Nira Burstein is a documentary filmmaker based in New York City.

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(00:00) Growing Up in Queens

(02:41) Everyone Is an Artist

(05:13) Discovering Donnie Darko

(08:02) Choosing Filmmaking Over Stability

(10:49) Internships and Early Career

(13:27) Mining for a Story

(16:11) Portraying Her Parents

(18:46) The Emotional Heart of Filmmaking

(21:20) Building Charm Circle Over Six Years

(26:04) Festivals, Rejections, and Sheffield Premiere

(30:08) Reflections on European Audiences

(33:11) Passion, Purpose, and Healing

(36:23) Success, Struggles, and Staying Inspired

(38:17) Advice to Young Filmmakers

(40:25) The Power of Vulnerability

Jessica Silver is a standup comedian based in Manhattan.

Instagram and all episodes

(00:00) Dreaming of New York City

(03:12) Moving From Virginia to NYC

(06:20) Late 20s in the City

(08:15) Childhood Trouble and Shyness

(11:02) College Acting and Comedy Interest

(13:40) First Stand-Up Class and Debut

(16:25) Overcoming Stage Nerves

(19:18) Finding Her Comedy Style

(23:05) Writing Challenges and Creative Flow

(27:42) Growing in NYC’s Comedy Scene

(31:30) Raunchy Humor and Family Influence

(35:10) Introverts in Stand-Up Comedy

(38:18) Defining Success in Comedy

(41:02) NYC’s Supportive Comedy Community

(43:10) Advice for Aspiring Comics

Nira Tarr is a comedian, a DJ, and an actress based in New York City.

Instagram and all episodes

(00:00) Moving to New York in a Pandemic

(03:42) LA vs. New York Comedy Scenes

(06:15) Anti-Intellectualism and Youth Culture in LA

(09:04) Mushrooms, Epiphanies, and the Decision to Move

(12:30) Golden Handcuffs and Creative Plateaus

(15:11) Comedy Career in LA Before New York

(18:46) Starting Stand-Up and UCB Improv

(21:50) Clown Training and Its Influence

(26:23) Clown Philosophy and Audience Connection

(29:42) Fear, Failure, and Resilience in Comedy

(34:05) Comedy or Acting: Why She Chose Stand-Up

(37:40) Hitting the Ground in New York as a Comedian

(42:18) Producing Shows and Building Community

(46:06) Making Money vs. Artistic Success

(50:17) Favorite Venues and the Spirit of New York Comedy

(53:41) Redefining Success and Creative Freedom

(56:29) Advice to New Comedians in New York

(59:30) Persistence, Patience, and the Long Game

Jonah Nigh is a standup comedian based in Manhattan.

Instagram and all episodes

(00:00) Verbal Assault in Harlem: The Moment NYC Became the Dream

(02:08) Opera Obsession and the Voice That Almost Was

(05:46) Surgery, Silence, and Reinvention

(08:11) Sommelier Detour and Bedbugs in Brooklyn

(10:43) From Grant Writing to Juilliard

(13:10) Always Funny: Childhood Roasts and Comic Roles

(15:38) The Baking Show Spark That Changed Everything

(18:12) First Class, First Set, First Laugh

(21:06) Training With Comedy Coaches Like a Pro

(24:30) Tracking the Hustle: Spreadsheets, Sets, and Self-Critique

(27:05) Starting Comedy at 45: Lower Stakes, Higher Wisdom

(30:10) Career Goals: Building a Creative Pie Chart

(33:24) Comedy as Cultural Weapon: Code-Switching and Truth-Telling

(36:19) Queer, Asian, Adopted—and Owning the Stage

(39:56) Comedy Heroes: From Joan Rivers to Jack Benny

(44:28) Advice to New Comics: Get in a Class and Get on Stage

Emily Azrael is a stand-up comedian based in Brooklyn, NY.

