice of the Greatest Show on Earth. He began performing at age 11 with the world-famous Boys Choir of Harlem. For seven years, he was intensely trained in all forms of music including classical, jazz, hip hop and gospel. Johnathan experienced a string of unforgettable, inspiring moments as a member of the Boys Choir, which included being awarded the lead tenor role for the choir, singing at the intermission for Luciano Pavarotti's Concert in Central P...
Artisan Cheese with Adam Moskowitz, founder of the Cheesemonger Invitational - 019
September 01, 2016 03:40 - 1 hour - 70.3 MBAdam Moskowitz is the wunderkind President of Larkin Cold Storage and Columbia Cheese, and he founded the Cheesemonger Invitational, an in-demand twice-a-year event that is considered the Olympics of cheese skills, an celebrates what are to cheese what sommeliers are to wine. The profits from the CMI, which Adam hosts as his alter-ego, "Mr. Moo," go towards The Barnyard Collective, an organization devoted to food education. Adam was responsible for the introduction of Challerhocker cheese to...
Modern KidLit with Amy Ignatow ("The Popularity Papers, "Mighty Odds") - 018
August 18, 2016 11:07 - 1 hour - 70.8 MBAmy Ignatow is a writer and illustrator living in Philadelphia with her family. After graduating from Moore College of Art and Design she worked as a freelance illustrator, a stationery designer, an air-brush face and body painter, an art teacher, an SAT prep instructor, a reporter, a wedding singer, and a florist. Amy was not very good at working for other people. Or with other people. Or around other people. Now she happily works in a studio by herself. She is the author and illustrator o...
Miracle Making with Hal Elrod, Author of "The Miracle Morning" - 017
August 04, 2016 07:00 - 37 minutes - 29.7 MBFor most of my life, I was a night owl. Starting a little more than 5 years ago, I went through a series of transformations to better my life, and one of my greatest and most difficult transformations was going from a night owl to an early bird. When people heard what I was doing, many told me about this amazing book, The Miracle Morning, widely regarded as “one of the most life-changing books ever written”. I read it (and listened to the audio book), and I was inspired. When I started up m...
Fitness Therapy Products and Instruction with Jill Miller of Tune Up Fitness Worldwide - 016
July 21, 2016 13:06 - 1 hour - 56.5 MBThis "How I Broke Into" interview is filled with stories of courage and self-discovery, and provides tremendous insight into how a global brand can result from the initial efforts of one person’s decision to forge a new path. Here are notes from the show: Jill's love of yoga and fitness began early on. She has a love/hate relationship with business--she grew up in a solar community and her family's business was solar. She worked in the family business from a young age. As a child, Jill w...
Celebrity Styling with The Today Show's Melissa Garcia - 015
July 07, 2016 07:00 - 48 minutes - 38.5 MBAfter practicing law for nearly 10 years, Melissa Garcia left it all behind to follow her dreams in fashion and hasn't looked back since. Melissa spends her days making appearances as a fashion expert on shows such as the TODAY Show, The Wendy Williams Show, EXTRA or The Meredith Vieira Show to name a few; shooting segments for global network-Fashion One as their Business/Fashion Expert; writing fashion Columns for sites such as E! or Ivanka Trump or styling actors/TV personalities. Melissa...
Being a Renaissance Man with Doctor and Inventor Arnie Prywes, MD - 014
June 23, 2016 05:04 - 1 hour - 51.5 MBMy Dad Arnold Prywes is a true Renaissance Man. By trade, he is a physician and an inventor, but he is also an entrepreneur, a sculptor, a photographer, an architect, and a terrific father. He has been Chief of the Glaucoma Service at the Northwell Department of Ophthalmology since 1981. An Associate Clinical Professor at the Northwell-Hofstra and NYU School of Medicine, he is currently President of the New York State Ophthalmological Society and has served as President of the Long Island Op...
Dance with Ballet Champion Brooklyn Mack - 013
June 09, 2016 04:00 - 1 hour - 68.6 MBBrooklyn Mack is originally from South Carolina, and is a dancer with The Washington Ballet. He began his dance training at age 12 with the Pavlovich Dance School under Radenko Pavlovich and Milena Leben before receiving a scholarship to study at the Kirov Academy of Ballet. Brooklyn then apprenticed with the Joffrey Ballet of Chicago and later joined American Ballet Theatre’s Studio Company. Before joining The Washington Ballet, Brooklyn spent three seasons as a principal dancer with Orland...
DJing with Anthony Gelo (DJ Good Times of NYC) - 012
March 31, 2016 13:07 - 1 hour - 51.5 MBAnthony Gelo is one of the hardest working DJs in New York. Anthony was born and raised in Queens, New York and has been in the DJ Entertainment business since 1994. He has performed at events ranging from Wedding Receptions, Corporate Events, Private Parties, School & Nightlife Events to working the crowd in Times Square during Fleet Week. He is a graduate of St. John’s University, where he still regularly works the crowds with expert beat matching and a vast collection of music. Anthony’s ...
Sculpting with Rhoda Sherbell (Smithsonian, MOMA Artist, "Aaron Copland," "Yogi Berra," "Casey Stengel") - 011
March 17, 2016 07:00 - 1 hour - 90.5 MBRhoda Sherbell is an American sculptor whose work has been compared to Rodin's. She has been commissioned by the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY as well as private commissions from Yogi Berra, Casey Stengel, Aaron Copland, among a host of other celebrities. Her sculptures are in the permanent collections of twenty-five museums throughout the country, including the the Museum of Modern Art, the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the National Portrait Gallery, the Jewish Museum, the Sta...
Cinematography with Reed Morano, ASC (HBO's "Vinyl") - 010
March 10, 2016 08:00 - 59 minutes - 47.4 MBCinematographer Reed Morano is the Director of Photography for HBO’s hit new show Vinyl, executive produced by Martin Scorcese and Mick Jagger. In early 2013, Reed was invited to become the youngest member of the American Society of Cinematographers; she is one of very few women out of approximately 340 active members in the organization. She has been named one of variety's"10 Cinematographers to Watch", one of ioncinema.com's "American New Wave 25", and one of five innovative cinematograph...
Arts Criticism with Gene Seymour (CNN.com, USA Today, Newsday) - 009
March 03, 2016 07:00 - 1 hour - 77.1 MBGene Seymour is an arts critic and culture reporter who writes frequently for CNN and USA Today. In New York, he was a longtime film and jazz critic at Newsday. His writings have appeared in The Los Angeles Times, The Nation, Entertainment Weekly, the Washington Post, and many other publications. Gene is a contributor to The Oxford Companion to Jazz and is the author of Jazz: The Great American Art, a history for young adults. Gene is a two-time winner of the New York Association of Black Jo...
Artisan Liquors with Nick Pelis, Founder of Citizen Spirits (Maker of Denizen Rum) - 008
February 25, 2016 11:14 - 1 hour - 68.8 MBNick Pelis has worked for some of the most recognizable distilled spirits industry brands and distributors in the U.S., including Diageo, Moët Hennessy, William Grant & Sons and SKYY Spirits. He founded Citizen Spirits with its flagship artisan rum, Denizen. Denizen's first product was a white rum that blended flavors from Trinidad and Jamaica, and it hit the ground running, earning praise from Forbes, iVillage, and the Beverage Testing Institute. Rum is the second-largest spirits category i...
Non-Fiction Books with John Temple ("American Pain") and Hollee Schwartz Temple ("Good Enough is the New Perfect") - 007
February 18, 2016 06:28 - 1 hour - 57.4 MBJohn Temple teaches reporting and writing courses at West Virginia University. His specialty area is narrative nonfiction writing. His new book 2016 Edgar Award nominee “American Pain” chronicles how two young felons built the largest painkiller distribution ring in the United States. The book, published by Rowman & Littlefield, also explores the massive rise in the use and abuse of narcotic painkillers over the past two decades. Temple is the author of two previous nonfiction books: “The ...
Freedom Hacking with Kimra Luna of Be True, Brand You - 006
February 11, 2016 08:00 - 55 minutes - 44.5 MBKimra Luna is a personal branding and online business strategist. She helps freedom-seeking entrepreneurs to stand out, captivate their audiences’ attention and monetize their authentic brands online. As a leading authority on the use of Facebook ads and webinar-based training as both list and brand building tools, she took her business from zero to over $880k in sales and cultivated an email list of over 14,000 subscribers from 50 countries around the world during her first year in busine...
Voice Overs with Charlie McWade, Nickelodeon V.O. Artist - 005
February 04, 2016 05:27 - 1 hour - 64 MBCharlie McWade is a voice over artist who graduated NYU in 1996 with a BFA in drama from Tisch School of the Arts. Since then, he has worked in television, film and theater. I can tell you that all these years later, when we have gone out for a drink or a slice of pizza, he still has been recognized for his memorable role in the cinematic cult hit ‘Road Trip’ produced by Dreamworks and directed by Todd Phillips. But for the last 15 years, Charlie’s focus has been on voice over work. He has r...
Experiential Events & Entertainment with Eva Shure and Craig Saslow of Red Carpet Kids - 004
January 28, 2016 09:53 - 1 hour - 69.3 MBEva Shure grew up between Manhattan and South Florida. She was a Theater Major at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. While in college, she completed her training at the Second City Improvisation Training Center right outside of Chicago. After finishing at Northwestern, she went on to complete a three-year Masters degree from The Actors Studio. After graduating from school, she starred in the national tour of the Broadway Biopic ”Love, Janis”, portraying the life and career of the...
Acting with Naomi Grossman, 'Pepper' from "American Horror Story" - 003
January 21, 2016 08:00 - 1 hour - 73.5 MBNaomi Grossman is best known for her portrayal of the fan-favorite, “Pepper” on FX’s American Horror Story: Asylum. Previously, Naomi wrote, produced, and starred in her second hit solo show, Carnival Knowledge: Love, Lust, and other Human Oddities, which enjoyed a twice-extended, sold-out run and rave reviews (“Recommended” by LA Weekly). It was then reprised at the world-famous fringe theatre festival in Edinburgh, Scotland, where it received more critical praise (4 stars: The Scotsman, ...
Composing with Emmy Award Winner Jim Dooley - 002
January 14, 2016 08:00 - 1 hour - 58.5 MBJim Dooley is an Emmy Award-winning composer/songwriter with a diverse repertoire spanning the film, television, video gaming and live theatrical industries. He has earned accolades for his solo work as well as proud collaborations with many of the top names in music. Jim is a graduate of New York University, and upon completion of his degree, moved to Los Angeles to study the art of film composing at USC with prolific scoring legends Christopher Young, Elmer Bernstein and Leonard Rosenman...
Television Writing with Pang-Ni Landrum from Malcolm in the Middle - 001
January 07, 2016 08:00 - 1 hour - 64.9 MBPang-Ni (Bonnie) Landrum, a recovering Big 10 mascot and daughter of an Asian tiger mom and a Southern military cop dad, has written on both comedy and drama shows including Malcolm in the Middle and JJ Abrams’ Six Degrees. She has sold pilot scripts to Sony, Touchstone Television and E! A co-founder of SeaGlass Theatre in Los Angeles, she also writes and produces the micro web series, The Aftermooners. Through Words Empower Media, Pang-Ni and co-creator Jennifer Quintenz, publish anthologie...