Instagram and all episodes

(00:00) Moving to New York

(01:56) Odd Jobs and Vodka Marketing

(05:35) First Real Job in Advertising

(07:50) Realizing a Love for Comedy

(10:20) Working at Thrillist and Value Alignment

(13:10) Life Coaching and the Comedy Spark

(15:05) First Writing Experience and Humor Roots

(17:44) 90s Comedy Influences

(19:12) First Time on Stage

(23:08) Performing Again and the Comedy Pause

(25:57) Reigniting Comedy Post-COVID

(28:56) Meeting Nancy and Finding Community

(31:30) Balancing Comedy with Freelance Life

(34:45) Finding Her Zone of Genius

(38:10) Early Comedy Struggles and Bombing

(48:32) Weekly Routine and Building Identity

(52:30) Growing as a Performer

(56:18) Advice for Aspiring Comics

George Olesky is an actor based in New York City.

Instagram and all episodes

(00:00) Almost Moved to Berlin

(02:33) Discovering Berlin Theater

(04:28) First Taste of Acting

(06:50) From Film to the Stage

(09:30) Arriving in New York City

(12:04) Entitlement and Reality Check

(14:56) Auditions, Catering, and Confusion

(17:32) Making Ends Meet Pre-Pandemic

(20:14) TV Breakthrough and Blue Bloods

(22:43) Post-Pandemic Depression and Revival

(26:31) Arder, Purpose, and Survival

(30:45) Missing Dime Square

(34:14) Beckett’s, Adult Film, and a New Scene

(38:26) Founding the Brooklyn Center

(45:01) Rethinking Success and Civic Theater

(49:08) Advice to My Younger Self

Adrian Jusdanis ("New Thousand") is a street performer based in New York City.

Instagram and all episodes

(00:00) Why he moved to New York for love

(01:36) Initial resistance to leaving New Orleans

(03:45) Discovering New Orleans as an artistic haven

(07:20) Addictions and arrested development in New Orleans

(10:22) Moving to New York to grow up

(13:14) The health scare that led to sobriety

(16:00) Sobriety improves his music and performance

(20:40) How his looping violin street act works

(24:14) Mediterranean and classical influences in his music

(28:00) Learning to read the crowd sober

(32:12) His favorite places to perform in NYC

(36:21) The street band that changed his life

(40:50) Most important street performance lesson: Ask for money

(45:23) Making $1,000 a week right away in New Orleans

(51:10) Tapping into flow states while performing

(60:15) How his act evolves based on energy and crowd

(63:38) Building community with other NYC performers

(67:01) Why New Orleans is still the best street scene

(71:32) Cultural joy in Latin America vs gray U.S. streets

(75:20) Defining success through fulfillment, not metrics

Justin Strauss is a musician and DJ based in Brooklyn, NY.

Instagram and all episodes

(00:00) Born in Brooklyn, Raised in Long Island

(02:21) Beatles Awakening: Music as Religion

(06:47) Finding Glam Rock in a Grateful Dead Town

(10:13) Forming Milk & Cookies

(13:22) Getting Signed at 17 to Island Records

(15:09) Recording in London, Pre-Punk Era

(18:17) Subversive Lyrics, Teenybop Look

(21:00) The High of Getting Dropped

(23:04) Cult Following and Reissues

(26:06) Playing Webster Hall with The Lemon Twigs

(27:31) How a Girlfriend Got Him the Lead Singer Gig

(30:42) Inventing a Voice, Becoming a Frontman

(34:14) Falling in Love with Record Collecting

(37:45) Record Label Hustle: Writing as a Fake Reviewer

(41:04) From Basement Listener to DJ at Mud Club

(45:12) The Secret to Good DJing: Right Song, Right Time

(49:00) DJing as Performance, Not Planning

(52:20) Becoming a Resident: Area, Limelight, Tunnel

(56:01) Life on $200 a Night and a $439 Rent

(60:45) Raising Kids in NYC on a DJ’s Budget

(64:38) Being a Dad While Staying an Artist

(69:11) Advice for Aspiring NYC Creatives

(75:27) From AIDS to 9/11: Tragedies That Changed the Scene

(83:54) The Evolution of Nightlife in NYC

(92:06) What New York Means to Me